I <3 hit counters

Top 4 Reasons I Came Back to the original VCH:

-I missed my hit counter and comments- it felt like I was writing in a black hole.

-I missed the mood and music at the top.

-The publishing button at blogger sometimes takes a long time.  I thought a few times I had lost some entries.

-Sentimentality.  I started here.  I put a lot of good stuff here and I just couldn't get attached to anything new.

MUSIC

Since my private journalistic thoughts have jumped all over the place in recent weeks, I think I should refresh everyone's memory on what have been my favorite songs of the year.  Scroll down if you don't care.  :-P

50. Helicopter- Bloc Party

49. Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt- We Are Scientists

48. One of is Gonna Die Young- The Ark

47. Thinking About You- Ivy

46. Love Steals Us From Loneliness- Idlewild

45. I Turn My Camera On- Spoon

44. You Can't Steal My Love- Mando Diao

43. Twin Cinema- The New Pornographers

42. Empty Room- Marjorie Fair

41. Fortress- Pinback

40. Fistful of Love- Antony and the Johnsons

39. Catch My Disease- Ben Lee

38. Silver Sparkler- The Jim Yoshii Pile-up

37. We Both Go Down Together- The Decemberists

36. Apply Some Pressure- Maximo Park

35. Hey Now Now- The Cloud Room

34. Ghettochip Malfunction (Hell Yes!)- Beck

33. Goodnight Goodnight- Hot Hot Heat

32. An Honest Mistake- The Bravery

And today we add #31: Sugar, We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy.  I don't have much to say about this one.  I liked it a lot better when it first came out and was only on the alternative stations.  This band sold out faster than a sale item on Black Friday.  The pop machine gobbled them right up and all of a sudden I'm hearing them on Sirius' "Pulse" channel- a self-proclaimed channel for soccer moms.  Call me an indie snob, but that just infuriates me.  Enjoy your mansions, Fall Out Boy.  I hope Matt Groening sues you.

Television

 -We watched the finale of Prison Break yesterday and I have to say I was a little disappointed with where it ended.  I have a feeling that's because that episode was not meant to be the start of a 4 month cliff hanger.  They had clips of what was coming up!  If the episodes are made, why hold them until March?  You've effectively canceled AD and Kitchen Confidential, so why not just keep PB on when 24 comes back?  Are they going to be doing the special encore thing every week for 24 too?  (By the way, when does a rerun stop being a "special encore"- they showed almost every episode of PB twice.  Doesn't seem too special to me!)

- I haven't watched the last two episodes of Desperate Housewives yet, and what's worse is, I don't really care that much.  That show is just flailing.  Someone needs to whack it with an oar.

- On the other hand, Grey's Anatomy just keeps getting better.  A tad predictable in spots, but that can be forgiven because the characters just keep getting better and better.  The last episode was one of the funniest yet.  If this show can keep blending humor with heart and drama, then it should be around for a while.

- This is the first time in a while that I haven't been completely hyped up for LOST tonight.  I still love the show, but I'm just not anticipating Kate's story as much as I was the "other 48 days" or the meeting of the two survivor groups.

Wrestling 

If there was a silver lining in My Name is Earl and The Office not being on last night, and it's a small one, it's that I was able to record the WWE special on the DVR.  There was only one glaring problem I had with it and that was The Big Show.  On Monday night, he was positioned to be the next great hero- the man to finally put an end to Triple H's bullying.  And then 24 hours later, he is shown as a big bully himself, deliberately trying to hurt a 175 lb man who had dedicated the night to his recently deceased best friend, Eddie Guerrero.  So which is it, WWE?  Are we supposed to love Big Show or hate him?  Are we supposed to like him on Raw and hate him on Smackdown because he is a so-called "invader"?  Does anyone in WWE think that there are actually fans who have such a brand preference that they only watch one or the other.  Look WWE.  There are no Smackdown fans.  There are no Raw fans.  There are only WWE fans.  As interesting as the feud between the two shows has been- no fan is taking real sides as if it's a real promotional war.  We root for the wrestlers we like- and how are we supposed to do that if a guy is playing two different characters on consecutive nights?

I'm Back

  Yes, I've decided to reluctantly return home to my original journal.  It just doesn't feel the same at the new one.  I miss my hit counter and my comments.  AOL has added a disclaimer under the ads and the pop-up blocker knocks out most of them, so I guess that will have to do. 

I'm back and I can only hope that my readers come back.  :)  I haven't had a comment in weeks.

Moving!

I really don't feel like fighting a corporation over why there should or should not be banner ads in personal journals, so I'm just leaving.  The Voyages of Captain Happy will now be found on blogger:  The Voyages of Captain Happy

Hope to see you there. 

Sincerely,

Captain Happy

The Best of 2005- #47

  #47 on the countdown is Thinking About You by IVY.  You can watch the video at their official website here: IVY | media player  If that link doesn't work, you can get to the video pretty easily yourself by navigating the website.  It's worth a look, as it is the best video about animated catepillars I have ever seen! 

Thebandivy.com

IVY | official website

Band: IVY

Album: In the Clear

Members: Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, Andy Chase

Hometown: New York, though Durand is from Paris

Why Thinking About You is #47:  Anyone who has paid attention to my Top Tens over the last year (which is thousands and thousands I'm sure!) will realize that I like my female vocalists to sound hauntingly beautiful.  Thinking About You has a little bit of that quality while still keeping a catchy beat.  It's a good one that will stay with you for a little while.

The Best of 2005- #48

  #48 comes to us all the way from Sweden...it's The Ark with One of is Gonna Die Young.  AOL Music does not have this song available but you can visit the band at their website and hear at least a sample.  When I have more time I will do a little more extensive research and try to find the whole song.  For now, I'm going to the game!

The Ark

Band: The Ark

Album: State of the Ark

Homecountry: Sweden

Members: Ola Salo, Sylvester Schlegel, Martin Axen, Jepson, Leari

The Best of 2005- #49

  #49 on my own personal Best of 2005 countdown is Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt by We Are Scientists.  You can watch their low-budget, yet very funny video (in which the band is attacked mid-song by a ferocious bear) right here:

Music Archive Videos: We Are Scientists :Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt :'Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt'

  As you can probably tell by the name of the link, Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt is the title track from the band's debut on a major label (Virgin).  Here are the vital statistics on We Are Scientists-

Band: We Are Scientists

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Members: Guitarist/lead vocalist Keith Murray, bass player Chris Cain, and drummer Michael Tapper

Currently touring with: Hot Hot Heat

Why Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt is #49:  This is one of those songs that hooked me right away.  I am notoriously bad at giving anything a chance, even bands I like, because I always flip through the radio stations looking for something I know the words to.  I know it's a little crazy for someone who is so into new and offbeat music, but that's just me.  Anyway, like I said, I never went through a phase where I was shutting this song off automatically- I listened to it and liked it the first time.  The words are easy to understand, though slightly repetitive so I wouldn't listen to it 100 times in a row or anything, but at this point, it still gets turned up whenever it comes on.

  You can visit We Are Scientists at their website, which is conveniently located at wearescientists.com.  I just found this site today while doing my research and I implore you to take a minute to read the band's slightly wacky advice column.  Also, if you don't like AOL's addition of a pre-video Wendy's commercial, the video is also on the official site commercial free.  It loaded pretty easily for me.

The Sci-Cave : We Are Scientists

My body is your body,  I won't tell anybody, if you want to use my body, go for it!

The Best of 2005- #50

  Starting off the official countdown at # 50 is Helicopter by Bloc Party.

  You can watch the video here: Music Archive Videos: 1 of 2: Bloc Party :Silent Alarm :'Helicopter'

  AOL has more commericals than they used to, which is kind of annoying, but be patient- the video is a cartoon and worth the wait.

    If you're not into videos, which I really am not that big into myself, you can just listen to the song here: Bloc Party :Silent Alarm :'Helicopter'

  Helicopter is off the album Silent Alarm.

  Bloc Party

Hometown: London

Members: Singer/Guitarist Kele Okereke, guitarist Russell Lissack, bassist/singer Gordon Moakes, and drummer Matt Tong

Why Helicopter is #50:  The latest release getting radio play off of Silent Alarm is damn catchy, that's why.  I debated a long time over whether or not this song I had just been exposed to a few weeks ago should be included on a list I was making such heartbreaking cuts from.  In the end I decided that 1) The hook- "Are you hoping for a miracle?" crawls into your head and stays there for a long time and it's not annoying.  2) I don't know why the song is called Helicopter, but everytime I see a helicopter now, I start singing the song....who knows, maybe that's why it's called that.  That, my friends, is influence and any song that influences my everyday life MUST be included on a list of my favorite songs.  :-)

Visit Bloc Party at their home on the web, which is conveniently located at Blocparty.com.

BLOC PARTY: HOME

 

Are you hoping for a miracle?

100- 51

  I couldn't stop myself.  I was sitting here trying to decide what songs I really felt bad about not putting in my Top 50 and I ended up filling the thing out into a Top 100.  100-51 are not getting any fanfare, though!  I'm just listing them.  That is what will keep my Top 50 special- the details.

THE BEST OF 2005

100. E-Pro- Beck

99. Lazer Beam- Super Furry Animals

98. Dakota (You Made Me Feel Like the One)- Stereophonics

97. Wonderwall- Paul Anka

96. My So-Called Celibate Life- The Pernice Brothers

95. Born in the 70's- Ed Harcourt

94. Trouble With Dreams- Eels

93. Hey Scenesters!- The Cribs

92. Bedroom Talk- The Starting Line

91. Little Sister- Queens of the Stone Age

90. Everyday I Love You Less and Less- The Kaiser Chiefs

89. All That I've Got- The Used

88. L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)- Kasabian

87. Nancy- Troubled Hubble

86. Car Underwater- Armor for Sleep

85. Paralyzed- Bob Mould

84. Smoke It- The Dandy Warhols

83. How We Know- The Thermals

82. Here Comes a City- The Go-Betweens

81. Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf- Nightmare of You

80. Galvanize- The Chemical Brothers

79. Love & Memories- O.A.R.

78. Chicken Payback- A Band of Bees

77. Beverly Hills- Weezer

76. Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)- Eels

75. Out of Control- She Wants Revenge

74. Drive Away- Gratitude

73. God Is My Girlfriend- The Brian Jonestown Massacre

72. Riot Radio- The Dead 60's

71. Middle of Nowhere- Hot Hot Heat

70. Love Me Like You- The Magic Numbers

69. Dare- Gorillaz

68. Dirty Little Secret- The All-American Rejects

67. Swing Life Away- Rise Against

66. Girl- Beck

65. NY Girls- Morningwood

64. I Never- Rilo Kiley

63. Daft Punk is Playing At My House- LCD Soundsystem

62. Bang Theory- World Leader Pretend

61. We Will Become Silhouettes- The Postal Service

60. You're Beautiful- James Blunt

59. Very Loud- Shout Out Louds

58. I Was Never Young- Of Montreal

57. Call To Love- Crooked Fingers

56. When I'm Gone (Sadie)- No Address

55. Soft Machine- By Divine Right

54. Baby C'Mon- Stephen Malkmus

53. Smile Like You Mean It- The Killers

52. Over My Head (Cable Car)- The Fray

51. Finding Out True Love is Blind- Louis XIV

Fan Club

Okay, I think the KKK has a bigger message board than I do...not that I've looked.  Come on...go here:

The Kevin Burke Forum - Home

LOST- Episode 30: Abandoned

  Previously on LOST: Boone died, Michael ran off and Jin and Mr. Eko saw The Others.

  It is night and Shannon is looking after Vincent when Sayid tells her to grab her things and come along.  He leads her onto the beach where he has built her a new tent.  It is this sweet gesture that allows him to finally score a blonde.

  Elsewhere, most of the Tail Gang is asleep and Ana-Lucia is uncharacteristically reluctant to wake them up and move out.  Sawyer accuses her of being lost.  Hey, that's the name of the show!  Just as Sawyer starts badmouthing Michael, Michael shows up to hear it.  Mr. Eko informs them that he saw Them and this is the motivation the gang needs to get up and move out. 

  Back in the love tent, all the action has made Shannon thirsty, so Sayid leaves to get her some water.  Right after he makes his exit, the wind blows out the candles and Walt appears in the doorway.  Shannon screams, which cues the creepy LOST title screen.  You know, he's psychic and sopping wet and Shannon was thirsty, so maybe he was offering to drip in her mouth.  No need to scream really.

  Sayid assures her that the whole thing was just a dream, but Shannon is convinced otherwise.  She stalks off, upset that her new boyfriend doesn't believe her.  All the commotion has brought Charlie, Claire and Aaron over to see what's wrong.  Charlie scolds Claire for waking the baby.  She does not look too happy as he takes him out of her arms.

  As Shannon walks off, she flashes back to a ballet class where she is teaching a class of young girls.  After class, she is giggling with her friend when she gets a cell phone call bearing some bad news.  Her father was just in a car accident.  Later at the hospital, a doctor informs Shannon and her stepmother that Dad died.  Dr. Jack Shepherd walks by just to make sure it's drilled into our heads that this was the same man he let die to save his future wife.  Even in this time of great crisis, Stepmom is sure to correct the doctor when he mistakenly refers to Shannon as her daughter.

  As the jungle trek continues, Sawyer falls down and is tended to by Libby, who is most qualified as a clinical psychologist.  Sawyer tells her to talk to his shoulder.

  At the beach, Hurley and Rose are hanging wet laundry, which Hurley thinks issilly since there is a dryer in the hatch.  Rose says she doesn't like the hatch.  Shannon comes by to ask if they have seen the stuff Michael and Walt didn't take with them.  They point her in the right direction and Shannon finds what she is looking for.  A shirt for Vincent to pick up the scent on.  The dog bounds off, dragging Shannon with him into the jungle.  Shannon stops in her tracks when she comes across Boone's grave.

  Elsewhere, Claire is having problems with her gigantic crying baby until Locke stumbles onto one of the only people he hasn't solved a problem for yet.  He wraps Aaron up tight in a blanket and the crying stops instantly.  Claire complains to Locke that Charlie has become Aaron's dad without her agreeing to it.  She thinks he might be a religious freak since he carries around a statue of the Virgin Mary.  Locke, the only person on the island who knows of both Charlie's habit and the contents of the statues, looks intrigued.

  Over at Boone's grave, Shannon flashes back to the last funeral she attended in the real world.  Shannon is sad and alone at her father's wake until she is reunited with her beloved stepbrother.  They share a drink in her bedroom and talk about how she might beat the odds and get an internship at a prestigious dance school in New York.  They also discuss how Boone's mom hates her so Boone encourages her to keep trying.

  On a distant and rocky shoreline, Mr. Eko tells Ana-Lucia that they have to cut inland into the jungle.  She is skeptical that he is just doing it to get Sawyer home faster- a claim he does not deny.  Ana-Lucia says she liked him better when he didn't talk.

  At the beach, Claire expresses shock and gratitude to Locke that Aaron is still asleep.  Then she forces Locke to hold the baby and we can clearly see that he is awake.  Even my mother caught that continuity error.  Just then, Charlie stops by to take the baby so Claire can go for her walk.  Locke dutifully hands the kid over and Claire glares at the rock star.

  Back in the jungle, Jin and Sawyer are making too much noise for the Tail Gang's liking so Michael puts his foot down and demands to know what happened to these paranoid freaks.  Ana-Lucia coldly explains that on their first night, The Others took three of them.  Two weeks later, they took nine.  They are ruthless animals.  Michael says they took his kid.  Ana-Lucia responds that they took a lot of things.

  Elsewhere, Sayid finds Shannon at her brother's grave and tries to sympathize, but she will not hear it, saying this is not all about Boone.  As she goes off to find Walt, she thinks back to the moment of truth about the dance school.  She got in!  The good times don't last, however, as she soon after gets a call that her rent check bounced.  At Stepmom's house, she learns that there was no will, Stepmom got all the money and she is cutting Shannon out.  Shannon asks for at least the money to get to New York, but Stepmom is a particularly wicked Stepmom and denies the request.

  At the beach, Charlie and Locke are playing backgammon and talking about Claire, who Charlie thinks needs to learn more responsibility.  Locke thinks that's an interesting thing for a heroin addict to say.  A surprised Charlie reminds him that he is a recovering addict.  Locke stands corrected and they have a minor little stare down before going back to the game.

  Back in the deep, dark jungle, Sawyer's body finally gives out from fever and injury and he collapses.  Michael tries to snap him out of it, but Sawyer treats this like a deathbed scene and rolls his eyes back.  Ana-Lucia says they have to keep moving, a decision which is universally panned.  The rest of the Tail Gang agree to help Michael build a stretcher for the unconscious con man as Ana-Lucia can only look on with disgust.

  In a different part of the deep, dark jungle, Sayid is following close to Shannon and trying to talk her out of her wild goose chase.  Shannon says she is not crazy because they found the bottle of messages that were on the raft so Walt very well could be out there.

  And so after making a phenomenally impressive make-shift stretcher, the Tail Gang hits their next challenge- a big, steep hill/borderline cliff.  They manage to get the stretcher up with some teamwork but in the process, Cindy somehow vanishes into thin air.  Ana-Lucia wants to look for her, but Mr. Eko reminds her that is just what the Others want.  Just then, the Whispers start up so Ana-Lucia pulls out the gun and tells everyone to run.

  Meanwhile, Shannon flashes back to some more bad news.  1) Boone couldn't get any money from his mom because she seemed to know what it was for.  2) Shannon can't crash at his place in New York because he is leaving to take a job with his mother.  He tries to offer his sister all the money he has with promises of more, but she is so betrayed that she refuses.  He urges her, but this only makes her more angry and determined to make it on her own.  When she asks if Boone believes she can do it, he can't answer so she kicks him and his money out.

  It is pouring rain now and Shannon's search for Walt has gotten more frantic.  After she trips, she has a break down and tells Sayid that she needs him to believe in her because no one else does.  She thinks he is going to leave her as soon as they get rescued.  He counters this by saying he believes her about Walt and that he loves her.  Their romantic embrace is interrupted by the Whispers and the reappearance of Soggy Walt.  He presses his finger to his lips, but Shannon does not heed this advice, getting up and running toward him, shouting his name.  Sayid realizes this is foolish and chases after her in a panic.  And that's when the off-camera gun goes off.  Then a stunned and bleeding from the gut Shannon falls into Sayid's arms.  Sayid is in shock, but his shock turns to anger when he looks up and sees Ana-Lucia holding the literally smoking gun.  The End.

  Next week: an especially awesome and extended awesome episode that will take us way back to the beginning- it's the Tail Gang origin story!

If not for the teams that made the Super Bowl last year, I would have been 9-3!

  Not posting my football picks worked as I went 7-5-2 and held onto first place.  It should have been even better, but I foolishly had the Eagles and the Patriots in the primetime games.  My record stands at 66-59, 3 games in front of my brother and sister-in-law.  Still tight, but better than last week.

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  So it turns out that my Sirius wasn't broken after all.  I had something plugged into the wrong hole according to the guy at Best Buy.  This still doesn't explain how it worked on first break at work two weeks ago but then not at lunch.  Unless the gremlins got in while I was inside.  No sign of forced entry, however.  Those gremlins are good.

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  Wasn't it great to see Arrested Development back on the air last night?  ....................*crickets*............... Shut up crickets- that show is great!

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  My tingling hands are back and worse than ever.  I can't even get a decent night's sleep because it hurts so bad.  It makes me not even want to sit here and type.  And as excited as I am for LOST to be back tomorrow, writing the beloved recap is going to be a literal pain.

----------------------------------------------------

  Grey's Anatomy is not only a great show, but they also have great taste in music.  During the preview for next week's episode, they were playing Portions for Foxes by Rilo Kiley, which you might recognize from reading my Top Ten list the last few weeks.

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  Speaking of the Top Ten, it's retired for the last 51 days of the year as I count down my 50 favorite songs of 2005.  (I pause to celebrate the birth of Jesus, hence the 51).  See you on Thursday for the LOST recap where someone *gasp* dies, or, as I like to say, bites it.  Then on Friday, it's the big day as I reveal what my 50th favorite song of the year was.  That actually doesn't sound too impressive, but remember, there were 60 songs that didn't even make it!  :) 

Done!

  The Top 50 is done.  I sat in the car on break from work last night and forced myself to do it.  It was quite difficult to cross off 60 songs so I am thinking about listing honorable mentions or something.  I simply could not believe how much good crap had to face the cruel cut.  I felt like a reality show contestant backstabbing my alliance.  Anyway, once I got down to 50, the rest of the compiling was easier than I thought.  It simply becomes a game of 'which one of these songs would I want to hear the least?'.  I am pleased with the results even if there was no clear cut #1 this year.  Just because there was no stand-out doesn't mean there was no good music this year.  Quite the contrary- the song I have at #12 I contemplated putting at #1- if anything, there was TOO MUCH great stuff out there. 

-------------------------------------------

  I'm not posting the football picks this week.  I have had two consecutive bad weeks and am losing my grip on first place, so I have to change the routine.  You understand.  Oh stop, the tears aren't necessary.

-------------------------------------------

  I think I made it over the hump (quiet Julie) at work.  I pulled a 105% on production last night and if I can get it up another 5, I will start earning bonuses.  Last night I thought to myself, hey these sacks of potatoes are lighter than they used to be.  Than I realized it's more likely that I am getting stronger.  I think I will stick this job out- paid to get a work-out.  Of course, my book will be here any day now and then I will be a famous writer.  A double threat!  Brains and brawn.

------------------------------------------------

  I noticed the other day that my Yankees poster for the 1999 championship has the Twin Towers in the background.  I should take that down.  Also, this Giants poster has Jason Sehorn on it with the label BONE CRUSHERS.  That one should definitely come down.  Or at least be changed to 'overrated pretty boys'.  :)

Countdown to the Countdown

  Nov. 11 is the day I will begin my second annual Top 50 Countdown where I slowly reveal my favorite songs from the past twelve months.  This year I will try to make the entries a little more in-depth since my indie kick really kicked in this year and no one knows much about the music I listen to.  Last night I consulted the notebook I keep over the course of the year and saw, to my horror, that in order to have a Top 50 I would have to cut 60 songs.  That's right, this year I liked 110 songs.  Worse still, this is the first time I can ever remember where I didn't have a clear cut winner for #1.  I have loved a lot of songs but none more than any other, such as last year with Float On.  I take this very seriously, as the songs I declare the Top 20 make it onto the CD I keep in my records and listen to occassionally.  I still have last year's disc memorized and can also recall my top ten from 2003.

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  I was saddened to read that Christian has decided to walk away from the WWE.  He was always underused and underappreciated in my book.  Just last week I voted for him to be in a match at the interactive pay-per-view.  He didn't come close to winning, of course, because he was a "bad guy".  Still, there were few who were funnier than Christian.  You could just tell he grew up as a fan and loved that he had fulfilled his dream.  In a form of entertainment that relies heavily on revisionist history, Captain Charisma could always be counted on for some hilarious throwaway line about his opponent's past gimmicks or some other piece of history we're not "supposed" to remember.  That's what made him so great to people like me, who have watched wrestling for years and have a good memory. 

Christian, you will be missed by all of your "peeps". 

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  Should be getting the revised first copy of my novel sometime this week.  After signing up for this process in February,it is finally getting really close to actually happening.  Thanks to my brother, for pointing out that I didn't have a link to the website except for the one entry.  Now you can head to the links on the side and go there.  Remember, you can read Chapter 1 absolutely free by clicking on "The Book".

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  I am finally scrapping my poor car.  So hopefully, I will sell a lot of books and be able to get a new car with cash.  Well, not NEW new. 

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Top 25 of 2004

1. Float On- Modest Mouse

2. Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand

3. A Favor House Atlantic- Coheed & Cambria

4. Silver and Cold- AFI

5. Ocean Breathes Salty- Modest Mouse

6. Somebody Told Me- The Killers

7. Ch-check It Out- Beastie Boys

8. Such Great Heights- The Postal Service

9. Followed the Waves- Melissa Auf de Mar

10. I Miss You- Blink 182

11. Buried a Lie- Senses Fail

12. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)- My Chemical Romance

13. Duality- Slipknot

14. Slow Hands- Interpol

15. Golden Touch- Razorlight

16. Take Your Mama- Scissor Sisters

17. Reptilia- The Strokes

18. Time is Running Out- Muse

19. Time and Time Again- Chronic Future

20. Big Brat- Phantom Planet

21. Primitive (The Way I Treat You)- Ambulance LTD

22. I Love You Cause I Have To- Dogs Die in Hot Cars

23. C'mon C'mon- The Von Bondies

24. Maps- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

25. Born Too Slow- The Crystal Method

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  Final Notes:

-I just burned my fingers and dropped my poor little pizza on the floor.  Now I have to walk to Subway. 

-FOX is crazy if they think anyone is going to wait patiently from December to May to see how Prison Break turns out.  I hope the rumor that they are changing their minds about shelving it are true.

-Get well soon to Jason Bateman who just had the same exact throat surgery I had when I was a kid.  Hopefully he will be able to talk soon and they can get AD back into production.  Don't give FOX the excuse to dump it!

- More bad news- apparently NBC will be moving My Name is Earl to Thursday and FOX is moving the Idol results show to Thursday to get it away from LOST.  Holy log jam, Batman!  Don't they know that DVRs can only record two things at once?  This is going to be a nightmare.

- Kasey has been trying to play The Sims by herself and they keep dying.  Now she is afraid of the Grim Reaper.  But not to worry- she told me this morning that she is not afraid anymore because the Reaper on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is not scary.  Who said cartoons can't be useful? 

Another broken crystal ball

  I was a loser again picking the football games this week and fell to 59-54.  Worse still, my brother shaved some more off the lead and is only 1 game behind me.  Things are getting tight all around and I am getting nervous.

Kevin 59-54      -

Brother 58-55    1

Daughter 57-56      2

Sister-in-law  55-58    4

Sister  52-61               7

Wife  51-62               8

Mother  51-62            8

Father  45-68             14

------------------------------------

This Week's Top Ten

1. Parting Gift- Fiona Apple-  Fiona Apple :Extraordinary Machine :'Parting Gift'

2. You Are A Runner...- Wolf Parade

3. Forget Myself- Elbow

4. Nth Degree- Morningwood

5. Soul Meets Body- Death Cab For Cutie- Death Cab for Cutie :Plans :'Soul Meets Body'

6. Dare- Gorillaz

7. Silver Sparkler- The Jim Yoshii Pile-up

8. Love Me Like You - The Magic Numbers

9. Do You Want To- Franz Ferdinand

10. I Never- Rilo Kiley

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  Is it too early to make a Christmas list?

  ----------------------------------------------

Islands* Nick Diamonds Inquires, "Do They Know It*s Hallowe*en?"

  It's a day late, but if you haven't heard this spoof of Live-Aid type songs, you should take a minute to check this out.  The highlight is David Cross in full Tobias Funke overacting mode.  Oh, and if you buy the song, the proceeds go to UNICEF.