Archive for October, 2009

Dear Denon, or not Grado, Sennheiser, AKG, Etymotic, et al.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for making my ears so happy with your excellent headphones (at least in the case of this particular pair). I can’t wait until that sheen wears off so I can hear what these things are truly made of. Burn-in has commenced[ READ MORE ]

Meditation with Charlie

It’s been too long since I’ve been to my favorite jazz club in the Valley, Charlie O’s. Last night Chuck Berghofer and his Midnight Band were on fire, especially his pianist, Terry Somethingorother. Brilliant, raw jazz really is the best therapy money can buy. For me, there is a certain clarity that comes with the [ READ MORE ]

Harry, you in there?

– Post From My iPhone[ READ MORE ]

Wing Chun

There is a lot going on in my life now. Like anyone, some of what’s going on is good and some is filled with stress and turmoil. As part of my plan to tackle the latter, I’ve taken up the Wing Chun cause once again. I use the phrase “once again” tentatively because my earlier [ READ MORE ]

New for review.

Just bought Embryonic. I’m really excited to give it the listen it deserves. Is it the masterpiece many say it is, or are the naysayers on the right track? Shorthand update: The more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s a work-in-progress. And now for some Veckatimest, an album I already think [ READ MORE ]

Extraordinarily difficult for the unfocused.

Try this… Take a deep, long breath and shut your eyes. Keep them shut (your eyes, not your lungs — you’re allowed to breathe). Count to 500 at a pace no faster than two “beats” per second. Do not use any external means to help you keep track of your count, not even your fingers. [ READ MORE ]

Today is [was] a phenomenal day.

I had an amazing hug from C, felt loved. R and I had an incredible drive through Old Topanga. The weather is astonishingly gorgeous. Lunch was excellent and accommodating. I laughed extremely hard. My objectives are moving forward. I saw my celebrity crush in person. Realized she’s even more beautiful and sweet than I thought. [ READ MORE ]

Flaming KCRW

Got this from Pitchfork today and watched/listened in full. It’s amazing. It also helps that KCRW is the greatest station that ever lived. http://pitchfork.com/news/36842-watch-the-flaming-lips-play-pink-floyds-eclipse[ READ MORE ]

Perpetually injured Nadal to combat two at once in Shanghai final.

At least that’s what Yahoo, aggregate to the stars, has to say on the matter (see main story and first headline below). Anyway, who can blame the media for prematurely pushing out a pre-written, fill-in-the-blank story about a final involving the heavy favorite, Djokovic[ READ MORE ]

Heavy, but less heavy: the best milkshake I’ve ever had.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Taylor’s Automatic Refresher of Napa, CA. It certainly puts the five-dollar-milkshake (this one was $6.50) into perspective[ READ MORE ]

No, toss it … in the recycling bin.

Yahoo’s front page is, as of this moment, telling millions of people not to toss their junk mail. Why? Because we’re missing out on savings. Admittedly, this isn’t a bad reason at all. Who would want to miss out on saving money? At the same time, it undermines everything that’s wrong about our rationale. Junk [ READ MORE ]

Where the fun things are.

Well, they’re at the movies. And they’re certainly not in my wallet. So I’ll be patient[ READ MORE ]

This article makes me sad and sick.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/ap_on_re_us/us_interracial_rebuff[ READ MORE ]

ATP Schedule

For years now we have heard the same things from ATP touring pros: the schedule is too long, we can’t keep up. I can’t help but agree, and if this year’s tourney in Shanghai — where SEVEN players, including Roddick, Del Potro, Monfils, Warinka, Haas, Acasuso and Zverev have withdrawn — is any indicator, the [ READ MORE ]

Politics and Art

Apparently Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, was conceived of in a Starbucks bathroom (which incidentally also happened to be right next to another Starbucks)[ READ MORE ]

We are all going to die … rain in L.A.

STORM WATCH CALIFORNIA: MILLENNIUM EDITION! Rain. It’s the top story in L.A. today. So far, it’s less than an inch despite reports of 3″-6″ in deadly mudslide areas. Bag up the puppy, throw poop on the roof, we’re all going to die. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/rain-aftermath.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/neigbhors-pitch-in-to-help-each-other-in-glendale-as-storm-descends-on-region.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/storm-leaves-thousands-without-power-in-la.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/rainrelated-accident-jam-the-evening-commute.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/rain-movie-trailer.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/flood-watches-issued-for-la-burn-areas-as-storm-moves-in.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/thousands-in-la-still-without-power-as-storm-weakens-.html[ READ MORE ]

Curiouser and curiouser.

The woman across the way is reading “Love Is In The Earth: A Kaleidoscope Of Crystals”. She’s got notes out and everything. I hope she finds what she looking for[ READ MORE ]

0 for 2.

Okay, the first one was farce and shouldn’t really count. So let’s just say I’m zero for one and this one hurts more than you can imagine[ READ MORE ]

48 minutes.

I suppose they were valuable. My standards are lower anyway. – Post From My iPhone[ READ MORE ]

No small feat.

I know it’s nothing to write home about, or blog about for that matter, but I’ve never made a successful attempt at those paper chain dolls until tonight. In trying I always ignored the obvious and ended up with at most several pairs of dolls instead of one long chain. Tonight, I actually paid attention. [ READ MORE ]

Cloud hopping.

My iTunes DJ has been on a kind of Hidden Cameras kick and I don’t know just how to feel. Everything is stuck in the midrange. …Now Sunny Day Real Estate just came on. Oh dear[ READ MORE ]

TUAW Dev Chat = Great

Learned a great deal from today’s chat. Gives me a glimmer of hope. Keys to keep in mind: First and foremost, development is a business. Treat it like one in every regard. Make an excellent app, let the reviews and word of mouth do the talking. Develop a marketing strategy around that. Start small before [ READ MORE ]

TUAW Apple Dev Chat

Getting ready to start. Looking forward to learning a bunch here. http://www.coveritlive.com/index.php?option=com_altcaster&task=siteviewaltcast&altcast_code=0b1920ca2f[ READ MORE ]

Come to LA!

Consumerist.com, one of the greatest resources in the world, is having a reader meetup in NYC. Problem is, I live in LA. My selfish desires notwithstanding, I bet there are quite a few folks out here that would love to have some Consumerist meetup action over here. Now that I think about it, I would [ READ MORE ]

Perfect Fit

I always appreciate it when a song perfectly compliments my mood. At this moment, there is none better than Grandaddy’s ‘The Final Push to the Sun’. Thanks, fellas! – Post From My iPhone[ READ MORE ]

NBA Preseason Starts!

YES![ READ MORE ]

Angelika

Devendra Banhart has created something that resonates with me in his new song, Angelika. I don’t know why. I think it’s the Cat Stevens effect. Plus, I probably appreciate the apparent bonus songs within. UPDATE 11/9/09 – The new album has since dropped and it’s getting not so good ratings. I hope the experience is [ READ MORE ]

Dodger Blues

Why is it so hard to find someone to take a FREE $120 Dodger ticket in the VIP section? Three of us are going and we have a fourth ticket available for tonight’s game against the Rockies. By the way, I did NOT pay $120 for those tickets. I myself was a lucky recipient and [ READ MORE ]

Miss you, iBud.

For the first time since Day 1, I am no longer the owner of a disc-based iPod. All that remains is a shuffle (2nd Gen) and my 16GB iPhone 3G. Sold my 160GB (6th Gen) iPod Classic on eBay for a tidy sum. I’m really going to miss it. Would have been nice to get [ READ MORE ]

Informer, by Snow.

I just blazed through today’s 750+ Google Reader items in one sitting and I’m feeling overstimulated and deeply informed, both feelings of which will fade into oblivion when everything repeats itself tomorrow. G’night[ READ MORE ]