I dig your music...Your band name sucks

Occasionally, when I'm trying to sleep, I lay awake making random lists in my head. Who are the top five guitarists from the 70's? Who are the five best defensive outfielders in the National League? What are my top ten breakfast cereals of all time?

Last night, I could not sleep due to the fact that I was thinking of band names. I started thinking of great band names and band names that suck all sorts of ass. So, I started listing. As therapy, I decided to list a few of these bands in cyberspace. My only criteria for a band to be on the list is I have to own at least one of their albums, so there will be no novelty bands on here. Reasons for loving a band name include witty puns, names that just role of the tongue, something deep or emotional is communicated in the name. Reasons for hating band names include exactly the opposite of what's listed above.

Here are some band names I love in alphabetical order

The Arcade Fire
Black Sabbath
The Clash
The Cure
Fleetwood Mac
Guns 'n Roses
Led Zeppelin
Nirvana
Pearl Jam
Pink Floyd
Queen
Rage Against the Machine
The Rolling Stones
The Roots
Sigur Ros
Soundgarden
U2
The White Stripes
The Who
Wilco

Now, here are some names I strongly dislike...remember, these are all bands that I like/love, but I had to get over their name first. I mean, really, their are some awful choices here. Who makes the executive decision on these names?

Arctic Monkeys
Better than Ezra
Counting Crows
Death Cab for Cutie
Foo Fighters
Jimmy Eat World
My Morning Jacket
Pedro the Lion
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Smashing Pumpkins

I know, I know...these names probably mean something to the members of these bands...a clever inside joke perhaps. The simply don't translate well into band names. Fortunately for these bands, they make good music. A few of them make great music.

I'm interested in all of your thoughts. Do you disagree with any of my opinions? Doy you have your own band name love/hates?

Perspiration

It's June. Sunlight illuminates the wind blowing through the trees. There's still snow on Pikes Peak. Outside is where I belong.

Ski Season is over. Saturdays finally offer a day of rest. Today's laundry list of activities include above all, laundry. Whites - check, colors - check, delicates - check, bedsheets - check, towels - check. The soft rumble of the dryer echoes in the background as a French film causes me to wonder if I could really communicate only blinking my left eye. Is there really a worse prison than one's own body?

Should I put my jeans in the dryer or hang them to dry?

The Rockies have won 3 straight games. They are now 3-7 in their last ten games. Last night, they were down 4-1 to the Brewers. They scored 5 in the bottom of the 8th to go ahead by two. It brought back feelings of excitement from last season. I want to feel that excited about something again.

Did I use too much detergent with my whites?

I guess Monday evening was rather exciting. Garret and I were given the opportunity to see the Roots in Denver. They opened for the ever creative Miss Erykah Badu. It was my first hip hop show. I wore my cool jeans, hoping to fit in with the hip crowd. The concert was really quite fantastic. The Roots covered everyone from Iron Butterfly to Talib Kweli to Julie Andrews. I never imagined that The Sound of Music would be inspiration for a 10 minute guitar solo at a hip hop show. The band did exactly what they needed to entertain. It was more about spectacle and performance than simply playing their greatest hits. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I've never sweat so much at a concert. Garret and I also turned to each other a few times to inform of the phantom hands regularly caressing our hind ends. I guess R & B brings out the touchy feely aspect of one's personality.

Why can I never get the sheets tight and straight on my bed?

Tonight, I'll be cheering on my last place Rockies from the club level...Coors in one hand, hope in the other.

"You would do far more good if you just preached the gospel of Jesus rather than trying to get rid of Third World debt relief" - On Bono's crusade against poverty in Africa.

-Stephen Baldwin

This puzzles me. I am not aware of the entire context of this quote, but I can't imagine any context which entirely justifies it. This is a sad attitude that prevents the Gospel rather than encouraging it.

Not so wise words from the star of Bio-Dome.

Out of Retirement

An opportunity presented itself to me recently allowing me to relive dreams of old. I am now playing on a baseball team in a Southern Colorado 18 and over adult league. Opening Day was today and marked the first time I've seen live pitching from 60 feet 6 inches. A period of adjustment is bound to take place, but for now I am having a blast back on the field. This must be what "His Airness" Michael Jordan felt like the first time he came back to the Bulls out of retirement. New life and young blood courses through my veins, pumping my level of hustle to the max.

Today I played right field, hit third in the lineup, and had a blast. I hit 2 or three balls hard and was out in front of a few other pitches. Not bad after a few years of softball. It's great competing without too much pressure.

The most exciting news is that my brother Joe is returning home from college in May. He'll be 19, making him eligible for the team. And, oh yes, he is playing! Being that we're six years apart, we've never played sports together. My parents are thrilled.

If you are at all interested, here is the team website. http://naba.statdepot.com/COS/bombers/default.aspx

Now you can keep track of my dreams.

A Thought

Solitude breeds enlightenment, but community brings life to the enlightened.

Amendment

It hasn't even been 24 hours and I already need to amend my list. I forgot a mention for the film Away From Her. This film goes in at #12, therefore bumping everything after it one number down. My apologies.

Film: A Review of 2007

We're already two months into 2008, so my apologies for the delay of this post. Living in Colorado Springs makes it tough to see some more obscure film before the end of the calendar year and it is my desire to see as much film as possible before reviewing the year.

I thought 2007 was pretty spectacular for film. The top three were pretty easy to decide, after that there were too many from which to decide. The order could easily be shifted.

Before the main list, here are a few minor ones.

Worst/Most Disappointing

Fortunately, I was able to steer clear of most of the crap released in 2007. Sadly, I still saw some not so great stuff. This list is a combination of stuff that was simply bad, and also film that I was looking forward to that was disappointing or didn't live up to potential. Here they are in alphabetical order.

Fracture
Margot at the Wedding
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Reign Over Me
Spider Man 3
Waitress

Most Surprising

Here's a list of film that I either didn't hear that much about, didn't look good on paper, or had a poor trailer, that I ended up really enjoying.

Gone Baby Gone
Superbad
Once
Mr. Brooks

Best of 2007

Honorable Mention: The Savages, Eastern Promises, Once, Charlie Wilson's War, Mr. Brooks

1. Into The Wild
2. There Will Be Blood
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Zodiac
5. Juno
6. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
7. Gone Baby Gone
8. Knocked Up
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
10. Superbad
11. Rescue Dawn
12. Sunshine
13. 3:10 to Yuma
14. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
15. The Bourne Ultimatum
16. Hot Fuzz
17. Grindhouse: Planet Terror & Death Proof
18. American Gangster
19. Breach
20. Michael Clayton

Movies I've not seen that may have changed this list: Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Dan in Real Life, The Kite Runner, Things We Lost in the Fire, Lars and the Real Girl, Lions for Lambs, Grace is Gone, I'm Not There, Persepolis, Youth Without Youth, Steep, In the Valley of Elah

Like I said, I enjoyed much of the film 2007 had to offer. It was tough to narrow it down, so I didn't. I still have trouble narrowing it down to ten. Did I leave anything out? Do you disagree? Let the dialog begin...