Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Mi Casa Es Su Casa Tomorrow morning at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. I head off to London to pick up my mom at Heathrow.  Then rather than letting my mother enjoy the city for awhile, which would be the sensible, greatest-son-ever kind of thing to do, I'm going to drag her onto another plane and bring her immediately home to get her started on her first trip to Germany. So in preparation for this family milestone, I've been busting ass getting my house fixed up.  It wasn't exactly a dump before I got started, but I want her to be impressed, so I've got the place looking about as good as it's going to get on my own. But dear reader, don't you fret none.  You can enjoy the house, too, in a long distance, you'll-probably-never-set-foot-in-here kind of way.  Here's a quick tour: Living Room:  Note the laptop and the spindle of cds sitting on the coffee table.  I re-define fine geek living. Dining Room:  The first of many shots that Franklin manages to work his way into.  You probably can't make them out, but the middle row of books on the bookshelf on the left is all the chess books I used to have in my classroom back in Eagle Pass.  I believe Eric borrowed a couple of those. Kitchen:  Where my neighbors can walk by and peek in on me ruining perfectly good food. Entryway:  This is what my mom will first see as she comes in the front door.  Don't know if Franklin will be there, though.  He's not much of a Welcome Committee. Staircase:  The view going up the stairs.  Bonus view of Franklin the Feline Camera Whore. Master Bedroom:  Can't you just picture Hugh Hefner and a bunch of Playboy Playmates lounging around in there?  Yeah, me neither. Upstairs Bathroom:  I'm going to be generous and allow my mom sole use of this bathroom.  Notice Franklin considering escape/suicide via the window. Upstairs Bathroom pic 2:  Fresh air.  Sunshine.  A nice view.  Now tell me -- wouldn't you enjoy taking a dump in there? Upstairs Bathroom pic 3:  Why so many pics of this room?  Cause I spent a lot of time in there this afternoon atoning for my sins. Guest Bedroom:  Quaint.  Simple.  Should get the job done.  If you ever come visit, that's where you'll call home.  You'd even get to enjoy a view of roofs and trees.  Nothing says Germany like roofs and trees. Guest Bathroom:  Being the incredibly wonderful son that I am, I'll spend my quality time in here during mom's visit and leave her the bathroom that's four times bigger. Office:  The one room I really didn't fix up much.  Offices are supposed to look messy.  It's a sure sign you're working in there. So there you go.  Don't say I never share anything personal with you. By the way, since my mom will be here for the next week and a half or so, and since during that week and a half we have more things planned than we'll be able to get to, there's no telling how much time I'll have to spend updating this site.  I will try and post pics of whatever adventures we get ourselves into, but don't expect a post everyday. Oh, and feel free to leave praise/support/sympathy for all my hard work in the comments. 6:04:47 PM     |

Percussion Android Speaking of Radiohead (or at least a couple of days ago I did), I wonder if Avril has had a chance to listen to the UMASS Front Percussion Ensemble's live rendition of "Paranoid Android." Forget Avril.  Have you heard it?  If not, you can get it by clicking here. Here's how Pitchfork Media reviewed the track: Whether it's a high school pep rally or a Georgia Bulldogs football game, I'm a sucker for marching bands. And I must say, it's nice to see the University of Massachusetts shun the tried-and-true Souza standards in lieu of art-rock with their drum line rendition of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android". The band made this live reworking of the OK Computer classic available on their website a few weeks back, and the degree to which the band captures every nuance of the original is remarkable. Of course, there are no squealing guitars, or howling vocals-- that would be cheating-- just loads of xylophones, chimes, snare, cymbals, and some wicked bass drum and timpani action. The mallets bouncing across chimes and xylophones start the track off soothingly, but the tension builds with the addition of martial drumming. These cats bring on the full register of angst and melancholia in Radiohead's multi-sectioned opus without sacrificing a bit of the ear-to-ear grin-inducing attack of live percussion. All told, it's a loyal rendition and a triumphant translation of the original-- and if nothing else, the UMASS Front Percussion Ensemble has created a testament to the power of quality songwriting. But while we're at it, let's lay the cards on the table: If Atlanta A&M would've pulled out something like this during the BET Southern Classic at the end of Drumline, there'd have been no need for the tie-breaking showdown with Morris Brown. And seriously, having Petey Pablo join in always seemed like cheating. Related links: Radiohead.com:  official site and good for messing with your head a bit Green Plastic Radiohead:  lots of band info to be found here Re-cap of when I saw Radiohead last year 12:12:54 PM     |

A Real Pain To Uninstall 5:18:11 AM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.