HTTP Error 301

Thought I'd geek it up for you a bit- that title is the error message you get when you happen upon a page that has moved permanently.

That's my clever way of telling you my blog has moved to http://vasilcastle.com/cblog/

Hope to see you there!

P.S. Sorry to all of those who commented on the old blog. Those comments are still here but did not make the move. Hope you have more to say on my future posts.

On resolutions lost...

So earlier this year, I made a few resolutions...let's see how I'm doing.

Eat a new food each week: I gotta say, I'm actually doing pretty well here. While I've only written about 4, I tried 10 total, which without looking at a calendar, I'd say gets me close enough to current to call this a success. I plan on catching up with the write-ups, more on that below...

Read 50 books this year: I got off to a slow start here-I think I was at 2 books read after 4 weeks, which put me a bit behind my goal. Then I chose poorly- My Baseball Diary is not a book to be read from cover to cover, as I will explain further once I finish it. I will say this about setting a reading goal- it makes it harder to put down a book that turns out to be a bit of a bore, as you have all that time invested, it's hard to just give up when you're already a few chapters into adding another book to your list. So 50 may be shot, but I'm still going to see how close I can get...

Finally, and this is the big one:

Write in my blog five times each week, preferably on five different days: This is my first post in 12 days, so you can see how well that one's going ... Before that, I had 21 posts in roughly 6 weeks. Still below average, but not too bad. Sill me, putting my family and work before my blog. I don't regret blowing this one, but I would like to write more. Stay tuned, there will be more to read here. There will be a least one more post on this page, and it may very well be directing you to an all new look...and where I will be writing more than once a week. Hopefully- I make no resolutions (for now).

I(pod), Robot

I'm a somwehat rational person. I know my iPod's shuffle is random. It can't pick playing order based on theme, style, etc. But look at what I was listening to in shuffle mode this morning:

"Baby Love" by Diana Ross and The Supremes

followed by

"Diana Ross" by The Concretes

Of the 2100 or so songs on my iPod, I have about 20 Diana Ross/Supremes tunes (a Best Of CD).

I only have one song called "Diana Ross". What are the chances that a song by Diana Ross is followed by a song CALLED Diana Ross? Kinda freaky, huh?

After The Concretes, my iPod plays a song by Pavement and I'm back to normal.

A minute into the song it hits me:

The Concretes
Pavement

(Twilight Zone music plays...)

The 2004 Timmy Awards!

My list of theTop 25 Albums of 2004 is now complete- click here for all the details...

Comments always welcome, hope you enjoy reading the write-ups and if I was able to introduce you to a new album you'll enjoy, then my time was well spent.

Timmy Awards: 2004 Honorable Mentions

Ah, the Honorable Mentions. If I had a Top 33 list, you'd be looking at the bottom eight entries. Here are the ones that almost made the cut, but alas, get only a nod in their general direction to show for it.

I'll even put these in order for you, from the furthest to crack the Top 25 on down to the nearest.

I'm leaving out the "Try Instead" that I had in Not Quite The Timmys, as these are certainly all worth a listen.

The Dears- No Cities Left
Style: Morrissey and other British influences meet in an album which compares the end of a relationship to the end of the world.
Fatal Flaw: A little too depressing.

Rolling Blackouts- Black Is Beautiful
Style: Sloppy, Stones-y Rock with a capital R.
Fatal Flaw: Sometimes a bit too sloppy, not always memorable.

Goldie Lookin' Chain- Greatest Hits
Style: Adidas-wearin' joke-rappers from, you guessed it, Wales.
Fatal Flaw: Works like a comedy album- once you've heard the jokes a few times, you don't have the desire to hear it again right away, or maybe ever...

Nouvelle Vague- Nouvelle Vague
Style: Bossa Nova versions of punk and new wave classics
Fatal Flaw: It's good at what it is, but I can't say I'm often in a bossa nova mood.

Bjork- Medulla
Style: Very out there a capella
Fatal Flaw: More interesting and artsy than something I'd put on every day.

Camper Van Beethoven- New Roman Times
Style: Crafty college rockers return after 12 years with a political concept album
Fatal Flaw: They have other albums are much better than this.

Badly Drawn Boy- One Plus One Is One
Style: Folksy alternative singer songwriter
Fatal Flaw: Almost as much flute as a Jethro Tull album.

Elliott Smith- From A Basement On A Hill
Style: Alternative singer-songwriter's posthumous release
Fatal Flaw: Depressing to listen to, both in the content of the songs and the end of his life...

Next Up: The 2004 Timmys!

Not Quite The Timmys, Part Two

Not Quite The Timmys continues. This is the upper half of the Sweet 16, in no particular order... see Part One for the background story...

Gomez- Split The Difference
Style: Brit Popsters, who quite possibly, just maybe, have owned a Beatles album or two.
Fatal Flaw: Bright, sunny but ultimately forgettable.
Try Instead: Ed Harcourt- Strangers

The Streets- A Grand Don't Come For Free
Style: A Brit-Rap concept album.
Fatal Flaw: A Brit-Rap concept album. Seriously, though- works as a whole, but some of the parts are a bit weak.
Try Instead: Dizzee Rascal-Showtime for the Brit Rap, Sleep Station- After The War for the concept.

The Icarus Line- Pennance Soiree
Style: Loud, Noisy, a little Stooges meets Sonic Youth.
Fatal Flaw: Maybe a bit too loud and noisy for this 37-year old, who listens to most of his music these days while working.
Try Instead: The Stooges- Fun House

Fiery Furnaces- Blueberry Boat
Style: Art-damaged Brother/Sister act crams everything into a five minute song
Fatal Flaw: I never thought I'd say this, but there's a little too much going on in some of these songs.
Try Instead: The Arcade Fire- Funeral

Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!- Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
Style: Catchy, poppy, and more than a touch of new wave.
Fatal Flaw: Not enough strong tune.
Try Instead: Dogs Die In Hot Cars- Please Describe Yourself

Beastie Boys- To The Five Boroughs
Style: Aging rappers kickin' it old school.
Fatal Flaw: A little heavy-handed with the politics, a little light with the humor.
Try Instead: Beastie Boys- Paul's Boutique

The Radio Dept.- Lesser Matters
Style: Co-Ed Swedish pop that's not too sweet, eschewing ABBA comparisons
Fatal Flaw: Not the best Co-Ed Swedish pop album this year...
Try Instead: The Concretes- The Concretes

Elvis Costello- The Delivery Man
Style: Elvis gets rootsy in Mississippi
Fatal Flaw: Some strong songs, but not a solid "album" from start to finish
Try Instead: Elvis Costello- King Of America

Next Up: Honorable Mentions

Not Quite The Timmys, Part One

I have completed my final rankings of the 2004 Timmy Awards, which is essentially my top 25 albums of the year list. I give myself until the Grammys as my deadline, as I have many other duties which keep me from cranking out album reviews of all the year has to offer during that calendar year.

In the past, I have listed Honorable Mentions just by title and artist. Since I now have a blog and need stuff to write about, these will get brief write-ups here. I have 8 albums that I deem close but no cigar.

Sometimes the honorable mentions are harder to determine than the Top 25. This year, I've identified 16 albums as being good, but somehow flawed enough not to be in my short list of
Honorable Mentions. They are still worth pursuing for those die-hard fans of a particular style- these are all decent albums. But they ain't Timmy winners, and I'll tell you why.

Welcome to Not Quite The Timmys. This is the lower half of the Sweet 16, in no particular order...

Rufus Wainright- Want Two
Style: Operatic, Out Of The Closest Alternative Folk
Fatal Flaw: Overly Dramatic- could be as good as Want One, released last year, but it was fresh then. This is a sequel that sounds like a sequel.
Try Instead: Rufus Wainright- Want One (#12 on the 2003 Timmys)

Graham Coxon- Happiness in Magazines
Style: "Look, Ma, I Don't Need Blur!"
Fatal Flaw: Blur albums still readily available.
Try Instead: Blur- Best Of Blur

The Libertines- The Libertines
Style: Drug-Addict drama over catchy 1977-style UK punk-pop
Fatal Flaw: Makes one want to listen to The Clash, not more Libertines.
Try Instead: You guessed it, anything by The Clash

Wiley- Treddin' on Thin Ice
Style: UK Garage Rap- techno beats, British accents
Fatal Flaw: Repetitive, some do this better.
Try Instead: Dizzee Rascal- Showtime

The Thrills- Let's Bottle Bohemia
Style: Irishmen visit California and fall in love with The Byrds and The Eagles, then listen to some Motown
Fatal Flaw: That singer's voice. I put up with it on the debut but cannot do so any longer.
Try Instead: The Thrills- So Much For The City (#11 on the 2003 Timmys)

John Cale- HoboSapiens
Style: An aging, artsy cult hero tries his hand at 21st Century pop.
Fatal Flaw: Sounding a little too much like Warren Zevon, which is fine if you're Warren Zevon, unsettling if you were once in The Velvet Underground.
Try Instead: Brian Eno & John Cale- Wrong Way Up

Hope Of The States- The Lost Riots
Style: Turn up the Radiohead, Baby- It's Coldplay Outside
Fatal Flaw: Hasn't grown on me yet- maybe it will, maybe it won't.
Try Instead: Whatever Radiohead you're missing, starting with OK Computer and moving forward

Skinnyman- Council Estate Of Mind
Style: UK Rap, more old school than Dizzee or Wiley
Fatal Flaw: Good, but repetitive
Try Instead: Either Dizzee Rascal Album or Beastie Boys- To The 5 Boroughs

52 Foods: Cara Cara Pink Flesh Navel Orange

Q: When is an orange not orange?
A: When it's pink.

The missus and I discovered this Orange variety the same day we discovered Chocolate Lucky Charms. Intrigued by it's bright pink flesh (they had one cut in half and wrapped in Saran), we bought a couple to try.



To me, it tasted like it looks- halfway between a navel orange and a pink grapefruit. Which is O.K., I suppose, but to me, it puts this food squarely in the Taco Pizza category.

Taco: Very, very good.
Pizza: Very, very good, if not "the world's perfect food".
Taco Pizza: Why bother if both tacos and pizza are still in existence?

I'd rather have this orange than a taco pizza, mind you, but I'd first have a plain ol' orange or plain ol' pink grapefruit.

One interesting side note: when looking for a Cara Cara photo, I saw the phrase "rich, sweet flavor" more than once. Maybe I need to try another to see if I got a bum one first time out...