The Language Barrier

May. 4th, 2008 @ 09:57 am \m/

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

pleased
Hey, that sounds like: The Runaways -- Don't Go Away

Last night's Testament show was awesome!

I hadn't been out to The Pearl Room before, but it's a pretty great venue. While the floor in front of the stage was packed cheek-by-jowl with people in black T-shirts, there's also a catwalk that was much less crowded and provided a better view, although I didn't discover that it was open to everybody until there were only three songs left in the set. Parking was also not a problem, because the place is in a massive strip mall that's right next to an industrial park, with streetside parking stretching back for half a mile or more.

Since I'd researched the opening acts on YouTube and MySpace earlier in the day and discovered they weren't really worth the extra time on my feet I'd have to spend to see them, I left about 9:30 and arrived in the middle of Testament's sound check. The drive out is also almost ludicrously simple from my house: 355 south to I-80 east accounts for 95% of the trip, and the venue is basically right off the interstate.

The one sour note of the evening was this: ten minutes before the first note of music was even played, a pretty full 16 oz. cup of beer came soaring over the crowd and crashed right into my chest. Even that wasn't so bad, because I reflected that a) at least it didn't hit me in the face, and b) I wasn't the one who had just wasted seven bucks.

Testament played a great set, and resisted the temptation so many bands have to play 3/4 of their new album and only pull out the classics when the crowd starts to get restless. (I'm looking at you, Clutch!) I'd say a good 80% of the setlist was pre-1995 stuff, and the crowd loved it. Chuck Billy still has great pipes, even after adding twenty years, thirty pounds, and being (successfully) treated for cancer. And Alex Skolnick, rejoining his first-ever band after an absence of 16 years, fucking shredded.

All of which is to say that the Metal Masters tour in August is going to be incredible!

--- Ajax.

May. 2nd, 2008 @ 01:43 pm Various things

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tired
Hey, that sounds like: Monster Magnet -- Crop Circle

Tags: books , da cubbies , live music , meetups , metal , money , psa , stupid shit

Busy weekend coming up: tonight is Bo-topia (a.k.a. wurdsome's birthday party) which I'm leaving for straight from work, then tomorrow evening I'm off to see Testament (and several other metal bands I've never heard of) as part of Powerfest 2008 in scenic Mokena, IL. And Sunday I'll spend doing the chores I should do Saturday, but won't because I have the excuse of the concert.

My BushBucks have arrived! And it looks like I'll be stimulating the economy more than I thought. I decided to spend some of it on new books and somehow that turned into a $100 orgy of expenditure last night at SFBC.com -- they were having a sale, $9.99 per book after you buy two at regular price. I'm getting A Canticle For Leibowitz (which, inexcusably, I haven't read yet), World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, and the first six (!) books in Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which is projected to run to ten.

And while I was being frivolous, I also spent another hundred bucks for a ticket to the Metal Masters Tour in August. Actually, make that $45 for the ticket, $30 for parking, and $25 in various fees and fuck-you charges. The headliners are Judas Priest and Heaven and Hell (which is basically Dio-era Black Sabbath, minus Bill Ward, plus Vinnie Appice) and the opening acts are Motörhead and Testament (again!) In a way this show will be me coming full circle in my concert-going history: the first concert I ever attended was a Judas Priest / Megadeth / Testament show at Rosemont Horizon in 1990. But to be totally honest, the thing that clinched it for me is "how many chances am I going to get to see Motörhead?"

For those of you who are going to the Cubs game on 5/17 -- and neonhummingbird, I'm still counting you as a "yes" because stankow has volunteered to cover some of your ticket, so please let me know if you weren't aware of that and have made other plans -- and have been wondering how to reimburse me, I haven't been able to think of an easier means than PayPal to take care of that, unless you want to bring a personal check with you.

Accordingly, my PayPal account is under exaustinite(at)hotmail.com, and the ticket price is $52.00, so whenever you're ready, willing, and fully-funded, let 'er rip. I'm covering all the taxes and fees and whatnot, to apologize for the crappiness and priciness of the seats, so don't worry about that. If you would prefer to send a personal check or something through snail mail, send an email to that address instead and I'll give you my meatspace coordinates. :)

(Oh, and there's still one ticket left, by the by...)

What else? Ah, yes. Those of you who were privy to my red light violation post back in March may be interested to know that I did go ahead and contest it by mail after all, but I ended up having to pay it anyway, as many including myself suspected I would.

On the other hand, I also got a notice from the IL Tollway Authority a few days afterward, demanding $220.00 in unpaid tolls and fees, which I managed to deal with over the phone without having to pay a single cent for. Turns out the expiration date had run out on the credit card I had tied to my I-Pass account, and I didn't realize this for about a week. When I updated it, the account still showed a small balance, so I figured I'd gotten lucky, but alas this was not the case. The gentleman I spoke to on the phone was very helpful and waived all the fees -- as well as the unpaid toll charges, which turned out to have been paid automatically as soon as I corrected my info on the I-Pass Account. So thanks for the pointless scary mail, IL Tollway Authority.

That seems like enough for now. TGIF! And PSA: Mother's Day is a week from Sunday! Don't forget!

--- Ajax.

Jul. 21st, 2007 @ 06:57 pm Overheard in #predicate...

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

rockin'
Hey, that sounds like: Guns 'N Roses -- Mr. Brownstone

Tags: #predicate , appetite for destruction , guns 'n roses , metal , music , wordplay

[Today we honor a red-letter day in the history of metal music edition.]

Transcript slightly edited for continuity. The context: Happy 20th anniversary of the release of Appetite For Destruction!

[18:42] <PlasticJesus> is it by accident that AFD is celebrating its birthday on Cheney Is President day?

[18:42] <PlasticJesus> i think not

[18:42] <Ajax-> Cheney's hanging with Mr. Brownstone down in Paradise City saying "Welcome to the Jungle, they're Out ta Get Me."

[18:44] <Ajax-> Added Cheney, "It's So Easy ridin' the Night Train with a Rocket Queen, Sweet Child O' Mine."

[18:47] <Ajax-> Cheney also warned Democrats looking to capitalize on the transfer of power, "If you think Anything Goes with My Michelle while uncle Dick is busy, You're Crazy. I don't even wanna Think About You."

[18:47] * Ajax- bows with a flourish.

[18:43] <PlasticJesus> can i pun you like, a million times, for that?

[18:43] <Ajax-> Absolutely. [He does so.]

[18:50] <Ajax-> But now I do want to hear Mr. Brownstone.

ShouldaknownbettasaidIwishInevamettasaidI, I leave it all -- a-behiiiiiii-iiiii-iiiiiinnd, yowza!

--- Ajax.

Jul. 19th, 2007 @ 06:59 am Like an amputee guest speaker...

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

rushed

Tags: austin , chicago , dallas , live music , metal , music

Let me take a minute to show off my stubs.

JUDAS PRIEST (w/Megadeth & Testament) - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago IL - Nov 28, 1990 ($27.50)

METALLICA - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago IL - Dec 5, 1991 ($22.50)

WEEN (w/Cowboy Mouth) - Liberty Lunch, Austin TX - Nov 18, 1994 ($10.00)

KISS (w/The Nixons) - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago IL - Jul 16, 1996 ($50.00)

MORPHINE - Liberty Lunch, Austin TX - Mar 22, 1997 ($15.00)

JANE'S ADDICTION (w/Goldie) - Fair Park Coliseum, Dallas TX - Nov 18, 1997 ($25.00)

SISTER 7 (w/Soulhat?) - La Zona Rosa, Austin TX - Sep 5, 1998 ($12.00?)

LOLLAPALOOZA 2003 - Tweeter Center, Chicago IL - Jul 12, 2003 ($46.00)

CHRIS CORNELL (w/Juliette and The Licks) - Congress Theatre, Chicago IL - Jul 18, 2007 ($31.50)

This isn't every show I've seen by any means -- just the ones that were big enough I had to buy tickets in advance.

( The lost episodes. )

Ironically, the band I saw most often in Austin (Soulhat, who are also my favorite Austin band) I have no stubs for, because I was seeing them at Emo's, Stubb's BBQ, Steamboat, and Liberty Lunch, and tickets were always available at the door.

More about the Chris Cornell show in a subsequent post -- gotta dash off to work now. :)

--- Ajax.

Jun. 5th, 2007 @ 02:00 pm 24 Greatest Rock Songs Meme

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Hey, that sounds like: The Fall -- Totally Wired

Tags: 12 rock songs , cool shit , meme , metal , music , survey

manda_x started this, but I don't like her rules. So I'm just naming 12 rock songs that I really like. In no particular order.

If you don't like them, well, I guess you're just not as good a person as me. Be told.

1) Billy Thorpe -- "Children of the Sun". A shout-out to Mr. Thorpe, who shed this mortal coil last February. COTS is a fine piece of early '80s rock that builds slowly, pays off nicely, and never fails to put a smile on my face.

2) Soundgarden -- "4th of July". When you're a metal fan, you learn to become a connoisseur of songs about nuclear holocausts. This is perhaps the best ever written, even better than Megadeth's "Set the World Afire."

3) Foo Fighters -- "One By One". Easily the best thing about the album it's on. I defy you not to bang your head during the break before the last chorus, where Dave Grohl is pounding out those power chords and screaming "DONE! DONE! ONTO THE NEXT ONE!"

4) Black Sabbath -- "Hole In the Sky". Just about any Black Sabbath song could go on this list, except maybe for really weird/hippieish stuff like "Who Are You?", but HITS wins because it's on the metal mix I was listening to in the car on the way to work today.

5) Ministry -- "N.W.O.". I was never particularly worried about George H. W. Bush's presidency; mostly it confused me. So Al Jourgensen has really accomplished something by writing a song that makes him seem like a credible threat to the American People. (The sequel, despite much better material to work with, falls a little flat for me.)

6) The Rolling Stones -- "Gimme Shelter". There's a reason this song keeps getting used as background to mob bosses blowing up each other's safehouses and beating each other bloody in movies and television. That reason is awesomeness.

7) The Beatles -- "I'm A Loser". One of the rare tracks from their early period that sets a melancholy tone about love. The peppy rhythm and sweet harmonies mask real despair and self-loathing.

8) Steely Dan -- "Reelin' in the Years". You'll never realize how fucked up this song is until you stop and listen to the lyrics, because (like the song above) it's so peppy and swingin'. Especially the chorus: "Are you reelin' in the years? / Stowin' away the time? / Are you gath'rin' up the tears? / Have you had enough of mine?" Is that a cold way to cut somebody down, or what?

9) Prong -- "Another Worldly Device". Cleansing is a fucking awesome album, and I could add any of the tracks on it to this list. My favorite part is how it starts with a small growling in your left speaker, but after just eight bars the rest of the band comes barrelling in, with Ted Parsons dropping crisp, sharp snare hits in perfect time. Hell yes!

10) Megadeth -- "Looking Down the Cross". Before Dave Mustaine found God, Megadeth used to be a really kickass band. Songs like this one off their first album (whose lyrics sort of combine the Crucifixion with Passover in some kind of Biblical revenge-from-beyond-the-grave arc), are remarkable for Mustaine's ability to write a 6:00 song and keep upping the energy level right up to the end, rather than copping out after three, three-and-a-half minutes like most rock bands.

11) Metallica -- "The Prince". There was a time when Metallica's best material was not written by other people, but that time is long since past. This one's an old Diamond Head track that came out as a B-side to one of the singles off ...And Justice For All, and it has everything you want in a Metallica song. Furious beats, a killer riff, stout solos, and Hetfield in full throat. Plus, lyrics about Satan!

12) Judas Priest -- "Screaming For Vengeance". There are few finer moments in rock 'n roll music than when, at right around 2:00 into this song, the entire band drops out and Rob Halford makes the word, "SCREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMINNNNNNNNGGGGGG!" last a full five seconds before they blast back in and lay down the coup de grace.

--- Ajax.

May. 16th, 2007 @ 11:05 am Word Of The Week #57

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Hey, that sounds like: Spiritual Beggars -- Killing Time

Tags: clutch , cool shit , live music , memorial day 2005 , metal , milwaukee , music , stoner rock , the midwest , travel , wotw

Word Of The Week -- acedia
Definition: a·ce·di·a (&-sē'dē-&)
n.

Spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui.

Sloth; apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue.

Etymology: [Late Latin: from Greek akēdeia, indifference: a-, a-; see a-¹ + kēdos, care.]

Obscurity: 65% (Might have seen this once or twice, but have no clue what it means.)

Usefulness: 30% (Scans well, but more common synonyms are generally preferred for casual conversation.)

Examples:
(def. 1) "Patrick's acedia made him a difficult companion at religious functions, because he also had trouble faking sincerity."
(def. 2) "Despite the missionaries' daily sermons preaching against the perils of acedia, the islanders continued to live their lives in idle tranquility and made little effort to 'improve' their society."

Two weeks in a row I've come into work on Wednesday super-early, and two weeks in a row I've selected synonyms for laziness or sluggishness as the Word of the Week. Coincidence? I think not!

Today's is a happier reason for coming in early, though. Right after work I'm driving up to Milwaukee to attend a Clutch concert at The Rave. It'll be my first time going to that club, (or anyplace in Milwaukee since Kate took me to Conejito's Place on a road trip a couple Memorial Day weekends ago) but it's close enough to I-94 that even I should have trouble getting lost.

Long-time readers of my journal may recall that I've seen Clutch live before; on Good Friday in 2004, in fact. I've sent the last couple days listening to their new album in preparation, which doesn't seem to be their finest effort to date, alas. But I still have high hopes for the show -- and this time I'm bringing earplugs, having learned my lesson after the last Clutch show. :)

--- Ajax.

Mar. 14th, 2007 @ 01:14 pm Word Of The Week #48

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Hey, that sounds like: ZZ Top -- Sharp Dressed Man

Tags: birmingham , england , history , metal , wotw

Word Of The Week -- brummagem
Definition: brum·ma·gem (brŭm'&-j&m)
adj.

Showy but inferior and worthless.

A showy but inferior and worthless thing.

Etymology: [Alteration of Birmingham, England (from the counterfeit coins made there in the 17th century).]

Obscurity: 95% (Come again?)

Usefulness: 5% (Anybody using this word is trying to confuse you, impress you, or both.)

Examples:
(def. 1) "All these colorful graphics can't hide the fact that you've built a brummagem piece of software here, Colin, which runs slowly and crashes frequently."
(def. 2) "Candace, she's a brummagem if I ever saw one -- easy on the eyes, but shiftless, cruel, and incredibly high-maintenance."

Another reader submission, again from fellow word-nerd

manda_x.

This one seemed appropriate for today because I received the 400G hard drive from Seagate that I'd been waiting for via FedEx -- only to discover that the $130 I'd spent on it included nothing but the drive itself. No cables, no installation instructions, no nothing.

So at the moment, it's a complete brummagem, though hopefully when the cables I ordered from another company arrive and I can convince

chipb0i or

stuckinthe60s to drop by and help me install it, all will be well. (Plus, I also got the 19" LCD monitor that I ordered from Staples today, and that should be plug and play. :)

In addition to its historical reputation for producing false metal and metal of other kinds, Birmingham is also (arguably) the birthplace of heavy metal -- Black Sabbath was formed there in the late 1960s.

--- Ajax.

Feb. 4th, 2007 @ 11:24 am Metal Mix #3

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

psyched

Tags: metal , music , track lists

Getting ready to hop in the car and get to

misskaz and

wurdsome's place, en route to the Super Bowl party at Casa De

debaclypsenow. And an august occasion such as Da Bears making their first Super Bowl appearance in 21 years demands a new Metal Mix for the drive into the city.

Black Sabbath -- "Hole in the Sky"

Helmet -- "Exactly What You Wanted"

Iron Maiden -- "Aces High (live)"

Corrosion of Conformity -- "Damned For All Time"

Probot -- "Silent Spring (with Kurt Brecht)"

Ministry -- "Warp City"

Metallica -- "Orion"

VNV Nation -- "Fearless"

Testament -- "Disciples of the Watch"

Spiritual Beggars -- "The Lunatic Fringe"

Prong -- "Close the Door"

System of a Down -- "Dreaming"

Faith No More -- "Land of Sunshine"

White Zombie -- "Blur the Technicolor"

Megadeth -- "In My Darkest Hour"

Judas Priest -- "Victim of Changes (live)"

(Yeah, I know that Ministry and VNV Nation are not metal, strictly speaking. But both these songs have been stuck in my head lately, so on they go.)

--- Ajax.

Jun. 27th, 2006 @ 07:32 pm And Jesus is fucking metal!

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

amused
Hey, that sounds like: Misfits -- Rat Fink

Tags: god listens to slayer , humor , joie , metal , pictures , slayer

Aw, look at what my friend Joie sent me today:

Incidentally, you can read Joie's always amusing (if infrequent) musings at

joiedanielle, if you're not over on MySpace.

--- Ajax.

May. 22nd, 2006 @ 11:46 am Good weekend

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

pleased
Hey, that sounds like: Robbie Williams -- Ain't That A Kick In The Head

Tags: austin , big love , bo , civ 3 , desperate housewives , food , games , illuminati , jeff , kaz , meetups , metal , miah , music , restaurants , texas , travel , tv

I had a very nice weekend at home, and for once I got everything done that I'd planned on doing:

Got caught up on recorded TV that had been piling up since before I went to Austin, via extended marathons of Big Love (Saturday) and Desperate Housewives (Sunday).

Bought a whooole bunch of groceries, since it was time to restock staples such as bread, pasta, and ice cream.

Finally got the post-trip laundry done, and got the shirts, socks, shoes, and tie I supplied myself for the wedding separated from the suit, jacket & garment bag I borrowed from my dad in the process. Now I can return them!

Played a bunch of Civilization 3. This'll be my third attempt at playing the Persians -- I tend to start over when I see I'm getting too far behind, so I've only completed two games (as the English and the Aztecs) since I got the game two months ago.

Burned two new Random Mixes (#13 and #14), and new copies of Songs for the Deaf and Lullabies to Paralyze by Queens of the Stone Age.

Washed the dishes that have been piling up in the sink; and rewarded myself by cooking two actual meals on Sunday: an omelette with turkey & cheese, plus bacon, cinnamon/raisin mini-bagels, and OJ for brunch; and spaghetti with meat & mushroom sauce, plus a garden salad for dinner. Mmmmm, cooked food.

Also in the area of food-related achievements, it seems that eating out six times in seven days the week before last^* has finally sated my dinner-out craving for awhile. I didn't eat out at all last week, and considering the amount and variety of tasty foodstuffs I bought at the grocery store, I'm probably good through the rest of May as well. Yay me! :)

The only real sour note is that I didn't get to chat with

aneud as we'd previously planned, or not for long anyway. Her computer developed a nasty virus sometime Saturday night and her connection has been spotty since then. :/

But overall, a marvelous weekend. I am mightily pleased.

--- Ajax.

^* = Monday: Trudy's and Freddie's in Austin; Tuesday: Brown's Chicken; Wednesday: grilled cheeseburgers at the p's place; Friday: El Famous Burrito; Saturday: Viceroy of India, before the Illuminati Meetup with misskaz, Bo, letsgomiah, and stoatmaster9000; Sunday: Steak dinner at Chicago Prime for Mother's Day.

May. 2nd, 2006 @ 03:30 pm So what are YOU doing for 6/6/6?

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eeeevil
Hey, that sounds like: Slayer -- Richard Hung Himself

Tags: metal , music , national day of slayer , slayer

Courtesy of

jacobthemonster, the National Day Of Slayer. (Warning: music.)

Official Statement on Participation
Listen to Slayer at full blast in your car.

Listen to Slayer at full blast in your home.

Listen to Slayer at full blast at your place of employment.

Listen to Slayer at full blast in any public place you prefer.
DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren't just about celebrating; they're about forcing it upon non-participants.

I might just have to do this.

lord_reynaldo,

reitoei, you with me?

--- Ajax.

Mar. 24th, 2006 @ 05:04 pm By Order Of The Reverend...

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

bored
Hey, that sounds like: Electric Wizard -- Wizard In Black

Tags: meme , metal , music

I kept it down to 30. There's plenty more here if you're really that interested.

( Thirty Albums I Adore Beyond Reason. )

--- Ajax.

Nov. 7th, 2005 @ 09:58 pm Metal Mix #2

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

headbangin'
Hey, that sounds like: Colts 28, Pats 7 (3rd qtr)

Tags: football , metal , music , nfl , plastic football , track lists

I reported to my new location in Schaumburg for the first time today. The commute wasn't too bad, only about ten minutes longer than when I was going to Carol Stream. More troublesome is the fact that the microwave we had out there, that I was using to heat up my cheap and filling lunches brought from home, somehow went missing on Wednesday of last week and hasn't been seen since. Since my choices have been to buy my lunch or go hungry, I've spent about $30 in fast food since then, which is not at all according to plan. Hopefully they'll either find it or give me the go-ahead to buy a new one soon. :/

But since I've got a slightly longer commute, it means I have more time to listen to music on the way in to work. So to celebrate, I made myself a new metal mix:

Danzig -- "Godless"

Prong -- "Whose Fist Is This Anyway?"
(I'm putting this one on all my mixes lately, it's that good.)

Tool -- "Ænima"

Black Label Society -- "Destruction Overdrive"

Slayer -- "War Ensemble"

Grand Magus -- "Kingslayer"

Rainbow -- "Kill The King"
(yes, I realize that's a double-shot of songs about regicide, but it works.)

Iron Maiden -- "Flight Of Icarus"

Metallica -- "Am I Evil?"

Riot -- "Flight Of The Warrior"

Death From Above 1979 -- "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine"

Dokken -- "Tooth And Nail"

Exodus -- "Shroud Of Urine"

Orange Goblin -- "Some You Win, Some You Lose"

Judas Priest -- "Eat Me Alive"

Testament -- "All I Could Bleed"

Anthrax -- "Got The Time"

Corrosion Of Conformity -- "Señor Limpio"

--- Ajax.

Sep. 21st, 2005 @ 09:49 am 10-interest memeage...

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

late for work, again

Tags: appreciation , automagical , books , humor , meme , metal , music , neil gaiman , sealab 2021 , stupid shit , tv

Ganked from a couple people, most recently

theguiterrorist...

( 10 of my LJ interests, and some thoughts thereon. )

--- Ajax.

Aug. 9th, 2005 @ 08:21 am Random Mix #4

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

rushed
Hey, that sounds like: Iron Maiden -- The Prophecy

Tags: kate , metal , music , random , track lists

I've been lax about posting lately, since not much is going on around here, with Kate (a.k.a.

1144) out of town fighting the good fight in trying to advance her education. The WOTD project isn't dead, exactly; I have plenty of words left that I can do, but it hasn't amused me for awhile, so I haven't been bothering. I might pick it back up again at some point, but then again, I might not.

Anyhoo, since mix CDs have been in the news lately -- for a given value of "news" -- I decided now's as good a time as any for me to sing the praises of Random Mix #4.

When I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get a tape player put in my car anytime soon, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that I'd have to start burning MP3s to disc so I could listen to something besides the radio. So over the course of the past year I've made about 12 different mixes, of which the largest set is the "Random" variety. My methodology has varied from disc to disc, but my favorite of these, which resulted purely from stream-of-consciousness inspiration, is Random Mix #4. I've made four more Random Mixes since then, but haven't managed to capture the same magic. So behold! The best track list I've been able to come up with to date:

Danzig -- Twist of Cain

Filter -- Hey Man, Nice Shot

Cheap Trick -- Reach Out

Five Horse Johnson -- Soul Digger

Genesis -- I Don't Care Anymore

Robin Trower -- Bridge of Sighs

Mr. Big -- Addicted To That Rush (live)

Ian Moore -- Today

Tarney Spencer Band -- No Time To Lose

The Stooges -- I Wanna Be Your Dog

Foo Fighters -- All My Life

Motörhead -- Locomotive

Joe Satriani -- Mind Storm

Pearl Jam -- State of Love and Trust

Raging Slab -- Ruby

Rainbow -- Death Valley Driver

Dave Matthews Band -- All Along the Watchtower

I know several of you are probably squirming in your seats, wondering how I could possibly listen to ________. But trust me: in context, it all works.

--- Ajax.

Jul. 13th, 2005 @ 03:35 pm I'm on the In-ter-net, ra-di-o...

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pleased
Hey, that sounds like: The Heroin Sheiks -- Mass Suicide (K666 Radio)

Tags: inauspicious covers , internet radio , metal , music , stupid shit , the internet is broken

I have been having issues with my various Internet radio stations lately.

Usually at work I prefer to listen to K666 Radio, which is run by the good people at StonerRock.com. Lots of groovy, heavy music that's good background music for work. Mostly stoner rock like Clutch, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and lesser-known bands like Iron Boss and sHeavy, but they leaven it with some stuff like Bon Scott era AC/DC, Ween, The Stooges, and Slayer, which makes for good listenin'.

The occasional doom/death song does pop up now and again, but not nearly as frequently as on my usual second choice, SnakeNet Metal Radio, which plays lots and lots of awful gargling-with-razor-blades death metal all day long, in addition to the "less extreme" thrash metal which is what I favor. The ability to request songs helps, but since you only get to request one song every 24 hours unless you're a paid subscriber -- and the subscription fees are outrageous considering how few benefits you get -- it doesn't help all that much.

K666 experienced major technical difficulties and went down for an undetermined period a few weeks ago, so I was forced to rely on SnakeNet and just tough it out through the death metal. Then late last week, SnakeNet went down too, so I was forced to go take a fresh look at any heavy metal Shoutcast streams that might be palatable. Filtering first for a decent bitrate (128+), and then avoiding anybody who boasted of playing Godsmack or P.O.D.

This led to me a couple of alternatives, neither of which were particularly satisfying. Radio Free Dauphin has a good bitrate and a tolerable mix of music, but their unfortunate and inexplicable tendency to play a lot of Weezer was a major party foul. Then yesterday they decided it was "Inauspicious Cover Song Tuesday" or something, because I heard:

Toad the Wet Sprocket covering KISS's "Rock And Roll All Nite" (dreadful)

Gene Simmons covering The Prodigy's "Firestarter" (so incredibly lame)

Joan Jett covering Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" (anemic)

Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row) and "Friends" (?!) covering Twisted Sister's "You Can't Stop Rock And Roll" (a dumb song made considerably dumber)

Twisted Sister their own selves, covering AC/DC's "Sin City" (competent but uninspired)

And that was about when I gave up. Anyway, they played way more Dio than anybody really needs to hear. A couple tracks a day and I have had my fill, and I consider myself a fan of Dio.

My other alternative was "Riff Radio", which didn't commit any glaring offenses against decency such as the above, but also doesn't tell you what they're playing when they're playing it, which is an annoyance to me when I hear something I like and want to find more by the same artist. Also, they seem to have taken the stream down as of today, so that pretty much settles that.

Losing another radio station this morning was almost more than I could bear, but I happened to check K666 again, and lo and behold -- they're back! Excellent. :)

--- Ajax.

P.S. If you don't get the reference in the title of this post, it's a pun based on the Wall Of Voodoo song "Mexican Radio", which was covered by, of all people, Celtic Frost.

-- A.

Jun. 10th, 2005 @ 07:54 am Defanged meme #2

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Hey, that sounds like: Joe Satriani -- Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing (live)

Tags: meme , metal , music

I got tagged by

theguiterrorist, but once again I think tagging is silly and I ain't gonna. Follow along if you feel like it, or don't. :)

List your current six favorite songs, ~~then pick six other people that have to do the same~~.

Grand Magus, "Never Learned"
Prong, "Entrance of the Eclipse"
Loggins & Messina, "Danny's Song"
Ian Moore, "Society"
Soundgarden, "4th of July"
Fiona Apple, "Criminal"

--- Ajax.

Jun. 1st, 2005 @ 02:04 pm Up to my eyeballs...

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

busy

Tags: gimme feedback , kate , metal , pictures , wordplay , work

Welp, I've been at work for four hours and am still far from caught up, so I doubt there will be a Word Of The Day today -- apologies to anyone who's been anticipating its triumphant return.

To make up for it (or maybe make things worse), here are some non-work related thoughts that have managed to penetrate my mental state of harried industriousness:

The word programme just looks dumb with an extra -me at the end. Ordinarily I am right behind the British spelling of things, but that one just doesn't work.

God damn, but my beloved Kate (aka 1144) is beautiful. Adding a come-hither look and a Long Island iced tea to the mix only serves to reinforce that basic certainty:

Who's more metal, G.I. Joe or Cobra? I say it's Cobra.

You may now return to matters of consequence. See you when I get out from under!

--- Ajax.

May. 6th, 2005 @ 08:39 pm Pretty accurate in my case...

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Hey, that sounds like: Orange Goblin -- Your World Will Hate This

Tags: adult alternative , meme , metal , music , survey , taste in music

Another quiz link ganked from

captspastic...

Your Taste in Music:

Heavy Metal: Highest Influence

90's Alternative: High Influence

Classic Rock: High Influence

Progressive Rock: High Influence

Punk: High Influence

80's Rock: Medium Influence

Alternative Rock: Medium Influence

Hair Bands: Medium Influence

Old School Hip Hop: Low Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

--- Ajax.

Mar. 30th, 2005 @ 04:09 pm Quiz Wrap-Up

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Hey, that sounds like: Carrion -- Smite (K666 Radio)

Tags: clutch , disasters , kitties , metal , music , my given name , oil refinery explosions , quiz

OK, since the high score on my quiz was a 60, and even my beloved Pamela didn't get any higher than that, clearly I haven't been sharing enough. So I hereby declare that everybody passes, and now I'll go through the answers just so everyone is clear. (And because I can't leave work for another 2 hours and have already done all the data entry I feel I can do without going insane today.)

Question 1: What's the source of Ajax's nickname?

Correct answer: B -- A character in a 1979 film about street gangs. Which also happens to be my favorite movie ever.

Roughly half of you got this one right, which makes me happy because I feel like I've told the story a million times. But many of you who didn't guessed "D", the Greek hero from the Iliad. Whether that means you think I'm a) well-read, b) big, or c) prone to suicide when disappointed, I'm not sure.

( More questions, more answers, more gory details... )

So there you have it! Thanks to all who played, and if you didn't do that well...obviously the quiz sucked. So don't worry about it -- I still love you all. :)

--- Ajax.

Nov. 23rd, 2004 @ 12:04 am Fantasy Football Recap - Week 11

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Don't mind me, I'm just: triumphant!

Tags: fantasy football 2004 , metal , money , nfl , plastic football

It's official -- I've clinched my division!

As I predicted way back in Week 4, I soundly defeated my boss Mike's team, to take the lead in the Blue division for good and all. In fact, I'm now the #1 team in the league, with my 8-2-1 record being half a game better than the 8-3 record of "Crazy Horse." If I win again next week, or Mike loses again (or ties), I'll be the #1 seed in the playoffs. This is desireable in that it'll match me up against the #8 seed, which the way things look now, will be "The Mexican" over the in Black division, whose win this week moves him up to a pitiful 5-6. (How can you be 5-6 and still be a playoff team, you ask? Well, that's the Black division for you; the third and fourth place teams are now 4-7 and 2-9 respectively.)

What about the rest of the Blue division? The "Exploding Seamen" were the only other team with a win this week, which moves them up to 6-4-1 and second place by half a game. In third place are "The Star-Crossed Lovers" at 6-5, and in the cellar are the "Players", who got stomped 69-43 by "Hells Kitchen" this week and so fall to an all-even 5-5-1 record.

Since I have clinched the Blue division at last, I am guaranteed a $125 prize. Woo hoo! Should I advance to the Superbowl (which means winning two weeks from now and the week after that), that'll earn me a total of $250 if I lose, or $815 if I win. That's $560 plus all of the money that everyone has spent picking up and dropping players this season: a whopping $255 through week 11 -- at $5 a player. It'd be very nice to have an extra $800+ to buy Christmas presents with, but there is still a lot of football to be played between now and then. Pretty much the only stress-free week I'll have is next week, since a loss will cost me nothing except (possibly) a playoff seed -- and honestly, I'm confident I can beat the #7 seed just about as easily as the #8. Barring an injury to Daunte Culpepper, who will probably be getting Randy Moss back in a couple of weeks when our playoffs start, I should be in good shape. :)

NFL Picks: Had an excellent week in NFL picks as well, going an impressive 13-3. Several other teams did as well, though, which probably leaves me in 7th place overall. Still, it does improve my record to 105-70, a solid 60.0%, which is good enough to win money on if I was a big-time football gambler. Since I'm not, it means diddly-squat.

The only picks I missed this week were Arizona over Carolina (the Panthers finally showed up), New Orleans over Denver (no idea what I was thinking on that one), and Jacksonville over Tennessee (and in my defense, only one out of the twelve of us predicted that upset. J-ville playing at home against the anemic Titans? I guess Steve McNair's return was enough to make the difference.)

Plastic Fantasy Football: Three wins in a row! Unbelieveable. My unsuspecting victim this week was Norcal's Niners, who I've now beaten twice. The final score was 141-121, which was mostly Norcal's bad luck in Jamal Lewis having a pretty pitiful week running the ball.

The other scores: Miah's Defenestrators OBLITERATED Los Tastiks, 198-91, in the most lopsided victory so far. Almost as lopsided as the 41-10 drubbing the Colts gave the Bears...which accounted for 33 of Miah's points, since he starts Peyton Manning at QB. But three (3) of Miah's players scored 30 points or more this week, so the hapless Tastiks had no chance at all. And Clan's Bronx BadBoys failed to make any headway in catching up to Miah, falling to The Jbou Show 137-94. The standings, if you please:

1. Miah's Defenestrators, 9-2, 1737 points (riding a 4 game win streak!)
2. Clan's Bronx BadBoys, 6-5, 1486 points
3. Norcal's Niners, 5-6, 1466 points
4. The Jbou Show, 5-6, 1445 points
5. Headbangers, 4-7, 1427 points
6. Los Tastiks, 4-7, 1306 points.

What's this?! The hapless Headbangers, finally out of the cellar?! Could it be a "Lack of Communication"? Has the wheel finally spun "Round and Round" "In Your Direction"? Well one thing is for certain, if I look to be getting uppity, I can be sure I'll become a "Wanted Man." You can bet the other teams will be "Back For More" "The Morning After", at the "Scene of the Crime."

And what's the secret to my 3-game win streak? Simple, really: "I'm Insane." ;)

--- Ajax.

Oct. 13th, 2004 @ 11:25 am Best quiz ever!

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Don't mind me, I'm just:

restless
Hey, that sounds like: "The Al Franken Show" on Air America Radio

Tags: meme , metal , music , survey

Bands // Song Titles
Created by BourdiezFreak and taken 12271 times on bzoink!
Choose a band/or artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:	Alice In Chains
Are you female or male:	Man In The Box
Describe yourself:	God Am

The Language Barrier

Stupid babies need the MOST attention!

Your Taste in Music: