Monthly Archives

February 2006

Mix CD madness…

ARoB, Art, Music by

Dusty and I have been crafting a finely tuned mix of the best music for your next delightfully androgynous makeout session. Expect a full tracklist to accompany this cover art in a few days…

In other news: I’m leaving for London & Rome in just three short days. The speed with which time has been moving is absolutely astounding. I can only remember the broken person determined to make a get away as a faint glimmer in my past. I’m glad to be rid of him and even more glad that he made such a great decision. This trip is going to be more fun than I can even stand to think about. I’m all packed (save for two outfits…Zara and others, be prepared) and, minus a few minor details, ready to go. Gail’s coming over on Thursday night and we depart from Bellefonte at 9 AM Friday. Her aunt will be delivering us safely to JFK and storing Mr. Klaus for the 8 days we’ll be gone. I know I’m not a seasoned world traveler, but I feel really sure of myself going into this trip. I truly cannot wait.

But I will miss talking to my favourite interweb friends…perhaps I can rustle up a computer to travel with. Hmm?

Two words: new vacuum!

ARoB, Technology by

Say hello to my new Bissell Lift Off Turbo! Yes, bitches, this thing is turb0-charged cleaning. You can tell by the metallic red finish and the italicized decals that adorn its body. (Actually, I think the Turbo refers to its TurboBrush attachment, which is not pictured.)

So what makes it so special? Well, it’s bagless and uses the much-hyped “vortex” system for cleaning. It has suction for miles. The wheels don’t fall off, like with my old vacuum, and you don’t have to unplug it to turn it off. Two major pluses. Also, it has the single coolest feature I’ve ever seen…the one that garners the “Lift Off” title: you can take the canister with you! The core of the vacuum – power cord, hoses, collection chamber, attachments – is fully detachable so you can just lift it off and take it to the stairs, bathroom or car. Yes, car. I don’t have to drag an entire contraption down from the third floor to the parking lot anymore…just the part I need!

UNBEARABLE EXCITEMENT.

I used it tonight. I had just cleaned with the ol’ Kenmore on Thursday. The Lift Off clicked and whirred all over my apartment and, when all was done, the collection chamber had a satisfyingly disturbing half inch of dirt at the bottom. Thrilling.

Evening music binge…

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aresultofboredom.org's music week

When you leave a boy alone in his apartment all night with an apocalyptic blizzard raging and nothing to do, he downloads massive amounts of music. And the results are in:

  1. LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem
  2. Mice Parade – Bem-Vinda Vontade
  3. Mice Parade – Obrigado Saudade
  4. His Name is Alive – Detrola
  5. Bird York – Wicked Little High
  6. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
  7. Le Volume Courbe – I Killed My Best Friend
  8. Piano Magic – Disaffected

That’s eight albums and counting…

Musical guilty pleasures…

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aresultofboredom.org's music week

You know damn well that we all have them: those bands that we just can’t help loving, no matter how much we shouldn’t. Regardless of how big a music snob you are, you have that one album in your collection that is a favourite, even though you’d be loathe to admit it. What are mine, you ask? (You didn’t ask? Tough.)

  • My Chemical Romance
  • Kylie & Dannii Minogue
  • Fall Out Boy
  • Britney Spears

What are yours? Put ’em in the comments. We’ll get through this together…*sniffle*

Review: She Wants Revenge’s She Wants Revenge

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aresultofboredom.org's music week

Okay, for starters, I hate self-titled albums. They are really, really pointless. I mean, at least artists in other media call their works “Untitled” when they can’t come up with a name that conveys the emotion of a given work. Self-titling is like leaving something set to default that could easily be changed.

That being said, I adore this album from start to finish. It’s become one of the ‘stickiest’ albums in my possession in that I seem to get completely glued to it and listen over and over again. The only comparable music in my collection has to be the works of Chris Corner as expressed by I Am X and the Sneakerpimps. And, as an interesting study of my musical-psychology, they are actually very similarly styled. I don’t know what it is about artists that make synthesizers sound so erotic but they are really all it takes to get me hooked. You may have seen the video for “Tear You Apart,” directed for the band by Joaquin Phoenix. The whole damn album sounds like that video looks: dark, gritty, covered in smeared mascara and incomprehensibly sinister. It’s fantastic!

  • Sounds like: I Am X, The Faint, Depeche Mode…anything that makes you want to take sexy photos while slitting your wrists
  • Favourite track: “I Don’t Want to Fall in Love”
  • Worst track: I can’t really say this even exists on the album
  • Overrated: See above…it’s only a little bit played now, so this might change, though
  • Best surprise: “These Things”

4 stars

I know, I know…

ARoB, Cars by

…that this post isn’t music related. But, I had to post this while I was still feeling jovial from what I received in the mail. Volkswagen sent me a card today and it has to be the most adorable piece of customer care stuff I’ve ever seen.

Inside the oh-so-trendy transparent envelope that read “One lump or two?” was a card featuring a classic Beetle with an ice pack. Opening the card, I found a $10 Starbucks gift card (do they know their demographic or what?) and the following copy:

Dear Nicholas,

We heard your VW just visited your local repair shop. Sorry about that. We don’t like it when our drivers can’t be, well, driving. So, to help make up for the inconvenience, we’d like you to treat yourself to a nice Caramel Macchiato with this Starbucks Card loaded with $10. Or cookies. Cookies always make things better. They’re good like that. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1.800.822.8987.

Your friends at Volkswagen

I defy you to not grin while you read that. I laughed all the way up the stairs from my mailbox. Because cookies really do make things better. And I’ll probably buy them with a latte, because I would anyway. And now it’s easier, thanks to VW. 🙂

System of a Down…

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aresultofboredom.org's music week

Seriously, guys…why do you have to be such arrogant assholes when interviewed? I really don’t listen to your music all that often. I mean, there was a time a few years ago when I liked you well enough. “Aerials” had a cool video and was a decent song and “Boom!” fit the political climate perfectly. Then I just kinda moved on. No hard feelings. Tonight, I was watching Fuse while I painted at the coffee table and you were the featured artist on some show or other. I watched the videos I remembered, saw a few decent newer ones and thought “Hey! Maybe I’ll listen to System of a Down again.” Then, I saw Julia, host of Uranium (a stupid metal show) and thought “I have always had a crush on her…let’s just see what this is about.” She was interviewing you in some non-descript hotel room. And that’s when it began…

Why did you have to treat her so badly? Honestly, does it make you feel more important as artists to dodge questions, answer by only saying ‘felatio’ and then to condescend someone who is just trying to help promote you? I mean, if your goal is to alienate people who might possibly listen to your music and try to understand your art, then you’ve done a bang up job.

Just sayin’ that I won’t be listening to you any time in the future, that’s all.

Incongruous, at best…

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aresultofboredom.org's music week

What exactly USO shows, U-Boats, World War II or the beach at Normandy have to do with My Chemical Romance is beyond me. However, director Marc Webb apparently has much more insight into (il)logical connections than a mere mortal like myself. Thus, we are treated to a complete and utter trainwreck of faux sepia-tone patriotism – mixed with dance numbers!

Apparently lead singer Gerard Way also had a hand in this mess. Webb describes it as such:

“Gerard had this idea for awhile. The main thrust is that it takes place in World War II, and there’s a USO dance and these combat sequences too,” Webb said. “The USO dance happens during the verses of the song, and the combat sequences happen during the chorus, because there’s a big dichotomy between those two parts of the song.” (via MTV.com)

My retinas just liquified from the brilliance.

In short, I’m watching MTV Hits. (Tagline: “We play anything but what our name implies!”)

P.S. Does anyone, anywhere, actually like U2?