vacation, all i ever wanted

that's right. i'm on vacation. for the whole week. i turn 30 on saturday. am i getting better with age? most would say yes. others would say no. and some would even say yes and no. those people don't count. the no people don't count either. so by a landslide, yes wins.

the only real drawback of the positioning of my birthday, is that someone, usually me gets sick. it's positioned right between the hot and the cold, and the body has no idea what to do with the variations of temperature. but i'm not sick, yet. my wife is sick however. that's what happens when you marry old. hopefully she'll be better soon. if not, i think i might get a jump on my mid-life crisis and find me a 19 year-old with a car.

convinced of the hex

within the first seconds of the new flaming lips album "embryonic," you know this is a different flaming lips. their last album "at war with the mystics" was a great disappointment to me. it was a thin attempt at keeping a sound that they seemed to have little interest in continuing. it was an album that was disconnected. it wasn't where they wanted to go, but they were already there so why not do it again. the lyrics were callow and sophomoric. the music was banal and uninteresting. and i felt like the band that made the symphonic pop masterpiece "the soft bulletin" had run out of steam.

and i was right. they had run out of steam/ideas of that sound. they needed a change in direction. embryonic is that change in direction. it's menacing. it's lyrics are simple, but direct. each track grooves along and bleeds into the next. it's sprawling. it's a series of riffs. the first track, convinced of the hex, says all you need to know about the rest of the album. it will make your arm hair stand up. i highly recommend this album. this was the change they needed.

as you (who?) have noticed, my postings about banks and government has been sparce. i'm growing disillusioned with government and people's apathy towards their situation. i sent out an email declaring the city of houston was bankrupt, and one person responded. nobody cares. nobody has time. i'll continue to post articles that i find interesting and relative. but it's hard to keep the passion when you can't find any anywhere else. anyway, i'll step down from my soapbox. it's not anybody elses' fault but my own. i need to get involved and find people who will engage me.

one red thread

last night i saw the low anthem and blind pilot, two bands that it is impossible to be a casual fan of. why? because they are not well known, not played on the radio and don't appear in an apple commercial or have a song on a vampire themed movie soundtrack. so it was amazing to me to witness the kind of inconsiderate and indifferent crowd that gathered at the house of blues last night. the crowd was loud, rude and completely not there to see the bands. at one point, a guy in the crowd yelled, "freebird!" at that point, i just shook my head. give credit to both bands. they soldiered on and played a tremendous couple of sets. my appreciate for both bands went way up after seeing them live.

the most amazing moment of the night came during the last song. blind pilot closed with one red thread and the crowd that talked all night, not paid attention and was there to stand and check their cell phones, sang the song in unison. it was a strange twist to the end of the evening. for that one song, everybody moved their heads, clapped and sang. no idea how they knew it or why all of sudden they realized where they were. but i counted myself lucky to see those two bands play. amazing lyrics for both, amazing musicianship, amazing harmonies. just amazing.

charlie darwin

i'm going to see the low anthem tonight and blind pilot. and i'm super excited to see both of these bands.

the low anthem have a video for charlie darwin right here. they also had a hearya session here.

blind pilot did a hearya session too. that's right here.

man i'm excited. i don't think i've been to a show that featured an opening band that's as good and talented as the headliner in a long time.

let me roll it

i'm going through a mini-mccartney obsession as of late. i can't stop listening to ram. it is not a flushed out piece of pop symphony by any means. it's an album consisting of little ideas, snap-shots of melodies and lyrically, it's just scatter-shot. but, as a whole, it flows so well. it's such a sweet album, and by sweet i mean soft-hearted. the fact that this is paul and his wife recording and singing these songs like "eat at home" and "long haired lady" and "the back seat of my car" is very comforting. it's greatly undervalued and i wished he would have made a few more albums like this.


his debut album, just called mccartney, was a particular obsession of mine back when i was in college at huntsville. mccartney consists of mere sketches of ideas of melodies and lyrical approaches. i mean, it is an album that sounds like an album of outtakes and demos. it really does. but at the time, i was intrigued by brian wilson's modular approach to recording, which he utilized on good vibrations and smile. and i thought, what if instead of taking these little recorded track sections and putting them together to form a cohesive album, instead you record little track sections and never put them together, but combine them into an album of little ideas. and that's what appealed to me so much with paul mccartney's debut album. it was an album of little ideas. and it was impressive that such a pillar of the music industry at the time would release such an album. you could argue that the beach boys did it first with smiley smile, but i wouldn't agree with that argument considering smiley smile only existed because smile was too complex and complicated for the beach boys and smiley smile was just a collection of tracks recorded for smile that they re-recorded and released subsequently.

you would think finding paul mccartney albums is easy. it's not. go to a record store and you won't find a lot of his 70's albums besides the debut, ram and band on the run. you'll find some of his more recent recordings, which i understand are pretty good.

but i'm interested in finding red rose speedway. (which strangely enough, i used to listen to on vinyl because my dad owned it. i listened to it when i was a kid, not because i liked the music, but because the insleeve contained photos of naked women in pseudo s&m poses. for a ten year old kid, that was like finding the lost city of gold).

i would also like to explore some of his early '80s stuff like mccartney II, and tug of war.

but back to ram, i'm not sure of a modern artist who's recorded an album such as this. i'm sure i know of one, but at the moment, i'm at a loss. but there are brilliant moments of exhilaration on that album and distinct beauty. i hear it in my head right now. great album.

brilliant

elizabeth warren for president.

not in 2016. in 2012. this is a great idea. i love elizabeth warren.

this matt taibbi guy is onto some good stuff.

the roust-a-bouts

here are some clips from some pretty rockin' dudes:

legs against arms- the applicant recording session

leatherbag- acl

legs against arms- at the mohawk

leatherbag- on down the line

legs against arms- at the mohawk, pt. 2

leatherbag- pro j insider interview

let's burn down the cornfield

the committee to save the world. rubin. greenspan. summers. this committee to save the world nearly brought about the end of the world. the financial world at least. these guys worked with democratic president clinton and a republican controlled congress to deregulate the financial market. so the next time someone tells you the republicans or the democrats did this, look them right in the eye and tell them, they all did it. they're all responsible.

there was one lady trying to regulate the derivatives market. brooksley born. pbs frontline ran a show on her last night. she was simply trying to pull the market from the dark. but this committee to save the world wouldn't have it. they knew better. markets are better left alone. she didn't agree. and she wrote a concept release regarding the matter. you can read it here. eventually, she was marginalized and she resigned.

the pbs frontline can be seen here.

here is a playground analogy regarding the financial mess.

greenspan has retired as head of the fed. rubin went on the help make citibank one of the biggest receivers of federal bailout money. and summers is back in government with our current president. apparently he is now in favor of more regulation.

but there are people in the administration calling for more regulation. paul volcker is. but does he go far enough? that is a question raised here at naked capitalism.

and more importantly: does he have the president's ear? the new york times discusses that question.

there's a line a broken social scene song that goes, "don't get high on what you create." and that is applicable here. these problems existed before. these problems helped stir up the beginnings of the great depression. but we created a better, more fluid financial system, right? those problems won't be our problems again, right? we're smarter now. information is abundant. it won't happen again, right?

don't get high on what you create.

periodically double or triple

time doesn't really seem to exist much these days. whether it's a monday or a thursday or a sunday doesn't have too much relevance, besides football games and such. but ultimately, the days are somewhat connected. and i'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. it's nice to not focus on certain days or fret about other days or what's coming up. you can kind of just take it all in. the change in weather certainly helps. i'm actually really enjoying this life of tempered behavior. i started late to the race and i'm glad i did. but i'm also glad i finally joined the race. and it's not the race for material possessions or fancy things. it's probably not even a race. it's more of an awareness. i was late to the awareness. and i think people who are late to the awareness fair better down the road. it's the people who wake up suddenly when they're 35 or 40 and become aware that can be dangerous. i don't really know what i'm saying, but i do.

there's a new sec prosecutor and his name is robert khuzami. yes. go after them robert khuzami! i suppose one bernie madoff is enough for the sec to be completely and forever embarrassed.

here's a few guys you can start with. these dudes is corrupt.

i've been saving my money a lot lately. partly because i don't want anything and partly because i want to provide a cushion when my wife and i get old and broken down. so it really pisses me off to read stuff like this because i know it's out there and i have a bad feeling it's going to get worse.

the dollar is crashing. what's that all about?

paying off your credit card on time might soon cost you some money. remember to use these things sparingly. they are not your friend.

flight of the conchords have a new album out.

this magic moment

has anyone seen "lost highway"? it's a david lynch movie. david lynch movies are incredible because you have no idea what's going on and no idea why the characters are doing crazy shit. "blue velvet" made a little more sense than "lost highway," but "lost highway" was better. it's the story of a jazz musician who thinks his wife is unfaithful. but it's so much more than that. the movie goes in wild tangents making you sit through about an hour an a half of movie before things start to somewhat become unclear. i highly recommend it to everyone. and i would love to hear what anyone thought about the movie who's seen it.

i finally got my notice to schedule for the next part of the CPA exam. i've been fighting with these people for two weeks. that was a huge relief.

looks like the banking industry might be getting the much needed hand slap it deserves.

this chart shows that increased viewing of television goes hand in hand with increased amounts of debt. at this thought, this chart seems to make tons of sense and really doesn't enlighten the conversation at all. but it's worth looking at just to check out.

went the to menil museum and the italian festival this weekend. i love going to the menil.

my world series picks are looking pretty grim.

my texans pick of 8-8 is looking perfect.

when you wake up feeling old

supergrass is a seriously underrated band. i remember hearing "late in the day" way back in high school and loving it. i've bought all their albums since. actually i don't have diamond hoo-haa. i hear it's awful. but i don't know so i can't say for sure. i only mention this because i'm listening to road to rouen right now. good stuff.

i'm going to see blind pilot in a couple weeks. but i'm totally excited about the opening band too. they're the low anthem. wow. they have a sweet sound.

food prices are set to up again this year.

this guy had a guy at a bar tell him the reason for the economic collapse was due to smart guys making it to wall street instead of the slower guys. maybe he's right.

goldman sachs is still making money. tons of it.

new documentary coming out called floored. check out the trailer here.

laura

there's a band called girls. they have an album called album. it's really, really good.

here is the video for laura.

check it out!!

kick in the teeth

i emailed several people last night about the pbs frontline program on the afghanistan war. the war that is in its eighth year, longer than WWII. the war with no end in sight. the war with no clear understanding or reason. the war that has boys dying half way around the world while trying to win the hearts and minds of the afghan people. really? did we train soldiers or did we train day care teachers? war is frustrating and in most cases unnecessary. this one is both. has this war accomplished anything? the soviets marched in afghanistan and got beat. of course john rambo helped, but still. they got beat and they live right next door. we live across oceans.

foreignpolicy.com says get nasty or go home. i'm not so sure that's not exactly right. i don't think we need to be there. but we are. so we need to accomplish our mission and come home. otherwise, we're lost.

bill black was speaking about james galbraith's book the predator state. he had several good points. you can find them here about midway down the page.

and mish is getting on board with the financial coup d'etat.

geithner's aides seem to be able to still make money. lots of it.

"i believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. if the american people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around (the banks) will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. the issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

- thomas jefferson

remember when....

remember when obama was going after those tax loopholes that let billions of dollars go unchecked and untaxed from overseas investments?

well, nah. apparently, we're not going to do that.

and even our buddy jeff skilling is getting an appeal from the supreme court. this guy is fraud personified. but, we let the others go. why not him too?

ghostmouth

there are some terms floating around out there that need some definitions.

excise tax

VAT tax (which is kind of redundant, because it's value added tax)

memo to investigators. dig deep!

companies are going after the unbanked. look at the dude in the picture. where do you think he hides his savings?

the clientele. very nice. i bought suburban light used at waterloo. great album.

the blessed breeze

man. wilco was incredible. two encores. both with like 5 or 6 songs each. the concert was held in a minor league hockey arena. my feet were completely numb by the end of the show. but what a show. i think sarah enjoyed it too and enjoyed hanging out with her. i kind of felt like a cooler, older brother, which i've never been. my sister was older than me. it was nice hanging out and getting to know her. after the show, we hung out with rock stars legs against arms and drank their beer and hung out. friday was kind of a busted day, but it quickly turned into an awesome day. and it was cold. and it was wet. but it was fun nonetheless.

this is an amazing article with gore vidal. i highly suggest it be read.

bill moyers does a follow-up on the financial crisis with marcy kaptur, who was a great part of capitalism: a love story and simon johnson. that video is here.

the financial times weighs in on a possible 2nd coming of the current recession.

iceland is continuing to be hit very hard by their economic collapse.

is a lower dollar value the answer to our economic situation? i was just reading last night how roosevelt took us off the gold standard to improve our situation during the great depression.

the flaming lips have a new album out. it's called embryonic. here is a review.

no man can find the war

i'm off to austin tomorrow. i'm beside myself i'm so freakin' excited. i'm going to see wilco thursday night. and then after that, it's on.

it's going to be a blast.

unfolding fans

the baseball 2009 playoffs are here and, of course, i have the winner of the world series before it's played.

the national league:

l.a. dodgers versus the saint louis cardinals. i got the cardinals.
colorado rockies versus the philadelphia phillies. i got the rockies.
saint louis cardinals versus the colorado rockies. i'm sorry, but i got the cardinals.

the american league:

either minnesota twins or detroit tigers versus the new york yankees. i got the yankees.
boston red sox versus anaheim angels. i got the angels.
new york yankees versus anaheim angels. i got the angels.

the world series:
saint louis cardinals versus the anaheim angels. i got the angels.

there it is folks. your 2009 world series champ. the angels are a team of destiny this year. and the cardinals are the best team in the national league. it should make for a great world series.

slight figure of speech

so the weekend was great. saturday i took my exam. shopped for some stuff and ended up having sushi for dinner. sunday we went and got homemade tortillas from el bolillo and went and saw the informant down at the angelica and then snuck into capitalism: a love story. both were excellent films, although i'm not sure how much of the latter one we saw. we got in there while it was already going on.

the informant is based on this guy. the capitalism movie, i'm sure you guys have seen and heard about it. i was worried because sicko sucked and i thought old mike moore had lost it. but he nailed it with capitalism. i highly recommend it to everyone. of course, it's a topic i'm passionate about and it might bore the rest of you completely. but either way, sit through it and you'll get something out of it.

lots of stuff happening in the world. remember a few weeks ago when i said that 60 minutes was shit for saying americans were having a hard time dealing with so much change from the obama administration when there really hasn't been any change? well, SNL hit up on that this weekend. check it out.

goldman sachs is getting another rubdown from the government.

stiglitz says the markets are irrational regarding the supposed recovery. really? i believe him.

larry summers and this wonderful economic team at the white house.

now soros is saying there are bankrupt banks and they're holding the US back.

i really like long songs when they work. when they don't, they're horrible. but when they do they're epic and you can't help but listen to the whole thing. the avclub put together some of the best long songs all time. here they are.

by the way, the new avett brothers album is so good.

who could win a rabbit

i took the audit section of the cpa test this morning. i feel like a bad-ass. i should hold off on that feeling until i find out whether or not i passed. but it feels good to have finally taken a section.

i'm also wearing contacts. so i look like a badass.