Where Is Lefty Brown?

One of the first persons I “met” in the blogosphere was Chris “Lefty” Brown. I think his musings about comic books were linked to Fred Hembeck’s site. I enjoyed those, but I also appreciated his rants about music, politics and other topics. In fact, I’ve been listening to some of those mixed CDs he made over the years this past week.

Lately, though, he has a new love: the Married Gamers blog and podcast, which he does with his wife Kelly. I appreciate that people evolve, but most talk about gaming just makes MEGO.

So, on your birthday, Lefty, this is MY wish: give your non-gaming fans a couple pieces a week. Your three questions on Friday, and your Top 10. Heck, your Top 10 can be heavily game-oriented, but I can take that in bite-sized portions. In fact, I did listen to about 45 minutes of your last gaming podcast, and I thought that that bit about the Playstation War in the Congo and RAID would have an interest to your broader audience. And I should also note that you, and especially Kelly, are REALLY good at it, much improved over your initial attempts in the medium.

When you’re giving us non-gaming stuff, you might talk about the last CD exchange that I don’t think you’ve mentioned in a couple months, when you announced the participants I have been waiting here with a worm in my mouth ever since for your reaction to my and others’ contributions.

So, Lefty, I’m really happy you’ve found your niche in the gaming world, but anything else you’ve got to share that would remind me of “Left Handed. Left Coast. Liberally Lefty” would warm my heart.

Have a great natal day! (And be glad I didn’t use that OTHER picture of you.)
ROG

ROG

Interconnectedness

I got one of those invitations to be LinkedIn to a social networking page. I recognized the person, so I said yes. Later that morning, that same guy, who is a sales rep for a database service we use at work called to see how we were doing with the service. (I had previously spoken to him and complained about the interface of the database.) This led me to ask him, “what’s the benefit of the social network?” I can if he can just call me up, I don’t need to be “connected” to him. He explained that people that one of us is linked to is vetted, in a way. I scratched my head, knowing some people with hundreds of MySpace “friends”,e.g., are no more connected than people one night see at a bus stop.

I’ve gone to parties, and because I tend to be the one who tends more to Lydia than her mother on those occasions, I’ll not have a substantial conversation with anyone. I’ve gone to these father/child breakfast things at Lydia’s day care, and except for a couple dads I’d talk with previously, I didn’t really get to know any of them. We are in the same room, but there’s no real connection.

So how does one get to “know” people? I’m on a couple listservs at work, and just by people asking questions and answering them, I get a feel for the way their minds work. Certainly, I’ve got a sense for people via their blogs, but especially when I’ve exchanged music with them. I was reorganizing my music over the weekend – using drawers I bought at a library auction – and the mixed CDs of Green and Dymowski and Burgas and Brown (come back, Kelly!) and Brown and Bacardi all show up in the same drawer. I’ve never met any of them (well, except for Green), but I feel that I know them better than people I’ve seen face to face recently. That’s both kinda weird and kinda nice.
***
I’m enjoying listening to discs from Thom (two discs) and Tosy. ROG

ROG

A Fun Little Quiz

Copped from Kelly, and, coincidentally, Jaquandor, but they worked off different lists. I started with Kelly’s, then added Jaquandor’s, or, occasionally, not.

1. Go to http://www.photobucket.com (don’t sign in)
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

What is your name?

What is your Relationship Status?

What is your favorite color?

What kind of car do you want?

What band/artist are you listening to?

What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite Disney Princess?

What is your favorite TV show?

Where did/do you go to school?

Where is your dream vacation?

Name an alcoholic Beverage:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What is your favorite type of shoe?

What is your favorite song?

What is your favorite dessert?

What is your favorite letter?

What do you love most in life?

What are you most afraid of?

What annoys you the most? (What, no pictures of “theological arrogance”?)

What’s your favorite animal?

How old are you?

What one word describes you?

ROG

I AM the Iron Lady

Which Annoying B-list Celebrity Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey.

It’s the librarian in me. Cartoonist Doug Marlette died recently, but he’s not showing up in Dead or Alive. The Pulitzer Prize winner was as least as significant as Kerwin Mathews, who “starred in the movie ‘The 7th Voyage of Sinbad’ and “had other swashbuckling film roles in the 1950s and 1960s”, who died on July 5; or Claudia Cohen, the “high-profile gossip reporter often seen on ‘Live with Regis & Kelly'”, who passed away on June 15. So, I’ve submitted Marlette’s name, so far unsuccessfully. Maybe if enough folks do it, they’ll change their minds. They’ve done it before with singer Ruth Brown, who they initially ignored.
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In this worrisome article, an argument against the (mere) censure of the President suggested by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) is made, whereas this piece says that censure is an appropriate “senatorial compliment to the burgeoning movement for impeachment.” I would support the censure.
But the main thrust of the former article is that there will be some self-generated trigger to send a population already primed for an attack on the “homeland” to war: Chertoff’s “gut feeling”, followed by a more stark “national intelligence estimate” (NIE) of the situation, compared with 15 months ago, to show that the intelligence community was “correct”. So, say, San Francisco is secretly attacked by our own government and this will justify an attack on, e.g., Iran? Very paranoid, I hope.
In any case, Mark Evanier, who linked to this article nailed it: “If [the new NIE is] right, we’re in for more terrorist attacks. Isn’t it comforting to know that either that’s true or the entire U.S. intelligence community doesn’t know what they’re talking about?”
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A YouTube video called Led Zeppelin – Rip-off Artists. I like LZ, yet this, admittedly, is a hardly exhaustive examination of the appropriation of songs by the band.
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ADD linked to a wonderful reminiscence of the glory days of local TV news in Albany by former anchor Ed Dague (the best news anchor Albany, New York ever had). This is almost certainly true. He justified the link in his mostly comic-related blog because I have a comment.

Scott answers my questions about God and baseball.

I provided 5 questions to a bunch of folks. Here are the replies from ADD and Greg and Johnny B and the person who gave me questions in the first place, Jaq.

Also, I did a meme, and at my request, Mrs. Lefty and Edwin and Gordon responded to it.

Those relationships I get, people I mostly don’t know, but I’ve read their stuff, and they mine. But I was looking at my Technorati thingy, and found that I got picked up by a couple aggregators, including this one. The Internet continues to fascinate and confound me.

Oh, speaking of Gordon, something I did a while ago and forgot about:

ersie
matches

48%

with
CoffeeAchiever

Take CoffeeAchiever’s MatchMe Test
Take ersie’s MatchMe Test

Brought to you by:
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***
Spam is 70. Possibly literally.

ROG

ROG

Play It Again

In my decades listening to music, there have been songs that I’ve purchased on singles where I just had to play it again. Or album cuts where I had to pick up the tone arm and find the track I just played. Or hit the song repeat button on the CD player. Here are some of them; they wouldn’t necessarily be on my list NOW, but there was a time when they most definitely were.

I do need to tell you first, though, why I’m afraid of Kelly Brown. Not only does she have weird thoughts she thinks I’ll know the answers to, while I compiling this list she posted a piece on songs she likes to play repeatedly. SHE’S READING MY MIND! (Or I’m reading hers.)

King Harvest-the Band. From “the brown album”, the second album, it’s the last song on the LP. It’s the vocals and the lyrics: “My horse Jethro, well he went mad.”

Sail On Sailor-the Beach Boys. The first song on the Holland LP. This was released twice as a single, somebody believed so much in it, but it was never more than a moderate hit.

Got to Get You into My Life-the Beatles. I’d play the (US) Revolver album once through this song, then, if my parents weren’t home, play the song again very loudly. This made Tomorrow Never Knows particularly noisy.

Rock Lobster-the B-52’s. The “hook” is in the very beginning. I even like the Yokoesque segment.

I’m Shakin’-the Blasters. Great rockabilly. Only have on vinyl.

Golden Years-David Bowie. Thin White Duke becomes Soul Train worthy. From an LP.

Cannonball-the Breeders. It was loud and infectious. On a 4-song CD.

The Mercy Seat-Johnny Cash. This is a song about an upcoming execution of the protagonist, for a crime he did not commit (maybe). It is the Benmont Tench keyboards on this song, like his keyboards on Johnny’s version of Hurt, that really stand out for me. From the third American Recordings CD.

Love Gone Bad-Chris Clark. I have these Motown CDs of “hard-to-find” hits, and one was this one by a white female artist I had never heard of, certainly one of the earliest ones on the label.

Mustapha Dance-the Clash. Probably from an EP, this is Rock the Casbah with limited vocals.

A Ballata Of Francesco Landini-Judy Collins. Some Italian ballad from about eight centuries ago. Beautiful last song on the first side of the Wildflowers LP.

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding?-Elvis Costello. I STILL hear this both as the driving anthem it is and as an a cappella doowop. From a greatest hits CD.

The ’68 Nixon-Denver, Boise and Johnson. A song from a Warner Brothers Loss Leader LP about how the candidate had changed his positions since last time he ran. “He’s more than a candidate; he’s a crowd.” The Denver in this “paid political denouncement” is John Denver; yes, THAT John Denver.

Tell the Truth-Derek and the Dominoes. NOT the version from the Layla album, but the more frenetic version that’s on the Eric Clapton box set.

Celtic Rock-Donovan. The druids are coming. Last song, first side of the Open Road LP.

Takin’ It To the Streets-the Doobie Brothers. The first song I heard with the Michael McDonald vocal. It became a more predictable sound eventually, but when I first heard it, it sounded fresh. From the first greatest hits LP.

Lucky Man-Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Last song on the first album. I used to do a credible simulation of the synth at the end.

I’m In A Different World-the Four Tops. Has a minor chord feel in the verse, major chord in the second half of the chorus. From an LP.

Cuba-the Gibson Brothers. A salsa from a Warner Brothers Loss Leaders LP.

Lonely Avenue -Ian Gillian & Roger Glover. From the Rain Man soundtrack. I put it on a mixed CD for Lefty Brown, who found it “plodding”; obviously, I disagree.

Private Eyes-Hall & Oates. I’m a sucker for hand claps; the Supremes’ Where Did Our Love Go and Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl could be on this list as well. “Private eyes” (clap) “are wanting you” (clap clap). A guilty pleasure.

Something In 4/4 Time-Daryl Hall. Robert Fripp produced an album called Sacred Songs in 1977, but the label didn’t release it until 1980, fearing that it was “uncommercial.” 4/4 Time is the great hit single that wasn’t. Though the verse and chorus were in regular rhythm, the bridge had interesting triplets an odd time signatures. I wish I had it in digital form.

The Love You Save-the Jackson 5ive. Largely because every vocal, save for Michael’s, was well in my range. It’s mostly Jermaine on the shared vocals, BTW.

Cancer-Joe Jackson. The juxtaposition of the topic “there’s no cure, there’s no answer” with the jaunty, piano-driven tune fascinated me. From side 2 of the LP Night and Day.

Lullabye-Billy Joel. Sad songs say so much. From the River of Dreams CD.

Indiscipline-King Crimson. “I repeat myself when under stress, I repeat myself when under stress…” Tom, my boss at FantaCo, described this song as his description of the store. Last song on the first side of the Discipline LP.

Season Of Hollow Soul-k.d. lang. Very sad, very autumnal song from her pop breakthrough album, Ingenue.

Immigrant Song-Led Zeppelin. I think I liked the third Led Zeppelin LP more than most people. It’s quieter and more reflective. The exception is the first tune, which I’d play once on its own, then again to start the album.

Church-Lyle Lovett. I feel like I’ve BEEN to church after this. The second song from the CD named after the sixth, seventh, and eighth books of the Bible, Joshua Judges Ruth.

No More Tear-Stained Makeup-Martha and the Vandellas. I wish I could find the lyrics to this Smokey Robinson-penned tune on the Internet, because the second verse has a line that’s really a mouthful. On the Watchout LP.

Maybe I’m Amazed-Paul McCartney. A song on the first solo LP as good as anything his old group did.

Well, that’s enough for now. More some other time.

ROG

ROG

As Lazy as Mrs. Lefty

Did you miss me? (And you say, how can I miss you when you never go away?) Well, I have been away, for a week, without access to a computer. Fortunately, my stealth poster was at it again. Thanks, SP! (Comic book characters with two words in their names were often referred to by their initials. This never made sense in Wonder Woman’s case, because it would take more syllables to say her initials – six – than her name – four.)

This does mean I haven’t read many of YOUR blogs, I haven’t heard Gordon’s podcast where he allegedly answers my questions, etc.

(Guess I know what patriotic activity I’ll be doing on Wednesday: surfing the net, while holding a flag, naturally.) Meanwhile, Kelly can do it…

Roger Owen Green — [adjective]: Benevolent to a fault ‘How will you be defined in the dictionary?’ at QuizGalaxy.com

Roger Owen Green’s Random Movie Quote: ‘I feel like the floor of a taxi cab.’ – Dr. Egon Spengler, Ghostbusters Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

You are Hard Harry from Pump up the Volume You are shy, but once you overcome that you are inspirational to those around you. You are rebellious and like to push the authority figures buttons. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

I suddenly have the need to SEE Pump Up the Volume.

ROG

I Used To Sell Funny Books?

I don’t know why, but I’m almost always surprised when my old life dealing with comic books crosses over to my new (OK, decade and a half) life as a librarian. Case in point, someone on a library listserv I monitor wrote [personal reference deleted]:

“I have a question about graphic novels. I bought my son (2nd grade) a graphic novel – Pokemon – and it says that it reads from back to front. That we understand. But how do we read on the page? Is it from right to left, starting on the right hand side of the page at the top right? Or top left? We do not understand. Thank you.”

I was going to write back and say, “It depends.” That’s true in American comic books with irregular panels. But a couple folks wrote back with better responses:

This is a pretty good example of how it reads (thanks to Tokyopop).

Some volumes are more difficult than others (when bubbles extend from one panel DOWN to another panel, for instance). But I’d think Pokemon is probably pretty standard and easy to follow as far as manga goes. This one is thanks to Viz.
***
As one commentator asked, will we see Spider-Ham and Mickey Mouse together again?
***
I haven’t been to a comic book show in YEARS, but I was thinking about going to this one in July.
***
A belated happy anniversary to Lefty and Kelly Brown out in Ca-li-for-ni-a. From About.com: “10th Anniversary Traditional Gift: Tin or aluminum. The pliability of tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken.”
***
Sorry for the terse post. My wife has been getting up at 4 a.m. almost all week, doing this end of the year student evaluation stuff, thus cutting into the blogging time. And they say teachers have it easy.

I thought I’d have one more chance this morning, but the daughter needed cuddling at 4 a.m. And that’s just fine.
ROG

ROG

VOTING Questions

I was reading in Newsweek a couple weeks ago about some (Republican) politician complaining about ex-cons voting. I don’t see the problem. I think the ex-cons SHOULD vote. Perhaps:
1) They’ll feel more a part of the society as engaged citizens.
2) They’ll be able to better suss out the crooks who actually get elected, the Duke Cunninghams, the Bob Neys.

If anything, I’d think we would like to get MORE people to vote. Are people afraid that a bunch of former felons will get together and take over the town? If so, they should get out and register (and vote) themselves.

(Greg noted this story about the White House pursing legal efforts to limit voter turnout. This is not just unjust, it’s pathetic.)

I also was interested in the recent French election. Apparently, the top two vote getters, Nicolas Sarkozy, who got 31% in the first round, and Ségolène Royal (26%), will be in a runoff, but the candidate who is reportedly most acceptable (or least unacceptable) to the widest number of people, François Bayrou, came in third (19%), so won’t be in the runoff.

So I’m wondering:

1) What restrictions, beyond making sure somebody is of age and actually lives in the district, should there be on voters? I’m against too many restridctions.

2) What can be done to engage more people in the political process? Would Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) or other alternate voting methodologies work? How about voting over several days and/or online?
***
For free IRV? stickers send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: voteIRV.org, 26 Glen Street, Malden, MA 02148. Spread the word and make it stick: IRV; for a better democracy!
***
Dennis Kucinich, member of Congress and Presidential candidate, has introduced Articles of Impeachment Against Vice-President Richard Cheney. Kindly, Kucinich waited until the the Veep’s blood clot was under control to reintroduce the measure.
***
Bush v. Bush.
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Erin Davies makes the best of a bad situation, letting the world see and contemplate the hate speech scrawled on her vehicle. The initial act of vandalism was especially disturbing to me since it happened in my city (Albany), but Erin’s reframing is quite intriguing.
***
What the rains of last week did to the basement of the David Sarnoff Library last week.
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Last, but certainly not least, send some love to Kelly and Lefty.

ROG

ROG

Be Selfish

Someone (I thought it was Lefty, but I could be wrong) wrote down his or her personal mission statement, as it were, about who that person is. I’m thinking something along the lines of the famous What I Believe by Steve Martin, or maybe My Conviction from the Broadway musical Hair, a statement of beliefs. And since my birthday passed last month, now’s a good a time as any for mine.

Be selfish.
If you can’t find a good reason to do good, find a selfish one.
Don’t lie, not because it’s morally wrong, but because it’s just too inconvenient to keep track of.
Shovel your walk, clean up your property, not because it’s the neighborly thing to do, but you don’t want a summons from the city or a lawsuit.
Give blood for the free cookies.
Be a courteous driver because, if you end up in an accident, the paperwork alone will negate the time you saved running the red light.
Let people off the bus before you get on, because there will then be more room for you.
Be selfish. For everyone’s sake.

I need more, but that’s a first pass.
***
BTW, the picture was inspired by someone – OK, Lefty’s wife – who takes a word, puts it in Google, and posts the image; the word here, of course, is selfish. The picture came from here. I don’t get it, but it’s so interesting that I couldn’t resist.
***
Lefty reviews my Mixed CD. I think he liked it, but I’m not sure.
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Tosy accepts my mild tag.
**
Spatula Formula, Nik’s “ramblings of an American expatriate in New Zealand”, turns three. Happy blogiversary.
***
Did I mention I’m seeing Sean Lennon tonight? A review, eventually.

ROG

The Things I Do for Kelly Brown Meme

By request of the self-described Mrs. Lefty.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend your cool…
7. When you’re finished tag some other people to do it!

OK, this is my iTunes thing, heavy on some mixed CDs I tried to make.

Opening credits: Why Did You Leave-the Heptones
Waking up: Loving Dub II-Burning Spear (OK)
First day of school: Elvis Presley Boulevard-Billy Joel
Falling in love: Incense and Peppermints-Strawberry Alarm Clock (this would only work if I had come of age in the 1960s – wait I DID come of age in the 1960s)
First song: Graceland-Willie Nelson
Breaking up: Neutron Dance-Pointer Sisters (must have been a necessary breakup)
Prom: The Twelve Gifts of Christmas-Allan Sherman (!)
Life: The Bells of Christmas-Julie Andrews
Mental Breakdown: Winter Snow-Booker T. and the MGs (this is a lovely song-must have been a gentle breakdown)
Driving: Big Big Love-k.d. lang (this works)
Flashback:’Til I Die-Beach Boys (has a certain dreamy quality)
Getting back together: Where Did You Sleep Last Night-Nirvana (I don’t THINK so)
Wedding: What They World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin & John-Tom Clay (yikes!)
Birth of Child: Long Time Gone-CPR (song about the death of RFK – ain’t THAT swell)
Final Battle: The Simpsons’ End Theme-JFK
Death Scene: 1985-Bowling for Soup
Funeral song: Death is Not the End-Nick Cave
End Credits: Lee Harvey Was A Friend of Mine-Laura Cantrell

Some of these are just BIZARRE (getting back together, wedding, birth of child), while a couple are actually dead on (final battle, funeral song).

Nope, I ain’t tagging nobody.
***
Maybe it’s my demographic, but I’ve never known anyone who I know personally who has posted on YouTube. Until now. Read this high-pressured sales pitch:
“I decided to go public with “The Scary Sock” and post it on You Tube. I figured “What the hell!” It’s certainly no worse than much of the stuff out there. If you want to see it again (with sound!), one can find it here.” (30 seconds)
***
Coolness test.

ROG