ON ART, DEATH, TRUTH, HUBRIS AND THE UNSEXY CALL FOR MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY

This article, from Paste, reminds me of some, ahem, "discussions" we've had about films such as No Country for Old Men. 

Read. Think. Talk. 

Manglish Quiz

So this isn't really Manglish (the native language here is called Bahasa Malaysia but everyone speaks English) but I'm not sure what else to call it. There's also a bit of British English in the mix too: they say things like queue instead of line, etc.

I'm getting ahead of myself. After living here for over a year I find myself using more and more phrases that I don't think I would've used a year ago and definitely wouldn't have known what some of them meant. So, I want to give y'all a chance to try your hand, er, interpretation at Manglish. Maybe this will help prepare you to understand me when I come home (which I'm still not sure when I'll be home...i will be back for SB'10!). Maybe you'll get some fun new vocab words and phrases. maybe it'll prepare you for your trip to visit me:) i donno. Here goes:

1. Have you ever seen someone's bonnet fly up while they were driving down the road?
2. My boots are in the boot. (double whammy)
3. Nobody wants to be the lamppost.
4. Does anybody have a plaster?
5. Can I follow you to church?
6. I'm gonna make a move first.
7. I had to use my torchlight today.
8. Ugh, my computer hanged again!
9. I need to go to the toilet. (a freebie)
10. My computer's spoiled already.
11. I banged the car!

ok, so some are easy; some a little tricky. i tried to use the phrases in the context that i first heard them. i'll post the answers later this week!

Was it worth it?

I thought this was funny.

Phelanphonic, Winter 2009

I've heard a lot of good, new music lately, and I've decided to share it with you guys. You can download the mix here. Many of the songs came from a music blog called Daytrotter that has a band into their studio to record four or five live tracks five days a week. The variety and quality of the music is good, although the writing is pretty abysmal and the quantity is overwhelming. It's worth checking out.

Here's the playlist:

Side One:


1. Weekend Wars, MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
2. Just Like Christmas, Low, Christmas
3. Eyes Peeled, Half-Handed Cloud, Daytrotter Session
4. Foot on the Brake, Half-Handed Cloud, Daytrotter Session
5. Sway, The Heartless Bastards, Daytrotter Session
6. So So, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
7. Hush If You Must, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
8. Beaut, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
9. Day Lover, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
10. Ben Taylor poem, Ben Taylor, Daytrotter Session


Side Two:


11. Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show, O.C.M.S.
12. In A Strange Dream My Darling Mona Lisa, The Great Book Of John, Yves' Blues
13. The Ghost Inside Our House, Cloud Cult, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
14. Cotton and Velvet, Cotton Jones Basket Ride, Daytrotter Session
15. Gypsy Rose, Ben Kweller, Daytrotter Session
16. Furr, Blitzen Trapper, Daytrotter Session
17. Lille, Lisa Hannigan
18. Gone The Bells, Cotton Jones Basket Ride, Daytrotter Session
19. James, The Great Book Of John, Yves' Blues
20. Dracula's Lament, Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall Soundtrack

What???

The Catholic Church is bringing back indulgences. I'm surprised and confused. Thoughts?

Darwin's View of Unfolding Creation

I think many of you guys would enjoy this podcast about Darwin's view of creation. I really can't stress how quality this program, Speaking of Faith, consistently is. Listen to it and tell me what you think!

Big Update Friends

i have some news for all of you, this coming Thursday, the 12Th at 3:3o I have an interview with the Binghamton Development Corporation. If i get this job it would be huge. because they are working in Binghamton, and are doing great things with community development. There are two big things that could keep me from getting this job. One is that the guy whose job i would be taking is moving to Montana to do community development there. On February 25Th the zoning board in Billings, Montana is going to vote on a change in some zoning that would give this guy a job, if the zoning board votes it down then there will be no job opening, but if the vote goes through, then there will be a job opening. Two, there are other guys applying for this job, and obviously they could choose him. Anyways if i get this job it would be incredible. so I am just asking for ya'lls prayers on Thursday and on the 25Th. Anyway I love y'all and am blessed to have friends like you. Also, go and see Slumdog Millionaire if you haven't already it is incredible.

And one more reason to see Elaine Sing . . .

Some explanation in order: This weekend I am singing with the Birmingham Concert Chorale, along with 3 other college choirs, making a choir of about 300 plus a children's choir, in Carmina Burana. We will be accompanying the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. It should be pretty cool. 

The performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at the Alys Stephens center, and you are welcome to come. But . . . the tickets are pretty steep, ranging from $25-$85. 

Have no fear. You can come to an "open rehearsal" on Thursday for FREE. It won't be quite as seamless or aesthetically pleasing as the actual performance, but you'll get the idea, along with a "behind the scenes" sort of feel. The rehearsal will be from 7:00 to 9:30 at the Alys Stephen's center.

One More Reason to Go See Elaine Sing

These are the words to "O Fortuna," you know, that song that makes you feel like the Vikings are but a few kilometers away hell-bent on raping & pillaging?

O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis; vita detestabilis nunc obdurate et tunc curat ludo mentis aciem, egestatem, potestatem dissolvit ut glaciem. Sors immanis et inanis, rota tu volubilis, status malus, vana salus semper dissolubilis, obumbrata et velata michi quoque niteris; nunc per ludum dorsum nudum fero tui sceleris. Sors salutis et virtutis michi nunc contraria, est affectus et defectus semper in angaria. Hac in hora sine mora corde pulsum tangite; quod per sortem sternit fortem, mecum omnes plangite!

O Fortune, like the moon you are changeable, ever waxing and waning; hateful life first oppresses and then soothes as fancy takes it; poverty and power it melts them like ice. Fate - monstrous and empty, you whirling wheel, you are malevolent, well-being is vain and always fades to nothing, shadowed and veiled you plague me too; now through the game I bring my bare back to your villainy. Fate is against me in health and virtue, driven on and weighted down, always enslaved. So at this hour without delay pluck the vibrating strings; since Fate strikes down the string man, everyone weep with me.

lab protocols vs. military protocol: round 1

today, the dean and dr. macdougall brought a potential dmd/phd student by the office to meet some of the current students. what follows is as close to a word-for-word recap as i can manage of the first few minutes. i'm not sure when i last made such a fool of myself with a stranger. for those of you who've seen my jokes get me into awkward situations before... add this one to the list.

---

dr. macdougall: "everyone, this is andrew. if you could take some time to tell him a little about what you're doing in the program, answer any questions, you know the routine-- that would be great. dean thomas and i will be in my office. andrew, you can come get us when you're ready to head back downstairs."

everyone: "hey andrew."

me: (trying to impress) "i'm brian. nice to meet you. you from around here? where'd you go to school?"

andrew: "sort of. i was. but i've been on tour for a few years since finishing at the academy."

me: "oh, cool-- like, the military academy? are you in the service?"

andrew: "yeah, anapolis. just finished my service obligation with the marines. probably going back once i finish dental school."

me: "awesome. so you're thinking about doing a dual degree?"

andrew: "yeah. it's getting popular for medical officers to have research training."

me: "great. well, um... welcome to the suck."

entire universe except for crickets and nate: (silence)

crickets: "chirp chirp. chirp chirp chirp."

nate: "holy crap! ha ha ha!" (leaves room when he can't stop laughing and realizes andrew isn't)

andrew: "huh? dude, did you just compare grad school to the corps?"

me: (resisting all attempts to ask if he really just called it the corps) "yeah. crap. sorry. you're right." (pause) "i do kind of feel like i'm in brain bootcamp sometimes, though."

andrew: (says nothing, just looks befuddled)

me: "nope. not bootcamp." (awkwardly long pause) "you should know that the other students are all much more well-spoken than i am. and they dress better. honestly, i'm kind of a clerical error."

andrew: (finally laughs a little...phew) "don't sweat it, man. you're funny- remind me some of my brother. (to the others) "is he always like this?"

mary beth: (in true engineer fashion) "we're trying to fix the bugs."

andrew: "ha ha. i like you guys. so where are we going for lunch? dr. macdougall said she'll treat us to wherever you wanna take me."

me: "if you want somewhere close, we all really like newks." (trying so hard to resist, but failing) "that's spelled with an e-w. more of a food place than a bomb place."

angie: "brian, oh my god..."

andrew: (laughing) "just show me the labs already."

me: "oo-rah!" (laughing now, because sometimes i embarassingly crack myself up) "i'm so sorry. i have a problem."

andrew: "you really do, don't you?"

me: "pretty sure, yeah. um... labs-- wanna see them?"

andrew: "yeah, definitely. i have a few minutes before my next interview, and then later we can go to that place for lunch. any more duds you wanna get out of your system?"

me: "you mean jokes? my jokes aren't duds. but nope, i'm done." (pause) "was that a bomb joke?"

andrew: "yeah. not a very good one, but yeah."

me: "touche." (wait for it... wait for it...) "that's french. their army sucks, you know?"

---

after that, i eased up on the "duds" (i can't believe the jerk called my jokes duds). we talked some during the lab tour. turns out he's a pretty cool guy. if lunch is exciting, i'll let you know. but i think we're through the thick of it.

over.