The Yellow Stripe

Brief Update, Old Guy Radio

dlgood — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:31:16 GMT

Haven't really posted or commented much in the last week or so. Part of it is the new work schedule - other part is our horrible summer weather, combined with multiple extended power outages caused by horrible, tree-snapping thunderstorms.

Other than that, am doing well. And, after one month of driving, continue to recommend the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Am getting roughly 30 MPG in pretty spirited driving.

And then, there's the Old Guy Radio portion of our post:

The L.A. Guns

Imagine, if you will, the B-Team for Guns 'n' Roses. Almost, quite literally - in the mid 80s, the bands LA Guns and Hollywood Rose, merged. And then split later, with the majority of the muscial talent becoming GNR. The remaining musicians picked up a British glam singer (Phil Lewis - the only member of the band that wasn't utterly replaceable.) and brought the L.A. Guns name out of storage. Playing a less angry and swaggering version of seamy hard rock, and with Axl's Elton John pretensions:

The best of their rock tunes, "Never Enough".(1989) Great song, melodic chorus that almost sounds possibly romantic if you aren't paying attention, and really isn't.

The obligatory power ballad, probably their biggest hit, "The Ballad of Jayne"(1989)

"Sex Action", from their debut album in 1988. Listening to this song makes me want to bust up a strip club.

Big News in World of Dave

dlgood — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:11:51 GMT

I can has...

A new car!!!

This is my brand new, 2011 Hyundai Sonata. It makes me happy. The electrical system is wholly reliable.

I loved my previous car, a 2000 Honda Accord. (not this one, but one just like it, except that mine was much dirtier and dinged and did not have that rooftop deflector thingie...)

Which was all well and great, until the alternator and batter kept falling apart on me. Now I have a new car in which to drive to work at 2200. And it has an awesome, 10-years better radio/telematics system. Hooray! There is much rejoicing!

Grand Canyon / Northern Arizona Vacation Photos

dlgood — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:19:06 GMT

Realize it's been awhile since I've posted. Took a different job within my company, that has placed me in a different job location and on a radically different work schedule. And while the job is rewarding and the new schedule has many benefits, it has posed quite a challenge to my very confused body clock. I'm finally now getting around to posting pictures from my vacation. Click here for photos. The sequences include:

The Cabin in Flagstaff, where we stayed

The Grand Canyon, taken from the South rim, on the main viewing points on the western half of the park

Oak Creek Canyon and the road to Sedona

I do not, however, have many photos of either the Red Rocks, or the wildfire that later kept me out of my cabin and away from my precious things. I was all clicked out by that point, not havig much patience or interest in photography. Rest assured, no harm came. I was able to gather back my stuff, and even recovered some of my precious foodstuffs and potables.

Had a good 4th of July that would have been better if my team didn't stink. Rooting for a better outcome when I take my dad to the game Weds. vs. the Padres.

Not Quite Old Guy Radio: What Dave was listening to 20 Years Ago...

dlgood — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:46:52 GMT

We got cable at the end of 1988. Around the time I was prepping for my Bar Mitzvah - I was more likely to distract myself with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out than MTV. I mostly only watched the mainstream videos.

Every so often, as I got a little more mature as a listener, I would stay up later to watch 120 mins... and not just the headbanger stuff. One of the bands I really liked was Concrete Blonde...

Concrete Blonde - Joey

Concrete Blonde - Everybody Knows

"Joey" was their biggest hit, a song about singer Johnette Napolitano's relationship with an alcoholic. "Everybody Knows" a cover of the Leonard Cohen song, from the movie "Pump Up the Volume". I find Napolitano a compelling vocalist, with both her voice and ability to manipulate it. Comparing Cohen's spare arrangement to Concrete Blonde's lush version - I much prefer the Cover. I imagine Cohen intended a flat effect, but I find Napolitano's interpretation far more compelling.

I don't feel like they have an especially deep catalog, but I think these two songs in particular are pretty timeless (though the Joey video is pretty hackneyed) Given the national news these days, "Everybody Knows" doesn't sound more than a week old, does it...

Home!

dlgood — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:05:23 GMT

For those wondering, am finally home.

Landed in Baltimore yesterday around 1600 EST, hung out with my siblings. All was well. Went to drive home and my car died on me.

Fortunately, wasn't too far from their place, so big sis and brother-in-law (he's married to younger sis) picked me up and brought me back to big sis while the car got towed.

I'm a few $$$ lighter thanks to rescheduled flights and broke down cars, but at least I'm back home and the car is working again.

Merry Strasburgmas

dlgood — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:31:50 GMT

So, it turns out the kid is pretty good. His curveball makes me physically ill. This is awesome.

Oh my aching back...

dlgood — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:27:02 GMT

I appear to have done something to offend...

Was at a birthday party for the twin three-year-olds of a family friend. Don't know what I did or when, but suddenly, my lower back seems to have caught fire.

Actually, I'm back at home and doing quite fine now. You know, as long as I don't move. Otherwise, it's burning pain from my left hip joint into the center of my lower back.

Today's strategy involves Motrin PM, Icy Hot, and sleep...

That Huge TV Meme - Part III

dlgood — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:13:35 GMT

TV Meme - Day 3 and Conclusion.

In discussing credit sequences, I would be remiss if I didn't also bring up the closing credits to TWiB (This Week in Baseball) featuring the fanfare tune "Gathering Crowds" which played over a montage of highlights closing on a tracking shot of the spin of a curveball in slow motion.

On to my - dare I say it - final answers:

21. Favourite ship
the Pacific Princess

It's the Looooooooooove Boat! The shippiest ship that ever shipped.
Also receiving votes - the Planet Express Ship. Not receiving votes - the SS Minnow. Because it's a lemon.

22. Favourite series finale
Cheers, Family Ties, Scrubs

I'm a sucker for heartwarming sitcom encomia. Coincidentally, all three of these were semi-sappy episodes closing out shows that had run a little too long and faded near the end. I particularly liked the musical home movie montage at the end of Scrubs. (I'm counting Scrubs+Interns as a separate show.)

23. Most annoying character
Dr. Izzy Stevens, Grey's Anatomy

The most annoying character on maybe the most annoying show. I know writers let their characters violate the rules of their universes, but I really don't like it. Especially doctors who end up violating every kind of protocol, treat hospitals like personal playgrounds, and kill patients through incompetence. She should be in jail. Why I quit the show.

24. Best quote
Charlie Crews - Life

Correctional officer: Are you making fun of us?
Charlie Crews: It is the universe that makes fun of us all.
Dani Reese: Why would the universe make fun of us all?
Charlie Crews: Maybe it's insecure.

25. A show you plan on watching (old or new)
ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary SeriesDallas - "It Was All Just a Dream"

The most infamous closer in TV history. I didn't actually care about this show - I just liked watching JR be evil. But my mom and sister screamed bloody murder.

27. Best pilot episode
The Modern Family

Rare feat of establishing all of the characters, all of the relationships, and the tone of the show - without getting bogged down in exposition. The rare feat of a good show that already knew what it was from inception.

28. First TV show obsession
The Muppet Show

Also Three's Company and WKRP.

29. Current TV show obsession
n/a

Don't really have one right now. Maybe waiting for Stephen Strasburg? It would have been the NHL playoffs, but then my team choked right out of the first round. Hard to still care after that.

30. Saddest character death
Optimus Prime

Okay - it's cheating, since he died in the Movie of the show. But Optimus Prime was the best transformer of them all. And that's when I realized my TV show about robots, was just an excuse by Hasbro to market a product line of toys. And I could never get past them killing off characters to introduce new product. What? I was ten, and I would never watch TV with innocence again. Or some crap like that...

That Huge TV Meme - Part II

dlgood — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:26:28 GMT

TV Meme day 2

11. A show that disappointed you
Flash-Forward

I'm a sucker for time-travel, immortality, and shows that run with metaphysical dilemmas. Which the pilot promised. Unfortunately, the rest of the show quickly became a hot mess. Bad writing, bad casting, arbitrary aborted storylines and a lead character I couldn't find interesting at all. This show earned it's cancellation, and it's too bad because of could have been really,really good.

12. An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Profit - the Pilot

Easily more than five times, half the time trying to get other people into it. And mostly never succeeding. This show rocked my world. A real roller-coaster ride.

13. Favourite childhood show
The Baseball Bunch

Featuring lessons from many of my favorite players, Tommy Lasorda as the dugout wizard, and zany antics of the San Diego Chicken. My favorite was the episode he went on the run from Andre "the Hawk" Dawson.

14. Favourite male character
J.R. Ewing

I love the gruff, tough-love, sardonic father figure types. Red Foreman, Dr. Perry Cox, Martin Crane... but JR Ewing is the best of all time. A total magnificent bastard. The kind of character who, if he gets shot, every one he has ever met has a motive to kill.

15. Favourite female character
Daria Morgendorffer

There are probably a lot to pick from, but I thought Daria was just such a well fleshed out character, that felt both very true to me and given a lot of depth by her writers. And I really liked Daria's intelligence, wit and wicked sense of humor.

16. Your guilty pleasure show
Gossip Girl

Yeah. I sometimes watch this. Among all my TV watching, something had to fill the 90210/OC schlock slot and the new 90210 was much fail.

17. Favourite mini series
Fresno

Growing up, my mom and sister watched all the prime-time soaps. CBS ran a spoof-miniseries -Fresno- about a raisin magnate starring Dabney Coleman, Carole Burnett and Charles Grodin. A parody of Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and the like, it was totally awesome. Or I hope it was - it's not like anyone has seen it in 25 years.

18. Favourite title sequence
Dallas, New Amsterdam

Don't lie. The credit sequence and theme song to Dallas are just the most awesome thing ever. I also loved New Amsterdam's Time Lapse 'evolution of Times Square' collage for a more artistic variant on credits. We'll go ahead and put "Magnum PI" third.

19. Best TV show cast
Community

I honestly don't want to think to hard or look far back, so I'll stick with "Community" which is an amazingly well cast show. Seven lead actors each bringing very different elements to the show and having no real weak spots. Great use of guest stars/extras too.

20. Favourite kiss
Annie kisses Jeff in "Debate 101".

Man is evil! I'm not really a big connoisseur of kissing scenes. I like funny, but not the obvious shut-up-kiss or slap-slap-kiss. "Drop the paraplegic" kiss, apparently, I go for.

That Huge TV Meme - Part I

dlgood — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:43:08 GMT

There's a 30 Question, 1/day meme going around re:Television shows. Well, I believe in instant gratification, so I'll be posting in three parts, for 10 answers per:

Though I mostly only talk about BtVS in this space, some readers may be surprised to learn that I am, first and foremost, a sitcom guy.

01. A show that should never have been canceled

Profit / Better off Ted

Shows get canceled because they don't get ratings, and I don't really fault FOX or ABC for doing so. But, my goodness these were both brilliant shows. Profit, in particular, for being both ahead of it's time and strangely dated all at once. If you liked "Angel", "The Shield", or "The Sopranos" -- "Profit" is the show that paved the way for them.

02. A show that you wish more people were watching
Community

Community has rapidly developed into one of the best ensemble comedies on TV in a long time. Great use of characterization, using the whole cast, and using the show's setting to make genuine points about life. And it's damn funny.

03. Your favourite new show (aired this TV season)
Community

I really like Modern Family and The Good Wife. But, again, Community is a show that reaches further and it's best episodes are better than anyone else's best. See "Modern Warfare" of the "Chicken Fingers" episodes.

04. Your favourite show ever
Seinfeld

Really, this kind of changes all the time. But for a solid six or seven years, I simply would not miss an episode of this show. I can't say that about anything else.

05. A show you hate
n/a

If I don't like a show, I mostly don't watch it. There aren't really shows I hate. That requires too much caring.

06. Favourite episode of your favourite TV show
The Puffy Shirt

Spare a little change for a salty sea-dog? It's just random and non-sensical. I love that. Others receiving votes: "the Second Spitter", "Fusili Jerry"

07. Least favourite episode of your favourite TV show
The Pilot Episode

Anyone who tells you they liked Seinfeld right from the beginning is lying. The first few episodes are lousy - they just don't know what they're trying to do. And the cast doesn't have chemistry together. The pilot was lousy. It got so much better...

08. A show everyone should watch
n/a

Honestly, I watch too much TV. I don't think there is a show everyone should watch. We're too different. (I'm reminded of this every time I try to make someone watch Profit.) I'm a big fan of turning on the local all news/weather station in the morning. That's important.

09. Best scene ever
The Carousel Pitch, Mad Men

Again - this is really hard to pick. I could probably change my mind every five minutes. Don Draper's paean to family and nostalgia while he's wiping out his own... Or Jed Bartlett cursing out the Lord in latin. Buffy & Giles at the gravestone in Lie to Me. Really hard to pick.

10. A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Cougar Town, Kings

This year's entry, anyway. The title is awful, I'm not a big Courtney Cox fan. But it has developed into a fun, light show. Kings - boy howdy - had high concept failure written all over it, with a poorly cast David. Fortunately, the lush production made it stunningly beautiful to watch and Ian McShane was the perfect actor to make a show compelling. For viewers who wanted a show with a world where characters really believed in an 'awesome' divinity, this show gave you that. Sadly, there were only about five or six such people.

Classic 8-Bit

dlgood — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:23:13 GMT

Am I the only person hopelessly addicted to Super Mario Bros. Crossover?

Hockey Playoffs, Fandoms

dlgood — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:45:46 GMT

It occurs that I should elaborate on yesterday's post. (Suck it, Crosby!)

I was linked to a post in musesfool on sports fans and schadenfruede - itself a comment on the Slate article "Why we root for underdogs."

Germane here, because I'm

celebrating

relishing Pittsburgh's second-round loss to Montreal in the Hockey Playoffs. As a Washington Capitals fan, Montreal's win over Pittsburgh takes some of the sting away from Washington's own earlier loss to Montreal.

Not much - Washington was the #1 Team in the regular season and added to a long history of playoff collapses. And that's awful. It makes the rest of the playoffs stink for me. But this looks a little less bad now that a highly regarded Pittsburgh team has met the same fate. And that Pittsburgh's star, Sidney Crosby, was a bigger dog in his game 7 than Washington's Alexander Ovechkin was. Also, I hate Pittsburgh, mostly because we've fared incredibly poor in playoff series against them.

So that's some fan motivation.

Some things about being a sports fan, are specific to sports. It's hard to translate the spontaneity & immediacy of sports. You don't have the same records and data sets. And fans generally don't watch a TV show and refer to characters as "We". But a lot of it is similar. I'm not a neuroscientist or an anthropologist, but there's something in our brains that responds to great (or even crummy) dramas - whether it's a Baseball Game or a Vampire Show.

Anybody who both listens to sports talk radio and reads a Television Without Pity Message board will note similarities to fan reactions after playoff games and series finales.

"The director / coach ruined it for everyone by overmanaging"
"Team-disrupting ball-hog / scenery chomping ham actor"
Shipper Wars - Yankees vs. Sox
Angel vs. Spike -- Sid vs. Ovie

And the meta. Executive meddling applies to both, shows being canceled because of profit margins & ratings, vs. the Salary Caps in sports. Old-School scouting vs. Sabremetrics, Doylists vs. Wastonians.

So many different outlets for me to get my nerd on...

Too bad I'm too lazy to refine this into a study of actual merit/quality. Somebody could do some quality school work on this theme.

Hockey Playoffs

dlgood — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:32:46 GMT

Suck it, Crosby!

Ubiquitous Commercial Fandom

dlgood — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:41:39 GMT

Is it weird that my current favorite ship is "Flo, the Progressive Insurance Vendor"/"Old Spice 'I'm on a Horse' Guy"

Hockey Playoffs

dlgood — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:38:58 GMT

What's red, white and blue, and plays golf in May?

Things that I am Caring About Today

dlgood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:27:08 GMT

1. NHL Playoffs are underway.

LET'S GO CAPS! ROCK THE RED!!!

2. Hot Tub Time Machine. Not a great movie or anything. Could have been better, done more with the premise, no Back To the Future. But still fun to watch. Sebastian Stan amuses me.

3. Still using my Netbook as a daily machine while I wait for a replacement motherboard for my desktop PC. This is suboptimal.

Quick Heads-Up for NYC area fans of Chorale Music

dlgood — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:24:34 GMT

My cousin will be making her debut at Carnegie Hall on Friday, April 23rd. She'll be singing with renowned professional choir Musica Sacra in Mozart's Mass in C Minor.

Date: Friday, April 23, 2010
Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Carnegie Hall, New York

My cousin is a lovely singer, with a long background in music and this is her first major gig since moving to NYC quite some time ago. I'm very proud of her. While I understand most people aren't particularly inclined or otherwise free to see her show - I'm not averse to a bit of shameless plugging for the family.

Computer Update

dlgood — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:51:18 GMT

Have taken in my computer to be looked at - initial diagnosis is that the motherboard failed. Waiting for full assessment, and then I get to decide whether I want to fix that or cannibalize for parts and just get a new machine. Yay.

In other news, "The Good Wife" is a really good show. I very much enjoyed tonight's episode.

Vista Fail

dlgood — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:58:23 GMT

Tried to wake up my computer from sleep mode the other day - monitor never came back on.

Connected monitor to a different computer, and it works. So apparently, I have a situation where my PC, on boot up, is not recognizing the presence of a monitor. (DVI Without any sort of display, this makes troubleshooting extremely hard.

Anybody ever heard of this one?

Passover

dlgood — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:55:21 GMT

Honestly, I really can't tell the difference with this new and improved pizza from Domino's.

NCAA Tourney Bracket Reminder

dlgood — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:02:14 GMT

Reminder. You have until Thursday, Noon EST to sign up for the NCAA Bracket Challenge. See this post for more info.

Be there, or Elijah Dukes will cut you.

NCAA Tourney

dlgood — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:15:52 GMT

Reminder. You have until Thursday, Noon EST to sign up for the NCAA Bracket Challenge. See this post for more info.

Be there, or Ovi will check you into the boards.

CAN 3, USA 2

dlgood — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:42:58 GMT

I hate Sidney Crosby.

Olympians, More Hockey

dlgood — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:20:06 GMT

From the Slate article, Cold Reality, by a former ice skater who tried out for but did not make the U.S. team in the 1980s...

You may be wondering what I learned from my competitive experiences. I learned that Olympians are people, too: They're just better and stronger than the rest of us in almost every conceivable way. They do indeed "want it" more, and they don't care how much it hurts. They're muscular and fit as fiddles. They commit to the sport day after day, year after year, without any guarantee that all that hard work will pay off. On game day, they excel. They remain composed and even manage to smile. And maybe there's something even more, some elusive, magical X-factor … but I've obviously never figured it out.

That's what I watch for... to see athletes achieving the pinnacle of human performance. As someone who is just a touch undisciplined, unfocused, and not entirely ambitious, I really admire those qualities in our greatest athletes.

Also, I admire this: (hint, can somebody Icon this for me?)

Watching Alexander Ovechkin blast Jaromir Jagr cannot get old for me. It feels like justice...
(See video highlight, of the whole play, including Evgeni Malkin's goal.)

I am still really looking forward to that Canada-Russia game. It should be a blast. Seriously folks, if you're only going to watch one hockey game this year, or possibly even in your life, it's probably this one.

Unless you can get the Miracle on Ice on tape...

Olympic Hockey: USA 5, Canada 3

dlgood — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:01:10 GMT

Do you believe in insignificant upsets! Yes!!!

Edited to Add (02/22): So it turns out, not entirely insignificant - the seeding of the medal rounds mean the US must only beat SUI and CZE/FIN to make the Gold Medal game. Canada will now have to beat GER, RUS and SWE/SVK.