My Radio Play List

Here is what I played this morning on WCLZ:

Colin Hay - Overkill
Modest Mouse - Float On
The Decemberists - Red Right Ankle
Regina Spektor - Fidelity
Barenaked Ladies - For you
Elvis Costello - Veronica
Rufus Wainright - The Origin of Love
Ok Go - Oh lately it's so quiet
Dar Williams - Southern California wants to be western NY
Jenny Lewis w/the Watson Twins - Rise up with Fists!!
The Decemberists - 16 Military Wives

It was a fun experience -- I got to chat a little on the radio and talk. I always like sharing "my" songs with other people. First Portland, now the world!
UPDATE: They sent me a copy of it! If anyone wants to hear it -- both with music and me talking, let me know, I can mail it to you.

Jesus is a tree hugger

This is something I am applauding the Reverend Joel Hunter for. Read on:

from AP: 11/28/06

Christian Coalition pres.-elect leaves

ORLANDO, Fla. - The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America has declined the job, saying the organization wouldn't let him expand its agenda beyond opposing abortion and gay marriage.

The Rev. Joel Hunter, who was scheduled to take over the socially conservative group in January from Roberta Combs, said he had hoped to focus on issues such as poverty and the environment.

"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," said Hunter, a senior pastor at Northland Church in Longwood, Fla.

Hunter announced his decision not to take the job during an organization board meeting Nov. 21. A statement issued by the group said Hunter left because of "differences in philosophy and vision." Hunter said he was not asked to leave.

"They pretty much said, 'These issues are fine, but they're not our issues, that's not our base,'" Hunter said.

His resignation is the latest setback for the once-powerful group.

The Christian Coalition, founded in 1989 by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, became one of the nation's most powerful conservative groups during the 1990s, but it has faced complaints in recent years about its finances, leadership and plans to veer into nontraditional policy areas. The group claims more than 2 million members.

Rev. Hunter might still be against abortion and gay marriage -- and though I mightly disagree with him -- it's his right to think that. What I think he is doing right is going past that -- wanting to work on the environment and issues of poverty -- that is something many people from different viewpoints can stand behind. And instead of crusading and protesting outside a gay bashing victims death -- why not feed the people that need it. To me as an outsider, that is what Christianity is about. Jesus would love a safe comfortable home with full bellies and clean air outside.

TV Land list of 100 Greatest TV Catchphrases

There is a list for everything. But along with some of those damn clip shows (100 Scariest movies was my favorite -- I got to know them all without being creeped out of my skin), I can't resist a good list. Some of my favorites from the list were:

• "Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show)
• "Jane, you ignorant slut" (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, Saturday Night Live)
• "The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, "The X-Files")
• "Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother)
• "Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, Welcome Back, Kotter)
• "We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, Saturday Night Live)

I thought the list of catchphrases was good, but I thought there were some that I was dissappointed were not on there. Come on, I mean if Paris Hilton's "That's hot" makes it on there (which as a pop culture junkie -- I have never heard before) -- these ones should have made it:

• "Into every generation, a Slayer is born." (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
• "That's what she said." (Michael Scott, The Office)
• "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" (Jan Brady, The Brady Bunch)
• "I was a boozer, a user and a loser." (Jerri Blank, Strangers with Candy)
  

Anyone have others they thought were neglected?

Nothing like a little naughty nature imagery to perk up your work day

This was the poem on my Poetry Daily calendar.


Aubade

As I would free the white almond from the green husk
So would I strip your trappings off,
Beloved.
And fingering the smooth and polished kernel
I should see that in my hands glittered a gem beyond counting.

--Amy Lowell

Rocking the airwaves

Next Wednesday, November 29th, I will be playing a mix of songs from 7am-8am (EST)! I entered to play my mix -- and well I got in! The fools! Needless to say, I have been obsessing about it. I think i finally have it down, but I might change my mind a few more times.

For those of you not in the Portland, Maine area -- you can listen on the web!

Yer mother

If you ever wanted to just try out one episode of How I Met Your Mother -- this would be the one, Slap Bet. I actually laughed out loud. This is a show that I rolled my eyes to at first. I thought it was going to a a Friends rip off -- which I will admit -- it does have some of those moments. But with Alyson Hannigan using her comedic skills to their fullest potential, and our dear little Neil Patrick Harris being a womanizer -- you have to love that -- its comedy gold. Plus, Jason Segal is quickly worming his way into my heart. And, for those Whedon fans, they often use Whedon alumni in the show: Morena Baccarin, Tom Lenk, Alexis Denisof, and Amy Acker have appeared in the show.

Slap Bet, Part 1

Slap Bet, Part 2

It gives other away messages something to aspire to.

Most away messages are lame. Including mine. But this one takes the cake. It comes from my neighbor in black bear country, Emery. He can't claim authorship -- he found it on a raisin hater forum (just think, before the internet, people just sat around hating raisins alone. Now they stand united).

Some time ago there was a place. A place called Hope. And in this place, there was a time. A time called Desire. And in this place at this time someone decided that pieces of chocolate were delicious and decided to put them inside of sugar dough. That was an awesome idea. But then you, the ass-licking, vindictive raisin, got jealous and lonely and decided to be inside of my cookies sometimes too. That was not awesome. In fact, it fucking sucked. You're a chewy, obnoxious, healthy interruption to my cookies.

Links, and I ain't talking sausages..... this time.

Basically, when I travel, I do a little more surfing than usual. I have been collecting all these great links, and why be selfish! This post will be growing as I am trying to remember where I put some of them!

• Nathan Fillion is on MySpace. Oh Cap'n Tightpants!
• The Ripple. For those Happy Hookers out there, aka people who crochet, this is the best link to a ripple pattern I have found. I am deficient when it comes to following patterns, and this one lays it all out there for you.
  
• Six word short stories. Oh my!
• Need book suggestions? Try this site for recommendations based on what you are currently reading.
  
• Reading Jenna Fischer. You will get laid.
• Radio Lab, episode on Time. One of the interesting things about traveling in the car (I have put over 4000 miles on the rental, yeesh!) I scan for public radio all the time. I came across this show last night as I was driving home from a fair. It kinda shook my brain a bit. I think the concept of time is amazing anyway -- so much of life comes down to time and distance anyway. I especially liked the idea of a spice clock. Wake up atin the middle of the night, and can't see a thing? If you have this clock, you can smell cinnamon in the air, and you know its 3am. Smells are assigned to different hours. Very intriguing.
  
• Pitchfork article with Colin Meloy.
  
• Rich Fancher, whoring himself out. Again.
• Dunderball. One of the best Office fansites out there. And did anyone else get the urge to slap coffee out of someone's hands after watching last night's episode? Coffee drinkers, watch your backs.
  

Hotel update.

I am staying at a hotel that is connected with a convention center. I have stayed here before with no other major events going on. And this week, I hit the mother load.

Duh, duh, duh, da-duh! DOG SHOW!

And they are more of the Fleckman variety -- RVs lined up in the parking lot and dogs barking and howling. I saw a woman walking three big moppy looking dogs and she was arguing with them. But in the way you would with a partner: "I swear, if you do this to me again, I am not sure if we are going to be able to communicate. And this time I mean it!!"

I think the scales on me thinking I could own a dog have just tipped the other way.

Politcal songs

I am trying to find political songs that are a little more modern, or fit into these times quite well. And considering I am at work.... funny how things like this seem very important in those stolen moments between TPS reports.... I have not been able to fully explore my catalog of songs. Here are a few that pop out for me:

Empire - Dar Williams
16 Military Wives - The Decemberists
Take it Back - Barenaked Ladies


Any others? Suggestions are welcome!

Update: Hopeful political songs are good too. Because I have severe Decemberists on the brain:
Sons and Daughters - The Decemberists

Vote.

There is still time to become an informed voter. You can't say that you don't know anything about who is running and about referendums and so on. You are here reading this blog, right?

Then google your candidates. Spend some time figuring it out. I am sure you won't even have to research for that long. You know what you want. All you have to do is cast your vote and sway the numbers to your side.

The United States has 100 other countries that have higher voter turnout than it. Does this boil your blood like it does mine? I am just frustrated that in the land of plenty and then some, people don't see any sense of civic duty toward the country that provides more than other countries' citizens can dream of.

There is my two cents. I already cast mine. Maine is a great place to be a voter: as soon as absentee ballots are available you can go in and vote right there. You can also register to vote on the day of election day.

My parents wanted to name me Jennifer, but thought that was too common and went with Sara

Sara may be common, but the last name is not.
I am the only one with my name. I find that refreshing.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

His dad was a goat-herder!

This Rolling Stone article about Steward and Colbert by Maureen Dowd just makes me like them more and more. I see the t-shirts that sat Stewart & Colbert '08. I agree with these guys that its more of a commentary of a sad state we are in than the reality of wanting them to run our country. I think we need people like them to poke at the absurdity of things -- basically to stir shit up. And they do it better than any SNL skit ever did.

An excerpt that I really enjoyed:
But wouldn't, say, a President Obama be harder to make fun of than these guys?

STEWART: Are you kidding?

COLBERT and STEWART in unison: His dad was a goat-herder!

STEWART: I'd rather make fun of somebody who is wearing their humble beginnings on their sleeve than somebody who has created a situation where casualties are involved. So the idea that somehow it's easier now -- it's not. Because right now it is a comic box lined with sadness.