The thank-you department: (!)j let me borrow a really nice computer monitor, putting to end months of squinting to make out the murky images on my screen. You see, I had a really old monitor that wasn't capable of having an 800 X 600 screen resolution. I was damned to look at icons the size of my head, and a mouse pointer half the size of my screen. In order to solve this problem, I searched the trash-pit that is the storage area of my house, and found another monitor. This more modern piece of equipment had no problems with resolution, but the the color had a strange affliction. Everything had a horribly ugly pinkish tinge to it. This was not only hurtful to look at, but would cause certain sites virtually unreadable. Now I can rest in peace.

(!)akm not only gave me the detailed instructions I needed to make MP3s from any analog source (records! minidiscs! radio! microphones!), but sent me a copy of the new Mark Eitzel record. He is a very good person.

My band is playing a gig tomorrow night in a plush warehouse with free, yes *free* alcohol all night long. Now, I don't know what form the intoxicating substance will be in, but those two words put together cannot be bad. That, and it's a free show, which will also be webcast live sometime around 9:00 pm, PST.

I'm still haunted by the haunting images of these mugshots. Fourteen years of criminal portraits arranged without text tell a more convincing story than all of "just say no" ever could.

Miss Rodeo America wrote the most perfect story about her relationship with the Amazon.com monster.

Cool breeze means it's time for a beer.

What good are release dates if nobody sticks to them. I went down to the record store after work to get that new Modest Mouse thing, the National Skyline album, and the K/Low split CD, all of which were supposed to come out today. I left with a Pixies record, a Wilco record, and a Hefner record. Do you see the problem here?

Perhaps I'll only buy new releases through mail-order, that way I can cut down on repeat record store trips. Perhaps this marketing scheme is meant to trick me into returning daily to check for new arrivals, thus increasing the chances that I'm going to purchase completely unrelated items. Ugh.

I saw a movie called Barcelona last night that I enjoyed. I always know I liked a movie when I think about it at work the next day. This was one of those "smart person comedies," where most of the movie is people talking to each other. There was quite a bit of talking in this movie, and it was all educated, humorful gabber. That and some of the shots of Spain are nice, and there are numerous European Disco Scenes, which MRA and I both agree look completely trashy and sorry. Tonight we're watching a cheesy "coming of age" film called Little Darlings to make sure we don't see two good movies in a row. Heaven forbid!

Mornings at Peets Coffee: Warehouse workers. Day laborers. Office ladies who think that working at The Nature Company corporate offices means they care for the environment. Crazy guys selling bikes.

Sunny spring afternoons at Peets Coffee: Yuppie moms with strollers. Yuppie moms with baby harnesses. Yuppie moms who got a sitter and roam in packs searching bargains on generic crystal sculptures from The Crate & Barrel Outlet. Old ladies on vacation in summer dresses and un-sensible shoes. Balding yuppie guys on cell phones and "office casual" polo shirts. Crazy guys selling bikes.

It's a mad world out there. I just gave in to my inner most caffeine addiction and got some afternoon coffee. This is something I have avoided for the past few months, but today it seemed like it would be fun. I can type faster than a high school secretary! Woo hoo!

It's the new release day from hell. I'm going to look for that new/old thing by Modest Mouse and that National Skyline album after work. Then I'm doing laundry. I'm down to 2 Rolling Rocks, I'll have to reload.

MP3 of the week: One of last years top-ten-records-of-the-year-that -I-completely-forgot-to-mention was Josh Rouse's Home. Ten pure ballad-pop songs from this amazing songwriter, recorded in Nashville without being country, Home is perfect for sunsets and sipping Rolling Rock out on the porch. Rouse's sweet, calm, soft voice is nicely complemented by a variety of instruments (trumpet, piano, jingle bells) and the mood stays calm.

"Parts & Accessories" showcases Rouse's flowing vocal patterns that get me everytime. That and the jingle bells, you know I love the jingle bells. Get over the fact that he looks alot like K.D. Lang on the cover, and you're all set.

I'm proud to announce the arrival of the (!)blackyellowblack MP3 of the week archive, volume one. I've put the first 17 MP3s of the week onto one convenient Minidisc for 71 minutes of listening pleasure. That's 17 songs by bands you know, bands you don't know, and rarish tracks compiled exclusively from my CD collection (since I still don't know how to make MP3s from vinyl, please somebody tell me how.) I'll post the tracklisting on a different link here one of these days. However, if you'd like one, and you have a Minidisc player, send a lively email my way and it will arrive in your very own mailbox. I was surprised and delighted with the way the tracks go together, it's quite a good mix.

So many errands today, but it's pretty outside so we had a good time. Got some great Indian snack food too, something to fuel all the running around town. I finally picked up another portable CD player to replace the one I lost a few weeks ago, I opted for the same model since I was happy with it up until the point I stupidly lost it. The bad thing is, I have absolutely no idea where it could have gone. Perhaps one day I'll find it, and then I'll have two, and then I'll be happy.

We fought our way through all the yuppies and no-parking to get some more Swedish goodness at Ikea. Boy was that place packed, but we picked up this worktable thing to put in our kitchen so that we actually have a counter to cook off of. Before all we had was this nasty red wooden desk with missing drawers and broken legs. Things are finally coming together in this house, it doesn't feel like such a pit anymore.

I found a review of the upcoming Mark Eitzel record here. It's sort of lengthy, but if you're familiar with his history as a musician (it helps if you're local), it's a good read with some strong opinions. Now I can't wait for its eventual release. I think Air has a new record coming out, and Sparklehorse is due for a new one. Rumor has it that PJ Harvey appears on no less than 6 of the new Sparklehorse songs. Not too shabby.