Here are my Oscar predictions
I know Up is going to win, but Fantastic Mr. Fox was better. Look into your heart, you know it to be true.
Also, they expanded Best Picture to 10 nominations, but yet they miss Star Trek, Adventureland, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. You let me down, Oscar.
Get your own ballot at the only movie blog that matters, Ultra Culture.
So in preparation for the iPad and in the spirit of simplifying my life, I’ve decided to get rid of extra computers. I’m in the process of switching from a giant Linux file server to a tiny ReadyNAS NAS. And I’ve decided to get rid of my Dell laptops. I have a Dell Vostro A90 and a Dell Latitude D600. I’ve put the Vostro A90 on Craigslist.
So far I’ve gotten one reply from a David Woodgate, woodgate962@gmail.com It’s so obvious a scam, it’s a cliche.
His first email
Hello, I am very much interested in buying your item which i see on craigslist list.Is the item still up for sale?
What stands out? The terrible English? Maybe this person doesn’t speak English as his first language, so let’s ignore that. How about he doesn’t ask anything about the Dell? He refers to it by “item”.
Anyways, I reply. Maybe this guy is just an idiot.
Hi David, Yes the item is still up for sale.
His reply is even better
Thanks for your mail. i really appreciate your response to my mail. like i said i will like to buy this item from you and i want you withdraw the advert from craigslist. i’m using this opportunity to inform you that i wont be able to come and inspect the item or pay by cash cos i have been advice by craigslist never send payment via bank transfer ,check, money order or sending cash by post,that is why it will be safe and secure for us to complete this transaction through PayPal though i am a us citizen and i am willing to buy this item as a valentine gift for my cousin and i would appreciate it if i can pay through paypal.mean while i’m willing to offer you the sum $150 for the shipping.However if you don’t have paypal account you can just log on to www.paypal.com and set up an account it is easy and secure to pay and receive money through paypal.pls get back to me asap Thanks
My favorite part from that? Playing cautious by following best practices from Craigslist regarding money. Yet, Craigslist recommends dealing locally to avoid scammers. Also, I don’t know about you, but I constantly mention to people I’m a US Citizen. And I love that he’s paying half of my asking price in shipping.
So yea, anyone wants to buy a Vostro A90? It runs Mac OS X and (if you insist) XP.
For this New Year’s Eve, I packed my bags and headed east to the great city of Miami Beach.
So this is what happened from December 30th to January 4th
That jerk off just had to try and blow his dick off before my trip. And what’s that? David Finfrock is predicting Freezing Fog the morning of the flight. What’s happening? Why am I being punished for wanting to go on vacation?
Well, it turns out that the universe isn’t out to get me, things went smoothly. There was no ice that morning, and security wasn’t any more of a hassle than it usually is. And apparently there was even some sort of airport lockdown on the Tuesday I returned.
The Chesterfield Hotel is a ‘not good’ hotel. The “deluxe suite” was just a larger than average room. I’m pretty sure the lighting was dim so that way you wouldn’t realize how dirty the room is. The staff, front desk and cleaning, did the minimum work required. And the bathroom shower was terribly unsatisfying.
Would I stay there again?
Depends. If I was going on business, no. If I was going for pleasure, maybe. It would depend on the type of pleasure. Because what the Chesterfield has going for it is location, location, location. And the front stoop.
The Chesterfield is where you want to be in South Beach. You’re on Collins one block away from the beach, Wet Willie’s, Pizza Rustica, and Groovy’s Pizza. And the Stoop? It was the place to be in South Beach from December 30th to January 4th.
It deserves it’s own subheading. The Stoop was essential to a fun trip. It’s where we would go after a long day or at the start of a long day. Hell, even during the long day. You could relax with drink in hand, people watch, and lime. And when the weather turned, it got you out of the wind (mostly).
We made the Stoop ours, but really it belonged to James.
One night Drona came back late and thought he saw one of use sleeping in the Stoop. But nope, we were in the room. Who was this mysterious stranger?
The next night, I looked out the window and saw Nikko, Surren, and someone else sleeping in the chair. I asked Drona if Nikko and Surren had made a new friend, but nope it was that same mysterious stranger.
The next day, it rained. When we returned to the hotel, the mysterious stranger had returned. But this time during the day. That’s when Surren noticed that he had a Lebron James jersey.
He was a stranger no more. He had a name, James.
But he was on our Stoop. So we had to move to the other side.
For New Year’s Eve, I had made no plans. I figured, it couldn’t be too difficult to have fun in South Beach. So after wandering around Ocean Drive, we found ourselves at The Clevelander. And it was a fun night. There were 4 venues – ground floor, lounge on 2nd, roof of building 1, and roof of building 2. I heard Black Eyed Peas – Tonight three times, but I didn’t let that get me down.
A personal highlight: I took a piss while smoking a cigar. Awesome!
What did I enjoy eating the most? If you guessed cuban sandwiches, you’re wrong. It was Pizza Rustica and Groovy’s Pizza. They were both open 24/7 and both delicious. If I had to choose, I would go Rustica. But it was nice to have them both. That way you wouldn’t get tired of pizza. Too much Rustica, go to Groovy’s. Too much Groovy’s, go to Rustica. You can’t lose.
I also enjoyed La Moon, Colombian food in downtown. It was after a long day of seeing the Heat suck it up and wandering downtown, and the Crazy Chicken Moon Burger was astounding. It was a chicken breast combined with breakfast stuffed in a hamburger bun.
I have a nice pair of Ray Ban’s. I only wear them when I’m driving. I don’t really have a use for them otherwise. I didn’t take them to Florida because I didn’t want to break or lose them. After all, they’re a really nice pair of Ray Ban’s. I figured when I got there, I would buy a knock off pair if I needed any shade.
Turns out, sunglasses are a necessity in Miami. It’s the sun. It’s everywhere. I ended up buying a cheap pair of aviator’s and later breaking them.
Nikko bought a nice pair of Ray Ban’s. He didn’t lose or break them.
I wasn’t going to South Beach for culture, but culture found me.
Close to our hotel was The Wolfsonian. No, it’s not The Smithsonian from an alternate universe where wolves rule the Earth. But it’s a rather nice design museum. My favorite thing I saw was a Ford ad from the middle of the 20th century. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture. But here’s a toaster:
Art also pounces on you when you’re shopping. In the Lincoln Road Mall, the city had an artist studio/gallery. Apparently the city rents studio space. And you’re free to walk in. Just look at this guy using an eMac.
I bet he’s brilliant.
And in the gallery they were featuring Romero Britto. I’m pretty sure he’s the official artist of Miami. His work is all over the city when you look at signs and sculptures. It’s fun
I love fudge. Fudge from Trinidad that is. Regular “American” fudge is okay, but it’s not Trinidadian fudge.
I was quite surprised to find Trinidad fudge in Swiss candy store on Lincoln Road Mall. So surprised and delighted, I bought 2 lbs of it. You can too, they sell it online.
Frommer’s is shit. Why? This sentence
“Opened in 2005 by 70-year-old-grandmother Naomi Wilzig, the museum features Wilzig’s collection of more than 4,000 pieces of erotic art, including Kama Sutra temple carvings from India, peek-a-boo Victorian figurines that flash their booties, and a prop from the sexual thriller A Clockwork Orange.”
Sexual Thriller? A Clockwork Orange? Sexual Thriller = A Clockwork Orange?
No cart food. I was kinda hoping there’d be cart food. There are tons of West Indians in Florida. I wanted to buy some doubles. Missed business opportunity.
No guys selling Roy Ban’s and Folex’s on the beach. I wanted to be iced out. But there was no one. You go on vacation to the beach, you kinda expect people to be selling counterfeit goods. You’re crushing dreams Miami Beach.
Would I go back? Most definitely. I’m owed more beach time. It got cold and that wasn’t fair. It isn’t supposed to dip down into the 40s in South Beach.
Just in time for Christmas, here is my Christmas Playlist –
Just a warning, it’s no Deck the Halls/Jingle Bells/Frosty the Snowman. It’s a little more sedate.
because other Top 10’s are 2 worse.
Here is my Top 12 of 2009. Something to consider – it’s not ranked. It’s just a collection of 12 songs from 2009 that I think are excellent. But if you forced me to pick a #1, it’d be jj – From Africa to Málaga.
Quit Adium and Delete
~/Library/Caches/Adium/Default/DirtyLogs.plist
~/Library/Caches/Adium/Default/Logs.index
When Adium restarts and you open up the transcript viewer, Adium will reindex everything.
So you’ve heard of that new movie The Boat That Rocked, right?
Wait – you haven’t? That’s right. It’s called Pirate Radio here in the states.
Well, in England, it’s called The Boat That Rocked
Apparently, Americans demand straightforward movie titles. And we don’t understand Beatles references.
But at least it isn’t being advertised as a sequel
Or a videogame tie-in
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, but never got around to it. So since it’s the end of the month, let’s turn this in at the last minute.
Quick summary – ACL 2009 was good. How would I compare it to 2007? Bands-wise – not so good. Weather-wise – much better. I’ll take rainy over heat any day of the week. And 2007 headliners can’t compete with Björk and Arcade Fire.
In my previous post I mentioned that I had a tough choice to make – Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Kings of Leon. I ended up choosing Kings of Leon. And, I chose poorly. King of Leon were such rubbish. Long was smart, he chose Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Afterwards, I wanted to scoop out his eyes and steal his ears so I could experience Yeah Yeah Yeahs live. By the time I gave up on Kings of Leon and trekked to the other side of the park, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were finishing up their encore SADFACE
I still like Kings of Leon, but I wouldn’t pay money to see them live ever again. It was such a terrible show, I decided to rate the bands I saw in KOL. 1 KOL = 1 Kings of Leon Live Performance. I believe I gave using the portable toilets 1.5 KOL.
The highlights of this years ACL?
Pearl Jam. Yea I used to listen to Pearl Jam, but I was never a huge fan. I know a few songs, and I think No Code is underrated. Their show was spectacular. Eddie Vedder is a tambourine genius.
Bell X1. The first band I saw on Saturday after Kings of Leon on Friday night. They were great fun to see, and they were having fun. The exact opposite of Kings of Leon.
Arctic Monkeys. 2nd ACL, 2nd time seeing Arctic Monkeys at ACL. Enthralling show. Arctic Monkeys may be my favorite band of the decade.
Passion Pit. I’ve never heard of Passion Pit before ACL. I selected them the night before as filler between Arctic Monkeys and Pearl Jam. This is gonna sound stupid, but they really got the crowd moving.
Mud. My last ACL was at the end of September, and it was hot. AT&T were giving out fans and they were cherished by all. This year, Friday was perfect. Saturday was rainy. And Sunday was muddy.
And Green Man.
See you at ACL 2010!
This Friday night I will have to make a tough decision. Do I see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Kings of Leon?
I think Kings of Leon would be a better festival band. But, I do like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs more. Loads more. And I have a feeling that they will put on a fancy show. But Kings of Leon, I think their primary function is to play outdoor festivals. What would you do?
Favorite Yeah Yeah Yeahs song – Y Control (Great video directed by Spike Jonze)
Favorite Kings of Leon song - My Third House (On Call B-side)
You know what’s great about having a much younger brother?
They ask you questions like this.
But seriously, I envy Kian. He’s going to listen to Ok Computer for the first time. His life will change forever.
Ok Computer for me really signified the break between 106.1 KISS FM Raishad and 88.7 KTCU Raishad.
I remember I bought it from Hypermart. I had heard Karma Police on the radio. It was a huge single. And after school one day, I asked my mom to take me to Hypermart to buy it. And after listening to it, it was a situation where I wanted all music to be like Ok Computer.
Ok Computer wasn’t my first CD, that was Green Day’s Dookie. But it did start a change in my approach to finding new music. I wasn’t so dependent on major commercial radio. This was 1997. Napster didn’t come into existence until 1999. And I was still accessing the internet using a modem. So the internet wasn’t a big influence – at least not until I found The Perfect Song Facsimile. So it was luck/necessity, I found college radio and 88.7 KTCU. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Twitter: raishad