Desert Island Albums

Oh that eternal question, if I could only take 10 albums with me to the proverbial desert island...I have always wanted to make a list like this because I am nothing if not a huge nerd. Some obvious ground-rules: Best of Compilations are cheating. Self-mixed compilations are cheating. Ipods are definitely cheating. More than one album for each artist is cheating (except BNL, 'cause they are my favorites and this is my list and my rules, dammit).

1) American Idiot - Green Day. Rock opera is cool, yo.
2) Born on a Pirate Ship - BNL. Even though I'm not sure it hangs together as an album in any particular way, BOAPS is still pound for pound BNL's best collection of songs to date.
3) Either/Or - Elliott Smith. This was hard. Leaving off every one of Smith's other albums was *hard*. Thank God I'm not really ending up on a desert island anytime soon, or I might not be able to live with myself. Either/Or is my favorite Elliott Smith album, though, and it has to go with me.
4) Lost and Gone Forever - Guster. I believe this is Guster's best-produced album to date. However, however, "Come Downstairs and Say Hello" is my favorite song of all time, and it's on Keep it Together. So this was another tough decision. Ultimately, however, I was swayed by the existence of "Amsterdam" on KiT--that song has to stay the fuck away from me! It is just too awful.
5) Kind of Blue - Miles Davis. You know, for those mellow desert nights.
6) Rock Spectacle - BNL. I can't survive without that live version of "What a Good Boy." I really can't. Also, that panting at the beginning of "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" will never get old.
7) Automatic for the People - R.E.M. (although my version would magically have "Everybody Hurts" removed, 'cause I can't fucking stand that song).
8) Songs in the Attic - Billy Joel. Billy Joel has so many albums, and I've never really had a particular favorite. 52nd Street has my favorite Joel song on it ("Until the Night," which has my favorite song climax of all time); Glass Houses was my favorite of his albums for a long time; Piano Man is probably his album that I find most cohesive and that I listen to the most nowadays. But, really, Songs in the Attic is probably the best compromise. I love live albums.
9) A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay. Say what you will about Coldplay and overexposure and overrating (and I know, people can say a great deal), but this is an amazing album.
10) The Vanity Project - Steven Page. I still can't believe I didn't think much of this CD the first time I heard it. This is why I have a self-imposed rule of listening to a new song five times before passing judgment on it. "Everything's the Same" is the best song on here; "Wilted Rose" is the most catchy; and "So. Cal" is my favorite to sing along to.

One final thing, on the subject of compilations. When I was a kid, my dad bought a cassette at the gas station called "Cruising Classics of the '50s and '60s." Johnny B. Goode, Travelin' Man, That'll Be The Day...that was the soundtrack of my childhood. Best fucking compilation ever. I wish I knew what happened to it. I would sneak it onto that desert island, rules be damned.

Found Art

This made me laugh...



..and this made me laugh harder...



The Internet is a wonderful place.

Ow

Somehow I have managed to sprain my thumb while...get this...while using the trackpad on my laptop. What can I say, I was laying on the couch at a not very appropriate ergonomic angle. Yes, I lead a pathetic life. Hurts like a bitch, too.

Sweet!

I am my favorite character. I always knew I was meant to be a hot, Constitution-trampling lawyer. Or, you know, John de Munch.


You're Alexandra Cabot!


Which Law & Order: SVU character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Teh Hot

So I've never watched the show "Grey's Anatomy" before, but I heard through the grapevine that last week's episode was, like, incredibly great and shit. Actually, I believe exactly what I heard was, "I didn't breathe for the entire hour this was on." And being the fan of high (and low) television drama that I am, I had to check it out.

Even though I knew none of the characters, it was a pretty gripping hour of television. Good editing, good camera work, above average dialogue. A little cliche at times, but it's a network medical drama after all--pretty hard to avoid the cliche. At the end, though? They totally killed the hot bomb squad guy. Why, why, why? He was so the best character in the episode. And also, you know, hot. Poor "Grey's Anatomy," I think they just lost their best chance to get me hooked on their show.


Yep, definitely hot.