The State of Things

nuff said.

life's little lessons

i'm not sure if the petting zoos are back on at the fair this year, but here's are a few stats from our friends over at the childhood goat trauma foundation (and knowing is half the battle):

• Each year, over 6000 people are traumatized by goats in the United States alone.
• If a child is traumatized by a goat before age five, he/she is five times more likely to become some form of social deviant.
• When given a choice four out five goats will attack a child before attacking either another goat or an adult.
• The majority of goat traumas occur before age eight and after age fifty-two.
• In a scientific experiment, seven out of ten goats prefer man-made fibers over natural fibers.

MC Ryan Adams?

Thanks to Pitchfork and Noah, we found the most awesomest rap ever from the single-teared alt-country lovelorn bastard here.

This week in...

the DO, all of my sleepless nights finally produce an article on (drumroll) karaoke (Sing, Sing a Song). Yup, that's why the Goat knows my name and much of the EDT knows my duet-singing game.


I also go kinda creepy with a conversation about dead, sexy boys (perhaps at one time dead-sexy) in Rattling Chains.

Jen takes on a little Night & Day action (Ollie for Charity). And the Wee takes on the music column (get ready for your week's worth of hate--it's fun) and barrel racing.

drinking on the job?

here's the situation:
in honor of the state fair (yay!) my building at work is having a mini-fair this afternoon in the lobby and parking lot. we will be fed fair food of the corn dog/nachos/funnel cake variety, have midway games, and...wait for it...beer. everyone in the building has been issued 2, count 'em, 2 drink tickets for FREE BEER. fair fun starts at 4 this afternoon (crash it if you know where i work) and, after passing out the drink tickets this morning, i watched the fine art of bartering and bribery in action. several people, who shall remain nameless, have amassed quite a collection of drink tickets.
now here's my question: how many beers can a person ingest in 2 hours, at work, in the middle of the afternoon, without leaving a bad impression of co-workers? because realistically there are going to be people on every floor who don't drink/leave early/etc who i'm sure have shared the wealth with the drink-friendly, so a lot of people are not going to be tied to the 2 drink limit. we'll see.

Need Something to Wear?

Try a ZC07 tee, just now available. They're available in many colors and sizes so you really have no excuse. For $20.07, I got me a tee, a sticker and a button. Kick it! I'm a can-do voter now!

Note to Zac: Just a suggestion, but if you made them for dogs, your favorite pug would wear one. Promise.

Eat Yer Grits

Meat Radio's Grits 'N' Gravy boys are spinning their last night of residence at Club Dada tonight. Monkey sad now. Monkey love Grits 'N' Gravy.

Current Leaves and I Love Math are also playing so the show is definitely worthy of paying the meter a coupla bucks.

Head out there...and then...well, if you read the dead tree edition of the Dallas Observer you'll know where I'll be.

Welcome Wagon

Check it: we got some new friends over here at Alex (which is what we've taken to calling it 'round the office and I like it).

First up, irreverent DO freelancer Geoff Johnston kicks in with world class moves and ninja swiftness as he discusses Dick Van Patten's holistic dog food. We really want an update, but hey, we'll take what we can get at this point as that DVP illustration is stellar.

And, your very own guide to getting Rich in Dallas, from DO music listings guru Rich Lopez. We totally agree with Wee that he deserves Best Blog Name Ever. Also, it's not about making money in Big D, it's about getting Rich, as in, the person. You know, just to clarify.

Anyway, check out their site folks, and boys...bring it.

I Smile Now

I just got this from my State mailing list:

THE STATE, first season, is available at the iTunes Store! Hopefully
there will be more seasons, and eventually a DVD!

Just go to "TV SHOWS" and pick "MTV" and choose "THE STATE" - or just
click this link!

I'll admit I got an announcement about this about a week ago, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a DVD announcement. Then, when this one came, I actually read the email, and saw that DVDs are on the way someday, but they're giving us this to tide us over. I'm down with that.

my boyfriends are back

jeremy enigk, of sunny day real estate and the fire theft fame (as well as my future husband) will be opening for cursive when they come to town in november. jeremy enigk's new album should be out next month, but there's a bit of a sneak peak/interview over at the interface. yay! give it a listen -- it's some beautiful stuff. i know, this isn't a music blog, but trust me, this is a big deal.

What Is He?

Okay, thanks to Noah and Jonny B on this one. This may be the most bizarre thing I've seen in a long time.



I mean, he smokes? Is he just old and small?

Karaoke is Killing Me

This is what I feel like:



Thanks to Gene, Chelsea, James and the Wee for a wonderful, if exhausting night. And a special "preesh!" to James for the punch in the face. Don't worry, Slim, there's only a small mark...and now I know what happens to girls that haven't practiced their two-stepping. (hee)

I wouldn't have jumped in if I knew what would happen

says the man who bit a panda.

uh, ok.

ZFM, people. ZFM.

The Lady Wee has a snazzy interview with your mayoral candidate and mine, Zac Crain, up on WeeDemon. Read it. And mark your calendars to go vote in May. Consider this your chi-chi Hallmark brand "Save the Date" card, k?


photo by Allison V. Smith.

fun at mcsweeney's

i don't know if the tears in my eyes are from allergies or laughter anymore. check out a.j. packman's day.

and you know how much i love open letters....check it: an open letter to mark zuckerberg, founder and ceo of facebook.com from a new yourker magazine fact checker.

congrats

before i forget, congratulations to the newlyweds aryn and cheri. they got married sunday in a land far, far away (azle) and i'm happy i was there for it. it's amazing how much everyone has changed over the years, and luckily it appears as though everyone changed for the best.
hopefully merritt will post her pictures of the dance party soon.

and for those of you who weren't at gypsy friday night (ballroom, not tea room), tv on the radio was great, as to be expected. thankfully i no longer fear the negative reviews i had read about the new album. not a fan of the opening band, but then with a name like "white bitch" or something equally lame, that shouldn't come as a surprise.

This week in...

the D.O. I discuss some of my dislike of Meg White/love for Brenden Benson, mad respect for André Ethier and the temporary residence of David Garza.

Yeah, so that's where I've been. Oh, and I've also been frequenting as many karaoke (thanks to Chelsea, James, Nabb, AG, Jen and Melissa) opportunities as possible...but you'll find out about that later. Apologies to last night's Scaraoke audience for the worst rendition of "Heartbreaker" I've ever pulled out of my ass. I blame it on exhaustion, of course, as opposed to the fact that I might have no business singing that song.

I'd link to Jen and my Night & Day pieces, but the ol' D.O. site doesn't really allow for that.

Also, just like to say that last night I got a hug I hadn't gotten in about two years. Missed you, chicken liver. See ya tonight!!

RIP Ann Richards

Peace out m'lady.



Apologies to Beau since I "totally brought the party down" last night after reading my text message from Noah and exclaiming, "Oh, no shit? That completely sucks!" He and Sean looked at me inquisitively and I responded with "Ann Richards died." But...he headed back into the Polyphonic Spree show and presumably was refilled with the happiness.

got goth?

i'm going to have to just come out and say it. i reallllly want the new rhino issue, a life less lived: the gothic box. i was never a goth kid (i don't think) even though i did spend a little too much time with too much hair in my face while listening to my walkman. but i digress. if you check out the track listing over at pitchfork you'll see what i mean about the greatness of this collection. i'm accepting late birthday/early christmas presents. sorry, holiday presents. perhaps madeline would like it for her birthday...

speaking of which (in a round about way), has anyone else watched that show black. white. on fx? i've only seen a few episodes (we actually) and i'm...unsure i guess would be the best way to put it. i don't know if there are going to be additional seasons, but the first one is on dvd now. i think i may check the rest of it out, but i'm wondering if anyone did/not like the show.

How I Love Jonnie B.

Seriously, Jonnie B. over at The Queso, as we call it here at the office, is making my stressed life way easier to live. The last two posts from his crazy ass have had me laughing my ass off. Just had to give some claps.

Jonnie B., this is for you:

photo courtesy www.sportmartialarts.com.

it's what we've all been waiting for

jeopardy!'s back! thank god, cause those reruns just weren't cutting it. word has it jeopardy! is now being broadcast in high definition. which doesn't mean much to me, but i guess that's good for some people. it'll make that blue screen look even even bluer from what i hear. according to the email (yes, i'm on the email list), it starts today, with back to school week at the beginning of october and then *drum roll please* celebrity jeopardy! (that exclamation is my own, not just a part of the title). as it says:

In November, New York City's Radio City Music Hall plays host for Celebrity JEOPARDY! as the show reaches its milestone 5,000th episode! Watch as newsmakers, TV stars and pop culture icons play America's Favorite Quiz Show® for their favorite charities. With a guaranteed minimum of $1,000,000 in charitable donations, these shows promise to be some of our most entertaining and competitive ever.

any guesses/wishes on the celebrities for this season?

more importantly, what's trebek going to be like this season?

Hey, Your Mike's Open

Just got back from Jenn Nabb's Open Mike at Club Dada. The woman's got lustrous hair and is a damn good hostess. The Fine Line Ladies were also there in full effect--we bonded in armchair, er, barstool criticism with Cindy and were floored by the unexpected vocal prowess of Amanda. Miss TinyStyles got up for two acoustic duets with singer/songwriter JD Whittenburg (who unfortunately saw too small an audience for his impressive efforts) and belted out a pure yet ballsy harmony we didn't know could fit in that dimunitive firecracker. Full of surprises, she is.

Another surprise: Lady Wee Demon pulled out a rendition of...wait for it..."Margaritaville." And yes, she played her own guitar...finger picking, even. The style of the song was thankfully lacking in Buffett-ness (though she was wearing teeny cut-offs--testosterone-laden Parrotheads would have drooled) and was a more loungey, Jewel-toned take. As a rule, I don't care for the JB or the Jewel, but she totally rocked it. Props, girls, props. (I can't believe I just said "props".) Oh, and the Deem's got a new podcast too. Check it out at the link I done already gave you.

The rest of the night would have offered some fine entertainment, but we couldn't stay, writer's block calling us back to the EDT. However, we would have loved to have seen/heard the promised performances of Trey Carmichael, Marcus Striplin, Danny Balis, Carter Albrecht and others. If you did, tell me how they were.

See, this is why I came home early...to work...which is obviously what I'm doing.

PS. A thanks to Stewart and Jen for breaking up a working Sunday with a little din-din at Ye Ole Landing. I'm stoked I finally won a freaking game of Yahtzee against those two. That game reigns!

i know, i know

i said i would have lots of stuff to say, but this week has been muy hectic here at the dot... i know, excuses,excuses.

i would like to state for the record that i love montreal in all of its french canadian splendor. i'm still trying to figure out this flickr thing, but if you want to see some photos from my trip, you can check them out here. there are lots more, but i'll only force my friends to go through that ordeal.
everyone should vacation solo at least once in their life. yes, i had my guide book and did quite a bit of research before i left, but it's amazing, the feeling you get wandering around a foreign place with no schedule and no agenda. and no one telling you they want to do something else. parks are my friend. as are the gigantic canadian squirrels. maybe it's all the maple syrup...

everyone, please take a moment to add viva maria to your netflix queue. it's ok, i'll wait. done? good. they showed it as part of the film festival's "under the stars" night programming (before the wonderful breathless) and believe you me, it's subtitled entertainment. two striptease vaudevillian french marias who must avenge the death of handsome flores (george hamilton as a french speaking mexican revoltionary) by becoming revolutionaries themselves. i know, it sounds a little kooky. check it. if you don't like it, i'll buy you a cookie.

(please note, this is not an attempt at a review, but merely a suggestion. thanks)

American Idols Like Sorta

Last night, at Fine Line's Listening To: show, we rubbed elbows with none other than American Idol champ Taylor "Soul Patrol!" Hicks. The silver fox was there to see Sorta, but missed the set and instead took in a bit of the Shanghai 5. Wee Deemon and I give some self-deprecating details of our threesome over here at Unfair Park.

Uganda Be Kidding!

Just wanted to wish ol' SamRed a safe voyage to effing UGANDA! No joke. He's on a plane now. Bring me back something pretty, Sam!

and now look

the gods of fried food (aka the state fair of texas) are bringing us something all new this year: fried coke. yep. that's what i said.
who's up for a fair day?

yes, i'm back

i have plenty of things to post, so within the next few days i will surpass merritt's blogging stats. though i doubt i'll ever catch up with fingers of fury wilonsky....

montreal was great. i had never vacationed on my own before, but now i know that it's a totally cool way to go. (not that i plan on going solo all the time, but it's fun). once i get all my pictures organized (they're split between the digital and a disposable camera cause i forgot the charger) i'll post them somewhere. flicker? i think that's what mert said.

a few thinks i learned in montreal:
- they're way hipper than people in dallas
- i think obesity is non-existent in such pedestrian areas
- little kids on the metro speaking french on the metro = adorable. smelly guys on the metro speaking french and following you at the street fair = sketchy.
- north really isn't north
- i really do remember some of the french from high school (merci madame elam!)
- the place seems to be ready to celebrate ANYTHING (botanical gardens anniversary! labor day sales! film festivals! osheaga!)

Welcome Back,

Jen!

All the way from Montreal! She just flew in and boy are her wings tired!

We'll give you 24 hours to recover. Then we want tales.

Tuesday Night in the City

Tonight = Free!!
Upstairs and Downstairs at the Cavern. So don't go tellin' me you ain't got shit to do and no money to do it with.

Upstairs features The Flashlight Party & Wanz Dover Dj.

Downstairs offers a solo composer night showcasing the likes of:

11:00pm Daniel Huffman (This may not be a great link to refer to for tonight, but it's what I got.)
10:30pm Sean Kirkpatrick (Dallas' own Bad Seed)
10:00pm Plexus Loom (Honestly, this one concerns me. A flute? Really?)
9:30pm Silk Stocking (Howl 'n' keys, baby.)
9:00pm Wanz Dover (Man about town and this event's organizer. I got no clue what he'll be doing solo, but it'll have soul.)

Be there.

UPDATE: Don't be there. According to one of the performers, the downstairs show has been cancelled. What of the upstairs shenanigans, I'm not sure.

Radio, Radio

Tonight the illustrious ginger, Sam Machkovech, hits the airwaves via KTCU's The Good Show. Samkins says to listen online here or check back onThe Good Show's site for info on a podcast of the Sam's show at a later date. More info at KTCU if, you know, you're into information and that sort of thing.

Hey, Sam, have a Good Show! Ha ha. I am so funny.

Let's Dance

In my on-going quest for videos with musician/band-involved choreography (look in the August archives if you don't remember), I walked in upon this gem last night at the Cavern. John Freeman and his elementary school buddy Joe were running a smooth, stylish ship as they projected videos and a kick-ass playlist for Thursday night's ZOO--a video DJ set up.

I know offer you Kate Bush's dance-stylings in this vid for "Running Up That Hill"


Thanks, boys.