I've been spending a good chunk of time this week trying to catch up on Chuck (a very seriously underrated show...it had better not get cancelled). While in the midst of this today, I had a moment where I connected to Chuck Bartowski's character and found him intensely relatable—this kind of thing happens often while watching that show. It's a big reason I enjoy watching it.

This led me to wonder...what other television characters do I find relatable?

So ( I made a list. )

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: "What You Came For" - Franz Ferdinand

When I decide to put together a new mix/playlist of songs, it's usually after a longer period of time during which I'm absorbing copious amounts of new music. Eventually, I'll hit a breaking point, and have to lump the best of the best into a list. It always works out the best when it coincides with something in my life.

This time, it's the fact that I rarely go out to bars anymore. And the few times that I have, it's completely different from what it once was. But one thing that hasn't changed is the fact that before going out, I'll take some time at home, shower, get ready, maybe have a couple beers, and, of course, listen to music that gets me pumped up for a night on the town.

This weekend, I'm going out much more than usual, and I decided to finally work on a mix that'd capture this. I wanted to have a general mix of classic favorites with contemporary hits. I tried not to use too many of the latter so it wouldn't date the mix, but I'm not sure that happened. You can be the judge of that. There were a couple things I had to leave off however:

1) "With Love and Squalor" by We Are Scientists. Probably my favorite pre-party album. Puts me in just the right mood for a night out. Problem is that every track is great for it, so I just decided to leave them all off and keep on using the album as it is.

2) Girl Talk. I've recently gotten into Girl Talk (DJ Gregg Gillis) who, if you're unfamiliar, specializes in mash-ups with parts of various songs used to make new music. His latest, "Feed the Animals," is amazing; it's literally a party on a disc. It has something for everyone. But again, because each track is so good, I just chose to keep enjoying it as it is.

That being said, here's the tracklist for "Up for Anything/Down on Everything."

Up for Anything

01 - "No You Girls," Franz Ferdinand
02 - "Roth BOYS," Asher Roth
03 - "Fancy Footwork," Chromeo
04 - "Heart Throb," Be Your Own Pet
05 - "Shakedown On 9th Street," Ryan Adams
06 - "Rock The House," Gorillaz
07 - "Ruby Room," Foxboro Hottubs
08 - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," AC/DC
09 - "Nuthin' But A G' Thang (Feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg)," Dr. Dre
10 - "Try It Again," The Hives
11 - "Shake a Fist," Hot Chip
12 - "Heads Will Roll," Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13 - "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," George Thorogood & The Destroyers
14 - "Hypnotize," The Notorious B.I.G.
15 - "Dawn Of The Dead," Does It Offend You, Yeah?
16 - "Crawl," Alkaline Trio
17 - "Shake That (Feat. Nate Dogg)," Eminem
18 - "From The Ritz To The Rubble," Arctic Monkeys
19 - "Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet," Fall Out Boy
20 - "After Hours," We Are Scientists


Down on Everything

01 - "Manhattan," Kings of Leon
02 - "Hella Good," No Doubt
03 - "I Can't Stay," The Killers
04 - "Get Fucked Up," Saves The Day
05 - "The Air Near My Fingers," The White Stripes
06 - "Let's Get Fucked Up And Die," Motion City Soundtrack
07 - "Be By Myself (Feat. Cee-Lo)," Asher Roth
08 - "Mind Reader," Silverchair
09 - "Live Young, Die Fast (Acoustic Version)," Alkaline Trio
10 - "Dashboard," Modest Mouse
11 - "Punch Drunk Love (Feat. Kanye West)," Common
12 - "Note To Self: Don't Die," Ryan Adams
13 - "Something Is Squeezing My Skull," Morrissey
14 - "Many Shades Of Black," The Raconteurs
15 - "Murder," The Virgins
16 - "Thirty One Today," Aimee Mann

I know it's been a while. Twitter has taken the place of LJ lately. But for something longer like this, I guess LJ will have to remain the venue...for now.

I selected albums for this list closer to the end of the year, but hadn't gotten around to ordering them until today. (Just in time for Jeffapalooza!) I'm going to do it in the same format as last year. And just like last year, the movies list is on its way soon as well.

2008 was defined by what is slowly becoming my favorite genre of music: dance rock. Alternative/rock based, but with electronic/dance beats. The kind of music to which one can easily bob one's head or shake one's ass. It makes me wonder why more clubs don't play that kind of music. Though since I don't really go to clubs anymore, how would I know?

Dishonorable Mentions

Albums which, for one reason or another, I was greatly anticipating that wound up letting me down. Not to say they were necessarily bad, but they definitely weren't what they should have been.

“Loyalty to Loyalty” – Cold War Kids
“Last Stop: Crappy Town” – Reggie and the Full Effect
“You Are My Sunshine” – Copeland
“Wanderlust” – Gavin Rossdale
“Hard Candy” – Madonna


Honorable Mentions

Once again this year, I found myself listening to many new artists, and plenty of mainstays as well. So much music, yet only 25 spots on my list. These got slotted out, but are definitely worth a listen.

“Oracular Spectacular” – MGMT
“Vampire Weekend” – Vampire Weekend
“H.A.A.R.P.” – Muse [Note: No new material, but the experience of Muse live is definitely worth it.]
“Universal Mind Control” – Common
“Ghosts I-IV” – Nine Inch Nails
“Circus” – Britney Spears
“Elephant Shell” – Tokio Police Club
“Raise the Dead” – Phantom Planet
“Partie Traumatic” – Black Kids
“808s & Heartbreak” – Kanye West

Top 25 Albums of 2008

25. “Modern Guilt” – Beck

Standard Beck, but his standard is still well above most of what comes out these days.

24. “Dear Science” – TV on the Radio

This got "album of the year" all over the place, and while it's definitely good, it's not necessarily my cup of tea, hence the low ranking. But don't get me wrong; it's solid stuff.

23. “Made in the Dark” – Hot Chip

Dance rock was big for me, but this is definitely more on the techno end of things. Good if you're in the mood for it, and "Shake a Fist" had me doing just that many times last year.

22. “Intimacy” – Bloc Party

I think it's their best yet, but still not quite good enough to get any higher up on the list. Super electronic and dancy, though. We will watch their progress with much interest.

21. “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings” – Counting Crows

What a great welcome back for this band. Always one of those bands I've enjoyed peripherally, this may be the first one by them that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. And with rock in the first half, and acoustic country-esque stylings on the second, it has something for every type of Crows fan.

20. “Tha Carter III” – Lil Wayne

The best rapper alive! I hadn't heard much from him before this, but it served as a very solid introduction. The backlog will take forever— he's prolific on a level like Ryan Adams. More of a thug though.

19. “The Slip” – Nine Inch Nails

Speaking of prolific, not only did Trent drop the epic masterpiece "Ghosts I-IV" on us last year, but he released this for free to the fans. These days from NIN, we could expect nothing less. It's dark, rockin', and easier to swallow than 2007's "Year Zero." I can't wait to see what he does next.

18. “Agony and Irony” – Alkaline Trio

For a band that is getting up there in years and has long since "sold out" in terms of their devoted indiegoth fanbase, I still enjoy Trio. They know what they are and they embrace it; I enjoy most bands that do this. This album is a suitable follow up to "Crimson"— it just makes sense.

17. “The Age of the Understatement” – The Last Shadow Puppets

Been a big fan of Arctic Monkeys since they popped on the scene, and as a side project, this is amazing. Fills the void of not having a new album by those rockin' Brits. Less rocking by a tad, but more accessible I think. Try it out.

16. “Accelerate” – R.E.M.

Easily my favorite album of theirs since 1994's "Monster"— makes sense since it's their most rock-influenced one since that as well. Plenty of killer tracks, great hooks and riffs. These guys have been perfecting alternative rock since the 80s. This comes close to completing that ambition.

15. “Folie a Deux” – Fall Out Boy

A little late listening to it, but I'm definitely on board. It doesn't get much more pop-punky than this, and I swear that's not a complaint. If you want to rock out and you don't care about being judged by your peers, put it on. The lead single ("I Don't Care") couldn't be more appropriate.

14. “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” – Coldplay

I'm so anti-Coldplay hype that I have to wait until it dies down before I give any new album of theirs a listen. Too many elevate them to a level where it's blasphemy if you don't like them. In their defense, their newest album may be their best yet. (They're still no Radiohead though.)

13. “The Bedlam in Goliath” – The Mars Volta

Talk about epic; the story for the album came from their experiences with a Ouija board. Creepy as hell, and incredibly layered. I get more out of it with each listen.

12. “Way to Normal” – Ben Folds

I was late getting on board with this one too, but it's phenomenal. Probably my favorite album of his since he split with the Five. He's only getting better as time goes on.

11. “You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into” – Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Now this is true dance rock. Most stuff in the genre dabbles in dance beats while keeping a rock sound; this is the other way around. And it's all the better and more original for it. Sad I missed them at Lolla last year.

10. “X” – Kylie Minogue

I hope it's not a surprise to most I know at this stage of the game that I enjoy a good pop album. Intensely danceable, wonderfully poppy, and a twinge of emotion to boot. Every time I hear a track off it, I want to either strut down the street or jump on the dance floor.

9. “Weezer” – Weezer

Their third self-titled album to date, this one stands out as their most rebellious yet. Hell, "Pork and Beans" was written as a strike back at the studio who wanted a more radio-friendly single. The rest of the the "Red album" branches out from their normal fare, but just enough to leave you wanting more. In an age where everyone is about reinvention, we can still trust Weezer.

8. “Stop Drop and Roll!!!” – Foxboro Hot Tubs

No new album from Green Day last year (that's for 2009), but this kept fans at bay...provided they knew about it. Going under a different moniker with a more rockabilly sound, the boys laid down a disc that was truly more punk rock than most mainstream fans of theirs even knew what to do with. Try not to skank to it.

7. “Off with Their Heads” – Kaiser Chiefs

Each album that passes, these guys have only gotten better. I saw them open for Foo Fighters back when they were touring their first, and their second made my list last year. This is my favorite so far— lyrically it's just oh so much fun.

6. “Day & Age” – The Killers

After the experimental mess (but not necessarily failure) that was "Sam's Town," The Killers return to form with their third album. It's everything you wanted after you were done listening to "Hot Fuss." They sound like themselves again, and hearing this album, I remember why I liked them in the first place.

5. “Cardinology” – Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

My love for the music Ryan Adams has been quite a roller coaster. The ups and downs of relationships, growing up, and everything in my life for the last four years or so, I can associate with some song of his. For the place I'm at these days, this is definitive. It's nice not being in the dark anymore. If this is truly his last album, I think I can live with it.

4. “Only by the Night” – Kings of Leon

Maybe it's a late bias, but this album has gotten better with each listen. "Sex on Fire" is a single that I think everyone I know has heard, but it should be known that it's not even my favorite track by any stretch of the imagination. His voice is so amazing, raw, guttural even— there's a desperation in their music that makes me feel like I'm reaching for a higher plateau.

3. “Fucking Smilers” – Aimee Mann

I've been a fan since her music for Magnolia captured the film's spirit. Her latest— dark, brooding, and...well, the title says it all— is just another reminder of the dark I've left behind. When you're down, it helps you stay there, if that's what you want. "Looking for Nothing" may be one of my favorite songs of 2008.

2. “Consolers of the Lonely” – The Raconteurs

Jack White's side project's sophomore album is anything but a slump. Hearing them do songs from this live at Lolla last year made me party too hard. The level of rock is simply unparalleled. People will still look back on this one twenty years from now. Trust me.

1. “Brain Thrust Mastery” – We Are Scientists

They're the best band you're not listening to. If you've ever gone out in public with friends for a night on the town, this album is for you. Since its release, it has been a mainstay of mine for when I'm getting ready to go out. It just puts me in that hopeful mood of a night full of possibility— even if none of it comes to fruition. Memories of these times are everything, and this album gets that.


Thoughts? Did I leave something out? Rank some too high, while others too low? Let me know what you think!

Current Mood: pleased

I don't know what's been up with me, but I've been moody/depressed more than usual for at least the last few days. Maybe I'm thinking too much about the future— the word futility comes to mind more than I'd like.

Am I doing one of those What does it all mean? things? I'm not sure. I'm feeling anxious to do something bigger, more important. But then when I think on it for too long, I realize how much time it will eat up, and I worry that it'll be for nothing. So why bother?

What's the point?

Money's tight, Christmas is next week, and I'm finding myself more bored with my life with each passing day.

Ever get the sense that things aren't turning out the way you once imagined? What are things going to be like in another ten years when we look back? What about another five? What about next year?

Just how do I feel about the disappointment in my day to day life? Are my expectations for happiness too high? Where is the threshold and is it reasonable?

I found myself earlier today considering watching Vanilla Sky this evening. I can't decide if this is a good or bad idea, but it'll probably happen.

I'm hoping this, like all things, will pass. And I know it will, and then things will be fine again. But without a resolution of some kind, this feeling will just come round again in time.

I'd fix it...if I could.

Current Mood: sad
Current Music: "Looking for Nothing" - Aimee Mann

I was watching some DVDs last night as I lay sick on the couch, and I feel some clarifications needs to be made. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is filling the void left by Seinfeld, not by Arrested. I think my comparison for Pushing Daisies was better for the latter, though I don't think much will come close to replacing the wit it used to have. That is until Mitch Hurwitz drops some new shows: Sit Down, Shut Up and an untitled Jason Biggs project. I've heard of some remakes of british shows he's working on, namely Absolutely Fabulous and The Thick of It, but not much known about those yet.

I've been wanting to start playing guitar again lately. I picked it up for the first time in a long time, and realized I couldn't remember how to play certain chords. That was very sad for me. Also, I've been feeling very poetic/lyrical lately (maybe feeling the influence from reading Infinity Blues), so maybe I'll try my hand at something in that arena:

I am sick, but on the mend
I am finding new ways to rend

I've also been getting back into watching RiffTrax. I want to download them, but seeing how many movies I'd actually want to get, it could put a heavy dent on my already tapped bank account. We'll see I guess, though I don't think I'll be able to keep myself from getting the new one for The Dark Knight.

I'd better get back to work.

Current Mood: sick
Current Music: "Blossom" - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

So I watch a lot of television. I did the math on it once earlier this year and figured that it amounts to give or take 15 hours a week. Naturally, I've been falling behind.

But at the moment, I'm only about one week behind in each of my shows. Some have ended their run for the fall, and some will shortly. I'm not sure what all of you are watching, but I can say that (with a few noted exceptions) for the most part, you should be watching these shows. Check 'em in your downtime, if you have any.

Oh, and potential SPOILERS ahead—but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

( Too much TV! )

Whew! I think that's everything. 25 shows altogether, since I decided to include ones that are currently on hiatus. Thank God things are going to cool down for the next month or two—I need a rest.

Current Mood: busy

Determined not to give up on Livejournal despite the ease of Twitter.

I watched The Dark Knight last night, my fourth-ish viewing. And I'll still go see it when the IMAX rerelease happens in January. Can't wait for that, incidentally.

Thinking about it as I opened up the DVD (BTW, came with a digital copy—I love how mainstream that's gotten), I realized I have to be careful when making my Oscar picks this year (provided The Dark Knight gets as many nominations as I think it will).

My love for the film really transcends comic book fandom; in fact, most of the ways I appreciate it are purely cinematic. I honestly think it has a shot at Best Picture. It's just so incredibly well-rounded. I'll still have to scope some of the competition in a lot of categories, especially this one, but upon watching it again, Heath Ledger really does seem to be a lock for Best Supporting Actor. You watch The Joker, and you forget there's a real person under there.

This entry is boring me, so I'm going to work on that TV one I've been talking about.

Current Mood: bored

Wow. I can't believe it's been a whole month since I last updated. That's a long time. But I've been very busy. Here are some things that have happened while I was away.

* Kat and I participated in NaNoWriMo as a team. Technically, I think it's against their rules, but we didn't care. The difficulty of the collaborative process more than makes up for the lesser word count. We did win (clocked in at 56Kish words), and we're both very proud of the work. I'm very excited for people to read it, but first, we must edit. I hope my ridiculous standards of perfection don't keep people from reading it, you know, before I die.

* World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King dropped, and I spent about four days straight playing it starting the 19th at midnight. The Death Knight story (only played Alliance so far) and first few levels were fun as hell. But I'm not going back to Outland just yet. For now Northrend is great, and I'm leveling my Warrior, currently 74. I love all of the new content (most of which was available from the pre-expansion patch), but I've noticed that the whole game has become more of a side project for me lately. That's a good thing.

* Went to three Thanksgivings. Fake Thanksgiving in Iowa was very fun; I haven't been that drunk and not simply passed out in quite some time. I think I have "Pass the Shoe" to thank.

* Fell way behind in TV shows. I'm only now catching up now that NaNo is done, but there were a few (Sunny, Office, and True Blood) that I managed to keep up with week to week. I still plan on writing an entry that details which shows I watch and what I think of them.

* Upgraded to the New Xbox Experience. It's hella, especially if you have Netflix. I realized the other day that all five slots in my DVD player were empty because I'd been watching that many movies streaming through the Xbox 360. Gamertag = jonathanmarko (natch).

* Bought Chrono Trigger DS and fell in love with it again.

* Started playing a gig a night in Guitar Hero: World Tour in an attempt to finally unlock everything—had to start over since I'm doing a single campaign instead of a band one. I really don't like the new gig format, nor do I like the drum set. I have to contact Activision about the stupid red pad not picking up nearly 4 out of 5 hits. It really ruins the experience.

* Received Ryan Adam's Infinity Blues in the mail, about four months before it's being made available in stores. Still wish I'd gotten the signed copy with the chapbook of poetry, but I'm already a ways into the book itself, and it's really, really good.

Since it's been so long, I feel like I'm forgetting something. But everything else in life is going well. I hope to update more frequently, but you know how that goes.

Now who's ready to do some Christmas shopping?

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: "Consoler of the Lonely" - The Raconteurs

It's been so busy at work that I've gone and missed another day! While I'm glad things are keeping busy at work, between that and NaNo, I'm honestly thinking I'm going to have to cut back on these for a while. Also, I've been finding myself wanting to make my other LJ updates more than this, so I think I'm going to try to focus on that for a while. This has gotten me updating again, though, so that's a good thing.

Nevertheless, ( In the news... )

I'm really hoping to have time later today, or perhaps this weekend, to do the TV shows update I've been planning in my head for a while now. I also have two movie reviews to write and post; that's the last thing I want to get behind on. And some of you may be interested in knowing what else is going on in my life lately (you know, besides the Lich King's impending arrival next week).

For now, I have something else to discuss.

If you didn't watch last night's episode of South Park, you really should. It's available free online (as are all of their past episodes) on SouthParkStudios.com. Why there are some people out there that still think this is a dick and fart joke show aimed at the lowest common denominator, I'll never know.

It really captured my thoughts on the whole election. I think it's great that Barack Obama won; I even voted for him. But on both sides, people were pretty vehement about their opinions. To a fault even. I suppose it says something about how people are finally taking the political process more seriously, but nevertheless...

To voters of Obama: Nobody likes a gloater. The opposition ran a fine race. Chill the fuck out.

To voters of McCain: It's very likely this will not be the end of the world. We've survived worse. Chill the fuck out.

If you didn't vote for either of those two, I can only imagine what you're making of all these partisan shenanigans.

If last night's episode of South Park reminded me of nothing else, it's that we all need to work together in order to move forward as a country. If we get caught up in bashing the other side, we'll distract ourselves from the bigger issues at hand: a struggling economy, war on multiple fronts, and, of course, jewel thieves.

Courtesy of another1stkiss, this is proof I'm not the only one thinking like this.

God bless America!

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Chump" - Green Day

And today's a really slow one too. ( In the news.... )

Well, I missed my first one. It was bound to happen. But there were some pretty big things going on yesterday in the real news.

But here's what's been going on in my world ( In the news.... )

When you're home sick from work, there's not much to do but lay in bed and read what's ( In the news... )

Okay, time to nap.

I read everything pretty early today, but haven't had a free moment until now. TGIF. ( In the News... )

I'm starting this so late in the day (it's been that busy at work), I hope I even have time to finish it. ( In the news.... )

I have so many updates I want to get to before the weekend is out. And NaNo starts Saturday. As if my life weren't busy enough.

Slow day! ( In the news.... )

Crazy busy. Gotta make this quick. ( In the news.... )

Pretty slow day, but there's some good bits ( In the News.... )

( In the news.... )

( In the News.... )