saying goodbye to summer...the august playlist...

it's been a great summer, and it's not gone yet, but here's a few songs to hold on to what it felt like...i call it the wedding of foxes...

Sunshower - Dr. Buzzard's Orig...

Here Comes the Sun Again - M. ...

Everybody Loves The Sunshine -...

It's Raining - Irma Thomas

On The Sunny Side Of The Stree...

Crayon Sun - Latin Playboys

Sun Is Shining - The Dirtbombs

Rain Bird - Love and Rockets

Sun Flower - MonK-One

Love Rain - Jill Scott

i love this video of the dead weather watching the pressing of their records...according to family legend, my father worked in the factory that made my grandfather's records...anyway, i could have easily just posted a link to download the entire dead weather album...that's what i've listened to all summer...

playing catch-up...

maybe i missed it before this, but it's about time the NY Times started covering this story seriously...

"Before 2001, America’s military women had rarely seen ground combat. Their jobs kept them mostly away from enemy lines, as military policy dictates.

But the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, often fought in marketplaces and alleyways, have changed that. In both countries, women have repeatedly proved their mettle in combat. The number of high-ranking women and women who command all-male units has climbed considerably along with their status in the military.

“Iraq has advanced the cause of full integration for women in the Army by leaps and bounds,” said Peter R. Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who served as executive officer to Gen. David H. Petraeus while he was the top American commander in Iraq. “They have earned the confidence and respect of male colleagues.”

today's cool shit...Sons of Anarchy...

i'm sure Mad Men will dazzle, and Lost will try to blow my mind, but this is the one show this fall that i am damn near salivating with expectation for...

today's cool shit...new Terry Gilliam...

with Tom Waits as Satan...can I buy a ticket now???

today's cool shit...i dare you to not get emotional...

The Way We Get By - Trailer from The Way We Get By on Vimeo.

man, google & wikipedia are a deadly combination...

more inspirational art...this time from Arnold Bocklin, an inspiration to Franz Stuck...


this is his most famous work...Isle of the Dead...he did five versions of this...this one is my favorite...


here's another one i love...Life is Short... click both to see more detail...

more reasons for self publishing...

i wouldn't sneeze at the offer of a $50k advance...but that would be a mighty large pay cut...even for me...

"Conveying news of latest rejection, agent mentions we'll be lucky to get $50,000; explains, "Publishers aren't overpaying anymore. They know they'll just break even if they pay $50,000 and sell 20,000 copies in hardcover, which few books ever do."

I realize if I'm "overpaid" I'll earn $50,000 minus $7,500 agent commission. That's $42,500 for three years' work."

either way, this is a pretty devastating look at how authors get treated by the publishing business...and just another piece of evidence as to why i think self-publishing is a better option...

desparately seeking...inspiration...

it's 3:45...i'm sitting at my desk drinking a beer and trying to find a way to end my day on a good note... i woke up this morning...yesterday morning...in a poor mood...i had to go to work on what was supposed to be my day off...strike one...

next, i find out that the one radio station that made me excited to turn on the radio has folded and become...ugh, how to describe this without promoting it in any way...it's now a station who's airtime is bought and paid for, in its entirety by a major local strip club...so there are no commercials, just sad little teases to promote the club...and the name...well, they've named themselves after the most prominant feature on the on the show club dance floor...i'll let you figure it out...the music is not all bad...just mostly bad...it's exactly what you would expect to hear in a strip club...just subtract the writhing naked flesh and the overpriced drinks and you can make the inside of your car as soulless and depressing as closing time on a slow night...strike two...

have you ever worked for someone who wants to impress you how much smarter they are than you, but they're actually not...strike three...

so here i am, trying to prevent my day from being an entire waste...let's try this...


Wind und Welle by Franz von Stuck...another pre WWII German painter has captured my imagination...here, it seems Stuck has personified the interplay between wind and the sea and turned it into something beyond wonderful...

yes, that'll do...