Longfellow Lets it Rain

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." That's what Waddy always said, anyway. It sure has been raining. I looked all over the web for Philadelphia- specific rain pictures and didn't find too much, so I decided to look for general rain photos, instead.


I'll add more to this if or when I get a second wind. I had a lot of interesting things to blabber about. Really, I didZZZzzzz...


Here is today's playlist.
Log for first half of June 29th, 2006 show

Log for second half of June 29th, 2006 show

What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?

You watch Mr. Rogers (in 1969) win over a gruff Senator and earn the Corporation for Public Broadcasting the $20 million grant that Lyndon Johnson wanted it to have. Nixon wanted it cut in half to support spending in Vietnam, hence the hearings to discuss the budget. Fred is a complete hero in this clip and the Senator is overwhelmed. What do you do with the mad that you feel? Sing it, Fred.

And Curse Sir Walter Raleigh (with pictures)

I'm tired and I'm cranky and I've decided that this post is going to be a little bit whiney and a lot disjointed. I've also decided that I'm going to use every picture on my computer that I can find. Also, I'm tired.


By the way, don't read. God will punish you for it. (I just *told* you that I'm using every image. Don't get haughty. Of course I don't *really* believe that God will smite you for reading. But I do believe that we are made in his image and that we are, therefore, legos.)


Yesterday's show went fairly well. I played quite a few electronica songs, which isn't really like me. They were there, I liked them well enough, and I was tired and a bit cranky yesterday, too, so I wasn't going to go crazy looking for just the right song.

Here are playlists for my last TWO shows. I'd apologize for taking so long to post them, but I'm tired and cranky.

Log for first half of June 15th, 2006 show
Log for second half of June 15th, 2006 show


Log for first half of June 22nd, 2006 show
Log for second half of June 22nd, 2006 show


Now, back to the pictures. THIS is the disturbing image one sees sometimes when logging onto Yahoo! Mail. I refuse to post it in this blog, as I find it abhorrent. Feel free to click on the link to view it. I actually wrote them a complaint letter about the image, as it showed up for me EVERY DAY when I logged on, even though the pictures are supposed to appear in some sort of rotation. This picures makes me cranky.



This picture helps undo some of that crankiness. Remember when I showed you the Atlanta, Georgia panda hanging out next to his hammock before? Well, here he is again, IN the hammock, as seen on the Atlanta Panda Cam on June 14th, 2006. I don't know why watching this lazy bear sleep in a hammock pleases me so, but I'm glad he's there. He doesn't look cranky. That's nice. Here's another bear in a hammock that doesn't look cranky. My friend Ryan sent that link to me, knowing my penchant for all things bearish and hammocky.

This has been good for me. I've posted some pictures, I've scanned my playlists, I've nearly gotten over the trauma of a video that Ryan showed me on the internet [if you really want to see it and be traumatized, you'll have to ask. I'm not posting it...], and I believe I'm very nearly not cranky anymore.


In celebration of this fact, I give you this adorable picture of yours truly as a youngster, with my beloved dog, Devon. I think I was about 4 in the picture, so Devon was 4, as well. My Uncle Hu was probably asking me to hold her so that he could snap the picture (Devon wasn't much for standing still when there was romping to be done outside), and it appears that I am pulling her lips off while trying to subdue her. I promise you, though, that I loved that dog dearly and would never have (knowingly) pulled her lips off. Not even if I were very cranky.

An interesting thing about Devon was her incredible speed. That dog ran like the wind, and often. She routinely managed to escape from the house and would chase our car great distances before we noticed that she was behind us, on the road, running with the panicked fervor that only a dog who is desperately trying to catch her family can know. Once, the vet said that he wondered if she might have a little bit of Greyhound in her, as he'd heard tell of her speed and noticed that her hips were a bit high, much like the racing dogs'. We knew her to be primarily a German Shepherd and Black Labrador mix, but, thereafter, I boasted to anyone who met her that there was a very good chance that she was part Greyhound. Her nickname, given to her by my brother Andy and me as children, was "Devvie Doggie."

Pause for Laughter

I was in a sort of sitcom pilot last week.

It was a little terrifying, as I've never acted before. I'm pleased to say, though, that I can act! I'm really quite good. I only wish that they hadn't decided to replace me with THIS* jerk, who was, somehow, a much more dynamic and entertaining actor than I.

The whole thing was a good learning experience. For example, I learned that "tired and un-emotional" comes off on-screen as "tired and un-emotional." I also learned that, when writing a pilot, you must notate where you expect laughter to happen to allow the actors to pause after those lines. Many of the lines had the note "[pause for laughter]" after them. I think that that would make a good sitcom (or dog) name.

Now to the pictures. The basic premise of the pilot is that a nice graphics artist guy named Vern has a few strange circles of friends. He's also got a straight-arrow girlfriend, Beth, who is overall nice, but kind of a pill. I played Beth. *twinkle* For the opening montage, Vern and Beth had to look like they were having a grand old time. Here [just to the right up there] is a picture of "Beth" being sweetly tolerant of "Vern"'s antics.



To the left is "Vern"'s graphical representation of the moment. I can't put my finger on it, but something seems different. Aaaanyway, you'll notice that the graphics are actually pretty darned good. That's because the fellow who wrote the pilot truly is an editorial artist for a hotshot magazine. I'll eventually link to him, once he lets me know which site to link to. He was a very nice guy and honestly, it was fun to help out. Everyone acted, shot, lit, edited, and moved equipment for free. Our friend Hugh took double duty as the videographer and editor.

I'll probably load up yesterday's show playlists later tonight [pause for laughter]. I had a good time on the air yesterday and enjoyed most of what I played. Hopefully, some of you did, too. Oh, and I finally have a show description up on the Hosts page at 91.3 WVUD's website.

*Please note that I met the box of rocks who replaced me and he was very kind. I bear no ill will towards Mr. Rocks and wish him the best in his acting career.

Fear

I am afraid of lots of things. Some of my fears are reasonable. Others are just barriers that stand between me and progress. Let's get the list going:






1. Sometimes, late at night, I don't want to hear the toilet-flush
sound. The loudness of it scares me. So I'll flush and REALLY QUICKLY
plug my ears as I dart out of the bathroom. This happens maybe once
or twice a year.

2. Tailgaters. We've covered this. Please don't drive close to me,
you death-hungry maniac.

3. Trying. Sometimes, simply trying is very frightening. It can
mean fatigue and failure and no one enjoys those things. (For the
needy: Yes, trying is wonderful and one should not be too
goal-oriented, for true growth happens when we make an
effZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz etc.)

4. What if everyone suddenly became 3/5 scale in size while I stayed
the same? That would terrify me. What if I walked into a room and
everyone was JUST a little bit smaller than normal? All of the big,
tall men would be maybe only 5'6" and Great Danes would be Benji-sized
and I'd have to hide in a closet.

5. Dead mice in mousetraps scare me more than living, scurrying mice.

6. I hate to admit this one, but the two times that the power has
gone out at the radio station, plunging me into total darkness, I got
a little bit scared.

7. I don't like watching hang gliders land. If they crash or sort of
flop ass-over-head, it's like a big, scary, flapping humongo-bird and
that scares me a lot.

8. The five minute sitcom pilot I'm in that's being submitted to FX scares me.

I think that's it. I feel better. Thank you for letting me share
some of my fears with you.

Oh, and I have sad news. I won't be doing my show this morning!
I've arranged a substitute, though, so you don't have to be afraid.
The sitcom pilot shoot lasted until 5:15am this morning and I won't be
able to make it down to the radio station. So sad!



P.S. I...am...so...scared...right...now

That Which We Call a Blog

This is my super friend Ryan. (He's the one on the right, funny pants.) I thought I should devote a post to him because he came up with my blog's name. That's right, he suggested, "Sit Ubu, Sit. Good Blog." This makes him a genius.




Ryan and I recently spent the afternoon driving around and pointing imaginary airhorns at bad drivers, particularly those on cellphones. We'd make the FWEEEEEAAANNNNNN sound and then announce something horrid to each driver. Please love us. Clearly, we need it.

O Lamentable Day!

O woful time! Fans of the fabulous Thomas Mars (of Phoenix) and the lovely and talented Sofia Coppola must be strong. Steel yourselves against the pain. Thomas and Sofia are having a baby together. It is irrelevant, but somehow comforting to me, that she is 35 and he is 30. Kiss it, convention.








You might remember that the song "Too Young" from Phoenix's first album, "United" was featured in the Sofia Coppola movie, Lost in Translation. Phoenix will appear in her new movie, Marie-Antoinette, coming out this winter. According to the Phoenix website, they'll be "serenading the queen." Hmmm.






Here is the playlist (both sides, y'all!) for today's technically error'd show. Please analyze my handwriting.

Log for first half of June 1st, 2006 show
Log for second half of June 1st, 2006 show








I have not yet edited down the interview with Christian Wargo of Crystal Skulls. But I will. And you'll hear it. And it will be so wonderful, you'll have your very own talented, attractive French baby when it's done.