Before the Compact Disc…

but after the 8 track, there was the cassette. Remember how cool it was to grab a cassette and sit in front of the radio all day to tape your favorite song so that you wouldn’t have to shell out the 5 bucks for the single? Looking back, it seemed like a cool idea to get the latest New Kids song or Color Me Badd hit (I swear thats what my sisters did) without the incriminating evidence of a purchased single… Or how about making mixtapes for your friends and swaping them so you can hear what crappy music your dorky friends were into? I myself never got into the adult contemporary tunes that my sister’s friends were jocking (read: Jon Secada, Kenny G) but i certainly did like pushing my music on my sisters and their friends, because for their sake, they needed to hear something other than Michael Bolton.

So its pretty neat when the internet finally catches up with 1980’s analog tape technology to bring us Muxtape! This little guy lets you upload songs (mp3’s only as of now), make a playlist and distribute the URL to all your friends who need to be rescued from the clutches of American Idol.

So check it out! And if you’re not sick of Ladytron, Modwheelmood and a little NIN, check out my muxtape! Now all I gotta do is dig up my old Covergirls and SWV tapes…

In a ModWheel Ladytron Mood.

So its no secret that I’m a fan of Modwheelmood and a big BIG fan of super sexy music group Ladytron. So in my typical act first- think much later rationale, I’ve ordered up tickets to see Ladytron in May in S.F. then again three nights later with Modwheelmood as their opening act in Hollywood! The only problem is that while I’ve booked plane tickets to travel south, I have yet to book any lodging. Thankfully, I work with some very travel savvy dudes who can help me find a place to sleep and drool and maybe even bring back some of the band with me. I would be lying if I said I had such tact to lure Mira Aroyo back to my room, but miracles can and do happen! She once told me (in a deep, thick, almost Arnold-like voice) that she does shrooms. Perhaps drugs are the key, but then again, what band doesn’t love to do drugs?

Hot on the heels of these two Ladytron concerts comes the announcement that Nine Inch Nails will also be touring again and will be in Oakland on September 5th. What can I say? 2008 is turning out to be a great year for music– at least for me!

Zee Mushroom!!!

The Ultimate Fantasy Basketball Team

November rolls along and with it comes the start of my favorite sport, basketball. Like the year before, I will field a fantasy basketball team that will conquer my poor pitiful ‘friends’. Due to great luck and incredible genius on my part, I have been able to assemble an ultimate fantasy basketball squad that none in my league will be able to defeat.

Who’s on this unstoppable squad you ask? If the three pictures above didn’t give away enough of a hint, I will reveal the roster of the greatest fantasy basketball team ever made…

LeBron James
Yao Ming
Tracy McGrady
Vince Carter
Carlos Boozer
Jason Terry
Loul Deng
Rasheed Wallace
and more..!

Yes… it literally reads like a roster from an All-Star team. Be gone all those who dare oppose me, the undefeatable combo of LeBron and the Rockets will destroy!

Deepfry Everything You Touch.

Last weekend a friend and I went on a vegetable croquette binge. Knowing my undeniable consumerism urges, I said to myself, “Fuck it,” and bought a portable home deepfryer. And so what started out as an experiment in vegetable croquette enjoyment, has become one of the leading causes for my death via heart failure.

But I cannot express enough how awesome this little appliance is! For a mere 30 dollars, I purchased what may have been the greatest consumer cooking appliance since the microwave. No more wacky microwave reflector dishes or oily messes on my stove, I have a real, legit, deep fryer that I can use to fry vegetable croquettes, tonkatsu, chicken and various other dishes that will send me to an early grave. Do I really have to say anything else? The pictures send the message alone– the results are incredible!

So what if, by purchasing this thing, I shaved off about 10 years off my life? I’m enjoying some incredible cooking right now! Seriously! Look at that golden brown color! That just screams ‘fried delicious!’ And sue me if you think I wasted 30 bucks on something that will only kill me. It’s delicious right now and it was worth every penny.

Next week, I’m going to make my own veggie croquettes. Veggie croquettes the size of a pizza… topped with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, breaded in Kentucky Fried Chicken original flavor skin and fried in flavorful lard with a side of dipping butter…