The Top 20 Albums of the Decade. (2000 – 2009)

I have been discussing this with some friends and I figured I would post this here.  My list is very limited as I just haven’t listened to as much music this decade as in the past.  I got married in 2000 and that and my growing family has reduced the time I can spend on new music.  But, I do have a list that I am pretty happy with.  Here it is:

20.  The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (2006)
19.  Howie Day – Stop All the World Now (2004)
18.  Plankeye – Strange Exchange (2001)
17.  Hammock – Raising Your Voice Trying to Stop an Echo (2006)
16.  Patti Griffin – Children Running Through (2007)
15.  Honey – Three (2003)
14.  Monarch – Lowly (2006)
13.  Peter Gabriel – Up (2002)
12.  Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City (2007)
11.  The Elms – The Great American Midrange (2009)
10.  Coldplay – A Rush of Blood To the Head (2002)
09.  The Listening – The Listening (2006)
08.  Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place (2003)
07.  Jimmy Eat World – Futures (2004)
06.  Need to Breathe – The Outsiders (2009)
05.  Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
04.  The Elms – The Chess Hotel (2006)
03.  Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (2007)
02.  Sigur Ros – Takk (2005)
01.  Cush – Cush (New Sound) (2000)

I might add some info about each album if I have the time but for now the list will have to suffice.  Agree? Disagree?  Think I am crazy?  All of the above?  Let me know.

Darren McFarland Update

From a press release:

“Darren has been a valued member of the Sports Zone for many years and the decision to part ways was not an easy one,” WGFX general manager Hunter Rice said in a statement. “We appreciate everything Darren has done during his time on the Zone and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

So, it seems like it was all financially motivated, which seems weird considering they kept all the other shows intact.  Why Darren?  Why not get rid of other local programming and keep him on since that is the cornerstone show of the station?  Not that I want that but I am just trying to understand their reasoning.

Avatar – My Review

I saw it over the weekend.  I still would like to see it again – for various reasons, some of which I will discuss in this review.  I’m going to cover this film a little differently than I have for other films.  I am not really going to go into details regarding the story or the plot.  I will basically just be listing the Strengths and Weaknesses of the film.  So, here we go:

Weaknesses:

The story.  This is a pretty big weakness.  The more I’ve thought about the film the less I want to think about the plot.  It’s just not that great.  It would have been great 50 years ago before 16 other films had the exact same plot, but now it just feels derivative and cliched.  If you have seen Dances With Wolves, or Dune, or any Pocahontas film then you pretty much know the story for Avatar.

The dialogue.  It’s not terrible, but Cameron has never been a gifted dialogue writer and this film has a few moments that just fall flat, or worse, cause the audience to groan.  Most of the time the dialogue is adequate, but great dialogue can elevate a generic storyline to another level.

The content.  I don’t want to go into too much detail here but the film is rated PG-13 and that is fairly appropriate I guess, but on another level it’s seems a bit to lenient.  Let me put it this way: The N’avi (blue aliens) don’t wear a lot of clothes – ever.  I would not take my teenager to see this film.  It’s not done in a sexual or seductive way, but it could still be problematic for some.

Music.  James Horner can create good music.  Too bad he didn’t for this film.  Generic and tired are the two best words I can think of to describe it.  He recycles some of his previous scores and they don’t work any better this time around.  Specifically, he borrows a theme from Troy that was only average in that film and is worse for the wear in this film.  Too bad, because a great score could have made people overlook some of the more predictable plot contrivances.

Strengths:

Eye Candy:   Man is there a bunch of that.  This is the most impressive CG work I have ever seen.  These are real characters on the screen, even though you know they are just pixels.  The are alive as much as the human actors – at least they are for the purposes of the film.  Cameron just goes crazy with how much detail he packs into each scene.  The depth of field is just jaw dropping and the N’avi are perfect. 

Zoe Saldana as Neytiri.  She gives this film a heart beat.  Her performance is right up there with Andy Serkis’ Gollum.  It’s not quite as captivating, but not because of any lack on her part.  She does everything she can to make that character live and breathe on the screen. 

The action:  Cameron knows how to stage and shoot action scenes. That much will surprise no one.  There are some really immersive and intense action beats that just put a smile on my face.  This type of sci-fi – with the robotic mechanical suits and such – is not my favorite but Cameron makes it work for the most part.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like the film – and in the end it might end up being that way – but the film is so impressive on a visual level that I feel like I should watch it at least one more time in the theater.  It is truly awe inspiring at times and that makes a return visit likely. 

Grades:
Story = 3 out of 10
Music = 3 out of 10
Characters = 7 out of 10
Visuals = 10 out of 10

Final Grade = 6.5 out of 10

Weight Loss Update

I’ve moved my weight loss information to a new blog devoted to only that. Go to Get Thee Behind Me Fatty to see it.

Learning to Love at Chuck E. Cheese.

  I hate Chuck E. Cheese.  Hate is not a strong enough word.  I loathe it in totality.  It is a loud, unpleasant, wasteful, soul sucking place that is devoid of anything remotely approaching decent, let alone good.  It attracts the loudest, most unpleasant, most wasteful, soulless people in the world.  They come in throngs, like Uruk Hai on their way to Helm’s Deep.  The patrons coalesce to form a massive, grotesque new organism that heats up the room and fouls the air with its presence.  It is a destination I would not wish upon my worst enemy. 

 Yet I am worse.  I am proud.  I am arrogant.  I am full of disdain.  I do not love like I should.  Jesus said to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and if I believe that to be true then I am not measuring up.  No.  Scratch that.  I am face first, firmly on the ground.  I haven’t even started the process of measuring up.  I’ve known for some time that I am not a people person, and I joke about it regularly.  “I don’t like people” has escaped my lips many times.  It’s all said in jest, of course, but deep down a part of me knows that it is true.  Pathetically true.  I am a Pharisee.  I am convinced of my own worth and abilities and I am blind to the valuable human life right next to me.  It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but inside, God created that annoying person playing Skee Ball in His image.  That person is worth as much to God as I am.  God loves them enough that He died for them.  And I look at them like they are a waste of my time and energy!  Sad.

 If I am going to learn how to truly love my neighbor, then more visits to Chuck E. Cheese are in order.  If I can love people there, I can love them anywhere.

 

Update: Darren McFarland leaves 104.5 The Zone?

That’s the story I’m hearing.  I don’t have any details but I am going to do some digging around. 

Stay tuned…

Update:  I contacted a few people at the station and so far I haven’t been given anything concrete.  Here is what I have been able to dig up:

A source from the station confirmed that Darren is no longer with the station but the reasons for his departure are not being shared at this time.

I know.  We already kew that…but I’ll keep putting out feelers and see if I can get some more information beyond that.

 

Big Salad Credit Stealers

  If you’ve seen the Seinfeld episode where George’s girlfriend takes credit for the big salad that George bought for Elaine, then you will understand the title of this post and what I’m talking about.  If you haven’t seen that episode, do us all a favor and go away – until you have seen it. (SMILEY FACE)

 Well, my wife has been the victim of this recently.  She decided to post one word on her Facebook page that she was thankful for from now until Thanksgiving.  Things like plumbing and electricity are good examples of what she is doing.  Well, a few of her friends saw it and copied it onto their pages – giving her credit.  But not so for one so called friend.  She has taken the idea and posted it on her Facebook page as if it were her idea.  Now, some of her friends are copying her – and giving her credit for an awesome idea – and she has not said anything to give proper credit back to my wife.  My wife is not really bothered by it but I am vexed.  This vexes me.  This is plagiarism and she would fail a college course and be kicked out of many colleges for this type of behavior.  Shame on her!  She should know better – she does know better.  I have no other recourse but to rant and rage here on my blog.  I would post a comment on Facebook but I don’t have an account and I have no plans to get one.  And my wife is way too classy to do something like that. 

 Sometimes the bad guys do win the battle…but eventually they will get their comeuppance.

 

George Plaster and Darren McFarland are Clueless. (Part Two)

  It’s just a minor thing…really…I don’t want to seem like I hate these guys or even dislike them.  I’m sure they are nice men who would be gracious and kind if I ever met them.  But I have to speak the truth and sometimes it’s not pretty and feelings can get hurt. 

 Recently Plaster and M.C. Farland were discussing the Titans and the players that would be gone at the end of the season.  Now, in this case, they could be right but I have my doubts.  Every single name they read on this list was immediately labeled as “GONE”.  No chance of resigning any of those players.  Players liked KVB, Bulluck, Scaife, White, Young, etc…  The list goes on and on.  Believe me when I say that many of these players will not be back next year, but their reasoning was that the Titans would not be able to afford any of them. 

 Let’s analyze that thinking for a second:  If they don’t resign any of those players then they will be seriously under the salary cap.  Fisher and Reinfeldt have built this team to remain stable from year to year and not overspend and get into “cap hell” like previous general manager Floyd Reese did.  They have been and will be under the cap when the off-season starts.  They will be able to resign some of these players – not all of them – but some of them.  There is no reason they can’t resign a few of them that they feel will contribute in the future. 

 I sort of get what Plaster and Darren were trying to do.  They were trying to show that the Titans’ future is very much up in the air – and they are right.  But they were so adamant, so sure of themselves, and knowing their track record of being wrong 90% of the time, I am forced to disagree.  It’s a matter of principle at this point.

Cyndere’s Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet

If you like fantasy literature with intelligence and conscience, then look no further.  Auralia’s Colors was Jeffrey Overstreet’s first foray into the world of fiction and it was a moderate success.  The book is not perfect and it was clearly the work of someone finding his voice, but there was plenty to applaud and much to enjoy.  It was the introduction to the world of The Expanse, Auralia, Abascar, Prince Cal-Raven, Beastmen, and many other fantastical yet believable characters and places.  Overstreet is a fan of language and word play, heavy on description and mood.  His strengths were in that arena as opposed to pacing and dramatic muscle.  Not to say that the first book was boring.  Not in the least.  I was captivated by the story and the characters and Overstreet ended the book in a way that made me eager for the next installment.  

Enter Cyndere, Jordam, and a motley crew of new and old characters.  Everything that worked best in Auralia’s Colors is present.  Every shortcoming (and I mean every single one) that was present in the first book is absent.  I have never seen this much improvement in a writer from one book to another.  Stephen Lawhead showed considerable improvement in his writing from The Dragon King trilogy to his next fantasy series, The Pendragon Cycle, but those were more gradual as he improved throughout the Dragon King series.  Overstreet has come of age over night.  I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book and moved to tears at other times.  His writing is poetic without sounding forced or flowery.  His characters are well rounded and really felt three dimensional in Book 2.  The story is epic yet intimate, with the best moments coming in simple, quiet scenes.  The two protagonists, Cyndere (a heartbroken princess) and Jordam (a beastman) are vibrant, alive, and too big for the page.  Jordam in particular is a delight.  He is one part Gollum, one part Kong, one part orc, one part little boy.  He is a multitude of ideas and emotions all fighting for supremacy.  His character drew me in and helped me accept every thing that Overstreet had in store.  The ideas of redemption, grace, free will, and predestination are all handled well without belaboring the point or drawing attention to themselves.  

I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good story.

No activity for the past three weeks…

Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to update this recently.  Lots of stuff going on but not much to write about – or maybe I just didn’t want to take the time to post anything.  I had something published on an online journal – magazine called The Brink – you can see my article right here – http://thebrinkonline.com/articles/read/more-moments-of-revelatory-exhilaration.  It’s an article I had posted on this blog back a few months ago but I decided to try to get it posted somewhere more prominent.  Thankfully it was well received and now they have asked me to write some more for them. 

Other than that I’ve been busy with work, school, and family.  Hopefully things will calm down soon.  I will try to post more often from here on out though.