Birthday Gift, Part 1

For awhile I've been wanting to get a record player. I have a small stack of old 45s I took from my sister from when she was in high school (that would have been early '80s - and they are AWESOME!). But I haven't had a way to play them, since I haven't had a turntable since I started buying CDs when I was in high school (that would have been the late 80s - and they were AWESOME!). But, for two other reasons I've been wanting to get a turntable:

1. Nostalgia's Sake
2. Increase in Vinyl Production

But those reasons were never enough to really push me over the edge into buying one. That is until I read something from my cousin Ashley (who is quite a bit younger than I am, and a lot smarter)... she said that she prefers the sound of vinyl over CD. After I read that, I started looking for a turntable. But there is one problem... I don't listen to music much at home, mostly only in my car or on my iPod while I'm walking, so if I start buying records, how will I be able to listen to them more than just every once in a while. The answer: a USB turntable that will record to computer.

I was looking at a Crosley that I came across on the Urban Outfitters Web site. But these turntables weren't getting good reviews from the Web sites I was looking at. However, this one did. So, I decided to go for it. I didn't buy it from Urban Outfitters, however. I found it much cheaper on eBay, and it was new!

The package arrived last Thursday at my office, and I was actually able to control myself enough to wait until I arrived home to open the box.



I quickly removed it from the box and took the cover off. Yep, it looked like a turntable.



Then I pulled out the 45s I had taken from my sister and found "Delirious" by Prince. What better way is there to try out a new turntable than with a Prince record?



After listening to that classic, I pulled out the first album I had purchased since junior high school, "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" by Amanda Palmer.



And I gave it a spin.



One of the cool things about new albums and reissues is that many record companies are including coupons with codes that will allow for free downloading of the songs in MP3 format from the Internet.



But because not every new album does that, and of course old albums purchased used don't offer that service, the USB-enabled record player will allow me to make digital copies of those albums.

I'm pleased with this gift to myself, and looking forward to years of enjoyment of new material and reminiscing with old material.

Yes Blog, I've Missed You, Too

For those few who actually still read this blog, you've noticed that I've posted a couple new items over the past few months, but not nearly what I've wanted. But I'm back. For a number of reasons, my blogging was intermittent. It wasn't because I had nothing to say, just that I wasn't taking time to say it. I promise from now on at least one blog per week, probably coming on Sundays. If I come up with other things during the week, you'll see more. I know I've thought of a couple of "My Two Cents" columns over the past year, but never sat down to write them, but I promise to do more of that piece now. Also, I need to increase my photo of the day and quote of the day. Thanks to Twitter, there have been many great quotes recently that I should have posted. I will certainly make a point to do that, too.

So, glad the three of you are still reading, and keep coming back because there will be lots more.

B

I Think I'm Getting Old

I turned 38 yesterday. Yes, I know, that's not really old, but if I turned 38 and was recently diagnosed as having arthritis in my spine, doesn't that indicate I'm getting old? I think it does.

Luckily nothing major happened that would make me feel like I'm really old. But I have to admit that I hate that I'm 38 because I feel like I've got nothing to show for those 38 years.

The worst part of the day was that I remembered the last birthday gift my dad ever gave me. Back in 2006, either late January or early February, my dad told me that he had already gotten me a birthday gift, but of course he wouldn't tell me what it was, just that he had gotten it. I had forgotten about it until later, after he died in late February of that year, my mom and I were going through some of his things. I came across a pair of new white Chuck Taylors... my birthday gift. I cried when I found them.



I still haven't worn them. Three years later...

"The Stand," Captain Trips and the University of Kentucky

In 1978, Stephen King's apocalyptic vision "The Stand" was first published. More than 10 years later, he released the complete and uncut edition. "The Stand" tells the story of good versus evil as set up thanks to most of the world's population being decimated thanks to a government-created super virus. Those who were immune began having dreams... some dreamed of an elderly woman who warned them of the evil that lurked about and drew them to her in Colorado, while others dreamed of "the Walkin' Dude" who drew those folks to Las Vegas. The novel culminates with an epic showdown.

Early on during the beginning of the death and destruction, King took the reader to various places around the United States where people were dealing with the virus scare in different ways. One of those scenes takes the reader to the fictional University of Kentucky at Louisville campus where students are working to form a coalition against the government who they believe is lying to them about the severity of the disease.

Last year, Marvel began publishing a comic book adaptation of the novel. In it, the writers seek more realism by planting this scene firmly on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington.



And if you are familiar with the University of Kentucky campus, the artist also did not take any liberties with the image at the top of the page. As a matter of fact, I think he may have used this photo as a reference:



Ultimately, the story returns to UK's campus where students hold their anti-government rally, which is interrupted by the police and, as the story indicates, a "turkey shoot" takes place.



I have to give Marvel and the creative team behind "The Stand: Captain Trips" credit for incorporating realism into this fictional story. And it's cool that it's UK.

Batman: Arkham Asylum and the next Bat-film

The upcoming video game Batman: Arkham Asylum is almost making me want to save my pennies so that I can buy a PS3 on which to play this bad boy.

Here are a couple of trailers for the game:





But it is the one I saw today that makes the game even more interesting... the addition of Harley Quinn.



I really like what that they've removed her, at least from the look of this trailer, from the cartoony Harley Quinn of Batman: The Animated Series to more along the lines of how she appeared in the original graphic novel Joker.

But more interestingly, is that this could show a way of incorporating Harley into the next Batman film.

I don't see why it couldn't be a possibility.

it's early

i hate it when i can't sleep. i woke up at 3:30 a.m. today. not sure if it was me or my noisy upstairs neighbor. either way, i wasn't able to go back to sleep. why? i started thinking.

and i was thinking about some bad stuff. and i think i've made some decisions that even surprised me.

decisions that probably will be better discussed at a later time.

Quote of the Day - 4/9/09

"I think the best way to start writing a novel is to start writing a novel."

- Neil Gaiman, via his online journal