I Promise This is my Last Howard Dean Joke For A While. Well, at least I hope so... Couldn't resist...

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I Bought a new CD and a Review is in Order The CD I Bought: Click Here to Buy! When I heard about this CD about three months ago, I knew I had to pick it up - if not for the music but for the fact that a portion of the proceeds from sales go to relief work in African villages ravaged by AIDS, I knew that even if I hated it, some of my money would go to something good. So it's a cover album, and it's usually a crap shoot when you spend your hard earned cash on an album of "reinterpreted" songs that are already classics in your mind, and canonized to an extent. So it's a hard sell, unless the covers do two things: 1. Maintain the musical vision of the original 2. Add a special new twist that makes it as much the cover artists song as the original artist And that's a hard thing to do, but it's something that In the Name of Love: Artists United For Africa seems to do well. It's not blow your mind great, but it's done well. A Song By Song Breakdown 1. Sunday Bloody Sunday - Covered by Pillar - It was a great idea to open the album up with one of the greatest political songs ever written. Pillar wasn't an obvious choice that I would have seen on an album covering U2, but the band does a great job of maintaining the integrity of the original song (that guitar hook fashioned by the Edge remains virtually untouched, and that's a good thing..) but it's been made into a heavier and hard hitting ballad. I knew this cover was successful when I got instant chills when the first line I can't believe the news today... pounded through my car speakers. 2. Beautiful Day - Covered by Sanctus Real - I've never heard Sanctus Real, and I think I'm missing out. Given my disdain for most modern CCM (that being music released in the past ten years or so), I haven't seen a lot of new bands that I've picked up on. The problem with covering this song is that it's still fairly new - within the past four years. So the original still gets pretty regular airplay on radio - which can be a bad thing for what's a really good cover. The vocals are quite good, and the lead vocalist seems to have a pretty good range. Not as good as Bono, but not to bad. 3. 40 - Covered by Starfield - This is another band I've never heard of, and since this is one of my favorite U2 songs, I was skeptical. My skepticism was correct, in that, although this band sounds pretty good, the cover doesn't seem to have anything special - I'd rather listen to the original. 4. Love is Blindness - Coverd by Sixpence None the Richer - This is one of the few that I was really looking forward to on this CD. Sixpence is one of the greatest CCM bands to hit the mainstream in recent years because of their depth, their talent and the lyrical genius of Matt Slocum. No stranger to cover tunes, this song is one of their best, and perfect for their style. Leigh Nash does a wonderful job on vocals, and the musical arrangement is top notch - a great homage to a little-known-to-the-casual-fan U2 song. 5. Gloria - Covered by Audio Adrenaline - The lead singer of Audio Adrenaline seems to have slipped into a Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) vocal style, which suits him, but not this song. Another early U2 hit, this is a hard one to cover, since it's loved by many. Nothing really original is added, so it's sort of dull. Not terrible, just - dull. 6. Grace - Covered by Nichole Nordeman - Another later song, from All That You Can't Leave Behind. Nordeman is another artist I've only heard once or twice, and her version of one of the most ethereal and beatiful U2 songs of all time is very well done. Her vocal style is perfect, and the cover itself is very well orchestrated. 7. All I Want Is You - Covered by Jars of Clay - This is one of the other songs I was looking forward to on this CD. Jars, a breakout crossover band in the mid-nineties, has really grown over the past few years, and this song shows that growth. No longer a one trick pony (their first album, although good, sounded like one long continuous song), Jars takes a classic, and adds a wonderful bluesy/country vibe to it. Not what I expected, but very well done. I could have done without the faster pace, though. 8. Mysterious Ways - Covered by Toby Mac - Alright, I'll admit it. The idea of Toby Mac covering a U2 song frightened me almost to the point of sickness. I'm not a huge Toby Mac fan for various reasons, so I pondered the possibility, even prior to listening to the CD, of how I could possibly wipe that particular track off of the CD so as not to spoil my long term enjoyment. With low expectations going in, I was moderately surprised. No real rap involved in this cover, which is always a bright point with me, but it still was a mediocre cover at best. 9. Pride (In the Name of Love - Covered by Delirious? - Having Delirious? on this CD was a given. I've no doubt in my mind, had Delirious? been around in the early U2 days, we would have two great Christian bands in the mainstream, but alas, Delirious? showed up on the scene in the mid-nineties and have fast become one of the best CCM acts in recent memory. Their cover of the title track is great - a nice blend of classic U2 sound mixed with the trademark Delirious? effects. Definitely worthy of this CD and more. 10. One - Covered by Tait - Unlike my fear of Tait's bandmate Toby Macs cover, I was excited about this one. Michael Tait is a great vocalist, and probably one of the most worthy to cover a Bono sung U2 tune because of his immense range. I was not disappointed. This is one of my favorite U2 songs of all time, and Tait honors that with a passionate cover of it. 11. With Or Without You - Covered by GRITS (with Jadyn Maria) - This was the song I was least looking forward to, with reasons similar to the Toby Mac cover. I don't mind rap music, but it's not my cup of tea. When you mix it with textbook (i.e. unoriginal) R&B vocals from Jadyn Maria, you have an extremely sub-par homage to a band that deserves better. When it's an homage to possibly the greatest U2 song of the eighties, it's an error bordering on sacrilige. 12. When Love Comes to Town - Covered by Todd Agnew - Why have I not heard of almost half of the artists on this CD? Anyway, a good cover, with a nice twist. Nothing compared to the original, but a good cover nonetheless. Agnew's vocals are great. 13. Where the Streets Have No Name - Covered by Chris Tomlin - A worship leader on a rock CD? Nice touch. The original holds deep personal meaning for me, so a cover of it had to blow me away. And this one did. A brilliant homage to a great song about hope, which is what the people that the proceeds of this CD are going to need. A great way to close out the CD. Overall Grade: B+ Points were shaved off for the inclusion of GRITS and the sub par contributions by Audio Adrenaline, Starfield and Toby Mac. U2 - a band that literally helped changed the face of music deserves better. But go out and buy it anyway - fifty cents of each purchase goes to AIDS Relief in Africa, or Go Here, make a donation and get free copy. It's worth it.

Intro Here it is, a third post in 24 hours, but the first one was for yesterday, the second one was to show off, and this is the real deal. So it's a Three for One Special here at SDW, so enjoy the benefits and remember this day when I go a week without an update. Link of the Day I found a new favorite "haunt" on the web. MooreWatch.Com, a website dedicated to the sole purpose of debunking every ounce of rhetoric spewed by one Michael Moore. And let me tell ya, it's one interesting read. From Moore's backing of Wesley Clark to the numerous fallicies of Bowling for Columbine, you get a website chock full of fun stuff. And no, you won't find me posting in their forums. I don't have time. Some Progress is Better Than None At All... Tonight was date night, so Michelle and I made our way to the "classy" side of Rochester and ate at the Plum Garden Japanese Restaraunt. I haven't had sushi in so long, and it was a treat. And now I have a pile of Tendori vegetables and lobster to take with me for lunch tomorrow. From there we made our way to Kay-Bee Toy Works and I picked up a sweet R2-D2 Lego set for Michelle, Two Hot Wheels for Josiah, and yet another Yoda Action figure set for myself. I had to resist picking up one of the soft plastic Star Wars Playsets for Josiah - it had an X-Wing, Luke, Artoo and Vader included. He would've dug it. And not to mention I had a proud moment as a father today, and it involved Star Wars. Josiah has begun to frequent my desk area, either to snuggle with daddy as he surfs the net or cleans, or to wreak havok on whatever I might have on my desk at the time. Either way, I don't mind. On my desk, I have a set of Die-Cast Star Wars vehicles - A Star Destroyer, a Tie Fighter, The Millenium Falcon and an X-Wing. Josiah's favorite is the X-Wing (he has yet to learn of the excellent Correlian craftmanship involved in the Falcon, so I've been gracious. At least he feigns some semblance of interest in Star Wars right now, so why mess with a good thing?), so without fail, he automatically picks it up and starts flying it around the room pretty much every time. For days he's insisted that it's a "helicopter", despite my gentle prodding towards the proper names. Here's a sample conversation: Josiah: I wanna pway wid da helicopter, daddy. Me: It's an X-Wing. Josiah: Helicopter. Me: X-Wing. Josiah (smiling widely): Helicopter!! Me: X-Wing Josiah (smiling even wider): Helicopter!! And so on - you get my drift. But today was different. Per usual modus operandi, I find myself at my desk after work, scanning in the below film strip, and Josiah comes running in from his room. "I wanna pway wid da' X-Wing!" I almost fell off of my chair. Me: Did you say X-Wing? Josiah: Helicopter!! Well, it was progress, at least, so no complaints from me. Soundtrack: Rich Mullins - A Liturgy, A Legacy and A Ragamuffin Band

Mother and Child Reunion

I asked a friend of mine what they would consider my blog would be catogorized as - humor, entertainment, religious or political. They replied with "humor", so now I have to come up with something funny to write about. Some would think, after interacting with me on a regular basis that humor, in and of itself is quite simple for me to come by. And, for the most part, they'd be right. I think funny thoughts. When I see things, I think of funny stuff about them. But when I'm told I'm humorous, I - I dunno. I choke. So here I sit, staring at the everlasting blank screen and pondering - what funny thing did happen to me today? And as I ponder, I realize - nothing. Today was boring. I guess that's what happens when you get older. But then you realize that you're 26 years old and doing the funky chicken just to amuse your two-year old son. And the world returns to it's shaky balance. ~ Jeremy On the Nightstand: Wild At Heart by John Eldredge - Not a bad book, about men becoming the men they're called to be in the Eyes of God. So far, it's very well written and intriguing.

A Vast Amount of Evidence Surfaces That I Waste a Lot of Time at Work What Classic Movie Are You? Hmm...no wonder I find myself humming the theme every other day, huh? What Famous Leader Are You? This one just disturbs me.

The audio blog is back!!!! Finally, I updated my audio blog. There, are you happy now? I know I am. Today went well, had a great time in church, and work, although long, was good too. If work can ever be good. And if you consider resisting the urge to throw a HP Pavilion out of a second story office window good, today was great!! (I just reread that line to Michelle and I got a chuckle, so that must have been funny. Ah, the joy of co-dependency...) So I've been meaning to write about Larry "The Crusher" Dean. But right now, something else has caught my attention. I saw This on the internet today, and...hmm...that's strange in a "I hope to goodness that they don't breed" kinda way. I mean, c'mon - I'm willing to accept Elvis-themed weddings in Vegas, but a KLINGON wedding? Be sure to keep your eyes on the stars, because any moment I'm sure the sky is gonna roll back and the end of the world will come upon us. Okay, maybe Klingon weddings aren't a sign of the coming apolocalypse, but you can't deny that the concept in and of itself is bizarre. I had trouble enough putting on a tuxedo for my wedding, let alone a get up that includes a Klingon Mullet and a Phaser. But, I would've gone all Han Solo, had Michelle agreed to wear those cool cinnamon buns on the side of her head. It'd be getting our Pastor to dress like Yoda that would cause a problem. Enough about Klingons. Let's talk about Howard "The Axe" Dean. No wait, let's talk Tupperware. Michelle is having her second Tupperware party, since her sister sells the stuff. She's done a really good job, and made a lot of sales, but she seems to be having trouble spending her "host dollars", or whatever that means. So she's been looking at the catalogs forever, asking "Do you like this?" or saying "Whoa, this is cool!" And I've come to a conclusion. Tupperware Catalogs, and Catalogs in general, are a chick equivalent to a guys Outside Magazine or Comic Books. I guess it might be the concept of spending money that gets girls all giddy. Or it could be the idea of neat convenient ways of storage that those Tupperware folks seem to come up with that does that. Either way, I'm just glad I haven't jumped off the roof in an attempt to escape things like "Rock and Serve Containers" and "Servalier Dishes". I love her though, despite her tendency to drool over plastic dishware. She puts up with my comic thing, right? So it's a wash. Enough about Plastic Storage. I really have to write about "Rowdy" Howard Dean. What in the world was he thinking??? The rapid fire names of every state of the Union, the primordial scream at the end? The growl in which he said "Mr. Tarkin"? The many times I've seen this footage, each and every time I've expected him to tear his shirt off and challenge Hulk Hogan for the Title at Wrestlemania. Ya hear that? You know, that high pitched whistle you hear when Goofy falls off a cliff in the old Disney shorts? Yeah that one - And the "poof" at the end? You've just heard the steady fall of the Howard Dean campaign. So long - nice knowin' ya. And Howard? Get help. Please. Soundtrack: Adam Again - Dig

Audio Blog Update for January 22, 2004

Alright, so my audio blog has yet to be updated - but it's not for a lack of trying. Apparantly Audlink is still down, so either they're making repairs, or, like my comments software company (Blogspeak) they're going under. Thank God that Haloscan picked up the Blogspeak accounts and I finally got my butt in gear and fixed it so my dozens of fans can call me a butthead. Today I finished off my biggest client for work. I've been at this place for seven months, and it was such a relief to walk out of there for the last time. The unfortunate thing is, it took them until last week to finally get me a computer (I'd been bumped around from desk to desk forever), and now it's going to sit, unused, in the corner of the nurses station. Oh well - it's done and I'm happy. To celebrate, I decided to go the dollar theater and check out The Matrix: Revolutions. I figured it was about time, and if it stunk up the joint it was only a dollar. But it was actually quite good. It was nothing like the original film, no sequel ever is, but it was much better than The Matrix Reloaded. I'd heard mixed reviews, mostly complaining about the ending leaving more questions than answers, but I walked away completely satisfied with the outcome, as confusing as it may be for some people. My summary of it was basically "If you paid attention to the first two films, the ending of the third will make complete sense." As a whole, I think our media saturated culture has sort of lost the desire to see things that are deeper than the surface - and that's what all of the Matrix films are. If given a chance, one could look at these films and see so many intricacies included in them, it could blow their minds. But instead, people would rather have movies that blow stuff up senselessly *cough* Bad Boys II *cough* than to have a purpose behind the actions of the characters - a reason for their behavior. Sure, there's been a few exceptions - the aforementioned Matrix films, and who can forget The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Who knows, maybe Hollywood will smarten up. Who am I kidding? They won't. And I'll still buy a ticket to see people blow stuff up - senseless or not. But one can dream, right? ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

So here we are, with an all new template, provided by May Star Designs I'm not a big fan of the imagery on her site, but she's got a mean hand at HTML design. I did have to make a few of my own adjustments, though. Now, if I could only get my archives to work properly, all would be well with the universe. I've stayed up late far too many times this past week. Here it is almost 1 a.m. and I'm blogging (but fear not, I'll adjust the time to make sure it appears as an entry posted on Tuesday. Either way, I'm going to do my darndest to make sure that I get back into the swing of things. I've got two big projects that I'm working on, one of which I sent in yesterday, so my schedule should be freed up a bit more. That is, until rewrite time. (this weekend.) Nothing really humorous to write right now. Guess lack of sleep can lead to a lack of humor. I'm sure I'll have something funny tomorrow. At least I can hope. I'm going to do an Audio Blog Entry after I'm done with this. I love having a cell phone with unlimited nights and weekends. EDIT: I wanted to do an audio blog entry. But Audlink is down. And I'm tired. So I'll try again tomorrow.

Josiah's babysitter is sick today, so here I am, home. It's provided the perfect opportunity for me to get that "Best of 2003" column written. The Best of 2003 The Best (and worst...) in Movies Best Movie of 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? This is a film that mixes the epic pictures of the sixties with the epic effects of the 21st century. It has action. It has drama. It has believable romance. It's got everything. It's as close to perfect as a movie can get. Best Comic-Book Related Movie of 2003: X2: X-Men United - I've made it no secret that I hate the title. Hatred of title notwithstandiing, this was the best comic book adaptation a movie could be. And a sequel! That's hard to come by. I saw a lot of similarities between this movie, and the classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Here's hoping the third X-Film doesn't end up being like the sequel to that, though. Worst Comic-Book Related Movie of 2003: Daredevil - Who would have thought there'd be enough movies based on comic books that there'd be a best and worst for the year? What this film had for potential was wasted on an over-the-top performance by Colin Farrel, terrible casting of the two main characters (Affleck as Matt Murdock? Jennifer Garner as Electra??? blech!) and a script so convuluted it could have been two decent films instead of one bad one. Here's hoping they don't make a sequel. Biggest Surprises of 2003: (tie) T3: Rise of the Machines/The Rundown - Both of these were action flicks I would have assumed were going to be mildy entertaining at best. I couldn't have been more wrong. With T3, you had a lack of James Cameron and Linda Hamilton, both of which were key elements to the first two films. On the bright side, Edward Furlong was nowhere to be found. But that's besides the point. T3 had a plot that made sense, and the ending tied things up quite nicely. As for The Rock's star turn in The Rundown, I've written about this previously. A very entertaining movie, and one that made me laugh more than I expected. Biggest Dissappointment of 2003: The Matrix: Reloaded - What I wanted from this movie was more action, more philosophy and more guns. Lots and lots of guns. Instead I got a convoluted story, a completely bizarre ending, and an extremely rushed middle act that left my head spinning. This wasn't a terrible film, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I have yet to see the third and final chapter. The Best (and worst...) in Television Best Television Show of 2003: 24 - Yes, there's goofy stuff in this show. Goofy bordering on cheesy. But, the goofy and cheesy are balanced out by strong performances, intense plot twists and high-octane action sequences. I loved the premise three years ago, I love it even more now. Worst Television Show of 2003: Far too many to mention... What a year for crappy tv. We have Whoopi Goldberg's show. Jim Belushi's show. Paradise Hotel. Anything on ABC's TGIF lineup. Take your pick. Best Reality Show of 2003: Survivor 6 and 7 - You'd think a show would run out of steam after 7 incarnations over 3 and a half years. Yeah, there were some bad ones, but this past year saw two of the best. In the Amazon you had Rob Cesterino outwitting everyone in the game, but not winning. In The Pearl Islands you had Jon Dalton (aka Jonny Fairplay) make up a dead grandmother to win sympathy and make every wrestling fan in the world look bad. Overall, Survivor is not about to lose any steam. Worst Reality Show of 2003: Are You Hot?? - In a society plagued by anorexia and other problems related to low self-esteem, do we really need a show telling otherwise beatiful people that they are not hot? I think not. And thank God it got cancelled and Lorenzo Lamas returned to whatever hole he crawled out of. The Best (and worst...) in Music Best Album of 2003: Starflyer 59 - Old - One of Jason Martin's best outings. Very heavy guitars, somewhat catchy hooks and brilliant lyrics. A gem. Best Song of 2003: Hero (Red Pill Mix) - Superchic[k] - I really dig Superchic[k], and I'm not afraid to admit it. With Hero you get everything the band is about, and it's spine tingling. Excellent stuff. The Best (and worst...) In Other Stuff Best Mainstream Comic of 2003: The Teen Titans - Who would've thought a revamp of The Teen Titans would be so good? With Geoff Johns at the helm, this ship ain't gonna sink. It's gonna sail for a long time. Best Indy Comic of 2003: The Megazeen - I know, I know, I'm friends with several of their staff, but that's not the point. What The Megazeen is doing is something special, and not to mention they've been consistent in releasing material. And they don't have bake material, either. Each issue is packed full of excellent comics from Christian Creators, and interviews with comic pros and up and comers alike. Best Non-Fiction Book of 2003: Under the Banner of Heaven (John Krakkauer) - This book was an eye opener. Without judging the people he writes about, Krakkauer weaves a tale that's hard to believe, but is sadly true. And it's gripping, and hard to put down. Biggest Literary Dissappointment of 2003: Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla - Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book. It's good. But not great. It wasn't as great as it could've been. And if it goes in the direction I think it will with the final two installments, The Dark Tower could very well end up as the most self-serving piece of American literature everywhere. Biggest Personal Event of 2003: Seeing Something I wrote get published This year saw not one, but two things I penned get published. It's an amazing experience I hope to feel many times. And that's it - the Best of 2003 according to Jeremy. Feel free to call me out on any of them. ~ Jeremy

Nose to the grindstone, back to work after the weekend. Today was quite dull, but some things are going down that could be pretty cool. I'd talk about them, but I don't really know if I can yet. Anyway, found the funniest site I've seen in a while: College University. Funny stuff. I mean, you can't go wrong with a cartoon that features chimps, a leprechaun and the Macho Man Randy Savage. OOOOOOOOOh Yeah! Be warned though, it can be a little crass. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: U2 - Achtung Baby

Wow. I know I promised an entry Thursday, but ya know. Things happen. I've been busy - we've spent the last few days trying to organize the apartment. I don't know what it is; maybe a New Years sense of resolve. Hopefully it won't go away - I can see my desk now, and I forgot the surface was black. We have a giant box of stuff for Goodwill, and Josiah is now in his first "big boy bed". Of course, what precocious two-year-old would actually stay in their "big boy bed"? Not ours. Last night he found his way into our bed for a couple of hours, and tonight I had to pick his sleeping body up off of the floor where he apparantly collapsed after expending all of that energy playing with his toys long after "lights out". Oh well. I'm sure he'll learn eventually. I mean, what's he gonna tell his wife when she see's he's still in a crib at 24? "Don't worry, honey, the bars keep us from falling out." Anyway, watched the second half of the unbelievable Packers/Seahawks playoff game today. Wow. Is it almost Divine Providence that Brett Favre lead the charge to another Superbowl for the Cheeseheads, strictly from the inspiration of his fathers death? All I know is, anything can go in the NFL, and that's why it's the greatest sports league on Planet Earth. Speaking of planets, we landed on Mars last night. Cool. I only mention that to feign intelligence, since, well, Space Aeronautics and Aeronautics in general go way over my head, but the thought of us actually landing on the Red Planet is pretty cool. What's next? Please tell me Transporter capability. I'd love to be able to "beam" into work. That'd give me another thirty minutes to sleep in. Today, while taking down the Christmas tree, I found myself actually admiring Joe Lieberman. Granted, he is pro-choice, which would bar me from ever actually voting for him, but he's so logical when it comes to the current downward spiral of the Democratic Party. While on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Lieberman blasted Howard Dean, a mere two hours before facing him and the other Democrats vying for the Presidential nod in a debate. And I agreed with him, on the basics. Do I think Lieberman could beat Bush? Probably not. Would I want him to? No. Do I think Dean has the ability to beat Bush? It's a long shot, but possible. Do I think Dean will, if given the nod? I'd go on record by saying no. Barring any kind of catastrophy or scandal, Bush is going to probably win by a landslide. And the Democrats know that. Maybe they could get Chris Rock to run as a lame duck candidate, like in that crappy movie Michelle and I watched last night - Head of State . It'd at least be a little bit more entertaining. I decided not to do a Best of 2003 column. Everybody does that. And now I'm off, soon to find my way to my own "Big Boy Bed". ~ Jeremy