blog.circusgeek

a personal blog with nerdy bits thrown in

Category: Entertainment

  • NIN: Ghosts I-IV

    Today I bought the new NIN album, Ghosts, an instrumental album that was suddenly released last weekend now that Trent Reznor is a free agent, finally out of his contract with Interscope Records. He’s offering the album up in the following kick-ass options:

    1. FREE: The first quarter of the album (Ghosts I) to download
    2. $5: All 36 tracks (Ghosts I-IV) as a high-quality digital download, includes PDF artwork
    3. $10: The above download now and a 2-CD set to be shipped in April
    4. $75: Deluxe set with 2-CD’s, extra discs, fancy book & packaging
    5. $300: Ultra Deluxe set, limited to 2500 signed copies, which includes the above and more such as the album on vinyl

    I picked up the $10 version (call me crazy, but I like having CD’s), however with shipping the total was $16.99. While $6.99 is a bit much just to ship a couple CD’s, it’s still less than most double-CD sets would cost on Amazon. And, unlike Amazon, I got to download the album immediately (something I wish they’d start offering if you buy physical CD’s that they also offer on their MP3 service). I chose the high-quality MP3’s as my download (320kbps LAME encoded, fully tagged, each track even has it’s own artwork) though they offer the album in other, all DRM-free, options.

    The album is really good… very good background “listen to while working” music. I’m impressed. And happy with the experience. I’m also personally happy to ‘stick it to the man’ again, much like purchasing Radiohead’s In Rainbows a few months back.

    Oh, also, the Ultra Deluxe version reportedly sold out in just a couple days earning Trent & Co $750,000. Nice work.

  • Long week, good weekend, Legend

    Since last weekend’s adventures, I had another long and fairly stressful work week. The weekend was pretty fun though, despite two things: 1) a possible resurgence of some sort of virus (sinus pressure, a sore throat and a cough, dammit), and 2) a friend coming into town on Friday (I say friend, though he’s a total bastard and I hate him, but not really, I just like to pretend I hate him). Started off by going to Mash Tun for some dinner and drinks Friday night along with Snooks and L. Saturday we all met up at Kennedy School in the early afternoon for some drinks, and then went to Delta Cafe (blogged before here) for dinner. I both love and loathe the Delta… the food is really good, but the greasy smell gets woven into both your clothes and your very being. It can be a bit overpowering. The last time I was there I had made the mistake of bringing my wool coat in, and the next morning on the bus I realized that I was ‘that stinky guy’, all because of the greasy scent. This time I wore clothes I could burn later. 🙂

    Intersection near Kennedy SchoolToday the nice weather returned. I spent most of my day relaxing indoors, playing a bit of Call of Duty 4, and watching shows recorded on the DVR. Kelly went to a friends baby shower, and after she got home I drug her to Kennedy School to see I Am Legend at the theater. We’d arrived with just enough time to sit in the Cypress Room for a beer before heading to the theater. The movie was pretty good, and I enjoyed it quite a bit despite the, at times, poor CGI (some of it was pretty bad, though overall I was able to get past a lot of it and it didn’t distract me). The representation of a vacant and dead city (with nature taking back what’s ‘hers’ with grass coming through the streets, deer running free, etc), and the main character’s almost super-human ability to avoid insanity in the face of near total solitude was well done. Overall I though it was pretty good, and well worth seeing on the ‘big screen’ for a few dollars, with some beer and popcorn.

  • Sicky

    Still feeing a bit ill, though it’s not as bad as it could be. I think I’m either fighting it off successfully, or I didn’t get the same flu that many of my coworkers had gotten. The symptoms are a dull headache, sore throat and nasal congestion (pretty light on all three), a slight cough, and an occasional fever. There are times when I feel nearly 100%, and others where I feel 60%. If that makes any sense.

    Yesterday, during one my my better moments I ran to the store to pick up more cold medicine and something for dinner (fixin’s for a reuben sandwich, which sounded really good in my sick state). Last night Kelly and I watched a lot of stuff off the DVR, including all 3 new episodes of Lost, and the rest of the season of Psych. Lost is good, and I’m really waiting for the next couple to find out… er… nevermind, won’t sway it, I’m sure some of you reading haven’t seen ’em yet. Anyway.

    Today’s beautiful out. Kelly said she wanted to go out and spend time in the yard. I do too, so I may bundle up a bit and see if some time outside will do me good. Even if I don’t do much, just being outside in the warm-ish sunny weather will be nice.

  • You see it?

    So a few weeks ago when the news of Heath Leger’s death hit the interwebs, and the news of whatever oddness between he, the maid, and Mary-Kate Olsen surfaced, ABC News.com posted a photo of Heath and MK side by side. I saw the photo and immediately thought of how creepy MK looked, and how similar to someone else, though I couldn’t place it.

    I saved the photo and then waited for my brain to turn over. Finally it hit me… in the photo she looked like Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas.

    Sally vs. Mary-Kate

    C’mon, you see it right? CRRREEEEEEEPYYYYY

    PS: I feel sick right now, might be coming down with a flu, so perhaps the above isn’t as funny as I think. Going to hop my bus home now, and then go to bed…

  • A Good Saturday

    Last night Kelly and I had a night in. She made turkey lasagna and garlic bread, and we watched Sunshine, which I liked quite a bit.

    Kelly had class today, so I slept in a bit, waking up at around 8:30am (yup, that’s sleeping in for me now, urgh). After spending a little bit of time on the computer nerding out, and discovering the band Born Ruffians (kind of an indie / folk / rock sound) and noticing how perfect their sound was for the weather outside (50 degrees and sunny) I decided to get out of the house. We had to take our car into the dealership for some under-warranty maintenance, so I scheduled a 2pm appointment, and then went down to the Bishops on Alberta for a haircut. I had an hour wait, so I walked around the neighborhood a bit. Loads of people out, which happens every day like this in the winter, people crawl out of their forced hibernation and squint their eyes at that bright orb in the sky, then wander around smiling and happy. I admit I was in good spirits too just to be out it the not freezing, not raining, not dark and cloudy weather with nothing to do for an hour.

    After my haircut, I went across the street to Mash Tun for a glass of beer and some soup (the beer was their new Concordia Cream Ale which was really really good) before going out to the dealership. What was supposed to be an hour thing only took about 25 minutes and I was back on the road.

    Now I’m sitting on my porch enjoying the not-freezing weather and sipping on a beer. Tonight Kelly and I meet Mr & Mrs Ghost Dog at Concordia Ale House for some food and more beer. Hooray!

  • Louis XIV and Editors

    Tonight Kelly and I went to see the Editors show at Roseland, with Louis XIV opening. After I left the office I met Kelly at Shanghai Tunnel, which turned out to be less than great. The bartender woman was in an obviously foul mood and made no attempt to be even superficially friendly. And despite how empty it was (there were about six people in the entire place) the music was cranked up to 11, so loud Kelly and I had to yell to talk to each other. I finished my pint of Guinness and then we left and went down the street to the Thirsty Lion where, despite how crowded it was, and the TV’s all playing a soccer match, it was still half as loud as Shanghai. We had a meal there, and another pint before walking up to the venue.

    Louis XIV at Roseland, Portland OR We got to the Roseland early enough to sit in the downstairs bar and share a beer before we went upstairs. It was pretty empty so we got a couple seats in the balcony. The Louis XIV show was really fun. I liked their first album a lot, I liked the raunchy, innuendo-filled lyrics, the rock vibe, etc, and the show was a lot of fun. It was a refreshing show to see, with lead singer Jason Hill strutting around the stage like he was Mick Jagger, and the violinists adding a touch of larger-than-life. Just fun. There is a track from the new album, Air Traffic Control, which I already liked, but the live version was a great deal more powerful (nearly brought a tear to my eye).

    Editors at Roseland, Portland OR After a long break between sets as the stage got reset, Editors came on stage and played a really strong show. This was the third time Kelly and I had seen them (the first, at Dante’s, and the second at Berbati’s Pan). Each time they get stronger, and this show was no different. It was a really great show, energy from lead singer Tom Smith was at full, at times running around the stage, crawling / standing on his piano, etc. Excellent show all around.

    We left and it was pouring down rain, so the walk (no, run) from to our car was just far enough that we got pretty drenched. Even that though, after the show, was fun. 🙂

  • The Golden Compass

    Following my previous post, Kelly and I just saw The Golden Compass at Kennedy School. Well, Kelly had already seen it, but wanted to see it again with me since I’d just finished reading the book.

    I enjoyed the film, despite how different it was from the book. There were some things that did bother me; first, the switcheroo they did with Bolvanger and Iorek’s big fight, and second, the fact that they didn’t finish the film with the cliffhanger ending the book had. I suspect they changed things with the assumption that they would reveal those events in the sequel. In fact, I suspect they altered the order of events knowing they weren’t going to wrap things up the same way the book did, and the Bolvanger fight made for a more climactic ending. The film was, however, true enough to the book that even though the order of events (and some of the story) had been altered, it wasn’t disruptive. The casting choices, sets, costumes, and visual style all fit what I saw in my head while reading the book. If anything I was surprised rather than annoyed at the differences.

    In the end, I enjoyed The Golden Compass, and I hope the last two books get made. It was no Lord of the Rings, but it was good, and better than 99% of what’s pumped out of Hollywood year after year.

    After the movie we suck around Kennedy School for another hour or so, had another beer and some pizza and discussed the movie before heading back home.

  • Weekend Update

    Good weekend so far (now that it’s almost over). Kelly made it back Friday, about mid-morning. We met up at Rose & Thistle after I got off work and had a couple pints and caught up on each other’s week. Afterward we left and buzzed up to Moon & Sixpence, Kelly wanted a particular beer (Hale’s Cream Ale) which I swore they had, but was mistaken. We stayed anyway, and I was glad we did… they now have (and it may be a regular beer, apparently) Old Speckled Hen! It’s a beer I have whenever I go to Horse Brass, and I had loads of it on our last trip to London. Had a couple pints of it and some food before we went home. Kelly was exhausted as she didn’t sleep well while at her sister’s place.

    Saturday we went out to my folks place for a belated birthday dinner for my kid bro (Happy Birthday C!). We both ate WAY too much, but it was all good. Got home early (around 9:30) and decided to stay in. We both ended up dozing off in the living room watching Psych off of our DVR.

    Slept until 10am today, surfed the web for a bit and then played a few hours of Call of Duty 4. Now I’m at Kennedy School (Kelly just met me here after working out) and we’re going to go see The Golden Compass at the theater here (can’t beat a $3.00 movie, and beer, and pizza). I just finished reading the book last week, so the timing of it coming to Kennedy School couldn’t be better. Might write something about it afterwards.

  • Tun night, Work day

    Yesterday afternoon (about 3:30) the development team at SuperSweetCo were treated to a couple hours at Ground Kontrol (yes, on top of the dinner thing last night). Pretty fun, though I wasn’t fully in the mood to leave the office when we did, as I was getting work done and had a lot more to do. That said, I got to play some Discs of Tron, some fun sit-down car racing games, and some old Star Trek and Doctor Who pinball machines.

    After leaving the arcade I hopped a bus to meet my friend Miranda at Mash Tun. I arrived early and surfed a bit (free wifi, hooray!) and had a pint of the Tun’s delicious Watership Brown ales before Miranda arrived. Later we were joined by my friends (and ex-coworkers) Jenn and Lara & Todd. Had a fun time out, and it was good to catch up. Jenn mentions the night here.

    Today was a busy but productive work day. Worked until about 6:30pm before catching my bus home. Kelly’s still up north helping her sister after her surgery, so I’m kind of ‘hanging out’ on my own. Just me and the cat. Chillin.

  • Cloverfield

    Today Kelly and I went to see Cloverfield. It was good, though be sure to bring motion-sickness pills. And maybe ibuprofen. I think I will enjoy watching it again on a smaller screen, but even with the constant shaking camera, it was a good movie.

    Today I also watched this interesting History Channel show “Life After People‘, which followed nature’s resurgence if, hypothetically, every human vanished tomorrow. The CG wasn’t movie quality, but it was still pretty cool.