Month: February 2010

Random 10 2/26

Last week. This week:

  1. “Downtown Train” by Tom Waits
    They have nothing that will ever capture your heart
  2. “Undun” by the Guess Who, guessed by Eric B.
    She didn’t know what she was headed for
  3. “California” by Gina Villalobos
    Let’s get dirty and make us some drinks
  4. “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” by Frank Sinatra, guessed by Clayton
    Put another nickel in the machine
  5. “High Fidelity” by Elvis Costello, guessed by Eric B.
    Maybe you’re only changing channel
  6. “Uncle Pen” by Ricky Skaggs & Friends (orig. Bill Monroe), guessed by Clayton
    He played an old tune they called the “Soldier’s Joy”
  7. “As Cool as I Am” by Dar Williams
    You have a word for every woman you can lay your eyes on
  8. “War” by the Cardigans
    Hear the dust roll over the floor
  9. “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins, guessed by Eric B.
    I wanted more than life could ever grant me
  10. “Broken Ship” by Immaculate Machine, guessed by Kim
    If it never really started how can it be over?

Guess the lyric, win no prize. Same as it ever was. Good luck!

Beans are in flower

It’s tempting to just fall back every day on my Forgotten English desk calendar, whether or not the phrases it defines are especially apt or not. Especially when it’s a phrase like today’s — “beans are in flower,” which was apparently “a suggested explanation for a person’s stupidity.” The thinking being that “it was formerly believed that the scent of the flowering bean induced stupidity in the recipient of it.” There wasn’t a whole lot of evident stupidity in my day — bean-induced or not — but it’s good a phrase not to share.

What there was a lot of today, however, was snow. No real accumulation, just a wet and dreary sludge. It meant I couldn’t take my usual walk around Manhattan at lunchtime, and also that I had to be careful about not slipping into a messy puddle on my way home. In the past hour or so, it seems to have turned more into snow than rain, so we might get they the three to five inches they’re predicting for overnight. Still, my commute tonight wasn’t so terrible — and a lot better than most, judging by tonight’s evening news. A man was even killed by a falling tree in Central Park. We’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.

And that’s about it, really.

Thursday various

In review

Today started out a lot like yesterday, although not quite as rainy, and I did manage to make the earlier train into the city. By the time I reached Manhattan, the rain had all but stopped, which made the people still holding up umbrellas look a little silly. (Though I suppose you never do know when a sudden downpour might strike.) I got to the office and started in on some art therapy instructor materials we’re developing for one of our websites. Why, what do you while you’re waiting for the remaining chapters of your counseling older adults book?

I also had my yearly performance review this afternoon. I knew it was coming, since we had already filled out our self-evaluations, but my boss kind of sprung it on me this morning by e-mail. Not that I needed a lot of time to prepare — and the review itself went really well, actually — but I always find that sort of thing a little nerve-wracking, even under the best of circumstances. As I say, though, it luckily went very well, and I do feel very glad to be a part of this team at work.

Other than that, not a whole lot is new around here. They’re predicting snow for tomorrow, but, then, when aren’t they these days? I will say this: I am glad it’s almost the weekend again.

Wednesday various

  • John Scalzi’s Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Winter, I Learned From Science Fiction Movies column is nice, but it really just makes me want to watch The Thing again.
  • “Let’s get the reformed alcoholic punk-rock 45-year-old drummer from another country with a broad accent — that’s the way to go in the late-night world.” I’m starting to think I really should be watching Craig Ferguson’s show more often. Apparently, he just aired an hour-long, audience-free conversation with Stephen Fry. He’s slowly morphing into an antic Tom Snyder with puppets, and that sounds very intriguing to me. [via]
  • Ever wonder how to pronounce an author’s name? It’s an incomplete list, obviously, but it’s a terrific concept. [via]
  • Inside the Antiques Roadshow [via]
  • And finally, Stephen Merritt on the perverse art or love songs:

    You know, most love songs are not cheesy and corny. Most love songs are complaints, I think. Or about unrequited love, coming at it from some oblique angle. Only the ones that say “I love you” over and over are the cheesy, corny ones that people complain about. At least half the songs people hear in the world are love songs. I feel like my love songs, probably none of which just say “I love you” over and over again, are in the mainstream of that tradition of being a little off.

    I also like his thoughts on clichés and how he felt the need to clarify that by “Oprah” he was referring to “the TV show starring Oprah Winfrey.”