Tonight at Club Tavern

Come on down to the Club tonight for a FREE SHOW starting at 8:30 PM!

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Supernatural Conference That I Gotta Go To Next Year

A conference on investigating the afterlife in San Francisco that features one of my heroes, Loyd Auerbach, who wrote ESP, Hauntings, and Poltergeists, (which must be out of print now because used book stores are selling the paperback for over thirty dollars!) which I considered more of a life manual than just a book about the supernatural. He was a professor at JFK University where I planned on going one day (and had my heart completely broken when I found out they discontinued their higher consciousness program, it was the one place I could get an accredited degree in parapsychology like Peter Venkman.) Anyway, the conference just sounded cool, so if anyone wants to go next year, let me know!

Cool T-Shirt

Hat tip to Jase for finding this family-friendly t-shirt that makes a perfect companion for one of my comments in the Simpleology video!

Simpleology / Onlinemusicfame.com Contest

ENJOY!

Record Companies Still Have No Clue

Everybody's pulling out of QTrax, which was an advertiser-supported model for peer-to-peer sharing. Sounds like that company had some good ideas too, I hope they don't go bankrupt before some executive (are they even music people anymore or just lawyers?) gets their head out of their ass and actually tries something NEW.

While the big companies fight over their little slices of the increasingly smaller pie, everyone else will continue to download whatever they want on Limewire and BitTorrent, oblivious to the legal shenanigans. The idea was to create a legal system before free unlicensed downloading gets too entrenched into the culture. Too late, it's been ten years and there's still no good way to get music online inexpensively and without DRM. They blew it and the entire culture is going to be affected by it. Profiteering run amok at the top could have used a good dose of capitalism to get some new ideas and blood. Instead of gigantic mergers, price-fixing, and putting everything in the hands of ancient diva-fuckers like Clive Davis, they could have been working on a way to make money off of downloads and the rapidly fracturing genres that a massive information society creates. And they continue to sit back passively, trying to scare the regular listener (ie, customer) into submission through lawsuits. And when a company like QTrax has a cool idea to start monetizing music again, they pull out.

Why even bother writing about this anymore? It's like saying "Fuck Clear Channel". Everyone knows it, everyone understands it, and it's preaching to the converted. Is it sadder that this is happening, or is it sadder we still care enough to read about?

Van Halen oops

Thanks to Ron for finding this one!
I think the guitar tech might have to look for new work after this one.

Haufbbrauhaus

Milwaukee rox. Big beer, lil beer, what begins with beer?

Bernie brewer

I finally got to climb in bernie brewer's house after all these years. Thank you lakefront brewery, milwaukee wi.

Laverne and shirley

They have the machine from laverne and shirley here at lakefront!

Lakefront brewery again

Happy birthday, anthony. I think the guy in the cow suit in october was cooler than our tour guide this time.

Die Hard didn't die painfully

I had qualms about Bruce Willis doing another Die Hard movie after 13 years, but it really was spectacular. The acting, particularly on the bad-guy end, was kinda weak, but I haven't seen aggressive stunts and special effects like this in a while. It's worth a rental if you like explosions.
As ripped as Sly looks, I have the same worries going into Rambo, though.

Great Ghost Pic

This pic of a mysterious child's face is the best one I've seen in awhile. It doesn't just look like a pattern, it really looks like a face. Yeah, it could be something from another picture, a digital artifact, a trick of the light. It could be any of those things, but it's creepy as Hell. Why is the little girl in the picture crying? Maybe she can see the ghost in the room and no one else can, kinda like how children could see Al on Quantum Leap.

Sploofus

I know the name is ridiculous, but it is actually pretty fun having a trivia question sent to your email daily and it's free. I've killed enough brain cells, so it helps keep my mind like a steel trap.
In other news, Mr. Woodcock is funnier than I thought it would be. We all remember horror stories of our gym teachers from primary school. My favorite scene is the pizza joint.

Texas UFOs Were Jets

And the air force's story conveniently changes!

Cougar Spotting

When I first saw this headline on madison.com I thought they were talking about Cheeseburger in Paradise or The Bean, but there really is a wild cat on the loose in our city! For some reason, I think that's awesome.

Cold

After recording.

Alien Mania in Stephenville, TX

Now all the business owners are encouraging the aliens to land in their parking lots! That's ridiculous, but awesome. I think the lights in the sky are probably US experimental aircraft (and might be there to divert us from the recession we're about to suffer) but I hope they're real ETs anyway.

Yeah, Heath Ledger died, man. That kinda sucks, I liked him a lot ever since Ten Things I Hate About You. Brad Renfro died last week and Heath Ledger last night, they say that these deaths come in threes, who's up next?

My money's on Macauly Caulkin. He's the right age, likes to party, and hasn't done anything big for awhile. That's why it'd be so unexpected and that's why it'd be perfect for him to complete the trifecta of young male actors to buy it this month.

Reason Humanity Should Not Be Destroyed #3

Here's some heartening news about a thief who returned everything he stole and even better, it happened in Waukesha. I'm not usually a huge fan of guilt, but this is an example of how it can work positively. Kudos to this guy who tried to redeem himself and do the right thing!

Confession Time
Things I've Stolen In My Life:

I stole a pack of cigarettes for a burnout named Dan Zapfe in junior high, and then I proceeded to buy a nice Walkman from him for ten bucks (which was obviously stolen.) I was mad at him because I felt like he manipulated me into stealing from the Mukwonago Pick n' Save, but now I realize that I was just being a pussy. I just looked him up on Wisconsin CCAP and it looks like he had a bad run of luck in the past few years. Sorry, Dan. I'm trying not to feel any schadenfreude about that.

I've stolen plenty of albums and songs online. Napster, Seekster, SoulSeek, Limewire, you name it. Probably about 1000 songs in the past ten years. Sorry artists, some of you I actually like and should buy your record.

I stole a ton of movies online. I used to watch a new release everyday when I couldn't afford to go see movies. I'd find them on Limewire or Hotwire and download them and watch them on my TV. Sorry moviemakers, I haven't done that in a few years.

I've stolen a few audiobooks from BitTorrent. Let's see if the author of The Secret can believe her way into money magically teleporting from my wallet to her purse.

I've stolen Windows XP, I haven't had a legal version of Windows since 95 came out. Sorry Bill Gates. I've got Office too.

I've stolen Photoshop, but I lost it, so I'm not counting that one anymore. Sorry Adobe, but I don't feel so bad because your Acrobat Reader is constantly trying to automatically update. Every time I open the program.

I've stolen iWork from Apple. I'm actually going to buy this one though, because Pages nails Microsoft Word to the wall.

I've stolen countless shareware programs that I've needed for only one thing and I've searched for cracks and reg codes all over the Internet for. Sorry nameless developers who charge $39.95 for a program I only need to use once.

And of course, I've stolen a thousand hearts.

Anyway, that's all I can think of right now, so I guess I can't be casting any stones at anyone else for robbery or theft because I'm a culprit as well. I'd like to be more like that guy in Waukesha who gave everything back. Maybe I'll start by deleting those three stolen Spice Girls songs off my iPod.

In other good news, look for some new Sunspot material online by the end of the week. By including a mention in this post, am I saying that our music is good enough to recommend against our species' destruction by alien death ray? Um, yeah, I guess I am.

The Sky is Falling

Taking the risk of going up in a plane is one thing, but can you imagine shopping for cars and seeing this fall out of the sky on you.

Mars Cheese Castle

Mars Cheese Castle
Originally uploaded by Wendy Lynn

It's hard to believe, but even though I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life, today was the first time I've ever actually visited this landmark! I picked up some jalepeno cheddar curds, smoked string cheese, and I sampled their famous chocolate cheese. YUM! :)

Suzanne Pleshette's Dead?

Bummer. I loved her on the Bob Newhart Show and what a sexy voice!

Govt Zero

Govt Zero
Originally uploaded by Wendy Lynn

Heating up the Annex on this frigid night!

Kill Junior

Kill Junior
Originally uploaded by Wendy Lynn

at the Annex!

Time for guitars

Time for guitars
Originally uploaded by Wendy Lynn

Ben just finished the electric parts and is now putting some acoustic touches on the song. Special thanks to our friend Mark (from The MAHP) for sharing his awesome Martin guitar!

Recording Bass in the studio!

Recording Bass in the studio!
Originally uploaded by Wendy Lynn

At 805 recording some more tracks for the songs we did at Renwood Messenger last month.

Ridiculous: Father Arrested for Making Son Wear Packers Jersey

Brings a whole new definition of "Sunday Best". Thanks to MG for mentioning this one about a Portage dad who was arrested for making his son wear a Pack jersey. What it really sounds like is that this guy's wife hates him and as soon as he did something to the child (like tie him up and put him in a Packers outfit as a joke) she reported child abuse so that she could ruin his life and safely guarantee herself getting custody of her child. I'm not saying that this guy's not a jerk, but we don't know the full story. It was all fun and games on Saturday and then the wife reports it on Wednesday? Did it take her four days to find a phone to dial 911 or did she get mad at him for something on Tuesday night? Now this guy is demonized in the media for being a crap father and it makes the national news because the Packers are in the NFC Championship game (which my parents are going to but I'm not that jealous because I know how cold it's supposed to be in Green Bay on Sunday.) Another sad story about a disintegrating family that we all get to witness because it has a "funny hook".

However, it's Friday and I don't want to enter the weekend on a depressing note so in good news, check out this UFO footage from CNN yesterday. Something's out there, so let's get it to come to Wisconsin.

Yousa say people gonna die?

Looks like it's going to be a cold-ass drive to Kenosha for recording this Saturday, friends.

I'd like to point out that it will be 16 degrees warmer in Barrow, Alaska. But, they have to worry about vampires and we get to see slightly more sun than they do, but not by much. I know, we choose daily to remain here in the north, but have you seen real estate in southern California lately? Average house in San Diego county: $670,000. I like me just the way I'm are, but to live there I WOULD need the cheese and the car keys

Who comes up with these lyrics? We need to start dumbing stuff down so we can get HUGE.
You guys want to take a trip to a kindergarten for some lyrics before Saturday's recording session?

Maybe if I strip, I could get a tip and then move to socal.

The Farm of Dr. Moreau

Hat tip to Tim for this article on breeding sheep who have human organs. He accompanied it with a comment on all the new jokes we'll be able to make about sex with sheep (not to mention the actual sex we'll get to have with sheep!) I've heard that idea before (not the sex, but the organs, well, I have heard about the sex, you know what I mean), but I didn't know how far along they were on the research. At this point, the ethics committees are still keeping a close eye on everything but you know once this actually becomes useful for organ transplants, people are gonna go "whole hog" into it. And I won't blame them. When it comes to your own life or someone you care about, what wouldn't you do to keep them alive? If you had to kill an animal to keep your child alive, you'd feel bad for a second, but you'd do it. Of course you would, anyone would. If you had to kill a human to save your child, you'd definitely consider it and I venture most people would do it. If you had to kill something that was only part-human, how easy would that make it? Well, it's only part-human, a non-fully developed human, it's not really a person, it doesn't have a soul, etc...

So how comfortable are we with making those decisions and who are we entrusting to these responsibilities? Eggheads at universities, guys in labs, (shudder) corporations or Congress? I'm at an age right now where in 30 or 40 years, this technology might be needed to save my own life (especially when it comes to my poor beaten down liver), I can't say that I'm completely comfortable with this research (don't most science fiction stories basically boil down to the folly of playing God?) but if it saves my life, I can't say that I'm opposed to it either. Plus, I heard that sheep are baaaaaaaaaaaadass in the sack!

Anyway, speaking of Tim, if you're in Madison this weekend, make sure to check out Government Zero at The Annex on Saturday. They're going to be with Kill Junior (whose guitarist used to play in Grinder with me) and I just listened to their new demo and it's great. If you like punk rock, metal with some smoking guitar work, or just jumping around in general, it's going to be a killer show.

If you're in the Milwaukee area, Uncle Brett wanted me to let everyone know he's having a party Saturday night and to extend an invitation as well!

Whoomp, there it is!

Too bad you can't see anything over his head when you are driving. Mirror mode is genius. More games should have done that-it doesn't take up a lot more room for the maps. Great way to save space on the media.

Countdown to Spring is ON

Is it me, or does this Winter season just seem to be extra long? Normally I don't mind Winter a whole lot; having lived in Wisconsin my whole life, I enjoy the changing of the seasons and usually right when I begin getting sick of one season it begins to change to the next one.

It's probably because of the excessive snow we've had this year, but for some reason this is the first time I can remember REALLY wishing Winter would end quickly.

So, I used this handy Google gadget to countdown the days until Spring (note: If you don't already use the iGoogle homepage, I highly recommend it - it's a quick way to check your favorite RSS feeds at a glance. If you don't know what I'm talking about - try Googling it). ;)

We have 65 days to go right now. Wow, that seems like an awful long time to wait. But, it's really only 2 months and the next couple of months will fly by, I'm sure. At least I hope so!

Simpleology Blog Course

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

And a genius way of marketing their brand as well because everyone has to post the above to the their blogs to get the course free. It sounds interesting, though, and I know some of you guys have blogs too, so it's worth checking out for some new ideas. I'll let you know whatever I find out.

Tejas UFOs

Stephenville, TX is the place where the latest mass UFO sightings occurred last week.

What I'm surprised here isn't the sighting, but the statistic that says that fourteen percent of Americans claim to have seen a UFO. For the amount of craziness that's normally associated with people who believe in aliens (I, myself, am a victim of alien-believer discrimination all the time.) Where did they get that information? 14 percent just seems like a huge number to me. Yeah, that's awesome, but it seems sketchy.

The thing I didn't like is that the Air Force no longer investigates claims of unidentified flying objects. With all the government money that's wasted on bullshit, don't you think we could stick something in the budget for at least a couple of UFO investigators?

Alright, here's the question:
What government service would you give up so that they could find money to hire a team to investigate UFOs?

I'd give up the National Endowment for the Arts. When's the last time a rock musician got an NEA grant? I'd rather see my taxes go for alien detective work.

Isn't this the plot of Strange Brew?

Man finds dead mouse in beer. Nothing about doing it to get a free case and a trip to the brewery, though.

Rosie's Coming Soon

Robots to help clean the house are on their way which is cool, but I'm still waiting on Fembots.

Wii

Whenever I hear or see Nintendo's Wii name, I think of this cartoon.
We happened to win one at Brothers in Madison (one of our favorite haunts) and spent a little time with it over Christmas break. I love that it is wireless (nothing is messier than having controller cords laying all over the living room) and designing your own Mii is a hit at every party, but I find myself loving the old-school backwards-compatible game cube games more than the Wii games. Anyone else feeling that too? Plus, they market games like Wii Play as 10 games so they can sell the system on ebay for more money. Not to mention the whole scam before Christmas. In case you weren't looking for one before Christmas, all of the retailers had a deal with Nintendo to only sell a few each Sunday morning and then the rest of the week you would be left to spend your money on other items at whatever store you had the misfortune of visiting. Our friend in Minneapolis even works for Best Buy corporate and used her login to see that they had 18 left and showed up and they said they were out. She said she saw that they still had 18 and they told her to go away. Is it just me or is everyone (even the wealthy corporations) doing everything they can to try to squeeze the last dime out of the average American consumer. I feel kind of violated, even though it is my own fault. I am trusting and genuine and the message I am being sent by people that are savvy enough to be successful that the only way to get ahead in our society is to take advantage of other people.
Wow, that got really deep and political. I think I'll go back to trying to solve Mario Kart on mirror mode. I'd really like to unlock Petey Piranha's car.

"Amen break" history and copyright lecture

Here's an interesting audio lecture my brother alerted me to. It details the history of the "Amen break", a drum beat which has been sampled to the point of ubiquitousness (yes, that is a word!). He also makes some very interesting points about Copyright laws and their impact on culture.

Seattle hat in the urinal

Sad and telling at the same time.

Pack wins!

Let's hope the Giants beat The Cowboys so next week is here too!!

And Favre walks off the field

To shouts of "MVP". It's snowing like mad but the crowd is on fire.

Guess Who...

..else is rocking the game today?

Hold The Line!

9 minutes and we're up 42-20.

The Super Bowl Should Be In Green Bay

The snow is thick as thieves right now. Go Pack!

Plow Action

right down the center of the field during the TV timeout. With a little Queen and David Bowie on the PA.

The bathroom line

is ridiculous! They're skipping Seahawks fans, which is funny, but doesn't paint the portrait of GB and WI that I'd like. We're supposed to smoke your shiz on the field, but be friendly off.

Snow's really coming down now

Snow's really coming down now
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

It's perfect Packer weather, but it's getting a little cold on the Treo keyboard punching fingers.

First two minutes

First two minutes
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

are a little rough but I still believe.

Have you ever joined a VIP/Fan Club?

Have you ever paid to join a VIP or Fan Club for one of your favorite bands?

If so, did you find it worthwhile? What did you like about it? What didn't you like?

I have to admit, I was very intrigued by the idea of Prince's online subscription service, where he constantly released new songs to subscribers only. I think it would be worth the money for something like that; it's like a direct line to songs, as they are created; no waiting for the next album release.

I'm curious what other clubs of this nature offer to their users. Please respond if you have any experience with this, or if you have any good examples of clubs like this.

DJ Malcolm

DJ Malcolm
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

from Citizen King is DJing!

I can spit on Brett Favre from here

I can spit on Brett Favre from here
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

Not that I would and ruin his concentration pre-game!

Gameday!

Gameday!
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

Me and my brother in law at Lambeau Field, kick off's at 3:30.

Eastern Promises

Well, speaking of movies, but one that didn't disappoint, I saw Eastern Promises last night and it was a great film. It was funny to see an American, a Frenchman, German, and Polish guy all play Russians, but they all did an awesome job. If you're into mafia movies (and who's not?) this one's a good take on the Russian Mafia (who in other movies are never ever portrayed sympathetically (while Italian gangsters are damn near beloved)).

Plus it stars Viggo and who's more badass than Aragorn? That dude will do anything for a part. There's a good amount of blood and violence (a little bit of sex, but more disturbing than titillating), Vincent Cassell (who gets points for #1, being in Brotherhood of the Wolf (if you haven't seen that movie, go do that now) and #2, being married to Monica Belluci (Good Lawd!)), and it's the kind of movie where you don't wanna give anything away, so just rent it.

Next thing I'm looking forward to is The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Holy crap, they're making a Terminator TV show. When I was 13 years old that news would have changed my life. Sure, there's a lot of sci-fi that's poorly done (but there always will be) but this is the fricking Golden Age, man. There's never been a point in my life where there's been this much media that I'm excited about. Sure, we had a little in the original X-Files boom (remember they even made Baywatch Nights with The Hoff investigating the Paranormal), but this stuff is way better. Proof that this is the Golden Age: even zombie movies are popular.

We need to enjoy this while we can. The writers' strike still isn't settled, are you ready for everything to be The Real World?



I'll take Baywatch Nights any day.

War

There are so many movies that have great potential and they leave you wanting. War is one of those. Jet Li is the balls, and I really liked Jason Statham in the Transporter, but they waited an hour into the film for either star to start kicking asses. I understand the need for plot and everything, but what the viewer is left with is some fairly lame supporting acting for the first half of the movie. Quite possibly the greatest example to support my claim is the movie Transformers. I know you all lived out your childhood fantasies along with me when we saw Optimus Prime stand up for the first time on the big screen, man I got chills. But had they spent a few million extra on the cast, you might have had some decent acting to compliment the special effects. Enough people would have seen that movie opening weekend to pay the bills, no matter who was in it, but for me and many like me, it is the kind of movie where I might leave it on for half an hour on TNT in a couple years but probably not pay the money to buy it. I think the geek DVD sales would have more than paid the salary for some good names. :(
When did I get to be a movie snob? Many of you that know me know that I used to be delighted just to see A movie.

Maiden Forever

Church of England de-establishment motion is marked 666. Delicious.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 75

It's our 75th (Diamond Anniversary, not Blowjob) podcast and the first of the New Year!



Direct Download Link : http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_75.m4v

Was I the only one

who didn't know that Agent Smith was Elrond? Yeah, oops.

I think Hugo is a sweet actor.




Nice beard in this link, dude

More info on The King Club closing

Courtesy of Dane101 and it confirms that that's that for a great Madison venue. I have a lot of great memories from that bar, since our first show there in May of 2004, they've always been great to us. Cheers to them and thanks.

Opening in the location will be a gay bar called Woof's. Which, is a ridiculous name for a bar, but that's why I kind of like it and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Some pussies on Dane101 were commenting that The King Club was always a loud room (which is true), but what's the alternative for live music? How many local bands are bringing enough people to justify playing a 400-capacity room? When you play a big room the bar has to get a bigger percentage because they're paying for the space and utilities. So that means the band doesn't get any money. Tristan (King Club booker)'s quote is right on. The flavor of live music in Madison has changed (not that live entertainment venues don't go in and out of favor and have their ups and downs naturally) and people just don't go out to as many shows anymore. Or should I say, they're not as compelled to see live local bands anymore. They've been burned by too many shitty bands playing songs they don't know and can't understand because it's a poor-sounding rooms. I feel like I've been harping on this for years and it's never going to change. The old model is dead. Everybody's in a band, everybody has access to music whenever they want. We (as live entertainers) need to provide a compelling experience to make people want to leave the house and come out to the club. Bars need to sell drinks so they make bands play to 1 or 2am on a weeknight, not realizing that if they start the show at 7, they'll get more people in the room (although those people may not be buying drinks all night, which is why they probably start the shows so late still even after a thousand weeknight shows with a handful in attendance). When a big band comes to town, when is the show over? When's the last time you saw a national act (and I don't mean a band that just tours to places like the High Noon or Cactus Club) with a show that goes past 11 on a weeknight? Those big promoters' concern is (to use the late, great Peter Boyle's phrase from that otherwise vanilla Raymond) asses in seats, not number of drinks sold (which the band doesn't get a share of at any clubs in southern Wisconsin I know of at least.) That's one of the problems with local music scenes as well, is finding the common ground between the bar and the entertainers so that it's a win-win.

Much like the post yesterday about recorded music, with live entertainment the deal has changed as well. These aren't the Baby Boomers with three channels of TV. Top 40 songs can't even be played live with organic musical instruments anymore. Everyone has a guitar and there's no filter or gatekeeper separating the wheat from the chaff (with live entertainment in the state that it's in, most clubs (not all, but most) will book a band based on how many friends they have and no particular affinity for their music.) Consumers' tastes have matured but the system of local live entertainment hasn't.

So, it's up to us to do something about it. People will pay ten bucks for a shit movie at the theater but they bitch about a five dollar cover for real people performing for them. Alright, the rules have changed. The system is different, let's find out what they want and give it to them before another good club has to close down.

The Guppy Effect

Photo_010908_001.jpg
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

And it's Joe's BIRFDAY!

I heard the King Club's closing down. What. The. Fuck?

Lot 74

Lot 74
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

Are fun as fuck!

Axiom

Axiom
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

Yeah!

Wow, these pics are dark.

Underculture

Underculture
Originally uploaded by sunspot_mike

Old school rock and roll at The King Club.

Happy Birthday to Cactus Joe!

Our good friend Cactus Joe is celebrating his birthday tonight in true rockstar style with a show at the King Club! Come on down for some Tuesday night rock and and check out his band, The Guppy Effect as well as our friends Axiom. Show starts at 9:00 which means I'm late - GOTTA RUN! Hope to see you there!

Magical Murder

Weird shit going down in Sioux City that reminds me of all of the Satanic Ritual Abuse horror stories we used to hear when we were little (well, I used to hear about them anyway.)

Here's a little blast from the past, maybe I watched too many talk shows.

Great article on the music business

Astute observations from Seth Godin on lessons from the music industry (and he's the man that brought us The Purple Cow (the book recommended as a must-read by CDBaby's Derek Sivers the last time we saw him at the TAXI rally.)

He's saying basically the same thing as everyone else is. It's the Wild West out there and all the old institutions are falling apart. And that's okay with me because the old institutions haven't done much for Sunspot (even though I'm still pretty enough *smooch*). So, this article's all about embracing new ideas because basically, there's no system to plug into anymore, "the record company's gonna give me lots of money and everything's gonna be alright!" was a joke in 1996 (and not just because it was recorded by a ska band (remember those 15 minutes?) :P) and it's an even bigger joke today. Prince said it right, "In this life, you're on your own."

I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing yet.

Solar Cycle 24

Solar Cycle 24 started on Friday. The reversed polarity sunspot that marks the beginning of the cycle has been sighted.



This one's going to be peak in 2012. Coincidence? I think not! It's on!

yeah

And I thought bowling alleys were family establishments.

Happy New Year!

2007 is officially over and I am looking forward to starting fresh with another New Year.

The end-of-year festivities this year were a little more laid back than last year, in El Paso... Or 2006 in Dekalb with The Pimps... or Bond's in San Antonio in 2005. But it's the start of a new year and that is exciting because we have a lot ahead of us in the next 12 months. I like to think of it as the calm before the storm. You'll see what I mean soon! ;)

I'm doing another 100-day challenge, which will be much easier this year since I've already gone through it once, PLUS I have a number of family & friends that are joining in the challenge (let me know if you want to join in too!).

I am also resolving to do a lot more practicing of drums and guitar, and I'd like to take the FAWM challenge this year too.

Anybody else have New Year's Resolutions you want to share? Remember, keeping your goals visible one of the keys to meeting them!

Best wishes for an awesome 2008, everybody!

Happy New Year! I hope

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone's had a good start to 2008. Now let's make this the best year yet!