Year: 2009

NWS Nds Vwls 4 Ths 4cst

For the past week, the weather has been typical winter weather here in central Ohio: dreary, cold and snow/rain/freezing snow.

I wanted to see what it was going to be like this weekend, so I visited the National Weather Service’s forecast site (which I use instead of other sites for two reasons- they don’t have ads on their site and most other weather sites get their weather information from the NWS).  When I saw tonight’s forecast, I was confused, scared and bewildered:

FgzDz

The forecast for this afternoon and New Year’s Day are pretty straightforward.  Simple explanations and easy-to-understand graphics.  But what about tonight? Are frozen stalactites going to be raining down upon partiers in Central Ohio?  What is this FzgDz? Did they run out of vowels, or are they giving forecasts in leetspeek?

After Googling the phrase “FgzDz,” I found out it stands for “Freezing Drizzle.”  In fact, most of the sites that come up are weather related.  So fear not, Central Ohio, there’s no massive vowel shortage and you won’t be impaled by icicles tonight.  Just some freezing drizzle.  Makes me glad The Civee and I are hanging around here tonight.  Happy New Year, everyone.

King Tom

Claire’s Psychic: Soothsayer on a Slow Ride

The next and final season of Lost is a little more than a month away.  With less than 20 episodes to go, there are a lot of unanswered questions that remain part of the show’s mythology.  This series, “I Want Some Freakin’ Answers” will take a look at some of the lesser mysteries that I’d still like answered.

He was the bassist for Foghat.

He was also the Russian President for two seasons of 24.

And as an accomplished voice actor, he’s been a part of shows like The Critic and nearly every Star Wars video game until a few years ago.

Yet it’s Nick Jameson‘s role as Australian psychic Richard Malkin that interests Lost fans.  He’s only appeared in two flashback episodes, and is potentially responsible for two characters getting on Flight 815, which brought them to the mysterious Island.

Or maybe not.

Claire visits Malkin, who appears spooked by some vision of Claire’s baby.  After finding out that Claire intends to put her baby up for adoption, Malkin later implores Claire that she must not allow the “baby to be raised by another.”  However, he later changes his tune, saying he knows of an acceptable couple in Los Angeles, but she has only one option for transportation: Oceanic 815.  In fact, he’s quite adamant about it:

MALKIN: It has to be this flight. It can’t be any other. They’re already scheduled to meet you when you arrive. Flight 815. Flight 815.

We next meet Malkin in Season 2, during Eko’s flashback episode “?,” when his daughter has a near-death experience.  Malkin tells Eko the near-death experience was  mistake and that he’s a fraud as a psychic.  Only, we later find out that Malkin’s daughter did experience something supernatural.

(And yes, there’s a deleted scene where Malkin admits to Eko that he was paid by the Los Angeles couple to convince Claire to give them her baby.  But since it was deleted, it never happened).

So the question remains: is Richard Malkin for real or a fraud?

It would tie in well to Lost’s mythology if Malkin was able to see the future.  Claire and Aaron are important players in the whole story.  It’s hinted at the end of Raised by Another that Claire suspects Malkin knew all along that Flight 815 would crash and she would survive. This would ensure that Claire and no one else raised the baby.

But Malkin’s encounter with Eko (and the deleted scene) are evidence that Claire’s being on 815 was coincidental and he was perpetrating a ruse.

I’d like to think that Malkin was an important player.  The biggest piece of evidence is his insistence on Flight 815.   It’s likely though, that this mystery won’t be answered.  There are other, bigger mysteries, and this might not fit in to the time left to tell the Lost story.

Still, as long as there isn’t a Foghat reunion going on this winter, maybe Malkin will reappear on Lost one last time.

King Tom5 Comments

Forgive the Mess

So this afternoon I noticed that we’re a little more than a month away from the next season of Lost.  I was ready to write a new entry in the I Want Some Freakin Answers series (hint: it involves a former Foghat bassist, Russian Premier and voice of Emperor Palpatine), but then got a note that I should update the version of WordPress the blog is running.

Most of the time, upgrading WP takes two minutes.  But this time, it was more like two hours.  Had some difficulty with the version of SQL I’m running not being compatible with WP and the flux capacitor mucking everything up.

I had to upgrade the SQL and re-install (and re-configure) WP.  Not everything is working yet.  But it will be soon.

And hopefully I’ll get to the longawaited post about what a Foghat bassist has to do with the mysteries of Lost.

King Tom

Children From the Produce Aisle

Being a first-time expectant father, I have a lot to learn about the pregnancy process.

Relatively speaking, men have it easy for the nine months their significant other is pregnant.  So in an effort to be a good husband, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn as much about what the Civee is going through as possible.  However, in my effort to be studious, I’ve also become quite bewildered.

In an effort to explain what the baby is like at a certain point during the pregnancy, many books and Web sites will liken the baby’s size or weight to an outside-the-womb item.  That’s all fine and dandy.  However, most of these sources like to compare the baby to a fruit or vegetable.  Take, for example, the bountiful resource babycenter.com.  In their “Your Pregnancy: Week by Week” section, they liken a baby’s progression to the following:

  • sesame seed
  • lentil bean
  • blueberry
  • kidney bean
  • grape
  • kumquat
  • fig
  • lime
  • lemon
  • apple
  • avocado
  • turnip
  • bell pepper
  • large heirloom tomato
  • banana
  • carrot
  • spaghetti squash
  • large mango
  • ear of corn
  • average rutabaga
  • English hothouse cucumber
  • head of cauliflower
  • Chinese cabbage
  • butternut squash
  • try carrying four navel oranges
  • large jicama
  • a pineapple
  • your average cantaloupe
  • honeydew melon
  • crenshaw melon
  • a stalk of Swiss chard
  • a leek
  • a mini watermelon
  • small pumpkin

Right now, The Civee’s at week 23.  It’s weird and frightening to picture her giving birth to a large mango.  But beyond that, I’m not sure what a rutabaga looks like.  I have no idea how a crenshaw melon is different than a honeydew melon.  And I thought English cucumbers were always wrapped in plastic.

It would be nice if they could think of other real-world items (weighs as much as a can of paint, as big as a Playstation controller) that they could compare the baby to.   I applaud the creativity, but comparing a baby to fruits and vegetables is confusing, and scary when one is in the middle of the produce aisle trying to pick out a good kumquat or jicama.

King Tom

A Close Call For Richard Cuomo

Earlier today, reputable news sources reported that Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo and his family were involved in a bus crash, with Cuomo being hospitalized due to rib pain.

However, now eonline is reporting that Rivers is okay.  See for yourself:

Get well Richard.

In all seriousness, I wish Rivers, his wife and daughter a speedy recovery.  A few months ago, The Civee was involved in a car accident and while she’s okay now, she was shook up pretty bad.  And after hearing the basics on the phone right after it happened and waiting to find out more, that’s not a good spot for anyone to be in.

Sure, some Weezer concerts may have to be postponed, but aside from some rib pain, the important thing is Rivers is okay.

King Tom

Naming Is Not A Game

Last week, the Civee and I found out that our baby on the way is a girl.

We’re both happy about this, and I have to admit, knowing this will cut down on a lot of disagreements within our household.  We’ve had a girl’s name in mind for many years.  On the other hand, when it comes to a boy’s name, we’ve only recently agreed on one that we both like.

I take naming our child very seriously.  Because of this, I was a bit more sensitive to some of the boys names out there.  Some names were rejected because they didn’t flow right.  Others reminded me of kids I grew up with, and I refuse to name my child after the kid who was smelly or one who beat me up at any time.

At the same time, there were a bunch of names that I liked that got an immediate veto from the Civee.  Here are some of them (including first and middle name combinations when applicable):

Those are just some of the names that the Civee has rejected.  Of course, she could forget these if and when there’s a next time to talk about boy’s names.

(And no, I won’t tell you what the boy’s name we liked was or what our daughter will be named.  I fear for my life should I spill the beans).

King Tom5 Comments

The Island Moves Again…To Tuesday Nights

It’s a good thing that the only decent thing on TV on Tuesday nights is already on ABC, because the alphabet network announced today that the final season of Lost will air Tuesday nights at 9.  Or as Lost Boss Carlton Cuse tweeted earlier today:

LOST will premiere Tuesday, February 2 at 9PM.

And yes, Tuesdays @ 9 PM will be the regular time slot.

I’m glad it’s back at 9:00 again.  That one season where it started at 10:00 kept me up way too late.  I’ve actually enjoyed ABC ‘s V revival, and it will be nice to have these two shows back-to-back.

Another good thing about the move to Tuesday nights- April 7, 2010 is a Thursday.  So I won’t be distracted by…other things.

King Tom1 Comment

Looks Just Like Me!

The Civee and I went in today for the week 20 ultrasound, which conveniently is also her halfway point.

The doctor seemed pleased with how everything was progressing. Apparently, the baby has long arms and legs, which we’re guessing it got from me.  Also, the doctor pointed out the humerus, which some believe is the source of one’s sense of humor.  Which it also got  from me.

King Tom

Weezer’s Pinkerton Deluxe: Putting The Puzzle Together

UPDATES

October 2010: Looking for Tragic Girl? Click here.

September, 2010: A Japanese Web site posted a possible tracklist, view it here.

February, 2010: There’s an update to this post here.

Back in 2004, Geffen released a deluxe edition of Weezer’s debut album, 1994’s Weezer (the Blue Album). It was a nice two-disc set, with disc one being the album itself and disc two containing the associated B-sides, some demos, live versions and two previously-unheard songs.

Fans enjoyed Blue deluxe, but from the moment it was issued, also started clamoring for a deluxe edition of Blue’s follow-up, 1996’s Pinkerton. And with good reason, as not only does Pinkerton have a number of “how did they leave these off the album” B-sides, but a whole craze devoted to Songs From The Black Hole, discarded material from Pinkerton’s earliest incarnation.

Earlier this year, the band announced that a Pinkerton Deluxe was in the works. Going off of the model of Blue Deluxe, most fans expected a similar two-disc set, with the album on one disc, and disc two containing demos, B-sides, live versions, and if the band was feeling charitable, some unused SFTBH material.

That would have made fans very happy. But earlier this summer, Popular Sounds, a fan blog, claimed much more was on the way for Pinkerton Deluxe:

Coming from an e-mail of vague provinence, I was informed that Pinkerton [Deluxe] will have a total of 43 tracks spanning 2 discs! The source confirmed that Disc 1 is 21 tracks, while Disc 2 is 22 tracks, one of which is a Weezer song no one has ever heard of called “Tragic Girl.” Quick, go look up Rivers’ COR, it ain’t on there. Folks, Pinkerton [Deluxe] is going to be HUGE.

There was a lot of skepticism surrounding these claims. There is no reference to a “Tragic Girl” in either Weezer.com’s Recording History or Rivers Cuomo’s Catalog of Riffs, the two indisputable sources of Weezer and Cuomo’s pre-2005 recording activity. There were some whispers on fan boards that the claims weren’t totally wrong, but the band was quiet about Pinkerton Deluxe, until this week, when the band’s twitter carried the news that the band was in the studio reviewing material for the deluxe album. Adding further intrigue was the confirmation of the Tragic Girl rumor, when without any prompting, Rivers tweeted:

“Tragic Girl” is going to be like “You Know You’re Right” for Pinkerton fans.

With the man behind Weezer confirming the existence of such a song, maybe this 43-track myth has some basis in reality after all.

So other than the ten songs that made up Pinkerton and Tragic Girl, what else will be on those two discs? They have to throw on the official Pinkerton B-sides, Waiting on You, You Gave Your Love To Me Softly, Devotion and I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams. A few acoustic versions of Blue and Pinkerton songs also made it as Pinkerton-era B-sides. Another possibility is Getting Up and Leaving, a song the band recorded but never released.

Even adding some of Rivers’ demos of Pinkerton songs, the track count just cracks 20, so it’s likely (if the 43-track item is true) that a number of full-band Songs From the Black Hole will finally make it out of the vaults.

(For those of you who don’t know, Cuomo’s original plan for Weezer’s second album was SFTBH, an ambitious rock opera with a storyline paralleling the band’s rise to fame and life on the road. SFTBH morphed into Pinkerton after the rejection of the rock opera idea, Rivers’ solitary first semester at Harvard and the release of then-bassist Matt Sharp’s first Rentals album).

Some of Cuomo’s original SFTBH demos have made it out on his Alone Series.  But fans have never heard the full-band versions, which Weezer recorded in the fall of ’95 before switching to the Pinkerton concept in the winter and spring of 96.  Going through the Recording history, the following songs got full-band treatment and have not been officially released:

  • Blast Off!
  • Superfriend
  • Longtime Sunshine
  • Longtime sunshine: Special ‘coda’ version experiment

Additionally, the band rehearsed versions of these and other songs which were never released.

In the later Pinkerton sessions, which took place in the summer of ’96, they also recorded I Swear It’s True (an earlier version of which was released on Blue Deluxe) and the aforementioned Getting Up and Leaving.  The band finished these with a different bassist the next summer, but because they were being held for a Pink Triangle retail single which was never released, these versions of these songs are also unheard.

Unlikely to make the album are Rivers’ demos from this era.  Most of Rivers’ demos have been held back for his Alone series, and going by the Recording History, it looks as if all the band recorded during this time was the material that comprised Pinkerton.

(Although, as an aside, it would be interesting if Weezer attempted recording two other songs Rivers wrote during this period, Sheila Can Do [It] and Sunshine O, two upbeat songs which Rivers wrote in between Pinkerton favorites The Good Life and Falling For You.  Both Sheila and Sunshine (which some fans believe to be about werewolves) were played during Rivers’ solo shows in Boston in 1997, and an excellent version of Sheila Can Do [It] is featured on HOMiE Volume 1, the greatest fan cover album of all time.  And neither song seems to fit in the emotional dimension the rest of Pinkerton inhabits).

Some online retailers have posted that Pinkerton Deluxe will go on sale next February, so we should get an idea of the real tracklist sometime soon.  Even if it’s not going to be 43 tracks, there’s still a lot out there that fans want to hear and hopefully, we’ll finally get them.

And once Weezer fans figure that out, then speculation can begin as to what will be featured on Weezer’s upcoming rarities album Odds and Ends.

King Tom10 Comments

The Only Thing Worth Waiting In Line For

Earlier this week, The Civee stood in line for a few hours to get vaccinated against the Swine Flu.  Being pregnant, she fits in the main target group. I got a regular flu shot earlier this year and I see no need, for the Swine Flu shot especially considering that by the time the baby arrives, flu season will have passed.   Yet she keeps trying to convince me to get the other shot. Although she hasn’t tried since we had this exchange:

The Civee: I’m so glad I got that shot.  Now I feel invincible.

Me: Well, I’m glad you got it. You only had to wait, what, two hours?

The Civee: It doesn’t mater. You should get it too.

Me: I’m thirty-two-years old. The only thing I’m waiting in line for that long is to meet Mr. T.

King Tom2 Comments