Live Bazan

Here's a link to some live David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion and The Headphones):

http://hardtofindafriend.blogspot.com/2007/11/david-bazan-live-at-grey-eagle-11407.html

There are some new songs mixed in there. Enjoy!

Buy a MacBook Pro

To prepare myself for the next phase I needed to pick up a laptop for relief work and my own business. Decisions, decisions, decided: MacBook Pro 15.4". I can't truly recommend this yet because it hasn't arrived. I wanted to post this anyway, though, because Amazon.com has it for 5% off and a $150 rebate. Free shipping with Super Saver. All things considered it comes out to a 12.5% discount, the best price I've seen (and I've been watching these for quite some time).

Some highlights:

• They've upgraded the processor to the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Intel Core Duo running at 2.2 GHz)
  
• 2GB RAM
• LED backlit screen
• Backlit keyboard
• 120GB hard drive. A little small in this day and age, but I'd rather spend cheap money on an external and use it with Time Machine then pay the exhorbitant price they want for a few measly GBs.
• You know I'll be Boot Camping to XP. That's what you get when you're do .NET development. Developers, developers, developers.

What can I say? I long for my LCIII experiences of yesteryear.



Enjoy!

Buy Serendipity

Here's a blast from the past: Serendipity! I've been loving it since 2001 so I might as well admit it. We were bored on Saturday night so we popped it in for another viewing (we absolutely own it; and this was a Jeremy purchase, not a Molly purchase). It's just as great as it ever was.

Kate Beckinsale is fantastic. You can't argue that fact. John Cusack is fantastic. He's been rolling in high comedy since the old days. He anchors this picture nicely. Jeremy Piven does his Jeremy Piven thing, but before he entered the "all I do is the Jeremy Piven thing" stage of his career, so it's OK. Eugene Levy is present and perfect in a small role (the search for the name by Cusack, Piven, and Levy is a great bit). Molly Shannon restrains her Molly Shannon self for about 75 minutes before cracking her single SNL line (who would have thought there'd be two Molly Shannon references on Try Avoidance in one week). Tom Brady's baby-momma even shows up. What more could you ask for?

Let's go down the list:

• It's always nice when a romantic comedy is actually a comedy. Check.
• The music actually adds value. I hadn't noticed this until this past viewing. Great tunes for the settings, I'd love to get the soundtrack. Check.
• I cried when I first watched it and continue to get misty-eyed every viewing since. Watch the scene where Beckinsale goes to the Waldorf near the end and try not to cry. If you succeed your heart is made of stone surrounded by three inches of ice. Check.

This is what a romantic comedy should be.

Don't Rent Secrets of the Cave

From the writer/director who aslo brought you ... Secrets of the Cave ... Enough said.

Buy Beirut

I discovered the band Beirut recently while listening to WERS (88.9 here in Boston; also streaming online for those who'd like to check it out).

Listen to Postcards from Italy (this is a live version via Songza).

Of course the instant comparison is Neutral Milk Hotel. But this guy is doing something different. The rest of the his first album, Gulag Orkestar, isn't as close a match. And that's probably a good thing. Everyone needs to forge their own sound. Beirut has acheived that. The album is solid from front to back. I can't wait to check out their follow-up The Flying Club Cup.

It's been awhile since I've had an album sneak up on me like this. One of those albums that takes 6 listens before you really appreciate it. Like the way Good Morning Spider did so many years ago.

So, follow these instructions:

• Buy Gulag Orkestar by Beirut
• Listen 6 times
• Enjoy!

Rent Music & Lyrics

I highly recommend Music and Lyrics.

For some reason I find Hugh Grant funny. I'm not sure why. Even in movies that I didn't love, I respect the fact that he's always funny. Notting Hill, American Dreamz, and the very good About a Boy are some examples. This movie is genuinely funny.

What makes this movie work is the fact that the music is original and well done. The 80's tunes are deliciously 80's. The modern Brit-tina Spear-ulara tunes are actually clever ("Buddha's Delight" is unmatched; I can actually listen to this song for enjoyment purposes). The big thing about the music is that they don't dumb it down or say "look at me, look how clever and obvious I'm being." The music works because they sell it, unashamedly and without blinking.

Enjoy!

Rent Year of the Dog

I highly recommend Year of the Dog.

This is not your "School of Rock" Mike White.

This is not your "Superstar" Molly Shannon.

This is just a good movie. At times it gave me a Napoleon Dynamite feel. At times it was very funny. At times it was almost scarily dark. It surprised me.

Enjoy!

Last Celtics Game?

Closed

What else can I say? The money's in the bank.

Last of the framed photos

Backlit Trees
Originally uploaded by jerpro

The abundance of peace until ...
Originally uploaded by jerpro

It's always nice to find yourself on IMDB

http://posters.imdb.com/title/tt1003033/soundtrack

Michael Scott in Real Life

We went and saw Dan in Real Life on Wednesday night. Fantastic time at the movies! This one is definitely worth checking out. Steve Carell plays a widower with three daughters caught up in a love triangle during a family weekend in Rhode Island.

The movie is filled with good-natured laughs and nice moments. It's by no means a "great" film but it's far superior to most stuff out there and I think you'll enjoy it. From time to time you'd swear that Carell is still playing Michael Scott from The Office. However, this is more due to the awkwardness of the situations than the heart of the character. It has awkwardness galore; and that's why I love it.

Have you seen it? What'd you think?