Please to go vote for Shmoop, teng you

Just click the macro to go rate it. Shmoop and I both thank you from the bottom of our drunken hearts.


moar funny pictures

This just in from the Boondocks

Aunt Tudi was on the phone with Aunt Josephine, who was telling her about her deer problems. Apparently, the deer are not just coming in her back yard. They're wanting to come onto her back porch and, then into her house. She said she's having to fix the gate on her back porch to prevent the deer from knocking on her door and demanding Deer Chow. Aunt Josephine then declared, and I quote, "I have enough trouble with the bats and squirrels getting in the house."

I'd give anything to live like that.

Heroes of Mine

I've spent the last hour or so listening to one of my very favourite bands: The Alan Parsons Project. I first heard them in 1980 when the song "Games People Play" came on the radio. That was the song playing when the DJ came on with the news that John Lennon had been murdered. In 1981, the song "Time" was released, and I was utterly enamoured with APP. To me, they sounded a lot like ELO. When the album Eye in the Sky was released, I saved up my allowance and bought it as soon as I could. It was my first Alan Parson Project album, even though I really should have bought Turn of a Friendly Card first, since it's their absolute best album, despite my deep love for Eye in the Sky. Oh, the visions their music inspired in my head! I wrote many stories while listening to APP. In fact, the whole world of Dannagran Dram can be attributed to Eye in the Sky.

Someone once described APP's music as cinematic. That someone was correct in their description. In fact, the music for Ladyhawke was composed by Andrew Powell, who was a member of APP, acting as resident arranger, conductor, and composer. You can hear the influence in Ladyhawke. It's one of the reasons why I love that movie (not the only reason, but one of them). It all seems to fit, the imagery and the music. That's just me, though. I know of some folks who dislike the Ladyhawke soundtrack. To each her/his own.

When I was in Quality Assurance, I pulled Turn of a Friendly Card to listen to it while visually inspecting product. We had the entire APP catalogue at BMG, since they were on the Arista label. I'd never heard the album, only the singles released from it. It quickly became my favourite album by the band. In fact, my coworker at the time, Richard, fell in love with it. We listened to it nonstop for about two weeks before Richard had had enough of it and released the speaker system to other music. I was fine with listening to the album on and on. It's truly a work of art. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a mild curiosity in the Alan Parsons Project.

The album that followed Eye in the Sky was Ammonia Avenue. It's a good album, but it doesn't measure up to its two predecessors. The title track, though, astounded me in its beauty and ethereal lyrics.

( cut for lyrics. not an emo moment, just sharing the wealth )

I just checked my music and discovered that I don't have this song anymore. It must have been lost when my last computer crashed and I no longer have the album, having sold it thinking my MP3s were safe and sound. DAMN! That's a real shame.

Anyway, this song was very important in my creation of the Deσaghydhen myths. Their sorrows, their questing, their journeys across the infinities of space are all wrapped up in "Ammonia Avenue."

Yeah, the Alan Parsons Project are important to me. They rank high amongst my collection of heroes over the course of my life. I can't imagine my life without their cinematic wonder.

Oh my sweet Lady!

booraven22 hooked her buds up with a website that features delicious photographs of lovely manflesh. I had to save some of my favourites.

( cut for heavy visual loveliness )

So did my post make any hearts out there go pitty-pat? I hope so. If you're interested in the other men I have in my collection, feel free to go here.

Good night.