The Niemster

Photo Show

If you are in Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 3, then why not come and take a look at some of my photos?

Ella is One

I forgot to post anything about Ella turning the big number 1. Well, she is now a year old and the time just flew by. I'm sure it will slow down some time, right? Not a chance. Remember when an hour felt like an eternity? Perception of time changes so much as we age and that perception changes so much more when you have a little one growing up before your eyes.

On the kidney stone front, I'm back to normal. The surgery went well and the stone was crushed into pieces. The recovery time wasn't bad, although the stent they left in me for a week was rather uncomfortable. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Kidney Stoned

Uh, kidney stones suck. Hope you never get one. My dad has had five and my oldest brother has had six. Damn genetics! This is my first, and I can probably count on having more in the future. The Percocet certainly helps, but the initial pain is constant and sharp.

If I don't pass the stone tonight, I'm in for a fun procedure tomorrow morning. It is out-patient so it isn't very serious. I'll spare you of the specifics, but I'm sure you can use your imagination and figure out what they need to do. I'm in a Percocet induced haze as I type this and I'm pounding the water. Wish me luck.

Comedy Central's Love Affair With Mencia

I don't understand why Comedy Central cancels some of the shows they cancel. (ie. Dog Bites Man and Stella) But what I really don't understand is the show Mind of Mencia. His schtick is tired and unfunny. That annoying grin he has on his face as he tells his horrible jokes and performs his skits kills me. Who watches this show? The same people that enjoy Dane Cook I guess. Now he is getting into commercials and soon I'm sure he'll have his own terrible movie.

How unoriginal and unfunny is this guy? Watch this clip:

Menomena Rocked the Moose Lodge

Menomena's third appearance here in Pittsburgh was their best so far. They were tight as usual, but the Moose Lodge's acoustics were fantastic. I was surprised at what a great venue that place is. Hopefully, it continues being a venue.

It was great seeing the trio from Portland again, and I wish them the very best. They deserve all the press they have been getting. I hope they make it back to Pittsburgh again and again.

Photo courtesy of Craig Biertempfel

Shows, Shows, Shows

Here are some upcoming shows in Pittsburgh. I'm going to as many as I can:

Tuesday March 13: Dean & Britta - Dowe's on 9th
Tuesday March 20: Man Man - Diesel
Thursday March 22: Menomena - Lawrenceville Moose Lodge
Wednesday April 4: Black Angels - Brillobox
Tuesday June 19: The National - Rex Theatre
Saturday July 7: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Amphitheatre @ Sandcastle (For Bob)

American Madrasah

Highlights:

Evangelical Christian zombies train their young to take over the country and the world. In the documentary, Jesus Camp speaking in tongues is encouraged and Church and State are sandwiched together in a fantastic orgy of theocracy.
Creepy home schooled kids are conditioned to believe that they are the key generation in bringing Jesus back to Earth. Pretty steep responsibility for pre-teen children, but the political agenda seems to be more important for this crowd which is the scariest part of the film.
Ted Haggard shows up in this film which is hilarious considering he resigned due to "sexual misconduct." He even has a nice quote in the film damning homosexuality.

Bruce Campbell For Old Spice

I hate most commercials, but I love this one.

W's War

I've been combing through tons of political cartoons for work and this one was my favorite. It's from cartoonist Scott Stantis dated March 14, 2003.

POWs

Remember that other war. It has taken a back seat to the War on Terror, but the War on Drugs is still going strong. The prisoners of the War on Drugs are being crammed into overcrowded prisons, locally the state of Pennsylvania is reopening Western Pen. 1 in 32(!) Americans are either in prison, on probation, or paroled.

Best of 2006 (Like You Care)

This year wasn't all that great for music in my opinion. Here are some of my favorites:

The Pink Mountaintops - Axis of Evol: I hope this band comes to Pittsburgh, but I'm not holding my breath.

The Black Angels - Passover: Stoner rock from Austin, TX. Impressive debut. They played here and I was out of town. Oh well.

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit: Quite a nice rebound after a couple of subpar releases.

Band of Horses - Everything All the Time: They may sound a bit like My Morning Jacket, ok quite a bit, but I liked this album quite a bit.

The Figurines - Skeleton: This may have been my favorite album of the year.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain: Worst titled album, but the songs are great.

Man Man - Six Demon Bag: One of the most original albums I've heard in a while. I'm still kicking myself for missing them at the Brillobox.

Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon: Hooray for bands from Minnesota.

Built to Spill - You In Reverse: BTS is awesome all the time.

Best Christmas Song Ever

I hardly ever watch Saturday Night Live, but I'm glad I caught this digital short on last night's episode. Enjoy this on YouTube below or the uncensored version here.

Petey Was My Cat

I had a horrible day yesterday. Petey, my four year old cat, was put to sleep. As I type this, my lap is ice cold and I have a terrible empty feeling inside. You will be missed Petey.

Milton Friedman, R.I.P.

A champion of individual liberty has passed. If you have thirty minutes, do yourself a favor and watch this genius at work.

Did You Vote? I Didn't.

So Rick Santorum went down in flames and I didn't have to go to the polls to make it happen? Wow, democracy inaction works! I'm not so happy about Casey winning, but I am thrilled about Santorum losing. The best part of election night for me was seeing Santorum's freaky kids crying on stage during his concession speech. That pasty crew needs to get out more.Here's a good article on the Pennsylvania Senate race from Reason magazine.

The bright side: Divided government is a good thing. Remember the 90's? The '94 Republican "revolution" was good for making a gridlocked DC and the less they do, the better. Here's to two more years of a horrendous Bush administration doing less and less. Hopefully.