The Shins were awesome. I expected no less. They played a couple of great sets and for nearly two hours. I was reminded today by my brother that I was actually supposed to see them at some point in the recent past*, but I was unable to go because of a death in my wife's family. Thanks to this unread by anyone else blog, I have a record of this. It was in March 2007.

*Actually, what he asked me was if the Shins were better than the last time we saw them and a very confusing conversation ensued, as I've never seen them before.

[Photo appears courtesy of Picasa/Leslie (whoever she is, she really like some awesome music)]
First, I'm really disappointed that I forgot my camera again. There were a couple of really solid Kodak moments, including the heavyset bitch who turned around and actually asked me and my friends to keep it down, like we were at the opera or in the viewing room for a neurosurgical procedure. Needless to say, we began to get into it a little bit and I told her she needed to cool it. And then after we were finished arguing, I had a "jerk store" moment where I realized I should have told her to tell her cats about the mean man at the concert that made her sad. But the moment was gone, and I spent quite a while loudly making fun of her while standing right behind her, so all wasn't lost.*

*Am I crazy? Is it ridiculous that someone would do this? Especially back at the bar, which is where people go at a concert when they want to talk and listen to the band play?

Second, Terminal 5: not a really amazing venue. They probably could have put a little money into the place when they decided they'd be converting it to a concert venue. I guess it looks a lot like the Hammerstein Ballroom or Irving Plaza.

Also, we spent the concert standing by the bar in the back. During the encore, there's a little commotion behind us from the bartenders. Turns out, they were taking bets on two couples that were really going at it at the back of the room. It was a total "I think he's going to pork her, Dad" moment. One of the guys looked like he was actually going to unhinge his jaw and put his date's whole head into his mouth. These are the kinds of things that need to be recorded for posterity.

Anyway, good times were had by all.

Labels: live music, The Shins

First things first, please go to TV Squad and read my friend Joel Keller's commentary about the future of Scrubs (and read the comments, because Bill Lawrence himself stops by).

Second, I'm going to miss this show. It was one of the only guaranteed laughs for me on TV these days. It never let me down. And neither did this episode. If you're any kind of Scrubs fan, you had to love tonight's episode. It had everything that made the show great: the wackiness, the sentimentality, great cameos, Cox-ishness, etc.

There wasn't much more for the show to do, so it was time to go. And since it runs endlessly in syndication (in the NYC area: 8am on Channel 9, 3pm and 3:30pm on Comedy Central, 7pm and 7:30pm on Comedy Central and 12 midnight on Channel 5, not to mention the sporadic TV Land episode), I'm sure I'll continue to get my Scrubs fix. I'll also say that in watching season 1 and 2 episodes, you see the difference in quality. Those episodes were, to me, better and a little less goofy. Yet, on some level, it's like asking which Tootsie pop is your favorite. Except for chocolate (the Heather Graham episodes), they're all delicious goodness. You just can't choose.

Farewell, new Scrubs episodes. You'll be missed.

Labels: Scrubs

For the last few weeks, I've been off indulging my id. By that, I mean that I've been watching a lot of American Gladiators re-runs in my underwear, eating my weight in pretzel chips and hummus, and enjoying my new HDTV, which brings me something like 5 baseball games a night.

I've read a some books: Steve Martin's autobiography Born Standing Up, Gay Talese's The Bridge, The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2009, Baseball Prospectus 2009: The Essential Guide to the 2009 Baseball Season, Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

I'm about to start John Dos Passos's Manhattan Transfer and I've pre-ordered a couple of books that won't be released until later in the year, but I'll be sure to update as those come. Also, the reading of the book Manhattan Transfer led me to download the full collection of albums by The Manhattan Transfer, the American jazz combo.

Most terribly, Bea Arthur died since we last spoke. Needless to say, I'm crushed by this development. She was a like my very own, really sarcastic, baritone-voiced great-great-great grandmother. I still have a couple of shirts with her countenance on them that I will still be wearing with pride. In honor of Bea, please find the lyrics to the theme song from Maude, "And Then There's Maude" (written entirely from my memory, so there may be errors):

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider,
she didn't care if the whole world looked.
Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her,
she was a sister who really cooked.

Something something a bad roll something
And something else was a doughed up
And when the country was torn apart,
Betsy Ross got it all sewed up.

And then there's Maude (x6)
Positively hypnotizing, altogether something-izing, right on Maude.

R.I.P. Bea. Mourn you 'till I join you.

Also, apparently, there's some sort of flu bug going around. I haven't heard much about it (the news outlets are really covering it that much), but if I find anything out about it, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Labels: American Gladiators, books, the flu, The Manhattan Transfer