Weezer - the blue album (s/t)

Here's tonight's bowling update. I started off weak with a 78, but then finished okay with a 134 and a 124. I was at 100 through 7 frames in the last game, so I did fall off a bit at the end. I was really tired.

I had a dream the other day that I was attacked by a whale in Loch Ness. I drained the Loch and called Carolyn Heinrich in to do some research on the whale. Emily came too. We thought the whale had died, but it came back to life, sort of like Jesus. Then I woke up.

School is wearing me out. Work is wearing me out. That's synergy.

I have a draft of my big group assignment due on Monday. That's going to stress me out. We have an assignment due in 871 next week too. Meredith sings on Saturday. Afterwards, we're going to go see Nada Surf at the crappy Annex.

They drink too much beer here. Did I just say that? I don't know if too much beer would be possible for me, but these people here make me a believer that it actually is possible to have too much beer.

I get to write a report on Cocaine sentencing in Wisconsin.

Cleaning a meat grinder is horrible. It's still worth having though.

I get a test back tomorrow. I also shave tomorrow. Superstitions and all.

Seriously, I'm really tired. Also, I really want a job for after graduation. LBB, call me.

I'm famous

I googled myself and this link came up. It looks like a brilliant report.

the Donnas - Get Skintight

Today has worn my ass out. I took a test, and I have no idea how it went. I guess that's how it goes sometimes. I'll probably post something interesting tomorrow. I may not, but I'll try. Have fun.

Detroit Cobras - Mink Rat or Rabbit

Strange day. There was an odd incident with a neighbor taking our clean clothes out of the washer and putting them on this very dirty counter. He was in such a hurry to get his clothes washed that he did this while our other load was in the dryer. Then he effectively skipped ahead of us. It's not a huge deal, but it does violate some sense of etiquette. One should be patient enough to let the wash and dry cycle end before jumping in. If he had left his basket of dirty clothes by the washer, we would have allowed him to take his place and nobody would have been skipped and nobody's 4 quarters would have been wasted. It's just a courtesy issue.

I used the meat grinder today and it was awesome. Non-meat eaters may not realize how nice it is to make one's own ground meat, but there's really no comparison between home ground and store ground meat. If you like ground meats or making sausage, and you have a kitchenaid mixer, I highly recommend getting the grinder attachment. The chili was excellent.

I have an exam at 11. I'm not looking forward to it. Looking at past exams for this class makes me realize how little of the tests come from the lectures. It looks like stuff from the book instead. It's kind of confusing. This is an economics course and the professor uses different notations and graphs in lecture than does the book. Hopefully it will all work out.

Movies

15. Going the Distance - This is a horrible Canadian take on the post-high school road trip comedy. It's cliche and a little gross at times, but it is intriguing because it is Canadian. Apparently, Canadians think that they have a country worthy of making a road trip movie about. That's hilarious. These kids are going to Toronto to go to the Much Music Awards Show so that the main character can keep his girlfriend from sleeping with Jason Priestly. Along the way, some stuff happens. Then Avril Lavigne pours water on a guy and there's a Sum-41 song for the credits. There is also a Nickelback sex joke. I don't know. So, it's not a good movie on its merits, but there are Canadians. And let's be honest, who amongst us doesn't laugh at Canadians?

Sorry

If you followed my recommendation and went to see the M's at Memorial Union last night, I am sorry. The first band sounded like Neil Diamond and was good for 3 or 4 songs, but from then on they just got more and more boring and more and more annoying. And when I say that they sounded like Neil Diamond, I mean that the singer's voice was dead on and the style of music was very early rock n roll. The highlight was this little handicap fella who danced around, mostly bouncing up and down, and yelled during the first band's set. The M's came on and their first song sounded really good. From then on, they sounded like they'd never played together before. It was just off. They sounded bad. The lead lines were sloppy and bad. The M's are a timing band. When they have no timing, they are no good. They also had a little attitude to them. They played in the dining area of the union. There was basically no room to stand, so people sat. The band whined about it. I agree that sitting isn't so cool, but the band never earned people standing up. The only time that I stood up was to leave during the 5th or 6th song.

Movies

14. Bullitt - I have no idea why this movie is considered a classic. I have no idea why this movie is considered even somewhat good. Steve McQueen is a slightly jaded cop. I get it. He drives around. For a man known for his driving ability, he sure has some incredibly boring chase scenes. The movie is not worth watching, even if Jacqueline Bisset is in it.

A new toy

I got a new toy today. It's the meat grinder attachment for our Kitchenaid countertop mixer. I've been wanting this for a while. I registered for it when we were getting married but Meredith un-registered for it. Now we have it and we're making chili with it tomorrow night. Fresh ground round.

I also got my commemorative book from Sports Illustrated. I'm still waiting on my football.

Willie Nelson and Family - Honeysuckle Rose

There are few things as good as Willie Nelson and this is arguably his best album. I think it's my favorite.

Screw you TAA. The Union that negotiates my PA contract has increased the fees that they take out of my check from $9.90 a month to $11.55 a month. That's highway robbery. Aside from the incredibly cheap insurance and the relatively high wages, what have they done for me?

Tea, pineapple, strawberries, and toast. That was breakfast today. It was nearly perfect. There were no cherubs singing choruses which bumped it down a notch.

The cd player isn't working again. Fortunately, the dvd player is more than willing and able to fill in.

I can't really complain

Tammy Baldwin is going to be the speaker at my graduation. My Congresswoman is fine at representing Madison, but I'm not particularly interested in hearing a politician speak at my graduation, particularly one running for re-election. But, somebody else did the work to find and book a speaker and I appreciate that. The less for me to do, the better. My role in this is best described as sitting there and then walking when someone says my name.

Le Tigre - Feminist Sweepstakes

I really don't like Le Tigre. It's not the music that I have a problem with, it's that Kathleen Hanna may be the most annoying person in the world. I'm just listening to this record to get it over with. There's no pleasure involved today.

I'm going to say again that I love Tex Tubbs' Taco Palace over on Atwood, by the Barrymore. It is a really nice approximation of Tex-Mex. It's very similar to Chuy's. It has the National Beer of Texas in limited supply. Tex's seems to be the only place in town that has good refried beans. The other places in town have horrible beans. I don't understand how that's possible. The stuff in the can at the grocery store is better than the shit they serve in the restaurants.

While we were dining and drinking, mostly drinking, we decided that the meal and beer making us so happy was a good sign that we need to move back to Austin. Later in the conversation, we decided that we could be successful with a Texas style barbecue restaurant, a la Ruby's. We have some money accumulated and the owner of Underground Textbooks has offered to invest in any business that Meredith and I decide to start up here. That's tempting since my actual goal in life is to own a restaurant or bar. I think that we could be successful over in that same Atwood neighborhood. It's really close to Willie St. We'll probably never know.

Electrocutes - Steal Yer Lunch Money

Eleven Lone Stars Later

Meredith and I just got home from Tex Tubbs Taco Palace. Kevin Tubbs, the owner, is from Austin. It is the only place in the State of Wisconsin where you can get Lone Star. We just had 11 of them. They were all very good. The tacos were very good. I highly recommend that place to anyone who finds themself in Madison, WI. We talked to the owner periodically and found out that he goes to San Antonio and buys the beer direct from the brewery. I'm glad I don't have class tomorrow. I can see myself being pretty useless in the morning.

Bishop Allen

If the whole original recordings thing doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure that they could make it as a Startime International cover band. Their new stuff sounds like French Kicks b-sides. It's good, but it doesn't seem like it's gone where their old stuff was heading.

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - s/t

God has given me a headache as punishment. I'm not sure why.

We just left the New Pornographers show early. It was really boring. I'm not sure if it was the band, sans Neko Case, or the venue that made it so bad. The Barrymore is a Madison landmark. It is "the" venue in town. It is also the worst place that I have ever seen a show. I've seen some bad shows in some bad venues. Remember that strange movie theatre turned venue in Austin? My high school theater is nicer than the Barrymore. Its set up like your standard theater with the orchestra area as standing room only. That's a lot of seats. You don't need that many seats at a rock venue. They would be fine if they took out the seats downstairs and left the balcony seats. The acoustics are horrible, or the mix was bad. Either way, it didn't sound good. They have these old bouncers roaming the aisles with matching collared shirts. They're kind of pushy. I guess that's their job. They don't really need to be there. The highlight came when this guy walked up to me with his hand outstretched and said, "Hi, I'm Kevin Clark's cousin." Sure enough, it was Max. He came in from Milwaukee. Meredith and I have discussed that we may have considered staying in the midwest had we moved to Milwaukee instead of Madison. I never expected to feel this way about Madison when we decided to move here, but I do. I blame Kevin's family for this. They're such nice people and they're from Wisconsin.

I want to announce that we'll be moving to Austin this summer. I can't do that, because neither of us have jobs in Austin. If only. Was that a good teaser or what?

I got a haircut from a woman from Edinburgh. It was pleasant.

I've been listening to Morningwood a lot lately. They say that they make sexy music for sexy people. Strangely, they're right. I dare you to listen to this album and not get a little amourous. It's not possible. The singer, whatever her name is, is another in that proud tradition of faux-punk sex kittens. They have a fair amount of risque photos of her on the website. Meredith says that they're like the Donnas if the Donnas were good. I say that they are like a blend of the Sahara Hotnights and Imperial Teen.

I'm not going to Jefferson tomorrow. Rejoice.

I think Emily reads this now. That makes two Madison people who I know, plus the random belligerent Madison people who don't like that I dislike Madison. I think they want to win me over with their love.

I miss Austin. Saying that it's a warm winter day there doesn't mean that it's in the upper 30's.

I have a dilemma. If you've read this far, you know that I hate the Barrymore. In two weeks, Ray Davies will be playing there. It's $37.50, but there are seats, not assigned seats, just seats. I didn't like it at the place, but it's Ray Davies. It's fucking Ray Davies. Will I curse myself forever if I don't take this chance to go see Ray Davies. I saw him sing one song live. It was at SXSW and Superdrag was about to cover a Kinks song. Ray Davies came out and sang it with them backing him up. Superdrag was a boring band, but that was awesome. Fucking Ray Davies.

Update: There are many things about the prez that I don't like, but I don't see any real problem with this UAE ports deal. It makes sense in every regard minus political expediency. The UAE isn't somehow going to manipulate things to allow terrorists to attack us. They would lose a lot of money that way. They're just diversifying. Maybe there are good arguments against allowing foreign firms to run our ports, but the way arguments against this particular deal are coming out is simply bullshit protectionist rhetoric.

Bowling update

123, 101, and 148. Not a bad night. We won two games.

the Rondelles - Fiction Romance, Fast Machines

Is it wrong that the highlight of my day is beating evil websudoku in 11 minutes and 28 seconds? That's damn good. It's just outside the top quarter of all websudoku times.

If you get the chance, you should ride the bus with some crazy people. Although, if you are a black man and you are trying to convince people that black people are unfairly stereotyped, then screaming like a crazy man about how white people, not black people, will kill their families and kill strangers is probably not the best approach. Yelling about getting funny looks for talking to yourself on the bus is pretty funny though. The prostitute looking drunk woman echoing you and screaming that you are a good soul is also a nice touch. She may not have currently been drunk, but once the screaming guy got off of the bus, screaming as he got off and walked away, she wouldn't stop talking about the particulars of the city's open container laws. I know that she's never been cited for a DUI, but she has been ticketed for being drunk and for drinking in the park. It's not clear to me how often she drives. The third member of the crazy screaming trio was this old man with no teeth who seemed to just yell random shit than may or may not have been words. Again, I agree that the stereotypes about african-americans are unfortunate and unfair, but the three of you yelling like crazy people about rapists and black people not deserving to die probably doesn't help the cause. One piece of evidence may be the solid flow of people away from the back of the bus. That's a lot of people changing seats. The poor old lady was scared to death.

I need to get homework done. I am making no progress. I need to get my work for Nichols done. Again, no progress on that front.

the Beatles - Hard Day's Night

I believe that this is my second repeat band. Congratulations to the Beatles and the Stooges.

I have work to do for Nichols. It's not hard, but it's time consuming. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to tell him that I need more time than I actually do. I told him that I could have it done by Wednesday. I'm pretty sure that's a lie.

871 is keeping me confused. I don't know what we're supposed to have done by now. I have absolutely no idea.

I have to go to Jefferson on Thursday. I don't want to go to Jefferson.

I'm going to see the New Pornographers tomorrow night. I do want to see them.

One more

I applied for a job with the Texas State Audit Bureau today. They pay actual money for auditors. I can audit like nobody's business. I've never actually audited before, but let's keep that a secret. I won't tell if you and google won't. That makes two more jobs this weekend. A third will be coming along soon when I apply for another job with the Legislative Budget Board.

I think my group made some improvements this week. I hope that I'm not overstepping my bounds in the group, but I think taking a more active leadership role will be good for us. I only hope that my group agrees.They seem to, but they haven't seen the amount of editing that I've done to their work either.

Tom T. Hall - For the People in the Last Hard Town

From what I can tell, Tom T. Hall is one of the great Country and Western songwriters of the 60's and 70's. His songs sound like a strange combination of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Neil Diamond. The difference is that he's not a great a singer. It sounds okay though. I would recommend listening to it.

It's less cold today. I think it may be in the teens. I got a phone call from my parents that they had 5 inches of snow in Fayetteville, so of course the town has shut down. We're making a strange coke and ketchup barbecue chicken dish tonight. My mom says it's good, and I trust her. You mix a can of coke and a cup of ketchup and then cook it over chicken for 40 minutes. It'll be interesting.

The all-star game is today. I'd forgotten about that.

The winter olympics sure are boring.

Just copying Erin.

As is my way.

Johnny Cash - Town Hall Party, 1959

I applied for a job today. I sent the application in to the Legislative Budget Board. There's an application for state employment, a cover letter, and my resume. It's all in the mail. I wonder if they are going to request my transcript. I guess they'll let me know.

It's really cold.

I enjoy going to Indie Coffee. I think Indie Coffee and Underground Books should work out some cross-promotional deals. If you come visit me, I'll take you out for waffles and coffee.

I ran into Mary Woodward yesterday. She's the career development person at my school. She was trying to decide what kind of cereal to get. I hope that Smart Start was a good choice.

It's important to know that you never know who you are sitting next to. At dinner last night, a couple was sitting next to us at Maharaja and they were talking kind of loudly. I could tell that they were talking about policy related things, but I couldn't tell if the guy worked for the state or if he was a student. Then he spoke of a brown bag lunch discussion and a career day. I began to think he must be a first year. Then, he spoke of Peter, a second year who is focusing on Energy and Environmental Policy. It was at this point that I decided to interrupt to introduce myself as a second year and friend of Peter. He was being complimentary. But, it was interesting to meet one of our new folks. They are apparently much more competitive than my class. From my experience they are also much pushier in class. They love to ask questions.

It's incredibly cold.

It's not that I'm having a bad hair day. It would be incredibly generous to describe the state of my hair as somehow an abberation is crazy. I've got clown hair. It's that bad. It's getting cut on Tuesday. I had to give in and quit waiting on my guy to recover from his broken leg. This stuff needs to be cut.

Erin is powerful.

Fitzgerald and Pass - ... Again

Side B wasn't working very well. That happens sometimes.

I'm working on applications and group work today. Peter tells me that I may be able to add Project Manager to my resume. That'd be nice.

If I feel like something that I am working on isn't going well and doesn't appear to improving, then why can't I fe frustrated about that? Sometimes it's that frustration that makes you work better.

I keep looking, but for some reason there aren't any football games on the television. Did they cancel them? That's my favorite show. I keep hearing that I have to wait until the fall for the new season. That's too long. Other programs have random episodes in the spring and summer, why not football.

I don't know what to do this weekend. I need to get out of town, but that's not happening for a while. I have homework due on Wednesday. I don't want to do it. I don't think I have any other assignments due for at least a week or two. Then I have a rough draft of our giant project. The project that won't progress.

Meredith sent in an application for a job in Austin yesterday. I should copy her. Maybe Thundercloud is hiring. I think I can still make sandwiches if need be.

the Animals - Greatest Hits

I was truent today. My professor decided not to cancel class despite the technical college and the public schools being closed. Oh, and the eight inches of snow. I like my apartment, but I got a little claustrophobic today being stuck inside. I fear the cold this weekend. The low tomorrow is supposed to be minus ten. Because I didn't accomplish anything today, I don't have much else to say. I watched Rock 'n Roll High School again. That movie will never get old. It's simply not possible. Dee Dee in the shower, Dee Dee with the pizza, Dee Dee doing anything. It's classic.

Snow Day

I don't know if we're going to get the worst of it, but it sure looks like it on weather.com. This is my first snow day in about 9 years. I don't know what to do with myself. Meredith says that I have to work, but I say screw that. I don't have class until Monday at 11. I'm going to enjoy my -17 windchill weekend. Maybe I'll actually apply for jobs.

As Caesar Once Said, "Holy Balls!"

It's snowing like I've never seen it snow before. I may have seen something like this before, but I don't remember it. Our forecast is for up to 15 inches by the end of the day tomorrow. We were only supposed to get an inch or so tonight, but there's definitely more than that right now. Maybe I'll get snowed in. This is only a problem because Caesar and I are supposed to be working on an assignment that is due tomorrow.

the Stooges - s/t

Fuck. What a day. Fuck.

Are you ever to frustrated about something that there is no possible way that you can discuss it in a somewhat rational manner? My workshop project is not going so well. We're being too broad. Our client isn't being specific. Our professor doesn't like our problem statement. My group won't ask questions. They're smart, they should ask questions. They should ask questions that are designed to aid in the acquisition of information.

Fuck.

Bowling update

Tonight, I was the team's high scorer. Our competition failed to appear, but we beat our season average and won all three games. My scores were 133, 93, and 106, respectively. I'm proud of the 133, but I nearly choked at the end of the 106 game. I needed 2 pins in the 10th frame to win and I guttered my first ball before getting 7 on my second ball.

Here's the thing, three games in a night is hard work. We start just after 9 and get home just after midnight.

Rusty Warren - Knockers Up

I'm not particularly enjoying this old comedy record.

My iced tea and limeade worked to perfection. It's close to 50 degrees and sunny today. I'm a busy man today, so I'm afraid that this will be brief. I hope everybody has a good Valentine's Day.

Reindeer Section - Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!

I am making an earnest attempt to write some discussion questions for my class on Thursday. It's going okay. The article that I read is somewhat interesting. It's the study of a program designed to increase savings by offering tax filers matching funds if they invested in a 401(k). The authors are surprised that not many people do. I'm surprised that in a study of investment behavior that takes place in and around St. Louis, MO, the authors didn't include any race variables. Whether they turn out to be significant or not, any study of this nature in an area with such a horrible reputation for race relations, is begging for race interaction variables.

I made lime-aid and iced tea. I'm trying to convince myself that it's not winter and I'm not in the midwest.

I'm nervous that neither Caesar nor myself has the time, energy, or desire, to produce a high quality paper at the end of the semester. We're both smart and we both do good work, so I think it will turn out fine. I just hope that I can make things easier on the 1L.

Keep 'em coming

The Legislative Budget Board has multiple openings for general analysts as well as a new listing for an economic development analyst. I'll apply for as many analyst positions as they list. I'm working on project for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue that deals, at least in part, with economic development.

Thanks for the SI, Kevin "Cowboy Fan" Clark.

Movies

13. 8 Women or Huit Femmes - I don't really know what to say about this movie. There's a death, some lesbianism, some booze, some incest, some fighting, and a whole lotta singing. It sets up for a comedy and then gets dreary and then gets strange. I enjoyed most of it, but was left feeling like I didn't know what I'd just seen. "Watch Not on the Lips" for a truly enjoyable French musical.

Ramones - Mania

It's Sunday which can only mean that Meredith is baking and cleaning up the apartment while I'm working.
We went to this little coffee shop called Indie Coffee today. They have good coffee and even better waffles. It's pretty cheap too, less than $5 for a 12 oz coffee and a giant waffle. It's definitely worth it. That may be our new Thursday night location. They have cheapish beer Thursdays. The interior of this place looks as if we could have designed it. They even had the same spinny chairs in the same color, burnt orange (God's favorite color). They also have waffles until 10pm.

I'm not enjoying toying around with datasets. It's about as tedious as things get. I have to copy and paste cells into a structure that my computer can work with. It's really pretty boring.

Last night we went to my friend Melody's birthday celebration. Well, we went to the post-rock climbing portion. Okay, we went to wear we were told the post-rock climbing portion would be at the time we were told that the post-rock climbing portion would begin. It turns out that they went to the Brass Ring instead of Mickey's an hour later than they said that they'd be starting out. So, we ended up drinking our $5.50 pitcher of Shiner for an hour and then going home wondering where everybody was. We found out upon arriving home.

Movies

12. Casino Royale - How it took 46 minutes to introduce Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, I don't understand. Orson Wells was 30 minutes after that. I enjoyed all of the scantily clad ladies, but this movie was incredibly boring if Sellers weren't in the scene. If you want to see a James Bond style movie that features more than ten James Bonds, then this is the movie for you. Otherwise, watch What's New Pussycat. Coincidentally, Burt Bacharach scored both Casino Royale and What's New Pussycat. He won an Academy Award for each.

the Beatles - Let it be

The city of Houston pays their employees shit. I was searching city jobs and things that I'm qualified for pay less on an hourly basis than what I'm making as a project assistant at the University of Wisconsin. $27,000 a year for someone with a master's in public affairs? The University of Wisconsin pays the equivalent of $30,000 a year when extrapolated to full-time employment, plus tuition and most fees. You can do better Houston. San Antonio pays considerably better. The problem that I'm going to have is one of interviewing. It will be difficult to compete with locals when I'm so hard to hire, logistically speaking. Oh well.

I'm trying to watch Casino Royale, but it's so boring for the first hour. It takes over 45 minutes for the main characters to be introduced.

We slept in today. I feel bad about that. According to Monster.com, I am an analytic type who needs autonomy and the opportunity to question the status quo. They say I should be making over $110,000 a year. I think they want me to pay the $13 to get the report. I'm not going to do that. My analytical mind calls bullshit.

The thing I like about clothes from Urban Outfitters is that they fall apart really easily. I think that the falling apart is timed to coincide with things going out of style. When the trend changes, you don't have to worry about finding room in your closet. The clothes will have disappeared by then.

Alabama - Feels so Right

For the second consecutive day, I am listening to a record that reminds me of being a whee lad in Fayetteville, AR. My sister and I used to run around the living room pretending to be a train when we would listen to this particular record. It was always fun. I still get excited whenever I hear Alabama. I'm upset that I didn't go see them when they last played here. I didn't realize that it was the last chance that I'd get to see them. I guess the 3 times will have to do.

I'm kind of frustrated that my best good friend is going through one of those significant life events and I am 1,200 miles away. I like to be around for these things.

I didn't go to the Vintage last night and I regret it. Not only did I miss an event organized by one of my favorite classmates, I missed fried macaroni and cheese. Meredith says that it's spectacular.

I feel strange for really enjoying my book about modern statistics, but it is great. Everyone who is interested in statistics should read, "The Lady Tasting Tea."

Today is going pretty well, except for the incident in which I poured cream into my water instead of into my coffee.

The weatherman was very poetic last night. "Tomorrow the sky will be gray and the ground will be white."

I love "Ride the Train."

Rob Cordry is shit as an interviewer.

Fox is disrespecting Arrested Development with this bullshit sendoff. They can't make a profit off of one of the most critically praised shows on tv so they air its final four episodes opposite of the Olympics Opening Ceremonies. That's real classy. Now I feel compelled to watch tv on a Friday night.

Meredith is concerned that we won't end up in Austin. I am too, but all that I can do is apply for jobs and hope that somebody hires me. When you're a kid, you always imagine that when you're an adult, you'll get to pick where you live. Then, you become an adult and realize that you have to go to where the jobs are. Hopefully there are jobs in Austin. My program is considered equivalent or slightly better than the program in Austin, so maybe that will help me out.

Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits

There are few things that I like better than "the Gambler," "Lady," and "Lucille." It's good stuff. Today has been uneventful. I'm not in the mood to blog anything beyond my record selection right now.

Neil Diamond - Rainbow

Does this album have "Everybody's Talkin?" Check. Does it have "Mr. Bojangles?" Absolutely. What about, "He Ain't Heave...He's my Brother?" Oh, that one's definitely there. All in all, Neil has made another brilliant album. Rainbow is a 1973 gem.

I had a somewhat interesting day. After macro, Emily and I went to her apartment and dismantled the lock to her door. Then, in an effort to avoid the $68 re-keying charge imposed by the complex, we took the lock to a hardware store to get it re-keyed for a mere $8 plus $3 for keys. Somewhere in there, Emily realized that eventually the landlord would be showing her unit to potential residents which means that they'll realize that the master key no longer works. At this point they will charge her the fee, at the very least. Still, we got the new lock installed and all is well with the world.

I'm going back to Le Tigre Lounge tonight. I want to try and do this on a weekly basis.

Bowling update

Tonight was up and down. Meredith had a great second game. Her other two were okay. Emily was on fire for the first two, but her last game was just below her average. I went 94, 82, and 128. The 82 marks the lowest score I can remember getting in quite some time. The previous low was 94 which I achieved this week as well as last. Due to our extremely high handicap, we won the third game. We're unsure of whether or not the first game counts.

Movies

11. Slap Shot - This is an entertaining little movie. It's good to hear Paul Newman say faggot and cock every other word. It adds a touch of class. I couldn't help but think about salad dressing during this movie. That Paul Newman, he's an empire.

the Promise Ring - Wood/Water

I'm listening to Milwaukee's finest. Cheap Trick would probably argue with that statement. I think Cheap Trick gets to be Milwaukee's finest until they voluntarily give up the title.

My workshop group further divided up our work today. I'm on data analysis, big surprise. I'm also our point person. I have to deal with the client. I have mixed feelings about this. I don't have any issues about my public program evaluation "group." It's good to work with people in whom you have complete confidence. To be clear, my mixed feelings about my role in the other group are entirely related to the client and not the group.

I'm bowling tonight, so be sure to look for my scores on this blog tomorrow.

The Promise Ring is a really fucking sensitive band. Holy shit this is sappy.

the Chumps - Good Times

This is a guy with whom I used to work's old band. It's a somewhat old punk record and it sounds like somewhat old punk rock. Not much of a surprise there. It's generally pretty good. Sean's vocals scare me sometimes, but Sean scares me sometimes. It all works out.

I have to go over my econ homework with some classmates tonight. My group of two has morphed into four. I'm not sure how this will work out. It definitely means that I have to talk to two extra people for the duration of the semester. I guess that will be okay. They better not smell funny.

I was the last person to leave the sentencing commission today. I'm not at all sure what I'm doing there. I asked a guy to run a query for me so that I can make some estimates, but I'm not sure what good that will do. I'm looking forward to accomplishing something there.

Pavement - Stray Slack

Today isn't working very well. It's not a bad day, I just can't seem to finish things that I need to get done. I was supposed to do some macro homework with a friend, but that didn't work out. It hurts my heart. I'm trying to apply for jobs. The State of Texas Application for Employment is kind of boring. I have to fill one out for each job that I choose to apply for. I'm trying to fill out the generic portion so that I can use the old Xerox machine. Meredith's practicing her singing. I hear she's about to start washing dishes. We have a fair amount of dirty dishes. She has a work party this afternoon. It's at a bar downtown during the Super Bowl. Her boss is a huge Steelers fan. This is like the last work party that was actually his wife's birthday party. He's a nice guy, but I think he could be less efficient in his party planning. If you want to have a Super Bowl party, have a Super Bowl party. If you want a work party, have a work party. I don't know if I'm going because I have a ton of work to do. I don't like having work to do, but at least I wouldn't have to feel guilty about ignoring Meredith while I work if she's at a party with friends. Who knows? Did I mention that there is a job at the Legislative Budget Board as an Analyst that I really want. I want them to hire me.

Movies

10. Nanny McPhee - Meredith couldn't resist the idea of Colin Firth and Emma Thompson in the same movie. "How could it be bad," she asked. Well, it was a decent little fanciful nanny movie. The kids were annoying. I wasn't particularly worried about them going off to live with Jessica Fletcher. Maybe the most disappointing thing is that this is the first Kelly MacDonald movie that I've seen, in which she doesn't get naked. On the whole, it was a nice little distraction for just under two hours. The strange couple off to the side that kept speaking french until they seemed to realize that they were in the wrong theatre was pretty entertaining.

the Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks

We went to Milwaukee today. It was a pretty frustrating experience. Road construction got us lost. But, we got some Alterra coffee by the Crate and Barrell and a really cool cheese cutting board with a built-in blade. Total frivolous, but cool anyway. What was supposed to be a late lunch turned into an early dinner when we couldn't get to the restaurant. We ate at a great Mexican restaurant called Botanas. It's owned by the same people who own La Perla. It's also about one block from La Perla on S. 5th. It was worth the drive and getting lost. Great salsa, great empanadas, great beans and rice, and great Carta Blanca. I'll definitely try to go back. I think I'd enjoy living in Milwaukee much more than Madison simply due to the size of Milwaukee. It's not huge, but it's pretty big. It's about 583,000 people. It's got good Mexican food and good coffee. I think the lake effects wind would kill me though. That's a huge lake.

Michael Jackson - Thriller

I dare someone to name a better album. There wouldn't be modern hip-hop without this album. It is amazing.

I just heard little bit of gossip. I'm told that the LBJ School is getting by much more on its reputation than on the quality of its works. Perhaps that's why three professors there directed me to Madison. Or, maybe they just didn't like me. Anyway, I'm told that there are serious problems with the program in Austin.

Update: Just to put this in context, this information came about during a meeting in which I was trying to figure out with whom in Austin I should get in contact about jobs. I made the statement that I hope whomever hires values the diversity of educational background that I can offer.

Update II: I edited some of this post because it was personal gossip. I've left the institutional gossip.

Le Tigre

Le Tigre Lounge, on Madison's westside, is one of the most amazing bars that I have ever been to. It is decorated with Tigers. Tigers everywhere. Tiger masks, tiger print carper, Tony the tiger cutouts. Seven plays for a dollar on the very limited jukebox. It's an old jukebox, with 7". A guy in there ordered a champagne and the bartender knew to give him a High Life. They only have bottled beer and liquor. They also only take cash and the ATM next door at the Mexican grocer was broken. I don't know if the hardware shop had an ATM. I know that it had bait and tackle.

the Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Honestly, not a whole hell of a lot is happening today. I took Meredith to work. The cd player in the car doesn't work very well if it's cold out, so I listened to the radio on my way home. I think Air America Radio proves fairly conclusively that liberals are just as ignorant and dogmatic as are conservatives. I'm not sure what talk radio does aside from lower the level of discourse and give ill-informed attention whores some spotlight. I'm sure somebody can let me know.

This record is very pleasant with bits of cracle tossed in for good measure.

I have to be at school at 7 am tomorrow. My CBA group is going to Jefferson to formally present our report to the appropriate people. I don't know if I can adequately explain how little I want to be anywhere at 7 am, especially when I'm going there so that I can sit in a car for an hour and then sit in a meeting for another hour. I'm not sure how long we actually have to stay at the meeting. Our part should only last about 30 minutes.

The Lady Tasting Tea by David Salsburg

This is the book that I am currently reading. It's a fascinating history of modern statistics and the use of modern statistics in scientific research. If you are interested in that sort of thing, give it a read.

It begins with the story of a woman who claimed that she could taste the difference between cream being added before the tea was poured and after the tea was poured. Several economists were at the party at which this happened and they developed a series of tests to determine whether she could, in fact, taste the difference. Like I said, I find this book very interesting. And further, I don't think one needs a thorough study to determine that tea is much better when the cream is poured in advance of the tea.

Professionalism

I think that I am at a point in life where not getting a professional class job would be incredibly disappointing to me. At the same time, I am at a point where I don't want to have anything to do with offices, ties, or bosses. At some point, these competing feelings will come into full-on conflict. I'm smart and frankly, I am very skilled as an analyst. I enjoy investigating data. I have a knack for finding trends and understanding patterns. At the same time, I love going to shows, sleeping in, and drinking beer. This is why I want to have my own consulting firm. That way, I could essentially set my schedule. I would be my boss, hopefully along with Kevin. I would be able to keep a beer fridge in my office. I would be able to write-off a luxury suite at DKR as a legitimate business expense. I would also be able to pick jobs that interest me. I'll be honest though, I enjoy performing analyses of programs with which I am unfamiliar. I enjoy the detached evaluation of data. It is interesting. And again, I am good at it.

Selby Tigers - Charm City

I'm going to apply for several jobs with the Texas Water Development Board. They pay decent money, I'm qualified, and they're in Austin. I'm just hoping that somebody will be willing to wait until July for me. If I absolutely have to go somewhere in June, I probably would if Meredith okays it. I bowled last night. I went 111, 94, and 95. I'm not a particularly good bowler.

Or Something like that

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see an article about a teen court. I did that. Not the article, I was one of the students who did the study. Generally the article is accurate. The program doesn't save the county $75,000 a year, it saves taxpayers $75,000 a year. That's an important distinction, but cost-benefit analysis is a pretty complex thing and the studies can be difficult to interpret. That's all. It was an interesting experience doing the study. It's also the basis for a report that I may be writing for the Wisconsin Sentencing Commission, at least methodologically.