Evie Sands - Estate of Mind

Classic blue-eyed soul.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8otjat

California, what's up

California, look me in the eyes.
Stand up, Redwood trees
and the saplings filled with hope
to obtain thousands of leaves.

Take a look at your sons
and your daughters
where a drought is as certain
as running water.

With the Spicoli stereotype
and the birth of Soul On Ice.
Where Chaplin made a living
like Ice Cube does in another city.

Where Polly Klaas kept me
awake at night.
Emperor Norton
made sense sometimes.

Ask us questions
and we have the answers.
The people
that you born have mattered.

Woody Guthrie's guitar,
the opening bars
of Amerikkka's Most Wanted.

Cesar Chavez is more
than just a middle school.
Watts is more than just
a setting in a rap song.

California, look me in
the eyes when
we talk to you.

THE GE SMITH IMPERSONATOR

So, like, I'm this G.E. Smith impersonator. You don't know who that is? Well, I'm not exactly a hot commodity. But I'm good and I'm talented. Well, G.E. is, not me. I guess by attachment I am as well.

G.E. Smith was the lead guitarist for Hall and Oates and was musical director for Saturday Night Live for awhile. Yep, you guessed my job research includes Wikipedia. Real cool job, not many gigs. And it's not like G.E. Smith is unpopular it's just that he's not really someone you need an impersonator for. But you know, it's ok.

People ask me why I am a G.E. Smith impersonator and I tell them it's because I look like him. Because I really do. People have told me at certain (very rare) times that I look like this dude on TV. And I say okay, G.E. Smith?

And I don't know, it's like a 30/70 chance that they are aware of who I am (or who I look like) but it's still cool. Being G.E. Smith is like breathing.

So I'm sitting here, just being me - Brutus Birnbaum - while being G.E. Smith and I tell you sometimes I really get into character and it's cool because he leads such a private life that you don't really have to do an impersonation, you just assume he does certain things. One day I assumed he really liked those pizza rolls so I imagine like myself doing pizza roll commercials.

I once watched tiny molecules, or was really into the study of anything at the cellular level. I loved how the shape of squamous epithelium was so sinewy. That is my dream job. To just find the true Book of Genesis in a glassplate under a microscope.

There was a day in my life when I had woken up, thinking about waking up. Acting on my waking up and marching to Point A and then Point B and then yes here and here. And that was the day I became a G.E. Smith impersonator.

Damn These McDonald's Angus Burger Commercials

I really want to go right now. Nothing's stopping except my will.

THE CORRESPONDENCE CAST 8: Ya Sleep on Usss...Ya Sleep 4evaa...

Strap in kids, this joint is mad long. The longest in Correspondence Cast history in fact. We had to make up for being on hiatus. Lots of rambling. Pierre defends T-Pain(twice), Philadelphia the game, comic strips, and Clare stops by to add a womanly touch to the whole show. The episode 1 crew is back! Shout out to all the peoples who have been listening/reading. You can leave a comment or question here if you'd like, and go to the iTunes store and subscribe to our show. Tell a friend! Thanks for listening.

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So You Think You Can Dance Final

I really wanted to live blog the finale, but thanks to some ghetto fuck face I don't have a laptop anymore. I fancied the idea of running back, forth from the wifey's room to the TV room, but whatever. I thought I wouldn't like it because it was a 2 hour show, and you know, typical reality competition finales are just clip shows of the past season. However, I was really pleased because they basically had all the dancers come back to perform some of the best routines of the season. Sounds like a clip show actually, but it was a live clip show. Heh? Eh? Anyway check out the finale if you can.

I'm really glad Jeanine won. She is very versatile, strong, and danced every style well. She was my second favorite girl, which brings me to my point. Everybody knows that Janette should have won. Despite how versatile Jeanine was, Janette was the reason I kept coming back to the show. I wanted to see what she was going to do next. I don't know what the fuck happened with the voting, but my guess was that a lot of Janette's fans were thinking how I was thinking. "Eh, I don't need to vote. How can Jannette not win?" I never ever vote when it comes to reality competitions, and I hate it when someone tells me that bullshit about, "Your Vote Matters" or whatever. My vote would not have been worth two flying fucks. I alone could not have saved Jannette. Look, I don't know shit about dancing, but a few of the judges even said that Janette was their favorite, and were shocked as I was when she got sent home. If these professional dancers, and choreographers say she was the best then I'm not fucking crazy. Anyway, I enjoyed watching this show, but I hate how I always leave a little fucking disappointed. Same thing happened with Idol this season. Like I said though, Jeanine was my second favorite so I can take some satisfaction in her winning the competition.

Winner Jeanine

Janette, who should have won, dancing with 2nd place winner Brandon

Wii Sports Resort

I have been looking forward to this sequel since it was announced. I shelled out the money to buy that game and an extra accelerometer dildo attachment for my wife in case she wanted to get in on the wiggle waggle fest that is Wii Sports Resort. Even though this sequel gives you even more addicting mini-games to play with, I do not think it has revitalized my interests in anything Wii. I will say that I have been playing this game alone, and that is probably why I've gotten bored of the game so quickly. This game was meant to be played at a party, and there is no such thing as a one man party. I do not care how fun you are as a person. I'm a fucking blast, and I could not keep the party going so I do not know what to tell you.

Let's talk about what I like about the game. Adding the Wii Motion Plus really works. All of your motions match up to what's happening on screen. Finally you can sword fight with Wii Remotes, and it actually works. You slash from right to left, up and down, diagonally, any which way, and it works great. In the first Wii Sports, no matter how you swung the remote, your character on-screen did the exact same motion every time. Although Baseball was not included in Resort, I imagine the possibilities of adding much more swing depth to baseball games. You could swing for the opposite field, pull the ball, etc. In short, Wii Motion Plus is a great addition to the controller. Too bad it was not there to begin with, but whatever. I'm sure they will start bundling it with the system. I hope.

In terms of game selection, it's hit and miss, but I do appreciate the fact that they gave you 12 games from the start which is a huge increase from the first game's 5 games. Bowling and golf make a return, and I'm really glad they did decide to bring those games again. The WMP really helps fix some of the problems that I had with golf and bowling. For example, Bowling offered little challenge to me because I could just hold the Wii remote palms inward, and with proper timing, I could unrealistically hook the ball well enough to hit strikes every time. Now, because your control is 1 to 1, throwing the ball like that will create free eats for the gutter. You really have to focus on technique.

Some of the new games I enjoyed are Frisbee, Basketball, and everyone's darling, Swordplay. I forgot to mention that each game has 2 or 3 sub games. In Frisbee, you can play the regular mode where you have to accurately throw frisbee's to your dog that chases after them. There is also a Frisbee Golf Mode where you can play a full 18 holes. It's nice that Nintendo tried to flush out the experience. Basketball is my guilty pleasure. There isn't much to it. You're shooting in a three point contest, but I really enjoy the feeling of getting into a rhythm, sinking basket after basket. It's rough when you miss a few, and you frantically try to scramble, and fix your technique. Swordplay will be the game that everyone will get into at a party though. Who can't into frantically swinging plastic remotes? I can do without some games though, like Wakeboarding where all you do is hold the remote as if you were holding onto the rope when you're wakeboarding, and all you do is flick your hands upward and then keep them straight for the landing. Not really much to it. Biking was not that fun either as you are basically doing pedaling motions with your hands. They should have made it hand biking or something. I don't hate it just because of that. The bikes aren't that great to control, so that's not really fun.

Overall I'm pleased with the game, but Nintendo could have given us so much more. Nintendo fans constantly complain about the lack of online play, but honestly we shouldn't be surprised that it was left out of another first party title. The least they could have done was online leaderboards, but oh well. I would suggest if you own a Wii, or if you loved the first game that you should definitely buy it, but if you're a lone gamer I wouldn't recommend it. The remotes are packed away where they always are collecting dust, but hopefully I can invite some people over to shake some plastic.

I Can't Own a Pet! What was I thinking?

I can't find the cat I was taking care of. She has been really nervous, and uncomfortable the entire time that she has been here. She is used to going out, but she would not go out of my apartment our of fear. Until last night that is. She was eagerly waiting in front of the porch door. It was 1AM, but I thought, "Fuck it. She should go out. I'll be awake when she comes back." One hour, two hours, three hours. It's 4AM, and I'm outside whispering the cat's name, hoping that she can hear me. I give up because I have to take Andrea to work in the morning.

I've biked around my neighborhood for a total of two hours today. Nothing. I saw a black cat, but it was not her. I feel so down in the dumps. I have not been productive at all today. I have student loans, and health insurance issues to take care of, but before any of that I need to find the cat. I hope she comes back.

I Have Fallen In Love With the Same Woman Three Times by Ninoy Aquino

While Benigno "Ninoy" was exiled in prison; before he was murdered, before people power, before his wife was shouldered with the heart of a whole country, he wrote this poem for Corazon Aquino.

---
I have fallen in love
With the same woman three times;
In a day spanning 19 years
Of tearful joys and joyful tears.

I loved her first when she was young,
enchanting and vibrant, eternally new.
She was brilliant, fragrant,
and cool as the morning dew.

I fell in love with her the second time;
When first she bore her child and mine
always by my side, the source of my strength,
helping to turn the tide.

But there were candles to burn
the world was my concern;
while our home was her domain,
and the people were mine
while the children were hers to maintain;

So it was in those eighteen years and a day,
till I was detained; forced in prison to stay.

Suddenly she’s our sole support;
source of comfort,
our wellspring of Hope,
on her shoulders felt the burden of Life.

I fell in love again,
with the same woman the third time.
Looming from the battle,
her courage will never fade.

Amidst the hardships she has remained,
undaunted and unafraid.
She is calm and composed,
she is God’s lovely maid

My computer ate it again, so that's why I have not been blogging much lately. I have found a new machine to work on, but unfortunately it's in the wife's office, so I have not been able to blog at times that I am used to. Anyway, this is a poor excuse for my lack of updates because I have all day to write, but I have not been. I promise new articles tomorrow because I have a few things to discuss, as well as the latest episode of The Correspondence Cast that will hopefully be going up this week.