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Drew's Journal

drew
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10/02/2007 14:48 #41455

10 Things I like about TMBG
Category: 10 things
TMBG = They Might Be Giants, a great band, for those uninformed.

1. The live shows. I've never been in a happier place.

2. They are Geeky. So geeky.

3. They are pop, but not lame.

4. Multiple instruments are utilized, and even the weird ones fit perfectly.

5. Dial-a-Drum solo.

6. Dial-a-song.

7. Unconventional song topics, that aren't unconventional to them.

8. The ability to write a catchy song in nearly any style and still be able to transcend said style.

9. Tight harmony.

10. Songs that I can sing a long with.


The list was so easy. There are probably 100 things I like about They Might be Giants, and after that, I could just list songs, 'cause I like each of them, too. Videos and Children's books should be the list, but I just went with the first 10 I thought of.
james - 10/02/07 18:45
One of my favorite things about them is that they perfectly captured that paranoid anxiety lurking in the back of my mind. Songs like "Become a Robot", "Turn Around", or "Spiraling Shape" still make me shiver and want to hide under the covers.
jim - 10/02/07 18:13
Reminds me of:

:::link:::

Just a story a read the other day.
museumchick - 10/02/07 17:19
TMBG is one of my fav groups as well. Do you ever listen to their podcast? It's pretty neat.
jenks - 10/02/07 16:49
in college, one of the a cappella groups ended every single show- it was always really fun. God, I haven't listened to them in years. Might be time to bust out Particle Man.

09/28/2007 11:11 #41377

10 Things I like about estrip
Category: 10 things
1. I can see who's online.

2. People aren't really shy here.

3. It's an online community that also has a real community.

4. It's just about the right size (although more (e:peeps) would be nice).

5. It's mostly personsonal, but also cultural and political and other -als.

6. There's almost always something new.

7. Easy help is available, simply by asking.

8. The statistics. Its fun to count things, even if they don't matter (that Count von Count certainly influenced me as a child, didn't he)

9. When it tells me not to forget my umbrella.

10. When a picture or sound surprises me in the chatter.
fellyconnelly - 09/29/07 07:53
12. the people here are fun to play with.
tinypliny - 09/28/07 20:58
11. It has a clean and efficient web design, loads fast and has no dragging slow elements.

09/27/2007 08:36 #41350

I am a one-issue voter . . .
Category: politics
. . . much to my surprise. I also never thought I would be in agreement with so many celebrities, but they are right on this one:



Some people are tired of Bono preaching, but he's a really good preacher!
james - 09/27/07 10:31
slightly less fizzy than "Rock the Vote"

09/26/2007 07:47 #41335

10 Things I like about Ahmadinajad
Category: 10 things
Another challenging one. I'm not sure I can come up with 10, but I'm going to try.

1. Courage of conviction. Sure, he's wrong on just about everything, but he had to know he would get laughed at for saying that there aren't gays in Iran, and he said it anyway.

2. He called the US hypocritical for having nukes but asking other nations not to. He isn't wrong about EVERYTHING.

3. His name is fun to say. Especially if you imagine Adam Sandler tilting his head back, chin out, eyes closed, and stuttering slightly as he says it.

4. His "openness" to study the Holocaust, if applied to other disciplines, will allow for a much more progressive system of Education in Iran.

5. His country has healthcare for everybody written into the constituion (my guess is that he has something to do with its implimentation).

6. I think he actually wants peace.

7. He gently reminded the guy that introduced him at Columbia that they practice hospitality differently in Iran.

8. Before doing that, he smiled through a litany of attacks.

9. He desired, for whatever reason, to show sympathy for victims of 9/11, and did not protest when told he could not, at least not publicly.

10. He's stayed alive during his visit. Conspiracy-theory Drew was worried that he was brought here so that he could be hurt or killed in such a way that would start a chain reaction that would end in war. As dumb as the guy is, the world will be much better off if he keeps breathing, at least until he is home.


I did it!


fellyconnelly - 09/26/07 22:07
drew i think this list is awesome. thanks for bringing it to the attention to everyone that no matter how much somebody is hated - there is still good points!
drew - 09/26/07 15:31
related, and thoughtful. I like Jim Wallis, the guy that wrote it:
:::link:::
brit - 09/26/07 15:17
I meant that if he really wanted to challenge him, instead of calling him names he should have had an academic and informed head to head with him, challenged his views then allowed him to respond. Inviting a despicable human being to speak at Columbia then allowing the president of said institution to make himself look like a completely uneducated fool was a mistake. He should have listened to him rant then responded with intelligent rebuttals and a debate about the nature of democracy. We need to know what these people are thinking before we can do anything about them. Personally, I would have been extremely interested in how Hitler viewed the world a couple of weeks before he started loading the camp trains up, but maybe that's the woolly academic liberal in me....
jason - 09/26/07 14:57
I loved how Bollinger laid into him a little. Of course, he did not bring out any of the real big guns. Instead of denying Ahmedinejad, he was allowed to come, and had his ridiculous ideas challenged firmly. The thought of him just being up there, not being challenged, being given deferential treatment just because we do not want to be "rude" - well, it is a little vomit-inducing, so I'm glad he was given a little "rough" treatment, if we really want to call it that.

I respect the idea of trying to come up with something you like about someone who is, by most accounts, impossible to like. It's an exercise almost nobody is willing to go through, so I really do give you a lot of credit, Drew. Well done.
drew - 09/26/07 14:45
thanks for the compliment, I think. Really, I am often tempted to say "there is nothing good about (x)," and that is why every once in a while I challenge myself to make a list like this--because I do believe that if I can find good in the people I am more likely to hate, it will be good for me and the world in some way.
joshua - 09/26/07 14:31
Trying to pick this guy's brain is akin to being interested in how Hitler views the world. I can't even come close to be bothered, and to be honest he's a puppet anyway. A puppet who jails and tortures his political rivals, denies the holocaust, wants to kill Americans and Jews, insists on nuclear proliferation (remember, its only bad when the USA proliferates!), is cracking down on personal freedoms in his own country on behalf of his Islamic masters and sponsors acts of terror. What a fascinating individual - I wonder who would be more welcome on the Columbia campus, based on the reaction to how Bollinger behaved - Ahmedinijad or Bush?

We should invite Kim Jong Il to speak next! Congratulations (e:drew), by writing this list you accomplished something that I wouldn't even bother trying... the man has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
james - 09/26/07 13:57
Ya, the introduction was lame "you show all the signs of cruel and petty dictator. He was though democratically elected, and the office of the Presidency acts as like an economic guide. Real political power is in the hands of the religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

But I like your list. It was a tough task to do.
brit - 09/26/07 10:20
That guy who introduced him (pres of Uni) was a cowardly douche bag....if you invite someone to talk you introduce them then listen. What a cheap shot to introduce him by insulting his country and his beliefs whilst the over privileged Columbia frat boys cheered......

That was unbelievable when he denied the gays though.....he's right that there aren't any in Iran principally because he had them all stoned to death!
museumchick - 09/26/07 09:48
Wow... this was an interesting top 10 list.

09/24/2007 23:16 #41301

10 things I like about being home alone
Category: 10 things
1. I can sprawl out over the whole bed.

2. I can eat what I want, when I want.

3. I don't have to share the computer, or the tv, or anything else.

4. I can drive the car that I like.

5. I can walk around in whatever state of undress I would like.

6. I can work late (I know this is weird, but I like my job).

7. I can sleep in (especially if I work late).

8. As long as it gets cleaned up by Wednesday, I kept the house clean the whole time.

(these last two are the sappy ones--just a warning)

9. Nice phone calls from my wife every night.

10. Saying good-bye and welcome home.
tinypliny - 09/26/07 01:50
Ooh the joys of being single. :))
fellyconnelly - 09/25/07 08:19
haha number 8!

and i know what you mean about working late. i only willingly do that if lauren is not going to be home.