QotD: Endings

Do you think it's true that "All good things must come to an end?"

Uh…I hope you're not dropping hints there, Vox.

QotD: Favorite Madonna Song

What's your favorite Madonna song?

"Live to Tell."

Close runners-up include "Like a Prayer," "Ray of Light," and "Don't Tell Me." (While the thought of Madonna remaking a Joe Henry song is enough to cause nausea, headaches, and involuntary muscle spasms, it's actually very good. And she is his sister-in-law, after all.)

"Borderline," "Like a Virgin," and "Material Girl" are not in the running.

I had no recollection whatsoever that Christopher Walken was in this video.

QotD: Plans for My Remains

Do you plan to be buried, cremated, cryogenically frozen or something else?
Submitted by aynge.

From Monty Python:

Undertaker: Well, there's three things we can do with your mum. We can bury her, burn her, or dump her.

Man: Dump her?

Undertaker: Dump her in the Thames.

Man: What?

Undertaker: Oh, did you like her?

Man: Yes!

Undertaker: Oh well, we won't dump her, then. Well, what do you think? We can bury her or burn her.

Man: Well, which do you recommend? 

Undertaker: Well, they're both nasty. If we burn her, she gets stuffed in the flames, crackle, crackle, crackle, which is a bit of a shock if she's not quite dead, but quick. And then we give you handful of ashes, which you can pretend are hers.

Man:  Oh.

Undertaker: Or, if we bury her she gets eaten up lots of weevils, and nasty maggots, which as I said before is a bit of a shock if she's not quite dead.

Man: I see. Well, she's definitely dead. 

(Thanks to this site.)

QotD: Unusual Nighttime Ritual

What is your most unusual nighttime ritual?

Hmm. Wow. It's really a tossup between releasing the boars and the rooftop yodeling.

QotD: Inauguration Day

President-elect Barack Obama is being sworn into office today. Where are you watching the events of this historic day unfold? 

Taking a day off to watch the live inauguration coverage and putter around the house. A post-holidays holiday.

QotD: Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

Which new friendship formed in 2008 is the most special to you? How did that person come into your life?

Without a doubt, the most important friend I made in 2008 is you, [insert Vox neighbor name here]. And I do consider our friendship to have been forged in 2008, even though

1. you had been sullying my blog with your "comments" since 2007.
2. technically, the restraining order was still in effect.
3. I blacked out all of 2008.
4. we've been married for over 15 years.

I knew you and I were on to something special when you commented on my post about

1. my first experiences with a girdle
2. using Twitter to hit up old ladies for cash
3. the detailed two-hour saga of trying to get the bathroom window to close
4. my equipment

and you said my profile picture reminded you of

1. Vincent D'Onofrio.
2. John Holmes.
3. your second ex.
4. Gandhi.

Then I started following your blog, and discovered the one-in-a-million combinations of things we both liked, such as

1. Peter Gabriel and index funds.
2. cotton candy and cyanide.
3. rainy days, loose women, and individually-wrapped butter pats.
4. drinking and driving.

Soon I felt you were a true friend and confidante, and I really felt for you as you went through

1. being kicked down the stairs by the supposed paraplegic you'd been caring for.
2. getting the chewing gum off the squirrels.
3. causing the collapse of the American auto industry.
4. that window.

I want you to know that our friendship means more to me than the occasional comment here on Vox. I think of you often, and it makes me want to

1. try the egg salad.
2. park outside your home until you show up, then make my move.
3. hump the washing machine during the spin cycle.
4. punch John Mayer.

I mean it. I love you,

1. man.
2. girl.
3. babe.
4. kemosabe.

QotD: Charmed, I’m Sure

What is a "charmed life"?

 Oh, come on…you know where this is going, right?

Charmed Life

QotD: The Best Part of Waking Up

What's your morning beverage of choice?  Coffee, tea, juice?  Homemade or store-bought?

Diet Coke. 20-ounce bottle. From the vending machine.

I rarely start a day with coffee. Sometimes I'll have some mid-morning. (A while ago I unsubtly hinted to management that a building Starbucks machine would be nice, but I've since moved to an area with a communal coffee maker and it's actually pretty good.) Lately, though, I've been more likely to go through another Diet Coke.

I sure hope the hysteria about how aspartame will damage your brain and make hair grow on your palms and foul your car's engine and have sex with your wife really is just hysteria.

QotD: Top 10 of 2007 – Music

So I’m ten days late with this post. You got a problem wit dat?

If I restricted this to albums that came out in 2007, it would be a really short list. Instead I give you my top twelve favorite albums that I discovered or otherwise dug into during 2007.

Rabbit

The Billy Nayer Show: Rabbit (2004)

A short, brilliant entry from this strange and wonderful outfit. I actually had this in 2006 but barely gave it any attention then. As an entire album, this received the most plays of any in my collection this year.

The Sun and the Moon

The Bravery: The Sun and the Moon (2007)

Surprise personal favorite gleaned from mainstream radio. “Time Won’t Let Me Go” received by far the most plays of any song in my collection this year.

Personal File

Johnny Cash: Personal File (2006)

No less than 49 folk and gospel voice-and-guitar demo tracks from Cash’s personal library.

Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid

Collective Soul: Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid (1993)

Gem from the early nineties I recently rediscovered.

Vulgar

Dir en grey: Vulgar (2003)

Japanese techno-metal-pop-dysfunction band. This rocks.

Stumble into Grace

Emmylou Harris: Stumble into Grace (2003)

Lovely. Dan Lanois has few actual credits, but his influence throughout is unmistakeable.

The Greatest Weakness

LOONER: The Greatest Weakness (2006)

Very strong offering from this indie act. I’ll repeat my earlier warning, though–when I bought it from iTunes the track indexes were all farked up.

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer: Oppenheimer (2006)

First heard these guys when they opened for TMBG. Fat analog synth sounds, real drums, short and sweet songs.

Meds

Placebo: Meds (2006)

It’s a new Placebo album. It has Michael Stipe. There you go.

Olé! Tarantula

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3: Olé! Tarantula (2006)

Picked it up at a live show. Well-crafted, largely “accessible” songs with the inimitable humor hinted at by the title.

Zeitgeist

Smashing Pumpkins: Zeitgeist (2007)

It’s a new Pumpkins album. It has Jimmy Chamberlin. There you go.

Last Decade Dead Century

Warrior Soul: Last Decade Dead Century (1990)

Weird and lonely post-apocalyptic-cityscape metal. I’ve gotta love an album with lyrics like this:

Here’s to the losers
Substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects

To the retarded
And the broken-hearted
To the starving masses
And the lower classes

‘Cause I think we’re beautiful

Coda: I have a feeling the albums below will be favorites, but I haven’t listened to them enough to say.

Bottoms of Barrels

Illinois

The Shepherd’s Dog

QotD Comment Weirdness

I just noticed that the QotD compose feature is defaulting to having comments turned off.

If you posted a QotD response recently and nobody seemed to take any interest, check to see if its comments are blocked.

I haven't found anything about this in the known issues or announcements, so I submitted a feedback note to Vox.