Archive for March, 2008
Earth Hour, how I spent mine…
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
I figured since Google considered Earth Hour important enough change their famously consistent home page for a day, that I could at least participate in this demonstration. So at approximately 8:09pm I turned off all the lights, poured myself a tall glass of Barney Flat’s Oatmeal Stout, put on my Audio-Technica headphones, and listened to The Mars Volta‘s new album, The Bedlam in Goliath, for the first time. The beer was good, the album was even better.
The Bedlam in Goliath has been out for about two months now, but I just got around to listening to it. I usually “obtain” Mars Volta albums long before their releases, but after two sub-par releases, this one drifted a bit off my radar. I wish I had listened to it earlier.
This is the first release featuring acclaimed drummer, Thomas Pridgen. His influence is immediately obvious. Unlike all of Mars Volta’s previous releases, this one kicks you right in the face at 00:01 of track 1. No extended intro, no buildup. In fact, in this album they didn’t include any of the overly extended random noise that annoyed me in previous releases. Just straight up energy all the way through. It’s hard to describe something like this in words, so I encourage you to give this album a listen.
Would I consider this album better than De-Loused in the Comatorium? Hmm…I don’t know if they ever could top that masterpiece. We’ll see how I feel after a few more listens. But it’s by far their best effort since.
P.S. Here are some tips to help you truly appreciate the depth of this album:
- Use headphones. Good headphones. Dan Chow would agree with me.
- Adjust your EQ to either the default “Jazz” setting, or adjust it to focus specifically on the extreme highs and lows.
- Don’t multi task. Just focus on the music. In fact, turn off the lights…just don’t wait until next year’s Earth Hour.
- Take the time to separate the instruments in your mind for a bit. There’s a lot going on at once.
- Drink a tasty beer or two. Because, why not??
A Visit to the New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, CO.
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008OK, so this post is about 6 months late, but I didn’t have a blog back then, and now I do.
Last September, I made a trip out to Denver, CO to visit my brother and cousin. I did a lot of fun stuff while out there, but by far the highlight of the trip was a tour of the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. Anyone that knows me personally will tell you that I act like a living advertisement for this company. I show up to every social situation with at least a sixer of New Belgium Beer with me, usually Fat Tire or 1554. Yeah, it can be awkward at first when I show with beer at my Grandma’s birthday party, but it usually helps gets the rowdiness started.
New Belgium also has an amazing reputation as a trend-setting environmentally conscious company. I encourage you to read about their commitment to sustainability.
OK, picture time.
Proof I was there, and that I can ride a bike.
A view from the outside.
The bar. I’m guessing this is what Heaven looks like.
Blue Paddle, 1554, Abbey, Trippel…did I mention this was all free?
A random view from behind the bar.
There was funky stuff all over the place, like this muralesque thingy.
Shiny vats. I believe this is where the magic happens.
Correction. THIS is where the magic happens.
A crappy picture of the bottling line, with floating ghost people.
Silos of some sort outside. I’m assuming these are filled with deliciousness.
Barack Obama: ‘A More Perfect Union’ Video
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008Watch Barack Obama’s ‘A More Perfect Union’ speech, made in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008. Watch and listen.
Advice of the day…
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008When choosing a domain name for your firearms exchange website, consider how it reads.
Case in point: www.shootersexchange.com
…just something to consider.
Mike Leotta || Blog, the very best of…
Monday, March 10th, 2008So I’ve been blogging for exactly one month now. Wow! Has it really been one whole month already? With all this experience under my belt, it’s about time I highlight some of the best moments in the history of Mike Leotta || Blog. Here we go!
- First Post! Feb 10 — Here’s the one that started it all! That’s about it. No one read this.
- There was something floating in my beer… Feb 18 — I posted a picture for this one. That was pretty awesome. And then four coworkers commented on it. Count ‘em, four!
- Space is awesome when things explode! Feb 21 — Here, I commented on a current event and then embedded a video! It’s pretty obvious that I really hit my stride on this one.
- Date selection calendars, what not do to… Feb 24 — I talked about some stuff and complained about some other stuff. I also included pictures. There was more than one paragraph.
- An open letter to Steve Jobs… Feb 25 — I really opened up for this one. I let everyone see into the mind of a man suffering as a result of a dying PC. I also expressed my love for another man’s wardrobe. This post probably cost me half of my readers. And by half I mean 2 people.
- Greenishyyyy!!! Feb 28 — I updated my site design. People pretended to care.
- “PS Dog Muppet“ Mar 3 — ummm….
- Robots, dogs, monsters, etc… Mar 3 — A failed attempt to comment intelligently on art. However, it was my second post of the day. Mark March 3rd as the day that Mike Leotta officially became a serious blogger.
- Not so Gr8, Permission Marketing foul on JetBlue Mar 6 — Wrote some things, complained about some stuff. I also mocked one of my favorite authors about his self-promoting tendencies, while simultaneously promoting one of his books. I lost my remaining two readers.
- Mike Leotta || Blog, the very best of… Mar 10 — Here’s when I highlighted some of the best moments in the history of my blog. It didn’t turn out very well.
Well folks, there you have it. Blame Wysz for this. It was his idea.
