Random Thoughts

Just thought I would put the digits to the keyboard and share some indiscriminate thoughts and remarks.

Think you are doing pretty well in your office bracket this year? Well, you aren't alone. Over 161,000 people correctly predicted this year's final four on ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge. Quite a change from last year when only four people picked the matchups (at least one of which was a George Mason alumni).

I am quite excited about this year's final four matchups. This year's tournament hasn't had nearly the amount of upsets and surprises compared with the past couple of years, but I think the quality of basketball in the elite eight was superb. The NBA rule preventing high schoolers from entering the NBA has really helped. Durant is an absolute stud and Oden has also really impressed me (although I still think OSU is very lucky to still be alive). Last year's final four was a real let down, but I don't think we will be disappointed with the four teams that are remaining.

In my Name of the Year tournament, I have set my final four with Gertrude Nipple, Kyle Sackrider, Destinee Hooker, and Vanilla Dong, where Dong knocks out Hooker and Sackrider squeezes past Nipple. Then in the finals Vanilla Dong (not just an obvious porn name, but his initials are VD too) is crowned champion over Kyle Sackrider. I would also like to give honorable mention to Intelligent Infinite Botts, Ayo Yayo, Phyre Quickly Burns, Leftonred Atanycorner, and De'Cody Fagg.

Alberto Gonzales should be fired, but I don't think it will make much of a difference in the Bush White House if he is let go. They will just find a Rove crony to take his place.

I actually watched a couple of episodes of American Idol this month (although I will state that I did join in late and still haven't seen an espisode from start to finish). I got tired of listening to the morning radio talk shows blab on about the show and not having a clue what they were talking about. So what is my verdict? It pretty much sucks, so I didn't watch it this week. I can appreciate why people are into the show. You have a personal favorite, the interaction with the judges can be entertaining, and then the suspense of seeing who will make it to next week. However, some of the acts are excrutiating to watch, and these people are supposedly the top of the crop. I think I will return to my regularly scheduled television addictions.

If you are looking for a good TV show to watch, check out Friday Night Lights. It is definitely the best drama on television. Yeah, I know the actors don't look like high schoolers, but did anyone ever accuse Steve Sanders of looking like a sophomore (college or high school)? I think you can watch past episodes online at NBC.

March Somewhat Madness

The first two rounds of the 2007 NCAA tournament are on the books. Compared to the past two years, this year's tournament has had relatively few surprises. The OT games on Saturday did make up for the relative lack of excitement. All No.1 seeds, three of the No.2 seeds, and three of the No.3 seeds are still remaining. No.7 UNLV is the lowest seed remaining in the tournament, and per these oddsmakers, they should have been a higher seed. If your bracket isn't busted, you likely got lucky by playing it safe and going with the seeds this year. Still, there is a whole lot of basketball left to be played.

Music Sampler

One of the things that I love about my friends is the diversity of their music tastes. I received some great comments in person and online about the top 100 list below. Some people hadn't heard of half the stuff I had on there, and others thought I was way too mainstream. Back in the day, I used to be a music snob, but now I am just a music whore. I can't get enough of the good stuff, and I find myself listening to a lot of stuff that I wouldn't have normally listened to. Is it because I am growing older and my tastes are softening (I need to be wary of that). But I do want to recommend some albums that I picked up over the last year or two that I think are great. Many of these aren't your top 40 albums, although some of them hit the charts. Click on the links to hear a track from each album. Then go out and buy it here or here. Feel free to comment on the tracks you do or don't like.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Banquet)
Bloc Party are what I imagine U2 Boy would sound like if U2 were from London in the start of the 21st century. A band with huge potential. They released their second album last month, but check this one out first.

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (Swimmers)
Definitely the most artsy album on this list. This indie collective has more members than I think anyone can keep track of, and it is hard to describe their style. I would recommend this for anyone looking for something that you won't hear on corporate radio (although I think I heard them on an episode of Friday Night Lights). Their 2003 album, You Forgot It In People is also excellent (and better in my opinion).

Spoon - Gimme Fiction (I Turn My Camera On)
This Austin band has been around for awhile, but I think they finally got it all together for this album. Some of it is a little derivative of the Stones, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Deathcab for Cutie - Plans (I Will Follow You Into The Dark)
Ah, Seth Cohen's favorite group. This is a beautiful album, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (Phantom Limb)
New album from that band that had that song on the Garden State soundtrack that Luke Skywalker's mom said would change your life.

Califone - Roots and Crowns (Pink & Sour)
A mix of rock, folk, jam band, country, and experimental sounds. Also hard to define.

Arcade Fire - Funeral (Wake Up)
Another Canadian band. This 2005 album has been riding critical acclaim from fellow musicians David Bowie, Coldplay, David Byrne, and U2. Their new ablum, Neon Bible, comes out tomorrow.

The Decemberists - Picaresque (Engine Driver)
One of the most theatrical albums I have heard. They released another album last year, which is also good, but I recommend this one.

Beck - The Information (Think I'm In Love)
Just more solid stuff from Beck.

NAACP Honors Bono

Wow.

Top 20+ U2 Songs

Per request, here is my list of the top U2 songs at this time. In a few days, this list could be completely different. I took two songs from each album and threw in one non-album single. Many of the big singles are missing, but that is because I have heard them so much. For example, I would have to say a song such as "One" is one of the greatest songs of all time, but you hear it so often that I currently prefer a few other songs from Achtung Baby.

1 - Stay (Faraway So Close)
2 - Bad
3 - The Fly
4 - Acrobat
5 - Out of Control
6 - Where the Streets Have No Name
7 - Gone
8 - New Year's Day
9 - City of Blinding Lights
10 - Heartland
11 - Bullet the Blue Sky
12 - Elevation
13 - Please
14 - Pride
15 - Stories for Boys
16 - Love and Peace or Else
17 - 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
18 - Seconds
19 - Hawkmoon 269
20 - In a Little While
21 - Tomorrow
22 - Dirty Day
23 - Rejoice