Quoted: My friend Christie used to loan me her copy of Mogwai's "Come On Die Young," when we worked together as fraud investigators at Amazon.com (weird job, not as exciting as it sounds). It had been a long time since I heard that record so I purchased it with my e-music subscription and have been reacquainting myself with it.

What strikes you immediately when listening this album is the opening song.

Quoted: Scottish rockers Mogwai played The Showbox last night, once again proving that it is possible to have a perfect rock band with no vocals. Their richly-textured wall of sound is perfect in smaller venues and comes across as much more vital, hot and intense than any of their albums. I highly recommend catching them live wherever and whenever you can. | While the band was amazing, there were a number of things I think that the uber-chic Seattle crowd should be more aware of:

Quoted: Whoa. Stephen Colbert really stuck it to 'em at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. An actual quote: "To actually sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I'm a pretty sound sleeper -- that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face. Is he really not here tonight? Dammit."

Quoted: In the last couple of days, I quickly tore through the book, staying up late at night and getting up early in the morning until I completed it. That's always how you tell it's a good book, isn't it?

With that said, I don't think it's a book for everyone. Backcountry adventurers and wilderness enthusiats will find that it's way better than average when compared to other books in the genre.

Quoted: Yesterday, while it was bright and a Seattle sunshiney day, I descended the Elliott Bay Book Company steps and went underground to see an author talk about being outdoors in the High Sierra. Pretty ironic now that I think about it but probably a reasonable explanation as to why the crowd was solely myself and an ex-park ranger.

Eric Blehm, the author, has written a compelling and caring book

Quoted:
So step #1 involved getting indignant and deciding to spend $30 to join a group called "Private Citizen." The initial materials for that membership showed up the other day. They have requested my signature and approval for them to start sending letters on my behalf to the largest proprietors of direct/unsolicited mail and telemarketers. For Junk Calls, it authorizes "Private Citizen" as your personal agent in the submission of your name of their own Do-Not-Call-Directory which they in turn to distribute to various offenders. For Junk Mail, your signature gives Private Citizen the right to contact "The U.S. House Committee on Government Reform" and 8 of the most egregious junk mail companies in the country and to tell them directly that you do not wish to receive junk mail/unsolicited mail. In fact, the specific language and recommendations from "Private Citizen" tells the telemarketing industry that they are denied the free use of your property and time (you phone and the fact they called you) except on a case-by-case basis wherein they agree to pay you $500 for each time they call. The literature which comes in your initial package gives instructions in how to play these telemarketers so that you can get enough information to collect. Apparently people do...
The initial package also comes with a small form which you can sign and laminate for placement out adjacent to your mailbox. It's a "Notice of Refusal of Mail: Pursuant to USPS Domestic Mail Manual, Section 508 - 1.1.2." In this notification which you can laminate and post, you basically tell your postal delivery person that you refuse to accept mail which does not designate you by name. It specifically lists the following: Postal Patron, The Family At, Occupant, Our Friends At, Current Resident, Box Holder, The Folks At, Postal Customer.
So I've signed the initial papers and put them in the mail. We'll see if I start to notice less junk mail. I'm going to wait to post the "Refusal of Mail" for a couple of months to see if notifying the big baddies alone did the trick... It feels good to be doing something to eliminate the clutter though. You should see how much random paper I am throwing into my recycle bin today. Pounds of it I tell you.

Quoted: Ivory-billed Woodpecker - The Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been Found in the Big Woods of Arkansas - Ivory-billed bird

I believe "The Nature Conservancy" is generally a good organization which does useful work protecting and extending habitats of endangered species. With that said, I am a little angry at the bundle of crap they sent me to try and get me to donate to them recently. The reason I'm

I posted a blog entry regarding a really cool NPR piece I heard yesterday regarding the Iraq war timeline and how the message has changed over time. Check it out!

Blog post where I encounter the first hurdle in stopping dreaded "saturation mailings" and find out exactly what that means.

Quoted: A life less cluttered: Step #1 - Get pissed off