Where's Your School?

here's Princeton Review's Ten Toughest Schools To Get Into.

Honorably Mentioned

good news! three of our songs won honorable mentions in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest that's run by Songwriter's Association of Washington.

* Quick To Decide (music: Pete Paraschos/Jeff Campagna lyrics: Campagna) - Pop Category
* Make It (Campagna) - Rock/Alternative Category
* Beautiful People (Campagna) - Rock/Alternative Category

You! Out of the Stall!

apparently the reason why Ford is losing money is the extra-long bathroom breaks that workers are taking. the Detroit News reported that management at the company's Michigan Truck plant in Wayne, Mich., issued a memo in which it said too many of the factory's 3,500 hourly workers are spending more than the 48 minutes allotted per shift to use the bathroom.

Thursday Night Walker

don't forget, kids. butch walker. thursday night. black cat in DC. be there for the rock. i'm pretty damn psyched for this

* "Maybe It's Just Me" - Butch Walker

My Blue Period

a few photos from today - most of 'em at a construction site, and one of a police cruiser siren...

Ill-Gotten Art?

this is rather interesting. the board of the J. Paul Getty Trust has formed a special committee to investigate claims that its world-renowned museum purchased looted art and its chief executive spent lavishly with tax-exempt funds.

Quick! Move To Tennessee!

it looks like Tennessee is going to issue Elvis license plates. the license plate would feature an image of Presley with a guitar and "1956" in large, bold numbers. that was the year Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" made No. 1 on the pop music charts.

New MP3s

i'm getting a drop on candy day and posting my november mp3s today.

take a listen to the bouncy acousti-pop of Devin Davis. or perhaps get sucked in by the hypnotic instrumental build of "Consequence" by The Notwist. for some reason i can't stop listening to this song. and if i was able to make one of those mash-up things the kids do these days, i would def. mash it up with Linkin Park's "Numb." quick, someone go do that and get back to me.

anyway, back to the turkey month mp3s - if you're so inclined, sample the blips, bleeps and soaring chorus of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights." and to close the bunch, i give you a little funky Phish jam. enjoy.

Still Here

it's 8:00 on a friday night, and i'm still at work accounting and listening to a jamaican radio station. surreal.

Anticipation

i'm looking forward to work tomorrow. really. really.

Ryan's On The Side

pete from ickmusic was kind enough to clue me in to Matthew Ryan's latest project, Strays Don't Sleep. very cool. read about it on ickmusic.

Jealous

i'm so jealous that my friend Dan got to go see Marah the other night in Beantown. i so want them to come down here and rock DC, but we're not on their tour schedule. bastards. but at least go see the pictures Dan took at the show here. and listen to some Marah here...

* "Freedom Park" - Marah

Know Your Fat

Mickey D's will be displaying nutritional information on the packaging of "most" of its menu items next year. if only we could still supersize...

The Crimson

...and after my world tour, i'm going back to Yale Law.

The Break

finally!!!! a new episode of Prison Break! i think i'm gonna get a map of my apartment tatooed on my torso.

there's something vaguely mannish about "Madame Vice President."

A Little Toad

i put in some Toad the Wet Sprocket for the ride to work this morning. i haven't listened to 'em for awhile, but they've a very underrated band. not hard rock, mind you, but they're quite good, quietly jamming their hooks into your chest w/ their tiny knives of harmony. here's my favorite Toad song, "Somethings Always Wrong," along with "Crowing." and yes, it does taste like chicken.

* "Something's Always Wrong" - Toad the Wet Sprocket
* "Crowing" - Toad the Wet Sprocket

Extended Vacation

i just got a postcard from my friend sam goldberg. he's traveling the world right now (primarily the australian region), and he sends me one every so often. he's a witty writer, so they're most entertaining. at the time he wrote this one, he was touring the whitehaven beach region (above), pimpin' his ride on a flat-bottomed sailing ship. and y'all said chef school would be boring!

Elementary

back in the day i used to watch Sherlock Holmes mysteries on PBS's "Mystery." it was an incredibly well-done show, and Jeremy Brett was a kick-ass Holmes. and now they're showing a bunch of the episodes on one of my digital cable channels (Biography). very cool!!!

Eatin' Time

i just had my first tamarind ever here at work. it's not too bad - kind of raisiny/figgy - but it's too much effort to avoid the seeds though. i'm a lazy eater.

Sunday MP3

yeah, it's not sunday yet. but i've already lost it. i'll be accountin' tomorrow for who knows how long, so i'll give y'all some sweetness in advance. i don't know too much about The Flaming Lips, but i'm enjoying their quirky "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots."

-"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" - The Flaming Lips

and this "Salvation Barmy," by MC Barman is damn funny, bouncy and dirty - what more do you want?

-"Salvation Barmy" - MC Barman

Mmmm......Drugs

CVS was givin' me the runaround on my scripts this weekend. but i finally got some drugs!!!!! bitchin'!

Enough

i've had enough of work today. i'm not being productive. i have to come back here tomorrow anyway, so i'm going home. i really want to order a bunch of CDs from amazon, like the new Marah, some Flaming Lips, some Ben Lee - but i will resist. for now. i think i'll make a new mixtape.

The Cover

i like this guy's album cover. good choice, peter bruntell! music is aight.

I Will Be Vindicated

yes, i worked alot this week only to have to go in this weekend. and yes, i furiously battled against the forces of Crystal House only to have loud static spewing from behind my walls during all hours of the day and night. and i'm tired as shiznit. but is that a reason not to rock? absolutely not.

*Green Day's cover of "I Fought The Law"

Just Stay Home!

don't you hate it when your co-workers come to work, sneezing, coughing and literally oozing their illness onto everything they touch and out into the air everyone breathes? maybe now the bosses will take some action and tell 'em to stay home. of course, whoever heard of a boss telling an employee to stay home!

What's That Noise?

oh....it's quiet. we'll see how long this lasts.

Bad Boys?

a nice police officer named Pagan came to my apartment tonight. and she could definitely kick my ass three times in a row. anyway, she banged the shit out of my neighbor's door with her nightstick. nuthin. she went to the front desk to provide some encouragement, stating that the sound eminating from the apartment sounded like "shit," since it was full of static. it was nice to have confirmation from the police, but where does that leave me?

It's Clobberin' Time!

and still the radio plays. it's been going since sunday night. i've had enough of inept and ineffective management office techniques, and i just called in the police. this'll be interesting.

The Beat Goes On

and still the radio plays. the ineptitude that is my apartment building management office was unable to get into my neighbor's apartment and shut off his blasting clock radio (that's what they told me on the phone). they say that he's "changed the lock." if it's not solved by tomorrow, i'm calling the po-po.

Deja Vous?

there's been a radio playing at mad volume in the apartment next to mine since last night. nothing music-oriented - the static-laden sound like when you set your alarm clock to play "music" at high volume. i first noticed it around 10:30 last night, figured it would go away, and was able to fall asleep.

woke up at 3am, and there it was, blaring away in the silence. went downstairs then, and later at 4:30 - security guard came and banged the shiznit out of the guy's door, but nobody answered. i finally got back to sleep, and woke up for work (it was still playing), went to work. got back from the office today, and that radio is like the energizer bunny...

i'm guessing the dude went on vacation and left his alarm set. the front desk night workers have no power to enter, and i'm not calling the po-po quite yet. so tomorrow i'll call my building and tell them my sad story. perhaps they'll actually enter the apartment to see if the guy is dead or something. or they'll just laugh and point their fingers at the phone receiver.

Admission

all right, i admit it. the new panda bear cub is kinda cute. though i feel like my masculinity is slowly seeping away as i type this...

Again?

looks like Sly is going to make another Rocky, one in which he'll write, direct, and act. that'll make six of 'em. apparently he's trying to match the sequal output of Friday the 13th. and in Rocky 7 he's going to fight Freddy Krueger...

Sunday Mp3 Two-fer

Matthew Ryan is one of my favorite artists, and his album, East Autumn Grin, is definitely in my All-Time Top 25. his gravelly, smoky voice brings an intimacy to his words - while his other albums are starkly produced, the more complex instrumentations of East Autumn Grin raise Matthew Ryan's songs to a whole new level.

*Still Part Two (my personal fave)
*3rd of October

New Postsecret.com
here's my favorite of the weekly postsecret.com postings...

Across The Street


Your Friendly Neighborhood Pawnbroker

The Cars Rock?

i never heard any live recordings of The Cars before, but Jefitoblog has some up, and surprisingly, i was jammin' to some "You're All I've Got Tonight." listen to those keyboards!

A Quick One Now That It's Away

i just gotta post...cc and i went and saw matt nathanson at the 9:30 Club last night. Kate Earl started off the night, just her and her electric piano. good sultry, jazzy voice in the line of Fiona Apple, but she definitely needs to rock out more. those jazz chords were putting me to sleep.

Matt Wertz was next - him on acoustic guitar and another guy on acoustic playing lead and rhythm. they put on a good show, with some powerful singing, catchy numbers and some intense guitar strumming. there was definitely string-breakage.

as for Matty....the show didn't have that sizzle and pop that last year's had, which i'd blame more on the backing band, namely the electric lead and rhythm guitarist and bassist. they didn't sound as tight, weren't as inventive, etc. but matty's a good performer, nonetheless, and pulled it off, concluding with an acoustic version of cc's favorite, "Suspended." look to the right for the mp3.

It's Bill Lumbergh
hey, jeffro, it's Bill Lumbergh. yeah. ummmm.....we're going to need you to come into work Saturday, yeah. ummmm....yeah. and probably Sunday, too. thanks, jeffro.

Big Time

once again, too much work today. is it making jeffro a dull boy? i probably wasn't all that exciting to begin with.

but my Big & Rich CD saved my ride home with some kick-ass country. if this song, "Rollin', " doesn't make you wanna stomp your feet and throw your hands in the air, then...well, you just don't care!

and if you want some more honky-tonkin, check out this Charlie Robison tune, "Barlight" - it's a pretty catchy sing-along number. local alt-country band Catfish Honeymoon does a damn fine cover of it, and i've always wondered who did the original. aight, now back to my Golden Grahams.

Strong Like Ox!

so it's confirmed - Romo used steroids and human growth hormone. at least he says so this Sunday on 60 minutes.

"I took (human growth hormone) for a brief period and ... I definitely didn't receive what I got out of THG," Romanowski said, referring to another drug he got from Conte. In November 2003, the NFL notified Romanowski that he tested positive for the steroid THG.

But Watch Out For The Devil...

Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University has set up a four-month course titled "Exorcism and the Prayer of Liberation" to teach aspiring demonologists and exorcists the art of the exorcism.

one of the attendees, Father Gabriele Nanni, spoke to Reuters during a break. "First thing is the priest has to know if the devil is at work in a person or if the problem is somewhere else," he said. Nanni said there are four sure signs that pointed to demonic possession rather than psychological problems. He listed them as:

-When someone speaks or understands languages they normally do not
-When their physical strength is disproportionate to their body size or age
-When they are suddenly knowledgeable about occult practices
-When they have a physical aversion to sacred things, such as the communion host or prayers

Clapton Is God

and a writer, apparently. his autobiography is set for publication in 2007. it'll also be issued in audio format - i wonder if he'll play blues licks between sentences. the book will also coincide with a North American tour and a Warner Brothers release of a complete retrospective box set of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's recordings.

Some Of This, Some Of That

i'm done for today. too much accounting. so now i sit watching a muted TV and listening to some Bigger Lovers on my computer. as long as i survive the rest of the week, i'm going to see Matt Nathanson at the 9:30 Club on friday, so i'm definitely looking forward to that. definitely better than reconciling balance sheet accounts.

apparently, Apple came out with some sort of device today, the video iPod. i feel like i'm the only person in the world who doesn't have an iPod, but i'm aight without it for now. what's that? you want an mp3 treat for today? how about a little of the Joan Jett-esque Niki Barr to rock yourselves up? here's Until I See You Again.

You Envy Me, Don't You!

go here and tell Fortune Magazine whether or not you really do envy their list of "The 25 People We Envy Most." hopefully, kevin spacey won't come after you if you admit it...

Two Heads Are Better....

An Aquarium Drunkard has posted some live (circa 1998) Neutral Milk Hotel stuff, including my favorite, "Two-Headed Boy Pt. I" - it's a bit rough, but you get the idea.

Love Your Nord

this is a cool keyboard. and it really was red...

Tres

three things i'm loving right now:
*That 70s Show
*Hormel Turkey Pepperoni
*Fun-size Paydays

Oink!!

for some reason, i find this picture entertaining...

Do You Expect Them To Talk?

supposedly this is the man who will be Bond. James Bond. he's Craig. Daniel Craig. but of course, it's only intense speculation from unnamed sources and the like. but no agents or production companies are confirming anything - he's supposed to be a secret agent, dammit!!!!

Stream A Listen

i'm really liking Ringside's song "Strangerman." it kind of reminds me of some of Matthew Ryan's newer stuff. no downloading, unfortunately, only streaming. anyway, mike holden recommended this band in the "currently stuck in my head" portion of today's metromusicscene.com posting.

I Miss You, Scrubs!

from EW:

The Emmy-nominated (finally!) hospital dramedy will keep maturing in its fifth season. ''We don't want to be one of those shows where 30-year-olds are still in high school,'' says exec producer Bill Lawrence. J.D. (Zach Braff) will live without Turk (Donald Faison), and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) will stick with the fellowship that sent her to a hospital across town in last season's finale. And Lawrence is making his guest-star wish list: Braff paramour Mandy Moore and John Cusack, you're up. ''If [Cusack] doesn't show up this season,'' Lawrence says, ''he's dead to all of us.''

Kickstart My Heart

if you've been waiting to purchase your very own home defibrilator until amazon.com had 'em for sale, wait no longer! it's only $1,350, and it comes with instructions!!!

Working It

i found a cool new (to me) music blog, Work For It. now even though the poster is a Red Sawx fan, i'll let that slide, cus he's got some interesting stuff, like the two items listed below:

the 80s classic "Forever Young" has been covered by a group called Youth Group, and it was played on The O.C. apparently, i'm the only one who didn't know about it. anyway, it sounds pretty cool. check it.

this mashup of Dashboard Confessional and Brand New is one of the best I've heard.

Days of MP3s and Cheese
well, folks, it's Sunday, the official MP3 day of the week. and today's secret ingredient - Guster's "X-Ray Eyes," my favorite Guster song evar. and by the way, i just made the first of my monthly entries to the MetroMusicScene.com blog, issuing MP3s of the month. i'll let y'all know when i post there. but don't worry, i'm still my favorite blog.

AAR
one of my favorite power-pop-punk bands, 9:30 Club in November. such infectious hooks, tight harmonies and melodies. i like. so as soon as i pay off my credit card bill, i'll be ordering tix for me and cc. check out "Dirty Little Secret" from their new CD, Move Along.

One And The Same

apparently, cocaine has been found in Boy George's apartment, but BG's lawyer claims that it's not BG's. yada, yada, yada...

but what i find more interesting - picture Tom Hanks with his head shaved and wearing a Misfits shirt. now look at this picture of Boy George. just how you pictured him, eh? and you wondered why he was in "Bosom Buddies"....

Tix

mad thanks to FFE, who ventured down to the Black Cat and purchased tix for the 11/3 Butch Walker show for me and cc.

rock is good. avoiding ticketbastard is good. do something good today.

It's Mini, But
does the world really need a Mini SUV?

Not Oak, But....

if you like country-tinged folky-rock w/ tight female harmonies, check out The Hickories. this local band just released their first EP, Lost In Pennsylvania, and i'm digging the title track on their myspace site. no downloads, only streaming, unfortunately.