What's New With Mick » television

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:48:34 +0000

Aches & pains: none

Current reading: The Big Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

Recent listening: Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, Jane Siberry, Sam Cooke, Donovan, Nanci Griffith, John Frusciante, Deadmau5, Florence & the Machine, Earth, Wind & Fire

Recent viewing: Dexter, Twin Peaks, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, Winnebago Man, NFL Playoffs

Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, Temple Run

Recently accomplished: Mowed lawn to remove most leaves, taxi service, Christmas tree recyling

Imperative To Do: Finish Neil Young “liner notes”, finish 2011 FY for Troop 820, clean office, pay bills, call DirecTV, Troop 820 can recycling

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:10:34 +0000

Aches & pains: unmentionable

Current reading: undecided

Recent listening: Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, Bonnie Raitt, Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations, Allman Brothers Band, Country Joe and the Fish, Pictures from Life’s Other Side by Johnny Dowd, Forever Changes by Love

Recent viewing: Raising Hope, Community, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, 60 Minutes, Stargate SG-1, Sons of Anarchy, South Park, The Office, The Walking Dead

Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, Bloons

Recently accomplished: Cleaned roof and gutters, outdoor winterization, iPhone LCD replacement, Christmas vacation planning, booked December work trip

Imperative To Do: Finish Neil Young “liner notes”, put away hoses, organize recent garage additions, finish Xbox repair, reassemble Graham’s computer, Christmas CD burning

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:10:49 +0000

Aches & pains: left foot arch

Current reading: Fahrenheit 451

Recent listening: Harry Nilsson, Billy Holiday, Green Day, The Zombies, The Clash, Matisyahu, Concrete Blonde

Recent viewing: Warehouse 13, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Louie, Falling Skies, Leverage, Stargate SG-1, Columbo, The Benson Interruption, H.R. Punfnstuf, The God Who Wasn’t There

Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, Mondo Solitaire

Recently accomplished: Bug fixing for new job, bug fixing for old job, lawn care

Imperative To Do: Clean garage, clean gutters, new shelves for stereo, bark dust, doctor appointments

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:13:57 +0000

Aches & pains: ankles, back muscles, possible tongue thrush

Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

Recent listening: Infected Mushroom, Foreigner, Primus, Greg Kihn, Massive Attack, Thievery Corp., Weird Al (new album!), Radiohead, Motown, Portishead, Canned Heat, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Recent viewing: Leverage (season 3 & 4), Frontline, The Planets, Pulp Fiction, Stan Lee’s Superhumans, The Story of the Blues, Super 8

Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, Mondo Solitaire

Recently accomplished: Both children advanced to next grade level, camping/biking in Idaho, acquired fireworks of questionable legality, paid bills, Roundup for weedy areas, weed and feed for lawn, mowing

Imperative To Do: Light fireworks, back to work, clean garage, clean gutters, new shelves for stereo, bark dust, doctor appointments

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Sat, 21 May 2011 03:33:10 +0000

Aches & pains: right ankle
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, John Anderson, Eric Clapton, Booker T. and the MG’s, Bukka White, Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield Blue Band, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, George Harrison, Harlem Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jimmy Reed, The Band, Reverend Gary Davis, Dock Boggs, John Hartford, Pet Seeger
Recent viewing: The Middle, Community, The Civil War, Frontline, 60 Minutes, Kickass, Surface, Lord of the Flies (1963), Strange Days, Suck, Twilight Zone, Network, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Black Swan, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Dark City
Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends
Recently accomplished: Teacher meetings (Thomas), Troop 820 treasurer’s report, bank trip, Tivo hard drive replacement
Imperative To Do: Clean garage, clean gutters, new shelves for stereo, bark dust, doctor appointments

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:53:22 +0000

Aches & pains: sciatica, temperature sensitivity, left hip
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: The Chess Story, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds, Beckology, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Steve Miller Band, Traffic, Boz Scaggs, The Rolling Stones
Recent viewing: CSI, God in America, Sin City, V is for Vendetta, Commando, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, Secrets Beneath the Ice (Nova), Real Time with Bill Maher, Japan’s Killer Quake (Nova), BBS: The Documentary
Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, WSOP Hold ‘Em Legend HD
Recently accomplished: Couch acquisition, Troop 820 collections, mowed lawn, new couch prep
Imperative To Do: Clean garage, clean gutters, new shelves for stereo, bank trip, bark dust, doctor appointments

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:33:33 +0000

Aches & pains: sciatica
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: The Velvet Underground, Alabama, Boz Scaggs, Steve Miller Band, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, The Who, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Funkadelic/Parliament, The Kinks, Sleep, The Small Faces, Traffic, Warren Zevon
Recent viewing: CSI, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Modern Family, Friday Night Lights, Big Love, Stripes, A Clockwork Orange, Fringe, No Ordinary Family, Six Million Dollar Man, The Simpsons
Recent playing: DropZap, Words with Friends, WSOP Hold ‘Em Legend HD
Recently accomplished: Began Tivo repair (need new power cable), changed furnace filters
Imperative To Do: Troop 820 transactions, clean garage, clean gutters

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 01:01:00 +0000

Aches & pains: ankles
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: Les Paul & Mary Ford, The Mothers of Invention, Slick Rick, Gershwin, Jane Siberry, Glenn Miller, Brave Combo, Buckethead, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, King Crimson, Neil Young, Steve Goodman, Woody Guthrie
Recent viewing: Young & Innocent, Stage Fright, Rockford Files, Murphy’s Romance, Disturbing the Universe, Nova, WWII in HD, Alice in Wonderland, Long Day’s Journey Into the Night (aborted), More Than a Game, NBA Basketball, Hawkeye Football
Recent playing: Words with Friends, Fieldrunners, Pinball HD
Recently accomplished: Played “adult in charge” at recent Troop 820 campout, fixed broken gate, fixed leaky toilet, winterization
Imperative To Do: Resume biking, lingering Troop 820 issues, desk cleanup, Xmas shopping

Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:08:28 +0000

If you were a teen in the 80s like me then you probably remember the short-lived sketch comedy series, Fridays, on ABC. Although it only lasted two seasons, it left an indelible impression on my young brain.

Sadly, a DVD release of those two seasons is reportedly held up by Michael Richards. Luckily, YouTube has most of their great sketches including the ones I’ve included below the fold:

I had completely forgotten about The Rasta Gourmet but as soon as he asked “Watching TV? No no no no!” in the video below, I totally remembered it:

Considerably less difficult to remember was “Battle Boy” with Michael Richards:

And who can forget the crazed pharmacist and “just take a pill”?

I enjoyed the comedy but the real reason I watched Fridays was for the music. After I saw the following performance, I purchased every single Stray Cats record I could get my hands on, including British imports.

Although my pursuit of Stray Cats albums eventually led me down the punk path, I totally hated these guys when I saw them on Fridays – my first exposure to them. Eventually, I would realize they had just made one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll albums of all time.

I specifically remember turning to my friend, Dave, and commenting on how bad they were. His reply was, “it’s like they’re each playing their own song.” I have no doubt my favorite band at the moment was Queen and my second favorite was The Beatles. There was not yet room in my world for The Clash.

I don’t remember seeing this sketch but evidently Melanie Chartoff got a chipped tooth from the first punch:

This video definitely illustrates the stylistic differences with Saturday Night Live.

I’ll close with what has been described as the greatest sketch in Fridays history. It was subsequently banned and edited from rebroadcasts:

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:48:30 +0000

Aches & pains: left shoulder
Current reading: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: Eminem, Black Sabbath, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Neil Young, Decemberists, Jeff Tweedy, Infected Mushroom, Billie Holiday
Recent viewing: Time After Time, Angels and Demons, 24 (season 8), Warehouse 13, CSI: Miami, Up In Smoke, Murder She Wrote, Life, Mad Men, Medium
Recent playing: Words with Friends, QRANK, Fieldrunners
Recently accomplished: Replaced deck boards, grass planting, weed removal, CDs for Kent
Imperative To Do: iPhone app, liner notes for Kelly, clean gutters, Troop 820 bookkeeping

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:16:03 +0000

Aches & pains: n/a
Current reading: Beginning iPhone 3.0 Development by David Mark and Jeff LaMarche, Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Recent listening: Neil Young, Edith Piaf, The Modern Lovers, The Black Keys, Tones on Tail, Thomas Dolby
Recent viewing: Countdown, Rachel Maddow, Friday Night Lights, Kill Bill, Hollywoodland, The Fly, LoudQUIETloud, Crazy, The Heart Is A Drum Machine, Psych
Recent playing: Words with Friends, Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Birds, QRANK
Recently accomplished: Hauled old computer equipment to Splash office, ongoing yard revival, filled propane tank, returned Nehalem to Foster City, CDs for Laine
Imperative To Do: Buy deck boards, birthday party invites, haircut, chainsaw some stuff, iPhone app

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:24:31 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: lower back
Current reading: Beginning iPhone 3.0 Development by David Mark and Jeff LaMarche
Recent listening: John Coltrane, Public Enemy, Liz Phair, Dan Fogelberg, Lightning Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Grand Funk Railroad
Recent viewing: Jazz (Ken Burns), The Messenger, Precious, The Jacket, Masters of Horror, The Machinist, Moon, Surrogates, Brothers, The Blind Side, August Rush, Doctor Who, Medium
Recent playing: Words with Friends, Plants vs. Zombies
Recently accomplished: Harvested compost, pulled dandelions, planted grass, removed blackberries, fixed attic door, created Troop 820 IS infrastructure
Imperative To Do: Make doctor’s appointment, iPhone app, bank, post office, Troop 820 Treasurer’s report

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:46:12 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: itchy tattoo
Current reading: George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking
Recent listening: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath, Michelle Shocked, Muddy Waters, Dio, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Waits
Recent viewing: Lost, Modern Family, Doctor Who, Glee, Fringe, Moon, Iron Man 2, Donnie Darko, The Big Lebowski, It Might Get Loud
Recent playing: Words with Friends, Plants vs. Zombies
Recently accomplished: Collected summer camp fees, finished Iowa vacation planning, learned to solder, fixed 1 of 2 broken LCD displays, unclogged traps in both bathrooms, job interview, endured first tattoo, setup Troop 820 website
Imperative To Do: iPhone application, pay speeding ticket, weed and feed, groceries

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:54:41 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: n/a
Current reading: Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey E.F. Friedl, The Day After Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein, George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking
Recent listening: Neil Young, Glenn Miller, John Prine, Doc Watson, The Mars Volta, Daniel Johnston
Recent viewing: The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Cocaine Cowboys, Shut Up and Sing, The Hurt Locker, Some Kind of Monster, Witchboard, The Office, The Simpsons
Recent playing: Words with Friends
Recently accomplished: Office cleaning, haircut, cleaned ice maker, Scout accounting, purchased and installed new battery for van, hauled old computer stuff to Vancouver, worked a week in Foster City, can recycling
Imperative To Do: Taxes, clean gutters, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again), cardboard recycling

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:34:55 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: n/a
Current reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Recent listening: Coverville
Recent viewing: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Some Kind of Monster, Brokeback Mountain, Creature Comforts, Super Bowl XLIV, The Colbert Report
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online, Hand of Greed
Recently accomplished: Finished antenna attic setup, mounted hooks in office, purchased new handheld vacuum
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again), Scout accounting, haircut, clean ice maker, cardboard recycling

Mel Gibson: Still An Asshole

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:27:23 +0000

First, he claims to not know what the interviewer is asking and then he says he’s “done all the necessary mea culpas.” At least he admits he is still the same person: an anti-semitic and mean-spirited bully who doesn’t understand why people dislike him.

I think celebrities sometimes reach a tipping point where they will forever be boxed in by their past actions. Welcome to the club, Mel. Tom Cruise and Gary Busey are glad you’re here.

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:25:04 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: the usual suspects
Current reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Recent listening: Muse, Tom Waits, XTC, Massive Attack, Portishead, DJ Shadow, The Chemical Brothers, Tones on Tail
Recent viewing: Timeline, Shaft (remake), Medium, Flash Forward, Heroes, Dollhouse, Buffy, Better Off Ted, The 13th Warrior, Memento, The Illustrated Man, World’s Greatest Dad
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online
Recently accomplished: Ordered birth certificate, Scout bookkeeping, passport application, voted
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, hook up antenna in the attic, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again)

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:57:09 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: sore sinuses
Current reading: Timeline by Michael Crichton, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Corey Doctorow
Recent listening: Fairground Attraction, Essential Rarities by The Doors, Love and Rockets, Live at the Olympia by R.E.M.
Recent viewing: Jericho (Season One), Beef, Overnight, Capturing the Freedmans, Orgazmo, Everest: Beyond the Limit (Season Two), Die Hard, NFL Wildcard Playoffs
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online
Recently accomplished: Christmas tree recycling, grocery shopping, replaced furnace filters
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, hook up antenna in the attic, get passport, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again)

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:55:21 +0000

Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: numbness in left thigh, minor stomach flu, congestion, cough, sore right hip
Current reading: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein, I Am America (and So Can You) by Stephen Colbert
Recent listening: Run DMC, Bach, The Doors, Neil Young, Fairground Attraction, News from Lake Wobegon
Recent viewing: Deadwood, Countdown, The Rachel Maddow Show, How I Met Your Mother, The National Parks, Arrested Development, Nova, football
Recent playing: geoDefense
Recently accomplished: Tina’s 40th birthday party, Christmas shopping (most), vacuumed office
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, put antenna in the attic, get passport, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, clean roof

Vital Statistics

Mitchell Laurren-Ring — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:33:28 +0000

Bike odometer: 2557
Aches & pains: numbness in left thigh
Current reading: Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Recent listening: Son Volt, Seals & Crofts, Firefall, Bread, Brave Combo, Sweet
Recent viewing: Fringe, Glee, Mad Men, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, The Office, Iowa at Ohio State, Forrest Gump, Land of the Lost (movie)
Recent playing: Doodle Jump, geoDefense
Recently accomplished: Fruit pickup and delivery, expense reports, winterization, yard work, doctor appointment, called Guisseppe’s, replaced rusty grill, cat attic prevention, new stylus for turntable (last?)
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, clean roof