The Kaiser Chiefs I Predict A Riot
I’m not the first person to notice that The Kaiser Chiefs have an urgency and rawness about them that evokes The Jam circa 1977. In fact I’m not even close: The Kaiser Chiefs were voted best Rock act in the UK in 2007. I was introduced to the Chiefs by “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”, a channel that appeared on my satellite radio after XM and Sirius merged. If you have satellite radio you have to give this channel a listen… the shows by Andrew Loog Oldham are great. Anyhoo… Kaiser Chiefs == Good.

The Raveonettes Love In A Trashcan
Another discovery thanks to Underground Garage, this duo hails from Denmark. The music is a throwback vocal and reverb-laden garage sound that goes great with any sonic meal. Their remake of My Boyfriend’s Back is superb too. I’m listening to “Pretty In Black”, but they have a newer album out in 2008 called “Lust Lust Lust.”

Hayes Carll Girl Downtown
Love this guy. Fantastic songwriter, extremely cool in every way. Girl Downtown is an easy, loping ode to simple love for simple people. Like me.

Kathleen Edwards I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory
Here’s the thing. Kathleen Edwards has put out 3 albums now, and they’re all good. Not just “ok good”, but “holy crap this girl really has her shit together good.”

Kimya Dawson Alphabutt
This is the kind of music we should all be buying for our kids. Have you done it? Do it now.

Teddy Thompson The Things I Do
A Piece Of What You Need is another terrific record by my favorite depressing offspring of Richard Thompson. Meilei can’t stand this stuff but I think he’s great. Whatever is troubling Teddy Thompson is bad… and it makes for great music.

John Doe The Golden State
Best love song I’ve heard this year. Sweet, timeless, powerful. Can you see my tears from where you’re sitting?

The Dollyrots My Best Friend’s Hot
Is Joan Jet-esque Pop Punk from LA so wrong? Is it? I don’t know much about this band, having only recently discovered them on (you guessed it) Underground Garage. Except this: they’re good, fun, and loud. What else does one need to know? Cheggem oot.

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Yesterday we spent the day outside. First up to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park for a cool and damp hike through the redwood grove. Then down to Pleasure Point (aka The Hook) for a stroll at low tide.

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We spent Christmas at home this year, just the five of us. It was a great day. An early start (thank you, Katie) followed by games, movies, and food.

My contribution was lighting the room with a speedlight in opposite corners. This technique is courtesy of Strobist. I think the pictures turned out well… warning: 64 photos mostly of interest to grandparents and aunties.

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Conventional wisdom tells us that once we have kids, all movie watching stops. Or at least that’s what I complained about when telling folks the pros & cons of having kids. Then in late 2007 I noticed that it might not be entirely true. Forthwith, I decided to keep track of my movie watching for a whole year. Here at the end of the process, given that there are 31 movies in the list below, I feel it’s necessary to tell you that it’s not like all I do is sit around, eat nachos, and watch DVDs. It is merely mostly what I do. Actually, it turns out that most of these movies were watched on airplanes to and from India and China.

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Last night we hosted our 2nd annual Christmas party. Lots of friends, food, and fun. Thank you to all who attended and we hope to see you next year!!

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We went to Natural Bridges State Beach today to see the Monarch butterflies. Today was Christine and Richard’s last day in California. We had a fun week together and we’re very sorry to see them go home… they jetted back to Edmonton tonight.

The highlight for me might have been the Oilers vs. Sharks game on Saturday night. The Oilers won in overtime, setting off a spontaneous high fiving exhibition between the numerous Oilers fans in the audience.

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I can’t believe it. Our baby is already 4 years old!!

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For the last few weeks I have been busy taking pictures of the sky. Here is a picture of M45 (aka The Pleiades). The Japanese call this constellation “Subaru”, and it is what you see on the back of every Subaru car.

posted in Astronomy [ comments ? ]