New Pentatonix release

I'm soooooooooooooooooooo happy!  Just got notice of the new Pentatonix video.  I have only listened to it once but that was enough to send me running to my blog for a posting.  I'm sure it will get even better as I listen to it more and more.  And, I still have a hopeless crush on Kirstie Maldonado.  You gotta check it out right here.

Upon further listening....

I just watched/listened to the video 4 more times.  This is Pentatonix at their best. Not only are they fabulous singers, but their arrangements are stellar.  Kirstie is in top form and this time we get to hear Avi Kaplan take a little solo, which blows me away because it shows his range.  Also very cool is getting to hear Kevin Olusola play his cello (beautifully) and provide a rare vocal to end the song.  Wow.  Sorry I'm such a fanboy but I just love this group.

"The Americans"

Of late there has been a huge buzz over the premier of the second season of "The Americans."  For example, it was listed number 1 in the "Must See" feature of Entertainment Weekly. I've read lots of reviews praising the show.  Plus, season 1 just went up on Amazon Prime streaming video, and is now just sitting there waiting for binge watching.

I must say that I was very reticent about getting into it because the subject matter (Russian spies in deep cover in the US) seemed like something I was not going to like.  A similar situation occurred a while back when "Big Love" came on HBO.  I thought, "no way I'm going to watch a show about a polygamist Mormon family living in Utah."  Of course I fended off that preconceived notion and began watching the show, which immediately had me "hook, line, and sinker" for every moment of every episode.

Well, with season one of "The Americans" coming on to Amazon Prime for free streaming, we decided to give it a go a couple of nights ago.  We watched episode 1 (the pilot) and were completely blown away.  We then watched the second episode and found it to be just as good.  Keri Russell, whom I've always dug immensely (Felicity, The Waitress), is simply mesmerizing and is definitely playing against type -- lots of very steamy stuff.  Matthew Rhys as her "husband" is equally compelling, and Eileen says he is "a hunk."  The writing is top-notch, and the production value very high. Also, capturing the early 80's with Reagan coming into power is a real trip. If you decide to check it out I guarantee that you will be on the edge of your seat and slightly breathless most of the time.

I love this couple and their baby

The world can really be a downer if you stop looking for the little things that make life fun, interesting, and rewarding.  I ran across this photo spread of a young couple's whimsical tableaus in which they feature their infant.  When you discover things like this it definitely cheers you up, and you find yourself wishing that you could hang out with these people and enjoy their company for a while.  

Insults galore

Well now, this video is really a lot of fun.

Using another source I was able to get an index of the various delicious insults.

Here is a List of Movies Cited in the Above Video

0'00 - Roxanne, Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Gleaming the Cube, The Princess Bride, A Fish Called Wanda, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Casino, Three Amigos, A Clockwork Orange

1'05 - Dolemite, Glengarry Glen Ross, Bad Santa, The Witches of Eastwick, The Big Lebowski, In Bruges, Full Metal Jacket, There Will Be Blood

2'05 - Toy Story, Casablanca, Encino Man, The Women, Predator, Army of Darkness, They Live, Uncle Buck, Big Trouble in Little China, New Jack City, Billy Madison

3'00 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Departed, Carlito's Way, In the Loop, Glengarry Glen Ross, Stand By Me, Grosse Pointe Blank, Duck Soup, Caddyshack, Planes Trains & Automobiles

4'00 - South Park, Napoleon Dynamite, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, As Good as It Gets, The 6th Day, Step Brothers, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Full Metal Jacket, City Slickers, Road House, True Grit, Shot Circuit

5'00 - Raging Bull, The Usual Suspects, Snatch, Caddyshack, The Last Boy Scout, Ghostbusters, The Sandlot, As Good as It Gets

6'00 - 48 Hrs, In Bruges, Silver Streak, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Fish Called Wanda, Goodfellas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Mist, Trading Places

7'00 - The Warriors, Point Break, Gangs of New York, Reservoir Dogs, The Breakfast Club, The Cowboys, Full Metal Jacket, Dodgeball, Donnie Darko, Scarface, The Good the Bad and the Ugly

8'00 - Anchorman, Tropic Thunder, Sexy Beast, In the Loop, Get Shorty, Blazing Saddles, The Way of the Gun, Blade: Trinity, Clerks, The Boondock Saints, The Exorcist, What About Bob?, Weird Science

9'00 - Con Air, True Romance, In the Loop, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Lake Placid, The Front, Gone with the Wind

****

Enjoy.

I'm still here...

It's been a while since I posted something.  I retired at the end of the year and have been converting my home office to a much, much smaller footprint and adding a new bed for guests, etc.  This process necessitated some ruthless decisions about discarding things that I no longer have room for.  The hoarder in me was sometimes hard to overcome.  Anyway, I pretty much finished up the whole conversion today so I can get back to dreaming up some worthy posts.

Oh, I also got a new camera.  I have been looking for a professional-quality "point-and-shoot" to use when I cannot use my larger SLR, or when I just don't want to lug the SLR around.  In doing the research I found a great article by a photographer who used a Sony RX-100 to photograph the Rolling Stones in a live performance.  Check out the article here, even if you are not interested in learning about the camera because the pictures are fabulous. I bought an RX-100 for myself and have been carrying it around and shooting stuff like crazy.  It's an amazing little piece of technology.  Here are a couple of photos of the camera.  When looking at the photos, remember that this itty-bitty guy took those pictures of the Stones!

Science vs. the "Nay-sayers"

This cartoon pretty much nails it.  Excuse me while I take a look at those 6,000-year-old dinosaur bones that my dog just dug up.

Carlin bringin' it...

I was poking around the Internet this morning and was rewarded with this blazing rant by George Carlin in 2005.  When I look at today's Congress (and the folks who elected them), I can only say that it has gotten even worse than Carlin saw it back then.  I would have loved to hear Carlin's take on the Tea Party!! Yet another guy that I really miss.