You Tube Video of the Day

Once I saw this I knew I had to post it. Enjoy.

You Don't Nomi

Last night I watched a documentary about Klaus Nomi called The Nomi Song. For having only known very little about his life and music before hand this documentary really made me a fan. I first learned of Nomi when I heard his version of The Twist. I instantly loved it because it was way out there. Upon finding out that he did this in the late 70's early 80's I was astonished. His music was and still is way ahead of its time. He was an opera singer who had the voice of an angel. His falsetto was a head turning soprano. If you never head him before you would think it was a woman singing. His voice was only part of what made Klaus, Klaus. His presence, cloths, and personality added to his mystery. Klaus did an amazing job of making us believe that he descended upon Earth from outer space. He even performed with David Bowie on SNL!(thats where the Venture Brothers probably got their tie in) Unfortunately, Klaus died from AIDS in 1983. I can only imagine how scary it was to have AIDS back then. It must really have felt like a death sentence.

I would give a few thoughts and opinions about his music, but I only know a few songs by name and the rest by tune. Sometime in the near future the internet will have bestowed it upon me so after listening to it I will let everyone know. I do recommend watching the documentary if you are at all interested in this amazing person's life and music.

Here are a few videos of Klaus, the only way to truly get his whole performance:

Ultimate Judas Priest Playlist

Recently I have been listening to a lot of Judas Priest's discography. I have spent a few days trying to assemble an ultimate Judas Priest playlist for my ipod. Here is what I have gathered so far. Just as a disclaimer this list is in no particular order and is incomplete as are all good playlists. You will notice some albums have multiple songs that made it to this list while others have a few or none. It is not that I hate the tracks that didn't make the list. On the Contrary, if a song isn't on here it is because it didn't stick out to me when I was creating this, so please let me know if I passed over a great song. I am always striving to add to my playlists.

Format: Song title(album title)

Deal with the Devil (Angel of Retribution)
Breaking the Law (British Steel)
United (British Steel)
Living After Midnight (British Steel) <-- My favorite Priest song of ALL time
Freewheel Burning (Defenders of the Faith)
The Sentinel (Defenders of the Faith)
Defenders of the Faith (Defenders of the Faith)
Evening Star (Hell Bent for Leather)
Hell Bent for Leather (Hell Bent for Leather)
Take on the World (Hell Bent for Leather)
Green Manalishi -With the Two-Pronged Crown (Hell Bent for Leather)
Prophecy (Nostradamus)
Awakening (Nostradamus)
Revelations (Nostradamus)
Four Horsemen (Nostradamus)
Nostradamus (Nostradamus)
Pain Killer ( Pain Killer)
Rocka Rolla (Rocka Rolla)
The Ripper ( Sad Wings of Destiny)
The Hellion (Screaming for Vengeance)
Electric Eye (Screaming for Vengeance)
Riding on the Wind (Screaming for Vengeance)
Bloodstone (Screaming for Vengeance)
Screaming for Vengeance (Screaming for Vengeance)
You've Got Another Thing Coming (Screaming for Vengeance)
Diamonds and Rust (Sin After Sin)

Please let me know what you think, I am always open to opinions and suggestions.

Websites to view instead of work

I came across this website by hearing of it from several different people, as well as Internet musings. It is www.fmylife.com . Fuck my life is like a micro blog that people pose situations that they were/are in which they state how fucked their life is because of it. You as the viewer can either just read them and laugh or cast your vote to either agree that their life is fucked or that they deserved what has happened. Simple enough premise with endless work hours of hilarity. Topics range from sex to everyday events, the possiblities are endless! So why not waste the next 4-5 hours after lunch on a few good laughs at others misfortues!

Here is an example post :

Today, a customer that I've been waiting on for years came into the restaurant after a long absence. I said to him, "Hey man, it looks like you lost a lot of weight! How'd you do it?" He replied, "I got cancer." FML

Free Gmail Stuff

So a few weeks ago I stumbled upon Gmail's blog in which I learned that they were giving away free stickers! I promptly wrote out a self addressed, stamped envelope and sent her down range. Around three weeks later I had a little package of joy waiting for me on my desk. "They have arrived!" I proclaimed to no one in particular. The stickers included are: one glittery looking Gmail logo about 2 1/2 inches in length (my favorite one), a unicorn rainbow night scene with this belongs to ___@gmail.com written on it. I'm sure it was a nod to the 90's era children stickers that adorned everything in my school back then. And a gmail keyboard shortcuts sheet of stickers for me to make my boring HP keyboard all pretty like and important looking. It was topped of with a preprinted post-it note stating "Enjoy the stickers! - the Gmail Team" with the logo stamped on it. All in all I must say I am very happy with this marketing idea they have. It has brought a bit of joy to a regular hum drum average day at the grind. If you want your very own set of Gmail stickers just send a self addressed, stamped envelope to:

Send me some Gmail stickers already
P.O. Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420

I highly recommend getting yourself a set while the getting is good. Here is a pic of mine.

Brad Van Pelt

Last week former Giants player Brad Van Pelt passed away due to a heart attack. He was 57. He was drafted by the Giants in 1973 as a standout linebacker. He and Lawrence Taylor, Brian Kelly, and Harry Carsons made up the "Crunch Bunch." Van Pelt was elected to the Pro Bowl 5 times.

A few interesting facts, Van Pelt wore the number 10 despite the rule that linebackers had to choose from a number in the 50s or 90s, due to the new numbering system the NFL instituted. He chose the number 10 because that was his number for all sports in high school and college. The reasoning behind giving him the number 10 was he would be an alternate kicker who would play as a linebacker sometimes. The Giants stuck with the latter. The number 10 is what got him noticed as it was a weird sight to see it on a defensive line. After college he was fortunate enough to either play in the NFL or in MLB. He had the choice to be drafter by the St Louis Cardinals( baseball) or the New York Giants (football).

Van Pelt had the distinct pleasure of having played in four differnt home stadiums as a Gaint, Yankee Stadium, the Yale Bowl, Shea Stadium, and Giants Stadium. He left the Giants in 1983 a full 3 years before their first Super Bowl victory season. In 2005 he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Below is a picture of the Crunch Bunch, an essential poster for any Giants fan growing up in the 70s and early 80s. Rest in Peace Brad you will be missed. Photos are taken from Giants.com, I hope they don't mind.

Fitness Update

An update on my fitness progress. Since I started this get fit mentality a few weeks ago (somewhere between 3 and 4 weeks ago) I have lost a combined grand total of 7 lbs. This makes me happier than a pig in shit because it shows that everything I am doing is actually working. I have had people come up to me and say that they can see a difference in how I look. My routine isn't all that complex either. I try to run at least one mile and then walk one mile every other day. Daily I do around 100 sit ups on my fitness ball (everyone should get one it rules), 25 push ups using push up stands (which hurt like hell!), and side bends with 25 pound weight to help get rid of love handles. I have been thinking of adding more exercises to the routine as well as upping the current ones. Eating right is also doing its share. I really am amazed at how well I am sticking to this new mentality and how it is actually paying off!

I am getting closer and closer to my goal of 165lbs and a flatter stomach. I even noticed that my biceps are starting to come in better, and even doing random things throughout the day I can see the definition lines in my arms. When I do eat garbage food it actually makes me physically sick to my stomach and I can feel it moving around in there. This is a wonderful deterrent because most of my life junk food was a huge staple. I haven't even been drinking too much since my self imposed rule of no booze on weekdays. Half the time on the weekend when I allow myself some hooch I drink very little or not at all. This is a huge step for someone who was looking for any occasion to drink during the week and get wasted whenever. Sometime in the future I will post some pics of my progress for those who wish to see. (i.e. me in a few months to see where I came from)

If anyone has any helpful pointers or tips on fitness, weight loss, or healthy eating please share them with me I am always eager to learn what more I can do to make myself better.