It was in the mid-80s today. I'm declaring the Single of the Summer.

"Grace Kelly" by Mika (love his little dig at the Freddie Mercury comparisons)

I've listened to the album via the clips on iTunes and I dig it greatly. In fact, I just picked it up from Target tonight ($8!). Tomorrow morning's commute is going to be really jubilant.

"Boxing's been good to me, Howard"

To coincide with the DVD release of Rocky Balboa - and to produce some much-needed blog filler - here is some music* on my iPod that deals with boxing, however tenuous.

"Boxing" - Ben Folds Five
"The Greatest" - Cat Power
"The Boxer" - Simon & Garfunkel
"Second Round K.O." - Canibus
"Boxers" - Morrissey
Fight Club soundtrack
Everything on House of Pain's Same As It Ever Was (for its cover)
All of Coolbone's Brass-Hop (their MC is Muhammad Ali's cousin)

That pretty much covers it.

*Exluding the soundtracks for the six Rocky movies.

Requiem for a broadcasting legend

R.I.P. Calvert DeForest (a.k.a. Larry "Bud" Melman), 1921-2007


"Thanks, phone dude."

He made me laugh. A lot.

Buy this movie

Rocky Balboa is out on DVD this week. Forget your hang-ups about watching a 60 year old boxer. This is a fitting end to the series.

Requiem for the platypus man

R.I.P. Richard Jeni, 1957-2007.



God is love. Love is blind. Ray Charles is God.

I wonder if they use tiny brass knuckles

Travel advisory: if you are planning on visiting Malaysia, be on the lookout for midget gangs.

Go green.

Have a fun St. Patrick's Day...just celebrate responsibly.

Beware the hot new accessory: babies

As I do with most problems plaguing young women today, I blame Britney. At least all of the discarded teacup chihuahuas will have company in a couple of years.

YOU DON'T KNOW ME! Check the backstage video around 3:30 in. I half expected her to say, "Oh yeah? I roam with 12 gangs! And we only commit hate crimes! Whatever! I'll do what I want!"

Beware my new favorite music video

I like. (Their album's great, btw.)

Beware the Micah World Top 25

Here they are, the top 25 songs burning up my iPod (as of 3.15.06):

1. "You Know I'm No Good" - Amy Winehouse
2. "A View To A Kill" - Duran Duran
3. "Monster" - Meg & Dia
4. "P Control" - Prince
5. "White Lines (Don't Do It)" - Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
6. "Love Is A Losing Game" - Amy Winehouse
7. "Addicted" - Amy Winehouse
8. "Fuck Me Pumps" - Amy Winehouse
9. "(There Is No) Greater Love" - Amy Winehouse
10. "These Animal Menswe@r" - Art Brut
11. "I Am The Cosmos" - Chris Bell
12. "Ladies And Gentlemen...'The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites!'" - Butch Walker
13. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonsesome When You Go" - Elvis Costello
14. "Hey Julie" - Fountains Of Wayne
15. "You Are What You Love" - Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins
16. "Defying Gravity" - Jimmy Buffett
17. "Destroy Everything You Touch" - Ladytron
18. "LDN" - Lily Allen
19. "The Night You Can't Remember" - The Magnetic Fields
20. "I'd Be Lonesome" - Old 97's
21. "Young Folks" - Peter Bjorn & John
22. "Too Much Pride" - The Push Stars
23. "Down In Her Arms" - Robbie Fulks
24. "Don't Dream It's Over" - Sixpence None The Richer
25. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" - The Smiths.

Lots of changes since the last chart, since I had to reset the playcounts on my iPod. And, yep, I'm lovin' the Amy Winehouse disc.

Buy this album

My fifth favorite album of 2006 - Back To Black by Amy Winehouse - finally got a US release yesterday. As I said back in January, it's the retro R&B album Christina Aguilera wishes she made. While the domestic version includes a bonus track (the version of "You Know I'm No Good" with Ghostface Killah), it drops the stellar "Addicted" from the tracklist.

It' really cheap ($8!) at the major retailers this week. I'd advise picking it up and then downloading "Addicted", legally or otherwise.

Mo-ji-toooooo

Hey, folks. I'm back from my seasonal breather from the ol' blog. Miss me?

Florida was a lot of fun. I could go on at length about Hemingway's house*, excellent Cuban food, or how everyone down there is seemingly attached to cell phones at all times. But I won't, since there's only one thing that begs notice: the elusive Caveman Valkyrie has finally been photographed.



On our last day in Key West, we spotted this dude wearing only a caveman outfit and a viking helmet...riding a fuzzy, rainbow colored bicycle...while chomping down on a cigar. He continously rode up and down Duval Street, probably for the benefit of us touristas. And I had an epiphany as to how to get out of my career slump: I will become his understudy. Why not? Key West's a cool place. His "job" can't be too stressful. And I'll easily avoid my law school student loans by assuming an alias (my first choice: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck).

After brainstorming over a fine lunch (roasted pork sandwich, fries, Red Stripe, key lime pie), my friends and I came up with my own disparate wardrobe combination: kilt, tri-cornered hat, and pipe. And I will cruise in either a motorized Razor scooter or a three wheeled taxi bike.

I am so out of here.

Alright, a few more choice pictures from my trip...


Me enjoying a Papa Dobles at Sloppy Joe's.


This needs no caption.


Criticizing Castro's Communist regime (not the fine people of Cuba) with KPMD.

To those in the know, I'll post all of my pics at the usual place later on this week.

*I now have yet another qualification to look for in a future mate: a desire - or at least a willingness - to get married by a Hemingway look-alike at Papa's home.