Random Rules: Steve Mandich

"In Random Rules, The A.V. Club asks some of its favorite people to set their MP3 players to shuffle and comment on the first few tracks that come up -- no cheating or skipping embarrassing tracks allowed."

I bought myself a new iPod a few weeks back and loaded it up with a couple thousand songs. Then, as soon as I got the idea to do my own Random Rules, I swear to Baby Jesus that these were the first ten songs to come up...

"Panic in Detroit," David Bowie

A credible, cool track to start with -- whew! -- from 1973's Aladdin Sane. Like the many other songs I've been downloading from iTunes, it cost me a measly 99 cents.

"Evil Woman," Electric Light Orchestra

Another iTunes purchase, mostly 'cause the chorus is fun to sing along with in the car (at least when it's on the radio -- I don’t yet have a way to play the iPod in the car).

"Doin’ It," LL Cool J

Yet another iTunes purchase. I was amused by the song when it was big about ten years ago ("I represent Queens/ She was raised out in Brooklyn"), but not 'til hearing it through my iPod headphones did I realize it was so pornographic.

"Sofa King," Dangerdoom

This one was ripped from my own copy of The Mouse & the Mask, one of my favorite albums in recent years. You say funny thing.

"Anyway You Want It," Dave Clark 5

Digital DC5 tracks are hard to come by -- I got this one off a British Invasion anthology I borrowed from the library. A great Kinks-y rocker, faithfully covered years later by the Ramones.

"Woman," Wolfmother

I ripped the whole Wolfmother album off a friend's CD. It's the first album I've listened to in its entirety -- and continue to listen to frequently -- on the new iPod. The guy sings "whoa-mon" just like Robert Plant!

"Bad Trip," the Wailers

Not the reggae Wailers, but Tacoma's seminal garage band. Kind of a weak song though, a sort of "Incense & Peppermints" knockoff. Also from the library -- I wouldn't've dropped 99 cents for it.

"Smoking Gun," Robert Cray

Yet another library find. I liked this song when it came out in the mid-'80s when I was in high school, excited that this cool local guy was getting some big exposure. I still like the song okay, but now it's more for nostalgic reasons.

"New Slang," the Shins

I heard and liked this song after repeatedly hearing it in a local coffee shop, and once I figure out what it was, I got it from iTunes. The video is pretty killer too.

"Feel So Fine (Feel So Good)," Johnny Preston

A snappy R&B track from another library anthology, The Rock 'N' Roll Era: '60s Keep On Rockin'.

So, that's it. I thank Baby Jesus that nothing potentially embarassing turned up, particularly my tracks by Dinah Shore, Insane Clown Posse, Jefferson Starship, Freddy Fender, 2 Live Crew, Gretchen Wilson, Freak Nasty...

O Canaduh!

Tuesday last, I snapped this picture of Bigfoot in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, as he tried to smash my face with a log.


Otherwise, Eliza and I had a fun midweek BC road trip. We camped at Sasquatch Provincial Park and Rolley Lake Provincial Park, and also hit some small-town thrift stores. Eliza scored some kitchen stuff and a pillowcase, and I scored a Vancouver pennant (which Eliza is displaying atop our tent) and a Kokanee T-shirt, showing Bigfoot walking along with a case of beer in one hand and a Canadian flag in the other.


We ate lotsa Tim Hortons, hot dogs, beans, macaroni & cheese, quesadillas, and pancakes. Eliza ate lotsa s'mores.


Of course, I took pictures of every last Bigfoot/Sasquatch-related thing I saw -- for lots more, check out the update at the bottom of my Bigfoot Is Real page.

Will They Float? Will They Float?

At Friday night's M's-A's game, Oberto sponsored a cool promotional giveaway: little Mariners hydroplanes. I love the three-way overlap of these local institutions, along with the Oberto-sponsored hydroplane races shown on Safeco Field's giant video screen. (Incidentally, as I type this on Sunday afternoon, I'm watching the hydroplane races on TV with the sound muted and the M's-A's game playing on the radio. Wish I had some jerky...) The diecast model scoots around on four wheels and also has an FSN logo on it. Will it float? No.

The Marniers don't sponsor an actual full-size hydroplane, but Oberto does. Oberto's "pepperoni-powered" hydro has roared around Lake Washington every year since 1975. I bought my mini R/C model at the Oberto factory outlet, but I can't get it to work. Will it float? Yes.

Here's a Hot Wheels hydro I bought a few months ago at Bartell. Like the M's hydro, it's also a four-wheel diecast model. It's the smallest and sleekest one I have, and I like its generic orange-white-and-blue color scheme. Will it float? No.

The fourth and oldest hydro in my modest collection is this 1968-style Miss Bardahl, which I assembled from a Casper model kit. I glued the plastic pieces together and painted it and stuck on the decals, though the end result looks kind of like a Vans shoe. (I didn't opt for the motorized version, though I suppose I could upgrade it later.) Will it float? Yes.

Unfortunately, I'm gonna miss the ends of both today's hydro races and the Mariners game -- I gotta go to a wedding.

This Is My Favorite Movie

The Big Lebowski supposedly drops some 251 f-bombs, and this awesome fan-edited clip supposedly has 'em all (in chronological order):



Here's another fan-edited clip, reflecting the movie's hilariously cyclical dialogue (in non-chronological order):



Last year I won this poster at a Lebowski costume party. L-R: JP as the Dude, me as Walter (not shown is my pet carrier):


Later that night I threw up and then the next morning did a not-so fun run. Then later last year I wrote this. Shomer shabbos!