Incubus

Been digging Incubus quite a bit lately. We iTunes’d a few excellent songs, ‘Drive’ and ‘The Warmth’, from the ‘Make Yourself’ album which makes me want to check out the rest of this album to see if its all good!  Also, the entire ‘Morning View’ album rocks, I can’t think of a single song that I don’t enjoy on this album. My favorite song on ‘Morning View’ is ‘Aquerous Transmission’. Aquerous Transmission is composed with chinese guitar, flute, drums, some violin, and a great deep bassline. I think Incubus did a phenomenal job mixing this song such that I think it comes off smooth, well rounded, and obviously very pleasant to listen to. The song seems to be referring to life as a river and our own individual experience as we float along and share it with our loved ones and those who we are closest to. The last minute of the song ends with the sound of untold numbers of frogs ribbitting like you might hear on a summer evening during thier mating season… Here are the lyrics:

I’m floating down a river
Oars freed from their holes long ago
Lying face up on the floor of my vessel
I marvel at the stars
And feel my heart overflow

Further down the river (x4)

Two weeks without my lover
I’m in this boat alone
Floating down a river named emotion
Will I make it back to shore
Or drift into the unknown

Further down the river (x4)

I’m building an antenna
Transmissions will be sent when I am through
Maybe we could meet again further down the river
And share what we both discovered…
Then revel in the view

Further down the river (x4)

I’m floating down a river (x4)

Talladega Nights: The ballad of Ricky Bobby

We went out and saw Talladega Nights on Friday.. I’m a big fan of Will Ferrell and he did a great job with this one. My only complaint about this movie is how big of a commercial it is.. I guess that’s true to the Nascar sport in general, what with all of the endorsements and commercialness of the events. Anyhow, we both got a kick out of the movie.. Its one of these non-thought-provoking, over the top hilarious ways to spend a couple hours in front of a movie screen pounding down some soda and popcorn.  Following the movie we had some beers and excellent food at McGraths. What a great way to end a long ass week.. Speaking of which, only 3 weeks until we’re heading off to Cabo for a week with my folks! YAY!

My favorite clip of the movie is here, it’s a great example of the commerciality of the movie and the hilarity you can find throughout.

2006 US Go Congress

I found that this morning the top 2 boards of the US Go Open at the 2006 US Go Congress (in North Carolina this year) are being broadcast online. I really wish I could be there to play games and hang out with other Go players, but it’s just too darned expensive! Maybe if I start saving now I could swing the expense for 2008! :) Anyhow, best of luck to Landon Brownell, one of the strongest players here in Oregon!

“The Dalai Lama: A Policy Of Kindness”

I just finished a great book, “The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness”, covering an overview of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s life and his role in the Tibetan struggle as well as modern Buddhism. I found a few parts were pretty funny, especially how he was described as having sprayed onlookers from the hose while he was watering his garden. There were also a few other times I got a chuckle out of his bursting into laughter during critically serious times.. what a personality! Anyhow, this book is a collection of interviews as well as other material, such as his acceptance speech to being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. I’m really glad to have read and to understand more about the plight of the Tibetan people as well as modern Buddhism in the West. Through this book, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has done a great deal to explain more to me how I might be able to start integrating Buddhism into my life and into our modern society by living today to its fullest and trying to practice what he calls Universal Responsibility to both the earth as well as humankind. I highly recommend this to anyone who is at all interested in Buddhism and would like a brief (144 pages) introduction. If you are local to me, let me know and you’re welcome to borrow the book.