Cool Stuff sans Queso

Have some Christmas cash to spend? Since my dear friend Girl con Queso has been delinquent in updating her cool stuff site, "Cool Stuff Con Queso", I thought I'd endorse some cool stuff here at NTYAMB.

The Garmen Nuvi 350 is a handy gadget for finding your way. I gave one to my mom for Christmas and decided I wanted one for myself.

For those unfamiliar with portable GPS navigation devices, the Nuvi is a little bigger than a cell phone, comes with a rechargeable battery, as well as both an AC and cig plug power adapters. You can mount it to your windshield using an unobtrusive suction cup mount, or carry it in your pocket or purse if you're on foot.

The Nuvi 350 uses satellite technology to show your current location and provides both graphical and turn-by-turn audio voice directions that will rechart the course if you make a wrong turn. I tested out a few destinations and it seems to pick the best route the vast majority of the time. It has a touch screen, making it easier to manipulate the maps on the go.

One of the handiest uses of a portable gps device is the ability to hold taxi drivers accountable. If you're in a new city, you can chart the shortest route to your destination. Then if your driver chooses to drive you in circles to rack up the meter, you'll know. But be sure to turn off the voice directions or you might get kicked out of the cab.

The Nuvi 350 runs about $300 and you can learn more here.


Another cool product is the Dremel Rotary Power Tool. I've had one of these for years and it's the handiest item I own. I've use it to cut plastic and aluminum mesh, polish a brass belt buckle, carve a pumpkin, drill holes in small spaces, cut bolts down to a shorter size, grind burrs off a metal hand rail, and cut notches out of door frames to accommodate a tight-fit counter top. I've considered drilling my own tooth cavity but decided that the tile grout I had on hand would not make a good filling.

All these chores were unexpected and would have been a nuisance had I not had the Dremel handy. They come in cordless and corded models, but I prefer the corded model because it has more power and I don't have to worry about charging batteries. The Dremel 300 comes in a kit with the basic cutting and polishing attachments for about $50.

Recommended: Juno

I'm a stubborn guy. I don't like being told by tons of people that I must go see or go try something because "tons of people" usually endorse things like The Cheesecake Factory, Michael Buble, and "Cats". I tell you what, taking a date to "Cats" is the biggest waste of two hours and $100 I have ever spent.

Well folks, "Juno" lives up to the hype. It's simply marvelous and if you have a few free hours, you should definitely spend them enjoying this film.

Once again, if I were to write my own review, I would end up lifting things I read off Ebert's, so just read his here.

The only thing that I will add is that Juno does not have an affair with Jason Bateman. Thinking this might happen was unsettling to me and I would have enjoyed the whole movie more from the beginning had I known that from the start. It isn't an essential part of the film, so I haven't spoiled anything for you - I've just released you from bad thoughts.

Enjoy - it's a real treat.

P.S. Ellen Page, the lead actress is darling and is mature beyond her 20 years. Here is a funny clip of her talking about her favorite lines.

P.S. This is a dumb movie.

This "P.S. I Love You" movie is guaranteed to make you want to poke your own eyes out and beg to be released from the theater before your head explodes from over-exposure to cliche, sappy-sad plot, and forced melodrama. Hilary Swank - YES! an OSCAR winner!? - loses her El CheesmoPerfecto husband to an "illness" and is unable to get over him until she receives a bunch of audio cassettes and letters from dead hubby that leads her through the recovery process.

First of all, if this happened in real life it would be creepy, not romantic. Second, the guy is Irish and sends her to Ireland. Give me a break. Third, singing karaoke and fishing do not get you over a dead spouse.

Who writes this crap? Better question: who makes this crap into a movie? Best question: what the hell is Hilary Swank doing in this movie? Was Julia Roberts booked? Was Sandra Bullock still recovering from saccharine poisoning after "The Lake House"? Swank is better than this.

NTYAMB readers, before you think I've lost all credibility ... I did NOT go see this movie. I watched the trailer (see below) after listening to the really great soundtrack on iTunes (don't worry, the teenybopper song "Breathe" is in the trailer but not on the soundtrack, but the wonderful Nellie McKay is). I was literally laughing by the end of it, and it wasn't at Lisa Kudrow, who is funny in just about anything she does. I was laughing because the trailer played like an SNL skit making fun of romantic comedies.

Please ladies. Please. Do not make your man watch this movie. Do not go see it opening weekend. Do not encourage Hollywood to take good actors and put them in terrible movies.

Oh. Harry Connick is in this too. Of course he is. Harry, Harry, Harry. Did "Hope Floats" teach you nothing? Hope ain't the only thing that floats.

And you know who else is in it? Denny from Grey's Anatomy. The boyfriend who dies in the hot blonde's arms because no one will give him a heart.

I'm not making this up. This movie is like the Olympics of maudlin.



Disclaimer: Just for the record, I am not a hater on all romantic comedies. I'm actually quite fond of good ones, and even some of the sappy ones. "When Harry Met Sally" is one of my all time favorite movies. They can be done well.

Merry Christmas, take 2

Ok, who am I kidding. I never even heard choral music (see 12/24 post below) until I was in college. This Robert Earl Keen Christmas ditty is more in the KCG tradition. I can't tell you how much it reminds me of growing up in Lockhart.

Merry Christmas!

I don't know who these people are, but they are really good and "O Magnum Mysterium" is one of my favorites. Merry Christmas everyone.

Get it on

Where in the world?

Can anyone name the movie from which these animation stills were taken? It's not DC, but growing up, this movie always made me think of DC. Still does. The top photo actually looks like a corner on Florida Ave, NW and the bottom one could be Belmont near Rock Creek.

Rufus Wainwright at 9:30 Club

Rufus Wainwright is a genius. Too bad he's such a brat.

As I stood in the balcony of the 9:30 Club tonight listening, I was reminded of one of my favorite lines from "Amadeus", where Salieri protests to God, "You choose for Your instrument a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy and give me for reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation."

Now Rufus is no Mozart, and I'm preeety sure he ain't God's instrument, or at least not any more than the rest of us, but the juxtaposition of Wainwright's musical talent with his painfully insecure and abrasive personality is just as fascinating.

From the moment he fidgeted onto the stage and creepily laughed into the mike with his twee "heh heh heh", he got on my nerves. Every joke was punctuated with a flip of his hair and roll of his eyes. He can be mean, sarcastic and bitter.

But then he starts to play. It's hard to ignore the poetry and complex piano phrasing that comes out of this rascal. It's almost as if he has stolen these songs from a true genius who created them. But as he sings, you realize he has lived the heartbreaks, suffered the wounds, and lived the adventures from the stories he tells. They are pompous, sad, brave, sometimes loving, and true. He spins a tale with the verbal efficiency and poignancy of Joni Mitchell and with some of the grit of Bob Dylan. Then he wraps the words in lush music that even solo at the piano were executed with impressive dimension. In fact, the songs sometimes increased in charm without the fireworks and melodramatic style of most of his recordings.

As with Dylan, Wainwrights voice is very rough, and many complain that it's distracting. I don't agree. He has incredible range and pitch, and I find the coarseness in tone helps to butch-up his sound a little. When needed, he can soften the edges, as with "Not Ready for Love", self-accompanied by his ham-fisted guitar playing. Yet every person in the sold-out crowd was mesmerized to the last note. "Memphis Skyline" and "The Consort" were just as powerful.

He's an entertainer, and he whipped the (surprisingly) mixed straight and gay audience into a party romp with songs like "California", "Beauty Mark" and "Matinee Idol". Thankfully, he knew his audience, and he refrained from performing any of the Judy Garland covers on his latest release, "Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall", a well done recording, but definitely limited in its appeal.

Despite his inventory of consistent, quality work, Wainwright hasn't hit it big as a pop star, as he frequently complains. Now at 32, he probably never will in his lifetime. But my guess is he will be posthumously regarded as one of the most creative, powerful artist of this generation, and I'm glad I got to see him live.

For the Rufus newbies, here are some of the best ...

Christmas Crap ... a holiday tradition

How time flies, dear NTYAMB readers. My third annual post of Christmas advice is upon us. My advice last year and the year before focused on gifts to avoid, but this year, I want to open it up to other important holiday tips. Let's get right to it ...

Let's begin with the Christmas newsletter. Now I realize that having a blog, I share a certain presumption with those who mail out the annual newsletter: that people give a rip about what I think or what I'm up to. Consequently, I'm going to leave that alone. But if you do choose to use the annual bulletin method of keeping up with people you know, here are some general guidelines:

• Do not mention how much you make, that you got a raise, or how much you paid for your home. A college acquaintance once wrote, "In January, I received a pay raise that finally took me to six figures ... and then some!" Another writer included a photo of herself with her new husband in front of their new home which, "was a steal in the low $800's."
• Do not include a photograph of your pet, but fail to include a photo of your children, even if your pet is better looking than your kids.
• I'm always stunned when holiday bulletins include accounts of poor report cards, missed alimony payments, and ornery in-laws. Do not criticize an ex-spouse, parents, or your children while recounting the year's events.
• Please don't use glitter - I don't need sparklies all over my bills and copy of Texas Monthly.

My next tip involves the Christmas menu. Marshmallows belong on a stick at a camp fire. This gooey gunk is not an ingredient for cuisine, particularly for special meals like a Christmas dinner.

Finally, do not re-gift ever ever ever. I've heard three horrifying re-gift embarrassment stories lately and they are just so painful I can't stand it. You forget who gave you what and it is bound, by virtue of karma or fate or Holy vengeance, to bite you in the ass.

Those of you who rely on my annual gift giving advice, I'll throw you a bone. Here are some do's and don'ts:

Good gifts:
Digital picture frame
iPod video NANO
Bose noise cancelling earphones
Baume and Mercier Classica wristwatch
Macallen 18 yr old single malt
George Castanza had it right: Cashmere sweaters for him or her
For a guy or a girl, anything from James Perse
Cooking tools from Dean & Deluca

Bad gifts (unless specifically by request):
Swarovski crystals
Gift certificates or cash
George Foreman anything
Desk accessories
DVDs (unless they are of home movies)
Live animals
Cigarettes (even if by request)

Christmas Confessions

Last year, I shared about the panic I experienced when I received a solicitation from iTunes addressed to "... someone who has purchased Josh Groban music in the past". How could they have made such a mistake and how would I ever be able to set the record straight so that history would not know me as a Josh Groban fan? I searched my music collection high and low to be sure that I had no JG contamination ... did he sneak onto my computer by singing backup on a track of a legitimate artist?

Well, earlier this week, I pulled up my holiday music from an archive disk, and there it was. "O Holy Night" by Josh Groban. And I had purchased it knowingly and voluntarily. I remember now. So I confess, and I will take the ridicule I deserve.

But it brings up something that all NTYAMB readers should understand about me. Although I obviously have exceptionally great taste in music, I realize that I have spectacularly cheesy taste in Christmas music. The Carpenters, Mariah Carey, Amy Grant, the Rat Pack, and yes, even Mr. Groban I suppose ... the cornier the better when it comes to the mood music of the season.

This year, I've spent some time trying to legitimize my holiday mix with some hip new takes on the classics and some totally new Christmas ditties. With some new stuff mixed with my old faves, I think the Germeridian 2007 Christmas Mix will be a hit.

Here's some of my favorites playing this month ... be sure to check both pages of tracks:

As if I needed another reason to love NYC ...

It's the biggest Apple store on the planet, and it's in my favorite city in the world.

Apple opens it's mega store in the Chelsea meatpacking district this month. Unfortunately, it's too cold for a Big Apple visit right now, but I'll be ready for an new laptop this spring.

Be sure to check it out on your next visit.

Bonnie and Lyle

You can't miss CMT's repeat of the historic pairing of Bonnie Raitt and Lyle Lovett on "Crossroads". Although I don't think pairing these two rockabilly greats really uphold's the show's premise - mixing country stars with artists from other genres - it is an amazing duo just the same.

The next repeat of this episode on CMT is on December 10 at 1pm. Hope you have a TiVo.