No posts to Toastiest in two days. It’s the end of the month. I feel the need to post. I’ve got a zillion random things to post about, and if I run out, there are a bunch of draft entries in the queue that I never bothered finalizing.

Help John Edwards send Alberto Gonzalez copies of the constitution (After you’ve done that, John will want a donation from you, and if you don’t want to be on his email list for the rest of your life, use an email address you don’t check or use filters on).

Progressive talker Ed Schultz has been encouraging people to send ping pong balls to their favorite testicularly-challenged Democratic senators. Actually, I can’t find any good link about the ping pong balls, so I’m just linking to Ed’s website, because Ed’s had some fantastic rants lately about the degree of incompetence of Al Gonzalez and the rest of the Bushies. Apparently, progressive radio talk shows do very well in a lot of the area they’re on, but those in control of the media are more interested in keeping a stranglehold on the messages of their stations than providing balanced programming that would actually bring them as much or more dollars.

I had started a post about the CNN/YouTube debate last week, but it never went anywhere. I was going to go through each candidate and have something to say. Now, I’ll just say briefly that I still consider Edwards to be the best candidate. I can live with Hillary as the nominee, but I do worry that the awesome negative campaigning abilities of the right-wing will completely eviscerate her. That machine is silent now because they want Clinton to be the nominee. Meanwhile, Obama has the popularity, but he not only doesn’t have the substance to be a good President, his talk of compromise and bringing everyone together is maddening. Rather than hold Bush allies accountable for the crapulence they’ve unleashed upon America for seven years, he talks of working with them to find commons solutions. It’s all a little too Pollyanna-ish. The country needs a major new direction, not a slight bump to the left.

Speaking of John Edwards, I think this ad from his campaign is great:

Hmm…I’m making this a ‘potpourri’ entry, but all I’ve got is politics right now.

TB update: The bungalow has no termites! That’s a good thing. The appraiser finally came today; I suppose I’ll find out if this whole deal is a go in a day or two, as far as the lender being ok with loaning me with the money. Closing is set for three weeks from today, which may be pushing it, since the lender completely dropped the ball on getting the appraiser out here, which should have happened about ten days ago.

What else?

The Independent had an article about how participants at an AIDS conference on the NC Sate campus were harassed by homophobes. I almost commented on this immediately, but I’m glad I didn’t. It would’ve been one of those 100%-venom-filled rants. I do think it’s important, though, to have the words of some of the scummier elements of the North Carolina State University student body forever out there in the blogosphere. Should these guys ever attempt to gain employment with a mainstream, diverse employer or enter into any type of relationship with someone more open-minded, their words should come back to haunt them. I don’t think this is cruel of me; these guys wants everyone to know what they believe, apparently.

These quotes will seem laughable 20 or 30 years from now, like those quotes of Southerners who used to preach against the blasphemy of mixing the races in decades past.

On second thoughts, these gems deserve their own entry…

New computer speakers. Nice subwoofer with lots of bass. Even sappy stuff has bass.

UPDATE – Alas, my measly speakers are no match for a car stereo.

I find it very difficult to believe that neighbors that constantly play music from the stereo of their parked car don’t realize what a nuisance they’re being. I doubt they’re exceeding the designated decibels put forth in the city ordinance. As far as the city ordinance reference to quiet hours between 11PM and 7AM, I find the music just as aggravating at 1PM on Sunday afternoon as I do at 11:30PM on a Tuesday night. It’s not even so much the music as it is the constant bass. There might has well be a keyboard sitting in my house, playing one of those pre-fab beats nonstop.

I was considering putting some dog stuff that Herman doesn’t use or like in a box and giving it to this family for their new puppy (which their kids will likely inadvertently strangle, suffocate, or otherwise kill before long). I recognize that actually talking to them might be a good precursor to mentioning the car music. But I’m doubting that they are reasonable people. The risk of confirming that they are unreasonable people is that I am then more likely to retaliate with my own unreasonable behavior. Assumption unconfirmed, I’ll refrain from doing anything rash.

For the purposes of self-promotion (a lot of visitors have arrived here via the Markie Post post) and injecting some much-needed amusement back into Toastiest, I present another glorious game show moment featuring a beloved C-list star from the 70s and 80s, Adrienne Barbeau (Maude, Swamp Thing, Back to School, Carnivàle, and, apparently, the forthcoming Halloween remake).

UPDATE (8/17/07): Shucks, someone doesn’t want to let anyone pirate Adrienne Barbeau clips on Pyramid, so the YouTube clip is gone. This requires drastic action…

UPDATE (9/22/07):
[Ok, my embedded copy isn't working so well...]

UPDATE (10/22/07):

[First attempt to post-to-blog via Digg]

“The medical evidence did not match up with the scenario as described,” a doctor who examined Tillman said.
This is what the Bush Administration was trying desperately to hide with the “Executive Privilege” excuse. The Bush Administration *tried to cover up the murder of Pat Tillman by fellow soldiers*. Will the media reveal this? YOU can help.

read more | digg story

Who’d have thunk it? (Is thunk a word, kinda like drinken, or kinda?) The mainstream media has a cool website about Durham. I’m referring to the N&O’s Bull’s Eye.

I’ve mulled this question over a million times. I never a good answer. I just wrote a blurb on Toastie Radio that attempts to answer this. I was inspired to write this after another disappointing visits to one of the make-your-own-radio-playlist sites.

I’m just speaking from my own personal experience. When I started Toastie Radio five years ago, there weren’t any of these websites that allowed you to create your own playlist tailored to your interests. I’m not going to mention these websites; you probably already know of them, or there might be ads on this site for them. There are some very cool websites out there with a lot of great functions and displays. However, I’ve never gotten a single one to ever give me a playlist where I’ve truly loved three or four songs in a row. The basic problem is that these sites, and to a degree, any iTunes-like music management application, require some tangible parameter, typically artist or genre, to create a playlist.

I’ll just state for the record that I do not like Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates, James Taylor, or The Carpenters.

WHA…? Whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Toastie?

No, I don’t like every cheesy, soft-rock artist that’s ever had a Top 40 hit, contrary to the opinion of probably everyone who knows me.

If someone asks me what artists I like, I’ll sheepishly admit to liking Peter Cetera or Barry Manilow. But that doesn’t mean I like everything they’ve ever recorded…or even HALF of everything they’ve ever recorded.

True, I like melodrama and sap, but it’s still got to strike a chord in me.

For me, it’s all about the songs, not the artists. This is why you’ll find Blink 182, Tori Amos, and Donny Osmond on here; I like particular songs they’ve recorded; I don’t give a damn about them and their artistry.

I don’t appreciate musical genius as it applies to rock or popular music. I don’t get what’s so great about…well, just about any artist that anyone might ever declare to be a genius.

Exceptions? Anyone for whom I could listen to all of their stuff and really enjoy 90% of it? Maybe Tony Bennett, and that’s just a very recent discovery. Any rock bands? Anyone under the age of 80? I don’t know. I’ll mull it over some more.

As reported by Kevin Davis in Bull City Rising today, there’s going to be a downtown Durham restaurant called Toast.

My friend G is the only person who actually calls me “Toast” as opposed to “Toastie”, but I still don’t know if I like the identity infringement.

On rare occasion, someone’s who’s opinion or validation matters to me–it could be someone I’ve known for a long time or someone I’ve just met–will visit this blog for the first time. This is such a time. And I’m thinking as I have on past occasions, “Oh, shit…”

Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser Dead at 56

I get a horrible, sinking feeling when I hear about these sudden, premature deaths. Fatal heart attack at 56? And you figure the head basketball coach at a first-rate university (with a first-rate medical center) would get any problems with his heart nipped in the bud. I know life doesn’t quite work like that, but, still… I had the impression that Prosser really was one of the “good guys” in sports. Does that matter? Yeah, as far as my reaction is concerned, absolutely. I won’t name names, but I can think of several college basketball coaches who deaths from sudden heart attacks would make feel terribly bad.

UPDATE – Poignant piece by ESPN’s Andy Katz