I went to the Hampton Record Exchange today (so huge, so cool), and sold a bunch of old tapes for VHS copies of Before Night Falls and Better Off Dead. I think I made a wise decision. It should also be noted that they had a few copies of Rude Dog videos from the eighties. I never saw the cartoon, but I saw plenty of the shirts, and based on the descriptions on the back, it all looked pretty stupid. (Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie, anyone?)

Also made a boss proscuitto panini in the George Foreman Grill here.

Gas yesterday = $2.05
Gas today = $2.20
I bought gas yesterday. I win.
- posted by Eric @ 11:01 PM
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Farrago, the video rental place/coffee bar/meeting place/sandwich shop on Washington Avenue has closed. Other than Everest Cafe, Cummel's, and Gus's Fashions and Shoes, the old Washington Avenue is pretty much gone. There are the pricey boutiques and restaurants for West County to visit on a whim, and there are the homeless around the area that said suburbanites are avoiding. There is less and less of an affordable middle ground. I used to think Washington Avenue could work, and now I'm not so sure. It's not so much a beacon of culture anymore, just a pre-fabricated island of the chic, and I have doubts that that can work, and can grow. Farrago, especially, was THE cultural center of the neighborhood. Some groceries, fairly cheap coffee and sandwiches, weekly events... It was a place everyone could hang out, talk about life, but yep, like pretty much every other locally-owned St. Louis business of value, it's gone.

In somewhat nicer news, Washington Ave.'s very tasty sushi bar Wasabi is opening up a second location in Downtown Clayton, where Little Toyko used to be. The prospect of Washington Avenue rolls and okonomi-yaki that close to Wash U. is most welcome.

Score one for the county.
Score negative two for the city. Again.
- posted by Eric @ 5:56 PM
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http://darthno.ytmnd.com/
- posted by Eric @ 5:18 PM
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What is this crap?

Last year, we get billed for a recycle bin that we never had, and now this?

Dear Eric Seeling [sic]:

As stated in the Facts of Reslife, Residential Life staff members conducted room inspections following the closing of the halls. Upon inspection of your room/suite, the following item(s) were identified as damaged beyond normal wear and, thus, in need of repair or the condition was otherwise unacceptable as pertaining to the closing instructions. Damage to common areas not claimed by an individual person will be divided equally amongst all residents of the suite/room. The charges are as follows:

Missing Lamp from Common Room $12.50

The charges for the damages will appear on your next billing statement from the Billing Office. If you would like to contest these charges, it must be done so in writing via email @ spina@wustl.edu by June 15, 2005. Feel free to contact me with any questions @ 314-935-8295.

It was there the last time I saw the dorm, and I was the last to leave. Maybe this is just revenge for complaining about the empty Coke machine.
- posted by Eric @ 11:31 PM
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Clerks
SHOWING @ THE RONNIES 20 CINE
May 27th & 28th @ 11:30 for only $4.75

And, sure to give you nightmares:
Requiem for a Dream
SHOWING @ THE RONNIES 20 CINE'
June 24th & 25th @ 11:30 for only $4.75
- posted by Eric @ 7:37 PM
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Anyone with a Toshiba laptop wanna lend me their AC adaptor, so I can figure out if it's the warrantied adaptor that's the problem, and not the money pit of a computer itself?
- posted by Eric @ 7:21 PM
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My replacement power pack/cable for my laptop seems to not quite work right - if the cable's at the wrong angle, the computer doesn't receive power. I'm not sure if it's the $100 power cable or the plug from the $1,600 computer, but yeesh, hasn't this deceptively shiny blue eight-pound Toshiba cost me enough already?

Hey, 東芝、どうもありがとうございます。
- posted by Eric @ 5:41 PM
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I felt endless relief when nu-metal finally ended, so you can imagine how I feel right now. Writing is on the wall, people.

First of all, Fox, the worst perpetrator of terrible reality shows ("Trading Spouses" and adoption-themed "Who's Your Daddy?", anyone?), has no new reality shows in their fall lineup, and thankfully, Arrested Development is returning (in which, given a rental of the season 2 DVDs, I'll actually be able to figure out what the hell's going on at this point). So if Fox is deserting reality shows, maybe this is finally the end of it? Also of note is a sitcom based around Anthony Bourdain's often hilarious "Kitchen Confidential," done by the guy who made the Sex and the City TV show. How this can be pulled off without laming up and toning down the Bourdain character is beyond me.

Also, once you start seeing car ribbon magnets with dalmatian print, announcing their support for dogs, you know this all has pretty much run its course, Fonzie's revving up to jump that shark, and perhaps the average American will take to honoring the U.S. in their words and thoughts, rather than as part of a superficial car decoration bandwagon. Just kidding, they'll lose interest in honoring the country entirely!
- posted by Eric @ 4:09 PM
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Is there anything more trite than suburban rock bands playing soulless Doors covers?
- posted by Eric @ 11:17 PM
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I've been thinking, what's with all the voyeurism in modern culture? Reality TV shows have been made about pretty much anything the least bit interesting, of course. For those less into having their brain slowly implode, there's also lately been:
Found Magazine
PostSecret

Why are these all making the rounds so much? I mean, part of it has to be that people want to compare/contrast themselves with "real people" and kind of confirm that how they feel and what they do is normal, but why so many people, and why now?
- posted by Eric @ 6:42 PM
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Jandek: Live

For anyone who knows about Jandek, this should absolutely blow your mind. After all, a documentary was just released focusing on the reclusive Texan songwriter, trying to figure out the million-dollar question: who is he? He never gives his real name, he operates under his own small Corwood Industries record label, and only one interviewer ever has professed to meeting him, and Jandek apparently seemed pretty intent on never being interviewed again. So imagine my surprise when I hear that he's played his first concert ever in Scotland, and he's playing more shows this month around the UK. Wow.
- posted by Eric @ 4:11 PM
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The other night, I did some spring cleaning of pre-adolescent regrettable CD purchases I've made, to turn into gas money momentarily.

See if you can figure out what doesn't belong in this picture!

- posted by Eric @ 3:34 AM
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FYI:
WEBSTER UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES PRESENTS
The Celluloid Couch: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will screen May 19 at 7:30PM

The St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute presents The Celluloid Couch
Because movies are the unique product of the human imagination, they are affected by unconscious influences. The Celluloid Couch skillfully examines movies from the perspective of analytic thought and theory. Each film in the series is introduced and analyzed by a psychoanalytic professional, providing the audience with interpretations and insights from a unique vantage. FREE to Webster Film Series Members!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004, USA, 108 min.)
Last year’s Academy Award ® winner for Best Original Screenplay (deserving of so much more) is a funny, dreamy and bittersweet film about a couple (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) that attempt to erase the painful memories of their botched relationship.

With analysis by Jacqueline Langley, PhD.

For more information go to: http://www.webster.edu/filmseries.html

Admission is $6 for the general public, $5 for seniors, students from other schools and Webster alumni, and $4 for Webster University staff and faculty unless otherwise noted. All films screened in Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University, 470 East Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO unless noted.

- posted by Eric @ 3:13 PM
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It's not like this is a revelation or anything, but it never ceases to amaze me how verbose politicians can be while never actually answering a question or offering information.
- posted by Eric @ 12:17 AM
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I challenge everyone reading to tell me about some new music that isn't homogeneous and uninteresting.
- posted by Eric @ 2:41 PM
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Now why is it that St. Louis has a social scene primarily centered around drinking, but has a severely lacking public transit system? It seems counterproductive that a city would be both alcohol-centered and car-centered. To boot, the city's too friggin' big to take cabs everywhere, if people are going to drink - the fares would be ridiculously large. Designated drivers, you're getting hosed by St. Louis.
- posted by Eric @ 8:01 PM
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Watch me ruin it for you.

Steak 'n Shake Frisco Melt:
Calories: 1173
Fat: 93g
Saturated Fat: 28g
Cholesterol: 143mg
Sodium: 1345mg

I ruined it for you. Sorry.
- posted by Eric @ 3:57 AM
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Listen, I'm not even really into crunk-style hip hop, but this has been bugging me for a long time. It is not Lil John. It's Lil Jon. No H. None.
- posted by Eric @ 10:15 PM
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FYI, if you've tried to e-mail me within the last few days and had it bounce back, that's because the campus network... not working so well right now. Just another of a billion reasons why I'm not going to be paying for on-campus resources next year.
- posted by Eric @ 4:54 PM
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My life sucks, but there's Fernando Botero. Do you know of Botero? You should. He's the painter/artist from Colombia who makes classical, baroque-style works, but makes all of his figures exaggerated and obese. Gateway Arts just bought a statue of his and placed it by Cafe Manhattan and the Starbucks at Hanley and Wydown. Saw it with my own eyes, I did. It's a classic equestrian statue, except the equestrian is chunky and nekkid, and the horse has apparently been fed too many oats. According to the P-D, a lot of the neighborhood hates it. Me, I love it, it's total Botero. I think the statue and Louis IX from the front of the Art Museum should have a jousting tourney.
- posted by Eric @ 5:18 PM
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