Tangled Up in Plaid

Whassa happenin', hot stuff? So here's what's up:

• We got a new computer last week from Dell. Way overdue. We didn't splurge or anything, but we got a flat-screen monitor, DVD and CD-RW drives, an 80-gig hard drive (our old one was 4.3 gigs), and a new printer. Pretty sweeeeeeet.
• One of the first things I did was to reconfigure my iPod onto this computer instead of my work PC. Of course, this meant the iPod was wiped clean of nearly 10 gigs of music, which sucked. Fortunately, I have the majority of it backed up on CD-R. Although I've started to use this as an opportunity to put some different stuff on. I've begun ripping a bunch of different CDs instead of reloading the Radiohead, Nirvana, VH catalogs.
• I've also been exploring the world of podcasts. Pioneered last summer by former poodle-haired MTV veejay Adam Curry, podcasting is essentially audio blogging. Wannabe DJs are creating shows about whatever they're interested in--indie rock, baseball, Catholicism, some guy even has a podcast about his daily trips to the bathroom--and making them available for download. You can listen to podcasts on your computer's media player or yes, even your iPod. You can use apps like iPodder (developed by Curry himself) to subscribe to podcasts and download the latest episodes for listening. Of course, movie studios and other corporate entities are getting in on the act, launching podcasts to promote upcoming movies and products. It's definitely more complicated than just doing the blog thing; you need to have decent sound equipment, a degree of technical expertise, and well, time. I'd love to do one, but I barely have time to post to this Internet destination once or twice a week. If you're so inclined, check out some of this shiz; it's pretty cool. Like everything else these days, there's a lot of crap amongst the good stuff, but that's okay.
• Watched Kill Bill, Vol. 2 last week. What a great freakin' movie. Not as insanely over-the-top as Kill Bill, Vol. 1, but rather a slower-paced, thoughtful conclusion to the saga of the Bride (supoibly played by Uma Thurman). I love the first movie for its martial arts overkill, but as a whole, I like how Tarantino tied the story together with the second movie. Someday I'll watch them both together in one sitting. Someday...
• The Jays are off to a good start for a change. After disastrous Aprils the last two years, they're 4-2 after the first week of the season, taking two of three from the defending world champeen Red Sox last weekend. Of course, nobody really cared around here because the Sox got their World Series rings today. But I'll enjoy the good times while they last, which probably won't be for very long.
• Mark my words: the robots are taking over. Don't believe me? Check THIS out. Okay, now head for the hills.
• Maybe I'm a bit sensitive, but how do you not notice when a leech has made its way up your freakin' nose? Just asking.
• More later. The MP3 of the Week will return just as soon as I download the appropriate software and do the uploading of the music, etc., etc.