In anticipation of turkey day...

I'm ready to get out of the city for the week. As strange as it sounds, I want to go back to the cornfields. And no, not just to see my parents, but to actually experience the familiarity and slowness of rural life. Chicago is so high-powered and intense, which is great, but can be tiring after months and months of it. I just went out 3 nights in a row, until 4 AM last night. Oh by the way, I also had experiment days this week, which means I didn't get home until 9ish. I'm exhausted. But good news: I get to start immunohistochemistry on the preserved hearts. Good to know that all that work goes towards the engendering of more work to do. Awesomeness haha. So yes, I need this week, even if I probably won't eat turkey. I guess an appropriate level of nostalgia has sickeningly set in for me.

Get over it, Grey's Anatomy sucks

Whenever I'm at the gym on Thursday, this show is always on. Why does everyone love this show so much? It belongs on daytime television because it's merely a soap opera, with docs. I don't mind shows that give an unrealistic depiction of medicine, otherwise I wouldn't enjoy Scrubs. It's just that each and every character is superficial and, worst of all, annoying. Basically, this hospital is a high school. Nothing but cliques, gossip, and drama, especially of the latter. The cast is nice to look at, and that's the only plus. Even then, it's a given that a show on primetime will be full of good-looking people so that isn't much of a positive, imo.

Also, this show is just chock FULL of ridiculous moments. In one episode I watched while on the treadmill (I run for 45 minutes so I watched almost all of the show), katharine heigl was treating a deer. Yes, a fucking deer. Let me describe how cheesy this scene was. A dad runs over a deer in the woods. His little boy beckons his dad to bring the deer to this hospital (which is in the middle of downtown Seattle). Katharine Heigl is lo and behold the only available doc and has a group of interns around her. She explains to this guy's 5 year old son, "Honey, this is a people's hospital". The kid goes on and on whining. And guess what, Heigl relents and starts hooking up an IV to the deer and administering heparin. And then she asks interns to fetch her ECG leads and the shocker thingies. 1....2....3....CLEAR! And then magically the deer arises. During this whole segment, the deer is laughably fake looking. It's obviously an animatronic. This is the number one show in America, let me reiterate.

God.... it seems that the writers of Grey's Anatomy and the Bush administration have a corner on sheer idiocy in this country.

Why Men should not be afraid of style

So I went out until 6 AM celebrating one of my good friend's 21st. Inevitably, going out requires one to dress up better than one would usually. It is de rigueur for women to go all out, but for us guys it can be off-putting for a guy to care about his appearance too much. You cross the line and you're immediately a "metrosexual". God, I hate that term. In England and Europe, men aren't afraid to dress sharp not only for going out, but for regular old afternoon jaunts. Here, if you don't just put a ballcap and sweatpants on, then people seem to question your sexuality (both men and women).

Now, the best term for the guidelines I follow when I dress: I try to be as rakish as possible. I'm not incredibly trendy, but I try to wear form-fitting clothes that fit both my physical body and my conception of style. So, I don't just buy whatever; I put thought into the image I want to project because as much as people claim to not be shallow, we actually very much are. You get judged by your outward appearance and I've found that I get treated considerably better at work and in everyday life when I put thought into what I wear. In other words, when I go somewhere wearing a cashmere sweater with a nice dress shirt underneath and tweed pants, I get considerably more respect than when I wear a hoodie and jeans from co-workers and the cash-register girl at The Coffee bean. In fact, let me give you a clue as to what ensemble consistently gets me attention and respect: a Ralph Lauren jacket, cashmere Scottish scarf, Bachrach black Italian tie, a striped H&M dress shirt, a blue Express merino woolen sweater, Armani grey pinstriped pants, and Alfani Italian-made shoes. Basically, I trust that italian men know how to dress so i take cues from them largely. Basically, one of my good friends said this, "A guy should not have as big of a wardrobe as a woman, but his clothes should all be quality stuff."

So I'll keep wearing my Armani pants, Italian shoes, and merino sweaters, because they very much impact the way I get treated, especially in an urban environment. Image isn't everything, but one cannot deny its importance in even quotidian circumstances. That's why i salute Tom Brady and George Clooney for giving a touch of class amongst all the Dane Cooks of the world.

That said, I want to clarify what is NOT rakish. And that is any article of clothing from Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Hollister. Never in a million years could you pay me to set foot in any of those stores. The clothes are poor quality, tattered, and give off an unprofessional look. And yet, Midwestern girls and guys lap this shit up like it's Dom perignon. If you're going to spend that kind of money on clothes, then you could always buy something from Polo at the same price point with atleast some panache and class.

Observation of the day

Now I can't say that I accomplished nothing today. Remember that Sanjaya kid on American Idol (yes, it seems eons ago). Well, it turns out he has a sister who is hot as hell. She joins Navi Rawat, Padme Lakshmi, and girl on ER as a grade A certified IILF. Da-yam, the only thing that detracts from this pic is that chick to her right...oh wait, that's Sanjaya heyoooo!

The Next Great American Flop

So, it's been a long time since I've posted something. Partly because of work and partly because of nothing blog-worthy out there. Well, the wait is over. What has necessitated a blog entry? A new show on Fridays called "The Next Great American Band". It's from the same creators of American Idol and, trust me, it's NOTHING like that show.

-The host may be a short metrosexual, but he's from NEW ZEALAND, not america
-Sheila E. is a woman with a vague ethnicity who is largely a beacon of support for the bands, nothing like Paula Abdul
-Ian "Dicko" Dickson is a snarky Aussie, not a Brit like Simon Cowell, who always has a one-liner at hand to diss a band's performance. Never has there been a more appropriate nickname for a person, btw.

Anyways, the show uses the whole "least votes from texts, phone calls gets voted off" system, which automatically means that the best band is not going to win and inevitably a band equivalent to Sanjaya is going to pwn all the better, more experienced bands. In other words, a bunch of tweeners from Kansas are going to determine the winner that looks the best and isn't necessarily the most musically accomplished. But hey, that's what the music industry has devolved into nowadays so who am I to complain.

Despite the contrived premise of this show, I find myself surprisingly entertained by this AI spinoff. I usually go out on Thursdays and Saturdays and rest on Fridays after work. And for those of you who actually watch television on a Friday night, there's slim pickins. The only alternative is Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas, neither of which particularly appeal to me. Anyways, I'd like to run through the 12 bands that made the show and what I think of them because a) I got nothing better to do and b) there is no b.

1) The Likes of You - I've heard of this band before. The lead singer is a myspace darling and it was sad to see them go so quickly. Their vocals are amazing and if you're looking for the most marketable band, these guys are definitely up there.

2) The Hatch - I can never remember this band's name. I always refer to them as that "maroon 5ish quartet". Although their lead singer is a good-looking individual, I found their sound a bit too safe and bland. Nothing really innovative or musically interesting, but the tweeners would've loved these guys if they lasted longer.

3) The Muggs - I knew these guys would be eliminated quickly. These guys are like old people who just can't let go of the 70s and try hard to be hip and relevant. The lead singer looks kinda like an ugly Trey Anastasio. The band is really tight and their guitarist can rip pentatonically speaking. But I have to agree with Dicko, the vocals blow donkey nuts. His vocal range is way too high for the songs he tries to sing. And he can't pull off the Geddy Lee or Claudio Sanchez thing and sing high but sound freakin' awesome. Great bar band, but not a legit album-seller.

4) Rocket - The requisite "rocker chick" band. These girls are the epitome of flash over substance. The show spun them as this model for the young girls out there, but there HAS to be better chick bands out there than this sorry group. The instrumentation is not tight and the vocals are absolutely horrid. One thing they have going for them? The lead singer is nice to look at; she looks almost exactly like this girl I had a crush on. And like most girls she paid no attention to me...depressing I know.

5) Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - I've never been into big bands. There was a brief period in 1998 where big bands made a resurgence headed by Brian Setzer. And by brief I mean, like in the summer of that year. For missing the boat by 9 years though, these guys have a good chance of making it out of this competition. The instrumentation is tight, which is an incredible feat when you have a brass section along with guitar, bass, and percussion. The vocals are ok, but the lead singer is as bland as plain vanilla ice cream. He's the kind of guy who shops at Eddie Bauer, wears pleated khakis, and watches the Today Show every morning before going to work as a realtor.

6) Cliff Wagner and the Old No. 7 - Git yer gitter and meet me at Uncle Cletus' hoedown. These bluegrass guys are talented and I'm impressed that they can come up with bluegrass covers of Madonna and Billy Joel at a whim it seems. The one problem: bluegrass is even more niche than jazz or techno. As much as I admire the gitter and banjo twangin', there's no way in hell this would sell on itunes or at your local sam goody.

7) Tres Bien - A nouveau British invasion band. Take the Beatles, the Who, The Kinks and add liberal amounts of The Animals to get Tres Bien. Though they lose points for originality and I halfway expect them everytime to bust out singing "She loves you, YEAH YEAH YEAH", the band is decent. The frontman is charismatic and they're solid, but not exceptional musicians. I hope they have a metal themed round to see a moddish take on Megadeth.

8) Dot Dot Dot - Chicago love! My best description for Dot Dot Dot is New-Wave-y, powerpop band with emo-ish affectations. Their look is clearly inspired by Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, and From First to Last. In other words, they look like immense tools and silly nannies. What saves them is that 1) i have a penchant for 80s new wave and 2) they can actually play their instruments. Though their lead singer is a poster child of androgyny, he can sing pretty well. Their version of that Elton John song blew me away. And the guitar player chick is pretty damn good. I can see these guys making it because they are equal parts flash and substance.

9) Sixwire - I don't know if it's fair to have this new country band in the competition. They had a major record deal and the members toured with lots of country acts individually. It really shows as they are the tightest band. The gang vocals are just fantastic and perfectly synchronized. These guys would sell well to a broad audience despite being a Nashville band. My only beef is that they sound too squeaky clean. They have little edge from their perfectly kempt to look unkempt hair to their slim fit jeans. They need some rawness to their look and sound.

10) Light of Doom - Look at the above picture. You can see why this band is the favorite of pedophiles everywhere. I feel perverted watching shirtless kids with long hair headbanging away. *shudders* Anyways, Light of Doom is a bunch of 12-13 year olds who are like a mini-Iron maiden. Their guitar player, who is a good 10 years younger than me, puts me to shame. I feel like I've wasted my time next to this kid. He flawlessly plays 80s metal guitar. I just can't get over how good they sound and concomitantly how young they are. Their biggest challenge: their lead singer going through puberty could sideline the band for a good 3-4 years.

11) The Clark Brothers - A trio of bard brothers. They have no bass or percussion and guess what? They don't need it at all. These guys are one of my favorites. The singer just sends chills down my spine when he sings, so emotional and spiritual. And the way they incorporate violins and slide guitar is astonishing. It creates an atmosphere to the music that's both eerie and unbelievable. Unlike Cliff, I could see this back-country band selling records and venues.

12) Franklin Bridge - Wow. These guys blow me away. Take the Roots and add Boys 2 Men vocals with urban flair, and that doesn't even begin to describe Franklin Bridge. Carefree vibe and smooth as silk vocals are what these guys are about. Oh, btw the singer can rip on guitar. How the hell these guys go from R&B to rock so seamlessly is beyond me. I want these Phillie guys to win.