We Sold Our Scrolls for Rock n Roll

What is this that stands before me?

1,019 thoughts on “We Sold Our Scrolls for Rock n Roll

  1. So the band, Animals As Leaders, may not be the most accessible thing out there (instrumental proggy hard rock with alternate time signatures and occasionally fast flurries of notes), but it’s the most brilliant thing you’ll listen to today. Check out the “Weightless” album. Tobin Abasa may be the most original, creative guitarist working today.

  2. Here’s one of those “If you put this in a script, an editor would make you take it out as being way to cliche'” stories.
    Just talked to a friend who had an appointment with the TSA this afternoon to get their “star” clearance so they didn’t have to go through the Airport Kabuki Theatre any more.
    She was 45 minutes late for her appt because she had simply been given a street address and it turns out the TSA office is located in a block of nondescript buildings … in an industrial park … that has no street signs โ€ฆ and doesn’t show up on the GPS. Try as she might, she could not find a phone number to call and ask where they were.
    When she walked into their office, late โ€ฆ they could see her head was spinning and were all very gracious. Immediately said “Couldn’t find us could you? We REALLY wish they would let us put our phone number on our web site but Homeland Security won’t let us give it out.”

    Pretty funny really, if you don’t actually have to try and find them.

  3. โ€ฆand again, I find myself dealing with severe disappointment by drinking.
    A lot.

    This has been a public service announcement.
    The more you know ! (insert rainbow here)

  4. Your crap joke for the day:

    This blonde was at a coke machine and and put her change in and mashed a button and out comes a drink. So she puts some more change in and pushed another button and out comes a drink. She keeps putting change in and pushing buttons and getting drinks. Here comes a man and asks the blonde if she is gonna be through at this machine any time soon and she responded”I’m not gonna quit until I stop winning.”

  5. Your crap joke for the day:

    Three men are sitting naked in the sauna. Suddenly there is a beeping sound. The first man presses his forearm and the beeping stops. The others look at him questioningly. “That’s my pager,” he says. “I have a microchip under the skin of my arm.” A few minutes later a phone rings. The second man lifts his palm to his ear. When he finishes he explains, “That’s my mobile phone. I have a microchip in my hand.” The third man, feeling decidedly low-tech, steps out of the sauna. In a few minutes he returns with a piece of toilet paper extending from his rear. The others raise their eyebrows. “I’m getting a Fax,” he explains

  6. Facebook update

    The smaug stout has child peppers in it so has a bit of a bite. Hubby like it.
    The Orc triple Belgium ale is 9.5%. I’m happy too but In a different way

  7. Crap mini joke for the day:

    So i was just thinking, if I had a crystal ball and could see 5 years into the future, would that mean I have 2020 vision?

  8. Your bonus mini crap joke:

    A lorry crashed on the M8 spilling its load of Vic Vapour Rub across the motorway. A police Scotland spokesperson has reported there will be no congestion for up to 8 hours.”

  9. As soon as my file uploads to the printer I can head to the City of Glendale to pick up drawings, then I can start my weekend. 13 minutes estimated to finish upload.

    • As soon as my “file uploads to the printer” … I can “head to the City” โ€ฆ of Glendale to “pick up drawings”, then I can “start my weakend”. 13 minutes estimated to finish “upload”.

  10. My brain went to a strange place.

    In the original Star Wars movie, Luke rescues Lea from prison. When he opens the door Lea says, “Aren’t you a little short to be a storm trooper?” How can that be the case if they managed to steal a uniform that fit him?

  11. Found a new Canadian beer down here that I haven’t heard of before.

    CD: 49th Parallel’s Gypsy Tears Red Ale.

    It’s a nicely hopped red ale, that isn’t too bitter on the after taste. I’d like it to be a bit more full, but I can’t complain.

  12. We just got home from the grocery store. We now have corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and apple pie. There was discussion of baking our own pie, which was quickly dismissed as ridiculous.

    How are you beauties today?

  13. CW: The Returned E1

    I have the original French version on my skybox and never got round to watching it, so have nothing to compare this US version with.

    • I have caught the first two (mostly because I’ll watch anything with Kristen Schaal). But, I have a hard time having anything close to sympathy for anything the last man on earth does. He’s an astoundingly shallow douchebag and the preview they gave of episode 3 as the end of two looks like he’s not going to get any better. It’s like a bunch of asshats that drive around cars with “no fat chick” stickers wrote this playing a game of “what if you got stuck in this situation”.

      • And that’s the point of his character and why I give the show massive props for portraying him that was as opposed to the stereotypical ‘aw shucks’ good guy that gluts the majority of today’s sitcoms. I assure you the writers are going the sympathetic route on Carol and not Phil

    • How much better would Back to the Future 2 have been if Marty’s Delorean had landed in the future on a desert highway surrounded by road mutants?

      There’s a local AZ group called Cult Classics who do theater screenings of, um, cult classics. This month it was the Road Warrior. And let me tell ya, it had been awhile. . . but this was seriously a fantastic big screen experience. The movie is 10x more exciting than I remember.

      And while I’m excited for the new one, I just don’t see how CGI can match the real stunt driving thrills of the battle scenes in this one.

      I’m tempted to rewatch the the first and third (it’s been decades), but I know I shouldn’t.

  14. Morning Pan

    We got a bit of snow last night. This is actually a good thing. This winter has been so mild, the news is already talking fire bans and possible lawn watering bans, car washing bans, etc. While we didn’t get much, it’s a start.

  15. We watched the first two episodes of Battle Creek. It had some good points, but it was too much of the typical formula that we decided not to continue watching.

  16. So if youre ever in Yellowstone National Park and you want to take a tour on an antique bus, make sure its the one nicknamed “Hollywood” – cause that one, my friends, is Egg’s bus from BTiLC. Outstanding!

  17. Today’s Doh moment, realising that the U.S. version of ‘The Returned’ is on Netflix in the UK and I didn’t have download the first two episodes via BitTorrent:

    Doh!

  18. It took me several hours of archiving old podcasts and other old computer files to CDs and a portable hard drive, but I finally, finally made enough space on my computer’s hard drive to install the school-provided copy of Office. Onward to more homework! :/

  19. I haven’t checked my work spam box in a while. There are six emails. The first line of each turn into an interesting story:

    Good Day! Hopefully I’m not disturbing you.
    How’re you doing my sweet love? My BF dumped me.
    Sorry to trouble you
    Bring the other side emma
    Agreed to
    Do you mind my pussy explorer

  20. I drank no green beer, listened to no House of Pain, ate no Corned Beef, had no Irish soda bread, and did not watch The Quiet Man.

    Still a nice St. Paddy’s Day with my non-Irish Pixie. Goodnight, :leprechaun:

    • I had to drive 4 hours to a 1.5 hour meeting in Georgia and then drive back again. Fortunately, the cafeteria where the meeting was had corned beef. When I got home, there was still time to have a few beers. As far as celebration, I split 1/4 beer between my three dogs so they could feel like it was a special day. Oh, yeah and we watched Leprechaun Origins. It was a right piece of shit.

  21. And so… Its like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy here at work today….
    A crazed gunman is on the loose outside my hospital, shooting people. We are on lockdown. So strange and surreal to be in open heart surgery, almost *trapped* there, and once removed from the chaos this city is under right now. ๐Ÿ™

  22. CP: With Arms Outstretched – Rilo Kiley

    These bloody headphones are are nipping my ears to the point I can check my pulse, time to play some games.

  23. Today’s, Billiards Trick Shot –
    “Approximately 2 and 1/2 minutes after the Republicans find out that Obama is Pro-Respiration, we will become a one party nation.”

  24. JW: Powers E2

    Never read the comics, but the first two episodes were a real slog to sit through, going to give the third episode of the series one last chance to improve.

    • Very nice.
      Have I mentioned that I’m a sucker for 3/4 or 6/8 time tunes? ๐Ÿ™‚ Okay not all, but this definitely qualifies.

    • I think death metal bands are drawn to power, atmosphere, and dissonant/minor chords and phrasing, which often translates nicely to acoustic instruments.

      I dig this, Rhett. I’d never heard of them before.

      • Glad you liked it cynful. I’ve listened to Agalloch on and off for a long time. They sort of defy a label, but I would call them folk death metal. Very drone-ey, melodic and melancholy music from some indy band from Portland. Listening to them today I thought there were some Floyd influences as well.

  25. Last night I watched “For your Eyes Only”. Really not to bad.
    A rather big step up from “Moonraker”.

    The whole, “under aged nymphomaniac ice skater ” thing was unnecessary and creepy but other than that, not to bad.

  26. Stone Temple Pilot’s ‘Art School Girlfriend’ is the biggest rip-off of Tripping Daisy’s ‘ I Got A Girl’ ever.

    i told you 5 or 4 times….

  27. Mind boggling from Twitter:

    @emmielouli: I just saw a Facebook post from a teenager, it was an image of a floppy disk, with the caption ‘lol someone 3D printed the Save button’.

  28. I’ve been off the 5+2 diet for the last month (being Ill and then the stress of the renovation)’ really need to start again but apathy has struck big time this week.

  29. CW: Last Man on Earth E6

    I love this show. I love Todd. and I’m gonna quote an AV club commenter.

    “Forte has literally never written a character for himself who wasn’t aggressively offputting, I expected nothing less from this. I kind of thought we were past the point of needing our TV shows to be led by likable characters.”

    Perfect.

    And now Van and I fisticuffs.

          • I actually happy that they gave Chris Carter only 6 episodes to start with. While the series was excellent, the final seasons suffered from a lack of clear narrative. Perhaps the limited run will keep Mr. Carter more focused.

          • Rhett’s right and I agree 100%. As much as I LOVE the series, Carter completely painted himself into a corner – so much so that I think his writers just said “fuck it” and gave up. X-Files always did work best with small story arcs and one off episodes.

  30. I’ve made the switch to drinking Powerade from Diet Coke, while at work.

    But as I drink my first one, I’m concerned about the number of calories and amount of sugar that is in this Powerade and if it really is a healthier alternative to diet soda…

    • I made the switch to water with the random lemonade or coffee a few years ago.

      I’m sure your teeth at least appreciate the change.

  31. Your crap mini joke joke for the day:

    My wife just said to me “Look at this, I’ve had this since we got married 20 years ago & it still fits me”.
    I said ” it’s a Fucking scarf.”

  32. I’m in Dallas where it is 85 degrees today. I’m going to bum around Downtown tonight for the first time. Kinda fun, considering I’ve been traveling here regularly for 5+ years.

  33. So that’s episode 8 of ‘Better Call Saul’ put to bed.

    Only 2 more episodes to go…

    Bloody Vince Gillighan, making me care about a character I found annoying in BB.

    • I have to wonder if he’s really the right choice for this. Personally, I felt the book was less an 80’s geek homage/tribute that a never ending clip show. That said, while Speilberg was responsible or connected to a lot of the content referenced, I think he’s probably too old to be the one to direct this story. I would think someone closer to our age would stand a better chance, but I have no idea who that would be.

    • I loved the book, but I wonder how they are going to translate this to a movie. It will require a delicate act, otherwise it might just end up as an action flick. I’m not sure if Spielberg is the right choice.

  34. Buckets of Rain – Bob Dylan

    Buckets of rain, buckets of tears
    Got all them buckets comin’ out of my ears
    Buckets of moonbeams in my hand
    You got all the love, honey baby
    I can stand
    I been meek, and hard like an oak
    I seen pretty people disappear like smoke
    Friends will arrive, friends will disappear
    If you want me, honey baby
    I’ll be here
    Like your smile, and your fingertips
    Like the way that you move your hips
    I like the cool way you look at me
    Everything about you is bringing me
    Misery
    Little red wagon, little red bike
    I ain’t no monkey but I know what I like
    I like the way you love me strong and slow
    I’m takin’ you with me, honey baby
    When I go
    Life is sad, life is a bust
    All ya can do is do what you must
    You do what you must do and ya do it well
    I’ll do it for you, honey baby
    Can’t you tell?

  35. Your crap joke for the day:

    Last Wednesday a passenger in a taxi heading for Midway airport, leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
    The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb and stopped just inches from a large plate window.
    For a few moments everything was silent in the cab.
    Then, the shaking driver said, “Are you OK? I’m so sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me.”
    The badly shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said, “I didn’t realize that a mere tap on the shoulder would startle someone so badly.”
    The driver replied, “No, no, I’m the one who is sorry, it’s entirely my fault.
    Today is my very first day driving a cab.
    I’ve been driving a hearse for 25 years

    • It seems a little early to be conclusive and why is this news coming from a prosecuter and not the airline officials? We’ll probably be hearing more on this.

      • The press seemed adnormally restrained in holding back any conjecture on what had happened. The other day when they talked about the lack of a distress call, the lack of evidence for an explosion and the plane being in the statitically safest part of the flight prior to going down, I thought of the Egyptian pilot who commited suicide by forcing his plane down.

  36. Uber driver’s caller ID just spotted: “WIFE”

    He also just changed the hip hop station to NPR. I think I was just profiled…

  37. CP:
    I’m taking the fire escape up to the roof
    Don’t care if it’s not the way you find the truth
    And when I get up that high, I don’t know what I’ll find
    But I’d rather look at the sky than wonder why I let you take my time

      • Addendum: I remember watching the back to back championship seasons in 2004-2005 and feeling bad that no one cares(d) about college hockey. Hopefully Az St. can make some tournament appearances shortly sos you AZ peeps can really enjoy it. There’s also (oddly) talk of a Pac-12 hockey conference. If that’s the case Im hoping beyond hope that this would expand to CU and finally allow me alma mater to have NCAA hockey. A boy can dream.

        And now, I prepare for the eye rolls at me and Jack for talking college hockey…

  38. Crap joke from Twitter:

    @mynameisntdave: “AINT NO FUCKIN WAY WE CAN BUILD THIS BRIDGE!”
    -Engineer

    “We can build this bridge if we talk it out like adults.”
    -Civil engineer

    • “Probably we should be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday”

      I wonder if there is a satanic church in the Phoenix area. Maybe that’s not what she had in mind.

    • Yeh. Normally I just ignore this kind of stupidity because, well it’s just so stupid โ€ฆ and responding simply amplifies their signal.
      HOWEVER โ€ฆ as someone who identifies as a Christian I would like to point out that choice is kind of the very foundation of Christianity (Definition “Christianity – to be Christ like”).
      That’s the whole deal. Rather then a God who say’s “Kneel before me NOW or I will get all smitey on you.” He sent Jesus along to say, “Hey, dudes – follow me and live. Or like don’t and miss out but, you know โ€ฆ it’s your choice.”

      People who suggest government in-forced religion (or forcing laws that reflect just THEIR religious beliefs on those that don’t follow their religion) are most definitely NOT being Christ-like. In fact I would say they are doing more to bring down the image of Christianity than bring people to it.

      So there, you medaling politicians.

  39. Little Big Town is my favorite country band. I am pleased to hear that they are progressive and “normal.”
    So many ignorant Americans listen to country music and it’s awful to read that many people have misinterpreted this song’s lyrics because they are so close-minded to listen to the song any further past the first six words of the song.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/03/25/why-stations-are-pulling-little-big-towns-girl-crush-from-the-airwaves-and-what-that-says-about-country-radio-today/

  40. Ah! Just today received the Horses Ass trophy from ditto as he’s not gonna win it this year ๐Ÿ™‚

    In fact, Tornado is my dark horse prediction to win it all this year. Now thats pressah!

  41. Tonights bit of Bondage was “Octopussy”.
    A film I couldn’t even remember having seen til I started watching it and then โ€ฆ well, I now know why I couldn’t remember it.
    I will say that is had some wonderful mini-jet footage. Also, the fight sequence on the outside of the plane was great (remember the days before CGI when you actually had too put stuntmen on the outside of a plane!).
    Other then that, well โ€ฆ it was better than “Moonraker”.

    Next up though โ€ฆ “View To A Kill” !!!!
    I am jazzed about that one as I remember it having one of the best henchmen (Grace Jones) and one of the BEST villains (Christopher Walkens). Of course it had one of the worst Bond Girls ever โ€ฆ but countered with a great song by Duran Duran!

      • Correct. As I recall, she was highly disparaging of Roger Moore and wished she could have worked with Sean Connery instead.

        Of course, with that as a working environment, I imagine Roger Moore would have rather had Sean Connery instead as well.

        Beastmaster seemed to be a better fit for her talents.

          • Hard to pick a Best Bond song because the represent such different styles of music. As pop tunes go, just for listening pleasure I have to pick “View to a Kill” but as “pop-tune that really gives that Bond feel to the opening credits” โ€ฆ “Live and Let Die” is absolutely spot-on.
            โ€ฆ But “Goldfinger” is brilliance for orchestrated, Sinatra-esque pop. With “Diamonds are for ever” as a close second.
            Instrumental mentioned above is also right on the mark as a Bond companion piece.

            Yes, I bought the 50th anniversary Bond music cd.

          • Oh, and Tanya Roberts โ€ฆ as I recall, she was the one who destroyed my theory that all a Bond babe needed was to look good. If they were hot enough, who cared if they could act?
            EEeeesh!

          • Research hurts my head sometimes. I wanted to make a joke about Joanna Lumley being my favorite bond girl because of her later work on Absolutely Fabulous. But, I didn’t know which Bond movie she was actually in. Come to find out that it was “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Who was Bond in that film? Connery, Moore, Dalton, etc.? No. It was George fucking Lazenby. Who the shit is George Lazenby? And, why did he play Bond for one film in the middle the Connery run? Now I’m gonna be stuck researching this shit the rest of the day. There goes my Sunday. All for the sake of being snarky about Bond Girls.

          • Short story – Connery wanted too much money so they hired a nobody for the next film (who IMO was actually quite good and could have done more films had Connery not come back). Alas for George, the film performed poorly and the studio paid Sean the moon to be in one more film which was Diamonds are Forever and was also the greatest job of phone-ion acting Ive ever seen.

            RIP George Lazenby. I mean Bond wise… not in real life.

            Wait, did you already research this all? Damn my lateness.

          • Didn’t get to “View to a Kill” this weekend. It is next in my sights though โ€ฆ except, trying to decided If I should watch “Never say Never Again” since it came out at the same time as “Octapussy”.

            For those who don’t remember that one โ€ฆ it was the Bond film that was not produced by Mr. Broccoli (sp?) or the “Official” Bond production team. So many Bond aficionado leave it out of their list of Bond films. I can recall going to see it in the theatre though as being another Connery Bond film.

            The title was based on the fact that they found enough money to get Sean Connery to come back one more time to play Bond. Something he had said he would never do again.
            Other than that, I recall it was simply a “remake” of “Thunderball”. Why that one? Who knows.

          • I think I can tell you why – Thunderball is boring as hell. I think they wanted another crack at the book to make a better film. Dunno if they succeeded.

            Speaking of copyright issues – really glad the rights to ‘SPECTER’ and other early Bond staples are back

      • There was a state legislator from the midwest who was trying to stop healthcare for the working poor who were below the poverty line. He actually said that if they wanted insurance they should just get better jobs so they wouldn’t be in poverty.
        I wonder why no one has ever explained this to the working poor before?
        “Tired of being poor? Just make more money!”

  42. That moment, when you realise there is about a month and a half to visiting Arizona, and you can’t find the hat you were given as a gift, that.

        • !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          • !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Could/would big money studios let their blockbusters co-exist with crowd-sourced, crowd equity films?

      And when that comes to pass, I want to invest in a reboot of the Ernest franchise.

    • I like the guy’s moxie but I would add that the “studio system” he is talking about ( they have a formula based on past hits and that is the only film they want to make again and again and again) has been operating like that for a long time. I have knowledge of it since the 80’s. Miramax was one of the few companies that would give the “small budget” pics a chance (and in my opinion, why they have so many memorable films).
      The Coen brother’s were the kings of “fine then โ€ฆ we’ll do it ourselves.” Of course, after “Blood Simple” and then “Raising Arizona”
      they had the studios lined up to give them cash.

      The other thing most people don’t realize is how many films are made every year that no one ever hears about – because the Studio System has a lock on the major distribution channels. Sure there is the internet, but it is a vast wasteland of “content” and very few films manage to get heard above the noise.
      This all may get better with outlets like NetFlicks โ€ฆ but with the current backlog of “proven” stuff waiting to be made available there and now them making their own content โ€ฆ the low budget film maker is still on the outside looking in.

      • I have #2, and a whole bunch of things not mentioned there.
        Short List:
        T.A.R.D.I.S cookie jar
        Spock cookie jar
        T.A.R.D.I.S. mug
        R2D2 measuring cups
        Lighsaber chop sticks
        Enterprise pizza cutter
        Laser pizza cutter
        Starwars cookie cutters

        I’m sure there’s more I just can’t remember them off the top of my head.

  43. Really amazed how good last week’s SNL with The Rock was. Definitely a stand out from the last few seasons. Highly recommended.

    “Youre so lucky!”

    • That’s the pinnacle of the “Disintegration” album – – one of the absolute best of its genre.

      Hard to believe this is the same band who brought us “Friday I’m in Love.”

  44. CD: Unibroue Emphemere

    It is a fruit beer (apples). Fabulous! If you can imagine a Belgian beer that is a bit like a cider but not overly sweet, then you will like this one. ๐Ÿ™‚

  45. Someone on a podcast I was listening to made an association that I’m having trouble scrubbing from my mind. Roger Moore was the perfect Bond. He already had the Double Entendre name.
    Sharing my pain.

  46. It’s unfathomable to me how, after about a seasons worth of Agents of SHIELD episodes, Skye has gone from the least interesting character to the most. Quake!!

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