Mike's Archive

Author: mjmadaio

  • Life is Beautiful

    Sometimes human ingenuity, even in the smallest doses, can be quite enlightening. Today I came across such an example.

    I live in a wealthy, mostly snooty suburb that is mostly populated with selfish, stuck up socialites who are more concerned with being seen than doing anything substantial. So, imagine my surprise this evening, while walking on the rails to trails path by my house, when I found the strangest little sculpture.

    As I approached it, it’s strangeness, a number of stray rocks formed together in a circle, like a mini-stonehenge, with a gleaming silver object in the middle. Curiosity, it is not surprising, took the better of me, and I moved in to investigate further. The gleaming object, it turned out, was a key, most likely one that a walker had dropped along the path. Some kind soul took the time to set up this little monument to ensure that the unlucky key-owner would come across their wayward key on the journey back home.

    I surely admired the sculptor’s creativity, for surely everyone coming across this work of art would have to stop and admire it, and hopefully one of those admirers would turn out to be the rightful owner. Simple, yet beautiful.

  • WB, Fox, thank the Dukes

    Just watching an old episode of the Dukes of Hazzard, and couldn’t help but laugh when they brought out a musical guest, classic country star Dottie West. Apparently Ms. West had been caught in Boss Hogg’s “celebrity speed trap”, and had to work of her ticket by playing the Boar’s Nest. Honestly, would it be that far off to see a similar plotline force Death Cab to play The Bait Shop or Gavin DeGraw to play Tric?

    As Waylon said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

  • More Smallville Ramblings

    Any chance Chloe becomes Miss Teschmacher? The shot of her at the end of tonight’s episode, “Forever”, had this foreboding, “I might be evil” look about it. I have no idea about the history of Miss T, but the thought just crossed my mind.

  • Protected: The iPodessey, Part 3

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  • David Gray?

    Whatever happened to David Gray? I haven’t heard anything about that guy in years. His website is still promoting A New Day at Midnight, which came out in 2002.

    That’s really my only point.

    (NOTE: Interestingly, shortly after this post, Gray announced a new album out in September and a pre-release tour in August)

  • The Decemberists

    I’ve really been digging The Decemberists’ recent release, Picaresque.

    Lead singer Colin Meloy’s unique voice (sorta similar to Vertical Horizon’s Keith Kane) combines interestingly with the band’s lush, grandiose sound, creating something that sounds like an amalgam of Death Cab for Cutie and Matthew Sweet.

    I particularly enjoy “We Both Go Down Together”, a dramatic, literate pop-rocker. “The Engine Driver”, which is getting a good amount of play on local station WXPN, is also a quite catchy.

    Meloy’s voice can grate after awhile, and “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” is especially trying, but overall this is one of the year’s best so far.

  • Attending the Kentucky Derby

    The first Saturday in May is one of the great days in American sport, home of the “most exciting two minutes in sports”, the Kentucky Derby. For me the beauty of this day is that it combines three of the great pastimes in our country: spectator sports, gambling and tailgating (Ok, so there isn’t actually a car, but you’re drinking in the sun with friends, so it’s close enough).

    In 2002 I attended all 3 Triple Crown Races, coming a War Emblem bobble at the start of the third leg from witnessing the first trifecta since 1979. (I’ve been to the Preakness 6 times and the Belmont twice.) Before I’d attended any of the races, I scoured the web for a better guide to attending, and had trouble finding the straight dope. I realize it’s too late for this year’s Derby, but I just thought of providing this info. Perhaps it’ll help your journey next year. (more…)

  • Protected: The iPodyssey, Part 2

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  • An Open Letter to Post Cereals

    I recently wrote the following letter to Post Cereals/Kraft Foods. No, I’m not trying to organize a mass boycott, but I do feel strongly and wanted to share my letter with the world. Feel free to contact Kraft Foods yourself if you agree.

    **************************************************************************
    To Whom it May Concern:

    Firstly, I’d like to say that Honey Bunches of Oats is without a doubt the best tasting cereal ever created. It has it all — just the right amount of sweetness (not too much like most sugared cereals), crunch of oats, softer flakes… it is really just the perfect cereal. Or so I thought, until recently.

    I’ve decided to take my health much more seriously, and pay more attention to what I eat. (I’ve also noticed that you are taking advantage of the “Whole Grain” craze on your new boxes.) So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that your “perfect” cereal has a little secret: Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, a.k.a. TRANS FAT.

    As I’m sure you know, trans fatty acids are pretty much the worst thing a person can put in their body. (I’d hardly call anything made with them “the greatest” anything!) I am hopeful that you are already taking measures to remove this from your cereal, since I’ve noticed some other Kraft foods making the change (Wheat Thins, Triscuit, etc.) to become trans fat free, but nothing is certain, which is why I am writing this note..

    I really do hope that you eliminate this horrible part of a great cereal. Although it is only 0.5 grams per serving, I for one am looking to keep my diet as trans fat free as possible. That said, ** I will not buy another box of Honey Bunches of Oats until you stop using Partially Hydrogenated Oils. Period. **

    Please change your formula soon. For me, so I can go back to my favorite cereal, and for the rest of the country, to promote good health everywhere.

  • Superman’s So-Called Secret

    Sometimes changing the canon is the best possible thing.

    When Chloe Sullivan, a non-canon character on Smallville, learned about Clark Kent’s secret (and kept that knowledge past the end of one episode), I was pretty skeptical. No one is supposed to know the truth except Kent’s parents and, much later, Lana Lang. (He tells her before leaving his hometown.) Adding a new character into the knowledge-mix was pretty questionable unless they were planning to kill her off, a plotline they already exhausted at the end of last season.

    During the last few episodes, however, I’ve really come to appreciate the trials that Chloe has had to go through to prevent Clark from finding out that she knows what he’s tried so hard to keep from her.

    This week’s episode in particular, “Blank”, really turned the tables, as Clark has developed a vicious case of amnesia and Chloe must explain to him that he has special powers and needs to do whatever it takes to keep them from everyone. It’s a simple device, but it really put an interesing spin on the story, and Allison Mack did a solid job pulling it off. (I never loved Chloe, but the last few weeks I’ve actually felt sorry for her in regards to the whole Lana thing — she’d treat Clark far better than “Fiona” ever would.) Her very last line of the ep. really summed it up perfectly: “You had a clean slate to start all over with, and you made all the same choices, except for one… You trusted me.”

    Anyhoo, Smallville may not be the greatest or most consistent show, but twists such as this one have kept me watching over the years. In fact, the Alicia episodes and the Chloe “secret” have made this one of my favorite seasons so far.

    P.S. I’m not a hardcore Superman fan, so my knowledge of the lore is only cursory. Apologies if I got anything wrong.