Last post of the month, I'd say, with 99 percent certainty. We'll make it a good one, quick hit(ish)-style:

I was supposed to have a good, restful night tonight - catch up on outstanding phone calls, eat a quick dinner, basically relax. Well, I got a great mid-winter outdoor run in post-work, finishing by 6:30, and had started chopping vegetables for dinner by the time Jeopardy! started, at 7:30. But I've got a difficult oven that blows fuses, like, always, and I had to simmer my pasta sauce for a time and, well, by the time I was done eating, it was, say 9:30. And, though I had done some laundry, I certainly hadn't done the planned iPod maintenance or Mix-CD-from-Friend importing or Mix CD (two planned) creation. I hadn't gotten anything done and, while it's only a small form of frustrating, it is a bit frustrating. Martinis Tuesday, Pints Wednesday, after all.

I've met a wonderful, wonderful friend up here in the last few weeks. We kind of ran parallel circles, and she had become friends with a former coworker of mine, and, poof, a new great person to hang out with. She's a drunk (good, but bad), and married (worse for me, fine for her), so that's too bad. But she can also meet me geek-for-geek in music talk, which is nice. Because, say conversation's lacking, I can be all, "So, here's the Portland band I'm really excited about: The Thermals," and she, as a former Portlander, can have an opinion of them. ("They totally got naked at their Sub Pop record release show - they're too big for their britches.) And then she can tell me about watching Death Cab in basements in Bellingham, which is cool, and she can turn me on to Pinback and, for what it's worth, Stellastar*. She also loves Superdrag, quite a bit, so it's really fun to sing along to Head Trip in Every Key with her. But, alas, married. Mix CD #1 would be for her, because she doesn't know The Hold Steady or Jesus & Mary Chain or The Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat or, to be honest, Pavement or GbV or Belle & Sebastian.

The other Mix CD is for aforementioned former coworker, who wrote, "I love The New Pornographers and Neko Case and, oh God, can you make me a CD!?" I haven't, but I can, but it's nice to roll with geeks, when it comes down to it. Because without the geek factor, I would've never gotten a CD with XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," for instance.

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My plan for self-destruction has gone swimmingly well.

Last week, I documented my "out as much as possible" strategy. I maintained this week as, after taking Monday off, I did:
Tuesday - Going-away party for a coworker, until after 3.
Wednesday - Supper Club (now officially PLOW, standing for Pork Loin On Wednesday, which is simple but accurate) + Pints
Thursday - Post-work Beer, which doesn't count for much, but lasted two hours
Friday - Out of work shortly after three. At the bar from 3:30 until 9.
Saturday - Classic Ring Fingernail gigantic hamburger, followed by a trip to the Ring Fingernail Hooters (featuring a pregnant teenaged waitress!), followed by a visit to a new microbrewery place.
Sunday - To the bar, to watch the Cats get trounced by the Illini

This is a stretch of six straight "out"-ish nights, and 12 in the last 17 days. After taking tonight (Monday) off, it'll be out Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing it to 14 of 20. No word on official Thursday plans, though Friday should certainly bring some post-work activities, I'd think.

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I hosted my first PLOW on Wednesday. Four came. We drank 18 beers, and overcooked our loin. I did roast red and orange and yellow peppers, which were fantastic. We at our salad out of football bowls, which was exciting. Someone brought a fantastic (roughly) seven-layer dip. And we didn't turn on the TV, which is always a goal.

And, though the night devolved into "How many bottles can we stack?" and our littlest guest got slightly injured when she was knocked to the floor, brushing her elbow against the coffee table, a good time was generally had by all.

With a cast of four consistent participants, three more semi-regulars, and at least three more semi-inviteds, this is becoming a fantastic weekly activity. I'm back to mashed sweet potatoes this week, it would seem. I've also got two frozen two-pound legs of lamb sitting in my freezer (I mean, I love 'em, Mom, but how can one guy use two pounds of lamb?), which have great PLOW potential. It'll simply be LOW on those nights, perhaps, or LLOW.

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I got a camera for Christmas. Cameras are fun.

Resolution #1: Take more pictures. Pictures are good.
Resulution #1a: Take pictures before everyone devolves into drunkenness. I'm not always sweaty and confused-looking, though images would indicate that I am. After all, "It's for the wake." (While that joke is flat-out hilarious - "Smile - It's for the wake" - you'd be surprised how many people just. don't. laugh. Sad, really.)

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Resolution #2: Limit my purchases of music by bands that I already know. Limit these purchases to bands that I love love love. This means, for instance, that I've resisted purchasing the new Magnetic Fields record, despite strong reviews. Instead, I'm excited about Times New Viking. This means that I probably won't buy the new Breeders album, and that I resisted Hello, Blue Roses, even though Destroyer/New Pornographers' Dan Bejar had a large part (but a non-singing part, I think). This means that I will buy the new Mountain Goats record, which is only three weeks away, and has an awesome video already out. (And let's be honest here, it's not that it's such a great video - though it is cool and is worth your time - it's just that John Darnielle is so darn good.)

This means that I won't buy the next New Pornographers record, or the next record by The Walkmen, or the next record by The Fiery Furnaces, or maybe even The Strokes. Let the reviews blow me away, or let my friends get really excited first. (Among those still on the will-buy list are Spoon, White Stripes, Arcade Fire, probably The Futureheads, Mountain Goats, Hold Steady, Modest Mouse, probably The National, so still a very significant list.)

There's this thing called Vampire Weekend, and Pitchfork gives them Strokes and B&S comparisons for their "make it look easy"-ness and the fact that they'll win over people that want to hate them. This is appealing. So is Blood On The Wall - I bought their last record for my older brother for Christmas a few years ago, but I don't think he got much out of it. It was, awesomely, called Awesomer, however.

Other music-related: R.E.M. is touring. I've never seen R.E.M. They've only become one of my favorite bands, really, within the past year or so. I love R.E.M., quite a bit. They're touring with Modest Mouse and The National. The closest they'll come to The Ring Fingernail is United Center, on Friday, June 6. I believe that I'll be making my way to United Center on Friday, June 6.

Modest Mouse and The National are among, say, my top ten favorite current bands. R.E.M. isn't current per se, but they sure have lots and lots and lots of great songs. God, to hear "I Am Superman" or "Rockville" or "Losing My Religion" or "Sidewinder" or "Pop Song 89" or "South Central Rain" or any of those live, really. Gosh, I just think that'd be amazing, so I'm committing myself to it.

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Too drunk to drive home on Friday night, I joined others in a viewing of Sweeney Todd. It was so good. Bleak and gray and dark and then - poof - beautiful, beautiful stylized blood. I'm not a musical guy, unless the musicals are minor key and killy. If you like minor key and killy, go see Sweeney Todd. I don't see much in the way of movies in the theater, but this one seems certainly worth seeing on the big screen. (And, to be honest, everything is better on the big screen, isn't it?)

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I love the State of the Union address. The President could announce plans to initiate free trade with Martians, and the entire place would give a standing ovation (or, at least, one side of the aisle.) I think it's neat.

I was struck, however, by seemingly hypocritical statements/arguments.

On the one hand, President Bush talked emphatically about the success of No Child Left Behind which, of course, any educator will tell you is a sham that forces too much testing and not enough learning. So, in one breath, he touts record-high math scores and rapidly-improving English scores and then, moments later, he's talking about the need to allow more underprivileged children access to magnet schools and charter schools and parochial schools.

One or the other, George. Privatize education - privatize everything - or make the public system work. If the public system were so good, after all, why would we need the faith-based or charter schools? Seems hypocritical is all.

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For a three-month period, I was highly-informed about my slant on politics. What this means: I read all the election coverage on Slate and Salon. For the last two weeks, as things have gotten more interesting (Racism! Kennedys! Romney wins something! Huckabee's disappeared! Rudy! More Bill! Too Much Bill! Obama Jokes About Clinton's Dancing Ability And How It Indicates His Blackness! Edwards Wasted This Four-Year Cycle! Officially! And Thompson Wasted His Four Months!), I've gotten less knowledgeable.

How?

Because I'm done with essays. I don't have to stall anymore, you see.

Okay, I didn't really edit this, so I hope it makes sense. Have a nice night.

I wish The Boy had free time. Sigh.