Please keep refrigerated.

Jim is coming home to a refrigerator that looks like this tonight. He's been excited about this game for awhile and I got it a day before release.

I'll make him get me some iced tea or something, then come the yays.

Please stop supporting the RIAA.

The tech blog Gizmodo is organizing a month-long boycott of any music supported by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). As most of you may know, the RIAA has begun bullying consumers and holding us hostage with overly-strict copy protection and mean-spirited lawsuits. They also eat puppies (not really.) Anyway, they need to be stopped and our wallets are the best weapon.

Please read he explanation and consider it. They give all details in the below post, and also a place to check if your music that you want to purchase is boycottable.

Also, send this link in whatever form to everyone on your frequently e-mailed list.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/putting-our-money-where-our-mouths-are-boycott-the-riaa-in-march-239281.php

GOOD NEWS: All the new music I bought in the past month is also RIAA-free. Thurns out that the music not done by RIAA artists is of the highest quality (sometimes better).

Try these on iTunes: Mocky, The Pinker Tones Thom Yorke's The Eraser, Mum, Lemon Jelly I've made an iMix of some suggestions:

Also, here is a short list of places to start looking for independent music. Please report any errors in this list back to me. I will be correcting any misleading links:
http://www.riaaradar.com/
http://www.emusic.com/
http://cdbaby.com/
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com
http://www.stylusmagazine.com

"Remember, the President likes his twinkies arranged around the plate like a spongecake Stonehenge"

It's amazing how easy it is to get sucked back into something. My current vortex: Podcasts on iTunes. I started last week and haven't been able to stop. Neither has Jim.

Last week we found Crista Flanagan (of MADtv fame) has a podcast called Hope is Emo. She does miserable really well, and at times you see a lot of Wendy Walker in Hope. The misery gets to be a bit much, so do it in smaller doses.

I'm also catching up on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. If you've never listened, you must. It is a non-participatory game show, where four people play silly word games. I just listened to the February 11th episode and Paula Poundstone is charming (as is the rest of the cast). All droll, witty and funny as hell while reviewing current events. Please, please check this out. You'll love it. Found here.

UPDATE: One more. SF Chronicle corrections podcast. Here. For the love of all that is holy. Now. NOW. Episode about the Oakland homicides.

NBA does it right...

First, John Amaechi is really terrific. He has been coming out for a few days and is making a serious impact on the sports world.

Second, I just sent this letter to the NBA (at nba.com) in response to this.

I want to commend you in your actions following the anti-gay remarks made by Tim Hardaway. In my opinion, you were swift, deliberate and right to not support intolerance. I now see the NBA with a depth I had not known was there and will make it my primary choice in sports viewing.

Jeff Ferzoco
New York, NY

Get ready to have basketball-watching parties at our apartment. (Maybe Jimmy will learn new hors-d-ouvres for basketball season.)

Lifetime wins the Super Bowl.

On this day of horrible violence towards women across the US, one station chose to counter it with some powerful films. Lifetime quietly made the choice to show Bastard out of Carolina and Black and Blue, two films about domestic violence opposite the Super Bowl. They are also showing The Good Girl, but I'm not certain that it is part of the series.

Someone at Lifetime made a really great choice and will possibly save someone from a lot of pain. I'm watching it to see which advertisers support Lifetime for these films and make them part of my choices. Maybe I'll even write a letter or two...

Are you ready for some hot power tool goodness?

This should be played on every screen in every gay bar for all of eternity.

First post from my Treo!

I just figured out how to post on-the-go. I added a weblink to the post page for blogger to my Treo quicklinks. (duh.)

I'm sending this from the Urge right now. bartender's birthday happening tonight. Not staying long. (right.)

Jimmy is out shopping for warmer clothes becuse he has to work in the coming freeze - over a river. I feel bad for him and made him go buy clothes. He's so cute. He wanted to stay home, but it was going to bite him in the ass if he didn't do it now. We'll do a bigger order from Duluth Trading later and get him more workwear. I love workwear and am tempted to become an electrician just to wear it.

Back to me beer.

My change of heart.

Recently I've changed. I used to love convergence. Wanted all my devices in one: phone, music, games, etc. I'm not like that anymore. This all happened because of the new ipod shuffle I got this Christmas.

I LOVE this thing. It forces me to focus my listening to 200 songs, clips on anything and is totally solid state. I'm not afraid of damaging it because it is made of aluminum. Really. Best thing ever.

Unfortunately I'm now one of those geeks who walks around with an MP3 player strapped to them. I'll have to live with it.

The little things: our new ice system.

We have struggled with how to keep enough ice in the fridge for awhile. We both love our drinks like our Vogue editors: cold and colorful. We make what equates to screwdrivers minus the vodka at home all the time, requiring a lot of ice.

We found these at the Container store. They are sealed (ish), stack and were cheap. We bought 4 and ALWAYS have ice now. I'm so happy I could make myself a cranberry and seltzer.

Next step: Putting a visual cue on the fridge to make sure the empty ones are refilled. See, the key to this system is to refill all at once, because it takes 30 seconds. Doing them one at a time has NO advantage. You have to empty all of them out into the larger bin, then refill. Some would balk at that, demanding a commitment to the individual refill. Those people don't live in New York or have a Wii or have a cat who likes to wrestle for hours on end like me. I like short, powerful bursts of focused work. It makes things more tolerable.

That, my friends, is my ice system.

Media Update: The Pinker Tones and more

Music: Totally addicted to the song "Sonido Total" from the album The Million Color Revolution by The Pinker Tones. They are out of Barcelona. They make me shake my booty all day long.

Games: Started up "Animal Crossing" Fucking Bob wanted me to deliver a picture book to Mitzi WAYYY to many times, so I dug up holes in his front yard and sent him a letter telling him he was an old queen with no taste. No response. Also almost finished the Potato Salad level in Cooking Mama on the DS. I can't get the potato peeling down, no matter how hard I try.

Websites: Boingboing is my continued favorite this week.