I pretty much keep my mouth shut at work unless somebody asks me a question, which I always answer as helpfully as possible. I don't enforce any of the company's stupid stroller rules (contrary to the video, the company's policy when they first told us about the damn stroller thing was pretty much what the guy did, presumably with less lip). I only say anything at all to the 10% of riders who even bother look at the driver for a greeting. The only rule I really enforce now that those wienie walkie talkie phones went out of fashion (that fad didn't last long) is the no eating rule. Have you ever noticed how a sack of food from McDonalds smells like a sack of dog assholes? I can't believe people go near that stuff. I still get about 15-20 bogus complaints per year. I imagine if I had a big mouth like these two, I'd get more. A hundred and whatever is a lot, but how many of them are bogus? The only examples they have are a guy getting mad because people run out in front of the bus, one guy enforcing the first version of a relatively new company policy, a number of people that call to complain, and two guys with big mouths, one of whom doesn't work for the company any more. There's not much to work with, they should be commended for making a whole story with what they had.

The lady in the glasses, by the way, who said something about us leaving her in second was on my bus last week. She was waiting in a stop at 38th St station that was clearly marked for a different route. My route's stop was about 80 feet behind this stop. After I made my stop, waited three minutes for the train, and pulled away, she ran out in front of me as I passed the other route's stop waving her arms. Nice guy that I am (I've never had a real commendation call either - my only two are also bogus), I stop in the middle of the street to let her on. She screamed at me for trying to leave without her. I think that one is a little nuts anyway. She yells at a lot of people.

Anyway, it's Fox 9. What do you really expect from them anyway? It's basically a blog with money.

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(jonathan on Jul 22, 2008 3:54 AM) everything you said sounds like a gospel to me, except for that part about mcdonald's food. i'm about to cuddle up with a mcsnuggler.

(Ryan on Jul 22, 2008 10:35 AM) :* jonny

(ben on Jul 22, 2008 2:49 PM) I will say that Fox9 was the first news team to break the bridge collapse. They were talking about it while everyone else was still doing the weather. The Chicago Tribune published an article on the front page on Sunday about a farmer at the farmers' market in Evanston who started charging people for plastic bags in an effort to cut down on pollution. The paper reported that people were really upset about it (one Chicago attorney who buys from this guy said it was offensive and infringed upon her civil liberties!). But clearly most people either don't care or are in favor of the decision. Again, its all about sample size.

Welcome to the squad, Mr Dunn. If you've got 20 dingers left in that bat, I'll be very happy. Make me proud.

It's short, but it's good. I'm particularly enjoying the first two tracks lately, but it's a solid mix. There some good local music, and an all-time classic at the end.

1. Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook
2. Dr. Dog - The Breeze
3. Ben Sollee - A Change is Gonna Come
4. Ghosty - Like a Bad Lie
5. Haley Bonar - Better Half
6. Pivot - Sweet Memory (Clark Remix)
7. The Battle of Land and Sea - Saltwater Queen
8. Eef Barzelay - Lose Big
9. Lucinda Black Bear - Kites
10. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come

Download link [ ? ]
Previously: Mix #32, June '08

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My man Matt Kemp reached on an error, stole second, reached third on another error, and scored on a sac fly. That's quality baseball.

Kind of reminds me of the Dodger offense in Sandy's perfect game. That hit didn't come until after the run scored.

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That's not a picture of Delmon Young sliding, he's actually doing a belly flop in the outfield.

"Barack Obama outdrew the Twins on Tuesday night, which figures. Obama held a rally. The Twins didn't." - Phil Miller, Pioneer Press

Quality writing.

1. The Morning Benders - Damnit Anna
2. The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
3. Nat Baldwin - Enter The Light Out
4. FlyamSAM - The Offbeat
5. Wolf Parade - Call It A Ritual
6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - For Every Field There's A Mole
7. Joan Of Arc - A Tell-Tale Penis
8. Vetiver - To Baby
9. Dosh - Hit And Pearle
10. CocoRosie - God Has A Voice, She Speaks Through Me
11. Shearwater - Lost Boys
12. Chris Bathgate - Casual Way
13. The Botticellis - Tongue Is Blue

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Previously: Mix #31, May '08

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Only one dragon left.

Hillary turned from Mike Huckabee into Ron Paul last night. [Update: Sounds like she might only be Mike Huckabee. Nice legacy, Hill].

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We went down to Home Depot a few weeks back to get some unglazed tile to use as a pizza stone. We're very happy with the results we've been getting using the no-knead recipe with a shorter rise, more yeast, and olive oil mixed in.

I saw this at the Kitchn, so we decided to do one. The unset yolk is the greatest thing to happen to pizza since mashed potatoes. We made ours with ricotta, fresh tomato, basil, thyme, bacon (from Clancey's - the best), and two eggs on top. There was going to be 3 eggs, but one side of the pizza was sloped and the egg kept sliding off. Now we have egg+ashes all over the bottom of the oven.

There oughta be a mix in the next few days.

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(elizabeth on Jun 4, 2008 2:18 PM) I agree with your eggs + pizza opinion. A new pizza place here offers a few egg pizza combinations. Yum! Maybe you should visit.

(Ryan on Jun 4, 2008 11:58 PM) I like the Milwaukee.

Some kid that befriended Eliot yesterday waited until she trusted this kid enough that she could be convinced to climb to the top of one of the pirate ship things at the playground. Kid then pushed Eliot off and she had a little Mike Piazza Moment of Zen:

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I know this is pretty similar to what that great local beacon of mediocrity has been playing this month, but it's the best I've heard. This is almost a third local. We're having fish tacos tomorrow. I didn't even realize it was Cinco de Mayo until just a few minutes ago.

1. The Plastic Constellations - Disastrophe
2. The Morning Benders - Shedding My Skin
3. Tokyo Police Club - Sixties Remake
4. Man Man - Big Trouble
5. The Black Keys - So He Won't Break
6. Adem - Unravel
7. Atmosphere - The Waitress
8. Dom Mino - Scarlett
9. Weezer - Pork and Beans
10. Cepia - Ithica
11. Camphor - Confidences Shattered
12. Kayo Dot - Clelia Walking
13. Kid Dakota - Port Authority

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Previously: Mix #30, Apr '08

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(dolly on Apr 27, 2008 1:48 PM) mmm yum!

(ben on Apr 28, 2008 5:22 PM) Ain't you the mr. fancy pants

(bethany on Apr 29, 2008 7:57 PM) you are the best sammy maker lovey

1) Mets Phillies
This is a tough one for me to pick sides. I really like both teams right now. I just got a Phillie hat for my birthday yesterday, but I asked for Phillies or Pirates mainly because of the P. I want to be like Snoop Dogg. What's not to like about this matchup. You've got some of the most exciting young players on both sides with Howard and Utley with Philly and Reyes and Wright with New York. You've got your star veterans in Rollins & Burrell matched up with Delgado and Beltran. The starting pitching is as good as it gets with Santana and Hamels, Brett Myers and Oliver Perez, The bullpens are terrible enough that the game is never over, but exciting enough with JC Romero's constant fidgeting and occasional dominance. This is really just as good as it gets right now.

2) Brewers Cubs
There's the historic rivalry that shows up next, and there is this one, really the second best matchup in baseball. The Cubs get all the media, especially this year, but the Brewers are a fun enough team by themselves, and still my pick to win the division. Unless Eric Gagne (aka "Fat Driver 2165) blows it.

3) Cubs Cards
Fans really get into this matchup, and you can't take that out of the equation. It's not as compelling as it has been, but it's still pretty good. You've gotta love the Rick Ankiel, too.

4) Dodgers Giants
This is as historic as anything else, just nobody knows about since it only happens when the rest of the country in in bed. Plus my Dodgers are killing those nasty Giants these days.

5) Twins Sox
Nobody's even sure what this is all about any more, but as long as AJ is there, they're the team that is the target of the eruption from Minnesota's feeling of being general athletically inadequate (we can't even win at the only sport that makes climatic sense in hockey, and why aren't the Mighty Ducks from Minnesota again?). Neither team is any good anymore (Minny is obviously saving up for 2010), but I think the real Minnesota angst is based on an inferiority complex vis-à-vis the City of Chicago, which is enforced by the White Sox high-payroll low-performance way, topped with jealousy stemming from Jim Thome playing there. The best part is that not only does Chicago not care about the "rivalry", but I'm pretty Chicago isn't even aware that Minneapolis exists (that is, until a Chicagoan needs to leave the state for whatever reason and is looking for a nearby place to live). If the teams were Simpsons characters, the White Sox would be Nelson and the Twins would be Milhouse.

a few more: Cubs/Pirates, Cubs/Reds
I didn't realize this, but as much as I love going to Wrigley and getting Cubs games on TV, there are 4 teams in their own division that I would root for over them. Interesting.

Is it just me or is Lou Piniella what George Clooney is going to look like when he's 80?

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(Super Rookie on Apr 21, 2008 8:50 PM) I agree with you that the Brewers and Cubs rivalry is fast becoming one of my favorite ones to watch. Especially, with the emergence of Prince Fielder as a bona-fide threat. I just love that guy. One of the rivalries that I also enjoy is the Astros/Cardinals games of the past few years. With the division being so tight it always comes down to these monsters battling it out.

(Ryan on Apr 22, 2008 3:06 PM) So basically any NL central matchup is better than Yankees/Red Sox. I love the Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Prince Fielder, Bullpen pretending to beat each other up when they're in the background on TV homeruns Brewers. Terrible hotdogs, but a very nice stadium. Sausage ski races too.

(elizabeth on Apr 23, 2008 2:25 PM) Yay, Brewers! I mostly just hate the Cubs because their annoying fans overrun the town. Traffic jams! Public harassment! Drunken brawls! (Okay, so Milwaukee can do drunken brawls without the Cubs fans. Brew City and whatnot. Whatever.) Milwaukee is the Saint Paul to Chicago's Minneapolis. We get no respect.

(Ben on Apr 23, 2008 10:45 PM) My dad always said that as long as he's been watching the Twins, they've always played a little bit harder against the Sox. I think it was great a few years ago when, for three winters in a row, the Sox players would say how the Twins got lucky winning the division the previous season and how the Sox would roll over them. Then Mientkiewicz would say something inflammatory and the Twins would win the season series 9-2, or something like that. I'm also a fan of the Pirates/Reds series. Not that either team is all that good, but I like watching them.

Somebody offered to trade me Hank Blalock for Eugenio Velez. I accepted the offer. I think I'll be very happy with the results.

On opening day it snowed in Minneapolis. The People Opposed to a Pleasant Minneapolis (POPM) could not stop themselves from pointing out that if the new stadium opened in 2008 instead of 2010, the game would have been snowed out, as if early April precipitation is something unique to Minnesota. The rest of the week, it was sunny and in the mid-60s. Where were the dome-loving POPM then? Outside, most likely walking around Lake Calhoun like a herd of cows with 95% of the city(that's a statistic you can take to the bank). Why would you go inside on a day like we had on saturday?

April's mix is here. Support these artists, they're very good.

1. David Karsten Daniels - Martha Ann
2. The Notwist - Where in this World
3. Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul
4. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
5. Pacific UV - Need
6. Megafaun - Find Your Mark
7. Billy Bragg - Sing Their Souls Back Home (Solo Version)
8. Portishead - Hunter
9. Silje Nes - Ames Room
10. Mount Eerie - Stop Singing
11. Borko - Continental Love

Download link [ ? ]
Previously: Mix #29, March '08

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(Bill Lindeke on Apr 7, 2008 12:53 PM) Are you going to miss the dome? And if so, in what way?

(Ryan on Apr 8, 2008 12:31 AM) I'll miss nothing about the dome. I can just pray they come up with a better use for the 25 blocks around it than stadium parking. Maybe the Vikings will move to Maine.

Best sandwich ever.

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Here are some good songs. You should support some of these artists.

1. Throw Me the Statue - About to Walk
2. Devotchka - The Clockwise Witness
3. Retribution Gospel Choir - Breaker
4. These United States - Kings & Aces
5. Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure
6. Fat Kid Wednesdays - Unrecovery
7. JayMay - Sycamore Down
8. Jason Collett - Sorry Lori
9. Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Dead Right
10. Say Hi - Northwestern Girls
11. Ahleuchatistas - Cracked Teeth
12. Lightspeed Champion - Midnight Surprise

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Previously: Mix #28, Feb '08

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(110chelsea on Mar 2, 2008 6:07 PM) It's the Calatrava of stadium designs... I gotta say, it's a little stupid that they're buying a new stadium when the old one was built in 1990... ps. i like the Twins stadium. I think you'll change your mind when it's physical.

(Ryan on Mar 2, 2008 9:25 PM) I'm sure I'll love going to games there. I still think it looks like Grace Church Eden Prairie. Download that torrent again by the way if you're having problems with it connecting or finishing.

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