Listen: Johnny Cash


Album: The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958
Releases: November 8, 2005

I’m usually not big on Time Life box sets, but this one has been getting a lot of play on my stereo. The three-disc set from the Man in Black includes 61 tracks, including my favs “Wide Open Road,” Goodnight Irene” and “”Hey, Good Lookin’.” The release is timed to coincide with the new biopic, Walk the Line. If you’re looking for a holiday gift for that Cash fan in your life, this is a good one.
  ¶ 3:58 PM

  Cone of Not Really a Big Deal
I kinda wish that I were in the Wilma "cone of uncertainty," but I'm north of it. That phrase really amuses me. I've incorporated it into my everyday dialogues. "I may pick up all of those dirty clothes off my bedroom floor, but that decision is still in the cone of uncertainty." So, the hurricane is not expected to hit near me, but Tampa will get tropical storm winds and rain. Amazing Kingdom of Thrills shut down for the night, so I didn't have to go to work. Yay. (BTW, the proper Floridian pronunciation of hurricane is hur-e-kin). The weather has been quite anti-climatic so far. The bath tub is filled with water and the hurricane lamps are ready to go, but nothing more than a drizzle outside. Yeah, yeah I know. Calm before the storm and all that. We'll see. I might go into the office in the morning to do some work on my development gig, but that's still in the cone of uncertainty. Sleeping late and reading in my PJs might be a better idea.
  ¶ 12:36 AM

  Urban Legend or Tampa Reality?
Living in Tampa, you hear people talking about local stories from time to time. More often than not, I have no idea if I'm hearing an urban legend or something that actually happened. While on break last night at Amazing Kingdom of Thrills, I overheard a story of a man who struck a pedestrian, continued driving--with the corpse sticking out of the windshield--until he stopped at a toll booth where he was detained. The man told the police, "I thought bodies were falling out of the sky." Since the man was 93 and obviously suffering from dementia, the officer made no charges and the man retains his license. Urban legend, right? Wrong. Tampa reality. From TBO.com:

About 8:25 p.m. Wednesday, a motorist saw his father's 2002 Chevrolet Malibu weaving between lanes on 34th Street South. Then, Jockers [traffic homicide investigator] said, Julie Zumpf, 44, a Clearwater saleswoman on her way to Fort Myers, saw a human leg tossed into the air.

Parker had just struck a 53-year-old transient who was crossing the street just south of 46th Avenue, from the Crystal Inn to a McDonald's restaurant, Jockers said. But Parker didn't realize he had struck the man -- or that the rest of his body had crashed through his windshield on the passenger side.

He kept driving south -- away from his Pinellas Park home -- for more than 3 miles, to a Sunshine Skyway toll booth, where a toll-taker saw the corpse, detained Parker, and called police, Jockers said.

"He [said he] felt the person fell out of the sky," Jockers said.

The truly frightening part of this story is the reality that the man was not charged with any traffic violation and still has his license--valid until 2010.
  ¶ 11:15 AM

  Workin' it
Now that I work a night shift, I feel like I live in a different world. I wake up at noon, eat dinner at 11pm, go to sleep at 4am. Weird. Working at the "Amazing Kingdom of Thrills" Halloween event has also provided me with the opportunity to be physically abused while on a job. See, my job requires me to scare drunk people. Sometimes those drunk people enter my haunted house thinking that they are operating outside of the social contract and can do as they please. On Saturday night, one such person decided to smack me in the face with his plastic beer yard. Others have decided that it's okay to touch me and/or grab my boobs (and, for some reason, they like to poke me in the stomach). I have unofficially been given permission to slap these people. That's kind of fun. It was also fun to jump off my podium, rip off my mask and chase the guy who smacked me in the face. I never got to do that while working desk jobs.

Other than my job as a "scare," I recently started a part-time photography job shooting portraits of kids, continue working with my BFF from high school as her assistant at photo shoots and will start a short-term contract tomorrow doing development for a local non-profit. So, my plan to support myself without having a 9to5 job is coming together. Yay.

Don't forget to enter my Multi-CD Contest tonight. I will notify the winner tomorrow.
  ¶ 6:20 PM

  These magnets rock!
Due to popular demand, I'm putting my fun music-themed magnets up for sale. The magnets will be customized to fit your scene. They're about 2cm in diameter and made with strong magnets so that they won't fall off your fridge or filing cabinet. If you want 'em, just send an e-mail to weirdcurves@gmail.com with a list of your eight favorite bands/pop stars/singers/MCs. A set of eight magnets will cost you $10 (including shipping).
  ¶ 7:19 PM

  Multi-CD Contest!
So I write blurbs about the new music that I'm digging and occasionally post a few mp3s. Well, today is different. Thanks to Filter, I have an awesome prize pack to give away. Enter the WeirdCurves CD Giveaway Contest and albums from the following artists could be yours: Tarantula A.D., Dungen, Diamond Nights, Abandoned Pools and The Sun. All five items go to one lucky winner. Just send an e-mail to weirdcurves@gmail.com with "Multi-CD Contest" in the subject line by Monday, October 10, 2005. I'll notify the winner by e-mail. More info about the CDs below. Good luck!

Tarantula A.D.
Book of Sand
Releases: November 1
Who Took Berlin? (Part I) [mp3]


Dungen
Ta Det Lugnt
Available now


Diamond Nights
Popsicle
Available now
The Girl's Attractive [mp3]
Destination Diamonds [mp3]


Abandoned Pools
Armed To The Teeth
Available now



The Sun
Blame It On The Youth
Available now
Romantic Death [watch video]
Stream all 14 videos
  ¶ 8:36 PM