Tuesday, November 27, 2007

And still they make us learn....

We had our weekly departmental meeting today, and it went a half an hour over because we talked about ESBL's for...a half an hour. Agghhh! Will the torture never end? According to my technical supervisor, NO. She says that this is the easy part, that there's much more to come, and she wants us to understand it all very well before we move onto the next step. She said she knows it's difficult information to absorb, but we need to understand the concept. I did well on my test, but she made me decide to go back and review everything again, just to make sure I'm solid with it. She told us that when doctors call, we need to help them understand why we're doing what we're doing. Apparently, "Uhhh... 'cause they told me to?" won't work. Ha!

I haven't had a Music Moment for a while, so here we go.

Beth's Music Moment: Los Straitjackets

Hey, is that a Hot Pocket he's eating?

Chances are you've never heard of Los Straitjackets, but chances are good you've heard their music. They do some background music for shows and movies. I first heard them as the background music when the local rock station I listen to was doing a programming break (I'm sure there's a technical name for that, but I don't know it). I thought it was so cool I wrote to the station, the DJ who fielded the email asked the DJ who played it, and I had my answer!

The band is from Nashville, and although I've never seen them live, I hear they really tear it up. Apparently they don't talk much onstage, but one of the guys will intro the songs in bastardized Spanish. (You might notice the Mexican wrestling masks--as far as I know, they always wear them. I saw a picture of them sitting on some rocks at Big Sur in their hoodies and jackets...and masks.) I would describe their music as modern surf. They don't sing, and didn't release a CD with vocals until a few years ago when they did a collaboration with various singers. They're great musicians, and that surf guitar sound is just a blast--I love the backbeat and the whammy. I love to put it on as background music--it's fun and energetic (with a rare ballad thrown in) but not overwhelming. Viva Los Straitjackets!

A tiny bit later

Ken reminded me to share this movie popcorn trick. Credit goes to Tom Griswold of the Bob & Tom Show. To butter your popcorn well (yes, it's faux butter, but it's still disgustingly yummy), grab a straw. Insert it into your bucket of popcorn, and let the golden goo flow through the straw into the depths of your popcorn. I do this a couple of times in different spots and depths. This insures that once you get past that top layer, you won't be faced with plain ol' dry popcorn. And the salt problem? Sprinkle some in a napkin and roll it up. Your popcorn will be greasy, salty, and delightfully heart attacky for the entire movie! Everyone's happy!

And...later

I have a request from a...what was your name? Ken? Okay. I have a request from Ken to put a Los Straitjackets video up here so you can hear what they sound like. Good request. This is a pretty fun video, too, a promo for the movie "Psycho Beach Party." Hey, why haven't I seen that?! Add it to the list. Check out the 45's and albums on the ceiling of the stage. And the chick is wearing some way cool boots! I have some like that, but mine are black.

 

 

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