The evolution of the music page on this site continues ... hopefully nearing some kind of semi-permanent state. I've now joined the reviews and listening statistics, so albums on which i've pontificated bear a link in the listening rankings. I'm half serious when i say i should convert this code into a distributable package and sell it, or in the spirit of open-source make it available and see what the community at large thinks of it. I also fixed an issue with the search utility in my journal, which turned into a convoluted exercise in Perl regular expressions. "Zero width look ahead assertion" ... clear as mud. I'm also toying with the idea of bringing back some of the original backgrounds for this site, like the photo of Baker beach in the Presidio. That was actually the original backdrop for my site, when it was the journal and the journal alone. Ah, memories.

V took me to see Bloc Party at Slim's on Tuesday. As usual i caltrained my way to the city after giving the dogs dinner. This time i tried to catch the 6:17pm baby bullet in San Mateo so as to get to the city by 6:45pm, but was denied when the train doors shut while i was frantically buying my ticket. Dammit. I waited impatiently for the 6:32pm train and took my customary upstairs seat, although i had to relocate shortly thereafter as i'd chosen the car with the broken air conditioner. No über-competitive yahoos behind me this time, so i whiled away the trip reading discarded newspapers. We had dinner at 21st Amendment with Gary, then headed over to the 11th St. Our old friend Alex Restrepo (he of the "bum-rushing the Lollapalooza stage to dance with Elastica for 30 seconds before being thrown out by security" fame) was performing as part of openers Death of a Party but we didn't consolidate our show-going party with Jenz outside until they had finished. BP were fantastic. The interplay between singer/guitarist Kele and lead guitarist Russell is incredible, leading to great syncopated harmonies like the one at the heart of their current single "Banquet". At last, one of the latest crop of Brit bands knows how to use a guitar wall and bass rhythm to maximum emotive effect. We returned home at 12:45am, cleaned up after our lonely doggies, put the trash and recycling out, and collapsed. V went to see them again at the Fillmore yesterday, while i stayed home with T+P and tried to find an obscure Killing Joke single i'd seen on VH1's the Alternative (1984's A New Day, presaging their subsequent 1985 masterwork Night Time). Denied online, i was forced to transfer the show from the Tivo to my computer using the new Tivo-on-the-go functionality, and rip the audio stream using Total Recorder. Mission accomplished.

This weekend V and i are off to shop for home improvements, to be installed when her mom and Ana come out June 18 (one day before someone's 31st birthday). On the list are a new countertop and sink, toilet, and floor tiles for the bathroom, and paint for the all the assorted rooms of our house. Man, Arlene is going to be busy busy while V and i are at work (wink wink, nudge nudge)! Not to mention attending to Ana as well as Tara and Pepe.

I've figured out what it is about indie radio darlings Muse that puts me off. Instrumentally, there's no doubt about it: the band seriously rips it up. The problem is that over this sonic destruction, you've got a Thom Yorke wannabe belting out these ridiculous arching melodies, falsetto oohs and ahhs wandering through the noise like a lost opera singer.