As has become tradition over the past few years, I had a little orphans Thanksgiving get together yesterday…  Though I think we’ve decided to start calling it the un-Thanksgiving.

What is this un-Thanksgiving thing?  Well, it’s all the food, none of the family bullshit.  We get together, eat a lot and drink a bit — but thats about where the similarities to a regular Thanksgiving end.  The conversation around the table tends to fall into categories that wouldn’t normally be discussed around family.  Porn, farts, music and “who’s fucking who” (don’t ask).  The beverage of choice is beer, served in the can or bottle it was purchased in, and the empties turn into the centerpiece as the night goes on.

As an added bonus:  This year we got snow — about 6 inches of it.  Perfect!

On that note, I’m off to prepare for this evenings festivities — Karaoke Poker Night. :D  So much CDG downloading to do!

Saw these guys up at the (new) Intersection in Grand Rapids tonight. Pretty damn good show. Not a bad showing for a Monday night. As always, I was dead center at the barricade. Fun Fun.

FIVE FINGER!
DEATH PUNCH!
FIVE FINGER!
DEATH PUNCH!

A word about the Intersection…  For those of you that haven’t been there since they’ve moved into their new locale, you’re in for a surprise.  Gone is the old, grungy, long-bar setup with the ancient phone booth.  The new joint is brand spankin’ new and is huge — but as with all things new, it has no character — no charm at all.  It’s a yuppy lounge up front and a huge concrete floored concert hall in back.  Nice place to see a show, I suppose, but I miss the old Intersection.

I’m talkin’ about Weeds, the runaway comedy on Showtime.

I have to say that I’m absolutely amazed by this show.  Everything from the writing to the wardrobe is nothing less than spot-on perfect.  And, yes … As much as it pains me to say it, even Mary Kate Olsen manages to add another level of depth to the show.

For the last couple of years I’ve been noticing that police will find any excuse to pull someone over, particularly during the Witching Hours — 1am to 3am. Obviously, they’re looking for drunk drivers — and I suppose that’s a good thing, but are they going too far? Is this eagerness to pull over every car that leaves the vicinity of a bar or night club justified or is it an abuse of the peoples rights?

Tonight, after a group of my friends and I were dropped off by our designated driver, he was pulled over for no apparent reason. He wasn’t speeding, used his turn signals, came to complete stops and drove as well as any sober person on the road is expected to.

Once pulled over, he did not smell of intoxicants, didn’t slur his words, provided the officer with proper ID, registration and proof of insurance. He was polite to the officer and did everything by the book. Even after all of this, he was still asked out of his car to do a series of sobriety tests, which he passed with flying colors, and then asked to take a Breathalyzer (Breath Alcohol Test) which showed a negligible .003 (a .080 is the legal limit in Michigan, and a .003 is equal to a glass of grape juice being consumed).

Even after jumping through all the hoops, he was still detained for over 20 minutes while the police did god-knows-what in their car.

So, is this police doing their job or is it misconduct?

What makes it worse is that Saturday night, another friend of mine suffered through a very similar situation. He did manage to get the cops to give him a reason for being pulled over — which was, get this, because he used his brights and didn’t turn them off fast enough when another car was coming from the opposite direction. In other words, they saw him leaving a bar and decided to use whatever excuse they could to pull him over.

I just don’t get it — I love the police for protecting the public from drunk drivers, but how far is too far? Where is the line between duty and our rights to move about freely without being harassed? Do we turn a blind eye because they’re just trying to keep us safe? Should the police be accountable for haphazardly pulling people over and subjecting them to sobriety tests without any probable cause?

I was thrilled when I got the email last night, informing me that my copy of Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust was ready for download. Quickly downloaded my lossless FLAC audio files, eager to hear what Trent and Saul had come up with.

What can I say … Some tracks are exactly what I expected, others stray away from what I had invisioned, but in a good way.

Imagine Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Public Enemy, Seal and The Blue Man Group or Cirque du Soleil all stranded on a Carribean island with nothing but Trent Reznors iBook Pro and some studio mics.

The tracks range from mellow and minimalist to insane and chaotic. Each of the tracks carry a common thread that is unmistakably Trent Reznor — A few tracks reek of NiN so much they would be just as comfortable sharing CD surface area with Head Like a Hole or Vessel.

This release includes a cover of Sunday Bloody Sunday that was obviously the work of Trent Reznor himself — it’s a great track and gives Mr. Williams an instant radio-ready launch pad to the mainstream, but frankly I’d rather hear Mr. Reznor on vocals.

Time to get some work done while I run this on repeat for a few hours and let the music sink in and get a big more familiar.