I have a lot of respect for good artists. It’s not easy to do what they do, and it takes either preternatural talent, or lots of training to do it. I’m a terrible artist. Even something as simple as a stick figure ends up looking like an attempt at drawing a straight line during an earthquake, tornado, volcanic eruption, and mimicking Dave Gahan in Depeche Mode’s video for Everything Counts (for those of you who don’t get the reference, he dances like a spaz in that video; bad 80′s dancing at its finest). With that in mind, you’d think that I would avoid artistic endeavors, but you’d be wrong. I enjoy drawing, even if I’m awful at it. Thankfully, somehow, magically, the uDraw actually does make me a better artist. Perhaps its the digital medium, and perhaps a Wacom tablet would do the same thing for me, but I find that my drawings look just a little less atrocious than they do with pen & paper. Read the full story

I love Depeche Mode. I have ever since I was a child, and right now I’m listening to them.

Currently “Enjoy the Silence” is playing through my PC speakers. Some of my favorite songs are “Personal Jesus”, “Policy of Truth”, “I Feel You”, “Barrel of a Gun”, “Dirt”, and “A Pain That I’m Used To.”

Oh, it also doesn’t hurt that Dave Gahan (lead singer) can be pretty dreamy and has an amazing voice. Just saying…

- She Who Has The Last Word

August 7th-9th, 2009 will witness the return of the legendary concert festival known as Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL at Grant Park.  Performers include TOOL, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon, The Killers, The Kaiser Chiefs, and many more.  Advance 3-day passes are currently available for $190 each, with regular pricing tickets still TBD.  VIP Lounge passes are available at $850 a piece, and private Cabanas are available for large parties at an undisclosed price.  If Lindsey and I were to buy tickets, airfare, and hotel now, we would be spending over $1,600 after tax.  We don’t have $1,600 right now, so…yeah.

Whoops! Where did that come from? Who put that there? Oh well, what’s done is done!

-Because I said so

Over the past few months, Lindsey and I have visited four bridal shows.  For those who haven’t attended a bridal show before, they are extremely useful if you are planning your own wedding.  As you walk around, you make contacts with a variety of vendors for a variety of services.  There are also many, many prizes and gifts to be won.  A few of these prizes are awarded by the show host during a bridal fashion show.  However, to win, you must be present to hear your name called out.  With this in mind, allow me to tell you a story that, if you enjoy Depeche Mode, will deeply upset you as it has deeply upset us.

As we sit in this large convention center room near the tail end of the bridal fashion show, I begin to hear the introductory beats of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”.  ”Finally,” I exclaim internally, “some music I can really enjoy!”  Alas, it was not to be.  Where I expected to hear Dave Gahan’s dulcet tones informing me of my own Personal Jesus, I was instead exposed to Hilary Duff’s wail.  Imagine my distress and anguish!  To top it off, where she did attempt to follow Dave’s lyrics, she failed miserably!  For example, while Dave entreats the listener to “Reach out and touch faith”, Hilary requests something altogether more risque with her posed question of “Reach out and touch me.”

Dave Gahan must be rolling in his grave.

What?  Oh.  I must have been thinking about Michael Hutchence.  Well, after what the rest of INXS did with VH1 and that reality contest show to replace him, I’m sure Michael is rolling in his grave anyway.

For all of you masochists out there, here’s a link to Project Playlist with the search string set.

http://searchbeta.playlist.com/tracks#hilary%20duff%20reach%20out

Enjoy?

-Because I said so