bye-bye, blogspot.

So I've officially transferred my blog to tumblr. I actually like blogspot better, but I never have enough time to write a legit post anymore, so tumblr suits my blogging needs more effectively. Plus, I think maybe one person actually reads my tumblr, as opposed to this thing, which no one but myself reads. Anyway, if you want to read it, its at beachballsunset.tumblr.com. Check it, yo.

oh, Beat Happening.

I can't believe I've never made a post about my love for K Records. I really need to start obsessing about things again...

still here.

I kind of took a hiatus from this thing over the holidays. That's not to say that I didn't have tons of free time to update it, I just preferred to spend my time on the couch watching re-runs of CSI. I calculated that I watched something like 70 hours of it over holiday break. Don't judge me.

Anyway, now that I'm back in school, I have plenty of time to not-do-homework. I spent all last week looking at useless things online, some of which were actually pretty awesome. See:

OOOMS dutch design

Okay, this is a seriously amazing website. OOOMS is a design studio in the Netherlands that makes plain crazy weird/cool stuff.

Example 1: "Commissioned by the Dutch souvenir project and initiated by the European Ceramic Work Centre, the Milkmaid by Studio OOOMS is not your typical keepsake. Inspired by Johannes Vermeer’s innocent painting “Het Melkmeisje”, this Delftblue ceramic dildo will certainly be a talking point if you leave it out on your mantelpiece!" Seriously?
Example 2: This thing is called a "City Hideout." Basically, it's a fold-out metal box that you climb into and watch people from. And it looks like one of those boxes you see on street corners, so no one will even think it's weird (until they know you're in it). Maybe it's just because this thing is so ridiculous, but I won't lie, I want one. (FYI, it's the box on the far left in the picture.)

They also have other things like goldplated staples and a cabinet where it's impossible to close all the drawers at once (if you happen to like frustrating furniture).

Letterheady - Interesting Letterhead Designs

This is really pretty cool. Someone apparently took the time to scan tons of letterhead papers, from people like Elvis, Einstein, and Hitler (who is apparently picky about stationary since they have another for him). I don't know if anyone else is weird/bored enough to actually be interested in this besides me though...

Hafsteinn Júlíusson

So, I can't tell if this is just a proposed idea, or if this product actually exists. Slim Chips are zero calorie chips made of edible paper and organic flavors. Apparently, Juliusson's motto is "Don't get fat just eat nothing." I don't know how blueberry or peppermint flavored paper sounds, but maybe I could get down with some sweet potato paper. I also really appreciate anything that would market itself with a picture of somekind of hipster-wigger and a crazed Icelander.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

So I really don't know much about this movie but apparently it debuted at Sundance this past Sunday. It's supposed to be about an eccentric French shopkeeper turned documentarian who attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on him. I don't know when/if it'll be coming to Houston ever, but I hope so.

great ghosts.

I had my hopes of how I would be after living in exile,
After closing your eyes to me.
I even wrote scenes where I reemerged boldly,
Bearded, alive, with Eskimo eyes, new baby on my back,
But I didn’t count the fact that I have ghosts in my mind,
Stowed away, great ghosts of my life,
Great ghosts of old wives and their howling.
So I spent my wilderness time rolling on the ground,
Pulling my hair and wrestling them off,
Yelling at no one, punching snow.
I gathered ghosts and I gave them my lecture,
Bid them away, I pleaded and cried,
“There’s no room in my life for you, or your howling.
Let me undo these ropes and go on living without you,
Not just change where I live.
Go on, get,” I said.
I had my hopes of how I would be,
After sending them off, after getting set free,
But there’s no such thing as living without their prowling.
As you can see, having descended the hill,
I still look like me, I still wallow like Phil,
And forever will.
I’m teeming with ghosts and I’m still whining for wives,
Unknitting my brow, but now I’ve surrendered,
In fact I’ve joined in,
You can hear us howling.

“Great Ghosts” by The Microphones

Live in Japan, February 19th, 21st, and 22nd, 2003

my favorite old men.

I spend a good amount of time yesterday catching up on my HBO shows, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death (I would have included Dexter but it's on Showtime, duh.) Curb Your Enthusiasm has always been one of my favorite shows, mostly because Larry David and my dad are pretty much the same people. By that I mean that they can be complete assholes at the most inappropriate times, but somehow it's funny. My dad won't watch the show because it makes him uncomfortable, which is maybe for the best. Anyway, the episode this week was particularly hilarious (and this whole season has probably been the best ever), especially since Marty Funkhouser was in it and delivered the best joke I've heard in so long.



So after a spectacular showing by Marty Funkhauser and LD, I wanted to catch up on Bored to Death. I'd missed the last four episodes since the show wasn't really keeping my interest enough to even remember to record them anymore, but I decided to give it a second chance, and was duly rewarded. Zach Galifinakis has finally started to be funny (how he had failed to be funny before escapes me), Jason Schwartzman's character finally stopped being so annoying, and somehow I developed a crush on Ted Danson as stoner/wealthy magazine editor. Don't judge me! Episode six, "Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer," was definitely my favorite. Galifinakis and Danson finally meet and eventually become friends over their shared love for weed. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a fight involving a pony-on-a-stick toy named Janet. It should not be missed. The cameos on the show are great, too. So far I've seen Patton Oswalt, John Hodgman, Oliver Platt, Jenny Slate, and the list goes on. For some reason I particularly enjoyed Samantha Bee as one of the lesbians unknowingly given Galifinakis' sperm. I can't find any really great clips from the episodes since HBO is apparently crazy rights protections, so this is what you get.





Now tell me you don't think Ted Danson is attractive.

Okay, fine. Well I still do.

westheimer block party.

Of all the pictures I saw from this weekend, this was my hands-down favorite.



















It speaks the truth. I hope I never have to use Port-o-Potties that disgusting again.

But, all in all, it was a great weekend. I hope Annise Parker becomes mayor and saves the Block Party...

Bill Cosby is amazing.

So I was an old person tonight and watched PBS. They were showing a Bill Cosby tribute for his receiving the Mark Twain Prize for Humor. I really do love Bill Cosby so I had to watch it. Plus, Sinbad was going to speak, and I wanted to see how spending the last 15 years in a cave had treated him. Anyway, the presenters were only so-so, but it was all about Cosby, so it didn't really matter. The clips they chose from Cosby's career, however, were spot-on. I feel like I had to share a couple in case somehow you missed out on happiness and have never seen his greatest skits.

This one is a little long at 10 minutes, but definitely worth it.


A song by Len Chandler, popularized by Bill Cosby