I'd love to update this often, but an object at rest stays at rest.  I'm developing plans to majorly ramp up my blogging activity in the future, so be on the lookout for that.

Volunteered at the Pitchfork Music Festival over the weekend.  I am now a champ at putting wristbands on people.  I can't decide what was the best part about volunteering: the free water, the free ice cream, the access to the VIP area toilets, the free Chipotle, or seeing The New Pornographers for free.

I also came away with two awesome band names: Bling Kong and Professor Murder.  I have no idea whether the artists are any good or not, but sometimes that's secondary.

Yoko Ono screeched and warbled and stuff.  Of Montreal is the gayest and strangest band of all time; think Scissor Sisters + Hedwig and the Angry Inch + weird shit.  And of course, the New Pornos kicked ass live.  I'd deduct points for Neko Case's absence, but her fill-in (Kathryn Calder) has a good voice and is also way cute.

And I know this is not unsurprising given that the festival was sponsored by Pitchfork, but I could count the number of black people I saw on one hand.

What is it with hipster/scene/emo kids and buttons?  How did that fad start?  Even though I don't get it, I still totally want the button I saw that said "I [star] Chi".  (see here: http://www.istarchi.com/)

A thoroughly researched blog entry by a PhD candidate at Berkeley entitled "Viewing American class differences through Facebook and Myspace": http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2007/06/24/viewing_america.html

At least 50% of it is bullshit.  But at least 25% of it is interesting and quite possibly true.

I don't understand how the reader at the WCAS convocation can mispronounce my last name, but the guy speaking broken English at Joy Yee's can pronounce it correctly.

Done with college.  Woohoo.

The R-rated trailer for Superbad.  Mixing George Michael Bluth with people from SNL and Judd Apatow movies is the sign of an instant classic.  Plus, the preview is funny as hell.

The Brothers Solomon.  This time, it's GOB Bluth mixing with SNL talent, plus The Office's Jenna Fischer.  Will Arnett and Will Forte are so funny that just their oddball smiles crack me up.

After seeing these two trailers, along with Knocked Up, it seems that the new formula for comedy gold is to take actors from Judd Apatow films, SNL, Arrested Development, and The Office,  and let them do their thing.  They're like the Frat Pack, only funnier.

It's time to change that, yes?

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End - For a movie that's almost 3 hours long, it goes by fairly quickly.  Johnny Depp is entertaining as always, and the action is decent.  It's an okay movie, but nowhere nearly as fun as Dead Man's Chest.  Completely disposable blockbuster.

Jesus Camp - This would be an interesting companion piece to Hell House, in terms of similar subjects (Evangelical Protestants) and in terms of how they handle said subject.  It's a documentary that's an interesting look into how Evangelicals preach to/indoctrinate children, and definitely worth watching.

When the Levees Broke - I finally saw all four acts, and they pack quite a punch.  Spike Lee trumps Michael Moore by not hitting the viewer over the head with an agenda or message, even though he seems to make it quite clear that FEMA/Homeland Security and the Army Corps of Engineers deserve a lof ot blame for the Katrina debacle.  It's an exhaustive record of what New Orleans has been through, and it's practically an oral history too.

Because I can find interesting news reports from all over the globe.  For instance, I recently learned that there is hope for sketchballs everywhere who think that grinding against random women is a good way to meet them.

Because I can read what Slate and a professor at UPenn have to say about cat macros.

Because I can read about culturally significant words and phrases from The Simpsons on Wikipedia.

And because I can watch all kinds of bad European music videos.

I finally got around to watching The Office season finale.  This is the first season I've watched The Office regularly, and I'm very impressed.  The finale wasn't fantastic - there weren't any dramatic Jim/Pam revelations and things are basically back to where they were a couple episodes earlier.  But the way Ryan said his last lines was great, and next season has definite potential.  I love the Dwight/Andy dynamic, Creed is amazing, and I'd like to see how they continue to handle Jim/Karen (I'm also glad they made Karen a likeable character from the beginning).

As far as the season as a whole, I'm convinced that sometimes The Office is a better drama than actual dramas.  Lost is wildly uneven, my interest in Prison Break has dropped dramatically, and I didn't even bother finishing this season of 24.  "Grief Counseling" and "Business School" had some genuinely moving moments that none of the other shows I watch are able to replicate.

Do you believe in Harvey Dent?

If you do, you're not alone.

Here's the proof.