The Raging Tech

Hot Date: Olive Garden and Baby Mama

Music and Memories Flow

It’s amazing how you can be standing somewhere in a lobby and a song comes out over the PA system, and suddenly it’s like you never forgot the words at all. You remember the sunny summer afternoon with the windows in the car rolled down and you remember drumming on the steering wheel and singing to the top of your lungs.

This sensation has happened to me several times lately. Early-to-mid-nineties rock songs that I thought I’d long forgotten will be interspersed on the local rock stations or in bars or restaurants that target my age range. You could tell me the names of these songs and I’d say “No, I’ve never even heard of that song,” and then I’d hear the song and know all the words.

Playing the game Rock Band has triggered some neat memories I’d forgotten about. For example, “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out as a single on the radio while I worked for Blockbuster Video in Fredericksburg. I remember turning the radio up in the car and singing along to it while waiting in the parking lot to go open the store. “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden used to be one of my favorite songs on MTV back when MTV didn’t suck. “Celebrity Skin” by Hole reminds me how much I still despise Courtney Love. She’s like Paris Hilton on crack. Literally.

There’s something familiar, comforting even, about knowing all the words to a song you haven’t heard in a long time. All the feelings, memories, and people you attached to that music when it first arrived in your life come flowing back to you like an unexpected ocean wave slapping you in the face. Maybe all this nostalgia is me getting older.

The Raging Tech on Vantage Point

Last night some friends and I took opportunity to go to the local theatre and see the film Vantage Point, a film told in five perspectives about the supposed attempted assassination of the President of the United States of America while at a summit in Spain. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, William Hurt, and Sigourney Weaver.

Quaid plays a Secret Service agent who was previously wounded protecting the President and returns to active duty for the summit. Matthew Fox (the actor who plays Jack on ABC’s hit show LOST) plays one of his team members.  Whitaker plays a tourist with a video camera who might have caught something useful on tape. Hurt plays the president (irony noted), and Weaver plays a news team control room operator, directing a news broadcast about the summit.

Overall, the idea for piecing together this film is not entirely original, but at least it’s a nice break from the normal. The action, even in our low-budget theatre, was pretty intensely portrayed. One of the car chase scenes in particular made me cringe. The plot was nice, and the twist wasn’t over-the-top. I still stand by my opinion that they could have used some of that blockbuster action budget and paid the writers for better dialog and not just the unique presentation of the story. Overall, an enjoyable film even with the ridiculous parts.

Rumors: Posh Spice May Have Had Liposuction

I was reading on the internet today about how Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has appeared in several photos recently that have ignited rumors that she may have undergone the plastic surgery treatment known as liposuction. I know, a celebrity having liposuction - big surprise there.

But I’ll tell you what does surprise me. Posh Spice is a slender, attractive woman who shouldn’t have had any problems losing any extra weight through diet and exercise. Are celebs taking the shortcut because of their busy lives? Or did she feel like she needed a Tummy Tuck?

She’s married to David Beckham, famed soccer star, so you’d think he’d be even more likely to push for her to work it off instead. But in my mind, here’s what I really think happened: she’s actually just always skinny and her weight fluctuates like every other normal human being, so when she showed up skinny her publicist started spouting off rumors so she could get back in the lime-light again.

If I Could Turn Back Time

If I could turn back time, I’d probably turn it back to this morning, when I was still in bed. Then I’d like to freeze it there, so I could enjoy my sleepy-time antics for a long, long time. But alas, I cannot - despite the musical pleadings of Cher.

Speaking of Cher - she’s rumored to be working on her twenty-sixth (26th) studio album. Holy cow! That’s a lot of albums. She’s apparently a very prolific artist. I almost feel bad I’m only faintly acquainted with a few of the more famous top hits that she put out.

Also neat - Cher is slated to replace Celine Dion at Caesar’s Palace on a permanent basis, taking up a performance slot next to another prolific singer / actress, Bette Midler. If you have a trip to Vegas planned, make sure to grab Cher tickets at Ceasar’s Palace.

I am admittedly not usually one to yell “Hey, crank up the Cher!” at a party, but you have to give it to the woman - she’s ridiculously rich and good at what she does. I wish more people in the music industry would realize that it’s not just about having the musical talent, but you also have to have style and showmanship.