Later today I'll be homeward bound schlepping along gifts and whatever else might come in handy during a four day stay with the parents. As the last people on the planet they finally got cable, so Sunday I can take a break from the Christmasy stuff and follow the race towards the playoffs even though things are looking a little grim for the Ravens right now. Also, for once I know what I'm doing for New Year's a week in advance, which (not counting last year) is very unlike me.

So, other than buying presents I've done little but hang out the last week or so. I did watch Kitano's Zatoichi and although it's flawed I thought the fight scenes were really intense. The flashback scenes were a little confusing and I felt there was a backstory missing on the Ronin. It could also have benefited from a bit more editing (especially during the dance and gambling sequences), but on the plus side it was actually quite funny at times. But the thing that really got me was the crazy sword fights, which were really brutal and totally without all that Cirque de Soleil crap that Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger were full of. And oddly enough while people were getting murdered and having body parts sliced of the blood spilled looked like red roses flowing out of people's bodies, which made the whole thing gruesome and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. How bizarre, how bizarre.

So maybe you should stick with It's a Wonderful Life as your movie of choice this weekend and check it out later. Now, I have to pick out a few CDs, pack The Bell Jar (what says Christmas better than depression and suicide?), and get rolling towards the sticks. Have your self a merry and I'll see ya'll later.

I finally got around to uploading the pics from our trip to Eindhoven. Anders posted a description of our trip ages ago, but I'll just add that it was an amazing trip not only because the game was exciting but also because for some reason Belgian beer is really cheap in Holland. And seeing as Arsenal has qualified for the next round I'd be totally up for going to Germany for another game. I forgot to have someone take pictures of me, so I'm not actually in any of them, but as you can probably tell from those who are we had us some fun.

Since I got back from Copenhagen I've seen Detroit Cobras, Kira & the Kindred Spirit, and John Cale and given another lecture on the wonders of weblogs. The Cobras were pretty good and as I said to a journalist after the show they remind me of Dirty Dancing, but with tattoos, booze, and distortion. I DJed the Kira gig, but was actually a lot more interested in seeing local act Utah open for them. They have some really good tunes and someone should seriously consider signing them in a hurry. After the show both bands went to Sway, so it ended up being a pretty long night out. And finally Monday I saw the legendary John Cale perform a solo show, which was very enjoyable. Besides the brilliant "Songs for Drella" record I'm not familiar with any of his post-Velvets work, but it was still pretty good. I obviously recognized his versions of Hallelujah and Heartbreak Hotel and since a guy I know does a version of Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night I recognized that as well. I was cool seeing him again and it made me look forward even more to see Lou Reed next year.

So far there aren't a lot of shows lined up for next year, but there is one I'm totally excited about. In February none other than Evan Dando will appear here in Aarhus, which is going to be amazing. It was rumoured that he was supposed to play here with MC5 and then solo in December, but those shows didn't happen. But now he's definitely showing up on the 14th of February. If you haven't heard his solo album you can listen to the entire thing at his website. It is without a doubt the best record he's ever made. There are a couple of shows in Copenhagen I'm considering going to as well, but so far nothing has been arranged yet.

I have friends who buy a lot of movies and tv shows on DVD and that's never really been my thing. I'll buy some stand up once in a while, because I enjoy watching those over and over again, but nothing else really. But for some reason I got to thinking about The X-Files recently and I guess it bothered me that there were so many episodes I'd missed and some many storylines which I never got to follow through. So I picked up the first season box and watched the first eight episodes in a row and it was pretty amazing. Because I know the significance of the Smoking Man, the fate of Deep Throat, and some of the storylines involving Mulder's sister the pilot really hit home with me. But what I didn't remember was that pretty much all the episodes in the first season (at least the 12 I've now seen) were all stand alone episodes. Also, there are no recurring characters other than the two leads and Deep Throat. So, I've gotten really into the show now and will definitely be buying a few more boxes. Also, I might have to start making tinfoil hats and buy a baby monitor, but that's a whole 'nother story.

In case you were wondering the only thing standing between me and total insanity right now are the piano fills on Never Be Alone by The Get Up Kids. Those just cheer me up to no end. "Guilt Show" is a lot better than their last record, so it's weird you haven't bought it yet.

There's so much stuff going on right now I feel a bit like Eli Manning. But at the end of next week things should slow down a bit and by then I should probably feel more comfortable in the pocket (so to speak). So if you're one of the people who have been visiting my site this week to see the pics from the Eindhoven game (read: the Eindhoven bars) you'll have to wait a little longer. I'm actually in Copenhagen right now, but unfortunately I have to cut my stay short, so the whole debate about whether or not to go see The Hidden Cameras is kinda muuh now. However, I was invited to come down for the Hidden Detroit Cobras show in Aarhus on Tuesday, so at least I'll get to check them out. But for now it's all about partying in Copenhagen.