Warning – this interview contains Project Runway spoilers.

Hi Tim, welcome to my little corner of the web.

Hi, good to be here.

Tim, I’m going to cut to the chase. This show has lost all integrity. I enjoyed watching it the first season because it was different from other reality shows in that the focus was on talent rather than drama. Bad people were eliminated and good people won the challenges. Now, who loses or wins has everything to do with their drama-producing ability, and NOTHING to do with their talent, or lack thereof. What happened?

I, too, am dismayed at the circus (no offense to Cirque de Soleil) that this show has become. After the first two seasons, higher-ups noticed that this show was getting good ratings. They added some producers with a business background. These producers care little for fashion, but influence the show — including the so-called “judging” — to ensure even higher ratings. They keep Angela and Vincent on because they think people more people will watch it.

Do you think more people watch when there’s drama?

I’m not sure. I’d like to think that if the show was just about the clothes, then people would still enjoy it. In any case, it doesn’t make sense to me to alienate the core fan-base of the show.

It was bad enough that Jeffrey’s dress didn’t win the recycleable challenge, but how do you explain Vincent’s piece of donkey turd beating out Uli’s beautiful design? I mean, personally I’m not a fan of Uli’s style but even I was blown away.

The producers were smoking a stronger strain of crack than usual. Usually they go with Colombian, but this time they tried Peruvian and I guess it affected their judgement.

How do you feel being a part of this?

Let’s just say I hope I can get out of my contract before next season.

I got my first NPR sunday morning puzzle. I’m bad at word games in general, though (especially on the spot), so I’ll hand the phone over to Angela if they call.

Name a phrase where the first word starts with ‘r’ and the third word starts with ‘f’. If you replace the ‘f’ with a ‘v’, you get a synonym of the word that starts with ‘r’.

r_ and f_

The only mainstream songs I like these days are hip hop. After months of being infatuated with “Check on It”, I’m now digging this song.
[ Listening to: Busta Rhymes ft. Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott - Touch It (remix) ]

Match Point

The first theater movie with a plot I really enjoyed since… Fight Club? What a refreshing change from all the remakes, comic book adaptations, children’s book adaptations, sequels, and prequels of late. Woody Allen is brilliant.

headphone reviewsThis is a good site: http://headphone.com/

Sennheiser MX550 – $20
These are a cheap replacement for the ipod headphones, which suck.

Shure e3c – $130

Etymotic ER-4P – $200

Both the Shure and the Etymotics are (passive) noise-cancelling, which is a must for good sound quality. The Etymotics are the best quality — they are heavenly — but you have to lick them to get a good seal, which is inconvenient for everyday use. The Etymotics are good for the occasional critical listening — for me, lying on a bed in a quiet room. The Shures are good for jogging/everyday use. (Also, the Etymotics were bad for jogging because they kept coming off; the Shures are more stable.)

I’ll miss you Adam Carolla
If you see me walking around looking like I’ve been lobotomized, it’s because last night was Adam Carolla’s last show at Loveline. (Loveline will continue with a new co-host.) He will be one of the people replacing Howard Stern. He’ll be on in LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, and Las Vegas… but not the bay area. We get “Morning Music Co-Op/Alternative Rock”. I consider this to be one of the greatest tragedies of our time.

The show was incredibly touching. Emotions ran high as Adam and Dr. Drew recognized the chemistry they have and how much they’ve touched each others’ lives. Jimmy Kimmel was the last caller, which was fitting because that’s how Adam got started. (As a new no-name DJ, Jimmy Kimmel got into a fight with a maintenance man over whether black people ski or not. Jimmy decided the argument would be settled by boxing, and he asked for teachers, and Adam volunteered.)

I feel like I’ve lost an old friend. Many people listen to Loveline casually, but it was always something I looked forward to. It was comforting to me, like a steaming mug of cider on a cold winter night. I’ve moved 4 times, but this show has been a constant presence in my bedroom for the past 10 years. Now excuse me while I dismember myself and then jump into the ocean.

[ Listening to : Ella Fitzgerald - Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered ]

Home sweet home
To continue my update, I went home to Maryland for a couple weeks before starting my new job. Among other things, my sister and I did surprisingly well playing mahjong againt my aunt and grandmother.

beginner’s luck

My mom, sister, and I went on a cruise that departed from Baltimore. We missed some ports due to hurricanes, but we did get to see beautiful Cozumel, Mexico, where we toured some Mayan ruins.

Cozumel, Mexico

Songs like this make me want to close my office door and burst out in song.
[ Listening to : Chess - I Know Him So Well ]

Life update
I stopped working for Oracle at the end of July. I enjoyed my 3 years there — I just wanted to try something different. After a two-month break, I start working for VMware in October.

I moved to Menlo Park in the middle of those two months to be closer to work. So far, I really like Menlo Park. My first morning there, my new roommate and I went to the weekly farmer’s market. I got some blueberries that punched me in the mouth with their flavor. A bluegrass band, Highway One, happened to be playing. The sun’s shining and I’m sitting there with a dog on a my lap, listening to good bluegrass, including a cover of my favorite artist — it occurs to me that Menlo Park must be tailor-made for me.

I live at Sand Hill Road and 280 in an area called Sharon Heights. This area is scenic and somewhat secluded, so there’s great biking and jogging but very little reception on my Verizon phone. I like that I’m close to 280; I can’t even take 101 anymore. Trees and mountains make for one happy honeybee. (Must be my Appalachian roots).

dog-sitting… literally
hip hop makes my booty want to shake
electronic music makes my torso/whole body want to move to the beat
bluegrass goes someplace deeper and touches my soul
Highway One – Past The Point Of Rescue