Money Don't Get Me Down, But I Can't Make It Last

THE GOOD

• Oslo - Downtown Detroit's only sushi bar has been open for just over a year and is known for inconsistent food quality. However, I was down there on Friday with some friends, and the sushi was excellent. We even converted someone into a sushi lover. More info available online here.
• American Spirit Cigarettes - After years and years of going back and forth between Camel Lights, Parliament Lights, and American Spirits, it finally happened. I've turned into one of those smokers who only wants to smoke American Spirits. This doesn't mean that if I'm broke and someone offers me a Kool I won't take it. A cigarette's a cigarette, after all. As long as the nicotine is quickly delivered to my lungs, I'm happy, but if I'm payin' for it, I want American Spirit yellows (lights) or greens (mediums).
• Star of India - Attentive service, tasty dishes, jasmine basmati rice, pickled radish relish for samosa, and pink linen table cloths. One of my favorite Indian restaurants in the Detroit area. Located in Ferndale on 9 Mile just west of Woodward. Low-fi menu listing located here.
• Northern Lights Lounge - located on West Baltimore in Detroit's New Center area (between Second and Third). I think this was briefly (or for a long time up until recently?) called the Tandem Lounge. Either way, if you're familiar with Greg Visee (aka Kegger), this is his bar. Greg's past projects include Detroit's Motor Lounge, Corner Productions, and 313.Detroit, a Detroit-centric internet radio station. The place looks like something you would've referred to as a martini bar five years ago. But it doesn't feel that way. Its dark, which I like, and the light fixtures and furniture are all of a tasteful yet not cheesy Modern style. DJ Topcat was spinning (unfortunately not like a whirling dervish, that would've been better), which was good, the bartender was friendly with just enough attitude to make you want her, prices were decent, and they have one of those weird long table-top curling/hockey/bocce type games. You know, the one with the round metal discs that you slide down the lane and try to knock your opponents out of the high score area. Usually the lane is covered in a granulated wax. It was fun. Oh, there's an article from the Free Press about the bar here.
• Comcast On Demand - A whole new world has opened up for me. This would have happened sooner if the previous cable guy would have been a little more talkative. It probably would've helped if he could have given us the manual for On Demand, too. Now that I think of it, maybe if he could've shut off his goddamned cell phone for five minutes, he would've remembered to tell us about this. Cheers to yesterday's cable guy Chris. I've now seen the entire current season of "Entourage" as well as random music videos that I would normally never see on MTV2, and I can pause, fast forward, or rewind as I please. I can even stop and save a program for later! I had no idea.
• Dell Optiplex - I got a new computer at work. Finally, I can listen to music and it sounds decent. Also, I now have XP! I can left click on a taskbar item to open or close it. Life just got easier by a couple of increments.
• Six Feet Under - This original HBO series is proof that a TV series can still be entertaining, dramatic, emotional, and pioneering. I wish this wasn't the last season, I just discovered the show. You can read more about it on this HBO site.
• Wikipedia - If you're not already aware, Wikipedia is a massive online encyclopedia. The cool thing is that it can be edited and added to by anyone online. This means that there is constant new information, and enough users to check the info to make sure its correct. Also, each entry has many links to related topics. I could read this site all freakin' day. I love it.

THE BAD

• Money - I hate it. Period. I wish we could live in a world based more on the barter system. I'll trade you a mixed CD for a pack of cigarettes, okay?
• King Fahd - Saudi Arabia's King Fahd died on August 1st. This caused oil prices to rise? Why? Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest exporter of crude oil, this much is true. His death was thought to pose a possible threat to American/Saudi business relationships. But it didn't yet, and oil prices still went up. Oil futures and speculation is a fucking ridiculous affair. The output was not diminished, the working relationship (in the end) was not threatened, yet I still had to pay $2.52 a gallon for the cheap stuff a few days ago, and then $2.45 yesterday. Ri-goddamned-diculous. Oh, and King Abdullah has taken over the throne, and (apparently) all is well in the kingdom of the Arabian peninsula. But oil is still $64 a barrel.
• Work (or lack of) - Detroit's job market is so pathetic. Something has to change. Oh, I know, let's open up as many bars and restaurants as possible. Let's do what Royal Oak did, build lots of bars, restaurants, and lofts. Who needs businesses? I would think it would be a good idea to lure big corporations to Detroit because it would increase the tax base, and create more jobs in a market that's bone-dry right now, right?

THE WEIRD

• Macrobiotic lies - This came up in conversation a couple days ago. First, its important to know that two of the most basic beliefs of the macrobiotic diet are that you shouldn't eat anything processed, and you should only eat food native to the area you live in. There are some exceptions like if you have lived most of your life in a tropical area, but now live in Detroit, its okay to eat bananas, but over time you should eliminate them from your diet. So, I was telling my friend about this girl I knew who claimed to be macrobiotic. She had all kinds of books about it, and would talk (read: preach) about it all the frickin' time. But, she craved candy. No, not totally organic vegan bullshit, but highly processed, corn syrup-laden candy like licorice and Runts and crap like that. People, gummi worms are not native to Southeast Michigan. Hypocrites bother me.
• Dreamlife of nerds - Starting a couple years ago, I was dreaming in Windows (NT in particular, but occasionally XP). I would have dreams where I would have to minimize or maximize windows to see something or go somewhere. Then it turned into HTML, and I would be adding tags to make things bold or italicized for emphasis. Hyperlinks would be inserted to take me where I needed to go. Now, it gets even weirder, I'm dreaming in Photoshop. Polygonal lassos outline the shapes of things to come. I merge visible layers when I'm all done. Free transform is used to make turns. When that happens, I'm rotating my surroundings and I continue moving forward without turning. Is this odd?
• Beer and Peppers - Its true, beer really does help put out the fire of hot peppers in your mouth. Milk is supposed to be good, too, but there was none in sight, and I won't drink that feelthy cow-juice anyway. Note to self: raw jalapenos are much hotter than cooked ones. I don't know how I could've forgotten that. The cream cheese was so deceiving, and of little help.