Also, some links!

I forgot to mention it before, but there are a coule of new links off to the side over there! Jack has his excellent photo blog, while Cap'n Crab has excellent tales of piratin'! So check 'em out, along with all of the others that are listed. You think I would lead you astray?

Links 'n things

First things first, I don't know if many have noticed, but I've started to comment on my own posts, in response to other's comments. I figure it's a good way to communicate, without having to make a new post up. Other people do it, so why can't I? Plus, it's a good way to inflate my comment count, so I can make myself feel like people read this and whatnot. I've been doing it the past week or so, maybe longer, so if you're interested, go back and see some of my comments. And don't be offended if I don't directly address something you say, I probably just don't have anything to add or can't think up something witty. And I'm nothing if not witty.

Also, I've been adding links to some other blogs over there, so check them out! Some of the newer additions include Hannita's House, Never What you Think it Is, To Do: 1. Get Hobby 2. Floss, EJ Takes Life, and the newest addition - Life on Land. So check out the blogs of all of these ladies (I kind of feel like a blog/internet pimp today) and let me and them know what you think! And as always, check out everyone's blog linked to the right. I wouldn't link to them if they weren't awesome, so they've already got the Flenker Seal of Approval. You know they've got to be good. I always add more, so keep an eye out. Usually if you post on here and have a blog, I'll take a look and most likely give you a link. I mean, we're all friends here, right? (is it sad or do you agree that it is awesome that this is about as social as I get now?)

Just a tease

This is just going to be a quick update, I feel like I've been rushing around all day, not doing anything important... It started with the Flenker Bowl, the game in our NCAA Football video game dynasty where the Brothers Flenker face off. I lost by 6 points. Upsetting, to say the least. Then I took a walk, to cool down and just to enjoy the day. After that, I headed home and fired up the grill for some grilled onions (in butter, with salt and pepper) and cheddarwurst. Delicious! And while all of that was going on, I had people calling me, emailing me, and texting me. Mr. Popular! I don't know how it always happens, but I never will just receive one phone call in any given time. It's either none or 5.

Anyways, I wanted to take the few moments I have before I have to start getting ready for work to give people hints about what's to come in the near future of The Politics of Lonely.

Soon (maybe tonight after work): The Rules for Marrying Flenker (this may or may not involve a hoe-down) and my next contribution to As the Coffee Brews (I've been slacking pretty badly there. Sorry H.)
The next few days: the breakdown of some music, including my current favorite song, mix CD's, the introduction of "Vital Flenker" tunes, and more! Also, the next couple of installments in the Unified Theory of Flenker should be coming soon (including observations on couples and why I "fall in love" all the time), my new and improved reading list, and I confess my love for the Boob Lady
On the mind, in the future: more Unified Theory, more music, more sports plans (going to Milwaukee and KC), more awesome. Believe me, I will bring the awesome hard. Watch out

A new friend and some music vids!

First, I want to point out a new link to one of my friend's blogs. I know Sarah D through her boyfriend: we graduated from high school together, and he's in Racoo-oo-oon with my roommate Daren. Sarah's supercool, though. We ran into each other at the Animal Collective show, then hung out with some friends afterwards. So say "Hi" to Sarah.

I'm feeling a little better tonight, but still have a sore throat. I hate that. And my nose is stuffed up. I hate that too. But I made it through work, and now have a day off tomorrow to just lay around and do what I please. Which will probably be going downtown somewhere to use a little more reliable internet. It's been pretty spotty here, but I can't really complain too much. You get what you pay for. There's a chance of thunderstorms the next two days, so I'm very excited. For one, rain will help knock down some of the pollen in the air, and two, I love thunderstorms. It'll give me the perfect chance to listen to Lucy's mix CD she sent me, which she titled "Rainy Day." I've listened through it once all the way through, and hit a couple songs again, and I like it! I think it'll be a nice thing to have playing on a rainy day, so I hope I have the opportunity to enjoy it as it's meant to be heard. Also, I have to give mad props to Lucy, she went all out and made a different themed CD for each person participating in the exchange! That's going the extra mile! Maybe I'll figure out the best way to have everyone talk about the mixes they received... We'll see. For now, just soak them in and enjoy.

Also for your enjoyment, here are some video clips from Friday's Animal Collective show, stolen from YouTube! Check it out and be jealous that I was there. The last clip is my roommate's band Raccoo-oo-oon. They're currently on tour now, so if they're heading to your neck of the woods, go check them out, tell them Flenker sent you. Maybe they'll give you a sticker or something. (disclaimer: I don't know if they really have stickers or not. but they do have records for sale. buy them, so Daren can pay me his part of the energy bill. Thanks)

(Second disclaimer: this clips don't do the show justice, the sound is crap compared to the live thing. But it'll give you a little idea of the awesomeness that rock my balls this night.)







Just for fun here's the actual video for that last song- "Who Could Win a Rabbit"


Raccoo-oo-oon (excuse the cheesy editing)

Pimping Boobs; also books and things

First, a thank you to The Boob Lady for linking to my little old blog. Not only linking, but adding an exclamation mark after my name. Flenker! I like it. Thank you, Ms. Boob. I enjoy your blog very much, you keep me entertained with your cookie/ear stories, and the always hilarious cybering posts. The Canadian thing is a big plus, too. And while I'm mentioning the exclamation mark, I will also take this opportunity to thank half the battle, who uses the mark in an arrow when pointing to the Politics of Lonely link. What does Flenker! do to deserve such good blog friends?

To continue some pimping, congratulations to Jad for your graduation! Really, I'm happy for you for a selfish reason, it means that you'll be posting more musical goodness more often!

Krazee Eyez Killa (I am your Caucasian), Lucy (a nice touch with your link here, "the flenker." Maybe I could combine them all. . . The Flenker!), and Minty (also a nice link, simply "Flenker." Understated, classy, true to the man himself. Also, Iowa City awaits), you are all my homies, and to you I say "word!"

And of course, the lovely H. Dear friend and co-conspirator. Much love.

In fact, much love, all around, to everyone! It may be the tail-end of Be Nice Wednesday, but no special day is needed! With blogger friends like you guys, it's pretty awesome all the time. Now keep writing stuff, so TheFlenker! can be entertained.

Now that all that's out of the way, I just wanted to pimp myself one last time, last chance for anyone who wants to join in the Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange! I'm going to send an email out to everyone participating on Friday, to let everyone know the addresses to send their mixes. Email me at flenker@gmail.com with your address if you want to be a part of the fun.

I haven't been doing very well reporting on the books I'm reading. . . I finished An Evening of Long Goodbyes and liked it very much! There's a definite mood shift about midway through, and the ending really got me. I won't give too much away, so you'll have to read it for yourself. I think H called it next, so anyone wanting to borrow it will have to wait until she's done. (Is a blogger book exchange in the works? Probably not.) The main reason I picked it off the shelf was the title, and the cover reminded me of that Old Spice commercial with Bruce Campbell. Plus, author Paul Murray was compared to Nick Hornby on the cover, so I was intrigued. I'm glad I grabbed it.

Now I'm reading through Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut. It's going by quickly, mostly because it's a hilarious book! I'll tell more about that later. I need to get some sleep now, tennis awaits me in the morning.

An open invitation for any and all to come to Iowa City!

First off, sorry to Mr. Haley's Dad, I didn't mean to ignore your question about good sushi in Iowa City. There's a lot of good sushi around town, I think my favorite is Oyama, just because I know a couple of the sushi chefs there, and they usually give me free kani salad. (If you've never had kani salad, I would strongly suggest you do. It's got little slivers of crab and cucumber, in some sort of mayonnaise or a similar sauce, with a little bit of roe added. It's delicious.) Three Samurai is good, especially on Thursday or Sunday, when they have an all-day happy hour. Certain rolls are priced around $2-3, and most domestic beers are on special, as well, so it can be a very cheap, delicious meal. All of the other places, Sushi PoPo, Aoeshe, Takanami, Formosa, etc., all have good sushi, so it's basically a matter of trying them. Each has a little variation on some rolls; Oyama, for example, doesn't put cucumber in their California rolls. Miso soup is the same anywhere, and is always good. And each place has their own "specialty" rolls, so you might as well try them all! Next time anyone is in Iowa City and wants to get some sushi, let me know, I'll be there!

Also, I wanted to point out some links that I've added to the side over there. There's stop the world, I want to get off, Krazee Eyez Killa, Bulletproof Blank, and Brief Interviews with Hideous Minty. All definitely worth checking out. Of course they are, why would I link to them if they weren't? (Disclaimer: if you are reading this and you have a blog that I haven't linked to, I apologize. I'm sure your blog is worth checking out, too, just give me time and I'll get to it, I promise!) I consider everyone linked over there blog friends, and read them all as often as I can. I hope everyone else does the same. There's some good stuff happening out there!

new links

I've added a couple of new links in the past days that I've forgotten to mention. First is Eternal Rhythms, my roommate Daren's blog. The other is It's Hard to Find a Friend, another music blog that I'm enjoying. Check them out, enjoy them, and comment on them, because I've come to learn that if there's one that that bloggers like, it's when people comment on their blogs. It makes us feel like someone likes us out in the ether that is the internet.

some links, some books, and some other stuff

First off, I want to suggest to everyone to check out the AM Music Blog. I found this through Jad's Blog, Three Pints and a Towel, when the writer of the AM blog posted a comment. Since I'm always looking for some good online reading, I glanced it over, and started to enjoy it right away. Both of the blogs listed above are music-related, and both have some excellent reviews and recommended bands, so give some new bands a listen. Go ahead, you can leave my blog for a little while. As long as you come back. Ok, now that you're back, I put a link up on the right to the AM Music Blog, so you can check it whenever you like. And of course, I always recommend checking out Haley's blog, Random Mindless Ramblings.

I finished up Housekeeping vs. The Dirt today while sitting at the Java House, enjoying a mug of hot steamed milk (a delicious, light mixture of cinnamon, honey, and of course hot steamed milk) and a wonderful peanut butter cookie. When peanut butter cookies are done well, they may be the perfect cookie, and the Java House bakery does them well. I liked the collection of columns presented in this book, but I am a little biased. Nick Hornby is one of my favorite contemporary authors, I find him humorous and can relate to his appreciation of music and sports. You know, because I'm funny, musically inclined, and knowledgeable about sports, he's the perfect author for me, right? Anyways, this book made interested in a number of other books, all of which I hopefully will read in the near future. It was very easy to read, the humor made it all rather enjoyable. Passages from a few of Hornby's favorite books were included, which helped tie everything together nicely. I would definitely recommend this book to any Nick Hornby fan, or any literary critique fan (if such a genre exists). For just the average reader, I'd probably pick up a different book. Try High Fidelity.

Now, I've started on A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, as I had previously stated I would. Then after that, I'll start in on some books from my trip to Minneapolis. Then, after those, I'll start in on the books I've learned about by reading this Hornby one.

I'm very excited for this weekend, Friday marks the first home game for the Hawkeye baseball team, and it's a "Knit Hat Giveaway" day, so I'm hoping for a free knit hat. I've got the weekend off, and should be able to make it to all of the games against North Dakota State. And, I just found out my friend KP will be in town, so we'll be able to hang out for the first time in a while. Should be a good weekend. As long as Memphis beats Kansas in the NCAA finals, my bracket should be ok. Damn Wisky and Texas messed up the rest of my Final Four. (Note to Kevin Durant: Please stay in college, at least for one more year. I'd like to be able to watch you play, but I watch a lot more college games than NBA games, so it'd just be more convenient for me. Plus, you might have a shot at a national title and consensus number one overall pick status. It'll give you a chance to put on a little muscle-weight, and build up some endurance. I hope that your coach figures out how to use you better, maybe even run plays to get you the ball late in the game. You and DJ Augustin could own the Big 12 next year. So please, think about it)

A new blog friend?!?

First off, I want to thank Jad for indirectly introducing me to Feist. He had commented on my oatmeal post (which has apparently been the most popular post of yet, it's gotten a whopping 4 comments!), so I decided to check out his blog. It's a music blog, with some really good stuff on there, some links to some excellent music, so everyone (all 3 of you readers) should check it out. And he's from Canada, which makes it even better!! (PS - I'm kind of curious as to how he found my little slice of the internet... I guess tpol is going international!) Anyways, he had a post about a musician known as Feist, I listened to one of her songs, and liked it very much! I did a little research, and found she was from the band Broken Social Scene, so that earns her more points (that I arbitrarily assign to things, they all go down in the book Points Given by Flenker for Random Things, which has yet to be published. Or written. But who ever the winner ends up being will receive a free slice of cake, a copy of Wonder Boys on VHS, and a fruitcup.)

I was planning on doing a list tonight, my All-Smiles Song list, which would consist of songs that can always make me smile. It's getting late, though, so I'll only do a sneak preview of the list...

• Mr. E's Beautiful Blues by the Eels
• Aside by The Weakerthans
• Sleeping Lessons by the Shins
• New York City by They Might Be Giants
• Death Dance of Omipapas and Sons by Of Montreal
• Fly Around by Built to Spill

Just six to get you started, more to come in the following days. As will some more in-depth reviews of movies I've recently seen. Until then, have a wonderful time at whatever you're doing. Oh, and suggest some books that I should read. I'm looking for some good ones, not crappy ones.