sal

There's a whole crop of excellent forwards right now, and Torres is definitely among the very best. Ibrahimovic, Eto'o, and Rooney also come to mind.

I haven't read Vineland, but I thought Inherent Vice lost alot of steam in the final third of the book. Was excellent before that.

Wow! Great goal!

"Filth" - Irvine Welsh

Count me in as a big fan of this movie. I loved the soundtrack too.

Just got done watching Barcelona destroy Racing Santander. They are a phenomenal team. Although I've been primarily watching the EPL (and of course supporting Aston Villa) significantly more than any of the other leagues for many years now, Barcelona was my first love when I was just getting into football and I still always root for them when I get the opportunity to watch the Champions League or the Primera Liga. Its interesting seeing the current lineup with Ibrahimovic in there....he's not nearly as charismatic as Eto'o, but boy, he is a smart player. Aside from being a constant scoring threat, at the same time he seems to have a very natural ability to find the open man. I was skeptical of the swap at first, but its looking like this could end up being beneficial for Barca. Messi is in incredible form right now too.

I just finished "Now Wait For Last Year" and I liked it very much. I really enjoyed the political satire that went along with the other reality-bending elements of the book.

I was away this weekend on a camping trip but managed to read about this on my mobile phone. Seems that they were able to manage ok though, although Pompey isn't necessarily the largest obstacle. I am glad to see Gabby Agbonlahor back in form, though. I wish I'd gotten the chance to see that Manchester derby. Sounded like a thriller!

Barcelona/Inter match was not too exciting.

Night at the Village Vanguard & Freedom Suite

I saw that match at a soccer pub in Chicago. The place was packed with Gunner fans and I don't know if I've ever heard Gunner fans scream and curse so much as they did every time Adebayor came up on the screen. My Villans won their derby this afternoon. I'm happy.

Isn't Quinn The Eskimo on Self Portrait? That song is awesome.

"Now Wait For Last Year" - Philip K. Dick

"Memories of My Melancholy Whores" - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I was somewhat underwhelmed by nearly all the shows I saw Sunday. Archie Shepp was good, but as mentioned in a previous post, he didn't sound 100%. I am very glad though, that I stayed until the end. Muhal Richard Abrams' "Spiralview" was amazing. Aside from "Spiralview", my favorite performance from Sunday was Frank Catalano and Ari Brown's morning set in the aisles of the Jazz Record Mart.

I acquired a used 1st edition hardcover of "Radio Free Albemuth" from a used bookstore not too long ago. I probably won't get to reading it for a while though, as I'm trying to read his books chronologically. "Now Wait For Last Year" is next in the queue.

If you are seeking funky or greasy then you're looking in the wrong place. Most ECMs are coming from a different direction. If you are attuned to that direction there's just as much excitement as anywhere else. I'm someone who often doesn't find funky or greasy very exciting as it can sound formulaic. The problem lies in my expectations, not the music. I think we've got a rich enough world of music for these things to live side by side.

Good luck to everyone's national teams tonight! I wish I could watch the USA / El Salvador & the Mexico / Costa Rica matches, but unfortunately will be busy later.

Hi Chuck, is the next batch of your reissues for sale yet?

The Trio was amazing last night! One of my favorite sets of music that I've seen in a long time!

Starts tomorrow! And the weather looks to be beautiful all weekend. Nice.

"Inherent Vice" - Thomas Pynchon

I'm hoping Villa will finalize the Richard Dunne transfer.

In other Europe news, Aston Villa crashed out of the Europa League group stages today. Hard to believe that last season, Villa was actually pushing for a Champions League spot, both through their EPL standing and the UEFA Cup, and this year they won't be contending in Europe at all. Crap

Holy crap, Barca and Inter in the same group. Group C might actually be the toughest. Marseille are always capable of a surprise, and FC Zurich is no slouch either.