I won't have foreseen the next post I'll make

But if you will have looked at the time of the post, or these file photos, that might will give some insight on how it will might have happened.

TROPIC OF DDOODD!

NOT JUST LAUREN'S!!!!!!!

Today is someone else's birthday. Who could it be?

Maybe Giorgio Moroder, composer of such soundtracks as "Cat People"?


Or Natrone Means, running back for the San Diego Gringos and Jacksonville Jews?


Or Joan Chen, who played Josie Packard on "Twin Peaks"? Me-OOOW!!!!


Or everyone's favorite Cougar, Carol Burnett?


Maybe it's T-Boz (pictured on right) from TLC?


Oh, wait, could it be martial arts thespian Jet Li?


Perhaps we will just have to wait and see....I'm sure the birthday boy (named Eric) will reveal himself.

More Birthday

There's another birthday today. Laurenz is thurtee. Here's a picture of her, but it's from like two years ago. Her hair is a little different now. And she's not as sleepy now.

I Don't Remember Posting the Post Below

But the time of the post might have something to do with that.

I don't remember posting the below post

But if you look at the time of the post, that might give some insight on how it might have happened.

google search result for: "AUDUBON PARK SUCKS'

(the above is just an image search result.....nice sweater)

I don't know how to make shit "clickable", [EDITOR: but I do,] so here's something you [EDITOR: no longer] have to cut and paste. But it's worth it. What a tragic story...

TX-Mesquite-Audubon-Park-Apartments

A birthday card in pictures

Tropic of Food's birthday celebration for our own "El Guapo" consists of many digitallly encoded celebrations. Take a look:

This woman is an exotic dancer who will jump out of a cake made of spice drops:


A listening party for the upcoming "Teenage Horses" release will occur, followed by a similarly themed video:


Matt Kalb will debut his new opera (which he stars in, see below) called "David Nahm used to drive me up the wall when we lived in the same house and he would also be condescending sometimes about the Soundgarden lyrics that I had taped to the wall, but now I love him like a full-length mink coat":


And finally, Dick Broadhead, President of Duke University (seen here with AP's A&R man, Senator Richard Luger of Indiana), will issue a vague statement commenting on the severity of this birthday and the culture that produces such events:


Oh, by the way, it's 4/20, man.

Finally a real birthday...

David Connerly Nahm (photo digitally aged 7 months)


Today marks the 32nd birthday* of the man we call the brain stem of the nervous system, the Jaguar of guitars and automobiles, the robotic fish of non sequitur. I think there's one other one, too. Indeed, a happy day.

*He's 31 years old but that means there have been 32 birthdays. See, you have a birthday when you're born which makes you zero. Duh, that's where we get the term birthday. You people make me sick. Screw everybody.

It's Another Affiliate's Birthday!

Jacob Champness (above), within minutes of his birth.

Sorry it's on the late side of on time, old pal. But it's still 4/19 somewhere, like here, in the Eastern Time Zone.

TROPIC OF DDOODD!

Headline Writers of the World Unite!

I just was rocking some Google News and found the following headlines:

Why the Chinese love Seattle

Meat-eating mega-dinosaur species found in Argentina Not alive, right?

Gay families flock to Egg Roll
Maybe this has something to do with the first one.

Happy Birthday, Affiliate!

This dude is not in Audubon Park. This dude was my roommate in college. When my family met him, they found him so charming that they moved to his hometown within three months. Today he is 31 years old. Are you? Take our quiz and find out!

Subject line: JUNIORS--Pizza and Sweatpant Pick-Up--WEDNESDAY!!!

Honestly, you know, when, like, I need a break from IM'ing and writing that paper for that one class that has the hot chick in it, you know what really relaxes me? Some sweatpant distribution. And these guys (in the snazzy google image search for 'pizza party' result above) know ALL about some distribution of sweat, you know?

"Hi Juniors!

Come take a study break with the Class of 2007!! Pizza and sodas for everyone and
sweatpants for those who completed the advanced ordering process!! If you can't attend
the event at this time to pick up your sweatpants, send a friend in your stead. Be sure
to bring your Duke card for access!!

WHAT: JUNIOR CLASS STUDY BREAK AND SWEATPANT DISTRIBUTION
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, 5:30-7:00 PM
WHERE: FEW QUAD I, Inside the white reunions tent"

The Cantwell of the Baskervilles

...bronze coins and dates was showering the platform, that people in the whooping crowd, elbowing each other aside, were climbing on to shoulders to see a miracle with their own eyes--a man already in the arms of death and torn from their grasp! They watched the legionaries as they untied his bonds, involuntarily causing him searing pain in his swollen arms, watched as grimacing and complaining he nevertheless smiled an insane, senseless smile. Pilate knew that the escort was now marching the three bound prisoners to the side steps of the platform to lead them off on the road westward, out of the city, towards Mount Golgotha. Only when he stood beneath and behind the platform did Pilate open his eyes, knowing that he was now safe--he could no longer see the convicted men. As the roar of the crowd began to die down the separate, piercing voices of the heralds could be heard repeating, one in Aramaic, the others in Greek, the announcement that the Procurator had just made from the platform....

TROPIC OF DDOODD!

Beware the dangers of jamming...

The unholy marriage of the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil is in the works.

"The project was initially the idea of George Harrison two years before his death from cancer in 2001. He met Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque, at a party and, after an impromptu rock jam, they became friends. Harrison then saw the Cirque show "O", and became excited about a joint stage production."

Hating Babies..

There's a nice intereview with Neko Case, who plays the Cradle tomorrow and Thursday, over at Pitchfork. I wouldn't have put it up here, except that a)nobody has put anything up here for a few days and b) when discussing Celine Dion's baby book, it sounds like something David(or Ben) would say: "You know that's the grossest thing I've ever seen. That was so nasty I almost had to hate some babies for that. But babies came back and said, "I'm not responsible for this, they made me do it." So I decided that I still love babies. "

TROPIC OF DDOODD!

Kitty Makes Good

The Tropic of Food would like to congratulate ToF administrative blogger Mrs. Shakertown on the completion of her scholastic studies.

Puttin' on the Taco

Herb

Since Ric was wondering.

I had my moments of extreme frustration with him, but I was never a Sendek hater. I was pretty surprised that he left, actually, but the more I think about it, it makes sense. He needed to go somewhere where making the tournament every year but never making it to the Final Four would be good enough for the fan base. Good for him, he's a good guy, a class act. And he's against the death penalty. One of them interlecturals. I put the picture of Julius Hodge up there after beating Connecticut last year because that was the pinnacle of the Sendek era, and he and Jules seemed to have a really close--dare I say "special"?--relationship. When Jules left, the Sendek era was over, I guess. Although all the other players seemed to really love him, too.

As for who I want the next coach to be, obviously it would be awesome to get Rick Barnes or Calipari, but it's not realistic to think they'd come. Billy Gillispie from Texas A&M would be a good get, or maybe Mike Montgomery. Whoever it is, I hope it's someone who will stress rebounding, inside play, transition buckets, and employing a press.

Blah blah blah.

Destroyer Show Report

So, last week we went to see Destroyer. We consists of 'ric, Maggie, RB, Matt, Stingy, the other 400 people there and myself. I would like to know what the other folks thought--everyone seemed to like it alot (and I think I am the only one [not counting the 400 others] who had seen them before]).

Anyway, I liked it, but it was not as rocking as the time I saw them before. I think for some reason I thought that this band was just going to tear it up like the Rolling Thunder Revue, but they were very restrained. The drummer was soft. The songs of Destroyer's Rubies sounded like they do on the record. The songs they played off of Your Blues sounded great--they had some really nice arrangements--different enough that I didn't know what the song would be at first, but then I would pick out some element that would give it away. Especially "Certain Things You Ought to Know"--which is perhaps my favorite Destroyer song--it was brilliant--very quiet and intense. (Statistically speaking, they only played stuff off of Streethawk, This Night, Your Blues and Rubies).

I think perhaps I had really high expectations, and while I wasn't let down, it would have been heard for them to be met. The first time I saw them, I had no expectation, and was pleasantly suprised. Bejar would have had to give out hundred dollar bills this time to get up to what I was expecting from them. But it was a good show. Very good. I am not complaining.

I am interested to hear from others as to what they thought of the show.

Hell and Mothers

I just finished two books. First, Hell by Kathryn Davis and then In a Country of Mothers by A.M. Homes.

Davis is the author of the just published The Thin Place, which got a lot of good reviews. Hell was really good--very experimental, very non-linear--lyrical and opaque in the way I remember To the Lighthouse to be, but disturbing. I lookforward to reading The Thin Place--in paperback! (Hardback books are a pain in the ass).

Then I read In a Country of Mothers, and LOVED it--though it was even more upsetting and disturbing than Hell. Homes does not have a good opinion of humanity--but then neither do I so, the book made a good impression on me.

Overread in Durham--Vol. Escalating into Madness

From an email directed to all undergraduates from the VP of Student Affairs. Yay humanity:

Dear students,

I write to inform you of a rumor I've just learned. I don't have a way
of validating the credibility of the rumor as it came to us third hand
from the Durham Police to various members of the Duke community. What
we've heard is threats of "drive by shooting" of the lacrosse house in
the Trinity Park area. As of the time I write this (approximately 9pm),
we are aware of a gang-related shooting that took place this afternoon
on Sedgefield Street in Walltown (several blocks from Trinity Park). We
are assured by Durham Police that this is not related to Duke in any
way. We also have a report that passengers in a car yelled at Duke
students in houses on Buchanen Street.

I share this information with great discomfort. I neither want to create
any sense of hysteria for the Duke and Trinity Park communities nor
withhold the existence of this information. We've spoken with several of
the students who live in those houses and many have chosen to stay
elsewhere tonight.

Duke and Durham Police have substantially increased patrol coverage of
the area including Trinity Park, Ninth Street and East Campus. That
coverage will remain in place for as long as necessary. I would suggest
that until we have information to discredit or validate this rumor, we
all take appropriate precautions.

Unfortunately, tensions are very high right now and may not abate for
awhile. I would anticipate further rumors and conflicting information
and we'll do our very best to keep you informed. Most important will be
to care for each other as we all struggle with these challenges. We have
work to do to restore confidence in our community and I have absolute
belief that we can and will.

Please contact Duke Police *anytime* if you feel threatened or have
information related to any unsafe situations. Call 911 or 684-2444 for
immediate support.