I'm a copycat.

See?

the same moon

"And I was pacing myself, trying to make it all last
Squeezing all the life out of a lousy two-day pass
And I had a cold one at the Dragon with some Filipino floor show
And I talked baseball with a lieutenant over a Singapore Sling
And I wondered how the same moon outside over this Chinatown fair
Could look down on Illinois and find you there
I know I love you, baby"

from "Shore Leave" by Tom Waits

photo by Leesa White

Ladies and gentlemen...the afterlife.

From a news story about spooky hotels:

And watch your bellman closely upon your arrival -- or he may disappear with your luggage. There are rumours a former Banff Springs bellman named Sam, who passed away years ago, still enjoys helping guests with their bags.

I've been lugging luggage for almost twelve years now. This pretty much makes me a lifer. Poor Sam above seems to be an after-lifer. Once a bellman, always a bellman. Even after death.

I'm reminded of The Village Voice's description of the new film, Wristcutters: A Love Story.
An excerpt:

But death does not bring oblivion. The ruling joke is that the afterlife is the same as the world of the living, only worse. Suicide is a form of downward mobility: The streets are shabbier, the colors less vibrant, the jobs lousier, and the people more depressed.

I love the trailer. It looks quirky and whimsical. And it has Tom Waits. I'm in.

"Flat is how I feel," said my front-right tire.

"So do I," I replied. "So do I."

Checking In

Sasha Frere-Jones on the new Starbucks/iTunes card.

"Here is the question: if you have a computer and know where your iTunes store is, why would you buy this card? The exact same product is available on the iTunes site for the exact same price, and all you need to do is click the “Buy Album” button to make it yours. There are several explanations ..." more>>

How bored am I?

I'm killing time reading my own dang blog.

Dirty Sexy Monkey

From the police report: “One monkey, two feet high, color brown, name unknown, disposition terrible.”

Read more about this simian interloper here.

The kid picks the picture.

I'm watching the Colts-Pats game on NFL.com, not on my television.

I suppose I already had my fun watching the Titans handle the Panthers, 20-7. Now it's the 4-year-old's turn for entertainment by TV.

Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive it is.

I suppose I can always watch highlights of the game later. In my son's defense, I doubt there's a Power Rangers highlight show.

Sigh.

The elusive Ninja kitten, captured!

Photo by my favorite photographer/blogger, Leesa at Peace Of My Mind.

Eye of the tiger? Um, not quite a tiger. Maybe a meercat.

With all of the talk of this week's NFL undefeateds going up against one another, every paper breaking down the matchup between the 8-0 Pats and the 7-0 Colts, Brady-Manning, Belicheck-Dungy, I got to wondering about those two NFL teams on the other side of the radar. How about the winless Miami Dolphins and their cellar dweller counterparts, the St. Louis Rams? Are they playing each other this year? Could there be a matchup determining which of the two would remain all-beaten just as the Colts-Pats game should reveal who of the two will remain unbeaten? Nope. There is no matchup of the hapless in sight.

However, the Fins and Rams do have one more thing in common besides a big fat zero in the win column. This is the one week guaranteeing no more harm to either franchise. Both have byes this week. I wondered if anyone else was writing about this shared sigh of relief for both teams. One quick search found that Bryan Burwell of MSNBC had a few thoughts about the matter. Read and enjoy his take here.

While most of us will be rightly fixated on watching Indy and New England face off in what is likely Part I of a two part matchup (a post-season slug-fest seems destined), morbid curiosity begs the question: Who of the two worst in the league is just a hair enough better to walk away a winner after 60-minutes of thus far poor football? It doesn't have to be televised (thank God), but I think even the players for those teams would like to know. Like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed at the end of Rocky III, throwing punches behind closed doors, no one knowing but them how it would turn out, these two very real - and really bad - football teams should find a dome that is not being used this weekend, line up, and find out which of them is not quite as bad as the other. It's my guess that the Rams would win, but no one would be able to walk away from the game with any swagger. Still, I'd like to see it.

They'll both get some regular season wins soon enough. Or not soon enough for them, I guess.

My favorite CD.

Also my favorite concert ever. 1994. Ace of Clubs.

On a music related note, Newton Dominey is playing tonight at the Bluebird. Word has it that he'll be performing Springsteen's "American Skin (41 Shots)."

I wish I was there to hear it. Go if you can.

"...but ain't we got love."

That great C.E. Smith song, "(We're Not) The Jet Set" has been in my head this afternoon. It fits us here at Chez Beziat.

"No, We're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
Our steak and martinis
Is draft beer with weenies
Our Bach and Tchaikovsky
Is Haggard and Husky
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old Chevro-let set
But ain't we got love"

My Christmas present from her has been confirmed. A renewed subscription to Paste Magazine, a subscription that we had previously canceled due to monetary concerns. Thanks to their new, name-your-price-get-it-for-less-than-a-buck deal, it's back to my mailbox. If this is New Media, I'm loving every minute of it. Looks like I may get the new Radiohead, too.

Now if it was just this easy to buy things for my wife. Georgia football season tickets aren't going for the dollar amount of my choice also, are they?

Talents not necessarily hidden, just maybe unnoticed.

It's tucked away downstairs, far from the eyes and ears of the hotel guests. I like changing from my work clothes to my street clothes in the locker room around the corner and hearing the sound of a fellow worker playing that old abandoned piano. Sometimes I finish dressing and exit in time to see who is bringing life back to forgotten beauty and sometimes the player has left before I open the door.

It's nice to recognize people's talents and passions. More importantly, it's nice to assume that there is more to a person than the job that they do. He might sweep the floors or bus your table, deliver your room service or, like me, drive you in from the airport or carry your bags to your room. All honorable jobs, but never the whole picture. I hope I always remember this as I go through life: being served at restaurants, paying parking garage attendants, waiting in line at various retail counters. These people are always more than their name tags might otherwise indicate.

Last night, the piano played a familiar piece of music as I tied the laces to my shoes. Who it was, I don't know. Maybe a waitress, always hurrying with your drinks, but hearing Debussy's calming music in her heart. Or maybe the head housekeeper, keeping your lobby clean while on the clock but also keeping the memory of how to play "Claire de Lune" fresh and clean in his head when off the clock. Whoever it was last night, what was played made for a wonderful coda to the end of a long, hard night of work. Thank you. Your talent is beautiful.

I'm smiling at this more than I thought I would.

Dexter.

And an interesting article.