tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99919872009-06-24T13:24:43.038-04:00Popular music treated seriously. Damnedest thing, ain't it?Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-4676663826972032512009-03-12T11:07:00.004-04:002009-03-12T11:28:02.903-04:00

[10:59] Adaam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYqM9-Fj0Pg[11:04] Mike: I don't think that this is a particularly effective sales pitch for Christianity.[11:04] Adaam: but it is a comprehensive list of breakfast foods[11:04] Adaam: and Jesus would be proud[11:04] Adaam: amen

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-79436444255110038622008-09-22T14:33:00.001-04:002008-09-22T14:36:02.919-04:00

I saw this Saturday night. Then I watched it again just now, three times in a row, and laughed till my stomach hurt every time.

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-22309342322253239452008-09-09T16:14:00.002-04:002008-09-09T16:24:22.418-04:00

Yesterday a friend of ours created a "Bridal Shower" photo album in Facebook. I got a notification that Mrs. J. West, and some other friends of ours, had been tagged in the photos.The first picture I saw had caught Erin in speaking, mid-sentence--it was a familiar sight, of course, an expression I'd seen many many times.But somehow seeing it brought a warm smile to my face. That was my wife, that

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-6878705721879634092008-08-28T10:36:00.002-04:002008-08-28T10:38:47.986-04:00

(After a day's working from home)Adaam: ou know that my days are completely off when you're not aroundMike: So off that you forget the Y in "you"Adaam: ou see the dilemma ou've put me in?

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-36279514503216732212008-07-30T10:13:00.002-04:002008-07-30T10:49:24.379-04:00

If you've talked to me since Monday, you've heard this one. But I'm telling it again anyway, because it's been the prominent story of my week thus far... Monday morning, Mrs. J. West and I dropped off our car at the dealership in Alexandria; it had flooded with water over the weekend and we needed to check it for a leak. We took the Metro back into the city, ready to meet up at the gym that night

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-49904541205764450972008-06-26T12:42:00.003-04:002008-06-26T12:56:54.703-04:00

Behold, my liberal-leaning brethren, for you may not like this one bit:House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes that the government should revive the Fairness Doctrine, a McCarthy-era legislation that required broadcast facilities that presented one side of a controversial public issue to give equal time to the other side. Its demise came during the Reagan administration, shortly before the rise of

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-8457646934505290842008-06-26T10:27:00.002-04:002008-06-26T11:01:06.949-04:00

Today it became official: the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns as unconstitutional.Surprise, nobody in the world!

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-32249887566236836962008-06-25T10:18:00.001-04:002008-06-25T10:18:52.469-04:00

Does anyone even check in anymore? God knows I haven't posted in far too long...

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-66748240025410873892008-04-25T10:26:00.002-04:002008-04-25T10:32:43.385-04:00

princepurple: i've never heard that supposedly pretty-good song by that other american idol star. since u been gone or whatever. i've actually had a hankering to hear it, as it got pretty good reviews... but i've still never heard it.princepurple: and it's a good 2 or 3 years old nowMe: that's a really great song, and I'm not sure I believe you.princepurple: i've NEVER heard it, i

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-54990761135924466162008-04-04T09:53:00.002-04:002008-04-04T09:59:46.772-04:00

You love The Onion. I love The Onion. They're the funniest sons of bitches on planet Earth, aren't they? What you may not know, unless you've heard me rave about it, is that they're also among the best arts journalism (music, film, lit) out there, by virtue of their excellent AV Club.Today you can find an outstanding, perhaps even extraordinary, beginner's guide to the music of The Rolling Stones

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-67770625485616388812008-03-17T13:26:00.001-04:002008-03-17T13:26:17.091-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/opinion/16dowd.html?em&ex=1205899200&en=2056931c3e3f8cd6&ei=5087

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-49303981106612184152008-03-07T10:01:00.003-05:002008-03-07T10:26:38.694-05:00

Eve Carson, the 22-year-old Student Body President at the University of North Carolina, was found murdered in her neighborhood not far from the campus yesterday. She'd been shot repeatedly, at least once in the head. UNC, of course, is my alma mater, and I guess because of that this seems very personal to me. That, in turn, seems odd; I graduated seven years ago, haven't spent much time there

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-49928868338574384082008-03-06T15:41:00.006-05:002008-03-06T15:44:19.754-05:00

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-68734937385382440422008-02-29T12:37:00.002-05:002008-02-29T12:50:33.416-05:00

I was on the writers' side in the WGA strike. It seems like a silly thing to say, considering how far removed I am from Hollywood, but hey, I'm a professional writer. I like getting paid for what my work is worth. I don't think it's a trifle to recognize the role of New Media in the future of publication and/or broadcasting. And I'm tired of billionaires like the AMPTP members pretending that

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-22944855533655399232008-02-27T13:49:00.002-05:002008-02-27T13:52:30.261-05:00

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.comWARNING:If you are white, this one will hit close to home. But it's pretty fucking funny.If you are not white, it's still pretty fucking funny.

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-74702258284779230812008-02-20T10:05:00.000-05:002008-02-20T10:06:38.615-05:00

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-50211359060190615832008-02-19T11:33:00.009-05:002008-02-19T12:19:38.444-05:00

I miss the old world of UHF television - independent channels that aired reruns, local programming, and self-produced content. These things largely don't exist anymore. It's sad.This is the sign-off video of the long-forgotten Channel 48, WGGT in Greensboro, North Carolina. My fellow Winston-Salemites will remember the station instantly: it carried He-Man cartoons, for one thing; for another, it

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-60142379764097808892008-02-15T14:58:00.004-05:002008-02-15T15:14:10.781-05:00

Mike: what do you think goes better with Delirium Tremens - Doritos? Or Wheat thins?Adaam: wheat thinsAdaam: unless you have spicy nacho doritosMike: There is only one flavor of DoritosMike: Nacho CheeseMike: the others are hacksAdaam: lolAdaam: Cool Ranch is validMike: Yeah, okay. I'll give cool ranch its propsMike: But if Nacho cheese isn't the flagship flavor, something's wrong with America's

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-48230306101461251502008-02-12T08:36:00.000-05:002008-02-12T10:19:57.208-05:00

Every year, someone asks me what I thought about the Grammys. The truth is, I gave up on watching most of the music award shows about ten years ago. That was about the time that I ceased liking most of the stuff that got honored there. Also that year, 1998, was the year in which they gave Best New Artist to Paula Cole, who'd released her first album four years prior.That finally drove home to me

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-67626255138744742672008-02-05T17:07:00.000-05:002008-02-05T17:39:23.558-05:00

I promised a reader that I'd write more often, and here I am giving it the ol' college try. This means, I think, letting y'all know where I'm at. Figuratively speaking. (Literally, I'm at the computer, stupid.)First off, may I say that being 29 is exhausting. (Oh, yeah! I turned 29 last week.) Thus far it's been characterized by poor sleep, stressful deadlines, ugly weather, and crushingly lousy

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-5307268898063544022008-01-21T09:53:00.001-05:002008-01-21T09:56:01.105-05:00

"I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-22189975625745577982008-01-15T12:51:00.001-05:002008-01-15T13:14:20.319-05:00

So I've been asked if there's any biographical information about me on my blog - and I don't know if there is, other than the stray bits of trivia you'll catch here and there. So here you go.I'm Michael J. West. Mike West, if you know me. I live in Washington, D.C., near U Street, with my wife Erin and two cats. I'll be 29 years old two weeks from today.I work as Publications Manager for an

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-90928525796333887612008-01-02T08:13:00.000-05:002008-01-02T08:22:08.132-05:00

Happy New Year!So on December 15 I'm buying a thing of peanuts at the Rite Aid up on Florida Avenue, on the way to work in the morning. My card gets declined at the register. "That's weird," I think, and shrug it off.Then I get to the office, log in to my bank's website to check my account balance - it's payday, after all - and instead of having a fairly comfortable amount in my account, as I

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-1776701463794553982007-12-12T09:20:00.000-05:002007-12-12T09:26:03.663-05:00

IF YOU WANT ITHappy Christmas from Mike & Erin

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991987.post-70588611652650562402007-11-11T18:16:00.001-05:002007-11-11T18:16:46.450-05:00

Although Timony also had plenty to do in preparing the tour—a lot of it involving the signing of checks—he also now had Ralph Records to run, and he was keeping quite busy with it. He’d even made a deal to release an album by another artist, a Los Angeles film composer by the name of Michael Perilstein. Perilstein had actually begun his career as a radio and newspaper journalist in New Jersey

Michael J. Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697147848116189145noreply@blogger.com0