The Residual

Back in the States, Top 11 of Coachella '11

2011-04-25T18:18:00.001-07:00

So I've been back in LA for a little over a month now, and though I miss South America a ton it's been nice catching up with friends and spending some much-needed time with family and at the beach. I'm excited and grateful to be starting a part-time gig tomorrow as a night editor for an internet startup downtown. Sounds like a promising product, so who knows.

In other recent news, I attended the Coachella Valley Music Festival last weekend. Despite some bad horse allergies on the polo fields, staggering daytime temperatures and over 80,000 awful displays of hipsteria, I had an amazing time and saw some amazing performances. Of the 34 performances I witnessed, I present to you my Top 11 of '11:

11. Cut Copy:

10. Awkward white people (myself included) during "Black & Yellow":

9. The National:

8. Chromeo's "Intro/Don't Turn The Lights On" (never gets old):

7. Nas & Damian Marley (covering "Could You Be Loved"):

6. Robyn:

5. Arcade Fire Balloon Drop:

4. Death From Above 1979 Reunion:

3. Some Obscure Band from NYC on Day 3:

2. Chemical Brothers:

1. Sharing the sunset with Ms. Lauryn Hill:

Honorable Mentions That Could Have Easily Made This List: The Twelves (entire set available to stream on YouTube), Crystal Castles, CSS, Kings of Leon, Interpol

Life Goings On

2010-12-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Don't ever underestimate the awakening experienced when taking off your sunglasses after a long sunny day...

I'm interspersing a few photos from a trip to the Recoleta Cemetery as I provide a quick update on life since my last massive post. The Cemetary is arguably the most important museum and/or cultural landmark of Buenos Aires, and I'm grateful to walk by the darkly glowing magnificence of these modern sarcophaguses (sarcophagi?) almost every morning to get to my bus stop. Interesting note: many of the coffins in these grave edifices are above ground along with family members and possessions, though some have stairways underground. Walking through the great aisles of this institution feels a lot like strolling through a giant exhibit of Argentina's history and the historic personalities that must have inspired the most ornate tombstone tributes I've ever seen.

Got a couple of new gigs. Numero uno, prepping peeps for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a certificate that many universities and colleges in English-speaking countries require for admission. Most of my clients, however, are trying to achieve a certain high score for their future employers in the US or Canada. This job is so hot right now as my students are on summer/holiday vacation and willing to take classes at my apartment, so there's no commute for yours truly. I also got a new night student, a financial analyst at a huge international bank, whose office neighboring Luna Park has a breathtaking view of Puerto Madero and the east coast. Definitely an ideal location to end a long day.

Missing family, friends and the City of Angels heavy this holiday season as I continue to stream the Lakeshow on my PC (internet rules). Side note: really interested to see how critics stack up their best of 2010 lists for music as it has delivered one of the richest assortments in some time.

La Comida!

2010-11-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving if I didn't get a leg.

Thanksgiving was a huge success at Casa de California. We cooked up a storm for 12 friends and admirers, and only had to substitute one ingredient: cranberries. They don't really know what those are here so we made cherry sauce instead with some lemon juice to jump start the tart factor and it rocked.

A table full of extranjeros.

Enough with what we're bringing to the table. How about that Argentine cuisine? Well, most portenos have heart diseases when they're older, especially men (Como se dice "diet"?) as the culture hasn't quite adopted basic nutritional understandings such as avoiding fried food or red meat, or fried red meat. That's not to say that there aren't affordable alternatives to the standard Argentine regiment, but these aren't so popular with the locals.

Lunch time: Milanesa sandwich (left) and empanada (right)

No one can talk about Argentine cuisine without discussing minutas (fast food). You can find freshly made milanesas, essentially fried breaded meat (steak or chicken), at every porteno restaurant and market in this city. Same goes for empanadas -- meat pastries usually stuffed with chopped peppers, onions and eggs -- which are pretty much the go-to cheapest option and can be the most filling meal in the city. A milanesa, also known as a "milanga," can go for anywhere between 10 and 25 pesos (2.5-6.5 USD) depending on what you get on it, while empanadas usually sell for 3 or 4 pesos per pastry. A milanesa completa/suprema is the Argentine equivalent of "the works" and comes with ham, lettuce, tomato, and sometimes an egg on top of the breaded meat. Another popular lunch dish is the tarta (tart), which can be as simple as spinach and cheese or as complex as a triple or quadruple layered pie.

Don't feel like sleeping? Look no further.

Following the workday, at around 5 PM, locals will sit down for some yerba mate (highly caffeinated herbal tea) and facturas (pastries) for their merienda (tea time). Some people add spices or orange juice to their gourd of mate (pictured above) to counter its naturally powerful earthy flavor. You traditionally use a bombilla (metal straw with a strainer at its base) to drink this afternoon delight. The term "facturas" literally means "receipts": a name that caught on when Italian expat anarchists were running bakeries and coining anti-establishment names for their pastries during the first half of the twentieth century. Facturas come in many varieties (see picture below) and are insanely cheap. Many of these still retain the names the anarchists had given them, such as bolas de fraile ("balls of the priest") or vigilantes (derogatory name for cops). Many facturas are filled with dulce de leche (milk caramel, as you can see in the powdered ones pictured below).

Sweet.

Dinners usually take place at around 10 or 11, though this Yankee likes to grub earlier most nights when I'm not eating out. The "eating in" strategy is particularly viable in Buenos Aires as many affordable (and not-so-affordable) dinner spots deliver free of charge. If there's one website that can save an expats' life on a Sunday night...

A helpful guide for most restaurant menus in Buenos Aires (courtesy of scallopsandpancetta.blogspot.com).

If you decide to dine out, the main staples of Buenos Aires dinner cuisine are parrilla, asado, pizza, and pasta. Parrilla is served as an assortment of different parts of the cow or pig, while asado is the equivalent of ordering a nice cut of steak. Despite my infatuation with empanadas, I try not to eat too much red meat but the steak here is impossibly good considering how simply it is prepared and how cheaply it's priced. It comes down to the quality of Argentine meat (which has been its staple good for most of its history due to decades of misdirected economic planning) and the way it is cooked in antique open ovens.

Special delivery: pizza jamon y morrones (ham and roasted red peppers)

The pizza here is nothing short of spectacular for similar reasons. And while the ingredients are ostensibly simple, most of the open-oven firepit cuisine at pizza bars here would be considered gourmet in the States. The fact that many of these places deliver free of charge (one of our favorites delivers on rollerblades) only adds to the convenience and affordability that makes Buenos Aires food culture so great. You can see my favorite kind of 'za pictured above, which offers a unique sweet-and-savory balance and is pretty common to find at any of the myriad eateries claiming to specialize in the art. Though usually not as remarkable as the pizza (I'm not the biggest fan of cream sauces), you can find various types of pastas at most sit-down restaurants around town, including tallarines (spaghetti), ravioli, and gnocchi.

Cazuela de calabazas y lomo (squash and sirloin stew).

One of the more popular and reasonably priced restaurants in the city, located a few blocks from my apartment, is known for their traditional Argentine stews known as cazuelas (pictured above). Many of these cazuelas are basically empanadas in a potato or squash stew: chock full of meat, peppers, onions, and egg. Add in a couple of olives, maybe some cheese on top and a lot of deliciousness and you've basically arrived at my new favorite winter's meal. It's summer here, but it's just too good and cheap to pass up. I pretty much eat at this place once a week minimum, as one of my missions while I'm down here is to try everything on its diverse menu.

Chau/Chow!

Speaking of...

2010-11-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

"Double Sunrise" at Terrazas del Este. Morning after Halloween 2010

Between the rain and the plumbing in our apartment, this city's drained me today (ugh). Found out both friends I came here with will be returning home sooner than I thought (around mid January) which leaves yours truly in the Good Airs without his homeboys for at least two months. Their return to Cali will certainly mark a new chapter in my life down here: a chapter sans constant reminders of my past home, without the temptation to speak in English, and a chapter that might just teach me as much as I've learned since I arrived in Buenos Aires. I'll miss them greatly, but it puts some good old carpe diem pressure on the next nine or so weeks as their time in this great city counts down.

Speaking of countdowns, we booked the beautiful beach town of Mar del Plata for our New Year's celebrations. Now, upon reading this you've got to be asking yourself one or two questions, "How did Nate come up with such a seamless segue into this paragraph?" or "You're in BUENOS AIRES, why would you want to leave for NYE?" Apparently a lot of places close down for El Nuevo Ano, and the majority of the city's youth goes summer vacationing to beach cities like Mar del Plata or Uruguay's Punta del Este. Really stoked about Mar del Plata as I've heard nothing but great things about it's summers, and the pictures of it (see below) remind me of one of my all-time favorite cities, Tel Aviv. The open air and sea breeze will no doubt provide a nice escape from our big city's humidity that loves to trap itself between tall buildings and piles of mierda de perro left on the sidewalk for the early morning hose-down.

New Year's 2011: Mar del Plata, Argentina

Speaking of coastal escapes, I took a boat over to Colonia, Uruguay on Sunday to renew my three month tourist visa. Had a great time riding scooters up the rustic coast, where the sights and smells of small town families' weekly seashore asados (BBQ) immediately reveal the essential feelings of summer. The actual "city" was a bit of a ghost town on Sunday, which meant less traffic for scooting and horseback riding (:D). All in all a perfect way to spend a day of rest. Hopefully I'll be writing about more extensive travels in the near future.

Speaking of writing, I've started writing a comedy based loosely on this trip. A bit dark, but I think it's a great time to test my strengths and weaknesses as a creative writer while I'm in the life-mode of exploration. Last week I had the opportunity to attend a series of book presentations at a beautiful bookstore in Palermo, where I met celebrated Argentine author and singer Pablo Ramos. You can read about the presentation at the bookstore's blog. Mr. Ramos was immediately engaging, neurotically comic, and remarkably inviting to me considering the general lukewarmth that initially receives a youngish male "Yankee" in this town. Though I didn't completely understand the subject matter of the books being promoted, I tried to absorb as much as I could of the confidence and creative energy that surrounded these native authors.

Speaking of absorbing...okay, that's enough already. Happy Turkey Day everyone! Let's go Lakeshow!

Creamfields...

2010-11-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

...Was insane.

Highlights:

1) 45,000+ in attendance, making it once again the largest electronic music festival in South America.

2) Started at 3PM and ended around 6:30AM.

3) Bad Boy Orange (Local Argentine Drum n' Bass/Dubstep outfit) showed us some new dance moves.

4) Local portena Romina Cohn played an excellent hour and a half set at the Delta 90.3 Tent.

5) Calvin Harris' DJ set tore up Arena 1 with a mix of his new material including my three favorite tracks from his new album, "You Used to Hold Me," "I'm Not Alone," and "Flashback." His set also included an assortment of popular spins as well, such as Daft Punk's "One More Time." Extreme lighting blasted an even more extreme crowd in the small tent, with a few guys and gals climbing and dancing on unstable light fixtures, all the while giving event security a heart attack.

6) Fatboy Slim closed the show and ushered in the morning sun with some great classics and absolutely stunning visuals. At 47 years old, that bloke still kills it.

7) David Effing Guetta (featuring illuminated robots on stilts).

Back To College...

2010-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Last week I sat in on a legal communications class at Universidad de Buenos Aires. The class was held in the Communications and Political Science Building near the beautiful and young area of Palermo. Though I couldn't understand the majority of the lesson (obviously taught in Spanish), I thoroughly enjoyed the tact and style of the professor, who reminded my friend of Santa Clause.

Coming from a large public university which has a student body boasting a certain degree of power (if not practically at least spiritually), I felt an immediate connection when walking through the tall, urban educational edifice. And like Berkeley graduates, UBA's alumni will admit to the sense that one is just a number in the grand scheme of the school's evolution and that you need a great deal of self-reliance and a formidable work ethic to succeed. But I was amazed at how firmly UBA's student presence defines the university's sense of life. There is not an empty wall in the building. Beautiful, provocative art and political messages tattoo and drape the halls of the university's most outspoken department: a stunning mosaic that leaves little doubt as to who is in control. Walking through these halls was like moving through a museum, or some intellectual art cave that explodes off of each pillar of the school's foundation.

Though the facilities are by no means state-of-the-art, and students often protest (vocally and violently) that their school should invest more in upkeep and maintenance, keep in mind that this huge and prestigious school is free for the public, unlike my alma mater and many other public universities in the United States. And unlike universities in the United States, there is no such thing as an undergraduate: UBA students are committed to their area of study for 6-8 years. The sense of commitment to study is therefore clear and tangible in the classroom, and professors are likewise committed to the students' passion in their future. Even in a less interesting class like legal communications at 7PM on a Friday, over the course of two hours at least twelve different students engaged in extended commentary on the subject and articles being taught.

Game days, greek life and other Yankee distractions don't exist here: the school spirit rests in its distinguished alumni, intellectual and creative freedom, and finding yourself amongst the multitude. Though I couldn't understand every word or concept being discussed, the passion was apparent in the students' voices, and I look forward to sitting in on and understanding more classes.

See below for more of the wonderful art in the halls of the Comm & PoliSci Building.

Photos - September & October 2010

2010-11-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Congreso - Front

Congreso - Rear

Brick Church in San Telmo

San Telmo

Legislatura

Peru St., San Telmo

Downtown

Crazy Street Art of Dog Warriors

Outside of a restaurant called "Comics" near my work.

Chinatown...more like China block.

Where my dogs at?

De La Noche: Boliche, Pub, Milonga

2010-10-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

For what it lacks in the way of inflation control, smog checking, and respect for authority, one thing that Buenos Aires delivers is the nightlife. Yes, the porteno youth live for "la noche" here, which isn't hard to do when there are clubs open til 7am every night of the week. It took less than three days here to understand that there are Monday clubs, Tuesday clubs, etc. Not every club is bumping on every night of the week, but there are special nights at each club. The "specialty" of the night usually consists of foreign music (e.g. hip-hop night, drum n' bass night) supplemented by drink discounts. Oh yeah, if you didn't know already, the standard dance music south of the border is almost exclusively reggaeton, which stinks for those of us who prefer rhythmic diversity.

These nights are almost always found at boliches (giant clubs) and clubes (U.S.A.-sized clubs). Some boliches can fit up to 2,000 dancing bodies or more, which can make them pretty overwhelming for someone who hasn't experienced it. Entrance fees range from 35 to 50 pesos (9-12 USD), which will usually provide one complimentary beer or mixed drink. After a month of living here, boliches have ceased to be the regular main attraction of the night, and tend to be more of an afterthought driven by people we're with or have met on that night. There are a couple of really amazing spots that I feel I should mention.

Asia de Cuba -- same owners as the incredible restaurant in LA on Sunset -- is probably the most exclusive and "dressiest" of dancing venues in Buenos Aires, though apparently no boliche fancies itself above a hoodie these days. A huge perfectly lit Buddha statue reclines before the main bar, flanked by two scantily clad dancers as an ironic welcoming gesture: the centerpiece of a night you probably won't forget. Yes, the blaring house music intermingled with some monologue about how we're going on some magic journey can be a bit over the top and obnoxious, but ask 9 out of 10 portenas where they want to get taken out tonight and they will probably mention "Asia." I've been able to join a table here the last two times I went and it definitely made the night ten times better (when you're up until 7am, there's no price tag for a place to sit down).

Terrazas del Este -- went here for the first time this weekend to meet some friends and was blown away by the beauty of this enormous coastal venue. It is my favorite boliche hands down, as it boasts three dance floors, two DJs (one mainly USA tuneage, the other house/reggaeton), and a drink coupon with 50 peso admission. Not only are the indoor bars sleek and accomodating for the masses (photo of the east bar above), but as its name suggests the club offers large, cabana'd terraces with couches that overlook the coast. If you want the perfect spot to party until the sun comes up, look no further. See my shaky, terribly timed Blackberry video below for footage of the main dance floor/VIP area...The cool lights kick in at the end.

If you're not looking to go full throttle into the sunrise, there are some interesting Irish American styled pubs, some of which offer the Latin American addition of large dance floors like The Shamrock in Recoleta, walking distance from my apartment. There are also loungier resto-bars, including our house favorite Milion (pictured below, also a few blocks from the domicile) which is actually a converted mansion from the '70s that boasts an endless list of high-end cocktails that never fail to impress those with an eye for mixology.

If it's time to tango, you best make your way to a milonga. Milongas are tango dance halls that offer dance lessons to begin the night, often accompanied by traditional live music. I've only been to the one pictured at the top of the post, known as La Catedral, which is a short bus ride from my apartment. This place gets really crowded on Tuesday nights, as people gather in the high-ceilinged, dimly-lit attic ambience to watch and dance to some live music. Large tables allowing much multicultural mingling barricade the bar (yay alliteration), and a wide selection of wine bottles are offered at reasonable prices. This unique feature of Latin American nightlife happens to be my surprise favorite, as there is simply nothing else like spending hours chatting with old friends and making new ones over two bottles of Mendozan Malbec we just bought for 12 USD at the bar (you thought right -- $6 each), listening to some live music, and learning the city's most iconic art form. Check out my footage of La Catedral on a Tuesday night below.

That's all folks.

Hasta Luego

Spring Cleaning...

2010-10-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Don't take garbagemen/women for granted. They went on strike for a few days here, which was pretty frightening for someone who had never experienced anything like that before (see above photo). Piles of steaming garbage bags in front of every other restaurant and storefront. Combined with this week's heat wave and the complete lack of smog regulation in Argentina, it basically convinced me that the waste removal industry has the power to jumpstart the plague any given week. Thankfully, they finally picked it up and we can all go on breathing again.

So it's now officially spring in Buenos Aires, which is a big deal for people here as they finally get to see some green on their streets. They have Spring Day, which is just another excuse to party during the week. It's kind of like St. Patty's Day in that it's in spring, many wear green and drink a bunch. Many trees are fragrant at this time of year, which helps to mask some of the air pollution that the increased sunlight intensifies. Walking around, you can see "Feliz Primavera!" written on numerous windows and facades.

As promised, here's some photographic evidence of my job down here:

This photo was taken at the end of winter/very beginning of spring so the trees hadn't started leafing yet. This is one half of the giant duplex that makes the building I work in. It is located to the north of Buenos Aires proper, and, as you can notice, has a big soccer field in front of it. There is a high school across the street from the duplex, and every boy at the school practices futbol pretty much every day without exception. It's neat to be able to watch the future Messis and Militos of Argentina do some "joga bonito" while walking home after a long day at work.

Photo taken just before the security guard turned around and told me to put the camera away.

The view of the office from my classroom.

My "classroom."

I use the company's conference rooms to conduct my classes. Though I have used three different rooms since I started work due to business meetings and what not, the cozier "blue room" you see above is the one I use most often. You can see the ever-present bottle of water, cup of mate cocido (cooked yerba mate), coffee, and book (Atlas Shrugged) keeping me company as I anticipate the next batch of students.

But what would a blog post of mine be without a FOOD UPDATE?

Lunch Time!

I eat lunch most of the time around the corner at one of the best and cheapest buffets I've ever experienced:

The ambience (can you feel it?).

Salad Bar

Tartas (yum)

Hot Ish: Pollo con Papas, Milanesas, Jamon y Huevos

Cold Ish: Marinated beef tongue, ham salads, wraps.

PARRILLA (That's what I call made fresh to order)

A full plate and a drink for between 19 and 27 pesos (~5-7 USD). As pictured: ~$5.

That's my work post. I'll post some fun stuff next time.

Chau

Bienvenidos

2010-10-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all to the Buenos Aires chapter of The Residual. I plan on living here for a few months and I thought I'd update everyone on my adventure.

To start off, I am going to answer the most common FAQs I encounter when I tell people I am living in Buenos Aires.

1) Why are you living in Buenos Aires?
I'm trying to gain practical fluency in Spanish and teach English simultaneously in a place where the money I've saved up has some extra power. I decided on Buenos Aires in collaboration with two good friends with whom I am living.

2) How long do you plan on staying in BsAs?
Anywhere between 6 and 10 months.

3) Is it safe in Buenos Aires? Isn't Argentina a Third World country or something?
Like all big cities, it depends on where you are. I found a pretty cheap apartment (3 bedroom + guest room @~$1300USD/mo) in arguably the nicest, safest, and most culturally significant part of Buenos Aires (Recoleta). If you leave Buenos Aires, you are pretty much in a Third World country.

4) Who do you teach?
Currently, I am teaching adults at an agrochemical food products company in a suburb of Buenos Aires. My students range from Basic to Highly Advanced. If you are wondering why Highly Advanced English speakers would need a teacher, I actually teach these students specific subject matter relating to their jobs/industry. Although the offices are within the "Greater Buenos Aires Area," it is not in Capital Federal (Buenos Aires proper), and therefore it is kind of a schlep - an hour and a half each way by bus. The commute is certainly worth it for me, as I really enjoy my work and I can study Spanish on the bus ride. I also get to see a side of Buenos Aires not commonly seen by foreigners.

5) By bus? Are you crazy? (typical LA response)
Buses (known as "colectivos"), along with the Subte (subway) are main forms of transportation down here and are necessary to use if you plan on living here without a car. Though cabs are cheap relative to the US, they are not viable on a teacher's salary (except at night, when they're worth every centavo). There are over 400 lineas (lines) that can take you wherever you need to go, all of which are privately owned. More about the colectivo later.

6) So how cheap is BsAs, really?
When it comes to food and drink, it is quite cheap:

You can purchase a filling standard breakfast (2 sweet croissants known as "medialunas"/half-moons and a coffee) at most cafes for 6 pesos/~less than $2USD.

On workdays I eat lunch at an incredible buffet where I can pretty much get whatever I want for maximum (you're really hungry) 24 pesos ($6USD). Lunch at cafes in the area I live in can be pricier (maybe $8USD), but you can always get the staple foods of BsAS - empanadas (mini calzones/the best hot pockets you've ever had) and pizzas - for dirt cheap wherever you are (2-3 pesos per empanada, basically 3 empanadas for less than $2USD and that's a filling lunch).

You can get a nice steak dinner with a bottle of Malbec split between 2 people for around $10 or 12USD. The steak will most likely be one of the best steaks you've ever had, and if you didn't know already, along with soccer, the beef and dairy here are major sources of national pride.

Speaking of dairy, a cone with two scoops of gourmet Argentinian helado (ice cream) sculpted to perfection is around 14 pesos (~$3.50USD). You can certainly find cheaper family stores, but there are gourmet chains that hover around this price.

Sculpted indeed.

A liter of beer can range from 6 pesos (less than $2USD), and you can return the empty bottle at most kioscos (corner stores) for a couple pesos. A bottle of Malbec at the market ranges, but you can get something memorable for around 20 pesos (~$5USD). At a restaurant, a bottle will cost you closer to 40 pesos (~$10USD) depending on the place. Harder stuff like Fernet (our house drink of choice) can be found at markets for around 40 pesos.

Drinks at clubs can range from 10 pesos to 30 pesos depending on the club. No such thing as a $10USD drink at the nightspots here.

Other than food, drink, public transportation and rent, commercial prices are comparable to the United States.

I will try to post something once a week. Thanks for following.

Chou

Ballin' Outta Control

2009-11-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

The luck of the Irish failed miserably yesterday after Thierry Henry's handball assist to French teammate William Gallas allowed for the go ahead goal. The French now advance to the World Cup final qualifiers and the Irish stew over poor officiating and the reality that soccer needs to enable reviewing. I don't care if it interrupts the beauty of "the beautiful game": there's nothing beautiful about an undeserved loss based on one blown call. Especially when it's as blatant as yesterday's mistake.

On a more positive note, Lakers star Pau "Goofy" Gasol made his 2009-10 season debut after a few weeks fighting a hamstring injury. Looks like Christmas has come early for the Lakeshow, as Pau went for 24 points and 13 rebounds while Kobe struggled the first couple quarters.

As Chuck said in the TNT Postgame Report, if you put in a lineup with Kobe at the point, Artest at the two and Lamar playing "small" the shortest player in the lineup is 6'6" (that being Artest). Without a doubt this is the biggest and most powerful lineup the NBA has to offer. While I agree with the TNT postgame squad that this Laker team can win a couple more championships, the only question mark remains at the point position and the consistency of the bench.

Now that Lamar is sixth man Laker nation feels at ease with a definitive leader driving and popping during the cool down stretches, but this still leaves plenty of pressure on Farmar, Shannon Brown, and Josh Powell to step up big as they have so far this season. I'd like to see more incremental substitutions from the coaching staff (keeping Artest in as a defensive anchor when turnovers are ripe for the picking) rather than sweeping overhauls that have the tendency of throwing momentum as we've seen early on this season.

The Colts and Saints remain 9-0 and are due for a loss: the Colts play a vengeful Ravens team that needs to prove itself without star OLB Terrell Suggs in a very tough AFC East division while the Saints go to Tampa Bay where the Packers lost a couple weeks ago against a breakout performance by rookie stud Josh Freeman. The Tampa Bay secondary is still very talented, and if New Orleans can't get their off-and-on running game going, I expect this to be a defensive battle and a possible upset. The Vikings are now 8-1 and play the struggling Seahawks this weekend.

Upset alerts for Pac-10 football: Oregon at Arizona, Cal at Stanford (Go Bears).

And no one cares about college basketball this early in the season.

Back In This...

2009-11-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Songs Of Summer 2009

2009-07-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

The recession hasn't just affected our wallets. The music landscape's been pretty barren in 2009, but on the bright side we still have a little less than half the year to make up for it...

Here are some songs heating up the summer so far:

"Stillness Is The Move"
Artist: The Dirty Projectors
Album: Bitte Orca

"Kinda Like A Big Deal"
Artist: Clipse featuring Kanye West
Album: Til The Casket Drops
Clipse feat. Kanye West - Kinda Like A Big Deal

"Southern Point"
Artist: Grizzly Bear
Album: Veckatimest

Some GREAT footage of their performance in SF. The track finds a new center in rhythm.

"The Reeling"
Artist: Passion Pit
Album: Manners

It was a great pleasure hanging out with these guys in Berkeley my last semester of college. I saw them rock San Francisco's Mezzanine the night after.

"The Fixer"
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Backspacer

"Best I Ever Had"
Artist: Drake

Drake - "Best I Ever Had" (EXPLICIT)

Terrible raunchy lyrics but killer delivery from the beat to the schizophrenic vocals.

And for anyone looking for a solid, cheap yet filling taco joint check out Casita Taco al Carbon on Cahuenga in Studio City (so glad I live down the street!). My only caveat is that they close at 8PM so unfortunately no late night runs.

Extreme Makeover: Aquaman

2009-07-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Aquaman is the lamest superhero ever. His powers consist of breathing underwater and talking to sea animals while donning tasteless leather bodysuits. Since his birth in 1941, the character's only solid development occurred in 1994 when Arthur Curry lost his hand to piranhas and attached a prosthetic harpoon launcher to his wrist (Badass, right?).

He then proceeded to grow long hair and a beard. With his edgy yet eternally skintight Kris Kristofferson look, Curry finds Atlantis and starts to kick some ass. The franchise returned to basic shitty Aquaman soon after the turn of the twenty first century.

Oh yeah, did I mention that of all the animals Aquaman could have kicked it with in his sixty odd years underwater, he chose a seal for a pet sidekick?

Anyway, I've provided you fine people with some ideas for how to make this miserably flamboyant seaman superhero worthy.

Lemme Lemme Upgrade Ya

The Crystal Sword could collapse into a spinning propeller so that Aquaman 2.0 could jet around the reefs in style.

And when I say jellyfish cannon, I really mean a jelly-school launcher. Remember that crazy scene in "Sphere" when Queen Latifah gets owned?

Just in case you forgot:

Her best work, I must say.

The Big Suck

2009-07-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

El mundo hasn't changed much since last week, but there's plenty to update in the entertainment world.

Before we enter the suck, let's take a moment to appreciate a wonderful new remix of those catchy boys from Berklee.

And down we go. Two of the major disappointments of the summer hit theaters and teles this past week:

1) "Bruno" sucked, and sucked, and then sucked some more. Yes, I laughed a few times, but we should seriously consider drawing a line at talking penises. There are simply some things that you will never be able to cleanse your mind of (especially after seeing it on the big screen), and this movie contained more of those moments than "Attack of the Clones."

Borat won audiences because his presence lived as such an obscure and harmless referential parody that we could healthily rejoice in our endless list of Kazakhstani-Fried Quotables. Bruno is such an extreme that it becomes uncomfortable to watch on multiple levels, as if we had to watch the nude wrestling scene from Borat for an hour and a half.

Borat was built out of a strange sort of foreign innocence that can still deliver upon repeat viewings by virtue of his disturbing revelations of American society. Bruno, on the other hand, spawns out of the opposite, and watching the latter for more than fifteen minutes is disturbing in and of itself. Whereas Borat forced us to come to terms with an ugly underbelly of American society, there is a sense that Bruno reverses the camera, revealing less about any segment of society than the willing patrons in attendance.

2) The premiere of the sixth season of "Entourage" was so bad it was like watching a summary of last season sans the shrooming scene (just in case you missed season five, nothing happened). Ari has officially transformed from slightly sympathetic to straight up sadistic, Lloyd isn't funny, and Turtle's smoking-pot-in-the-bathtub relationship with Meadow Soprano is just about as believable as my Sunday strip poker sessions with Megan Fox.

Perhaps the only redeeming quality of the show at this point is Emmanuelle Chriqui, a.k.a. Sloan, who is so hot that we forget she can't act, or that she finds Kevin Connolly's prepubescence worth babysitting. Note: we will never see them in action because the TV might just explode out of confusion. Same goes for Turtle-Meadow.

My favorite part of the premiere had to be the conclusion, because the show actually tried to make us feel sorry for Vince, who had just nailed Sloan's steamy blonde friend in his Escalade and had no one to talk about it with...

Will someone just Gatsby him already? And I'm not talking about Scorcese.

3) HBO's new series "Hung" is actually pretty interesting though unbelievable for a couple of reasons:

A) Lenore, played by Rebecca Creskoff, wonders if she could have her ass licked by the Punisher, which is fine, but she actually says, "Will he lick my ass?" at speaking volume in front of a full salon.

B) Look at this family. The parents, played by The Punisher a.k.a. Thomas Jane and Anne Heche are in the center, the kids are surrounding them. How do these two sex symbols (in different ways) produce such hideous offspring? It's just plain uncomfortable to watch these brats when they enter the screen.

C) Why does he hook up with her?

Dem Blues of Disloyalty

2009-07-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Democrats must be feeling a little uneasy about their future these days...

Okay, maybe that's a stretch seeing as how Stuart Smalley's recount win in Minnesota busted any hopes of a Republican fillibuster("Doggone it, people like him!"), MC Sanford disappeared to pay an international tribute to John Edwards (Chapurowned!), not to mention the simple truth that there is no current "head of the Republican Party" since that fat fuck resigned to pursue a blossoming music career.

But even though the Democrats are sitting pretty for now and can basically pass whatever legislation President Obama wants, the future looks a bit more challenging for the blues due to two major resignations that have been announced over the past couple weeks.

Firstly, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villairagosa dropped out of the upcoming gubernatorial race, possibly due to his own adulterous past. Villairagosa would have certainly been the man to beat in the upcoming race as his popularity among minorities, especially the state's huge Hispanic voting body, is unprecedented in California history. His announcement, however, leaves the Democrats two remaining candidates: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Jerry Brown. Both of these choices may be too liberal for a California in the financial dumps. Neither of these candidates can really boast fiscal credibility or economic savvy. Though both men can show off various accomplishments in the trendy green sector, these blue bureaucrats might not be that attractive to the general public that has proven more conservative than most would have predicted. Given the economic times, the people just might put their faith in Her Bidness Meg Whitman. Her relatively centrist platform and business leadership, along with the clear opportunity for California to elect its first female governor ever could prove a feasible victory for the GOP.

Secondly, Sarah Palin quit as governor of Alaska, inspiring a national chorus of Gosh Darnits. The Republican Party had not been forewarned of her resignation, and when the announcement became public they responded with their own "Gee-Whiz!" Her resignation could mean that she's focusing all of her time on her potential 2012 candidacy, but it could also mean that she might not run for president. Either way, the Democrats lose their easiest target to date, for now if not forever, and will have to locate some new red fodder to replace her.

One final note: in light of the recent tragic death of quarterback and all-around badass Steve McNair, Villairagosa and Sanford should count their blessings that their mistresses have never been armed and dangerous.

!Mundo Monday!

2009-07-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

After celebrating a long, finger-lickin' good weekend commemorating our nation's independence, it seems appropriate to return to the world at large as it spins in the ongoing summer scoop...

Ginger Ail

FYI: There is an ethnic group known as the Uyghurs (pronounced Whee-gurs).

FYI: Uyghurs typically stand out among other Chinese as many have blue eyes and red hair, and live in the Xinjiang Province (an autonomous region formerly known as the Islamic East Turkestan Republic).

I repeat, there are ginger kids in China.

Ever since Mao occupied Uyghur territory tensions have remained high between the Chinese government and this Muslim minority eastern province. Immigration policies and incentives for ethnic Han (majority Chinese) have continued to challenge Uyghur majority in the region, and today these people occupy 50 percent of the region. Since September 11, 2001 and China's vocal support of the War on Terror Uyghur nationalists have been dubbed terrorists by the Chinese national government, and violent clashes between the majority Han Chinese military and Uyghur separatists have often been fatal occurrences.

Things have escalated further in the weeks following Obama's liberation of two Uyghurs formerly detained at Gitmo under terrorist charges by the Chinese government. Protests over two Uyghur factory workers erupted into turmoil that apparently led to the PLA to fire indiscriminately into a crowd of protestors, leaving 156 dead. At least 800 people have been labeled "injured" in what the Chinese government call the Xinjiang riots. Nominally autonomous regions continue to plague the Chinese state with its lifelong legacy of a disunified and diverse internal empire. Brutal crackdowns in Tibet and Xinjiang stand as living testament to China's domestic nature of insecurity and hark back to the tanks of Tiananmen.

From Russia, With Love

Obama has met with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to achieve a new nuclear arms reduction agreement as apart of his START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) initiative that will cut each country's current nuclear stockpile by thirty percent. These two countries alone account for 95 percent of the world's total nuclear weapons arsenal.

The governments hope to achieve military cooperation in Afghanistan, even if it just means Russia supplies some weapons. The issue of missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic will surely be discussed this week. The erection of new missile defense systems would support international relations' Offense-Defense theory which suggests that as offensive capability gives way to defensive strategy states can increase defense so as to sustain a period of relative peace. Way to go O-Ders...This Scud's for you.

A Sharpshooting Sham

2009-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking about going to see "Public Enemies," do yourself a favor and rent "Road to Perdition" instead. You'll thank me later.

"Public Enemies" is difficult to watch, and not because of its blood and violence. If anything, the shootouts pull this utterly broken time piece out of a static gutter, a testament to a brutal truth: tommy guns are the friggin' sweetest weapons in film next to light sabers (though shotguns ain't too shabby). The sounds of Depression-era weapons blasting through a digital audio filter are frightening, and the crossfire choreography, as expected from any Mann action flick, is deftly executed. But at the end of the day we do not care about any of these characters. The only evidence of their humanity ebbs red from their steaming corpses strewn across inexplicably bare Chicago streets.

The audience simply has no stake in the lives on the screen; the film's drama dribbles along a terribly misguided screenplay and score (if ever one was over an overture...). The script, co-written by Mann, a TV writer, and Ann Biderman ("Primal Fear"), does nothing but cater to formula. As the time piece awkwardly struggles to adapt to Mann's cutting-edge camera, the speakeasy script buries itself in cliche, leaving the audience waiting for the next gunshot to wake them up. The ominous, fatal silence that successfully opens the movie to surround the initial deaths of Pretty Boy Floyd and others fails to hold a substantial presence in the movie, removing any gravity that could have given the characters a tangible weight.

The production meanwhile puts all of its stake in the perceived nominal value of its cast that includes superstars Depp, Bale, and Cotillard. Even with these three monster talents, "Public Enemies" lacks dramatic or romantic resonance, and through Mann's high definition lens the story ironically proceeds without any defining depth. Dillinger becomes Depp's least interesting and least creative endeavor to date (see "Donnie Brasco" if you want to see him as a gangster). Dillinger's romance, including his romantic subplot with Billie (Cotillard) drags along after an all-too-sudden jumpstart, only to be laughed at until the over-the-top score sloppily reminds you that you should be taking this moment seriously.

On the other side of the law, Bale's Purvis could have been compelling if we knew something about him other than the fact that he is the quintessentially boring good cop. But we follow Purvis as a means to an end. Not the film's boring end, but rather the more appealing subplot that depicts the messy and painful birth of a national enforcement bureau under J. Edgar Hoover. "Public Enemies" is a mistake of a film whose only strength is its portrayal of mistakes. A silver screen turned grey: its only life seen in the smoke fading above empty black barrels.

Portrait Of An Artest...

2009-07-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

...As A Laker.

"L.A. is what it is." Those are the words of Ron Artest who, earlier today, told Ken Berger of CBS Sports that he is "definitely" going to the Lakers. The Los Angeles Times reports that talks between Artest and the Lakers should come to terms this afternoon.

This comes as a surprise not just because of the friction between Kobe and Artest in the Houston-LA playoff series, but Artest also claims he would "play there for nothing." This sounds like a prank, which wouldn't be past the trash-talking veteran, but on the other hand it sounds like a best possible situation for the Lakers. If Ariza decides to leave Los Angeles for the Rockets, the early acquisition of Artest is certain to become the talk of the NBA.

Artest has the power and determination to become a star in Los Angeles. A tough, bad boy New Yorker, his defense has been his greatest strength over his career and is greatly desired by an offensive powerhouse like the Lakers. Artest has that balance of Kobe's intensity and Odom's humor that will hit our city (emotionally) and others (physically).

Artest can put up big shots and use his strength to drive ferociously, but most important for our team is his defensive skill. Kobe and Artest could become one of the great defensive duos in the league, and facing each other in practice will make both of them better on both ends of the court.

Hold on to your seats, folks. And scratch everything I said about keeping Ariza. This deal is simply too good to pass up (or be true for that matter).

Aftermath

2009-07-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Before the long weekend ahead, let's discuss some recent developments in the weeks following the Lakers' championship season.

In a tale of two swingmen, it has been reported that Trevor Ariza is dissatisfied with the Lakers' initial offer of $5 million/year. The other free agent on the squad, Lamar Odom, has expressed his desire for a $10 million/year contract (taking a $4 million salary cut). Ariza, at just 24 years of age, has a tremendous upside that includes rebound ability, defensive smarts, and three-point shooting. A swingman plus, the former Bruin can undeniably play ball and has proven himself confident in the clutch, especially in the postseason.

Odom a.k.a. Gummy Bear, has ten years of experience, outstanding popularity among his teammates and an exceptional level of versatility (though I hesitate to agree with anyone claiming Odom's "ball-handling ability"). The big man stepped it up harder than just about anyone each night of the NBA Finals and played well in the overall postseason after a hot-cold winter-spring.

At the end of the day, it's difficult to discern who's a better investment for the Lakers, though many claim that Ariza's breakout season had much to do with the Kobe-Gasol-Odom threat that would draw defenders and leave number three free to drop bombs. What renders this argument slightly less convincing is the fact that Ariza did not start until the postseason, and his performance with the bench team was just as good. Odom is a bigger loss for this team with respect to winning a championship in 2010, but trading Ariza would leave a major hole in the long-term Laker future. Furthermore, what Ariza displayed in the postseason was nothing short of spectacular from such a young acquisition.

Whether by steal or by triple, at home or away, Ariza's play, more than perhaps anyone else on the team, put out opponents' fire. While Kobe's superhuman focus would keep the team in the game, Ariza's big play factor in the clutch allowed him to redefine what we understand as swingman: he swung momentum.

It would be sad to see either forward leave, but I gotta keep the young'n if I'm thinking dynasty. The Lakers could really hit the jackpot by dealing Odom for a more consistent, younger three-point shooter and rebounder. It would be a blow to the team's charismatic, sugar sweet core, but Odom's inconsistent and lazy play in the regular season next to Ariza's consistent growth and work ethic was frustrating to watch, to say the least. But don't get me wrong, I genuinely hope both players can stay here to win again. Let us also keep in mind that this is merely an initial offer by the Lakers, and plenty of negotiating will follow.

Last Night...

2009-06-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

I saw these guys. Twenty bucks later, Mundo Monday became Metal Funday...

Steel Panther, the band formerly known as Metal Skool, played at a packed Key Club last night. For those too young to have experienced the Sunset Strip in its hair metal heyday, Monday's midnight gave their (our) souls a belated spandexorcism. Many in the crowd, however, were definitely reliving the golden age of glam.

Van Halen to Crue, Steel Panther covered hit after hit interspersed with some "original" work. They are an entertaining bunch, and the show is, like the music, all about the girls, girls, girls. In sum, the tunes were loud and the bars were busy at this Monday night Hollywood staple.

A certain topless two-pair came on stage to leave the audience scarred for life. Let's just say they both have or will have SERIOUS BACK PROBLEMS.

It's dirty, lewd, and it just might be the best way to spend Monday night in the NFL offseason.

!Mundo Monday!

2009-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

From this day forth, Monday is the day we take a step back and ask, "What's up, World?"

Lots of interesting stuff happening around el mundo:

Te-Juicy-Galpa

Four years after an extraordinarily close (3%) presidential election and Bush's implementation of CAFTA, the Honduran population is up in arms after the democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya was detained by the military. Zelaya and his supporters were arrested after he fired the armed forces commander Romeo Vasquez Velasquez. Velasquez's removal followed a failed referendum that would have allowed Zelaya to be re-elected for another four-year term. A Latin American advocacy group believes that Velasquez was trained in the United States.

Honduran presidents can only remain in command for four years in the current constitutional system. Zelaya's referendum would have changed the Honduran constitution, a constitution that was infamously crafted during the Reagan Administration's Latin American interventions. As we know from the United States' federal experience, four years is a surprisingly short period of time to get legislation passed. Honduras is currently the second poorest country in Latin America, and Zelaya had introduced widespread propaganda messaging in May 2007 to help quell what he then called "a campaign of misinformation" regarding his legitimacy.

Since the military detained Zelaya and his supporters, protesters have taken to the streets to denounce the military and judicial branches. The population seems to be divided at best in its support for Zelaya, a reminder that not much has changed since he was elected to office. Although Zelaya had been elected upon a conservative platform, he currently holds the largest amount of support among labor unions and social groups as his policies have continually pushed left on the political spectrum.

Zelaya has enjoyed relative approval in the West and across the world despite his recent dealings with Venezuela's Leftist leader Hugo Chavez. The U.S. and Honduras have continued a strong relationship between armed forces. Chavez currently claims that the U.S. orchestrated the coup. Secretary of State Clinton, the Obama Administration, and the vast majority of the United Nations currently condemn the coup and support a controlled, legal impeachment and election process.

Brazil's Still The Best

The United States international soccer team lost the Confederation Cup final in heartbreaking fashion yesterday, giving up three goals to Brazil in the second half after leading 2-0 at halftime. After coming out strong in Johannesburg to prove that Americans can compete with the world's best clubs, twenty-nine year old Sao Paoloan Luis Fabiano scored two of Brazil's three (including this lightning strike in the first minute of the second half) to capture the game's momentum. Fabiano fulfilled his promise of averaging one goal per game in the tournament on top of lifting his team to win a second straight Confed Cup trophy. Following the match, an ESPN reporter asked USA star Landon Donovan if he thought the USA had earned respect going into the World Cup qualifiers. "We don't want respect," he replied, "We want to win."

In other news, the United States prepares its troops for their first major withdrawal from Iraq (scheduled for tomorrow). The current American death toll stands at 4,317 after a casualty was reported earlier today.

Remembering A Legend

2009-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Farewell, King of Pop

2009-06-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sources of TMZ have just reported Michael Jackson dead at the age of 50. He was sent to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. A life riddled in controversy, may he rest in peace. He might have done more to change how we perceive and receive modern music than anyone in the last fourty years. From his prodigious performance in "I Want You Back" to the moonwalks of "Billie Jean," Michael Jackson set a standard for pop artists that has proven near impossible to meet. A life cut short by difficult circumstance, there is no doubt that he will live on as a music legend for all generations to admire.

After wishing his family condolences, one can't help but wonder how AEG feels after investing over $20 million in promoting Jackson's London comeback tour that had been scheduled for later this year.

"Whatever" Doesn't Really Work

2009-06-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sony Pictures Classics (2009)

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off The Residual with a review of a genuine film leftover. "Whatever Works" was a script Woody Allen wrote in his golden age (early Seventies), at the point in his career when the characters may have been relevant and its sexism acceptable. After watching this 93-minute, thirty-some-odd years delayed experiment in "rom-com nihilism," the major question one has to ask is, what does Mr. Allen, with this strange New York love affair, wish to accomplish through the discomfiting condescension of Nobel Prize Runner Up Boris Yelnikoff? Furthermore, should the audience -- the primary bearer of Yelnikoff's peevish "genius" -- accept this condescension as willingly at face value as the thickheaded supporting characters on the screen?

Now don't get me wrong. Not everything in this film is a failure. I even laughed a few times (the Viagra/red meat exchange quickly comes to mind). It's script is well-intentioned for the most part, even innovative in Boris' "breaking the fourth wall": a device employed to amusingly affirm Yelnikoff's otherworldly intelligence. I get it (though Alvy Singer did it better, at least more tastefully in "Annie Hall"). Hell, the directing is as glowingly affectionate as "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." But after the patient feminine complexity that allowed "Vicky" to succeed, there is simply no defense for the bizarre, underdeveloped and rushed (anti)romance that twists and turns "Whatever Works" inside out to reveal an unsettling lack of patience, a lack of soul, and a vacuum as empty as those Boris Yelnikoff studied in his academic years.

Whether the major disappointment with "Whatever" comes from the flaws of the script or Larry David's unsurprising inability to act as someone other than Larry David is up for debate, but any devout Woodyite will admit that a genuine comedic screenplay of his is immediately recognizable in its rough edges. These edges that more often than not roughen further under time's unforgiving press had been softened in the past by Allen's scrawny, harmless on-camera "innocence" that allowed us to patiently forgive the awkward or pretentiously obscure references thrown at silver screen damsels. This was because there was a sense that he was "speaking himself." That is, the lines felt natural even during Allen's most difficult neurotic moments. David's Boris is simply too difficult to digest and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth as his "As Good As It Gets"-ish moment of high horse failure proceeds to limp toward the plot's leaping conclusion. The necessary sympathetic backbone of the rom-com spirit comes up short; as brittle as its protagonist and at times impatiently contrived in its most (emotionally and sexually) liberated moments.

This is not to say that the other actors on the screen are much better than David. The characters at times seem to look past and "talk through" rather than to each other. The dialogue's delivery feels rushed, impatient and sometimes predictable. Even Evan Rachel Wood, who seems to shine through her most disturbed characters (cf. "Thirteen," "The Wrestler"), comes off as annoyingly sweet and overly accepting of Boris' geriatric curmudgeonitis. As with Wood's previous roles, however, her Melody continues to have mommy and daddy separation issues. Wood's (and Woody's) Melody lacks any sass that would effectively balance her naive Southern "hospitality." The movie loses its melody and romance in her redundant, tension-less motif that flutters aimlessly on its far off one dimension.

While Allen's homecoming presents itself as perhaps his most subtle affair with the Big Apple, the movie's internal romance lacks any semblance of subtlety. As a Woody fan, you don't expect patience from his comedic pen or vision, but patient subtlety may have been the one missing element that could have allowed "Whatever Works" to live up to its name; an element that could have helped to polish the crowns of two true kings of comedy.

Welcome to Blahg

2009-06-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hello one and all! Thanks for visiting my blog, The Residual.

For those of you who don't know me, here are five facts to keep in mind as we embark on this weird and wonderful journey together:

1) My name is Nathan (pronounced nay-thun).

2) I am an unabashed Valley Boy (Go Lakers. Go Dodgers.)

3) I am a California Golden Bear, Class of 2009. (Go Bears.)

4) As an undergraduate I wrote for the Arts Review section of The Daily Californian for over three years and conducted international trade research for Berkeley's Political Science Department for one year.

5) I listen to lots of music, watch a lot of sports, see lots of movies, read lots of books, eat lots of food and attend lots of concerts.

I began this blog as a kind of evolving journal through which I could share, record, and compare opinions and discussions regarding political and cultural events as well as the annals and canons of contemporary social memory. Having just graduated college, I decided it might be interesting and fun to record my experiences, tastes and understandings as a young adult in one of the most dynamic and challenging points in modern world history.

re·sid·u·al
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a residue.
2. Remaining as a residue.
n.
1. The quantity left over at the end of a process; a remainder.
2. A payment made to a performer, writer, or director for each repeat showing of a recorded television show or commercial. Often used in the plural.

This blog aims firstly to act as a kind of cyber-Tupperware, i.e. a virtual container for the leftovers of our ever-evolving culture. As we take time to appreciate these delicious morsels of history, The Residual will often pay respect to those thinkers, innovators, and performers that deserve our retrospective time, appreciation or criticism.
(Definition of "residual" courtesy of http://www.thefreedictionary.com)

"A residual, unlike statistical error, is an observable estimate of the unobservable statistical error."
(Wikipedia, "Statistical Error and Residual")

The Residual will also act as a container (Tupperware, people) of critical observations surrounding the perceived errors of our time (and, inevitably, the errors of those who mean to represent our time).

Some Residual posts will simply be questions that I will attempt to answer to the best of my ability, but I would like this to be as interactive as possible, so don't hesitate to comment or try and answer the question yourself.