Rotorglow

This past week was a strange one. It started out simultaneously awkward and hopeful, with a new employment caper I'm not prepared to talk about yet, and a reconnection with an old friend. There was a humdrum week in the middle, unremitting cold and vague flashes of something new (or at least happy and familiar). There were also some stupendous hijinks at the Phoenix with Tim and Albert, where a completely bizarre dude, upon finding out I was from Philadelphia, seemed to accuse *me* of stealing Ben Franklin from Boston. The week wrapped up with more friends (some new and fascinating) and bowling, a nice Sixers win against the Wiz (Antonio Daniels is still looking for his shoes), an utterly unfamiliar sense of well-being, a haircut, a huge and wonderful Tarheels win at Duke (check out Noel's dunk, Hansbrough's three, and Redick's bricks), and an intensely irritating Sixers loss to the Pacers.

So....lots of ups, and no significant downs (I'll trade a Sixers loss for a Tarheels win any day at this time of the year). And almost none of them were expected. And I rather like that.

I know I can look this up, and I plan to, but for now:

Can anyone help me figure out when (or more to the point, why) "issue" became a synonym for "problem?" My feeling is that it's related to the customer service industry not wanting to admit to "problems" coupled with a vague sense people have that uncommon words make the speaker sound smarter. (See, for example, that special patois that police officers have--"At that time, the perpetrator did hastily abscond with a late-model sedan, possibly a Ford or some other American vehicle").

When did we stop saying what we mean? When did we stop understanding what we're saying?

As Anthony Lane said about Yoda, "Break me a fucking give."

Why does my ear hurt when I belch? - Ask.com Search

Check the first (unsponsored) hit on the results page for the best group of search terms ever.

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Originally uploaded by rotorglow at 10 Mar '06, 5.33am PST.

On a trip to NYC a few years ago, my friend John and I were at a club waiting for Stephane Pompougnac (of the Hotel Costes mixes) to spin. We wandered downstairs to kill some time (and not-partake of the bottle service) and there was some generally awful hip hop. But it made for a handful of good pix.

Tim and I have done it again: spent countless minutes surfing the globe to bring you the finest in bloated automotive sheetmetal. The idea was his, but we're both honored to announce the launch of Coupe-Brougham: wordless car porn focusing on vinyl roofs, unnecessarily hidden headlights, dueling multitone paint jobs, opera lights, and oval portal windows. American luxo-boat goodness is our pledge to you.

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Related: Tim's announcement.

I can't tell you how much fun I'm having with Coupe-Brougham.

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Originally uploaded by rotorglow at 27 Apr '05, 1.53am PST.

This is Brian, my best friend from college.

Brian and I used to play in a band called Wicked Bison.

Now he plays bass and sings in a band called Hooper.

Hooper writes songs about the movies of Burt Reynolds, including, of course, the masterwork Hooper, about the adventures of an aging stuntman.

Hooper (the band) has been around for a number of years. I think I saw first saw them in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1992 or 1993. Most recently, I saw them play in New York City, in April, 2005.

Hooper is playing again on April 8, at the Lakeside Lounge, in NYC's East Village. I'm going to be there, and you should be too. I can't wait.