Is Lady Gaga a Genius?

Lady Gaga sure seems to understand selling. Does that make her a genius? May be. All I know for certain is I'm no fan of dance music, but I can listen to Lady Gaga. And her all out marketing blitz around tomorrow's release of her new album has worked on me. I watched parts of the HBO special and was entertained. I saw her with JT on SNL and found her funny and engaging. And then the $.99 release of the new album "Born This Way" on Amazon this morning. Color me silly cuz' I clicked the buy it button.

Again, I am no lover of dance music, but I enjoy a cleverly crafted pop song and am a bit of personal rights kind of guy. The single "Born this Way" caught my attention when performed live on the HBO Monster's Ball special and then again on SNL. There is something instantly familiar and retro in the chorus to this tune. And there is no way any human should take exception the the lyrical content. a little heavy on the Christan references for me but that's almost a good thing as it makes those evangelical freaks sit and spin.

It doesn't matter if you love him or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'Cause you were born this way, baby

My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir

There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are
She said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far
Listen to me when I say

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way, born this way

Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way
Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be

Give yourself prudence and love your friends
Subway kid, rejoice of truth
In the religion of the insecure
I must be myself, respect my youth

A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M
I love my life, I love this record and
Mi amore vole fe yah

I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret,
{ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lady-gaga-lyrics/born-this-way-lyrics.html }
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way
Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way

Don't be drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're Lebanese, you're orient

Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way

No matter gay, straight or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to survive

No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to be brave

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way, yeah

Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way
Ooh, there ain't no other way, baby, I was born this way
I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way
I was born this way, hey
I was born this way, hey
I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way, hey

I was born this way, hey
I was born this way, hey
I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way, hey




Skip to 2:30 in this video unless you want your mind to melt.

So there it is. I grabbed Lady Gaga's new album a day early for one small buck and I ain't ashamed. It's good! Apparently she's taking shit for the mass marketing and the album itself. Whatever. I think its cool.


Get it at Amazon

2011 Marks The Return Of The Smithereens

2011 marks a strong comeback for The Smithereens. In this day and age of instant and immediate information and gratification, The Smithereens have released and album full of seemingly effortless pop gems easily on par with the band’s most successful efforts. After repeated listenings I’m thinking 2011 has all the earmarks of being the best thing the band has done.

2011 is a tight and fulfilling collection of wonderful songs bound together by the fantastic production of Don Dixon producer of two of the Smithereens best albums 1986’s Especially For You and 1988’s Green Thoughts. The album’s engineer Mitch Easter is another 80’s pop legend whose voice can be heard in the album’s grooves. The Smithereens are a tight punchy power packed outfit with a solid rhythm section of drummer Dennis Diken and bassist Severo Jornacion. The thick bottom end lets Guitarist Jim Babjak lay down a variety of wonderful guitars ranging from jangle pop to classic power chording. His work is tasty, powerful and his strong contributions combined with Easter’s sugary production give the album some real texture and depth. Of course Pat Dinizio pours his cough syrupy vocals over the entire confection making 2011 a prime example of ear candy.

Does this all seem a little too glowing to be objective? You might be right to think such a thing, but this album stands up to repeated listens and proves itself a pop classic by working its way into all the nooks and crannies in your back brain. Stand out songs include the pre-release single “Sorry” as well as “Rings On Her Fingers,” the moody “Goodnight Goodbye,” and the outstanding “Viennese Hangover.” The track “Viennese Hangover” highlights everything great about his album with its strong songwriting, perfect ensemble performances and super tasty production touches.

So yeah, I’m most impressed and pleased to hear one of the great underrated bands from the 80’s bring the stuff in and with 2011. With this release The Smithereens reestablish their well respected place in the power pop world.

Get 2011 at Amazon

Supersuckers

Some say they are sell outs. I could care less. They rock! Visit my YouTube channel for more.

Hey Baseball Fans! It's Opening Day

Opening day means Summer is on its way. Today our good friends at YepRoc records are offering this delightful album for the pittance of $3.99 for digital download. This is a modern day supergroup featuring Steve Wynn (The Miracle 3, The Dream Syndicate), Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, R.E.M.), Linda Pitmon (The Miracle 3, Golden Smog) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.) so you know it will be a strong effort. Have a listen and download the album.

Helson Tortuga

Sunday, March 13, 2011. I saw a post from my good buddy Tony Duronio at 3T linking me to the Oceanictime blog where a teaser for the new Helson dive watch had been posted. This was enough to grab my interest.

Monday, March 14, 2011. I receive an email from Peter Helson alerting me to the offering for sale of the new Helson dive watch. Again I find myself being drawn to the watch. The distinct retro diver styling appeals as does the offered orange dial. I’ve sampled many of the “boutique” divers and enjoyed most if not all. The new Helson Tortuga utilizes the Miyota 9015 hacking movement, and I have yet to sample this movement. An easy rationalization. Monday afternoon I placed my order.



Thursday, March 17, 2011. The FedEx man drops the Tortuga off at my home. Later that day I get to experience that unique sensation whereby something that was halfway around the world just a few days ago is now in your hands. Tortuga #87 now resides in Packerland, USA.

The Tortuga arrives in a nice valet case with two bezels, a bronze bezel changing tool, and both a rubber Isofrane style strap and a thick leather strap. As with many of the boutique brands, the entire package only adds to the satisfaction of the purchase. In the Tortuga’s case you can have four distinct versions of the watch. That’s pretty cool.



The Tortuga has serious dive watch specifications and all the right bits one would look for in a dive watch. Not to mention the instantly familiar case calls to mind vintage divers from the late 60’s and early 70’s. While the watch has a distinct vintage vibe to it you wouldn’t quite label it as an outright homage as it takes design cues from the period and makes a new watch that feels lived in. This is the first Helson watch I’ve purchased and if the Tortuga is indicative of the brand I think I’ll be a return customer.

All the right bits, huh? Well what is it that most of us look for in a dive watch? Ridiculous waster resistance. Rated to 1000 meters, the Tortuga certainly qualifies as a deep diver. Just in case I feel the need for saturation diving the Tortuga comes equipped with an automatic helium release valve. Oh and I need lume for all those cave dives. The Tortuga qualifies as a torch especially when outfitted with its lumed bezel. A thick sapphire crystal with obligatory anti reflective treatment encapsulates a tastefully done orange dial with heavy indices.






This is my first watch using the newish Miyota 9015 hacking movement. Operation is smooth and positive. This movement is made to measure up to the Swiss ETA movements featured by numerous watch makers. The 9015 is hackable, hand winding, and operates at the familiar 28,800 bph making for a smooth running sweep. I haven’t tested accuracy as of yet but will update this review after some timing.

The supplied bezel removal tool is a breeze to use. Simply fit to the raised stainless ring surround the crystal and unscrew. Reverse to mount the alternate bezel. I’m a fan of the beefy black lumed bezel but see the appeal of the stainless bezel with the colored keyed hashes. Both give the watch a separate look and both are quite visually appealing. Truth be told I had the stainless bezel on for only a few minutes before I went back to the black bezel.




The Tortuga arrives mounted on a nice Isofrane style rubber strap. This set up is very comfortable to me and with the watch case measuring 43mm in diameter and 16mm in height the Tortuga doesn’t need a heavy bracelet to balance it on the wrist. The supplied leather strap is nice, but I’m not a fan of leather on dive watches so I haven’t mounted it. With 22mm lug width the watch does beg to be manhandled by the strappies out there. I also think a mesh bracelet might look nice on the Tortuga.




I’m quite happy with the Tortuga after spending just a week together. There seem to be quite a few in the wild at the moment so we’ll see how many WIS hold on to them and how many flip them.





Thanks for having a look and I have to apologize. It has been some time since I put one of these together and last week I was so overjoyed to take pictures outdoors in natural light that I didn’t do a good job of wiping down the watch. So I apologize for the fingerprints, smears, and crud on the watch case and crystal.

Long Term With The Ball Fireman

I’ve had the pleasure of spending about 2 ½ years with my Ball Fireman 43mm and thought I’d pass on some of my long term impressions of the watch. The fireman is one of the mainstays of my collection and really falls somewhere between a dress and sport watch. I purchased mine on the leather strap and wish I had gotten it on a bracelet, but at the time I made my purchase I wasn’t able to get the blue numerals with a bracelet. I’ve since put the watch on a color keyed silicon strap after trying some other rubber combinations and find this to be a great match.

Let’s get the specifications out of the way: (shamelessly cribbed from Ball Watch USA)

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Sweep Seconds, DateCase: Stainless Steel, Diameter: 43mm, Height: 11.1mm Bezel: PlainGlass: Anti-Reflection Convex Sapphire CrystalCrown: Screwed Type3H Gas Light: 16 Micro Gas Tubes on Hour, Minute, Second Hands and Dial for Night Reading Capability. Movement: Automatic Calibre ETA 2824-2Band: Stainless Steel Bracelet or Calf LeatherWater Resistant: 100m / 330 ft.Shock Resistant: Withstand 5,000Gs Shock Test Dial: Black with Orange, Yellow or Blue Accent

I suppose we need to talk about the tubes to begin. What can be said about the micro gas tubes? They glow strong and long and allow maximum legibility under zero light conditions. Part of my attraction to this particular model was the fact it only had 16 tubes and didn’t include tubes in the numerals. This gives the watch a very conventional and classy look. In my opinion some of the Ball models just look too overtly tube based, especially when the tubes are incorporated into the numeral on the dial, giving them a rather blocky appearance. Suffice it to say the 16 tubes provide plenty of light for reading. In fact, this is one of the few watches my wife has ever acknowledged as being cool. I distinctly remember her commenting n it as we tucked my young daughter into bed one night some time back. She actually said, “Cool watch” and believe me while she is understanding about this hobby, she is mostly ambivalent about my timepieces. Some might argue the tubes on a Luminox or Traser might glow brighter and I don’t think I would argue that point as my Traser Unterwasser has tubes that just beam, but the Fireman provides more than enough light for reading the time in zero light.

Many might classify the Fireman’s dial as military style, but it’s never given me that vibe. The dial itself, while matte still has a touch of luster giving it depth and character. The dial has tubes at five minute increments with 12:00 being occupied by two tubes. In addition each tube/indice is marked by a blue accent with the 12 and 6 Arabic’s also being the same hue. I believe Ball offered the accents in both orange and yellow along with the blue. The date at 3:00 might look tougher with a black date wheel. The hands are thick sword style with tubes. They are painted black at the axis and then abruptly become white for maximum contrast which again equate to high legibility. The seconds hand features a tube and at its tail the Ball RR logo adds a touch of historic class. This neat arrangement resides under a flat “convex” sapphire which has AR on the inside. The crystal practically disappears making one want to dive right in the inky dial. This dial is handsome, simple, and elegant with a touch of utility. At 43mm with very little bezel, the dial is large without being monstrous, allowing the wearer plenty of presence without being too in your face.

The case and crown on the watch are nothing short of amazing at the asking price. The case is brushed in finish and has held up amazingly well showing little to no wear. The lugs are generous and curve gently downward making the fireman extremely comfortable to those with even the daintiest of wrists. The case sides are stepped from the lugs which make it subtly refined and rich. The case steps up to the bezel adding another layer of dimension to the case. I often find myself caressing the case side and lugs as I find the gentle curve of the case and lugs mildly intoxicating. All this finished with and intriguing caseback design which speaks to the railroad heritage of the Ball brand.

The ETA 2824 is set by the use of a generous crown. The crown build and operation are the equivalent of watches costing double the asking price of this Ball. The crown is finished nicely with ridges for easy grasping and the Ball RR logo. The crown screws in and all functions operate smoothly as surely with no slop whatsoever.
The 2824 has proven to be a stalwart and though I haven’t ever opened the case, my assumption is this is a high grade movement as it has broken in nicely and run darn near within COSC spec. I really couldn’t ask for more in this regard.

The supplied strap perfectly fit the 21mm lugs and came equipped with a beefy tang clasp. As I am a bit of a sweater and was wearing the strap roughly I’ve long since swapped it out for aftermarket numbers in 22mm. I favor rubber and silicon on the Fireman which may detract from the somewhat dressy side of the watch, but I find this allows me to give the watch much more use. With its screwdown crown and overall quality build, I find the Fireman a perfect companion that I can wear with little regard to preserving it.

I’ve described the watch in detail but let me tell you what I really think. Simply put, the Ball Fireman was well wroth what I paid for it, and I bought it well. The fit and finish and quality of the build of the watch and components are easily on a par with watches which might be defined a luxury watches. This is a finely made Swiss timepiece and should be cherished as such. I also find the 43mm size to be ideal for my 7.25 wrist. This is a large watch which really never appears so. Its size is subtle and the case remains thin at about 11mm so the fireman never overpowers the wearer. This is a watch which would be right at home on the large or small wrested among us. Performance and durability have been outstanding again rivaling the best Swiss timepieces. I’ve still got about three months left on the warranty (Ball offered and additional year upon registering your watch) and can’t imagine I’ll need to test Ball’s warranty service.

I find myself wanting another Ball (always best to have a pair of Balls), but often I’m thrown by the other designs Ball has come out with. Some are too “Ballish” for me while others puzzle me like the models featuring 2836 movements with split day/date. I like the Aviator and Aviator GMT but most often I simply find myself quite contented by the Fireman.

Tim P. Is A Douchebag

Most of you know me to be a fairly reasonable WIS. However when provoked I can turn downright ugly. Well let me share a little story which has pissed me off to no end.

Sunday afternoon and I am at my cousin and best bud’s house enjoying the Packers/Vikings game. I step into his office and do a quick check of the watch sales forums. Lo and behold, I see a watch I want on WUS. It’s a Hamilton Aviation QNE. I log into WUS and send the seller a message stating I’ll take the watch. I then log out as this isn’t my computer. I return to the real world and think nothing of it.

Later I go home, have dinner with the family and then log into check my messages. Goes like this:

My message is sent to seller at 1614

He responds with his PayPal info at 1627

He sends another message at 1745 asking if I want the watch.

He sends another message at 1851 stating he has sold the watch to another party.

Unfortunately, I did not check my messages until after 1851. The seller was then unwilling to reverse his deal and hung me out to dry. I didn’t realize it was a race.

So, am I just a slacker or is this guy a douchebag? In my eyes he is clearly a 100% douchebag. I’ve been around the watch forums for years, and when I say I’ll take it you can count on being paid. This shithead should know better!

Am I pissed?? Just a touch. As a public service to prevent this dick from acting like a child with anyone else and to extract a small measure of revenge I am making this post. For your information the seller is Tim P., a serial flipper who lists on most of the major sales sites. He had best stay far away from 3T or he’ll feel the wrath. So be advised: TIM P. IS A DOUCHEBAG.

And if anyone has this watch and wants to flip it please give me a holler.