I'm always on the lookout for new Marduk stuff, so I periodically Google the snot out of "Marduk" and "Morgan Håkansson" looking for (preferably) the most obscure pictures and videos I can find...well, today payed off in a big way!

According to YouTube, this video has been up for 7 months, and either it wasn't tagged properly 7 months ago, or YouTube has been holding out on me because there's no way I would have missed this otherwise!

As you will see, it's in Swedish (my Swedish isn't that good, so I only get a word or two here and there, although I can get the gist -- any of you Swedes who are visiting my site, if you want to help me out with a translation I would be eternally grateful!) and the sound and visual quality are nearly total crap, but then the video was shot in 1993! So, yeah, this is some really old footage of Marduk and, unless I'm very much mistaken, a very young Jon Nödtveidt!

So, even if you don't understand even 1/4 of what is being said, watch it for the sheer joy of seeing a 20-year-old Morgan Håkansson show off!

So, unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard the dulcet, melodious tones of Friday, by Rebecca Black... You've probably also come across the bazillion or so parodies of it. Well, I was watching MTV Hits tonight and heard the new song, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), by Katy Perry. I can't guarentee it was originally meant to be a response to Rebecca Black (I don't know which one was written first) but it definitely is now - Rebecca Black is even in it (so, all those people who made fun of her, well, who's laughing now?). Of course Katy Perry's is way better and the official video is actually a mini movie complete with well-known actors and musicians in key roles. I'm posting both here so you can compare them, but if you haven't listened to Rebecca Black yet, bear in mind, I've never actually been able to make it all the way through the Rebecca Black song, so be warned.

Without further ado...

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) -- Katy Perry

Burden

I, once upon a time
Carried a burden inside
I sung a last goodbye
A broken rhyme I had underlined
There's an ocean of sorrow in you

A sorrow in me

I saw movement in their eyes
They said I no longer knew the way
I had given up the ghost
A passive mind submit to fear
And the wait for redemption at hand

Waiting to fail

Failing again

If death should take me now
Count my mistakes and let me through
Whisper in my ear
You've taken more than we've received
And the ocean of sorrow is you

So, 2 years ago I joined deviantART because I wanted to view somebody's work. I have totally neglected it for...2 years. I have finally decided to do something with it, so there is something there to check out now. I have only uploaded a few things; there will be more in the future. So check it out...or don't.

Being of the poor persuasion I am all about the free stuff. And what's better than getting some free Iron Maiden?! Iron Maiden just released a "best of" album today called From Fear To Eternity, and they are giving away two free tracks from it on their Facebook page! You can find the downloads here. Yes, it's a Facebook app, but after getting the goods just get rid of the app...that's what I did.

Here's one of my favorite Maiden songs to listen to while you download:

So, tomorrow is Sweden's national day. It's only 8 years old...they weren't so quick to officially recognize their freedom, although you'll see a whole lot more flags a-flying in Sweden than probably anywhere else! Too bad it's taboo to be patriotic in the US...Anyway, in celebration of Sweden (and my Swedish heritage), here is the best version of the Swedish national song yet (only until someone comes out with a better version, Sabaton, so maybe you shouldn't rest on your laurels! *hint, hint)! SING IT!

 

What is wrong with people? There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason to some of the idiotic things they do. Coming home yesterday I was irritated by the vagaries of human nature. Why is it that people will speed in a 55 mph zone but curb crawl in a 75??! I have advice for you people: cruise control; learn it, use it. It's not that hard! And it saves you lead-footing it through some areas and light-footing it through others. As cruise control is standard on most American cars there is absolutely no excuse for you to not use it! So, yeah, I was a little road-ragey yesterday...

But that means that I did get to go to Spring Glen, and it was a pretty awesome trip...mostly. We didn't leave until around 10 am, and there was some question whether we'd be going at all. I had to reassure my mother that all would be well when we got to the top of Spanish Fork Canyon. She didn't really believe me (I could tell) but we went anyway.

The trip down was fairly interesting. Shortly before we left it was raining. Then it stopped. It sprinkled until just before Point of the Mountain...at which time it turned into a downpour. It cleared up just before we entered the canyon, and by the time we reached Soldier Summit is was nice and sunny. And it stayed that way for the rest of the day.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

On the journey down we had intended to stop at Hill Air Force Base to go to the commissary (and get me more lingonberry jam!). Unfortunately...or fortunately, depending on how you look at it...they were doing one of their 100% ID checks. As I don't have a military ID, I couldn't go in. We decided to drop me off at the Hill Aerospace Museum and the parental unit would go to the commissary.

Having never been to the museum before I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I know I didn't expect what I got. I was pleasantly surprised by the scope of the exhibits. This isn't just a puny collection of planes, they also have missiles, military memorabilia, and various aviation-related paraphernalia. It was impressive. I was impressed.

The complex is made up of a building and an outdoor lot. The outdoor lot hosts a collection of airplanes. The planes progress from small to ginormous and you soon discover that movies just don't give you a true understanding of the enormity of some of these behemoths! The realization of just how large they are really only strikes you when you're walking under the tail of a Stratotanker or Stratofortress...

BELOW: Stratotanker Front.

BELOW: Stratotanker from the back. You can see the fueling arm sticking out under the tail.

BELOW: B-52G Stratofortress.

BELOW: B-52G from the side.

BELOW: B-52G wingspan...so big it has to have extra wheels on the wings! According to my dad, when they are under full payload they are so heavy the extra wheels are necessary.

The building is made up of three rooms; a small, antechamber-like building that houses a fascinating array of Air Force and aviation uniforms; a middle-sized (but very large) room with some early aviation memorabilia; and a huge room that houses a magnificent collection of military aircraft, bombs, and missiles.

BELOW: Air sickness chair. This was used to test the intestinal fortitude of prospective pilots!

BELOW: Flight simulator. It's tiny...

BELOW: Nazi artifacts.

BELOW: M-61 Vulcan Cannon.

BELOW: Peacekeeper ICBM.

BELOW: Ambulance. Because you always have to have a meat wagon...

If you are in Utah or planning to come to Utah and you have never been to this museum, I highly recommend it. Especially if you're any kind of history or military buff.  Should you like to go, the museum is open seven days a week from 9:00 AM-4:30 PM. Admission is FREE, but monetary donations are, of course, gratefully accepted. The museum is closed only three times a year, on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. To get there, take the 335 Exit from I-15, turn onto East 650 North/Main Street. Follow this onto Wardleigh Road and you are there. You'll know you've arrived when you see the planes on your right.

After our brief visit to the Base we then continued on to Spring Glen. Dad made a general announcement that once we reached Highway 6 he wasn't driving any more. Mom said she didn't want to drive because she was tired, so it fell to me (I knew all along that's what he wanted, it was silly of them to act like it wasn't...). In order to change drivers we stopped at the fabulous Little Acorn. Opened in 1972, the Little Acorn has been a staple for many people who travel through the Canyon. It's certainly been a staple for our family. So trip through Spanish Fork Canyon would be complete without a stop there to at least have one of their stellar shakes! Oh, and food isn't half bad, either! Yummy burgers and sandwiches on thick homemade bread...mmmm. Don't let the ambiance turn you off...it is a little sketchy-looking...the food is really good.

Part 2 of the trip still to come. Stay tuned.

This last week...okay, two weeks...has been murder on me. Don't know why, but I have had less motivation than usual and I'm only just now starting to recover. Maybe I just don't like sunny weather?

Anyway, since I'm feeling a bit livelier I thought I'd share some music with you...if you can call it that! Let's face it Danzig is becoming increasingly less relevant (if he ever was relevant to begin with). But here's his newest music video...WARNING: this is not only NSFW, but it's NSF anyone who has issues with naked boobs...and bad music. It's not that I don't normally like Danzig...there are certainly some songs that I do love...it's just that he's sounding a little...hackneyed here. And not only that, but he's starting to sound old, and not a good kind of old, either.

Anyway, the song is called "Ju Ju Bone" (gag) and it's boring as all get out, but some of you may like the video...

I love music, I listen to it pretty much all day, every day. But the music I listen to is entirely dependent on what mood I'm in; if I'm angry I want angry music, if I'm depressed I want sad music, etc, etc. A few months ago I came across a a techno-industrial band called Assemblage 23 (it's actually a one-man project, not really a "band"). It's techno-industrial and it's very, very good. If you like either techno or industrial then you will probably like Assemblage 23, especially check out the album Meta. I've chosen the song "Sorry" from that album, as an introduction (I had a hard time deciding which song to choose because, frankly, there are no bad songs on this album). I love this song because I can dedicate it to so many people...

 

Also, if you like this then you should check out the solo band of Magnus "Devo" Andersson (of Marduk) called Overflash. If you don't like Marduk, don't let that put you off because Overflash is nothing like Marduk, it's heavy techno-industrial (or, as Devo describes it, "Cyberdeath Metal"). It has elements of Frontline Assembly and Red Harvest, so if you like either of those bands then you might like this, too. If you want to check it out, the Overflash demo is freely downloadable on the website.

It started with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (or, in the original Swedish: Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (which doesn't mean the same thing at all...why people insist on changing the titles when they translate the books into another language makes no sense to me), then continued with The Girl Who Played With Fire (Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden, they didn't change this one, so why the first one??!), and it ends (or does it??) with The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet Som Sprängdes, again with the name change!!).

Obviously, I'm talking about Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy.

To be quite honest, the reason I bought the first one wasn't solely because it sounded good, but also because it was written by a Swede. But I'm glad I did buy it! These are great books, if you like interesting, well-written novels...I'm not even sure what you'd classify them as since they're not your traditional who-done-it or PI/detective novel. But while I can't really tell you what it is, I can definitely tell you what it isn't: it isn't boring. The story line flows seamlessly from book to book with the antagonistic protagonist (the "girl") leading you deeper into her world. There are multiple story lines going so you never have time to get bogged down. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to visit Sweden...if only in your imagination.

Well worth the read, I give it two thumbs way, way up!

South Park's Season 15 opener last night was a blast! Having already reviewed The Human Centipede and being anti-Apple I was loathe to miss what promised to be a great stab at both (even though that had me up until 11:30 pm). And I wasn't disappointed! I'm not going to say too much about it because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who is inclined to watch, but what I will say is that if you have seen the movie and hated it (like I did) and/or hate Apple (again, like me), and you aren't afraid of a little off-color humor, then you should watch it.

On a side note...I was watching TMZ the other day and they caught up with Tom Six, the git behind the movie, and Akihiro Kitamura, the Japanese guy who played Subject A (if you haven't read my review you should), and Tom Six said they are in the process of finishing part 2, or the "Full Sequence" (an amalgamation of 12...if you can imagine (eye roll)). So yeah, as if the first one wasn't stupid enough, now he's putting out what promises to be an even stupider one. If you would like to roll your eyes, too, here's the trailer.

So, it looks like Obama has finally produced the elusive birth certificate. One would hope that this ends the speculation as to his birth location, but I highly doubt it. Besides, anyone who is determined to find fault with Obama is going to, regardless of this new development. And really, there are plenty of other issues with Obama's reign...er...Presidency, so the whole "birther" issue is really a non-issue.

Personally, I have never bothered worrying about Obama's birthplace. How does being born on US soil make you any better to run the country than someone who was born on foreign soil? If you are a citizen then it shouldn't matter where you were born. Of course there are going to be those who say, "yeah, but, what if someone gains citizenship for the sole purpose of taking over the government and becoming a dictator?!" Um...don't you think it's just as possible for some who was born on US soil to become a dictator? No one nationality has a corner on the dictator market.

So, forget about the birth issue and focus on the real issues: the mounting national debt, Obamacare, our selective military intervention, the rising cost of food and oil, the fact that the President of the US keeps going to churches with pastors who are clearly racist...you know, things that actually matter.

I am well aware that I am not the only intelligent person in the world, and certainly not the only one who has thoughts and feelings about what goes on in this world. With that in mind, from time to time I will be posting the thoughts and feelings of my brother-in law, whose opinions I greatly respect. This is the first installment of those thoughts.

---

My sister-in-law, the normal contributor to this blog, commented a few months back about how, in my words, those in the so called 'educated' circles have begun to rely too much on consensus when it comes to the guiding documents used by researchers today.  Her example centered on, if memory serves me correctly, archeological and anthropological discoveries and how they don't always conform to consensus, and how these discoveries are too often disregarded for that very reason.

I commented at that time that religion has a similar distraction.  I am sure that there are those who saw my comment and thought I was bashing organized religion or religion in general.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  I have very strong religious convictions and even belong to an organized Christian sect.  It is in these following paragraphs that I will therefore explain what I meant by my comment. 

Most Christian sects in today's world, knowingly or otherwise, follow creeds established more than 300 years after the events that take place in the 'The Gospels' of the New Testament.  Most notably, the Nicene Creed endeavored to bring a badly splintered Christian following into one Universal Church.  This creed deals, among other things, with the nature and being of God, His relationship with his earthly children, and the official cannon to which the church would adhere. 

It wasn't long (relative) before people such as Martin Luther, and later Charles Wesley, began having troubles with how the clergy of their times taught scripture as seen through the creeds of the third century, and how they saw the Gospel of the Lamb taught in the New Testament.  The Universal Church was no longer universal and soon, many off shoot congregations began to form.  Those who disagreed with the manner of baptism created their own sect while others, who focused on the Day of Pentecost, formed theirs.  Despite these break-off sects, and the past 1700 years, the influence of those third century creeds have completely penetrated almost all of Christianity so as to make it very difficult for sects that don't believe that those creeds were inspired to be taken seriously.

The traditions of the past 1700 years have their problems.  I will mention only a few here.  First – The person who called the religious leaders of the time in 325 AD was not a person of faith so much as he was a politician.  While Constantine may have had the best of intentions in calling the convention at Nicaea politicians rarely have truth as their goal, but are more interested in re-election and popularity. Constantine may have converted to Christianity, but many argue that that was just one of the religions to which he adhered. Secondly – The decisions made at this, and its subsequent conventions, is essentially a consensus; a religion of popularity.  As a result, many left disappointed in the process and outcome.  Monks were recorded as lamenting at the loss of their God.  And Thirdly - too many of the religious leaders who attended this convention were particular in the agenda that they wanted to see passed.  They weren't interested in finding truth as much as making the masses believe and act in their form and manner.  I find this very interesting considering that when our Savior walked the earth, the group he decried the most were the learned leaders who had lost the true meaning of scripture and forced their personal views on the Jews in general.  The Sanhedrin was the learned scholars, rabbi, and congregational leaders of the time.  They, who taught of the coming Messiah, from the scriptures and learning passed down over thousands of years, did not anticipate the Messiah in any other form than the one upon which they had agreed.  What a great opportunity missed!

Now before you begin to think that I am bashing the strongly held religious beliefs of another, please put your hearts to rest.  That is not my intention.  I only ask the reader to consider the influence of the 3rd century creeds on their personal religion, and compare them to scripture.  Then ask for guidance from the only one who won't lie.

I was directed to this Norwegian commercial via Metal Sucks. Upon finding the video on YouTube I also came across some more Metal-themed commercials. Who Knew that Metal had become so mainstream?! Here are three that I've found.

 

"KFC's Wicked Crunch"

 

"Coop Prix - No one is faster than us!"

 

I've now come across two music videos performed by toys. The first, Marduk's Throne of Rats, which I found purely by accident, uses hand puppets. The second, Rammstein's Feuer Frei, which I was lead to via Metal Hammer, uses legos. Are they brilliant or just cheesy? You decide.

 

 

A few weeks or maybe months (heck, I don't know anymore...time just keeps going on...) ago I finally bought some Greek yogurt. I'd been wanting to try it for some time but never did. Well, it seems that maybe I shouldn't have because it's turned me into Pavlov's dog...every time I so much as read "Greek yogurt" I immediately begin to salivate. Seriously, if you have never tried it, go get some! It's the yummiest yogurt ever; so thick, rich and creamy (it's made with cream)...mmm!

But I digress...close on a decade ago I began collecting recipes with some gusto; I have thousands...no, really, I have thousands. A few years ago I finally began to put them in some semblance of order so I can put them into binders and actually use them. Just in the last few weeks I've been working even more intensely so that I can finally get this monumental task finished. Well, during the course of my organizing I came across a recipe that I had totally forgot I even have. While I have since decided that it's not really something I think I'll ever make, I thought maybe one of you might be interested in this recipe...if you ever get the cojones to make it (that statement will gather steam here momentarily...*snigger*), let me know how it turns out! I found the recipe in a book called Chile Death, by Susan Wittig Albert.

Pokey Clendennen's Mountain Oyster Chili
Serves 4

2 lbs calf fries, washed, skinned, and diced
Butter (or margarine, for you people who still think it's better for you)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chili powder, to taste
1 15-oz can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
Flour for thickening

In an iron skillet, cook the fries in butter (or margarine) for a couple of minutes. Add onion, garlic, and cumin and continue cooking until browned. Stir in chili powder and salt. Add stewed tomatoes, cover, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about two hours. If necessary, add water. About ten minutes before you're ready to serve, thicken with a flour and water paste.

I was watching Access Hollywood today (yes, I know...) and they showed a clip from Thailand's Got Talent. I'm not going to say anything else about it, if you haven't seen it yet then I don't want to ruin it for you; if you have...well then, you know what's coming!

Two things happened today that spawned this post. First, while I was working this morning they played Jumpin' Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones. Even Whoopi had a hard time with that song because it sure sounds like he's saying: "I was raised by a toothless lesbian." But what he's really saying isn't much better: " I was raised by a toothless bearded hag."

The second incident involved England Dan and John Ford Coley's song I'd Really Love To See You Tonight. Years ago one of my sisters told me she always thought they were saying: "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen." I was confused because that's what I thought they were saying, too. Turns out it's actually: "I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in." Now though, I can't listen to that song without singing the misheard lyrics...it's just so much better!

But those aren't the only songs with misheard lyrics. In fact, there's an entire website dedicated to misheard lyrics! Kissthisguy.com calls itself the "Archive of misheard lyrics." You can choose a song, enter what you heard and tell the story of how you found out you were totally off-base. Some of the stories are pretty good, some of the misheard lyrics are even better! This site finally allows you to see just how many other people heard the same thing you did. It's great!

Some of the less comprehensible lyrics over the years have come from the likes of Def Leppard and Duran Duran. Although, in Duran Duran's case he really was saying: "Shake up the picture, the lizard mixture with your dance on the eventide." Who hasn't heard some crazy lyric to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds that wasn't: "Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap?"

Some of the well known "alternate" lyrics are for Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann. It sounds like he's saying: "Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche; another rumor in the night." Turns out that's not it: "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce; another runner in the night." Of course, either way it doesn't make much sense. Another great one that I found on Kissthisguy is for J. Geils Band's Centerfold: "My anus is the center hole." Now that I've stopped LMBO...it's acutally: "My angel is the centerfold." How about Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers? How many of you thought he was saying: "Secret Asian man?"

So, if you want a good laugh, go check out the site. If you have any good ones you'd like to share, then post them here; I'd love to read them!

I had to find an embeddable copy of this (unfortunately they all have ads...) because I have been wanting to post it here since I saw it. I'm not going to add any commentary because I think Jon does a fabulous job by himself.