Random Fandom

Daft punk is playing at my house, my house
I’ll show you the ropes, kid, show you the ropes
Got a bus and a trailer at my house, my house
I’ll show you the ropes kid, show you the ropes
I bought fifteen cases for my house, my house
All the furniture is in the garage
Well daft punk is playing at my house, my house
You got to set them up kid, set them up

You got to set ‘em up, ooh ooh yeah (x2)
You got to set them up, set them up

You got to set ‘em up, ooh ooh yeah (x2)
You got to set them up, set them up

[Cow bell solo]

Well everybody’s lined up in my house, my house
And Sarah’s girlfriend is working the door
Got everybody’s PA in my house, my house
All the robots descend from the bus
There’s a freak out brewing in my house, my house
In the basement
‘Cause daft punk is playing at my house, my house
You got to set them up kid, set them up

You got to set ‘em up, ooh ooh yeah (x2)
You got the set them up, set them up

You got to set ‘em up, ooh ooh yeah (x2)
You got the set them up, set them up

And never, never let them go
No never, never, never let them go
Never, never, never let them go
Let them go
Downtown

-- Complete lyrics to "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," by LCD Soundsystem

A "freak out" indeed. When I'd been thinking about how to write this entry, the first in nearly 4 months, I'd originally intended to use lyrics from the Counting Crows' "A Long December," whose lyrics have personal meaning to me.

And then I read Bill Simmons' Now I Can Die in Peace, which includes a post of his that leads off with, yes, lyrics from "A Long December," whose lyrics have great personal meaning to him.

So back to the drawing board for a post that was already way overdue. And since The Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers," whose lyrics I repeated here, was appreciated so much by the fine folks at Google, I thought I'd use the lines above, penned by James Murphy, mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem and also the producer of The Rapture's CD.

And yes, Daft Punk is playing at my house. Not literally, of course, but I love the giddiness and "oh my goodness it's really happening" tone of the lyrics. My wife and I recently welcomed a second child into our home, and it's been fabulous. The older sister adores the younger brother, and we do, too.

But for those of you with more than one kid, you know how it's the second child that turns everything upside. One kid, you read the papers every morning. Two kids, you're lucky to glance at the front pages of each section. One kid, you sometimes get "work" done while the child's awake. Two kids (especially a very young one), and you can forget about doing anything on your own without explicit permission from the other spouse while the kids are awake.

And, yeah, it sort of seems like our furniture is all in the garage. Or strewn about the office.

One of the interesting things to watch is the older sister's reaction to her new brother. Thus far, it's been full of love and help and kindness. He is her new TV. With time, I suppose that could change, probably will change. James Murphy pens a gleeful 6-minute homage to one of the big electronica, club/dance bands, but he's also trying to make his own name in the scene, and there are only so many "star" slots to go around.

Which brings, finally and not a little painfully, to Your 2006 Arizona Diamondbacks.

There aren't 5 or 10 or 25 storylines with this year's squad. There's just one -- the old guys versus the young guys. From the top (will Josh Byrnes be more adept than Joe Jr.?) to the bottom (will Terry Mulholland pitch some meaningless mop-up innings, or will some guy nearly half his age?), it's whether the new guys will push out the old.

In general, this offseason was the inverse of last offseason. On an individual basis, the moves this year aren't necessarily stellar (Glaus and Santos for Batista and Hudson? Estrada for Cormier and Villarreal?), but as part of an overall worldview, they're far ahead of the deals the team has done the past couple years. They're enough to keep me intrigued in 2006 and very much looking forward to 2007.

Finally, whither this blog? Well, I'm going to give it a shot for the upcoming season. Rest assured that if you're looking for timely analysis or in-depth previews you're best served reading the usual suspects, who've plugged along in my absence. But I do hope to continue to provide you, the loyal reader, with occasional thoughts on this team and my cultural life.

Now, if you'll forgive me, it's time for my cow bell solo.