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Can’t sleep and, even though I’m loving GTA IV, I can’t take any more Liberty City tonight. So, instead, let me use my insomnia to share some musical thoughts:

- A few years ago I finished burning my music collection from all the CDs I’d accumulated over the years and, in the process dumped all said CDs at the local record shop for a tidy sum. I’ve been officially CD-free for a few years now and, although the extra room it’s afforded me is great, every so often–while perusing my digital music collection–I’ll notice a hole in my catalog that I somehow missed. Tonight, it was Radney Foster’s Another Way to Go. I’m positive I bought that CD when it was released but, for whatever reason, it never made it on to my hard drive. And now I’ve been sitting here tonight, debating over whether or not I should download the MP3 album again from Amazon, even though I probably wouldn’t even listen to it. It just pisses me off that I had it and now I don’t have it.

- Radney Foster is a country singer. He’s worth listening to, if only because he doesn’t sing songs that were meant to be Ford truck commercials.

- I like country music. I’m from Alabama. What do you expect?

- While I’ve been agonizing over my Radney Foster re-buy dilemma, I had no such qualms about grabbing Tom Petty’s Mudcrutch album. I’ve been on an on-again off-again Tom Petty kick lately, pretty much ever since the Super Bowl when he performed during halftime. The Mudcrutch songs are a little bit more raw than his typical stuff with the Heartbreakers, but still definitely worthwhile, and I love the idea of Petty going back with his original band and giving them a little dose of fame.

- I also downloaded Scarlett Johansson’s cover version of Tom Waits’ “Falling Down“. Yes, that Scarlett Johansson. Apparently she’s releasing a whole album of Waits covers in the near future. She’s got a decent enough voice, I suppose–though her lower register is shaky. Still, despite her modest singing ability, the production work manages to create a dense, layered atmosphere, one that’s different enough from the original to be interesting. Do I think this version could ever have been made had Scarlett not been Scarlett? Heeeeellllll no.

- We had a brief discussion of this on The HotSpot a few weeks ago but I’ve finally confirmed it as scientific fact: “Photograph” is the only Def Leppard song that was ever any good. I’m willing to listen to arguments on behalf of “Rock of Ages”, but only briefly. And I invite “Pour Some Sugar On Me” to die in a house fire.

- I want to play bass again. It used to be such a big part of my life–from early high school all the way to just a few years ago–but I haven’t touched the instrument in any sort of serious way in more than a year. A friend of mine with whom I used to play in a moderately successful bluegrass band has invited me to a birthday celebration/reunion of sorts this summer. And while I love the idea of heading back to Georgia and playing with my friends, the idea of getting back into playing shape on the stand-up bass is an intimidating one to say the least.

Saw Iron Man last night with the wife. Enjoyed the movie a hell of a lot and, as we walked out, the wife and I talked about how we both enjoyed Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark more than practically any segment in which he’s doing the Iron Man thing. Seriously, as much as I guffawed at the casting choice when it was announced, Downey Jr. was born for this role and practically every line of dialogue as Stark is delivered with a verve and snap to it that Tobey Maguire wishes he had in him.

There’s been some negative comments about the movie version of Tony Stark not being an alcoholic, unlike the comics version. While I think that there is some legitimacy to that–it’s one of the things that gave the comic book Stark his inherent Marvel “flaw”–the casting of Downey Jr. in the role in effect almost cancels it out. There’s a scene early in the movie where you see Stark holding a glass of whiskey as he contemplates his future and place in the world; in that moment, it’s difficult to separate the actor Downey Jr.–with his well-publicized battles with substance abuse–from the character he plays in the movie. It’s not an overtly dramatized thing and I’m not even sure director Jon Favreau meant it as anything more than “Tony Stark looks pensive” but, for me, it was tough to draw the line between actor and act there, which gave the film that much more character.

So yeah, I enjoyed it, nearly as much as Spider Man 2, which along with Batman Begins is tops on the superhero movie list for me.

And, by the way, Iron Man could totally beat up Spider Man in a fight. And, for that matter, Downey could beat up Maguire too. That said, it’s not a clean sweep for the Iron Man cast, as I think that snaggletoothed Kirsten Dunst could easily wipe the floor with the waifish Gwyneth Paltrow. In fact, I’m fairly certain Dunst could beat up The Hulk.

I’m currently in New York City for the day job. Last night I head out of the hotel looking for something to eat. I stop by at a local deli and order a turkey club. The guy behind the counter takes a few minutes to put together my sandwich and then hands me this HEAVY-ASS BAG once he’s finished. I figure he loaded up the bag with napkins and condiments. Until I get back to the hotel, open up the bag and uncover the turkey/bacon-laden beast in the above photograph. Just looking at the photo, it’s hard to tell where the sandwich begins and ends. Now imagine trying to bite into that.

I initially balked at the $20 price tag of the sandwich, chalking it up to egregious NYC food prices. But when you think about it, there’s probably twenty bucks worth of bacon in that sandwich alone.

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In other news. I cannot wait for NCAA Football 09.

So I was up this morning at 3:30 a.m. to take my wife into the city for the start of her big relay race she’s running this weekend with 12 other members of her running club. Twelve runners, a handful of volunteer drivers, two vans full of gear and people, all making the trip up north today for the start of a two-day, 199-mile relay race that begins this morning in Calistoga and ends sometime tomorrow night in Santa Cruz. My wife is running three legs of the race–at least one of which will be run in the dead of night–for a total of about 20 of those nearly 200 miles. The rest of the time she’ll be in the van, hanging out with the other folks, sleeping when she can, and cheering on whoever’s on their current leg.

So yeah. She kicks ass, my wife.

Oh, and before you think I’m a useless slug by comparison, I’ll have you know that I’m playing golf this morning. Okay, so it’s a nine-hole course. And yes I’ll be renting a cart. And I’ll probably pick my ball up and quit by the fourth hole. But other than that, it’s the exact same thing.

I love to travel; it’s one of the best parts of my day job. I’ve been to some amazing places over the course of my career (Barcelona, Amsterdam, and many trips to Japan) and even the more modest trips, such as my recent one to Indianapolis, are a great chance to get out and see parts of the country that I’ve never visited before. I still consistently have the idea of pitching a “No Reservations“-style videogame show–where I could go around and visit a city, talk to locals (especially gamers), and give viewers a larger taste of the city beyond the extreme focus of the game-related event that requires most of my attention. It’s a decent enough idea for a show, I suppose, but it’s really just a thinly veiled excuse to try and stay a few more days wherever I go. Preferably on the company dime. Which means this show will never happen.

The lone exception to the love of travel? Las Vegas. Because, you know, screw Las Vegas.