If I were any older, I could act my age

So, I'm now 28 years old. That's pretty crazy, really. Yesterday evening after work, I met up with my dad, his wife Barbara, and my sister for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had a pizza with ham, proscuitto, and mushrooms; but I ended up eating less than half of it, and taking the rest home. I guess that'll give me a good meal in the future. My dad gave me a Salvador Dali calendar for 2006, and my sister gave me a gift card for the Olive Garden, Red Lobster, or two other restaurants we don't have in the area. (I guess they're all owned by the same parent company.)

Today, I had lunch (which was actually sort of breakfast for me, since I hadn't eaten anything else beforehand) with my dad and Barbara at some brewery place. My dad always likes to go to restaurants like that. I had a cheeseburger with bacon and mushrooms, which was okay, but not great. And now they're seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire without me. :( I still don't know when I'm going to see it. Maybe tomorrow, unless bethje wants to see it with me sometime during the week.

I've now had a chance to listen to the two new albums that I got for my birthday. The Dresden Dolls album is quite good. They have an unusual theatrical/cabaret kind of style that's interested to listen to. I tend to like bands that are somewhat unique and/or gimmicky. That's not to say that I don't like some non-gimmicky bands, and it's CERTAINLY not to say that anything gimmicky is good. It's just that it's easier for a band to stand out for me when they have something that makes them stand out. Maybe that goes without saying. Anyway, I think my favorite song on the album is "Girl Anachronism," which I already knew (albeit in what I think might have been a live version; it was on a mix CD I got from someone on the Frank Black Forum). I'm also quite fond of "The Jeep Song," which is probably the least similar-sounding track on the album.

As for the Fastbacks' Zücker, the songs that have stood out for me so far are "Under The Old Lightbulb," "When I'm Old," and "Save Room For Me." "Please Read Me" is also pretty cool, and according to the liner notes, it's a Bee Gees cover. I don't think I've ever heard the original. I think this might turn out to be one of my favorite Fastbacks albums. It seems to have more variety than most of their records do. Incidentally, the liners have the lyrics in German, which is pretty cool.

( Science fiction crew quiz and Friday Five questions )