My fun web coding discovery of last night – Netscape 6.0+ now supports the glorious iframe tag. Witness:

If you’re still using Netscape 4.79 (517, I’m looking in your direction), then nuts to you.

My non-fun web coding discovery of last night – Internet Explorer does not like it when you try to use CSS to apply a position:fixed style to an element, be it div or table or layer. I coulda sworn I’d gotten this to work before, but it is not co-operating now. If I can’t get it working, I may have to go to – shudder – frames. (this is for the revamped Lake Holiday website. Not that there’s any new content there yet. I will issue a proper invitation when more of it is working).

Weird site of the day – File under buck-nutty.

np – The Cardigans / Long Gone Before Daylight

Another year, another pair of sunglasses busted. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. Oh yeah, because it’s sunny out. Next pair I buy, I’m getting a case for them.

Spent a couple hours in the rehearsal space today, cleaning. MAN that place was dirty! The vacuum cleaner sounded like a box of pop rocks in one of those paint mixing machines or something, so much crap was being picked up. But now that it’s clean, I am filled with a sense of immense well-being and satisfaction. I also got the chance to restring some guitars and swap tubes around in my amp. I find maintenance relaxing, somehow.

Richard Thompson is playing at Hugh’s Room on May 28 touring in support of his new album, The Old Kit Bag out May 6. For those not familiar, Thompson is for my money one of the very finest songwriters and guitarists on the face of the Earth, and has been for nigh on 30 years. I have never gotten a chance to see him live, since well, no one’s ever heard of him and his shows aren’t cheap ($40 for this one), but I don’t think I’ll be missing him this time through. It’s a solo acoustic show at a small, intimate venue. Should be fantastic.

np – Sonic Youth / Daydream Nation

To everyone out there who thinks that Toronto has become a ghost town because we’re all scared of SARS – this pic was taken this afternoon on Queen West. Wall to wall people out and about, not a facemask in sight.

In anticipation of the June 10 release of Welcome Interstate Managers, there’s a new official Fountains Of Wayne bio from their publicity company here (the title of this post is the name of a former incarnation of the band). Expect tour dates in July.

Seeing as how today was so nice, staying in was not an option. I headed out on a walkabout with Kyle and Andrew, whom I hadn’t seen in probably almost four years. He wears socks now. That took some time to wrap my head around. But it was good to just get out and enjoy the sun, people-watch, soak up the SARS. Walked a whole lot – from my place down to King, across to Bathurst, up to Bloor and back again through the University. My feet hurt. Looked at some bikes, picked up the new Cardigans album, earning me some ribbing from Andrew. Hey, I like The Cardigans. No apologies.

My brother ordered a bunch of the new Miyazaki DVDs. We’ve got Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Castle In The Sky here, now. It’s going to be all anime all the time for the next while.

I picked up a pair of floor wedge monitors for the rehearsal space this morning. Got a good price on them, and these will let us use the nicer Yorkville PA head we’be been using to keep the kick drum from moving instead of the lousy Realistic mixer we had been using. There will have to be a great shifting of gear over the next few days as we figure out where to put them and the new guys move their stuff in.

np – The Cardigans / Long Gone Before Daylight

Pitchfork has reviewed all three reissues of the Rockville-era Uncle Tupelo records. And there might well be some commentary on the records themselves buried somewhere in all the verbiage, but damned if I’m going to go shovelling through the writer’s exercises in journalistic masturbation to find them. Sometimes you need to be reminded why you hate Pitchfork reviews. Swizzle Stick has a far more coherent review of the Rockville trio. My unbiased opinions on the albums? They’re genius, all of them. The end.

Thanks to SARS, Toronto is being bypassed by some high profile musical acts. Both Styx AND last year’s American Idol Kelly Clarkson have decided to give Hogtown a pass on their upcoming concert/promotional tours. Hmm, maybe there’s an upside to all this nonsense after all.

np – The Wedding Present / Singles 1995-1997

I took this picture today on the way to lunch. It’s an old painted-on sign atop a building by Richmond and Bathurst. I just love the look of it, this poor, weatherbeaten placard simply stating, “Lovable”. And it is.

Penny Arcade has jumped on the SARS bandwagon. Et tu, Gabe and Tyco?

Sloppy, sloppy band practice tonight. Brad and I both broke strings in the same part of the same song. Clay broke a stick. 517 didn’t break anything.

I got my Homestar Runner t-shirt! I will never take it off. I also got some Homestar coasters and temporary tattoos. I want to put The Cheat on my forehead!

Playboy has started a poll for sexiest indie rock chick ever. Umm. Not sure what to think about this. Have a look here for yourself. Link from Largehearted Boy – I did not find it myself! I cast a vote for Neko Case, btw. Runner up would be Caithlin from Rainer Maria. Write-in vote for Gemma Hayes. Okay, no more objectifying musicians.

Speaking of Rainer Maria, you can watch the video for “Ears Ring” here.

np – Wilco / More Like The Moon