Manifest Destiny: Two and a Half Years on the Left Coast

We've Moved

2007-08-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

A New Chapter...

2007-05-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

So, Amanda and I are leaving LA tomorrow morning. We set up a blog for our trip (yeah, we're ripping off Howard, so what?), so check back with us over the next few weeks here:

Amanda & Ben's Road Trip

I am going to start a new blog, I think, once we get to Atlanta, but I've got to think about it for a little while. I guess its good that I won't be there for 3 weeks. To those of you who have stuck around since the beginning (Mom, Dad, Andy), I hope you'll be able to make the transition over to the new site, whatever form it ends up taking. It's been a good run. Thanks.

Sorry Folks, Park's Closed. Moose Out Front Should Have Told You

2007-05-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

In about 5 minutes, I'm going to shut down my computer, take the elevator to the lobby, and leave downtown Los Angeles for what might be the last time ever. Kind of sad. As much as I never really felt totally at home in LA, I have definitely enjoyed my time here, and I will certainly miss it, along with the great friends I've made.

Now that my time on the Left Coast has come to a close, I'm not sure exactly what the future holds for this blog. I think, rather than changing it, I might start a new one, with some differences here and there, but I haven't really decided yet. I guess this is kind of a crossroads for my internet journalism. And yes, I absolutely consider myself a journalist.

Wish us luck on our cross-country drive. We're heading out first thing Monday morning. First stop, Grand Canyon.

Deadly Sins: One Down, Six to Go

2007-05-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

I think we've got gluttony pretty well covered after last night's trip to the "am/pm All You Can Eat Pavilion." This was seriously the most disgusting display of eating I have seen or been a part of that did not involve either hazing or some sort of organized competition won by a 78 pound Japanese man. Our unofficial competition was won by Joshua Barkin, who is neither Japanese, nor 78 pounds. I thought about falsifying my eating accomplishments, and when I mentioned this to Josh, he said "Not me. I want the world to know what I did." So, here are our official unofficial tallies:

Jason: 4 Dodger Dogs, 2-3 Nachos, 2-3 Cokes, some peanuts and a mini Baby Ruth bar.

Ben: 5 Dodger Dogs, 2-3 Nachos, 2 Cokes, 2 Sprites, and some peanuts.

Josh: 8 (EIGHT!!) Dodger Dogs, 3 Nachos, 4 Diet Cokes (b/c he's watching his calorie intake), some peanuts, 5 mini Baby Ruth Bars, and a Bud Light. That's him with his 8th, emerging victorious from the concession line.

Impressive, to say the least. It is worth noting that probably 75% of what we ate happened before the game even started. There's something sort of liberating about walking past the concession stand before you've even gotten to your seats, and picking up 2 Dodger Dogs and a thing of nachos without standing in line or exchanging any money whatsoever.

It was somewhere around Dodger Dog #3 that I started saying things like, "Do you think a 30 year old has ever had a heart attack?" and "You know what would have been perfect? If I had gotten a tapeworm yesterday." Jason also had what was probably the line of the night when he looks at Josh and me with a completely straight face and says, "Ok, serious question. Do you think Kobayashi shits solid or liquid?"

There were also some wildly entertaining exchanges involving one of the guys sitting behind us. Here are two of my favorites:

Guy #1 (sees his friend walking down the aisle): Hey, man!
Friend: What's up, dog. Did you work today or what?
Guy #1: No, man, I got fired!

Then they slapped hands and his friend went to his seat. Here was another good one, shortly after the Baby Ruth guys started throwing mini Baby Ruth bars to everyone in the section (Josh already had a pocketful from when we saw them by the concession stand):

Guy #1 (seeing a bunch of mini Baby Ruth bars on the ground in front of us): Hey, man, get those Baby Ruth bars!
Josh: I already have a bunch of them, why do I need more?
Guy #1: I don't know, to throw them at people!
Josh: Who am I going to throw them at?
Guy #1: I don't know, anybody!
Josh: It's not that fun, you know.

All in all, it was an excellent time. I would probably never want to do it again, though. I think I'm still burping up pieces of food.

Number 6, I think...

2007-05-16T18:36:00.001-07:00

Josh with his "nacho dog." The best invention since floating head doctor.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2007-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm going to what will probably be my last game at Dodger Stadium, with Josh and Jason, who are sending me off in style. You see, Dodger Stadium now has an all-you-can-eat section, and that is where we'll be sitting. Beer is off-limits, but everything else is fair game. Nachos, soft drinks, peanuts, popcorn, and yes, Dodger Dogs will be at our fingertips until the top of the 7th. Needless to say, it's gonna be an unhealthy evening. I foresee a salad in my lunch plans tomorrow.

I'll try to update during the game with some pictures of our gluttony.

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. Hopefully.

2007-05-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

In the future, when we're all travelling around with jet-packs, will that eliminate the need for cars? If so, then the future will be a much better place, at least for me.

I was going to be shipping my car to Atlanta, since Amanda and I are going to drive hers across the country, and that was going to cost me around $1,100 - $1,200. Then I found out my friend Howard was planning to rent a car and drive from LA to D.C. for his brother's graduation, and he's always wanted to drive cross-country. Coincidentally, it was going to cost him about the same amount to rent the car for a one-way trip. After talking about it for roughly 45 seconds, we decided that he would just drive my car to Atlanta and fly up to D.C., saving us both upwards of $1,000.

Just to be safe, I took my car to the shop last week to have everything checked out. I specifically asked them to check the coolant (note the foreshadowing), since he'd be driving across the desert. They checked it all out and said the engine was fine, but I needed new rear struts and rear tires. $860. Awesome.

So, Howard leaves Tuesday morning. Incidentally, you can read about his drive on this blog he started. Anyway, he calls me from Vegas (VEGAS!!) where he had just finished having lunch with a friend, and the car overheated when he got back on the highway. He immediately pulled off the highway and into a conveniently placed mechanic's parking lot, whereupon the car immediately went dead. Turns out the coolant reserve tank had cracked, overheating the car. Four hours, much stress, and $240 later, Howard was back on the road. Turns out that $1,100 I saved in shipping went right into maintenance. Great. I'm just glad he's ok (and that the car seems to be ok too). He hasn't had any problems since (knock on wood).

As if that wasn't enough, I was on the bus on my way home from work that afternoon, and the bus I was on broke down a little more than halfway home. Everybody had to get off and wait for the next bus to come pick us all up. They were all pretty pissed. I sort of expected it. When it rains, it pours, I guess.

(That's not really my car, in that picture. I just thought it was appropos.)

Anyway, my car will hopefully make it to Atlanta next Thursday, if all goes according to plan. Howard's on his way to see the Giants/Rockies game at Coors Field right now. I told him to start a "Barry Sucks" chant for me.

We Put the Spring in Springfield

2007-05-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Are they talking about the Bordello? No, the burlesque house, keep your voice down!

I guess these things are all over the place, but I was SO excited last night when Amanda and I got to the movie theater with our friend Naomi to see The Year of the Dog (skip it), to find this in the lobby. I immediately ran over to it and handed Amanda my cell phone with a "You have to take my picture!" request. She made some sort of comment about how it's funny that I'm her fiance, because it seemed like I might be her son instead, or something like that. I don't know, I was too excited to sit next to Homer on the couch that I wasn't really processing what she was saying. But I mean, seriously, can you blame me?

Sadly, there was no photo op with Groundskeeper Willie, Krusty, or Moe Szyzlak. That would have been awesome. This Simpsons movie is either going to be awesome or the worst movie of all time. There is no middle ground, I think. Either way, they're gonna get my 10 bucks. This is the summer of "Movies that Make Grown Men Feel Like They're 10 Years Old." Between The Simpsons, Transformers, and Spiderman 3, I'm not sure I know what to do with myself.

I'm Super, Thanks For Asking

2007-04-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

USA Today's Pop Candy Blog had a link today to this great website where you can create your own superhero. Naturally, I couldn't resist. I'm pretty sure this is what I'd look like if I were a superhero. Or maybe just did some situps and got a dog and some guns. Either way, I'm quite a badass, and I wouldn't suggest messing with me or my dog.

Reverse the Curse!

2007-04-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

It became official today that the new "soon-to-be-injured" NFL star gracing the cover of Madden 2008 is none other than the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year, your favorite and mine, Mr. Vincent Paul Young, Jr. Congratulations to Vince, and condolences to the Tennessee Titans. After losing Pacman Jones for the entirety of the 2007 season, the Titans must be wondering what they have done to have the future of their franchise put in this kind of jeopardy. I'm sure Clay Travis will have something to say about this in the next day or two, seeing as how he's got almost as big of a man-crush on VY as I do.

For those of you out there who might not be familiar with the "Madden Curse," (Mom, Dad, I'm talking to you), just about every single player who has been on the cover of this game has gone ahead and gotten himself injured in the very next season. Most notably, Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb, and most recently, former league MVP Shaun Alexander. Even Indianapolis Tight End Dallas Clark, who was merely featured in a television commercial for the game, was injured in his very next game against Philadelphia, which, incidentally, was the team he was playing against in the commercial. Weird stuff, I'm telling you. Bad mojo. Mess you up, man.

I have to agree with my buddies over at 40 Acre Sports in that it would have been nice to see someone like T.O. slated for injury instead of VY, though. However, as Burnt Orange Nation pointed out this morning, VY knows a thing or two about breaking streaks. Just check last year's Rose Bowl, which ended USC's 34-game win streak.

That computer generated image looks pretty badass, I have to admit. It kind of looks like Vince is about to start breathing fire and shooting lasers out of his eyes. While running 90 yards for a touchdown. Which, if he did in real life, wouldn't really surprise me too much.

When I was in 7th grade, I bought a Nintendo Entertainment System. The original one, not the super one, or anything remotely advanced. That's the last game system I have ever owned, and until this morning, I hadn't given any thought whatsoever to buying a new one. Unfortunately, this being Tax Day and all, I'm still not. But maybe if I'm a good boy all year, Hannukah Harry might bring me an X-Box instead of the 8 pairs of socks I'm probably already on the list to receive.

April 18 Update: I'm a genius.

Worst. Fortune. Ever.

2007-04-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm having a decent Friday morning, it's sunny out and I had a good cup of coffee, and as the day progresses, I decide I'm going to go pick up some crappy Chinese food from Panda Express for lunch. What the hell, I'll hit the gym this weekend. I get all the way through my meal and find this waiting for me in my fortune cookie:

If you can't read it in that picture, the fortune says, "A photo doesn't capture your charm."

Oh, yeah? Well, fuck you!

Seriously, that is the worst fortune I have ever seen in a fortune cookie. I don't need a "You will unexpectedly come into a great sum of money" every time I crack one open, but I certainly don't need this kind of abuse. I'm just glad I didn't catch a "Next time try a salad" or "The SAT was much easier when you took it than it is now" or some other uplifting mantra for me to dwell on all weekend. I've got something for the folks at Panda Express, and their fortune cookie department:

How's that for captured charm, you bastards?

4-8-15-16-23-42

2007-04-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mac and Bryant and I went over to The Standard for some drinks after work yesterday. I'd been there a few times - expensive drinks, but a really cool decor. It's on the rooftop of the hotel, and Amanda once saw a couple having sex in one of the waterbed pods they have around the pool. Yes, they have a pool in the rooftop bar. Anyway, I'm not sure this picture came out so well, but we saw Josh Holloway (Sawyer from Lost) there having drinks with some folks. Maybe my last celebrity sighting? Amanda was upset she wasn't there. This makes 3 of the "castaways" I've seen out here, though the first I've been able to get a picture of. I saw Terry O'Quinn (Locke) driving a Lexus on Olympic Blvd, and I saw Naveen Andrews (Sayid) driving his sweet jet black Porsche in Beverly Hills. I'm still on the lookout for Jorge Garcia (Hurley), I figure he'd probably be pretty tough to miss.

LA Proved Too Much for the Man

2007-04-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going back to find (going back to find) a simpler place and time.

Amanda and I are really excited about the fact that we're moving to Atlanta this summer. Our time in California is coming to a close in about 6 weeks. I'll have more on this later, but since it just became official yesterday, I wanted to go ahead and mention it (since nothing feels real to me until I post it on these here internets).

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have some "leaving LA" related posts in the coming weeks, maybe some sort of LA good/bad lists, etc., but since it's now official that we are leaving LA for Atlanta, here's a combo playlist of "Songs About Georgia and Songs About Leaving Los Angeles."

1. Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips
2. Not California - Hem
3. Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles
4. Say Goodbye to Hollywood - Billy Joel
5. The Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band
6. Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard - Ryan Adams
7. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
8. 405 - Death Cab for Cutie
9. Going Back to Georgia - Nancy Griffith
10. Goodnight LA - Counting Crows
11. Sweet Georgia Brown - Brother Bones & His Shadows
12. California One/Youth & Beauty Brigade - The Decemberists
13. Macon, Georgia County Line - Whiskeytown
14. Pacific Ocean Blues - Dennis Wilson
15. Georgia Peaches - Lynyrd Skynyrd
16. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas

Good enough for now. Back with more later.

Greg Oden Says, "iPod, shmiPod, Turn That Noise Down!"

2007-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Look at this guy. There's no way he's the same age as other college freshmen; that is an assertion I cannot accept. Greg Oden is basically the equivalent of the real-life Thornton Mellon, though in infinitely better shape. Honestly, I think his kids might have grown up with my dad, but I can't be sure.

Anyway, in honor of Mr. Greg Oden and his evident defiance of the normal aging process, I present The Definitive Greg Oden iPod Playlist. Back in his day, iTunes downloads only cost a nickel!

I would like to wish Mr. Oden luck this weekend in the Final Four against Georgetown, and again (hopefully) on Monday in the NCAA Finals. I'd like to see him win a championship in his lifetime, and he sure ain't getting any younger (looking). I hope he plays two incredible games, Ohio State wins the whole thing, and people everywhere are in agreement that he will absolutely be the first pick in the NBA draft. Then maybe Kevin Durant will stay in school another year. We all have dreams.

The Definitive Greg Oden iPod Playlist
1. Neil Young, Old Man
2. The Beatles, When I'm Sixty-four
3. Frank Sinatra, The September of My Years
4. Garth Brooks, I'm Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
5. Jimi Hendrix, Mannish Boy
6. Wilco, When You Wake Up Feeling Old
7. Jimmy Buffett, A Pirate Looks at Forty
8. Jethro Tull, Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die
9. Bon Jovi, Just Older
10. Elton John, Sixty Years On
11. Beastie Boys, Boomin' Granny
12. Of Montreal, I Was Never Young

The Notebook. Yes, That Notebook.

2007-03-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

The following was taken directly from an email I sent to a friend earlier today. The pictures were added here.

last night i got to watch a movie i've been really excited to see for a long time (sarcasm alert! sarcasm alert!), the notebook. wow. i'll be honest, it was a sweet story, it was a really sweet story. but not that great of a movie. have you seen this? the music alone is completely hilarious, like they thought to themselves "how can we make this sort of cheesy scene one million times cheesier, and also hilarious in the process?" they succeeded. but, it was a very nice story, though.

seriously, though, if this movie were made 10 years ago, it would have been reese witherspoon and ryan phillipe in the starring roles. instead we get rachel mcadams, who is the poor man's witherspoon (nothing beats a real southerner, especially when playing one in a movie) and ryan gosling, who in this movie bore a striking resemblance to "mac" the piano-playing moon from the old mcdonald's "it's mac tonight" commercials. he must have the longest face in hollywood. i mean physically long, not sad-looking.

and how about the guy who plays the guy who loses rachel mcadams back to her long lost love, the man in the moon? played by none other than what's his name, the same guy who played "guy who lois lane marries in the new superman even though she's really in love with superman", and you might also know him as "guy who famke janssen dates in x-men even though she really seems to like hugh jackman and his muttonchop sideburns much better." talk about typecasting. yikes.

but i think the funniest part was the handlebar mustache on rachel mcadams's dad. i kept waiting for him to put on a pinstriped vest and rejoin his barbershop quartet. (Sadly, I could not find a picture of this mustache.)

but let me reiterate. in all seriousness, the movie did have a very sweet story. and a great handlebar mustache.

Longhorns, Goats, Ponies, and a Man from Iowa

2007-03-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Funny story before I get into the Longhorns' post-season and the Mountain Goats show I saw last night. My buddy Jeremy was in town this weekend from D.C., he works for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, planning and arranging fundraising events. I call him Josh Lyman. Anyway, we went out Saturday night for dinner and drinks with some friends, and as he gets into the car he says to me, "How'd you like to be Charlie Young tomorrow?" Turns out he wanted to return the rental car early so he and the Senator wouldn't have to sit and wait for the shuttle, which would buy them a little more time in getting ready to leave LA. So, because I'm such a good friend, and because I've never had a United States Senator in my 626, I accepted his proposition.

Nice guy, that Senator Harkin. Seemed thoroughly confused when I told him I drafted him on my Fantasy Congress team, though he was concerned enough to ask who else was on the team and if there was anything he could do to help. I was excited to tell him that so far, he was the first member of my fantasy congress team who's ever been in my car. So far.

Now, on to more pressing issues. Texas has played some of the best (and worst) basketball I've seen over the past week and a half. It seems they can't put 2 halves of great basketball into the same game. In our last regular season game a week ago, we jumped out to an improbable 12 point lead over #3 Kansas at halftime, only to crap the bed and allow 22 points in the first 4 minutes of the second half and lose by 6. Then against Baylor, in our first Big 12 Tournament game, we were ice cold in the first half (even soon-to-be-player-of-the-year Kevin Durant only had 4 points), but overcame a 20 point deficit in the second half to win it, behind Durant's 24 second half points. I guess the Oklahoma State game the next day was somewhat complete, though it wasn't like we didn't try to throw it away once or twice. Luckily for us, we got to meet Kansas again in the conference finals (this time they were #2), and again, we jumped out to an amazing 21 point lead in the first half (KD started the game with our first 13 points, and he had over 20 in the first half, finishing with 37 for the game), but let them right back into it before halftime, and ultimately we just ran out of gas and lost in OT by 4 points. Durant had 0 points in the final minutes of the game, and 0 in OT. Inexcusable.

Anyway, we drew a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which I think is robbery - there's no way Washington State is better than us from a mediocre Pac-10 conference (not even making the finals), and there's absolutely no way Pittsburgh is better than us coming off of a 30-plus point blowout loss to Georgetown over the weekend. Even Texas A&M got a 3 seed, and we beat them in double OT last week, and they didn't even make the SEMI-finals of the conference tournament, a tournament that I might have mentioned in the last paragraph that we only lost in our 3rd overtime game in our last 5 games. The only silver lining, for me at least, is that if all goes well, we will play USC in the second round, and you know how I love it when my Horns stick it to those Trojans. I'm picking us to win it all. What can I say, I'm a dreamer.

Jeremy (not the one who works for Harkin) and I went to see the Mountain Goats last night at the El Rey. They were awesome. I mean awesome. Neola saw them recently in Portland, and after reading her comments on the show, I was even more excited to see them. We were impressed. I need to get ahold of some of their earlier stuff, b/c they played a lot of it last night and I was a fan of it all. The opening band was this group of 4 girls from Montreal called Pony Up. I think they might have been 14 years old. Nothing on their Wikipedia page to confirm or disconfirm that. Either way, they were young, and sort of a junior version of Sleater-Kinney. They really had the crowd behind them from the get-go, and everybody seemed kind of sad when their set ended. Luckily they all came back out during a Mountain Goats encore to sing backup vocals on a cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town." Aside from the dude standing in front of me who kept backing up slowly, like a glacier, until I was at least 2 feet away from where I started, who kept running his hands through his hair, scaring the crap out of me because I was convinced there was stuff falling all over me (this dude was too close), it was a great show and a great experience.

I didn't write down their setlist (sorry, Andy), mainly because I don't know enough of their songs to know what was being played all the time. If you're interested, I can tell you that "Dance Music," "This Year," "Lion's Teeth," and "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod" were all played.

Un! Deux! Trois! Dis: Miroir Noir!

2007-02-27T15:20:00.000-08:00

Neon Bible, the sophomore effort from Canadian indie-rockers The Arcade Fire, comes out next Tuesday (having absolutely nothing to do with this picture). A friend managed to somehow get an "advance" copy, and gave me a copy of it on Saturday afternoon. I didn't get around to listening to it until Sunday, and I've been freaking out ever since about how good it is. In fact, I actually haven't listened to anything else since yesterday morning. I have played it over and over, probably at least 15 or 20 times, and I'm showing no signs of any desire to listen to anything else. Not yet, at least. I don't know if I've been this taken with an album since Elliott Smith's posthumous release, From a Basement on a Hill, back in 2004. It should come as no surprise that Neon Bible puts forth almost as bleak an outlook, so maybe that's why I'm making that connection. I can't explain it, but I just LOVE depressing music. It makes me so happy.

Neon Bible starts off with my new favorite song (for the time being), "Black Mirror," but the true highlight of the album is the fourth track, "Intervention," which echoes the sounds of "We Shall Overcome," only with the exact opposite message. Instead of "We shall overcome someday," we're told "Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home." Ouch.

Throughout the album, lyrics like "Nothing lasts forever that's the way it's got to be," "Now who here among us still believes in choice, not I," "World War Three, when are you coming for me?" and "I don't want to work in a building downtown, no I don't want to see when the planes hit the ground," drive home the theme of hopelessness and discouragement, which, ironically, is much darker than their last album, Funeral.

Funeral was great, and I was excited for their Neon Bible release, but I was also kind of dreading it, because much-anticipated second albums usually fall flat. This one is an exception, like the Godfather Part 2 living up to, and, in many people's minds, exceeding its predecessor. I know it's early to say this, before we're even out of February, but Neon Bible is the current frontrunner for my favorite album of the year, though with expected releases from Bright Eyes, Interpol, Radiohead, and Wilco, it's going to be a fun race for me to judge.

Jackson Browne and Willie Nelson ... and a Surprise Celeb Encounter

2007-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

So, we're on our way up to Universal for the concert last night, and I pull into the parking garage and fork over my $10, but I'm in one of the right-side lanes, and the entrance to the garage is on the left side, which means I have to quickly cross over about 3 lanes. As I do this, I accidentally cut off a guy driving a silver Prius. Amanda freaks out. "Ben, look, look, look, look who it is!!" I didn't see the guy driving the car, but evidently it was Adrian Grenier, better known as Vinnie Chase on Entourage. At the time, though, the only thing on my mind was fulfilling my intense need to pee, so we parked and immediately found a restroom.

As we're standing in line at Will Call to get our tickets, Amanda sees him again. Aquaman ends up standing two people behind us in the Will Call line. I took a breath, calmly turned around and said, "Hey, man, I think I cut you off in the parking lot. So, sorry about that." He goes, "That was you?" I said, "Yeah, it was me. Sorry." Then he said, "Aw, man! You're lucky this is LA." I'm still not sure what that meant. I was just glad I resisted the urge to say any of the following, potentially embarassing things:

"Let's hug it out, bitch."
"I am Queens Boulevard."
"Where's Turtle?"
"I thought you were great in 'The Devil Wears Prada'." (This would have been highly sarcastic.)

Anyway, after our brush with the B-list actor who plays an A-list actor, we headed inside, and not a moment too soon! We got to our seats just after the opening act, Native American poet John Trudell, began his, um, performance. It was mainly spoken word stuff, but he had a band who played over his poetry. It was a little weird, and kind of a downer. One of his songs was about killing children, I think. Or, probably, it was about the killing of children around the world, in war torn areas. At one point he mentioned Chechnya. Amanda wanted to make sure I wrote in my geeky little notebook that he used Chechnya in a song. We weren't huge fans.

We only had about a 15 minute or so wait until Jackson Browne took the stage. I was pretty damn excited. My only criticism is that I wish he had played for longer. Amanda wishes he would have played something she knew. I wish that, too, though I knew about half of what he played. But still, to be in the audience for a performance of someone like Jackson Browne, I was just happy to be there. And what he played sounded great.

Jackson Browne:
A Child in These Hills
Barricades of Heaven
Fountain of Sorrow
The Naked Ride Home
That Girl Could Sing
For a Dancer
Lives in the Balance
I Am a Patriot

After Jackson Browne, we had about 30 minutes before Willie came on. Amanda decided to take a nap. A woman after my own heart. The concert was actually a benefit for ovarian cancer research and awareness, which means that 100% of the net proceeds went to support the Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. That's a mouthful. (That's what she said. Sorry, had to.) That also meant that we got to watch a 15 minute infomercial about the Institute before Willie came on. Amanda slept through it. She didn't miss much. I sort of felt like I was going to be asked to buy a time-share or something. The best quote, from the president of the Institute, was "Tonight we are here to celebrate women! All women! And we have three great men here with us!" Um, I'm all for a Jackson Browne/Willie Nelson concert, but are you telling me they couldn't have put together, like, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, and Jewel, or something like that? Come on, people, a little planning!!

Anyway, Willie was awesome. It's always great to see a true legend, one of the last true country music legends still alive. I had the opportunity to see him once before, and I also had the opportunity to see James Brown a few times, and Ray Charles once. They were all at the tail end of their incredible careers, and they didn't really pack the same punch that they once did, but that doesn't really diminish the experience. That's how I feel about Willie now. He's not really what he used to be. He doesn't sing much, instead talking his way through most of the songs. He does still play a hell of a guitar though. From an observational standpoint, I was much more impressed with his guitar playing than with his singing. But he's Willie. And I'm a fan, not just an observer. And it was kick-ass. He played for what seemed like an hour, but it had to be more than that because he somehow managed to squeeze out 20 songs. I don't know if there's anything I was hoping to hear that didn't get played. When he opened with "Whiskey River," a huge (like, car-dealership huge) Texas flag unrolled behind him. I also liked that when he played "Good-Hearted Woman," he opened it with, "Let's sing one for Waylon."

Willie Nelson:
Whiskey River
Still Is Still Moving to Me
Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Nightlife
Workin Man's Blues (played and sung by guitarist Billy Payne)
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Me and Paul
Good-Hearted Woman
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Blue Skies
Georgia on My Mind
All of Me
Memory of Love's Refrain
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
On the Road Again
Always on My Mind
Superman (new song)
You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore (new song)

Lone Star Belt Buckles and Old Faded Levis

2007-02-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time deciding between the post title I used, and its alternative, "I'm Gonna Rent Myself a House in the Shade of the Freeway." I guess if that's the hardest thing I have to do all day then I'm ok.

For my Valentine's Day present, Amanda got us tickets to see Willie Nelson and Jackson Browne (indirect namesake of the infamous "Jackson Brownes", our Pub Quiz team from back in Jackson). They're playing tonight at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal, which is where we saw the revamped version of INXS last January. It's a great venue, there's really not a bad seat in the house. Last time we were there, we sat in the highest section, maybe 10 rows from the top, I think, and they were still great seats. This time, Amanda splurged on the good seats, though, and I couldn't be more excited. And all I got her was a lousy bracelet from Tiffany's. I definitely got the better gift.

I saw Willie once before, at Memphis in May back in 2001, along with Dave Matthews, String Cheese, and the Black Crowes. It was a pretty good day. It was also the culmination of a solid week and a half of partying and travelling over what I think was a four-state area (I know we saw Dave Matthews in Birmingham, and I think we were in New Orleans as well at some point) with my buddy Hinkle, after we finished our classes but before law school graduation. We were in Memphis for Garrett's bachelor party, and I was so tired (and drunk) from our 10 day tour, that, well, that's the night the "C-Note" nickname took hold. If you know the story, you know the story. If not, I ain't retelling it. This is a family joint.

Anyway, Willie was great, and I'm so excited to see him again, but I think I'm more excited to see Jackson Browne. The guy is just a rock legend. I mean, the man gave Bruce Springsteen his first major gig, taking him and the E Street band on tour as his opening act back in the day. If that's not pure genius, I don't know what is. He epitomizes the California rock sound, post-Beach Boys surfer music, pre-Red Hot Chili Peppers funk-rock. In fact, I think I just came up with a definitive timeframe for classic rock.

I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow to post the set lists. I have my trusty little geeky notebook to write it all down, as well as the camera to hopefully snap some good pics.

Books They All Know They're Not Worth Reading

2007-02-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

Thoughts while wondering who I need to sleep with at VH1 to get back into that damn pop culture competition...

Probably the most exciting news I got all day is that Wilco has released the tracklist for their upcoming album "Sky Blue Sky." It comes out on May 15, which seems to be timed perfectly with our cross-country drive. Whoever ends up riding in the car with me is going to be pretty damn sick of that album by the time we hit New Mexico, I think.

The most exciting news I got two days ago is that Amanda got us tickets to see Willie Nelson and the rock legend that is Jackson Browne next Thursday. I saw Willie do a short set at Memphis in May back in 2001, but damn, Jackson Browne? I didn't know he was even on tour, but I don't know if I could be more excited to see a concert of anybody that I haven't yet seen other than him. Maybe the Rolling Stones. But he's definitely up there, big time.

Ghost Rider opens today. I'd say that looks like it has "Worst Movie of 2007" locked up, but I guess you never know, what with Norbit and the soon-to-be-released Wild Hogs. I've still got my money on Ghost Rider, though. Come on. He's a normal motorcycle rider by day and turns into a firey-headed crime fighter at night? I know I've made this joke before (maybe not here though), but wouldn't a better curse have been if he were a normal motorcycle rider by day and had to turn into Nicholas Cage at night?

I can understand why the ratings for this week's Lost were at an all-time low for the show, but all that means is that so many more people missed what was probably one of the best 3 episodes in the show's run to date. Hopefully it'll get people talking and their numbers will come up a bit next week.

I feel like I'm turning into Peter King here. Might be time to get up out of here.

WSOPC: Day Two

2007-02-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

We didn't make it. Got the call at 7:30. Interestingly enough, they told us they would be making calls between 7:30 and 10:00, which makes me think we were probably the first on their list of rejects.

Anyway, at least we had a fun weekend in Austin.

WSOPC: Day One

2007-02-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well, day one started off pretty well. Micah and I slept until about 11, and then Jenn drove us to meet up with Leah. First thing on our agenda was lunch at Texadelphia. Mmmmm, good. Leah and I split a cheesesteak and a turkey sandwich, which even after all these years since I've been there, is stil the best thing on the menu. After that we hit the Co-op for 30 minutes of drooling over all of the burnt orange. I was able to excercise a modicum of self-restraint, buying only a shirt for Amanda and a pair of gym shorts for myself. I could easily spend my paycheck in there.

Sarah (who Leah is staying with) got out of school at 3:00, so we picked her up and she drove us downtown for some coffee before our 5:00 appointment. Which was awesome. I can't go into too many specifics, but this is basically what happened: We (along with about 35 other teams) filed into a room and took a 50 question test, which after 15 minutes the VH1 people took our answers into another room and graded them. They came back after about 10 minutes and announced that of the 36 teams, only three teams passed the test. At that point we kind of shrugged and thought "Well, at least we tried, now at least we've got a fun weekend in Austin ahead of us." They called out the names of the first two teams that passed the test.

Then they called ours. We were so excited! Leah screamed so loud and we jumped up and hi-fived and headed out into the lobby with the other two teams to wait for our interviews. They took us first for the interviews, which is good because that was before the excitement and shock really set in. We think our interviews went really well, but I probably can't get into specifics on that either. They're going to call us tonight to let us know whether or not we get to come back in tomorrow for the competition.

We went out for a celebratory cocktail (or two or ten), and what better way to do that than Mexican Martinis at Trudy's? Then to dinner at Guero's (awesome Tex-Mex - first time eating there). Adam picked me up there and we went to The Parlor to see his girlfriend's band play. I was expecting something Pixies-influenced, for some reason. They were more like The Clash mixed with Poison. Enjoyable, though. Very enjoyable.

Today we're getting ready to head over to campus for lunch, then to the Horns game. We're playing Iowa State. I'm pretty freaking excited to see Kevin Durant play. The kid can ball, no doubt about it.

I'll try to check in later on and report back about the Phone Call tonight. Also, after I get back to LA, I'm going to try to get some pictures posted.

WSOPC: Prelude

2007-02-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday night, and I just landed in Austin. I'm here with Leah and Micah Hart, and we're trying out for VH1's World Series of Pop Culture. For those of you who have no idea what that is, the WSOPC is a pop-culture trivia game show, on the aforementioned VH1. The first "season" aired last summer, and I was not only floored by how easy the questions were, but that I didn't have the foresight to try out, even though I knew about the tryouts well in advance and they held tryouts in Los Angeles.

This year, we didn't make that mistake. We decided back in December that we were going to form a team (teams are made up of three people) and see what we could do. At worst, we have a fun time together. At best, we win this competition (and $250,000). Our team name is "Ski Mississippi."

I was hoping they would come to LA the weekend of the LA tryouts, but Micah couldn't get out of Atlanta that weekend, so we decided to come to Austin. We had to submit an online application and fill out a short questionnaire, and we were in. Our appointment is at 5:00 tomorrow afternoon at a hotel in downtown Austin. We will each take a timed, written pop-culture test, and if we pass, we'll move immediately into interviews with their casting people. After testing/interviewing teams (I have NO idea how many teams are here) all day Friday and Saturday, they will call back eight teams on Saturday night to come back on Sunday and compete in the regional qualifier. The winner automatically advances to the finals, to be taped in New York in March.

I've been training pretty hard for the past few weeks, and by "training" I mean watching a lot of TV, reading a lot, and listening to a lot of music. So, basically, I've been doing next to nothing out of the ordinary for the past few weeks. I have been reading the game cards from Scene It and the Saturday Night Live edition of Trivial Pursuit, though, so I guess that counts. Anyway, we're here and we think we have a pretty good shot, because not too many people know as much worthless crap as we do.

I'll try to check in and post a few times over the course of the weekend, while the experience is fresh. Wish us luck.

Bob Dylan Probably Also Wrote the Bible

2007-01-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is just too damn funny not to post.

The Biggest Douchebag Ever

2007-01-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

Slightly edging out Karl Rove and the guy who lives next door to me (I swear if you bang on the wall again, I'm going to put you through it - I do NOT slam the door!!), Barry Bonds has done more in recent years to cement his legacy as a douchebag than anyone I can think of. I went to a San Francisco Giants game at Dodger Stadium last summer for the sole purpose of booing him as loudly as I could, and hoping to start up a "Barry Sucks!" chant (and, b/c I was offered a free ticket), but he didn't play. Though that is not the reason I consider him a douchebag.

Barry Bonds might have gone down in history as one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game. He might have been in the top 10 in home runs hit, and he might have been remembered as an 8-time Gold Glove winner, 7-time MVP, and 13-time All-Star. A clearer path to Cooperstown could not be imagined. But none of that was good enough, so he decided the physical size of his head should more closely resemble the size of his ego (See photo at right - that thing's got it's own gravitational pull. HEED! PAPER, NOW!!).

Instead, he will be remembered as a douchebag. A stain on the National Pasttime. A liar, a cheater, and a miserable, miserable human being. If I were Bud Selig (who's a decent douchebag in his own right), I would see to it that Barry Bonds were banned from Major League Baseball, and I would remove his statistics since the 1998 season (when steroid dealer Greg Anderson became his trainer) from all record books.

Other than all of those other reasons I think Bonds is a stain, a liar, a cheater, and a miserable human being - and a douchebag - I just added another one to the list. HE'S A DOUCHEBAG. Ok, to be fair, that's not really a reason, but I have new support for my opinion. According to the Associated Press, Bonds failed a test for amphetamines in 2006, and when he learned of the test results, he blamed it on something he took from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker.

HE BLAMED HIS POSITIVE TEST FOR AMPHETAMINES ON SOMETHING HE TOOK FROM A TEAMMATE'S LOCKER.

Is there a bigger douchebag thing to do? Maybe if he then went over to Sweeney's house and took a dump in the middle of his living room, but short of that, I'm not sure there is. The thing that jumps right out at me, and I can't believe I haven't seen this angle in any of the articles I've read on the subject today, is this: If he took it from Mark Sweeney's locker, he is implying one of two things. Either he asked Mark Sweeney for amphetamines (which proves his intent to take amphetamines), or he stole something from his teammate. Now, let's assume he didn't ask Mark Sweeney for amphetamines. We're left with Barry Bonds: Thief. He either stole the drugs from Sweeney's locker thinking they were something completely legal and legitimate (in which case - WHY STEAL THEM??), or he stole them knowing they were illegal and not legitimate (in which case - YOU'RE A DOUCHEBAG!!).

I don't understand why the San Fransisco Giants and Major League Baseball, and fans of both institutions, are willing to put up with this kind of behavior and utter contempt for the high regard most of us still have for the game of baseball. If Keyshawn Johnson and Terrell Owens can get sent home for the remainder of a football season for merely being hard to deal with, yet breaking no laws or league rules, then Barry needs to go. If for no other reason than we do not need douchebags like him continuing to ruin baseball.

I've just used the word douchebag 10 times (11, if you count this sentence), and I don't feel that I've even come close to expressing how much I hate that Barry Bonds is still a part of baseball and society in general.

Jan. 12 Update - Bonds now claims he did not take anything from Mark Sweeney's locker. This is just another reason he's a douchebag - ruining a perfectly good blog post about what a douchebag he is, only one day after it is written.

Sun, Sun, Sun

2007-01-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining a little brighter today. Amanda got back yesterday after three and a half weeks in Israel, and it was not a moment too soon. I mean that not in the "I missed her like hell" sense (which I did), but more in the "I was approaching the point of forgetting to put on socks in the morning" sense. Something happens when she goes away for more than a day or two, where the part of me that is marginally responsible decides to close up shop and go off the grid for awhile.

Anyway, in honor of her return, here are some sun songs to go listen to.

Good Day, Sunshine - The Beatles
Sun, Sun, Sun - The Elected
Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning - Cowboy Junkies
Sunshine of Your Love - Cream
House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
Staring at the Sun - U2
Sun Is Shining - Bob Marley
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves (not Martika, as some people think)

Welcome home, Sunshine.

Listening Back, Vol. 2

2006-12-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

After I got home from work tonight, I decided to walk to Walgreens. It was a beautiful, brisk night, and I thought if nothing else, I'd enjoy some fresh air after spending all day downtown. And then I saw a guy pissing between two dumpsters in the alley behind my apartment complex.

Anyway, I finished packing (almost) and I'm taking this last opportunity to sit in front of a computer until 2007 to give you my top albums of 2006.

My Top Ten Albums of 2006:
10. Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam. I really liked this album when it came out (possibly because of the avocado on the cover). I haven't listened to it much since the summer, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it better than some of the albums in the "Honorable Mention" group below. I think it's probably their 4th best album, and the best thing they've put out since Vitalogy. Man, these guys made their debut when I was in high school and they made their three best albums before I graduated. It's almost a wonder they're still around, but they're just that good of a band.

9. The Damnwells - Air Stereo. I downloaded a couple of songs from this album ("Louisville" and "Heartbreak List"), and the strength of those two songs was enough for me to head over to Amoeba and buy the CD. I don't know much about the band, and since they don't have an entry in Wikipedia, I'm not likely to learn anytime soon. I can tell you that the opener of this album is a love song called "I Got You," in which the singer cleverly uses the titles of other songs ("More Than a Feeling" and "Radar Love," to name a few) in professing his love for whoever he might be singing to. It's like a mix tape, kind of, that you might give a girl you like in high school. Except instead of putting those songs on a tape, you put them into a song that you then put on your album. Rock stars just get to be so much cooler than the rest of us. If I did that, I'd probably get shipped for plagarism, that is, if anyone ever heard it in the first place.

8. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers. This is Jack White's new band, presumably because he got tired of doing EVERYTHING by himself in the White Stripes, short of banging aimlessly (but adorably) on the drums. So he teams up with Brendan Benson and two other dudes and effortlessly churns out some power rock. The whole album is recognizable, even if you haven't heard the songs before. That's a good quality for a song. But they're not the White Stripes, and that's a shame. One morning I was listening to this album on my way to work and I thought they sounded a whole lot like Rush. I listened to "Chronicles" 3 times in a row and decided two things. First, they DO sound a whole lot like Rush. Second, they're not Rush either. And that's also a shame.

7. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome (The Seeger Sessions). Leave it to the coolest mother left on the planet to ditch his own band (with their blessing, no less) and hit one out of the park with a bunch of covers of folk songs. By all accounts ("all" meaning the two friends I know who saw him in concert on this tour), the shows are just electric. Dad loves it, too, which sure makes riding in The Vic (Dad's got a Ford Crown Victoria. That nickname, "The Vic," it was born about 5 seconds ago. Any good?) a little easier. Just pure, unabashed, hand-clapping, foot-stomping fun.

6. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche. This is an album of also-rans, basically. It's made up of songs that came from the recording of his previous album, "Illinois," that didn't make the final cut. Call them rarities, b-sides, whatever you want. They're good, but there's a reason they didn't make it. I don't want to bash this guy though, because he is abso-f'ing-lutely one of the most musically talented individuals I have ever had the privilege to see in concert. We saw him at the Wiltern back in October, and it was just amazing. He has a whole orchestra, practically, on stage with him, everybody in costumes and performing these masterfully written pop songs, but they're more than that - they're soothing and smart and, this is going to be a strange thing to say and I mean this in the absolute best way possible, but this guy makes the kind of music that they should play during state executions, because there CANNOT be a better way to go.

5. The Minus 5 - The Minus 5 (The Trials Posthumous of The Minus 5). The closest thing to an indie-rock supergroup, this band is made up of, at times (b/c they come and go as they please), members of R.E.M., Wilco, the Decemberists, and many other solo musicians and producers. This is the only album of theirs that I have, though "Down With Wilco" is one that I'd like to check out. Every song on this album fits into sort of a death motif. The opening track, "Rifle Called Goodbye," is unapologetically Beatles-esque, and "Cemetery Row," sung by The Decemberists' Colin Meloy is, in my opinion, the best the album has to offer. Unfortunately, because they are inherently a side project, they don't leave much expectation of a tour or any regularity with regard to future albums.

4. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time. Band of Horses was primed to be the next huge thing in indie rock. By that, I mean they were all over the blogs like chicken pox. Unfortunately, they evidently don't put on a very good live show. That'll hurt you. I didn't see them in concert, but I did have a ticket to see them with Jeremy before I realized the concert was on Yom Kippur. Damn religious convictions!! Anyway, I did download a live show of theirs, and I will say that I don't think it's as good as the studio album. The album is excellent, though, and I've been listening to it a lot in recent weeks. The band's sound isn't the most original, though, which also probably hurt them a bit. They sound kind of like The Shins crossed with post-grunge Seattle rock. Well, actually, that does seem sort of original. I guess I can't trash them too much; I've got them ranked #4! They must be doing something right. "Funeral" is a leading candidate for song of the year on many lists I've seen, and it would definitely be in my top ten, were I putting together such a list, which at this point, I am not.

3. The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun. I cannot say enough good things about this album. The only reason I didn't put it at #2 is that I have only heard the first half of it (though I have been promised the second half by a friend). The songs on this album are so well written, both lyrically and musically. The originality in the arrangements of the songs is probably a big reason I like it so much, but I know absolutely nothing about music theory, so anything I try to say here is just going to come out like "awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome ..." before I start drooling all over myself, so I'm just going to say this: no matter what type of music you listen to (unless all you listen to is hardcore gangsta rap or smooth jazz - I HATE smooth jazz), you WILL like this album, so go and get it immediately. Of all the albums on this list, this is the one I'm most excited about force-feeding my parents on our drive from Houston to New Orleans tomorrow.

2. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit. As my friend Neola put it, this is the mature side of Belle & Sebastian. My take is that their previous albums had a lot of upbeat songs that made you want to dance while not realizing that they were possibly the most depressing lyrics you've ever heard. This album is not like that. Quite the contrary, the songs are more low-key (less dance-poppy - is that a real word?) and not nearly as depressing. This is the CD that's in my car at all times for whenever I might forget my iPod (which, if you know me, you'll not be surprised to learn is incredibly rarely), and I don't know of a greater endorsement I can give. This album gave me back-to-back-to-back favorites from the band in tracks 3-5 ("White Collar Boy," "The Blues Are Still Blue," and "Dress Up In You"). It's like the Manny-Big Papi-Varitek heart of the Red Sox batting order. When you see them coming up, you just don't worry about what's going to happen next because you know it's going to be ok.

1. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife. I knew this was going to be my favorite album of the year as soon as I listened to it after downloading it illegally. Just kidding (but about which part??). I've probably listened to more of this band in the past year than most other bands, and I've probably listened to this album more than any other album that came out this year, even though it's only been out for about two months. They've definitely cemented their status in my favorite bands of the past decade. The album, partially based on a Japanese folk tale, opens with an upbeat, spirited song about a man who loses his wife. Who may or may not be a crane. The bird. Anyway, it weaves its way through some other subject matter (kidnapping, murder, forbidden love, war, and child-killing butchers) before coming full circle and reintroducing us to this man before he meets his wife, who may or may not be a crane. We witness his despair, we see them find each other, and we see their happiness together, all the while knowing he's just going to lose her at some point in the future. I know it probably sounds very strange if you haven't heard it, and if so, I'm sorry I can't do a better job of describing it, but you're going to have to take my word for it, this album is complete and it is worth every penny, illegally downloaded or not.

Honorable Mention
Tom Petty - Highway Companion A really good album. I think this is the only album I have ever bought from iTunes in its entirety. Closer than any other to crack the Top 10, probably in place of Pearl Jam.
The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
Editors - The Back Room
Islands - Return to the Sea
Johnny Cash - Personal File
Jeff Tweedy - Sunken Treasure A live album, which I try not to rank with the rest. Also, the album is only part of the DVD of his concert footage. Now, as much as I loved seeing him on this tour, and watching the DVD, and listening to the accompanying CD, I just can't in good conscience put it into the Top 10 studio recordings. I have nothing if I don't have my ethics, you know.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Maybe it's unfair, but I'm ranking this album low because I liked "Blacklisted" better. I don't know why I'm doing that, but if you disagree, you can either leave me a comment or get your own damn blog. Neko's got one of the most powerful voices in music. It's very soft and comforting, like a warm blanket, but it sounds like it needs absolutely no warmup, no running start, like it can just take off like a bullet from a gun. I just didn't like it as much as "Blacklisted."

Disappointments
Jay-Z - Kingdom Come (Still my favorite rapper of all time, but man, he should have stayed retired. Instead, true to his word, he "came back like Jordan, wearing the 45". Jordan should also have stayed retired.)
Thom Yorke - The Eraser (I don't know why I expected to like this album. As good as Radiohead is, I haven't liked anything they've put out since their third album.)

Probably would have liked a lot if I had listened to:
Bob Dylan - Modern Times
Neil Young - Living With War
The Killers - Sam's Town

Ever Since the Fire Went Out

2006-12-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

Pretty excited to be heading back to Mississippi this weekend, for a friend's wedding. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a flight to Jackson or to New Orleans that I could afford, so instead I'm flying to Houston and driving over with the folks. We're stopping in New Orleans so we can check out a few rehearsal dinner options on Friday morning, and I'm also going to get to meet Alan's baby girl, who is supposed to make her debut tomorrow. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

When I made my plane reservations, I decided to fly back to LA on the 2nd, so that I'd be sure not to miss the Fiesta Bowl, which, at the time, was where the Longhorns were supposed to be playing. That was before we dropped two in a row to Kansas State and Texas A&M, dropping us to #4 in the Big 12. Instead, we're playing in the Alamo Bowl on the 30th. So, not only will I not be watching Texas in a BCS bowl on the 2nd, but I won't be watching them in a crappy bowl on the 30th either, because we'll be at the wedding during the game. Those bastards. That sentence is equally applicable to the Horns and to Hannah and Will for scheduling their wedding during the bowl game.

I Just Can't Help Myself

2006-12-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

I realize I'm doing a pretty poor job of keeping this blog from turning into a Vince Young fan site, but check out ESPN's top sports moment of 2006. As if there was ever any doubt.

Also, I'm pretty excited that my Hanukkah gift to myself arrived today.

Happy Holidays.

Experiencing Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By

2006-12-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

So, I decided it was high time I update this here blog, but when I signed into Blogger today, they had all of these new features and I had to link my Blogger account to my Google account (just another way for The Man to keep track of me), then I was prompted to update my template so that it would be compatible with the new features, but when I did that I lost most of the customizations I had made to the site.

I realize that was an egregious run-on sentence.

Anyway, I'm working on getting this thing back up to speed, so please bear with me. Until then, please enjoy this picture. The guy just wins football games, it's that simple.

Update - One of the unexpected changes was the disappearance of the comments on each post. I'm working on it.

2nd update - I just can't figure out how to recover all of the old comments. Oh, well. On a positive note, I can now assign labels, or tags, to each post. Now, if anybody really wants to see all of the posts on this blog that have to do with music, or Vince Young (VY, to those who may or may not have some sort of non-sexual man-crush on him), or LA, they can just click on the label in the list on the right side of the page. I think that's pretty cool.

And for the record, I did not intend for my blog to be decked out in Tennessee Titans colors. I promise. I'm working on that, b/c I like these colors, and I'm certainly not against being a HUGE fan of VY, but I'm not trying to design my blog around his team's colors.

3rd update - Screw it. I like these colors.

4th update - Regarding the aforementioned labels, or tags, I'm going back through all of the old posts on this blog in order to tag them. It's not going to happen overnight, but I'll get to them soon.

FAMIMA!!

2006-11-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Things just got a tiny bit more awesome in my daily grind. I don't know if you've ever been to a Famima!! (it comes with the punctuation, like Yahoo!), but until the other day, I hadn't. I'd seen them here and there, and I'd gazed into them like I was looking upon the Holy Grail, but never gone in. Well, one just opened across the street from my office a few days ago, and let me tell you (and this is going to sound SO ridiculous), it's the best convenience store I've ever been in. If you get as excited about trivial crap as I do, then get yourself into a Famima!! as soon as possible.

In other news, at Ralph's on Tuesday night, I decided to eschew my normal purchase of "brown sugar and cinnamon" flavored oatmeal for a new "cinnamon roll" flavor. My thinking was that I love cinnamon rolls, so how could this really go wrong. Yikes. I couldn't even eat 3 bites of it, and now I've got 9 more packs of it to either waste or force myself through before I can start fresh with the old standby. I'll tell you, sometimes life's tough.

No-Talent Ass Clown at the Kodak Theater

2006-10-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Something has gone seriously wrong when I'm automatically getting emails like this one.

These Are the Days of Miracle and Wonder

2006-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I scored some last minute tickets to see Paul Simon with Josh and Sarah last night at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park. I listened to his newest cd, "Surprise," a couple of times yesterday, and I have to say I wasn't too impressed, but hey, it's Paul Simon, could it possibly be a bad idea to go see him in concert? Turns out it wasn't.

The show was great, he played 3 songs off the new cd and the rest were classics, including a large handful from the S&G era. He even came out for three encores! Unfortunately, I forgot my little notebook where I write the setlists down, so I had to (nerd alert!) keep sending myself text messages from my cell phone in order to get the whole list. I do it for you, really. This is what I got to enjoy last night while trying not to get sicker than I already am.

Paul Simon, Greek Theater
Gumboots
Boy in the Bubble
Outrageous
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Slip Sliding Away
You're the One
Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard
How Can You Live in the Northeast
Mrs. Robinson
Loves Me Like a Rock
That Was Your Mother
Duncan
Graceland
Father & Daughter
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
The Only Living Boy in New York
Cecilia
Encore:
Call Me Al
Still Crazy After All These Years
The Boxer
Second Encore:
Wartime Prayers
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Third Encore:
Late in the Evening

2006-10-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

Smoking Will Stunt Your Growth

I don't normally take requests, but this one came in from Andy this afternoon, and it was worth it. The dancing's funny, and the look on the kid's face is priceless, but the payoff is at the very end. I mean, I almost crapped my pants.

This Desert Life

2006-10-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I went to Phoenix this weekend with our friend Aaron. I'd been to Arizona once, stopping only long enough to sleep at a Motel 6 and eat breakfast at the Waffle House in Tuscon before crossing the state and entering California, and Amanda had never been at all, so we decided to make the trip for the weekend. We went to Yom Kippur services Sunday night and Monday, then drove back late Monday night.

While we were there, we had a really great time. Saturday, we drove up to Flagstaff for the Fat Tire Beer Festival, which was a blast, if just a little too crowded. The beer was good, though, no doubt about that. We stopped in Sedona (which happens to be the name of Jean's dog) on the way up, and it was a really nice little town that has really good ice cream. Flagstaff was great, though. A little hippie town (Amanda said it reminded her of Asheville, NC), lots of cool stores and bars, and of course, the Fat Tire Beer Festival. It was a little chilly (in Arizona, no less), so I bought a long-sleeved t-shirt for 5 bucks, and the beers helped keep me warm as well. We met up with a bunch of Jean's med school classmates there, then the 4 of us grabbed a quick dinner at a burrito shop and walked around for a little while before heading back. I ended up buying a really cool reprint of a Chinese advertisement. I have no idea what it says or what it is advertising, and it's kind of hard to describe here, but it's got drawings of what looks to be a bunch of Chinese generals, like Mao and others, and they're all talking about something. Like I said, hard to describe, but for $12.95, it's going to make one hell of an addition to the apartment once I get it framed, which might be never.

Sunday, after we got up, the rest of the group indulged me against their better judgment and we all went to Waffle House for breakfast. I have to say, I don't think I will ever get sick of that place. Afterwards, we took a driving tour of Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, etc. We checked out Arizona State University, saw a ton of strip malls, and took a mini-hike part of the way up Camelback Mountain, which was really, really hot. I liked Flagstaff better. Less sweating involved.

After Camelback, we drove out to Glendale so Aaron and I could see the new stadium where the Arizona Cardinals play, which was recently named University of Phoenix Stadium. If you're not familiar, U of Phoenix is one of those online colleges. Not a real college. Aaron thought it was pretty funny that the University of Phoenix, which does not have a football team, now has a much bigger and nicer stadium than the University of Arizona, or ASU. This stadium was AWESOME. Usually it's the team that's the attraction, or the game itself. Maybe not with the Cardinals. This stadium is brand new and is unlike anything I've ever seen that doesn't involve aliens or a government conspiracy. The thing just looks like a UFO, and it's sitting out in the middle of nowhere, among the cornfields. Weird, but very cool. The field is grass, not turf, but somehow they figured out how to put an actual grass field on rollers so it can slide outside and get sunlight. We're working on figuring out when we can get back for a game. In the meantime, here are some pics of the front of the stadium and the field out back.

Sleep Comes Like a Drug...

2006-09-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

On my way to Phoenix with Amanda and Aaron for the weekend. Stopped in Joshua Tree National Park on the way. This place is just beautiful. Bono was right.

Box of Tapes

2006-09-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

So there's this box of tapes just sitting by the sidewalk when I get off the bus. This strikes me as strange, and also as a cool picture. I sent it to a friend of mine who is an expert photog for validation.

Bush Doesn't Want to Show the Facts

2006-09-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

You thought I was talking about our President, didn't you? Well, I can't blame you, but you're wrong.

Looks like Reggie Bush might not be the "Saint" everyone thinks he is. (Sorry, I know that was lazy.) According to an investigation by Yahoo Sports, Bush and his family might have accepted up to $100,000 worth of gifts and money during his tenure as a Heisman-winning USC running back.

Lots of athletes break the rules, that doesn't separate Bush from anyone. And nothing's final yet, so I'm not accusing him of cheating (just in case he was worried about my opinion of him). But what does strike me as confusing (at best) is this comment from Bush in response to the inquiry:

"It makes you want to go out there right away and tell your side of the story. Show everybody the facts, the truth. But you can't do that. That wouldn't be the right way to do it."

Really, Reggie? Then what would be the right way to do it? What would be a better way to do it than giving everyone the facts and the truth?

Yeah, But What's the Mileage Like?

2006-09-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's me next to the Batmobile. Don't ask me why, but it was parked on the sidewalk in front of the Hotel Figueroa as I passed it on my way to the bus after work today. I imagine Christian Bale was probably inside, swimming in a fountain with 2 waifish models. More pics below (although I'm not sure why so far below).

Thinking About the Longhorns

2006-09-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been almost 2 years since I've had to deal with Texas losing a football game, and I'd forgotten how hard it is. To "borrow" a gimmick from Peter King, the Monday Morning Quarterback, these are Ten Things I Think I Think. Some of them are from my good-sport side, some of them are from my sore-loser side. They're conflicted right now.

1. I think a loss early in the season is better than a loss later in the season, and I think a loss to a higher ranked team is better than a loss to a lower or unranked team. So, if you have to lose a game, I think losing in week 2 to the #1 team in the country is about as good a loss as you can take.

2. I think we still won the National Championship only 2 games ago. 2 games ago. And I think I'm still pretty damn excited about that.

3. I think Jamaal Charles is a stud. The kid can run through brick walls like the Kool-Aid Man.

4. I think that Terrel Brown should be suspended from the team for the rest of the season. He was one of the kids caught last Saturday night in a car that was pulled over with drugs and a gun in it. The drugs were in the car, and the gun (loaded) was on his lap. The drugs were not on his person, and he passed a drug test, so the drug charge was dropped, but here's my question: If you're not stoned, how are you too stupid to know that you shouldn't have a loaded gun on your lap IF IT'S NOT YOUR GUN??? Anyway, he was supposed to start for us at cornerback and match up with Ted Ginn, Jr. (94 yds. receiving, 1 TD). Listen, when you screw up, you screw it up for the rest of the team. We had HUGE coverage issues last night, and I'm not saying it would have been different if he was in the game, but it probably would have. He needs to learn his lesson from this.

5. I think that Greg Davis should be a little worried about his job. People (and not just me, a lot of people) were saying that we needed to get rid of him (and to a lesser extent, Mack Brown, who was stubbornly loyal to his offensive coordinator and wouldn't fire him) for years, and then the second half of the 2004 season happened, and the 2005 season happened, and everybody forgot about it and thought, "Maybe he's figured it out, maybe he's not that bad." I've got news for you: He is that bad. You know what the difference was in the 2004 and 2005 seasons? It sure wasn't the Offensive Coordinator's play calling. It was a guy by the name of Vince Young, a guy who is only vulnerable to kryptonite and written tests. Without Vince, Greg Davis must rely on mere mortals to run his plays, and HE NEEDS TO CALL THE RIGHT PLAYS FOR THEM TO RUN. We have two running backs (Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young) who are pretty unbelievable, and had 27 carries for 164 yards rushing between them (not to mention the 10 receptions for 84 yards they shared - as our top two receivers in the game last night) against an Ohio State defense that was having a legitimately hard time stopping our running game and gave up 171 rushing yards to ONE GUY in their last game. Yet on five separate third down opportunities, Greg Davis called passing plays that were incomplete. I don't really even know anything about football, but I could have done a better job, even with the amount of beer I had to drink yesterday. We lose another game this year, and I mean ONE more game, Davis needs to go. Brown can stay.

6. I think Colt McCoy has some work to do with his receivers. I know he's green, but your top two receivers shouldn't be your running backs, not when you've got Limas Sweed on your team. I think he's remarkably mature, though, when it comes to poise. Kid took a couple of pretty big hits last night and was able to remain calm, even while Greg Davis was busy knocking the wheels off of the whole operation.

7. I think Billy Pittman's teammates need to give him a Code Red while he sleeps one night this week, covering his head with a pillowcase and punching him in the arms, then pouring glue over his hands. He won't fumble on the two yard line again, I can guarantee you that. Just ask Lowden Downey.

8. I think we can still go 11-1, but we've got some tough games ahead. Luckily, we only have one really tough road game, at Nebraska on October 21, though Texas Tech will probably also be a challenge. I don't count Rice (in Houston) and Oklahoma (in Dallas) as road games, and we're home for the rest of the season, except for a late visit to Kansas State, who seem to have forgotten that they were a legitimate powerhouse about 4 years ago.

9. I think I'd love to know what that thing on Mack Brown's upper lip was during the game last night. Did anybody else catch that? It looked like his herpes was flaring up. Actually, if it was herpes, I'd rather not know about it.

10. I think that when we came home last night and watched Remember the Titans on tv, I teared up like I normally do when I watch most sports movies. However, I think that maybe some of those tears didn't have anything to do with the movie.

All in all, I'm handling this loss much better than I expected to, based on how I've handled them in the past. Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser. All I know is this: if we don't go 11-1, Greg Davis needs to update his resume.

GREEKFEST!!!!

2006-09-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last night, Amanda, Naomi, Bailey and I went to the LA Greek Fest. The food was awesome (I had the gyro and Athenian beer). The girls made wreaths which they wore on their heads. I just watched. While I was watching, I saw the biggest spider I've ever seen. I didn't know they had spiders this big in North America.

Anyway, after they were done, we were watching some people dance on the dance floor, where a DJ was playing some Greek music that seemed to be never-ending. They kept publicizing the Zorba Dance Contest, and Bailey decided it would be really funny to go sign me up. When she did, she was more than mildly surprised to see her own name on the list, where I had put it about 5 minutes earlier. Neither one of us backed down from the challenge, though we tried to talk ourselves out of it a few times. We didn't win the contest (some guy who did the "robot" won, though we think he was some sort of professional, or at least a street performer on Hollywood Blvd.), but in the end, we're all winners, right? Except for maybe the crazy lady in the pink. And the old guy in the purple sequened shirt and shoes who signed up for the contest then bolted before it was his turn.

I've got videos of both my dance performance and Bailey's (she dragged Amanda out there with her also), which I'm in the process of uploading to YouTube and will post when they're done.

(Also, for some reason, I can't get my photos uploaded to Blogger right now. I'll go back and insert them into this post later, after they get over their technical difficulties.)

Man, those Greeks sure know how to party. Personally, I enjoyed being in a place where I wasn't even close to being the hairiest guy around.

Sorry Folks, Bandwagon's Full

2006-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

What do these three guys have in common? Evidently they're all Longhorn fans. McConaughey I can understand, b/c he was a student there once, and Armstrong lives in Austin, but Jake Gyllenhaal?? Come on. I haven't seen a bandwagon jump like this since I started rooting for the Spurs back in 2003. He even admits in the article that he's not even really a fan of college football at all but watches the big games. Yeah, that's dedication, man. And yes, I do realize that I sold my ticket to the Rose Bowl and went to Hawaii. I stand by my decision, so kiss my ass. You know who you are.

So, for the record, we've got Lance "Is it too late to reconcile with Sheryl Crow?" Armstrong, Matthew "Wooderson" McConaughey, Jake "Brokeback mother-f'ing Aquaman" Gyllenhaal, Chuck "Potato Sack" Norris, and Cowboy Troy (who might be the worst singer of all time). Marvelous. Is there any other crappy celebrity out there who hasn't pledged allegiance to a college football team that wants to get on board real quick, before it's too late? Seriously, we'll leave the doors open until gametime tomorrow. Maybe Kevin Dillon, Nicole Richie, Chris Parnell (nothing but love for you, Parnell), Kathy Griffin, and George Takei will show up on the sidelines sporting their burnt orange. Is it that hard to find somebody who is a better celebrity fan than Matthew McConaughey?? Really, he's our best one?? The rest of these punks can't even carry his jock.

(I just had to duck a roundhouse kick. Man, that thing came out of nowhere! Ok, I'm through ranting.)

HOOK EM!

I'm Just Skelaxin

2006-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, I mentioned that my doctor gave me some muscle relaxers the other day. This is what he gave me. Skelaxin. This has become my new favorite variation on the word "relax" since I heard someone say "chillax" a few weeks ago on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." So, after I pop one of these puppies and curl up with my heating blanket, I'm just gonna be skelaxin.

According to the packaging, adverse reactions can include nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal upset, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, and nervousness or "irritability." It then goes on to state that other adverse reactions (b/c those weren't nearly enough) can include hypersensitivity reaction, characterized by a light rash with or without pruritus (whatever the hell that is), leukopenia, hemolytic anemia, and jaundice.

Yikes. Thanks, doc, but I think I'll take my chances with the pulled muscle.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

2006-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the couch (big surprise there, right?) watching tonight's episode of Rockstar: Supernova, and I'm waiting for the effects of my muscle relaxers to kick in. I've got this pain in my neck and shoulder that has gotten steadily worse over the past 3 or 4 days (give or take 8 years), so I went to the doctor today and he told me he thinks it's probably a pulled muscle. I'm no doctor, but I don't see how I could have pulled a muscle while doing absolutely no exercise whatsoever, but I'll take the pills he gave me for a few days and see if it gets any better.

Anyway, like I said, I'm sitting on the couch watching tonight's episode of Rockstar: Supernova, and I'm wondering why I haven't been writing regular recaps of each episode this season. I mean, I am completely obsessed with this show, and what do I enjoy writing about more than music and TV? Probably nothing. Maybe I'm not as good as the folks over at Television Without Pity, but we're less than 20 minutes into tonight's episode and a few things are jumping out at me. My comments are live, by the way. Minor edits, but if I make predictions, I'm not changing them whether I'm right or wrong. Here goes:

- Brooke Burke is pregnant?? Damn. Does that mean she's remarried? Maybe, but at the very least, it means she had sex with somebody as recently as a few months ago. In a perfect world, I'd have more details for you on that, but it's far from a perfect world.

- Dave Navarro (with new band The Panic Channel) is going to join Supernova on their upcoming tour as one of the opening bands. Also opening on the tour is the House Band (are they going to call themselves "The House Band"??), with "our favorite rockers" joining them. If there's a concert I'll be more upset to miss in 2007, I don't know what it will be, but I just don't see myself dropping what will probably be upwards of $50 a ticket for a novelty act, even one as good as this one.

- The rockers each drove to the studio today in a Honda Element. They couldn't have all ridden together? It's a freaking SUV, for crying out loud! Nice, guys. Way to cut down on gas. Like I said, it's not a perfect world. Evidently whoever gets the encore tonight also gets the car they drove up in. The other four are heading back to the dealer. I hope Lukas didn't already get makeup all over the upholstery in his car.

- My man Toby gets the encore and the car (Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh). For some reason when they announce this, Magni stands up triumphantly and raises his arms. I guess they've become friends or something. Toby dedicates it to Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. For some reason, that confuses me a bit. I was surprised he didn't dedicate it to "that random dude The crowd loves it, again.

- Storm is the first rocker in the bottom three and she sings "Wish You Were Here" rather unmemorably. Is unmemorably a word? "This one's for you, mom," she says afterward. It's like she automatically thinks she's a goner and wants to get in a shout-out to her moms in case there's not another chance.

- Dilana goes next, with her crutches that look like they were stolen from a hospital owned by Steven Tyler. She sings "I Want You to Want Me," but she's having a hard time keeping up with the "punk rock" version that she's singing while hopping around on her one good leg. Also, it sounded like she might have forgot the entire first verse.

- Lukas gets the third spot, leaving Magni and Toby (a.k.a., the clear frontrunners) to sit and watch from a safe place. He sings his original, "Head Spin," again, which is about his mother, and dedicated to his mother. Man, Dilana's mom must feel like crap. Lukas kills it, giving it a much better performance than the one he gave it last night, which was a really good one to begin with.
- If I had to guess (and if not, what am I even doing here), we're losing Storm, but I'm going to go out on a short limb and say that one of the ladies is going home tonight for sure. If it's Storm, then her kickin body and positive attitude have gotten her farther than her voice would have, and if it's Dilana, then she's had the sharpest drop in the history of sharp drops. She pretty much owned this competition for the first 4 or 5 weeks, then some other folks (Magni, Toby, Ryan) caught up, and the past 3 weeks have just been a tailspin for her.

- Lukas is safe, and the three boys are watching as the ladies take their abuse. Tommy Lee just pulled the lamest move I've seen in rock and roll when he said he can't make the decision b/c it's too hard, so he made Jason Newstead announce who's gone. Punk. Newstead axed Storm. I'm a genius.

Next week, one of these rookies is gonna get called up. I'm psyched. I gotta say that I hope Magni wins this competition, but Toby and Lukas are also pretty awesome.

I Sipped Bacardi Like It Was My Birthday

2006-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 a few days ago without much fanfare, which was fine with me, though I'm kind of surprised I didn't post anything on my birthday. Oh well.

Amanda came downtown to meet me for lunch, and she surprised me by giving me a new guitar for my birthday present!!! I was pretty f'ing excited, I will tell you that. I haven't played since my old guitar was stolen when our house got robbed on the St. Patrick's Day Massacre of 2005. Then Thursday night I got another surprise when my friend Neola from Jackson walked into my apartment. That one really threw me for a loop. Evidently I'm pretty easy to surprise, b/c everyone knew she was coming but me.

Had a "birthday party" Friday night at this dive bar in Santa Monica called "The Speak Easy Cocktail." This place rocked. Good jukebox (which we pumped a bunch of money into), strong drinks (I don't know if they were cheap or not b/c I was getting them handed to me by everybody, but I imagine they were), a couple of pool tables, and a Scottish bartender named Ruth. Ruth bought me a drink also. My roommate Josh told me he thinks I might have drank a whole bottle of scotch, but I doubt that. Although it might have been close.

Today Amanda, Neola and I were having lunch and walking around on Melrose, and I bumped into Toby from Rockstar: Supernova. I shook his hand and said "You fucking rock, man, keep it up and good luck," to which he responded, "Cheers, good on ya, mate." Australians are funny.

I'm gonna get some posts about our trip to Hawaii up here soon, with a few pictures, but in the meantime, if you want me to email you the ophoto album, just leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send them along.

Vegas Baby. Vegas.

2006-08-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

8 hours after getting back from Maui, I left for Vegas to meet my buddies for our fantasy football draft/weekend of partying. It was a great weekend, though one with very little sleep. We were like a walking Sports Guy column. No more details - what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I can say that we all had a fun dinner on Saturday evening.

Beach at Ka'anapali on Maui

2006-08-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

This place is absolutely paradise. Will update more when I have a chance, but might not be until after I get back.

28 Shuffle

2006-08-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I stole this from some other music blogs I've read, but I don't really care. I put my iPod on shuffle this morning, and these are the first 28 (b/c that's how many lines are on the pages of my legal pads) songs I got. Not bad, really, considering the fact that there's a good bit of crap on my iPod.

1. Ryan Adams - Please Do Not Let Me Go
2. Metallica - Last Caress/Green Hell
3. Ben Folds Five - Evaporated
4. Bruce Springsteen - Missing
5. The Guess Who - Cardboard Empire
6. Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World (live)
7. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Go Daddy-O
8. R.E.M. - Beat a Drum
9. Elliott Smith - A Passing Feeling (live)
10. Turin Brakes - By TV Light
11. Grateful Dead - Till the Morning Comes
12. Bob Schneider - Better
13. Bob Dylan - Watcha Gonna Do (Studio Outtake)
14. Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (live)
15. Ryan Adams - Amy
16. Guns & Roses - You're Crazy
17. Snoop Dogg - Too High
18. Metallica - The Prince
19. U2 - New Year's Day
20. Jimi Hendrix - 3rd Stone from the Sun
21. Sleater-Kinney - Jumpers
22. Sufjan Stevens - Riffs & Variations on a Single Note
23. Radiohead - Go to Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)
24. Third Eye Blind - Deep Inside of You
25. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Waiting in Vain
26. Bush - Machinehead
27. Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
28. R.E.M. - Suspicion (live)

How to Eat Like a College Student

2006-08-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

After Saturday's fitness experiment (where Amanda was very excited to see Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tom Cruise's hot wife from The Firm and co-star of fellow Jacobs Camp alum Ginnifer Goodwyn in HBO's Big Love), I had to go home and rest. Big day ahead. There was a Texas alumni barbecue down in Redondo Beach, and they were bringing in Salt Lick Barbecue for the occasion, as well as all-you-can-drink Shiner Bock.

We got to the barbecue around 5:00, and they were supposed to start serving dinner at 5:30. No dice. More like 6:30. At least they had beer and the DVD of the Rose Bowl to keep everybody happy until the food was ready.

I haven't had Salt Lick in years, but it's like riding a bike, you just don't forget how to handle a Salt Lick meal. Step one: starve yourself all day, so you're really really hungry by the time the meat hits the table. Check. Step two: drown (and I mean drown) EVERYTHING on your plate in sauce. Meat, bread, potato salad. Everything. Check. Step three: eat your first heaping plate of ribs, sausage and brisket (leave the chicken alone) as fast as possible, so you don't realize you're full until well into the second plate. Check. Step four: when you start to falter during your second plate, drink a little Coke in order to burp a few times and make some more room in your stomach. Check. Step five: when you realize you're not going to be able to handle much more, eat the sausage first. Everything else is just there to keep the sausage company while it waits to be eaten. Check.

I went at this stuff like my life depended on it. I was so stuffed that I could barely eat lunch the next day. That night we went to a party that some friends of ours were having, and I just sat on the couch the whole time nursing a bottle of beer and a glass of room-temperature Sprite. I was like an overfed baby, I just wanted to lie down and burp until I felt better. When I complained to Amanda that I was so full it hurt, she said, "Well you were shoveling it into your face! You need to learn to eat smaller portions." I responded by telling her that I do know how to eat smaller portions, but that this was Salt Lick, this was different. True, I was in pain (something that didn't happen 10 years ago), but if I had it to do all over again, the only thing I would change would be to try to smuggle some extra sausage out in a cup or a ziploc bag.

Survived ... Barely.

2006-08-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am DYING! Amanda and I just finished taking a class at Barry's Boot Camp, where my college roommate Mark is a trainer. Damn. It's a good thing I was sweating so much, so you couldn't see the tears running down my face. More on this later, I have to eat breakfast before I pass out.

Sometimes LA Rules

2006-08-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Despite the lack of A/C in our apartment, the traffic, the ridiculous amount of time it takes to get anywhere, the distance from most of our family and friends, and the cost of living, sometimes living in LA is just awesome. Last night, Amanda and I went with a friend of ours who has a good hook-up to see an advance screening of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. A good movie is a good movie, and a free movie is a good movie, but a free good movie that hasn't even come out yet is just awesome. I wrote a review of it over at The Water Cooler, but you should all definitely go see it when it comes out this weekend, it was hilarious! Super-duper!!

Hell-A

2006-07-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

It is so damn hot here. I mean, it's not Mississippi, we don't have the humidity, but we also don't have air conditioning in our apartment, so even without the humidity, it is absolutely miserable. It's like Elaine told Puddy, when he told her she was going to Hell.

I'm going to Hell! The worst place imaginable. With the ragged clothing, and the heat, my God the heat!

I've been sleeping on the couch some nights, and one night last week I had to resort to drastic measures. I went downstairs and grabbed an ice cold can of Pabst out of the fridge just to hold in my hand while I tried to fall asleep. It worked, for a little while, and I fell asleep feeling a little cooler, but then I woke up again about 30 minutes later drenched in sweat, and holding a warm beer. A friend suggested I place an entire cooler next to the bed, so that when one beer warms up, I can switch it out for a cold one. Doesn't sound like a bad idea.

It is actually cooler outside our apartment than inside. We've been trying to adjust by doing things outdoors. Last night we went to see a movie. In a cemetary. It was as weird as it sounds. They do movie screenings at the Hollywood Forever cemetary (which is the creepiest name for a cemetary I can think of) during the summer, and last night they showed Woody Allen's "Manhattan." First time I've seen it, and it was awesome. As if seeing a movie in a cemetary wasn't weird enough, they had a DJ spinning tunes before and after the movie, and everyone sits there and has picnic dinners before the show starts. Nothing like bringing a bunch beer and wine to the graveyard. Just a normal Saturday evening in Hollywood, I guess.

The Water Cooler

2006-07-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION!!!

There's a brand new pop-culture blog out there that I feel the need to call your attention to for many reasons, not the least of which is that I am one of the two (currently) contributors to it.

The Water Cooler

I would urge you all (some more than others, but hey, we're all family here, right?) to head over there and check it out, b/c in my humble opinion, it's damn good. We've got a bunch of stuff going on over there, might be a little ambitious, and who knows how long it will last, but we think we need to at least put in as much time updating the blog as we did designing it, so that gives us a minimum of 2 weeks. I would imagine it'll go much longer. Most of what we do over there is going to be pop-culture related, reviews of movies, music, etc. Two things to look out for are our fake reviews of books we have never read (our "Judge a Book By Its Cover" series), and my "30 Years of Rock" series in which I will be reviewing the top 10 albums of each year of my life, each year on a new day leading up to my 30th birthday next month.

One thing I want to point out, though, is that for some reason, the template we used looks like complete crap on Internet Explorer. This would be a great time for you to download and use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser, if you don't already. With tabbed browsing, you can have multiple sites open at once in the same window (without crowding your computer with so many browser windows open at one time), and it has much MUCH better pop-up blockers and security features than IE does. Best of all, it's free!! Get it here.

There's a lot going on out here in the City of Angels, so don't think that I'm abandoning Manifest Destiny in favor of The Water Cooler. I don't like one more than the other, I just like them in different ways. It's like the way my parents feel about my sisters. They don't love one more than the other, they just love them differently. They do, of course, love me more. That's a joke. They love me much less.

So, check out The Water Cooler, bookmark it, read it early, read it often, and keep coming back here as well, b/c I'm going to be posting different stuff in both places. And thanks for reading. You stay classy, San Diego.

PS - My buddy Micah's latest Chicago Sports Review column got picked up by the up-and-coming (at a very fast pace) sports blog Deadspin. Check it out here, it's quality stuff.

I Don't Roll on Shabbas

2006-07-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

But I will roll the day after Shabbas.

Saturday we spent the day at the beach in Malibu with a bunch of friends. It was great, the waves were huge, and we were like 7-year olds jumping around in them. We packed lunches and a cooler full of water (and beer), and some of us forgot to put sunscreen on various parts of our bodies. I got a weird burn on a small strip of the back of one of my arms. I was one of the lucky ones. Frisbees and footballs are much more fun on the beach than they are in real life, I learned.

That night Amanda and I went to the MOCA for some sort of "Night Vision" event. It was pretty cool, they had a cash bar and a DJ spinning tracks in the museum courtyard, and the exhibit was open, so we went inside and checked out the art. Maybe I was just exhausted from the Sun, but I wasn't too impressed, despite the fact that the artist had attended the University of Texas for a brief period.

Yesterday we went out to the Valley (where it really is 10-15 degrees hotter than the city) for my roommate Josh's surprise bowling birthday party. (He's a good bowler but his younger brother bowled two games over 200.) Then we went over to his parents' house to hang out in the pool and have a cookout. It was a really fun day, but I think I spent too much time in the Sun this weekend, b/c I'm completely drained. I did manage to put up my unofficial (b/c I can't remember my previous record) high score yesterday, though, of a 146. I took a picture so the next time I break it, it won't be unofficial anymore.

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You

2006-07-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

I read an article today that renewed my faith in science. And progress. (Thanks, Sting.) It seems that, with all of the disease, chemical and biological weaponry, stem cell research, and technological issues facing the world today, scientists haven't lost sight of the big picture.

They've come up with a heat-resistant version of chocolate that won't melt.

Here's a quote from the end of the article.

"The researchers hope their new confection will 'allow the wide distribution, display and consumption of chocolate in the tropics, especially Nigeria.'"

Well, this is just what Nigeria needs. Chocolate that won't melt. This is certainly a bigger problem than having the third highest percentage of HIV/AIDS patients in the world. Also, given the fact that the residents of Nigeria have an average purchasing power of $692 (which, admittedly, is fairly in line with my own purchasing power), how much of this chocolate is really going to be sold there??

News of this new heat-resistant chocolate should come as no greater relief to anyone than it should to my own mother, who despite living in Houston, Texas, which is the second hottest place in the world (but closing in quickly on Nigeria's lead), still insists on mailing chocolate items in packages to me that, by the time they arrive, resemble nothing close to their original shape and look more like Indian artifacts found on a dig in New Mexico. But I always (I repeat, always) appreciate the gesture. I think she's satisfectellent. I don't really know what it means, but there are billboard all over LA.

Multimedia message

2006-07-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Derek "Night Train" Lowe gave up 4 in the first but seems to have rebounded. Wehave sweet seats behind home plate. Bonds isn't playing. What a douchebag.

Why the World Needs Dule Hill

2006-07-08T00:09:00.000-07:00

Well, kids, Amanda's out of town for the weekend, so we all know what that means ... it's time for another TV roundup issue.

I just watched what might be the best new show that comes out all year, and the biggest surprise is that it's on the USA Network. Yes, I'm talking about Psych. Hilarious. The premise is this: a slacker with a knack for detail (James Roday) gets into some trouble with the law and lies to the cops about being a psychic. For some reason, he convinces his straight-laced friend (Dule Hill from The West Wing) to go in on the ruse with him. Hilarity ensues. I'll be back next week. If you happen to catch the pilot episode, by the way, make sure you stick around for the credits. Let's just say that Dule Hill does a mean Michael Jackson impression during some outtakes of one of the scenes. Good stuff.

Speaking of Michael Jackson, my buddy Jeremy just texted me to say that he's at Michael Jackson's father's birthday party in Las Vegas right now. We have yet to find out if he was serious, and if so, how in the hell that is possible.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really way too excited about the new season of Rockstar. My loyal longtime readers (hi mom!) might remember my obsession with last year's installment of Rockstar: INXS. Well, that had a lot to do with the fact that I used to be a huge INXS fan (15 years ago), but it was also a really good show. Anyway, the new season of Rockstar: Supernova kicked off on Wednesday, and I'm not sure what I was doing at the time, but I managed to TiVo it, so I'm watching it right now. Brooke Burke looks as hot as ever, and Dave Navarro looks just as creepy as I remember him. The band this year is a "supergroup" (in the absolute loosest sense of the word) made up of Tommy Lee, Jason Newstead (formerly of Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (formerly of Guns 'n' Roses). They're a bunch of scrubs, to be sure (with the possible exception of Tommy Lee), but I'm excited for some good, old fashioned, hard rocking as the season progresses. Also, I'm pretty excited to see that it looks like Gilby Clarke borrowed Kirk Pengilly's wispy mustache from last season. Somebody's got to keep that thing on TV.

HOLY CRAP! I'm watching the first episode right now, and one of the contestants is Patrice Pike, who is from Austin and used to front the band Little Sister, who we used to see all the time in college. I think they might have played one of my fraternity parties. Maybe not, but I seem to remember that. Anyway, this chick rocks, and she nailed her performance. The band dug her. I hope she does well. So far, some of the performances have been rather mediocre, but I'm certainly not going to stop watching.

Another reason I'm excited about this show is that I scored two tickets for Amanda and me to go to a taping this Sunday!! I'll have to find out which night that show is going to air (Wednesday or Thursday of this week, I'm guessing), and I'll post the details. Look for us. We'll be on CBS with our Eye on America.

I'm heading to the Dodger game tomorrow with some friends. Can't pass up the chance to boo Barry Bonds in person. Here's what I think about him. Here's what MC Hammer thinks about him. You can decide for yourself which of us you agree with.

With a Poster of Rasputin ...

2006-07-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

... And a beard down to his knees. We went to see the Indigo Girls last night for free on the Santa Monica Pier. Decent show - they sounded great but they sure played a whole bunch of crap I didn't know.

29 Days 'Till Ricky Bobby

2006-07-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Some public service announcements from your favorite NASCAR driver and mine, Ricky Bobby.

We Want the World and We Want It...

2006-07-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

In honor of today being the 35th anniversary of the legendary Jim Morrison's death, I'm going all Doors, all day. Don't you wish you were sitting in my cubicle today?

I Am Not Overly Concerned

2006-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Radiohead played last night at the Greek Theater in LA. I'm sure they were awesome, but Amanda, Bailey and I went to the Counting Crows concert down in beautiful Irvine, CA. It was nice, actually, great weather and a good show. I think the highlight for me was tailgating in the parking lot with Pabst Blue Ribbon, veggie dumplings, asian salad, and edamame. Only in LA.

The Goo Goo Dolls were the opening band (well, not the first opening band, but I'm not sure they even had a name), and they were actually not bad. I mean, I'm not rushing out to their next concert or joining their fan club, but at least it wasn't Train.

The Crows took the stage a little late, and Bailey was audibly shocked at Adam Duritz's appearance. We all were, actually. He doesn't look like this anymore. He looks like this now. It was a good show, though, despite the fact that they absolutely BUTCHERED Rain King and Raining in Baltimore. They did a really kick-ass version of Murder of One, though, that completely redeemed themselves. Problem is, though, Duritz is so out of shape that he has to give these mini-speeches between songs to give himself time to catch his breath so he can sing again (ironically, one of these speeches last night was about not lifting weights), and they ran over on time and had to cut their show and do a quick one-song encore. Good show, too short.

I got a little lazy and didn't feel like typing out their setlist, so I just took a picture of where I wrote it down. Enjoy.

Freakin' Awesome!

2006-06-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

Go see it. More on this subject later, I'm exhausted.

The Way It Really Happened...

2006-06-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Sporting Life, How They Love

2006-06-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on right now in the wide world of sports.

The Red Sox are on an astonishing streak, winning their last 10 games (mostly on the back of the mighty David Ortiz). Of course, Pedro's pitching against them tonight, so the streak could very well come to an end, but Beckett's no slouch himself, and he's pitching at home, so we'll see what happens. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

How great is that picture?? VY was given the esteemed honor of being named the best college football player ever to wear #10. It was a very scientific process, I'm sure. He's up for a couple of ESPY Awards for College Athlete of the Year. His competition, not surprisingly, includes Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, JJ Redick, and Adam Morrison, owner of the greatest porn 'stache outside of Van Nuys.

Morrison is a projected top 3 pick in tonight's NBA Draft. My buddy Micah will be live-blogging the draft for the Atlanta Hawks, so check it out on their site by CLICKING THIS LINK. If he's as good as he was last year, then you'll enjoy it for sure. Speaking of the NBA Draft, I leave you with the greatest NBA Draft picture in the history of NBA Draft pictures. Ahh, memories. Misty, watercolor memories...

Rebel Yell

2006-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

My friend Jeremy sent me this link today to see if you're a Yankee or a Rebel. Now, given my immense hatred for the Yankees, I was pretty sure I wouldn't come out as a Yankee. And given the fact that I am, at least partially, a Rebel at heart (though I do bleed orange for the Longhorns), I was pretty sure I'd come out at least part-Reb. I was pretty excited, though, that as it turns out, according to this highly-scientific process...

I'm 81% Dixie, baby!!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

2006-06-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited about this new Superman movie coming out. I get excited about movies. I just saw a commercial for a movie about crossword puzzles, and I practically jumped off the couch, I was so excited. But it's the comic book movies that really get me going, which is weird b/c I never really got into comic books as a kid, and I'm not into them now. I just love the comic book movies, and I always have. Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, what have you. But Superman is, as they say, the Grandaddy of Them All.

Superman is just head and shoulders above the rest of the gang, not just in terms of powers (he can fly, for Pete's sake), but also in terms of interest and marketability. People talk about Superman all the time. I really enjoyed David Carradine's Superman soliloquy in Kill Bill 2, but what I saw today was much more interesting, in terms of Superman's influence on social commentary, and vice versa.

I read two articles online today about the new Superman movie, one insinuating that Superman is gay, and another comparing Superman to Jesus Christ. How is that even possible?? If that isn't proof positive that EVERYBODY feels somehow connected to this icon, I don't know what is.

Now back to this crossword puzzle movie. What's an 8-letter word for "movie that makes Ben Dorfman excited to an embarassing degree"?? WORDPLAY. In select theaters now. Starts Friday in Los Angeles and the rest of the country.

Waiting for Train

2006-06-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Took this with my phone while waiting for the BART train at the San Fran airport a few weeks ago. Thought it was a cool pic, and I also wanted to test out the mobile posting because it wasn't working for awhile. If this gets posted, I guess it worked.

The Question Has Been Popped

2006-06-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

I think anyone who might read this has most likely already gotten a phone call or an email (and if not, a thousand apologies, and I'll be happy to tell you the whole story if you ask me to), but I'd feel somewhat remiss if I didn't mention on this here blog the exciting news that Amanda and I got engaged on Friday night! We're both very excited, and we have no definite plans for a wedding yet, but rest assured that everyone will know as soon as we do. In the meantime, here's a picture, and if you want to see the rest but haven't already, leave me a comment here and we'll forward you the ophoto album, or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

She said yes, by the way.

I'm looking forward to about 1,000 more happy years with Amanda, and most immediately, spending as little money as possible in the coming weeks.

Take It or Leave It

2006-06-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

A guy I work with is in a metal band called Symphony of Cyanide (that's the real name of the band, I swear), and they had a gig tonight at a bar downtown called Little Pedro's. I was on my way there when my Check Engine light came on. Considering my history with car trouble, I immediately pulled off the highway and came home. I didn't want to risk getting stuck in downtown LA at night by myself. Yeah, I don't think so.

I'll have to take it in on Monday morning. Tomorrow I'm heading to Houston to see the folks and go through a bunch of boxes filled with my old crap. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Don't be jealous. Not much to say about this trip right now, but I felt like writing something, b/c I'm trying to get back in the habit, though it's proven a bit more difficult that I originally thought. Anyway, here are my top 11 songs about travelling to Houston to see my parents and go through a bunch of boxes of old crap:

1. Another Travelling Song - Bright Eyes
2. Airportman - REM
3. Airport Song - Guster
4. Rocky Mountain High - John Denver (I have a layover in Denver)
5. Songs About Texas - Pat Green
6. In Houston - Tapes 'n Tapes
7. Breakin' Bread - The J.B.'s (this is a fantastic song that I just heard for the first time today. probably the reason for this list.)
8. Cleaning Out My Closet - Eminem
9. Memory Lane - Elliott Smith
10. Things I Will Keep - Guided By Voices
11. Long Way Back Home - Barenaked Ladies

Shuffle Up and Deal

2006-05-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

As we all know, I'm an excellent poker player, so naturally, I'm interested in all things poker. So, I'm flipping channels, looking for a Seinfeld rerun or something, and I see that the Season Premiere of Celebrity Poker Showdown is on the Bravo Network. First of all, this show gets a Season Premiere?? In May??

Anyway, evidently former co-host and professional poker player Phil Gordon is no longer a co-host of the show, which is a shame, b/c he's a really good poker player, but also a good poker teacher, and he's great at explaining things as they happen. (I recommend his "Little Green Book" if you want a good crash course in Hold 'Em.) Instead, sitting next to the guy who used to have Dave Foley's career (and now has only Celebrity Poker Showdown on the Bravo Network) is professional poker player Phil Hellmuth. Are you kidding me?? This is ridiculous. Big mistake. The guy is known even to people who don't play or watch much poker for being a huge spoiled brat, not to mention a jackass. I love to watch him play in tournaments the same way I love to watch a Jim Rome interview. You want to smack him, but he's guaranteed to piss somebody off in a really entertaining way.

Anyway, he sucks on this show. I can report that with no reservations. His whole appeal is that he antagonizes his opponents. Who's he going to piss off now other than his co-host, who is obligated to sit next to him throughout the entire show? I don't see how this can work. It's a shame, too, b/c we'd hate to lose this show if it gets cancelled. That will only leave about 47 other poker shows on cable television. Whatever will we do??

On the bright side, though, they're playing from Harrah's in New Orleans right now, and they're all playing for New Orleans-related charities. Which is nice.

Solitary Refinement

2006-05-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Amanda's in Germany for 2 weeks on a school trip. The last field trip I can remember taking, when I was in school, was to Marine Life in Gulfport, MS. Marine Life. We saw dolphins shoot basketballs. She's in Germany, where the furor (no pun intended ... well, maybe) over the upcoming World Cup they're hosting will probably be a really exciting subplot to a 2 week (mostly) free trip to another country. She'll probably run into a lot of excited Mavs fans as well.

Anyway, as this is a school trip, our other roommate Josh is also in Germany, which leaves me to enjoy and defend home base on my own. Needless to say, there's going to be a lot of TV watched over the next 13 days. I also need to make sure to work out every day, b/c I've gotten a bit lazy (lazier) over the past several weeks, and I'd like to look a little less like Craig Stadler by the time Amanda gets home. I got off to a good start last night, let's hope I can keep it up.

I've decided that I'm going to watch the first season of Lost while Amanda's gone. I started watching with the premiere of the second season (which ends tonight, by the way, and I couldn't be more upset), but I never saw the first season, so I don't know much of the back story, other than what I've been able to piece together. I rented the first 4 discs yesterday, and by the time I went to bed last night, I was halfway through disc 2. I should be able to knock it out with no problem, especially with a long weekend ahead of me. I think I'll document this with my thoughts on each disc, rather than each episode, otherwise we'd be here forever. Hey, I gotta keep myself busy somehow, in that apartment by myself.

Disc 1 (Episodes 100-102):
- Cool opening. Lot of carnage on the beach. Like Saving Private Ryan, but less intense, except for that poor bastard who gets sucked into the engine and causes the explosion.
- I will never get tired of the turbulence scene, no matter how many times they show it. When the plane shakes and that dude gets thrown into the roof and drops to the floor again, that's just awesome.
- That Shannon is pretty hot. Too bad I already know she dies in the second season. She's a huge bitch though.
- I already thought Locke was kind of a creepy dude, but now I'm even more convinced.
- I'm kind of upset about the fact that my favorite character on the show, Mr. Eko, doesn't show up until season two. You know those GPS things in the cars that tell you how to get where you're going? I'd like to get one with his voice. If you've seen the show, you know what I'm talking about. If not, it's a lost cause. I just want to hear him tell me things like "Turn left in 300 yards."

We had a great trip to San Francisco this past weekend. Here's a picture of us at the Golden Gate Bridge. If you want to see the whole album, leave me a comment and I'll send you the link.

Gooooooood Mornin

2006-05-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Happy breakfast, everybody. Amanda and I cooked omelettes on Sunday morning. The eggs must have been happy about my poker tournament the night before. It's like that old saying: "Smile, and your eggs smile with you."

Flopped the Nut Straight

2006-05-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.

42 people entered. One emerged victorious. A cash prize plus a designated amount going to the charity of the winner's choice. But most importantly, bragging rights. The thrill of competition and the exhiliration of winning hand after hand after hand, watching everyone else bow out before you.

Last night, I won a poker tournament. I'm as shocked as you are, especially those of you who have seen me play poker. Amanda's USC business school class organized a tournament that I entered, $20 buy-in for $1,000 in chips. Blinds started $10-$20 and increased each round. After the 5th round, you could add-on $2,000 more in chips for another $20 cash. Then it was off to the races.

I was absolutely on fire last night. It was ridiculous. For the first 7 rounds, I was at the same table, with a pretty comfortable chip lead there, but then, as people started busting out, we had to shuffle around a bit to keep the tables balanced, so our table got redistributed among the other tables. I got sent to the table where the reigning champ from the last tournament was sitting (and he was GOOD), as well as one of his best friends, who both had enormous chip stacks in front of them and were very loud about being in each other's faces all night, back and forth on monster pots. I thought I was going to get caught in the crossfire and be done.

I picked up a couple of modest pots there, then something bad happened. Taiki, the champ, sitting to my left (thank God he wasn't sitting to my right), starts making ridiculously large, by-the-book style bets at a seemingly random flop. Everybody else folds, and I think he's bluffing, big time, so I keep calling him, and at one point, I reraised him. I had ace high. He turns over the straight that he hit on the flop (the Nut Straight, incidentally) and takes over 3/4 of my stack. I'm finished. It was a good run, I'm telling myself, and I'm proud of myself for playing well and lasting as long as I did. Two hands later, down to $800, I go all-in and triple-up on king-nine suited. Three hands later, I go all-in again with my $2400 and get three takers, and I quadruple-up to $9,600. All of a sudden I'm back in the game, and in a big way, b/c Victor, the loud archnemesis of Taiki, gets shuffled over to a new table, and I've suddenly got the second highest chip stack at the table. We go back and forth on small pots for awhile, and somehow, in another showdown with Taiki, I take down an absolute monster pot, giving me the chip lead at the table, as well as strike some fear into the hearts of the rest of the folks at my table. When I raise pre-flop on the next hand, Taiki folds and tells me "I can't go against you right now, Ben. I'm scared to death of you."

Now, everybody is just trying to tread water until we get down to the final 7, where we consolidate into one table and everybody gets some cash no matter what. We've got 4 left at our table, 5 at the other table, and we hear a huge roar at the other table, followed by chants of "Final Table, Final Table!!" Evidently, there was a big pot going, and 2 guys busted out on the bubble, leaving the 3 remaining to combine with our four.

Final Table. We do a quick chip count to see who's got the lead. I'm not thrilled to find that my $41,500 is in second place. I don't remember what Matt had, but he was in the lead. They also announce at this point the cash payouts for the top 7 finishers. 7th place gets $80. First place gets $556. Quite a jump there. A few people busted out in 7th - 4th place, and we're left with Matt (the chip-leader), Taiki (the reigning champ), and me.

At this point, I'm in third place with my chip stack. I go all-in with King-Queen off-suit into a monster pot against Taiki, my tournament life on the line, he has an ace in the hole and the flop comes Ace-Ten-Six. I got nothing. The turn comes with a Four. I'm finished. I stand up and start to reach over to shake his hand when the dealer says "Wait, a Jack can save you." I stand there, nervously, waiting for him to flip the river card over. Jack of Spades. My new favorite card in the deck. Monster pot. I'm back in this thing like a madman. Taiki's down to about $12,000 and busts out to Matt in third place. (Incidentally, with this, Matt added an extra $30 cash to his winnings, b/c they have a tradition where there is a $30 bounty on the reigning champ, and whoever busts him out wins it. I'll have to defend myself next time.)

Matt and I go back and forth on the blinds for awhile (which were up to $5,000-$10,000 at this point), until I chopped his legs out from under him on a post-flop reraise, which he quickly folded. Next hand he goes all-in with about $15,000 or so, and I call with King-Six of clubs just to see what he had. I think, he had Eight-Two. I hit a King on the turn and took the pot, the cash, and the title, and got to send $300 to Camp Dream Street. All told, it was an outrageously fun time. I know that next time I'm probably going to bust out obscenely early, but it'll still be worth it.

In the words of Mike McD, f*ck it, let's play some cards.

Faith in the Longhorns

2006-05-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Took this picture of a painting of St. John the Baptist at the Getty Museum last weekend. Is it just me, or was he of the Longhorn Faithful??

Divine Intervention??

2006-05-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Lord works in mysterious ways. According to CNN.com, a failed underground electrical line caused a series of gas explosions resulting in flying manhole covers and a cancelled Goo Goo Dolls concert.

Residents of Mount Clemens, Michigan, are hoping the electrical line can be repaired in time to break again just before the Queensryche concert scheduled for September 17.

Seattle's Best and Most Recent

2006-05-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam released their newest CD yesterday, their self-titled debut on new label Monkey Wrench. I picked up a copy of it tonight, and I have to say that I really like it. Folks have taken to calling it the "Avocado Album," since self-titled albums are pretty boring, and since I've grown to really love avocados in my short time in California, I think I'll do the same.

Since Pearl Jam is back (in a big way) with the Avocado Album, I'm using this as my cue to get back into blogging. Andy's pissed I've been gone. Sorry, dude. Go get the Pearl Jam record. You'll enjoy it.

Here are my thoughts on the Avocado Album. Pearl Jam are what the Doors would have been if the Doors played in today's environment. I know, that's a bold statement. I'm a huge Doors fan, and I'm not trying to offend anyone by that statement, but Eddie Vedder is today's Jim Morrison. You can really hear it on this album, especially on the third track, "Comatose." The fourth track, "Severed Hand," is flat-out awesome, and it will be remembered as one of their better songs. Unfortunately, I'm only about halfway through the album, but I don't expect disappointment in the least.

You can listen to the entire album by clicking this link, it's streaming at AOL.

And, if you're now craving avocados (like I am), here's a great recipe for guacamole:

3 avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon, salt
1/2 cup, diced onion
3 tablespoons, chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

Makes 4 servings. Find 3 friends, put on the Avocado Album, and make some guacamole. Enjoy both at room temperature. For best results, add beer.

Worse Than Ezra

2006-04-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well, in keeping with what seems to be the theme of my 2006, I did not go to the Better Than Ezra concert, even though I had a ticket. Here's what happened. My friend bailed on me today, which sucks, b/c I wasn't able to find anyone else to take her ticket. But whatever, no big, like I said, I've been to concerts by myself before.

So, I show up at House of Blues around 9:30 (doors opened at 9), and I fork over the $15 for parking since it's full out pouring and I didn't feel like trying to find a spot 2 blocks away for free and getting soaked on the way to the club. After getting my tickets from the Will Call, I found out that BTE wasn't taking the stage until 11:15. No band ever comes on when they're supposed to. Remember the line from Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone?" "The show usually starts around seven, we go on stage around nine." They're not kidding.

Then I made my way over to the line of about 50 or so people who were waiting to get in. In the rain. I stood in line for about 3 minutes, didn't move an inch, and said "screw it." There's no way I'm standing in line in the rain for at least 20 minutes, then hanging out inside while waiting for the band to come on for an hour and a half by myself. I put the tickets in my pocket, walked back over to the valet guy, and asked him for my car back, and my $15. Thankfully, he looked favorably upon me (am I that pathetic that I'm getting sympathy from the valet guy??), and handed me my money back. So I went to Blockbuster and picked up some crappy horror flicks that Amanda won't watch with me, and I came home. Redeye sucked. I'm going to watch Saw II tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.

I was going to do a post about other concerts that I've been to, but I'm tired now, so that'll have to wait until later. Luckily, I'll catch Better Than Ezra next month when I'm in San Francisco for Bay to Breakers, so it's not a total loss. Just mostly.

Happy Passover, Everybody

2006-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Some quick notes before I head over to House of Blues for the Better Than Ezra show later tonight (by myself, since my friend who was supposed to go with me bailed today - I've been to concerts by myself before, though, so not unchartered waters):

Congrats to the Red Sox for opening their season with 7 wins in the first 10 games. That's a solid start, and I'm giddy that The Apostle Curt Schilling is 3-0.

I found out last night that I have some new readers. Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy yourselves.

Check out the live concert series over at NPR. There's some great stuff on there, a lot of which is available for free download. I've been listening to these concerts for the past few days, and I've been really impressed. The Colin Meloy one is really good, if you're looking for a suggestion.

Time to post some more music. Admittedly, all of these are tunes I picked up from some of these other music blogs I've been checking out lately. The first one is a really good song by a guy I've never heard of before, and I always like a good song about Jackson. The Neil Young tune I have been completely obsessed with lately for some reason, and the third one is a really good cover of the same song by Victoria Williams and The Williams Brothers that I pulled off of the Aquarium Drunkard's page last week. Speaking of, that dude's got a pretty cool radio-thingy on his blog, and I'm trying to figure out how to put one on mine as well, but it turns out I'm not nearly as computer savvy as I would have hoped. I'm gonna keep at it, though, until I either figure it out or stop caring. Hopefully the former.

Enjoy the tunes, I'll post later about the show.

Jeffrey Foucault - Train to Jackson - mp3
Neil Young - Don't Let It Bring You Down - mp3
Victoria Williams and The Williams Brothers - Don't Let It Bring You Down - mp3

Over 5,000 Years of Rockin'

2006-04-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Great news! I was thumbing through this book today called "Jews Who Rock," (it's about Jews who rock), and there are a ton of rockin' Jews out there I had no idea were in the tribe. Here's a sampling:

Beck
Eric Bloom, singer from Blue Oyster Cult (I gotta have more cowebell, baby!)
Cass Elliott, and John & Michelle Phillips (Both of the Mamas, and one of the Papas)
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, of Steely Dan (the greatest studio recording artists ever, according to a law school classmate of mine)
Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack
Susanna Hoffs, of the Bangles (hot Jew)
Billy Joel (I always thought he was Catholic)
Mick Jones, of the Clash
Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits
Courtney Love (best known for ruining Kurt Cobain's life, then her own)
Lou Reed (when he's not trying to be Bowie)
Paul Simon (I just thought we had the other guy)
Slash (yeah, that's right)
Warren Zevon

That's quite a list. That doesn't even include the ones I (and everyone else) already knew about, like Bob Dylan, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Geddy Lee, Robbie Krieger, Max Weinberg, The Beastie Boys, and Garfunkel.

On the other side of the coin, we're also stuck with Michael Bolton. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

Leavin' on a Midnight Plane to Georgia

2006-04-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Amanda's taking the redeye to Atlanta tonight to go visit her family for Passover, which means that I'm effectively a bachelor until Sunday. Let's hope I can hold it together long enough to remember to not eat popcorn for an entire meal.

In other news, there was a blood drive today at my office, so I gave blood at lunch. Along with doing what I can to help save lives, I got free apple juice and chocolate chip cookies. There's your real reward, no matter what anyone says.

Every Moment's a Little Bit Later

2006-04-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm one step closer to world domination. The way I see it, the steps to world domination are as follows:

1. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
2. Figure out how to post mp3's on your blog.
3. Unknown.

As soon as I figure out what Step 3 is, I'm there. Then nothing can stop me.

The big news is that I've figured out how to post mp3's on this here blog. So, if you're interested, just click on the following link and listen away (note: it might take a few seconds to load, but it'll get there). I probably won't post too many songs, maybe one or two a week, when the mood strikes me. In honor of this inaugural mp3 posting, I've decided on a nice upbeat tune from my favorite band, Wilco, that you're all sure to love. Also, in honor of my buddy Johnny Crump, I've also posted a favorite tune of his, or so his recent comments have led me to believe. And for my friend Wavin' Dave Kahn, a catchy tune from Loose Fur (one of Jeff Tweedy's side projects) with some rather, shall we say, unorthodox views on a major religious figure. No offense intended, listen at your own risk.

Please enjoy these, and any future songs I may decide to post. As a disclaimer, I feel that I should say that these are posted strictly for the enjoyment of myself and my readers, and are not intended to be used for illegal downloading. If anyone has any problem with these songs being posted here, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email, and I will happily take them down.

Wilco - Pot Kettle Black - mp3
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman - mp3
Loose Fur - The Ruling Class - mp3

I've come across a slew of really cool mp3 blogs lately. I'll probably recommend a few of them in a future post, and I'm definitely going to link to them at some point in the near future. Until then, stay tuned, and enjoy the music.

You Live For the Fight When That's All That You've Got

2006-04-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

We went karaoke-ing tonight for our friend Naomi's birthday. Amanda and some friends sang some Bon Jovi. We also did a fairly crappy rendition of Johnny and June Carter Cash's "Jackson". Good times.

I Got Soul But I'm Not a Soldier

2006-04-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm officially a runner. Sort of. Amanda found out about this 12K race in San Francisco next month called Bay to Breakers, and we're going to head up there and run it. Needless to say, 7.5 minutes of running doesn't exactly sound like heaven to me, so 7.5 miles is going to take a little work. I got online the other day and found this 10-week training guide for a 15K run, and I figured, since 12K is less than 15K, it's ok that I only have 7 weeks to train instead of 10. That's logical, right? Anyway, since I'm officially training for a race, I'm officially a runner.

Only problem is, I've been sick for the past week or so, so I haven't been able to get to the gym. Nothing serious, I don't think, just a sinus infection (like I get just about 47 times every year), except that I've felt fine since last Thursday but haven't been able to shake this really phlegmmy cough. I'm hawking stuff up all day (I know you all wanted to know that), and it's driving me nuts. I decided to will myself well, though, and tonight I hit the gym. Luckily Wednesday is an easy day on the training schedule, 30 minutes of cross-training. Didn't sound like a long time before I started, but man, that really adds up. Good thing I had good music to keep me going.

Today's lesson is a list (in progress) of the best albums to listen to at the gym, whether you're lifting weights or running, or whatever. Just good "get-you-going" music. This is just off the top of my head, so there may be some glaring omissions. As always, if anyone has any other suggestions for me, or disagrees with any of these, please feel free to leave me a comment.

Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica - S&M
The Killers - Hot Fuss
The Strokes - Is This It?
Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
AC-DC - Back In Black
Beastie Boys - The Sounds of Science
Soundtrack - The Rocky Story

If you're headed to the gym, pop one of those albums in the iPod or discman on your way there. You won't be disappointed.

If you're into music, I came across a great blog the other day, called An Aquarium Drunkard. It's excellent, and the guy just started podcasting today (or maybe yesterday), and I'm actually listening to his podcast right now and it's freaking awesome. Check it out when you get a chance, it's in this link.

A Sign of Things to Come

2006-04-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I'll try to be a bit more diligent with my posting. I took this pic and sent the post from my new cell phone, so there may be some interesting (maybe) mobile posting in the future.

College Football on Saturday Morning

2006-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Looks like Saturday morning college football was just given an opportunity for an encore performance. I just got my Rose Bowl DVD in the mail. My parents are in town right now. I wonder if Mom wants to watch with me while Dad's at services on Saturday morning. I wonder if she really has a choice in the matter.

So, I've been waiting not so patiently for this DVD, which officially was available on February 21, even though I pre-ordered in the beginning of January. Let me tell you, that's a long wait for something like this. Of course, I still have the game on my TiVo, as well as the SportsCenter from later that night, but now I can delete the game from the TiVo to clear up some much needed space for things like Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and Project Runway.

I hope I'm not jinxing anything here, but the last time I was nearly this excited (but not quite) for a sports championship DVD arrival was when I got my Faith Rewarded DVD. I rushed home, watched it once, loved it, and our house got robbed 2 days later. The DVD was one of the casualties. Let's hope that's not a pattern.

Mammoth Mountain, I Own You

2006-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

No injuries for me, this trip to the slopes. I managed a whole day of snowboarding without breaking, separating, spraining, or even bruising anything (other than my ego, at times). It was truly a test of my inner resolve, as I spent most of the day battling some of the smaller green runs on the mountain. The ones I spent the most time on were called "Hansel" and "Gretel", if that gives you any idea of the caliber of snowboarding I felt I was up for. Either way, it was lots of fun, and I'll settle for some wimpy runs in exchange for not having to wear a cast to work for 3 weeks.

Here are the shots of me right after I rented my board, then right after I finished putting all of my gear on before heading out to the mountain. Was there ever really any doubt that I'd be the guy in the Texas jersey?

Born to Shred

2006-02-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

No, that's not me, but there's a chance it might be this weekend. Amanda and I are going on a ski trip with the youth group that we are advisors for, so we'll be up at Mammoth Mountain all weekend. My only day to hit the slopes is Sunday, so without time for a lesson, I don't feel comfortable skiing because I've never done it before. I feel much more comfortable snowboarding, which I have done twice and have proven myself painfully bad at. Let's hope I don't separate any shoulders or end up concussed. Of course, after we get back I will let you know if anything interesting happens.

On a somewhat related note, somebody named Dorfmeister won the gold in the women's downhill the other day. I don't love rooting for other countries in the Olympics, but I have to say I was excited to see this.

Please Don't Hook Em Horns

2006-02-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

I will admit that this one presents quite a quandry. Have you heard of Cowboy Troy?

There's absolutely nothing redeeming about Cowboy Troy. Evidently, he's this black guy, he's basically a rapper, but he dresses up in the tight jeans, big hat, and immense belt buckle and calls himself a country singer (actually, he calls himself a "Hick Hop Country Rapper", even though he basically just raps with a drawl over steel guitar tracks. Anyway, the dude is abysmal, talent wise. He's not even a good rapper, which is probably the reason he doesn't call himself a rapper to begin with.

Anyway, he's got a song out called "Hook Em Horns", and yes, it's about the Longhorns. I went to check it out on iTunes yesterday, b/c I figured if it was even remotely amusing, it would be worth the 99 cents for the download, just for the novelty of it. So, I previewed it, and let me just tell you, it is horrible. It's the suckiest bunch of suck that ever sucked. My favorite comment came from one of the customer reviews on iTunes, which said "This is the best thing to happen to Texas A&M in a really long time."

I didn't know if it was possible, but I have finally come across something out there that celebrates the Texas Longhorns that I want absolutely no part of. Screw you, Cowboy Troy!

What a Douche

2006-02-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

I may not like his politics, but how can I argue with his sports affiliations.

Playing Kiss Covers, Beautiful and Stoned

2006-02-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. So last night I went to see Jeff Tweedy at the Henry Fonda Theater on Hollywood Blvd., and it was just an amazing show. I'd never been to a show like that before; there were maybe 1,000 people there, tops. It was very intimate, and even more so considering the fact that I got in right when the doors opened and was about 3 feet from the stage. Most of my pictures didn't really come out. They weren't allowing flash photography, and like a good momma's boy, I followed the rules.

I was a little nervous that I might not have a car when the show ended, b/c where I parked it was a tad sketchy, but hey, it was free street parking, so what are you gonna do? (It was there when I got back.) When I got to the theater, I called the guy I was supposed to buy the ticket from, who seemed like a nice enough dude. He's from Alabama, so we had an immediate common ground, which was a good thing b/c we had about an hour and a half to stand around and make small talk, between waiting in line and then waiting inside for the show. Luckily, this dude is a bit more obsessive than I am about this kind of thing, and got in line (it was a general admission show) around 3:00 (doors opened at 7:00, show started at 8:00) and was about 10th in line, so I just chilled with him. There was a bit of confusion among the event staff about getting in, but somehow we managed to get in about 5 minutes early, so we just walked right up to the front of the floor and set up shop.

Before it really filled up I decided I wanted a beer, and on my way to the bar I decided I should probably get two, since it might be awhile before I went back. When I got to the bar, I thought better of that and ordered three, immediately chugged one of them and took the other two back up with me. There was no way I was leaving that spot again, and I'm glad I recognized that, b/c I would have been supremely disappointed had I tried and not been able to get back up there.

Wilco's drummer Glenn Kotche was the opening act, which was interesting. I mean, he's a drummer. A percussionist, really, but still. 47 minutes of drums. I don't know that I'd buy a cd of it, but it was interesting to watch live. He uses all of these weird household looking items that are somehow all hooked up to make different sounds, and at one point, he opened a bunch of little boxes that were filled with crickets and put a microphone over them. Like I said, it was interesting. The funniest part of his set was when he annouced that his next song was a cover of Brazilian composer Szwa Shumberto, and a bunch of people started cheering. Really? Big fans of Szwa Shumberto??

Tweedy took the stage sometime between 9:00 and 9:15, and played an entirely acoustic show. He played his first six songs without saying a word to the audience, but then he started telling stories and opening up a bit. He played for just under two hours, including both encores, the second of which he was accompanied by Glenn on drums. For the last song of his first set, he was accompanied on the drums as well, this time by his son Spencer. They dedicated the song to "Mommy." The show was really, really great. Probably not the best concert I've ever been to, but one of them. The highlight of the show, for me, was when he unplugged for his very last song and stood on the front of the stage and played one of his great Uncle Tupelo songs, Acuff Rose. Also, his acoustic version of A Shot in the Arm was just amazing. Here's his set list, in case the two of you out there who know who Jeff Tweedy is are interested.

Main Set:
Sunken Treasure
Someday Some Morning Sometime
Remember the Mountain Bed
Was I in Your Dreams
Please Tell My Brother
Bob Dylan's Beard
Theologians
Muzzle of Bees
The Ruling Class (new Loose Fur song)
We Can Make It Better
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Radio King
I'm the Man Who Loves You (with Spencer on drums)

First Encore:
Airline to Heaven
Shot in the Arm
When the Roses Bloom Again
California Stars

Second Encore:
Not For the Season (with Glenn on drums)
Far Far Away (with Glenn on drums)
War on War (with Glenn on drums)
Heavy Metal Drummer (with Glenn on drums)
Acuff-Rose (unplugged, solo)

Sharps and Flats

2006-02-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

Kids, music has it's highs and it's lows, it's sharps and flats, if you will, and today I experienced them both.

First of all, I scored a ticket to go see Jeff Tweedy (founder and lead singer of Wilco) on Sunday night, and I'm pretty f'ing excited about that. I'm still looking for another one for Amanda, because I'd much rather go with her than go by myself, but I'll go by myself if that's what it comes down to. I've seen Wilco four times, but I've never seen a solo show by Tweedy. I've heard they're great. Check back in a few days for the review.

Secondly, I just finished a great biography on Jimi Hendrix that I picked up from the library the other day. It's called Room Full of Mirrors, and it was written by the same guy who wrote the Kurt Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven (which I still desperately want to read). Room Full of Mirrors was awesome. For some reason I've long been obsessed with the rock stars who died at age 27, so this book was right up my alley. I not only have a new appreciation for many of Jimi's songs, but I learned some interesting things, such as the fact that before Jimi really made it, he was in a band for a short while with Tommy Chong (later of Cheech & Chong). I also learned that one night when Jimi flew into a drunken jealous rage in a pub in London and began to hit his girlfriend with a telephone receiver - and this part is a quote from the book - "at that moment, Paul McCartney and John Lennon walked into the pub and calmly took the phone from Jimi's hands." Now, I am in absolutely no way condoning violence against women, but to be put in your place by Paul McCartney and John Lennon? That's just unbelievable.

What about the lows, you ask? Well, as you may know, the Grammy Awards took place today. In Los Angeles. A block from my office. And, as you may also know, I take the bus to and from work. Today, though, the buses had been re-routed through downtown LA, but they really did a piss-poor job of telling anyone about this. I even checked the MTA's website before I left work. No advisory whatsoever. So I head to the bus stop, right in front of the Staples Center, and I'm waiting there for about 15 minutes, when I notice a yellow 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper taped to a light post maybe 10 yards from the bus stop. Nothing on the stop itself, mind you. Nothing near the bench, or on the post with the schedule and information. After trying to read this poorly worded MTA advisory (it was like trying to read Sanskrit), I decided I'd walk to where the streets weren't blocked off anymore and just get on the bus there. Unfortunately, that was about 1o blocks away, in the wrong direction. After waiting for the bus at the new stop for about 10 more minutes (with a LOT of people), I got on an extremely crowded bus with what seemed like about 85 other Angelinos, most of whom had yet to see the inside of a shower today. Needless to say, the ride was less than less than enjoyable, and I blame the Grammys.

Today's lesson: Read about music, listen to music, go see live music, but screw the people who pay for and promote the music. I'd like to see Clive Davis hop on the 328 and see how he enjoyed the detour.

Strange Bedfellows

2006-02-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

In one of the bigger WTF moments I've ever encountered, Lindsay Lohan was injured in an accident involving a broken teacup. Evidently, according to an article on cnn.com, she was just out of the shower, still wet and with lotion on (I'm about to lose my train of thought), and slipped while going up the stairs.

Ready for the WTF part? This is taken directly from the first line of the article:

Lindsay Lohan was treated at a London hospital last week after she cut her leg in an accident at Bryan Adams' home, according to published reports.

Wait for it... wait for it...

WHAT THE F#*$@ WAS LINDSAY LOHAN DOING SHOWERING AT BRYAN ADAMS' HOUSE????

This is just further proof that celebrities are insane and really only care about associating with other celebrities. I mean, come ON!! Bryan Adams?? The man who, without a hint of sarcasm, sang the line, "Tell me have you ever really, really really ever loved a woman."

(Funny story about that song, by the way. My friend Gary, probably largely due to boredom, and much to the chagrin of the residents of Utica, Mississippi, spent the better part of an entire Summer calling one of the local radio stations to request that song around the same time every afternoon.)

Hey, Zeus!

2006-01-31T21:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite dialogue exchanges in movie history takes place between Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard 3.

Samuel L. Jackson: Why do you keep calling me 'Jesus'? Do I look Puerto Rican to you?
Bruce Willis: Guy back there called you 'Jesus'.
Samuel L. Jackson: He didn't say 'Jesus'. He said, "Hey, Zeus!" My name is Zeus.
Bruce Willis: Zeus?
Samuel L. Jackson: Yeah, Zeus. As in father of Apollo? Mt. Olympus? Don't fuck with me or I'll shove a lightning bolt up your ass? Zeus! You got a problem with that?

Things might not have gotten as heated between them as they did had this guy been there to help clear things up. I saw this license plate in the parking lot at Trader Joe's tonight and couldn't resist the urge to get a picture of it, and it immediately made me think of the above quotes.

Crawfish Bread and Warm Beers

2006-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

The 2006 Jazz Fest poster was unveiled today. Looks pretty damn cool, if you ask me. Amanda and I went to a day of Jazz Fest last year and the year before, and it was a lot of fun, but it's killing me that I can't go this year. This is the year to go, if for no other reason than to spend some time in New Orleans. Also, to spend some money in New Orleans. Nothing helps a local economy like local spending. Trickle-down economics at its best. Thanks, Ronald Reagan.

They haven't announced the lineup yet for this year's Festival, but it's supposed to come out some time in February. If you're in the area, or even anywhere near the area, I urge you to go. You're sure to have a great time, and you'll also have the added benefit of really helping a struggling community's economy.

You can buy the 2006 Jazz Fest poster here. I don't know what percentage, if any, of this year's proceeds are going to any recovery-related efforts, but I might get one and donate an equal amount, just to be on the safe side.

The Honeymoon Is Nowhere Near Over

2006-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

I don't seem to get too much in the way of comments when I post anything at all about the Rose Bowl, the Longhorns, or Vince Young. You know what? I don't really care. I'm still just so damn excited about the whole thing. Every time I see a picture or a video or anything having to do with the Longhorns winning the National Championship, I get all worked up, like it just happened. Probably what a girl feels like when somebody gives her some diamond necklaces. Heh, heh. Sorry, had to squeeze that one in.

But hey, how 'bout those Longhorns, huh?

All You Want to Do Is Kick It In

2006-01-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Amanda and I saw INXS last night at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal. Looks like our boy J.D. might be a Texas fan, while drummer Jon Fariss looks to be among the USC faithful. I wonder if they watched the Rose Bowl together. (note: I did not take this picture. We were nowhere near this close.)

Anyway, the concert was awesome. The opening act was Rockstar: INXS runner-up Marty Casey and his band, which was unfortunately named "The Lovehammers." Sounds like the not-too-subtlety exhibited by bands like KISS and AC/DC. Didn't work too well for Marty. The band pretty much sucked. We only saw three songs of theirs, including his song "Trees" from the show, which wasn't really played too well, and a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," which was absolutely horrible.

Between Marty and INXS, I went down to the lobby to get a couple of beers, and I saw Rockstar: INXS also-ran, Brandon, who placed like 8th or 9th on the show, in the lobby signing autographs and mugging for pictures. I guess he stretched his 15 minutes into like 18 or 19. He's pretty tall.

INXS finally took the stage and played for almost two hours, I think. They were awesome. We had a really good time, though I think I enjoyed it more than Amanda did. J.D. was really doing a great job up there with the band, and they played a really great show. Just a kick-ass show. Before they came on, we made friends with some of the folks sitting behind us, two guys in their fifties named Tim and Laird, and their wives. They loved us, I think b/c we made them feel young, and because we laughed at their jokes. Laird and I also talked a lot about the Rose Bowl and Vince Young, and I'm not even the one who brought it up. Anyway, they were partying pretty well, so I hope that when I'm in my fifties, and a band I really like holds a competition to find a new lead singer, then goes back on tour, I'm able to go see them in concert and party just as hard.

Here's the set list, which I'm sure is what you've all been waiting for.

Suicide Blond
New Sensation
Devil's Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
You Don't Belong to Me
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore:
The Stairs
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

Forever Young

2006-01-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

I still just can't get over this guy. Check out this video, it's INCREDIBLE!!
(It's a real video, by the way, not one of those random links I've been including, I PROMISE.)

The Double Feature

2006-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

The first time I ever pulled a "double feature" at the movies was when Dad took Andrea and me to see Jewel of the Nile (the so-so sequel to Romancing the Stone). After the movie ended, we walked into the lobby, and Dad looked at the other side of the theater and noticed that Spies Like Us was about to start. He looked at us and said "You guys want to see another movie?" From then on, I was hooked.

I can't even remember all of the double features I've pulled since then. I can remember some. Last summer we did a bunch of 2 for 1's back in Jackson, which was fine, but where you really need to pull the double is in places like New York and LA, where movie tickets are over $10 a pop. I mean, come on. Do you really think Fantastic 4 is worth a full-price movie ticket? Me either. In November, we did Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Walk the Line. That was a great night, 2 really good movies. Last weekend we saw Munich and Glory Road. Another good combination of 2 really good movies, but that one gets bonus points, because there really aren't too many movies that you can follow up Munich with. You really need a feel-good Disney sports movie to balance out a long, dark movie about assassinations and terrorists and double-crossing and paranoia.

Once in New York, Jeremy and I pulled the legendary trifecta, when we saw American Wedding, Bad Boys 2, and S.W.A.T. back-to-back-to-back. That one was tough, we were in the theater for like 9 hours.

Last Summer, we saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and we spontaneously decided to stick around and see The Day After Tomorrow. That one doesn't really count, though, as during the previews of the second movie, Brandy snuck out of the theater and actually bought 3 more tickets b/c she felt guilty. Good girl, bad criminal.

Sometimes, the double feature can be spontaneous, like it was with Dad and Andrea that first time. Sometimes, it takes planning. Sometimes, it even takes Search Engine Optimization. No, it doesn't really, but I had to work that in here somewhere.

Any good double feature stories out there??

Selling Out, Vol. 4

2006-01-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have gone commercial. I don't know how many of you noticed the random link in my last post, but I found this ad on Craigslist that actually pays you to put certain links into your blog posts. I am actually making money (though VERY little money) now, writing this blog. It's a little strange, but I think I can handle it. I can write about whatever I want, but as long as I put something in here, like vioxx lawyers, then I'm in like a dirty shirt.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on old Johnny Damon for seeing green. I guess the main difference, though, is that the money I'm making might - might - cover the price of a DVD or a few beers, whereas the money that he's making might cover the price of a company that makes DVDs or beers. Oh, and I didn't write a book about how I'm proud of not putting random links in my blog, then immediately jump ship for a little extra cheddar.

So, anyway, be on the lookout for a lot more random crap hanging around these blog posts. And, if you feel like it, click on one or two. You might not need legal representation in a pharmaceutical class-action, but you never know what might be out there.

In Your Honor

2006-01-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

I decided to make this weekend my "In Your Honor" weekend.

For instance, in honor of Jack Bauer's triumphant Ali-like return to Prime Time in 24, I decided to drink some Jack Daniels while I watched, before heading over to some friends of ours' annual MLK weekend party.

In honor of such fallen heroes as Kurt Cobain, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, and many others, Amanda and I went to the Ecstasy: In and About Altered States exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. All of the "pieces" and "installations" were either about drugs, made with drugs (or while on drugs, probably), or designed to simulate the feeling of being on drugs. It was actually really cool. The strangest thing I saw there was a fountain, in a large glass case that was not entirely inaccessible to the general public. Just a white fountain, with what looked like a small amount of water flowing through it. We walked over to the wall, though, to read the description, and were absolutely astonished to learn that it was not water flowing through the fountain, but LSD. LSD!! Probably one of the ten most mindblowing things I've ever seen.

And in honor of the aforementioned Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I decided to join a gym. I'm not sure what the connection is there, though I certainly feel like there might be one somewhere. Regardless, Amanda was happy. Not as happy as if I'd given her Valentine Flowers, but hey, it's a start.