Are You Ready For Some Football??

(listening to: Emergency 72, Turin Brakes)

Ok, so I just dropped Jeff off at LAX, so I guess it's time to post highlights of the Road Trip. I'll get to that in a bit.

We'll start with a recap of last weekend, a/k/a the Chicken & Waffles Fantasy Football Draft 2005.



The weekend started off great, which is to say that my car made it from Jackson to Gulfport without dying and with A/C in tact. Lenny, Harold and I met Jeff, Tommy and the Wolf at the airport and headed down to the Isle of Capri Casino, where we had miraculously scored a free room for the weekend. Unfortunately, the room had one bed. For 4 of us. Looks like we'd have some serious introspection to do.

We headed downstairs to meet up with Briley (fantasy owner and procurer of afforementioned free room) at this bar, and on the way out of the casino, the Wolf made good on his promise of putting $100 on black at the roulette table as soon as we got there. He figured it would be a good indicator of how the weekend would be. We figured he was insane. 30 seconds later, and $100 richer, the Wolf followed us outside and we made our way through what looked like the Field of Dreams (post plowing, pre-baseball diamond) to meet up with Briley, who evidently had already started submarining his chances of having a successful draft on Saturday, as he was about 10 sheets to the wind when we got there. We hung there for awhile, then went back to the boat, where the Wolf and Tommy (who have about the same level of gambling addiction) proceeded to kick off their weekend of inverse results at the blackjack tables. Harold and I decided to steer clear of the "high stakes" action and sit at the bar playing video poker, scoring a few free drinks in the process. After about 3 hours, I had broken even on my $5 investment, with a couple rounds of Budweiser to show for profit. We followed this up with (of course) a late night Waffle House appearance, where Briley paid for our food since he had won a little cash at the tables. Jeff and I hit the sack around 5:30 in the morning, leaving Tommy and the Wolf downstairs and securing ourselves either side of the king size bed in the room.

The next day we had lunch at O'Charley's on our way to Tommy's parents' house for our draft. I had the chicken tenders, in case you were wondering. Everyone else had the French Dip. I stand by my decision.

The draft went well, everyone seemed fairly pleased with their squad. Everyone also seemed fairly pleased with the fact that even though Briley picked up Peyton Manning with the first pick in the draft, after what certainly amounted to an unhealthy amount of alcohol the night before, he somehow also managed to draft the rest of the Colts team, as well as Tim Brown, who is retired. After that, we played a 7-man no-limit Texas Hold 'Em tournament, dubbed the MSOP (Mississippi Series Of Poker) by the Wolf, which Tommy won. I placed third. No money for third. Then back over to the boat so our friends could get their fix. Interestingly enough, instead of our usual late night Waffle House, that night we had late night sushi in the casino. I guess the times, they are a-changing.

Jeff and the Wolf and I hung around until Monday morning, and before we dropped Tommy off at the airport Sunday afternoon, we played another little poker match, which I won, but, alas, no bracelet, as it was not an official MSOP sponsored event.

We'll get to the Road Trip another time, maybe later today. Right now, I need to go shave this mustache.

Here I Am, Rock You Like A Hurricane

(watching: The Simpsons)

I live in Los Angeles. (That looks as strange in print as it feels in real life.)

Jeff and I got in last night. This is a crazy place, man. The traffic is sort of killing me, but the weather is just unbelievable. In other news, I shaved my beard, but I left the mustache, just so I can feel like a 70's porn star for a day. Meine dispatcher sent me to fix the cahble, ich bein expert.

I'll post details of the road trip, as well as a recap of our fantasy football draft and some choice pictures of Joshua Tree National Park, later, when the fact that I live in Los Angeles is freaking me out a little less.

I Met Her in a Club Down in Old SoHo...

(listening to: Waltz #2, Elliott Smith)

A man named Samukeliso Sithole was recently sentenced to 3.5 years in a Zimbabwean prison for masquerading as a woman while competing in international sporting events. Check it out here.

Wow.

Evidently, his bruised ego just couldn't take not bringing home any medals in the men's tournaments, so he took the most logical step, in order to preserve his dignity: PRETEND TO BE A WOMAN.

Are we going to see a similar penalty imposed upon Tom Cruise for masquerading as someone who is sane??

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

(listening to: Fight For Your Right, Beastie Boys)

So, this is just an excellent article on a topic that really doesn't get enough airtime: the Man-Hug. I really have nothing to add here, it's just that good.

Although, it does leave itself open for a sequel of sorts, that being the topic of the High-Five and its variations. I have a feeling that after driving from Jackson to Los Angeles with Jeff in 2 weeks, I'll have enough field research to write a book on the subject.

David Bowie, You Magnificent Bastard

(listening to: Absolute Beginners, David Bowie)

This is just an incredible song. I can't believe I have never heard it before tonight.

I've nothing much to offer
There’s nothing much to take
I’m an absolute beginner
And I’m absolutely sane
As long as we’re together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we’re absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same

If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Could laugh at the ocean/sail over heartaches second time
Just like the films
There’s no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It’s absolutely true

Nothing much could happen
Nothing we can’t shake
Oh we’re absolute beginners
With nothing much at stake
As long as you’re still smiling
There’s nothing more
I needI absolutely love you
But we’re absolute beginners
But if my love is your love
We’re certain to succeed

If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Could laugh at the ocean/sail over heartaches second time
Just like the films
There’s no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It's absolutely true

One Toke Over the Line??

(Listening to: I Got You, Wilco)

Looks like New York and Chicago aren't the most pot-friendly places to be.

Marijuana flavored candy?? This probably won't help the kettle's inferiority complex.

Going to California With an Aching in My Heart

(Listening to: Meet the Parents, Jay-Z)

Well, Amanda left for the Left Coast this morning. I guess it's too late to change my mind.

And, just to add a little more comfort to my day, her plane landed at 1:08 and there was an earthquake at 1:36. Welcome to LA, I guess.

I'm so bored with the U.S.A??

(Listening to: Twisted Logic, Coldplay)

So, I happened to take issue with a post on the blog by the authors of Freakonomics (which, by the way, I highly recommend reading very soon, and their blog is great - listed at the right of this page), and I felt compelled to respond. Click here to read the entire post, with comments. Mine is toward the bottom, though I'll reprint it here to save you the time. (I'm still not convinced who the aforementioned "you" is yet, but I guess that'll work itself out over time.)

It's true that one vote really doesn't have the "electoral oomph" you
referred to in your answer to the Washington Post Q&A, but don't be so quick
to jump down Anna V.'s throat just yet.

I think that a vote in a national election is just as important as it is in
a local election, and the reason is that, although it doesn't necessary carry
with it the "oomph" or even any sliver of a chance of affecting the outcome of
the election by itself, it does carry with it the example of participating in a
system that is somewhat flawed and certainly ignored by many.

My vote in Mississippi (which is where I live, before anyone hassles me for
bashing the South) really didn't matter in November's Presidential Election.
Mississippi was, and is, and will be for quite some time, a red state,
regardless of how I vote, or how those in my immediate circle of peers vote.
However, by voting, and by talking about voting and encouraging others to vote,
even though you don't necessarily do much for any candidate in particular, you
really go a long way toward strengthening the integrity of the system. In a
situation such as this, where many are so vocal about not voting and complaining
that their vote doesn't even count anyway, merely being part of
the example is effectively leading by example.

Am I just way too much of an idealist, or were The Clash onto something there??

Papi and Eddie Rent

(Listening to: Exit, U2)

They both homered last night to avoid the sweep. I guess I don't yet have enough credibility to have jinxed the Sox with my comments yesterday, thankfully.

And I totally stole the "listening to:" thing at the top of each post from Neola. Just wanted to give credit where credit was due. Thanks, Noles.

Also, best of luck to Big Game Timmy and my boy Manu tonight as they try to bring the NBA title back to Texas. Go Spurs.

Random Thoughts...

(Listening to: Fix You, Coldplay)

I hope the Sox win tonight to avoid being swept by the Cards, but winning those 4 in October sure make losing 3 in June not seem so bad. And I LOVE that the Yankees are struggling. One of my coworkers tells me that I often exhibit schadenfreude. I hope not too often, but in cases like this, I just don't care.

The Longhorns are playing the Rebels in Oxford for the next round of the college baseball playoffs to get to the College World Series. I'd like to see them both advance a little farther, but man, that one's a no-brainer. Hook em, baby.

One of the things I'm going to miss most (well, maybe not most) about leaving Jackson are my $4 haircuts. That's right. $4. Going in for what might be my last one on Friday at lunch. If you're ever in Jackson and need a $4 haircut, call Edsel at 601-956-2034.

I want to write, but there's just not that much going on right now. I think I'll talk about a few new cds I've been listening to.

Better Than Ezra, Before the Robots
In a word, awesome. It's pretty old school Ezra, much much better than their last album. I'm a HUGE fan of "Hollow," which I downloaded a live version of about 5 years ago, and had been waiting for them to finally release on an album. Also like the slightly tweaked version of "A Lifetime," which first appeared on their last album Closer. I guess they realized it was about the best song on the cd and were kicking themselves for never releasing it as a single, so they pimped it up a bit and now it's batting third in a pretty solid lineup. "A Southern Thing" is fun, if a little gimmicky, and "Daylight" is the one that's gonna see lots of 18-22 year old dudes putting their arms around whatever girl happens to be standing next to them in whatever bar Ezra happens to be playing in across the South for the next year or two. Speaking as one of what might be the last 27 or 28 hardcore fans of this band, who, for whatever reason, never realized their potential despite clicking on all cylinders in most of their songs, this cd gets me going, and I hope they make it out to the Left Coast sometime in the next 2.5.

Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak
These guys have been opening up for U2 for a couple of months, and two of my friends who shall remain nameless (Debbie and Melissa) both saw a few of their shows and managed to catch the opening act as well, which is something I've not been too good at in my concert attending career. Anyway, having similar tastes in music, and almost implicitly trusting their assessment that this is a band I would really enjoy, I picked it up for $10 a week or two ago. I'm thinking of suing Debbie and Miss for $5 each. This album SUCKS. I mean, I have not enjoyed a cd less in a really long time. They sound like a really bad rip-off of The Strokes (who I love) with the guy from Rusted Root on vocals, but with half of his tongue bandaged up so you can only understand like every 17th word on the album. There are 2 redeeming songs on this disc. "Milk" and "The Bucket" (tracks 5 and 6, respectively) are actually pretty good, but the rest of the album makes me think that somebody lost a really expensive bet. Or won a contest. There's got to be an explanation for how something this horrible can slip through the cracks.

Coldplay, X&Y
Exactly what you would expect from the guys who are making a great case to be the next U2, i.e., The Best Band In The World. (Incidentally, if U2 keeps putting out albums like their last one, they're only helping speed up the transition. Sorry, Miss.) I don't know if it's better than their first 2 albums, but it's certainly at least as good. "Speed of Sound" is the big single right now, but since I don't really listen to the radio, I had no idea what it sounded like until Monday. I like it, and it definitely fits the "First Single" formula for an album like this, but I really (REALLY) like their emotional "it seems like it's bollocks now but it'll be ok" type of stuff like "Fix You" and "What If?" and "A Message," which this album has plenty of. Chris Martin (or are they going with Paltrow-Martin??) has this quality to his voice that I have never heard on anyone else, in that his voice is so smooth that you can't quite tell where each word begins or ends, yet every word is remarkably clear. Love it. If the election were today, I think the incumbent might be unseated.

Weezer, Make Believe
This is a good one. I'm generally a fan of just about anything Weezer puts out there, and their latest certainly didn't make me feel otherwise. They led the album off with "Beverly Hills," which was not only a strange song to open with, but a strange song to include on the album at all. It's way too beat-driven, too Offspring-sounding, with not enough of the sharp Weezer guitar that makes me want to turn up the volume until my ears hurt. The rest of the album is true to form, though, happily plowing through some sad subject matter, neatly packed into 12 songs, most of which are good enough to listen to and then listen to again, and none of them too long to be able to hear twice in a row regardless of how short your drive is.

Some others that don't quite get their own discussion yet (but might in the future, in some cases) are: Dave Matthews Band, Stand Up (Boring, uninspired and uninspiring. Color me disappointed.), Foo Fighters, In Your Honor (Really like it so far, but haven't listened enough to have anything intelligent to say about it.), and The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan (I like this one too, but not nearly as much as their last 2 albums. Is it possible that Jack and Meg have gotten boring??).

By the way, you have no idea how hard it is to even think about, let alone write about, a bunch of different cds all while listening to one disc the whole time. My brain is now officially tired.

I guess that's it for today. We have a new roommate moving in for the Summer and I have to go home and meet him and let him know that on Thursdays at 7, we watch the OC.