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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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."
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.
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
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.
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.)
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.
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??