Ever have a powerful need to say something, and yet be absolutely fucking clueless when you open your mouth/put your fingers to the keyboard/uncap your pen/etc?
Yeah that's what's happening here
Well now, it's three o'clock in the morning
And I can't even close my eyes.
Three o'clock in the morning
And I can't even close my eyes.
Can't find my baby
And I can't be satisfied.
It looks like in spite of everyone who sought to discredit Michael J Fox under the sobriquet jaune of Missourians Against Human Cloning, the day will be won by people who think with their heads on, barring any bombshell. And apparently Kurt Warner and Jeff Suppan were sought out by the guy who starred in The Passion. If he appears in an ad as Jesus, entreating voters to strike down stem cell research I am going to flip a shit.
I've looked all around me
And my baby, she can't be found.
I've looked all around me, people,
And my baby, she can't be found.
You know if I don't find my baby,
People, I'm going down to the golden ground.
went to a hardcore show the other night that one of my coffee buddies was playing in. Telecaster with 12-guages tuned down to A#-- sounded like a low-carb armageddon. The entire band showed up wearing nothing but jeans. It was a Halloween party-type event, and they were dressed up as a concept. Premature ejaculation. They came in their pants. It was a good show, but god damn I wish someone would learn that you need a microphone amp that can carry voice over the sound of the guitars. It's hard enough to make out the lyrics as it is, fuckers!
Tommorrow begins round 2 of Operation: convince a bar to pay me to mix the booze. The last place I checked out gave me this questionnaire about what my personal feelings were on restaurants.
I am afraid that I may have lost some of my bullshitting prowess for questions like those.
Went to a wake tonight and I could have sworn there was a middle aged man in a sport coat and a red turtleneck glaring at me. He held his hands in fists by his gut. I'm not even sure I want to know what that shit was all about.
Goodbye everybody,
I believe this is the end.
Oh, goodbye everybody,
I believe this is the end.
I want you to tell my baby,
Tell her please, please forgive me,
Forgive me for my sins.
Once again I've shamelessly stolen Cooper's blogging device. I think it suits blues better than anything else because the tracts of text occupy the space normally taken up by a guitar solo. Which makes this bit here the outro, I guess. Three O Clock Blues is, of course, a standard. But there is absolutely no question as to who does it best. Check out the version Eric Clapton and BB King played on "Ridin' with the King." Fucking sweet.
my posts lately have ended with me going to bed, and this will not be an exception. I guess it's fitting with the overall theme here. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make here is that my eyes are drooping and I'm about to stumble into my bed. Miz B, you've got literally two minutes to catch this one of the wire if the recent late night/early morning exchange is to take place tonight. Just saying.
And yeah I'm not quite sure why I put that title up there I just sorta went with it.
Peace
10.27.2006
It's only been Friday for three hours...
... And already it has the feel of another Fuck You Friday.
Let's start this action off with a big ol' FUCK YOU to every asshole who's towing the same bullshit line on Youtube in response to Michael J Fox. If you think you know more about the issue than a man who's devoted what remains of his life to it; whose life depends on it; and accuse him of ignorance or exploitation, you've lost your right to speak to me. Same goes if you'll oppose using leftover zygotes for research but won't oppose in vitro in general, which by way of its general operation creates thousands of zygotes that will go unused. It's the same issue. It's expending potential life to create actual life. Wrap your head around it or FUCK OFF. Kurt Warner gets a special dose of FUCK YOU. You can't see it Kurt, but in my head I'm remembering every time a Patriot linebacker took you down in Super Bowl XXXVI. And it's fucking sweet. Rush apologized, but then tried to backpedal and said that when he suggested that Fox was acting, he didn't mean to suggest he was faking it. If anyone can make sense of that you are my hero. As it turns out? Fox was too medicated.
Another goes out to this backward pigfucker from Wired who gets crotchety about people with big mp3 libraries and also about graphic novels as an artform. Sorry pal, Fuck you. It's been 15 years since Maus won a Pullitzer. Times have changed, and you're going to need to take a fucking long shower once you bring your head back into the daylight.
Donald Rumsfeld Tells War Critics To "Back Off" Guess what, asshole? You've earned your fucking microscope. You've spearheaded a war against a regime that YOU helped empower, out of supposed WMDs that he had at one point and we know he had them because YOU brokered the deal to put them there. So FUCK YOU and the horse you rode in on.
Join in the festivities if you have someone or something to take a blast at. If I find more targets, this post will be lengthened. Happy Fuck You Friday, everyone!
Let's start this action off with a big ol' FUCK YOU to every asshole who's towing the same bullshit line on Youtube in response to Michael J Fox. If you think you know more about the issue than a man who's devoted what remains of his life to it; whose life depends on it; and accuse him of ignorance or exploitation, you've lost your right to speak to me. Same goes if you'll oppose using leftover zygotes for research but won't oppose in vitro in general, which by way of its general operation creates thousands of zygotes that will go unused. It's the same issue. It's expending potential life to create actual life. Wrap your head around it or FUCK OFF. Kurt Warner gets a special dose of FUCK YOU. You can't see it Kurt, but in my head I'm remembering every time a Patriot linebacker took you down in Super Bowl XXXVI. And it's fucking sweet. Rush apologized, but then tried to backpedal and said that when he suggested that Fox was acting, he didn't mean to suggest he was faking it. If anyone can make sense of that you are my hero. As it turns out? Fox was too medicated.
Another goes out to this backward pigfucker from Wired who gets crotchety about people with big mp3 libraries and also about graphic novels as an artform. Sorry pal, Fuck you. It's been 15 years since Maus won a Pullitzer. Times have changed, and you're going to need to take a fucking long shower once you bring your head back into the daylight.
Donald Rumsfeld Tells War Critics To "Back Off" Guess what, asshole? You've earned your fucking microscope. You've spearheaded a war against a regime that YOU helped empower, out of supposed WMDs that he had at one point and we know he had them because YOU brokered the deal to put them there. So FUCK YOU and the horse you rode in on.
Join in the festivities if you have someone or something to take a blast at. If I find more targets, this post will be lengthened. Happy Fuck You Friday, everyone!
10.26.2006
What was it Pia called this? Serial Blogging? Actually now that I think of it I like the way that sounds. Also, This is post number 300
Ok, so I was messing around with my guitar and I decided to try and see if I could learn Little Wing. I Googled for tabs and found a fantastically useful website. Plays the song while a little highlight bar scrolls over the tab in time. Simple and brilliant. Excited, I eagerly learned to play the first section of the song as directed. Taking all the effort necessary for a novice guitarist to learn a Hendrix song. I was fucking stoked... I didn't think there was a chance in hell I'd be able to get it. Then I advanced it to the next section. And a dialog box popped up that told me, in French, that I had to pay to learn the rest of the song.
I shouted rather loud and angrily. Fuck if I know how to buy something on a website in a foreign currency.
Anyways if I made it a habit to shell out for something like that I'd quick be out of money.
Now I'm determined to learn it without paying the 5 bucks or however much that it would have been in dollars. Grr...
Over at Shayna's there's a clip of Michael J Fox showing support for stem cell research as a part of a campaign ad in Missouri, followed by Rush Limbaugh going after him about forgoing meds to make his symptoms more visible. Saying it was exploitation. That that spunkbrained chickenfucker actually posesses influence is what I atttribute to a specific part of my head where a headache pops up every once in a while for no readily apparant reason. My thoughts can be found in the comments over there; I've not much else to say.
While we're on politics, George Bush has said that he is "dissatisfied" with the war in Iraq. About two years later than he should have said it. Wonder how long it would take him to realize we need a strategy to get the fuck out of there. Probably past his term limit.
A minor note: I've recently discovered that I was mistaken about the taste of arsenic. It's cyanide that tastes like bitter almonds. Henceforth it's a Cyanide Martini until I can come up with a better name. Bit of an interesting course of events that lead to me realizing that. I was researching the Turing Test and attempts to overcome it, my favorite thus far being Jabberwacky (the name itself wins major points). I'd explain the Turing Test concisely, but even if you don't feel like reading the wikipedia entry it's explained effectively here by talking dinosaurs (no longer a method of edification solely for kids. And this time it's actually entertaining. Admit it. Even if you've had kids you know that Barney and Friends was one of the worst shows in the history of television). I find the concept rather fascinating. It's true, the test doesn't prove thought, just communication, but isn't that how our thought process is formed? By learning the proper way to respond to stimulus? That's why I like the Jabberwacky approach best. It learns from your speech patterns just the way a child would. Which reminds me of when I was in second grade. There was a point at which insults and comebacks would turn to almost a sort of script, that grew longer as time went on. Such as:
"Shut up"
"Make me"
"I don't make dogs I train them"
and for a while that exact exchange would occur about 20 times a day in the classroom. Eventually someone, I think it was me, came up with this to add to it
"then how come you haven't trained yourself?" It wasn't long before that was incorporated into the standard exchange. I also had the last word to be spoken on the matter, when I capped one such tradeoff with, "I was too busy training YOUR MOM."
Which is how I got into my first fist fight. But that's beside the point. The point is, detractors of the Turing Test will say that even if the computer can properly respond to any input, it doesn't mean its not just spitting out a script. Conversely, just because it's just spitting out a script doesn't mean it's unable to think.
I had one friend who would have failed a Turing Test. Whenever someone told him to shut up, he said, "I don't make dogs, I train them."
Anyways.
I got to looking up Alan Turing, who came up with the test. He was a acclaimed cryptologist during the second World War and the father of computer science. He was put to disgrace when it was discovered that he was gay, and committed suicide by biting into an apple laced with cyanide. Accordingly, an apple martini laced with cyanide is known as an Alan Turing. For some reason I clicked on the link for cyanide in that article and saw that it was the one with the bitter almond taste.
So when you combine that drink concept with the one I've already put forth you get the Mock Turing
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/4 oz apple brandy
1/4 oz amaretto
speck bitters
prepared as all flavored martinis are, with the bitters added to the concoction last, after the straining.
Speaking of alcoholic concoctions Pia commented in a previous post that I should make a drink named after each of my readers. In truth I had already planned this and I've mulled it over. So far I've figured out a few base ingredients
All who have paid attention know that Cooper's bottle is Bombay Sapphire
Shayna's is amaretto
Jason's is Gentleman Jack.
For {illyria}, it's absinthe
as for Pia, the only drink I remember her mentioning is one that involved Jim Beam. Not sure if that's my final answer though,
Thats about as much as I've figured out for sure. Everyone else I've yet to decide. If you can point me in the right direction, feel free of course. more on that as it gestates.
As it happens, this is my three hundredth post. It's a milestone I should have arrived at a while ago but I've slowed down. I fully intend to reverse that.
Right after I get some sleep. I promise
I shouted rather loud and angrily. Fuck if I know how to buy something on a website in a foreign currency.
Anyways if I made it a habit to shell out for something like that I'd quick be out of money.
Now I'm determined to learn it without paying the 5 bucks or however much that it would have been in dollars. Grr...
Over at Shayna's there's a clip of Michael J Fox showing support for stem cell research as a part of a campaign ad in Missouri, followed by Rush Limbaugh going after him about forgoing meds to make his symptoms more visible. Saying it was exploitation. That that spunkbrained chickenfucker actually posesses influence is what I atttribute to a specific part of my head where a headache pops up every once in a while for no readily apparant reason. My thoughts can be found in the comments over there; I've not much else to say.
While we're on politics, George Bush has said that he is "dissatisfied" with the war in Iraq. About two years later than he should have said it. Wonder how long it would take him to realize we need a strategy to get the fuck out of there. Probably past his term limit.
A minor note: I've recently discovered that I was mistaken about the taste of arsenic. It's cyanide that tastes like bitter almonds. Henceforth it's a Cyanide Martini until I can come up with a better name. Bit of an interesting course of events that lead to me realizing that. I was researching the Turing Test and attempts to overcome it, my favorite thus far being Jabberwacky (the name itself wins major points). I'd explain the Turing Test concisely, but even if you don't feel like reading the wikipedia entry it's explained effectively here by talking dinosaurs (no longer a method of edification solely for kids. And this time it's actually entertaining. Admit it. Even if you've had kids you know that Barney and Friends was one of the worst shows in the history of television). I find the concept rather fascinating. It's true, the test doesn't prove thought, just communication, but isn't that how our thought process is formed? By learning the proper way to respond to stimulus? That's why I like the Jabberwacky approach best. It learns from your speech patterns just the way a child would. Which reminds me of when I was in second grade. There was a point at which insults and comebacks would turn to almost a sort of script, that grew longer as time went on. Such as:
"Shut up"
"Make me"
"I don't make dogs I train them"
and for a while that exact exchange would occur about 20 times a day in the classroom. Eventually someone, I think it was me, came up with this to add to it
"then how come you haven't trained yourself?" It wasn't long before that was incorporated into the standard exchange. I also had the last word to be spoken on the matter, when I capped one such tradeoff with, "I was too busy training YOUR MOM."
Which is how I got into my first fist fight. But that's beside the point. The point is, detractors of the Turing Test will say that even if the computer can properly respond to any input, it doesn't mean its not just spitting out a script. Conversely, just because it's just spitting out a script doesn't mean it's unable to think.
I had one friend who would have failed a Turing Test. Whenever someone told him to shut up, he said, "I don't make dogs, I train them."
Anyways.
I got to looking up Alan Turing, who came up with the test. He was a acclaimed cryptologist during the second World War and the father of computer science. He was put to disgrace when it was discovered that he was gay, and committed suicide by biting into an apple laced with cyanide. Accordingly, an apple martini laced with cyanide is known as an Alan Turing. For some reason I clicked on the link for cyanide in that article and saw that it was the one with the bitter almond taste.
So when you combine that drink concept with the one I've already put forth you get the Mock Turing
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/4 oz apple brandy
1/4 oz amaretto
speck bitters
prepared as all flavored martinis are, with the bitters added to the concoction last, after the straining.
Speaking of alcoholic concoctions Pia commented in a previous post that I should make a drink named after each of my readers. In truth I had already planned this and I've mulled it over. So far I've figured out a few base ingredients
All who have paid attention know that Cooper's bottle is Bombay Sapphire
Shayna's is amaretto
Jason's is Gentleman Jack.
For {illyria}, it's absinthe
as for Pia, the only drink I remember her mentioning is one that involved Jim Beam. Not sure if that's my final answer though,
Thats about as much as I've figured out for sure. Everyone else I've yet to decide. If you can point me in the right direction, feel free of course. more on that as it gestates.
As it happens, this is my three hundredth post. It's a milestone I should have arrived at a while ago but I've slowed down. I fully intend to reverse that.
Right after I get some sleep. I promise
10.25.2006
This that, and Boston Legal
So I was in town a couple of days ago. Walking through Boston Commons in my trench coat, dark teal khakis, and dark red button-up shirt, sporting a 1 week beard that I've since shaved. I found myself walking towards a man about 5-10 years older than me only a bit shorter than me, hair just as long, same facial hair, same coat, pants and shirt the same style only two tones darker. He was even wearing a laptop bag that he was using to carry other shit, just like me. Our eyes met at a sort of a glare for a moment as we crossed paths.
The next day it was colder out and I found myself in the same place. Crossed paths with the same man. Only he'd ditched the coat and he was wearing a backpack. I'm fully prepared to assert that I scared him off my style.
I am a hipster badass.
I'm looking around for bartending jobs. I've got my eye on two in particular. One is at an upscale Italian restaurant, another at a martini bar in my hometown. And of course my blood dictates that I apply at each of the several dozen Irish pubs within walking distance =P
Another drink recipie of my design. This one's called a Smirking Revenge
1/2 oz each of vodka, Irish whiskey, and Jager
fill in an iced (and thoroughly chilled--it's best served cold, dontcha know) highball glass with equal parts cranberry and sour mix
lace sweet vermouth
May be subject to change, but that's what I've got now.
Barack Obama is thinking of running.
I'm going to clue you all in on two things, in case you haven't noticed
One: The main reason everyone, myself included, loved him in 04 is that his charisma was in such sharp contrast with John Kerry's.
Two: The concept of him as a candidate is the flip side of the coin John McCain has been sitting on ever since he didn't win the primary in 2000. The concept of such a mainstream candidate is far more enticing than either would offer in practice. It's no wonder as soon as the two of them started working together in the Senate they found themselves in a pissing match. Fuck that shit.
Anyways, he's said that religion belongs in the presidential discourse, remember? Because that's done such fucking great things for our country. To his credit, at least in comparison with the fucker on the other side of the metal disc, he never appeared with Falwell.
I think that if Gore ran a real campaign with a real platform he'd be good for the country. Failing that, give me anyone smart, charismatic, and relentless with a solid populist platform who isn't Hillary. Not voting for an elephant in donkey's closing. Also not voting for a jackass.
Of course that's getting ahead of ourselves. We've got a national election, some shit in need of repair, and in the words of Tool, the only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
A NOTE TO ALL BOHEMIANS--- IT WOULD BE ADVIZED THAT YOU WAIT ON READING THIS NEXT BIT UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE LATEST BOSTON LEGAL
I think we need to start at the ending for this one. HOLY FUCK I DIDN'T THINK THEY'D DO THAT ON BROADCAST TV. I had a feeling that it was the mother all along, and I thought that her breakdown on the stand was convincing. What troubles me is that it would have been utterly hot if we hadn't been told that they were mother and son. I half expected the doors to open with them still all tongues going at it.
That whole story arc was excellent. Characters, writing, execution, all tight. But I think I could do without Coho next episode. I'm not saying I want him gone, but if he was to make the same sort of appearance that Brad Chase did in this one then I'd be fine.
Sally Heep-- I think every dude has run into one female who goes castrato on them like that. I know I have. One in particular who'd slap my ass and hold the door for me. And threaten violence if I made any gentlemanly gesture. The fact that she was a full foot shorter than me made this all hilarious.
Where was I? Oh yes. I was glad to see her back-- less glad to see her in Brad's arms post-coitus, but then again that dude deserved a break. Wonder if he knew that Alan got to her first though. She's a predator now, and it's damned sexy. I look forward to seeing her in court more.
Shirley wasn't in this one, now that I think of it which is a bit of a pox on it. It kinda seems like there are too many characters to manage now. I hope I'm proved wrong.
And now off to bed.
Laters
The next day it was colder out and I found myself in the same place. Crossed paths with the same man. Only he'd ditched the coat and he was wearing a backpack. I'm fully prepared to assert that I scared him off my style.
I am a hipster badass.
I'm looking around for bartending jobs. I've got my eye on two in particular. One is at an upscale Italian restaurant, another at a martini bar in my hometown. And of course my blood dictates that I apply at each of the several dozen Irish pubs within walking distance =P
Another drink recipie of my design. This one's called a Smirking Revenge
1/2 oz each of vodka, Irish whiskey, and Jager
fill in an iced (and thoroughly chilled--it's best served cold, dontcha know) highball glass with equal parts cranberry and sour mix
lace sweet vermouth
May be subject to change, but that's what I've got now.
Barack Obama is thinking of running.
I'm going to clue you all in on two things, in case you haven't noticed
One: The main reason everyone, myself included, loved him in 04 is that his charisma was in such sharp contrast with John Kerry's.
Two: The concept of him as a candidate is the flip side of the coin John McCain has been sitting on ever since he didn't win the primary in 2000. The concept of such a mainstream candidate is far more enticing than either would offer in practice. It's no wonder as soon as the two of them started working together in the Senate they found themselves in a pissing match. Fuck that shit.
Anyways, he's said that religion belongs in the presidential discourse, remember? Because that's done such fucking great things for our country. To his credit, at least in comparison with the fucker on the other side of the metal disc, he never appeared with Falwell.
I think that if Gore ran a real campaign with a real platform he'd be good for the country. Failing that, give me anyone smart, charismatic, and relentless with a solid populist platform who isn't Hillary. Not voting for an elephant in donkey's closing. Also not voting for a jackass.
Of course that's getting ahead of ourselves. We've got a national election, some shit in need of repair, and in the words of Tool, the only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
A NOTE TO ALL BOHEMIANS--- IT WOULD BE ADVIZED THAT YOU WAIT ON READING THIS NEXT BIT UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE LATEST BOSTON LEGAL
I think we need to start at the ending for this one. HOLY FUCK I DIDN'T THINK THEY'D DO THAT ON BROADCAST TV. I had a feeling that it was the mother all along, and I thought that her breakdown on the stand was convincing. What troubles me is that it would have been utterly hot if we hadn't been told that they were mother and son. I half expected the doors to open with them still all tongues going at it.
That whole story arc was excellent. Characters, writing, execution, all tight. But I think I could do without Coho next episode. I'm not saying I want him gone, but if he was to make the same sort of appearance that Brad Chase did in this one then I'd be fine.
Sally Heep-- I think every dude has run into one female who goes castrato on them like that. I know I have. One in particular who'd slap my ass and hold the door for me. And threaten violence if I made any gentlemanly gesture. The fact that she was a full foot shorter than me made this all hilarious.
Where was I? Oh yes. I was glad to see her back-- less glad to see her in Brad's arms post-coitus, but then again that dude deserved a break. Wonder if he knew that Alan got to her first though. She's a predator now, and it's damned sexy. I look forward to seeing her in court more.
Shirley wasn't in this one, now that I think of it which is a bit of a pox on it. It kinda seems like there are too many characters to manage now. I hope I'm proved wrong.
And now off to bed.
Laters
10.21.2006
Dragging my ass back into circulation
I think I've gotten about 2 night's sleep in the past week. I may have finally erased that sleep debt but we'll see.
Finished up with bartending class for the most part. Just one alcohol awareness next Friday, and that's not even required, strictly speaking. It'll give me favorable status so I'm going for it, but I am going to start the hunt before then. On Monday I get the referral list. My teacher was singing my praises so I hope I can turn that into some cold, hard cash. For one of the last classes we had to come up with a flavored martini and name it. Here's my creation:
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz amaretto
shaken over ice, strained into a chilled martini glass, then topped off with a splash of bitters.
It's called an arsenic, and it looks really cool in a glass but I've no other clues about it because we didn't make them with actual booze at school. It gets it's name because a drink laced with arsenic will taste a bit like bitter almonds, amaretto being an almond-flavored liqueur. I'm not quite sure who would order a drink with a name like that, but it'd be funny as hell to have it sent to someone.
Jason's been putting out excellent stuff lately. His last post makes it near the top of "damn I wish I'd written that" list. It should be required reading, to borrow a phrase from Pia, who herself has put forth a gem after some cheerful exploitation of an infamous conversation between myself and Cooper of Wonderland (or, you know, Not).
Unintentionally broke a promise I made to no one in particular. One thing I keep forgetting is that one of the prime bullshit assumptions in life, right up there with thinking that no one will find out, is that any given thing is over. Which isn't to say anything negative came of it. Just wish I'd have prepared.
Why yes, I am being cryptic. Thanks for noticing.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. MIZ BOHEMIA IN THE FLESH ON YOUTUBE! And unlike me, she's appearing as herself! I may have to straight-out steal this idea so sorry in advance if I do, Miz. Especially since audioblogger is going belly-up in November.
Is that it? I think so. If not, you'll hear from me again. Soon. I need to get back on this. Though I can tell you this much. When I land a bartending gig I will likely post after each shift for a while.
Finished up with bartending class for the most part. Just one alcohol awareness next Friday, and that's not even required, strictly speaking. It'll give me favorable status so I'm going for it, but I am going to start the hunt before then. On Monday I get the referral list. My teacher was singing my praises so I hope I can turn that into some cold, hard cash. For one of the last classes we had to come up with a flavored martini and name it. Here's my creation:
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz amaretto
shaken over ice, strained into a chilled martini glass, then topped off with a splash of bitters.
It's called an arsenic, and it looks really cool in a glass but I've no other clues about it because we didn't make them with actual booze at school. It gets it's name because a drink laced with arsenic will taste a bit like bitter almonds, amaretto being an almond-flavored liqueur. I'm not quite sure who would order a drink with a name like that, but it'd be funny as hell to have it sent to someone.
Jason's been putting out excellent stuff lately. His last post makes it near the top of "damn I wish I'd written that" list. It should be required reading, to borrow a phrase from Pia, who herself has put forth a gem after some cheerful exploitation of an infamous conversation between myself and Cooper of Wonderland (or, you know, Not).
Unintentionally broke a promise I made to no one in particular. One thing I keep forgetting is that one of the prime bullshit assumptions in life, right up there with thinking that no one will find out, is that any given thing is over. Which isn't to say anything negative came of it. Just wish I'd have prepared.
Why yes, I am being cryptic. Thanks for noticing.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. MIZ BOHEMIA IN THE FLESH ON YOUTUBE! And unlike me, she's appearing as herself! I may have to straight-out steal this idea so sorry in advance if I do, Miz. Especially since audioblogger is going belly-up in November.
Is that it? I think so. If not, you'll hear from me again. Soon. I need to get back on this. Though I can tell you this much. When I land a bartending gig I will likely post after each shift for a while.
10.17.2006
And now a recap of the days I've been MIA, brought to you by, I'm not getting any fucking sleep tonight-vision.
Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?
on Thursday I was thumbing through the monthly catalogue from Daddy's Junky Music. It spoke of a ridiculous warehouse sale.
Just then my brother walked by, saying something to the tune of, "is there anything in there that I can get for three hundred bucks? You know, double what you paid for your guitar?" Normally I'd have retorted, but I happened to be looking at something that demanded a different course of action. I stuck the page I was on in his face. I may have knelt on his throat... I'm not sure. Suffice to say I made it very clear that he was purchasing this item, marked down to $300 exactly from the list price of $837. By evening I was trying it out for him (because I had yet to get him to successfully strike a chord on my guitar... yeah don't ask), and eventually it made it home.
The item in question? A 1967 limited edition Epiphone Flying V. It's a scientific fact that when you play such an instrument, you are surrounded by an AURA OF PURE AWESOME. Later on I will provide photographic proof of this.
That guitar is a work of art, and the sound is sooooooooo sweet. This is, after all, one of the guitar models Jimi Hendrix used. I've informed my sibling that he is bound, out of respect for his sexy piece of axe, to learn how to play it in a manner that does it justice.
Ok, so on to Friday, which was, as we know, a Judas Priest Friday as well as Friday the Thirteenth. I got a call from my buddy Josh, inviting me to a special showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Ranolph Country Club, put on by a friend of his who's a member of Harvard Square's Full Body Cast. He told us that we could get in for free if we got in at 9:30 and helped out with some shit backstage. (there was something he didn't tell us but more on that later) For those of you who don't know, when you see a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, there is a live cast acting along with the movie. The casts, naturally, tend to be made up of extremely odd people. In other words, my sort of people. One of them actually appears in Something Positive as the basis for a minor character. I was there with Randy Milholland, the creator of said comic when she first performed with the cast. She insisted on his presence and he didn't want to go alone so he called out to his readers to go with him. Dude's great to hang around. Of course, both of those things are hard to bring up in a conversation, and I didn't try.
Anyways.
As we pulled up to the Randolph Country Club, I noticed that there was a rainbow on the sign. The first song that we noticed playing over the speakers was J-Lo I think. We went backstage and chilled for a bit, and Josh told me he was going to get a drink. He came back with a Grape Crush, in his hand, commenting briefly on its unusually high alcohol content. He then said
"By the way, did you know that we're in a gay bar?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Really?"
"There was a rainbow on the sign and if you turn to the screen you'll see a music vid remix with dudes kissing cut into it"
"Oh, so there is."
"Also, they're showing Rocky here"
"True"
"So what tipped you off?"
"The bartender is a very convincing drag queen named Alexis and I think she has the hots for me"
"That'll do it."
Later on, his drinks were comped.
Incidentally, it wasn't explained to the audience that people were supposed to get up into the aisles and dance during the Time Warp, so as it stood, there were only three of us doing it, and we were all friends of cast. So we were up and shaking it while everyone else watched. In a gay bar.
Fun times.
It was cool to be in league with those putting it on for a change. And actually Josh says that between him and his friend he could probably get me on the cast as an alternate Riff Raff if I wanted, and I'm thinking about it.
Trying to remember if I did anything worth noting on Saturday and Sunday... I mean I did watch a lot of The Sheild, but that hardly counts. Great show though. the main character is similar in many ways to Alan Shore, only a complete badass, and a cop. And I told my family not to get me addicted to any more shows... damn it.
As for yesterday, I had class. See, since last we met, I've enrolled in Boston Bartending School. In a week's time I'll be a professionally trained bartender. (woo!) The odd thing is that even though I was the youngest there, with only one classmate within a decade of me, and at least one who had worked behind a bar before, there was shit I knew right off the bat that had others scratching there heads such as, for instance, the classification of Guiness as a beer (stout), what Jameson is (Irish whiskey)... there were other things but to be honest my memory is skipping a groove.
Which probably means that I'm going to need some caffeine or something.
Anyways, later all.
on Thursday I was thumbing through the monthly catalogue from Daddy's Junky Music. It spoke of a ridiculous warehouse sale.
Just then my brother walked by, saying something to the tune of, "is there anything in there that I can get for three hundred bucks? You know, double what you paid for your guitar?" Normally I'd have retorted, but I happened to be looking at something that demanded a different course of action. I stuck the page I was on in his face. I may have knelt on his throat... I'm not sure. Suffice to say I made it very clear that he was purchasing this item, marked down to $300 exactly from the list price of $837. By evening I was trying it out for him (because I had yet to get him to successfully strike a chord on my guitar... yeah don't ask), and eventually it made it home.
The item in question? A 1967 limited edition Epiphone Flying V. It's a scientific fact that when you play such an instrument, you are surrounded by an AURA OF PURE AWESOME. Later on I will provide photographic proof of this.
That guitar is a work of art, and the sound is sooooooooo sweet. This is, after all, one of the guitar models Jimi Hendrix used. I've informed my sibling that he is bound, out of respect for his sexy piece of axe, to learn how to play it in a manner that does it justice.
Ok, so on to Friday, which was, as we know, a Judas Priest Friday as well as Friday the Thirteenth. I got a call from my buddy Josh, inviting me to a special showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Ranolph Country Club, put on by a friend of his who's a member of Harvard Square's Full Body Cast. He told us that we could get in for free if we got in at 9:30 and helped out with some shit backstage. (there was something he didn't tell us but more on that later) For those of you who don't know, when you see a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, there is a live cast acting along with the movie. The casts, naturally, tend to be made up of extremely odd people. In other words, my sort of people. One of them actually appears in Something Positive as the basis for a minor character. I was there with Randy Milholland, the creator of said comic when she first performed with the cast. She insisted on his presence and he didn't want to go alone so he called out to his readers to go with him. Dude's great to hang around. Of course, both of those things are hard to bring up in a conversation, and I didn't try.
Anyways.
As we pulled up to the Randolph Country Club, I noticed that there was a rainbow on the sign. The first song that we noticed playing over the speakers was J-Lo I think. We went backstage and chilled for a bit, and Josh told me he was going to get a drink. He came back with a Grape Crush, in his hand, commenting briefly on its unusually high alcohol content. He then said
"By the way, did you know that we're in a gay bar?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Really?"
"There was a rainbow on the sign and if you turn to the screen you'll see a music vid remix with dudes kissing cut into it"
"Oh, so there is."
"Also, they're showing Rocky here"
"True"
"So what tipped you off?"
"The bartender is a very convincing drag queen named Alexis and I think she has the hots for me"
"That'll do it."
Later on, his drinks were comped.
Incidentally, it wasn't explained to the audience that people were supposed to get up into the aisles and dance during the Time Warp, so as it stood, there were only three of us doing it, and we were all friends of cast. So we were up and shaking it while everyone else watched. In a gay bar.
Fun times.
It was cool to be in league with those putting it on for a change. And actually Josh says that between him and his friend he could probably get me on the cast as an alternate Riff Raff if I wanted, and I'm thinking about it.
Trying to remember if I did anything worth noting on Saturday and Sunday... I mean I did watch a lot of The Sheild, but that hardly counts. Great show though. the main character is similar in many ways to Alan Shore, only a complete badass, and a cop. And I told my family not to get me addicted to any more shows... damn it.
As for yesterday, I had class. See, since last we met, I've enrolled in Boston Bartending School. In a week's time I'll be a professionally trained bartender. (woo!) The odd thing is that even though I was the youngest there, with only one classmate within a decade of me, and at least one who had worked behind a bar before, there was shit I knew right off the bat that had others scratching there heads such as, for instance, the classification of Guiness as a beer (stout), what Jameson is (Irish whiskey)... there were other things but to be honest my memory is skipping a groove.
Which probably means that I'm going to need some caffeine or something.
Anyways, later all.
10.12.2006
Tonight's post was going to be something poetic and, hopefully, beautiful. I was interrupted by this.
Yeah... I've lost the mood. I'm going to add a audiopost to this entry in the morning. It's too late to shout now. People are sleeping. You can expect me to be loud and long-winded and profane come tommorrow. I'd run out of things to say about politics but I can think of some now.
UPDATE 10/13
Ok so it turns out that my desire to shout had a lot to do with the caffeine in my system at the time and I may not podcast on the topic but god damn. Leave it to that pretzel gagging motherfucker to set us back 800 years.
There is a precedent of the ages, that it is the destiny of all tyrants to taste their own blood. This isn't about fate. It's about the will of the people, and the willpower of the people. We, the people, clearly lack one of the above, and it will either be seen in the eyes of future historians as a great shortcoming in the timeline of our nation or it will be forgotten as the history books are redacted of anything that can even be twisted to be seen as unpatriotic.
We must remove from office all who have been a part of this, and all who aquiesced.
and that is the task ahead of us in the next two years. Take back the country. Take back our liberty. Take back our dignity. Take back our honor. Take back our pride. And defenestrate all who would keep it from us.
Yeah... I've lost the mood. I'm going to add a audiopost to this entry in the morning. It's too late to shout now. People are sleeping. You can expect me to be loud and long-winded and profane come tommorrow. I'd run out of things to say about politics but I can think of some now.
UPDATE 10/13
Ok so it turns out that my desire to shout had a lot to do with the caffeine in my system at the time and I may not podcast on the topic but god damn. Leave it to that pretzel gagging motherfucker to set us back 800 years.
There is a precedent of the ages, that it is the destiny of all tyrants to taste their own blood. This isn't about fate. It's about the will of the people, and the willpower of the people. We, the people, clearly lack one of the above, and it will either be seen in the eyes of future historians as a great shortcoming in the timeline of our nation or it will be forgotten as the history books are redacted of anything that can even be twisted to be seen as unpatriotic.
We must remove from office all who have been a part of this, and all who aquiesced.
and that is the task ahead of us in the next two years. Take back the country. Take back our liberty. Take back our dignity. Take back our honor. Take back our pride. And defenestrate all who would keep it from us.
10.11.2006
The midnight ramble
Ok so it's past midnight but whatever. A couple of points.
One, today's Least I Could Do gives more concise and effective commentary on the situation with North Korea than I could hope to. Bush and his clusterfuck base have done approxamately jack shit to cool things off over there. If this were the cold war we'd have gone first after the Communist threat before mucking about in Iraq. But the GWOT no longer makes much room for the idea that sovereign nations with actual weapons as opposed to theoretical ones could pose a threat to our interests and our lives. Nice one. So now we just need to hope that those guys know that it's fucking stupid to launch a nuclear attack.
On a ligher note
Also, did anyone else catch the roast of William Shatner on Comedy Central? I finally was able to catch it tonight and god damn was it good. Betty White was especially funny.
Speaking of William Shatner and funny, I invite you all to head on over to Pia's where I'm the featured guest, and go on an extended rave about Boston Legal. Fantastic episode tonight. I'm continually hungry for more.
One, today's Least I Could Do gives more concise and effective commentary on the situation with North Korea than I could hope to. Bush and his clusterfuck base have done approxamately jack shit to cool things off over there. If this were the cold war we'd have gone first after the Communist threat before mucking about in Iraq. But the GWOT no longer makes much room for the idea that sovereign nations with actual weapons as opposed to theoretical ones could pose a threat to our interests and our lives. Nice one. So now we just need to hope that those guys know that it's fucking stupid to launch a nuclear attack.
On a ligher note
Also, did anyone else catch the roast of William Shatner on Comedy Central? I finally was able to catch it tonight and god damn was it good. Betty White was especially funny.
Speaking of William Shatner and funny, I invite you all to head on over to Pia's where I'm the featured guest, and go on an extended rave about Boston Legal. Fantastic episode tonight. I'm continually hungry for more.
10.08.2006
Yes, I know it's late
It just so happens that every time I've sat down to blog in the last five days I've been called out into the real world. Not a usual occurance. So. Boston Legal.
If you've been following the series like I have, there's something very significant to note about the way the plots have been constructed this time around. Previously, story arcs would more or less resolve in a single episode, with a single persistent arc that would run for longer. This was in sharp contrast with the formula for The Practice, in which the norm was a three episode length for story arcs, and three story arcs going at once, staggered so that there would be one in each stage at any given time. So far this season, the premeir notwithstanding, there have been two long-running story arcs that have yet to resolve: Denny and Bethany, and the murder trial. And each episode has had a oneshot involving Alan Shore. Though this latest one has triggered another storyline that's been lying dormant.
Alan Shore hit on Shirly the first time he met her. And it's been revisited all throughout the series. Some of the greatest moments in the show have come from either Alan or Denny hitting on Shirley, actually.
Shirley? What about senior partners? There would be nothing wrong with me, lusting, say, after... you? Would there?
Go subscribe to National Geographic. Make a list of the places you'll never get to visit. Add to that list, Schmidt.
Shirley has flirted back, and indeed even kissed Denny in the last episode of the second season, but she's been more or less dismissive until now. And for the first time, Denny feels threatened. I can't wait for what's next.
And for the record, I so called that Denny would be into dwarves. Though now that I look at that sentence it doesn't seem to be that big a prediction. But I've been waiting to see Denny in the courtroom. It's been three episodes and he hasn't said his own name once, God damnit.
This past episode also marked the time when I officially began to like Jeffrey Coho. And I found out where I'd seen him before. Remember the photographer from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Same dude. If you haven't seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I have nothing to offer, except... seriously watch it. I mean it. Geez!
The third season has been getting progressively better. I never for a second stopped loving it, but it's refreshing to see any suspiscion of a decline erased before me.
Can't wait for Tuesday. But, well, that's not anything new.
If you've been following the series like I have, there's something very significant to note about the way the plots have been constructed this time around. Previously, story arcs would more or less resolve in a single episode, with a single persistent arc that would run for longer. This was in sharp contrast with the formula for The Practice, in which the norm was a three episode length for story arcs, and three story arcs going at once, staggered so that there would be one in each stage at any given time. So far this season, the premeir notwithstanding, there have been two long-running story arcs that have yet to resolve: Denny and Bethany, and the murder trial. And each episode has had a oneshot involving Alan Shore. Though this latest one has triggered another storyline that's been lying dormant.
Alan Shore hit on Shirly the first time he met her. And it's been revisited all throughout the series. Some of the greatest moments in the show have come from either Alan or Denny hitting on Shirley, actually.
Shirley? What about senior partners? There would be nothing wrong with me, lusting, say, after... you? Would there?
Go subscribe to National Geographic. Make a list of the places you'll never get to visit. Add to that list, Schmidt.
Shirley has flirted back, and indeed even kissed Denny in the last episode of the second season, but she's been more or less dismissive until now. And for the first time, Denny feels threatened. I can't wait for what's next.
And for the record, I so called that Denny would be into dwarves. Though now that I look at that sentence it doesn't seem to be that big a prediction. But I've been waiting to see Denny in the courtroom. It's been three episodes and he hasn't said his own name once, God damnit.
This past episode also marked the time when I officially began to like Jeffrey Coho. And I found out where I'd seen him before. Remember the photographer from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Same dude. If you haven't seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I have nothing to offer, except... seriously watch it. I mean it. Geez!
The third season has been getting progressively better. I never for a second stopped loving it, but it's refreshing to see any suspiscion of a decline erased before me.
Can't wait for Tuesday. But, well, that's not anything new.
10.03.2006
I thought I'd posted earlier...
I saw Jet Li's Fearless on Saturday. 'Twas a hell of a flick. How often do you get to see Jet Li fight a boxer, a fencer, a pikeman, a grotesquely huge non-fake professional wrestler and a samurai? Beautiful cinematography as well, though not quite so orgasmic as that of Hero, which I recall Vesper giving a positive review. Speaking of Vesper, she's just posted hot pics of her as a vampire. Should not need to tell you to check that out.
Speaking of other bloggers, Sammy has re-emerged, and is moreover engaged (!) Congrats to her and Mark. Good, luck, you crazy kids (says the dude who is a year younger than Sammy). Another Oxford, Ohio native has posted today as well.
Pia is back for today, with a fiction exercise. Need I say more? read, damn it.
oh, and everything at JunkFunnel Labs is awesome, especially the Suspicious Looking Device. I want one
Boston Legal will be on soon, and I'll no doubt have something to say about it soon afterwards, so if that's your kind of thing you know where to find me
Speaking of other bloggers, Sammy has re-emerged, and is moreover engaged (!) Congrats to her and Mark. Good, luck, you crazy kids (says the dude who is a year younger than Sammy). Another Oxford, Ohio native has posted today as well.
Pia is back for today, with a fiction exercise. Need I say more? read, damn it.
oh, and everything at JunkFunnel Labs is awesome, especially the Suspicious Looking Device. I want one
Boston Legal will be on soon, and I'll no doubt have something to say about it soon afterwards, so if that's your kind of thing you know where to find me
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