Damage Report

So, as I sit here, sore as hell from playing two hours of soccer on what was little more than fuzzy green concrete, I thought I'd make a list of the damage I have done to myself since birth.

-Chipped tooth: Pretty much fixed, I remembered having it fixed (ground down), but I don't really remember how I chipped it in the first place.

-Fractured left wrist: Elementary school see-saw accident.

-Partially torn rotator left cuff: Soccer injury. Opted not to have surgery. Once in a while I tear the scar tissue and it hurts for a few days, but otherwise, it's manageable.

-Left knee: Soccer injury. I'm not sure what's actually "wrong" with it except that when my legs start to fatigue from playing, hiking, etc., it looses some of it's spring. It is also the cause of the limp that only one person has ever noticed.

-Shins, both: Numerous scars and calcifications. All soccer-related except for one scar/lump the origin of which I shall never discuss.

-Toes: I have broken all of them at least once, and my right big toe so many times that it doesn't bend like it is supposed to.

All in all, not too bad I guess.

It's a girl!

More correctly, a niece!

My brother called me last night to confirm that he and his wife are going to have a daughter in April.

This will be my first experience with "uncle-hood" and I'm looking forward to it.

As I may have mentioned in previous posts, at the moment I am most happy for my brother because his health problems beginning in childhood and lasting through his teenage years had led us to believe that this might not be possible.

So, congratulations to my brother and his wife. I can't wait to be the "good uncle" (bad influence!).

Question of the Day

Why do bank signs display the time and temperature?

Sub-question: Why don't any other businesses do this?

That is all.

It's not a word!

"Fustrated" is not a word!

The word is "frustrated."

Thank you.

Fact of the Day

Migraine headaches...suck.

Today's has just reached the six hour mark.

Trying to sleep should be fun.

It's My Anniversary!

Tomorrow marks one month since I became an "official" commenter at Deadspin.com

Feel free to stop on by and see if you can figure out who I am- my screen name will mean nothing to you, but my avatar should be a dead giveaway!

Something Else to Consider

"Hallowed Ground" by the Violent Femmes maybe the most under appreciated album of the last twenty years- it's certainly the creepiest.

Something to Consider

On the basis of only The Joshua Tree, U2 may be one of the best rock and roll bands ever. Of course, they made other albums too...

Reason #7475 Why I can't/don't own a handgun

""I don't want to hear any new music," said art curator Anne Shires, 32, who said she paid $260 for a floor seat."

And who did she pay that much to see?

Van Halen.

I hope she hasn't reproduced.

Boston Sports Round-Up

Red Sox

• Exercised their option on Tim Wakefield...I approve.
• Exercised their option on Julian Tavarez...meh.
• John Farrell declined an offer to manage the Pirates and chose to remain the pitching coach...who wouldn't decline an offer from the Pirates?
• Oh yeah, last week, they won the World Series.
• Yankees suck.
  

Patriots

• In case you've been locked in a SAC bunker under the Rocky Mountains, you may have heard that the Patriots and Colts play Sunday. The winner will RULE THE WORLD- or at least the NFL through nine weeks. Oh, and our new overlords will be the Patriots, 42-28.
• I don't care if they are running up the score- I don't remember a whole lot of sympathy in 1990 or 1992.
  

Revolution

• The Revs play the Red Bulls on Saturday, the winner advancing to the conference finals- will this be the year the Revs finally win it all?
• Looking forward to next season, will they be able to keep Shalrie Joseph, and will they finally sign a big name/talent player?
• Just as an aside, for those who feel MLS is not a "major" sport, the Revs averaged 16787 fans per game this season. A "sellout" for the Bruins would be 17565, and for the Celtics, 18624. Not bad for a team that has been around since 1995, as opposed to 1924 and 1946 respectively.
  
  

Celtics

• I actually watched a Celtics game tonight- not the whole thing, but most of it! This may be the first time I have been able to say this since Larry Bird's final game in 1992.
• The TD Banknorth Garden, with it's jumbotron, strobe lights, loud music, etc. will never be the Gah-den.
  

Bruins

• A tough break for Patrice Bergeron, but so far so good! Their not the Cam Neely Bruins of my younger days, but they're not longer the shame of the Boston sports scene.
• The new "retro" uniforms are growing on me even if they are made by Reebok.
  

It's Halloween!

...and I couldn't care less.

TA-DA!

World Series Champions again.

I shall now sleep the sleep of the smug.

Really?

Is it really possible that a few hours from now I might be back here on my blog celebrating the second Red Sox World Series victory in four years?

Wow.

I hope to talk to you in about five hours.

Go Sox!

Unnecessarily confirming that I am a nerd.

I rented the movie "Pathfinder" just to see how many historical inaccuracies I could find in it.

I did this because, in the previews for it "they" went out of their way to point out that this all happened "before Columbus," and then proceeded to show all kinds of people riding around on horses!

It's not supposed to be a very good movie, but at least I'll have a reason to pay attention to it.

Awaiting Game Three

It can't really be this easy, can it?

Then again, while it would be nice for the Red Sox to clinch the World Series in Fenway, I'm not sure that it's worth the two losses they'd have to suffer in order to make it happen.

Oh well, here's looking at Saturday night in Denver!

UPDATE: Hope Solo, Greg Ryan, and losing to Brazil

Nobody- especially me- should have been shocked to learn today that USWNT Head Coach Greg Ryan was basically fired today by the USSF.

The USSF wanted to "go in another direction," and I am sure that Coach Ryan is looking forward to "pursuing other opportunities."

Whatever the case, it just goes to show that the next time you bench a goalkeeper who is coming off over three hundred minutes without giving up a goal in the middle of the World Cup, you probably shouldn't expect to have a job for much longer.

Mia Hamm-Garciaparra will be involved in choosing the new coach. I don't know if that's a good or bad idea, but there it is.

My Dad Had Brain Surgery Yesterday...

...and they didn't find anything! Thank you, I'll be here all week, remember to tip your server.

But seriously, folks, he did, and he's doing well. He has another follow up surgery next week, some fine-tuning over the next few months, and hopefully he'll see some pretty dramatic results by early spring.

If you'd like to learn about the procedure he had done, I invite you to Google "subthalamic nucleus implants." Pretty amazing stuff.

Quote of the day

In response to Bart saying, "We could get in trouble."

"That's okay, trouble is a form of attention."

Milhouse van Houten

By the power vested in me...

...as self-appointed Pope of Baseball, I hereby confer upon Tim Wakefield, preemptive absolution for any and all negative outcomes which may result from him pitching this evening against the Cleveland Indians.

He is injured, hasn't pitched in over two weeks, and as a knuckleballer, and he does not pitch in a style conducive to starting in a playoff game. In short, he is being put in a very difficult position and we should not have are hopes to high.

That being said, I hope he pitches a gem.

Well Done The Lads!

They did it again! Scotland defeated Ukraine 3-1 today at Hampden Park, Glasgow to remain atop Group B in their European Championship qualifying match. Goals from Lee McCulloch, Kenny Miller, and the increasingly talismanic Jamie McFadden were enough to win the day.

I haven't done all the math but I believe a win against Georgia on Wednesday will leave Scotland needing only a draw against Italy in their final match (at home). And this assumes no help from any other teams.

'Mon the Scots!!

Lyric of the Day

She had black hair like ravens crawling over her shoulders...

"All Wrong" by Morphine

NOW, it's time go gloat.

Dear New York Yankees,

Bite me.™*

Me.




*David Letterman, the 1980's

The Kid Stays in the Picture

(with apologies to Robert Evans)

I relate the following story from my day today mainly because- while I was certainly flattered- it made me laugh out loud.

A friend of mine came up to me today and said that a friend of hers (who doesn't know my name) wondered to her where I'd been recently. My friend asked who she meant, and she replied, "You know, the cute guy with the backpack!"

Okay, so let's review my conflicting reactions to this first.

1. The young lady in question is quite attractive and found me to be cute- SCORE!
2. I'm concerned that becoming known as "guy with the backpack" is one step away from being known as that guy who stands in front of his house and waves to every car that passes buy or the guy who covers all his windows with aluminum foil to keep the government from spying on him.

I'm going to stick with the first one as it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I've still got it...or at least a part of it.

It's almost time to gloat!

The Red Sox swept the Angels today to move into the ALCS.

The Yankees are currently losing- more importantly, several former members of the Olde Towne Team have made major contributions. Clemens (traitor, mercenary) is already out of the game and the Indians took the lead on a home run from Trot Nixon (hustler, stand-up guy).

Should the Yankees lose later this evening, I'll be back with a very short, but very smug, and borderline inappropriate post.

Update: Has it come to this?

My disillusionment continues as the Clash's version of "Pressure Drop" has recently shown up as the background music in a Nissan commercial.

(insert cursing)

It all started a decade or more ago when the Beatles "Revolution" was used in a Nike television commercial...

Then Ramones' songs started showing up in the background of commercials.

Then Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" became the backing track for a series of cruise ship commercials.

Then songs by the Clash were in for the same treatment.

Then a Johnny Cash song showed up in ads for a motel chain.

Then only a month or so ago I noticed a song by the Jam in a Cadillac commercial.

And then there was today...

The Pogues "Sunny Side of the Street" in a Cadillac commercial.

Leading me to the following conclusions:

1. I'm old.
2. Of all of these artists, many are dead (Johnny Cash, half the Ramones, one quarter of the Clash) and their estates are cashing in.
3. I'm old.
4. The other half are broken up (the Jam) or reunited (Pogues, Stooges)- sort of.
5. I'm old.
6. My generation (more specifically, the punk subculture part of my generation) has enough money to buy- ick.- Cadillacs.
7. I'm old.

Whatever the dynamics behind any of this, I am, in a word, disheartened.

Wow!

I thought watching the Red Sox win convincingly last night was fun, but watching the Indians emasculate the Yankees tonight is almost as enjoyable...

...maybe more enjoyable!

Go Tribe!

Hot off the presses!!

First, a stellar effort from the Red Sox to take the first game from the Angels. Great pitching from Josh Beckett and timely hitting from the offense. Hooray!

Then, after finishing as runners-up on too many occasions to recount, the New England Revolution have won their first trophy! Tonight they defeated FC Dallas 3-2 to win the 2007 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup! How nice it would be to add the MLS Cup to that in a few weeks!

Hope Solo, Greg Ryan, and losing to Brazil

"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's not 2004. And it's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think."

Hope Solo's post-match reaction to being benched in favor of Brianna Scurry

It's not too often that I get a chance to weigh in on an issue about which I actually know something (I coached women's soccer for a decade), so I have to say something about what just happened at the Women's World Cup. Here's what happened and my take on all of it:

• US Coach Greg Ryan chooses to replace goalkeeper Hope Solo with Brianna Scurry for the semi-final match against Brazil. His rationale is that Scurry has a good record against Brazil- Solo had never faced Brazil.
• Problem 1: You don't replace a "hot" goalkeeper. Solo hadn't lost match in the last fifty or so she played. It was unlikely she would suddenly not play well against Brazil were slim.
  
• Problem 2: Brianna Scurry had not played a meaningful (World Cup, Olympic, etc.) match in three years, and is now 36 years old. To borrow a boxing term, "ring rust" was likely to be an issue for Scurry.
  
• Problem 3: Greg Ryan's rationale makes no sense- every US keeper ever has a great record against every opponent- the team is 275-50-39 since it's founding and had not lost under Ryan until the loss to Brazil!
• Hope Solo publicly states that Ryan made the wrong decision and that she would have stopped the shots that Scurry let pass.
• Problem 1: Even if you're right, you don't say it in the press. No matter how moronic the decision was, the issue needs to stay within the team.
  
• Problem 2: When criticized for the first mistake, trying to "recontextualize" your comments about your teammate and coach makes you look like an idiot.
• The claiming she would be a distraction, the US team votes to have Solo leave the team for the rest of the World Cup.
• Problem 1: The rationale here is ridiculous. Solo would be a distraction for the one remaining match?! The 3rd place/consolation match? Very, very weak.
• Problem 2: As a coach, you cannot- as I read the situation- use your players to cover your mistake. Even if the players came to him to request a vote on the issue, he has to refuse it. He made the mistake, the blame is solely his- having her leave the team only exacerbates the problem by airing team business in public, again
• Coach Ryan forgets how to coach, over an above his match day decision.
  
• Problem 1: Hope Solo is a world class athlete, a necessarily competitive person, and beyond that, a soccer goalkeeper- she should be expected to have an ego! Without it, she probably wouldn't be as good as she is- Ryan should know this. While he probably couldn't have predicted her going public with her feelings, did he expect her not to have them? Would he have wanted her not to have them?!
  
• Problem 2: He suggests that there is, and I'm paraphrasing, "Plenty of talent out there..." and that, and this is a direct quote, "what's got to occur is reconciliation and that is a very slow process." Coach, you can't try to turn Solo into the only person who made a mistake. And coach, FYI, she's got a brighter future with the team than you do.

Musical Ponderings

A former co-worker and I used to pass the time (and at the job in question we had a lot of free time!) by engaging in lengthy debates on the subject of popular music. Sometimes it was making "best" and "worst" lists, sometimes comparing concert-going stories from our past, etc.

So today, as I was listening to Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer singing a duet of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," I thought about some other artists I would love/would have loved to see work together, and in some cases, the song I would have loved to hear them sing. Some of these- I think- are musical "homeruns" and others, perhaps, just ideas...

• Johnny Cash and Shane MacGowan singing "The Long Black Veil"
• Sam Cooke and Sinead O'Connor singing "Frankie and Johnny"
• Granted, this one would take some reworking, but I think the interplay would be great and I'd love to hear Sinead sing soul music.
• Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie singing "All You Fascists"
• Yes, the Mermaid Avenue albums sort of addressed this pairing, but not quite the way I would have wanted to have it happen if I controlled time and space.
• The Proclaimers and the Everyly Brothers singing "All I Have To Do Is Dream"
• Joan Jett and the Donnas singing "Bad Reputation"
• Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan singing "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"
• Although, I think my head might explode.

Any others I missed?

The War by Ken Burns

If you are not watching Ken Burns' new documentary, "The War", you should be.

Rather than writing a new post about it, I'm going to repost a prior post with some expanded parts. My apologies if any of the information is incorrect as a result of the passage of time since the average post.

---------------------------

Today is the 61st anniversary of D-Day. Soon, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of V-E (Victory in Europe) Day and V-J (Victory in Japan) Day.

In a time when wars are characterized by ambiguity and misgivings, it's important to remember that this was not the case during the Second World War. Then there truly were "good guys" and "bad guys." It's also worth remembering that while we should mourn each and every life lost in service to our country, the scale of loss during WWII was unlike anything we encounter today. The combined loss of life in Iraq and Afghanistan has yet to top 4,000. During WWII more than 400,000 American lost their lives, an average of 6,639 a month.

Like todays servicemen and women, these men (and women) came from all walks of life, from all areas of our country- and even from other countries, and gave all that they had. They did so willingly, heroically, and humbly.

If you have a relative, a friend, or even just a neighbor who served, say "thank you." These veterans won't be around forever, in fact, WWII veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day. It is likely that they will all be gone before you or I pass away.

One of these veterans was Senior Radioman John Mitchell of Kingsland, AR. He left home after high school to cut timber in Idaho and Utah as a member of the Civil Conservation Corps. Like many young men who came of age during the Great Depression, he chose this path to ease his family's financial burdens.

Later, when war came, this farm boy from southern Arkansas joined the United States Navy- having never seen the ocean before.

During the war he served on the U.S.S. Hambleton and the U.S.S. Newcomb. The Hambleton took part in the invasion of North Africa and hunted U-boats in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The Newcomb took part in every major Pacific operation from the Marshall Islands to the Battle of the Phillippine Sea.

Having seen so much action in their time on the Newcomb, Senior Radioman Mitchell and many of his shipmates were sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba just before their ship headed for Iwo Jima.

Senior Radioman Mitchell was on duty the day the Japanese surrendered and had the honor of announcing this news to the base.

Senior Radioman Mitchell came home in 1945 and lived for another 52 years, the last 28 of those as my grandfather.

That's what I thought all along!!

If you know anything from reading my blog, you know I love sweet, sweet vindication. Today's comes courtesy of the BBC's website. The highlighting is mine...


"Many 'Imagine' Food Intolerance"

Millions of people in the UK have self-diagnosed a food intolerance and may be avoiding key foods as a result, a poll by a testing firm suggests.

Less than a quarter of the 12m people who claim to be food intolerant have had their condition formally diagnosed.

While many of the nine million who also claim to be intolerant may well be so, it is suggested they may just be fussy.

Nearly 40% of the 1,500 people polled by Yorktest thought it trendy to be intolerant and many blamed celebrities.

Actress Rachel Weisz for instance has a well-publicised wheat intolerance, TV presenter Carol Vorderman a gluten one, and Rod Stewart's former wife, Rachel Hunter, a lactose intolerance.

The range of foods people declared themselves intolerant of was diverse, but grapefruit and sushi were declared by those polled to be key culprits.

Food intolerances are not as severe as food allergies, which in severe cases can prevent people from breathing properly.

But symptoms can nonetheless be uncomfortable, ranging from a stuffy nose to aching joints and nausea.

However the wide variety of complaints which people pin on food intolerances could be related to a number of other conditions.

Nutritionist Tanya Haffner said it was important to seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner.

"You may be cutting out something you don't need to which might be putting your nutritional health and your longer term health at risk," she says.

Colin McRae, MBE (1968-2007)

Colin McRae, his five year-old son Johnny, and two others died in a helicopter crash yesterday near his home in Lanark, Scotland.

Within the world of motorsports rally drivers are considered by their peers to be the best drivers, and for more than a decade, Colin McRae was one of the best rally drivers in the world.

If that means nothing to you, and it might not, think about it this way. Colin McRae was as good at what he did as anyone you can name at any given endeavor. If Colin had played guitar, he would have been Stevie Ray Vaughan, if he'd been an artist, he would have been Picasso.

If you want to have an idea of what rally drivers do, and specifically, what Colin McRae could do, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_BQIaKYsk4 Pay particular attention at about the :53, watch the landing and recovery on after the second jump.

Amazing.

This is meaningless, but...

...here's a little something I just stumbled upon:

During France's last 47 outings they have suffered only three defeats:-

Against Italy during the 2006 World Cup Final and against Scotland twice in the Group B matches for Euro 2008.

'mon the Scots!

And Now It Gets Interesting

In a match already being called Scotland's greatest in 40 years- if not ever- the boys in blue left Paris with a 1-0 victory over France in their latest EURO 2008 qualifying match, vaulting them into first place in Group B.

A 64th minute long distance strike from Jamie McFadden (pictured) gave the underdog Scots a stirring victory over the heavily favored French side.

Scotland now have three matches remaining- Ukraine, Georgia, Italy. Seven points from these matches will guarantee qualification regardless of what France and Italy do in their three remaining matches, but five points might be enough. Either way, Scotland must hope the Ukraine- with matches remaining against both sides- can do them some favors with a strategic win or draw.

Is there such a thing as "good-natured" complaining?

So, a friend convinced me to join his fantasy football league.

I spent yesterday chained to my laptop bending my brain around how I could root for Tom Brady to have a great game while at the same time, not costing me points- I have the Jets defense, or based on yesterday's game, "defense."

Anyway, now I find myself doing the same thing while also trying to follow the Red Sox game and watch something on PBS.

ARGH!

Just a thought...

...maybe I'm just betraying my northeastern liberal provincialism, but I pretty much stop listening to anyone talking about politics when they pronounce it, "EYE-wrack."

I want these people to hop back in their "VEE-hick-ulls" and drive away.

EURO 2008 Qualifying is Back!

Scotland has won again- 3-1 against Lithuania! Thanks to the Urkaine v. Georgia & the France v. Italy ending in draws, Scotland remain 2nd in Group B. Following the mid-week game against France, things can only get better. A win, and Scotland move into 1st place alone, a draw and Scotland remain in 2nd place on goal differential, and a loss keeps Scotland in second, but with only a precarious 1 point lead over Italy. The good news ahead of the Paris match* is that Bazza is back for Scotland and Henry is out for France via an accumulation of yellow cards.

*c'mon, that's a great joke!

In better soccer news...

...early in the second half Scotland lead Lithuania 1-0. It's still going to be hard to qualify- too many good teams in the group, but all they can do is win their matches and see where it takes them.

Ewwww...ugh.

At first I was just going to make some snarky comments about the Russian national team being by far the ugliest team in Euro 2008 qualifying...

...and then I found myself constantly switching back to the West Virginia v. Marshall football game.

Why? Because the Russia v. Macedonia match is all but unwatchable! As much as I would like to see Macedonia- excuse, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (I don't want the UN leaving a nasty comment on my blog)- stick it to the Russians, they're awful, and it's not going to happen.

My parting tip for the FYROM? If you keep giving up free kicks near your goal and then defending like blindfolded drunks, you're going to lose- by a lot.

Food (literally!) for thought

Twice in the last week or so I've come across something that, I don't know, restored my faith in our country just a little bit. One was in my hometown, the other in a town near where I live. What were they?

Self-service produce stands.

One of them- the one in my hometown had a multitude of produce and no list of prices. You just took what you wanted of each vegetable and left what you thought was appropriate.

I realize that the money coming in from these stands isn't going to be the difference between affluence or poverty in either case, but it's nice to know that there are a few people who still have faith in their neighbors.

A Quote for Daily Use

Feel free to use this the next time some Dead-following, patchouli wearer tries to sell some sort of hemp something or other:

"Some sort of hippie, crystal-gripping nonsense."

Courtesy of Kari Byron (Mythbusters)

Continued Vicarious Success

In my ongoing habit of living through my friends, I bring you another success story.

My best friend, who was working in the aerospace industry as a "private" individual (though he worked at a NASA space center) now works directly for NASA.

I will now register my lack of shock when, sometime in the future, he calls to tell me that he's applying to be a "mission specialist."

Good job, Danny Boy!

It's about damn time.

Alberto Gonzales resigned today.

In the words of Comic Book Buy..."Worst Attorney General- ever!"

A Public Service

Do yourself, and perhaps your sole a favor and go to www.youtube.com and search "Sinead O'Connor"

Listen to/watch...

1. "Oro Se Do Bheata Bhaile"
2. "The Foggy Dew" with the Chieftains
3. "Haunted" with Shane MacGowan
4. "Mna na h Eireann"

You will learn a few things...

-Her voice is a treasure- up there with Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Roy Orbison, etc.
-Nobody writes a "rebel song" like the Irish.
-Gaelic is a beautiful, beautiful language.
-The Proclaimers were right, Irish girls are pretty...really pretty!
-Sinead O'Connor was Natalie Portman before Natalie Portman was Natalie Portman.

Is this the way that Rome fell?

I stood behind a woman in a checkout line today who was very vocal (to the cashier, not I) about how excited she was that she was purchasing the extended edition/director's cut/whatever of her favorite movie. That movie?

"Wild Hogs"

What was it that H.L. Mencken said, "Never underestimate the bad taste of the American public"?

I guess so...youch!

A joyous day

I could nit-pick about it raining and preventing me from playing soccer (though I should be able to do that on Monday), but I will not.

Instead, I will positively revel in the fact that it is 3:45 in the afternoon and the temperature has yet to rise above 55! And it's the middle of August!

I wore a sweatshirt when I was out earlier!

C'mon fall, hurry up and get here!

I'm also a bit chuffed because I came up with a zany, semi-serious idea for a long-term project that has me positively beaming!

What does it mean?

When you don't want to go to bed, can't sleep when you do, and never wake up rested no matter how long you sleep?

I don't think it can mean anything good.

I'm not sure I care.

Awwww...

"Clemens was booed off the mound after allowing eight runs and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings."

Well, he is only getting paid $20+ million dollars for a partial season, so you can't expect him to give his best in each and every outing.

I'm sure my attitude would be different if he had signed with the Red Sox, but he didn't, and now I get to laugh at him...and the Yankees.

Deuling Scandals

So, which is in rougher shape in terms of its image- the NFL or the Tour de France?

Last Night (+ bonus garbage)

It was 80 degrees at 10:30pm.

That's just not right.

Bonus Garbage

On a TOTALLY unrelated note, bonus points to anyone who can identify the source of my new blog title without resorting to Google.

I now have a myspace page...not because I necessarily wanted one, but because my co-workers badgered me into it. I currently have two "friends"- is that good? No, I didn't think so either. I do have a cool song on it, though, so you know, I got that going for me.

I think I ate a bug

It's dark, the fans are blowing who-knows-what into my apartment, and I didn't bother to look before taking a big gulp from my class of soda.

At least it wasn't a big bug.

Hmmm...

Last night was a good night...it makes me a little more hopeful about the future.

Gilmore quits presidential race

WHO?!

It's probably a good idea to leave the race if nobody actually realizes that you are in it!

Before anybody gets any ideas...

...my blogs new name has NOTHING to do with the establishment on Martha's Vineyard (nor it's uber-preppy ephemera), the Hound of the Baskervilles, or the Led Zepplin song. Study up on Winston Churchill if you're curious about it.

I wish to point out

that save for this very post, I have not said anything about the heat.

Attention Reader(s)

This past weekend while visiting my family I unexpectedly received a large amount of genealogical information from my mom, so I'm going to be a bit busy for the next few days. I hope you will bear with me.

At least make them work for their money!

I live across the street from a (dividede) parking lot.

On the right side of the parking lot is "Liquor Town," on the left side of the parking lot, the local police station.

Next to my building is a driveway in which a cruiser usually sits to a) watch the intersection and, b) to keep an eye on Liquor Town (duh).

That being said, it's probably not a good idea, after making your purchase at Liquor Town and getting back into your battleship-sized 1980's Cadillac, to drive over the curb between the two parking lots (creating the screeching noise that brought me to my window and drew the attention of the officer sitting in her cruiser (assuming she wasn't already watching the whole scene) and exit from the police station side of the lot while also laying down some tracks in the flower garden.

In a mere matter of seconds, officer one had pulled her over, two officers returning to the station pulled their cruiser in front of her, and another officer who had just exited the station on foot also sauntered over.

I'll summarize the remainder...

...the driver failed all of her sobriety tests.

...she got a bit "difficult" as she was being cuffed up, causing her to be "frog-marched" into the station.

...the non-arresting officers are currently going though the Caddy (light blue, black vinyl roof) and, judging by the amount of stuff on the roof of the car, finding a bunch of interesting things.

Short of actually crashing her car through the doors of the station I'm not sure she could have made it any easier.

Nice work!

Quote of the Day

I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

--Stephen F. Roberts

Vacation

So, as Day Two of my vacation hits its midpoint, I find myself with time to shake out the contents of my brain.

• Given all of the times that I've made lists of things I hate and posted them here I am shocked that I never mentioned Cream Soda. How can something supposedly so closely related to Root Beer be so bloody awful? I think it's just one of those "old people" sodas like Ginger Ale that people haven't actually had since the Depression but somehow recall as being good. I am not fooled.
• I am newly single. I have mixed emotions about this. There may be more lengthy posts on this in the future, but it's only been five days and I haven't quite been able to put all of my thoughts on the subject in to a nice neat package.
  
• I actually went out and bought "throw pillows" ("accent pillows"?) for my relatively new (and stylish) IKEA couch. If they hadn't been so inexpensive I'm sure I'd feel much more emasculated than I do. A few more episodes of this nature and it will no longer be possible to mistake my apartment for a dorm room, which is good, right?
  
• I was looking forward to playing soccer tonight, but alas, there is none to be played.
• It's hot today, not as hot as was forecasted, but still, Africa hot.
  
• I'm reading three books at the moment- down from four a mere week ago. First, a book on the history of the English language (my third such book in the last year) by David Crystal called, not shockingly, The Histories of English, a summer "page turner" in the National Treasure mode by Brad Metzler called The Book of Fate, and FINALLY, after what appear to have been endless publishing delays, Chris Salewicz' The Ballad of Joe Strummer: The Definitive Biography. The long wait for this last one was made a bit more palatable when it arrived in hardcover!
• My most recent musical purchase is Rhino's Lightnin' Hopkins Anthology: Mojo Hand.
• It's late June and my beloved Red Sox have managed to maintain a double digit lead in the American League East. It is too soon to rejoice, but there is some snickering going on already at the expense of a certain other team in the AL East.
• Just a question: could there be a less interesting slate of movies out at the moment? I give you the following:
• Spiderman 3: What a disappointment, my Spidey-sense did not tingle...at all.
• 1408: Shouldn't Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack make me want to see it?
• Evan Almighty: Catering to the LCD of the fundamentalists didn't result in the expected ticket sales- good.
• Surfs Up: Another animated penguin movie?!?!
• Fantastic Four...: The first one was so bad I will not give this one any of my money.
• Knocked Up: Very good, but I already saw it.
• Nancy Drew: Um, no interest. Now if it was the Hardy Boys...
• Shrek the Third: Nope.
• Oceans 13: It was okay.
• Pirates: Nope.
• That's 6 sequels out of 10...somebody isn't trying very hard.

Okay, I lost my train of thought, so I guess that's about it for now.

Good news in a bad week.

Turns out Joe Strummer was half-Scottish.

It's June 20th

So Happy Birthday to me...

Memorial Day Weekend

So...over Memorial Day Weekend I took some time away from work and drove six hours down I-95 (does it have a nickname? "Boredom Alley" might work if it doesn't) to meet up with my best friend of 20 years* for a two day 25-30 mile hike. We drove another two hours to the Savage River State Forest in western Maryland and commenced to hiking.

Beauty of nature...lots of exercise...interesting "locals" (we were dangerously close to West Virginia after all)...the phrase "rugged intellectuals" was even uttered at one point.

Any-who...the larger point being that the hike was the longest time he and I have been able to spend together since we overlapped for one year in college (he finishing his BA, me making my first attempt at my MA) and it was great! I forgot what it was like to not need one's "inner monologue" at all!

We then returned to the Baltimore 'burbs where I got to know his two-year old daughter, enjoyed talking with his wife (whom I've known for two decades as well), and attended a Memorial Day "block party" sort of thing.

We've decided to make the hike an annual thing and I am gladdened by that.

Finally, I apologize, this post is terribly written. I had a great time bonding with my best pal and I blame the fact that the connection he and I have does not lend itself well to articulation.

*a topic for a later post maybe.

13.5 Games

Must...not...gloat...

Jerry Fallwell

Pardon me while I shed not a single, solitary tear upon his passing.

Consider the following before you shed any of your own:

• He often claimed to be a "Doctor" (of divinity one assumes), but he only possessed three honorary degrees- two from unaccredited institutions.
• He was a segregationist.
• He supported apartheid in South Africa.
• He said the following about homosexuals: "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals."
• He believed all American schools should be run by the church, not the government.
• He said the following about 9/11: I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and th feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

Where, I ask you, is the "morality" in any of that?

Scottish National Party 47, Labour Party 46

Those days are past now,
And in the past
they must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,



And soon, it appears...

What?!

I was flipping by the first Republican debate and saw three of the candidates raise their hands in response to the question- and I paraphrase- "Who doesn't believe in evolution?"

In 2007, that's chilling.

Just to prove I'm getting old(er) and bitter(er)

A partial list of bands/artists I can do without:

-A.F.I.
-Lilly Allen
-The All American Rejects
-Arcade Fire
-Arctic Monkeys
-Bright Eyes
-Dashboard Confessional
-Death Cab For Cuite
-Fall Out Boy
-The Fray
-Gnarls Barkley
-Interpol
-Kaiser Chiefs
-The Killers
-Lady Sovereign
-LCD Soundsystem
-John Mayer
-Modest Mouse
-My Chemical Romance
-O.K. Go
-Panic at the Disco
-The Shins
-Snow Patrol
-Amy Winehouse


That'll do for now.

Fox Soccer Channel

Let me begin by saying how thankful I am for the Fox Soccer Channel. I have to pay extra to get it on my cable plan, and I have to overlook the fact that it is owned by Rupert Murdoch, yet I still enjoy it immensely- so much so that its becoming a regular thing for me to get up earlier than usual on weekends to make sure that I can watch as much soccer as possible before going to work.

(wait for it...)

However, it has also reminded me of how bad announcing tandem, or in this case, a HORRIBLE announcing team, can ruin even the best match. I speak of "play-by-play" man Max Bretos and his partner, "the eclectic analyst with an ever-evolving accent"* Christopher Sullivan.

Mr. Bretos (also a commentator/interviewer for the WWE- I'll allow you to insert your own comment...) has one fundamental problem as an analyst- he doesn't know how to analyze! He generally spends ninety minutes overreacting to underwhelming on-field action, missing important action because he is too busy with other minutiae, interjecting barely-relevant trivia and non-sequitors, and being snarky and generally quite pleased with himself. Put more concisely, he's an ass.

Mr. Sullivan is equally bad, but much more intriguing.

I know enough about the beautiful game to know that Mr. Sullivan knows the beautiful game, which makes his work that much more frustrating. Mr. Sullivan played in a quality collegiate program, fashioned decent professional career for himself mainly in the pre-MLS period (no small achievement), and represented our country on almost twenty occasions. And yet... The best description I can give of his, ah, "problem," is that he sounds like a man trying to make himself understood on the more intricate points of the game in a language he has only recently learned to speak. His attempts to find appropriate vocabulary to make his points are something between Sisyphean and Tantalusian. The problem is exacerbated by his labored syntax and diction. His speech often reminds me of my high school days when my direct translations of German sentences into English looked something like, "He the ball kicked." Finally, his commentary is further garbled by his penchant for speaking what I can only describe as "Spangloguese."** Mr. Sullivan inists on putting much of his soccer specific knowledge into the various languages of which he may or may not have an understanding.*** To call something a "bicycle" or "overhead" kick is not enough, it must be a chileno. This would almost make sense if he used the foreign language terminology when he was commenting on a game from one of the relevant countries, but alas...

The combination of all of these things is that he sounds like somebody who has suffered a traumatic brain injury in the past, but whose friends and family now lovingly, proudly, and maybe a little patronizingly, say of him, "He's really doing quite well!" This is all the more troubling given that he is a native English speaker and a college graduate with a degree in business and finance!

I've got no end to this post except to say, there are plenty of great announcers out there who do work in the English language- Martin Tyler and John Motson come to mind.

I think this was my longest post ever.

*Credit for this apt description goes to Michael Connolly at ussoccerplayers.com

**His Spangloguese is sometimes supplemented by French and Italian- "Fretalian""

***Unlike English, I was able to find confirmation that he speaks Spanish and Italian.

Spring is here...

...and at the risk of sounding cheesy, it's a wonderful thing to sleep with the windows open, and better yet, being only a few footsteps from the Connecticut River, I can hear the low roar of the falls at the same time.

Very nice, indeed.

EPL-USA

Not many people will care about the following, but I do.

After watching a few Champions League matches today, and the the EPL Review show I was impressed by how well American soccer was represented in what might be the best league in the world. Some may argue that over any given period there may be a better league (Serie A, the Bundesliga, the Primera Division, etc.), but at the moment three of the four teams still remaining in the Champions League are English and that, I feel, is a good barometer of league quality.

Here’s the breakdown:

Manchester United: No American players.
Chelsea: No American players.
Liverpool: No American players.
Arsenal: No American players.

Bolton Wanderers: One American player.
-Johann Smith: On loan to Carlisle United.

Everton: One American player.
-Tim Howard: Starting goalkeeper.

Tottenham Hotspur: No American Players.
Portsmouth: No American players.

Reading: Two American players.
-Marcus Hahnemann: Starting goalkeeper
-Bobby Convey: Currently injured.

Newcastle United: One American player.
-Oguchi Onyewu: on loan from Standard Liège.

Blackburn Rovers: One American player.
-Brad Friedel: Starting goalkeeper for the last seven years.

Manchester City: One American player.
-DaMarcus Beasley: on loan from PSV Eindhoven.

Middlesbrough: No American players.
Aston Villa: No American players.

Fulham: Three American players.
-Brian McBride: Team’s leading scorer.
-Carlos Bocanegra: Team’s second leading scorer.
-Clint Dempsey: A starting player as of late.

Wigan Athletic: No American players.

Charlton Athletic: One American player.
-Cory Gibbs: Rehabilitating a knee injury.

Sheffield United: No American players.

West Ham United: One American player.
-Jonathan Spector: Starting defender.

Watford: One American player.
-Jay DeMerit: Starting defender.

The Funniest Thing I Read Today

This description of Canada appeared in an article on Gawker.com today: "...the large mass of semi-arable land blocking Montana's view of the Arctic..."

I actually have a lot of respect/love for "America-without-the-handguns," but that's just plain funny.

It's Opening Day!

On the 4oth anniversary of the "Impossible Dream" season I offer a little salute to my (and my Aunt's) favorite player ever.

How far does Red Sox Nation reach? My aunt has lived in Australia for almost 30 years and she still celebrates Yaz's birthday every August.

The first pitch is in half an hour...

... GO SOX!!

The Sneaker Fetish...continues

Puma Tri-Sock running shoes: they're even more limey in person!


Adidas Forest Hills Vintage: to quote one of my favorite movies, they are "money."

Merrell Full Pursuit Gore-Tex XCR: they'd be awesome even if I hadn't paid about 25% of their actual price!

Victory!

Young Craig Beattie scored in the 89th minute today to ensure that Scotland will remain tied for the top of its group regardless of what France does against Lithuania later today.

Scotland probably should have done better against a side like Georgia, but a win is a win is a win, and they move to 4-0-1 with for 12 points.

Up next a much sterner test later in the weak at Italy. An away draw would make for a successful trip, a away win against Italy would be magical!

I could smell it before I could see it

Today I was off running some errands.

While walking across a parking lot I smelled something wonderful. I stopped, lifted my head and looked around, and saw the source of the wonderful aroma- White Hut.

You can learn all about it at their website, but here are a couple of things that will give you a better idea of what the place is like.

First, it seems like everyone there is a regular- that's probably why they've been in business for almost 70 years.

Second, drinks only come in bottles and cans. Although, you can get ice water at the counter, and without anyone giving you a dirty look.

Third, the restroom doors say "Ladies" and "Gentlemen."

Finally, if a woman orders a hamburger, it is cut in half for her.

Jam Band Felons 2.0

First Trey from Phish gets popped for having lots of painkillers in his car that didn't belong to him and now, John Popper, formerly of (despite-my-playing-the-harmonica-our-band-has nothing-to-do-with-the) Blues Traveler gets stopped in a car going 111mph, has weed in the vehicle, and has numerous guns hidden in custom built hidden compartments. His PR people are now spinning his gun-fetish as a result of him being an avid target shooter or something, but the original article quoted the arresting officer as saying that Popper made some comments about (and I'm paraphrasing) wanting to be prepared when the "end" came or something like that. This seems rather credible given the way the the guns were hidden.

Also- and keep in mind I don't wish death on anyone- it does make me smile a bit to know that Boston will never reunite.

$60.00

I took $60.00 out of the ATM machine today.

I now have $8.75.

I know exactly what I spent the money on- doing my laundry, buying dinner and lunch, and paying for a new battery and water seal for my watch- but somehow I still feel like something untoward has happened.

On the bright side, yesterday I went grocery shopping and paid $45.03 for a month's worth of groceries- leaving me almost $5.00 for other incidental food items I may need in the next four weeks.

I guess I'll call it a tie.

Calling all Grammarians

Specifically, my aunt, I suppose. I heard a phrase the other day which, while it might be grammatically correct, struck me as nonsensical/a logical impossibility and would appreciate anyone who might like to either confirm my analysis or point out where I've gone wrong.

The phrase: "...a group of individuals..."

My problem with this is simple, if they are members of a group, how can they still be individuals?

Valentine's Day

If you noticed that there hasn't been a new post since the day before Valentine's Day you can go back to last year at this time for an explanation.

Gruel...

...so I'm savin' up for a new bed and a new couch (I'll have most of the money put aside by this Friday), so I'm trying to save a little more money by being efficient around the casa.

So, today I emptied out the fridge/cupboard and made multiple meals out of:

-two cartons of beef broth
-part of a day-old baguette
-spices
-about a third of a jar of spaghettis sauce
-almost a full bag of baby carrots
-an onion
-garlic
-Chipotle Tabasco sauce
-rice

And you know what? It ain't have bad!

Yeesh!

Have you ever met one of those people who sings along with every song, laughs at every joke (funny or not), and probably thinks after every television commercial, "Yes, I do need that product"?

Word of the Day

"tablescape"

Oh, wait, that's not a word!! I guess, if you have your own sort-of cooking show, you can make up your own word! I don't have a show of any kind, but maybe I'll take a stab at making up my own word anyway- I'll even use it in a sentence.

"Later tonight, when I am tired, I'm going to climb into my sleepscape."

W-W-What?!

"(Kelly) Clarkson will likely release the new album in early 2007. One of the guest musicians on the album will be punk rock legend Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose, Iggy Pop & The Stooges), who contributes his bass skills to six tracks on the disc."

Didn't George Costanza once say something about "worlds colliding..."?

I'm a few days late with this but...

...take that Mark McGwire

Thanks SNL!

Now I remember exactly why I don't like The Shins.

Good job, eh.

I draw your attention to the following news article out of Toronto:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_parents

I must say that sometimes the Puckheads show themselves to be a little more human and humane than we here in the States. I was particularly impressed by the judge's rational for his decision- maybe a child's happiness is more important than "tradition." No, not "maybe," definitely.

So, well done.

Good Movie, Bad Movie

Bubba Ho-Tep: I could not even begin to explain this movie to you. I'll simply say that when it was over I felt like Elvis (yes, that Elvis!) had regained some of the dignity he lost during the Las Vegas years. I was also thrilled to learn today that there is going to be a sequel.

The Producers: Ugh. The first one was H-Y-S-T-E-R-I-C-A-L-L-Y funny, the remake was painfully bad. I was reminded of all of the reasons that I dislike Nathan Lane, of why it puzzles me that anyone finds Uma Thurman attractive, and of the fact that Ferris Bue- er, Mathew Broderick, used to be funny.

For What It's Worth

Despite my comment about the cost of fixing my soon to-be-sold car* being a little negative, I would like to point something out to anyone who may still be reading my blog.

While there were (and are) those who questioned my sanity in leaving teaching (whether temporarily or permanently, I would like to point out to those people that my day-in-day-out sanity has greatly improved. In the recent past (less than two years ago), spending what amounts to an entire paycheck to fix a car I will be rid of within a few months would have devastated me and led to much self-loathing, hopelessness, and general depression. Instead, I just thought to myself, "Aww...f***." and moved on with my life.

Finally, if you're still out there, Diane, thanks for your support of my decision, you're the only one who never questioned me and I appreciate that greatly.

*which is only being sold because my grandmother's death has resulted in the opportunity to get a car which is four years newer and has 140,000 fewer miles on it. My car has be GREAT to me and overall, it's cost me almost nothing in upkeep. And, I'll admit, I'll miss it a lot.

Thank You Nick Tosches!

I'm currently reading Nick Tosches' In the Hand of Dantes - I think I like it, at least the more linear story line, but I'm a little luke-warm on the more Dante-related story line. But I digress...

Despite many attempts to explain to various people (colleagues, girlfriends, etc.) why I just can't stand poetry, I've never felt like I've quite hit the proverbial nail on the head. I've known what I meant, but I haven't been particularly articulate about it.

Thankfully, however, when one reads as much as I do, one occasionally come across the perfect words written in another's hand. Thus, I will let Mr. Tosches- via his criticism of Dante's Commedia- make my point for me.

"Dante had chosen a cage of rhyme and meter so confining that no majestic creation could survive within it, so often did it necessitate unnatural affectation to accommodate structure, so often were soul and beauty and power sacrificed to sustain the structure of the work, as might be done by one so cold as to value artfulness above art. As no beautiful wild bird born to soar free could survive in a cage, so it was with the beautiful wild bird of his poem."

Lie Back And Think Of England...

I spent over $700 today on a car that I'll be selling within the next two months...and I'll probably need to spend that much more on it in the next few months.

ugh.

This made me happy...

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1215062trey1.html

ARRRRRRGHHHHH!!

How many more times am I going to go to the grocery store and forget to buy peanut butter?

I even bring a list with me most times!

:(

Quote of the Day

It's been a long time since I've had a "Quote of the Day" here on my blog, but rereading one of my old favorites brought me to a quote that I absolutely love. So, from Raymond Chandler's "The Simple Art of Murder," I give you...

"The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are incomparably the best dull writers."

An interesting fact about...me!

Only one person has ever noticed- without having it pointed out to them first- that I have a permanent limp.

I don't know if that's good, bad, or completely meaningless.

Today's Mail

I've never seen so much packed into my mailbox...and I threw everything but the Campmor catalog away. What a disappointment.

Thanksgiving 2006

Mostly boring and kind of sad.

A Hungarian You Should Know

Ferenc Puskas died today...look him up.

Pickin' Out Some Drapes!

Wow, this is almost too good!

-A majority of the governorships.
-A majority in the House.
-A majority in the Senate (as soon as the GOP concedes VA).

AND

-Rumsfeld is gone.

Pardon me if I spend the majority of my time today smirking.

The Midterm Elections

Having now cast my vote I reserve the right to complain long and loud about anything I wish.

If you did not vote today I invite you to shut the hell up.

Update: Concerts

Shhh...this list isn’t COMPLETELY recycled!! I’ve been to a few more shows, and remembered a few more bands I’ve seen so I thought I’d add them! I also expanded some of the entries. I’ve also added the venues that I can remember.

Here they are, at least the ones I can remember without too much effort:

The Alarm: By far the best live band I've ever seen (five times?), you either saw them or you didn't, there's no point in trying to explain it. Check out the "Electric Folklore: Live" CD- I was there for all of the Boston shows on it! (Orpheum Theater and Wang Center in Boston)

The Proclaimers: Seen them three times- once in a space so small that it was almost awkward! The other two times were on consecutive nights in Boston and NYC. Love 'em. (The Paradise in Boston, B.B. King’s in NYC, and some little “downstairs” place in Greenwich Village)

Live: I saw them twice, once before they even had an album out- nevermind before Ed got all spiritual and again after they’d gotten “big.” Considering how young they were, they were REALLY good. (Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY)

The Ramones: I saw them twice. One of the times I got to work security and spent the night kneeling on the edge of the stage and getting smacked in the back by Johnny's guitar- it was great! Before the show they were eating bananas and Domino’s Pizza while arguing about old New York Giant football players. (Memorial Union Building, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, and somewhere I don’t remember!)

Husker Du: On the Warehouse tour. The end was nigh. They played the whole album in sequence, then came back for a one song encore (Helter Skelter). It was great! Loudest show I've ever been to! (Orpheum Theater, Boston)

Bob Mould: Seen him twice. First one was great. Second one was, ah, well, Bob, I appreciate you trying something new...and um, I'm PERFECTLY okay with your sexuality, so enough with the the backdrop showing pictures of leather boys! (Saratoga Winners, Cohoes, NY & Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA)

Midnight Oil: Great show, but Peter Garrett is the worst/strangest "dancer" I've ever seen! (Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA)

Stevie Ray Vaughan: I saw him twice. If I've ever witnessed "genius", it was watching him play guitar. (Centrum, Worcester, MA & Northeastern University, Boston, MA)

George Thorogood: Seen him five or more times. Like TMBG he tours all the time and the shows are cheap. He isn't Mozart, but he puts on a good show. (Providence, RI & multiple times at Club Casino, Hampton Beach, NH)

They Might Be Giants: I've seen them so many times I stopped counting. Not that they are my favorite band, but they are good, they are always on tour in the Northeast and always at places with reasonable prices. (SUNY-Albany, Albany, NY, Saratoga Winners, Cohoes, NY, and more)

Violent Femmes: Co-headlined one of the TMBG shows I went to- I got paid to see it! I would have gone anyway, but who's going to say “no” to that!? (SUNY-Albany, Albany, NY)

The Donnas: Small club, as good/better live as on their albums, and, you know, Brett's hot. (The Paradise, Boston, MA)

Black '47: Well, the Pogues had broken up, Shane wasn't touring, Flogging Molly hadn't made it to the East coast yet, and it was March 17th. They're good, Larry just tries too hard sometimes. A good show, but it was in an “Irish” bar and was almost ruined by those who were “being Irish” for the day and a lot of big-haired secretary types. (Stamford, CT)

Morrissey: He was, well, Morrissey. He ended his encore halfway through when the people mobbing the stage got too be a little too much for him- he's very sensitive. (Red Bank, NJ)

The Sheila Divine: They opened the Morrissey show. One of the best opening acts I've ever seen- actually bought their CD on my way out of the show. (Red Bank, NJ)

Chuck Berry: Elvis who? (Chesire Fairgrounds, Swanzey, NH)

Roy Orbison: The voice. What a voice. (Chesire Fairgrounds, Swanzey, NH)

James Brown: Sadly this was during his PCP phase, so it was mostly mumble lyrics in between dance moves. (Chesire Fairgrounds, Swanzey, NH)

Carl Perkins: Sadly underappreciated, part of Rock and Roll's foundation. But what a bad toupee! (Chesire Fairgrounds, Swanzey, NH)

Brian Setzer: Saw him during the big band phase, which was fine, but I prefer the more true rockabilly vibe. (Albany, NY)

The Toasters: Good show. Had to laugh when I realized that the guy who was taking and selling tickets at the door turned out to be the lead singer! (Pearl Street, Northampton, MA)

Public Image Limited: Fine, I went because I wanted to see Johnny, not so much because P.I.L. were great (they were “interesting” to "pretty good") but so did everyone else! (Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA)

Billy Bragg: Twice, both good. Got lucky at one because he was touring with Bare Naked Ladies and he went on first- so I didn't have to sit through them! (The Egg, Albany, NY)

The Reverend Horton Heat: Seen him twice, puts on a great show and usually has a good opening act. (Pearl Street, Northampton, MA)

The Amazing Royal Crowns: Opened for the Reverend Horton Heat, along with the Sheila Divine, one of a few good opening acts I’ve seen. (Pearl Street, Northampton, MA)

Social Distortion: It only took me twenty years to get around to seeing them- it was worth the wait! (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Flogging Molly: As good as I expected them to be. This concert has now provided me with the worst opening bad I've ever seen, ZOX. (Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI)