Reason to Believe

Nebraska was released 35 years ago today. Always been struck at how an album so filled with darkness and despair could end with a call for hope.

It Was 10 Years Ago Today

That I wrote THE. SINGLE. GREATEST. BLOG. POST. OF. ALL. TIME!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birfday

To long-time Xmastime star, Paddy Mac  :)  Here he is, looking absolutely thrilled.

A stroll through memory lane, if you will:

Paddy Mac, Football Star!

Hello Paddy Mac!

Paddy Mac vs. Theodore Album Review

Paddy Mac hits the mats!

Fall 2006

From a few summers ago.

Holy Crap

Watching tonight's episode of the Ken Burns' PBS Vietnam doc and William Ehrhart pops up. He wrote what to me is the most honest book about being in the war, Vietnam-Perkasie, which was the inspiration for my buddy Serge Bielanko's all-time Marah classic Roundeye Blues.

Hmm.

Right now the odds of him making the parade all about himself are at 100%, although experts say at some point between now and then that number could dip as low as 99.999999%.

Dying.

Thoughts. I Have Them.

I wish there was a way to generate income based on how many times you watch the Bird/Magic HBO doc.

"AND I apparently still have time to stand around outside being a dick!"

Note to Self

Dear Me:

Quit leaving your belt laying out on the floor. Every time you walk by you think it’s a snake and it scares the crap out of you. Every. Time.

Thanks!
Me

Finally.

Well...

...if they're monuments of Bin Laden or Mohammed Atta then the answer is"yes."

Will be fascinating to watch how Trump gets out of paying the kid. Nice!

"WANNA LOOK AT A MAP OF THE 2016 ELECTORAL COLLEGE?"

That feeling when you realize there's no Campari-Fennel aperitif on the menu.

Announcement du Jour

‪I may run for president based on a platform which demands restaurants allow adults to order off the kid's menu. ‬

Well....This Isn't For Me To Say, but...

...I can;t say the kid is wrong  ;)

Wonder Twin Powers!

Form of... some guys wearing the same shirt.

RIP Grant Hart

Totally devastated about the death of Grant Hart. Had no idea he was sick. I can still remember the moment I was listening to Husker Du's live album, The Living End, and realized that Husker Du wasn't just "Bob Mould's band" and I liked Grant's songs better. He was the McCartney to Mould's Lennon; incapable of not being astoundingly melodic. Meeting him was a super highlight of my life.

Like a lot of people today, I am crushed.

Past Xmastime stuff on him HERE.

Top Ten Grant Hart Superslices (right now):

Terms of Psychic Warfare
Old Empire
Turn on the News
Pink Turns to Blue
Books about UFOs
Keep Hanging On
Sorry Somehow
Green Eyes
Flexible Flyer
Last Days of Pompeii

From when I met him:

THINGS I LOVED
------------------------------ 3 super-super-hilights of the night: Last Days of Pompeii, 2541, and A Letter from Anne Marie
- Me getting a laugh from him (the only one of the night) outside
- Playing my all-time #1 Husker slice Terms of Psychic Warfare
- His anger flashing outside when some dipshit girl says "the politics of modern country music don't matter."
- The fact that you can walk into a bar somewhere anywhere and watch a dude with one of the best songbooks ever and one of the best voices ever play amazing song after amazing song.
- Drew bravely being the one to speak for all of us the next day when he said "I almost teared up a coupla times." Of course I acted like such a thing was foreign idea to such a tough guy as myself.
- Started playing approx. 60 seconds after the opening act had left the stage. No wait-for-an-hour-for-the-star nonsense.
- A general consensus at Jack's house afterwards of while Bob Mould wrote plenty of great songs, Grant Hart is true love and should be fought for at every opportunity.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
-----------------------------
- Him seeming to be more focused on the one person in the back yapping loudly, oblivious to who he was or what he was doing, than the 50 people staring at him waiting to throw themselves in front of a bus for him.
- Not playing my super-slice Old Empire!!
- Fucking chick outside who fucking wouldn't stop yapping to me while I was trying to talk to him. Seriously, the first girl in 20 years who wants to talk to me, and it's while I'm trying to make googley-eyes at one of my all-time heroes. Took about 3 minutes of "uh-huh...really..." while sloooooooooooowly moving my head away from her to shed her. Fucking christ.

Questions. I Have Them.

Someone needs to ask Elias Sports if any baseball team has every started a game with its first 4 batters hitting for a collective cycle.

Thoughts. I Have Them.

Would love to see an ESPN 30 for 30 on how the Lakers tanked the 1986 semifinals.

Previously, on Xmastime:

One of the greater tragedies in the history of the NBA is that the Lakers inexplicably didn't make it to the 1986 Finals, where they would've faced the best team I had ever seen, the Celtics. That would've meant that after 1987 they would've met four straight times, and probably splitting at 2-2 and spinning the argument into even more of a fever re: who was better, Bird or Magic etc. Playing the Rockets was an anti-climactic, blah affair for that Celtics team.

The Inbetweeners du Jour

I know I have the mind of a 6 year-old but this kills me every time.

Was her name Mrs. Baylock?

Oh For Fuck's Sake

ESPN's first mistake was assuming most Trump supporters are offended by the idea of white supremacy.

Worlds Colliding

Norm Peterson appearing in the Only Fools and Horses spinoff The Green Green Grass = mind blown. His character being named Cliff = bonus.

26 Years Ago Today!

Thoughts. I Have Them.

No matter how serious a situation is, the answer to "What's your impression?" should always be "Sorry, I don't do impressions."

Truth du Jour

There is a list of things that make me deliriously happy, and that list is:

1. When a meeting gets pushed back
2. When I save money with my Giant card

Grrrrr.

I really, really hate that I can't access this channel. #anarchyintheUSA

Facebook Memories

Ahem.

To the dude in the bathroom stall: quit whistling. Nobody's that fucking happy.

I Finally Have a Reason to Have Children

"Best EP in Rock History" Contest! Vote NOW!

Well I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle

I had no idea about this:

Most ceiling fans have two settings: counter-clockwise for summer, to push cool air downward, and clockwise for winter, to draw the cool air up. Just flip the switch on the fan body to get things moving in the right direction.

Mind officially blown.

Hmm.

Actually killing black people? No problem. Joking about it? Now that's a problem.

What the...

I just realized I can't remember if my cheeseburger from 2 hours ago actually had cheese on it.

Thoughts. I Have Them.

There should be a component of Touch ID on iPhones that tells you the reason you can't log in is the Cheetos dust on your fingers.

My Godsons, The Godbrothers