Roller Derby!

A coworker of mine and I were briefly conversing about our weekend, and he mentioned he went to a roller-skating rink with his daughter (I think). Anyway, this spurred on a discussion ... actually, probably more like a walk down memory lane. Do you remember when roller rinks were all the rage? I do.

There was this rink near my house called "Skate Oddyssey," and I went there many times as a youngster ... usually for either birthday parties or school functions. No, I wasn't a very good roller skater, but it didn't matter. I remember vividly (for some reason) skating around the rink in a pair of rented roller skates (I think they were blue with red stripes), my blue corderouys (from the Gap), and a blue and red striped shirt (no, I wasn't retarded), skating to "We've Got the Beat" by the Go-Go's (ok, maybe I was a little retarded).

The funny thing about this roller rink was that it had a "beginners" area set aside from the actual rink ... this beginner's area actually had columns sprinkled throughout the middle of it ... kind of an odd place for columns ... I saw many a kid uncontrollably crash into these columns ... and I probably did so as well on a few occasions.

Also, this roller rink had a fantastic arcade that featured Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Defender ... I was not good at any of these games sadly, so I stuck with Space Invaders. The cool older kids hogged up Defender and must've had 8-10 quarters on the top of the machine (these signifed "next game").

I also remember the "slow skates." The DJ (located in the center of the rink) would play slow songs, like "Faithfully," and "All Out of Love" and the couples would go out and skate around the rink holding hands ... I was always nervous/anxious about this for some reason ... would a girl ask me to slow skate (probably a long shot, considering that I didn't skate well, and the clothes I was wearing)? Should I ask a girl to skate? Should I stand on the side and tell fart jokes? The possibilities were endless ... ah, to be young again!

Weekly Assignment

Mama Kat's weekly assignment is here! This week, I chose the following prompt: What was the first CD (or record or cassette) you ever purchased? Write about the way that particular album made you feel then. Write about how it makes you feel now?

I grew up in a time when albums were still the most popular music "medium" around. Cassettes were out, and they were just supplanting the 8-track as the second-most popular music "medium." My parents had bought me quite a few albums, but the first one I really remember is a Sesame Street album. Sadly, I don't remember the title anymore, but I do remember the album art consisted of all of the Sesame Street humans (you know, Luis, Mr. Hooper, Linda, Maria, Gordon, Bob) in the playground area of the street. I listened to this album (along with other Sesame Street albums) a lot ... until I got my first cassette player ... I think I was around 5.

I remember going to the Mac Dade Mall with my mom all the time, and asking her to go to Radio Shack. I REALLY wanted a cassette player, but my mom was convinced that I was too young to have one. I took her to the store to show her that I indeed knew how to use this player ... I knew the play button, stop button, eject button ... heck, even rewind and fast forward. I guess after a bunch of times, my mom finally believed me and agreed to purchase said cassette player. She even got me "The Muppet Show" on cassette. I swore that this was the funniest cassette ever. I couldn't get enough of it, and practically knew every bit on the tape by heart (along with the Chipmunks Christmas tape ... which I played even when it wasn't Christmas).

I guess these early experiences played a large part to my love of music ... sometimes, I think about those cassettes and records, and wish I could have them again ... just to listen to one more time.

Baltimore Blast

The title of this post is actually the former team name of an MISL (indoor soccer) team in Baltimore ... but the title seems fitting. Slant and I visited our college roommate Mung in Baltimore this past Saturday. Slant usually gets very excited by these trips, because he enjoys the constant banter between Mung and me ... we usually have some sort of arguments regarding music or women, and these arguments become louder and less coherent as the night goes on.

Even though this weekend was no exception, deep down, Mung and I really enjoy each other's presence (in small doses). Mung drove us down to the Harbor, and we ended up touring many old haunts (eating something in just about every one of these places), admiring the changes done to the city's infrastructure, and reminiscing about funny stories from our past.

We basically closed down the bars ... something I don't do very often anymore, and on the cab ride home, Mung threw beer on me (for old-time sake, I guess). Thanks for the great time, guys.

Fast Food Corner

We're getting close to St. Patrick's Day, which means we'll be overloaded with McDonalds commercials promoting the Shamrock Shake ... I'll be honest, I've probably never had a Shamrock Shake before ... which means I'm probably breaking some sort of moral ethics code or something.

Since I've never had the Shamrock Shake, let me go into other McDonalds shakes ... I personally love the Vanilla shake ... but one thing I can't stand is how unbelievably thick the shake is ... almost impossible to suck out with a straw without damaging one's brain. Still, this helps to lengthen the experience, which I'm very much in favor of. You see, if this was easier to eat/drink with a straw, I'd be done it in 30 seconds, and probably have a massive brain-freeze experience.

Wendy's now has some sort of signature shakes ... I'm thinking about giving those a try. Has anybody had these?

Song of the Week

I've never really gotten into Bloc Party all that much ... I bought the first cd, and it was ok, but it never got me excited enough to buy anything else from them. However, one song that I absolutely can't get out of my head (or MP3 player) is Banquet - arguably their most popular song.

It starts off with a swooshing sound, kind of like a helicopter ... followed by toe-tapping drumming prior to actually jumping into the song. To me, the song sounds like a blending of The Police, Joe Jackson (think Steppin' Out), and Men at Work. The band is often compared to the Cure and the Strokes.

Here's some more information on the band from Wikipedia, in case you are interested:

Bloc Party are a British indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Russell Lissack (lead guitar), Gordon Moakes (bass guitar, synths, backing vocals) and Matt Tong (drums, backing vocals). Their brand of indie rock has been compared to bands such as The Cure, Gang of Four and The Strokes.[1]

The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's lead singer Alex Kapranos a copy of their demo, "She's Hearing Voices", which was later released as a single.

In February 2005, the band released their debut album Silent Alarm. It was critically acclaimed and made NME's Album of the Year list.[2] The album was certified platinum in the UK a year later. The band built on this success with the release of their second studio album, A Weekend in the City, in 2007. The album reached a peak of number two in the UK and number twelve in the Billboard 200. In August 2008, the band released their third album, Intimacy.

Game Night

My brother and his wife invited us over for game night this past Saturday. Usually, we skip game night, because we either have other plans or we make other plans - game night sometimes doesn't sound that fun. Saturday night will make us reconsider that thought. We had an absolute blast sitting around the table, playing a variety of board and card games, and just conversing, joking, and making fun of each other.

The first game we played was Turbo Uno ... for the most part, this game is the same as Uno, but there is some sort of "mechanical" card dealer that you must hit when you need to take a card ... the twist is that this dealer can give you anywhere from 0 cards to 8 cards (I think). It adds a fun, and sometimes frustrating twist to an already fun game. One game took us about an hour to play ... so, we only played one game.

The second game we played was Apples to Apples ... I've heard a ton about this game, but never actually played it. I now know why so many people love this game. Basically, each person gets 7 red cards - these cards are nouns. A green card is drawn, and it's an adjective. Each person has to use one of his/her cards that "works the best" with the green card. One person chooses the best match. The first person with 5 green cards wins. We played a few rounds of this, and laughed the entire time.

We finished the night playing some good old fashioned drinking games - games like Circle of Death, and Up the River, Down the River. In my opinion, this is a perfect way to end a game night.

Next time, we'll probably try some games like Quip It, or maybe Cranium, or Balderdash ... I just love those games.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time for Mama Kat's weekly assignment - please stop by her site sometime.
I decided to do the following assignment: Write a list of ten things on your mind this week.

10. What if the Iggles played the Stillers in the Super Bowl?
9. I really hate tax season.
8. I can't wait for the Baltimore trip this weekend.
7. When will the economy finally make that turn-around?
6. I'm still wondering what the Angry Whopper tastes like.
5. Seriously, these "little" snow storms are just plain annoying ... when will I be able to wash my car again?
4. I wonder if anybody commented on my Facebook message.
3. After we're done with the basement, the wife wants to redo the upstairs bathroom ... is this all just a vicious circle?
2. I wonder why The Wrestler isn't playing anywhere near me.
1. Let's Go Flyers .... please?

Song of the week ...

I know the Killers are probably way too mainstream at this point and time ... that doesn't mean that I can't like their music, right? Sam's Town was their second album, and overall it was pretty good - probably not as complete as Hot Fuss was, but still. (And I haven't heard much from the newest album yet).

However, there is a hidden gem on Sam's Town that many people seem to overlook (or worse, ignore). My favorite song is not the main release, "When You Were Young." Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but I tend to find deeper cuts to like on albums (that's just me, I guess).

The song "Bones" is the one I tend to gravitate to most. Maybe it's the way the horns are mixed into the main chorus ... or maybe it's the words themselves (obviously, talking about hot passionate "kanoodling"), or maybe it's the infectious hooks ... probably it's a combination of all of these. If you've skipped over this song, maybe you should give it another try. I think you'll see what I mean.

Fast Food Corner

Do any of you remember Burger King's "Yumbo" sandwich from the 1980's? It was basically a hot ham and cheese on a sesame seed burger bun. I hear the cheese was really kind of like the hot cheese you put on nachos. Now, since I can't stand the taste of ham, I never touched this sandwich - so I can't really review it. I wanted to see if (a) any of you ever tried it, and (b) why Burger King chose the name "Yumbo." Isn't there a better name they could've used?

Stoppage Time ...

Here are some more random thoughts ...

* I'm trying to get into eating turkey bacon ... it's just not the same, though.
* I'm finding it hard to get excited about the Super Bowl.
* Great ... the NASCAR season starts again ... ugh.
* Will it be a trend for presidential candidates to create an entire marketing plan complete with fancy logos?
* Merril Hoge really gets on my nerves ... in a similar way that Michael Irvin used to.
* I used to like watching tennis, back when McEnroe, Connors, and Borg played ... I don't think I can name more than 2 players now.
* Both Lost and 24 have been excellent so far.
* Wait, Barry Bonds was lying? Really?
* Sports Soup is pretty funny ... not anywhere near as funny as The Soup, but still pretty good.
* The NHL all-star game was awful ... the skills competition was cool, though.

Amazing what Facebook can do...

I signed up for Facebook sometime last March (I think) ... I think I had gotten an e-mail from somebody asking me to do so. After I signed up, I really didn't go back to it for abou 4-5 months, until I read that Facebook is being used in adult learning (I'm an instructional designer, after all). So, I decided to check it out again - see what the big deal was.

Amazingly enough, I reconnected with many friends I lost touch with for one reason or another ... high school friends, college friends, and a lot of other friends. Not only that, but I realized that I was connecting and getting updates on family members I hardly ever saw.

Then, one of my high school friends decided to put together a "high school class" group area ... not only did I find more friends, but plans were laid out for a high school happy hour ... which happened to have occurred last night. It seemed to me that more people showed up to this than some of our reunions. We had a great time telling old stories, reconnecting, and of course enjoying the beverages ... and this was possible all because of Facebook. Amazing ... truly amazing.

Chances are we'll be doing these happy hours on a more regular basis, which I think is a good thing.

Weekly Homework Assignment

Seriously, if you haven't visited Mama Kat and partaken in her weekly homework assignment, you're missing out ... seriously.

This week, I chose to write about a stray animal I took in ... I'm probably taking some liberties with this, because the "stray" animal wasn't really a stray. You see, my buddy Bill and I were on our way to school one morning ... I'd say we were about 8 years old or so. Anyway, on our trek to elementary school, we stumbled upon (almost literally) a baby bunny, who had been abaondoned by its mother (at least we think it was abandoned).

We decided we would pick up the little bunny and take it to school with us ... the little thing looked so helpless. As we got to class, our teacher decided to help us take care of it, finding a shoe box, and a lamp to give it heat ... Fuzzball must've been scared to death (yeah, we named it Fuzzball ... got a problem with that?). The bunny survived the day, and we took it home to Bill's house.

Surprisingly, Bill's mom agreed to help us take care of it ... this bunny must've been a few weeks old tops ... certainly wasn't weened from its mommy yet. Bill's mom purchased some formula to mix with milk to nourish little Fuzzball. Bill and I had already put a plan in place that we'd both "house" little Fuzzball once it grew up.

Sadly, Fuzzball didn't survive the night, despite Bill and his mom's fervent attempts to care for the little ball of fluff. We ended up burying it in Bill's yard, complete with a full ceremony ... I'd like to think that Fuzzball at least didn't have to die alone or in fear ... poor guy.

Fast Food Corner

Big Mac or Whopper? Whopper or Big Mac? I guess it really depends, doesn't it? I mean, are we talking JUST the sandwiches, or are we adding the fries with the sandwiches? My answer changes based on this ... but, for argument's sake, I'll comment just on the sandwiches (and remember, this is just my opinion).

The Big Mac, while certainly being a "big" sandwich, is just plain messy. Often (almost always) the bun crumbles in half long before one finishes the sandwich, and often, most of the toppings seem to end up on the plate. Sure, the taste of the burger is more than adequate, but I tend to like my burger to stay in one piece (call me crazy).

The Whopper is a big burger, and instead of consisting of multiple patties stacked on top of each other (with another piece of bread and toppings separating them - like the Big Mac), it consists of just one rather large patty. Not only do the toppings seem to be fresher, the flame-broiled aspect makes it taste almost like a burger you'd find at a summer barbecue. Plus, the burger holds together when eating ... which makes it more dynamic (you can eat it on the run, or while your driving, for example).

The Burger King Whopper wins this battle hands-down ... however, if you throw in the fries, I'd probably be more willing to go through the messiness of the Big Mac.

Song of the Week

The Capes are (according to their myspace page) a poppy post-punk quintet with a side order of analogue electronica ... to me, they have a power-poppy feel, mixed with some Cars influences ... sadly after one album, the band broke up (far too early to early in my opinion). Their only album, Hello, is chocked full of hooks and melodies that seem to anchor themselves in your head for hours and hours (not all that dissimilar to Leisure McCorkle).

Though there are many songs I like on the album, Supergirls seems to be the one I tend to replay the most, probably probably because it has the most pervasive hooks, as well as more than a few musical twists. In addition to the Cars influence, if you listen closely, you can probably detect the fingerprints of the Beach Boys, Devo, and even the Beatles.

You can find more information about the Capes here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capes

Making Progress

Well, I think I'm making progress on some things in my life ... first, I am no longer repulsed by ham ... no, I still don't like it, but I can be in a room with it, don't mind the smell of it cooking, and can even stomach a sliver of it (as long as I have a good chaser).

More importantly, I think I might be getting over my absolute fear of anything puke. For those of you not in the know, I hate puking ... no, I don't think there are many people who enjoy it, but I absolutley can't stand it and have a whole routine in place to help me avoid puking ... however, that's not where I'm improving.

I also loathe seeing, hearing, and smelling puke. I rapidly leave the room when somebody feels like they might have to puke. I put pillows over my ears when I hear someone puking when I'm trying to sleep. It's a real problem with me ... and could certainly be an issue once we have kids (god willing).

So, why am I bringing this up? A group of us went to a bar in New Jersey (Prospectors) this past weekend ... While we were there, a friend's wife began feeling ill (no, it wasn't because of the drinks, she only had a glass of water) ... as luck would have it, I had driven the couple to the bar ... and more depressingly, I would be driving them back home ... much sooner than I had thought.

We left the bar, and began driving home ... we made sure we had some bags in case said sickly girl felt the urge to "unswallow." As luck would have it, she indeed got the urge to "do the technicolor yawn" and began puking in the bag in my car ... in the past, I may have contemplated actually jumping out of the car ... but somehow, I calmly pulled the car to the side of the highway, and she was able to get out of the car and continue barfing ... what's amazing is that I wasn't even repulsed, and didn't get nervous. This has to be a first in my life. Maybe I'm finally growing up or something ... NAH!

More Random Stuff ...

Since Alaina liked my ramblings last week, I figured I'd do another one.

* I can't understand people wearing jeans below their butts ... first it looks weird (I can get over it - I wore acid washed jeans), but there's no way this is comfortable, is it?

* Speaking of which, I figured it would never get crazier than when Kriss Kross wore their jeans backwards ... I was proven wrong.

* The movie Top Secret may be better than Airplane.

* Michael Irvin is hosting a reality show where the winner gets a preseason roster spot with the Cowboys ... and for some reason, I'm interested in watching this.

* I still like the idea of bacon-scented candles.

* I think my wife would eat cheese-flavored ice cream.

* Happy to hear the Farrelly brothers are moving forward with the Three Stooges movie.

* Those Geico commercials with the stack of money with eyeballs ... I hate those commercials! Stop, already! I'm sorry about what I said about the cavemen!

* Saw Gran Tourino this past week - amazing! Can't wait to see The Wrestler.

* Born to Run HAS to be one of the songs Bruce is playing at the Super Bowl, right?

* With the down economy, will the Super Bowl commercials be less entertaining?

* Beer.

Weekly Homework Assignment.

This week's homework assignment I chose from Mama Kat was to talk about a memorable blind date. Since most of my friends either were embarrased with me, or couldn't get a date themselves, I didn't get to experience many blind dates, sadly.

The one blind date I did get to experience resulted in my marriage ... that's right, my relationship with Schue began as a blind date. Truth be told, we lived in neighboring towns for most of our lives, but never officially met ... actually, we found out that we had a mutual friend and were actually at the same New Years Eve party years before we "met." That's probably a story for another blog.

A college friend of mine (and one of my best friends) moved near me, and began dating someone ... as luck would have it, she had a roommate who was single. After a few months of dating, my college roommate decided it was time to set me up on a date with his girlfriend's roommate.

We met at a bar in Philly (Bar Noir) ... Normally, I'm not at a loss for words, but because Schue was absolutely beautiful, I had trouble formulating anything smart, funny, or witty ... instead, I began talking about how I wished John McCain would've beaten out Bush for the Republican nomination ... yep, she must've been overwhelmed by this (and I believe you all probably are too, since I mentioned this in a recent blog).

Anyway, the rest of the night went reasonably well - we ended up going to The North Star, another bar in Philly that actually hosts decent live bands. Schue was hestitant about seeing me again (probably thinking back to the McCain conversation), and it took a couple of weeks to see her again, but I think the drugs finally kicked in.

History ...

Ladies and gentlemen, our country made history today ... We have officially elected someone other than a white (and old) male to president of the United States. Our new president has a lot of work cut out for him - a sick economy, an unpopular war, and a country divided (in many, many ways).

Probably the biggest obstacle for our new president is a divided government ... it's hard to get any positive work done when your coworkers can't work as a team. My hope is that he is able to unite us ... only then, good things can happen.

Yes sir, history has been made ... now Mr. President, please prove us all right in why we elected you. I have faith!

Song of the Week

Many of you know I'm a HUGE Stones fan ... I figure it's time to actually make one of their songs my "song of the week." Most people tend to gravitate to the "classic" Stones songs from their earlier years - songs like "Satisfaction," "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Let it Bleed." I enjoy those songs, but I tend to favor their "newer" songs ... post 1972 albums ... I'm probably in the minority, but I don't care.

My favorite Stones album of all time is 1978's Some Girls ... it's an album you can play, and never have to worry about skipping a song (what makes an elite album, in my opinion). Some Girls boasts mega-hits like "Miss You," "Beast of Burden," and "Shattered." However, it's a lesser-known track that I can't get enough of ... and strangely enough, Mick isn't even singing lead on this particular song.

"Before They Make Me Run," is a straight-up rocker, with Keith Richards on lead vocals as well as one of the few times he's credited for playing bass-guitar. The lyrics obviously pay homage to the "situation" Keith went through in Toronto, in which he was almost thrown in jail for extended time.

Here's some more info on the song, courtesy of Wikipedia.org:
Written by guitarist Keith Richards, the song is a response to his arrest for heroin possession in Toronto in February 1977. The criminal charges and prospect of a prison sentence loomed over the Some Girls recording sessions and in fact endangered the future of the Rolling Stones.[1]

In the lyrics Richards reflects unapologetically on his lifestyle up to that point. The line "it's another goodbye to another good friend" in the first verse can be interpreted as referring to Gram Parsons, Richards' close friend who died in 1973 from a drug overdose,[1] and/or to heroin itself: Richards had sought medical treatment for heroin addiction following his arrest in Toronto, and his resolution to overcome his addiction would be a significant factor in his upcoming trial.[2]

Originally entitled "Rotten Roll", the song was recorded in a Paris studio in March 1978 during one of Mick Jagger's absences from the Some Girls sessions.[3] The completed track - "a high-energy rock & roller"[3] - features Richards on lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars and bass; Ronnie Wood on pedal steel, slide guitar and backup vocals; Charlie Watts on drums and Jagger on backup vocals.[4]

Fast Food Corner

When I was a freshman at Mont Alto, one of my favorite places to go to was the Chambersburg Mall ... sure, there really wasn't much else to do in Mont Alto, with the exception of drinking and watching 25 Alive (the only station you could get without cable). So, anytime a roomate or friend was headed to the mall, I was sure to tag along.

Really, the only places I liked to go in the mall were Camelot Records and Arbys. Camelot had a surprisingly good selection of $1.99 cds ... and Arby's ... well, Arby's was Arby's. I tended to order the same thing everytime at Arby's ... two roast beef sandwiches, curly fries, and a soda. No, Arby's doesn't have the greatest roast beef sandwiches, but they aren't bad ... combine that with some Horsey Sauce and curly fries, and it's not too shabby.

Arby's has done pretty well being the "fringe" fast food chain ... they now offer jalepeno poppers and mozarella sticks (neither of which are great, but passable), as well as deli sandwiches (which I've never tried) ... but, they are known for their roast beef ... whether it's the cheddar melt, the regular roast beef, or the Giant roast beef.

We have a very old Arby's in our area ... In fact, it still has the "classic" Arby's look, complete with the huge sign, lack of a drive through, and painfully slow service. Still, I enjoy going there for some reason.

A few random thoughts...

I got some thoughts running through my head (probably not entirely coherent, but what the heck).

* I think I would've loved to have Ed Rooney as a principal at my high school.
* I can't wait for Oakley electric blue windbreakers to come back in style.
* I think the current Miller Lite and Bud Lite commercials are pathetic ... what happened?
* The new Geico commercials with the stack of bills and the eyes are absolutely awful.
* I heard Creed is getting back together to make another album ... I wish they would just go away.
* I'm bleeding green right now.
* I hope the Cowboys don't get rid of T.O. ... if he's on the team next year, it guarantees another year of turmoil, and fruitlessness.
* I wonder what kind of deals we'll see with Circuit City going out of business.
* Why do people like the smell of their own flatulence?
* I think the name "Bob Coutlet" is a perfect sports announcer name.
* I get the feeling that G.W.'s memoirs will be a pop-up book.
* Somebody should make an adult sit-and-spin.
* Somebody should maek an adult green machine.
* John Hughes was awesome in the 80's.
* I'm really starting to get annoyed by the guy with the glasses in the Verizon commercials.


Allright, that's enough, I guess.

Weekly Homework Assignment

If you haven't tried Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment, shame on you! It's a lot of fun, and it gives you something to blog about. This week, I chose a "no-brainer."

Specifically, I chose the "Describe your significant other's most attractive quality(on the inside). The problem is that I have to narrow it down to one (major, major brownie points) ... but seriously, this is a tough one, because my wife has tons of great and attractive qualities ... not just her looks (I'm soooo getting some for this!) ... she's funny, caring, smart, and she allows me to watch sports ... a lot.

I guess her sense of humor is the thing that attracts me to her the most. I mean, heck, she married me, right? She'd HAVE to have a good sense of humor to take the plunge with me ... but I digress.

If you know anything about me, I love to laugh, and I love to joke, and I love to laugh some more. Let me give you an example of her sense of humor. It was the first time we met ... a blind-date, mind you (a topic for another blog). We met at a bar in center city (Philly) ... the Bar Noir (not sure if that place is still around).

I wasn't really sure what to expect ... I was a little nervous, because this girl was HOT. I started off talking about how I wished John McCain would've been president over Bush ... yeah, you read that right ... I TALKED POLITICS! I'm not even really sure why. She was nice enough to listen.

Later in the evening, as we were leaving the bar, she stands in the front of the bar, and says that there is a cover charge of $5. ... a total lie, by the way ... a few people were either getting ready to pay her, or getting ready to leave ... I knew right then and there, that there was something I really liked about her. 5 years later, I'm happily married to her, and she's still keeping me laughing. ]

I Believe!!!!

My goodness, has the sports scene in Philly done a 360 in the last 6 months. I don't have to bring up all of the great stuff that has happened ... but I want to.

* The loveable losers, the losingest franchise in the history of professional sports, the Philadelphia Phillies somehow broke through and won the World Series, after almost not making the playoffs (thanks Mets!).

* The team that seems to make a habit of coming up short (much like an inept porn star), inexplicably made the playoffs as a 6th seed (thanks to the Raiders doing the inconceivable and beating Tampa Bay in Tampa), and has even more inexplicably gone on a playoff run, knocking off the defending Super Bowl champion Giants this past week, and now play an Arizona Cardinals team they embarrassed 5 weeks ago for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

* The Philadelphia Flyers, after making a Herculean run to the Eastern Conference finals last season, have picked up right where they left off, and are now leading the Atlantic division, and playing some inspiring hockey, even with injuries to many key players.

* Heck, even the Sixers have won 4 games in a row ... but, I'm not holding my breath.

Still, not too shabby. For once, I don't have anything to complain about with Philly sports ... something doesn't feel right.

Song of the Week

This one is a bit older than the others I've "nominated" the past few weeks, but I've heard it a few times on Slacker (look it up), and I am just reminded of how great of a song this is.

Citi Soleil, crafted by the Afghan Whigs on their final (and probably their best) album - 1966 (released in the late 1990's), probably won't hit you immediately. It starts off kind of slow, coming in with an acoustic guitar opening hook, underscored by a lightly audible beat. It's certainly got some Latin influences to it. The voice of Greg Dulli comes in softly, but grows to a growl as the "chorus" of the song approaches.

The song itself seems to be a type of a love song written for someone Greg Dulli can never get to - the chorus seems to overstate this, "Ooh child, I'll meet you child, on the other side, it's allright."

As the song progresses, the Latin influences seem to give way to (or share the stage with) a Reggae influence, complete with steel drums backdropping the song.

You can download the song on I-Tunes, and you can find more information about the band here.

Fast Food Corner

Fast food restaurants have bent over backwards to make chicken bite sized and fun ... The chicken tender, nugget, mcnugget, or popper ... it goes on and on and on. I for one am a big fan of these "fun-size" pieces of fowl. I pretty much like them all, but I do have my favorites. Below, is that list:

5. The BK Chicken Tender - Burger King boasts that its chicken pieces are real chicken, and not processed like McDonalds and Wendy's. I enjoy - they have a little bit of something ... not quite spicy, but definitely definitive (if that makes any sense).
4. McDonalds Chicken McNuggets - The actual "crust" is intriguing ... not really sure what they do to it ... it's not really flaky, more one big "skin." Even if the chicken is processed, it's pretty darn good, though.
3. Wendy's chicken nuggets - I think I love the fact that they are on the dollar menu the most. Really, it's a basic chicken nugget, but the dipping sauces are fantastic.
2. KFC chicken poppers - Really, sometimes its hard to even find the chicken in these fried wonders, but that's ok in my book.
1. Chick Fil-A's chicken nuggets - I think Chick Fil-A got it right with these ... for some reason, it seems more care was taken in crafting these wonderful morsals, and the breading seems to be unique compared to the others on the list.

1.

New Years 2008/09

Wow, can you believe that the holidays are over? I'm a little depressed ... we took our Christmas tree down, and even took down that obnoxiously big (and tacky) snow globe on our front lawn. It feels like it was just a week ago that we put the tree up ... sigh. And New Years ... geez ... I felt like I had just gotten to the party, and there was Dick Clark (who looked stiffer than a Maple Tree) wishing us a happy New Year.

Speaking of which, here are some pics from the party (yes, Ray-Ray and I once again are beer pong champions).


Ray-Ray's wife Christa thought that Hooters song was done by a band called "The Hot-Wing Knockers."


Schue tackling "Das Boot!"


The Beer Pong table - the site of the big victory.


The hosts of the party - another great job, guys!


Ray-Ray, what did you just eat?


The crowd waiting to bring in the new year ...

Oh My Goodness ....

Since I've been Facebooking, some of my "friends" have tagged me on some pics from back in the day ... Frightening to say the least. I figured I'd share some with you (your welcome).


A bunch of us on the JV soccer team at Interboro ... I believe I was in 10th grade at the time (I'm the guy on the far-right, watching the game intently).


This was a picture from our Telecomm class in high school ... I am on the left, once again viewing the picture intently. The Rev is in the middle leading the show.


This was a re-enactment of a time when Mung (the giant on the right) landed on my toe after spiking a volleyball ... my toenail shattered, and I eventually got toenail fungus from the ordeal ... thanks, Mung.


K-Lo strangling me at lunch ... I think this was my last day at Lockheed.

Weekly Assignment

The assignment I chose this week from Mama Kat's weekly list is to describe my latest obsession ... I've got a bunch, so this assignment was much easier said than done ... but somehow, I narrowed it down to this:

Up until a few days ago, I was absolutely obsessed with Lego Indiana Jones for the Nintendo Wii ... For those of you not familiar with this game (or the Lego video games in general), Lego took the three Indiana Jones movies (prior this past year's release) and "converted" them to a Lego game ... all the characters, scenes, plants, trees, and buildings are made out of Legos ... you basically have to go through all of the scenes of the movies as a Lego Indiana Jones character ... sounds simple enough.

But, after you "win" the game, in order to complete 100% of the game, you have to go back as different characters to "find" different treasures throughout the scenes. I spent 10 days on this game ... probably about 3-5 hours a day ... I obsessed over it ... I dreamt about it ... I theorized areas to find the treasures, and I surfed the internet to find "tricks" and "clues" about that game. Folks, that's obsession.

My wife is probably very, very happy that I'm finally finished the game ... next up, I might have to get Lego Batman (I completed Lego Star Wars earlier in the year).

Fast Food Corner

I've decided to take the bull by the horns with my first fast food corner post of 2009 ... the best burger. Remember, this is fast-food burger, and it has to be a fast-food chain I've been to (which means that places like Checkers and Jacks aren't on the list).

5. McDonalds Quarter Pounder - I chose this over the Big Mac because it's not as messy. It's nothing spectacular, but a solid burger ... maybe it's because of the sesame seed bun ... or the fries that compliment the burger so nicely.
4. Hardees burger - Can't remember which one I liked, as I haven't had one in a few years ... I just remembered that the burger was pretty good ... the toppings were fresh ... no complaints.
3. Burger King's Whopper - Flame-broiled definitely beats out the McDonalds fried burgers ... it's just a shame that their fries suck.
2. Wendy's Baconator - Oh ... my ... god! So bad for you, yet so delicious.
1. Sonic Burger - Not sure what it's actually called, as I've only had it once, but it absolutely rocked. Big, fresh toppings, and fresh bun ... you can't go wrong.

Song of the week

I'm a big, big fan of the band Orson ... and not because Orson was the name of the person Mork always reported to in Mork and Mindy (although, that's pretty cool, too). Just a fun band, with a pretty cool '80's sound. And the song I can't get out of my head is their hit - No Tomorrow. The song starts off with a riff similar to a Keith Richards Riff, with a "four-on-the-floor" disco drum beat. The song is full of catchy hooks, and great lines like "The cover's only 20 bucks, and even if the DJ sucks, it's time crank this mother out." Here's some more info from Wikipedia:

Orson is a BRIT Award-winning American rock band from Hollywood, California who formed in 1999. Originally the band called themselves Halogen. Recently they were also known as Dr. Lady. Their self-financed debut Bright Idea, released by Mercury Records in 2006, was produced in Los Angeles by Noah Shain and went on to find chart success in the UK with their first single, "No Tomorrow". The album reached the number 1 slot in their respective categories.

The band first played on UK radio during a live session on the Dermot O'leary Show, BBC Radio 2. Following this they appeared at the 2006 Virgin Mobile V Festival in Staffordshire and Chelmsford, England in the UK. Whilst in Chelmsford, the lead singer exclaimed 'Its good to be home!'. This is due to the fact that the band relocated to London, from Los Angeles, in 2006.

And, here's a link to their My Space page.

I can't believe it ... I really can't.

How did the Eagles make the playoffs? Seriously, how? Going into Sunday, I "knew" there was really no way the Birds could make it, even though I bleed green. I mean, they already blew their opportunity the week before, by losing to the lowly Redskins. Now, they had to "hope" for two teams ahead of them to fall, and then they had to beat the hated Cowboys.

First, they had to hope for the Houston Texans to knock of the Chicago Bears ... certainly a possibility - Houston was even favored at home. The Texans fell into an early 10-0 hole, before coming back and knocking off Da Bears.

Next, the Iggles needed a gift from Santa (belated) - the lowly Oakland Raiders had to travel to Tampa Bay and face a relatively good Bucs team. There's no way this Al Davis team should've won ... but that's exactly what they did. Which meant that the Birds controlled their destiny yet again.

This time, they didn't choke ... in fact, they absolutely dismantled T.O. and his "boys." the final score was 44-6, and really, the game was over by halftime. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a game like this (OK, probably a few times).

Now, they travel to Minnesota on Sunday to play the confusing Vikings. They really don't have a quarterback, or wide receivers, but they have arguably the best running back in the league, and a bruising defense. Andy Reid will hopefully continue to run the ball a little to keep the defense honest.

My hope is that this Iggles team is like last year's Giants team ... catching fire just at the right time. Only time will tell, I guess.

Happy New Year!!!!

I made it! Another year! And if the party we had to usher in the new year is any indication, 2009 should be excellent. We did 3 boots, of which, one was filled with margaritas (head .... hurts .... badly).

Anyway, I figured I'd make a resolution for the upcoming year. Not sure if I'll keep said resolution (as I normally don't make them), but what the heck. So, here goes nothing ....

I plan on eating less fast food ... and this one will be tough. I mean, I love fast food .... I LOVE FAST FOOD. But, I think it's probably in my best interest to cut back on it (don't worry, I'll still post my thoughts on fast food on a regular basis).

I know, I know ... it isn't much of a resolution, and eating one less fast food meal technically will make me fulfill my resolution ... but, I'll honestly try to succeed on this one ... and if I do go to a fast food restaurant, maybe I'll order salad (maybe).

Do you have any resolutions?

Fast Food Corner

Sausage McMuffin with Egg ... possibly the greatest fast-food breakfast item ever created. Why? Let me cound the ways:

* It's easy to eat whilst driving. As most of you know, this is of vital importance for all good fast food.

* The muffin is delicious and absorbant enough to soak up the sausage grease ... very underrated.

* The egg itself is suprisingly good.

* The hashbrown that goes along with it (with value meals) is probably the best hashbrown ever created (and potentially the one with the highest calories).

* Most importantly, especially on a morning like New Year's day, the sausage mcmuffin has a way of helping to cope with a hangover ... I think the grease and muffin react with excess alcohol and render that alcohol void. I have no proof of this.

**** I've probably stated this before, but why dont' they have a bacon-mcmuffin? How has this been missed? And, no, I'm not talking about the Egg-McMuffin ... that's Canadian bacon, which is almost exactly like ham.

Weekly Assignment

What a fitting way to end the year than with Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment. She's got a doozy this week - Describe a New Year's where you would have been better off just staying home.

It was my senior year in high school, and a friend was having a New Year's Eve party (parents somehow trusted the house to him on New Year's Eve). I was REALLY excited about this one, because it involved more than just a handful of us drinking in somebody's basement ... this was hard-core!

I got to the house around 9 o'clock, and had a beer or two ... so far, so good. Unfortunately, the beer ran out ... and even more unfortunately, I had never, ever heard of the "beer before liquor" saying. I happily and ignorantly switched to some vodka and orange juice. Then, when the orange juice ran out, I once again switched to vodka and iced tea ... Then, the iced tea ran out, and I was about to switch to vodka and milk - thankfully somebody stopped me.

I remember the clock striking 12, and I also remember going downstairs to play pool ... but I don't remember playing pool. The rest of this blog is based on some "detective work" on my part (asking others what I did the rest of the night).

* I played one game of pool that lasted about 45 minutes (rumor has it that it was quite hysterical).
* I sat on the couch, and after about 10 minutes, proceeded to throw up all over myself and the couch.
* A bunch of people dragged me upstairs and threw me in the bath-tub.
* Word started circulating that I might be dead.
* A friend of mine turned on the shower to start hosing me off - I got up and tried to get out of the tub, saying I had to go home.
* Hit my head on the back of the tub and passed out again.
* Friends undressed me, cleaned me up, and washed my clothes.

An ugly night, folks ... but I did learn that important rule about beer and liquor ... and also pacing myself ... I've never let that happen to me again, thankfully.

It's probably an important time to remind everybody to have a safe and happy New Year!

Song of the Week

Are you ready for another issue of my "Song of the Week?" No? Well, I don't care ... now, let me just say that my choices don't necessary have to be "new" songs - just songs that are getting a lot of play on my mp3 player (or cd player).

This week's selection is by a band called Hard Fi ... the song (in a Casey Casem voice) ... Hard to Beat. This song displays a nice melding (or merger) of classic guitar riffs and a dance beat (almost techno-ish). The song continuously rises to an imaginary apex ... teasing the listener (me), as it keeps the main chorus just at arms length.

Just a little background about the band - They are an English band, formed in 2003. They have received more success in Europe than the States (for some reason, we like country music, Emo, and bubble gum music a little too much).

Here's there website, in case you are interested:
http://www.hard-fi.com/discography.php

Fast Food Corner

This week, I tackle another food that is dear to my heart ... the chicken sandwich.

5. Arby's fried chicken sandwich - Not a bad sandwich to grab in a pinch ... works very well with some banana pepper rings.
4. Chick Fil-A grilled chicken sandwich - If I have to eat relatively healthy, I'll go with this one. It comes complete with a fresh leaf of lettuce, slice of tomato, and a whole-wheat bun ... of course, I have to balance the healthy with some waffle fries.
3. Wendy's Spicy chicken sandwich - This sandwich is by no means outrageously spicy, but provides just enough "action" to make it interesting.
2. Chick Fil-A chicken sandwich - It is pathetically simple, with really only a slice of pickle as a topping, but it works. McDonalds tried to copy it, but was unable to do so.
1. The Burger King Original chicken sandwich is my favorite chicken sandwich by far ... no, there is nothing outrageously different about this fried piece of heaven. Just the right amount of mayo, lettuce, and spices (not sure what those spices are, but it does have a bit of a kick).

Christmas and Stuff

Wow ... Christmas came and went ... seems to be going faster by the year. It was great, though ... giving and receiving joy (and gifts), and spending valuable time wiht close family and friends. Just a quick recap of my "agenda."

* Christmas Eve - went to my parents house for our annual "pre-Christmas" dinner. Some of the highlights included bratwurst, opening presents, and of course doing shots (this year's selection was Berentzen Apfelkorn).

* Christmas Day - Had Schue's family over for Christmas dinner. The wife did a great job with the food, and everyone seemed to have a good time playing Nintendo Wii, as well as enjoying good old-fashioned Christmas cheer ... alcohol.

* December 27 - Holiday party at Babs' place - Great food, great drink, and great friends. What a way to bridge Christmas and New Years ... of course, with more beer and liquor (I see a trend!).

Still to come ...
* New Year's Eve party at my brother's house - This is always a great farewell to the previous year, as well as a great welcome to the new year, complete with Nintendo Wii tournaments, beer pong tournaments, and a rendtion of Bohemian Rhapsody.



I hope everyone had (and continues to have) a great holiday season!

2009 Predictions

For some reason, I didn't make any predictions for 2008 (or, at least I couldn't find the ones I made). I usually make these every year, so I figured I'd start them up again. So, without further pause (I couldn't spell adieu) ...

10. Andy Reid will start wearing a mumu on the sidelines, and will be accompanied by a bucket of "finger-lickin'" at all football games and press conferences. The man is a large, large man, and seems to be getting bigger by the minute. The universe thinks he's expanding at an accelerated rate.

9. Something extraordinary is going to happen to Michael Jackson ... I'm not sure if it's going to be a good thing, a bad thing, or both. I predict he'll either make a comeback (fueled by the MTV music awards ... much like they successfully did with Brittney), or he won't make it to 2010 (I'm not even sure if he's human anymore, to tell you the truth).

8. The Rolling Stones will announce another album and tour ... heck, they do this every 3-4 years, and by that count, they're due. This one will be sponsored by Geritol.

7. Something extraordinary is going to happen to one of the "Big 3" auto companies in the U.S. ... again, not sure if this will be good or bad ... One could close for good, two could merge, or one could decide to actually think outside the box and create cars that people want (here's to hoping it's the last one).

6. Our economy (and the world's economy) will make a recovery at some point in 2009 ... it will probably be towards the latter half of the year, but it's going to happen. Let's hope we see companies and CEO's that are more responsible and less greedy.

5. The Flyers will be the next Philly team to win a championship ... unfortunately, this may be the last NHL Stanley Cup handed out ... the league is in trouble (suggestion - let's move some of these teams out of Florida, Atlanta, and Nashville, and put them back in Canada, where they'll flourish).

4. A buddy flick featuring Emmanuel Lewis and Gary Coleman will be made ... OK, I actually don't think this is going to happen, but I wish that it would ... I'd even watch a reality show with these two guys at this point.

3. Roger Clemmens will be indicted for lying about steroid use ... again, this is probably more of a hope than a prediction ... the guy has thrown his friends and family under the bus ... he deserves this (Barry Bonds has no friends, so he was unable to throw any of them under the bus).

2. Michael Vick will be invited to some NFL team's training camp ... the hope is that Jerry Jones takes a chance on him, so that the Cowboys have a monopoly on all of the players with "questionable" characters in the league.

1. ESPN will stop discussing an NCAA Division 1 playoff for football, now that they have the rights to the BCS bowl games until 2014 ... it no longer is to their advantage to have one.

Merry Christmas Y'all

I just wanted to drop a quick post wishing all of you a Merry Christmas ... I hope you have a great holiday season, and hope that 2009 is a great year for all of you. Peace, love and chicken grease!

Another "Survey"

Yep - got another e-mail from a friend ... and since I'm a lazy blogger (sometimes), this gives me another post! Keep in mind, that I did this on December 17

Two names you go by:
1. Los
2. Stupid German

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Eagles Sweatshirt
2. Blue sweatpants

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Watch sports
2. Play video games

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Ice cream
2. Vacation

Two favorite pets you have had/have:
1. Stroopie (dog)
2. Charlie (Turtle)

Two things I did last night:
1. Watched the Flyers
2. Filled up my wife's car.

Two things you ate today:
1. Chicken Marsala
2. Shrimp

Two people you last talked to:
1. My wife
2. Steve (guy at work)

Two things you plan on doing tomorrow:
1. Working
2 Watching The Office

Trips taken in the last five years:
1. San Francisco
2. Las Vegas

Two favorite holidays:
1. Halloween
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Bier (German for beer)
2. Water (I drink a lot of it)
3. Wine (I'm becoming a fan)

I had to blog about this story ...

A local TV station had this story on it's website a few days ago about a couple that was upset that a local grocery store refused to make a personalized cake for their child ... seems like the grocery store is inconsiderate, right? Not until you realize the name of their child - Adolf Hitler ... yeah, that's right, the couple named their son after "Der Fuhrer."

So many ways to go with this story, but let me focus on the family first. I mean, seriously? Naming your kid after Hitler? Is it your intention to make your child's life as difficult as possible? Why not name him Feces, or Pig Vomit? Get this - the family has another child named Aryan Nation ... this alone is ridiculous ... but the family goes on to claim that they aren't racist ... really? Not racist? Why not name the third child KKK while you're at it? I am utterly repulsed by this family ... but my thought is that there are numerous people around the country who actually think that this is a cool idea. By the way, the picture of the husband is not shocking in the least ... I would expect him to look the way he does.

Onto the second point ... the fact that the local supermarket refused to make the cake for baby Adolf. I'm all for free speech, but I'm also ok for a Supermarket to refuse making a ridiculous cake that "promotes" a savage dictator responsible for the death of millions of people ... and who is a symbol for radical racisim. I'm sure more will be made of this, and at some point, this will go through the court system, and the local supermarket will be forced to spend lots of money defending their morals ... I find this preposterous ... Mr. and Mrs. "Hitler" should first of all get their heads checked ... and second of all, learn how to be pastry chefs if they really want this kind of cake.

Folks, I can't make this stuff up.

Christmas "Survey"

My friend e-mailed this to me - I figured this deserved a blog posting (I figured I'd save some energy and kill two birds with one stone). Feel free to play along.

1. Real tree or Artificial? Real (artificial doesn't equal Christmas in my book).
2. When do you put up the tree? 2nd week of December
3. When do you take the tree down? Mid January (sad weekend)
4. Do you like eggnog? Eh ... a little, I guess.
5. Favorite gift received as a child? Oscar the Grouch alarm clock.
6. Hardest person to buy for? Parents
7. Easiest person to buy for? My brother
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Nope.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail this year ... but considering e-mail
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A fishing tool gift pack (I got the same thing a year earlier ... from the same person).
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Without a doubt - A Christmas Story
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Maybe a few times ...maybe.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies ... my mom's cookies.
15.Any special tradition? - Going to my parents' on Christmas Eve.
16. Favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby
17. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Stay home.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Probably ...
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither ... some kind of fancy ribbon.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowded shopping malls or stores.
22. What theme or color are you using? All kinds of color, but mostly white.
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Filet Mignon ... Nothing but class!
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Some Wii games
25. Favorite drink during Christmas? Beer.

Sports Rant of the Week

Since I watch far too much sports, I figured I'd add a sports rant of the week (or every two weeks or something like that) to this blog ... what the heck ... I have a lot to say ... or blog.

The obvious choice for me to rant about this week is the T.O. situation in Dallas. I think nobody can dispute that from an athletic perspective, that the guy is a big play threat who makes your team better. However, his off-the-field antics, and his "me-first" attitude literally kills teams. He's left two carcasses in his path already in Philly and San Fran (San Fran is still trying to turn things around), and he's about ready to knock off the Dallas Cowboys.

I guess the real shocking thing for me is that the honeymoon has lasted this long. Maybe T.O. was kept in check by the strong personality of Bill Parcells, who instilled fear in all his players. Maybe, T.O. was happy with the 13-3 season last year. Maybe he was playing for a contract (which he got this year). But, at some point, his enormous ego (and his tiny self esteem) had to get in the way.

And you know what? It couldn't happen to a better team. Jerry Jones decided to eliminate a strong-willed coach who wouldn't be a puppet for him, and replaced him with the perfect puppet. Then, Jones decided to forego player character (he already brought T.O. in against the Big Tuna's wishes) by adding Tank Johnson and PacMan Jones to the Cowboys ... heck, even the Bengals were jealous.

Now, this team is struggling to stay together ... a team that had more than enough talent to compete for a Super Bowl ... now, they're competing (and fighting) just to make the playoffs. Here's to hoping this thing blows up in Jones's face.

Rock Song of the Week

I've decided to add another "weekly blogging topic." Just like a "Fast Food Corner" weekly blog makes sense for me, blogging about music also makes sense (at least, to me). Maybe it'll help you find a song or a musical group you may want to follow ... maybe you'll find it totally worthless ... oh, and if you want to offer me suggestions (please, no country music and no Nickleback), I welcome it! So, without further adieu:

Song of the week:
The Virgins - Rich Girls

I can't get this song out of my head - I've had this song for about 4 months now, and it never leaves my most frequently played list. Rich Girls has a catchy disco sound to it, with a pronounced and addictive baseline. The lead singer's voice growls, sounding almost half-drunk ... but somehow, it works.

Here's some more information on the group from their Atlantic Records website:
The Virgins exemplify the sound and style of downtown New York City in 2008. The band came together in 2006, the brainchild of songwriter/performer Donald Cumming. Having lived on NYC’s streets since the age of 16, Cumming’s teen years were chronicled by artist/photographer Ryan McGinley in his now-legendary debut solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

With Cumming joined by bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman, guitarist Wade Oates, and drummer Erik Ratensperger, The Virgins began playing at downtown parties at such spots as St. Marks Church and 205. For their third show ever, the Virgins took Paris by storm, performing at designer agnès b’s fashion week party alongside Patti Smith and Sonic Youth. The band’s connection to New York’s art scene is no more apparent than in their own album art, which features design and photography from Dan Colen and Terry Richardson.


And, here's a couple of websites in case you're interested:
http://www.atlanticrecords.com/thevirgins/bio

http://www.myspace.com/thevirginsnyc

Fast Food Corner

I consider myself a fast-food "connoisseur." I've probably tried just about every kind of fast food around (at least around Philly), so it's only natural that I eventually dedicate some blog postings to my "expert" opinions on everything fast food.

I decided to tackle a biggie for my first - the battle of the best french fry. Let me step back for a second and pre-qualify my "type" of french fry ... really, there's only one - I prefer shoestring fries over steak fries overwhelmingly ... you see, steak fries have to much actual "potato" taste ... I prefer the crunchy/fried taste of shoestring fries. With that said - here is my top 5 list of my favorite fast-food fries:

5. Burger King - These fries are not good at all ... my least favorite next to KFC's big-assed steak fries.
4. Wendy's - A little to big for my liking, and usually not cooked enough ... but still, not too shabby.
3. Arby's curly fries - Slightly overcooked usually, but that's a plus in my book, as I love crispy fries ... plus, they have a slightly spicy flavor to them.
2. Chick Fil-A - Considering my preference of shoe-string fries, this is a bit of a surprise. My guess is the surface area of these waffle fries, and their amazing ability to soak up large amounts of ketchup.
1. McDonalds - Ultimately, the perfect french fry. I think Ronald probably laces his fries with some kind of addictive drug that makes people come back for more ... either that, or McDonalds has some kind of contract with God on these "heavenly" fries ... I can't figure out any other way nobody else has copied these.

Weekly Homework Assignment

Mama Kat got into the Christmas (holiday) spirit - and I loved this assignment! It's right in my wheel-house (at least I think it is)

Without a doubt, my favorite Christmas gift of all time is ... The Oscar the Grouch alarm clock ... "Wha?" you might be asking? Let me give you some background - For some reason, I remember seeing this alarm clock in some sort of catalogue as a child, and since I was a big fan of Sesame Street (and an even bigger fan of Oscar the Grouch), I REALLY, REALLY wanted this. My parents were excellent in hiding this from me, saying things like “Santa Claus probably won’t be able to get this present for you.” I was defeated – I figured there was no way I was going to get to wake up to Oscar’s grouchy voice every morning. My parents hid this gift from me and somehow snuck it into my pile of presents at the very end. I remember opening it, and being flushed with excitement and emotion so much that all I could do was hold my head and jump up and down repeatedly for about 5 minutes. For months, Oscar woke me up, and it was truly heaven. But, because I am a klutz, I ended up breaking it somehow. Recently, I searched for this clock on Ebay, and they run for about $200 now – geez!

Here are a couple of other favorites:
2. The Atari 2600 – At the time, it was called the Atari VCS … which gives you an idea of how old I am. I loved arcades and arcade machines … I’ve loved them for about as long as I can remember. For instance, I remember going into a department store called Two Guys. They had some sort of primitive racing machine that I was always fixated on. I think my mom allowed me to play it a few times, and I was hooked. You could imagine my excitement when I discovered the Atari 2600 in a Sears catalogue. My cousin Drew and I couldn’t stop talking about it. Again, my mom played one helluva poker hand, saying that the price was too much for a Christmas present (at the time, it was $129). But, Inga did end up buying it for me, and I must’ve played that thing about 10,000 hours (or more). The first game I got (besides Combat, which came with the Atari) was Space Invaders – I swore it was like I had an arcade in my basement (not entirely true, but close enough). It didn’t take me long to find those “secret games” within the games – you would have to flick the game on and off in a certain way to find these games – it was kind of like the first cheat code. I found one with Space Invaders in which I was able to shoot twice as fast (I’ve probably lost most of you with this one).

3. Mr. Quarterback – Sure, looking back on this gift, it was a piece of shite. But, the thought of having my very own “quarterback” throwing me 20 to 30 yard passes was enticing. I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Unfortunately, Mr. Quarterback (which was promoted by that jackass Roger Staubach) only “threw” the football about 5 yards or so … not even a perfect spiral. This is probably why Mr. Quarterback is no longer being sold.

4. The Green Machine – Now, I didn’t actually get this gift, but my two cousins did. I was PISSED! Man, did I want to have the Corvette of big wheels instead of the crappy orange one with yellow wheels that I currently possessed. I’m tellin’ ya, this big wheel was awesome – it reached incredible speeds and one could spin out like Dale Earnhardt with it. I was about as jealous with this one as I was when my cousin Drew got those Zips sneakers (the ones that “made” you run fast – or at least that’s what they said in the commercials).

Tree-mendous!

We were supposed to go Christmas tree shopping last Thursday ... and, as luck would have it, it rained ... not just a little steady rain (if that were the case, we would've still gone out), but it was more like "God's plumbing broke" raining. We decided to wait until Friday to get our tree, and we noticed some "interesting" advertising ... "Trees $20 and up." However, the "and up" was so small, one couldn't even see it.

It seems as if every place selling trees pulls this. I feel like such a "sap" (sorry 'bout the pun) for even going to these places ... We ended up going to a local fire company to buy our tree, mainly because we feel that the money is better given to a place like this (even though we were basically getting raped).

The tree is ok ... actually, it looks great now, with all of the ornaments on it, but it didn't look very full. I think it plays to our advanctage that it isn't that full, because you can see all of the ornaments better ... and believe me, we have a ton of them ... from disco balls, to a bacon and eggs ornament, to mermaids, to the woman's leg ornament (from A Christmas Story) ... it looks like Santa Claus threw up on our tree ... but in a good way.

Actually, we probably have so many ornaments, that we could buy a second tree ... this one would be an artifical one, though ....

A quick shout out to Babs for helping to decorate the tree ... Thank you so much for keeping my wife company!

Yule Light Up My Life ...

Whilst over my wife's brother's house last night, we got into a discussion about an interesting (or, at least I thought so) topic ... Christmas lights. The more we discussed it, the more it became obvious ... the women absolutely loved the white lights - they felt these lights give the Christmas tree, as well as the outside part of the house a bit of elegance.

Of course, the little kids like the multi-colored lights ... and, ironically, the men in the house also favored the multi-colored lights. Of course, one can draw the conclusion that the reason for this is because boys never really "grow up."

Personally, I'm ok with white lights (heck, I like lights), but yes, I do like multi-colored lights ... and, I'll take it a step further - I like the big, multicolored lights. My mom placed these on the bushes outside of the house annually when I was growing up, and I guess I've never outgrown that.

Of course, obnoxious snow globes might be going a little too far.

A memory

I'm going to try and supplement this blog with some "shorter" postings so that I can blog more frequently ... we'll see how it goes.

Mama Kat's homework assignment regarding a time at the dentist brought back a long-lost memory of mine from growing up. I remember when I was a little tyke that I thought I had ruined my teeth because I ate too much candy - I felt my molars and thought that the candy had led to them being flat. Of course, it never stopped me from eating my candy.

I don't get many requests on stuff to blog about, but I certainly encourage them... as long as it is deemed blogworthy (by me). This morning a coworker of mine forwarded an "intersting" story to me, and asked that I dedicate a blog post to it. Here is the story.

Can this be true? I mean, I know that Dancing With the Stars has already invited a deaf person, and a person with one leg onto the program, and both did surprisingly well, considering the circumstances. But, seriously, Stevie Wonder? Not only is he blind, but he's grossly out of shape, AND he's never looked like somebody I would consider "fleet of foot." Is this what Dancing With the Stars will do in order to drum up excitement?

Now, what they should do is "play tricks" on Stevie ... like maybe having him dance with a broom stick, or strategically place banana peels on the dance floor. Just a thought ... I'd certainly tune in if that was the case. But seriously, what's next? I figure the least I could do is offer some suggestions.

* How about inviting Stephen Hawking, the famous professor/scientist who has the debilitating disease, ALS. Certainly, it would be worth tuning in for at least the first episode to see how he does, right?

* Maybe we could have a spinoff called "Dancing with the Pets." Why not? I've seen plenty of pets on the David Leterman show that can dance.

* Let's have a contest for scientists to build robots to dance on this show. Doing this would ensure lots and lots of geeks tuning in ... many of them with quite a few dollars to spend.

* I envision a public service episode, in which the stars dance, then do some shots, and continue to dance ... we could award a prize to the star who is able to continue dancing whilst drunk ... we could invite stars like Nick Nolte and Keith Richards in this.

* Why not add props and juggling to this. THe stars can maybe juggle bowling pins or flaming torches while they dance ... wouldn't this add a whole new dimension to the show?

That's all I got right now ... Any suggestions?

Weekly Homework Assignment - It's Tooth-riffic!

I had trouble this week choosing Mama Kat's homework assignment. You see, I don't really have any allergies, I haven't really taken any new roads in a long while (plus with GPS, these aren't that "unexpected" anymore), my wife hates mice, and I trust that most (if not all) of my friends are good listeners (I talk too much).

so, with that said, I chose my worst dentist experience ever. Unlike most kids, I actually enjoyed going to the dentist ... probably because I was so proud of my pearly whites. My dentist often said that I had fantastic teeth, and that, with the exception of a small overbite, I had a perfect set of teeth. Why wouldn't I want to go back to this guy?

I never had a cavity ... ever ... until I turned 14. I remember sitting in the dentist's chair, and noticed him picking at one of my teeth repeatedly with that metallic tool that he used (sorry, I have no idea what the name of this is). Finally, he took note of it, and continued the cleaning. After he was finished, he gave me the worst news ever ... my perfect teeth were no longer perfect anymore ... one of them contracted a cavity.

How could this be? I brushed twice a day, and was a damn good brusher (if I do say so myself). He scheduled me to have the cavity filled ... the days leading up to this "event" were dark for me ... I lost my smile. I was sad. I was like everybody else ... flawed. The big day came ... did I mention I was afraid of needles?

The dentist sat me in the chair, basically went through what he was going to do, and then got the needle. "You'll feel a little prick at first," he said (yeah, but what about the needle? Hey-yo!). The initial pain was substantial, but it immediately disappeared. I actually thought it was kind of neat seeing the dentist work on my mouth, watching the smoke waft out of my mouth, and not feeling any pain. The actual process wasn't so bad ... maybe I was more fearful of the needle then actually having a cavity.

I've had one other cavity filled since, but I also had my wisdom teeth pulled, but the percoset (sp?) more than made up for the process.

We finally got it!!!!!

Yep - we finally pulled the trigger! We got a flat-screen TV! I ordered the sucker two Saturdays ago from tvsdepot.com. Here's the tv I bought.

I think I got a fantastic deal (considering the TV is now more expensive on the site) - I paid $999 (no tax and free shipping) for this 46 inch LCD - 1080P, 7500-1 color ratio ... it is an obvious upgrade from the 37 inch CRT that we had (well, we still have it, but are giving it to a friend).

I was like a father-to-be, waiting for his baby to enter the world on Sunday morning - the delivery guy was set to arrive between 10 and 2. As luck would have it, he arrived at 11:30, which gave me plenty of time to get the tv hooked up prior to the Eagles game ... folks, I didn't get up from the couch once! What a beautiful tv - my god, I can't wait to watch hockey on it (that'll be tonight, by the way).

It goes really well with the basement modifications we've made (we still have some work to do, though). I doubt I'll ever be able to truly enjoy tv on a CRT ever again.

They must be drunk ...

So, as many of you know, I live in the Philadelphia area - kind of a nice location - near the Poconos, the shore, New York, DC, Atlantic City ... kind of a cool central location. However, living in Pennsylvania has its head-scratching moments as well. One "issue" or "law" in general really confounds me (yeah, I used the word "confound").

PA has a state run wine and spirits system - which basically means that no other store or company in Pennsylvania is allowed to sell wine or liquor. This state-runned lunacy means that wine and liquor prices are not really competitive with other states that allow private companies to sell alcohol. So, why should I care about this?

Outside of the fact that most state-run organizations are run poorly (and in the case of these wine and liquor stores, very poorly), there's another issue. Because I live so close to Delaware and New Jersey, it is very easy for me to drive 20 minutes and stock up on much cheaper wine and liqour ... sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the numbskulls in PA "don't allow PA residents to purchase alcohol legally in other states." Now, people certainly do this - I do. But, PA police officers have the right to pull you over and fine you for buying liqour in another state. It's mind-boggling. They usually don't do this, and if you are a PA resident, drive a little deeper into Delaware instead of purchasing alcohol at the border, and you should be fine. But just the fact that this is a law is ridiculous.

On top of this, you are not allowed to "import" wine or liqour to your house. What do I mean by this? Last year, we went to Napa Valley in California on a wine tour. We found a few wineries we really enjoyed. These wineries ship their wine directly to your house in almost every state ... except for 1 ... yep, you guessed it. PA won't allow this, because they are afraid that it would take money away from their awful state-run wine and spirit monopoly. These wineries have to go into special agreements with PA to be able to sell their wine in said wine and spirits stores. What kind of collusion is this? How is this still allowed?

PA is pretty bass-ackwards about quite a few things, probably thanks to the strong "Quaker" influence. Hopefully someday this will change ...

Weekly Homework Assignment

After a week off, Mama Kat is back and better than ever (yes, if I could, I'd even get her an apple) with her weekly homework assignment.

The topic I chose is "Are you still friends with you high school friends? Describe them." I guess in this sense, I'm lucky, as I still am friends with many of my high school friends. I decided to take it a step further - friends who were my childhood friends:

My first childhood friend who I am still very good friends with is Ray-Ray. I've known him since I was about 1 - you see, my mom babysat him back in the day. We were basically like brothers for the first 4-5 years of our lives. We stayed very close friends UNTIL high school, when we got into a fight over a girl. It took us about 4 years to begin talking again, but then slowly we rebuilt our friendship, and are now as close as ever. In fact, he got married just a little over a month ago, and I was in the wedding. Ray-Ray is funny, and sometimes abrasive, but if you know him like I know him, you would understand how good of a friend he really is - the man would do anything for me and my family, and I am also very willing to repay the favor. I am thankful that we were able to put a petty issue aside all those years ago.

A neighborhood buddy of mine, Davers, is another buddy I've managed to keep for oh so many years. He moved to my neighborhood when he was about 4 ... I was 6 at the time. The kid excelled so much at sports that he was always better than me, but he was always willing to teach and encourage me, and because of him, I became a decent athlete ... by no means a great one, but certainly a better one that I would've been if he wasn't in my life. He is also responsible for getting me into fishing and spicy foods (the man's family is Italian, and his mom made some of the greatest Italian food known to man on a weekly basis). Coincidentally, his wedding was this summer, and I was honored to be a part of it. We don't hang out nearly as much as we used to, but we do text each other quite a bit ... which, I guess is a good thing.

I've known my friend Johnnay since the third grade. We were friends, but not close friends for most of school until we were juniors or seniors in high school. He is now one of my closest friends (even though I tend to probably make fun of him too much). He's got a heart of gold, and my hope is that someday he'll find a woman who deserves him (that's a compliment, by the way. The man was married before, but unfortunately, things didn't work out). No, he's not good in sports, and no he's not the funniest guy in the world (at least, not on purpose), but he's a great guy in almost every way, and I am lucky to have him as a friend.

The last one I'll talk about is my friend Nick. Many months ago, I blogged about him, and how we were no longer friends, and how it bothered me (I probably said some other nasty things, but let's not talk about that). As luck would have it, he read my blog, started his own blog to respond to my blog, and ironically, it opened up communication between the two of us. I've known him and been friends with him ever since high school, and miscommunication (and unfortunate situations) caused us to drift apart. But, thanks to the wonderful world of blogs, we became friends again, and have picked up right where we left off.

I have left out many other friends I've made, from work friends (yes, I'm talking about my Lockheed buds), to other grade school, high school, and even college friends (and college related friends), not to mention the friends I've made through my wife Schue. You all are very important to me.

My dad made a great quote at his 50th anniversary party - he said something along the lines of, "You can tell how great a man is by his friends." Well, if that's the case, I'm one helluva guy, thanks to you guys and gals.

A few movie reviews ...

So, I got to see a few movies in the past week or so, and I figured that I would share my thoughts with you (translation - I have nothing else to blog about).

1. The Ex - This movie basically is a "remix" of The Cable Guy, with Jason Bateman playing the conniving "antagonist" (similar to Jim Carey's character, but not as annoying), and the guy from Scrubs playing the schizophrenic (or at least his friends think so) "protagonist." It was amusing, in that Jason Bateman did a great job with his character, however it is pretty unrealistic in that Bateman's character basically "faked" being handicapped for most of his life. Overall, it's probably worth seeing on cable, but I wouldn't spend any money on it.

2. Juno - Yes, I was late on this one ... very late. again, Jason Bateman was in it, as 1/2 of the couple wanting to adopt Juno's unborn child. His character intrigued me the most, mainly because he was portrayed as the "cool" guy in the beginning of the movie, and the portrayal gradually moved to that of someone who never wanted to grow up and take responsibility. Meanwhile, Jennifer Garner's character (the other 1/2) was portrayed as uptight and absolutely unfun, but her character's portrayal gradually moves to the responsible and sensible one .... ok, yes, the movie is more of a chick flick, but it is REALLY GOOD ... and I'm usually not one who likes movies that are hyped. Well worth watching.

3. Four Christmases - Yeah ... I actually went to the movies to see this one, as part of our annual Thanksgiving night movie-watching traditions. It certainly does a decent job of getting one excited for the Christmas season, and for 3/4 of the movie, it is quite funny. Vince Vaughan plays his normal wise-ass character, which is usually can't miss. Reece Witherspoon plays his hot, fun-loving girlfriend - she has no trouble playing in a comedic role. However, Seth Gordon (director) probably was influenced by recent Judd Apatow movies, as well as that other holiday "classic" Just Visiting of a few years ago, as he decides to throw out all humor in the last 20 minutes, also trying to rapidly tie up loose ends in the movie (how this couple can get back together in the final minutes was hard to follow). For a Christmas movie, it's ok ... certainly, nobody will be talking about this in the sentence as A Christmas story, but it'll get you in the mood for the holidays.

Well, that's all I have .... I know, I'm lame.