Other Cruise Pics

I HIGHLY recommend cruising with Royal Caribbean - The ships have so many great activities, and the staff is so friendly. Here are some other random pics from the trip back to NYC:



One of the fun, drinks the cruise served during their Midnight Buffet.



Here is a pic of me right before I rock-climb on the ship ... it was a little scary, but I did it ... I'M A MAN!!!



Fantastic ice-dancing show on the ship ... that's right, they have an ice-skating rink!



Our waiters doing a good-bye performance for us.



Goodbye Parade on the Promenade.



The fellas hamming it up for one of those "special" pics.

Fast Food Corner

The 1950's restaurant/diner scene has been seeing a renaissance for the past 20+ years. Supersaturated with neon lights, possibly a pink Cadillac in the parking lot ... lots of fountain drinks with 100's of flavors ... you've seen them, I'm sure.

In Delaware County, we've been blessed to have Nifty Fifties since the 1980's. It is a diner that has all of the above mentioned 1950's "flair," plus 1950's jukebox music which accentuates the atmosphere. Also, the entire diner seems to be built from chrome.

It is one of my favorite places - brings back great memories of childhood. The place serves a fantastic milk shake. The Pistol Pete's Spicy Fries are fantastic, and the burgers are to die for. Nifty Fifty's also serves great breakfast at reasonable prices. The fresh squeezed orange juice is a nice touch, too.

It is a VERY popular place, so sometimes it takes a while to be seated. Plus, parking at the Holmes/Folsom location is miserable. But, it's all worth it. If you're ever in the area, I'd suggest going here.

80's Corner

Does anybody remember Rough Riders 4X4? I can still hear the commercials in my head. Rough Riders were little battery operated cars/trucks with giant rubbery wheels. The commercials implied that these bad-ass trucks could drive through anything - mud, water, sand ... and they would climb over rocks and sticks and shrubbery.

My cousin and I ate this all up - we bought quite a few of said trucks ... and we played with them in the creek (backyard of my house), in the sand box, and elsewhere. We constructed all kinds of crazy challenging mazes for these Rough Riders to drive through.

Sadly, most of the time, the Rough Riders would fail in these courses. Plus, they ate batteries like I eat potato chips. Also, once sand, mud, or water got on the inside of these trucks, they became worthless. But still, they looked cool!

Wacky News Stories

A couple of friends of mine told me they really missed my other blog site - I used to routinely post a list of weird news stories and make comments about them. I figured maybe I should, from time to time, reprise this here on Plethora. Without further ado:

1. On NASA setting to crash on the moon ... Twice!
"Good to see NASA raising the bar!"
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/10/08/probe.moon.crash/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

2. On a food stamps for Viagra scam being busted:
"A 'stimulating' story, if you ask me ..."
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7056085

3. On a man who got arrested for stealing from a convenience store ... he stole cookies and juice worth about $9.
"Those better be double-chocolate chip cookies!"
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7056085

4. On a driving lesson ending with a minivan in a bedroom:
"My guess is the second lesson should be free ..."
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7054147


5. On Dallas police looking for a man who they say repeatedly sneaks into backyards, dances around naked and then runs away:
"As long as he's not doing the hustle."
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7054893

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment! Even though it's not Mother's Day (every day should probably be Mother's Day), the prompts all had to do with mom. This week, I chose the following prompt: How did you parents choose your name? What does it mean? What would you change your name to if you could?

Without giving too much away about my name, my first and middle name are the same as a famous comedian's first and last name ... I'll leave it at that. I always assumed I was named after this comedian, but wasn't sure why. One day, I asked my mom about it, and she claims I was NOT named after said comedian ... not sure if I believe her. Anyway ...

So, the first two questions have been, for the most part, answered. My first name is a common German first name, and my middle name is of German "heritage" as well. Growing up, I absolutely hated my middle name. When people asked what my middle name was, I pretended I didn't know. I was embarrassed by it, probably because it didn't sound "normal." It isn't a middle name like "Thomas" or "Robert." I guess I was afraid I wouldn't fit in if I told my friends what my middle name was ... stupid, I guess.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Now, I love my middle name - I wouldn't change it for the world. I like that it's different ... and, God willing, if we ever have children, I would consider naming my son said name.

Onto the third question - I don't think I'd change my name. I'm comfortable with it - it's easy to spell, different enough that I don't know many people who have a first name spelled like mine ... at least not in the U.S. (Germany is a different story - the country is supersaturated with people with the same first name as me). I'd change my name to Mick Jagger if I'd have access to his bank account, though ... just sayin'.

Dope or Nope ...

I'm a big fan of dogs - I always have been. I like most dogs - especially German Shepherds, Akitas, Boxers, and Labrador Retrievers. Sure, these are all big dogs, but I like beagles, basset hounds, and many other smaller breeds.

But, I absolutely can't stand Chihuahuas. These aren't dogs - they are more like rats. But, all of these celebrities absolutely love them, and purchase multiple of these rodents in order to match with their purses.

Plus, these dogs shiver all the time, even in mid-summer. What's the deal with that? Also, they are nippers - they nip at your feet, and yip annoyingly all the time. For a little dog, they cause big headaches.

I gotta find out from you guys and gals. Chihuahuas - dope or nope?

80's Corner

One of the "endearing" things about the 1980's was the Bud Light beer commercials - prior to these commercials, the Lite Beer from Miller commercials featuring former pro athletes (Bert Jones, John Madden, etc.). Bud Light fought fire with fire, creating some really funny gems initially. Sadly, Bud-Light went too far with these commercials, much like most beer companies and automakers do to this day. Here are a couple pretty good ones:

Fast Food Corner

I'm disappointed - McDonalds hasn't sold its McRib sandwich for quite a while. Now, I'm not a big fan of the taste of this sandwich ... for the most part, it's ok, but I can't really determine what it tastes like (or what it's supposed to taste like, or be, even).

I just find the shape of the patty funny - I mean it looks like they tried to shape this processed meat into the shape of ribs. Not sure how this is supposed to help in the selling of the sandwich (and maybe that's why McDonalds has held off on reintroducing the sandwich).

But, you have to give it to those ad and marketing wizards - they really make you "want" to have this bland-tasting sandwich. Check out the commercial below and tell me that you don't want a McRib:

Song of the Week

The NHL hockey season has started up once again, and thanks to the EA Sports video-game commercial (for their hockey game), I can't seem to get a song out of my head. No, it's not a rock song, and it's not a very new song, but inexplicably, it's catchy. I think this song has been around in Canada for a long, long time, but only has gained some popularity in the US in the past 5 years or so.

The song itself is very folksy, with only a few instruments - maybe an electric guitar, a simple drum set, and a catchy chorus "Well the Good Ol' hockey game is the best game you can name, and the best game you can name is the good ol' hockey game." No, certainly not something Shakespeare would be envious of, but catchy nevertheless.

The "narrator" basically talks about a hockey game from start to finish in the song - again nothing ground-breaking, but still compelling for some reason. You can hear the song and see a hockey video here:

Bermuda - part 2

We had about two days to enjoy in Bermuda ... not nearly enough to fully experience the island, but more than enough to get a taste of it's majesty (yeah, I used the word majesty). Just a beautiful place - turquoise water, fabulously colored fish, lush plants and trees.

The first day, we took a ferry to St. George's. My wife and I went to Crystal Caves, and enjoyed the stalactites and stalagmites, and the 88 steps we had to traverse to get to them. We spent the second part of the day snorkeling at Tobacco Bay ... unfortunately, we forgot our underwater camera - we saw a really big Parrot Fish and many other fish.

The second day, we traveled to Horseshoe Bay - spent the morning swimming and snorkeling. Then, we hiked a trail that overlooked a bunch of coves along the beach - just beautiful scenery all around. The time flew, sadly.

Here are some pics of Bermuda:


One of the cool cave formations we saw.



Great pic of Tobacco Bay.



The Unfinished Church in St. Georges.



A beautiful shot of Horseshoe Bay



The coastline during our hike.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! I chose the following prompt this week: Find your one very favorite picture of Summer and write a poem about it.

The picture above is from a family trip of ours when I was 7 years old. I'm the one on the right, by the way ... the one sitting the goofiest. I'll always remember this trip to Arrowhead Campground near Myrtle Beach for so many reasons. First, my parents, aunt and uncle, and my two cousins all took the trip in one ... count 'em ... one station wagon. To say the going was a little tight would be like saying that Barry Bonds' head grew only a little bit over the years. Basically, my two cousins and I had to actually sit/lay on top of the luggage in the trunk ... which would break many laws today, but was apparently quite legal in the 1970's.

I also remember the campground, and our camper, and how close it was to the ocean. It was like pure heaven - we probably went to the beach 3 or 4 times a day, rode the waves on our union-jack rafts, and got crazy tans.

Which leads to the next thing I remember - we rode our rafts so much, that I got a rash all over my chest from all of the scraping whilst riding the waves on said raft. I had to spend the last part of the week riding the waves with a t-shirt on. I looked so cool!

I'm pretty sure the camper we "lived in" was a bit cramped - heck, we had 7 people sleeping in there, but it didn't seem to bother me. I remember the bathroom in the camper being quite small, but there was a community facility nearby that we were able to use, which made things a lot easier for the 7 of us.

I also remember crabbing a couple of days - we ended up tying rotten chicken around rope, and throwing the rope off of the dock into the water, and pulling in a ton of crabs. For some reason, I thought this was the greatest thing ever, however, at that age, I didn't have any appetite for crabs ... pretty much just hot dogs (thankfully, I've done a lot of growing up, and now LOVE crabs).

This picture just takes me back to a time when life was simpler and worry-free. Sigh.

80's Corner

Roller Skating rinks. Man, they were fun, weren't they? I'm talking about the ones in which you used your roller skates with the four wheels - not the in line skates. We had a roller skating rink right up the street from our grade school - I believe it was called "Skate Odyssey."

Many of my classmates had birthday parties at Skate Odyssey. I remember playing arcade games like Defender and Frogger whilst trying to stay balanced on my roller skates. I also remember skating around the "bowl" in my blue corduroy pants, listening to "We Got the Beat" by the GoGo's (I can't remember why it's this song that I remember most when I think of Skate Odyssey).

I was never great at roller skating, but I could hold my own. Sure, I fell a few times, but never anything serious or dramatic. But, one thing I do remember vividly is hearing the ambulance fly past our school on Mac Dade Blvd on it's way to the roller skating rink. It happened daily, and sometimes 3-4 times a day.

I guess that's really one of the reasons the place close - insurance prices were probably outrageous. Plus, the inline skating probably took away some of the "cool-ness" of the skating rink.

But man, at one time, THIS ... WAS ... THE ... PLACE! It was exciting to "slow-skate" with a girl, or play roller-tag around the entire facility.

Dope or Nope ...

There was a time when beer commercials were very, very funny. Who could forget those Bud Light commercials of the 1980's with the "Can I have a Light? A Bud Light" tagline, or the Spuds McKenzie commericals, "Wazzup" commercials, and the lizards. The commercials now are mediocre at best, and just down-right putrid.

The Coors Light commercials over the past few years in which they take a press conference of a former NFL coach, and make a spoof out of it makes me want to repeatedly stick a fork in my eyes. It was mildly annoying when I first saw it a few years ago. However, much to my dismay, the fine people of Coors have continued to ride this "Schtick." Heck, even the Chevy Silverado commercials think that the Coors press conference commercials are stale.

However, much to my surprise, a couple of my friends don't share my feelings. In fact, some of my friends even profess to find these commercials humorous. Not sure if I have to re-address my friends or if I need to re-address my thoughts about these commercials.

Anyway, what do you guys and gals think?

Song of the Week

After spending 5 days on a cruise line headed for Bermuda, all I have in my mind right now is Carribean/Reggae music. So, with that said, my song of the week SHOULD be some sort of reggae music, shouldn't it? Regardless ...

Peter Tosh is a reggae legend, and a trailblazer for the Rastafari movement (according to Wikipedia.com ... just a little background of Rastafari - Spiritual use of cannabis,[3][4] rejection of western society (called Babylon, which literally means "confusion"), and various Afrocentric social and political aspirations,[3][5] such as the sociopolitical views and teachings of Jamaican publicist, organizer, and black separatist Marcus Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet), inspired Leonard Howell to develop the foundations of this world view. Haile Selassie however, was in favor of a Westernized Ethiopia, introducing the first hospital and airport to his people. The Rastafari movement predominantly emerged in Jamaica in the 20th century, and it proclaims Africa (also "Zion") as the original place where the body of the first man was found.).

OK, so before he became involved in this extremist movement, he made some pretty darn good reggae music. In fact, he collaborated with the Rolling Stones at one point in time (and yes, this is how I found out about Tosh). He sang a song with Mick Jagger called "Don't Look Back," which was a remake of a Temptations song of the mid 1960's. Obviously, Tosh "Reggae-tized" the diddy, added some horns, steel drums, and a funky beat.

Just a sample of the lyrics:
If you just put your hand in mine
We're gonna leave all your troubles behind
keep on walkin' and don't look back.

This is obviously a lot more positive-sounding than many of the later songs that Tosh released. Tosh is the anti-Bob Marley in that Marley preached peace, while Tosh promoted militancy (probably not all that different than Martin Luther King and Malcolm X).

Here's the video of this song in case you're interested:

The Cruise ... part 1

Oh man, how did the time go by so quickly? Really? 6 days fly by like that? This went by faster than The Van Halen 3 experiment. I blinked, and it was over. How depressing ... yet, at the same point, that means we had fun. I figured I'd bring you a recap, but split it up into a couple of parts (hopefully, it's not boring).

We embarked on our trip Saturday morning - around 9:00 AM. My brother and I stopped at the bank to get some 1 dollar bills (for tipping! Get your minds out of the gutter!), then packed the car, and traveled to Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast, before heading out to I-95. The morning was crisp, yet the bright sunlight hinted towards a fantastic trip ahead.

We arrived in Bayonne (just outside of New York City) in just under two hours, unpacked our luggage, and boarded the ship with little hassle. In no time, we were in the "Wind-Jammer" enjoying a lunch buffet. The food at the Wind Jammer was ok - nothing to write home about, but not all that bad, either. After lunch, we took a quick tour of our ship - Royal Carribean's "Explorer of the Seas." This ship is a mammouth - if you stood the sucker up, it is almost the size of the Empire State Building. Wow! It's like a miniature city in there, complete with a number of bars, shopping, restaurants, and even it's own casino! Additionally, this ship comes with a miniature golf course, a rock-climbing wall, in-line skating rink, and a number of pools and hot-tubs! Just awesome!

The trip down to Bermuda was choppy, bumpy, wavy, and cold. Thankfully, the wife and I did not get sea-sick ... but a lot of other people on the ship did. Anyway, this gave us the opportunity to really experience the ship's other offerings. We relaxed in the spa, we participated in a lot of trivia contests, certainly we enjoyed many of the fantastic drinks, and we ate ... OH BOY DID WE EAT! Breakfast buffet ... CHECK! Lunch buffet ... CHECK! A couple of slices of pizza and/or a cookie to hold us over before dinner ... CHECK! And then dinner itself - just a delicious feast ... I probably would've gained a whole lot of weight, had it not been for all of the walking, hiking, swimming, skating, and yes, even rock-climbing. Below are some pics from the first few days - enjoy!


Our Ship as we approach it!



Boarding the ship!



A scantily clad mannequin welcoming us to the casino!


The view from our room (Promenade windows!)


Playing Horse!


My brother blocking the heliopad.


The view of New York City from the ship.



Going under the bridge.

Fast Food Corner

We used to have a couple of Roy Rogers fast food restaurants in the Philly area. All have seemed to disappear in the past 20 years or so. There were a couple of neat things about Roy's restaurant. First, Mr. Rogers had MANY choices - you could get a burger, roast beef sandwich, or even a bucket of chicken - this is sadly unheard of today in the area I live in (I think Wendy's may offer fried chicken in Baltimore and south, but not in the Philly area).

Second, Roy had the "Free Fixin's Bar." Here, you could top your sandwich with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and other toppings - truly having it your way. This seemed like a great idea to me up to a few years ago. But, the more I think about it, maybe this isn't such a good thing - think about all of those nasty people sticking their nasty unwashed hands in the fixin's bar, or sneezing on the lettuce. I guess in that sense, this isn't such a good thing. But still ...

I miss ya, Roy - come back to Philly!

Weird Thought

My wife and I were having a conversation a few weeks ago regarding Hitler's mustache, and the fact that this will never come in style again because of the atrocities that Hitler committed. For some reason (beer), we started wondering "what if."

For instance, what if Hitler had mutton-chops? Would mutton-chops not be cool (not saying that they're cool now, but you know). What about a goatee? Or a soul patch?

Then, we came up with a different idea ... it's a shame Hitler didn't have a mullet ... jerk.

Dope or Nope...

Everybody loves hot wings ... or at least, everybody SHOULD love hot wings. I am a traditionalist - I like to dip my wings in blue-cheese dressing. However, some people actually like dipping wings in ranch dressing.

This doesn't fly well with me (no pun intended). This is like going to a sushi restaurant and ordering chicken teriyaki. I am so nope to this. I just need to know why people would even consider ruining the entire hot wing experience by doing this.

Please, enlighten me.

80's Corner

Heff, I'm not sure if this was created or sold prior to the 80's, but to me, it is all 1980's. The Etch-a-Sketch was kind of like the first "graphic-design" software ... or not. Well, it certainly wasn't for me. I wasn't very creative when it came to the Etch-a-Sketch. However, it didn't prevent me from playing with the Etch-A-Sketch for hours and hours at a time.

Sure, all I ever did was make simple looking houses for the most part, or just weird, ergonomically incorrect scribbles, but it was a creative release for my growing mind.

The cool part is that this toy is still popular to this day. Mr. A-Sketch made a killing on this.

Fast Food Corner

In addition to numerous fast food chains, Delaware County has some really great local fast-food joints. One of my favorites is Zac's Burgers. The fast food haven has grown tremendously in popularity in the past 10 years or so, opening 6 restaurants in the area.

They specialize in burgers - think Wendy's, but better. Sure, the price is a little higher, but you just get the feeling that they put a little more TLC in their burgers, and use fresher ingredients.

Plus, these guys have FANTASTIC milkshakes. It's as if they invented them.

What I'm trying to say is that if you find yourself in the Philadelphia area and are not in the mood for cheese-steaks, maybe you should take it upon yourself to find Zac's, and have a burger. You can thank me later.

Song of the Week

Have ever had an experience in which you've heard a song from a group that you are luke-warm to, but the song all of the sudden makes you a big fan of the group? This happened to me with the band "The Kooks." The Kooks are an indie rock band, that probably has some power-pop influences to them. Initially, their songs sound a little to "happy," or at least that's what I thought. Sure, I could listen to them, but I never really felt like I had to dive deeper into this band ... until!

"Always Where I Need to Be" is a tune that sounds similar to some of Rooney's remarkably addicting songs. The song has a great opening riff, good vocals, a "doo-doo-do-do" chorus that refuses to leave your skull, even long after the song is over. My god, I could listen to this song for an hour straight.

Just a fun, song - check it out below, and tell me you're not tapping your toes.

Cruisin!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am going on my first cruise, starting this Saturday. I'll be gone for a week. But don't worry - I've loaded my blog site with pending posts to help you cope with my absence. I apologize in advance for not coming to visit your blogs next week - I promise I'll make it up to you.

Anyway - we're going on a cruise to Bermuda - it's a 6-day, 5-night cruise, and we are sailing out of New York on Royal Carribean. Like I've said, I have never experienced cruising, but it sounds awesome! I mean, we have rock-climbing, ice-skating, roller-blading, casino, pool lots of bars, and great food. How can this miss?

Plus, we're going to the tropic destination of Bermuda - how cool is that? We'll be there two days - and I'm sure I'll have tons of great stories (and a great sun-burn) to share ... that is, of course, unless we run into a hurricane (hey, no wonder the prices are so low - we're smack in the middle of hurricane season ... this can't end good!).

Wish me luck! I'll be back with pics and great stories to update you on!

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the prompt - If you were a super hero, what would your super power be and why?

I've never been into super heroes too much ... I mean, sure, I thought Superman, Batman and Spiderman were cool, but I never really collected comic books, or followed them much outside of cartoons. But, seriously, who doesn't want to be a super-hero?

Here's a list of potential super heroes I could be:
* Pull My Finger Man - My wife would probably submit this one, because of the large amounts of gas I bring home with me from work.
* Sarcasto! - I'm a sarcastic person ... just about all the time ... so, my super power would be to overwhelm the villain with sarcasm ... not sure how this would play out, though.
* The Masked Fast-Foodinator - I'd fill the criminals with so much fast food, their arteries would harden. Mild mannered fry chef during the day, The Masked Fast-Foodinator at night!
* Beer Man - "Filling up empty glasses coast-to-coast!" I'd probably be the most popular super-hero!
* The Schu-plattler - A German folk dancer, I would kick and punch my way to victory via songs from Oberkraner Power and The Happy Austrians!

Dope or Nope ...

Aluminum Baseball Bats ... they are used in little leagues, all the way up through college. But they are not used in the pros.

I hate watching college baseball, mainly because of that annoying ting of the bat. It doesn't sound like baseball to me. Yet, when I was a kid, I loved using aluminum bats - they were lighter and it seemed I could hit the ball farther with those bats.

So, I guess I'm torn by it. I hate watching people use aluminum bats, but I like using them. I guess, if I had to choose a side, I'd be a "nope." What about you guys?

80's Corner

What's the one thing that most people remember about the 80's? My guess would be the Mullet. It took the U.S. by storm, lasted about 5 years or so, and now is about as popular has the Hitler mustache ... that is, of course, unless you are a huge hockey fan ... or a country music buff (sounds to me like the mullet either never died here, or never fully went away ... like an annoying cock-roach colony).

I sported a mullet of sorts in the late 1980's ... Sadly (or not), I was never able to don a full mullet, because my hair was far too curly - not a good thing when it comes to mullet-sporting.

The classic tag-line of the mullet was "Business in the front, party in the back." It went well with acid-washed jeans and sneakers without shoelaces.

Fast Food Corner

There was a time in the late 80's and early 90's where fast food chicken restaurants were disappearing from the greater Delaware County area. Sure, we still had our KFC, but other places like Popeyes, Church's, and Genos faded faster than The Dallas Cowboys do in December.

That trend has changed the past two years. Yep, Popeyes has come back with authority, opening numerous restaurants in the area, thus challenging the almighty Colonel. Now, a Church's Chicken just opened up in Woodlyn. With the tremendously positive experience I had at Popeye's, I'm looking forward to giving Church's a whirl. In the coming weeks, I'll have a full recap of the experience. Thank me later.

Song of the Week

Does it Offend You, Yeah? is a British electronic pop band. Their band name is weird, and their videos are even stranger. But they make damn good music. They are compared to bands like the Killers and Daft Punk, but to me, they sound a lot like the 1980's synth pop bands. They do add their own touches to this "genre" that seems to be making a major comeback in the alt-rock arena.

The song I can't get out of my head when I hear it is called "Dawn of the Dead." The funny part about this song title is that I don't think they even say those words at all. Still, the song is addicting, weaving in synth pop sounds that work, with a voice that probably could've been the lead of bands like New Order, The Fixx, or Erasure.

This diddy also adds an addicting chorus that will rattle and roll in your head for hours at a time (like it's doing to me right now).

Check out this "interesting" video here.

Song of the Week

I stumbled across this band whilst listening to the Slacker (by the way, if you don't have a Slacker, or use the software on either your computer or your smart-phone, you don't know what you're missing. Anyway, the band is named "The Whigs." I like this name ... probably because one of my all-time favorite bands was called "The Afghan Whigs." The Whigs really don't sound much like the Afghan Whigs - they are more along the lines of Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, and The Killers - you know, newish alt-rock.

They have many addicting songs, lots of great hooks, and just fun-sounding music. Traditional 60's era drum sounds, simplistic, yet catchy. It really doesn't matter how simple or complex it is, as long as it's good. Anyway, the song I can't get out of my head is their song "I Never Want to Go Home." It can't be found on either of their two albums, but can be downloaded. I highly recommend it. You can sample it here.

The story surrounding this band is really interesting, especially how they created their first album. If you want to read more, go here.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the prompt: Your Fall favorites.

I love the fall - I always have! Even when I was a kid, having to go back to school, I loved it. I loved playing soccer. I loved the chilly nights ... able to see my breath in the mornings on my way to school. I loved the leaf piles that I would always jump in.

Now that I'm older, I love the fall for different reasons. Sure, I enjoy seeing the leaves change color, and eventually fall (although I'm not a big fan of raking the leaves).

I especially love the sports that overtake the fall - college and pro football, baseball playoffs, the start of the hockey season.

I love the holidays in the fall - I love Halloween, and dressing up for Halloween to this very day. I enjoy Thanksgiving - seeing and hanging out with family (and of course, watching football!).

I like wearing jeans - I've liked them as far back as I can remember ... probably because I wanted to be like The Fonz back in the day. Now, I just think they're comfortable. I like sweat pants too, and tend to lounge in them for weekends at a time.

Truth is, I probably like all the seasons for different reasons.

Dope or Nope

This one comes from the movie, PCU, a movie that came out in the early 1990's about college-life ... sure, it wasn't as good as Animal House, but still definitely worth the watch. In the movie, Jeremy Piven's character says something along the lines of, "Don't be that guy!" to a fellow fraternity member who had on a shirt with the rock band he was about to go see. So, I ask you this - do you agree with this statement? In other words, is it uncool to wear a shirt with the band name to a concert featuring that particular band?

I don't know if I've ever done that before, but I don't really think it's that big of a deal. I mean, really? That's a no-no? Then, why even bother selling shirts at those concerts? What's the problem with this anyway?

80's Corner

Acid-Washed Jeans ... need I say more? Oh, I do? OK - well then! This phenomenon took America by storm in the 80's. Basically, you take jeans, wash them in acid until they fade or, better yet, start getting rips or holes in them. I had all kinds of these jeans ... I loved them, but they never seemed to last very long, usually the holes in them would rip further the more times they were washed, usually leaving you with something that resembled blue spaghetti. But, man did I love these jeans - made me look cool (especially with that electric blue Oakley jacket!).

Fast Food Corner

So, what exactly is your definition of fast food? Most likely, you're definition will have something along the lines of getting food fast. Well, if that's indeed the case, I think Taco Bell no longer qualifies as fast food. Let me explain.

This past Friday, my brother, his wife, and I went to Taco Bell to pick up fast food for Fast Food Friday (still awaiting a copyright for that). We get there, and order our food. I am not making this up when I say it took about 20 minutes for us to get our food. 20 minutes! We could've gone to a more "authentic" Mexican restaurant and gotten our order in less than that time. 20 minutes! Really? How can that even be justified?

Seriously, Taco Bell. If the reason you can't get my food to me quicker than in 20 minutes is because your prices are so low, then I suggest you add 10 cents to the price of everything and pick up the pace. I have always liked your food, from a fast food standpoint. But, I can't justify ever going back (this has happened more than once, by the way).

We'll Never Forget ...

Eight years ... has it really been that long? It feels like yesterday sometimes. You know, "when our innocence was lost?" El Padrino, a New Yorker, put together a great post about 9-11, and his experiences and feelings. I think his blog captures it all so well.

I commented on his blog that I'll never forget where I was or what I was doing. I had been in work (at Penn State Delaware County) a little less than an hour, when my co-worker, Deb, came in and announced that my boss, Joe, was coming in late - he was following a story about a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. I immediately thought it was a small, private plane. I had no idea of the magnitude of this story.

I immediately clicked on cnn.com, and began following the story. With every passing minute, the story got more and more grave and serious. Then, a second plane crashed into the tower. My god, we're being attacked! Is this even possible? By this point, I couldn't even click on cnn.com - so many people were getting their news from there that the site was crashing. I ended up going to the BBC website to get my updates ... just surreal.

I remember going to the cafeteria because that was the only place that had an external tv feed. I watched in horror, and even remember saying to Deb, "these buildings are going to fall." I don't even know why I said it, but I just knew. Sure enough, the impossible happened.

I remember following this story all day (and then all week, and then all month, etc.). I remember hearing of the other planes. I remember worrying that my girlfriend was in trouble because she worked in Philly. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

My god, has it really been 8 years already?

By the way, if you haven't had a chance, read this article.

Retro

I was going through my old website, and came across a pretty funny guest post from "Mung." I figured I'd share it with you:

My secretary loves crack
I am not wearing a belt today. This is problematic. You see, I got up early and went to the gym before work. This, in and of itself surprises many of you, I am sure. Regardless, I packed up my work clothes (casual Friday, you know…) and headed off. After I worked out, I took a shower. I used soap. As I got dressed, I realized that I did not bring a belt with me. Normally, my moderate heft aids in keeping my pants up, but today, the situation is a little different. I have on a this neato pair of pants that have this revolutionary new Teflon© coating on them to help with stains. Yes, any kind of stain. I also have a shirt on that I took to the cleaners and had laundered and starched. It is a fairly fine grade cotton button-down shirt. The problem arises in that I have this fairly smooth shirt tucked into these slippery-ass pants and let me tell you…things are not working out. My pants keep falling down like a fried egg flies out of Inga's (Los's mom) bacon-grease soaked frying pan. I think our secretary caught a little glimpse o’ me crack!

F- Canada
Not a big hockey fan, but I caught an article about our National Anthem being booed at the Islanders- Canadiens game the other night. F- those morons. Can you say, “52nd State?” I only know like one or two Canadians and as far as I remember, they were not real bright. When I was a kid, there was this Canadian guy that, every summer, would drive from like somewhere in the taiga of Quebec down to my parents house to collect persimmons out of this tree in our yard. He apparently knew the dead people who lived there before us. He was really odd and drove a Renault and had a blue tint to his face. He was such a dick…just showing up and shaking our persimmon tree. FYI, the persimmon is a gooey, apricot like fruit sans the pit. It is like a small, silicone breast implant, but it is pink. Anyway, I’m like, “dude, those stupid ass fruits keep falling out of that tree onto my Datsun. What’s the deal?” He just ignored me and kept shaking. Parlez vous English, blue face? I thought it was cool when my parents built a deck and we had to cut down the persimmon tree. Though they did not think about it at the time, I could not wait for Jacques Thibeaut to roll in with his little fag French car and look for the persimmon tree, only to see a nice new deck built where it once stood.

I agree with Los, finally
Though I do not wax sentimental as much as Los does about our college years, I was thinking today about one specific thing. It was late spring, 1994. We decided to have a party at the fabled apartment in Cedarbrook. I don’t know where we came up with this figure or what made us think we could do it, but we bought 11 f-in kegs of beer. I remember Grubb dismounting Rachel long enough to take us down to Nittany beverage and filling his little Chevy truck with 11 kegs. I also remember bringing them into the apartment and just sitting them around, in no particular pattern, to be tapped when one of the others ran out. I think we used like 900 cups that day. There were people from 28 states and 7 countries there. It was just the most surreal thing when I look back it. I remember around 11 o’clock or so at night, we sang happy birthday to someone, and just as it ended, the opening riffs of “Crackerman” by Stone Temple Pilots tore out of the speakers at the perfect time. Freehauf dove off the bar. The next morning, the sweet stench of stale beer and cigarettes still permeated the apartment. I woke up alone, wondering if it was Durff or Grubb or Matt Scott who had violated my girlfriend that night. But, I did not care. We had rocked.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week I chose the following prompt: Transcribe a recent entertaining conversation you recently had with someone.

Oh boy ... I have many entertaining conversations with many people on almost a daily basis. One that really sticks out is a conversation I had with a close friend via text-messaging (cell phone) regarding the Michael Vick signing in Philadelphia. A few things to keep in mind - my friend is as stubborn as a mule (so am I). Also, he is so far right politically, that fascists think he's nuts.

Anyway, here goes:

Ray-Ray: I gotta find another team to root for, now that Vick is with the Eagles.
Me: I'm not thrilled with the move, but I'm sticking with the Birds.
Ray-Ray: How can you possibly even consider doing that with that criminal Vick on the team?
Me: Let me preface this by saying I wish the Eagles didn't make the move. However, I'm willing to take a wait and see approach with this.
Ray-Ray: That's absolutely ridiculous. That guy doesn't deserve a second chance anywhere, after killing all those dogs via electrocution, hanging, etc.
Me: It's not up to me to decide that. Besides, he did his time. I think he deserves a second chance. If he screws this up, the Eagles will suffer, anyway.
Ray-Ray: So, do you think Hitler deserved a second chance?
Me: Really? Are we comparing Vick to Hitler now?
Ray-Ray: Well ... not exactly.
Me: So, let me get this straight. Nobody deserves a second chance. Is that it? So, when Rush Limbaugh was caught buying Oxycontin black-market style, should he have been given a second chance?
Ray-Ray: Rush wasn't given a second chance. He started up his own radio show.
Me: Sounds to me like he got a second chance.
Ray-Ray: So, if Vick had killed 30 million dogs, would that have been enough for you?
Me: Really? Another Hitler reference?

And on and on it went. If any of you know me or Ray-Ray, you know it is practically impossible to sway us with logic ... as hopefully was demonstrated here.

Dope or Nope ...

Here's one that will probably stir up some serious conversation/argument. Pizza crust. Some people can't get enough of it, while other leave it to the side, wanting instead to save room for more of the actual pizza.

I'm of the belief that pizza crust is absolutely delicious and essential. People who refuse to eat the pizza crust are not true pizza eaters in my humble opinion. The crust of the pizza is like the skin of fried chicken ... ya gotta eat it! It's delicious!

I eat the pizza crust plain, but I don't mind dipping it into sauces like pizza sause, or garlic sauce, or butter sauce .... great, I just drooled on myself. I however, think adding cheese to the inside of the crust (like Pizza Hut does) is overkill ... there's already enough cheese on the actual pizza.

80's Corner

As a young Los, wading his way through his early life, Los's Mom introduced him to a magical juice that came in a pouch ... one in which Los had to craftily punch a hole in said pouch with a flimsy plastic straw that broke more times than it should've. The juice? Capri Sun, of course!

At the time, it was unlike any packaging juice has ever seen ... sure, we had bottles, cans, and even boxes ... but no, that wasn't enough. The fine makers of Capri Sun decided it was important ... no, vital to introduce another end-point for juice ... some sort of metallic-looking pouch that was nearly impossible to open. In order to pierce this metal, one had to provide quite a bit of force and velocity to the attached straw. If you broke the straw, you were SOL. I think I may have used scissors once or twice, but what's the point of doing this? You'd have to pour the contents into a glass afterwards, defeating the entire purpose.

Once you got your straw in, you sucked away, creating perfect suction, as the juice left the bag. If you were daring enough, you could squeeze the pouch and try to catch the juice shooting out with your mouth ... or just shoot your friends with it. Brings back so many memories ... they should probably make adult alcohol Capri Sun ... nah, maybe they shouldn't.

Fast Food Corner

Not sure if anybody read this story recently, but the founder of Papa John's Pizza apparently went through an exhaustive search to find his 1971 Camaro he sold to start up his pizza franchise in 1983. Considering how successful Papa John's has been, I think he made the right choice in selling his car.

I'm guessing he really, really missed it, because he ended up paying about 250,000 for said Camaro. I guess more amazing is that the car still looks and runs great!

Just a side note about Papa John's - it's a very creative and front-thinking pizza restaurant. Did you know that they were the first national chain to create an online "tool" that allows people to order pizza ... this was back in 2002, by the way.

I've only had Papa John's once or twice ... it's really good pizza, but we tend to order from mom and pop shops in the area. We're loyal like that.


You can read about the story here.

Song of the Week

The song starts off with a driving drumbeat, and a chorus of "Read all the pamphlets ... and watch the tapes." It's a sound you'd probably expect to hear off a Ramones' album. However, the LCD Soundsystem diddy quickly turns to more of a disco sound, without truly abandoning the punks undertone ... quite a fusion. It's a song you'd probably hear at a night-club, but wouldn't be out of place at a bar.

Catchy hooks, and choruses - this song probably isn't radio clean enough, but is catchy nevertheless. The chorus is very catchy, looks like it was influenced by Warren Zevon's Warewolves in London, and the baseline is strong and powerful ... lots of synthesizers, but they work well.

The song ends much like it begins, with everything fading but the "Read all the pamphlets, and watch the tapes" over the same driving drum beat.

Couldn't find the video, but here's the song in case you're interested.

Can It!!!

Penn State recently announced that tailgaters who are tailgating on the grass are no longer allowed to drink beer in bottles. In fact, tailgaters are no longer allowed to bring any bottles whatsoever onto any fields where they are tailgating. They are only allowed to bring cans. According to the story in Philly.com, "Officials say it's a safety issue for children, students and animals that use the field the rest of the year."

However, tailgaters who are tailgating on concrete are still allowed to drink from bottles. That makes a lot of sense ... about as much sense as Brett Favre's retirement/unretirement flip flops. I mean, wouldn't it be more dangerous to drop a bottle on concrete than it would be to drop a bottle on grass? Plus, do you think a drunk tailgater would be less likely to discard a can on the field over a bottle?

These Penn Sate policymakers are well on their way to lucrative government positions.

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment! This week, I chose the prompt: Share your friendly advice for someone you think needs it.

For those of you people who are fans of sports teams you have no connection with ... i.e. you never lived in or around the city of the team, you never went to that team's college, OR you didn't have close family who attended there ... you are NOT A REAL SPORTS FAN!

I'm talking to you, you Notre Dame fans who live nowhere near South Bend ... who just seem to like the team because ... well, because you're either Catholic or Irish. I'm sorry, you aren't a true fan. I have enjoyed the past few years in which the Irish have looked about as bad as the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's been great not having to listen to you gloat about a team you have no real connection with.

I'm talking to you Yankees fans who probably haven't even stepped foot in New York. Seriously, did you buy your Lakers Kobe jersey this past summer? How 'bout those Penguins? Gotta love the Gators, right? You're a fair-weather fan, and I have no respect for you.

I'm talking to you Cowboys fans! Oh, I'm sorry. The home-team wasn't doing so well when you began following Jerry's kids? No excuse. A true fan sticks by his (and her) team through thick and thin ... that's part of what being a fan is all about. I hate you.

Do me a favor (seriously, humor me) - Read Rick Reilly's column on espn.com. He says it far better than I ever could.

Dope or Nope ...

Here's a topic near and dear to my heart - Pro Wrestling. It has experienced several highs and lows over the past 25 years or so. Who can forget the "Rock and Wrestling" era of the mid 1980's, or the Monday Night Wars of the 1990's? What about the tragedy around Chris Benoit, and the deaths of several wrestlers in the past 10 years, that brings up issues with wrestling policies?

I have no idea why, but I enjoy watching and following wrestling. I've been a fan for more than 25 years, and tend to be like an encyclopedia when it comes to wrestling history. I think it's an escape from reality ... much like people watching American Idol or NASCAR. Maybe I'm just fooling myself.

So, what do you think of pro wrestling?

80's Corner

I remember it clear as day ... being down on the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach, walking past one of those "Wings" clothing stores ... seeing that electric blue Oakley windbreaker on sale for $15. I immediately fell in love. I eagerly purchased that sucker and wore it for years ... long after it went out of style, unfortunately.

And yes, I still own that windbreaker ... and eagerly await the day that the style gods once again look kindly upon said loud jacket. One day .... one day I'll be back on top of the fashion world ... one day!

Fast Food Corner

This may not be "fast food," but I couldn't pass up writing about this. I'm a big fan of Andy Capp's Hot Fries ... great alternative to potato chips, and has a strong nostril-stinging taste. Just a well seasoned "chip."

Recently at work, I noticed Andy Capp's Hot Chili Cheese Steak fries. I was hungry ... had a dollar burning a hole in my pocket, so I decided to give these fries a go. Folks, this may have been one of the worst decisions I've ever made.

How can a company sell a product that tastes so absolutely terrible. I got through 3 fries before I gave up ... and, when it comes to chips and fries, I don't give up that easily. The taste can be compared to mixing vinegar with feces. Sadly, that taste lingers in your mouth even after eating three breath mints. I'm just wondering who at the fine Andy Capp company green-lighted this disaster. It's embarrassing, and you guys are better than that ... aren't you?

Song of the Week

I love listening to newer music ... most of the time, I'll enjoy a song or two from a band, but in rare occasions, some bands intrigue me enough to follow them more closely. It happened with Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Electric Six, Orson, and the Virgins. And, I think I'll probably be adding this band to that list - The Shout Out Louds.

They have a raw, unfinished sound to them, with a lead singer who's voice tends to crack at times - certainly, not something you'd see on American Idol (which is a really good thing, by the way). The song that got me hooked on the band is called "The Comeback," and no, it's not a remix of that L.L. Cool J. song.

The diddy starts of with a countdown sound, something you've probably heard on an Atari 2600 game. This "instrument" probably isn't all that different than what the Cars used (again, a good thing). There's nothing that really sticks out about this tune, it just flows nicely. The words seem to be a bit sad - apparently about a guy who just got through a bad breakup, and is at wit's end. Ironically, the chorus talks about making this a comeback, even though he sounds sad and depressed the entire time ... irony can be intriguing, I guess.

The chorus itself is catchy, and the repetitive guitar and drums hearkens to a rock/pop and punk mix. With all of that overproduced emo stuff, this song and the band in general is refreshing.

Here's the video in case you're interested:

Dope or Nope ...

Iced coffees have become a large trend over the past number of years. We've even seen franchises like Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds heavily promoting these ... especially in the summer-time. Apparently, there is a large market for these.

I'm really perplexed by this. I love coffee ... I'm not a coffee snob, though. I probably couldn't tell you the difference between Starbucks coffee and Dunkin Donuts coffee (or McDonalds coffee for that matter). I also like my coffee pretty plain - with some cream/milk and sugar/sweet and low. Sure, I'll get crazy sometimes and put some french vanilla cream or Hazelnut cream in there, but that's about it. I'm digressing ...

Here's the thing. I like my coffee hot. I'm not crazy about it cold. I certainly don't like coffee flavored ice cream. And iced-coffee doesn't sound refreshing to me in the least. If I have something iced, juice, soda, water, and beer sound WAY more refreshing to me. Iced coffee is a BIG NOPE for me.

So, what do you think?

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment! This week, I chose the following prompt: How did you break it?

I remember it clear as day. I was probably about 10 years old, in the basement with some friends playing a game we recently made up. It was called, conveniently enough, "Poopie Pond." The gist of the game was that you could jump on furniture and other items on the ground (we placed these in strategic locations to get across the basement). If you touched the actual ground, you became the "Poopie Monster." Childish? Probably. But, for some reason it was fun ... until ...

I was jumping up and down on a chair, and accidentally hit my head on one of my mom's prized China plates ... she has these hanging all over the basement. Unfortunately, the China plate released from the wall, and broke into about 3 big pieces on the ground. I immediately held my ears ... I knew that Inga (my mom) would be hustling downstairs, screaming at the top of her lungs in no time ... I sat there for what felt like 15 minutes, but was actually probably closer to one minute ... no mom.

She had gone outside for one reason or another. That's when I sprung into action. I found a bottle of Elmer's glue, and reconstructed the China plate. I hid it for about a day, allowing it to seal ... and somehow, it worked! My mom never found out it was me who broke the China plate. Actually, she didn't notice that it was broken for years. When she finally saw it, she figured it was probably Erwin (my dad) who did it.

I never owned up to it ... and truthfully, I don't feel so bad about it. Inga probably would've kicked my butt! This moment also brought the end of the immensely popular Poopie Pond game ... sigh.

"Hand Food"

A few weekends ago, the wife and I went over to her parents house to hang out, swim in the pool, and basically enjoy a beautiful Saturday. While we were there, Schue's mom asked if she should pick something up for dinner. Never being one to say no to food, I told her that I thought this was a great idea. My thought was we'd either order some pizza, or maybe make burgers and dogs on the grill ... you know, a typical summertime weekend dinner.

Schue's mom, bless her heart, had other ideas. She went to the supermarket, purchased pasta and clams, and ended up cooking up some sort of spaghetti dinner that seemed to take more time than needed to do. I love Schue's mom's cooking, and this dinner was quite good. However, I had an issue with it - why cook some sort of fancy spaghetti dinner that we had to eat inside, when you could've cooked something we could enjoy outside?

I would've much preferred a simpler dinner that I could maybe eat in the pool if I wanted to ... I explained this to my wife as "hand food." Hand Food, according to Los's dictionary, is food you can hold and eat without the need for a plate, bowl, or utensils.

The funny part is that we were all commenting on how wonderful it was outside, and how the pool cooled us off nicely. So, what do we do? We go inside and eat spaghetti. I mean, shouldn't this be food you make when you come home from Christmas shopping? I felt like I should be wearing some scratchy sweater whilst eating this dinner.

Anyway, I've probably over-analyzed this ... the dinner was good. I guess that's the main point.

80's Corner

The absolute explosion in the video game market today reminds me of a similar explosion in the early 1980's. Popular consoles of the time included the Atari 2600 (Yes Heff, I do realize it was introduced in the 1970's), the Intellivision, and Colecovision. I was partial to the Atari because ... well, I had an Atari. But, with the increases in video game technology, the Atari just wasn't keeping up, and I needed to make a decision on which new console my parents would purchase for me for Christmas ... well, it wasn't quite like that.

I had to sell them on the idea of getting me a new concept. I began reading up on the Commodore 64 ... essentially a personal computer ... a personal computer that had major gaming possibilities. I sold my parents on my need for a personal computer, and somehow, they agreed with me.

So, did I use the Commodore as a personal computer? Nope, not really. Sure, I had some programs that allowed me to use it as a word processor, but that's really as far as I got into "that" side of it.

No, I used and abused the Commodore 64 as a gaming system. First, I purchased cartridges .... then, I got a tape player and purchased tapes. Then, I got the disk drive that used those annoyingly big and floppy 5 1/4 inch disks. I purchased a number of games initially, but then discovered a whole new "Commodore 64 culture," in which people "shared" pirate disks and games ... I remember trading these pirate disks and disks of games with numerous people in high school ... it was kind of like a social site like Napster, but without the "online" part of it.

I loved it ... I loved the Commodore 64. Sure, it took like 10 minutes to load games, but I didn't mind (much). I would just make a sandwich or something while the game was loading. Man, I miss the Commodore 64!

Song of the Week

I've never been a huge Pearl Jam fan. I was in college when "Ten," along with the entire "Grunge Revolution" took over the airwaves ... and I fought this revolution tooth and nail because ... well ... I'm not really sure why. I was (and still continue to be) a classic rock and roll fan - The Rolling Stones are like gods to me (OK, maybe not like Gods ... but like really cool people or something). I guess I felt that this new genre threatened classic rock in some way ... and, at the time, I was stubborn to listening to new music.

I've become much, much more open to new finding and discovering new music ... I started listening to the Killers, The Bravery and Franz Ferdinand long before they became "main-stream." But, I digress.

I've gained a respect for the grunge era, and enjoy listening to music from Soundgarden, STP, Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, and yes, even Pearl Jam. But, Pearl Jam's music never fully resonated with me - I can't listen to the entire Ten album, and my favorite song of Pearl Jam has always been Rear View Mirror, because it had more of a driving beat (unlike many of the normal Pearl Jam Songs).

With the release of Pearl Jam's new single, "The Fixer," I might have to rethink what my favorite Pearl Jam song is. Vedder went away from the dreary songs, and put together a much more upbeat diddy, using more melodies, background hooks, and even great choruses, similar to some of the Stones hits (and that's probably why I really like this Pearl Jam effort).

Pearl Jam seems to be embracing the pop-rock format, and probably decided they needed to compete with bands like U2, Jet, and The Killers ... and I applaud it. I'm sure there are a bunch of flannel wearing fans who hate this "re-imagining" by Pearl Jam, but I, for one, am happy they've at least experimented with a different sound.

You can hear the song right here:

Fast Food Corner

In the quest for the most unhealthy and delicious foods available to man (and woman), I have discovered a worthy candidate (thanks to Jeff!). According to this web site, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has a sandwich called the "Double Down." It apparently consists of two fried chicken fillets serving as the "buns" of the sandwich. The chicken fillets house a combination of bacon, cheese and the Colonel's "special sauce."

I've never seen a commercial for this amazing sandwich concept, and I can't seem to find any mention of it on KFC.com. However, there might be some sort of pilot going on in Omaha. Here's to hoping it is successful, because I NEED to try it ... at least once in my life ... and quite honestly, I'm not really excited about traveling to Omaha ... for any reason.

Just a brilliant concept all around - fried chicken breasts being used as buns ?!?!?!? Yes, please! Add some bacon in the center?!?!? You betcha! Slather some cheese on it??!???! OK! Finish it off with the Colonel's Secret Sauce?!??!?!? Much like Chinese Food, I don't need to know what it is, exactly, as long as I like it.

On a side note, I wonder how the fried chicken buns would taste with a burger in the middle.

Dope or Nope ...

I've been hearing more and more people using the term "Cheers." I think Cheers is OK to use whilst toasting something/someone with a shot. I totally understand that. However, I'm hearing more people use the term in other situations ... and I'm not sure I like it. Maybe in England it's ok to do this, but what about the States?

I've heard people use the term "Cheers" to thank somebody, or to say hello/goodbye, or even use the term when somebody produces a zinger. If I made a funny comment at or about somebody, another person would say, "Cheers."

I'm not on the fence about this at all. Folks, I HATE, HATE, HATE THIS!!!! Nope may not be a strong enough word for me. I think people think the term "Cheers" is trendy. NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!!!! It's not trendy. It stings the nostrils! Stop saying it, darn it!!!!!

So, how do you feel?

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time again for Mama Kat's weekly homework assignment! I had a tough time picking a topic this week, as most had to do with experiences with babies (not a father ... yet).

Anyway, I chose the following: Hi, my name is ______ and I am a _______.

Hi, My name is Los, and I am an infomercial-aholic. When an infomercial is on tv, I'm glued to the set. I watch intently, and convince myself that I need what that amazing salesperson is selling. Billy Mays (when he was still living) could've probably sold me a turd. I guess, even though he's dead, he'd probably still be able to sell me on something.

I'm wondering who's going to replace Billy. This is a turbulent time in the infomercial industry ... a time for someone else to possibly step up. I certainly am not a fan of the older lady who sells those cooking devices ... and the guy who pushes the Sham-Wow is kind of appealing, I guess ... but there's something I don't trust about him. Maybe it's the headset he constantly wears, or maybe it's because he doesn't have a beard. Possibly, it's because he continually reminds me that, "Look, I can't make this offer all day." That hearkens too much to a used-car salesman.

Maybe Ron Popeil will climb back to the top of infomercial-land ... although, he's getting up in age, and I end up looking more intently at his wrinkles than I do at what he's selling. Perhaps, he should peddle some sort of skin cream ... just a thought.

Anyway, these are uncertain times for infomercial lovers like me ... who will be the next to step into the spotlight?

Song of the Week

The Police were an influential band of the late 1970's and early 1980's. In their prime, they produced a ton of early influential New Wave/Rock music that was new, creative, and absolutely addictive to listen to. Sadly, Sting grew up, and began producing awful adult contemporary slop, and started hanging out with other aged former rockers who apparently lost all of their testosterone .... yeah, I'm talking about you Rod Stewart, Brian Adams, and Mrs. Elton John.

However, the one song I can never get out of my mind is So Lonely. Just a great take on Reggae/rock fusion. Brilliant drums as always, a strong base sound (important in any good Reggae song), and a deliciously redundant (not sure if that makes sense) chorus. Once this song is in your head, it's almost impossible to get out of your head.

Here's what Sting said about the song: "People thrashing out three chords didn't really interest us musically. Reggae was accepted in punk circles and musically more sophisticated, and we could play it, so we veered off in that direction. I mean let's be honest here, 'So Lonely' was unabashedly culled from 'No Woman No Cry' by Bob Marley. Same chorus. What we invented was this thing of going back and forth between thrash punk and reggae. That was the little niche we created for ourselves."

Just a very cool song all around. In my opinion, it's the best song they've ever done. Sadly, it isn't found on any of their greatest hits compilations (but, Spirits in the Material World is ... go figure).

I didn't realize they had a video for this - check it out (Youtube wouldn't let me Embed).

80's Corner

As a child of the 80's, I remember a cool toy that was nearly impossible to get around the holidays ... one all of the kids wanted to have ... one that caused parents to sleep out in front of department stores, and frantically fight over ... no, I'm not talking about Cabbage Patch Kids (probably a post for a future 80's corner). I'm talking about Crossbows and Catapults!

You may not remember this awesome game, and I'm not sure why, it was a dynamic, creative, and fun game that I played for hours at a time. Here's how Wikipedia describes it: "In the game two sides, originally Vikings and Barbarians but later other names were used, build fortifications from plastic bricks then opposing players attempt to destroy each other's castle with rubber-band powered crossbows (similar to ballistae) and catapults firing plastic disks."

This is a great description. Here's what I would add - the true creativity of this game was in the creation of the castle. And of course, the precision in firing the "pogs" played heavily in the game. When I think of this game, I go back in time to the basement of my parents' house, sitting on the floor with my neighborhood buddies, drinking a can of Coke, building castles and talking trash. God, I miss those days!

Fast Food Corner

Ever since I've seen the Wendy's commercial, I've been intrigued by the Boneless Wings. Wendy's advertises something along the lines of "Why pay more at a restaurant?" And since I loves me some chicken, and I'm a big fan of chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, and chicken wings, I had to take this on .... for research purposes of course.

I went to a local Wendy's and ordered the Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken boneless wings. First, the portion is decent - it's about 7 or 8 tenders. Probably not enough for a complete meal (may I suggest an order of a double stacker?), but still, not bad. Now, Wendy's advertises that these boneless wings are hand-tossed ... I found out what they mean by this is, they put the nuggets in the container, squeeze on the sauce, and then shake the container before they give it to you .... hey for $4.00 (or whatever the price), what do you expect? This is fast food, remember? And, if it tastes good, why should I care?

Well, honestly, it tastes ok, but I'm not craving it. It's a little dry, and the Asian flavor is nothing to write home about. I'd rather just buy a couple of 5-pack chicken nuggets, and dip them in honey mustard ... it's cheaper, and, in my opinion, it tastes better. I can't speak for the other two flavors - Buffalo and honey barbecue, but if they're anything like the Asian flavor, it might not be worth it.