Interesting topic

Recently, whilst watching some college basketball at a local watering hole, my friend "Slant" and I got into a conversation about music, like we normally tend to do. During this talk, a Stones song came on the radio (as if it was fate). I believe the song was "Get Off of my Cloud," one of their classics. Of course, our conversation naturally gravitated to the Stones.

Slant mentioned he loves a lot of their older songs, but really didn't like Satisfaction. I found that a little odd, because Satisfaction is one of their most popular songs ... ever. But, hey, I won't hold that against him. Truth be told, it's not really one of my favorites either.

We discussed the song a little further (because I can't let stuff like that go), and I brought up the fact that the opening riff is great (I probably used obscenities and other words), to which he agreed. He took it a step further and said that the opening riff to Satisfaction probably defines rock and roll the best ... in other words, if you were thinking of a way to describe rock and roll, playing the opening riff to Satisfaction is all you'd really need to do.

I found this fascinating ... far be it from me to ever disagree with someone making a bold yet positive Rolling Stones related statement. I wanted to see everyone else's thoughts on this (I'm not completely sold on the statement, but I'm close).

On a related note, I was wearing a Rolling Stones shirt to the bar (surprise-surprise), and a patron of the bar said something along the lines of "I'll forgive you for wearing that shirt - the Stones are an awful live band." Hey, to each his own, but the guy based it on one show he went to in the early 1970's. I mean, seriously? This band has been around for ever - they must be doing something right? Having a bad experience at one Stones show and generalizing that they suck as a live band would be akin to me eating a bad hamburger and claiming that all hamburgers are terrible. The man later followed that idiotic comment up with another doozy "That song B*tch is the only good song the Stones have ever made." I informed him that the jerk-store called and they were out of him.

Song of the Week

When people think of the Kinks, a few songs come to mind - "You Really Got Me," "Come Dancing," and "Lola" most likely. However, this band which was part of the British Invasion of the early 1960's has many, many great tunes. Sadly, the Kinks never really got the recognition they deserved - in my opinion, they're probably the most underrated and ignored band in all of rock and roll ... OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

One of my absolute Kinks favorites is a song titled Superman ... no, it's not that sappy song that came out a few years ago. Anyway, this is an early 1980's nugget has a classic "Four-on-the-Floor" beat, with a solid rhythmic baseline, accented by wavy keyboards and and some classic Kinks guitar riffs. The chorus "Superman, Superman ... wish I could fly like Superman!" well stick in your head kind of like how good pancakes stick to your ribs. The lyrics (and video) are, on the surface, tongue and cheek, but if you listen closely, the theme of the song is about a world that has many problems (woah, that's heavy Ogre!).

You can find out more about the Kinks here.

I found a video for this song that was a bit strange, so I'm not even sure it is the "official" video for this song - I figured I'd share it with you (at least you can hear the song).

Fast Food Corner

I'm a guy who LOVES mozzarella sticks and Jalepeno poppers. For a long time, one could really only get these at bars and chain restaurants ... I mean, I'm not complaining, but if you ever wanted these at a fast-food restaurant, you'd be SOL. However, a few years ago, Arby's made the "bold" decision of making and selling these finger-food icons ... probably the biggest trick was making these tasty, yet selling them at fast-food prices.

Arby's has done a pretty good job in their attempt. Are they as good as ones served in the traditional locations? Well, no, but they're not bad. Certainly, they're good enough to become a menu staple at Arby's. Frankly, I'm surprised that other fast food chains haven't followed suit with this initiative. Maybe someday, I guess. In the meantime, Arby's can continue to exploit this niche market (man, could you imagine how many of these "appetizers" they'd sell if they were allowed to sell beer with them?

Random Thought

A friend of mine and I were talking the other day about some silly basketball team names. Names like the Syracuse "Orange." Or maybe like the St. John's Red Storm. These are awful college basketball team names. This prompted a discussion on names that would be awful for college teams. I figured I'd share some team names with you ... please share some with me:

The Capris
The Butterfly Kisses
The Mud Puddles
The Aggravagted Duckhunters
The Celloists
The Doll Houses
The Puffy Clouds
The Horse Carriages
The Cuticles
The Sugar Free Chewing Gums
The Procrastinators
The Accountants
The Buttercups
The Weeping Willows
The Moist Towelettes
The Q-tips

Weekly Assignment

I usually take a Mama Kat assignment that is in my wheel-house ... this week, I decided to stray a little and do a more difficult assignment: Your friend tells you he can pick up any girl at the bar, no matter what he says. You bet him $100 he can't. Create the world's worst pick up line and send your friend off into the crowd. What happens?

Here goes nothing:

Bernie and I were hanging at the local watering hole, as was tradition for a Friday night. This Friday was different - apparently, lots of attractive women decided to "invade" our bar ... which was OK by us. After a few glasses of liquid courage, my slightly inebriated friend proclaimed to me that he could pick up any girl at this bar, no matter what he says. I laughed him off, sensing the beer was talking to him ... Apparently, he noticed the doubt I possessed, and immediately pulled out a $100 bill, and bet me that he could.

Being a good friend, I decided not to take him up on the be.... screw it! I figured this would be a great way to make a quick "Benjamin." Before he went off on his conquest, I reminded him that I would be giving him the pick-up line. I whispered the line in his ear, and he almost unswallowed his beer. Even in his pompous, overconfident mind, there was no way a girl would ever fall for the line I presented him. The line? A simple, classic one - "Hey, do you have any German in you? Would you like to?" Not that funny, except for the fact that my friend Bernie was Jewish.

I couldn't stop giggling as he left for his "death walk." How could he possibly succeed. I'm still asking myself this 3 years after the wedding ... (by the way, this is all fiction).

Song of the Week

Urge Overkill is a group that burned very brightly for a short period of time, and is one of those bands you wish would've figured out a way to stay together and continue creating great music. They soared in the early to mid 1990's, but by 1997 were broken up (and sadly, irrelevant).

Their Saturation album from 1993 was the one that landed them on the national spotlight. Sure, they had a few other releases prior to this, but truthfully, there wasn't much good on those releases. The first song on Saturation is Sister Havanna - it comes in quietly with some discernable noise which continues to grow until an amazing guitar riff breaks through. It is a straight-ahead rocker full of great riffs, good solos, and powerful drums. It's a song that you just can't turn off, and is a great introduction to the rest of the album which weaves between rock, psychedelics, and even some heart-felt slow songs. Just a great album all around.

Urge Overkilly released another great album called Exit the Dragon in 1995, but sadly it never caught on like Saturation did. They did get together a few years ago and did a tour ... sadly, I knew nothing about it until it was over ... sigh.

Schue and I went to Rehoboth with my brother and his wife this past weekend - our bedroom had no tv, which of course meant I had to once again tell Schue funny stories until she fell asleep (Schue loves to have the TV on when she's trying to sleep). Initially, I was stumped - I didn't really have any inspiration, at least not from my own past stories.

However, since I was a big wrestling fan (and still tend to watch it to this day a little), I figured I could give her some funny stories about really bad wrestling gimmicks from the past. Here are just a few that had Schue giggling:


The Gobbledy Gooker - This was the brain-child of Vince McMahon, owner of the WWE. Since it was getting close to Thanksgiving, why not introduce a wrestler in a turkey costume. For some reason, this gimmick failed - the fans thought this was a "bird-brained" idea.




Bastion Booger - This was another ingenious Vince McMahon idea. This wrestler was originally "Friar Fergusan" a wrestling monk - however, the fans quickly poo-pooed this idea. Then, the wrestler was repackaged as a guy who never washed, had soiled wrestling gear, and used his armpits and butt to try and win matches ... Oh yeah, his entrance song was a toilet flushing ... seriously.




The Red Rooster - Poor Terry Taylor. He was a pretty accomplished wrestler in other organizations before he came to the WWE. McMahon felt he could best promote this talent by asking him to strut like a chicken in the ring, and die a red stripe down the center of his hair. Somehow, this didn't catch on.




Duke "The Dumpster" Drose - McMahon felt he needed to have a garbage-man gimmick, and he found someone willing to through his pride and ego out the window. This guy would come to the ring with trash-man gloves and a trash can, and his entrance theme was just a beeping sound that big trucks make when they go in reverse. A can't miss idea that missed.




In the mid-to-late 1980's, the NWA had a jobber tag-team called the Mulkey's. They consisted of two pasty white guys who looked to be twins, weighing in at about 150 pounds a piece. These two wrestlers basically were rag-dolls for the top tag team talent in the organization, and routinely got the living crap beat out of them. They never, ever won ... except one time on national television, they "accidentally" won the match when one of the opponents tripped over a Mulkey whilst trying to slam the other Mulkey. The announcer was so excited, he kept yelling "Mulkey-mania is running wild!" as kind of a play on the Hulk Hogan catch phrase.




Yep, I'm a loser.

Fast Food Corner

Living in (or near) Philadelphia is a good thing, especially if you like hoagies (subs, heroes, etc.). Philly has some of the greatest hoagie shops in the world, and that's really why some of these chaings like Subway and Quiznos have a tough time penetrating this market. However, there are a few that have popped up, and even though I generally focus on supporting the local mom and pop stores, I have gone to both Subway and Quizons from time-to-time. No, they are nowhere near as good as Philly's home-grown delis, but both have a few decent "inventions."

Quiznos started the toasting of the subs idea (at least from a chain perspective), and it was a huge success - toasted rolls just seem to taste better for some reason. Subway followed, but their toasting process, which really just looks like some kind of heavy-duty microwave, isn't nearly as good. And Quiznos does seem to pile on more meat on the sandwiches than Subway does.

However, Subway has the better rolls. Not sure if Quizons makes their own fresh rolls, but Subway kills them with this ... it is important to note that in making a good hoagie, you CANNOT NEGLECT THE ROLL. The roll is the foundation of the sandwich. It should have a crispy feel on the outside and a nice fluffy feel on the inside. Tangeant - This is why most areas around the U.S. fail when they try to make a "Philly Cheese-steak," they neglect getting good rolls (or don't have access to them).

Also, Subway has the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki hoagie ... this hoagie alone beats any hoagie that Quiznos can offer - just the right blend of sweetness and bitterness. So, for those non-Philadelphians who have to choose between chains, (New Yorkers have great delis too, by the way), let me suggest Subway.

Stoppage Time ...

Just a few random thoughts that have been creepin' and crawlin' in my head the past few days:

* I wonder what Billy Ocean is doing these days ...
* Went to Dogfish Head brewery this weekend - greatbeer, and a great story.
* Went to Rehoboth this weekend - the place doesn't have any access to wifi or cable tv (just one tv station) ... it was actually kind of refreshing.
* Balderdash is just a phenomenal board game.
* For some reason, I haven't been as excited about the NCAA tournament this year ... oh yeah, it's because I'm not involved in any money pools.
* Blur - a very underrated band.
* Weekends go by much faster when you have fun (which kind of sucks in a way).
* It really did feel like spring today.
* Instant Kharma's gonna get ya ... right Bobby Bowden?
* Would bacon-flavored beer be a good thing?

Weekly Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's weekly assignment! I decided to choose the prompt: I want to become friends with ... However, I decided to change it a little, and do a top 10 list of people I'd like to become friends with, because ... well, I enjoy lists. So, here goes nothing (in no particular order):

10. Keith Richards - The guy is a rock legend, and quite a party guy. However, he'd probably be the end of me.
9. Brian Regan - I love his stand-up work, and he just seems like a funny guy to hang with.
8. Paul Ruud - I love the characters he plays in the Judd Appetow movies, and I love the one-liners ...
7. Ric Flair - Mr. Stylin' and Profilin'. Again, quite a party animal, but I'd love to hang out and listen to the wrestling stories he has.
6. Mick Jagger - Of course, the front man of my favorite rock and roll band ever. He probably has a ton of cool friends, and I'd love to hear more about the history of the Stones.
5. Keith Jones - The guy is a hockey-head, and just seems like a really funny guy to boot. I loved his book, and I'd love to hear more hockey stories.
4. Don Rickles - The king of the put-downs and one-liners. He'd fit in great with my friends.
3. Guy Fieri - He is the host of Diners and Drive-Ins - basically, he is a chef who makes food a simpleton like me would like. I need a chef like this as a friend.
2. Tom Brokaw - The man is pretty well-read when it comes to history. I'd love to chat with him about his experiences as a news reporter.
1. Bill Simmons - The guy LOVES sports, and is a great sports-writer (see ESPN page 2). I'd love to hang out and debate sports, movies, tv shows, and music with him over beers.

Fast Food Corner

I am a big fan of fast food that can be eaten whilst driving. It is fast food in its purest definition (in my opinion, of course). For instance, a Big Mac is a bad choice - sure, it tastes good, but it is far too messy to eat when one drives. A more sensible choice would be the Quarter Pounder.

French fries are pretty easy to eat while driving, they are the right size, and come in an easy-to-grab container. The geniouses at Burger King have taken this to a whole new level with their chicken fries. The name describes these morsels perfectly. Really, they are little strips of fried chicken in the shape of french fries. OK, I'm not sure how much chicken, if any, is in each of these fries, but that's ok. The more "fried" taste, the better.

And, best of all, they are easy to eat whilst driving. In fact, you can mix these in with regular fries in the convenient stand-up container that BK has designed. All-in-all, a great idea.

Song of the Week

Keith Richards is probably best known as the heart and soul of the Rolling Stones (sorry, Mick). But, Keith has also had a decent solo career. He was spurred on into doing a solo album when Mick spurned the Stones in favor of doing solo work in the mid 1980's. Keith really was hesitant to take this on at first - he felt the Stones were his only band.

But, his hatred towards Jagger fueled him to write some really scathing, and quite wonderful songs on his first solo effort - Talk is Cheap. This album sported a couple of minor hits, including "Take it so Hard," and "Struggle." But, the song I really, really enjoy is the underrated "You Just Don't Move Me."

As evidenced by the lyrics, this song was a direct shot at Mick Jagger, highlighting how Mick ignored the band in favor of stardom, and how Mick became a very shallow person. The beat is very much a rhythmic reggae concoction, with some hard-hitting guitar riffs, and background vocals similar to Sympathy for the Devil. Just a great effort - it's amazing the creativity that can be displayed through struggles and fights.

Pet Shop Boy

As some of you know, I used to work at a local pet shop - I worked there for more than 5 years on-and-off through high school and college. Since I like animals (not in that way, you sicko), it was a cool gig. Plus, taking puppies out of cages always attracted females ... but, I digress.

One of my more embarrassing moments happened one Sunday morning. Given the day, I was probably hung over, but I'm not making any excuses, darn it! After cleaning the kennels and feeding the animals, I was ready to open the gate. We had this gate in the front of the store that required a crank to crank the gate up.

Near the gate, we had a large parakeet cage. It was strategically place by the gate to attract customers (for some reason, people loved parakeets in the late 80's and early 90's). So, why am I mentioning this cage? You'll see.

As I was cranking the gate open, I noticed it was much more difficult to crank than normal. Still, like a true employee, always going above and beyond, I kept cranking and cranking. Finally, at one point, I couldn't crank anymore ... but the gate wasn't all the way up. I took a step back to get a full view and figure out the reason. Yep, apparently the parakeet cage got pushed up against the gate, probably whilst somebody was sweeping the floor.

Unfortunately, now, the cage was no longer on the floor, and was dangling about 5 feet above the ground ... at one with the gate. Just as I saw this, the cage fell off the gate, and before I knew it, the mall was now infested by parakeets. I spent the entire day with a ladder and a net, trying to capture the loose parakeets ... talk about a hit one's pride.

You-Tube Corner

I'm pretty sure everybody loves bloopers (if you don't, you probably have something wrong with you). I particularly love gameshow bloopers, and as luck would have it, You-Tube sports many, many of these bloopers. Family Feud is a show ripe with bloopers - mainly, because of some of the ridiculous answers given by contestants.

One specific blooper that stands above others (in my opinion). It happened during the championship round, and as luck would have it, Richard Dawson was the host (and, of course, he was the best Family Feud host ever). The question was this - "During what month of pregnancy does a woman begin to show." The answer the lady gave caught Dawson off guard ... in fact, he had A LOT of trouble finishing the segment.

Have a look!

Weekly Assignment

Yep - time once again for Mama Kat's weekly assignment. I chose the following prompt: Write about the event that was the end of your childhood.

Wow - tough call. I guess I could probably talk about middle school, or high school - those are obvious "end-points." However, the first time I "realized" that I wouldn't have the endless hours to enjoy being a kid was when I got my first real job. In prior years, when summer came, my friends and I would spend almost every hour of every day at the local swim club - playing drain tag, basketball, or just chatting with the girls. Ah, those days felt like they'd last forever. At night time, we'd hang out at somebody's house and watch movies whilst eating bottomless bowls of pop-corn. It was truly heaven.

Then, I got a job ... and things changed. I remember it well. My dad had a friend at a local waterbed manufacturing factory, and the friend agreed to hire me (an unproven talent). My job would consist of working from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, putting together and boxing waterbed mattresses ... in a factory in which temperatures were always above 100 degrees. It was probably the least amount of fun I had my entire life. While most of my friends were still going down to the pool, I was laboring intensively, sweating like OJ in a courtroom. At night, I was too tired to hang out for very long. Plus, my friends mostly told stories that started with "You missed it, dude!"

As luck would have it, I only worked there for about 1 1/2 months, because my high school soccer team started full day practices in the beginning of August. That summer came and went, and was probably the worst summer of my life. What a rude awakening that was.

I have one of these at home ...

So, apparently, there's a new restaurant "fad" that's taking hold in Taiwan and China ... and if it's coming from this part of the world, it HAS to be interesting and weird.

Yep, Taiwan has introduced Toilet Restaurants ... I sh*t you not (no pun intended). These are restaurants where people eat out of toilets. Napkins and other items on the table look like turds. Talk about ambience! And, the weird part is that these restaurants are incredibly successful. How does this happen. Seriously, I want to know!

I have a toilet in my house ... two of them, actually. I never, ever even think about making a meal and eating it from these bowls. I'm not remotely interested in eating at one of these places ... but for some reason, I want to see videos of people who actually do eat there.

So, what kind of music do they play here? What's the right lighting for a toilet restaurant? When will San Francisco open it's first toilet restaurant? How often can I say toilet restaurnat in a blog post? Don't believe me? Click here.

Fast Food Corner

With the struggling econonmy many fast food restaurants have been promoting dollar menu items recently. There are many contenders, but there can only be one "best" dollar-menu.

5. Burger King really needs to step it up with their dollar menu. I'm not even sure what they have on it.
4. Taco Bell has gone a step further and offer different specials in their "89 cent, 99 cent, and 1.09" value menus. The thing is, their tacos aren't really that filling.
3.KFC has some small chicken sandwiches, and that's about it. Still, their chicken is really good.
2. McDonalds has really "beefed up" their dollar menu in recent months. You can get a McDouble, and even a chicken sandwich. But for the most part, this dollar menu isn't really that big, and the McDoubles look like regular cheeseburgers that have been carelessly smushed together. Still, the small fries are the redeemeing grace.
1. Wendy's was one of the first to promote the dollar menu. And, in my opinion, they are still the best. You can get a double cheeseburger, bacon cheesburger, and even chicken nuggets, just to name a few. I absolutely LOVE this menu, and usually bypass there value meals so I can "construct" the perfect meal at a great price.

Song of the Week

I probably should've done this about a year ago - I think that's when Robert Hazard died ... Mr. Hazard really wasn't much of an influence to music outside of the early 1980's, but his sound seems to be coming back in a lot of the newer 80's influenced groups of this era.

Specifically, his song "Escalator of Life" has that classic 80's sound to it. But man, does it still rock. It sports a great beat, fantastic baseline, and a chorus that is infectious.

Just a little bit more information on Mr. Hazard courtesy of Wikipedia:
* He was born in Philly (can't go wrong with that).
* The song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was written by him ... seriously.
* He died August 5, 2008.

You can find out more about him here.

Guess Who's Making a Comeback.

So, Michael Jackson is going to be performing a few more times in London, England, in what he is saying is a "curtain call." We could only be so lucky. Look, the guy had a great career, both with the Jackson 5 as well as when he went solo ... then, the 1990's hit.

He is addicted to plastic surgery, as evidenced by his face which even the Elephant Man thinks looks weird. Unfortunately, he's also addicted to young boys ... that's probably why McCauley Culkin and Corey Feldman are no longer popular. He looks as if a stiff wind would turn him to dust at this point.

Does anybody really think this guy is even going to show up at these "performances?" Anyway, if interested in find out more, check out this link ... at the very least, it should give you some laughs.

Cornhole?

This past weekend, we had a little get-together, and decided to hold a Cornhole tournament. You're probably wondering what the hell Cornhole is? Is it some sort of side dish? Nah. Does it involve some form of sex? No way, dude.

Cornhole is a game involving bean bags and boxes. Here is the definition, courtesy of Wikipedia: Cornhole is a lawn game in which players take turns pitching cornhole bags—cotton duck bags filled with feed corn—at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. These platforms are usually made with plywood or occasionally plastic, and are often decorated. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a player reaches the score of 21.

The twist - we played this on the Nintendo Wii ... and folks, it was a blast. It's pretty easy for anyone to learn, and all the family can play. Beer and alcohol makes it better (as it does with just about anything). Of course, even though I hosted the tournament, I finished a disappointing third. Oh well, maybe next year if this becomes some kind of tradition.

By the way, why Cornhole? Was the name "Scrotum Toss" already taken?

You-Tube Must See

I told my wife recently about a funny video clip from You-Tube. The funny thing about this clip is that I remember watching it when it aired on TV. This actually has to do with wrestling ... wait, don't leave! It's actually really funny - let me give you some background on it.

In the early 1990's, WCW was promoting some pay-per-view wrestling event (it may have been Bash at the Beach, but that's not really important). At the time, the two big good guys (faces) were Sting and The British Bulldog, and they were having a feud with Sid Vicious and the tag team of Harlem Heat. For about a month, Sting and the Bulldog had been boasting about their new partner, but they weren't telling anybody who it was.

Finally, during an interview segment, Harlem Heat and Sid confronted Sting and the Bulldog. This was a perfect opportunity to introduce their new partner. Now, the character WCW created was called "The Shockmaster." As if that wasn't bad enough, the Shockmaster wore some sort of glitter mask, and some kind of fur vest. And, if THAT wasn't bad enough, his entrance was priceless.

Sting announces the Shockmaster's name, and the Shockmaster breaks through a wall ... unfortunately, he tripped and fell to the ground, losing his helmet. What's funny is that the other wrestlers and the announcers tried to save the situation by overlooking the classic tumble. Funny thing is that this storyline mysteriously disappeared as if it never happened.

You can see the segment here.

Weekly Assignment

Mama Kat had a prompt that interested me ... actually, she usually has a prompt that piques my interest, but that's besides the point. Anyway, one of her prompt is "Normal is ..."

I have never considered myself normal, but I come from a middle class working family, you know - the kind with 3 kids, lives in a nice suburban neighborhood. So, this got me to thinking - what exactly is normal? It took me a while to think about it, and I still haven't come up with an answer.

For something to be considered normal, it sounds to me like it is the "average" of other things. For instance, "normal" body temperature is 98.6 degrees, but I'm guessing there are many "normal" people out there who don't have a 98.6 degree body temperature.

How about this - a normal family consists of a mother and father, and 2.5 kids. With that definition, is anybody at all normal? If you have two mothers, does that make you abnormal? How about if you live in a 1 parent household?

The more I got to thinking about "normal," the more I realized normalcy is an unattainable thing ... yet, we're still judged by how close to normal we are. Wow ... did I just get philosophic? Sorry about that.

More Random Thoughts ...

* I just saw that AIG lost 99 billion in the past year or so ... really? I mean, were they just throwing it out of their windows by the end?

* I miss the absolute rush of listening to the local radio news station on the morning of a snow-storm as a child, and hearing those magic numbers that meant my school was closed for the day ... it felt like the possibilities were endless.

* Don't get me wrong, I prefer the simplicity (and customizability) of buying individual MP3's over CDs. However, there was some sort of exhuberance in buying a cd, tearing off the plastic coating, looking at the artwork of the album, and holding the cd in your hands ... it actually felt like you really PURCHASED something.

* Boxing and Tennis are missing heroes and villians ... really, that's the main reason nobody's watching anymore.

* This season of Lost has been absolutely awesome! 24 has been really good too.

Song of the Week

I heard this song a couple of years ago, liked it, but didn't really think much about it ... until I recently started hearing it on mainstream radio. MGMT is an interesting band - it's really a two-person outfit, and instead of genuine instruments, they choose to go the route of the computer ... and usually, synthesized music is a no-no with me - but somehow, these guys make it work, especially, with the song "Kids."

This is probably their most popular song, although MGMT fans will tell you there are plenty of better songs - guys, I'll get to listening to those songs at some point ... eventually.

"Kids" has an infectious hook that is strung throughout the entire song, just to make sure it stays in your head long after the song ends. It also has a great chorus section that, once you learn it, begs you to stand up and shout it. The lyrics are dark, but intriguing. And hey, guess what - they're American! How 'bout that!

You can find out more about MGMT here:

Fast Food Corner

This chain of restaurants, which has overtaken the Philadelphia area in recent years, isn't exactly "fast-food," but in my opinion is close enough. Five Guys Burgers and Fries" came up with a unique concept - selling just burgers ... and fries. The idea has worked tremendously.

Not only that, but they use really fresh and top quality ingredients ... and more importantly, they cook it AFTER you order it. The burgers are huge (and messy - which is fine by me, by the way). The fries are tasty - and the amount of fries given is more than generous - they put an extra scoop in each bag.

Sure, the price is a little higher than other fast-food chains, but good quality and taste more than justify the price. If you get a chance, take a trip to Five Guys.

An End of an Era

We thought this was going to be taken care of. We figured, it was only a matter of time. There's no way number 20 will be playing for any team but Philadelphia, we thought. He's a guy who will end his career in Philly - we felt this was a given. Sadly, reality set in, when Brian Dawkins signed a contract to play football for the Denver Broncos.

The fans are ready to revolt - you can hear it on TV, radio, newspapers, the internet - the heart and soul of the team should've been an untouchable. How can that be replaced in the locker room? Can one even put a price on that?

I've been tossing and turning thinking about how I feel about this situation. On the one hand, Dawkins is in his late 30's, and isn't the player he was 5 years ago. On the other hand, players like Dawkins and Ray Lewis play with such an infectious tenacity, they make other players better (and, more importantly, they hold those accountable).

Brian Dawkins was a rookie in 1996, ironically the same year I interned for the Birds. He was very quiet that year, but you could see his passion. He eagerly listened to the leaders of that defense - Troy Vincent, Willie T, Michael Zordich ... he soaked up their knowledge like a sponge. It was only a matter of time before he would take the batton from them.

Now, 13 years later, his run is finally over. He was such a great leader, and the hope is that another young lion with the same passion and pride spent the last few years soaking up Dawkins' knowledge like a sponge, and is ready to accept that batton. But who is that lion?

As for Dawkins' departure, nobody can determine who will benefit from this move. Will the Eagles' focus on youth pay off? Does Dawkins still have anything in the tank (by the way, B-Dawk will be visiting Philly this season with the Broncos)?

Here is one way the Eagles can spin the bad PR they are receiving - build this team up right. We need a tight-end who can block and catch. Let's bring in a capable fullback. A good receiver wouldn't hurt. And let's make sure the O-line is taken care of (one way or the other). Oh, and let's not trade out of the first round again - the move blew up in your face last season.