from the mixed up files of...

the blog has been cancelled

2010-03-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, NBC.com decided not to renew our contract for a third week of postings. My apologies to the fans out there; this is not how we wanted to end our run.

End Transmission.

oh, Canada?

2010-03-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

so I get the impression that Canada is made largely of vast wasteland.

café starbucks? sounds classy. (fuckin French)

if this sign is asking what I think it's asking my response is, "not speak French."

Thank god we made it out of Quebec today. I have the utmost respect for other cultures and would never want to be one of those asshole Americans who wants the whole world to speak English. However, it is a bit disarming to be in a place where you don't speak the language.

Also, Toronto is babe central. Like, this is serious business.

Back to the states tmrw. Cannot wait to be back on the native blood-soaked soil of the States.

Burlington knows biscuits

2010-03-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Penny Cluse in Burlington, VT is amazing. scrambled eggs, home fries, biscuits and savory herb gravy. absolutely delicious. I still could never live in a town as quaint as this but I think I might've enjoyed going to university in a town like this.

Next stop: Canada, eh. I imagine it going down similar to the plot of John Candy's Canadian Bacon, with storming of towers and inadvertant warfare.

It's definitey time to break out my American flag hats.

I couldn't restrain myself from eating some before I took the pic.

Brooklyn goes (after chaz's laptop) hard

2010-03-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

it was amazing to be back in brooklyn again. got to hit up some old favorite locales, and to see my wonderful lady.

the show was at brooklyn bowl, which I want to hate for stealing gutter's thunder (and eventually putting it out of business I assume) but it's just too rad of a place to hate. and the people there were the nicest ever.

bummer of the night: some asshole breaking into patrick's vehicle and stealing his and chaz's laptops. so toro y moi is off the next few shows while he goes home to get a new CPU, reload on clothes and get things sorted out. hopefully he'll be back for Chicago.

Brooklyn, you're a fucker but I love you.

sometimes vans die...

2010-03-26T08:18:00.001-07:00

and luckily, sometimes they die on days where you have a short drive. alternator died last night. had enough juice this morning just to get to the garage.

party at gulf gas station, bensalem, PA.

it's not at all sunny in philadelphia

2010-03-25T17:54:00.001-07:00

Kung Fu Necktie in Philly. pretty cool place with a sweet art gallery upstairs. and Smiths tag in the potty.

Rome appears to have been pretty dope indeed.

it's not a ball pit. it's a balloon pit. all the fun of a ball pit but with terrifying popping noises intermittently.

...take yo shirt off

2010-03-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

north carolina is probably one of the most beautiful states I have ever seen. so much greenery. I love it. and the people are wicked nice.

also, I saw this...

Making bail... A-T-L

2010-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

no visual evidence of this city is necessary. but it was 12 hours that rocked my world.

chapel hill, here we come.

Duke Basketball! (close enough)

Montgomery, AL also loves 'Murica

2010-03-22T12:06:00.001-07:00

New Mexico's eagle was still bigger.

second line: NOLA

2010-03-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

second line was amazing. I had never heard of it a week ago. now it's one of the most surreal experiences of my life. the pictures don't do it justice.

also, here's Joan of Arc holding a Saints flag.

and the bayou.

so american...

2010-03-20T19:56:00.001-07:00

I'm at waffle house in Louisiana. I ask the waitress, "should I get the eggs or the waffles?" Her response: "you should get everything. Order this right here and it comes with everything." No wonder she looks like Brando in Apocalypse Now.

east Texas has got a real purty mouth

2010-03-20T18:47:00.001-07:00

this is not an exit.

2010-03-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a nerd.

sxsw 3/18

2010-03-19T14:34:00.001-07:00

this place is a mess. so much shit going on. complete and utter chaos. I imagine if I were working for a magazine or something and had access to a badge this festival may be a bit more fun, but probably just as stressful.

sxsw 2k10

2010-03-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

I couldn't decide on just one picture to describe my first day at sxsw. instead, I'll use my vocabulary. after all, a word is worth a thousand pictures (or something). anywho: "shit-show."

Big Spring, TX

2010-03-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

had breakfast at an amazing (and 50 yr old) diner called Herman's in Big Spring, TX which is damn near a ghost town. nicest people ever, accepting all the freaks in pink and purple shirts and serving up tasty food at absurdly reasonable prices. $5 for eggs, taters and iced tea? yes please.

who loves america?

2010-03-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

new mexico LOVES America.

New Mexico fine dining

2010-03-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

lovely kranberry's family restaurant. I want the k-combo: deep fried mushrooms, zucchini and mozarella. yum.

Tucson shreds.

2010-03-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

grill.

my first (and hopefully not last) tour entry

2010-03-11T07:54:00.001-08:00

I'm historically bad at updating these things, as evidenced by the extensive gaps between the existing posts here. but the bold will persist and push forward. so let's give this another shot.

I'm hopeful for Chris's blogging adenture v3.0 because, unlike the previous iterations of this glorified diary, this time I should actually have some exciting stories and/or pictures to share.

so without further ado, my first picture from my road trip with the ruby suns.*

beautiful Burbank, CA. is the jay leno vitriole bandwagon full yet?

*this is not technically from the road trip with them since I'm on a train en route to meet them.

CDS

Friday Morning, Elevator

2010-01-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

The office was unusually quiet this morning. Not just the office, but the lobby. I stood at the elevator door, wondering how it could possibly be stopping at every floor when so few people were in the building at this hour (I was surprisingly punctual today). This awkward wait, seemingly stretching from minutes to hours, was punctuated by the cold stare being thrown my way by the robust man next to me.

When the doors mercifully opened, I removed my headphones so as not to be rude. It would be terribly improper had I not entertained the opportunity for mundane chatter during our thirty second trip. Before I could even tuck my headphones safely into my pocket, the man let out a purposely audible sigh. I shot him a knowing look, but decided against interrupting the hum of the flourescent lights. As soon as my eyes left his he let out another sigh, a confirmation that he required some sort of conversation.

"One more day, buddy," I said. "Just one more day."

His response wasn't remarkable for what he said (I have no doubt said far worse things about my job), but for the way he said it without a trace of sarcasm or humor. When ranting about the life-sucking qualities of my job, I am sure to sprinkle it with irony and flash a smile. It comes from the heart, absolutely, but this at least gives it a good natured feel that masks any significant discontent. But his response lacked any such filter. With his cold, dead eyes and exhausted tone, he answered in a manner that screamed "get me out of here," and makes you wonder if they'll make it to work on Monday, or home this evening.

I guess I'll keep my eye on the window today and see if we cross paths again.

Dan Wetzel Just Doesn't Get It

2009-06-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

I usually don't take sports writers opinions too seriously. After all, they're writing about a game. A game that happens to be a billion dollar per year industry, but a game nonetheless. But Dan Wetzel's column about the NBA's minimum age rule just rubbed me the wrong way. I know he's paid to write about sports but he either fails to grasp, or chooses to ignore, the real issue in the Derrick Rose situation.

You can find his column here.

While the NBA's rule may be self-serving, and the NCAA's amateur regulations less noble and more greedy, I find it hard to argue that a person is not better off having spent an extra 9 months in the classroom. I know we're, for the most part, beyond the days where professional athletes will ever have to worry about supporting themselves financially after they leave the game, but education for education's sake is its own reward. I know this assumes that the student-athlete is actually taking classes, rather than simply meeting his minimum credits to maintain eligibility, but that is more a discussion for collegiate athletics as a whole rather than the NBA's minimum age rule.

As for the SAT, although it does have its flaws, it is not without value. Yes, there are very intelligent people who score poorly on the test, and there are less intelligent people who get high scores based entirely on the strength of prep courses and practice exams. But in this country, any 18 year old should be able to score 750 on the SAT. Sadly, this is also not an issue that falls on the shoulders of the NBA or the NCAA, but on the U.S. public education system and our collective priorities as a society. Perhaps that is where the indictments should begin, rather than with the NBA. After all, regardless of what happens with this story, in the end the NBA got their superstar and Derrick Rose got paid.

Teabagging Comes to MSNBC

2009-04-14T20:30:00.001-07:00

I wish I could take credit for having seen this myself, but it was on Videogum, my new home for news. It is absolutely amazing. I would like to say that I'm surprised with how far Countdown took the puns, but really why should I be?

Enjoy...

Does This Still Qualify as News?

2009-04-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Former LA Raiders quarterback (and monumental bust) Todd Marinovich was arrested again for violating the terms of his probation. Apparently he missed a rehab progress review.

Check out the story on yahoo here.

In other news, a certain Vanderbilt Commodore got traded to da Bears. If they can nail down some semi-functional receivers and their defense can get young (a competent quarterback who can keep them fresh and off the field is a start) they could be dangerous in a year or two.

Not Smarter Than The Average Huggy Bear

2009-02-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Raiders RB Justin Fargas is apparently in a video with some fool named Yukmouth in which "the Yuk" rants and rants about how much weed he smokes. While he does explicitly say that Fargas doesn't smoke, the fact that the video was filmed in his house just screams bad decision (Update: there are reports that the house may not actually belong to Fargas). I can't think of anything in that would get him suspended, but there's really no telling what Goodell will do, given his history of cracking the whip. In reality, the main thing this does is hurt Fargas' standing with the team at a time when he's fighting for a starting role in a crowded backfield. As it stands, it was already looking like 2009 was the year of Bush/McFadden.

Anyway, it looks like the video has already been taken down from the site, but here is another video of Yukmouth so we can bask in the glory of his ridiculousness.

Best of Norm McDonald

2009-02-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

It's long but entirely worth it. The only comedian that I still need to see live.

Not Quite Breaking News: Santa Claus Fucked to Death

2009-02-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

I remember my brother showing me these video a few years ago, but I had completely forgotten about them until now. Absolutely hilarious.

Tom Cable, aka Walter Sobchack

2009-01-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

Well it certainly appears that the Raiders are taking the "interim" moniker off of Tom Cable, despite Al Davis' posse's firm denial. They’ve already hired a new defensive line coach (Dwaine Board) and a new quarterbacks coach (Paul Hackett). And what right-minded owner would hire assistant coaches without first locking down the head coach? Well, even Al isn’t even vaguely “right-minded” I still have to believe that this points to Cable coming back.

I have to say that I thought his promotion to interim head coach was a terrible decision and I am my own one-man fan club for Lane Kiffin. But as the season went on I became more and more a fan of his, in spite of the horrific fake FG fiasco. So without further ado, I give you the presumptive Raiders head coach, Walter Sobchack.

paid to blog...

2009-01-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

...not so much in the traditional sense of being paid to write or run a website or something, but more in the vein of blogging while at my normal, boring day job.

i was really hoping to post some sweet DC Talk videos in honor of Ned Flanders leading his second team to the Super Bowl, but apparently DC Talk is not as generous with their copyrights as one would expect. WWJD? Collect royalties, duh. Anyway, that was a royal (INRI) buzzkill so I'm going to have to come up with a new way to honor the man with the ugliest wife ever.

ps-don't call it a comeback.

hot gazzelle on gazzelle action

2009-01-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

ladies and gentlemen, an actual picture from the bronx zoo. stay classy NY.

flacid tongue

2008-09-23T11:26:00.001-07:00

after listening to the new jenny lewis album, acid tongue, a few times over, i have a few issues with it that i must air:

the most obvious thing to notice about the record is the huge shift from her last record towards a noticeably less folk/country sound towards a much jazzier style. i'm not going to mince words here; i don't like it. it doesn't suit her vocal styling, and it seems forced where some of the folksy melodies are flushed with reverb and other superfluous effects in an effort to mask their real roots.

and that segues nicely into my next topic: overproduction. i don't want to jump to conclusions and immediately blame the involvement of boytoy/musician jonathan rice, but this album lacks the simplicity seen on rabbit fur coat, as well as rilo kiley releases, which allow jenny's voice to stand out. while the majority of the album was recorded live, a testament to the musicians and the arrangements, the album tries to do too much. the best tracks on the album are the stripped down song with minimal orchestration.

anyway, just my opinion. or maybe i'm just jealous cuz jonathan rice is fucking jenny lewis.

New Kicks from Vietnam

2008-09-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

got some new kicks today. i love them. thanks for coming with me erica (aka-the only person reading this)

luke ifland's idea of a joke:

2008-08-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Luke started screening shirts (jealous, been meaning to do this for years). here are the designs.

i am officially a consumer whore

2008-07-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

i have such a long list of shit i want. and these are pretty high up on that list. and they're vegan.

what i learned at whole foods...

2008-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

my tenure at whole foods market is coming to a close this sunday at 11:30pm. so i thought i would impart a little of the knowledge i have accumulated over the past 9 months.

1) people love "being green" but 90% are full of shit and are more worried about appearing green than actually doing it. case in point: people who bring in their own bags, yet wrap every single item in a plastic produce bag.

2) whole foods is really not that expensive compared to the rest of NY eateries/grocery stores, and with my discount may actually be cheaper.

3) mexicans LOVE plastic bags.

4) asians LOVE having everything in a bag - check that, double bag...even if it has a handle (gallon of water).

Brooklyn Shows

2008-07-15T23:51:00.001-07:00

As promised, this shit fell by the wayside pretty quickly. But...

THE RUBY SUNS ARE COMING BACK TO NY!

And I am fucking stoked cuz I slept on them last time and found out the day before that the show was sold out. Not this time, as I'm going before work tomorrow to grab tix for the show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Also, for kids living in NY who like to dance, The Ken Burns Effect is playing in Clinton Hill in August at Sputnik.

it's all the rage.

2008-07-04T14:50:00.001-07:00

blogging is apparently all the rage these days. so rather than deal with emailing pictures to people, and in the interest of keeping in touch with you beautiful people in the Golden State i thought i would try my hand at it.

this will probably fall by the wayside in the course of a few months, BUT until then it will serve to showcase my incomparable wit and flawless sense of style (bonus point to anyone who knows what song/band i just referenced).

for those of you don't know already, farmhouse1983.blogspot.com is a much better blog than this will ever be, and is your #1 site for information about the dark knight, and a bunch of other awesome shit.

and with no further ado, here are some beautiful pictures of the apt i just moved into this past month. it's ginormous...

my bedroom: ascetic for now. note the russia map on the wall.

living room: ascetic as well, save the sweet sound system. it's between my bedroom and the kitchen area.

dining room/nook: a room with windows, joined to the kitchen. a table will (theoretically) reside here in due time.

kitchen: small, but satisfactory for my diet of tempeh, guacamole, and air fries.

so, that's my beautiful apartment. i didn't take pictures of tim's room cuz that's an invasion of privacy.

that's all for now. i leave you with a picture of something i wish came in 7-1/4.