New Something

I’m not making any resolutions. The way this cough is going – it is unlikely that I will see much of 2006. I’m gonna go out like Doc Holiday – coughing and tossing out one liners like, “I’m your dingle berry.” I have disgraced the name of Doc Holiday. Can you disgrace the name of someone who shot people for a living? It’s good work if you can get it.

I don’t deserve to see that much of 2006.

2005 has been the best year of my life. Alex is really developing his own personality and I love seeing all the good and bad that comes with it. Kim and I are really working on the parts of our marriage where we have the most trouble. There are certain areas where we are not on the same page at all – but this year, we’ve come along way and are talking about those things. That way, the real issues in our lives don’t turn into the proverbial (and boring) fight over putting the cap on the tube of toothpaste. When we have those fights, it really is about the cap on the tube of toothpaste…She better learn to pay attention that shit!!!!!

Sorry.

We came up with a new (original) name for bigDrag – we’re the New New Originals…and we started making a record. We are making this record the right way and that is certainly new for projects I’ve done with those guys. It’s going to be done by summer ’06 and it is going to be noisy - and rock the hundreds who hear it.

I finished breather and actually debuted the songs in front of people. I am going to follow up on this in the coming year. I am going to talk to my friend Gunderson and see if I can actually get the solo stuff on ‘Blish. It would be the perfect format since the longform bio goes along with this record and the next one I’m writing now (Kish – You Were Wild Here Once).

I’ve got twenty new songs for a follow up to the record I’m making with Chris, Dev and the OD and half of them are as good as anything I’ve written.

I’ve scrapped the fB book, but more importantly, this year I’ve got back in touch with Cousin Mike. We e-mail each other daily. That is an important friendship and I will not blow it again.

The thing that made 2005 so much fun…? I can say it one last time – THE CHICAGO WHITE SHOX ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS. It’s only baseball…but they are the team I’ve followed the longest – even before the Bears. I never thought I’d live to see a World Series in Chicago, and my great fear after 2003 is that the other team would do it first. Now, I no longer hate the Cubs – but if they had won the WS first – that would be it for the Sox. They would’ve been completely buried. If you read some of Josh’s comments on this blog and from DC Lies (from around the time the Sox won) the White Sox accomplishment barely rated on the national scale. I do not care about that. They are the team I love. I took my son to his first game the year the Sox won the World Series. Paul K hit the first home run Alex ever saw – and even though my little boy wanted the Tigers to win – he had a great time at his first baseball game. He loved Fundamentals and I could tell he truly enjoyed the Sox Park experience. It is the best place for kids (of all the professional; sporting venues in Chicago…Kane County stadium and Birdzerk are pretty cool too). Oh yeah, had the Cubs won it first – not only would I have had to eat shit from many a Cub fan, it’d be pretty much over for the team I love in the 2nd City media-wise. What’s the line from Spinal Tap? The silence would be deafening! As it turned out, my Cub fan friends were very nice to me, and I will be happy for them should the blue team ever break through.

I hope the White Sox component of this entry doesn’t sound too bitter. If you understand the way baseball fandom and sports media works in Chicago, you will know that I am right. It has less to do with hatred for the Cub (because I don’t hate that team) than the fear that the team I love could’ve been run out of town on a rail. If the White Sox weren’t the ugly second cousin that’s come to visit for the summer I don’t know what sports team is. But that’s all over now…

…and so is 2005. Good luck to us all in the coming year. Thank you to Blogger for having this place for me to come and write when I have the urge to smoke. Thank you everybody for providing me with stuff to read on your blogs. Thanks to people who post comments on this thing. Thanks to all the people who came to any gig this year. Welcome to the world Riley, Vanessa, Owen and Elliot Simone. Thanks to God for the gift of life – maybe someday I will learn how to use it.

Slurp

We have yet to go shopping for Kim’s digital camera. We are Christmas slackers. We just don’t spend like we’re supposed to. It’s un-American.

I am still sick (and apparently I am still a whiner). I get sick like this once a year, like clockwork. The coughing was never this bad when I was a smoker. Oh yeah, that’s because cigarettes have cough suppressants in them. What will those wonderful folks at Philip Morris think of next? Rubber cigarette chew toys for tots?

We are mixing dil next week and that’s a good thing. Now I’m starting to take seriously Josh’s suggestion re: breather. He said that the recording could be more interesting if it was done in one shot – sort of live (without clapping and whoo hoos) – just live in front of friends and a bottle of Maker’s. I think within a few months I will have a budget to do something like that. Also, after the show – I feel confident enough in my ability to play the stuff live – and in this case, all live to tape. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Nobody is going to boo me if I decide to do a second take of something. The goal would be, to get this as live sounding as possible – especially since it’s just me.

One other point on how little I know about art or creativity or whatever - Prairie Dawg already called me out about where I put the rock on the creative food chain. My friend vanGundy (the link is over to the side) has been talking about spending more time on creative projects he really cares about. Devin, for the last two years ago has been saying the same thing. Now I always thought that those guys – who have to use their ascetic sense (that’s the wrong term I’m sure) in their jobs – I thought using those talents - that sense - might help scratch some of those itches from time to time. Again, ed knows nothing about art. After reading vanGundy’s last post (and things Dev has told me), it seems that working this way makes it more frustrating not to do visual work that they want to do. Well, Gunderstorm certainly seems to have found the resolve to try to do something about the situation. And Devin, well we know he has just taken part in creating something pretty darn beautiful…maybe he can make sculpture out of the diapers.

Alex wants to learn the URLACHER song on the drums. He also wants to learn TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR, and a few songs by Dressy Bessy. It should be a fun/LOUD coupla weeks around my house. I came home from work last night and Alex and his friend Zach were tearing ass around the house – building all these “traps” with Alex’s lumber wagon. Strangely, it is peaceful to come home from work and finding screaming, laughing kids rippin’ it up in my living room. I can’t complain about anything, the boys made me a chocolate milkshake.

sssslllluurrrrrrrp

Last, Final Unofficial Backtrack for Now

Mon Dec 26 – Wed Dec 28

Last backtrack because I vow to be a better blogger!!!!

Ok, so I talked about the gig – I talked about Christmas – not much to say about this week except I am so sick that I cough for minutes after climbing the stairs. I really lucked out with the solo show last Fri. That was the last day I could’ve possibly sung – and I barely made it through that…Does that make any sense?

So I made it. Way behind doing junk for the coming semester – but I was able to transfer every Nirvana album to my iPod today. Whooopie! It’ll put me in a good mood at hhe today. I hope I don’t have to go up and down stairs too many times.

Got Alex’s drum kit set up but Kim can’t find the sticks. She thinks she might’ve left them at her P’s house. I hope she didn’t do that on purpose.

Devin finally got in touch w/ the Action City e-mail looper thing – Elliot Simone has changed his life. I’m so happy for the new little family. I think I’ve waited a respectful amount of time before blogging about my buddy’s daughter. I’m pretty sure he told everyone that counts. Laura’s been so good for Devin. She helped to bring him out of wherever he was before and has made a difference in his life. Now they have a little one, and in my limited experience – that puts everything in perspective. It does not mean you become some martyr for your child – saying goodbye to the life you knew before, or any melodramatic crap like that…

…kids just help you put certain things in order.

Anyway, I think I’m caught up from all the non-blogging I’ve been doing. I’m gonna call Larry - ChrisB, OD & I are going out there Tuesday to do a re-re-mix of dil. We have a plan – AND IT’S GOING TO WORK!

Big Time Unofficial Backtracking Part Deux

Beautiful Christmas Eve at my parents’ house. We even took some time to watch this cartoon Kim bought for Alex - A KING IS BORN. I thought it was about Elvis.

Santa brought Alex Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots. Alex was the Blue Bomber, I was the Red Rocker. I lost every fight – Damn you Sammy Hagar!

Early Christmas morning my mom, Kim and I went to St. Joseph’s in Joliet. That’s when I feel that I have truly come home – when I go to my old church. Have I turned into fucking Flanders or what?

Christmas Day, drank too much and watched the Bears clinch the NFC North (I still have a hard time thinking of them being in the NFC North rather than the Central, I don’t know why)…sweep the Packers – and hung out with Kim’s aunt – the only person in our family that knows more about football than I do. I was getting a little pissed at her boyfriend because I think he was secretly cheering for the Packers. He better have picked them in a confidence pool or some crap like that. Chris and I really rode him hard after the 4th interception. That’s the Christmas spirit for you.

Oh, Josh reminded me that I forgot a song from Friday’s set list…after looking at my torn universal folder cover I realized that I missed two songs. Here is the amended set list:

1. Have You Got a Light?
2. One Solar Day
3. Standing Invitation
4. Let the Train Blow the Whistle
5. Airplane Mary
6. Raging Moon
7. Gravity’s Dirty Joke
8. Kish
9. To Bea or Be
10. Transatlantic Cable
11. Drinkinstone
12. Show Me Your Tits

and if I’ve forgotten anything else…then it’ll come back to me – or not. The world will go on either which way…

Beginning the Unofficial Backtracking

The Friday Dec 23rd show went far better than I could imagine. The set:

1. Have You Got a Light?
2. One Solar Day
3. Standing Invitation
4. Let the Train Blow the Whistle
5. Airplane Mary
6. Raging Moon
7. Kish
8. To Bea or Be (I failed at this)
9. Transatlantic Cable
10. Show Me Your Tits (I should’ve failed at this)

I regret ending the show with the give up bullshit song – but I also really appreciated all my friends who came out and listened to me do this serious shit. They wanted to see me make an ass out of myself, so I obliged them.

Kim, OD, Steener and Josh have been very supportive, helpful and encouraging through this…through what? I care what they think about these things and they seem to think it’s good and I should do more with it. I’m gonna. More on that more, later.

Oh, after the show – I drank a lot!

Wed, Thurs and Today

I’m missing Kim and Alex. They’re in the OF and I’m here working – paying too much attention to the news (I guess that’s better than my periods of addiction to sports talk radio)…but I’m also going a bit cukukukukukukukuk.

I’ve got a bunch of crap to get together for the coming semester and I’ve got a good work-reward cycle going. I do school stuff, then run one possession on my X-box NCAA football – then do household junk Kim left for me, plug another record into my iTunes thing – repeat.

Went to lunch w/ Mr. J – it was nice to get the F out of my basement and hang out with people. The downside? While Old Style and gyros are two great tastes that taste great together – they combine to form a vengeful stuff that must be expelled from one’s body in a violent manner. Now there’s something, that last sentence was pretentious, sophomoric – and scatological – ALL IN THE SAME NOXIOUS BREATH.

Had dinner with Kim, Trace and Shawn Wed night. It was nice to hang out with those guys. Alex and Riles were good for the Grand P’s. Alex loves hanging out with his little cousin. I’m so proud of my boy – he’s a gentle soul. He’s also going to start Bitty Basketball when he gets back into town. We offered him the choice between continuing karate – and doing hoops. He chose hoops. Very cool.

The medicine for this respiratory thing is making me worse – it may have killed the bacteria but it has also seemed to kill everything else in my digestive tract(?), track(?)…whatever.

I’ve got one more gift to pick up before I leave town. Got to fix my hhe hours this afternoon, pick up strings for the open E-flat tuning guitar – get the gear over the Flamingo and do the show.

Why I Can't Keep a Thought in My Head

Anybody who cares what I think about these things – don’t let yesterday’s blog entry suggest that I am not totally excited about Friday’s show. All the time I put in writing and making the breather record... I finally gave a copy to Dev two weeks ago – and Josh got his copy last Friday – two guys who have opinions on music that I care about (about which I care? – maybe ending sentences with prepositions is sometimes the only option, at least for someone like me).

Good news bad news on the Bolivia front. The bad news – Mike Tyson did not win their recent election. Tyson always wanted to “fade into Bolivia.” The good news? The guy who did win said he was going to make the growing of Bolivia’s indigenous – and most famous crop – legal. He thinks they can export it as a sort of tea. I wonder if you can operate heavy machinery after drinking that stuff. Hell, I bet there’ll be people trying to lift heavy machinery after drinking it.

Oh, back to my original point. This has been a big two weeks for me – getting the first Action City show at Otto’s – finally letting the solo album out of my hands and giving it to people who might tell me – ‘You got it’ – or ‘You missed the mark ed’ – that’s always scary/very exciting for me. Then the icing on the freaky/cool cake – playing this surprise show on Friday. This is what I do. The absence of anything like a narrative in my blog should be a sign that its subject – me – is sometimes as interested in making art as living itself. That’s a sort of sickness – especially since my obsession with writing now has nothing to do with by fame, profit – beating the boss man out of a day of work, whatever (I am smart enough to know that that is no longer an option for me)…maybe there is a certain misguided self-satisfaction that goes along w/ being me. But Lucy Lawless! that’s so friggin’ sad. I really live to make something and see if it is good or bad – if it works or not. I’m the least practical inventor you ever met…

I’m sorry about that last paragraph – I’m trying to avoid listening to Blago being interviewed on NPR. He is speaking of the basic right – or the connection between the inalienable rights guaranteed by the D of I and the responsibility of state governments to provide health care to all children – and maybe someday, to everyone. Fine. I don’t think health care is a fundamental right (I know there are many friends of mine who will want to knee me in the nuts)…but I think Gov. B or anyone who wants to accept something like “responsibility” for the health care of their constituents – great. But that guy talking about taking responsibility…when he (Blago) proposes that state fiscal responsibility includes refraining from paying into the teacher’s retirement fund FOR A YEAR!…he has more in common w/ g bushy than he lets on. If I’ve received one moral lesson from the last five years from our Federal govt – if you are some guy and declare bankruptcy – you are now going to pay every penny you can (and some you can’t)…if you’re an airline – the first thing you do when restructuring your bottom line – stop paying your pension fund. These things do not seem related in the context of this blog – but believe me, they’re related in the context of my head – and what’s more important than that?

I’m going to stop writing now because it is clear that the drugs – and the preparations for the next two weeks and next semester have clouded my head. I went from delusions of grandeur in one paragraph – to just being delusional in the next. At least this paragraph is honest. War, out.

It's the Most Drinkinest Time of the Year

I finished a solid last in the e-pissy drinking contest. What would the late Jimmy V say? Never give up. Never, ever give up.

It was great just hanging out with OD, Steener, Mr. Josh, Paulio, Trent – does it sound like the Romper Room lady was at the bar? Man she was hot in that tangerine pantsuit. After three screwdrivers, a coupla shots of Jaeger and other related stuff later – I realized that I was drinking beer in an effort to sober up. I’m so responsible – I asked Josh to drive me home…and anytime the story ends with “and we didn’t die, the end.” – THAT’S MY DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBLE!

If the Democrats want to put an attention-getting ticket together for 2008 – get Rep. John Dingle from MI and have Sen. John Kerry report for duty as the Vice-Presidential candidate. Who’s not going to Vote Dingle-Kerry in ’08???

Rep. Dingle actually attended a celebratory luncheon inside the Bush White House. See, I don’t have to make anything up.

Re Bush, the Patriot Act, the War on Terror and his terse response to a White House press conference question on “unchecked power” – I’ve got nothing. But let me say this – why should we worry about a secret spying program that everybody knows about? If anything, we should be on his ass for gross incompetence.

“Nice secret spying program Mr. President. I was just reading about it in the New York Times.”

“Maybe we should roll back the tax cuts to keep our secret spying programs a friggin’ secret!”

And when the President was worried about the sun setting on the Patriot Act – saying that the Congress was taking away a tool to help fight terrorism – my response: Can’t we come up with another secret spying program? Jeez, things’ll be better when I run the country – and I’ll get right on that once I replace my coffeemaker. That’s going to take some time however, one doesn’t make such decisions lightly.

I’ve got a really bad respiratory thing – I caught it from Kim (so it was definitely worth it). I went to the Dr. and he gave me some drugs and told me not to go back to work. The downside? I don’t know what shape my voice will be in – and I’ve been invited to do the first live performance of the breather stuff on Friday at this party in the basement of Eduardo’s. I’m so excited that Brian B. wants me to do this – his street credibility – way above mine…Mine? Somewhere between fireplug and butt plug.

The Flamingo (which was the name of the bar in the basement of Eduardo’s) was my favorite bar in this town – and the only one that I was truly sorry for being kicked out of/banned from (I’m not going to try to fix that sentence). One night I thought the patrons might like to hear the Black Crowes “She Talks to Angels” over and over again. If once is good – how great is $10 in quarters? Actually I only planned to play $5 in quarters worth of repetition because the bar offered shots of Philadelphia whiskey for a quarter. I thought I’d spit it down the middle - $5 for “She Talks to Angels” $5 for whiskey. It was totally the bar's fault. I love this country.

Anyhow, this plan went like all of my plans. Those opening acoustic strums began to sound like nails on chalkboard while the nail scratcher was also tap dancing with shrimp forks on a linoleum floor (Henry Miller, I ain’t). I’d sneak away from the folks who were supposed to be watching me – head toward the jukebox – and someone would shout: “He’s got a quarter! Stop him!”

I think Friday’s show should go ok. They sold the jukebox.

The Power of Advertising

I’ve never eaten Lyons Maid ice cream…but a commercial I’ve never seen makes me want to eat this wondrous foodstuff. In 1969, indecently – the year I was born – David Bowie starred in a 30 second commercial for Lyons Maid ice cream filmed by Ridley friggin’ Scott.

Alex got a rubber snake from one of his teachers as a Christmas present. That teacher just shot to the top of Alex’s “You kick ass lady” list. Um, I hope he really doesn’t have one of those. I’ll have to say: “Young man, I’m going to wash that list out with soap!” – or some dad shit like that.

Last day of school for Kim and Alex tomorrow!!!! I would say how happy I am to have them home, but they’re not going to be home for long. They’re going to the OF. I was hoping that TR, Shawn, Riley and Shawn’s P’s would stay out here so my family would be out here the whole Christmas break – but it was not to be (or be). So Kim and Alex will probably leave Monday morning – or just stay in the area after we do my Dad’s b-day on Sunday.

Alex and I watched Spiderman and Daredevil take on the Kingpin. I haven’t watched Countdown all week (like the one tv show I watch) because Alex’s favorite show is on at 7pm and we love to watch it together. I’d save the KO show to the DVR but knowing me, by the time I’d get to it – it wouldn’t be news anymore.

I need to find a way to relinquish some control of my news viewing/listening. My main source lately has been NPR on line…but I have total control of what I listen to on that – because I don’t just call up the live feed – I pick and choose what stories I want to hear. Continuing in this way will inevitably lead me to be a very narrow-minded person…or worse – ILL-INFORMED. Aw phooey – I thought I was all cosmopolitan – but I’m really just a grasshopper. I’m not even e-cosmopolitan.

The good news is I’ve been doing a lot of work on the John Adams thing. For anyone who’s been disappointed that I have not returned to some of our earlier topics – I’m in full dumb-ass mode following the end of the semester. Also – I’m doing tons of reading and writing for the diz – so what little of my mind is left is focused on that crap. Adams paid a high price for being right about the Revolution in France. Contemporary American politicians seem to be willing to look to the founding of the American regime for guidance with respect to bringing about a fledgling democracy. Adams offers interesting advice on what it means to export democracy and how possible/desirable that is.

It’s so funny how Jefferson and Madison understood immediately the political ramifications of supporting the Jacobins – whatever…and they (especially Jefferson) profited in the election of 1800 – but Adams understood all too well the great potential for long-term convulsions in France – and his early response to the FR – as well as some diplomatic shit that was beyond his control – all served to get his ass beat. It’s so wonderfully American – to be right in the long run but lose the election.

This is my blog – love it or leave it!

wait, come back – I was only joking
I’m so lonely.

Umlaut Free since '93

So our president finally admitted to having bad intelligence. It wasn’t all his fault – his parents and teachers should accept some of the blame.

I should talk – I’m the perfect example of the middling/muddling effect the democratization of university has on the quality of teachers and their ability to stimulate something like learning in their students. I teach Plato but I don’t read Greek. I teach Nietzsche and I can’t spell ubermench. Sorry – I can’t get the blog to do umlauts. Sadly, Motley Crue is smarter than my blog. Maybe it was all the Lowenbrau they drank.

I should’ve called Larry this week about mixing dil – but I’m just not sure what to do at this point. Chris and Joe really liked the first raw mix of the song I played for them. I sort of need a band ok – like play the raw track one more time and say: “Boys do you like this? – because I know I can go back into the studio and make our song sound like this.”

I feel the need to get their approval before I go ahead and ramrod this thing to completion. Ok, that just sounds stupid.

It’s funny, I always seek their (Dev, Chris & Joe’s) approval. I bust their balls mercilessly – I’m even older than ChrisB. But I think of them all as older – or bigger brothers (I think I’m fatter than all of them too). No wonder I’m such a pain in the ass.

When we started playing together – I had the least experience of any of them in recording the normal, according to Hoyle way (unless you count the boom box to boom box overdubbing process of the floating Basement – and nobody should count that). But now, I think I’ve spent more time behind mixing boards and being involved hands on with the recording and mixing of both you know what albums – the bD stuff we did w/ Alex – and my own solo shit which I’m too chickenshit to let out of the coop. Wha?

Practically speaking – at least in terms of hours – I’ve spent more time working on this crap than any of them – but I still defer to the other guys in the band. I think it’s because I love their taste in music – or think they have better taste in music than I do. I know I can say this: ChirsB and Dev have introduced me to a bunch of cool music – and while Joe…not so much, I defer to him because he has a fantastic ear – he knows what most stuff should sound like – and he helps me get good guitar sounds…and lets me know when I’ve gone too far – important stuff like that.

We’re in a holding pattern anyway because Dev and Laura are about to meet their first child. That’s the important stuff – the rock will take care of itself…right?

I’m not going to have to worry much about anything. Josh is arriving right as Kim and Alex are leaving town – and hhe couldn’t give me any extra hours during the break. I don’t expect to live to see New Year’s.

Free?

Bill Garver sold an article to a very cool looking magazine. The thing that is doubly good (and now we all can see why the number of articles ed has sold is at zero and holding)…but the reason why it’s doubly good – is the mag itself has a sort of pulp style motif whatever. It has this sort of dirty/swanky rough dried w/ some sense of style…uh, the kind of image that fits with his novel.

Anyway – I think it’s good when you have a plan – and then (at least part of) that plan works (so far, who knows – all of it could work in time). I’m happy for him. Up to this point he’s executing like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running attack.

Sent Cousin Mike GOITER and I’m pretty geeked up. I did not have the guts to send him SELF-TITLED (the shit I put together from the sessions we did w/ the Dark Squirrel in 2001 or 2002…I forget). These songs are great – especially I WANNA! We’d been broken up for 7 or 8 years at this point and the first new track we come out with has only two words. Brilliant…at least for the floating Basement. Did I mention Bill Garver is a genius? I WANNA was his brainchild – and when you listen to the song – it’s clear he wants something…you’re never sure what it is – but dammit – Bill wants it, or he wants to do something, or – I don’t know.

We can’t go back to Elgin or practice this week. Devin’s wife is going to have their first child – probably by Friday (I think). He’s got to stay close by…man, I remember being freaked out all the time in the days before Alex arrived on the scene. Then, when you look at that kid – it becomes so simple. All they need is everything. Go get it.

I’m excited about getting back to Action City practice because we have a show at Otto’s on Jan 7th. We’ll be playing with Alex and Jay’s Western Grand. It’ll be good to see Jay again. I haven’t seen him since he became someone’s daddy.

Went out to get medicine for Kimberly Jo…she’s got bronchitis. Poor kid. Alex was sick today. Why can’t the rest of my family be healthy, like me? After getting Kim’s drugs I went to Borders. I bought a Tacky the Penguin book for Alex’s teacher. I picked up the Uncut 2005 Year in Review ish. The free CD was too damn tempting – then I heard the Robert Plant “Tin Pan Valley” song…

…and that’s when I was reminded that nothing is free.

Ye Olde Syntaxe Ere O'er

Newman is hosting the C.S. Lewis flick at the State Street Theater in Sycamore…I think they said the showing is on Thursday. I want to go. Monsignor Nelson said he hasn’t been to the movie theater in Sycamore. After Mass I told him:

“You’ll love the Sycamore Theater. It’s one of those old time movie theaters, from the movies.”

He laughed, but secretly he’s hoping jokes like that’ll land me in the Lake of Fire. Oooh, if I can invent a really spicy tasting butter I can call it Land o’Lakes of Fire…(or would it be o’Fire?). What’s the o’ grammar rule? If you have one o’ you must have a second? Aye before o’ except after methinks?


Part II: BEAR WEATHER FANS

I pretend to know stuff about philosophy, religion, politics, music etc…but there’s nothing I pretend to know more about than sports – so take this with a tab of acid (o’ acid?) I don’t want to hear any more garbage about Bear weather. The Bears do not play any better in the snow or in the cold. Here’s what determines how the Bears will do: how good is their opponent? Also, how smart is their opponent? Carolina, Tampa Bay, Green Bay all had success running the ball against the Bears. Then for some reason, at some point in the game – they all stopped running the ball. I guess they were tired of all the success they were having getting the Bears to over pursue up the field whatever…Bill Cowguy – he’s got more brains in his chin than Mike Sherman has in his you know what…

Hell I could’ve figured it out – after starting the game off with some misdirection – the Bears strengths (pursuit – flying to where the ball is – or where they think it is)…were used against them. They didn’t miss tackles because they didn’t feel like tackling. They were off kilter. It wasn’t that the Steelers “wanted it more” or any crap like that – you don’t fly all the way to Pittsburgh to have someone kick your ass! The early running attack set the stage for everything that followed. The Bears couldn’t commit to playing the type of defense they are used to because of all the misdirection early on. It was so simple – and Vinny the Chin remembered: “When we run the ball, we gain yards and we don’t give the Bears defense a chance to intercept passes and score touchdowns. Maybe we should keep running the ball.”

No need to give up on the Bears. They are still a fun team to watch. But I will pretend to know more about Bears football than the idiots who say: “’Dis is Bear wedder. Da Bears! Da snow!” I also would like to think that I know how the other teams screwed up, how the Steelers got it right – I don’t know how to fix the Bears few minor problems. But that’s not my job. My job is to watch the games and drink a beer here and there. That’s it.

Football strategy, of course, is not as simple as I presented it above. But the Steelers plan (and I am not a fan of their team I don’t care about them one way or another) worked, and as long as it kept working – why change it?

If I ever come up with a plan that works in this life – you bet your sweet ass I’m sticking with it.

Santispeak

James Carville offered this caveat before he started picking games on the TK show: “Tony, this week we gonna eat a lot of chalk.”

Damn, I love Old Guy Radio.

Praise the Gore for creating the internets which allows me to continue listening to Old Guy Radio (even though Mr. Tony has gone strictly local, radiowise).

I’m sorry if none of that makes any sense to anybody. I will try to do better.

Argle barggle askljfhjkashfajsr oeiqro;isjfalsn rw8q097 4129dkfjkj9 {}[]][][][{uytudy 87987(*&)(*^FDuhasijnbcmnxz/;fka;…Ferguson Jenkins.

Ok, that only made sense to my friend Santi – and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even read this blog.

I’m finally going to send Cousin Mike a copy of GOITER on CD. I’ve had it on my laptop forever – from back when I hoped to put out all the original fB tapes…but I ran out of money and I sort of went insane in the process. I was never totally happy with the way the J-card artwork transferred. It looks sort of stretchy. I was never really much of an artsy craftsy kinda guy. That’s why I play the stupid guitar – and not very well at that.

Speaking of people who I’m glad to be in contact w/ again – Randy sent me an e-mail…actually it was more like an obscenity-laced tirade…it was nice to hear from Randy again. I told him to join the e-pissy but I don’t know if he’s done it yet. Maybe I should start spreading rumors on the e-pissy that he’s engaged. The night I did that in the Annex and everyone was buying him drinks…oooh, he was so pissed. I love when people are so mad they try to pour pitchers of beer on me. What is my problem?

Anyway it’s off to the hhe and back home to grade papers this afternoon. I wanted to have people over for the Bears game tomorrow – but it’s just not gonna happen. Crap. I don’t want to watch all those Kyle Orton incompletions by myself. Maybe if Rex Grossman doesn’t work out the Bears can dig up Albert Grossman.

If you can help Bob Dylan establish a successful SINGING career – you can do anything.

KO is OK

If the United States isn’t employing torture in the Middle East – how do we explain sending Rita Cosby and the WWE to Afghanistan?

Why do I know this? I’m grading papers and I’m too lazy to change the channel right away after Countdown ends. Yes, in this day and age where everyone has a wireless remote for their vibrating anal beads – I do not have a remote for my tv downstairs. I usually find myself listening to the first 10 minutes of that show and her voice is stuck in my head for the rest of the night…I’m pretty sure Ms. Cosby is the granddaughter of the “eeeeeYESSSSSSSSSSS!!!” guy from back in the 40’s or whenever. Or was that Mel Blanc…and is that how you spell Mel Blanc?

…but tonight KO interrupted the programming with a breaking news story. It was the plane that crashed through the gates, or walls at Midway and, I guess, went right into traffic. I don’t want to make light of this at all because it sounds like cars (or at least a car) was crushed – and there may’ve been someone inside that car. But KO did great – throwing MSNBC to the Chicago affiliate – then dealing with live information from a passenger on the plane – as well as some Chicago NBC newsperson – I have no clue who the local tv news people are – I’m a fool. They better pay the Bloggerman overtime.

PDawg asked me to say something about the little jabs I take at our beloved Supreme Court. I’m gonna spread this out. Let me give my first reason – which is my worst reason – 1.) BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE REALLY DOES. I think I wrote about some of this already – the way SC decisions are presented as if they were brought down from the mountain written on these 4…er, 3 tablets…what? Maybe more on this later…as I’m preparing for the Religion and the Constitution class…

YEAH – that’s my legitimate beef w/ the SC – when I teach a class like that – I have to read tons of opinions shoveled out by the 20th Century Court. That’s enough to make anyone (even a loveable chap like me) A BITTER FUCKING FUCK! If anyone can tell me what “emanations of penumbra of the 1st 5th and 9th Amendments” means – I’ll go down on them!

…maybe I won’t say more about this later. I’m scaring myself.

Saw a picture of Arlen Specter from a speech yesterday. I would say he looks better – but he kind of looks like James Woods. That can’t be better.

Oh, yesterday – Alex and I watched the Road Runner and Coyote for the first time. We laughed our butts off.

Christmas Mix Tapes and the Death Penalty

One thing is certain…

Anyhow, grading my ass off. I could use less ass. (ooh, the grammar check option for “less ass” was “fewer asses” – my grammar check just doesn’t understand me) I’ve got to send Josh my mailing address because I wanna get some of that Christmas mix tape. Kim is going to bust my balls because I’m always complaining about her Christmas music being mixed in my record collection – but she deserves to bust me out once in awhile. Shit, she deserves access to free legal council…it is not easy being married to me and I’m lucky she doesn’t explore her options. I don’t mind taking some heat for the mix tape – they’re usually pretty good…the fall one is still in my dopey iPod and I love it. When I’m working at hhe and I’M THE BOMB comes on – I feel like the coolest man at the corner of 1st Street and Lincoln Hwy.

I’m fascinated by the Tookie Williams last ditch appeal for clemency thing. Would Arnold say: “Asta la vista Tookie” - if he could? I’m sorry. I am actually one of those Catholics who is more concerned (wrong word) about the death penalty than other culture of death/culture of life issues. And my "concerns" do not stem from liberal leanings – or they are not part of the leftover, near defunct – definitely incoherent Brennan-esque judicial theory regarding the death penalty as unconstitutional – there’s more bullshit put into that than I could put into this blog in a lifetime. By the way, that’s saying something isn’t it? Even former Supreme Court Justices and their intellectual heirs – who I do not hold in high regard, or I cheerfully make fun of them at every opportunity – I respect them for the amount of bullshit they can fill the world with…uh, with which they fill the world – dammit.

Anyhow – the death penalty…Bill Garver and I watched tv late the night Gacy’s death sentence was carried out. When the Attorney General (uh, I think it was the AG, I forget) came out and said: “The People of the State of Illinois’ sentence was carried out at 12:05am…” – my heart sunk. Now Gacy – I’m not going to say what he deserved or didn’t deserve…and I wouldn’t argue with someone who says – he deserves the worst punishment we can give him. But, my name is on his death sentence. That creeps me out. The death penalty was carried out in my name…and to the extent that I do nothing about it – I don’t know…I’m sort of responsible for each one carried out. Even Timothy McVey(sp?) – if the death penalty was made for anyone – it was made for him – attacking a Federal building is like attacking all of us – Sirhan Sirhan (sp? sp?) too…whatever one thinks about Bobby or any of the friggin’ Kennedys – he voted for everyone in 1968 (and got his assed saved by the bogus judicial theory)…

…but when I watched the report that the sentence was carried out against McVey – I felt emptiness. No wonder my dad calls me a wuss.

Maybe, before Tookie Williams’ death sentence is carried out – he will say something about Crip on Crip violence.

That is a thought more worthy of this blog…and vice versa.

What is a Sock Drop?

Alex is getting a drum kit for Christmas. I told him I’d talk to my friend ChrisB about giving both of us drum lessons. He said he wanted to get his lesson first. I said:

“What if dad wants to go first sometime?”
Alex said: “Daddy, I can go first, first and you can go first, last.”

…he then went on to explain how he can export peace and democracy to the Middle East.

The Prairie Blawg went down. I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with Blogger…any one of us could be next!

My students have done a fine job on the first round of exams. I’ve got to give my last two today. I just cleared my desk of 47 History of Social Thought test papers last night (10:30pm or so…) – I’m going to get 42 more this afternoon, plus 29 Nietzsche and the Postmoderns papers and exams. I shouldn’t complain. I could have a job that required me to sell 30,000 widgets before the close of business on December 23.

I was sort of hoping my beloved White Sox would pick up Juan Pierre – but he’s gonna play on the other side of town. Now I am hoping that Jim Hendry inserted a “no rap” clause in the deal. I’m not bringing this up to bring pain to any of my friends who cheer for that team (it seems that all of my friends cheer for that team, except my Cousin Mike) – but I hope Shaq’s producer doesn’t hook up w/ JP: “I went to Wrigley Field / I got that wigg-a-lee feel…” Worst sports rap ever, which makes it by default – THE WORST THING EVER! (I realize I used the word hope way too many times in the past three sentences - but that's what makes me the kind of writer I am...crappy.)

If someone could explain to me what a “sock drop” is – I’d be appreciating that very much.

Blogger Went Down

Blogger went down last night and I was sort of freaking out. Does this mean I am addicted to my blog? Well, I used to be addicted to worse things. (of course those worse things were more exciting than this blog)

The Crafty One joined our e-pissy group. I am very excited. It will only be a matter of time before he offers up some world-shaking theories on Dirty Harry, genetics and alcoholism, how we should be suspicious of tall speakers (stereo speakers not public orators...as opposed to private orators?), the political opportunities associated with owning a bazooka, Crocodile 2…it’s gonna be great.

I’m in full on grading mode so there are not a whole heckuva lot of useful thoughts in my head. Maybe my old friend ADF will provide some for me on the e-pissy.

This is my nerdiest entry ever…I am blogging about my Yahoo friends group and how my blog went down. If Josh can’t make it out here for the holidays I’m gonna have to shoot myself.

Being for the Benefit of Me

Kim & I went to the Newman Benefit Dinner tonight. Great time. We won our silent auction bid - a book on the last seven words of Christ WITH A SOUNDTRACK BY THE VERMEER quartet! Kim and I saw the Vermeer Quartet on our first date. Do I sound sappy? Lick my ball sack. It was a very romantic evening. We also saw Fr. Steve for the first time in almost a year. Whenever I think things are fucked up, out of control whatever – I remind myself of the recurring theme of every one of this wonderful man’s homilies.

Fr. Steve focused on repentance – but not in the stereotypical, bullshit Madonna-critique- of-Catholicism kind of way. Fr. Steve’s message was to always remember that the Lord invites us back when we fuck up (uh, Fr. Steve didn’t use the F-word). The Lord is always open, waiting for us to take our own positive step towards Him and He will take as many as we need towards us…

I’m butchering this important stuff – and my dopey blog is probably not the place for this. Last point on Fr. Steve – and this is true for another priest at Newman (Fr. Addison Hart)…these guys reminded me (constantly) – that “to repent” in the sense we get it in the NT (at least from the Greek texts of the NT) literally means to “change one’s mind”. I understand why many people I know have beefs with organized religion – especially Catholicism. I’ve been through that. But I’m so grateful for these men who taught me that repentance doesn’t have to mean rend thy garment – wail and scream like a tortured baboon – wear locusts and wild honey…uh, I mean eat locusts and wild honey (that makes more sense, doesn’t it?)…

…it doesn’t have to be like that. Enough for now.

Record Time

All the bullshit worry, fear, paranoia-light I experienced – fretting over the mixdown…totally unfounded. Sure, everything went down the crapper relatively quickly, but it wasn’t the sort of collapse we usually experience. That’s something.

Actually, I know what we need to do to fix this situation. I have learned something from the wheelbarrow full of mistakes I’ve made in (and out) of recording studios. I’ve saved all the first mixes we took home from the studio at the end of every night and kept them organized and dated on my lap top (voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: “You are a huge nerd.”)

Oh, what I’ve learned. Most of the mixdowns I’ve taken part in seem to be 3 to 7 hour efforts to make the final version of the song sound worse than the raw tracks. We achieved this in three hours last night – a record low for hours wasted on mixing two songs. That’s something.

The good thing is – I was finally able to prove (at least to the people riding in the car with me) what I’ve suspected for years…with everyone (especially producers) coming up with excuses and shinning me off…

Chris popped the cd in his car stereo and we listened to mix of Dil that we just finished. Then I said: “Remember what you just heard.” I played them (on the same car stereo) the mix of the same fucking song from the first night – when Larry just mixed shit sort of loud so we could hear everything – no compression – no limiter – no delay on the snare – no nothing…and guess what – this version made the “produced” one sound like it had a layer of film over it.

When we did the first you know what record – I did not have access to rough and ready mixes – because there were none (IDIOTS! Always leave the session with a mix – we were so fucking stupid). When we made Current I decided I wanted to keep track of as many raw sounding basic tracks (before the vocals) as I could. When Alex wouldn’t mix ‘em he showed me how to shut down the ADATs, put the shit away – and he let me do my own quickie mixes. We made one of these super-rough mixes for the last song on Current…(My Best Friend) – the guitars were so raw – and the two solos Dev stuck in there sounded like angry bees (in a good way). The drums were repeated punches in the face, gut, kidney region…you name it. When we finished the mix of the same song (that I loved soooo much before) at this semi-nice studio all I could say was: “Meh, I don’t hate it.” I told Alex – I told everyone who would listen: “I’ve got these mixes I did using the Mackie 12 into 2…and into some boom box Chris had in his basement. Alex, you remember doing them with me.” ADF said: “Dude, you just love the sound of tape saturation – it makes you thing this is louder or whatever you think it is.” So I couldn’t prove shit – but last night, Chris and Joe heard it. The raw mixes blew all this compressed/limited – whatever – stuff away. We need to work with the raw mixes we have – do minor editing shit – and stop ourselves before we destroy what we’ve done. I think we can still do this.

So now we have a plan.
If we only had a name.

Shut Up Ed

I just re-read my blog entry below. Let me do everyone a favor and tell me to shut up. Listening to me complain about having to mixdown a song I really like is like listening to PK talk about the “gut wrenching” experience of deciding where he was going to play next year. (Actually I’ve never had to decide between $60 and $65 million – so who am I to say what is or what is not gut wrenching on that score?) I’m not going to rag on PK – or any of the 2005 WhiteSox – they have a lifetime pass with me – and who cares what I think…

Here’s what I do know – fifteen years ago, you could never just casually walk into a pretty-well equipped studio (wondering if your band had it’s shit together) and try to record songs and pay for it with pocket change. No matter how tonight goes I’ve got no business bitching about it. We have access to that joint – record, hit and run at will. I could walk out of the mixdown session tonight, pay Larry in full and still have gig money left over to buy drinks for the fellas and say I’m sorry. I’m not going to do any of that. The point is: SHUT UP ED – YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO BITCH ABOUT!

Was ever a man so beset by blah, blah, blah…