What the Heck?

I really like the Marshall kid but Dusty, Larry Rothsssschild and the coward Barrett have totally let him down. Two appearances in a row by Uribe with two outs and men on base – no one told him to throw garbage to Juan. BA (not to be confused with BO or Mr. T, sorry Steener) has been struggling at the dish all season and then there is the pitcher. I know Garland’s got a homer this season, but what are the odds he will do it again? It’s like the SOX have two pitchers. Doesn’t Dusty understand how to play the pathetic percentages and pathetic strategy of his inferior National League?

Marshall deserves better leadership here.

George Marshall, somebody – anybody.

D.J. just told Len Casper to get out of his bag.

I don’t pretend to know what that means.

I was on the golf course this morning into early afternoon. I need my exercise. I missed the first at bat. Poor Pablo Ozuna hurt something. edN & I wrote a song about Pablo Ozuna to the tune of Pina Colada. Wanna hear it, here it go…

If you like Pablo Ozuna
Get him into the game
He may be brutal in the outfield
But he’s patient at the plate

So put him in for Podsednik,
BA or Jermaine
He even once hit a home run
And the crowd went insane

So if you go on a road trip
And somebody needs a break
Or somebody gets suspended
Or somebody’s groin is strained

And you’ve got Pablo Ozuna
Then put him in to the game
If you’ve got Pablo Ozuna
Then you just might win today

GET WELL SOON PABLO!

GO SOX!

Everyone get yourself some floating Basement We’re Lost. Cousin Mike just launched it on garageband and it is getting killed in the most delicious of fashions. Cousin Mike is a genius for those who didn’t know. This may be one of the last old fB tracks trotted out there before we reform and put out something new and more horrible. Stay tuned! (we won’t, our guitars are never in tune)

Bazaar, Bizarre, Bizarro

In a bizarre turn of events, Brittney posed nude on the cover of Bazaar. In a bizarrer turn of events, Bizarro Brittney took over the Bizarro World Bank. I wish Bizarro Brittney took over this world’s World Bank. Hell, at this point I’d even take the real Brittney.

Damn you Paul Wolf o’Witless!

One day we’re going to find out that that guy was the sith lord we were looking for, and then where will we be?

Regarding yesterday’s SC decision…while I am glad to see a branch of the F govt at least questioning our peerless leader, I wonder what difference this makes, or if it is even a good idea. I wonder if it wasn’t for Abu Grabass – would there be this intensified human rights/due process investigation directed at Gitmo…

One probably has less to do with the other than I would like to believe, I try to question the missteps of the IROCK war at every opportunity. Yet for those dumbass blue ties who argue with me over IROCK lemme say – the frontline of terrorism was A-Stan…and may now become the Mog. What’s your guy doing about that?

What I like the most about the decision is I can now make the case to my liberal friends that the SC has not become the g bushy rubber stamp they have feared since Judge Ito and Mr. Roberts have copped a squat there. Robbie rightly took no role in the opinion or dissents of the court since he was part of the appellate court that upheld Hamdennnnnnnn. I don’t know if this is good judicial behavior on Robbie’s part or if he had to – jeanz? Anybody? – of course I teach some of this shit, I should know.

But then, I’m an idiot. What do I know?

Ironically, because I am such a dumbass, the bigger decision to me was that the SC upheld the TX redistricting plan with the exception of (I think) one district and Latino representation. One NPR commentator was quick to suggest that this may help the D’s in at least one upcoming race but I wouldn’t be so sure. If there is one thing that the R’s have managed to do in the last 15 years is open the tent, at least at the grass roots level.

Whatever do I mean by this?

No doubt the Prez and his Veep Curly are polarizing figures. Policy wise however, there is open debate among the R’s on international (and more importantly) domestic issues in a way that is not apparent among the D’s. The most recent example of how the D’s are lacking in this regard (and it may be more than perception) came from the Sultan. He reminded us of recent statements by Senator BO about the importance of opening the D tent to religious voters. The Sultan applauded this…and I do, to a degree. Is this an honest opening of the tent or is it more like – ‘we need the Jesus vote what’re we gonna do to get it?’

What do I mean by this?

In the BO v. AK debates during the senatorial race there was one spot where AK stole the show. Let me preface this by saying I would never vote for AK, precisely because he has spent much of his life studying the same things I have. Anyone who has done that should be kept as far away from politics as humanly possible.

BO was on the defensive because AK was touting himself as the candidate for religious voters. BO’s response was basically how dare you question my personal religious beliefs. That is inappropriate.

AK, who was the superior debater (at least on this question – on many others he is dumber than me – that’s really dumb – and his position on homosexuals led him to humiliation and deserved scorn) but AK got BO to admit that he was a man of religious conviction but that conviction was separate from his stance on public policy…

Sultan may cheer – and probably most of the readers of this crappy blog would cheer the Senator’s response… but this is emblematic of the D’s problem in bringing religious voters back. Serious believers tend to not separate policy and faith in this way.

When AK further pushed BO in the realm of abortion (and I am not saying I agree with AK and the emphasis he put on abortion in the campaign) – but he showed our Senator’s lack of knowledge regarding the differences in numbers of abortions by race. AK, as per usual, went way too far and referred to it as a holocaust among black babies. But this was the one portion of all three debates where BO had a sort of a hommina hommina hommmmina moment.

The point AK tried to drive home was that BO was concerned with issues of race that he deemed important, and religious when it suited him

Zing!

I voted for BO. I like BO. But he will have a substance problem if he thinks he is the man who can open the tent for the D’s on domestic/cultural issues.

There is real debate among the R’s on abortion…even at the national conventions. There is real difference among them on things like embryonic stem cell research see Sen. Sam Brown-baby-got-no-Back vs. the Specter Detector from PA. Lively debate! Real debate over immigration coming from different direction – many of us want the D’s to get united – I had a dear friend say ‘Why don’t we (the D’s) have someone like Rushhh Limpdick?’ – to which I responded in horror – WHY THE HELL WOULD ANYONE ELSE WANT SOMEONE LIKE THAT!

I’d like to think the Sen. from IL learned something from this debate. I don’t know what kind of Pres he would make. However, to pick up on something the DC Liar said in the previous post - Hell, I’m not sure what kind of Senator he is. Gook luck to us all.

I've Just Had Another One of My Brilliant Ideas

The United States Senate has a pair and their names are Specter and Durbin. What would their celebrity couple name be? Spurbin? Durcter? Surprisingly, the Senator from PA is the more pissed off of the two. In one of the recent candidates for the Crazy Pissed Off Scheme Hall of Fame, Sen Specter and others are tired of g bushy’s modus operandi when it comes to signing bills into law. G bushy doesn’t veto anything but he issues these signing statements when he signs the bills into law. Our current peerless leader is not the 1st Prez to do this – but he is the Prez who issues the most AND – the signing statements in the hands of g bushy have taken on a very different tone. They sound like he is saying I am going to sign this bill into law but I’ll be the one who decides when it is or is not law. I don’t usually do this, but if you consider yourself part of the law and order crowd (not the show) you should be ashamed of this guy. He has no respect for the rule of law.

Anyway it has gotten so bad that the R. Sen. From PA (Specter – who I disagree with on a variety of issues most notably embryonic stem cell research he was the first guy to stand up and clap for it loud and proud) – but he has gotten so angry that the Prez is basically mocking some of the laws brought before him by the lazy Legislature that he has decided to lead a group of lawmakers to SUE THE PRESIDENT. I assume this lawsuit would be heard by the Supreme Court and it would center around what content is in these signing statements or when g bushy can or can not make them. I love it. It will never work. It is something I would’ve thought of if I was on Da Hill. In order for the Congress to sue the Prez they have to first vote for this course of action themselves, and (this is the best part) THE PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE TO SIGN HIS OWN LAWSUIT INTO LAW!

This is g bushy’s one chance to show how clever he is. Here’s hoping he signs the act of the Congress into law but then issues the following signing statement: “Just because I’m signing this thing doesn’t mean I’m showing up for the lawsuit. Bring it on.”

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Saw OD tonight and he’s hanging in there. Work sucks without him and I even miss our trips to Sugar Grove. What’s up with that?

Last night was a big night for Alex taking ownership of the last frontier of his toilet training. The boy is a champ. I am so proud of him. He is growing up so fast, although this last phase seemed like it was taking forever. I’m sure there will be more bumps/accidents in the toilet training road (do NOT insert Hershey Highway joke here or I’ll come through this computer and administer an asswhoopin’ on you…ow, I hurt my head) – I’m proud of the kid. This has been hard for him. I’m sure it will continue to be difficult when he turns thirty and finds out quite by accident that his father blogged about his toilet training. But hey, kaka, PDawg, olekobe, aka goo, the Sultan, jeanz and auftn, and the Aquamanskis will attest to this: if we don’t run the risk of messing up our kids we ain’t doing our job.

My work here is done.

Hip If It Kills Me

I have got to learn more about my celebrities. A few months ago someone left a comment about Katie and Tom and I asked Kim who that was and why the person was so pissed off about them…She said “Tom is Tom Cruise dumbass!” I said “Who is Katie? Katie Curic?” My poor wife just buried her head in her hands.

Now thanks to KO and Countdown I can bone up on my celeb news daily. To those of you who know this stuff, you can test my fire as I take my first baby steps into the world of dishing the glitterati dirt. Let me know if this stuff is fire (Am I using fire correctly? I’ve got a feeling that I am already fucking up here).

1. Brittney can’t afford a car seat for Baby Fire.
2. Ben Affleck isn’t that famous anymore because I don’t know who his girlfriend is.
3. Tom (Cruise) is mad because his baby was only offered $3 million
4. Bradjoli Baby got 4 mildo.
5. If you are famous, you have to try to have a famous baby, give the baby a stupid celebrity baby name, and then people will forget about the famous baby.

ok, it’s a start. I think if I was a celebrity, the stupid-celebrity-baby name I would give my kid would be Shiner. Alex better thank God my screen test was crappy. The guy with the liquor and GoJo said it was a screen test. Yeah there were no cameras or anything but he said they were hidden to make everything feel more natural.

Joe Franklin raped me.

Sorry.

Great post by Ms. Aquanmanski! She is a good Cubs fan and a good baseball fan. Her baby brother can whip most of our asses at baseball (maybe with the exception of the Sultan and his bro). I want to say this in all seriousness – I will make good on the deal to go to Wrigley sometime this summer but I’m not taking my kid. Something bad is going to happen there…I can feel it. I’ve never gone to Wrigley and I am not going to back out on my promise to Mr. Lying McLiesAlot. I actually am more curious to go than ever before. I have never liked Wrigley…never thought it was a beautiful park even when the old new SOX park was so damned ugly and blue seated. I’ve been watching so much Cubs baseball this summer because it has been like watching one of those reality shows. Going to a game would make this weird season of watching shit complete. But please Trix and others who have been saying how Alex has to go to a Cubs game to see that place and have that experience – forget it. No he doesn’t, at least not this year. Alex doesn’t want anything to do with the Cubs. He’s a Tigers fan and he kinda likes the SOX (mostly just individual players) because Daddy always watches the SOX. Actually, Alex got a little chippy at Twins the other nice. He knew there was no SOX game on (we usually eat on the SOX side at Twins…very diplomatic they have Black on one screen and Blue at the other end of the bar). By the way, anyone thinking of calling DCFS, Twins is as much restaurant as bar and it’s a family joint. But anyhow, the Cubs game was on and Alex asked our waitress if they could turn off the Cubs and put on the Tigers, adding “They’re in first place you know.”

On the upside I got a par on number 7 at the Buena Vista last night. It is great golfing in the wet grass. It’s not great for my game but I love the way the rain feels on everything. We have good news on the KJ family front and we are very grateful to God and modern medicine.

Excited. Friday I am finally going to Larry’s to make more breather review copies. I also have to talk to ChrisB about getting the Me Drive Car artwork. I’ve got a 21 track thing to give away to friends etc while we are figuring out how to finish our record. I’ve had a blast compiling these tracks. I better play it for the fellas before I get too geeked up. Cousin Mike e-mailed and there is a new floating Basement track for garageband. I’ll be posting some of the entertaining reviews here.

Bladdo

I have no idea what the title means. I do know this – if it’s hhe, it’s for me and give me three. My job kicks ass because the people there listen to me. We have a new set of functions for processing repairs. When it was first installed there were tons of fucking problems. Almost nothing worked. We have a system of public files on the company whatever…I just mentioned to one of the supervisors and one IT guy that I was keeping a running list of shit I broke on the new “R”epair screen. Two days later, both of them came up to me and told me that they were actually meeting to fix some of these things – and my job would be to continue to try and break things on the program and let them know what I could or could not do.

Now we are down to one or two or five functions that the “R”epair screen can not seem to do. It’s better than where we were when we started. At first the program could do almost none of the functions I needed it to do. I fixed one of these last fuck ups by (what would Paul McCartney say?) fooling the machine. I showed MKS (who jumped in on the whole process later but she’s been trying to troubleshoot problems with this thing at the other end…the shipping end). She told me basically to try my fucked up way of “fixing” the problem – monitor the shipping of the thing in question and let her know if it works. Technically the thing shipped on Friday, but I couldn’t check it until today. It worked, the right product replaced the broken thing and everything I ordered up worked. Yay. MKS told me to share the love and let everyone know.

I don’t really do anything that sophisticated at my job. I try to use common sense when I can. It is just rewarding to know that people who run things do listen to me, and let me do things my own fucked up way if I think it helps. I’m not going to change the world or get famous or make bank cleaning wax from h.a. receivers and/or sending them to one of our labs…but I fucking like what I do. We provide products and services to people who couldn’t afford them any place else. The owners always have time to ask me how my kid is. I don’t stay up worrying about whether or not I am going to make my numbers for the quarter, the fiscal year or the fi-douchebag calendar.

ok that was just unnecessary

I just thank God for my job.

Never thought I’d ever say some dumb ass shit like that.

Best SOX Game Ever

I will write much more about yesterday's SOX game later. Alex and I have to help Momma today. Thanks and much love to Di for the photos and the fun - you can see more pics at her page. Thanks and much love to Ms. E for getting the original tix (a steal lemme tell ya) and for some mighty fine seat weasling during the game. We ended up with a perfect view of Crede's grand slam (that's three this year ohmiyouknowwhat)...also thanks and much love to the Cousin Mike crew for understanding why we had to move Sunday's festivities back a week. The patient is doing better and we are all hopeful. It's actually good that we moved the golf thing back since we've gotten some rain here in the place where God lost his shoes.

I don't know what that means.

Saturday was the best SOX game I ever saw in person. Unbelievable!

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ok, it is later and I've helped Kim so I have some time to recap Saturday's game

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Dr. Jerk Off & Ms. Hyde Park

Saturday. Made it to the OF to pick up the boy at Kim’s folks by 10:30am or so…fought the good fight on the Dan Ryan and made it to Ms. E’s in a reasonable amount of time. I zigged when I should’ve zagged through the botanical mayhem of the University of Chicagoland but I found the joint. Ms. E had to fly me in at the end as I got closer…but no one died. Went & picked up Di, had total rock star parking within perfect walking distance to the park. I had too much food but it was way fucking tasty. The girls even found soft serve chocolate ice cream for the boy. Thanks ladies.

Before the game, while E & Di were looking for lemonade in which to put some vodka, Southpaw (the SOX mascot who kinda looks like a monster) wanted to shake Alex’s hand. The kid freaked out big time, screamed, ran behind me and grabbed my nuts harder than they have ever been grabbed before. Southpaw is pretty freaky looking, no doubt – but what did I ever do to the kid? Sure I make him finish his cereal – but he wants a brother or sister – he better be careful. Poor kid was really scared.

SOX got the first run on a sac fly to right by Thome. Not long after that I saw the wheels turn in Ms. E’s head. She couldn’t see the fly ball too well because of one beam to our right in the way-upstairs. I didn’t mind being so high up because the sight lines are so much better after the improvements to SOX park. We could see everything else well because we were behind the catcher. Later after a coupla moves – E & Di got us in great position to see the best parts of the game. I’ve never seen a grand slam home run in person…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a three run home run. When the bases were loaded in the 7th and Scrap Iron took out the kid who’d shut down the SOX all day and put in Qualls…I told everyone around me “This is the jerk off who gave up the grand salami to Paulie in the WS.”

One pitch later…ecstasy. I’ve never been at a ball park when anything like that’s happened. The place went absolutely nuts. By the 7th we were a lot closer and behind the catcher. The ball’s angle of flight was obscured by the brightness of the sky. I wasn’t sure if it was going to stay fair or hook foul. I never saw it land in the stands but I could tell from the eruption that Crede did it. I think I could even hear Hawk yell “JOE - - CREDE!!!!” In my section we all shouted “Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!” (Alex too, he was sooooo great) – Crede came out of the dugout to tip his cap and the place fucking exploded again. God love you Joe Crede. Good woodwork young man. Alex was excited. When he plays pretend baseball at home, he always pretends to be either Joe Crede or AJ. He has stopped pretending to be AJ lately because he said he doesn’t want to get punched. Alex said: “I can’t believe my favorite pretend player hit a glam slam.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant but I gave the boy a big ass hug.

He did a great job even though the game went extra innings. Daddy isn’t complaining that we got free baseball, but c’mon, the kid is 5. When Alex Cintron got the game winning hit (his 2nd this year for the SOX) Alex thought everything was worth the wait. Alex said: “Hey that guy’s got my name!”

Di had to take off right after the game. E, Alex and I hiked back to the vehicle. We stopped by Grandstands and saw John and Janine. Fantastic – gave them big hugs. What an incredible day! We’re going to SOX-Tigers with them on 12 Aug. Dropped off E after a wonderful tour of some of the great homes around the Hyde Park zone. Zone? I got lost trying to get back to the OF so I ended up going the backward ass way around wherever I should’ve been going and finally caught plain old 90 West out of the Big City and took it on home.

Alex slept a little bit – but after we stopped for dinner, we talked baseball all the way home. Doing stuff like this with my son is pretty close to heaven on earth for me. Thanks to Kim for encouraging us to still go even though there was some tough stuff going on with our family this weekend. Thanks to Di and E for kicking my ass and saying ‘Don’t be such a stuck up farm boy. Get your ass out to the city for a SOX game.’

Sometimes I need a kick in the ass. When I get one, it is usually worth it.

Thanks and much love to the SOX for not mailing it in after the Astros’ pitcher shut ‘em down in the first six innings. People say all the time ‘Dees guys git paid so much $$ they should play like dat all da time.’

Those people don’t know shit about sports (and to their credit, probably don’t care to know anything either). There are a lot of teams with guys who make a lot of money. It takes something special inside of players that keep them competing no matter what is happening. I am the kind of person that is never jealous of how much money someone makes. I’m a teacher/hearing aid repair guy and I don’t care that DH’s make more in a year than I will in my entire life. I love seeing thrilling games. I don’t care about the business of baseball. I care about how it can bring friends together. I care about how it can help build common ground for fathers and sons. I care about baseball’s beauty.

Saturday was beautiful.

Kind of Blue But It's Not So Bad

Thanks and much love to my coworker edN for giving me a ton of Miles Davis records. This was a good ass day and an even better ass night. One bump in the road and it strikes at the heart of the only real fucked up situation in my life. If you get one piece of advice from this blog, let it be this – DO NOT WORK TWO FUCKING JOBS! I love both of my jobs, but when they collide it sucks dog balls.

Taught this morning and gave the kids quiz #1. Ate lunch and went to work at hhe. While at work, my Dept Chair (I actually have two since I teach in two Depts but that’s another fucking story) left a message on my cel that they need to get a hold of me right away. I took my dopey little 10 minute break at 4pm or something like that, and was going to call my beautiful wife. I noticed there were quite a few messages on my cel that ended with the words ‘I need you to call me right back.’ Fine.

I sifted through the calls and decided I would not return the LA&S call, I would not return the call from the studio (again it’s only a ten minute break) but I would return the call from the Dept Chair above…I am lucky to work for two very cool people – neither of whom deserve to have an employee like me.

A few of my coworkers came bouncing out from break all happy, smoking their cigs asking me ‘How’s it going?’….


While I am waiting for my Dep Chair to pick up the phone I tell my friends from hhe “Whatever you do in this life, try not to work two fucking jobs.”

Right as those words came out of my mouth, my supervisor at hhe was walking up the parking lot, and my Dep Chair picked up her phone and said “Yes Ed?”

Swell.

Everyone who knows me knows I have a big fucking mouth and I think they can deal with it….especially my supervisor at hhe. He’s a baseball fan and one of the all time sweet people. My Dept Chair in the soc dept is someone who teaches classes on the family, work etc…and she built my class schedule around my Alex care schedule.

But on days like today, when my break at one job is spent dealing with crap from my other job – I say BULLSHIT on this and I can’t wait until I don’t have to do this anymore.

KJ made it all better…

It’s like the “Do It For Her” Simpsons episode…it all becomes clear when I get home eh.

Congrats to Ghana. If there is one thing I like about big time kick ball, it gives the rest of the world a chance to get back at the USA for its international fuckwadishness. It’s not like it’s a real sport or anything but revenge is a dish best served on the pitch.

whatever the hell that is.

The Wind and Why I Am Happy

Luke and Sophia came by to play with the boy tonight. Fun time. Got to hang out and shoot the shit w/ Dawgie Daddy. These past three nights have been incredbile…weather, vibe, whatever you want to call it. Some glorify the misery in their life. While that’s fun, I’m proud of achieving something that looks like and feels like happiness. My life is far from perfect – my kid’s not perfect, my family has it’s ups and downs, my band (those missteps are well-documented – DAMN YOU RICH HOOOTERTITILATING), my jobs aren’t perfect, and I am no prize pig. When the wind blows gently against my face, life doesn’t have to be perfect – it just feels good.

Anyone who wants to stick it to Ozzie on this blog, feel free. I’m sad that this has happened. It doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of the team, but it is a drag that baseball men can be so backwards or insulated or whatever. I don’t know and I don’t care if Ozzie really means to apologize to “the people” he offended. Baseball should be fun or it should be nothing. At the very least, people in the game should recognize that baseball makes people happy. How can spewing hatred, especially when derogatory terms are used, make anyone happy? I probably sound like a stupid fucking hippie but I want gay and straight people to love baseball. I find that much good in it and think it can be a beautiful thing for everyone. I am not so narrow minded as to think that Ozzie’s statements are going to drive gay fans away from baseball…

It’s just sad.

A tip of the cap and much love to Ken Boyer (spokesman or chairperson) of the Gay Games for the statement he released today. Ozzie may have offered something of an apology while still attacking what’s his name at the Not So Bright One. Mr. Boyer, in extending a personal invitation to Ozzie and the WhiteSOX to attend and be involved in the Gay Games, proved to be the bigger man.

Much love to the Old Dog. I’m thinking about you tonight buddy. Good luck tomorrow. Call me if y’all need anything.

There Goes the Partyhood

Pete Rose just bought a condo in Wrigleyville.

He did so in response to Commissioner Bud Selig’s mandate to stay as far away from major league baseball as possible.

Busy-ass first two days of the summer session. I'm really going to miss the History of Social Thought class, but to quote a wise man, "You're born, you move on, you die, that's life."

Apparently Sidney Ponson thinks that Aruban (not an adjective) judges play for the WhiteSOX.

Tony LaR is a class act. He pulled that sonuvabitch out of the game. This is the 20th Anniversary of LaR being shitcanned by the Hawk. Let's see, who will be a part of baseball history when "he gone"? Maybe LaR has this status in my eyes because he was my favorite team's manager when I was just the right age to understand stuff about baseball on my own. The summer of 1983 was spent getting into the Doors and watching the SOX come just short of winning 100 games and going to the WS.

Practice was ok last night, but the best part was realizing that Dev & I are on the same page re: making the bD record. That's a good thing. We talked about Father's Day and the general condition of parenthood. I hope I'm not too flip about being someone's daddy, but I told D - we just make this shit up as we go. He's a good man and you can tell he loves his daughter. To be honest (and why shouldn't I? - this is the internet, somebody has to be fucking honest) two of the great surprises of my life are that D & I both married well and are keeping our shit together. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm throwing my friend under the bus, lumping him in with me, but anyone that knew us and knew our track record - well, there was a lot of sound and fury signifying good reasons to get wasted and let things go to shit. We got lucky.

But there's more to life than luck.

There's love...

....here's to it.

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The World Fell In

These are the things I think I need
These are the dreams left out for me
All dressed down now and going out
All dressed up now and falling
Down

What did you say I just stepped out
Out on the tile and in a crowd
It’s all the rage it’s working now
It’s just a phase it’s coming
Down

And just like me you’re born to see
These things on to the end
Of where the world fell in

(*thanks for the title ChrisB)

Shark?

This morning is the first meeting of the History of Social Thought summer session class. I am so geeked up (even more than usual). I’m doing a bunch of different stuff, I have no idea if it is going to work.

I also have no idea why I am trying all these new things as this is the last time the class is being offered. What is the point of piloting some new lectures and new material. There is no future for the class as I have structured it? Why do I change the way I teach every semester? It is so much fucking work…

Why do I change the way I write songs whenever I can?

I am a shark.

I will die if I do not keep moving, or think I am moving on in some way.

Some of my friends who see me living in the same house in DeKalb (and I’ll probably live in this thing for the next 40 years) – will say, ‘Yeah shark whatever. You are in your safety zone.’

To that I say there are different kinds of adventures different kinds of risks. Some people have to physically move themselves and their belongings to feel they have moved on or advanced. I can totally respect that. To me, the process of moving itself blurs my perspective, numbs me to life and makes me feel stagnate and dead. Even the thought process of ‘What if we moved here or here’ – it doesn’t help me “move” anywhere.

Some people need to move on in their personal relationships. The shark mentality described above used to be my “dating profile” – and those who’ve known me for a long time know how that turned out. *ugh – I was the most miserable, single playing the field guy ever.

Again, dead, numb to life – new girlfriend/fuck buddy a distraction from the real things in my life.

I eat a lot of turkey sandwiches. I don’t jump out of airplanes. I’ve never been to Spain (but I kinda like the music).

It is easy to call me boring, and maybe I have missed the mark when it comes to living in the moment (that shit almost killed me a few times when I was younger)…

But I will take a chance when I can….

in the things the matter the most to me.

Prior Condition

Our long national nightmare has finally come to an end. If he has only one outing left in that ravaged, strained shoulder, please let calf-zilla have that good outing today. Somebody's got to stop these Tigers. Boy is that Joe Mauer thing looking great for the Twins. Actually, if it wasn't for the Prior/Mauer thing - the SOX wouldn't have AJ.

Something like that.

Sorry about your Redlegs Mr. Sultan of Swaff. Can someone be a Mr. and a Sultan?

Hosta La Vista Baby

Kim and I spent a good part of the day gardening together. Those who haven’t been to our house, we have a corner lot and my lack of yard work acumen has lowered property values all around us. Just think what I could do to a cul de sack (spelling intentional).

One of my jobs was to dig out some of our hostas – which are wonderful plants (I guess, they never did anything to me) but the assignment led to the following shtick…

Me (after digging out hosta and putting it in yard waste bag) “Hosta La Vista baby!”
*silence
Me: “Kim, did you hear that? I dug out one of the hostas and said hosta la vista baby.”
Kim: “I heard you honey.”
Me: “You saw Terminator 2 didn’t you?”
Kim: “Yes, we saw it together.”
Me: “Remember when Arnold…”
Kim: “Yes honey, I remember.”
Me: “Kim, if some corporation came here and bought all these plants could we call it a hosta takeover?”
Kim: “I want a divorce.”

We had a lot of fun yesterday. I took Alex to his grandparents this morning. The boy loves going to the OF and while I love working with our little Boog…Kim was on a mission today. No fucking around. She really is an amazing person. She came up with a plan that sort of forced us to finish everything she planned to do. There was no convenient stopping point.

We were tired and sore by 8pm – when we stopped for the day…

…but it was a good tired and sore.

Plus I snuck in the house from time to time to watch the SOX and Redlegs.

Day Two is today. I’ve got a feeling that Kim will keep her eye on the backdoor.

Not that you sick bastards!

Not Myself

I can't believe I'm saying this...

The Tigers have been unstopable the last few weeks - or everytime the SOX win, they win. I'm going to be cutting the grass and doing some work outside with my lovely lady today - but I've got 'GN on in the house and I'm pulling hard for the baby bears. Please don't tell my kid.

Let's all say it together: "Go Cubs Go!"

I'm so ashamed.

Uh Ohh

The good Senator from WI has described America's policy in IROCK as confused and self-defeating.

I think the D's better be careful in the midterms not to claim that they are experts on policies that are confusing and self-defeating.

Thanks and much love to Jen and ChrisB for providing the new pic that is on ajusted music. This is from the Otto's gig I played with Supercush. Everyone should check out Less is More on the Supercush MySpace page. I would paste the link here but I am having trouble with my blog when I insert links.

Brave new something or other...

Finally called Larry about doing those review copies for breather. Once I get that going I can turn my attention to figuring out the best way to finish the bigDrag record, start Kish and start a floating Basement record.

Bad news on the fB social calander front. OD's eye is going to be out of commission the week I was planning to do a golf thing with Cousin Mike and the OD. There is a lot of summer left - maybe Cousin Mike and I will commune with nature (on a golf course?!?!) and then hook up with OD and WTG and our clans back at my place. I should really e-mail Cousin Mike about this rather than write about it in the blog but I was thinking about it whilst blogging so here it is. If anyone is angry with this meandering - that's what the comments are for.


Riske trade?

Bye bye S Tracey. You fucked up. Ozzie was so mad on the bullpen phone last night. Every other word was horseshit. The Ranger pitcher was great last night. He didn't need to hit Aj twice. Bucky hates Ozzie and the SOX. You can taste the hatred.

I've got a feeling that Mr. Riske will be coming in for one pitch against the Rangers if they get him in tonight.

Will we see him again if the coward Barret is not suspended when the SOX play the others?

Riske's got a nasty streak. I don't think Barret deserves to get hit the next time the blue team stains the SOX schedule. His punishment was meted out by Podzilla who apparently can throw punches as fast as he runs. Barret's face looked even shittier than normal after the game.

I'm not a big fan of purpose pitches. I've been hit in the small of the back with a baseball (and not one going 80 some miles an hour) and it is hard to describe the shock and awe of the moment.

I am a fan of Ozzie's control of the team. If you don't know what to do or how to play the game (again, this means you Mr. Tracey, you were brought in for only one reason last night) - you are gone. I'm sure there are some fans of the other team who are going to think or write nasty things about Ozzie. I bet they wish their manager had as much (or any) control of his team as Ozzie does...

yup

Weird things have been happening with the blog.

Hmmmmm

Scorn and Infamy

KR somehow managed to slither his way out of the shit – and he’s ready to take it to the streets for the midterm elections. Here comes g bushy’s hammer back at full strength and I think I’m going to be sick. It is not that I have problems with the conservatives…but I do have problems with these conservatives. They pile up a mountain of debt a la Raygun but the difference is Raygun’s guys had a plan – they wanted to make sure that when a president with a D got elected they wouldn’t have shit to spend - - and they wanted to outspend the Soviets on everything. Guess what – say what you will about Rain man but that shit worked. George Clinton had to become something of a fiscal conservative and follow the blue dogs, watch his pennies and we all know what happened.

What is this crew going to accomplish with their spending and treasonous behavior? I will argue to the end of bloggdom that some dick fucker ordered the outing of VP (not the VP…or the veeps daughter for that matter) – but outing a CIA agent is treason and either it was ordered from above (because it was the “aboves” in the g bushy administration that had the problem with Joe W) or the “aboves” were very very happy with the treasonous behavior.

It isn’t a crime when the president’s friends do it.

It ain’t treason when it helps the Teflon blue tie warrior.

Gag me with a federal indictment.

Someone should be indicted for this fuckery, it might as well be me.

On the up side, bD had a good practice on Monday. Now that’s dedication to rock – practicing on a Monday.

The SOX seem back to their winning ways. This weekend is gonna be tough because Alex wants to watch the Tigers play the you-know-whos…

…part of me should actually be rooting for the Cubs – but I find it hard to root for any National League team when they play an American League team (except the Cards, Brewers and sometimes the Reds w/ Griffey). It should be enough to say I rooted for the Cubs last night when they played the Asssstros. Oswalt’s toeing the rubber today (I love saying that)…that guy is a g bushy look alike. I hope Count Dracula (Maddux) kicks his ass.

There is no way I can root for the Cubs against my sons favorite team. Alex and I have a deal: he cheers for the WhiteSOX when they play any team except the Tigers, and I cheer for the Tigers when they play any team except the WhiteSOX. It works out pretty well.

I’m glad this post has come back to g bushy and the Cubs. I bitch about the Blue Tie Administration and those RUNNING the Blue Team for the same reason…

…they don’t give a fuck about the people coming to the voting booth/ball bark and they are worthy of scorn and infamy.

Hart of Theology

Thank you God for bringing Fr. Addison Hart to Christ the Teacher Parish. This wonderful man began his Trinity Sunday homily:

“Thank God for heresies. Debates over teachings that are seen as heretical help us see important things more clearly.”

Many parishioners laughed uneasily – I laughed pretty fucking hard. Fr. Hart makes some of our parishioners uneasy because:

A.) He is married.
B.) He spends much time with theology and in-depth Scriptural interpretation.

…B. of course makes people more uncomfortable than A.

Ironically enough, an important part of this homily was dedicated to framing theology in an unconventional way – or to separate theology from book learnin’…quoting from one of the ancient Desert Fathers, Fr. Hart reminds us:

“Theology is, at bottom, prayer and the theologian is a man of prayer.”

Fr. Hart continues by helping us see the limits of viewing the Holy Trinity as an abstraction theological, mathematical, metaphysical etc…this is not what we do, believe, or opine as Catholics. Without mentioning the recent encyclical, Fr. Hart inserts the role of love, the understanding of love, the personal quality that we as Catholics need to perceive as the thing that makes the universe go – and in a bigger sense – makes/is the universe. He concludes this portion of the homily saying:

“If all we end up with is theology, then to Hell with it, literally.”

The purpose of this homily isn’t to offer empirical evidence for the existence of the Holy Trinity – obviously. It doesn’t employ inductive, deductive (proper), or fuzzy logic/reasoning. Rather, as Fr. Hart says in the last words of this amazing message:

“The next time you say in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit you will know what you are saying.”

#2 Water Part 2

Thought I fixed the poop water problem. Looks like I’m buying a new pair of rubber gloves this morning.

This is my punishment for picking on the One Armed Man.

SOX win and I am pretty happy, no matter how much poop I am going to have to deal with.

Cubs' Wood has Stiffness

...in shoulder.

Someone needs to remind the northsiders that they play in the NL not the DL.

Crooked Number

Tigers had one helluva 6^th inning against our heroes. I’m just glad Alex was watching with me so I could show him how mini-I-Rod’s smart base running turned into a big ass crooked number and ultimately a win for his squad. Being a dad is so fucking cool. I will never get tired of talking about baseball to the kid. I better learn to figure out when he’s tired of listening.

Great series this week. Let’s see the SOX take it to the Indians.

The Mark of Zarqawi

Two things I’m glad about in IRock.

1.) The new PM seems to have a name, a personality and at least talks the talks – gets his name in the news and acts like a leader.
2.) I am glad they got Zarqawi

BUTTTTTT – who was Zarqawi before the war? Sometimes we raise up an ally and he becomes an enemy (I hope this doesn’t apply to #1 above…but it certainly applied to the previous #1 Man in IRock. The great joke about Sadman and his weapons of ass destruction: How do we know SadMan has WMD? We have the receipts.)

Zarq was a pain in the ass to Jordan before the war. I think he had a disparate group of Jordanian exiles operating out of Germany or someone in Europe. The leaders of Jordan knew him – but I’ll bet a hundred dollars none of us knew who he was before Operation Infinite Chaos.

I hope this will lead those in the insurgency to think their efforts are futile. I hope this will lead to less bombing of Irackeee police stations, civilians and of course our own people on the ground there (civilian and military). Even though this war seems to be a mistake in every possible way, I pray that these horrific events will lead to success for our president’s plan or whatever he calls it.

Just because I have wasted billions of 0’s and 1’s in this blog criticizing the current misadventure in Irock – this does not mean that I think only evil will come from the war. I believe, and have some historical evidence that good comes out of wars (just and otherwise). Even the Crusades…which in no way can be considered justified brought back to Europe a crisis for the Roman Catholic church and the political/religious leaders who wanted something like the Crusades in the first place….

…this “stuff” brought back as a result of the Crusades became a great blessing in my life.

The stuff? Aristotle, or more correctly Aristotle’s complete corpus…

His books – not that you sick fucks.

The Crusades were supposed to engorge the Christian kings with riches and free the “holy” lands at the same time…but not only were the soldiers unable to hold these places (no matter what brutal methods they used) the universities of Europe (established and run by the RCC) were infected by Aristotle’s work. Students (mostly priests) wanted to learn about Aristotle for a variety of reasons. The problem for the Church?

Church fathers understood that Aristotle’s work was dedicated to providing a comprehensive account of human happiness. In a way the RCC and Aristotle are contenders for the same prize. Any reasonable person can read the POLITICS and the ETHICS and see that for Aristotle – human happiness is for this world only – happiness as an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. Soul for Aristotle doesn’t mean the same thing as it does for the RCC but that’s not the issue…

Happiness for A is not a reward – it is a present activity…or only possible in the present.

Through St. Thomas Aquinas the RCC was able to accept important elements of Aristotle’s philosophy.

Ironically enough (and I will write at length about this at some other time) it is Aristotle that helped bring me back to Christ’s holy church on earth. By the way, it was not St. Thomas’ Aristotle…but Aristotle Aristotle. The pagan philosopher’s discussion of “telos” and the connection between stuff, function and some higher things that point us in a particular direction…this is the beginning of something like a miracle to me.

This is a long way from my stupid Zarqawi observations.

- - - ------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - --------------- - -- -

On to more important matters – Good job again Mr. Cintron. Sadly, I was playing Margaritaville on the accordion at a party full of Cubs fans while you worked your magic in the late innings last night – but I saw your hit on Komkast SportsNet at midnight. I love you.

Komkast SportsNet, you can go to hell.

Deus Caritas Est

Thank you Kim for the early Father’s Day present. I know I am in the minority here (even among American Catholics) but the first Encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI shows why he is exactly the right man to lead the church at this time. The Roman Catholic Church stands against moral and historical relativism in the West. This man has the intellectual/philosophical acumen to continue the theological/theoretical work of his predecessor. Adapting the message in this work one gets the sense that Pope Benedict wants to show the faithful and the world how God’s love offers us an option besides the loveless and joyless quest for nothing that is at the bottom of modernity (the reason why some IslamISTS laugh and see that we can no longer believe in ourselves) and the hate that fuels political movements, movements disguised as religion – many things ending with “ist” – that are shaping history, borders and the occasional skyline.

The thing that struck me as brilliant is 19 pages into this work about God’s love – Pope Benedict directly addresses the debate that the SoS, PDawg and I had a few weeks back. I won’t present Pope Benedict’s response to the prevailing opinion that the RCC “distrusts the body” (the words of the critics mentioned above)…unless someone is interested.

The most wondrous part of this work (so far) is that it DOES NOT present the Roman Catholic Church as the answer to our ennui as modern men and women or the hate that may be spewed at us by our enemies…

Rather, Pope Benedict enjoins Catholics and anyone who is reading to see how the Gospels provide us with a way to see love as the way out of this dilemma. The argument shows that Christ gives us this notion of love and Pope Benedict matches this discussion with the different types of love considered by the Greeks. In considering “eros,” “philia,” and “agape” it is suggested that there is nothing in the Gospels or in the teaching of the church that forces us to ascend from and forget “eros.” Rather “eros” can been reduced to sex only, and then to a commodity – if you don’t believe Pope Benedict (and why should you?) read some of kaka’s (and her friends’) thoughtful discussions of pornography.

There is an understanding of love and the BODY that helps us include “eros” with the other two notions of love. From a certain perspective Pope Benedict’s Encyclical offers a more inclusive notion of love…

Does anybody pretend to think that the primacy of “eros” leads to “the love associated with friendship” (philia) and “agape” which includes seeing people as other “selfs”? Now I am not saying that we cannot be sexually attracted to someone and never develop friendship or other notions of love for that person. (was that just a triple negative?) I think that is possible and part of the miracle of love. All I’m suggesting is that if “eros” is first and foremost – it seems less likely that the other two notions of love develop out of it…where as if all three are in the mix – one gets a greater sense of the mystery of love – no Madonna/whore bullshit if you see your wife as your friend and another “self.” If she was an object of lust, then the mother of your children, then someone who was enjoying sex like you – there’s a recipe for some backward-assed confusion. If you share desires associated with the body along with friendship and you see each other as other selves – that’s a different fucking story isn’t it? How one (er two) get(s) there…that’s something else.

Christ reminds us that the greatest gift for human beings is love and it is possible. Consider:

“You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?...”

Agape does not discriminate, there are no conditions/provisions on which it rests and it represents an intellectual decision. If we choose to follow this teaching we will separate ourselves from the way most people love their own. We will be the light of the world.

I am far from being an example of this type of love, but thank you Kim for giving me this book and having the faith that I can understand and embrace this teaching. Most of all, thank you for sharing your sweet love with me. It is through your love that I can begin to see these miracles as possible.

Woodwork

That was a mighty fine first home run in a WhiteSOX uniform Mr. Cintron.

You've made some SOX fans very happy tonight.

Thank you.

Golf and Cosmology

Great time with Alex on the golf course last night. He found a golf ball with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers symbol on it. He said: “Dad, this is what pirates use for golf.”

I love taking the kid golfing – other than helping to make him – it may be one of my favorite things I get to do for my son. Uh, sorry about that. However, last night our conversation stretched the limits of my understanding of cosmology.

Alex: “Dad what does outer space look like?”
Me: “There are big floating rocks, stars, and collections of stars called galaxies we live in something called a solar system where planets revolve around their home star. The odds are good that there are more solar systems out there, some even have two stars – and these things called radio-telescopes that see things with sound have found what they believe to be star systems with planets.”
Alex: “What else is out there?”
Me: “There are black holes, comets stuff that very smart scientists call dark matter…”
Alex: “But what does outer space look like?”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Alex: “Does it have corners, is it a line, a circle?”
Me: “Oh, the shape of the universe.”
Alex: “Yes.”

shit

Then I tried to describe this portion of Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything where this British astrophysicist says if you begin traveling in one direction and you go and go and go – eventually you do not poke your head out of the curtains at the end of the universe…you end up back where you started. I think the boy understood it.

On the way home we were talking about numbers. Kids love to talk about infinity. Then Alex said: “Numbers can’t go on forever. They have to stop because everything stops.”

We’ve talked about google and some of the implications for the possibility of the highest possible number that can be expressed. But again I always left the door open for my boy that numbers go on forever. Now with my fast and loose part-bullshit (because I don’t understand it, no knock on British or any astrophysicists) answer from me…I’ve opened the door for confusion. I used my dopey spaceship ends up back where it started without talking about the universe as a lake’s surface barring these spots where time and space are distorted…or the non-Euclidian notion of infinite centers and what distance means in this sense. Alex offered this possibility…

“Maybe numbers go all the way up and then they start back at 1.”

It could be brilliant except the beginning of Alex’s meditations on such stuff is a faulty, half-assed answer his dad gave him on the golf course. Shit.

The biggest series in Chicago baseball this year begins tonight. Those who know, know that I have a house divided on this. The boy is a Tigers fan. Should be exciting. Even though we cheer for different teams, we already agreed that we will eat chocolate ice cream together while we watch part of the game tonight. Cool.

Someone I work with said something really touching about the show on Friday night. I am one of those ‘look at me’ kind of bullshit people and maybe this enables my personal bullshit – but I thought the person in question wouldn’t give a shit about the songs I write – especially the wordy ones…and Kish goes on for 15 minutes. But they liked it and went out of their way to tell me so. Pretty cool when things like that happen.

Today is the special election to fill the vacancy left by Rep. R Duke Cnnnghmmnm.

I hear it could go down to the wire.

Attention

I hope everyone who is a baseball fan is watching the possible No No the North side crazy man is throwing against the Assssstros.

If Captian Looney Toons can pull this off I think the Assstros will never want to see a Chicago team again.

I talk alot of nasty shit about the Cub (I'm a nasty sonuvabitch)...

...but this is truly amazing.

The Backdoor to America and the Frank Miller Mind

Frank Miller is an entertaining writer. He may not have gotten a lot of things “right.” The thing he always seems to get right is the numbing effect headline news has on Americans after awhile. My initial reactions to the Toronto arrests were:

1. What were those bastards really trying to do?
2. I hope the Arcade Fire is ok.
3. I think the Arcade Fire is from Montreal.

My ears have better things to do. Thanks and much love to the PDawg and WTG for filling my weekend with joy. No they did not visit the backdoor to my America. I finally got off my ass and bought that Townes Van Zandt record (Live at the Old Quarter) and I mocked myself for not getting this sooner. I didn’t mention this when the PDawg put up his initial post but I always had a sort of prejudice against Mr. VZ (Mr. Verizon?) because of some stupid comment Steve Earle made about him – the whole Bob Dylan dancing on a coffee table thing – anyone who knows the Van Zandt stories knows the “famous” Steve Earle quote. I’ve always believed that one adjective best describes Mr. Earle’s stuff: overrated.

Of course you need to have a bunch of adjectives previously employed before you call someone overrated…but critical paradoxes (Why isn’t it paradoxen?) aside – the glowing endorsements of one guy from a guy who I think gets too many accolades and then to slam my favorite/most hated songwriter in the same vein – well I thought fuckit.

After the PDawg post about the movie I thought ‘Why let Steve Earle have the last word here, I’ll give this poor dead sonuvabitch a chance’

Glad I did. Thanks PDawg.

By the way, re: Steve Earle, overrated doesn’t mean I think the guy sucks. I think he’s ok (and not in the bad ‘I don’t give a fuck’ way) I mean ok ok. But all the hand job congratulations for this guy make me want to wretch the blues.

Put out another floatingBasement record?

Exactly.

What did Bill Garver do for me this weekend? He gave me the new Built to Spill record and I love it. It is going to make time go by quickly at hhe today – not that time ever drags at that job. It is my dream job and I am living it. I have to start teaching again June 19 and that will mean my thoughts shift back to semi-manic mode. Is anything more lame than that?

More shitwater problems in my basement this weekend. I think our house was built on a native American burial ground and the bones and gore (Al?) keep backing up my pipes. I wish it was the typical problem associated with building over a burial ground – you know - evil, spiritual manifestation trying to penetrate the void between this world and the next.

Those kind of problems always cost less money.

Pain in the Pujols

Poor Albert. I really wanted him to break that creep’s single season home run record. I’m actually happy for my Cub fan friends. They needed to see their team string a few wins together. I know a little how it feels to watch the team you love lose four in a row. Food starts tasting bad. It’s just a bummer to see someone get hurt on the Cards again. I was happy they had the injuries they did last year – and the Asstros got hot at the right time because last year’s Cards were better than my beloved WhiteSOX. Minus a few pitching blunders (and a few bad moves in the playoffs against the D-backs the year they won it all) Tony the Advocate and his crew have done a lot of great things for the RedBirds. I’m not saying any team deserves a shot to try and win it all – but I think the Cardinals are the 2nd greatest franchise in all of sports. If you ever meet a Cardinals fan you will find that they appreciate the important things in baseball – hitting to the right side of the infield with men on – they know the responsibility of the runner on third when the suicide squeeze is on – they like home runs but they also know that no man can hit a solo 5 run home run. If the SOX can't win it every year - I'd like to see the Cards do it. They are actually the only National League team I can ever say I followed. I take that back - I followed the Reds when they got Junior because at the time he was my favorite baseball player. Now you know the rest of the story.

I love the ChiSOX but one of the things that drive me crazy are Chicago sports fans who are happy to be oblivious of the rest of the sporting world. If your blood was boiling when I said what I said about the Cardinals you are probably one of the people I am talking to (with the exception of a certain Sultan – his fav team falls somewhere in that pantheon) but what I say next will piss more people off (I think). Top two sports franchises of all time:

#2. The Cardinals
#1. The Yankees

They’ve won almost a half a century’s World Series between ‘em (I’m exaggerating and showing my ignorance now) that’s good enough for me.

I love the WhiteSOX and I think they have tried (all the way back in the 90’s to now to break away from this) but they’ve been one of the ishy-iest sports franchises. There was an 88 year gap between WS victories and the last appearance was in 1959. They almost got moved to TampaBay for cryin’ out loud. I’m objective enough to understand that. They’ve also won the World Series and in some ways still are second banana to the team (not the fans) but to the team that I think might be one of the worst franchises in the history of FRANCHISES!

That includes Jack in the Box and Hucks.

Those who can’t see west of the Mississippi and east of Gary drive me nuts.

Other stuff that drives me nuts?

Attention to detail in commercials – especially when it comes to sound…

The keyboard clicking in the Southwest Airlines commercial
Pouring a glass of beer in the Leinenkugwhateverthefuckles radio ad
This fucking piece of shit chewing his popcorn excitedly in a fucking Komkast kommercial

This shit drives me nuts. I turn off the device that is playing the minute I notice the care taken in emphasizing sound in worthless messages.

Here is something that makes me very happy – my beloved wife has started telling her big sky stories. Kim’s journals are hilarious. I will not say anything else because she will tell me ‘You are building up false expectations don’t do that.’ I can totally respect that statement (that she didn’t really make). Kim actually started the blog so she could post on someone else’s blog – that’s how much she loves reading some of your stuff. I think it was Ms. Aquamanski’s blog – I’m not sure. Anyway, welcome to the bloggosphere my sweet princess.

What’re you wearing?

Initial Reactions to...

…the Supercush show last night: It rocked. I smiled. ChirsB was too hard on himself as always. The Dark Squirrel has written some timeless material. I don’t mean to make this sound too important. To me he still rocks. There’s a reason why this guy is one of my all time favorite rock and roll people. Young people today aren’t as jerky as when I was a young person of yesterday. There were a ton of dedicated early 20 rock and roll kids at that show. If I was their age and saw a band SC’s age I’d think: ‘What do these fartknockers think they’re doing?’ But these kids apparently had no such prejudice. They seemed to come prepared to rock hard. Rock hard they did. They took tons of pictures/video of the wonder in front of them. They’re going to post on the MySpace page. They know good when they hear it.

I played:

1. Have You Got A Light?
2. One Solar Day
3. Kish

Kish is running almost 15 minutes. People did not know how to react to this fuckery. I don’t really care tho – it’s just liberating to get up there and play it.

Thanks and much love to those guys for letting me do that. Thanks and much love to those guys for playing a great rock show.

Much love to Buzz for playin’ hurt. He's showing us all how it's done.

For the 200th Time

This is my 200th blog posting.

I’m going to try to see Supercush tonight at Otto’s. I suggest y’all do the same. This latest incarnation of the ChrisB and Alex (and a guy who based his e-name on his real name and Bad Brains which is cool enough for me) has convinced me that every music project I’m working on needs a MySpace page (even tho I hate fucking MySpace). That’s ok. Sometimes ya gotta love the things you hate.

What the hell does that mean?

SOX lose a very stupid game last night. At least I could tell Alex that the Tigers won. Farnsworthless choked on his own shit. He’s never done that before has he?

Putting some audio collage-ie shit together for a possible CD single. We want to preview some of the shit we’ve done at Larry’s as well as put out a few of the ADF recordings one last time. I want to put some live stuff as well as random things from recorded practices. Since it’s taken us long to make this record I’d really like to have a maxi-single thing where people can hear that the record is “under-construction.” Yeah – I’m that kind of fool.

Writing a ton of new shit but I’m disappointed in my finishing abilities lately.

Not that you sick bastards.

I need to sit down w/ my friends MM ‘n the SoS and talk about times the U studio is open to start working on KISH. The songs aren’t getting any better just sitting in my head.

One thing I finally finished and released *ugh is the first draft of an intro. An intro to what? An intro to the No Trick Pony chronicles *whatever…the thing my floating Basement book has morphed into. I sent copies out to two people I trust about these things and I’m excited that they read it and one has gotten back to me and offered me some useful words already. Finishing something – anything – and getting it out of my hands is always a good thing.

Then I wasted too much time playing guitar.

Does the world really need more songs by me that it will never hear?

I guess it doesn’t matter.

Something for No One

That’s what you get when you blog about lyrics you don’t want to forget and Cliff Polite.

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

Follow the Drinking Gourd

The water’s good if you don’t look
At the soil test the city took
Let’s grab a glass let’s drink it down
Cuz it feels real cool inside our mouths
Do you like this thing I’m riding now
On my way back up this mountain out

Every night well you’d go out
And this is where that gets you now
They won’t need to investigate
How you ended up this way
Happy drugs and fancy clothes
All those dreams and fading smoke
A million tears had stained your dress
We found you here a bloody mess

Let’s leave the liquor store
We don’t need anymore
To soothe these open sores
Let’s follow the drinking gourd
That runs right past our door
We’ll follow the drinking gourd
That runs right past our door

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

[the above shit was my text equivalent of a gourd – but upon further reviews it looks like a chorus line of buttholes]

I forgot how much the Cleveland Indians get under my collar. I have to remind myself that out of the teams in the Central – the SOX were the ones to finally break through – not Cleveland not the Twins. I know the Twins won some W.S.s but that was before I came back to following the game the way I do now. (how many times did I switch tenses in that sentence???) Yeah it’s all about me right. What was it that the Sultan of Swaff called me a few posts back? Chicken Little. Let’s all just hope for a split with a “W” tomorrow.

Coop left Polite in through his struggles in the 8th. I’m happy Cliff got out of it. Watching a guy like CP is one of the reasons I love baseball. Basically he has two pitches, one arm angle, he’ll never be able to change speeds on a slider, throw 99 miles an hour, drop the hammer etc…but last year he got it together and helped win the WS and be part of the greatest team in Chicago baseball history (that part isn’t saying too much except to a boob like me). Polite’s not the same guy this year. He gave up a run in the 7th tonight but he fought through a bunch of shit and didn’t allow any runs in the 8th. His coach and his manager need him. Even though his team was trailing 5 zip getting those three outs and no runs in the 8th tells everyone who needs to know ‘I’m here I’m trying to fight through this shit’. No one has ever written so much about Cliff Polite.

The dream Polite
He left some ducks on the pond
The dream Polite
He left some ducks on the pond...

ok that song might be better then the actual song song (blue?) I'm working on - above
double preposition ending and
I'm out.