Junk in Da Trunk

Live Blog: VP Debate

2008-10-02T19:23:00.039-04:00

One more thought: What kind of research was Ifill doing to break her ankle? Jeez.

And here's a fact checking article.

Final verdict: Both VP candidates did a commendable job. That said, there's one person I'd be comfortable with as a president. Just so you know, it's not the moose hunter.

10:31 pm: Closing statements...blah.

10:28 pm: "Increase taxes" means getting rid of Dubya's tax cuts for the wealthy. It's a correction that needs to happen.

10:23 pm: If John McCain is a maverick, I have a bridge to sell you in Alaska. Heyoh. Biden lays the smack down.

10:21 pm: Biden almost cried. I take back the raw meat comment. I still think he kills bears though, but with the aid of a slingshot.

10:20 pm: Mike D, part 3 - "Are you keeping a Palin wink count? I've got four."

I wasn't. But I will now.

10:18 pm: Palin wants more VP power. Sounds great. Sense the sarcasm?

By the way, not sure if you know this, but Alaska produces energy.

10:16 pm: I request another debate, one without talking points allowed on the podium.

10:13 pm: Now education is at the top of the agenda. I can't keep this straight.

10:11 pm: Here's the deal, I see no problem with raising taxes on people who make more than $250,000 per year. Biden is right, if the middle class succeeds, everyone succeeds.

10:09 pm: Here's a picture of bacon taped to a cat.

10:06 pm: What war has John McCain won?

10:04 pm: Folksy Palin strikes again.

9:57 pm: I'm not so sure the comment of us killing innocent Afghans is absurd.

9:56 pm: Biden just effectively said, "Boom goes the dynamite." Well done, Toothy.

9:54 pm: My lady just said, "I wanna open a strip club called 'The Gaza Strip'." I love her.

9:51 pm: Why is Israel/Palestine at the top of a McCain/Palin agenda? How about what's shakin' in our own borders?

9:50 pm: "Passion for diplomacy." I have a passion for bacon.

9:46 pm: The central front in the war on terror was never in Iraq. That's my opinion.

9:41 pm: "Your plan is a white flag of surrender." Wow. Way to be strong, Palin.

9:37 pm: So same-sex benefits are OK in her state, but not in her country? Hmmm. Also, I'm not so sure her family of Todd, Britt, Chip, Deuce, Roxy and whatever other weird names she came up, is diverse.

9:35 pm: Palin bites back! The drilling exchange was her best of the debate so far.

9:33 pm: My lady is home. Time to put pants back on. Boo! (just kidding)

9:31 pm: Palin might be falling apart...

9:27 pm: I propose the next question to Palin is, "Can you name one American newspaper?"

9:26 pm: I think Biden eats raw meat.

9:22 pm: Sassy the cat is bored. She's sleeping on my leg.

Palin just said McCain doesn't flip flop. Lies.

9:21 pm: The ultimate bridge to nowhere. ZING!

9:19 pm: $5000 for health care does not even cover premiums for six months for a family. McCain's plan is poop.

9:16 pm: Mike D chimes in, part 2 - "Why does she have to talk like a redneck f'ed an eskimo and made a baby?"

9:12 pm: Mike D chimes in - "She looks really uncomfortable and rehearsed. Biden looks much more poised. Darn right!"

Agreed.

9:11 pm: Biden smiled. The audience put on sunglasses. Those are pearly whites.

9:09 pm: OK. I've had enough. Palin isn't Joe Sixpack. She's worth more than $1 million. Joe Sixpack gets a mortgage. Palin doesn't. She gets paid to live in her house.

She knows how to play to the hockey moms apparently. Are they eating this crap up?

9:06 pm: Team of mavericks? That wouldn't work, in the real world anyway.

9:05 pm: Palin with a well-rehearsed answer on economic policy. Disaster avoided.

9:00 pm: Let's get it on...

I'm going to "live blog" during the VP debate tonight, providing JIDT readers with my two pennies on what's being said and what's not being said.

DISCLOSURES:

My opinion of Sarah Palin is low. I know little about Joe Biden, although he is stunningly handsome (jk).

I tend to be rather liberal on social issues, but more conservative on fiscal ones.

I was registered as a Democrat (without my knowledge), however, I do not consider myself a member of either party. In fact, I think the fact we only have two to choose from (realistically) is a huge problem.

Palin reminds me of this person.

Biden, a Washington lifer, has his own faults.

The more I read about federal politics (and politics in general), the more I think the vast majority of politicians are...let's just say "bad people."

If Ron Paul were a serious candidate, I would probably vote for him. I'm developing a slight mancrush on him, mostly because of his economic stances.

Nanotechnology is cool

2008-09-16T14:08:00.001-04:00

This is part blog post, part shout out to Graham. You see, Graham is an avid fan of nanotechnology. And since I'm a fan of prefixes indicating ridiculously large or small amounts, I also dig nanotechnology and hold hope for how it can make our world better.

Here are 15 examples - http://weburbanist.com/2008/08/17/15-astonishing-real-life-applications-of-nanotechnology/

Here's yet one more - http://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/15/carbon-nanotubes-might-be-used-in-future-water-filters/

Mustachio

2008-09-09T16:50:00.003-04:00

This may be the coolest thing ever. Can anyone say Halloween costume?

On another note, I'm close to being a regular blogger again. It will happen soon - within a week.

Blogface is Taking a Break

2008-08-04T19:49:00.002-04:00

Because I'm super busy the next couple weeks, I am taking a blog break. They're also starting to feel a bit contrived. I'm positive a short hiatus will re-energize me.

This is not a retirement...well, it's like a Brett Favre retirement, meaning I'll be back soon because my urge to compete is sky high.

Junk in da Trunk: Retraction

2008-08-01T16:46:00.001-04:00

I had a post for today. But, I've decided to retract it before it was published. I'm not sure if that's officially a "retraction," but it's not going up today.

To let you know, it was about Detroit. Maybe if the number of felonies and lawsuits increases just a bit, to say 87 or so, I'll post it.

Have a great weekend.

PhotoPhile: Got Us by the CC

2008-07-31T07:58:00.002-04:00

President Bush signed the housing bailout bill this week. We could go on all day about that. Instead, I'd like to talk about a provision buried deep within the bill that allows the IRS to monitor all credit card transactions. It's another way for the feds to keep tabs on Americans.

Ron "Texas Straight Talk" Paul has some insight on the bill. See the Housing Bill video on his site, particularly the part about 4:30 in.

The more I learn about Paul, the more I like him. He's all about cutting the BS out of the system. It reminds me of Jack Nicholson's Joker screaming, "This town needs an enema!" Too true. Unfortunately, his presidential campaign doesn't have a realistic shot.

Favorite Hat Style of the Day: The Derby.

HumpDay HighFive: Who Wants to Arm Wrestle?

2008-07-30T16:50:00.002-04:00

So much going on. So much to say. The title of this post has nothing to do with its contents. Here goes...

1. JoePa doesn't text because he doesn't own a computer.

Yep, he's in touch with those kids he "coaches." He's basically a bobblehead.

2. McCain is aware of the Internet.

Yes this is old "news," but it's another example of an old dude being out of touch with reality. See number one above. If he wins, he'll have influence on Web-related legislation. It's a good thing he's an expert on all things Internet.

3. Obama is a man of the world.

Senator Obama lacks foreign policy experience, which is a major concern. It's something McCain is pointing out. But (and I'm playing devil's advocate here), do his philosophies make up for that? The 200,000 Germans who showed up to hear him speak might make that point.

4. Old man strength is dizzying phenomenon.

Wow. A 20-year-old dude can't take an 88-year-old dude?

5. The Last Lecturer is gone, but not forgotten.

Randy Pausch died last week. As an Internet-based star, his Internet sending off is interesting.

Pausch was reveled by so many because of his insightful outlook on humanity.

The common thread throughout all this? Experience is important (see 4), but not to the point that it supersedes common sense (see 1, 2). Some folks meld both well (see 3(maybe), 5).

Favorite Sophomoric Activity of the Day: Duping the news media. There was a Howard Stern reference in an earthquake-related report yesterday. It made me chuckle.

News o the Day: Young Halibut, You Need a Mentor

2008-07-29T16:18:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine told me the other day, "The young are fools."

Sometimes, it's hard to disagree, as you can see above.

Also, congrats to Sirius on acquiring XM. I've had Sirius for almost three years now and it's become like technology crack for me. I can't live without it. I highly recommend obtaining satellite radio once this deal is worked out to completion. The talk, the music and the sports (or whichever of the three you choose) will be worth it.

On another note, my roommate and I have a fascination with our neighbor across the street. He leads a life of mystery, which we of course embellish in our minds. Any thing from drug deals to the most illegal of acts are everyday occurrences for him, in our minds.

Yesterday, I went over to extend my condolences on the loss of his father. We ended up talking for more than an hour. The man is hilarious and I learned a lot about what makes him tick. Unfortunately, I don't think he's running guns for Nicaragua or anything cool like that.

I invited him over for beers and baseball. I hope he takes me up on it. Hell, we should get an apartment together. (Props to Champ Kind...Whammy!)

Favorite Fish of the Day: Halibut.

Weekend Recap: Smoke on the Water

2008-07-28T16:39:00.002-04:00

Sometimes my friends tweak my last name to reflect a state of being or activity I'm participating in at the time. My last name is pronounced "two-check," but it is frequently edited to things like Lame-check.

This weekend I was Tube-check, fearlessly braving the waters of the Rifle River in an inflatable plastic donut.

If you've ever been on a canoe or tubing trip up there, you know there's a lot of...um, indulgence...that happens there. It was a great time with friends (established and new). Rest assured though, the only thing I indulged in was setting up a winning bet on Oct. 25.

Sunday started off with grand plans of ribeyes, potatoes and glory. In reality, the day was characterized by TV golf, lots of couch time and unrealized dreams (of steak).

There's always next weekend, I guess.

Favorite Musical Selection During the Tubing Road Travels: Patrick and Eugene. They're fun to listen to. They also curbed my raging road tendencies.

PhotoPhile: Release

2008-07-24T17:03:00.002-04:00

This photo is a bit too graphic to just post on my blog. Actually, the photo is just a piece of paper, but what that paper talks about is saucy.

Favorite Falsehood of the Day: This.

HumpDay HighFive: Pet Peeves

2008-07-23T16:11:00.003-04:00

Pet peeves, everyone has them, me included. Here are five pet peeves of mine, along with a link relevant to said pet peeve.

1. Walking on eggshells

As someone who appreciates honesty, it's really tough for me to tiptoe around an issue. When things aren't dealt with honestly and directly, we end up bending over backwards to appease.

2. Unfounded arrogance

There's a fine line between self confidence and being cocky. That said, I have no problem with arrogance when it's founded in factual results. For example, Randy Johnson has the right to be cocky about facing the Cubs. He's 13-0 against them in his career.

But, some people have an inflated sense of self worth that is founded only in their demented world existing only between their ears.

3. Overpunctuation

Grammar is in my DNA. It bothers me when precious characters are wasted. Some try to correct the offenders. I don't. I read their words and judge them quietly. Just kidding. Or am I???

4. Mistruths

I think this again comes back to the honesty thing. Look, I'm no saint. I don't claim to be. And I'm actually quite a good liar, ask any of my poker buddies. But, in things that matter, I choose not to lie. I wish some of our more high profile politicians would follow suit.

Maybe it's not a lie. Maybe it's convenient amnesia. I don't know, I'm merely a Joe Lunchpailer. Just like Brett Favre, or so I thought.

5. Mosquito bites

I've got a doosey on my foot right now. Topical cream, shmopical cream. I want to itch.

Random Observation of the Day: The Jonas Brothers...eh, forget it, don't get me started. I heard a good joke about them not long ago, but it's too dirty for this space.

News o the Day: Ripple in the Pond

2008-07-22T22:18:00.003-04:00

Here are some news stories represented by scale.

Local.

National.

Worldwide.

Favorite Peeps Moving, but not Leaving: The Drakes. It's great that you're moving up and tons of us of are happy for you! :)

Weekend Recap: Cleaned and Slaughtered

2008-07-21T16:48:00.002-04:00

I did a lot of cleaning this weekend. The house, the yard...not the car.

I watched Paddy survive.

I also slaughtered. It was in the game of horseshoes. Mike D and I represented SCS and put Warren in its place. One game was 21-6. Slaughter.

There were other self-improvement initiatives, but those are best kept under wraps for now.

I did not, however, see Dark Knight. Maybe some other weekend...

Favorite Buy at Target this Weekend: Silicone basting brush. It's good for rubbing, heyoh!

Junk in da Trunk: What a Bet

2008-07-18T16:53:00.002-04:00

This is quite the bet.

A buddy and I have a bet on which of our preferred pro football teams will make the Super Bowl first. The loser buys the winner a flight to the game to support his team. When I made the bet, I thought I'd win sans problems. Well, today it's a different story. But, anything can happen.

Based on the story above, we may have to up the ante.

Favorite Flashback: When David Duval and The Shark ruled golf...oh wait, that's today. What's going on at Royal Birkdale?

PhotoPhile: New Meaning for Wings

2008-07-17T17:09:00.002-04:00

Cracked.com has a good series on everyday items that are designed for Batman. Timely and unique. I like it.

Favorite Words of the Day to Describe Detroit "Government": Hahahaha, I don't have enough room to list that.

HumpDay HighFive: Getting Lucky

2008-07-16T17:01:00.003-04:00

I love Google. I also love it's "I'm feeling lucky" feature. Below are the results when I "got lucky" with the numbers one through five.

1. The first day in the Gregorian calendar.

2. XML Schema Part 2

3. Number

4. Did you know there are four seasons?

5. Cinco de Mayo

Favorite Props Giving of the Day: Goes to Metallica. I now hate you less because you're slightly less hate-worthy.

News o the Day: Old Man, Look at Your Life

2008-07-15T19:33:00.002-04:00

Favre. Retire.

You had a great old man season last year. End on a high note.

If you come back...I foresee Emmit Smith of the Cardinals, Thurman Thomas of the Dolphins, Jerry Rice of the Raiders/Broncos/Seahawks. It won't end well.

Favorite Kevin-Centric News o the Day: I have a spider web that won't go away. I clean it off every evening. Every morning it reappears. Weird.

Weekend Recap: Weddings, A to Z

2008-07-14T16:15:00.002-04:00

I've been attending to wedding duties (not my own) for the past few days. Here's a list of what happened, from A to Z.

Attentively stood near an altar in a church. I only laughed out loud twice.
Beat the groom in a game of horse while waiting for the ceremony to start.
Crapped it up on a golf course...twice.
Drove around mid-Michigan and the Metro D to fulfill wedding duties.
Engulfed a filet, chicken breast, salad, and much more at the head table.
Forgot dress socks for my tux. I'm on top of it, yes I am.
Got awesome with Sparty. Photos soon...
Hit the floor, the dance floor.
Intently waited...for a couple hours...for various wedding-related things...but I didn't mind.
Joyfully found a dive bar to waste a couple hours in.
Kneeled painfully during one of the photos. I'm sure that one will look good.
Loved being by my lady's side all weekend.
Met a bunch of new people.
Never doubted I'd have a great time and see a beautiful ceremony.
Offered a lump sum payment to the bartender for a vodka tonic after the bar closed. He declined.
Putted great on Sunday, terrible on Thursday. Go figure.
Quit being awake pretty early on Sunday, it was a long weekend!
Rejoiced that a friend brought an extra wedding card for me to snatch.
Saw some peeps I hadn't seen in a while.
Taught my Wolverine girlfriend that arch-enemies can get along.
Undid my good fortune on the poker table by being greedy.
Vacuumed some Taco Bell into my belly.
Wrecked my boutonniere during photos. It lasted for six hours though!
X-box or PS3...I'd like one...maybe for my wedding...
Yelled "HEY!" really loud to make a point about how to get kids' attention.
Zingers aplenty this weekend. Hopefully that continues!

Favorite Stoplight Pepper Color: Red, of course.

HumpDay HighFive: PhotoPhace

2008-07-09T18:30:00.003-04:00

I like digital photography a lot - not only taking my own photos, but appreciating the work of others. Here are five cool photo-related blogs.

1. Photobombing

Check out this site. It will make you spit food up with laughter, if you happen to be eating at the time.

2. Bob and Jen Got Married

My friend Bob got married recently. My other friend Kelly took the photos. Check them out.

3. Instruction

Here's a cool site with easy tips to make your photos not look like feces.

4. KITTY!

Who doesn't like regularly updated photos of funny cats?

5. Worth a Million

Worth1000 is one of my favorite "look what I can do with Photoshop" sites in the entire Internet ocean.

Favorite Random Wikipedia Article of the Day: This one.

News o the Day: Can't Wait for November

2008-07-08T17:15:00.006-04:00

Usually I don't want presidential races to hurry up and get here. I can't stand the rhetoric.

But, in this case, I can't wait for November. It will mark the end of the worst (by far) U.S. presidency in history. But, Dubya's trying to go out with a bang.

Favorite Afterthought of the Day: I can't believe some of you elected to have him run (ruin?) our country a second time. (Yes, I say "you" because I didn't vote for him either go around)

Weekend Recap: Ahoy!

2008-07-07T19:27:00.003-04:00

This weekend I spent time with my lady and her family in the northern part of Michigan.

Part of that weekend consisted of sailing on Lake Huron. It was my maiden voyage on a sailboat. While it wasn't quite what I expected, it was really fun.

I expected a more laid back experience with minimal work and more drifting. Picture the plastic bag in "American Beauty."

But, we were constantly doing something, even if only leaning the correct way. Having an experienced captain made me appreciate it quite a bit. It's really a thinking person's hobby. If I ever master golf and/or fishing, I'll probably become a sailor.

Now, there were of course humorous parts of the trip. My favorite was when my lady's dad told her to climb up on the mast and stabilize herself with her crotch. He essentially told her to pole dance.

I let a comment sneak out, but I was really biting my tongue. If you know me at all, you know I'm only a tad more mature than a 12-year-old.

Also, I was going to pull a Noonan and dress up like Danny Noonan from Caddyshack:

But I didn't. I may be sans maturity, but I'm not stupid...all the time, anyway.

Favorite Sailor of the Day: MC Hammer.

Junk in da Trunk: Happy Birthday 'Merica!

2008-07-04T09:16:00.004-04:00

Happy Independence Day to all!

Above is a photo of my newly installed Stars & Bars display on my house. Kudos to Mike D for the installation.

Favorite Country of the Day: All 50 of the United States of America.

PhotoPhile: Seeq and You Shall Find

2008-07-03T15:59:00.004-04:00

Go to seeqpod.

The scrollbar on the left is one of the best ways I've found to discover new music. There's tons of stuff on there. Just click the arrow and start listening.

Favorite Social Networking Site of the Day: None of them. The Internet is a fad.

HumpDay HighFive: Rantdom

2008-07-02T20:10:00.005-04:00

I had a good blog idea, but I decided against posting it. Instead, I'll rant and post random thoughts.

1. I'm sick of wearing glasses.

I'm considering eye surgery and I have to wear my glasses for two weeks to see if I'm a candidate for it. I remember now why the glasses were ditched for contacts.

2. This is funny.

3. For the most part, people are stupid.

I have a problem. It's reading the user comments after news stories/blog posts. Some sites, like the New York Times, have intelligent, coherent user comments. Most don't. Most have "inpute" from rambling idiots who like to over-punctuate (!!!!!!).

4. AT&T suck s.

Truth be told, they all suck.

5. Waka Jawaka

Give it up for: Sexual Chocolate.

News o the Day: Third World Metropolis

2008-07-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

The more I read crap like this, the less faith I have in Detroit. The less faith I have in Detroit, the more desire I have to leave it behind. I've been to many other cities in the U.S. I consider livable. What a mess.

The best quote - "The only difference between Detroit and Third World nations in terms of corruption is that there are no goats in the streets in Detroit."

Least Favorite Parallel I Made Today: The city I want to excel so much is the urban equivalent of the NFL team it hosts, which I would also like to see do well. A major thing they have in common is they both take Detroiters' money in exchange for garbage.

Weekend Recap: Bachelor, Buick, and Brandon the BBQ Sauce Driver

2008-06-30T16:06:00.002-04:00

This weekend much happened.

First it was a bachelor party on Saturday...all day Saturday. Sorry, you get no details.

That was followed up by minimal sleep and a trip to Grand Blanc for the Buick Open. While there, Brandon, a guy who drove a golf cart around the course (one voyage consisted of only a bottle of BBQ sauce, gotta love efficiency!), ran over several feet, one of which was mine.

I'd elaborate more, but I'm still tired, despite the nearly 13 hours of sleep I got last night.

Least Favorite Word of the Day: "Tablescape." I hate it. She made it famous. I've been watching the Food Network a lot lately. I don't know why.

PhotoPhile: I’m Basically a Teenage Girl Screaming at an NKOTB Show

2008-06-26T20:04:00.002-04:00

That, my friends, is a screenshot of downloads of NIN’s new album The Slip. It shows the volume by the size of the bar and the location on a map. It was created in conjunction with Google Earth.

NIN, Google, sales metrics and geography all in one nice package. This mash of technology and concepts is incredible. Hence, the title of this post.

Once I see the actual KML file in Google Earth, my head may explode from joy.

Favorite…can’t finish, my head’s about to explode!

HumpDay HighFive: Growing Up or Throwing Up?

2008-06-25T15:56:00.002-04:00

As I inch closer to old-mandom, things I used to pay no mind to become increasingly more important and necessary. Here are five cases of growing up:

1. Insurance

Health, auto, home, disability, life, the list goes on. It’s not fun. It costs money. There really is nothing redeeming about it. Unfortunately, it’s a must.

2. Dinner parties

I don’t have a problem with dinner parties specifically. It’s more an observation on an alarming trend of the potential for lameness at social gatherings.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not looking for keg stands at a party hosted by a coworker. But, I’m not averse to a game of beer pong or being in the presence of one.

3. Maturity

Some call it the “loss of innocence.” It’s what happens when kids grow up. And there are good things about it. But when you can’t find humor in situations or laugh at yourself, well the life suck meter needle elevates.

I’m glad some ridiculously juvenile things will always make me laugh.

4. Getting up early

After a while, we become accustomed to rising early. I used to be a noon-sleeper. But no more, thanks to a steady diet of 9 to 5-ing.

But, as my devilish side has also “matured,” I use my penchant for awaking at the wee hours to actually do fun stuff (tailgating, golfing, etc.) or get the unfun stuff out of the way earlier. Ha! I got your beanpie, adulthood.

5. Bills

Dolla dolla bill, ya’ll. As we age, we need to pay to live. The big downside for this, besides cost, is that it takes the fun out of mail. Mail used to be birthday cards or magazines, now it’s mostly notices that you owe…or else.

Damn you responsibility! My conclusion, in Web-comic form (incorporates love, immaturity, innovation, it’s great!):

Favorite Site Requiring Attribution of the Day: XKCD.com.

News o the Recap: We Are All Starstuff

2008-06-24T22:14:00.002-04:00

Well, we’re now without George Carlin. It sucks because he really was awesome. His work holds many places on my iPod. This won’t be an obituary or tribute. Here's a tribute to Carlin’s career.

As for this past weekend, I shot a great half round of golf and had a nice day with my lady on Sunday. I’d show you pics, but they’re on her camera. Oh well, soon enough.

Some news grabbing my attention today…

Magic does exist.

These are the next great toys.

As if we didn’t already know, Weezer is cool.

I’m trying to stop using plastic bags as well. But, it’s mostly due to my own stupidity. I keep either forgetting to buy them or I buy the wrong ones.

I want one.

When I paint my house, it’ll be like this.

Great name brings great shame?

And finally, smoking crack is bad for you.

Favorite Carl Sagan-Inspired Music of the Day: “The Black Swan” by Story of the Year.

Junk in da Trunk: Cheers and Jeers

2008-06-20T19:25:00.002-04:00

Cheers and Jeers was a TV Guide thing, I think. Anyway, here are some cheers for cool stuff and jeers for garbage. They're straight off the top of where my brain meets my mucus/skull/scalp/hair.

Cheers: Summer time
Jeers: Sunburns resulting in peeling

Cheers: Change for the better
Jeers: Close-mindedness

Cheers: HDTV
Jeers: "Reality" TV

Cheers: Mozilla Firefox 3
Jeers: IE of any sort

Cheers: Sleeping in
Jeers: Sleep deprivation

Cheers: Golf
Jeers: Work

Cheers: Weekends
Jeers: Monday-Friday morning

Cheers: The duty free shop
Jeers: "Going out of business" sales that yield a 10 percent discount

Favorite Piece of Furniture of the Day: The couch. Yeah, I'm horizontal right now.

PhotoPhile: Jesus and the Dinosaurs

2008-06-19T17:03:00.003-04:00

I would probably join the Church of Jesus Christ, T-Rex Tamer.

Favorite Cut of Steak of the Day: Ribeye. I had one in New Orleans that had cabbage and bacon underneath it. Oh sweet dinosaur-ridin' Jesus was it good!

HumpDay HighFive: Favorite Digits

2008-06-18T16:25:00.000-04:00

Here are five of my favorite numbers...

1. 6

It's my favorite and probably always will be. Coincidentally enough, my sister wore this number throughout her sports career (as I did for the most part). We didn't even know that about each other until high school. Odd.

2. XXX-XXX-XXXX

Those would be the seven digits that make up my lady's phone number. Sorry, I'm not telling what that is. I had to work for it and I'm not giving it up.

3. 1

It's what I strive to be in everything I do.

4. 487,300,379,119.667

I had to throw a random in there, right?

5. 0

That is for the amount of time I have today to dedicate to this blog post.

Favorite Exercise of the Day: Lunge and Throw. It's tough.

News o the Day: The World is Going to End

2008-06-17T16:58:00.003-04:00

I’m sure that’s what some people think based on gay marriage in California, which became legal today.

Personally, I think it’s great. Good for those who can now legally experience the benefits of marriage (if there are any – rimshot – I kid, I kid).

I’m not a passionate supporter of the issue. In fact, it really has no relevance on my life at this point. But, I support equality and this is a step in the right direction, in my opinion.

Hey, it may even be just what our slumping economy needs.

Maybe I’m in the wrong on this. Maybe I’m not. What do you think?

Favorite Mel Brooks’ Film of the Day: Spaceballs. “I said across her nose, not up it!”

Weekend Recap: I Jammed in Joe’s Garage

2008-06-16T16:40:00.000-04:00

Friday night was a barbeque and some Ike.

The combo of grilled meat and Zappa is enough to excite.

On Saturday, I had reason to be down.

Not too many things disappoint like a terrible golf round.

But all was not lost, as there was a house in need of warming.

I did my best to provide some heat, but did not stay until the morning.

The reason for that was out-of-town guests,

And the need to throw cards in a poker ability test.

After a net gain of ten, some food was in order.

So I headed not home, but made a run for the border.

The meal was large, and for what it lacked in health,

It more than made up for in junk food wealth.

Sunday was a day to celebrate Pops.

So we drank, were merry and pounded lamb chops.

All in all, it was a nice weekend.

And in a few days, I’ll do it again.

Favorite Logical Move of the Day: Doctors stopping the BS.

Anything Goes: I wish...

2008-06-14T16:49:00.003-04:00

...I didn't suck at golf. I used to be good. Now I suck...really suck. I just shot the worst round of my life. It feels wonderful.

I'm going to cut my lawn now. If it's anything like my golf game, I will have one less foot when I'm done.

Favorite NBA Refereeing Greatness Video of the Day:

Junk in da Trunk: I'm Voting Repulblican

2008-06-13T16:55:00.002-04:00

Favorite Person of the Day: Rocco Mediate. He proves you can hook the ball and be good at golf.

PhotoPhile: A Face of Jerkdom

2008-06-12T20:31:00.004-04:00

I'm a firm believer that jerks come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Jerks are male, female, white, black, Asian, Christian, short, tall, and so on. Jerks come in maize and blue (Wolverines), green and white (Spartans) and many other colors.

But, it's not too often that jerkdom by a group is documented. Way to go LSU fans.

Beyond that video, they also give us this:

That was taken at the College World Series. Jeez.

Favorite Club Used in a Runner-Up Finish (via tiebreaker, ugh) in a Golf Outing of the Day: My 54 degree wedge. So versatile. And it put the ball to bed near the hole often.

HumpDay HighFive: My Theories

2008-06-12T09:26:00.001-04:00

Sorry, I forgot to post this yesterday...

It’s Wednesday and that means a top-five list. Here are five of my “theories.” Maybe they’re just opinions. Regardless, here you go…

1. Cliff Clavin is a genius

In one episode of 'Cheers', Cliff is seated at the bar describing the Buffalo Theory to his buddy, Norm. I don't think I've ever heard the concept explained any better than this.

'Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the heard is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

2. John McCain is fiery and an…

I’m not taking a position on the presidential race yet, but this list about McCain isn’t flattering. After you read the list, I’ll let you complete the sentence above.

3. Hulu is awesome

I know only a bit about the particulars of the company, its legality, its history, etc. But in the end, those things don’t matter when you experience Hulu’s awesomeness.

4. Mary Waters vs. Kilpatrick will be good

If nothing more, this political race will be entertaining. Waters’ ad really has nothing to do with her campaign, its mission, her stance on issues or anything like that. But to be honest, I don’t really care about that stuff. Sling the mud!

5. The NBA is fishy

We all know the officiating in the NBA is political, but it may be much more than that. I don’t think the league will be blown up as a result of Tim Donaghy’s claims. But, the potential is there for some firebombing.

Favorite Pat O’Brien Dirty Message Phrase of the Day: “Let’s get crazy.”

Birthday Thanks!

2008-06-11T05:38:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who gave me birthday love yesterday. I appreciate you all, even though my birthday is just a day.

Weekend Recap: Lazy Sunday

2008-06-09T16:41:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, and for most of the Sundays before, I was lazy. Since I'm busy pretty much every other day, I tend to think the Lazy Sundays are just fine.

But this Sunday, I was so lazy that it became almost annoying...maddening even. The morning was for yard work, but that was over within an hour. The rest of the day was devoted to near nothingness. I watched golf. I dabbled in the Tigers game. I attempted a few times to have good conversation with my girlfriend, but it wasn't to be. The stars ensured Sunday, June 8, 2008 was reserved for nada.

This post is more a call for opinions than anything else. How do I go about having a leisurely Sunday, but not dislike myself for feeling lethargic and wasteful?

Another problem is Lazy Sunday leaks into Monday morning, thus giving me a case of the Mondays.

How do I end this vicious cycle?

Junk in da PhotoPhile: Wings on Parade

2008-06-06T17:56:00.003-04:00

My work day today consisted of representing my company at the Red Wings victory parade. I love my job. :)

A few photos and observations...

The Mayor was booed loudly and throughout his entire speech.

I was close enough to take photos like this:

I also got my photo taken with Mike Babcock, whom I have a serious mancrush on. But, that's on a friend's camera, so it'll have to wait to be posted.

All in all, it was another great Detroit sports moment and I'm fortunate to have been a part of it. Great job Wings!

Favorite Wing of the Day: Stevie Y. He's the face of the franchise and we're proud of that.

HumpDay HighFive: Things I’ll Do Today

2008-06-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

Here are five things I will do/have done today. Call them “The Five Habits of Highly Successful Kevin.” Or don’t, because frankly, that’s debatable.

1. Continue to laugh about this.

2. Cheer, yell and jump out of my seat, all in support of the Wings.

3. Do a bunch of these.

4. Defrost chicken. Yeah baby! It’s an exciting life in my world.

5. Jam my new playlist (called “Your face”), which was created by hitting the next button five times on iTunes while in shuffle mode. I then added whatever song came up to the playlist. It consists of the following:

1. “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” by LCD Soundsystem
2. “Troubled Wine” by Pride & Glory
3. “So What” by Miles Davis
4. “Runaway” by Mae
5. “Hurt Me Soul” by Lupe Fiasco
6. “Losin’ Your Mind” by Pride & Glory
7. “Cannonball” by Story of the Year
8. “Punk Rawk Celebrity” by MxPx
9. “Pad & Pen” by A Tribe Called Quest
10. “The Underground in America” by Pantera
11. “Get Up Get Off” by Prodigy
12. “Kaleidoscope” by Bela Fleck
13. “Happy” by Lit
14. “Christmas Song” by Weezer
15. “Don’t Stop ‘Till Get Enough” by Michael Jackson

Favorite Person of the Day: Your mom. Mine too.

One Cheeked Blog Post

2008-06-03T18:19:00.003-04:00

From Friday (May 30) to today...

Friggin' Pistons.

Wedding on Saturday in Frankenmuth. Stocked up on meat. Also stocked up on favorable points with the lady and her family...or at least that's what I'm told. Either way, it was fun!

Sunday...lost my shorts in golf. It was fantastic. Or the opposite of that.

Today, Flip is gone. Barack is in...I think.

Favorite Ex-Pistons Coach in Recent Memory: Rick Carlisle.

Junk in da Trunk: Ha

2008-05-31T00:03:00.001-04:00

Ha.

PhotoPhile: The Wisdom of Crowds?

2008-05-29T17:20:00.002-04:00

I love Wikipedia. I love that there is (mostly) reliable and (mostly) accurate information available on almost anything. It's great for settling bets too.

Wikipedia's core principle – that it's a fully editable knowledge base – is a double-edged sword. It's great that factual errors can be corrected quickly and easily by anyone. It's also horrible because things like this slip through:

Favorite Sports Tradition of All Time (and the Day): Playoff beards. I won't lie, it's part of the reason I'm scruffy right now.

HumpDay HighFive: I was a Wing

2008-05-28T17:40:00.003-04:00

I had a vivid and rather odd dream last night. Perhaps it was the result of the awesome meal my lady and I conjured up. I’ve heard flavorful food (particularly spicy stuff) can enhance dreaming. While our meal wasn’t spicy, it did lead to this…

I won a contest to become a Red Wing for a day. The kicker is that I would play in the team’s Stanley Cup run. Here are five points of interest about the dream, some good, some bad:

1. Pavel Datsyuk was my player mentor

Obviously this is a good point. Pavel is the man. I was surprised, though, that he was smaller than me. But, I don’t think he is in real life.

Regardless, he was a nice guy and really helped my transition from novice-at-best hockey player to fourth-line-NHLer.

Aside: My ice hockey playing experience consists of two years of house hockey when I was 12 and 13.

2. Inadequate equipment

The Wings suited me up with all the necessary items for hockey success. I had the pants, the skates, the helmet with a visor (remember, Datsyuk is my mentor) and the pads.

However, and this is a turn for the worse in Dreamland, my stick had no curve on the blade. How am I supposed to blast 120 mph slappers with no friggin’ curve on the blade?! It’s pretty hard to wrist one to the top shelf sans curvature.

3. Pre-game meal

The pre-game meal was a spread from B-Dubs. I’m not sure why this food was chosen, but all the Wings were eating it. The downside is I wasn’t allowed to have any. All I wanted were some potato wedges and they said “no go.”

4. No weight room access

I felt I needed to properly condition myself before my first NHL game. However, the Wings’ coach (it wasn’t Mike Babcock, he actually looked like Scotty Bowman, but wasn’t Scotty either), said “no go.”

5. Less than stellar souvenir

Part of my care package for winning the contest was an authentic Wings sweater, besides the one I would wear for the game.

Of course, I wanted Stevie Y. Much to my dismay, I received Martin Lapointe. Ugh.

Favorite Wings Sign of the Day:

Favorite Kid Sid pic of the Day: What are you looking at Sid?

Recap&News: Surprise! Your Donkey is in Jail.

2008-05-27T19:21:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was a special one because a group of friends and I surprised one of my best buds on his 30^th birthday. Contrary to popular opinion, the surprise was intact and he was genuinely blown away when he saw us all at the campground waiting for him.

Some other highlights included my continued dominance in yard games (mostly thanks to my partner, who I call Champ), shagging fly balls, freezing in Lake Michigan for 10 seconds and mostly sucking at hitting baseballs.

And since today is technically “news day” on this blog, I offer three intriguing stories, two of which are animal-related.

Shark vs. Croc. Who wins?

So let me get this straight, a donkey was arrested? Wow. But, apparently there’s a precedent for arresting animals there.

And finally, Google Maps has added new features. While I generally love Google, the mapping service has spit back inaccurate directions in the past. How about this? Make the maps accurate. That’s a good start.

Favorite Public Radio Station of the Day: WDET. It makes my mornings manageable when Howard isn’t live.

Junk in da Trunk: I Dare You...

2008-05-23T16:11:00.002-04:00

...to pick up this hitchhiker:

If you do, and you live, then Happy Memorial Day!

Favorite XXXX of the Day: Uoef887522fnvd (try to crack that code!)

PhotoPhile: Swedish Chief

2008-05-22T16:06:00.002-04:00

(from freep.com)

Sweden is a savior for Detroit, the Red Wings anyway. These seven chaps make it happen for the Wings. I think it’s funny how they all look like they’re in a screamo band.

Just for good measure, here’s a pic of The Chief.

Pistons, make the Celts look as dumbfounded tonight.

Favorite Stone of the Day: Chauncey. It’s time for Mr. Big Shot to live up to the name.

HumpDay HighFive: Little Drummer Boys

2008-05-21T15:09:00.002-04:00

I play drums. I love drums. Here are five drummers who make my head spin while my jaw drops and my eyes water:

1. Mike Portnoy

Dude is sick. He's most famous for his work with Dream Theater. Sometimes I think he is an octopus.

2. Danny Carey

Black magic be damned. What's in the water there in Lawrence, Kansas?

3. Dennis Chambers

Jesus. This man is...I don't even know.

4. Carter Beauford

He's the only reason to listen to Dave Matthews Band, in my opinion. Hey Ma, look, I can play the hi-hat with my left hand quite awesomely.

5. Stanton Moore

The "Stanton Moore Zone" is the oh-so-sexy place that huddles right between swing and straight up musical feels. Not many people can survive there.

Favorite Magic 8 Ball Saying of the Day: Reply Hazy. Try Again. Yo 8 Ball, lay off the booze and things won't be so hazy.

News o the Day: Gas, Flip-Flops and a Wrist Watch

2008-05-20T16:14:00.003-04:00

Gas prices! Rabble, rabble, rabble.

Too high! Rabble, rabble, rabble.

Profit seekers! Darn them! Rabble, rabble, rabble.

Boycott! Rabble, rabble, rabble.

Unless you live under a rock or live in a city with good public transport, you’ve undoubtedly heard gas prices are rising with no end in sight.

Yeah, it sucks. But guess what? There are alternatives. Ride a bike. Take a bus. Walk.

Those aren’t viable for your crazy lifestyle? Well, stop complaining about gas prices then.

Rabble, rabble, rabble. Rabble, rabble, rabble. Rabble, rabble, rabble. Rabble, rabble, rabble. Rabble, rabble, rabble.

When I hear complaints, I think of Ahnold in Kindergarten Cop telling the kid to “Stop whining!”

If you must rabble (rabble, rabble), at least shake your fist while you do it. It’s much more effective.

Better news of the day…Go take a romp.

Favorite House of Government-Influenced Band of the Day: Parliament. Funk yeah.

Weekend Recap: Golf, Sounds Like Something’s Caught In Your Throat

2008-05-19T17:30:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, I played golf at a place that is quickly developing a stinky, bad-weather reputation in my book.

The course is built on a landfill, so there’s an odor of methane all over the property. It makes me want to call the place Skantuary Lake.

The first time I played there was with my dad on a cold (45 degrees), rainy, windy day that featured icy fairways. It was the opposite of awesome.

Saturday featured low-60’s temperatures and mild wind…on the practice tee. Once we hit the course, the wind picked up to average about 40 mph. Then, it rained. So we were hit with sideways rain and the accompanying temperature drop.

I won’t blame the weather for my poor play, but it didn’t help. All that said, at least I didn’t end up with the snake.

Favorite TW08 Golfer of the Weekend: The Goose. While I could only “muscle” out 250-yard drives, his approach shots were cash in the bank.

PhotoPhile: Golf Better Than Work

2008-05-15T22:11:00.004-04:00

Today I was out of the office playing golf with a couple advertisees. It was sweet. We won a trophy for blistering the back nine (we shot a 27). Yahoo us!

Favorite Office Character of the Day: Dwight. He's a playa (and I don't mean "beach" in Spanish).

HumpDay HighFive: Mio Omiljeni Bieren

2008-05-15T05:46:00.003-04:00

Summer is upon us. Well, it soon will be.

For me, some things symbolize summer perfectly. For example - grilling, lawn games, baseball, cutting the grass, golf and beer, to name a few.

Today’s top five concentrates on one of those…beer. (insert Homer saying, “Mmmm, beeer”)

Here are five of my favorite brews, along with why I like them:

1. Guinness

Creamy goodness and good for you, by beer standards.

2. Miller High Life

How can you not like the champagne of beers?

3. Great Lakes Eliot Ness

If I’m not mistaken, The Emory has this beauty on tap. Try it, you’ll love it (said in Frank Zappa voice, ala “Crew Slut”)

4. Saison Dupont

The Belgians are the masters when it comes to beer. I’ll never forget the first time I had this beer. It was like heavenly explosion in my mouth. Yes, I said “explosion in my mouth.”

5. Stroh’s

Gotta give love to the D, even if this sweet nectar isn’t made in the D anymore. It’s old school. A classic. It’s a man’s beer. If Stroh’s had a celebrity spokesperson, it would be someone in the make of Mickey from Rocky.

I like any of the above libations in the summer while grilling, playing lawn games, watching baseball, cutting the grass or golfing. By the way, the title of this blog is a mix of Italian, Croatian and Dutch. Thanks Google Translate!

Favorite Beer of the Day: The King, in a mancan:

News o the Day: To Do List for Concerts

2008-05-13T16:23:00.004-04:00

Our Canadian neighbors to the north give the world Much Music, which is basically their MTV (before MTV became garbage, MTV2 is way better by the way). MM’s blog gives us 10 ways concert goers annoy.

Say what you will about the list, I definitely think the cell phone photo/video thing is ridiculous. Is it really that important to take horrible photos or video to show nobody?

My gripe with concerts lately isn’t so much the crowd, but more the performers themselves. I want to see a concert performance that is an accurate portrayal of how the band sounds in recordings. Too many times, especially in rock, an album is way overproduced, which basically makes it unplayable live, unless there is a choir and seven guitarists.

For example, I saw Bullet For My Valentine on the Taste of Chaos tour. On their latest album, there are all kinds of vocal harmonies, which causes joy in my world. They played “Waking the Demon” to close the show. But at the end of the song, where there is at least a three-part vocal harmony on the album, only Matt Tuck sang. And, he only sang the low part.

Garbage.

My solution? A “To Do” list for concerts:

1. Bands, don’t suck live. If you do, we’ll never see you again or buy any of your stuff.
2. Bands, make your live show “latest album plus.” That means play a healthy mix of new and old, make it sound as good or better than your latest album, and throw a few extras (extended jams, covers, etc.) in there for good measure.
3. Crowd, put away the cell phones.
4. Moshers (if you’re at a moshing show), mosh enthusiastically.
5. People who stand near/in a mosh pit but don’t want to get touched, leave the area.
6. Beer salesfolk, sell it cheap!

There you have it, concerts according to Kevin.

On a “non crap band” note, I heard Counting Crows play live recently and was blown away by their musicianship, especially the vocal harmonies. Kudos to the Crows.

Favorite Band of the Day: Dream Theater. I’ll see you tomorrow at the Fillmore. I know you won’t disappoint.

PS - Some flickr pics of live music…

GuestJunk: I Scream, You Scream…

2008-05-12T18:52:00.002-04:00

My boy Graham supplied a list of topics he wants covered on this here blog. Kudos to him. Here is my take on ice cream…

Ice cream. This dairy treat really is one of the best things on Earth. It seems like almost anyone can find a flavor to enjoy.

Some of my favorites are Superman, cookie dough, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip and anything strawberry-related.

In my lifetime, I can’t think of too many bad memories that had ice cream associated with them. The worst ice cream-related incidents I can remember are spilling the frozen dream on myself (happened at least 250 times in my 28 years) and getting brain freeze.

As much as I like it, ice cream is hardly a staple in my diet. That said, this weekend I polished off a vanilla cone from McDonalds and a strawberry shortcake bar from some rest stop in Michigan. I’m also proud to announce that none of it ended up on me or the ground. It’s the small victories in life that get us through, really.

Another credit to ice cream is the entire generation of kids who know the song “The Entertainer.” It is synonymous with a semi-creepy vehicle known for housing frozen dairy treats sold by a dude who probably still lives with his mom and has a monumental pile of smut mags.

While ice cream has a rich history (rimshot), it’s future is bright. After all, Dippin Dots are everywhere. Who knew liquid nitrogen and dairy could form a symphony of mouthy goodness?

Favorite Flavor of the Day: Plain old vanilla. It’s timeless and a remarkable canvas for sensational sundaes.

PhotoPhile: This Pic’s for You

2008-05-08T18:15:00.004-04:00

Funny how a decade changes things. Sometimes, it doesn’t even take a decade.

Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

The Michigan Senate passed a bill to ban smoking in public places. Guess the wrist lighter won’t work in Michigan anymore.

Favorite Person of the Day: Chris Osgood. Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!

HumpDay HighFive: Excuse me, Tweety, is this blog taken?

2008-05-07T16:55:00.004-04:00

I’m not a Twitterer. I have enough trouble participating in social networks and questioning their value and purpose to join any more. Truth be told, my MySpace and Facebook memberships are the result of chasing a girl.

That said, this post was inspired by an article on Twitter and its philosophy (succinct mini-blog posts, 140 characters max). I was kicking around a few ideas to write about and decided I’d Twitter-ize them in a list o’ five.

1. Simply Life for Deeper Sleep

My life is nearly stress free. Work/life balance is great. I try to get 8 hours of sleep, and almost always do. Hence, little stress.

2. What Music is Meaningful to You? [non-Twitter note: I heard a CD yesterday that made me think of someone instantly. So I wanted to identify a few albums that instantly made me think of people]

Green Album=Katie Gates. Master=Graham, Roger. Blue Album=Matt Fogarty. Any Primus=Clyde, Marci, Dave I, Mike K. Any Anberlin=DC. Kill=Ryan.

3. Things Look Like Other Things

Johnny 5’s face looks like a Patriot grill

4. The Appeal of Web Randomization

Wikipedia offers random articles. Flickr offers random photos. There must be others. Random Web items bring me joy.

5. Acronyms

FYI, was going to write about acronyms. Whole phrases can consist of them. Not a big fan. NBD, though. JTLYK, I’m off to see my BFF. TTYL.

As the above-linked article says, 140 characters is not enough for something interesting and too many for the usual, boring updates found on Twitter.

Favorite Atomic Element of the Day: Einsteinium. Great name. Unnatural element. No known uses. One could only wish for such a legacy!

News o the Day: Cover not equal to Book

2008-05-06T16:03:00.002-04:00

As a communicator, I was “brought up” on the significance of non-verbal communication. The messages our bodies convey have as much, if not more, significance than our written or spoken words.

There are millions of examples of nonverbal communication’s importance. The adage, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is an example. Appearance contributes to perception. And like it or not, perception is reality.

That’s why I find it interesting that arm folding is scientifically linked to persistence.

I’m an arm folder. I’m also a scowler. When people see me do either, they usually get defensive. They think I’m angry. Since I do it often, they think I’m always mad. However, when I do either, it almost always means I’m concentrating (or persisting), not full of rage.

So I’m torn on this. I know a book should not be judged by its cover. I also know my nonverbals help form opinions. Yet, I fold and scowl.

Oh well.

Besides, when I’m mad, there’s a dead giveaway for it. If you can get past my arm-folded, scowled expression, maybe you’ll figure out what it is.

Favorite Band of the Day: Story of the Year. “Failure to evolve is failure to us all.” I love that lyric.

PS – I’m not trying to be presumptuous, but if you have a blog topic request, pass it along. Topics just come to me. I’d love to write about what interests you.

Weekend Recap: Dazed and Amused

2008-05-05T17:57:00.004-04:00

A list of some weekend happenings...

1. Golf

I golfed Saturday. It wasn't nearly as horrid as I anticipated. I bombed a couple drives, which was unheard of last season. Sunday also featured some driving range action.

2. Dazed and Confused party

Saturday night I attended a Dazed and Confused-themed party. My participation in the theme was minimal. In fact, it was just a tie-die t-shirt I made a few days earlier.

On top of that, I mostly played poker. On top of the topping of that, we didn't have poker chips so we used pretzel rods instead. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've played poker with food as the monetary unit. Pathetic? Yes.

3. Grilling time

We finally used the grill. Look at Mike D dominate...

4. The rest is boring

So I'll spare you the details.

Favorite Person of the Day: Trent Reznor, for redefining the music industry.

Junk in da Trunk: Cranial Remix

2008-05-02T17:00:00.004-04:00

Just a mishmash of my brain on Friday…

Congrats to the Wings, Pistons and Tigers. The Detroit sweep last night was awesome!

Mags…my mancrush is stronger than ever. (Photos from the Detroit News)

Also, congrats to Kierra Bell and the students of Courtis Elementary School. Keep up the good work!

On another note, Radiohead is pretty cool. They (along with other bands like Nine Inch Nails) are reshaping the music industry business model. It’s exciting to see that as a musician and music fan.

Co-Favorite Peeps of the Day: Mike D and Matt. Belated Happy Birthdays and High Fives on rockin’ SCS.

PS – Check out Fabchannel. It’s a cool site with live concert videos. I discovered it watching one of my favorite bands, Danko Jones.

VideoPhile: Thank You, Kierra Bell

2008-05-01T17:57:00.003-04:00

I can’t get enough of the Detroit city government stories. Be it TextGate, the City Council mess or whatever other “Strawberry”-related things that may come up.

Recently, Kierra Bell, an eighth-grader, called Monica Conyers out for calling Ken Cockrel, “Shreck.”

Her exact quote was, “That’s something a second-grader would do.”

Thank you. I hope your common sense somehow seeps into the minds of Detroit’s “leaders.”

Here is video footage of the exchange, from the Detroit News.

Favorite Person of the Day: You just read my thoughts on her.

HumpDay HighFive: Five Reasons Why Obama is Doomed

2008-04-30T18:10:00.002-04:00

Here are five reasons why Barack Obama is doomed in this election...

1 through 5.

Look at him. He looks ridiculous.

Nice sweatpants and tucked in shirt. (FYI, photo from the freep.)

Barack's Least Favorite Person of the Day: Jeremiah Wright. He is the equivalent of tight sweats and a tucked in tee for Obama.

It's Been A While...

2008-04-29T17:40:00.002-04:00

...since I blogged regularly.

The reason is I've been away every weekend in April and have had to squeeze seven days worth of stuff into four on a weekly basis. Some things like showering regularly, home maintenance and blogging slip through the cracks. For that I apologize.

But, I'm like many Americans. I like weekends.

Since it's technically "newsday" on this blog, I'm not surprised to learn more text messages are coming out about Detroit's mayor. If you're in to juicy morsels of information, that link is for you.

Besides the regular mayoral embarrassment, pirates are real and they're high-tech, Jimi might've done an Marylin impression, Obama is mad, and GTA IV is out!

I'm back in the blogging mode already!

Favorite Web Site of the Day: Woot! Get your woot on.

HumpDay HighFive: So Small, Yet So Big

2008-04-23T17:47:00.003-04:00

So Wired had a contest and it yielded some amazing photos. They pretty much speak for themselves...

Favorite Person of the Day: Everyone who asks (or threatens, pleads, yells about, etc.) to be the Favorite Person of the Day. You know you're all my number one hoes.

Weekend Recap o the Day: My Chariot of Fire Needs a Tune Up

2008-04-22T17:50:00.003-04:00

I’ve been on a home improvement kick lately. It’s nothing major (yet), but improvement plans are currently unfolding.

Some items now in my possession and one shot of my weekend voyage to Columbus (please excuse the poor photo quality, they’re from my phone):

Moments before Ohio St. destroyed Denver in lacrosse in the horseshoe

New coffee maker

New front door hinge thing (pneumatic, not hydraulic)

A new bird feeder, which also attracts squirrels

[Segue alert]

Speaking of improvement…

Today is Earth Day, a good time to be like this family. Well, maybe not so extreme, but do something for the Earth.

For example, I’m not mowing my grass today. It needs it, to be sure. Frankly, I think it’s ridiculous that I’m not mowing simply because it’s Earth Day. But, I’ll wait a day to mow, when it’s once again ok to hurt the environment.

A quick survey of close friends led me to believe I’d be the scummiest of the scum if I mowed today. Gotta love peer pressure!

Favorite Earth-Related Greek God of the Day: Helios. Like him, I would like to drive a chariot of the sun.

PhotoPhile: When I'm a Parent...

2008-04-17T19:10:00.003-04:00

As a person who has been around a lot of kids (little cousins, my Godson, friends' children, etc.), I've always wondered how parents hold it together when their kid does something humorous, but in the name of good parenting, laughter is not an option.

For example, let's say you're at a relative's house and they have a laundry chute that goes from upstairs to the finished basement. Since the basement is finished, naturally you're hanging out down there. What do you do if suddenly one of your kid's pants come down that chute? It would be hard for me not to laugh, but you can't do that because the kid will keep dropping his or her drawers down the chute. Then you have a naked child running around causing havoc.

I'd like to have kids one day. I don't know what I'll do in these kinds of moments. Here is one such example...

Favorite Person of the Day: Travis Barker. For this.

News o the Day: Papal Taxes and an Angry Geo

2008-04-15T18:43:00.006-04:00

April 15...Tax Day. Get those tax returns done or else the IRS will get you. Or one of its hired hands will. By the way, John McCain has some advice for you, if you want it.

Besides taxes, the Pope is making his first visit to America. I'm not looking for an express route to hell or anything, but I think he looks like the Emperor from Stars Wars.

All that info is well and good, but I'm more interested in an upset Geo Tracker.

A Tracker in the Detroit area was so upset, it crashed into a local store seven times in an attempt to cause great damage.

A few things I'd like to mention...a Tracker is a wee vehicle, almost a lawnmower, so I'm not surprised it took seven attempts...also, I forgot to say the Tracker was piloted by an angry cross-dresser. I feel bad for the driver, but it sounds like he looked fabulous:

"McIntosh -- who was wearing makeup, blue Capri pants, red flip flops, a flowery blouse and a matching bra -- could face prison time."

Favorite Person of the Day: I abstain from voting.

Anything Goes: (Insert Sigh of Disgust)

2008-04-12T19:04:00.003-04:00

I am sick of Detroit's "leaders" acting like fools. It is absolutely shameful.

Sincerely,
Kevin

Favorite Person of the Day: The guy who invented this:

HumpDay HighFive: Old Man Ranting

2008-04-09T18:37:00.003-04:00

I'm in a ranting mood today. Here are five ways I'd start my rants. To see my ranting target, follow the link for each word.

1. Gross!

2. Shocking. (lots of sarcasm in this one)

3. I'm an idiot for not taking breaks.

4. Thank 11 percent of you.

5. Let's see that Old Man Strength displayed on those in #2 above, or are you one of them?

Favorite Person of the Day: You. No wait, you. No, you. Hold on, maybe you? Oh no, you for sure. It's all about you.

News o the Day: Atomic Number 6 Footprint

2008-04-08T17:05:00.004-04:00

Considering the new ad campaign funded by Al Gore, this map is quite interesting.

It's of the carbon dioxide emissions throughout the U.S. Go here for a better image, and go here for more detailed information.

I'm no environmentalist, but I try to do my part. I recycle. My house is loaded with Halogen bulbs. While it's too expensive for me to drive a hybrid, I plan on owning one in the future. I just don't understand why so many people think global warming isn't real. And even if it isn't, why wouldn't we want to do better things for the Earth?

Favorite Golfers of the Day: Paddy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Badds. Bring me home some bacon!

Weekend Recap: Birthdays, Bruce Dickenson and Fire

2008-04-07T18:28:00.003-04:00

Friday night I helped celebrate a friend's birthday in anticipation of a one-day roadie to Chicago for another friend's birthday.

The parties were decidedly different.

Friday was more "the norm." Meet up at a watering hole, hang out for a bit, end of night. Saturday was a theme party - Iron Maiden. It was a blast, complete with a group sing along of "Run to the Hills."

Before the IM party, we hung out at a place owned by a fellow cool Spartan. It's the second time I've been there and it didn't disappoint either time.

Unfortunately, this weekend also featured some uncool Spartans (and non-Spartans). This kind of stuff is embarrassing, regardless of where it happens. It's a black eye for the university and, frankly, I'm disgusted.

photo from the State News

I wasn't in East Lansing for any of the previous riots. The only group gathering I was a part of was the 2000 NCAA Championship celebration. And I must say, that was one of the best nights of my undergrad life. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, unless you're a Florida Gator.

Favorite Person of the Day: Lou Anna Simon. You'll do the right thing. Plus, she reminds me of my friend's mom, who is an extremely nice lady.

Junk in da Trunk: The End of Hamstringache

2008-04-04T17:16:00.003-04:00

I found a list of 10 reasons to exercise not revolving around a sexy body. After reading it, I concur with it.

I started a new workout program this week and I'm sore. Guess that's a good thing. When I say "new" program, I mean I just changed it up. That's an every six weeks occurrence, so I can fool my body.

I've been working out regularly for almost a year now, which is by far the longest I've had a sustained exercise effort that didn't involve an organized sport. My motivation in the beginning was to take my mind off some personal stuff. Once I started seeing results from my fitness effort, it made me want to do it more. In hindsight, I'd say my personal strife and the resulting exercise effort were two of the best things that ever happened to me.

I don't push exercise on anyone (my parents excluded), because to each their own. I know it seems like a chore. But with all the benefits (longer life, less trips to the doc, look good in a bathing suit, etc.), it amazes me more people don't do some form of exercise. FYI, I push it on my parents because I want them around for a long time and that's one way it can happen.

OK, that's my Friday rant. Have a great (and healthy!) weekend.

Favorite Musical Stuff of the Day: 1) Killswitch Engage. If I could somehow join that band, I'd do it in a heartbeat. 2) Seeqpod. It's a great way to find new music and pass the time when you forget your iPod at work.

PhotoPhile: Jowl Time

2008-04-03T17:34:00.003-04:00

Check out jowlers.com for some immature fun.

Here is a great pet jowl, courtesy of arturii.

Favorite Person of the Day: "Present" (that's how I'm voting for this today)

HumpDay HighFive: I Won the Lotto!

2008-04-02T17:28:00.004-04:00

Don't let the title, fool you. While technically, I am a lotto winner, it wasn't for $135 million.

I won only a mere fraction of that. But, it was playing the same Mega Millions game as some lucky person in Redford.

However, if I did win a huge jackpot like that, here's what I'd do...

1. Hire a lawyer and accountant

This is the first step. I would get this done before telling anyone, and I mean anyone. My immediate family would be in the dark until this was completed.

2. Tell my close peeps

This includes my immediate family. Although...maybe my sister wouldn't be in the know. If she knew, I'm sure she'd expect some sort of payout. She has to pay her dues.

In addition to my peeps, I'd inform my employer that I no longer wish to work. But, I'd do it in person and I'd still put in my two weeks. There are two reasons for this. One, I don't want to burn any bridges, because I could quickly lose all that cash and then I'd need a job again. And two, I'd do it in person because I'd be handing out envelopes stuffed with dead presidents.

3. Down with debt

All my debt would be eliminated in one day. And I'd pay it off via money sack.

4. Bend, but not break

I'd go on some sort of long vacation/bender/world tour that would last for a set dollar amount, not a set time. For instance, let's say I net $100 million. After the costs associated with steps 1-3, I'd take about $2 million and burn through it. If you're lucky, maybe you can come along for the ride.

Now, to have a fiscally-conservative yin to the gluttonous yang, I'd simultaneously invest a large chunk of my fortune so I never have to be glad I turned in my two weeks' notice.

5. I wouldn't blog about it

If you aren't involved in any of the aforementioned steps, you'll probably never know if I won the lotto. Sorry. I don't need any more "friends" or "family."

Favorite Person of the Day: Sweet Baby Ray. He makes a mean line of sauces.

PS: Yesterday was April Fool's Day and my blog post was my contribution to that. You think I can really give up sports?!

News o the Day: Frusportstration

2008-04-01T17:49:00.001-04:00

It was a tough weekend to be a Spartan. Beyond that, it’s been a tough few days to be a sports fan in Detroit.

As a result, I’m giving up sports.

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. There have been great times, but there have been some tough times that have worn on me for too long.

So, the sports are gone. Gone are the days of football, baseball, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, golf and the like. No more participation. No more fandom. No more despair.

I’m not sure what will replace them. But the closest thing sports-related I’ll come to is a sport coat.

Favorite Person of the Day: Richard Pryor. I love his line of work.

Anything Goes: Ouch

2008-03-29T17:33:00.003-04:00

So yesterday didn't go as planned. Mmmm, I like eating crow.

But, we've still got this going for us.

Favorite MSU Hockey Goalie of the Day: Ryan Miller. I don't want to jinx anyone tonight.

Junk in da Trunk: This One Goes to Eleven

2008-03-28T15:24:00.004-04:00

Big game tonight.

In honor of it, I did 11 of everything at the gym today. I'm sure you know why...

Favorite Little Guys Who Come Up Big in Big Games of the Day: Drew and Zeke. Make it happen.

Hmm, the both wear 11...

PhotoPhile: Making Up for Lost Time

2008-03-27T18:27:00.004-04:00

Here are some photos I've been meaning to post for a while. Cheers!

Favorite Person of the Day: Trader Joe.

HumpDay HighFive: Michigan State WILL Beat Memphis

2008-03-26T18:12:00.006-04:00

I wanted to write something about a subject a bit...deeper, I suppose...but all I can think about is my Spartans and their NCAA Tournament quest. Maybe it's because today feels like Thursday and their game is Friday, so it's Gameday Eve in my mind.

The reason is irrelevant.

What's relevant is the below five reasons why Michigan State will (not might, not could, but WILL) beat Memphis on Friday.

1. Will and Strength

MSU has a couple Drews who are playing their final game this season. Both have had great careers, respectively, up to this point. If we know anything about TallRedHeadDrew, it's that he maximizes every ounce of talent he has. The guy probably shouldn't be starting in the Big Ten, but he is because he knows his role and he excels at it. Oh yeah, he's kinda funny too...

TallRedHeadDrew is part of a multi-headed beast known as the MSU frontcourt. It's bigger in size, strength and numbers than Memphis' counterpart. Joey Dorsey is a great player. But he won't be able to handle the barrage of green and white bigs launched at him.

That brings us to ShortBaldDrew. Well, last year he was just "that guy." You know, the one who doesn't amazing and unbelievable things on a regular basis. Enough so that you say, "That f'in guy" every time he cans a three with someone in his mug.

Believe me, I know last year isn't this year. And this is a new ShortBaldDrew. He's had some terrible games. But, in the biggest ones, he plays his biggest. And there is no bigger game than this next one.

2. Free Throws

It's a fact, Memphis cannot shoot free throws. To be precise, they only convert 59.2 percent of their free throws. Not one Tiger shoots over 70 percent from the line. MSU has many fouls to give because we roll deep. So, we'll gladly put the Tigers on the charity stripe.

Consequently, MSU can shoot free throws. To be precise, we convert 73.9 percent of our free throws. Memphis has more bad free throw shooters on this year's roster than the Spartans have had in the Tom Izzo era (13 years).

3. Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo is my second dad. He flip flops with Mark Dantonio, depending on the season, but right now, Izzo is Pops.

A few Izzo stats for you:

2000 National Championship
4 Final Fours
Every four-year player under Izzo has reached the Final Four
4 Big Ten regular season titles
2 Big Ten Tournament titles
11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances
82 percent of MSU players under Izzo leave the school with a degree

The list goes on. Some Izzo quoteables for you:

"We’ll play anybody, anyplace, anytime. It doesn’t matter, morning, noon or night, and it doesn’t matter who it is."
"I'm so sick of people saying, 'He's a defensive coach, he's a rebounding coach.' I want to be a great defensive coach, a great rebounding coach, a great running-game coach, a great offensive-execution coach, a great special-teams-sidelines-out-of-bounds coach. I want utopia. I want my players to want utopia."

The Spartans want utopia.

Some John Vincent Calipari stats for you:

His 1995 UMass team lead by Marcus Camby went to the Final Four...and choked
His 1995 UMass team lead by Marcus Camby...officially doesn't exist because Camby took cash from an agent and the NCAA struck them from the record
He holds the best win percentage and win total in Memphis history (for the first 8 years)
In those 8 years has never been to the Final Four despite being a 1 seed twice

The choke jobs continue to pile up.

4. My Gut

I have a good feeling. I get these feelings every so often and they're usually on par with reality.

5. Bo Ryan

Yes, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. We Spartans want him.

Not like we want Erin Andrews.

More like how we want DickRod. Michigan's "man."

As in, head on a platter.

I know Bo Ryan owns Tom Izzo. Hell, an 11-3 record over one team is impressive. Well done, Bo.

That said, we want you in San Antonio on April 7. Winner gets the game net, a trophy and a banner. You'll be 11-4, if you can make it out of Detroit.

Favorite Person of the Day: Some chica in Illinois. She's pretty smart and...well, I'll tell her the rest.

News o the Day: Back to the Frontline

2008-03-25T16:54:00.003-04:00

Last night, after NPH, Mike D and I flipped over to PBS to checkout the Frontline documentary on Dubya and his still ongoing, still costly, still possibly pointless war.

You can watch the whole thing online for free via that link above. High five, PBS! (Aside, you can also watch South Park and NPH for free online)

Anyway, after watching part one, I realized a few things about the current (and recent past) administration…

1. Colin Powell is a joke

I’m not saying he himself is a joke. His role in the administration was a joke. As far as I can tell, his role was to be out of the country (and out of the way) while others superceded his authority and kept him out of key decisions.

2. Donald Rumsfeld doesn’t like to lose

Better stated, he will do anything to win, including this:

3. J. Cofer Black is a drama queen

Watch the documentary. He’s always “rah rah”-ing. Mitt Romney had him head an advisory group for his campaign. That worked out well.

4. Cheney and Rumsy don’t care about anything

See #2.

5. John Yoo shares a birthday with me (although he’s 12 years older than me)

Yoo also made the president above the law, basically. He signed off on all kinds of crap that let the administration do whatever it wanted without consequence, including torture. Sounds like something a 34-year-old lawyer looking to advance would do.

Favorite Person of the Day: Barney (not the purple dinosaur). Dude has a blog…and a funny life philosophy.

Second Favorite Person of the Day: Mark Cuban (yes, the Dallas Mavericks owner). Love his take on bloggers and the subsequent fallout.

Weekend Recap: Second Dad, Drew and the Mayor Walk into a Bar

2008-03-24T17:15:00.001-04:00

I’m extending this weekend recap to include today. The reason for that is Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick being charged with a bunch of crimes today.

I don’t really have an opinion on it yet. Based on the text messages, it seems like he’s guilty. However, who knows how the legal process will play out. I do believe the citizens of Detroit and those of us in the metro region surrounding it should not put up with his behavior.

Prior to KwameGate blowing up today, there were a few college basketball games some people may have watched.

This personifies how I feel:

Notice how Tom Izzo (aka my second dad) wore a tie indicative of who he thought our next opponent would be? He so smart. Bring on the Tigers. Maybe it’s further foreshadowing to a matchup with North Carolina?

The Spartans are making yet another run in the NCAA tournament. We always play our best ball in March. I love this time of year.

The only downfall with this past weekend is my inability to predict basketball game outcomes based on spreads. Hence, the Windsor Casino sports book took my money. But, I took most of it back in the poker room and on the blackjack table.

Favorite Person of the Day: Kym Worthy. I thought she’d buckle and fold. I was wrong. Well done.

Mancation

2008-03-20T07:50:00.001-04:00

It’s on. So on. Mancation, that is.

Some buds and me are heading south to Canada to rock Windsor, Ontario for a couple days. The agenda consists of gambling, NCAA basketball, gambling on NCAA basketball, showin’ love to the best 5 seed there ever was (Michigan St.), sampling the local ales and liquors, and eating the Canadian equivalent of Taco Bell (which could be Taco Bell) in the wee hours of the morning.

Here are a few things I think officially create the "mancation" atmosphere...

1. No women

While this isn’t the ideal situation, especially for single dudes, it can’t be called a "mancation" if you’re girlfriend or wife is along for the ride. That said, "professional" women usually accompany bachelor party varieties of the mancation at some point.

2. Consumption

While on mancation it is acceptable and expected that mancationees will consume anything and everything. This includes food and drink. It’s fine to act as if you’re on death row and there are no consequences (health or otherwise) related to what you ingest.

3. Sports/Activities

Golf. Fishing. Skiing. Rafting. These things and more are typical activities of a mancation. Other acceptable forms of leisure include sports viewing, loitering poolside, wandering beaches, hunting and camping. The ManCouncil is liberal when defining accepted forms of sports/activities, provided that they involve...

4. Gambling

Yes, we men like to put our money where our mouths are. Obviously some like it more than others, but when you think about it, almost anything in life can be bet upon. I’ve wagered on many stupid things...for example, if the next play in a football game will be a run or a pass, if the baseball will end up on the pitchers mound after a third out (the catcher or ump almost always rolls it towards there, the game is to know whether it will stay there), and the like. A recent ManCouncil ruling suggeseted one dollar as the preferred wagering amount for such trivial things.

5. Fun

The point of mancation is to have fun. So, having the right mix of people is key. I know a few people who, if included on the mancation roster, will automatically make it a good time, even if the major activity is having teeth pulled. Every mancation should include at least one memorable thing people will talk about months later.

There you have it. Now, I’m off to brave Windsor.

Favorite Person of the Day: This dude...

News o the Day: Show me the Rebate!

2008-03-18T18:47:00.000-04:00

Oh so much is happening!

First, March Madness is hours away. In honor of that, please view this video of a birth. No, not humans, giraffes or hippos, but showtime basketball. Meet the forefather of fancy-schmancy bball. And guess what? He’s white. On top of that, he doesn’t play defense like this:

Now, you’ve heard of Google Maps. But, have you heard of Google Naps?

Did you know Jenna wants to see Charlize in the buff?

Some guy named Obama made an important speech today.

Our tax rebate checks are coming. Honestly, I’ll believe it when I see it. But, there is a schedule to get yo’ stimuli on!

Favorite Person of the Day: Nancy. Just because.

Weekend Recap: Meet the Parents

2008-03-17T18:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend, my girlfriend and I took turns meeting each other’s parents. We basically had double dates with our folks.

I think it went well. And I don’t think I’m alone. I mean, the word "keeper" was thrown around (according to some sources).

In all honesty, it went really well. I’ve always said, my problems don’t lie with the mom or dad, they lie with the daughter. But, that’s not the case this time around...yet.

After the joy of InLawGate 2008, unfortunately I had to attend a wake for a friend’s grandfather. With the ups come the downs, I suppose.

FYI, it’s a mere two-plus days until Mancation. More on that later...

Least Favorite Person of the Day: Bo Ryan. Suck it.

Blog Lite

2008-03-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

Because yesterday was so full of moral fiber (well put, Darren!), today is going to be light and fluffy.

For all you golfers, this video contains the only instructional tip you’ll ever need. Non-golfers, I recommend the video for you too.

How about grabbing one of these for your loved one on their next birthday?

Here’s what it is.

That’s about it. Have a great weekend!

Favorite Person of the Day: Matt Millen...oh wait, just kidding.

Stop Sucking at Life

2008-03-13T18:11:00.001-04:00

Let me make this clear off the bat, I’m not Superman (neither is Soulja Boy). And, I’m not all men. I’m one man.

That said, I’m disgusted by the actions of some men. I’m sickened by some specific actions by some specific dudes. I’m also fed up with some general actions taken by many men (and women).

I’m going on my Dr. Phil Soapbox Rant...

Mayor Kilpatrick and ex-Governor Spitzer, you let down the people you were supposed to lead. Beyond that, you let down your families. Instead of messing around with a dancer (allegedly)/your chief of staff, or getting it on with hookers, why not try talking with your wives about what’s missing? Something was clearly missing. I mean, your wives could’ve been the freakiest chicks ever, willing to satisfy you because they loved you. That’s out the window now.

Obviously, I have no clue about the inner-workings of their marriages. So, I could be way off base. But if you commit to something, see it through.

Secondly, people who break up with people via text, instant message, phone...basically anything but face-to-face (or having a lawyer serve some divorce papers)...you’re cowards. Face the music.

It comes down to personal accountability and respect. If your actions create an undesirable situation, deal with it. You did it to yourself. On top of that, treat those who deserve respect with respect.

We all have problems. Superman, Soulja Boy, Wonder Woman, me, you, everyone, we all have issues to deal with. Sometimes you just gotta "man up."

...and now I’m off the soapbox. Let’s go grab a Guinness.

Favorite Person of the Day: The person who invented soapboxes. He or she allows me to rant. Thank you sir/madam!

You Can Get With Mish, Or You Can Get With Mash

2008-03-12T17:58:00.001-04:00

Janelle’s blog is tight today, word.

The state of Detroit was announced yesterday by its mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick. I watched the whole thing and was "blah" for most of it. He rattled off accomplishments and plans for the city in front of his handpicked audience for most of the 65 minute affair.

But, at the end things got interesting.

He attacked the media for attacking him about his text message scandal. His behavior was deplorable, in my opinion. He attacked one of the few people in the audience who has publicly questioned his actions as mayor. He also dropped an N bomb.

I tend to agree that Kilpatrick is one of the few politicians who can pull what he has pulled and not be recalled or forced to resign. Maybe that says more about Detroit and its surrounding areas than it does about him.

Detroit business leaders are starting to lose faith. The media isn’t buying his rhetoric. Recall efforts against him have been delayed because of red tape, perhaps a sign of his pull around the city? They’ll get back on track, hopefully with someone else leading the charge.

Also, the county prosecutor has delayed a decision on whether or not to press charges against him. I’m not sure how a month isn’t long enough to decide whether to press charges, but maybe a new witness (like a former chief of staff) has decided to testify. But, I’ve heard people say she’s not high on the worth scale.

All that stuff has one thing underneath it...race. Read Janelle’s blog, she’s spot on. In addition to her opinion, a former coworker of mine - someone I consider to have a finger on the pulse of race and politics in Detroit - wrote the following:

As for the Mayor -- don’t know what else to say but that it’s tremendously depressing. Clearly the man has great talent and ability and there’s no doubt he’s done great things for the city, not the least of which has been to be able to energize vast segments of Detroit’s communities, especially young black males, into becoming more invovled and poltically active in their lives and the progress of the city. I’ve been invovled in poltics in Detroit since the late 1970’s and I can tell you I’ve never seen anyone inspire the most at risk communities in this city the way Mayor Kilpatrick has been able to, but that is exactly why what he has done in the last month is, frankly, so tragic, for he’s lost all credibility as public offical and a role model and his efforts now to remain in power are only hurting the city: in short, he’s placed his own career ahead of the interests of the city and for that he has lost any right to claim that he should remain Mayor.

As far as his speech, again, it reflects the tragic contradiction of his leadership, because, again, he’s made significant accomplishments and has a great vision for the city, but through explosive rhetoric and description of his situation as that of a "nigger"(!) being "lynched’(!) he has exposed himself as a man without integrity who will do anything to retain power. And what’s worse is that his rhetoric harms the fforts of all people who work to fight against discrimination and prejudice and inequality which still stand as the root forces that sustain poverty in primarily black and Latino urban areas because it affirms the views of many white communites who sincerely believe that racism does not exist and that blacks will "play the race card" purely out of their own self interest and efforts to unfairly take advantage of whites. And this is why the Mayor’s words are most damaging, because they affect efforts to address issues of race on a national level.

It’s just a sad, depressing, self-destructive, flame-out that we’re witnessing -- and no one in Michigan should be happy about it because it negatively impacts everyone. If it isn’t clear to everyone by now, it should be -- Michigan’s future depends upon Detroit, just as Detroit’s future depends upon Michigan, so the Mayor’s situation has ramifactions for all of us...

The bottom line...race is still a big issue in the U.S. This and this prove that.

Maybe the mayor should follow Eliot Spitzer’s lead.

Favorite Person of the Day: Doyle Brunson.

More Maui Pics

2008-03-11T19:22:00.001-04:00

I'm still on a Hawaii kick, so I'm uploading my many photos and videos to their various online homes.

Here a bunch of pics. Since I don't think I need a professional Flickr account, I'm limited in how many I can upload per month (and total). So, next month I'll upload more (and let you know about it).

Vids soon...and I'll return to the usual blog format next week.

Least Favorite Building of the Day: The one I work in. I'm convinced it's destroying me because my eyes burn when I'm there and I sneeze a lot. Maybe I'm allergic to work.

2008-03-07T17:07:00.000-05:00

A few things I learned about Hawaii (and now appreciate) are the following...

1) Of course there's beaches everywhere, but there's also tons of other outdoor stuff to do. For example, you can hike, golf, hang glide, go on a zip line, or jump off a cliff into a pool of hybrid fresh/salt water:

2) Hawaiian custom dictates that everyone remove shoes prior to entering a home (and some public places). I love this custom. I spent nearly a week in a house inhabited by seven people, some guests and a cat. It was cleaner than my house, which only holds three peeps.

3) There is no safety net in Hawaii. I mean, you can hike up a mountain and stand atop a 200 foot waterfall and see what the Earth has created. But, if you get too close, you can plummet to a rocky death. It's not like a resort or some controlled snorkeling environment, it's nature and it teaches you to respect the Earth.

4) While there is no safety net, there are places you shouldn't f around in, but do anyway...

5) There are friggin' penguins in Hawaii. Seriously:

I'll have all my pics and videos posted somewhere soon. I'll be sure to alert the masses with the URL.

Favorite Person of the Day: Hoppe. He reported Jack Downey. Yessir!

Real World Maui: Bring on the Slaughter

2008-03-06T19:09:00.000-05:00

On our first official day in Maui, we went out to a place called Molokini, which is a popular snorkel spot off the Maui coastline. To give you an idea of what it looks like from above, I jumped really high and took this photo:

I got ups.

Everyone one was in good spirits (Jef especially so) once we were on the boat and ready to plunge into the crystal clear abyss of the Pacific.

Here are pre-plunge shots:

Gladly, this travel adventure was far less dramatic than the one to get us out to Maui.

The conditions weren't ideal, according to the boat's crew, but the water was clear enough to see lots of sea life, including a reef shark. Jill said that was the first one she's seen since moving to Maui, but I'm not sure I believe her. I think it was a ploy to make our trip better. Believe me, it wasn't needed. I, however, being the advanced snorkel expert I am, have seen a shark before in the water (while in Key West).

Aside: I am no advanced snorkel expert. I suck in salt water all the time and when exiting the water, there are copious amounts of snot and general body goo seeping out of me.

After the snorkel adventure, during which I saw my first whale...well, let me elaborate. I saw a bunch of whales.

(Jill took this, nice one Jill!)

It's whale season in Maui. They come down from Alaska to enjoy the warm water. The whales are pretty sweet. When they "breach" (jump out of the water), it's like watching a city bus leap out of the water and land on its side. It's pretty cool.

So, after the snorkel adventure we went beach hopping. Our main stop was to Slaughterhouse Beach. It was at the bottom of a cliff and relatively secluded. Pretty sweet place to do some oceaning.

Here are Pork and I planning to fight the ocean, make it our bitch if you will:

And here is the ocean putting us in our place: (Notice Pork's resiliency in maintaining the thumbs up)

After Ocean vs. Pork & Kevin I (the ocean one in a unanimous decision), we hopped on to Jill's roof for some sunset action. Here's what it looks like from Jill's roof, prior to the sun disappearing:

And after (I have better ones, but I want to PhotoShop them...I'll post them later):

So after a great day of snorkeling and oceaning, we did what anyone who knows there's $1 drinks at a nearby bar would do, we drank!

All in all, it was a pretty sweet start to the trip.

Favorite Person of the Day (today, not the day in Maui): Arthur Guinness, for making one of my favorite libations.

Sans Pants Would've Been Better

2008-03-05T09:25:00.004-05:00

I've been in Hawaii visiting Jill. It has been incredible, really. If you ever have the ways and means to make it to there, I highly recommend it.

Now, let me weave the tale of Detroit to Hawaii (via Vegas) and back to Detroit (by way of Phoenix)…

It started off awesomely enough by heading out to Charleston, IL the Friday before Hawaii Departure Day (the next Monday). I was there to visit my girlfriend, meet her friends, be judged by them, show off my cooking skills (or lack thereof), meet her cats, be judged by them, show off my petting skills (or lack thereof), and of course to spend some overdue quality time with the special lady friend. The trip was a stellar 10 out of 10 on the metaphorical Life Rating On a 10-Point Scale. Stellar trip intact, it was back to Deeeeeeeeetroit.

The return to Detroit would be short, but it featured a stop at a Foo Fighters show, my maiden voyage to the land of Live Foo. It was kickass. While Jef did get booted from the venue within five minutes of our arrival, he made it back in and we somehow scored better seats in the process.

Dave Grohl and the boys (and girls) sonically wowed us, despite rock star endings on almost every song and the absence of my favorite Foo tune ("Up in Arms") on the set list. It was a rockin' good time – a good appetizer to the main course that was departing for Maui the next afternoon.

But, what's any good story without some good-ol' strife?

Our departing flight to paradise was set to leave at 12:10 p.m. eastern time. The plan was to meet at Pork's place at 9:30 a.m. and head to the airport. Only there was a problem. There was no Jef. And his cell phone was not being answered by him or anyone else. Since I went to the Foo show with him, I figured he couldn't have gotten into that much trouble between the end of the evening Sunday and Monday morning. Wrong.

Many calls (to Jef and his roommate) resulted in nothing. So Pork and I did what anyone would do, we went to Jef's place and threw pine cones at his bedroom window. By Zeus' beard, this method worked! He was up, but he was not packed, nor ready, nor in optimal life condition (a.k.a. he was severely hungover). Time was of the essence now. We were going to have to hustle to make the bird out of the D.

Fast forward to the airport…we get through security with seconds to spare before the 12:10 deadline. Scooping up our belongings and foregoing some luxuries (like belts on the pants), we checked our flight status and ran to the gate.

The gate was not close.

I sprinted through the airport terminal with my pants falling off. I dodged people. I slowed down for an old lady with a walker, only to turn it back into hyper drive nanoseconds after passing her.

Imagine a barely-shoed man, hanging on to the ass of his pants for dear life chugging in and out of small pockets of people, all the while intensely focused on gate A21 and you've got a decent mental image of me that fateful afternoon. Throw in some sweat and panting, and your picture is complete. In this instance, no pants would've been advantageous.

So, I sprinted the whole way. At one point my lungs were on fire and thoughts of stopping creeped into my noggin. But there was no time. The plane was leaving and I was going to do everything I could to be on it. Stopping for air was quitting, and I'm no quitter.

Ahhh, A21.

But the ticket lady was having none of it. I'm not sure what she said. Whatever it was couldn't be heard over the sounds of burning coming from my respiratory system.

She did ask my name, I remember that. I had no breath to answer, so I handed her my boarding pass.

More "no" and "I'm sorry" and "you're cute when you're sweaty" came from her mouth.

All kidding aside, this was one moment in my life where I felt completely helpless, enraged, sad, exhausted and robbed all at once. She kept fiddling around with my ticket, then my travel buddies' tickets, all the while I'm thinking, "What now?"

Then, the magic words…"What are you waiting for? Get on the plane."

I responded the only way I knew how. I fist pumped and said, "I love you," to her and I meant it.

She apologized to the people on standby who came within seconds of a cheap flight to Vegas, none of which I cared about. I was on the bird baby!

I've never missed a flight in my life. I've come close twice now. The first time because of a mechanical issue at the Orlando airport, the second time because of a hungover friend. But if there was one flight I wasn't going to miss, it was the one to Hawaii.

So we boarded the plane, out of breath and smelling like a locker room, but it didn't matter because we were on our way to Maui. Jef was happy…

But, as you can see, it was worth the struggle:

[Insert narrator overdub…]

On our next episode of Kevin Does Maui, the boys make it to paradise, only to run into sharks, whales and a Slaughterhouse. Will the boys survive in the Land of Fire and Sun? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Favorite Person of the Day: The Northwest ticket lady. Seriously, I love you. If you need anything (and by anything I mean something that won't cost me much in terms of money, effort or bodily fluid), let my people know.

Weekend Recap/PhotoPhile: On Location in Lahaina, HI

2008-02-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

So I'm in Hawaii. It rules. I may not come back...anyway, this past weekend was spent with my lady in Charleston, IL. We had a great time together

And now I'm in Hawaii. Since I'd rather enjoy the Hawaiian atmosphere than blog, this will be short (but I'll have comprehensive tales upon my return to snowy Michigan).

Since I'm an idiot and forgot my camera cable, here are two shots of Lahaina, HI from my phone. I'll also post many of the sweet pics upon my return to the mitten.

Some church...taken while sitting in the backseat of a moving car.

Me on the beach with a beer...taken while, um, sitting on a beach with a beer.

Favorite Person of the Day: Jill, for living in Hawaii and hosting us.

PhotoPhile: PhotoPhallicRific!

2008-02-21T18:16:00.000-05:00

So I had a meeting to discuss some details about an upcoming event we're organizing. My director, who really is an ace, says the following...

"I don't want to subject an old lady to the cold in the stands. Who knows, an inflatable penis could hit her in the head."

I was nearly in tears.

To honor that, I found a pic of a phallic phloaty:

Favorite Person of the Day: The one who made purchases 1-5. You're pretty damn sweet.

HumpDay HighFive: The Special Goodness

2008-02-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was about Internet-based sex. Today is about Web goodness (aside, check out The Special Goodness, they're…um…good). The goodness comes in the form of a HighFive! list

1. Way to go Stanford!

Now, if we could somehow get our tax system to resemble this tuition system…

2. Oh Boy Obama!

Barack continues his reign of victory with a win in Hawaii. I may go there personally to survey the land of Obama victory.

3. Foreclose with ease! Learn how here!

NPR's story on "ruthless default" (voluntarily walking away from a mortgage) brings up an interesting debate on personal accountability. Is it the mortgage company's fault you can't pay the mortgage you signed up for? Or did they trick you into doing it? Who's to blame?

4. Way to fertilize John Tyler!

Our nation's 10^th president got…it…on…and other interesting facts here.

5. Kudos to you, Emotiv!

Soon gamers will be able to control the game with only their minds and emotions. All we need now is a hands-free Internet browser so the dream of four-limbed Web-based masturbation can be realized.

Favorite Person of the Day: Pontiac, because it brought me here. (Name the movie I'm referring to and you win…this.)

News o the Day: What they talkin’ ’bout everywhere...Sex!

2008-02-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

The Internet was full of sex today! I mean, it's full of sex every day, but there was lots of news about sex that came across my Web path.

A minister in Florida is putting forth a challenge to have sex every day for 30 days. Sorry single people, ya'll ain't included. Instead, you get to not have sex for 30 days.

The intent of the challenge is good. It's tackling high divorce rates. Apparently sex is a chore at some point in life, presumably after years of marriage. Wow, that sounds great, huh? "Sorry Honey, I don't want to have sex because I equate it to cleaning the bathroom." Hope, I'm never there.

In other news, there's a site for college students to post sex gossip, rumors and generally talk shit about people. That sounds like a fantastic idea. It's called juicycampus.com.

My favorite gem from my two minutes on that site had something to do with "sororitutes," their nose candy and the actions that took place when too much of it was consumed.

Apparently that poster knows how to turn on the charm, which according to recent reports, gets you what you want. I've always preferred lots of alcohol because it's less work, but I can see how the charm route could potentially pay off.

Favorite Person of the Day: Frank Zappa.

Weekend Recap: City Council

2008-02-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

This weekend my commrades and I officially became city council members of Rib City.

Bascially, we owned all the meat put in front of us. Bare bones around! Some huge dude had the audacity to call out my eating capabilities...all of ours actually. Deplorable.

If we were little girls in tropical locales, this is what we would've looked like:

But since we're not, this photo is a more accurate "before" shot of our prey...

That was pretty much the highlight of the weekend. I hung out with some good peeps too. But they rock on a regular basis. I only rock ribs quarterly at best.

Favorite Person of the Day: Homer Simpson.

Junk in da Trunk: Let’s Go PhotoShopping!

2008-02-15T18:22:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you can guess that yesterday's post had some PhotoShopping in it.

I like PhotoShop. It is my friend. It allows for amazing things like this...

Favorite Person of the Day: Ruthface (probably only to me), aka Ruth, aka Ruthenasia, aka The Year of Ruth, aka Ruthie (though not to me), aka Dr. Ruthenstein, aka Ruuuuuuth Are You? Ruth Ruth, Ruth Ruth...because she's bastante impresionante, at least that's what the Google Translators would call her.

PhotoPhile: Two Douches

2008-02-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

I present to you, two douchebags (and an opportunity to take part in something crappy)...

(this ad ran in the Michigan Daily)

HumpDay HighFive: Use a Word Like “Lupdid”

2008-02-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

Since it's Valentine's Day Eve, I thought I'd share five thoughts on Valentine's Day:

1. It sucks!

It's a contrived Hallmark holiday meant to force people to buy gifts for their significant others. In addition, many single people feel like crap because an entire day is devoted to reminding them they're single.

2. It rules…aww <3

You have a whole day to spend with your loved one, probably eat a nice meal and then…

3. The real day has a cool history

The "real" definition of Valentine's Day, in my mind anyway, is the day Al Capone engineered a brilliant hit on a rival gang.

4. Cool cards

Here are a few of my favorites…

5. The irony is great

Apparently the day falls right in the middle of "divorce season," whatever that is. Plus, I'm sure there are more than a handful of couples out there who are miserable/hate each other, but will feign love. Conversely, I'm sure there are many unattached people out there full of love.

Favorite Person of the Day: Greg "Shock G" Jacobs for being the mastermind behind Digital Underground and "Edward G. Humphreys."