This was TOTALLY my album cover for the next America's #! Sweetheart disc! Only with 'Balls sitting next a Photoshopped embiggen of Charles Balls (his cat)!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I am very upset with T.I.!
I am very upset with T.I.!
This was TOTALLY my album cover for the next America's #! Sweetheart disc! Only with 'Balls sitting next a Photoshopped embiggen of Charles Balls (his cat)!
This was TOTALLY my album cover for the next America's #! Sweetheart disc! Only with 'Balls sitting next a Photoshopped embiggen of Charles Balls (his cat)!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Disturbing dreams, they disturb my sleep.
Disturbing dreams, they disturb my sleep.
Last night's sleep was one interrupted by me constantly waking up from a narrative nightmare of GalPal suddenly leaving me cruelly and without warning for someone else, all while a psychotic bully chased me from end to end and refused to expire (I seemingly being the only one in the dream to realize that the horror movie trope of "if you can't see the body, the danger has not passed" is one you MUST live by should you expect to survive those sorts of situations).
The first half is easy enough to decipher since my Catholic guilt is obviously still gnawing at me for sins of my past and my own sudden abandonment of another, but the second half is up to interpretation. Is it my unyielding drive? Is it because I was bullied as a kid? Is it just one too many scary movies too close to bedtime? Who knows?
Only one thing is sure. I am not a fan of disturbing dreams with a long narrative that pick up right where they left off the second I close my eyes again.
Last night's sleep was one interrupted by me constantly waking up from a narrative nightmare of GalPal suddenly leaving me cruelly and without warning for someone else, all while a psychotic bully chased me from end to end and refused to expire (I seemingly being the only one in the dream to realize that the horror movie trope of "if you can't see the body, the danger has not passed" is one you MUST live by should you expect to survive those sorts of situations).The first half is easy enough to decipher since my Catholic guilt is obviously still gnawing at me for sins of my past and my own sudden abandonment of another, but the second half is up to interpretation. Is it my unyielding drive? Is it because I was bullied as a kid? Is it just one too many scary movies too close to bedtime? Who knows?
Only one thing is sure. I am not a fan of disturbing dreams with a long narrative that pick up right where they left off the second I close my eyes again.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hi there, how are you?
Hi there, how are you?
This looks to be an insanely busy week, so please forgive any brevity or unhinged ramblings that may appear in this space over the next few days. Love you!
This looks to be an insanely busy week, so please forgive any brevity or unhinged ramblings that may appear in this space over the next few days. Love you!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Ye Old Oak ... tonight!
Ye Old Oak ... tonight!
I was in NOLA last Friday so I'm doing my monthly DJ thing at Old Oak Tap tonight! I'll be there from 100 until 2 so come on by and say hi. The owners told me there's a couple big parties booked so it should be a really good time. Woo hoo!
I was in NOLA last Friday so I'm doing my monthly DJ thing at Old Oak Tap tonight! I'll be there from 100 until 2 so come on by and say hi. The owners told me there's a couple big parties booked so it should be a really good time. Woo hoo!
A pall hangs over NOLA.
A pall hangs over NOLA.
Yesterday somebody sent me this story of the dying oyster industry in Louisianna, and I forwarded it on to GalPal knowing that while her response would be an anguished cry she would also appreciate the fact she ate at Felix's just last week even more. Pictures of the oil soaked pelicans surface while we were down there last week and it was the sort of thing that made me physically ill. Nauseous. Amazed we could do such harm to such unsuspecting and undeserved targets of our malfeasance.
New Orleans is battered. Residents still speak of Katrina as if its landfall was a few months ago, not almost five years ago. And it seems that right as the city was finally regaining its bearings, BP done fucked shit up and has single-handedly threatened the entire oceanic ecosystem that fills the city's kitchens. New Orleans is not just a 24-hour party on Bourbon Street. It's a city built around food more than booze, and much of that food is provided by areas directly threatened or already effected by the oil spill. And the people of New Orleans know this and, it's not hard to miss, there is a seething fury running through the populace made all the worse with the realization that there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. This is potentially more devastating in the long term than Katrina was, and the people know it.
AN ASIDE: As ill as the pictures of oil soaked pelicans made me last week, it was nothing compared to the queasy fury I felt once I read that BP is trying to cover up the full extent of the damage their little fuck up is inflicting upon the animals in the area. I understand that a singleminded focus on profitability and the need to urgently spin this story there was may explain the blinders BP appears to be operating under, but really? Are they that truly clueless / evil?
Yesterday somebody sent me this story of the dying oyster industry in Louisianna, and I forwarded it on to GalPal knowing that while her response would be an anguished cry she would also appreciate the fact she ate at Felix's just last week even more. Pictures of the oil soaked pelicans surface while we were down there last week and it was the sort of thing that made me physically ill. Nauseous. Amazed we could do such harm to such unsuspecting and undeserved targets of our malfeasance.New Orleans is battered. Residents still speak of Katrina as if its landfall was a few months ago, not almost five years ago. And it seems that right as the city was finally regaining its bearings, BP done fucked shit up and has single-handedly threatened the entire oceanic ecosystem that fills the city's kitchens. New Orleans is not just a 24-hour party on Bourbon Street. It's a city built around food more than booze, and much of that food is provided by areas directly threatened or already effected by the oil spill. And the people of New Orleans know this and, it's not hard to miss, there is a seething fury running through the populace made all the worse with the realization that there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. This is potentially more devastating in the long term than Katrina was, and the people know it.
AN ASIDE: As ill as the pictures of oil soaked pelicans made me last week, it was nothing compared to the queasy fury I felt once I read that BP is trying to cover up the full extent of the damage their little fuck up is inflicting upon the animals in the area. I understand that a singleminded focus on profitability and the need to urgently spin this story there was may explain the blinders BP appears to be operating under, but really? Are they that truly clueless / evil?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Kick some butt, karate kid!
Kick some butt, karate kid!
My favorite line by far in this is ""He wanted to get into the Brat Pack, but he wanted to change the name to The Smile Bunch." However the bit about eschewing cuddling while making a sex tape is pretty chuckle-worthy too.
My favorite line by far in this is ""He wanted to get into the Brat Pack, but he wanted to change the name to The Smile Bunch." However the bit about eschewing cuddling while making a sex tape is pretty chuckle-worthy too.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
It's ... TankBird Tuesday again!
It's ... TankBird Tuesday again!
Talk about no rest for the wicked. THE day I get back into the real world from my vacation just happens to also be the second Tuesday of the month which means it's TankBird Night at The Burlington! Last time we DJed there were unicorns in attendance, which tells you exactly why you should NOT miss tonight.
I hear it might rain -- which is par for the course since God usually throws off-seasonal or inclement weather conditions at us to prevent the masses from attending and having their minds blown -- but who let a little water stop them from having a good time. In fact I recommend all boys and girls not even bring umbrellas so everyone starts the night of all wet and sexy looking.
Wanna know what to expect music-wise? Well, it changes from month to month depending on the crowd (we personalize!) but here's a sampling of some stuff that's made it into my half of the evening's sets.
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in March
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in April
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in May
Talk about no rest for the wicked. THE day I get back into the real world from my vacation just happens to also be the second Tuesday of the month which means it's TankBird Night at The Burlington! Last time we DJed there were unicorns in attendance, which tells you exactly why you should NOT miss tonight. I hear it might rain -- which is par for the course since God usually throws off-seasonal or inclement weather conditions at us to prevent the masses from attending and having their minds blown -- but who let a little water stop them from having a good time. In fact I recommend all boys and girls not even bring umbrellas so everyone starts the night of all wet and sexy looking.
Wanna know what to expect music-wise? Well, it changes from month to month depending on the crowd (we personalize!) but here's a sampling of some stuff that's made it into my half of the evening's sets.
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in March
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in April
Setlist: TankBird Tuesday in May
Caught up on my RSS feeds so let's dance!
Caught up on my RSS feeds so let's dance!
I neglected my RRS feeds during vacation but I'm finally up to date. What better way to celebrate than with Kylie Minogue and whole buncha barely clothed dancing?!
I neglected my RRS feeds during vacation but I'm finally up to date. What better way to celebrate than with Kylie Minogue and whole buncha barely clothed dancing?!
Monday, June 07, 2010
Taking a vacation in public.
Taking a vacation in public.
While I was on vacation last week I made a conscious effort to do so publicly, using social media, primarily Twitter and foursquare. Part of it was selfish, wanting a linear record without taking copious notes (although GalPal and I did buy a notebook for personal use and found recording more private thoughts between the two of us in that was loads of fun). Part of me wanted to see how people would react. I was afraid some might get hostile, or annoyed at reading about our fun times while they were working in their cubicle, or that some folks might complain that I posted too much. I tried to counter the latter fear by making sure I didn't flood feeds and that what I did say had something slightly entertaining within. My biggest surprise though was how little had to worry about people getting annoyed at all.
In fact a dialogue sprang up. Some folks wanted to make recommendations, some folks just wanted to talk about what I was doing at that time, some folks just wanted to share their own stories, and some folks even took conversations that started with my updates off into their own threads. In the end my experiment succeeded beyond my expectations. It seems as if the people that actively follow me enjoyed engaging in my vacation adventures, and in fact actually helped to enhance them with their conversation. It was a blast.
Now I don't recommend this for everyone. At first I was queasy about actively posting we were out of town, but since a friend of ours was kind enough to house-sit for us i knew our place was being watched so I wasn't worried about unsavory types making mischief (or off with our belongings). Second, if all you're going to do on vacation is flood feeds with foursquare check-ins sans comment I can see folks getting annoyed with that. If you do try this, and if I'm following you I would certainly welcome reading it, use it to enhance your experience by sharing information and spurring others to actively engage with you.
When GalPal and I wanted to enjoy something alone, we did, but we both really enjoyed hearing from everyone when we would make our adventures public.
I'll try and get some photos up from our adventures in a couple of days...
While I was on vacation last week I made a conscious effort to do so publicly, using social media, primarily Twitter and foursquare. Part of it was selfish, wanting a linear record without taking copious notes (although GalPal and I did buy a notebook for personal use and found recording more private thoughts between the two of us in that was loads of fun). Part of me wanted to see how people would react. I was afraid some might get hostile, or annoyed at reading about our fun times while they were working in their cubicle, or that some folks might complain that I posted too much. I tried to counter the latter fear by making sure I didn't flood feeds and that what I did say had something slightly entertaining within. My biggest surprise though was how little had to worry about people getting annoyed at all.In fact a dialogue sprang up. Some folks wanted to make recommendations, some folks just wanted to talk about what I was doing at that time, some folks just wanted to share their own stories, and some folks even took conversations that started with my updates off into their own threads. In the end my experiment succeeded beyond my expectations. It seems as if the people that actively follow me enjoyed engaging in my vacation adventures, and in fact actually helped to enhance them with their conversation. It was a blast.
Now I don't recommend this for everyone. At first I was queasy about actively posting we were out of town, but since a friend of ours was kind enough to house-sit for us i knew our place was being watched so I wasn't worried about unsavory types making mischief (or off with our belongings). Second, if all you're going to do on vacation is flood feeds with foursquare check-ins sans comment I can see folks getting annoyed with that. If you do try this, and if I'm following you I would certainly welcome reading it, use it to enhance your experience by sharing information and spurring others to actively engage with you.When GalPal and I wanted to enjoy something alone, we did, but we both really enjoyed hearing from everyone when we would make our adventures public.
I'll try and get some photos up from our adventures in a couple of days...
Friday, June 04, 2010
Drenched!
Drenched!
We were on a cemetary tour and I guess the spirits weren't too happy with us because a thunder storm swept in and soaked is to the bone. Awesome.
We were on a cemetary tour and I guess the spirits weren't too happy with us because a thunder storm swept in and soaked is to the bone. Awesome.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
WOF in NOLA.
WOF in NOLA.
I'm not posting much over the next few days since I'm on vacation in New Orleans (and yes, we have a friend house-sitting for us so I don't mind letting people know I'm out of town) but this, I had to share.
I can not stop running into Vanna White in this fricking city!
Wheel of Fortune is filming here and we keep running into her doing pick up shots. Last night on Bourbon Street wasn't too bad, but they took over Cafe Du Monde this morning, ringing the place in bright lights to get there shots, and man was that annoying. I wanted to walk over and ask Vanna if I could buy some peace and quiet.
I will say this. For a woman who was on TV when I was a kid, loooooong ago, she is looking pretty damn good. She honestly looks about 35 in person, and it's not obvious if she's had any work done. Just please Vanna, let me enjoy NOLA without the film crew watching.
I'm not posting much over the next few days since I'm on vacation in New Orleans (and yes, we have a friend house-sitting for us so I don't mind letting people know I'm out of town) but this, I had to share.I can not stop running into Vanna White in this fricking city!
Wheel of Fortune is filming here and we keep running into her doing pick up shots. Last night on Bourbon Street wasn't too bad, but they took over Cafe Du Monde this morning, ringing the place in bright lights to get there shots, and man was that annoying. I wanted to walk over and ask Vanna if I could buy some peace and quiet.
I will say this. For a woman who was on TV when I was a kid, loooooong ago, she is looking pretty damn good. She honestly looks about 35 in person, and it's not obvious if she's had any work done. Just please Vanna, let me enjoy NOLA without the film crew watching.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
New Orleans bound!
New Orleans bound!
GalPal and I are scrambling to get ready for tomorrow departure to New Orleans for a well earned and long overdue vacation. (I don't feel bad letting you know we're headed out of town since one of our friends is house-sitting for us so we're not exactly leaving our place vacant.)
Anyway, keep your eyes here for periodic updates and drunken scrawls from down south. It'll be my first time back there since pre-Katrina and it's GalPal's first time there EVER so we're hoping to have a lot of fun. Been there yourself and want to share your recommendations with us? Leave a comment or shoot me an email. All ideas welcome!
O.K., back to our preparations...
GalPal and I are scrambling to get ready for tomorrow departure to New Orleans for a well earned and long overdue vacation. (I don't feel bad letting you know we're headed out of town since one of our friends is house-sitting for us so we're not exactly leaving our place vacant.)Anyway, keep your eyes here for periodic updates and drunken scrawls from down south. It'll be my first time back there since pre-Katrina and it's GalPal's first time there EVER so we're hoping to have a lot of fun. Been there yourself and want to share your recommendations with us? Leave a comment or shoot me an email. All ideas welcome!
O.K., back to our preparations...
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day...
Memorial Day...
Hey y'all, hope you're enjoying BBQs, friends / family and / or vacations but let's take a minute to remember the men and women who have served or are serving in our armed forces who have made today possible.
Hey y'all, hope you're enjoying BBQs, friends / family and / or vacations but let's take a minute to remember the men and women who have served or are serving in our armed forces who have made today possible.
Friday, May 28, 2010
If you really want to know what I think, you probably don't really want to know what I think.
If you really want to know what I think, you probably don't really want to know what I think.
FRIEND: She didn't seem too happy with your critical evaluation of her writing.
ME: She asked for my opinion!
GALPAL: I guess she didn't realize you'd actually be honest.
ME: But I was right! Right?
FRIEND: Oh yeah.
GALPAL: Yup.
Le sigh.
FRIEND: She didn't seem too happy with your critical evaluation of her writing.
ME: She asked for my opinion!
GALPAL: I guess she didn't realize you'd actually be honest.
ME: But I was right! Right?
FRIEND: Oh yeah.
GALPAL: Yup.
Le sigh.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Here's the thing about people in the media.
Here's the thing about people in the media.
It may not seem like it, but us media folks really do like each other. We take swipes at each other, we diss each other, we make fun of each other, we criticize each other, and sometimes we basically beat each other bloody with words, but in the end we all sort of feel like we're on the same team. There's a base competitiveness there, sure, but in the end I kind of feel like we're mostly on the same side. I hadn't really realized this until I started getting rocks thrown at me by upstarts and friends first got all up in arms about it and then asked me why I wasn't responding to the minor assaults. My response? I didn't care. It was like one of my brothers punching me in the arm. When they do that I could not care less ... but if someone else punches me in the arm or (God forbid) someone punches one of my brothers in the arm? Game over. They're going down.
So when you peer through your Twitter feeds / FB stati / MSM TV smackdown you should know this; we look like we hate each other but if you throw us all in a room I guarantee you we're all doing shots and laughing together.
It may not seem like it, but us media folks really do like each other. We take swipes at each other, we diss each other, we make fun of each other, we criticize each other, and sometimes we basically beat each other bloody with words, but in the end we all sort of feel like we're on the same team. There's a base competitiveness there, sure, but in the end I kind of feel like we're mostly on the same side. I hadn't really realized this until I started getting rocks thrown at me by upstarts and friends first got all up in arms about it and then asked me why I wasn't responding to the minor assaults. My response? I didn't care. It was like one of my brothers punching me in the arm. When they do that I could not care less ... but if someone else punches me in the arm or (God forbid) someone punches one of my brothers in the arm? Game over. They're going down.
So when you peer through your Twitter feeds / FB stati / MSM TV smackdown you should know this; we look like we hate each other but if you throw us all in a room I guarantee you we're all doing shots and laughing together.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What is that on your head?
What is that on your head?
It never fails. The day I get a new haircut I think it looks O.K., but can't wait to get home so I can style it myself. The day after my new haircut I usually wake up, look in a mirror and think it looks pretty damn good. On day three I wake up, look in the mirror and think I look like the lead character from an early Farrelly brothers movie.
Ah vanity, not only are you never satiated, you are whiplash cruel.
Of course I know all it will take is a bit of water to get my head looking right again, but it is humbling to know that even a reasonably decent looking guy like myself can be completely incapacitated in the physical charm department by willfully goofy acting hair.
Helps keep me in my place, I suppose.
It never fails. The day I get a new haircut I think it looks O.K., but can't wait to get home so I can style it myself. The day after my new haircut I usually wake up, look in a mirror and think it looks pretty damn good. On day three I wake up, look in the mirror and think I look like the lead character from an early Farrelly brothers movie.Ah vanity, not only are you never satiated, you are whiplash cruel.
Of course I know all it will take is a bit of water to get my head looking right again, but it is humbling to know that even a reasonably decent looking guy like myself can be completely incapacitated in the physical charm department by willfully goofy acting hair.
Helps keep me in my place, I suppose.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I went to go see this band last week...
I went to go see this band last week...
...you might have heard of them. They're called The Dead Weather and they played a private show to 500 in a Chicago warehouse space. The booze was free, the crowd was cool, and the show was pretty awesome. The video below gives a taste of what the overall event was like but you should probably go and read my review and see my pictures of the show. (And if you like those shots, I have a ton of other photos from the evening here.)
...you might have heard of them. They're called The Dead Weather and they played a private show to 500 in a Chicago warehouse space. The booze was free, the crowd was cool, and the show was pretty awesome. The video below gives a taste of what the overall event was like but you should probably go and read my review and see my pictures of the show. (And if you like those shots, I have a ton of other photos from the evening here.)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Happy Bloggiversary Tankboy!
Happy Bloggiversary Tankboy!
So this incarnation of Tankboy writing has been around eight years now. I count the "technical" start of this whole thing as being in 1995 since that's when the first Tankboy e-mail went out to a small list of subscribers, but my first Blogspot / Blogger post was on this date in 2002.
So thanks to all of you that were there way back then and even more thanks to all of you that have stuck around for the ride so far!
So this incarnation of Tankboy writing has been around eight years now. I count the "technical" start of this whole thing as being in 1995 since that's when the first Tankboy e-mail went out to a small list of subscribers, but my first Blogspot / Blogger post was on this date in 2002.
So thanks to all of you that were there way back then and even more thanks to all of you that have stuck around for the ride so far!
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