Did You Know Tuesday

Did you know that in the United States, the word for weight measurements, pound, is abbreviated 'lb' after the constellation 'Libra' because it means 'pound' in Latin?

Cartoons That I Miss

RIP

Paul Leonard Newman (Born: January 26, 1925 - Died: September 26, 2008) lost his long battle with cancer last night. One of this country's greatest actors, and people, of all time. From acting to car racing to salad dressings/popcorn/pasta sauce/wines. And he donated ALL of his after-taxed profits from his line of Newman's Own Brand to charities. If only more of the USA's stuck-up and selfish rich people had Newman's grace, what a better place this world would be.

You'll be missed, Cool Hand.

Wednesday's Word
formerly known as the "What're Words For..."

Word: Ain’t got nawthin (Int. phrase)
Definition: This is actually a question which means: “Do you have a drink?” Another form is: “Ain’t got nawthin’ on ye?”


This is pure Downeast and is essential for anyone learning the language.


(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

Did You Know Tuesdays

Did you know that the first beer brewery in the US opened in Manhattan in 1623? Did you also know that the oldest contiuing brewery, running since 1829 is Yuengling (pronounced Ying-ling) in Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania?

Jeez...all this talk of beer is making me want one....or two....

Monday Chuckle

This picture is lifted without remorse from a new site that has a fun time using Photoshop to put John McCain and/or Sarah Palin into situations you may not ever normally see them in.

I got nothing personal against either of these Republican(t) nominees, but I do love to laugh at them.

Check out more fun at http://impalingpalin.com/ and be sure to add your own comments to the wacky pictures.

It's September 19th, Which Means....

...it's Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Argh, you chumbuckets.

But my question is, when is Rape and Pillage Like a Pirate Day??

Don't Forget...

..tonight is the return of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, televisions most off-beat comedy show. I get about 17 laughs per half hour with this show.


I love it. Tonight on FX, 10pm EST.

Welcome back, gang!!

Wednesday's Word

Word: Good for (Adv. phrase)
Definition: capacity, especially vis à vis appetite

Usage:
“How many of these clam fritters are you good for?”


(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

Did You Know Tuesday

Did you know.....that I had a wicked awesome time in Boston yesterday at the James concert?? Well, you probably didn't know that until just now, but it's true.

First off, here's their set-list:
Laid / Seven / Oh My Heart / Ring the Bells / Waterfall / Bubbles / Say Something / Five-O / I Wanna Go Home / Out to Get You /Upside / Hey Ma / Sit Down / Sound / Whiteboy / Tomorrow / Sometimes

Encore:
She’s A Star / Born of Frustration / Lullaby / Don’t Wait That Long / Come Home

The band was tight. The new songs blended well with the old. I was surprised to see so many younger people at the show because, let's face it, American radio has virtually ignored this great English band during it's over 20-year career so I was surprised (and happy) to see that the music of James is still finding listeners. And while today (Tuesday) is the US release date of their latest disc, Hey Ma, it was obvious that many people at the Paradise Rock Club did what I did and ordered it back in April when it was released in the UK and were already familiar with the new tunes.

The club was much smaller than I expected. I figured the venue would probably hold about a thousand people, but this was only a guess as I had never been to the to it before. Boy, was I wrong. It only held about 500! AWESOME! It was a sold-out show, but with only 500 people, it was an up-close performance. I was third back from the stage, center/left.

During the playing of "Sometimes", the band faded out and stopped playing, and we all kept singing “Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes I swear I can see your soul”. The crowd sang alone for a couple of minutes as band watched on. Then they picked the song right back up from the crowd’s vocal performance and finished it. Tim Booth: “That was brilliant!”

In the final song of the encore (Come Home), Tim Booth looks into crowd and says “Where’s that guy who said he could play guitar on this song?” Turns out the guy had been standing in front of me all night with his girlfriend. He puts his hand up and says “HERE! HERE!” Tim Booth: “Well there you are. Get the fuck up here!” Turns out this fan by the name of Jonah could play the song and the band was right into having this guy play with them and the crowd loved it too. The dude was in his smilingest-happy-face-place, playing with a band he obviously loves. It was great.

Right before starting "Hey Ma", Tim Booth said, "Here's my feelings: if a leader of a country declares war on another country, he or she resign immediately. Because if you have to resort to war, you've failed as a politician and you should not continue." There was a decent amount of chatter between the crowd and the band...good chatter, like old friends getting reacquainted.

Look! The back of my head at the James concert as Tim Booth sings from atop the bar!

As the band makes their way to Philadelphia for their Tuesday (tonight) show at the Trocadaro Theater (one of my MOST FAVORITE PLACES to see shows when I was still a Philly resident), I want to let those in Philly who read this before they go: THE SHOW IS AWESOME! I’d love to have someone who goes to that show post the set-list here in the comments.

In a day or two, I hope to add some pics to this as a someone I met at the show (and who was also traveling down I95 to see the show in Philly) will hopefully be sending me a couple of the great pics she took while in the front row.

Show was awesome. I’ve waited over 15 years to finally see James. The wait, though difficult, was so worth.

The only thing that bummed me out was that they didn’t do anything from Millionairs or Pleased to Meet You, two albums that I really liked. Maybe next time they’ll dip more into those really decent James albums. And I really really hope there's a next time for them to tour the States.

Opening up for James was the Scottish band, Unkle Bob. I had no familiarity with their music, but got to the club in time to hear them play. Turns out to be a great music find. A sound that reminded me of the Psychedelic Furs, but during their later years...the Book of Days and World Outside sound. I really liked them a lot. Picked up their CD as I left the club at the end of the night and the singer (Rick Webster) and keyboard player (Geoff Widdowson) were there and chatted with me for a few minutes and also signed the CD. They were only about 23 years old, and very excited as this was the first time any of them had ever been to the US. They're supporting James for the three week tour. But for their Philly show they should've had my friends The Codes opening for them. The Codes are pretty awesome...er...wicked awesome...too. And James is known for having the foresight to pick great opening acts for their tours. Some of the bands who opened for James that you may have heard of: Stone Roses. Radiohead. Coldplay. The Corrs. Stereophonics. Third Eye Blind. And a little band I like to call Nirvana.

Yup...I had a great time at the show. I sure hope James comes back again. I'll make another road trip to see them. After all, if they can come thousands of miles to tour the States, I can drive 220 miles to see them.

9/19/2008 Update: Check out the vid for opening song Laid that someone at the show took. Whoever it was who took this had to be about 2 people away from me as I was just to the right side of where this was shot. Also, if you are the one who took this and either want credit or want me to remove it, let me know via the comments and I'll do that right away for you.

Monday Morning Chuckle

A little girl walks into the bathroom as her Mom is getting out of the shower. The girl points at her Mom's bush and asks, "Mom, what's that?"

The mother scrambles to find the easiest answer so as to not lead into more questions and says, "Honey, that's where good ole Mother Nature hit me with an axe."

To which the girl replies, "Oh, well she got you right in the cunt then, didn't she?"

HEY NOW!!

Friday and the Weekend

Well, it's Friday, and I'm off today, Monday and Tuesday. YES! In just a few minutes I'm getting on the road to make my way down to Rhode Island where I'll be visiting friends for the weekend. On Monday I'm heading into Boston to see James! WOOOOHOOOO! Then, driving back home either after the show or at some point on Tuesday.

Can't. Wait. To. See. James. At some point Tuesday I'll post set-list.

Here they are doing the song everybody knows of their, Laid, on Letterman in 1994.

Wednesday's Word
formerly known as the "What're Words For..."

Word: Fubdub or Flubdub (N.)
Definition: one with a compulsive personality, an old faht

Usage:
“Jess is such an old fubdub – he can’t stand to have one tool out of place on his workbench.”


(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

Did You Know Tuesdays...

...did you know that the hottest planet in our solar system is Venus? While you may believe it to be Mercury since that is the planet closest to the sun, the fact that Mercury does not have an atmosphere means that the side of the Mercury facing away from the sun is freezing cold. Venus, however, has an atmosphere (most likely created by continuous volcanic eruptions) and this keeps the heat in, bringing this second planet from the sun's average temperature to 400° Celcius (750° F).


So just like Venus the beautiful goddess of Roman mythology, Venus the planet is HOT!

Monday Morning Chuckle

Some people are funny just because they're idiots. Here's solid evidence to that statement.

Frat Packs

It's opening season across college campuses all over the country. Even up here in Orono, Maine, as at other universities, the incoming class of freshmen at UMO (University of Maine at Orono) are greeted with opportunities to join a frat or a sorority.

Hanging around campus are spray-painted white sheets with an invitation to the incoming freshmen class, to ‘rush’ that particular chapter.

I was never in a frat, but I suppose it’s like Animal House, (one of the funniest movies EVER) where you get paddled, drink beer, and create mischief all over the campus. Oh, and sex.

"I'm still hammered!"

Even the on-campus chapel/church, the Newman Center, is getting in on the whole pledge-thing for those students who buy into the whole religion thing.

"It's like sex...but without the orgasm!"

How great is that one?? That is classic!

And speaking of classics, if I’m gonna rush anywhere, it’ll be here.

Great Moments in Republican(t) History!

Who can forget this charming shot of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad back in 1983?

That's terrific!

Wednesday's Word

formerly known as the "What're Words For..."

Word: Right around (Adv.), phrase

Definition: early, betimes

Usage:
“You’re right around this morning.”
“Man has to get up before breakfast if he wants to make a dollar nowadays.”

 

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

 

Did You Know Tuesday…

…did you know that back in 1996 when the Major League Baseball owners voted on whether or not to allow for the return of interleague play and the addition of wild card teams in the playoffs, only ONE owner voted against it feeling that this would be bad for baseball? That’s right, just ONE!

As we’ve seen since both were added back to the baseball season, interleague play has increased attendance for the sport, and the wildcard teams have been a huge hit (no pun intended) as more teams compete harder to make it into the post-season. So, looking back, we see that this has been one huge (and highly profitable) boon to baseball, even with a couple of labor strikes in that time. Thank you to the other 27 (at the time) owners who were smart enough to be forward thinkers and were able to make baseball even better than it was.

You can’t just leave us hanging here, TFKoP…who was the one idiotic knucklehead who voted against this?

Well, I’m glad you asked that Mr Small-Print-Italicized-Text...Mr SPIT.

The one owner to vote against it was none other than then-owner of the Texas Rangers George Bush. That’s right! The same George Bush that has driven this great country of the USA into the piss-pit of world opinion and worse yet, has made the lives of US citizens worse in his 8 years of office. Just goes to show that some people NEVER get anything right and prefer to move backwards instead of forward.

Note: the first interleague game after the vote of 1996 occurred the following season on June 12, 1997 as the Texas Ranger hosted the San Francisco Giants, and Mr Bush-league’s Rangers LOST, 4-3! Sweeet!

(I personally love the interleague play, but I understand there's a small percentage of people don't like it. However, it has been great for baseball, so it was the right move.)

Monday Morning Chuckle

How do you think THIS conversation went when the cake was ordered? Here’s my guess:

Patry shop employee: “Hello, 'dis be the cake shop, how can I help you?”
Customer: “I'd like to order a cake for a going away party this week.”
Pastry shop employee: “What you want on the cake?”
Customer: “Best Wishes Suzanne, and underneath that, We will miss you.”

Ahhh....yeah. That's just brilliant. Not only did this highly educated and skilled pastry shop employee include the part of the conversation that WASN'T supposed to be on the cake, they spelled the word "underneath" wrong on top of it!! What a retard.

Hat Tip: MK