I'm not smiling ...
So last night Tracy and I stayed up way past our bedtime to go out to a show on a school night. The Revolution Smile opened for Sense Field at Bottom of the Hill last night, and TRS's recorded stuff has been kicking my ass lately. Sadly, their live show disppointed big-time. After about their seventh song last night, I turned to a friend and asked him if it really wasn't all the same song. Same tempo, mostly the same key, all of which added up to a big "no bro" for me. I mean, I love the groovy rock stuff as much as the next guy/gal, but please. Mix it up. Play something that's not between 80 and 100 bpm. Throw in a song in B. Please.
Official Bidness
I've gotten some kind feedback on the lastest blawg radio show, which is much appreciated. If you haven't peeped it yet, please do. I guarantee it's better than whatever it is you're listening to right now. Unless it's not, of course.
I've also decided to go to a monthly programming schedule: one new radio show a month. It's actually a bunch of work putting one of those together; that's why it was three months between this one and the last one. But I reckon I can do one a month. It's the least I can do for you.
Also, while we're conducting official blawg business, regular readers will have noted that this thing is going up a lot later in the day than it used to. That's partly due to my perusing the sports pages, my hardcore instant-messaging habit, oh, and work. But it's almost always up by 10 AM Pacific time, so check it on your lunch break or something. Or during work. Or instead of work. Or, if you're out of work, sitting home in your underwear, check it any ol' time. It's all good.
And, as always, we at Blawg Industries strive to make the product we provide the very best it can be. So if you have thoughts, suggestion, complaints, or other errata, please let us know. We will make every effort to respond to your inquiries within one business day. Thank you, and drive through. ßßß
These are the times that try men's souls.
September baseball, that is.
That gigantic sigh you heard coming from the direction of the East Bay was my relief that the Giants managed to eke out a victory against the hated Dodgers last night. In doing so they kept pace with the victorious Diamondbacks and Cardinals to stay a game-and-a-half out of first in the NL West and three games back in the wild card race. Barry went homerless and stands at 67, and has nine games to better McGwire's record on 70.
Giants fans have nothing on the fans of the hapless Cubs and Red Sox, but it takes a special kind of masochist to subject him/herself to this kind of abuse. The Giants have an uncanny knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. If I had a nickel for every one-run game I've seen them lose this year, I bet I'd have a bunch of nickels.
To those of you who don't dig America's pastime, I'm apologizing now for what will surely be a preponderance of baseball-related musings in the coming weeks. September and, in this case, October, means baseball. If you're not down, check back in a month or so.
Then it will be all about hoops. ...
Best Overheard Conversation of the Week
Two older hippie guys at the sushi restaurant.
Hippie #1: So a friend of mine died the other day.
Hippie #2: I almost died in February.
Hippie #1: Oh yeah?
Hippie #2: Yeah, pneumonia.
Hippie #1: Huh. ßßß
Dear People I Ride BART With:
Good morning. It's me, the weird guy with the headphones. You know, the guy you look at and wonder, "What the hell is he doing on the 5:40 AM Daly City train? He looks like he should still be in bed, or posing, or whatever it is scenesters do." Yes, that guy.
So you know that I have nothing but love for most of you people, but there are some of you who need some gentle guidance. For instance, you: the lady who chews her gum at neckbreaking speed with her mouth wide open. Yes, dear, I'm talkng to you. If I can hear your gum-chewing over the mellifluous strains of the likes of Entombed and Slayer on my headphones, it's too fucking loud. Shut your foul mouth when you chew, you ignorant cow.
And you, person who sits on the floor when there are no seats and takes up enough room for four or five standing people. Stand up. You do not deserve a seat. There is nothing in the Constitution that guarantees your inalienable right to a seat. Stand up like the rest of us and quit screwing it up for everybody else. If you don't, prepare to get stepped on and to have my ass all up in your face.
Young guy who doesn't offer his seat to older people and/or women: click here, loser.
You people who try to pile on the train while people are still getting off, as well as those of you who stand on either side of the open train doors and make no effort to move to let people on or off: you are the worst. I realize that most of you have lives and jobs and responsibilities and loved ones, and many of you are probably good and productive members of society, but that doesn't abrogate the murderous rage that wells up in me when you block my egress from the train.
I've worked all day, plus I've just ridden BART with you and your ilk. All I want to do is get off the goddamned train and go home. You're impeding me from reaching that simple goal. I will probably not snap today. I will probably be able to maintain my composure and not yell and scream and hit you.
But there's always tomorrow. ... ßßß
67
Barry added one more to his home run total last night, and it ended up being the game winner as well. Thanks to Barry and a gritty pitching performance by Livan Hernandez, the Giants pretty much killed any hopes the Dodgers had for going to the playoffs. Couldn't have happened to a better bunch of guys.
And it's not like Dodger fan cares anyway; s/he shows up in the middle of the 3rd inning and leaves after 7 to "beat the traffic." Hello? Dodger fan: You're in L.A. There is always traffic. It cannot be beaten. Now sit down and pretend that you care about your sad excuse for a team. Thank you, drive through.
I've added "BondsWatch" to the Giants' stat box in the left bar, so if you need real-time, streaming Barry Bonds home-run-total updates, you'll know where to come.
Stormwatch
So we had a very un-Bay-Area-type treat last night: a genuine, East-Coast-style summer thunderstorm, complete with lightning forks and window-rattling thunderclaps. Very cool. I took these for granted when I lived back East, but it turns out we don't get 'em here. Until last night.
I have fond memories of sitting on my front porch in Connecticut with the family, watching the lightning and counting the seconds until we heard the thunder. The smell of the charged air and the rain brought all those memories flooding back. Weird how smells can do that. It's good too, as we needed a real rain to come and wipe this scum off the streets. ßßß
65, 66
Could there have been more sports on yesterday??
Bay Area football went winless, while Bay Area baseball was undefeated. Oh, and that Barry Bonds guy hit his 65th and 66th home runs. For all of those who doubted he could challenge Mark McGwire (and that includes your humble blawger), he's making believers of us all.
There are a dozen games to go, and Barry needs four homers to tie and five to surpass Big Mac's record. And the way he's been locked in, this is eminently achievable, even with 6 of these last 12 games against the Dodgers. He gets three more games against the scuffling Padres, and a three-game set at Enron Field (AKA Ten-Run Field and Home-Run Field). Give him another series in Pittsburgh and he could hit 75. ...
The Weekend, in Brief
Other news from the weekend: parties were attended, restaurants and bars were patronized, and band practice was held, broken leg and all. Yes, drummer Matt, possessor of said busted leg, insisted that we play, and I'll be damned if I could tell the difference in his playing. Sounded good to me. I'm really stoked to record and start playing out. If you want to give us gigs or free or nearly free studio time, please, let me know.
Early News Edition
Finally got up off of my tired ass and did a new blawg radio show. It's called Return of the Rock, and it showcases 13 bands who are making quality rock 'n' roll music in the face of incredible apathy about rock 'n' roll. I can almost guarantee you won't like all of it (hell, I'm not even sure that I like all of it), but if you like rock 'n' roll, I can guarantee there's something in it for you. Click here to check it out. ßßß
Don't miss last week's brilliant insight.
heavy rotation
dack.com
memepool
mecawilson
shellen.com
a fire inside
sfgiants.com
kingfresh.net
