back to reality

yesterday was exhausting. when i eventually fell asleep, i was tossing and turning all night long. i doubt i got more than 3 or 4 good hours of sleep. not sure if it's the weather, the poems, nightmares, being lonely, or (fill in the blank here) that has me so restless. my sister joked that she slept 9 1/2 hours while she was here in one night. i looked at her and said if i ever sleep 9 hours, i'm pretty sure when you come to check on me, i'll be dead.

i heard back from Chiron Review on the poems i sent on my birthday. all 3 got rejected. those are 3 of my strongest, so either i think they are much better than other people do, or i have slipped into a rut. might be time to switch back to wine for the next few months.

the New York Rangers played like shit yesterday. i guess asking for 3 wins in a row is just too much to ask for. they better snap out of it quick as they play Buffalo tonight.

thankfully, the Dayton Flyers took care of business yesterday at Fordham. they never trailed in the game, even though they tried to make it close near the end. eventually, Dayton put the game away and actually beat the spread once again. Dayton won 64-50.

i enjoyed The X-Files last night. of course, i had to watch most of the show on the internet this morning as the football game took up much of what i recorded on the DVR. that's my mistake for not thinking the game was going to run long. it should be interesting to see what happens tonight.

Shameless was really good. Billions was good, but not as good as the pilot was. hopefully it bounces back next week.

the Royal Rumble was good. i was pissy for most of it though as my internet was cutting in and out throughout the show. i really enjoyed what i saw of Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose. and i truly marked out like a child when i saw AJ Styles come out. that's truly one of those things i NEVER thought i would see in a WWE ring. not sure what i think about HHH winning the Rumble and becoming the new champ. i will hold back my opinion to see what happens on the road to WrestleMania. if he manages to make a new star out someone by April, then it's all worth it. if this becomes him burying people again, then i'll be bitching and moaning for the rest of the year. of course, i know what HHH thinks of my opinion:

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be The X-Files. i will spend most of the night flipping between Monday Night Raw and the New York Rangers game vs. Buffalo.

plus, i think there is a basketball game tonight that is supposed to be good. (Spurs vs. Warriors)

i got half of the Super Bowl matchup correct. neither game really shocked me. i think Carolina will win the Super Bowl, though i wouldn't mind Denver winning if that means Peyton Manning retires.

i've been listening to the FREE Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert they put out today as a gift for having to cancel some shows because of the blizzard. i highly recommend you getting this. 3 hours of great music for FREE. it's only available for 48 hours by the way.
http://live.brucespringsteen.net/live-music/0,13586/Bruce-Springsteen---The-E-Street-Band-mp3-flac-download-1-19-2016-United-Center-Chicago-IL.html

i have to get some blood work done before i go back to the doctor on February 8th. i figure i will get that done later in the week. i'm so looking forward to all the shit i have to do now that i am 40. good times.

i hope everyone had a great Sunday. hopefully it has stopped snowing wherever you are.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - 01/19/16 Chicago, Illinois (Live)

"It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality." - Virginia Woolf

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

should i be concerned about the guns on the kitchen table?

my mother has all the guns my stepfather had on the kitchen table so my sister can take a picture of them all. thankfully, the shades on all the windows are shut tight. i could just imagine what all these fucks around here would say. i think my sister knows someone that's interested in them.

i didn't get much sleep last night. i think i'm sleeping in 3 hour intervals. that could possibly work if i was 20 years younger. sadly, i'm not.

i really enjoyed Saturday Night Live last night. i thought Ronda Rousey did much better than i thought she would.

ROH was really good last night. i can't remember the last time i saw a match won with a backslide. talk about taking me back to my youth.

the Whitney Cummings special on HBO last night was hilarious. i do love a female comic that is fucking filthy. there's a woman i could have a long conversation with.

enjoy some music kids:

now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be The X-Files, Shameless and Billions.

today has clusterfuck written all over it. the New York Rangers play up in Ottawa at 3. the Dayton Flyers play at Fordham at 4. i believe the football games start today at 3. i am going with New England and Carolina to win. and then tonight, the Royal Rumble is on WWE Network. it's going to be a long ass day my friends.

hopefully i will be enjoying some victory beers while watching wrestling tonight.

i hope everyone had a great Saturday. hopefully your Sunday is even better.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money (Live)
M83 - Midnight City
U2 - With Or Without You
Butthole Surfers - Pepper

"I owe it all to little chocolate donuts." - John Belushi

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

old man winter

so when i went out to get the paper this morning, the sun was out. i put on a coat and immediately thought, i probably should have put on something other than pajama pants to do this. it wasn't too bad; 16 degrees, wind chill of -5, but i knew if i was out too long i would be fucked. at least i did put up my hood on my coat.

the New York Rangers proved once again yesterday that they just aren't a very good team at the moment. consistency is something they are lacking and it is becoming more frustrating with each game. they haven't won 2 games in a row since before Thanksgiving. they lost yesterday to Washington, 5-2. they play Vancouver tomorrow. thankfully, i will be watching basketball.

i got both NFL playoff games right yesterday. i am now 6-2 in the playoffs, not too bad.

Shameless was excellent last night. i will never complain when i get to see Emmy Rossum naked. plus, the ending was one of those classic holy shit moments.

i knew i was going to like Billions within the first 30 seconds. Paul Giamatti bound and gagged with a dominatrix putting her high heel in the middle chest. cigarette put out on his chest and then pissed on. yep, there's a show i know i'm going to like. especially when the ending of the first episode reveals who that dominatrix is. i can't wait to see how this season unravels.

i also watched some of the UFC last night. i really enjoyed the Cruz vs. Dillashaw fight. i thought Cruz won, just barely. so the split decision was understandable.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

all i'm planning on watching tonight is Monday Night Raw and probably some pro and college basketball.

i did pick up a Paul Thorn song today at NoiseTrade. i'll have the link for that below in the music section.

hard to believe i'll be 40 in 3 days. especially when i first thought about killing myself at age 8, failed at doing it at 17 and 23 and was totally convinced that i was going to die with the blood clots at 32. let alone hoping i was going to be part of the 27 club. i suppose if life really does begin at 40, maybe the worm will turn and things will start looking up for me. maybe.

i hope everyone had a great weekend. and hopefully you are warm wherever the fuck you are.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

The Delta Saints - Crazy
Jackson 5 - Who's Lovin' You
Leonard Cohen - Closing Time
Paul Thorn - Old Stray Dogs and Jesus

"I haven't celebrated coming in No. 2 too many times." - Mark Messier

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

smash and grab

i woke up this morning, tired as hell, ready to watch Manchester United take on Liverpool. United started off good, but as usual for this season, they settled back into mediocrity. they were getting killed in the midfield. thankfully, it was 0-0 at half. United started the second half in the same funk and thankfully, David de Gea saved their ass with some brilliant saves. where the fuck would this team be without him? and then, out of nowhere, a header off the crossbar and holy shit, Wayne Rooney drills a volley home for his first goal at Liverpool in a fucking decade. talk about stealing a game you truly had no business winning. when it comes to beating Liverpool, i'll take that every fucking time. hopefully this is the game that saves the fucking season.

the New York Rangers got my Saturday off to a good start, winning in Philadelphia 3-2. of course, they had to win in the shootout to get the win. better than losing though. they play again today at Washington. god willing, they will end the Mom's trip with another win.

the NFL games yesterday were really good. i got the Patriots game wrong, which didn't shock me really. the night game between Arizona and Green Bay was a fucking instant classic. another Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers and then Larry Fitzgerald took over in OT. that game was part of the reason i woke up tired as hell this morning.

Saturday Night Live was really funny and dirty last night. i enjoyed the show much more than i thought i was going to.

Austin City Limits was really good last night. Ryan Adams and Shakey Graves were the performers.

ROH was excellent last night. the main event was spectacular.

i went through my huge file folder of unpublished poems last night. there was poems in there from over a decade ago. i found a few that i think i might try to submit to places again, though i'm not sure about it. hell, i might just put a book together of rejected poems and see how all those poems work together. it was certainly a long two hours down memory lane.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

i'm going with Carolina and Denver to win the NFL games today.

i will be flipping between football and hockey for most of the day.

on the DVR tonight will be Shameless and Billions on Showtime.

i hope everyone has a great Sunday, or at least better than your Saturday.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Social Distortion - Ball and Chain (Live)
Shooter Jennings - Higher
Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." - Jim Carrey

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

i went down to the crossroads

so we didn't end up going to the basketball game last night. mom didn't feel good and with how she gets dizzy at times, there was zero chance i was going to leave her alone. so we ended up watching the Dayton Flyers game on the television.

i told my mom that they were giving rally towels away at the game and she laughed. i chuckled as i could see in 2 hours old men going around to collect the towels left behind. Dyshawn Pierre came to play last night, scoring 26 points, 1 shy of his career high. Dayton got killed on the boards by George Washington, but it didn't matter. Dayton only had 6 turnovers and only missed one free throw. that's a recipe for winning. plus, it never hurts to win on national television. Dayton 77 George Washington 70.

after the game, it was time for the Friday night shows. Undateable was fucking hilarious, as always. plus, it was nice to see Weezer as the house band this episode. Treehouse Masters was good. i'm amazed at the amount of money people have to blow on a treehouse. of course, if i had fuck you money and trees, i'd probably do the same thing. NJPW was really good. it should be interesting to see who replaces Mauro Ranallo on this now that he's doing WWE Smackdown.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

the New York Rangers play at Philadelphia this afternoon. hopefully they get a win and can start putting together a good streak.

i figure i will watch the NFL playoff games today. i have Kansas City and Arizona winning.

on the DVR tonight will be Saturday Night Live, ROH and Austin City Limits.

i will be on here tomorrow after Manchester United plays at Liverpool. i'll either be really happy or totally fucking pissed.

i hope everyone has a great Saturday. call if you need bail money.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Pearl Jam - Fuckin' Up (Live)
Gov't Mule - War Pigs (Live)
Trampled By Turtles - Where Is My Mind? (Live)

"In England, I'm a horror movie director. In Germany, I'm a filmmaker. In the US, I'm a bum." - John Carpenter

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

ladies and gentlemen, snow

i woke up at 4 in the morning and looked at my clock and said fuck you. thankfully, i was able to fall back to sleep and woke up again sometime around 9. when i sat up, my lower back started to scream in agony. i figured it had to be snowing. sure enough, it was. now i think it's only an inch or so. but with winds around 40 mph, things could get a little interesting out there. i figure once i get done with this, i'll be the lucky one to go out and get the newspaper. good times.

i did watch most of the playoff games last night in the NFL. it's scary to think the Bengals haven't won a playoff game since i was a freshman in high school. after watching them piss away the lead last night in the final minutes, it's easy to believe they may never win one again. as soon as they took the lead, i looked over at my mother and said, now watch them find a way to fuck this up. sure enough. i did pick both games correct. i've got Seattle and Washington today.

Austin City Limits was great last night. i really enjoy when a rapper plays with a live band. it makes the music much more dynamic. and quite honestly, i think Kendrick Lamar is one of the best in the world doing it at this moment.

ROH was spectacular last night. the main event alone was worth staying up for.

and i couldn't be happier with who won that main event either.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Shameless. i am so happy that a new season of one of my favorite shows is back. i will spend most of the night watching the Golden Globes, mostly because of Ricky Gervais.

that's pretty much all for me kids. i have some laundry i need to do. hopefully i can do that without the washer dying. and i've got a few random words flying in my head that probably need to find the page before too long. that also means i need to sit down and figure out where my next batch of submissions are going. good times.

i hope everyone had a great Saturday. hopefully your Sunday is even better. call if you need bail money. i'm off to go buy lottery tickets.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Vintage Trouble - Another Man's Words
Gov't Mule - Goin' Out West (Live)
Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come

"Imagination, the traitor of the mind, has taken my solitude and slain it." - Robinson Jeffers

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

these are the days my 8 year old self was trying to warn me about

it was actually pretty warm this morning, nearly 50 degrees. of course, it was also really damp and just nasty out. i figured i better take advantage and get the damn Christmas lights down. they are saying we're going to get snow by tomorrow night. sure, why not. i also made sure to feed the birds as i figured they will panic if it does snow.

then my clusterfuck afternoon could begin. first up was Manchester United. i was really hoping that the last game was a sign that they had turned the corner and was going to play attractive attacking football/soccer from now on. fuck me, i was wrong. in one of the most boring games of this season, and that's saying something given how fucking boring they have been this season, United went to stoppage time at 0-0. unbelievably, a defender from Sheffield United took down Memphis in the box and Manchester United was given a chance to win that they absolutely did not deserve. don't get me wrong, it was a penalty kick for sure, but the boys didn't do a fucking positive thing in this game. Wayne Rooney buried the pk and Manchester United moves on to the 4th round of the FA Cup. thank god there won't be a replay of this boring ass game.

next up was the New York Rangers. they were trailing Washington by 2 goals going into the 3rd period. i was very happy to see the Rangers show a little fucking pride and score 3 goals to take the lead in the 3rd. and then with 5 seconds left, Washington tied the game. ok, shit happens. at least they will get a point out of the game. the Rangers had a glorious chance to win in OT, but Holtby made a save on Stepan and of course, that fucking asshole Ovechkin took it the length of the ice to score the game winner. well, at least he won't score his 500th goal against us. Rangers lose 4-3.

and that brings me to the Dayton Flyers. Dayton was up early on LaSalle 13-4 and i was thinking good, the boys are on a mission in this game. fuck me, i was wrong again. Dayton missed shot after shot and crumbled down the stretch. i guess the curse of being ranked strikes again. Dayton loses at LaSalle (who was 4-8 by the way, 7 straight losses) 61-57.

needless to say, i'm going to be fucking pissed for the rest of the day and probably the rest of the fucking weekend now.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

tonight on the DVR will be Austin City Limits and ROH.

i did watch Undateable last night. it was fucking hilarious.

not sure if i'm going to watch playoff football the rest of the day or watch Lemmy's funeral on YouTube. they are streaming his funeral service, which is incredibly cool.

i will be on here sometime tomorrow morning probably, as i figure i have a ton of laundry and writing to do tomorrow. and if it does snow, i might have to break out the shovel. always fun for a bad back.

hope this finds everyone in a better mood than i am. it shouldn't be that hard.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
Metallica - Bleeding Me
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Reverence

"I've never been an optimist." - Joan Baez

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

a dreary Sunday morning

the rain last night was supposed to end up with snow this morning. thankfully, so far (fingers crossed), that hasn't happened. of course, i still have to go out and feed the cats and take out the trash. so, if it's going to happen, i bet i know when it will.

i got some sleep last night. i think a little over 5 hours. i guess some victory beers and just being completely drained is the trick for me.

ROH was excellent last night. i really like where they are going so far in 2015.

Saturday Night Live was pretty good as well. these skits really made me laugh:

i have a ton of dishes to do before the New York Rangers play this afternoon. of course, i may wait in case the game goes bad. it's a good way to get my frustration out at times. but, the iron levels in our water here lately is through the fucking roof, so maybe not. i do hope the Rangers win today. they play at Pittsburgh. it would be nice for them to close the gap in the division.

there are two huge NFL playoff games today. first up is Green Bay at Seattle. then, Indianapolis at New England. i'll take both home teams to make the Super Bowl. i'd love to be wrong, but i'm not feeling it.

after those games will be my usual Sunday night programming. Girls, Togetherness, House of Lies, Episodes, Total Divas, and Shameless. i should definitely be ready to crash after all that.

not sure when i'll be on here tomorrow. i get the feeling that mom wants to start moving some things over to the new house. so, i'm thinking that will take up most of my day. i'm sure i'll squeeze something in at some point tomorrow.

hope your weekend finishes up nicely. if you're betting on the games today, best of luck to you. if you lose, take it out on yourself and not others. if you win, feel free to send me some of the glory.

thanks again for allowing me to waste a few minutes of your precious time.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

REMINDER - if you would like to be so kind to get me something for my birthday (Jan. 21st) or just for being a great person (watch where you step in this bullshit) or you just happen to like this blog or my poetry (or god forbid) both, you are more than welcome to get me ANYTHING off of my Amazon.com Wish List. you can find a direct link to it on the right hand side of this blog. thanks.

music:

Hayes Carll w/Caitlin Rose - Love Don't Let Me Down
Paolo Nutini - Iron Sky
The Black Crowes - Oh Josephine
My Morning Jacket - Bermuda Highway (Live)
Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind

happy birthday to my hockey god:

"The only pressure I'm under is the pressure I've put on myself." - Mark Messier

a better mood on a rainy day

i was actually able to get almost 5 hours of sleep last night. i figure that was due to the mix of pain pills and alcohol. of course, it wasn't 5 hours in a row. just my luck.

i would say the pain is becoming a little more manageable. of course, by saying that i'll be in agony later tonight.

i had a pretty good night last night. got all 4 playoff games right over the weekend. my fantasy hockey team responded well after a losing week by winning 10-0. and all the Sunday night shows were really good.

the New York Rangers got off to a great start last night, basically putting the game away in the first period with 3 goals. the Flyers did their usual shit, which helped my fantasy team with the penalty minutes. Rangers get a huge win in the division, 4-1.

i watched a few minutes of the Golden Globes last night. i thought what i saw was pretty funny. i watched some more of the highlights this morning on YouTube.

as for the Sunday night shows, True Detective was great. i can see that show quickly becoming a favorite of mine. has the potential to be really fucking creepy in the psychological kind of way. i liked the first episode of Girls more than the second one. Shameless was great as usual. looks like another crazy season is in store. House of Lies was back to being really good. Episodes is usually so bad it's good. just like last night.

as for tonight, after Monday Night Raw all i really wanted is a nice long shower and for the pain pills to work a little better. i'm sure i'll be watching some college basketball as well.

the silly season is back in full swing and i'm really enjoying all the "news" going on with Manchester United. if i have learned anything under David Moyes, expect nothing and be told it's a good thing.

as for all the A-Rod news with the New York Yankees... i'm really at the point where i don't give a shit. hopefully he is gone for all of 2014 and that money is used for better pitching. and hopefully one of these castoffs can be a decent third baseman for them this season.

that's all for me. hopefully everyone is better off than i am. be well, be drunk, be creative, be...

music:

Tom Waits - Franks Wild Years

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

and sometimes the whole body just aches...

hello again world. so, after yet another night of 3 hours of restless sleep (i mostly remember just tossing and turning and popping my left shoulder countless number of times) i'm back at it. i'm still trying to wrap my head around the end of the Saints game yesterday, but more on that later.

i typed up the 3 poems i wrote the other day at 6 this morning. i think they are pretty good, which probably means they are really good as i'm cranky and really feeling the pain today. i imagine i'll do my birthday submission here in a few days and these poems will be part of it.

got all the other shit i had to do around the house done without waking up my mother. that included changing out the water filters in the cellar. that 40 lbs. of salt didn't feel real good this morning. but, good thing i learned at a young age to find the pleasure in the pain.

cats are fed and the trash is down to the end of the lane. hopefully mother nature decides to not blow it over like 2 weeks ago. so, i'm in the house for the rest of the day... hopefully getting some sleep during the playoff games. tonight is a crazy night for me on television. all of this is roughly going on at the same time. the New York Rangers play a huge division game against the Flyers tonight. the Golden globes are on tonight. probably my favorite award show. and then, all the Sunday shows start tonight on HBO and Showtime. True Detective is the new show i'm really looking forward to. and then there are Girls, Shameless, House of Lies, and Episodes. another long night is in store. but, if i'm not going to sleep, i might as well...

ROH was excellent last night. the match between Chris Hero and Kevin Steen was top notch, as i expected. hopefully i'll get to see all of them when they come to town in a few months.

the ending of the New Orleans Saints playoff game against Seattle still has me shaking my head. the Saints did absolutely nothing in the first half, other than a few big mistakes. finally in the 4th quarter the offense started to click. i thought they would struggle in the game, but not for that long. the defense played as well as i thought they could last night. Brees throws a TD to Colston that set up the onside kick, that the Saints recovered!!!! but what i can't get my head around is why with 8 seconds left, Colston didn't get out of bounds to set up a final play in the end zone. instead, he throws a forward pass that ends the game. i'm not saying they would have converted on the final play and tied the game and eventually won in OT. i just would have liked to see them have the chance. Saints lose 23-15.

that's all for me. i have a Sunday paper to read and a heating pad to hopefully help me either sleep or not feel as much pain. if you see another post from me today it will be out of frustration and a call for drugs.

hope everyone is doing better than i am. be well. take it easy, and then take it again.

music:

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Live from Alabama
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well." - Jack London

a dreary fog

yet another day with hardly any sleep. the pain has really subsided, other than a huge fucking knot i have in my upper left arm. the heating pad is no longer doing anything for me. and neither is ice. so, it's time i turn to the alcohol. good times.

it has been incredibly foggy here today. like a Stephen King type of fog. i'm not sure if i've been able to see down to the road at all today. the temps have got into the 40's today. so, most of the snow is finally melting. the stubborn ice is hanging on though.

the Big Bang Theory was pretty good last night. after that, i flipped between basketball games and the Treehouse Masters show on Discovery Channel. as usual, another thrilling night.

the New York Rangers play at home against Dallas tonight. hopefully they can keep the good momentum going.

other than that, tonight i see a shower and hopefully more than 3 hours in a row of sleep in my future.

not sure when i'll be back on here tomorrow. Dayton plays St. Louis at 11 am (ESPN2), so we'll be leaving here around 9:30 or so. and after that, i know mom needs to pick up her new laptop, so i imagine we'll be going south of town for that and some lunch. and then the New Orleans Saints play at like 4 or so in the afternoon. so, maybe i'll be back before that and sneak in a quick blog. or, maybe at halftime of the second playoff game tomorrow.

the best thing about tomorrow is there is about a 100% chance i won't be seeing Manchester United playing. knowing my fucking luck, they will win.

the new printer mom got last night is pretty cool. i might actually get a chance to print out some of my photos as there is a slot for photo paper in the printer. i'm thinking i may do a calendar next year where i mix some photos and my poems. i figure that could be my artsy fartsy Christmas gift next year for my friends and fans. who knows, 11 months from now i might be on a completely different brainwave.

if i can find a comfortable spot to write in, i might do some writing tonight. either that, or i may go crazy and literally work this knot out of my arm. be it with the handheld massage thing i have for my back or my handy swiss army knife... settle down, i'm too hairy for self surgery. that has big fucking mess written all over it.

11 days from now i'll be 38. i'm not exactly typing that with immense joy. but, if you'd like to get me something, you are more than welcome to do so...

hope everyone is well and warm. may all of you have a wonderful weekend. peace.

music:

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
Various Artists - Millennium: '80's New Wave Party
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Elvis Costello - The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years

"If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy." - Donald Knuth

welcome to the deep freeze

when i went out this morning to feed the cats i didn't bother to look to see how cold it was. i knew it was COLD. i had on 5 layers and was determined to spend no more time outside than i absolutely had to. might be the quickest i have fed the cats in years. when i got back in, i checked to see how cold it really was. -11 degrees and a windchill of -38 degrees. well, at least the sun was out.

we probably only got an inch of snow yesterday. but, the inch of rain we got froze about as quick as i have ever seen anything freeze. thankfully, i did put out some ice melter when i woke up this morning. the stuff said it worked down to -7 degrees. it was -4 at the time. true enough, it melted the ice. that made me really happy and confident i could get out to the cats without falling on my ass and breaking something.

as for the birds, i threw out some birdseed for them on the ground. there's no use putting any in the feeders as the wind would just whip all of it down to the ground. it hasn't been this cold here since 1994. and i don't think the temps are done going down. but, it's supposed to be near 40 by the end of the week. just about as everyone will be sick with something. good times.

i did manage to get one playoff game right over the weekend as i called the 49ers win over the Packers. hopefully i do better this coming weekend.

my fantasy hockey team shit the bed this past week. and i got news this morning of an injury to one of my key players. hopefully it's not really serious. thankfully, i still have a 10 game lead in my division.

i did watch that Jimmy Fallon special last night. i had seen most of the stuff they covered. all i really hope is he does the same silly shit on The Tonight Show. might actually have to switch over from Letterman if that happens.

the New York Rangers play tonight at home against Columbus. not thrilled that i have to watch the Columbus broadcast of the game. hopefully the Rangers can actually start playing good at home for a change.

i am looking forward to the old school Monday Night Raw tonight. that should be a fun swim in the rivers of nostalgia.

other than that, my main focus will be staying warm tonight. i'm contemplating sleeping out in my chair as that room stays much warmer than my bedroom. of course, i might not sleep at all as i'll probably be up making sure the pipes don't freeze. good times.

a big hello to whomever is finding this blog in Russia. i'm hoping it's more than one person as there has been more than 300 hits in the last week from Russia. or, hello to my stalker from Russia. hope you enjoy.

that's all for me. i would type more but the heater out here in the computer room sucks. so i'm off to my chair in the only room in this old house that has adequate insulation. that's the joy of a cold winter on a farm. you'll always have a few layers on, inside or out.

hope everyone is warm and drunk. be well.

music:

Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal
Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero
Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & The Cooked

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." - Khalil Gibran

here comes the rain again...

mother nature threw quite a curve ball today. it started to lightly snow around 9 this morning. and that snow quickly turned to rain. and the rain has only gotten stronger ever since. i'm hoping it does snow a little before all this fucking freezes.

i had my best Saturday night in quite some time. first off, the New York Rangers shocked the shit out of me with a 7-1 beat down of Toronto. here are the highlights:

then, the Dayton Flyers won in OT on a game winning 3, 83-80. not bad when you're playing most of the game 5 on 8. the officials were horrible last night. below are the highlights:

after that, the New Orleans Saints shut the fucking world up and won a playoff game outdoors, 26-24. i loved the game plan in this one. run the ball, control the clock, win on the last play of the game. hopefully this postseason will be the killing off of past demons. next game is at Seattle.

the game went so late that SNL was about a hour later than normal. so i was flipping between that and ROH. ROH was excellent as it was highlights from the last ppv. and a great main event that marked the return of Chris Hero. the WWE will soon learn how they dropped the ball with him.

so, i was really happy this morning... and then Manchester United pissed all over my parade. a 2-1 loss to a Swansea team that had NEVER won at Old Trafford. just fucking pathetic. as one sportswriter put it after the game, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. i've got a feeling this team isn't going to win shit this season. of course, there will be some excuse why no FA Cup again this year. what i can't wait to hear is the excuse why they didn't finish in the top 4 of the league for the first time EVER.

i did watch a good portion of the World Juniors today. Russia won the bronze 2-1 over Canada. second straight year Canada doesn't get a medal. music to my ears. Finland pulled a huge upset and won the gold in OT over Sweden 3-2. that Finnish team will be gods for the rest of their lives after that one.

my laundry is done. now i need to put it away. i'm going to go watch the rest of the playoff football today. i do plan on watching that Jimmy Fallon special tonight. other than that, it's all about watching for the temps to start falling and making sure nothing fucking freezes. by morning, it's supposed to be 40 degrees colder than it is right now. oh joy.

hope everyone is having a great weekend. i haven't picked a playoff game right yet and i'm losing in fantasy hockey. thankfully the 3 victory beers from yesterday helped lube my soul.

be well.

music:

The Ragged Jubilee - B-Sides

"When I knew nothing, I thought I could do anything." - Robert Duvall

not what i was hoping for...

last night left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth.

the New York Rangers had so many damn turnovers in their own end last night that it looked like 9 of the 10 guys on the ice were playing for the Penguins. a well deserved 5-2 loss. they play in Toronto tonight. i'm not really expecting anything better.

Ohio State lost 40-35 in a pretty entertaining game, if you were lucky enough to not be an Ohio State fan since birth. and what pissed me off the most were the stupid mental mistakes by seniors. simply unacceptable. if most of the defensive coaches aren't fired by the end of today i'm going to be even more livid. i haven't seen an Ohio State defense play so bad in my entire fucking life. on the good side, that was the last college football game i'll give a shit about for a few months.

i haven't been too pleased with the updated weather reports i've seen. the most dire model has us getting a foot of snow tomorrow and then spending the next 48 hours below zero. as i told my mother, that's akin to mother nature taking a shit down my throat. it's pretty warm (all things considered) today. i saw all the cats when i fed them earlier. if i can say the same thing by Wednesday i'll be shocked.

today is a pretty busy sports day. i did watch a good portion of that Sweden vs. Russia game in the World Juniors. always nice to see a game end in a brawl. i wasn't surprised that Sweden won. they seem to have the Russians number as of late. i'll try to catch a good portion of Canada vs. Finland later as well.

the Dayton Flyers play down at Ole Miss tonight. i'd love to see them get a victory but a close loss wouldn't shock me.

the New Orleans Saints play at the Eagles tonight. i'd love to see them get their first outdoor playoff win in franchise history. i'm bracing myself for the usual disappointment as something always bounces wrong for them in outdoor games. but i'd really love if they could shut the world up and win tonight. that would be one sweet victory beer.

other than all that and some more college basketball, i'll be watching ROH late tonight. i believe SNL is a rerun. i might check out some of Austin City Limits tonight as well.

i'm really hoping that i can get out to feed the cats tomorrow before the snow starts. especially if we're getting a damn foot of snow. i've already done the things i usually do on Sunday today. i only want to have to go out once tomorrow . and i have my tomorrow all planned if that goes my way. a mix of laundry, playoff football, and Manchester United playing in the FA Cup. i'm also old enough to know nothing truly ever goes as planned.

i'll be on here tomorrow sometime. probably bitching about something.

be well. peace and chicken grease.

music:

Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble - Blues at Sunrise
The Civil Wars - Live at Eddie's Attic
fun. - Before Shane Went to Bangkok: fun. Live in the USA

"You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself." - Ethel Barrymore

update: Finland beat Canada 5-1, which made me chuckle. Sweden vs. Finland for gold tomorrow at the World Juniors. Canada vs. Russia for bronze for the second straight year.

Saturday Night Live is a best of the season tonight, so i'll check that out.

the latest weather report has the snow arriving at 3 am. so, no chance of me getting up before that to feed the cats. sadly, the snow looks to be ending at 5 am Monday morning. 10 inches or more. lovely. and then the coldest temps since i was a senior in high school, 1994.