happy Elvis is dead day

i have never really been a big fan of Elvis. that is probably due to my father being a huge fan. most of the men in my family that i remember growing up were fans. hell, i remember one cousin dreamed of being an Elvis impersonator. it was probably then that i questioned if i was adopted or stolen from another family. thankfully, i'm not old enough to really recall 40 years ago today.

is anyone really surprised the President is racist? or is it just the typical old man no longer with a filter that actually thinks there is such a thing as a good Nazi? and the silence from the Jews in his inner circles is baffling to me. i guess money can buy every fucking thing in this country, including your fucking soul. enjoy the shit show ladies and gentlemen. you wanted it.

the New York Yankees held on to win last night, 5-4. i do like that Gary Sanchez is heating up. and Sonny Gray finally got some damn run support. but, it might be time to try someone else as closer. they play tonight at the Mets. oh joy, National League baseball.

Smackdown was sort of odd last night. i guess the company lost faith in Baron Corbin, having him cash in the Money in the Bank contract and then having Cena help him lose. i guess i know what that means for SummerSlam. all in all, it's kind of scary how much better Monday Night Raw is at the moment.

205 Live was pretty good last night.

Hard Knocks was pretty funny last night. i do love watching Tampa Bay lose.

Deadliest Catch was really good last night.

The Jim Jefferies Show was fucking fantastic last night.

enjoy some music:

and now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Vice News Tonight, Lucha Underground, Mr. Mercedes, Snowfall and Big Brother. i'll watch NXT sometime tonight on WWE Network.

i do plan on watching the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup today between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barcelona will have to score some away goals today to make it interesting.

it is hotter than shit today. i think it is easily in the 90's. i never like these days. one, i sweat so easily it's ridiculous. two, the heat really fucks with mom's Meniere's disease.

i think it is supposed to storm tomorrow, so it figures that i'll probably have to go to the grocery store. i'll probably be on here after all of that.

i'm really hoping i won't be sitting on the computer at 4 in the morning again like i was 12 hours ago. nothing quite like drinking and then having insomnia.

that's all for me today kids.

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:

Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel
My Morning Jacket - Suspicious Minds (Live)
UB40 - Can't Help Falling in Love
Elvis Presley - In the Ghetto

"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live." - Charles Bukowski

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

when the good meets the bad and it snows

i was completely dialed in for the Manchester United vs. Real Madrid match yesterday in Champions League play. i was a little surprised when Wayne Rooney wasn't starting. but, after watching the first 20 minutes and seeing what the plan was, defend and counter with speed, i understood the decision. i love Wayne, but speed isn't something he is blessed with. 0-0 at halftime. then, United goes up 1-0 on an own goal from Madrid. and then, the ref decided he was going to decide the game. if you have any interest in this at all, you've already seen the red card given to Nani. should it have been a card? yes, yellow. the red card sent me fucking flying off the handle. i might have spent the next 20 minutes or so pacing and screaming at the television. no one will ever question my passion about anything i'm passionate about. Real Madrid of course wins 2-1. i expected it when they were essentially given nearly 40 minutes of being a man up. i'm happy that CR7 is advancing. i respect the fact he didn't celebrate scoring the winning goal against his former club. i'd take him back in a heartbeat. sadly, no treble this year for the red devils. hopefully, they will have all their wounds licked by Sunday when they play Chelsea in the next round of the FA Cup.

thankfully, the New York Rangers won last night in their game against Philly. never a dull moment, which really helped me get my mind off the crushing defeat earlier. helps when Rick Nash scores 2 more goals. crazy enough, all 7 of his goals this season have come in the third period. i didn't enjoy watching Marc Staal take a puck to the face. it didn't look good seeing where it hit him. near his right eye. i haven't seen any updates, but i am certainly hoping for the best. not only for the player, but for the person. i won't post a video of it here, but you can certainly find plenty on the internet. just nasty as hell.

so, after a victory beer and responding to a few needless emails, i decided to hit the bed. below is what i woke up to this morning.

not nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be. but, just enough that my back felt it while shoveling. that's always fun. but, mom made it out with no problems. i think i will wait until tomorrow to hit town for the mail.

not sure how the rest of my day will go. i have some books to finish up and maybe if the creativity urge hits me, i'll break out the watercolors. i won't be holding my breath though. and neither should you.

music today:

The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

"Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect." - Shaquille O'Neal

weekend recap

probably one of the better weekends i've had in some time. below are the details.

let's start off with a tidy 4-0 win for Manchester United on Saturday. the first half was kind of boring until the end where the first of 3 straight Kagawa goals came off a pass from RVP. the next two were set up beautifully by Wayne Rooney, who added a beauty of his own to make it 4-0. i, like most of the rest of the world, will be watching tomorrow as United takes on Real Madrid. BIG game. i'm really hoping for a win, and not a dramatic loss.

next up, the Dayton Flyers and their must win game against Richmond. first off, the refs in this game were atrocious. totally sucked ass. Dayton won by 4. the spread was 5 1/2. i can't imagine why i believe some refs have money riding on games. a bunch of huge plays from the freshmen down the stretch in the game. that gives me some hope for the future. below are the highlights. look for monster dunks from Dyshawn Pierre and Jalen Robinson. 2 moments that got UD Arena rocking big time.

Saturday Night Live was good, as was Ring of Honor. all in all, not a bad Saturday.

woke up Sunday with trash to pick up and dishes to do. got all that done, got my fantasy hockey and racing teams in order and got ready for a big sports day. i know, most of them are for me.

as for NASCAR, used the same 5 drivers i had from the previous week and all 5 finished in the top 13. not too bad at all.

as for fantasy hockey, thanks to some goals and power play points from the New York Rangers (more on that in a bit) i won my match this week 7-3. still 3rd overall in the league. big match this week with the leader of the other division. thankfully my team is getting healthy.

Sunday night had the New York Rangers facing off with Buffalo. an absolute snooze fest for 2 periods. i was so bored i was watching the MLS at times. then, that absolute fuckhead Patrick Kaleta woke up the Rangers with a truly nasty cheap shot on Brad Richards. what resulted after that you can find below.

always nice when the pp can score some goals. now, the short-handed one they gave up sucked. but, the Rangers did end up winning in a shootout 3-2. a much needed 2 points. as for Kaleta, he has a hearing later today. since it's on the phone, he will get no more than 5 games. personally, i wouldn't mind if this piece of shit just rotted in hell. i did like Brad Richards' quote after the game "I don't know which sport he plays. It's not hockey.", something to that effect. well put.

the Sunday night shows were all good, although the Rangers game went longer than i wanted so my viewing schedule was all fucked up. not always a fan of getting to bed at 3 in the morning, guess i'm still young enough to pull it off. barely.

best of all, the fucking sun made an appearance today. i was stunned walking down the steps this morning to see it. of course, it was 18 degrees outside at the time. i guess some weather is coming this way in the next few days. i've heard anything from freezing rain to 6 inches of snow. just great. mom has to travel to Columbus for a conference and any bad weather will probably keep me from attending senior night Wednesday in another must win for the Dayton Flyers. well, at least i don't mind pacing the first floor like a maniac when i listen to games on the radio. hell, maybe i'll get inspired and do some painting. maybe.

i did go through some poems today to get ready for another round of submissions. got a few places in mind. i'm thinking of later in the week or early next week. i definitely want to get them out there before i get consumed with March Madness.

hope this finds everyone well.

music today:

Guided By Voices - The Grand Hour
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

"All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward." - Ellen Glasgow

one day at a time

i really wish the New York Rangers could play Tampa all season long. they have been the only team the Rangers have played against this season and looked dominant against. a total ass kicking last night in a 4-1 victory. no complaints from me at all. a power play goal, taking the body, out-shooting them by a wide margin, always on the jump, was very nice to see. of course, it helps when you get most of the injured players back. most importantly Rick Nash. below is a video of the awesome, sick hands the Rangers and my fantasy team had been missing for the last week or so.

hopefully he stays healthy and the team takes off from here.

hopefully spring training is no example of how the Yankees will play this season. the few times i have caught a few minutes of the games, no other way to put it, just god awful. i really don't want one of those seasons from my youth again. the early 80's Yankees were just good enough to tease you and then fail miserably. i'd rather not live that again.

big sports weekend coming up. Manchester United plays Saturday morning. hopefully, they can get the 3 points and no injuries as well. (please) they have a huge game with Real Madrid in just a few days after Saturday. they need to be as healthy as possible for that one. i know CR7 will be inspired, more than usual to be back home.

was a little sad to see the Dayton Flyers aren't going to be included in the catholic 7 new big east. as a season ticket holder, i would have loved to see that. hopefully it happens in the next few years as everyone in the media believes it will. i will be in attendance on Saturday as they face another must win game against Richmond. those games are usually nail-biters, so i will be prepared for last second elation or heartbreak. but honestly, i wouldn't mind another blowout.

Sunday night will be tricky for me. the Rangers play at 7:30 and the Sunday night shows i watch each week start at 9. i get the feeling it's going to be a late one for me. damn, i need a DVR.

another day with no sunshine. not exactly how i wanted to start the month. but, hopefully it will warm up some in the next week or so.

hope everyone has a great weekend. be safe, take it easy. and if it's easy, take it again.

music:

Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Anthrax - Worship Music

"When I looked at the tapes, I remember thinking how thin I looked. At the time, I was always saying, 'I need to lose weight, I need to lose 10 pounds'." - Bonnie Franklin (Jan. 6, 1944 - March 1, 2013)

and then the rain changed to snow

i didn't post anything yesterday as i needed a mental day off. seeing that it was the anniversary of my stepfather's death, yesterday was appropriate. so, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

quick flashback to Monday Night Raw... the match between CM Punk and John Cena was a classic. it should be a match people are talking about for years. i simply think the wrong guy won. hopefully, they have something big in mind for CM Punk at Wrestlemania, but i fear they don't. hopefully, i'm wrong. i urge you if you haven't seen the match, go on YouTube and find it. it's worth it.

as for the New York Rangers last night, the effort was better but i'm a little too old now to believe in moral victories. they don't exist. hopefully the injured players come back soon or this could be a lost season of what could have been. and judging from experience, those seasons fucking suck.

and speaking of suck, the Dayton Flyers play tonight. i guess out of watching them for nearly 37 years, i will do so again tonight. hell, maybe they will shock me and win. thankfully, i wasn't drinking as i was typing that or my screen would be wet as hell right now.

i'd like to thank the person who emailed me yesterday and we have had an actual genuine exchange of emails in the last 2 days. i really do appreciate it. more than you even know.

i haven't seen the sun in the last 2 days. the rain has changed to a wet snow now. no accumulation so far. and not nearly as much rain as they expected, so i don't know if the drainage problems on the farm are solved yet or not. it does look about 10000000000000000000% better though.

here's hoping i will have something positive to talk about tomorrow. i do have a sad poem bouncing around in my mind. so, i do believe a little writing will get done sometime soon.

lastly, i did watch the Real Madrid destruction of Barcelona yesterday. shit, i really hope that is not the Madrid team Manchester United ends up facing in Champions League play.

music:

Charlie Parker - Jazz 'Round Midnight
Kristy Lee - In This Room
Escondido - Escondido EP
The Lighthouse & The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Saints Apollo - Saints Apollo EP
Nina Simone - Anthology
Eminem - Recovery

"I'm not satisfied with the explanations I get from tv or from school." - Erykah Badu

oh so close yet so damn far away

let me start with last night. i was feeling pretty damn good about myself until i watched the New York Rangers blow a 3 goal lead. now, they did come back to win the game 4-3 in a shootout. but, no lead like that should be given up with just 11 minutes to go in the game. but, i decided to try to focus on the positive. the win. the 2 points. beating Boston 2 out of 3 games.

now, for today. i did my best to keep my expectations and my emotions level while waiting for the Manchester United game against Real Madrid. of course, once the game started i was my usual loud, obnoxious self. a great goal from Danny Welbeck 20 minutes in and i'm feeling great. then, of course, CR7 ties it 10 minutes later. Real Madrid controlled most of the rest of the game. Manchester United's goalkeeper played the best game i have ever seen him play for the team. RVP had a few chances late to steal the game, but, all in all, a draw is not that bad actually. away goals are huge in these events. so, now just win the home leg in March and the team advances. as for Gus Johnson, not a bad job announcing for that big of a stage. a few mistakes but nothing awful. i was worried the Gus effect was going to take place in the game. thankfully it didn't happen. if you want some fun go here:
http://www.gusjohnsongetsbuckets.com/ and play around. or, if you happen to be at work, piss off a co-worker with it. as for the referee, who the fuck blows the final whistle when a team is getting ready to take a corner kick? there's 20 minutes of screaming i'll never get back. leave it to the Germans to try and ruin everything.

that brings me to the Dayton Flyers. for some fucking reason, they can't beat Rhode Island. a team that has fucking sucked for as long as i can remember and Dayton plays them like they are a UCLA team under John Wooden. so, as usual given the scenario i just laid out, Dayton loses on the road by 3 to a team that now has 7 wins on the season. thank god i didn't have a chance to watch this debacle. the biggest game of the season comes up this weekend (noon Saturday on ESPN2) and i am absolutely not looking forward to it. not sure if i can stomach watching those assholes from down south celebrate on our floor once again.

found out today (or yesterday as it now past midnight here) that my sister won't be here until the weekend. not sure what to expect but hopefully it will be a nice diversion in case Dayton loses again.

also, heard back from Five 2 One Magazine on my poetry submission from back in November. they have decided to pass.

hope everyone has a good valentine's day or at the very least, a better than you expected one. i'm not a big fan of the hallmark holidays, of course, i'm single. i imagine if i wasn't i'd be singing a different tune.

music today:

a random mix of bullshit from my Amazon.com cloud player

go check out the Sam Roberts Show Online #43 if you need a good laugh. look for it at iTunes, Stitcher, and at notsam.com.

"The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams." - Tupac Shakur

it had to end sometime

i was on such a good roll. the writing was going well. the sports teams have been winning, causing me not to miss the NHL as much as i thought i would, and then...

1 point losses fucking suck. no way around it. i would much rather watch a team i'm rooting for get beat by 50 and know there was no way possible they could have won than endure what i did last night. Dayton was asleep for most of the first half until a furious rally to cut the lead to 2. a little back and forth in the second half, even getting the lead until, for some fucking unknown reason, they completely forgot how to beat a 2-3 zone. now, as someone who has known basketball 101 since i was 10, this was horrific to watch. even worse, it went on for almost 10 minutes. fuck me. needless to say, when their best player goes out injured with 4 minutes left (Kevin Dillard), i pretty much gave up hope. they staged another rally until the final shot, down by 1, and no one decides they were going to be the one to step up. so, the 2 last second prayers weren't answered and i get to mumble for the next 7 hours; if they would have done this, done that, no wonder people think i'm insane.

so after some awful sleep, thank you mother nature, i wake up this morning to see Manchester United has drawn Real Madrid in Champions League play. horrible news. only sliver of hope is the second leg is at home. but, that will be surreal seeing CR7 in something other than Manchester red on that pitch.

add in the coming storm, winds supposedly strong enough to knock out the power, my aching back, and the usual holiday blues... what a fucking shit storm all at once.

on the good side, did have a line come to me last night that i believe may spark a fury of writing in the coming days. i would mention it here but i know some fucker would steal it.

thoughts and prayers to my friend in California. hopefully, your health scares will be over soon.

and speaking of California, a thank you to Luis Berriozabal for the poems. much appreciated.

music today:

Disturbed - Asylum
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
The Breeders - Last Splash

"Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire." - Patti Smith

when the dew point is higher than the actual temperature

it's so ungodly sticky today. reminds me of my only trip to Florida as a child. was at a Days Inn in the Orlando area where one half of the hotel was in a thunderstorm and the other half was in the sun. we haven't got nearly as much rain as i would have loved to... but the holiday weekend is still young.

woke up this morning with my back in the normal pain for shitty weather. the pain in my left leg i couldn't figure out. given my past history with blood clots, there's always that haunting feeling in the back of my head. i did some stretching on my left hip and that seemed to do the trick. i figure given my luck, 36 and here comes arthritis. of course, the fun didn't really start until i was going out to feed the cats and the water jug i take out with me fell as i was changing my shoes and broke. water all over the mud room. just what i fucking need.

after breakfast watched Manchester United play. of course they didn't score first, but RvP comes to the rescue again. and of course they give up the next goal 10 minutes into the second half. now, i learned a lesson long ago watching Eric Cantona play that the magic always comes, but it will test your will to live until it does. so after RvP misses a pk (too cheeky for my liking) Sir Alex stands up, points at the watch and gives the look. and holy shit, for the millionth time i guess, here come the late goals. RvP with a garbage one and then the sweet header in extra time for a 3-2 win. 4 goals in 3 games. i guess the money was well spent.

so, while enjoying the post victory beer, i turn on the Yankees. they get off to a quick lead but given how this season has gone, that doesn't mean shit. Phil Hughes gives up a home run, but they get that run back the next inning. why Hughes was allowed to pitch to the same guy that homered off of him with runners on base is fucking beyond me. of course he hits a 3 run homer. and after the Yankees needed 5 fucking pitchers to get 3 outs in an inning, i turned away in disgust. what a fucking waste. now they have 7 games in a row on the road against the 2 teams on their heels. if they still have the division lead a week from now i'll be stunned.

thankfully, during the Yankee debacle it was another CR7 & Messi Sunday. a total treat to watch 2 of the greatest talents in the world put on another show. CR7 had 2 goals for Real Madrid. Messi was in passing mode but his teammates didn't have the precision dialed up today. Barcelona still won but it was bowling shoe ugly at times. of course, that is the blueprint against them if you want to have a chance.

tonight, i'm hoping it will rain to break the death grip humidity going on. but not hard enough to fuck with my DIRECTV signal. if it does, i guess i'll be working on my 3 fantasy football teams. i know 2 of them are good right from the start. i've already been offered trades. hopefully it's more than just wishful thinking on paper this year.

music today:

Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses - Junky Star
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

"Work is a necessary evil to be avoided." - Mark Twain

one of those days

got back up into the 90's today. i'm afraid we haven't had a good rain here in so long that if we did it would totally fuck what crops we do have left. i only mention it because there's like an 80% chance of rain in the next 2 days. fun.

was totally weird watching the high school i graduated from playing high school football on ESPN. but some things don't change. i didn't make it to the end of the game. now, i just change the channel when they are getting blown out. back then, i would leave the stadium and go smoke a bowl underneath the nearby bridge. memories.

good win by the Yankees today, 4-2. a great job by the bullpen after Sweaty Freddy could only go 4 2/3 before imploding. a run of games against the AL East coming up. time to put the foot on the gas again. hopefully.

it was another Messi and CR7 Sunday on tv. incredible job by Messi to score 2 goals in about 4 minutes to rescue Barcelona. CR7 and Real Madrid obviously had their minds on the second leg against Barcelona coming up in a few days. lose 2-1 to a team i had never heard of before. not good.

a little dinner and some mindless tv tonight. then, i'm hoping for a nice long sleep. not quite death, but something close to it.

music today:

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
John Prine - In Person & On Stage

"Here I am trying to live, or rather, I am trying to teach the death within me how to live." - Jean Cocteau

sports nuggets

watched the Yankees try their hardest to blow a 7 run lead but somehow they eventually won 12-8. at least my constant bitching turned into a win. this team drives me fucking nuts.

watched Manchester United lose to Barcelona on penalty kicks. the boys defended well, but they can't score to save their lives. how the fuck do you miss 3 penalty kicks? i never thought i'd utter these words, but fuck, go get Robin Van Persie.

hopefully team USA in men's basketball continues to understand, great defense makes offense so much easier. fitting that LeBron would get the first triple double in Olympic history.

watched a little of the soccer action from Yankee Stadium. AC Milan and Real Madrid. makes me wish CR7 was still playing for Manchester United. maybe one day. please.

the Yankees have a day game on Thursday, so i'll be watching that but most of my time will be spent watching women's soccer. hopefully the USA women can get a little revenge on Japan.

"The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass." - Martin Mull