the dog days are... just beginning

i hate to inform Florence and her machine, but the fucking dog days aren't over. they are sadly just beginning. today was one of those where the highlight of my day was when i shit out something that looked like a frown. i told my mother to take a picture (sadly, she didn't). i thought it would make the perfect cover for my autobiography, ... And You Think You Had A Shitty Life. oh well, i'm sure there will be more.

the New York Yankees somehow have managed to blow a 7 game lead in the division in a mere 15 days. they lost again last night 2-1. Toronto has already won today, so the Yankees have to win tonight to stay 1/2 game behind in the division. they have called up one of their untouchable prospects and are starting him tonight. hopefully, Greg Bird gives these old fucks a shot of energy they desperately need.

Big Brother was good last night. sadly, Becky has no clue that her plan is 99.9% not going to happen. of course, the house guests will regret this if Vanessa is somehow still in the house after the double eviction. i'll have to follow tonight's episode online as there is a preseason NFL game on tonight. and i really have no interest of watching Big Brother at 3 in the morning. so the DVR will be taking care of that for me.

NXT was pretty good last night. Bayley and Becky Lynch put on a very good match. plus, you can never go wrong with some Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. i'm really looking forward to Takeover: Brooklyn.

i didn't watch much of ROH last night. i was more or less just taking out my Yankee frustrations on the internet. mostly games of chess and spider solitaire while drinking Jager mix drinks. i guess that's why i slept last night.

enjoy some music kids:

now laugh motherfucker:

i got a couple of amazing EP's today. one for FREE from NoiseTrade and one i actually paid for, mostly because i believe that FKA twigs is my creative soul mate. if you don't agree, check this out:

i have really no interest in watching preseason NFL games, so on the DVR tonight will be Lip Sync Battle, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll and Married. and i really would like to be drinking a victory beer while i'm watching those shows.

a big thank you to the postal service today for putting the packages right in front of the door so if i opened it from the inside i would have knocked some fragile shit down on the ground. i know you don't have to be a fucking genius to work there (my father being the perfect example), but if you moved them 5 inches to the left, they would be out of the way and in the fucking shade. oh what a fucking concept.

i will be on here tomorrow after Manchester United plays at Aston Villa. hopefully, i will be drinking while i'm writing this tomorrow.

that's all for me today. hopefully you are dealing with the dog days in a more productive way than i am. but if you're not, who gives a shit. if this is a race, we have already lost. might as well enjoy the struggle to the finish.

so on that uplifting note, go get drunk 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:

FKA twigs - M3LL155X
The Lighthouse and the Whaler - Brothers Sampler

"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake." - Alfred Hitchcock

and your pro wrestling video of the day:

blindsided with news

to say i was a little shocked last night when the news came down that the New York Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury would be an understatement. i figured he would leave the Red Sox but i never thought the Yankees would sign him. and certainly not to a deal worth $169 million if all the bonuses are met. wow. i should have played baseball.

add to that the news this morning that the New York Rangers have signed The King to a long term contract extension. i am absolutely thrilled they got this done and didn't let it drag out any longer. hopefully, Henrik knows now the expectation is winning the Stanley Cup.

i certainly wasn't surprised when the last 2 facing elimination on The Voice last night was Matthew and James. and when Matthew got eliminated, i immediately said aloud fuck you Christina. he was good enough to win the show but picked the wrong coach. as she is only interested in Jacquie winning. now, i hope Cole wins the show. Adam has 3 of the final 5, so he has the odds. i don't like him as a coach either, so i wouldn't be surprised if he fucks this up as well.

other than that last night, i flipped between some college basketball games and listened to the latest podcast of the Sam Roberts Show Online.

my today is pretty damn packed. Manchester United faces Everton this afternoon. i believe RvP may be back for this game. chances are they will need him. i'd love to see United get a home win over a side higher than them in the table, but i wouldn't be shocked if Moyes somehow fucks this up against his former club.

after that ends it's pretty much right into the car and on my way to watch the Dayton Flyers face Delaware State. what i am hoping to see is Dayton destroy this team and really start to flex the muscles of a top 25 team. they faced this scenario 2 years ago after winning a Thanksgiving tourney and got their asses handed to them by a shitty Buffalo team that only ended up winning 10 games that year. i hope they have learned from their mistakes.

after the game and a bit of food, i'm hoping to get back home in time to see American Horror Story. if not, there's always the repeat that comes on at like 2 in the morning.

not sure what's going on with my computer this morning. not fun when you put in a CD you really want to listen to and it says that it is blank. i'm really not in the mood to try to get this figured out at the moment, so i'm hoping a reboot is all i need to do.

that's all for me today. hope this finds everyone well.

music:

The Ragged Jubilee - B-Sides
Tei Shi - Suadade
St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Greetings From St. Paul & The Broken Bones
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Ivan & Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions

"I'm always busy, but I'm lazy as well." - Jeff Bridges

will it ever rain again?

so today is about 5 degrees hotter than yesterday. and for Sept. 10th to be at 95 degrees, i believe i am somewhere close to hell. the headline in the paper today said the area is close to being back at the drought level. so much for the great harvest i thought we were going to have to rebound from last year.

the Yankees lost last night. i watched a little. but, like the team, i think this season has run out of steam. of course, go on a 10 game winning streak and i will think they are going to the World Series. needless to say, i'll watch a little bit tonight because i've been a fan since 1982. but, much like my youth, i doubt i will have any fun watching them.

had a very frustrating night last night. the fantasy football game i was trailing by 10 i won by 16. the one i had a 33 point lead in i lost by 3.14 points. so, i spent the next 2 hours beating myself up for not playing the TE that got more points and for drafting a RB that did absolutely nothing in week 1. if either of those would have changed not only would i have won, i would have had the most points in the league. of course, come tomorrow i'll be over it as it will be time to focus on week 2.

but to better describe this sickness, i'm currently running on 3 hours of sleep.

most of my attention this evening will be on team USA vs. Mexico in World Cup Qualifying. if the USA wins tonight and gets some help from Honduras, they will clinch a trip to Brazil for the World Cup. i will be in full throat this evening. i need to release some frustration. hopefully that happens this evening.

with it being so damn hot, i've spent most of today inside listening to music. and i managed to get a certain song stuck in my damn head, not that i'm complaining about it...

that's all for today. hope this finds everyone cool.

music:

The Gospel Whiskey Runners - Hold On
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Howlin' Wolf - The Definitive Collection
Various Artists - Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams
Maggie Estep - No More Mister Nice Girl
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain

"When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice." - Saul Bellow

bring on the weekend

after taking a long shower last night, i wasn't too upset with the New York Rangers playoff loss last night. it was more of a well, if you piss away chance after chance, you're supposed to lose. i have no doubt it will be a long series. i would feel even better about that feeling if they win game 2 tomorrow afternoon. time will tell.

the New York Yankees start up a series against Oakland tonight. more injuries to the bullpen in the last few days. this team has more money on the disabled list than i think some baseball teams are worth. it's fucking crazy. hopefully they can continue to keep their head above water long enough for the regulars to come back. when you step back and look at it, this team has no business being only 2 1/2 games behind the best record in baseball.

starting to hear some rumbles that my new book is being received with some words of praise. i'm really happy with how it turned out. be sure to get your copy of Sofisticated White Trash today.

i was really sad to hear of the passing of Jeff Hanneman. arguably, one of the more underrated guitar players of all-time. way too young at 49. below is probably my favorite song he wrote:

i'm looking forward to the Kentucky Derby tomorrow. it always makes me think of when i was really younger and my grandmother would sit with me and tell me about horse racing. i've never placed a bet on the race, though if i had the means to do so, i absolutely would. all i really want to see is a triple crown winner. it hasn't happened since i was 2 years old. and no matter how hard i try, i can't recall shit from 1978. now, 1979 is another thing, as i can recall newscasts and wrestling matches from back then. my memory is absolutely spooky at times. but honestly, more of a curse than a blessing. hence the poetry.

the weather is supposed to take a turn to the rainy side over the weekend. figures, i've got a ton of trash to put out on Sunday. whenever that is the case, there's a 99.9% chance it will be windy as fuck. i was hoping the guy who farms out here was going to get some stuff in the ground during these days it's been in the 70's and 80's. but, i suppose at this rate, i'm going to see the harvest around Thanksgiving this year. or maybe after it.

hope everyone has a great weekend. if you happen to pick up a copy of my book, let me know. and do let me know what you think of it. peace and chicken grease.

music today:

Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
Slayer - Reign In Blood
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Octane - Rise Up
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Live From Alabama

"The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it." - Machiavelli

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

...and back to reality

first things first, this blog post is brought to you by episode #36 of The Sam Roberts Show Online. you can find the show on ITunes, Stitcher, and by going here http://notsam.com/podcast.html. give it a listen, you'll enjoy it. and even if you don't, tell someone about it. and help Sam out if you can. help him add a video element to the podcast as well. this guy has all the goods to be big one day. get on the train early.

hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday. i had my usual family dinner on Friday. i don't do much family shit on Thanksgiving. i decided as a teen it probably wasn't the best for me to be with the cousin that molested me as a child. so, i imagine once she dies, maybe i'll come around again. until then, it will be me, some football, some porn, and an early start to Christmas shopping. which, thankfully, i am about 98% done with.

i was going to get on here earlier and give a long rant about UD losing tonight by 1 fucking point to Weber St. but i decided to let my anger pass. i didn't go to the game as my mother is in Columbus at a conference and i really didn't feel like driving at night with these new glasses. (quick side note, holy fuck my eyes are bad. first time i've had new glasses in 3 years and fuck, it was like the first time i saw HD. oh, so that's what i have been missing. i'm willing to bet in 10 years i'll be legally blind.) but, by watching the game i remembered why i always like going. god, the UD tv announcers fucking suck. just god fucking awful. let alone the game. when you can't make a shot from 3 feet to save your life, you die. it's really that simple.

thankfully, Manchester United won earlier in the day 1-0. RvP scores 31 seconds in and the other 93 minutes were nearly a complete fucking bore. but, 3 points are 3 points. and a clean sheet, been a long fucking time since i remember one of those.

random thoughts

tomorrow will be a laundry day, wait around for the UPS/FED EX guy day, hope my fantasy football team gets off to a good start day, who did the Yankees sign day, does this still look good to eat day.

i gave in to the hype and got Trilogy by TheWeeknd. glad i did.

totally stoked for the final 6 from The Voice. i'm good with any one of them winning.

Boardwalk Empire has really got hot with the last 2 episodes. can't wait for the season finale coming up.

welcome back Kuroda and Pettitte. may father time elude both of you AGAIN. fuck me, sign someone under 40 for a fucking change.

i think i figured out what was leaking in the fridge. and if my mother reads this, i mopped and cleaned it well. if she's not reading this, i love strong paper towels.

music today:

Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.
Buffalo Tom - Big Red Letter Day
Audrey Rose - Smoke EP
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Matthew Perryman Jones - Land of the Living
Guided By Voices - Class Clown Spots A UFO
Guided By Voices - The Bears For Lunch
TheWeeknd - Trilogy

and in honor of the greatest guitar player that ever walked the earth
"You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven." - Jimi Hendrix

playoff magic

i had my blog post already in mind, yet another fuck the Yankees rant and then it happened. playoff magic. Raul Ibanez, pinch hitting for A-Rod, ties the game in the bottom of the 9th with a home run. then, for the cherry on top, hits another one to win in the bottom of the 12th. not sure my mother liked the yelling and screaming past her bed time, but this shit never gets old.

so, after a night of great but short sleep, i think i have done everything i did yesterday. you know, i don't want to be the reason they lose. and don't worry, i've been like this since i was 5. music is the same, got the mail at the same time, had the same breakfast. now, it's up to Phil Hughes and the boys to do their part.

i suppose during commercial breaks i will check out some of the shows tonight and the NFL game.

and hopefully i can hold off on the fuck the Yankees rant for a few weeks.

music yesterday and today:

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Matthew Sweet - Acoustic & Live NoiseTrade Sampler
Brandi Carlile - Live at Bear Creek EP
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine