Greece revisted

I almost forgot that I took this picture. This was a little lesson in fatherhood for me while we were in Greece.

See this classy lady grinding away on a table at an Irish bar on Santorini? Thanks to some good investigative reporting by the LOML, I found out that she and her younger sister were vacationing by themselves in Greece. NOTE: Her younger sister was just to the left of the picture (she was standing at ground level), making out with some other guy. Apparently, they weren’t happy because their dad wouldn’t let them vacation at Mykonos (it’s known as the party island). Good decision dad!

Although I found this extremely amusing at the time, upon further reflection I’d like to change my feelings please. This makes me not want to have a daughter. And if I have one, it makes me want to lock her in the house… forever.

Horray Friday!

I've been slacking a little in the research area this week because of the crack-like game that RatBat Bear posted last week. I also unexpectedly lost the free internet at my place on Wednesday, which was quite a bummer.

- I am fuel, you are friends is a Pearl Jam freak. If you're ever looking for some PJ goodness, check her blog first. She recently posted some unreleased demos here.

- For all of you Pink Floyd fans out there, Aquarium Drunkard posted some diddies from the Zabriskie Point session here. What's a Zabriskie you ask? Sorry, I'm not enough of a Floyd fan to know... or care.

- Same blog, different topic. Johnny Depp has signed on to tackle the role of Hunter S. Thomson again in the adaptation of Thompson's first novel The Rum Diary. That should be a hoot. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" came out when I was in college and I remember how cool and crazy I thought it was. My friends and I always talked about doing our own "Fear and Loathing" trip at some point. Luckily we never got around to it. If we had, you probably wouldn't be enjoying this blog. Read more about Depp as Thompson here.

- Check out some new Jose Gonzalez ear candy on his MySpace page. His new album In Our Nature comes out on Sept. 25 and has already scheduled a handful of tour dates.

- Can't do Lollapalooza in Chi-town this weekend? Me neither. BUT, the AT&T blue room is here to help, streaming acts all weekend. Check out the schedule on the above link, but beware... air times are in Central. Looks like there are some good ones on tap.

The funniest show on TV

The LOML and I look forward to this show every week - although we usually catch one of the replays. Why, you ask? Because the episodes are first aired on Friday nights and we normally spend those throwing back a few at the local watering hole… duh.

Anyway, did anyone else watch it back in the day when John Henson (the guy with the white patch of hair on the back of his dome piece) hosted what was then known as Talk Soup? I could be wrong, but I think my pops watched it back then too. I never got into Greg Kinnear, who preceded Henson. Then there was that dude Hal Sparks (if you don’t remember him, you’re not the only one). But then, Aisha Tyler… Gussy likey!

Joel McHale and the crew do an awesome job every week and come up with some seriously funny shit. And McHale’s delivery is dry and sarcastic (my delivery of choice as well)… priceless.

So watch The Soup on Fridays at 10pm. But don’t tell us what happened. We’ll either catch it on Saturday at 10am or 11:30pm or Sunday at 10:30am - or if we’ve completely pickled our livers that weekend, Wednesday at 6pm.

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - The Bravery
• Friday - Chris & Rich Robinson

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - James Morrison

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - Velvet Revolver

Eagles training camp opens!

The 2007 season begins today at Lehigh University. I love this time of year and being from Philadelphia, the Birds are my team. Pretty soon, Sundays will be spent in front of a TV, whether it’s at home or a bar. Weekend plans will be scheduled around the 1, 4 and 9pm games. And now that we have cable, it won’t look like it’s snowing at every game. What can I say – it’s the simple things in life that bring me pleasure.

Since I live in the DC area, I guess I should also note that the Redskins’ camp opens today as well – yeah…

National Chili Dog Day

How did I miss this one? Today we celebrate my favorite food. Adding chili to it only makes it better. In fact, I'd also like to throw some cheese, onions, sauerkraut, relish, mustard and jalapenos... please. Just thinking about this is making me salivate all over my keyboard.

Why does something that tastes so good have to be so bad for you?

A blast from the past - G.I. Joe

Those who were fans of the G.I. Joe cartoon will remember this (hopefully I’m not the only one). There were short clips at the end of each episode that were meant to teach kids little “life lessons” – sportsmanship, not to talk to strangers, stop/drop/roll, etc. Here’s a parody of one. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what the lesson is supposed to be, but regardless it’s pretty damn funny.

For more clips, check out www.fenslerfilm.com

Ben & Jerry's "Duff & D'oh-Nuts"

For any hardcore Simpsons fans out there that will be in Springfield, VT for the premier of "The Simpsons" movie this weekend, you're in for quite a treat. Ben and Jerry's is taking advantage of the craze by offering a new flavor for one-day and only in Springfield. "Duff & D'oh Nuts" is "a combination of chocolate and cream stout ice creams with glazed chocolate donuts." That actually sounds pretty damn good.

For those of you who will not be at the premier, keep your eyes out on eBay - I wouldn't be surprised if some samples ended up being auctioned.

Check out the story in the Burlington Free Press here.

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Dr. Dog


• Thursday - Pete Yorn

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - Emily Haines


• Friday - Silversun Pickups

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Wednesday - Editors

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - Grinderman


• Tuesday - The National


• Thursday - Yeah Yeah Yeahs


• Friday - Buffalo Tom

Late, Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Lily Allen


• Friday - The Cribs

OK Computer tribute

From Stereogum:

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Radiohead's OK Computer we've asked some of our favorite musicians to participate in a song-by-song covers compilation. Indicative of the album's continued importance, each invitee jumped at the chance; the results are personal, intense, tellingly various. Slow down, dig in, enjoy. But note: we did this all legal and everything, so we can't keep these up forever...get 'em before someone else does. Ambition makes you look pretty.

10 years? Are you cereal? Man, I feel old. It seems like just yesterday that I... I'm not going there. Finishing that sentence would justify that feeling for being old.

I've been working my way through these tracks and I find them interesting (the commentary by the covering artists is pretty cool as well). Do I like all of the covers? No. Do I think any of them top the originals? Not even close. Does that surprise me? Absolutely not. But I'll give all of the covering artists credit for taking on the challenge. If I was musically inclined, I wouldn't do it. I always find covers interesting just to hear their take on the original. Once in a while, a cover will top the original but those times are few and far between.

I love OK Computer for so many reasons. First and foremost, it's a fantastic album from top to bottom. It's filled with so many ground-breaking, complex sounds - yet, at the same time, it's so easy to listen to. After countless listenings, I still find myself discovering nuances that I've never noticed before. It's almost like the album continues to evolve for me. It also came out at a great time in my life - college. If we listened to it once, we listened to it a thousand times. What a great f-ing time - makes me want to sleep in until noon and cut class.

Hooray Friday!

- The White Stripes played their 10th anniversary show last Saturday in Nova Scotia - a 30-plus song, 2 1/2 hour barn burner. They've been popping up in the strangest of places - on the back of a boat, at a YMCA day camp, flour mill, museum, classroom, park and bowling alley. Now this a band for the people! If I was a rock star, I'd be like the White Stripes. See clips on Product Shop NYC and RatBat Bear.

- Bob Marley alert! Aquarium Drunkard has posted tracks from a 1973 radio session and 1976 concert. I, for one, will be digging in to these this weekend.

- I haven't had the chance (or quite frankly, the desire) to dive into the new Ryan Adam release, Easy Tiger - however, it seems to be picking up steam in numerous blogs. Alternate versions of some of the tracks can be found on I am fuel, you are friends.

- Same blog, different artist. Spoon has an EP of bonus material called Get Nice! Sample some of the offerings here.

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- My Old Kentucky Blog has a few Dappled Cities tracks from the MOKB Radio show on Sirius here. I also uncovered Tokyo Police Club tracks from the same radio show here. Good stuff, but not quite enough to get me to pay for satellite radio (I'm a cheap bastard).

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- I'm liking what I'm hearing from the White Rabbits. I'm also liking free, unreleased songs. Damn the man, I say! If you want to damn the man too, check them out here.

This guy missed the dog-crossing sign

Extreme Wine Tasting

Thanks to RatBat Bear for the heads up on this:

Check out this article in the New York Times about the new "problem" wineries are facing these days. Is anyone surprised by this? I can't believe this hasn't happened sooner. Actually, I'm pretty sure it did, but nobody cared enough to write an article about it. Well, pack the van - let's head back to wine country.

Beings that I'm a solutions-oriented person, I have a fix to this problem. If I owned a winery, I'd have an open field available so people could camp out at the end of the day. I know that's what I feel like doing after a tough day on wine tasting. Wait a minute... that's actually one of my better ideas - I'm going to start working that one immediately!

Reading this article brings up at few issues for me. First, some of the wineries in CA now have "no limo" policies? That seems a tad hoytie-toytie. Also, I've noticed that more and more wineries are charging tasting fees and this article answers why they are doing so. It just proves the point that a few people acting like morons can ruin a good thing for everyone. Finally (and most disturbing for me) is that people are streaking at these places. Every year, my parents head up to NY for a "winery weekend" with some of their friends. Do they engage in this tomfoolery? Just thinking about it makes me a bit nauseous. Not a much as if I walked in on them bumping uglies, but still.

It figures

[phillies.com]

I live in the DC area and as such, I have limited opportunities to see a Phillies game on TV. If the fact that there are essentially 2 local baseball teams (the Nats and Orioles for you geographically challenged readers) isn't reason enough, als consider that the Phightin' Phils aren't the biggest draw out there. It could be worse though, I could be a Pirates fan.

That being said, I try to make every attempt to catch a Phils game when they're on TV. Unfortunately, it seems as if every time the network schedulers throw us out-of-town Philly fans a bone by putting them on the airwaves, the Phils blow it by... well, blowing it.

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Case in point last evening's shellacking on ESPN against the Cardinals. The Phils' last few games had already received quite a bit of press over the weekend because they were 1 loss away from the illustrious 10,000. I was actually surprised how much hype it was getting on a national level, but my Pops pointed out that it was mostly self-inflicted by the always positive and upbeat Philly sports fans. Way to bring attention to yourself Philadelphians - especially for something negative (I'm sure I'm not helping by blogging about it either).

Back to the point of this. The Phils marked their 10,000th loss by getting beat down 10-2 while allowing 6 homers. I will give them this - when they go down, they go down with gusto. Now that they finally got that out of the way, maybe they can focus on the pennant race.

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Nick Lowe
• Tuesday - The Cribs
• Wednesday - Pegi Young
• Thursday - Fountains of Wayne

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Wednesday - Deerhoof

Last Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - Mute Math
• Thursday - White Rabbits

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Jesse Malin
• Tuesday - Bright Eyes
• Thursday - Patti Smith
• Friday - Ian Hunter

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - As Tall As Lions

Tour dates announced

With their upcoming album complete, Band of Horses have scheduled a handful of dates, beginning on August 1st at Red Rocks. Looks like they'll be teaming with Modest Mouse for about half of them. Dates can be found on their MySpace page, although their appearance at the 9:30 Club in DC on Aug. 7th (unfortunately not with Modest Mouse) is nowhere to be found there. My hope is that it's the band's error, not the 9:30 Club.

The National is returning to the states for some more goodness before heading back to Europe. A full list of dates can be found on their website.

The VH1 Hip Hop Honors Tour featuring the Roots, MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane are hitting a handful of cities this fall. Scheduled dates here.

This is a little late notice, but the Format kick off their summer tour tomorrow night in Dallas. Scheduled dates here.

Wife Carrying 101

Congrats to Estonia's Madis Uusorg and Inga Klauso, the 2007 Wife Carrying World Champs! This year's competition was held on 7.7.07 in Sonkajärvi, Finland. The top American team of Johanna Ålander and John Lund (hailing from Boston) finished 8th.

The premise is pretty simple - men race while carrying women through an obstacle course. Numerous different carries are allowed: piggyback, fireman's carry, or the preferred Estonia-style (pictured above). Major competitions are also held in Wisconsin and Michigan. The North American Championships take place every Columbus Day weekend in Maine.

More information can be found at the World Championship's official website, to include past results, rules, pictures AND the registration form for 2008's competition. Also check out Wiki for a little history lesson.

The LOML and I are already training for next year's event. Why you ask? First prize is the wife's weight in beer!

We love you Greece! Let's have a smoke.

The LOML and I had a blast in Greece. Despite the previously mentioned challenges we had with traveling, we chewed that country up and spit it out. Here's a recap:

Athens - If you go to Greece, you have to hit Athens - at least the first time. After arriving (1 suitcase short), we took a 5 hour nap, ate dinner, and then slept for 14 hours. The next day was spent at the Acropolis and touring the city. It's crazy how densely populated that city is - from a distance it look like the buildings are built on top of each other. It's also crazy how dirty it is - enough to overthrow Cairo as the nastiest city I've ever been.

Mykonos - After a few days, we took a boat to Mykonos, which is known as the party island of Greece. We ended up staying at one of the quieter beaches on the island, which was good for our minds, bodies and livers. This place was beautiful - the hotel and the views around the island. We essentially spent 3 days by the pool/beach reading, eating, sleeping and playing rummy (the LOML was showing no mercy and consistently schooled me). On the last night, we decided to end our stay in paradise with warm olive oil massages at the spa - NICE!

Santorini - Our last stop. The hotel we stayed at wasn't nearly as nice, but the town (Fira) had a lot more going on. We kicked it at Murphy's (Irish bar) one night and threw back many malted beverages and shots. We spent a day on the black sand beaches. And on our final day, we hiked to the top of an active volcano, swam in the hot springs and capped it off by watching the sun set at a restaurant on the edge of the island.

All in all, a hell of trip. Highly recommended.

The friendly skys??

After spending 25 1/2 hours yesterday traveling, we've finally returned. And I've come to the definite conclusion that I hate flying. Not because I'm afraid of heights. Not because I'm claustrophobic. It's about one thing... control.

When you buy a plane ticket, you not only hand over your money. You also relinquish control of your life for a period of time. Getting to the airport 2 hours early. Standing in numerous lines. Subjecting yourself and your belongings to searches based on ever-changing standards. Turning over your belongings to someone else, hoping that they arrive at your final destination with you. Only having a few expensive choices if you want something to eat or drink. Sitting in a specific seat and only being allowed to get up at certain times. I could go on and on.

I know what most of your are probably saying. "Stop your bitching, Gus. If you don't like the rules, don't play the game." Unfortunately, I don't have a choice. I'm limited by 1 thing - money. If I had endless amounts of it, I wouldn't need a job and therefore, wouldn't be limited by the number of vacation days I've accumulated. I could take my sweet-ass time driving to Vegas or Cincy or California. I could also buy a boat and sail to Europe, Australia and Hawaii. I would be in control and man, would that be cool.

Alas, the money tree doesn't grow in my back yard (hell, I don't even have a back yard) so I'm left to dream... and fly.

Hang in there!

Only a few more days till we return. Between napping by the pool (vacationing is hard work) and this view (I'm easily distracted), I haven't put much of a dent in the books I had planned on reading. Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to catch up on the plane...