When Is Frigin' Opening Day?

Ok, seriously, when is opening day? Was it last weekend when the Sox played the A's in Japan? Was it last night when the Nationals played the Braves? Or is it today when all the other teams play? I know each team can have their own little opening day celebration, but MLB baseball's opening day should be when the first pitch is thrown in the first inning of the first game of the season which, unfortunately was last week in Japan by Daisuke Matsuzaka. (I don't really care for the debut in Japan thing. I think it's extremely indignant of MLB to assume that American baseball is important enough to draw crowds and attention away from the Japanese baseball league that just so happens to be in full swing at the same time. I guess it's in appreciation for the players we steal from the Japanese league. Seems more like rubbing salt in a wound than paying respect.)

Anyhow, on opening day #3.0 the Mets will play the Marlins. Sanatana is starting. Excited am I. 4:10 is start time. Right now I'm just watching the Cubs/Brewers game, which is a good match-up for their opening day. A lotta people got the Cubs going to the World Series and some even winning it this year. I think that whole 1908/100 year dry spell thing would make it very poetic and all, but I dunno. I ain't buying it. I used to love the Cubs, it being the favorite team of our adopted grandfather Joe, but some of their players bother me. Zambrano is great and all but kind of an ass, and I just plain don't like Ryan Theriot. He threw a little girl hissy fit in a game against the Mets last year, and it just wasn't pretty. I do however like Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and really wanna see how good this Kosuke Fokudome is gonna be. So if the Mets fall out of the race, I'll root for the Cubs, in the NL Central at least. But c'mon, it's opening day. I think. I hope.

Wedding Cakes Thru Security

Fran comes home today.

She's been having a great time visiting her family so I hear, playing basketball, helping Kevin get ready for prom, playing DDR with Madison. I hope gets on that plane.

She plans on bringing the top of our wedding cake home with her, since tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary and you're supposed to eat the rest of your cake. I don't think I even got a piece of that thing on our wedding day, but everyone told me it was delicious so I'm looking forward to it. I just hope she doesn't run into any problems at security. I can just picture some crusty old TSA agent sticking his fingers into our cake, tearing it apart, rendering it an unidentifiable pile of mush. Don't get me wrong, I'll still eat it, just won't be happy about it.

I did a little research about security check points to see what their policy was on wedding cake and didn't find anything to worry about. But I did find these interesting facts:

TSA Week At A Glance (March 24-30, 2008)

• 15 passengers were arrested due to suspicious behavior or fraudulent travel documents


• 16 firearms found at checkpoints


• 4 artfully concealed prohibited items found at checkpoints


• 12 incidents that involved a checkpoint closure, terminal evacuation or sterile area breach


• 17 disruptive passengers on flights

Yowza! Seems like there's bigger issues than wedding cakes coming thru the x-ray. Now I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that when I see Frans shining face she's not carrying a dirty fork and have icing on her chin.

2-1=No Fun

Mixtape> 3.23/08 thru 3.29/08

1. Interpol - Untitled
2. Kaki King - Can Anyone Who has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person?
3. Collections Of Colonies Of Bees - Flocks I
4. Jeffrey Lewis - Banned From The Roxy [Crass cover]
5. Los Campesinos! - This Is How You Spell "Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics"
6. A Weather - Small Potatoes
7. What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
8. Blood On The Wall - Sorry Sorry Sarah
9. The Ruby Suns - Tane Mahuta
10. Jim White -Blindly We Go
11. The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever
12. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Blindblindblind
13. We Are Scientists - Let's See It
14. Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us
15. Human Bell - Splendor And Concealment
16. Animal Collective - Water Curses
17. Cadence Weapon - Tattoos And What They Really Feel Like
18. The Dirtbombs - Indivisible
19. Down With The Butterfly - Work Sleep Rise
20. Mgmt - The Youth
21. Jack Peñate - Have I Been A Fool?

Ok so that is it for the mixes, on here anyway, for now, I think. We'll see how it goes. They may be back. No promises.

Frisky Dingo

I love this show. I mean, look at that guy^. He's priceless. His name is even Killface. It's from the guys who did Sealab, but ten times better. It's the most ridiculous show, right after ATHF of course. I think it just came out on DVD and somebody's birthday is coming!!

(Personal Note) Gauging My Progress

March 25th: A-Ar
March 26th: Ar-B
March 27th: C-Cr
March 28th: Cr-Fo
March 29th: Fo-K

The State Of The Hummer

I've recently been pondering the possibility of rehabilitating ye ole music blog by the name of Hummer. I haven't touched the thing since before the summer of 2006 and then kinda forgot about it. Further, it has been brought to my attention that I've been posting more than my fair share about music on this here blog and I can imagine that it has perturbed our already minute yet loyal community of readers.

Then upon driving Francis (the Informer) to the airport the other morning we passed a large truck with the word "Hummer" emblazoned on the side, so I took that as a sign. Then today on a random mix of the 90,213 songs on my iTunes, the sites namesake, Hummer by none other than the Smashing Pumpkins popped up in the mix. Sign numero dos.

The only problem is, before, it was like a job. I felt some kind of obligation to post everyday (kinda like I do now with The Estlers). And posting the actual mp3s up there is a nightmare. I just don't feel like doing all that. I guess I can just do whatever I want tho. I mean, the only reason for doing all this is so I can go back in 20 years and read it all and see: what I'm doing/what I'm into/what a geek I am.

That being said, tomorrow morning I will post the weekly mix as planned (and maybe a quarterly music wrap-up), but that will probably be it, for this site anyhow. Any and all music posts will be hereby excommunicated to the site formerly (and latterly) known as Hummer.

Have a good day/nite/life.

This Is What...

...the inside of my briain looks like right now...

h
hey
he

hw

x
hez
llllllllllllllllllllllll

'
'arcus incus ululat'
'belteshazzar'

)&*(

{island jam:tane mahuta]..

hi

hrz

STOPp

dials/llama/fire

dials/llama/fire

0307 - 0907

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll*llllllllllllllllllllllll

itsmwangiinfrontofme

1 : 3 1

Fiiiiiine, I'll Watch The NCAA's

I have been trying to pretend to be interested in the college championships but I just can't be bothered, but I managed to catch the end of the Davidson game the other night against Gonzaga and then again when they took out Georgetown and this Stephen Curry kid is impressive. So I made sure to try and watch most of tonights game against Wisconsin, where they were supposed to lose (again) but did not (again). Even tho it was a blowout, it was a great game and those kids, not only Curry, are exciting to watch on that court. Even Lebron was in the stands just having a good time watching these kids go further in the bracket than even they expected to go. So naturally, now I'm hooked, like half the country. Let's just hope they can get past Kansas, or for by some miracle Villanova, so I can keep watching the NCAA's cuz I'm afraid that if they're out, so am I.

Free Rice

(dunno how to feel about this one yet) I just came across this website Free Rice, don't ask me how. Basically, it's a website where they put up a semi-unknown word and make you choose its appropriate definition and for every word you accurately define they donate 20 grains of rice to a third world country. That's a good thing right? I mean, I'm learning some new things at the same time as helping someone get some food. Just feels a little weird. Seems too easy. Either way, you should take some free time and donate some rice and next time we talk we can use all our new-fangled fancy vocabulary words and no one will understand what we're talking about like we have some kind of secret code that only we can decipher all thanks to the rice. I just donated 2480 grains and know what the word coccoid means. It was good day.

Let The Kids Play

I feel good

I feel better at least, after watching today's game against the Braves. At first I thought it was gonna be ugly since Mets weren't playing any starters, Oliver Perez was starting and Braves had all their guys out. But the boys rose to the occasion. Perez pitched a beautiful game with 4 strikeouts over 6 and 1/3 and only allowing 2 runs to that hefty Braves lineup and even making some fancy plays on the field.

Ryan Church finally showed up at the plate getting a pair of hits and Marlon Anderson was brilliant as expected. The real surprises this spring are the youngens. Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Raul Cassanova; these guys have been terrific and it makes me feel better about Brian Schneider and personal hero Moises Alou not being 100% on opening day. As much as I love Moises, I really wanna see what Pagan can do in regular season play. Unfortunately for these guys to make the bench it means losing guys like Gotay, but I think that's gonna happen anyhow. Whatever it takes, it's fun watching the Braves get spanked when they don't expect it.

Fran Go Bye-Bye

Fran left me!



Haha, not for good, just for the weekend. She is at this very moment on a plane to Georgia to spend some time with the family. She misses them. Hopefully it's a nice relaxing weekend where she can spend some quality time just catching up with everyone. Her Mom just got a new job, Kevin has a brand new girlfriend/prom date, Mariah, and I'm sure Madison grew like 4 feet. So that will be nice. I hope she comes back.

In the meantime I will probably lock myself inside my room and tie myself to the computer chair. I started a little project on Monday that I thought would take only a couple days but after just a couple days is nowhere near even being a tenth complete. I'm not gonna even try to explain it to you because you wouldn't understand and if I took the time to get you to understand you would realize that you really do not care anyhow.

On The Eve Of Opening Day

...tomorrow morning
...6:05 am
...Tokyo Japan
...Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox

Major League Baseball season 2008 begins.

I just tried to create a fantasy league; major bust. It's a bit complicated. I guess I can just make division predictions. Yeah I'll do that. Gimme a second.

Ok try this on for size

NL East

1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

NL Central

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers (wild card)
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Houston Astros
5. St. Louis Cardinals
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Francisco Giants

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. New York Yankees
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians (wild card)
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Texas Rangers

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

NAPS RULE!!!!

...and so does beef barley soup

Kaki King Day

I hereby proclaim that today, the 24th of March, will be known throughout the land, or at least my room, as Kaki King day. It's not very often I become as agog with a singular band, nonetheless a singular person, as I have with her the past couple days. She just put out her fourth album, Dreaming of Revenge, and it's crazy good. Buy it so she can make another one.

Goby (one of my favorites)


Gay Sons Of Lesbian Mothers (love this)


Yellow Cake (she sings too)


Playing With Pink Noise (check the fretwork)


Mark your calendars.

Egg Hunt

Happy Easter :>)

Mixtape> 3.16/08 thru 3.22/08

1. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Grey (Cancion Para El)
2. The Breeders - Overglazed
3. Black Mountain - Angels
4. Headlights - On April 2
5. Jason Collett - Waiting For The World
6. Elbow - Friend Of Ours*
7. Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues
8. British Sea Power - A Trip Out
9. Evangelicals - Party Crashin'
10. Cold War Kids - Hair Down
11. Dodos - Fools
12. Apes & Androids - Nights Of The Week
13. The Outfield - Your Love
14. Born Ruffians - Hummingbird
15. Pixies - La La Love You
16. Joe Purdy - Can't Get It Right Today
17. Thao Nguyen - Swimming Pools
18. Better Than Ezra - Rewind
19. She & Him - Sweet Darlin'
20. The Concretes - Kids
21. The Get Up Kids - Alec Eiffel [Pixies cover]

Lotsa brand new stuff this week. And Kim Deal everywhere. Not very Easter-y but I don't really know any Easter songs. Maybe that Rickie Lee & The Blue Nile tune Easter Parade. I love that song. I'm gonna go hear it.

* Song of the Week

Easter Eve

Tonight we watched the Sound of Music (another film Fran has never seen) and dyed eggs. What a grand time it was. I love how you can watch old movies you haven't seen in years and they take on a entirely new meaning now that you have a [slightly] tighter grasp on the world and life and history. After taking a few highschool sessions of Mans Inhumanity To Man, even The Sound of Music isn't all song and dance anymore like it was when I was 7. '

On a lighter less Nazi-oriented note...

...We had to go to 4 stores tonight to find the last box of egg dye in the greater tri-state area. Check it...

Fran wasted no time & got right to it


I take a more hands-on approach


Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you MAN EGG!


Dirty hands


The cats use our apparent distraction as a chance to plot an escape


Group photo


Now we just have to wait and see if someone hides them or whatever. I dunno. It's been too long. I just want my eggs goldenrod.

Urban Pillow Fight

Oh fun! Fran & I have been invited (not that you need to be invited, but it made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside) to a massive pillow fight in New York City on Saturday. Apparently this is an event takes place annually to celebrate the beginning of spring and well golly gee I just can't think of a better way to do exactly that. There's really not much else that I know other than to bring a pillow and show up at Union Square and be ready to "swing and whack as you evade pillow-wielding assailants!". Woah!





2006


2007


Unfortunately we were not notified early enough and have previous engagements to attend to so we will not be going to this years festivities, but it's nice to know people are going to be having such a great time and hopefully we'll make it out next year. Our pillows are safe.....for now.

Missed Anniversaries

I am an awful son.
My mother mentioned to me today that I neglected to wish them a happy anniversary. It was the 18th. I was never very good at remembering these things but you'd think now that I have my own anniversary creeping up on me....time flies. Anyhow..

Sorry Mom & Dad.

Happy Anniversary!



those sideburns are tops

Brackets Schmrackets

All I been hearing about is these NCAA brackets. Who's picking who over who, one seed, two seed, poppy seed, sesame seed. I choose Ohio State. Are they in it? I don't really care. There's too many teams. I like the 8 team playoff. I can keep track of that. It's forcing me to have to watch the History Channel. But that's fine. They had some programs on about the development of the western railroads and the Alaskan pipeline. Fascinating. Really. I've been lucky enough to catch a few decent basketball games (Rockets finally lost after 22 straight/I like the Golden State Warriors now) and some of the Mets spring training games. Liking Brian Schneider. Not so much with Ryan Church. But it's only spring training.

My favorite song right now is Friend Of Ours by Elbow. The Seldom Seen Kid is their brilliant new album. Pick it up.

Fran is on another cleaning spree. But this one was pretty effective. My sweaters have been color co-ordinated.

Iceberg Boat

...in case you were wondering what that may look like

Unfastened Coins

Conspiracy theories abound. This one is actually pretty funny.



A few more facts that prove this theory:

• As of this writing, there are only two living survivors of the Titanic, and both of them claim to have been babies and too young to remember what happened. (How convenient)
• Even though some of the world's richest and most famous passengers were on the ship, not a single video was made of the Titanic sinking. (How convenient)
• Abraham Lincoln dies the exact same day the Titanic sinks, except 47 years prior! The Titanic had the capacity to carry 3,547 passengers aboard! They both have 47!!!! ((say it with me) How convenient)
• An iceberg was blamed for sinking the Titanic. Yeah right. Do they expect us to believe that ice--which is frozen water--is stronger than metal--the stuff they make swords out of? If icebergs are really that tough, then why don't people make boats out of icebergs instead? (Brilliant)
• If you take the word "TITANIC" and you remove the letters T, I, and T, and then you add the letters C, O, S, P, R, and Y, then it spells: CONSPIRACY

Mixtape> 3.9/08 thru 3.15/08

1. John Vanderslice - Underneath The Leaves
2. Loch Lomond - Northern, Knees, Trees, And Lights
3. Ani DiFranco - Jukebox
4. The Promise Ring - Make Me A Chevy
5. Look Mexico - I Like Being A Millionaire You Will Too, Believe Me
6. Gilberto Gil - Frevo Rasgado
7. Stars - Romantic Comedy
8. Spacemen 3 - Take Me To The Other Side
9. Smashing Pumpkins - Medellia Of The Gray Skies
10. Tapes 'N Tapes - Le Ruse
11. Great Lake Swimmers - Song For The Angels
12. James - Laid
13. Mystery Jets - Flakes*
14. Dios - Fifty Cents
15. Saul Williams - List Of Demands
16. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - According To Plan
17. Sonic Youth - 100%
18. Shea Seger - Clutch
19. Dangerdoom - El Chupa Nibre
20. The Spinto Band - Trust Vs. Mistrust
21. Sparrow House - Foxes (Sighing Like A Furnace)

Fran did the flow on this one. It brought her to tears. Or maybe it was my dancing on that Gilberto Gil track. Can't remember. Dig it.

*Song Of The Week

Fun With Fran's Face

Fran has been thinking about getting a new hairstyle working so we thought we'd have a little fun trying to find the right look for her. Let us know what you think...


Waves Of Grain


The Amy Winehouse


The Red-Headed Stepchild


Trailer Park Sally


The Sprengjuhollin


The Orlando Bloom



She briefly considered going blonde...

The Curly Sue


Crimping Courage


The Jiggy



Then she decided to try for an all over kinda thing and see what a full makeover would look like...

The Cher


The Inexpensive Lady-Of-The-Night (C***p W***e)



And as an encore, she wanted to see what it's be like to be me.

The Logger


Can't wait to see which one she picks!!!

Scattershot & Exorbitant Inartfulness

• our next daytrip will be to New Hope~that may not be this week
• Abner's been sleeping on our pillows
• Barry Bonds may go to the Mets, but probably not
• I watch arena football
• we've been experimenting with eggs
• where's my Anthem magazine?
• now she wants a Great Dane
• working on filling out catalogues
• today I brought in firewood
• Eliot Spitzer pays for it
• I love Killface & his cloven hooves
• we use garbage bags for window shades
• Fran reads Better Homes & Gardens
• I hate John & Kate + 8
• feeling car commercial soundtracks
• I'm off pork roll sandwiches
• back on the tea
  
  recentshotz
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  thank you
  good night