Cool Random Things

• Baseball happened today and the game was awesome as we won. Bedard did not live up to my (really really lofty) expectations, but in watching the replays and really looking at his line, he was having a bad game, but only gave up 1 run in 5 innings, and Felix pitches tomorrow, so seriously, this team is going to be fun, even if my fantasy team suffered today. Today I missed AJ and The Governor just a little less.
• I want to take a moment to praise the Antec company. I’ve purchased two computer cases from them and they’ve been really good and everything, well, up until my move a few weeks ago when the power button fell out of one of the cases somewhere. I figured it’d be a pain in the ass to get one teeny part and even then I might have to pay like 10 bucks for a stupid button and shipping, but no, I filed a trouble ticket earlier this morning and they told me I’d have the part in 3-5 days, no charge. That’s fucking rad!
• I had fun at the party, but we didn’t play In a Pickle, so that was no good. I bought a paper towel dispenser today, those two things are not really related, but I didn’t feel like adding a bullet.

Opening Day! (Bedard Bromance)

Man, I love baseball, and especially opening day in all it’s glory. It makes me happy even though in a lot of respects baseball is a really weird game when you think about it. Most sports either consist of single players on opposition (Golf/Tennis/Bowling?) or a constant stream of back and forth action (Soccer/Football/Hockey/Basketball/) but Baseball is kind of a weird hybrid, where much of the game occurs just between 2 players (pitcher and hitter) and all of the action happens in just a few quick seconds. Baseball is all about the anticipation of all that action, as rare as it sometimes is.

My favorite situation is when some great hitter is up, and you look at the dude (this happens a lot with David Ortiz or Travis Hafner for some reason) and you think to yourself, that guy is going to fucking kill that ball, he just looks like it, there is no way he doesn’t smash that son of a bitch out of the park, and then someone (probably George Sherril in my memory) throws a slider that looks like it is going to smash them in the face at first, and then ends up in the bottom right hand corner and they swing and miss and you wonder how all that awesomeness just happened.

Also, its great in July and August to catch a night game, get a little drunk and shout away your problems.

I say Bedard’s final line looks like this 7ip, 2h, 1ER, 13ks, 1bb

Yonder

So sometime earlier this week, I think I’m probably futzing with a computer or two, Scrapper IMs me and asks me to brainstorm a few ideas. I sort of immediately panic, because I haven’t written anything for a while, and I’m not even sure I know how to brainstorm, or where to begin.

So I put on some jammies, I pull out a sketchbook I haven’t used in a while (last notes dated 12/26/07) and decide that I will attempt to write down 20 ideas.

20 ideas later, I realize that, indeed, I can still brainstorm. So I decide to start working on a long gestating idea about a story based on Bob Dylan’s Girl from the North Country, I write on that for a bit. It has nothing to do with Dylan’s song, and reminds me more of something from the Springsteen family.

Hey, writing feels good, I can make up all kinds of shit! I can do Dylan doing Springsteen!

So I decide that based on a song I heard earlier this week, I am going to start writing down ideas for a movie called “The Fix Is In”. I really like that title, so I write on that for a while. Then I work on ideas for that Little League Vampire Movie, though this got me thinking about that Jonathon Lipnicky movie Little Vampire, so I might have to rework it slightly.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m writing again, and it makes me feel pretty damn good.

Appetite for Dr. Pepper

So yesterday evening I was calmly drifting across the internet, when I found this press release.

Let me summarize the release:

DR PEPPER WILL GIVE EVERYONE* IN AMERICA A FREE SODA IF AXL ROSE RELEASES NEW GUNS N’ ROSES ALBUM, CHINESE DEMOCRACY, IN 2008

*Guitarists Slash and Buckethead Will Not Be Eligible For Free Soda

This is pretty much my favorite marketing move ever, firstly I have been following the Chinese Democracy saga with keen interest over the years, and have heard a couple of the tracks (early version that sounded a bit over-produced to me), and I also think Dr. Pepper is one of the best soda’s out there. Way, way better than Dr. Skipper 

Anyway, the 2nd best part about this whole thing is that Axl Rose responded and offered to share his soda with Buckethead:

We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album “Chinese Democracy,” as for us, this came totally out of the blue. If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead’s performances are on our album, I’ll share my Dr Pepper with him.

Your move Mr. Axl Rose, your move…

Better Late Than Never

Noc Noc

Originally uploaded by Tzpkcht Kzmsrskstlrz

Spring is here, and as such, its time for my annual seasonal post.

Winter of 2007/2008 was one of the worst I can remember in a while. I was sick pretty much the whole time with one illness or another, I was cranky, grumpy and un-motivated. I had a fainting spell at a doctor’s office and my grandpa died. I’m not entirely sure that I accomplished one single thing to be proud of from December 20th to March 20th.

But, now that Spring has started, I am well, and due to my daily afternoon porch sit, I am feeling better, like a dog who has been given a flee bath and has been able to shake the flee bath water all over the bathroom.

Of course, today I wore a sweater to the office that the cat threw up on, so this morning on the bus I was the cat puke sweater guy, which is a notoriety I will not sneeze at, as disheartening as it is.

Saturday is the grand opening party at the new apartment, and of course, you are invited if you should choose to come. Gretchen and I played In a Pickle for the first time yesterday and the game was almost ruined by the challenge that a warehouse cannot go into a cruise ship. A third party judge (my sister) was called, but the grim feud reigned on. We finally managed to solve the issue, but not without some angry words.

Anyway, as far as the rest of spring, I can definitely see some possibility in some shit picking up and kicking ass. I know, for one, I am going to start exercising again, using my strawberry shortcake exercise record. If you’ve never tried the ‘bicycle upside down’ then you do not know what you’re missing.

I ate cheese!

Last night GW brought home a bunch of cheese and beer. (Don’t worry a fresh batch of lactose pills arrived recently), which I guess is a benefit to her working in a grocery store where they have like 250 kinds of cheeses, and at least as many kinds of beer.

We had our first debate about our record collections (down to quality vs. quantity, sesame street vs. country bear jamboree, etc.) in front of an audience and I think it came down to a draw.

Also, it was brought up that my annual mega-ice cream day is probably coming up in the next month or so. I think I’m going to go to The Mix in the U District, but honestly, if anyone knows of a place that serves the equivalent of a Ziggy Pig, then I will instead go to that place and eat whatever crazy ice cream concoction is there.

Actually, moving on from that, when Troy and Dimeatra were over the other day and we had Wayne’s World on in the background while we listened to the new Snoop Dogg album, a discussion arose about the large drink Garth has in the scene where the Rob Lowe gives them their five thousand dollar checks.

It looks like a vase of listerine with a bunch of oranges , straws and an entire pineapple top placed inside. I’d like to either create, or drink one of those someday. Gotta put that on the list.

I got out of the house!

Wow, that was weird. I went to a Barbecue with Gretchen yesterday in West Seattle, and realized that it was the first time in a while that I’m traveled outside of the well-worn paths of my circle of friends and actually hung out with people I didn’t know very well.

I also wrote down a 6 point plan yesterday for the new place that was mocked upon review by the housing committee. I am hoping that the full presentation in front of the Spring Review Board will go a bit smoother. I’ll present it in two-phase plan form, which is really the preferred plan form as far as I can tell.

I’ll probably have some notes from the Spring Review Board meeting which will take place this Saturday at an unspecified date and time. It will consist of me drinking beer, making proclamations and making up songs. Not sure if this is going to be open to the public or not.

-Matt

St. Patties

Despite being trumped again by Stuff White People Like, I firmly believe that St. Patrick’s Day is a grand tradition, so I think a few folks are stopping by tonight to hang out and drink a few beers and maybe enjoy some boiled potatoes or something of that nature.

When I last saw it (around 7:45 this morning) the apt. was, I might say, a bit rough around the edges still, and the cat was cranky, but I imagine we’ll sort of get around to throwing everything in the bedroom before anyone arrives (the natural advantage of having more than 1 room)

In any case, we’re on the cusp of a massive annihilation of everything useless and sad from the place, whole boxes of things that have latched on to us for years are being inspected, and then put up against the wall with a cold impunity not seen since the days of Andrew Jackson.

However, this does not include such important things as Lionel Ritchie cassette tapes, replica skulls and Maori War Clubs, these things are important for staking out our respective individuality and therefore will stay and fight the good fight.

Anyway, I’m going to try and make some Guiness Bread when I get home, because I hear its easy.

On the Grid Again

Man, I love cable guys, they are always interesting dudes, and he was impressed with the massive amount of vinyl on display in our living room. Apparently he wrote some songs with Layne Staley in the 80s and is working on getting them sold, and he fucking loves Jimmy Cagney.

Also, I have On Demand now, so its go-time for me. Mostly I’ve caught what I assume to be a rare block of music videos on VH1 consisting of:

Mariah Carey: In this video, Kenneth from the office shows up to fix Mariah’s computer, and then somehow ends up on her bed with a viking helmet, a guitar hero guitar and a baby-doll shirt, whereupon they roll around and have a pillow fight.

Gnarks Barkley: In this video, Justin Timberlake dressed up like a white(r) Michael Jackson from say Off the Wall era MJ and hosts an American Bandstand style show in where, I guess Gnarls Barkley plays

Foo Fighters: The Foo Fighters star in what appears to be their own soap opera. Dave Grohl has a John Oates style moustache and operates on some fools.

Anyway, Gretchen moved in about 60% of her stuff yesterday, so now we have a lot of records and books and boxes full of cluttery Gretcheny things (Hey a Sheryl Crow video just came on, I think she is floating through Louisiana on a boat). Yesterday I made the analagy that Gretchen’s apartment was kind of like a Katamari Ball, everything from the last 8 months or so just pretty much stuck on there and now we just have to move it, or send it in to the cosmos to become a star.

Whichever.

everybody’s making love ’cause love is free

This song sucks.

I guess I should probably get off of the internet and move some boxes around to lessen the chaos around here. That’s all I’ve got.

Adios Pines

Adios Pines

Originally uploaded by Tzpkcht Kzmsrskstlrz

Hey Friends, I’m moved in and on vacation for the week. Not a whole lot of excitement to report other than the demise of my awesome Batman Forever Cup and an injury to Captain McGillicutty in the move.

Otherwise, I’m mostly just trying to put things back together and I’m working on getting internet in my place (I’m typing this from Victrola at the moment). Today I’m going to buy a paper towel dispenser and attempt to poach an egg.

Wish me luck!