Kick 'Em in the Grill, Sullee

I have become terribly engrossed in the VH1 series Ego Trip's (White) Rapper Show, hosted by former 3rd Bass hip hopper (turned radio show host) MC Serch and Price Paul. I am rooting for Sullee (the kid from Boston), but he is not making it easy for me. You see, in each episode they split the rappers up into 2 teams and present them with a challenge. The losing team is faced with the elimination challenge and Sullee always winds up on this team. He's a gifted rapper (meaning that his words have pretty deep meaning and his arrangements are decent), but he always draws a blank during his elimination challenge rap. In fairness, the losing team is given (what seems like) next to no time to write and memorize the rap. Anyway, it usually comes down to him and someone else and so far, he's been lucky. You can also tell that MC Serch KNOWS that Sullee is super talented. He's like the teacher who understands the potential and can't get over the "drawing of the blank." It's Baton Rouge, Cindy!

Persia, my other favorite contender, is fantastic. A woman, for starters. A natural, for whatever comes after starters. I am pretty sure that she's going to win the whole thing. She's confident and her performance appears smooth like butter. She's got a great singing voice, too. $hamrock is another favorite of mine. His face is super busted up and it looks as though he replaced his front teeth (presumably knocked out) with gold/silver ones. He is a vision.

When this "raps" up, I hope that VH1 does a (Black) Rocker Show, hosted by Vernon Reid. Imagine how cool!

Tap into a Helton

Poor Barbaro. I understand the call, but I was secretly hoping that he would bounce back to perfect health and kick butt. Not that horse racing is a humane thing to do. I guess they did the best they could. There are people suffering in this country who will never receive a fraction of the love, kindness and care that this horse got.

In other (Red Sox) news, it seems that Curt Schilling is just saying nao (that's Portuguese) to retirement after this season. He wants an extension. He also made some remark about never pitching for the Yankees. I heard this 3rd party through Cubby this morning while making copies. I have yet to check out the articles/interview transcript/what-have-you. As most of you know, he is even trying to learn Japanese. You've got to give the guy credit for extending himself to our new pitcher. And for the whole winning the world series business. He's like that uncle you just don't talk politics with.

In the Red Sox rumor department, Todd Helton's name is being thwarted about. Currently, he plays for the Rocky Balboas, a National League team. No offense to Colorado fans, but I sort of see this club as a little phony. Is Colorado even a real place? I imagine it to have long cascading rivers of beer and huge frosty tipped mountains. It's a blur of South Park scenes, Bob Ross paintings and the sets from that television show, Everwood. I'm sure it's a breathtaking place if it does, in fact, exist. But I'm taking a Carl Everett/Dinosaurs stance on this one, folks.

Being Pro-Choice

In the spirit of activism, I am doing my part to support a woman's right to choose. Happy Blog for Choice Day.

The one thing that has always disturbed me about the pro-life stance is that it never addresses the quality of the potential life. In fact, the same people who tend to hold up pictures of aborted fetuses outside clinics are usually the types who line up to "flip the switch" when an inmate is executed. Generally, these folks vote against programs to help fund education and other community outreach initiatives. So, the general message is: After we "save your life," you're on your own! In my opinion, if a woman decides to terminate a pregnancy because of her economic situation, she is being responsible. And if the pro-lifer types (who typically object to welfare and the raising of taxes) were honest with themselves, they would agree with this.

Pro-lifers believe that pro-choicers feel that human life is disposable. I think of it in just the opposite way. A human life is an investment. If that life doesn't have a responsible, dedicated parent or set of parents supporting it, then the odds are not in the child's favor. This feels more disposable to me.

Even though abortion is still safe and legal in this country, this right is is always threatened. It is highly unlikely that it will ever be overturned, but it makes me uneasy knowing that there are plenty of politicians and corporations who try to chisel away at it. If Roe vs. Wade is ever reversed, I can guarantee that back alley abortions will take the lives of desperate girls everywhere. Do you want this to happen to your daughter?

Lastly, I object to the taboo and stigma that abortion attaches to the women who obtain them. Women not only have to make the difficult decision, but women are also the ones who are left with this karmic "stain" on their souls. I wish there wasn't such judgment and scrutiny cast upon these women. While I certainly understand those special cases in which women use the practice as a means of birth control, these instances are rare by comparison. Yet, all women who get abortions, despite their reasons, are treated the same way. Doesn't seem fair.

Paul Lynde

I spent yesterday afternoon hanging out in Fitchburg with two old friends. Heather has been a life-long Fitchburg resident (Fitchburg borders Leominster, the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed). We made pizza (there was a small fire in the oven, but we had things under control), watched season one of the Chappelle Show, When Harry Met Sally, Heavy Metal Parking Lot (A fantasic little 15-minute documentary showcasing a tailgate style convergence before a Judas Priest concert in Maryland, 1986), and the KISS segment of a Paul Lynde Halloween special, 1976. Paul Lynde should be immortalized, perhaps on a T-shirt.



Other random T-shirt ideas include:

Crazy Cracker T
A Saltine with the word "CRAZY" embossed into it.

T Shirt
A Giant T logo with the word "shirt" underneath it (I actually made this one myself. I'd like to mess around with different color combos, though).

413 T
"Lest We Forget Western Mass" on the chest with "413"on the sleeve. I also like the idea of having "It's Snowing In the Western Part of the State?" on the back.

No White Bonding T
The classic circle with a slash through the words "white bonding."

They'll Kick Your Ass in Somerville T
Maybe this saying with a converse all star image or something.

I was also thinking of coming up with a series of "alternative" children's books.

A Wee Sculpture

I made this out of Play Doh:

For Those About to Trot

You are going to be missed. A wicked lot.

It Doesn't Pay to Cheat in Michigan

I love this idea, but I have a feeling that it will only turn people into better liars. Interesting experiment, though. If this thing went national, imagine all the politicians who would go to the slammer! Private investigation would become the hot new career choice.

I'm trying to think of a clever phrase that they could run on the digital highway signs during times of the year when spouses are likely to cheat. You know, like, "Click it or Ticket." How about "Cheat on Spouse and Go to Big House"? I think that's too long and corny. What would Kina Freelya say?

I don't think this thing has much steam, unfortunately. I mean, Bush has been such a lousy president, he has people pining for the old days when we had a philandering, albeit capable, president. Clinton glamorized adultery in a weird way. So did Johnny Damon.

Kina Freelya

I just had a dream in which I was introduced to a young woman whose mother was supposedly Counseler at Large (not exactly sure where). In the dream, I was with a group of friends and I had to keep asking this poor person who her mother was. "Who's your mother again?" "What's your mother's name?" "What does your mother do?" By the sixth time, everyone around me said, "Kina FREELYA!" and rolled their eyes.

The worst part is I could see this playing out in real life just the same as it did in my dream. I have to learn to be better with names.

Barack Obama

Awesome!



You've got my vote, sir.

More Studies from My New Painting Series

By the way, it smells incredibly toxic in my apartment. Crystal Clear should be outlawed.

P.S. I miss Soul Coughing.

Totally Unrelated

That was some crazy Patriots game on Sunday. I was riveted.

Bradolina or AngePitt or Whatever the F*** You People Call It

I know that I'm not supposed to hate Brad and Angelina, but I do. It's not supposed to engage me in the way that it does, but I am engaged. I'm supposed to shrug it off - it's Hollywood, right? But I don't. There is something so sinister about this couple.

Angelina. Every woman's worst nightmare.
Brad. Nitwit. Admired by hoards of women around the world, though I haven't a clue why.

They have obviously tried to snuff out the scandal surrounding their union by volunteering their time to humane causes. This makes them all the more annoying. This morning, I saw them all decked out in their Golden Globe crap, posing like statues, and I just wanted to vomit.

Like Dr. Werner Klopek said in The 'Burbs: You may have fooled the others, but you don't fool me.

What was the point of this post?

Like Pee Wee Herman said in Pee Wee's Big Adventure: I DON'T KNOW!

Today, In My Hood

Clever place for a naked, armless plastic doll ...

Delcarmen

I predict that Manny is going to be a real stand out player this year. I just have a feeling.



Also, check out this reaction from Jim Rice. I really want to send he and his family something nice.

G.W. Poophead

Part of me really wants to hear Bush's speech tonight. It's supposed to be one of those "jig is up" type deals. Honest but still hopeful about "victory" in Iraq (whatever that's supposed to mean). I am curious about the new strategy, though I know that it involves an increase in the number of troops (or surge, the latest buzzword) followed by a lot of finger crossing. He is supposedly going to present several benchmarks.

*Yawn*

The truth is, I can't stand the sound of his voice, so I will need to hear analysis on NPR tomorrow. And hopefully, they'll keep the sound clips to a minimum.

I just see the Iraq "war" as an oozing, pus-filled, self-inflicted wound that won't respond to antibiotics. There aren't any quick fixes. And as much as I would love to see our troops begin to pull out, we're in a unique position of being damned either way. Worse, we did it to ourselves. I could go on and on, but I won't. Suffice it to say, I am pessimistic and skeptical about it. I predict another 5-10 years of occupation. I mean, seriously, the skeletal Iraq government is on super shaky paws. Not only do they have their hands full with keeping the violence to a minimum, but they're expected to yank a working democratic plan off the shelf, then enforce it? Come on!

Alright, this is me shutting up.

A Sneak Peak into My New Painting Series

Hey, I just realized how much street cones look like:



I think I might need to explore this, creatively-speaking.

Wait 'til Next Year, My Dear Jim

Some of you know that, ever year, I create a t-shirt in support of Jim Rice getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And it has never worked. I decided last year, that I would not do it, hoping that his luck would change. Nope. I did the same this year, but mainly because I sort of forgot. Anyway, it seems that no matter what I do, poor JR gets snubbed. I am out of ideas beyond possibly sending out a mass mailing to all the sportswriters in support of him. This might work against him, though. After 13 hopeful years, Jim and his family have likely lowered their expectations. A lot. What choice do they have?

We had an evacuation at work today. Something evidently tripped the alarm. They blamed a vacuum cleaner cord. Anyway, as my coworkers and I stood a good distance from the building, we couldn't help but notice the folks who stood very close to the door. As if they knew it was a false alarm. And we even remarked about how smart and efficient this was, considering the hoard of people who would soon be making their way to the entrance. Have we learned nothing from 911? In "real tragedy" news, seems there was a commuter rail accident in Woburn today. Two transit workers died and other folks (workers and passengers) were rushed to the hospital.

From Boston.com:

MBTA officials said the tragedy was apparently caused by an improperly positioned track switch, the rail devices that move trains between various tracks. The faulty switch should have directed the commuter train on a track parallel to the one the workers were on, but instead sent the train straight into them.

Can you believe it? The workers heard the train coming and thought, "Ho, hum, it's going to pass right by..." Can't wait to hear the results of THAT investigation.

McGwire

Well, I heard an interview on NPR today today with two sportswriters/Hall of Fame voters. One was from ESPN and the other from the Globe. Each voted differently, though they both concluded that their reasoning was the same: not enough information. The yes voter (ESPN) claimed that it is for this reason that he couldn't definitively say that he doesn't belong and the no voter (Globe) used this lack of proof to justify his ballot decision ("I can't vote for him unless I know exactly what he did"). The good news is that they both feel very strongly that Mark McGwire will get - at most - a whopping 25% of the vote.

This is really good news for Jim Rice.

I Want It Back

Like, 2 blogs ago, I stated that I missed the old Onion-style Boston rag called The Weekly Week. Well, guess what? I still miss it. How can I get these people to start this publication back up? What can one person do to make a difference? How can I effect positive change? Together, we can!

WTFMF?

Are you kidding me with this?

Arroyo

I was perusing this week's Phoenix, when I saw a listing for Bronson Arroyo at the Roxy on January 13th. I think it's very sweet that he cares enough about the fans to come all the way back here in the winter to play a show. Maybe he missed the chick from Northeastern. Who knows? I'm just psyched that he'll be stopping by.

Also interesting - the Missing Persons are playing the Middle East tonight. I'm a little tempted to go check them out, but I am also sort of afraid of what I might see.

And Another Thing ...

The most ironic aspect of the crazy weather day is the fact that my first day (or night) at Fenway Park will be uncomfortably cold and raw.

It's the Apocalypse

This is the strangest day. I want to celebrate the 70 degree weather. Really. But, truth be told, it freaks me out. I don't live here in New England to pack a beach towel and lay out in the sun in early January. It's sunny, to boot. I was wearing a long sleeve pullover with a wool vest, however, it wasn't long before the vest needed to come off. I just don't know what to say. I am experiencing "staying inside on a hot day guilt" and I ought not to this early in the year. I made a winter stew last night, not realizing just how ridiculous it would taste on a day like this. Mercifully, I didn't drop the storm windows down in my bedroom because I actually NEEDED to open them.

Bizarre.

New York Loses Its Johnson

RJ has left the building and I think it's hysterical. If ever there was a time that I'm thrilled in Theo's half-hearted interest in him way back when, it's now. I think he (Theo) made a token phone call to his (Randy's) agent before ole Stinkbrenner pulled out all the stops to get him. And Johnson was a mediocre starter, at best. Ah, well, they still have Pavano. Heh.

Meanwhile, I hope that the Sox abandon the Drew ship, if you know what I'm saying. Who needs damaged goods? Especially when said damaged goods are really expensive? It's the equivalent of buying an irregular Prada gown. I'd rather have a good one from Old Navy. At least I can wear it without having to adjust it a million times. I hear that Trotter is still available. Make a deal! He'll be super cheap!

Did any of you (local folks) hear Deval's inaugural speech today? I cried! I swooned! I cheered! I did the same when I heard the few sound bites from Nancy Pelosi's speech at the House of Representatives. She even let all the kids touch the symbolic gavel. Cute! Bob Oakes is on Greater Boston tonight. I always wondered what that guy looked like. And in a rare case, the image matched the real thing.



I really enjoy him and Delores Handy in the morning. Carl Kasell - with all his snorty inhales and exhales - is my least favorite NPR reporter.

Deval Sworn in at Noon Tomorrow

Oh, how I wish I could be there for Deval Patrick's inauguration. Should I feign illness and go anyway? Will it be one those things I can tell my grandchildren about?

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney actual thinks he has a shot at the presidency. Dude, you're a Mormon. And everyone knows that Mormons are weirdos. Just read this book. Besides, I don't trust a guy who goes from supporting gay rights (more so than Ted Kennedy at one point) to denouncing gay marriage. I hate inconsistency.

By the way, I've suddenly begun listening - very seriously, I might add - to Joni Mitchell. What does this mean?

Twilight Zone Marathon

I am disappointed that SciFi's Twilight Zone marathon has come to an end. I was traveling back from NYC during much of it. One of my favorites is Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up. It's packed with suspense. [Yes, the TZ folks did not put a question mark at the end of the title.]



I am (very) seriously considering buying the whole damn series on DVD.