Just checking in...

Hey world? How's it going? My life has been a tornado of happenings this summer and fall. Home ownin', marryin', mowin', working super long hours, weddingin', best manin'... you know, the usual. Still no time for proper blogging, that's for sure. But here's a link to the site of our wedding photographer. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get back at this blogging thing. Later people.

Easter surprise in DC

This weekend was certainly an interesting one. A wave of record breaking temperatures (so, for those keeping score, on Friday and Saturday global warming was true) led the city of Syracuse to launch in to full-on celebration mode. This involved a lot of people leaving work early on Friday and, most importantly, going outside to drink rather than inside. There's a big difference there. The Hot Mary had a couple of out-of-town ladyfriends come to visit and so a visit to the local over-hyped watering hole was in order. The following day, while still recovering from the previous evening's menu of PBR and jagerbombs, good buddy Matt had some people over for some grillin' , drinkin', and horseshoin'. Good times were had by all! Things started to slow down until Matt suggested beer pong. I don't think I won. At all. Whatever.

On to Easter. The Hot Mary and I decided to try and cram in the double Easter family dinner combo and managed to pull it off well enough. There's not too many things quite as difficult as finding the inner resolve to restrain yourself when mashed potatoes are in abundance. Even more difficult is having to do so twice. But it was good seeing various family members and eating food. All i knew is that I had to be back in time for the opening day match up of Yanks vs Sawx.

The game was meh. Even when the Yankees were winning. What I hate the most about these two teams meeting up is the length of the game. I remember at one point that it was only the 6th friggin inning and it was about 11:00. That's right, three hours to play two-thirds of a game. That's insane.

Anywho, here we have opening day featuring my favorite team locked in a prime time match up in perhaps the greatest sports rivalry ever and we also have the day that Jesus came back to life after dying for our sins and all of it was overshadowed by the prima donas of the entire sports world: the Washington Redskins.

It first came up as I was perusing Facebook and I saw a post by someone saying that Donovan McNabb had been traded. I knew this was coming. On saturday I was asking some Eagles fans what they thought of the rumors that their team was shopping the face of the franchise after years of being under appreciated despite the fact that he has had turds lining up at wide receiver year after year. I had no idea that the 'Skins were in the running.

So I hopped on over to ESPN to read that McNabb had been traded to the Redskins.

I still am not quite sure what to think. On the bright side, for a player with the resume that McNabb has, it seems like they got him relatively cheap. On the other hand, it seems like more bad decisions made by the Redskins. I have no idea if this was a Snyder move or Shanahan. It's a shame that Jason Campbell will most likely be spending his Sundays holding a clipboard, but he was given every opportunity to impress the coaching staff.

The Shanahan era is already shaping up to be quite different from anything we've had in the past few years. The biggest change has just occurred with the acquisition of McNabb. They also now have an odd three-headed monster at running back with Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker. Then there's this business about converting to the 3-4 defense. I'm not quite sure what the new season will bring but it will definitely be different. Sometimes change is good, sometimes it's very very bad.

My stance still remains, however. If the Redskins do not select an offensive lineman in the first round of the upcoming draft, I will boycott them this year. I've said it repeatedly: it does not matter who their quarterback is if he doesn't have blocking. Perhaps this move was in an effort to ensure that they could draft a lineman. That I can get on board. However, despite the fact that there is a new coach in town, it is still Snyders team. I'll need to see proof that it isn't before I believe it.

As for Kolb, the new starting quarterback in Philly, I give him 3 weeks before Philly fans start chucking batteries at him.

Bank Happy

While reviewing the 2009 Annual Report for Mr CFO, I noticed that our wee little bank made it in to the top 10 of the 2009 Best Banks countdown in Forbes magazine. Suck it, Flagstar Bancorp!

Celebration bitches!

It somehow escaped my notice that I surpassed post #100 a couple posts ago. Blogger.com should celebrate by sending me a cheese sandwich. Byaawwwhh!

You gotta love sports! (USA! USA! USA! Edition)

Happy Monday! Meh, no such thing. Especially when it isn't football season. Anyway, the Olympics are over and that makes me happy as the NHL gets back in to the groove and I no longer have to come to terms with the fact that I treated curling as a reasonable sporting alternative for two whole weeks.

First off, congrats to Canada for pulling out a big win to take the gold in hockey. If it weren't for Ryan Miller I can guarantee that USA would not have sniffed the gold medal game. Simply put, he was amazing. In the end, however, it simply seemed like the Canadian team was constantly working with a man advantage. They straight up out-played us and if it weren't for a last second goal by Parise, the game wouldn't have been nearly as big as it now seems. I'm kind of pissed that the phenomenon known as Crosby-over-adulation reared its ugly head again. Crosby was, for the most part, invisible for most of the tournament. Just like with the Stanley Cup, though, one play suddenly makes him a freakin' hero. Blow me, Crosby. On a side note that is in no way related to my Red Wing fandom, I have to give a ton of credit to Brian Rafalski. It seemed like he was on the ice at all times and leading just about every offensive surge. Hopefully he can carry that spunk back in to the regular season because he was playing like a turd prior to the Olympic break.

Secondly, yeah f'in USA! It's practically a given that we yanks will show up and just dominate the field. Just give us all the medals. We takes them!

Thirdly, it has come to my attention that I have reason once again to tune in to the YES network this week. That's right, baseball is back! Sure it's only spring training. Whatever, it's still sports.

Fourth, with baseball being back, it looks like it's time for me to finalize the fantasy baseball tiers. I participated in a public league draft last week for practice and I think I did alright. The very frustrating thing was the fact that Yahoo's draft program was constantly disconnecting. If it happens to be your turn to pick and you have some guys loaded in to your queue and you disconnect at the same time, the comp automatically selects the first guy in the list for you. This was to my detriment at least twice. But my offense is loaded. My pitching, not so much.

So there you have it sports fans.

Wait, I forgot something.

Fifthly, SU brought the lumber against 'nova this past Saturday. Being the fair weather SU fan that I am, I've decided it is now safe for me to get on the bandwagon. Rankings come out this afternoon and if SU doesn't get #1 then I am calling shenanigans.

Das Boot!

Ever see that movie "Beerfest" where the boys have to learn the secret of drinking beer out of a glass boot? That shit is real. I had the pleasure of hanging out at Wolff's Biergarten this past weekend on my whirlwind tour of I-90.

The Hot Mary and I shot out to Albany for a quickie visit as one of Mary's friends was having her 24th birthday. So, after my first taste of sushi and some pregame beverages at her apartment, we all went to Wolff's establishment for her free birthday boot.

The thing was huge, and it took four of us to polish it off but at one point I took a drink and as I righted the boot I see beer geyser-ing right back at my face. Luckily, it wasn't quite as dramatic as in the movie but it was undoubtedly true that you must employ some sort of twisty technique in order to drink it properly. I spent the rest of my time trying to figure it out but it never really worked.

What lies in the shadow of the statue?

"Ille qui nos omnes servabit"

YaaaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Lost is back tonight. Fuck you if you don't like it.

Here's your recap to get you up to speed on the happenings...

Alive... in the Superunknown!!!

Holy shit! If the Alice in Chains "reunion" had me amped then the recent rumors of an impending Soundgarden reunion have me doubly super stoked. Just the mere thought of Chris Cornell howling over some sick Kim Thayil riffs give me a boner that CAN NOT BE CONTAINED!!!

I am unapologetically a fanboy of the 90s grunge scene to which all other music fails in comparison. That's my M.O., that's how I get down, that's how I roll. Despite the fact that FM radio seems to play "Outshined" once per hour, I never change the channel. Never.

As much as Nirvana got credit for busting the door open on grunge or alternative rock or whatever you want to call it, as much as Pearl Jam gets the trophy for staying power, Soundgarden had the biggest sound, the heaviest riffs, and the biggest cajones of the scene. Even when they were bad, they were good. Some of their 80s stuff was cheesy as fuck.

Case in point...



Nice, right?

I'm a little curious as to how they are going to rectify their drummer situation, as Cameron has since joined PJ Supreme. What's that? you want a whole video of Matt C drumming to "Evenflow"? Here you go:



So who knows how that will shake out. Early indications are that Cameron will be touring with the reunion, but we'll have to see where it goes from there.

So, in lieu of blathering more about my love of Soundgarden, I'll just post a few more youtube clips.

"The only cosmonaAAUUUTTTT"

Happy New Year, fuckers!!!

Merry Christmas and all that other happy horseshit, too. This newest of blog posts comes inspired by the crunchiness of one, Andrew Stockdale and his band of interchangeable parts.



Yeeaaahhh!!!

I wasn't overly impressed with the first Wolfmother album and it took a delayed liking of "Woman" to gain my interest. That, "Colossal", and "Love Train" are the only songs I can actually remember. At that point the band slowly crept away from my mind and was soon forgotten amongst a horde of bands that have come and gone (Full Devil Jacket, Audiovent, Big Wreck, etc.).

It was by pure bored curiosity that I looked in to their latest, Cosmic Egg, and shit did I have a good time with it. Sure, it may have had something to do with enjoying a fine selection of Sam Adams finest, but the rockin that occurred that evening was fan-tastic.

The reviews that I found for the album are a mixed bag, and the kiss of death known as good-review-by-Rolling-Stone is also present, but my own mind has been made up in the matter.

Again I have to vent on the pretentious world of music reviewer. Who do these people think they are? I read in not one but two reviews that Wolfmother would be better served to be more like The White Stripes. Why? Is it that awful for a band to do their own thing? The similarities between Wolfmother and Led Zeppelin, Jet, and the Stripes are bound to occur if only that they are rock bands with a singer who can reach some of those nut clenching higher registers, but it doesn't mean that one must go out of their fucking way to make that comparison every other fucking paragraph. "Er... blah blah blah look at me the music snob. This music is reminiscent of such bands as blah blah blah because I like them better and know more shit than you." Suck a dick. And I can't stop asking, what is so special about the fucking White Stripes? In fact, excuse me for a moment while I ask that very question on facebook.

Anywho, the riffs on this album are sick. None of the mindless noodling that drives me nuts in most guitar virtuosos, just crunchy fast, epic riffage. Sign me up on that shit. The new rhythm section is tight and hard.

Bands like this always get my attention if they churn out a product I like. At heart I love singers like Eddie Vedder or Scott Weilland (from the Core days, before the drug use tore up his lungs). I like the singing lower. Whiny voices make me want to choke people. So when groups like Wolfmother, Jane's Addiction, and Smashing Pumpkins get my attention, it's an especially big deal for me.

So for those of you keeping score, Peter Steele: Yes



Brendan Brown: No



Just sayin'

Now this post has taken entirely too long, and it's year end time and my ass is swamped with TPS reports. Later hosers.

Back in the game baby!!!

Redskins nation rejoice!!! If there has been one thing over the past decade-plus that has brought out the rage in your average Skins fan, it would have to be the the work of team owner Dan Snyder and pseudo-GM Vinny Cerrato. Now, wishful thinking for Snyder to somehow relinquish his stranglehold on team progress is a lost cause, but Cerrato's removal is certainly within the realm of possibility. For years, however, Snyder & Cerrato were as inseparable as chicken wings and blue cheese.

Well today's news brings the dawn of a new day as it has been released that Vinny Cerrato has resigned from his position, stating that "We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position".

Fan-fucking-tastic. I have been waiting for this for so long that I'd almost forgotten. Bad personnel decisions, wasted draft picks, bloated contracts to aging veterans, those have all been staples of the Cerrato method.

This isn't to say that roster decisions going forward won't be equally putrid as Snyder will still be there and has been known to stick his mits in everything. However, the recent fan outrage may have finally taught him something. We can only hope.

To be honest, the news comes as somewhat of a surprise. The team is finally starting to pull things together in these last few weeks of the NFL season. The offense is starting to click and they gave a number of good teams a run for their money. Of course, bad teams always find a way to lose, but it does end the season on a good note that, hopefully, will carry forward to next season.

However, this team has been awful for over a decade, and I for one have no regrets in seeing Vinny go. So good luck to you Mr Cerrato. I hope you find employment again, soon. Perhaps you should look at the Cowboys. Just sayin'.

"Well we all want something beautiful/ Wish for something true"

New jams from the Foo Fighters. This tune comes courtesy of their Greatest Hits album released last month. Unfortunately, that little nugget of new music comes along with the news that the Foos are going on a little hiatus for some time. Perhaps the fault of that decision is on the label as they forced the release of the record despite the bands protestations that their greatest hits have "yet to be written".

The Foo Fighters have always been something of an anomaly for me, much like 311. The Foos rose from the ashes of Nirvana like the mighty Phoenix (or some other city in Arizona) and I've always been a fan. Following them has naturally always involved comparing them to Nirvana, but the two are really nothing alike. Kurt Cobain was a depressed, suicidal, angst-ridden rock god. Dave Grohl is an upbeat, goofy, fun-loving rock star. The Foo Fighters seem just a touch too radio-friendly compared to their peers; a little too pop, but I've always liked them.

Hopefully this break won't be a long one. Good new music is hard for me to find as I find myself looking into more classic rock, old school hip hop, blues, and jazz. So take your time, Dave, just be sure to come back.

Support the troops!

The time is going by slower than molasses in January today. Most likely it's due to the fact that I am super stoked that tomorrow is Veterans Day and this guy doesn't have to go to work. Just thinking about it makes me giddy. I have absolutely no actual plans for the day off but all I know is that I don't have to do anything accounting related and that is pure awesomeness.

There are a number of reasons why working for a bank sucks but the fact that we get to observe all those sweet holidays is alright with me. So, my activities for tomorrow will be pretty much limited to the following:

• Sleeping late (at least until 8)
• Playing video games (I will finish Fallout 3)
• Rocking out
• Eating a calzone
• Not showering
• Watch a bunch of movies

That about sums it up. Maybe I could:

• getting drunk

...as well. But after my Halloween, I'm kind of hesitant to be partaking in that particular activity for a little while.

I'm having a hard time deciding what movies to watch with my free day. I'd like to give the GI Joe film a shot. What guy my age wasn't a huge fan of Joe back in the day. Like most things I assume that the movie will fuck it all up. For Christ sake they have Sienna Miller in the movie!!! Name me any good movies at all that she's in. Or, for bonus points, just name any movies that she's been in.

Anyway, those are my aspirations in appreciation of the brave men and women who defend my freedom and ability to be a total lazy piece of shit.

Thank you, and God bless.


Army Girl - Watch more amazing videos here

"Yeah, it's me, Mr. Squirrel, not a plastic explosive or anything..."

Some songs don't need lyrics. Tool speaks the language ROCK!



I'm making a push to have my fiance walk down the aisle to this jam but chances are high that it ain't gonna fly.



Perhaps the most epic song ever written and one of the coolest bass grooves in existence. Ride the wave, kiddies!

Into the flood again... again?

Some random Friday things...

I had no idea that the new incarnation of Alice in Chains had released their first CD in something like 50 years until I checked out Deadspin this morning. Read through the football previews a bit and you'll see their youtube link to the first single. It's uncanny how new guy sounds so much like Staley. The song itself sounds so much like vintage AinC it's ridiculous. So, as can be expected, I'm mighty stoked about this. My music preferences for some reason seem to be stuck on repeat in the 1990-1995 era and haven't been able to move past brooding lyrics, thick ugly distortion, and subject matter mostly limited to losing buddies to heroin. That's Alice in Chains to a T. My lunch break may feature a trip over to Best Buy (and Subway?) later. Or perhaps I will have to scoot on home after work and visit Isohunt instead. Viva le Grunge!

And in other Friday surprises, I was also unaware that hockey started yesterday. If you were a casual ESPN radio listener you would think that the only thing that happened yesterday was this:

ALEX OVECHKIN SCORES 2 GOAAAALLLLLSSSSSS!!!!!!

rather than this:

Washington 4, Boston 1

Montreal 4, Toronto 3 OT

Calgary 5, Vancouver 3

Colorado 5, San Jose 2

Ever since the NHL signed on with Vs and broke off their relationship with ESPN, the worldwide leader has made it painfully clear that they could give two shits about hockey. If there is a person alive who cares more about Who's Now than what's happening in hockey they deserve to be sodomized with Stuart Scott's head.

Still, hockey's back and that is good for me. Despite the fact that it hasn't gotten out of the 40s here in central New York this is the best time of year. Baseball playoffs, Football, and Hockey all at my disposal. Thus ends my pathetic attempts at being outside and active as those give way to sitting in front of teevees, eating shitty food covered in cheese, and pounding Pabst Blue Ribbons. You gotta love sports!

In other news, Letterman let on last night that he's been getting down and dirty with some of his co-workers. Apparently some douche on another show has known about it and has been trying to extort some cash from Letterman. I honestly don't know if I care. Of course it's a dick move as it's safe to assume that this has been going on while he's been with whatever lady he recently married, but who's to say that they haven't already addressed this privately. Still, extortion-guy really fucked up by trying to blackmail him. You're just getting your own ass in trouble in that situation.

Pain is only temporary!!!

In light of the fact that I lost none of the weight that I planned on losing in time for neither an old high school friends wedding or my upcoming engagement pictures, I've decided to at least make a solid effort on slimming down in time for my wedding. That gives me about 7 or 8 months to stop being a fat ass. I don't think I'm huge but this body fat calculator tells me I'm obese. What a crock of shit. So here it goes. I've made several firm decisions to stop eating so much and exercise more but I almost always lose focus and help myself to some more cheese. You know why? Because cheese if fucking delicious. Anywho, I thought maybe if I put this in a blog it would help me focus better. Let's see how it goes.

Dos Aguila Por Favor!!!

At some point I want to put up a post detailing the best week of my life. In April 2009 I visited my then-girlfriend/now-fiance in the country of Colombia where she was teaching on a Fulbright scholarship at a university in the city of Medellin. It was my first real time out of the states (Canada and Cancun do not count) and it was amazing.

The country is gorgeous, the people are friendly, I turned 30, and we got engaged. It's a shame that the country suffers from such a bad reputation but, on the other hand, fear of drug lords and murder keep the number of wandering gringo at a minimum. My only wish is that I had taken more pictures. I guess that means I will just have to go back someday...

Renaissance Man

Long time no post. What's up with that? Oh that's right, I've been working. Slave to the man, that's me. I'm on my 4th cup of coffee and it's been a rough week but luckily I have the smooth sounds of one Kamaal Ibn John Fareed to help me get by.

Kamaal, or Q-Tip as the kids call him, came to fame as a part of the best, in my opinion, hip hop/rap/whatever group of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. That may not be the best praise in the world since I consider most rap to be garbage.

Fifty Cents? Garbage and borderline retarded.

Tea Pane? Pile of crap and I couldn't name a song he "sings".

Wayne Jr.? Who the hell is that?

Quite honestly I can't really think of any other rappers and I have no idea who's even current right now. I could care less. At one point I did go through a rap phase where I was into DMX, Ja Rule and maybe a couple others I'm forgetting. DMX I can still listen to now and then because at one point he got to co-star with the one and only Steven Seagal, but Ja Rule has since been exposed as a sucka MC.

But all through late high school and college it all I had one cd that has always been part of my collection, The Low End Theory. Since then I've since latched on to Midnight Marauders
but no matter what Tribe has always seemed kind of special and able to cross the genre.

Which brings me to Q-Tip. For shits and giggles I picked up a solo album he put out last year, The Renaissance. I can't even really explain it all. There's just something so chill about the whole thing, and Tribe in general, that makes it really easy to listen to. It's the type of disk you can throw in and before you know it you're head's bobbing and you've got a smile on your face. Want to get some things done at the office and mellow out after the boss has been riding your back all day? Listen to this album. Want to keep the buzz alive after last call? Crap open a nice cold PBR (can, if possible) and let Q-Tip tell you what's up. Want to rock out a set of squats at the gym? Um... don't listen to this album. Instead you might want to listen to some Slipknot and then punch a girl in the face.

Can I just say that at some point I hope to someday have a job reviewing albums at Rolling Stone? Looking back I see they gave Midnight Marauders 2 stars. Two fricken stars!!! This is the same magazine that heralded Franz Ferdinand as the next coming of Led Zeppelin and voted Jack White as one of the best guitarists of all time! Seriously people?

"Now who's the dragon at my door?"

Big Wreck! (and just some plain old Thornley)

Mix it up again

Spinning some more favorites. This is a special Tool edition.

Kyuss-Demon Cleaner



Only found out about this song because of a live Tool cover I found a long time back off of Napster. The original is bad ass. Not too familiar with Kyuss but their singer is now the frontman for Queens of the Stone Age.

Peach - You Lied



Another song covered by Tool. Their bassist is now with Tool I believe.

Tool - No Quarter



Yeah!

"I'm all by myself, as I've always felt..."

Nothing too exciting has happened in ashtray-land so blogging material has been kind of lacking. There are few things that I get passionate about but music has to be one of them. Unfortunately, as I find less and less in the way of new music to listen to, I don't spend as much time just relaxing and enjoying some tunes the way I used to. When I'm in the car I find myself listening to either sports or politics; very rarely flipping over to the FM side of things. Can you blame me? When every other station is Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift why should i bother? The rock stations seem to feed their listeners a steady diet of Godsmack and Disturbed which I guess is a step-up from emo. How sad is it when the most excited I've been over radio is this morning when I heard "Say Hello 2 Heaven"?

So, rather than listen to Jim Rome talk about nothing for 3 hours, I fired up the Windows Media Player with my mega mix and was surprised by how much I was digging The Smashing Pumpkins "Soma" off of Siamese Dream. The Pumpkins, much like 311, have always been sort of an enigma for me in that they are one of the bands I most enjoy listening to, but there is just something that bothers me about them. I can basically divide their songs in two categories: awesome, or, drive-me-crazy.

It all comes down to Billy Corgan's voice to me. It's so damn whiny and annoying when he sings normally, and when he tries to let out a growl it's downright absurd. But tunes like "Cherub Rock", "I Am One", "Hummer", "I of the Mourning", and "Muzzle" are all a rockin' good time, as well as a bunch of others.

It's too bad that they are yet another band from my youth that kind of fell apart. They'll still remain in my pantheon of rock and I'll still enjoy digging them out when they are considered oldies. Just don't ever bring up Adore.