Suh-weet!

I just made an amazing discovery: my TV has Picture-in-Picture!!! I tried the buttons a YEAR ago when I first got cable in my apartment and they didn't work. Or so I thought. It turns out you just have to press on them harder than you might think at first. I found this out by dropping the remote on my end table and poof! up pops the magic screen. It also works with the DVR. I can now watch taped Daily Shows while keeping an eye on the Red Sox. Currently I'm watching my first Pre-Season NFL game and the Olympics at the SAME TIME!! I love it. Truly, truly love it. So much so that I'm not even mad I haven't discovered it until now.

Also, I am way into the Olympics at this point. I had to record last nights women's gymnastics all-around and watch it today.

SDTK: "You gotta be kidding me?! Picture-in-Picture?!" (Minor dance party ensues)

G's up, Ho's down

That's right. I'm back. Just as I started writing this Snoop Dogg came up on iTunes so I might have to take writing breaks to dance a little.

So, It's been a while. Sorry to all my readers for the prolonged absence. There was a lot going on to write about, but I just didn't feel like it. Not in so much that I didn't feel like WRITING, but I didn't feel like writing about myself. I was just bored with myself. Do you ever get that? Bored with everything about yourself: your likes, your dislikes, feeling lonely, feeling like you need some time alone, your brokeness, your music, your apt, etc. I finally got to where I was bored of being bored. Also, we started playing weddings and some actual money started rolling in. I can't explain how much everyone's outlook changes for the better when we're actually making money. Not having the stress of playing chess with your bills to get them all paid is a significant boost to the system. So what is going on?

Well, it's summer so that means wedding season. Woo Hoo! We've played some pretty fun weddings so far. Last weekend was at The Round Barn in Waitsfield. It's our favorite place to play weddings by far. They just have their shit together at such a higher level than anywhere else and they're really nice. Also, there was the added bonus of my favorite bartender from Waitsfield (who I have a secret crush on - shh, don't tell) working the wedding. The people attending the wedding were really nice, but not so much the dancing crowd. Belting out "Don't Stop Believing" to 100 people sitting down ranks among the stranger things I've done in my career. But, we gots paid, so that makes up for a lot.

I also finally got a practice drum kit for my apt. Drums are such a physical instrument that it's kind of hard to really practice with out a set. Practice pads are helpful, but only when there's not a kit around. So I'm looking forward to some serious practice sessions most likely resulting in my over-use of Carter Beauford-esque fills in my shows from now on.

What else, you ask? Well, I officially turned 33 last Monday (look for a separate post about that) and got to go home to Rochester/Syracuse. That was a lot of fun. Got to see the fam, my bros. new gianormous house, and The Dark Knight (seen it twice already and probably going for #3 soon!).

That's it for now. Look for my tribute to the number 33 coming soon.

SDTK: Currently iTunes shuffle is playing "Man From The Past" by Tower of Power

Cuddle Parties?

Here's Colbert's take on the newest sensation in New Age group therapy: Cuddle Parties:

"Cuddle Parties? Look, I know an orgy when I see one...If I'm gonna get down on the floor and cuddle with total strangers, things better get real freaky, FAST! I'm talking Sodom and Gomorrah on all fours. I mean there better be things going on that would make Caligula blush."

Hilarious.

Sdtk: The sound of my laughter weeknights between 11:30 and 12:00.

Beat Down

I am beat down. Big weekend in The Manch. 8 Days in April began on Saturday and has been going well. I've been a busy man though. I set up a lot of drumsets (2 actually) and played in 4 bands already. It's fun to be popular (read: music whore), but it's tiring. I'm currently home catching up on my cuff link work and my Dancing With The Stars. I mean, I can't watch The Daily Show exclusively! Although I'm psyched tonight because my favorite Irish politician will be on. I'll post again later with more stories and pics from 8 Days. I have to go vote for Kristi Yamaguchi now.

Sdtk: The sound of my exasperation when I found out NESN was showing stoopid hockey (which is only fun if, you know, you're hammered) instead of the Sox.

King of Kong

Hello! Anyone tall enough to play stand-up arcade games in the 80's needs to see the movie "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters". It's a documentary about the world of video game high scores centered around a battle for the high score on Donkey Kong. Sound nerdy? It is, but it's hilarious and really well done. You couldn't write characters this good. It's also got a great soundtrack and a bunch of subtle nods to the 80's that only someone alive then (like me) would appreciate. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 96% Fresh, which for them is almost unheard of. See it, you won't be disappointed.

Also check out the new blog in my "links section": The Adventures of GirlTuesday. I've been enjoying this blog for some time now and finally put up the link to it. It's funny, smart, witty, and well written...sound like any other blog you know?? No, really, any other blogs like that? I enjoy reading them.

SDTK: Joe Esposito - "You're the Best" (from the Karate Kid soundtrack)

Flames.

Hello again. As usual it's been a busy time here at The Program. A lot of playing. A lot, yet not enough time in the studio. I say not enough because I feel I have more to do in the studio on Jer's new record, it sounds really, really good, I'd just like to spend more time there because it's a lot of fun. The vibe in that studio right now is electric. We all can sense this project is truly something special. I can't wait to finish it and get it into the world so everyone can understand what I'm talking about. We're looking forward to the upcoming show at Higher Ground on the 21st of March. If you're anywhere within 4 hours of Burlington, VT, you should come to this show. The CD won't be out yet, but you can hear the songs we've all had in our head constantly for the past month and a half.

After getting back from the studio, The Grift had a good show at the new Two Bros. downstairs venue. The space could still use a raised stage, but it's a 30 second drive from my house, so it's hard to complain. The next night I got to participate in my first symposium at Middlebury College. For those of you who didn't go there, Middlebury calls any lecture/conversation with more than one person a "symposium" and they were ubiquitous during my 4 years there. This one was a discussion for the beginning of "Arts Week" about the music business and how alumni from Midd fit into it. The panel was Laura Thomas, Chris Farrell, and myself. It wasn't that well attended (symposiums rarely are), but it was still really fun. We talked a lot about how we got into the business and how Middlebury fit into it. It was interesting to hear their take on it and good to talk out loud about things I hadn't given voice to. We got to play a little too which was fun because I always have a good time playing with those two. Later that night I went to see the Laura Thomas Band play at the afore mentioned Two Bros. They were great. If you live in the NYC region, you should definitely check them out. It would have been nice to see Cletus there, but the band still rocked. I also got to sit in on bass for a couple old Polonius Funk standards. They're still funky tunes.

The next day, Saturday, is when the real shit started. Saturday was one of the most surreal days of my life. A serious 24 hour roller coaster. It started on our drive to Boston from Burlington to play a show we have been looking forward to for months, the CD release party for The Old Silver Band at Harper's Ferry. Actually, the day started with shaving my beard into my mustache tribute to the OSB. Being the mustache aficionados that they are, I knew they'd appreciate it.
Back to the driving... Everything was going smooth. We had a great book on CD by Micheal Connelly and Harry Bosch was getting closer and closer to solving the case. Suddenly there was a loud pop and hiss and then the van started chugging loudly. I was driving at the time and thought we got a flat tire. I may have even said "Shit, I think we just got a flat tire". I braced the wheel, ready for the usual pull to whatever side the tire blew on and nothing happened. I decided to speed up and sure enough the chugging got louder and quicker, right in the area of the engine. We thought maybe we had lost connection with our muffler or something. We were pretty close to an exit for Concord, NH so I pulled off and we looked for a place to park and gather ourselves. After conflicting directions from several people, I called AAA (thanks, mom!) and they told us there was a Sears open 3 miles away. A garage open on Saturday?! We brought it in and they looked at it and thought they could fix it by Sunday afternoon. That's right, they're open on Sunday too! We got a hold of Clint who was already in Boston and he got the OSB's van and came to get us. In the meantime, we're stranded in a mall in Concord for an hour. We pass the time, go outside to meet Clint to go down to Boston and what was a clear, sunny day an hour ago has now turned into an inch of snow and counting. Really!? Could this suck any worse? Luckily we drive out of the snow pretty quickly and make it to the show with just enough time for us to load our crap in before the first band, our friends from Burlington, Bad Suit go on. Finally, we're at the show, we're loaded in, and the music starts. Bad Suit killed it. I had never seen them and they rocked! Then it was our turn and we played really well. I'll say one thing about this band, we play well under stress. It was such a relief to play after the shitty afternoon we had had. We still didn't know how or if we were getting home the next day, but we put all that behind us and brought it. People were psyched and dancing, we were happy to be playing, I didn't drop a stick, it was great. Ahhh...now we could just watch our friends and saviors the OSB and enjoy ourselves. If you've never heard the OSB, it's very happy music. It's good for what ails you. There was a rotating line up of guests with the OSB including all of The Grift boys except one, me. I was too busy enjoying myself dancing and perhaps...(though this is all your going to get) romancing. What started out as a disastrously stressful day turned into a truly great night. The best I've had in a long, long time.

The next day word got to us the van was fixed! Turns out a spark plug blew out of the engine. Whoops! They replaced it and the coil and we were GTG. After walking around sunny Boston for a bit, I met up with Big Time, PD+MLE, and we got a ride back to Concord from our good friend EC (coming through strong!). We got in the van and I slept like a champ all the way back to VT. Sadly, the mustache has come off, but like the day I had while wearing it, I will remember it fondly forever.

SDTK: "Burning Heart" - Survivor (from the Rocky IV soundtrack)

Back to the Lab Again

So, lot of big things doing here for The Program. I just got back from Providence RI where I was laying down drum tracks for the upcoming Jer Coons record. I love being in the studio. It's a lot of work but also a lot of fun. We were recording at Strangeways Recording. I got to use Mike's drum kit and it sounded huge. I'm psyched to hear how the rest of the record turns out. When we weren't recording or watching the results from Super Tuesday, we ate a lot of good food. There are some really nice, cheap vegetarian eats in Providence. Who knew? One of the highlights of the trip was on the first day we got there and we went to Guitar Center and Chipotle in the same hour. That's a good way to start a session, no?

The Grift also just released a new live CD called "Live at Nectar's". I know it's hard to keep track sometimes, but on this CD I play the drums for most of it and bass on a couple tunes that Russ sits in on. Last Saturday night we had a CD release party at (ironically) Nectar's. It was a blast. The crowd was rocking and hopefully so were we. Anyone interested in picking up the CD can email me or hopefully it will be available for sale up on The Grift site soon.

That's all from The Program. For now, I'm going to try to adjust to life back in the snow (Providences weather was much nicer).

SDTK.: Matisyahu "Youth"

I Still Hate the Giants.

I still Hate the Giants.

I HATE The Giants!

It's true. I do. For those of you who don't know, I'm a Cowboys fan. I'm also a Pats fan, which presented some problems earlier in the season. I was hoping it was going to present some problems for the Super Bowl. Now I'll have no such problems thanks to the Cowboys beating themselves while playing the Giants. I won't go into specifics about that last sentence except to say: who slows down their route in the End Zone when you're down by 7 at the end of the game?!? Crayton... I'm looking in your direction...

Anyways, I would rather have not made the playoff than have to lose to the fucking Giants. For those of you who don't follow football, the Giants are the football equivalent of the Yankees. You might think since the Jest play in the same conference as the Pats, they would be the NFL Yankee doppelganger. The NY Jets are really more like the Mets: they're so inconsistent season to season, that they pretty much only have fans inside the NY metro region (and Long Island, but who cares about Long Island?). The Giants on the other hand have obnoxious fans all over New England (and New Jersey, 'nuff said). I'm not saying that Cowboys fans can't be obnoxious too, but this is MY blog, dammit.

So now it's Pats all the way, relieving me of some tough introspection I would have to do if it was a Cowboys/Pats Sooper Bowl. You'd think I'd thank the Giants for helping me out with that. Well, you'd be wrong.


Sdtk.: The sound of my teeth grinding that ENTIRE FUCKING GAME!!

Back On The Wagon

I'm back! I know, the writers' strike is still going on, but if The Daily Show and Colbert can go back on, so can I. I'm so happy to have them back. I laughed hysterically at last night's shows. There's so much going on what with the primaries, Kenya, Pakistan, etc., etc. I'm glad I can now find out about all of them. I didn't realize how much I actually got my news from those shows. I used to get it from NPR as well, but living in Middlebury, I don't listen to NPR as much as I used to.

So what's been going on with me, you ask? The Grift has been very busy playing shows all over. There were a lot before the holidays and a lot after. It's funny, usually people think of the holidays as stressful because of all the running around and for me it was the most relaxed time I've had in a while. A nice change from not running around as much as I do in my everyday life. Just what I needed.

What else? I've been playing a lot of piano recently. I don't know why, but I've really been in the mood to play some piano. So I said what the hell, why not? So I've been learning tunes in the downtimes between doing things I should actually be doing. This week I've learned 3 songs: Lights by Journey, Warning Sign by Coldplay, and Autumn Leaves. I'm pretty psyched about it.

Well, I'm glad to be back if for no other reason than to have back my outlet for telling everyone how funny I am. Like just before I wrote this I was on Yahoo! and saw a news article about how the Russians are winning the race to put a human on Mars first. My first thought was "Well that's fitting, it is a RED planet." HA!! Man, that's such good joke writing, I should go back on strike! Alas, I won't. So look for more frequent posts in the future. I gotta run, my DVR should have recorded through the first set of commercials on The Daily Show by now. Till next time...

SDTK: A lot of Drum and Bass by Aphrodite that I got from my brother at Christmastime.

Solidarity

Hello. Do not be alarmed, but I am not The Jefe. My name is Manuel Elisando. I am filling in for The Jefe while he is on strike. Many of you are wondering why it has been so long since he has posted on this blog. Apparently no one told The Jefe that the writers strike was only for TV and movie writers. The Jefe heard about the strike and did not want to cross the picket line and risk offending the union. He fails to realize he is not in the union nor is he even getting paid for writing this blog. I have been told, however, he still looks in his mailbox for the check after every blog entry.

It seems The Program was getting bored being idle and waiting for either the strike to end or The Jefe to realize he is an idiot so it took matters into its own hands. It found me at a Home Depot with some fellow compatriots looking for work. Since I speak English, am not unionized, and even the mere thought of collective bargaining is punishable by death where I come from, The Program decided I would be a great scab.

I do not know what else to say. I don't think I can muster the stomach to write the same type of sad "humor" that fills the previous blog entries. I also can't write about lame insights I had into the Daily Show or Colbert Report because they are all reruns due to the strike. I also have never met The Burger nor Gus. I guess all we can do is hope for the strike to come to an end. Soon. Please.

Sdtk: "Heck no, we won't go! Heck no, we won't go!...."

Nexus.

It happened last night. Possibly the greatest night of television ever. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The stars were aligning or something. So many things coming together. I think it's got to be some sort of sign. No, not of the Apocalypse. What's the opposite of "Apocalypse"? Well, whatever it is that's what happened last night. Get this:
1) The Season Premiere of The Simpsons guest starring Stephen Colbert. Brilliant. Two great tastes that taste great together.
2) The Season Premiere of Family Guy doing an animated version of Star Wars. I almost peed myself. 80% of it was animated shots directly from the movie with the same music cues and everything. It must have taken them forever. Self-effacing references everywhere. It was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.
3) Michaels, Madden, and the Cowboys winning on Sunday Night Football.

I almost have a hangover that night was so good.

Sdtk: My sigh of contentment.

Musings on Fascism

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this blog entry are of a political nature and if the three of you don't like it, tough shit.

I was watching the Colbert Report the other night and his guest was a woman who wrote a book about the oncoming fascist regime in the US. In her book she lays out 10 steps every country that had a Fascist dictator went through leading up to the Fascist takeover. She explained some of them on air and said that the US was quickly progressing through the 10. They had to do with the culture of fear being bred by politicians, how they use this fear to extend executive power, and how by the time the populace realizes it a dictator has emerged and the people look the other way.

Now, I'm usually on the side of the Left-leaning guests on the show, but it seems to me she was going a little overboard. I understand her point and a lot of what she said makes sense, but fascism? I don't think any of the countries that have had Fascist states were built on as strong a foundation of democracy as ours is. Sure, we might be in a less democratic time in our history than others, but we have a long established tradition of it that helps to get through the rougher times. Fascism is like a modern monarchy. Take out the whole hereditary aspect, throw in some modern political lingo and what is essentially a king calls himself a "Dictator". The European and South American countries that had Fascist dictators had at one point been under the rule of kings. You could make individual cases for each, but I'm guessing they weren't democracies for 200+ years before falling into fascism.

Fear in this country IS very high and promoted to a needlessly high level by politicians who want to a)have more power and b)keep their power. They have extended their power into illegally keeping tabs on what people are doing. They have promoted the use of private militias like Blackwater (can you say "SS"?). They have done a lot of alarming things that do point down the road to fascism, but doesn't anyone remember our good friend Communism? Has it been so long we've forgotten the Cold War? You want to talk about your paranoia and government spying on its own people. Does the name Joe McCarthy ring any bells? Don't get me wrong, terrorism is a real dangerous threat to be taken very seriously, but don't think for a second they are more dangerous than the USSR was at the peak of the Cold War. Yes, Al Qaeda managed to do what the Russians never did, attack us on our own soil. That doesn't mean they couldn't have. The only thing that kept that from happening was that we knew where they lived and the cost of such an action would have meant an all out war most likely resulting in the destruction of Earth. I think any physical threat posed by terrorism pales in comparison to the literally planet ending threat of the Cold War.

During the many years of the Cold War, this country was gripped by fear. At some times worse than others. We had a serious domestic spying program. We had people in power who thought a world destroying conflict was right around the corner and had convinced large portions of the populace of it. Our whole foreign policy was geared towards fighting it. The good news is we got through it without devolving into fascism. We took some hits to our democracy and still stood. In many of the countries where fascism took root it was a direct result of anti-communist sentiment. We were almost pathologically anti-communist and still didn't go off the deep end. We had some fascist-like policies and practices, we still do, but still in the general framework of a democracy.

Please don't take this as praise for how we reacted to Communism or how we are reacting now to terrorism. I think we were and are far too heavy handed and are going against the spirit of reason and rule of law that this country was founded on. My point is that even if you, like me, think the Bush administration's handling of this current situation borders on criminal, it doesn't mean we're headed towards a fascist state. If we can get through the paranoia of the Cold War, I'm sure we can weather this with our democracy intact. That is, provided we pay attention...

...uh oh.

Sdtk.: Sting - "Russians" or anything by Rage Against the Machine

Bring. It. On.

The 2007/2008 NFL season starts tonight and I couldn't be more exited. I've got the DVR all warmed up for those Sunday afternoon games when I have to work at N&O's. I'm looking online for a crock pot-like item to make chili when the weather starts turning colder. On top of that my man, Mike Golic, has the Cowboys as his pick to go to the Superbowl this year. Will this be the year my allegiances are truly tested with a Cowboys/Patriots Superbowl? I have to admit, last year I was behind my man Satan Manning to get the ring (after all, he DID anchor my fantasy team all year long), but this year....Let's not get too far ahead. Bring on week one!

I'll also be giving updates on my weekly progress in my team football pool. I decided against fantasy football this year. I really don't like the way it emphasizes individuals over teams (how very socialist of me). I would be divided when the Cowboys would score: half was happy they scored, half would be upset because they scored with someone not on my fantasy team. That's just wrong in my book.

Sdtk: Pandora Radio: My own "Bonobo Radio"

Under The Boardwalk

Greetings, programs! I made it. I put in my time, I learned the songs, I played the gigs, and now I can relax...for a while. So, the past two weeks have been busier than most. The Grift and the Laura Thomas Band had a great round of shows last weekend. First was the penultimate gig at The Wife in Manchester, then a trip down to Boston to play at a club called the Lizard Lounge. It was a cool little club where our Midd fans showed up in droves. I got to see some people I haven't seen in a while including my good friend Feebee. That evening ended with the usual "scour the entire city of Boston for a parking spot for Vanna White and wind up at a hotel at 4AM". That was, however, easy compared to the next day's trip to NYC. It took us a mere 6 1/2 hours to get from Boston to NY. The worst part was there was no construction or bad accidents, just a serious number of cars on the road. We finally got to NY and by the grace of Jebus we found a parking spot right next to the club! We got there in plenty of time to hit up my favorite burrito spot, Chipotle. MMMMmmm...burritos. Oh yeah, the gig was good too. It was a good crowd for August in NYC and both bands rocked it. It was really fun to play some bass again. After 12 years of ownership, my bass also finally acquired a name: White Chocolate! (you have to say it with the exclamation mark). Notso and I got a good long laugh when I came up with that.

On the following Wednesday we played our final Perfect Wife show. It was a great show, monetarily the best Wed. night the bar has had there. Why would we stop playing there then? Well, the owner wants to focus more on the dinner side of things and as successful as Wed. nights have become, she wants to keep the late night music scene to only the weekends there. So, we decided it was best if we kept the late-night thing going, just somewhere else. We're moving down the road to the Manchester Bar and Grill. It's not as nice a space as The Wife and I'll miss their ever evolving dessert menu, but it's good to shake things up every once in a while. I'll keep you all up on how it's going there.

This weekend I had a show in the East Coast gambling mecca of Atlantic City. The show was at Harrah's Casino with a band called Keith Lewis and the Shift. I got the gig through my good friend Russ Lawton who plays drums in the group. They play a few days in a row at the casino every couple of months. On this occasion, their bass player couldn't make the Saturday show and as The Grift had the weekend off, I went down and filled in. It was one of the more big pimpin' gigs I've played. The stage had all it's own backline equipment, we had our own hotel rooms (the photo is the view from my window), and there was a cafeteria that is free to employees and open 24 hours. I tell you, there are few things better than getting done with a show, carrying only your bass off stage, dropping it off in your own room, and hitting up the caf at 2AM for post-gig donuts and ice cream. I was so excited with everything else, I forgot to gamble. The slot machines were so ever-present they seemed more part of the decor than something to be "played". There was also a huge pool area. That's the "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" looking structure in the photo. In the dome there is a pool and hot tub, but also you can rent these cabanas all around and there are a couple big bars as well. Late night they have patries there complete with rave lights and DJ's. Actually, the day after we left ?ustlove of The Roots was spinning there. The gig itself went really well. The guys in the band were super cool and great players. It's a special thing when you can play with people you've never met before, get along instantly, and really put on a good show.

I did get out to walk on the Boardwalk one day. It was nice. It reminded me of when my family used to come to Jersey in the summers to go to the beach. I had a hankering for some salt water taffy. People always say what a cesspool AC is, but it was ok. I'm sure there lots of parts that are not, but getting too and from the boardwalk area was fine. They could probably help themselves out by changing the name of the street the boardwalk is on though (see photo #2). I never saw AC in it's heyday (if it ever had one), but it still seemed a vibrant place to me. Then again, I live in VT.

So now we're just gearing up for a full Fall. A couple more weddings and prep schools shows will be starting up again. Til next time...


Sdtk: Springsteen's "Born to Run" album. (I listened to it twice in a row while driving through NJ)

Burn Out.

Whew! It's been a while since I posted last and I haven't even noticed the time go by. I have been slammed with all the things going on. We've played A LOT of shows recently of all kinds: weddings, bars, clubs, outdoor, big stage, small stage...which have been fun, but a little taxing on the body (you know, with all the late night hooker and blow parties we have). I've also been learning about 50 songs for a couple gigs I have coming up as a hired gun. It's fun to pick up the bass again, but still just piling on top of the general feeling I have of bread left in the toaster too long. I'm not complaining so much as venting. Releasing a little steam before I get back to work and learn some more tunes for the week's shows. They should be good one's though. We're playing with The Laura Thomas Band in VT, Boston, and NYC. Good times. Hopefully I'll get some pictures for my next post. Until then...

Sdtk: Common - "The People"

No Band Is An Island...

...unless that band's 6" stage is surrounded by 4" of water. You always hear about flash flood warnings, but who really pays attention? I will from now on. We were at a wedding in the Northeast Kingdom of VT this weekend when thunderstorms of biblical proportion took over. One minute I was dealing with a dripping tent, the next I was pulling anything off stage onto the stage to avoid it being completely submerged in water. There's really nothing you like to see more than your power strip completely underwater. Luckily we got everything out of the water safely, I think. We'll see the next time we plug it in.
So Pete and I are standing there on stage thinking hanging out in a pool of water during a thunderstorm is probably a bad idea. However, as you can see from the picture, the bar was also surrounded by the water, as was the dance floor and the food, so most everyone else was not taking the same precautions. That was until lightning struck somewhere close by and everyone in the water got shocked. Nothing severe, but enough to close down any hope of an impromptu pool party.
The rain eventually stopped and the water receded enough for us to pack away all of our nonessential gear. We ended up moving onto the porch, rocking out, and saving the day.

Sdtk: Michael Connelly - "Chasing the Dime" (as read by Alfred Molina)

Nerd Alert!

So my brother got me a Playstation game for my birthday. Thanks Jon for a very good and thoughtful gift. The catch is that it's not the latest 1st person shooter or "Run Over Pimps and Ho's in Tanks 3". It's not even as mild mannered as golf. Yes, it's a crossword puzzle game. While the rest of the world is using their Playstations to destroy Gozer and Zuul with Nuclear Accelerator Packs (anyone?), I am doing crossword puzzles. Now maybe you all can help me figure out which is more nerdy: the fact that my brother thought it would be an appropriate gift for me OR the jolt of excitement I felt when I unwrapped it.

Sdtk: "Cleanin' Up The Town" - The Bus Boys

July 21st, A Day That Will Live In Infamy

Hello again. It's been an event filled time here at The Program. On the 21st I turned the big 32! Now for some of you, that might not seem like that significant of a number, and in all honesty it's not. However, for those of us still indulging in our adolescent fantasy of rock stardom, 32 is pushing it. Really pushing it. Also on the 21st was our fifth Do the Deck in West Addison. It was a great day to be outside surrounded by friends and family, playing music, swimming, and eating cake (it was my birthday after all - not that I need an excuse to eat cake). The weather this year had to be the best yet. Sunny but not too hot and not raining for 8 hours straight.
I also received the new Harry Potter book on my birthday (thanks Jess!). I decided not to open it that day because I had so much to do. If I had started to read it right away, I would have spent all day inside missing my own party. As I know now having finished the 750 page book on Tuesday, it would have been worth it. I won't give anything away, I'm no spoiler, but I will say I liked it. Like the last 2 books it was slow at times, but finished strong.
Now on to an action packed August! Someone pass me my Geritol...

Sdtk: The ever-present construction noises of summer in VT. Are they repaving the whole freaking state?!?

The Force is strong in this one

In a move considered both wise and dangerous, The Jedi Council has decided to move up young Gus Leashwalker from the rank of Padawan to full fledged Jedi Knight. The Council bestowed this honor after Gus successfully completed the Jedi trials with exceptionally high marks. When asked for comment on how the trials were, Gus in one word replied, "Rough!"
"Some of his abilities", says Jedi Master Kyp Durron, "are off the charts. His use of Force Suggestion is unparalleled. Even on the strongest of minds he is able to exert his will. I mean, I've seen him get people to follow him around and pick up his own excrement for him, without even uttering a single word! I'm just glad he's on our side."
Here at The Program, we would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Gus. May the Force be with him.

Sdtk.: "The Throne Room Theme" - Star Wars Sdtk.