DJ MFC in the Wild

Weddings, weddings, weddings! Tis the season. Last weekend was a big one. Clint and Rhonda tied the old knot here in VT. It was a great time. From the photographer (Ben), to the DJ (me) to the minister (Reddick Watson), everyone involved was a close friend of the couple. It was great to see almost all of my favorite people in one place. The ceremony was well done, the dinner was tasty, and the reception was an all night dance fest (thanks in part to yours truly on the 1's and 2's and in part to the never-ending dance machine that is Rhonda literally booing anyone who left early). It went exactly as hoped all the way around. The evening topped off with some well deserved fries and shakes in the parking lot at the 24 hour McD's. Who could ask for anything more.


With people still kicking around VT for the week, some of us decided to go camping. It might shock some of you that I know what camping is at all. I even know how to canoe (see picture). That's me not paddling when I should be. Someone's got to document the fact that I was there. No one would believe me otherwise. What you can't see in the photo is Gus lying down in the canoe. He was a champ. He had never been in a canoe and he couldn't have been better.

So vacation continues for another week here at The Program. Maybe this'll mean more posts, most likely it'll mean more Battlestar Galactica DVD rentals from the library. So say we all.

Sdtk: The sounds of the Pac-Man machine at Neil and Otto's. (I gotta get the internet hooked up in my apt.) Wakawakawakawakawakawaka....

I Miss Cable.

So, I don't have cable yet in my new apartment. I've really been jonesing for some Daily Show action. In the interim, I've been reading news magazines. That's correct, I've stooped so low as to read. I mean, it's not even like Harry Potter magazines where the pictures move a little.

The good news is that I ran into this article by my favorite regular Daily Show guest and all around smart guy, Fareed Zakaria. I HIGHLY recommend reading it. Do it.

North Of The Border

So, what have I been doing lately, you ask? Well, last weekend I went to Montreal for Clint's bachelor party. I'm not going to go into much detail about that. All 4 of you who read my blog can contact me individually for details, but I don't want to send up too many Homeland Security flags by elucidating what went on there in this blog.

This weekend was Reunion at Middlebury. Despite it's weak turnout, it was pretty fun. I saw some people I haven't seen in a while and we played a good show for all the alums. Let's just say Bon Jovi sounds good with the natural reverb of Johnson Hall. I also got to hang out with Gus (see below). That's always fun. That also meant I got to hang out with the ex. Unfortunately that was really fun as well. I sort of envy those people who have break-ups where they don't like their ex anymore. I certainly wouldn't change how well we get along, but it makes for a lot of sigh-able moments. Especially now that singledom has pretty much lost its novelty.

I'll leave you this week with a piece of Jimmy Dugan's sage advice: Always bring a watch with you to the strip club. Trust me, it's good advice.


Sdtk: Linkin Park - "Minutes To Midnight"

Return of the Feb Five!

So this weekend found me in New Hampshire at the wedding of my good friend Ben from the Middlebury days. It was a great weekend. It started out with a bachelor party on Thursday that consisted of Thai food and my first ever Red Sox game at Fenway. Not a bad way to start a weekend. Other than just being in Fenway, the game was a good one. There were a couple home runs, 3 diving catches, a late tie that was overcome by great relief pitching, stolen bases, etc. Schilling started the game, which was cool because how often do you get to see a future Hall of Famer pitch? We were sitting in center field and had a great view of the line that the pitches were taking. It got crazy when Okajima came up to pitch. His signature pitch, whatever it's called, was fun to watch in person. Even from behind him, I couldn't see where it was going to end up.

Friday we did the rehearsal and dinner thing and then met up with some of the early arrivals in Manchester, NH. The best part of the night was when we got back to the hotel and the night wound down into sitting around our room with 8 or so of my old friends just talking into the night. It was a lot like how our nights would end in college. I missed it.

The big day started with a big breakfast, some more hanging out and greeting of old friends and then bowling. Bowling? Yes, bowling. We hit the lanes and threw rocks! I got some inspirado from the great 80's station playing at the bowling alley. So, I'm at a bowling alley singing Cindy Lauper, drinking Dr. Pepper, throwing strikes (as far as you know), and playing Galaga in between frames. Throw in some parachute pants and it could have been 1985.

We headed back to the inn and after some trial and error figured out how to put on our tuxes. The ceremony was nice. Short and to the point. This was good considering I needed a Kleenex badly by the end. I'm man enough to TELL myself that I don't need a tissue for the ceremony, but not man enough not to actually need one. What can I say, I'm a romantic and Ben's a good vow writer (actually, he's a good all around writer, I'm secretly waiting until he gives up the world of computers and starts his career as a novelist). The reception was also a lot of fun. How could it not be. Some of my best friends and favorite people in the world were there. Some of whom I hadn't seen in a while. The wedding also marked the first time since graduation that the five of us febs were together. It was a special day all around. Every once in a while I would step back and smile, realizing that I know some really great people. People I don't get to see nearly as much as I should, so I stopped my deep thinking and just jumped back up on the dance floor and made like it was 1996 at 2AM in McCullough. The only thing missing was falling asleep afterwards on a couch watching Aladdin.

Next weekend The Program's wedding festivities continue with Clint's bachelor party in Montreal. Uh-oh....

Soundtrack: Bill Evans - Moonbeams

Program See, Program Do.

So they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's true, than the almighty Burger should be extremely flattered. I can't help but copy him. He has a blog, I get a blog. He has a cool nickname, I have to get a cool nickname. He moves out of his apartment and couch surfs for a while, I do the same (albeit not 3000 miles from my former place of residence). He gets his dream car that's perfect for his environment, I have to buy the equivalent for VT. Well, to be honest, I had to sell myself into indentured servitude to The Man for the money to buy the car (It's true, I'm not a pimp as my earlier post might have led you to believe. I'm more on the "working girl" end of things). I'm sure the benevolent Burger would have lent me the money if he had known about my plight.

You may have guessed at this point that The Burger solved my Friday the 13th riddle. He is wise and knowledgable and also lived with me for 3 years divining all my secrets. I guess that makes him clever as well. Now if he could use his omnipotence to get me a freaking apartment in Middlebury so I can get off these god forsaken couches, I would be even MORE eternally grateful.

Truth is, shit is crazy right now. So much has happened between my last post and now that I can't even keep it straight enough to write about. Some good, some bad. I just try and keep it all in perspective. That, and I chase the dragon. I kid, I kid. I just had to throw in one more Steely Dan reference.

Sdtk: Corinne Bailey Rae, "I'd Like To" - from "Live in NY"

Pimpin' Ain't Easy.

It's not. In fact, it's very hard. Don't let all the glitz and glam fool you. Just 'cause I have goldfish in the heels of my platform shoes doesn't mean I don't work hard.

Sdtrk: The Theme from I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

What you talkin' 'bout Jason?

Even though I just posted I have to post again. I just realized it was Friday the 13th. Everyone should take this opportunity to speak out on which of the Friday the 13th movies is your favorite. For me, hands down, it has to be number five or should I say V. Why, you ask? Simple. It has Dudley from Diff'rent Strokes in it. Sure, nay sayers might point out it also has a young Corey Feldman, but let us remember these were the good old days of the kind of Corey Feldman we saw in The Goonies. Plus, it has Dudley. Enough said.

Soundtrack to this post: Steely Dan - "Everyone's Gone To The Movies"
(If anyone can tell me why I chose this particular song, I will use my next post telling the world how great you are.)

Get With The Program

I've been thinking lately that I'm a little jealous of my friend over at The Burger. Not because he lives where it is currently not snowing and not because he has a new fly ride. It's because he's got such a good nickname for his blog. I've decided I need one as well. I thought about the possible permutations: I could go with "G.P." or maybe "The Greeter". I think, however, I've settled on "The Program". Sure, it's a little ominous and not nearly as intrinsically funny as "The Burger", but I like it. It also fits the general theme of nerdiness that I've cultivated so far in this blog. So there we have it.

So I have to share a proud moment for me that happened last night. I went out to Two Bros. Tavern to watch Honeywell play. Honeywell is a Grift side project made up of Clint, Pete, and Russ, with an occasional sit-in by yours truly from The Program (what a great nickname!) and if we're lucky, Rhonda Jean. Well, I was sitting at the bar chatting up this very lovely young lady (you know how I do) and we were fortunate enough to have Rhonda up on the mic singing a banging rendition of "You Outta Know" by Alanis Morissette. So they just finish the song and the girl turns to me and says, "I don't know what it is about that song that just makes me horny!" At which point, I promptly stand up on my chair and yell "PLAY IT AGAIN!" Ha! Of course no one near me got the joke, but I was nonetheless proud of myself.

Some great shows since I posted last. Some more burners at The Wife with Russ again on drums. Look to see some mp3s of tunes from those shows going up on The Grift site. Also a fun show at The Monkey House in Burlington (ok - Winooski) with our friend Ethan West filling in for a temporarily sidelined Clint. We called Ethan a couple hours before the show and he pulled up his boot straps, slung up his guitar, and straight killed it.

This weekend it's "on the road again" for The Program with shows in RI and MA. Til next time...


Soundtrack to this post: Horatio - "Lyme" ("But the night was over, but the night was over. Too much debating and hesitating. But the night was over, but the night was over. Too much revision and indesicion.") Classic.

Rock Steady.

So, it's been relatively slow around here in VT lately. Time to settle back into the swing of things before the busy spring and summer. We've only had a couple shows since Jamaica, both at The Perfect Wife, where we play every Wed. night. This week, with Mr. Peter Day in Florida, I got to step up to the bass again and our friend Russ Lawton stepped up and (as usual) killed it on the drums. It was a really fun show. Not only because I got to play bass again, but it was just grooving. The Wife is also like our second home at this point and we feel real comfortable there. That lends itself to a sense of freedom that we use to stretch out and take some chances on tunes that we normally wouldn't. Also, as a bass player playing with Russ, I can lay back a lot more and just sit in the pocket. Don't get me wrong, I can be as busy a bass player as any and enjoy it, but there's something special about finding the groove and just riding it.

I've also been watching a lot of movies. I went and saw 300 last week. It was really good. It was a lot like Braveheart, minus Catherine McCormack (sigh). It did, however, have much better action and a better overall look. It was like watching a moving comic book. Say what you want about green screen movies, but they always look good. I mean even Star Wars: Episode 1 looked good.

Despite being a non-CGI movie, Children of Men also looked good. Sure it was more or less depressing as hell, but it was a very well done movie. It showed a very bleek, yet very possible future. Kind of like Blade Runner, minus the temporal pastiche and Harrison Ford (sigh). The DVD extras, while worth watching, didn't lighten the mood very much. There were several philosophers and cultural experts talking about the possibility of such a future occuring. It was all very interesting, but afterwards I needed to either start drinking or play with a kitten or something. Instead I watched the Daily Show...but we'll save that for another time.

Soundtrack to this post: DJ Day - The Day Before (no relation to Peter)

Reality check one...

So here it is: blog entry numero uno (I'm not counting the "check one" post). I have to start by thanking The Burger for both inspiring me to finally get my own blog, but also urging me to actually post on it.

So, a little about me for those of you reading this whom I haven't talked to in a while. Well, I'm still living in Middlebury, VT, still playing in The Grift, and I'm newly single. Yes, that's correct. Single. Let's just say it's been a tumultuous year. Some strikes, but mostly gutters. I'd have to say one of the shittiest years on record for yours truly. Let's not concentrate on the gutters though. Let's talk about some of the strikes.

For example, Gus was born.
I'd have to say that was the highlight of my year. He's a great dog. I mean, how could you not love that face?

I also got to travel some with The Grift. Besides our normal excursions to the South and Midwest, we got to go to Jamaica, Ireland, and we just got back from Jamaica again a few days ago. Yeah, but Fitzy, how was Jamaica?

Jamaica was a lot of fun. we were down there playing at Margaritaville for one week of college spring break. Last year we were there for two weeks, but I think one week was actually better. We stayed right on the property and it made things a lot easier and cheaper. Everything seemed a little less organized this year, but it was still fun. The shows rocked and we all felt like rock stars if only for a little while. For those of you wondering, and you know who you are, this year's "Boobwatch" numbers were up. I saw 19 unique pairs of unrestricted breasts this year for an average of 5.2 boobs a day. Up from last years count of 2.3 bpd.

Unfortunately (read: fortunately) with all the craziness caused by the storm in the Northeast, we were unable to leave on Sunday as planned. After arriving at the airport and waiting in a line that would make Disneyworld jealous, we got to the ticket counter only to find out there was only one seat left on the plane and there were three of us. Reng had already gone home (see Burger link above). So Clint, having a fiance and dogs to go home to decided to take the seat while Peter and I gritted our teeth and prepared to spend ANOTHER 2 days (all the flights were full the next day as well) in Jamaica. The airline said for "volunteering" our seats they would give us a flight voucher and put us up for the 2 days. OK, we said that'll be OK. Just show us to whatever passes for a Motel 6 around here and we'll make it work. Turns out they put us up in an all inclusive resort right on the beach, complete with waterslides, pools, swim up pool bars, and all the food and drink you can stuff yourself with. Someone had to do it. Those pina coladas weren't going to drink themselves.

We finally got back to VT (without our luggage, of course) on Tuesday. Back to reality. Back to all the things I had been putting off dealing with until I got back. Somehow living like a rock star isn't the same as being one. I'm not looking for sympathy. Not after that last story. I'm just venting. Isn't that the point of a blog. An outlet. Well, that's what this will be: my outlet. Hopefully a humorous outlet that will chronicle the life of a newly single sometime rock star and his vast and varied exotic sexual adventures that span the globe. More than likely it'll be posts about a most of the time nerd chronicling how he thought Stephen Colbert was funny last night. So hopefully you'll check it out every once in a while and see where I'm at. Until then, via con dios and via con........

Check One...

to the two, to the three, two, one...