tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155516592024-03-14T07:00:16.265-07:00Kit Burns was framed!Can you wear a suit from Mars?
Yes you can, if you wear it well...alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.comBlogger517125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-1002145904258964472011-06-14T04:51:00.000-07:002011-06-14T04:51:51.996-07:00Our new home for now...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVbHcprBej5ue3w5h1S3aHWToFq-xVM8cTo5xEri22vp9j8V_j8h765rbGLq6BK13Rv4d1EwA86SBinmGqTipjRkLc7yBUb_7CHAOSaY1flslcG-jgqkyYPPpbgVBFuZEXPnr/s1600/5828971577_5915099cd5_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVbHcprBej5ue3w5h1S3aHWToFq-xVM8cTo5xEri22vp9j8V_j8h765rbGLq6BK13Rv4d1EwA86SBinmGqTipjRkLc7yBUb_7CHAOSaY1flslcG-jgqkyYPPpbgVBFuZEXPnr/s320/5828971577_5915099cd5_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>For those of you wondering where we're at... <a href="http://blog.amsterdamtourist.com/">I'll be blogging from over here for a while.</a>alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-1308407733940373572011-03-11T11:08:00.000-08:002011-03-11T11:08:19.514-08:00I feel like I haven't seen you all in a while...And I feel like a little kid with a bunch of new toys and I want to show you everything! Including this video I made from our trip in 2009...<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NZKU_yEjQkU?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />Incidentally, I noticed that at the beginning of 2010, I said it was the year it would all happen... I don't think it did. Maybe 2011...alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-42909878709293859412011-03-11T10:46:00.000-08:002011-03-11T10:46:02.207-08:00Rock and Roll Spring BreakSo, looking back at my <a href="http://alpharat.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-resolutions.html">New Year's Resolutions</a>, I'm not doing a very good job with them. I mean I'm accomplishing some of them, but 1 and 4 are lacking right now.<br />
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I did get into purging lately, though. Not the awesome kind that involves puking all over the place, though. I'm talking about the slightly less awesome kind that involves taking tons of things that I don't want, need or care about and sending them to the trash/recycle bin/Salvation Army. When you have less, you care about what you have more, and when you have too much, it's hard to care about any of it, even the importance stuff.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Hipstamatic Fun - Oysters and Roller Girls</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/5518047112/" title="Oysters by alpharat, on Flickr"><img alt="Oysters" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5518047112_889198261c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/5518046456/" title="Roller Girls by alpharat, on Flickr"><img alt="Roller Girls" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5518046456_44f20b769c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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In just a few days, we'll be headed to Austin for <strike>rock and roll spring break</strike> SXSW. As always, I am very excited! Among the many we'll be seeing will bo one of our favories and a dear friend from Dublin, The Mighty Stef.<br />
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Stef passed through Detroit on Monday, and we got him a show at the Lager House and put the band up at our house. It was great to see them play, and even more fun to hang out until 3 in the morning talking. He's on tour now, making his way to Austin, where we'll see him again next week.<br />
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Here's one of Stef's songs (one of my favorites)...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zuzPu2YbWCk" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Honestly, I had no idea that my comment moderation had been flipped on, so I assumed nobody care about the political plights of Kit Burns... but the truth is, like 5 of you do! So, thanks for caring.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-49614205801744039912011-03-11T10:17:00.001-08:002011-03-11T10:17:45.801-08:00And I assumed nobody read this thing anymore...HA! I just realized that the site has been holding comments for moderation for months without telling me!<br />
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Sorry folks, let's get back to blogging, shall we?alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-5101783169319030022011-01-11T08:57:00.000-08:002011-01-11T09:19:39.882-08:00New Year's ResolutionsA few minutes ago, I noticed an FB post from <a href="http://writermotherwifeme.blogspot.com/">Ange</a>, that she was blogging again, and it made me realize that I too have a blog. A personal blog that is, I also have the music/work thing, which I post on almost daily, but I have been neglecting this one for something like 8 months now, relying on the FB to find out what my friends are up to, as well as to find out what the children of people I went to high school with are up to, which is ridiculous because I didn't like most of those people when I was in high school in the first place.<br /><br />It's probably about time to "Stalin" my FB friend list again, as one of the people I actually care about refers to it as. I mean, if I wasn't friends with you at one time, and you're not interesting now, why do I care? Answer? I don't. I just clicked "Accept," because it was easy.<br /><br />Anyway, Ange had pointed out that she was back, and I thought I was missing this thing a bit, too, so let's bring it all back, yes?<br /><br />Let's start with New Year's Resolutions. A couple anyway. Some are for me to know and for you to mind your own business.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Post here more, but not to apologize for not posting.</span> Too many posts here and everywhere seem to start out with an apology for taking time off. It's my time to take where I want, and it's too short to waste on apologizing for things I'm not genuinely sorry about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Put yet more time and effort into my physical well-being.</span> In addition to the ever present biking involved in my life, I've added running and weights into the mix, and added a few goals. We'll be at the Corktown 5K this year, and have signed up for the <a href="http://www.warriordash.com/">Warrior Dash</a> as well. Ange is also in, and this is going to be a party of moderately epic proportions along with an asskick of a race.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Devote more time to mastering the Hipstamatic.</span> I love this thing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/5274569848/" title="Shane in the Snow by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5082/5274569848_2090e0ba91.jpg" alt="Shane in the Snow" height="500" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/5244310148/" title="Circle jerks by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5244310148_42b002e9ed.jpg" alt="Circle jerks" height="500" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Devote time to one project for me each month.</span> More on that soon, once I wrap my head around the full ramifications of it...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Become yet more and more awesome.</span> That one's self-explanatory.<br /><br />That is all for now. Odds on, I'm going to post prolifically for weeks now, before fading away right when the weather gets nice. It's what I do, and I won't apologize for it (see #1).alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-21580937866499521682010-04-30T07:49:00.000-07:002010-04-30T07:54:01.526-07:00The Book Is Out Today!So yeah, I don't post here so often anymore, because I am always at <a href="http://punkmusic.about.com/">my other home on the Internets</a>, but I just wanted to let you all know that the book came out today!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Punk Rock Saved My Ass</span> features a chapter by yours truly, and the cover and interior photos from TFN! Plus, it's for charity. $1 from every copy sold goes to <a href="http://punkmusic.about.com/od/musicvenues/p/924Gilman.htm">Gilman Street</a>.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=abopunmus-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0979715261&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><br />I also discovered that Amazon has some copies of the last book I was in for sale, even though it was only released in the UK.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=abopunmus-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1905636253&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-44360256628908365282010-02-24T09:08:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:23:39.656-08:00Words to sweat by...<span style="font-style:italic;"><blockquote>"In my 30s I used to go to the gym even though I hated it. The purpose of going to the gym was to postpone the day when I would stop going. That's what writing is to me: a way of postponing the day when I won't do it any more, the day when I will sink into a depression so profound it will be indistinguishable from perfect bliss." - Geoff Dyer</blockquote></span><br /><br />So I joined a gym, and have been going quite often. A half hour on a treadmill followed by 15 minutes on an elliptical, or spinning class once a week.<br /><br />I like the way the gym makes me feel, and not just physically. Mentally, too. I sleep better, and I wake up more energized between the ears. I am regaining a creative energy that is normally absent once it's too cold to be on a bike. I like it.<br /><br />But it has made me realize that I'm not writing enough right now.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-47786934434588232082010-02-16T08:13:00.001-08:002010-02-16T08:15:09.087-08:00Free Heidelberg Project Tours<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/2688276859/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2688276859_0972ec168f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/2688276859/">Heidelberg Project</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/24217121@N00/">alpharat</a></span></div><br clear="all" />It will be while we're at SXSW, so we can't make it, but I just saw that if any of you locals will be around and interested, they're going to be doing free tours of the Heidelberg Project Tours on March 20.<br /><br /><a href="http://obscuraday-detroit.eventbrite.com/">RSVP here</a>, as apparently there are limited number of spots available.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-12929857555807752522010-02-04T11:03:00.000-08:002010-02-04T11:19:46.371-08:00Here come the Repo Men... again...I just stumbled across <a href="http://www.theunioncares.com/">this site</a>.<br /><br />It's a really well-designed site that's a viral piece for an upcoming film called <span style="font-style:italic;">Repo Men</span>, which stars Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.<br /><br />The real site for the film is <a href="http://www.repomenarecoming.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />The concept is a good one. In the (near) future, organ transplant science will have reached a point where the science is good, and while people will need them in order to avert terminal disease or fatal injuries, they won't be able to afford them.<br /><br />This is where the big corporations come in.<br /><br />With a financing plan, you'll be able to set up a payment plan in order to finance your new organs and new life.<br /><br />But what happens if you fall behind on your payments? <br /><br />They send the Repo Men out to collect the company's property.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jl9Nvg4yuus&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jl9Nvg4yuus&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />It sounds like a novel concept, no?<br /><br />No.<br /><br />They totally lifted the plot from an excellent independent film from 2008 called <span style="font-style:italic;">Repo: The Genetic Opera</span>, which is a dark, surreal rock opera that features (among others) Paris Hilton (who is actually good), Ogre (from Skinny Puppy), Sarah Brightman and a surprise cameo by one of the most badass women in rock and roll.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MzgpU25C6fg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MzgpU25C6fg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />I know it's nothing new, but it rankles my limpets badly enough when Hollywood simply remakes a classic film out of greed and a lack of willingness to take a chance with a fresh idea, and it's even worse when they simply choose to rip off the indies who did it first and (probably) better.<br /><br />See it if you must, but see the opera first.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-10410051277440605962010-02-03T08:39:00.001-08:002010-02-03T08:52:17.369-08:00Angry Monkey UpdateLike last year, it appears that Team Angry Monkey will not be signing up for Iceman this year. Actually ever again. <br /><br />It was fun for the several years we did it, but everyone seems to be of the "been there, done that" mentality.<br /><br />Instead, though, it seems that one of our team members, one of the more hardcore (hint: not me), has gone and signed up for <a href="http://www.lumberjack100.com/">this</a>. It happens to be Michigan's most hardcore race. <br /><br />Last summer, I rode the trail the course is on. It kicked my ass. And I rode it <span style="font-style:italic;">once</span>. For this race, he'll be riding it <span style="font-style:italic;">three times</span>. For a total of <span style="font-style:italic;">100 miles</span>.<br /><br />We're going up to cheer him on. The afterparty will be sweet, but I don't know if he'll come to it.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-8702458859951777602010-02-01T08:10:00.000-08:002010-02-01T08:11:36.372-08:00Introducing Jezebel<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4322666408/" title="The Schwinn! by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4322666408_fa1637fdae.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="The Schwinn!" /></a><br /><br />On a frigid winter day, Jezebel, as she has come to be known, made her maiden voyage around the block. It was success, but then she had to go back inside to wait for spring.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-35725452180930771922010-01-26T06:49:00.000-08:002010-01-26T06:55:59.386-08:00Almost ready to roll...Remember this?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4005572112/" title="The new baby by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/4005572112_3df573e09e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The new baby" /></a><br /><br />Restoration is coming along fine. I'm only a few hours out from having it ready to roll out. Here's a bit of what I've been doing.<br /><br />This is what the fender looked like when we got it:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4305881077/" title="Fender - Before by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4305881077_db2093f2eb.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Fender - Before" /></a><br /><br />This is what it looks like now:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4305881279/" title="Fender - After by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4305881279_bbd4b0399d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Fender - After" /></a><br /><br />After that is all set up for TFN, it will be time to start on my new baby:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4306622340/" title="The Hawthorne Hercules by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4306622340_9a98a05963.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The Hawthorne Hercules" /></a><br /><br />This is a late '50s/early '60s Hawthorne Hercules, manufactured in England. I'm still trying to learn more about it, but the documentation isn't as easy to find as it was for the Schwinn. It's going to be my new ride, though.<br /><br />As soon as it gets warm.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-75279478604963907572010-01-20T08:16:00.000-08:002010-01-20T08:30:07.921-08:0015 Feet Of Pure White SnowI think I’m going to start a bit of a series on some of the people I consider to be musical geniuses.<br /><br />First up, Nick Cave.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MS4gRmvvDsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MS4gRmvvDsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />I wasn’t sure which song to post, I was first going to use “Into My Arms,” but I have posted it before. And I was going to post something more in your face, like a song from “Murder Ballads,” but I think that may have put some people off on hearing how great this guy. And I was going to post a video of him with someone else I’ve professed admiration for – the guy I named my dog after - that was a duet of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan doing “What a Wonderful World.”<br /><br />Instead, I decided I was trying too hard and assuming you saw that old video - which is a beautiful love song and also an amazing piece of film - I'd posted before, and I realized that the original host had yanked it (<a href="http://alpharat.blogspot.com/search?q=warner+music">we all know how I feel about that</a>), so it's back again.<br /><br />Nick Cave started with the Birthday party about 500 years ago, then went on to front Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (and later Grinderman). He is smooth, talented and a snappy dresser.<br /><br />He’s also a great writer. The first book I read by him was <span style="font-style: italic;">And The Ass Saw The Angel</span>. It’s an amazing piece of Southern Gothic prose that could only have been written by someone who is a biblical scholar (Cave is, albeit self-taught) and someone who is very dark and just a bit twisted.<br /><br />Right now, I’m reading his latest, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Death of Bunny Munro</span>. Bunny Munro is a dark, yet strangely touching and intimate story of a man and his relationship with his son. And the more I read it, the more I think that, with the title character, Nick is writing about himself – at least some aspect of himself.<br /><br />But herein lies my problem – Bunny is not a likable character. At all. It was like when I first read <span style="font-style: italic;">The Catcher in the Rye</span>, Holden Caulfield is a miserable bastard of a human being. Bunny is like this. He has a lot of issues and is undergoing a bunch of self-deception, so I hope that I’m off base in wondering if it’s a bit of a self-depiction. Really, my main idea for this is that Bunny and Nick Cave dress and seem to look the same, but I may be projecting.<br /><br />Anyway.<br /><br />I like Nick Cave.<br /><br />The end.<br /><br />Except for, oh yeah, he's an actor, too. And has played opposite Brad Pitt.<br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S0HJfjWWLPs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S0HJfjWWLPs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyway, that's all I got for now.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-12475952007098258012010-01-19T08:04:00.001-08:002010-01-20T07:38:58.112-08:00A conspiracy of intergalactic proportions...When I was in elementary school, my teacher regaled me with ideas of the year 2000. These included the existence of everyday items like flying cars and jetpacks. Also, we were going to be living on the moon.<br /><br />Now, 10 years into the millennium, not only am I still waiting for my jetpack, but we’re also not on the moon. We’ve yet to put a man on Mars, and really, the advances made in the space program haven’t really been that impressive since we took “One small step” by faking the moon landing in a Hollywood studio.<br /><br />What happened? Why did our space program stumble so? I suppose one could claim that the Challenger disaster had something to do with it, or simply revised priorities. But doesn’t it strike you as odd that nobody, out of any of the nations with any sort of a space program, accomplished anything?<br /><br />Doesn’t it sound like a bit of conspiracy?<br /><br />Who, though, would be behind something like that? Who has that much power, and that much disdain for the entire world, that they could prevent the worldwide space program from expanding much at all?<br /><br />What about one of the most evil – and powerful – families in the world?<br /><br />What about the De Beers family?<br /><br />We’re talking about a family that has managed to destroy the lives of entire peoples, and had tribes beaten, tortured and relocated, just so they could control the world’s diamond supply. By creating an artificial shortage of a sparkly rock that’s rather common, they stay rich.<br /><br />But why, you ask, would they set sights on the space program? What benefit would they get from maintaining a stranglehold on that particular industry? Well, aside from the fact that they are just dicks, you’d be right in thinking they’d need a financial motivation as well, as greed has been the motivator for this family’s rise to running one of the most evil empires the world has seen, has set them up in a situation where they allow genocide to happen and has permitted the existence of a economic empire more powerful than any government that may try to hold them accountable.<br /><br />What if that motivation was to prevent the discovery of diamonds in space? What if their motivation was based on knowledge that there existed, relatively close in astronomical terms, planets with entire oceans of liquid diamonds, with icebergs made of solid diamond floating on them? What if they realized that one voyage to one of these planets could effectively decimate their worth.<br /><br />It might sound far fetched. <a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/diamond-oceans-jupiter-uranus.html">But is it really? These guys don't think so.</a>alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-32278787493718829042010-01-18T09:50:00.000-08:002010-01-18T09:51:12.940-08:00Yummy...<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4284779383/" title="Meat Patty... by alpharat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4284779383_ea719f3c0c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Meat Patty..." /></a><br /><br />A delectable item I discovered in my grocer's freezer...alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-34401547327876046732010-01-11T09:15:00.000-08:002010-01-11T09:48:49.346-08:00"When i fall down, i'll fall apart. Trade in my bike for a shopping cart."Sorry I'm late<br />I was out spoiling my liver<br />I couldn't wait<br />The sun was up for far too long today<br />And I can't see straight<br />But the two of you look awfully pretty<br />And I couldn't wait<br />I've been awake for far too long today<br /><br />-Alkaline Trio "Cooking Wine"<br /><br />At one time, Alkaline Trio was one of my absolute favorite bands. They had great songwriting - deep, but not really overly dramatic - and this incredible buzzsaw sound to their guitars. Plus they appealed to person I was at the end of the millennium.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_0_A-xTd5Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_0_A-xTd5Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Seriously, this is a great love song line: "Fine time to fake a seizure to feel your mouth on mine, you're saving me."<br /><br />And this is just a drop in the bucket for all of the great music this band put out on their first couple albums. We saw them religiously when they came through Detroit, bought the guys drinks after the shows, and for a while, for a large handful of us, these guys were "our" band.<br /><br />Now, not so much.<br /><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4114648719/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/4114648719_f19beab78f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0.9em;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4114648719/">Alkaline Trio © Nicole Lucas</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/24217121@N00/">alpharat</a></span></div>What happened? Well, they got really popular. But it's not the type of thing where I stopped liking them for that, it's how they got so big. They stopped writing the dirty, drunken slacker love poetry that we all loved them for and started making a style of music that caters better to 12-year-old girls, who turned out in droves to buy their records and get them booked to stadiums.<br /><br />I never faulted them for this. Hell, I even went to see them not too long ago. They played two old songs that I knew, and I left before they were done, but I tried. The only reason I even bring this up is that next month they have a new album on a new label and they're promising a return to the old sound. I hope it's true.<br /><br />TFN purchased a crock pot last week. It's the first time we've had one. Each of us can grasp several advanced cooking techniques, yet the mystique of the crock pot evaded, confused, and yes, frightened us. I think it was just the idea of leaving a heat-generating appliance running all day while at work. <br /><br />But now we have one, and we're embracing it.<br /><br />Last night, we made pulled pork for BBQ, and took it over to Astroman's for dinner. We looked at many recipes for this situation, and went with the easiest. It turned out awesome.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork</span><br /><br /><blockquote>A pork shoulder or pork butt (2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pounds)<br />Medium Onion<br />1 tsp brown sugar<br />1 tbsp lemon juice<br />1 18-oz. bottle BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)<br /><br />Throw the pork in the crock pot, and run it on Low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 (ours was done in 6)<br /><br />Remove the pork from the pot, dump the juice. Shred the pork with two forks. <br /><br />Throw the shredded pork back in the pot with the onion, brown sugar, lemon juice and BBQ sauce, and cook on high for another hour. Then serve it on buns with your choice of fixins - we had cole slaw, baked beans, Better Made potato chips and some cold beer.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Good stuff.<br /><br />Right now, as I write this, the crock pot has a vegetarian split pea soup in it that will be done in about six hours. I may have resisted this appliance for a long time, but I am quicely embracing it.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-60925341388137377362010-01-08T11:38:00.000-08:002010-01-08T11:48:46.774-08:00Reclamation of the Rotating Mass: Preamble<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YgPQcIljM3M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YgPQcIljM3M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />From the Gospel:<br /><br /><blockquote>For many days, the monkey who stood before all monkeys sat in meditation and silence, allowing only wine to pass his lips, for the wine was sustenance, and the wine was life.<br /><br />After many days of meditation, the master awoke, as if from a deep sleep. And he was alone.<br /><br />This made him angry, for anger was his way.<br /><br />Where are my children? He called out. <br /><br />But his children did not answer.<br /><br />The master gathered his wits and his wheels and decided that it was time to go out and regather his children. For too long had he sat in silence, and it had been long since he was truly angry. With his children at his sides, the time was right again for wheels, wine and much rocking of the world.<br /><br />And yet, when he approached to door of his house he was pushed back by whiteness, by coldness and by stillness. And this made him afraid.<br /><br />And his fear led to much anger.<br /><br />The master gnashed his teeth and beat furiously upon his chest, and willed the cold away. <br /><br />But the cold was relentless.<br /><br />And so the master retired to his home once again, to meditate upon the stillness.<br /><br />“Soon,” he declared angrily, “soon this cold will lift from our land, and I will gather my children once more, and there will be wheels, wine and much rocking of the world.<br /><br />This is my promise, for I am angry and I am monkey.”<br /><br />And, across the world, his children heard, and they were not afraid. They became filled with anger, and they were ready.<br /><br />And the world felt their anger. And the world was not afraid. It, too, was ready. Ready to be rocked.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />A reading from the <span style="font-style:italic;">Book of the Rotating Mass</span><br />Previous readings are listed <a href="http://alpharat.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Spreading+the+good+word%22">here</a> and <a href="http://alpharat.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Monkeys+Are+On+The+Move">here</a>.<br /><br />Man, it’s only January and we’ve only had one snowfall, but I am already sick of winter and I miss my bike(s) desperately.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-18698693785268895812010-01-08T08:42:00.000-08:002010-01-08T08:47:08.857-08:00Potato Salad Anyone?When we were at Pompeii on Thanksgiving, we traveled through the ruins of the brothel. There, on the walls, was a visual "menu" of the various things you could request from the, ummm... employees of the establishment. They were quite explicit.<br /><br />This prompted K, who was blushing as we left the building, to declare, "Wow, we haven't invented <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span>..."<br /><br />It's true, anything innovative, crazy, new or sexy probably isn't that new. Our culture has been around a long time, and we've had a lot of times to come up with stuff over and over.<br /><br />Case in point. These are the Ross sisters. This was shot in 1944. Lady Ga Ga? Beyonce? All you performers? Take note, 'cause your asses all just got served by your grandparents.<br /><br />This is "Potato Salad."<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BNR74UCidBI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BNR74UCidBI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-27857672665765388162010-01-07T08:41:00.000-08:002010-01-07T10:20:13.408-08:00How can I bring you up to speed when I'm not sure what the speed limit is?The masses have spoken. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-fea-ap-poll-dogs-and-cats,0,1348896.story">Dogs are better than cats</a>. Personally, I like both my pets, but in general I have to agree. So, sometimes the masses are right.<br /><br />Looking back for a moment, this is a video from my favorite album of 2009, <span style="font-style: italic;">We're Counting On The Youth</span> by New Tomorrow. Seriously.<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p9U9XG6C6IQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p9U9XG6C6IQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br />They're a band with a great sound and a great message which is great, because we need some good messages right now.<br /><br />Also, they have never - NEVER - played in Detroit. Fix this, guys.<br /><br />So far this year is a little scatterwonky and confusing on the workfront and the lifefront, but I think I mean that in a good way, in the sort of way that chaos is setting things up for what will be a good thing. TFN has a new job, and I have started out the new year accomplishing things.<br /><br />For one, the producers of the TV show <span style="font-style: italic;">Hoarders</span> were getting in touch with me. While I am not one to shy away from publicity in any form, this is one that I really think I didn’t want to get involved in.<br /><br />So we cleaned our bedroom.<br /><br />I’m not talking about a dust and vacuum, either. We took the contents of all the drawers, the chest, the closet, everything in the room, and piled it on the bed. That way, before we could sleep, we had to handle each and every article of clothing we owned, fold it or hang it, and make the decision if it needed to be kept, tossed or donated.<br /><br />This is the first time we’ve done such a grand purge in a long time, and we generated three garbage bags of clothes to donate.<br /><br />Then, on cue, Purple Heart called and asked if we had anything to donate. Funny how that plays out.<br /><br />I also, as I have hinted, got my hands on another bike. It’s pretty, and I will have photos soon, but right now it’s still in the back of my car. It’s a late’50s/early ‘60s Hawthorne Hercules, and I love it. It will look good alongside TFN’s Schwinn, which is currently in pieces, getting refurbed.<br /><br />TFN got the Julia Child cookbook for Christmas, and two recipes in, I have to testify to Julia's genius.<br /><br />We, of course, like everyone else, got interested in Julia after seeing <span style="font-style: italic;">Julie and Julia</span>. I was positively infatuated with that film. One, it's an excellent film. Two, Julie reminds me of someone I cook with on a regular basis, someone well known for saying how much she hates our tiny little kitchen, how it's impossible to cook in it, but yet turns out some amazing dishes.<br /><br />What else? I am already sick of winter. I am looking forward to March’s annual trip to Austin. I have several hundred photos from the past year that I still need to upload.<br /><br />So yeah, really I just want to bring you guys all up to speed in as fast and furious a way as possible, without saying too much, I guess.<br /><br />I have a lot of hope for this year. Like the whole world, things are in limbo, but I got a good feeling this is the year it happens.<br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k35cuOy1s-I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k35cuOy1s-I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />This is the year it all happens.<br /><br />Whatever "it" is.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-31738907159402748302010-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:002010-01-05T10:27:32.360-08:00Apparently, I am fair and balanced...<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581891,00.html">I just got quoted on Fox News.</a>alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-48864916083764751892009-12-31T09:19:00.001-08:002009-12-31T09:19:47.858-08:00A New Year's Gift To Me...I just bought a new (to me) bike... I pick it up Sunday. Photos to come...alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-64290163925846080032009-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:002009-12-31T09:00:11.839-08:00Goodnight...Can it be? Are we actually looking at the end of another year? Wow…<br /><br />For what it’s worth, it was a good one. For me anyway. I traveled, put a story in another book, wrote a lot, rode my bike, grew tomatoes and lived.<br /><br />For a lot of people, it wasn’t as great. A lot of my friends lost their jobs, and Detroit continues to scrabble for economic survival. We’d all move away, but our houses aren’t exactly sellable right now, you know?<br /><br />CNN posted <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/29/news/economy/farming_detroit.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes">a story that advocates an idea I’ve talked about for a while</a>. If the city is becoming a wasteland, why not level it all and send it back to the wilderness? OK, maybe not that far, but why not large-scale urban farming? I think it’s a radical, innovative idea that could help Detroit reach a level of self-sufficiency and profitability again, as well as eliminating some serious blight.<br /><br />I didn’t come here to get political, though. I came here to wish you all a Happy New Year, and to tell you to remember to put a penny on the windowsill tonight.<br /><br />Cheers!alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-7973477036070984012009-12-18T12:31:00.001-08:002009-12-18T12:32:34.315-08:00Sell Out<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4195963976/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/4195963976_e294e9c84f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24217121@N00/4195963976/">Reel Big Fish ©Nicole Lucas</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/24217121@N00/">alpharat</a></span></div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1gxJ7mj2uY">This is for TFN</a>. She knows why.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-87912278808582722972009-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:002009-12-09T07:52:21.561-08:00WAR IS OVER!if you want it.alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15551659.post-19921061347704067832009-12-01T13:26:00.000-08:002009-12-01T13:28:38.401-08:00Ain't goin' nowhere...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Bmhjf0rKe8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Bmhjf0rKe8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Just to prove I'm still around... here's a kitten.<br /><br />Just got back from Italy. There are some good pics coming...alpharathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10399655031407319997noreply@blogger.com5