Bukowski Tavern
A bar built on the theme of the life of Charles Bulowski!
How awesome is that?
Bukowski was the most interesting man in the room.
Apropos, no?
A hot dog and a pint of PBR. Perfect.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
This may be the Greatest Bar
Remember two weeks ago when HJ77 and I were at the Greatest Bar? I may have found a better one. Or...HJ77 may have taken me to one.
Bukowski Tavern
A bar built on the theme of the life of Charles Bulowski!
How awesome is that?
Bukowski was the most interesting man in the room.
Apropos, no?
A hot dog and a pint of PBR. Perfect.
Bukowski Tavern
A bar built on the theme of the life of Charles Bulowski!
How awesome is that?
Bukowski was the most interesting man in the room.
Apropos, no?
A hot dog and a pint of PBR. Perfect.
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Great Day with TEA
TEA and I had a great day together yesterday. There were comics (yay for the staff at Earthworld for being so patient and kind to someone who will be a good customer for years), cheesecake (If you have not had cheesecake from Cheesecake Machismo, what are you thinking?), the exploration of an old Dutch house (and very special thanks to Ms. Lee for such a wonderful tour) and pizza and root beer! It was such fun.
TEA at Cheesecake Machismo
TEA (wearing a beaver felt hat) and Anya (the best tour guide ever) at Fort Crailo
TEA waiting for his pizza to cool while reading a new comic book at the Hill Street Cafe
"This is the best pizza ever!"
TEA at Cheesecake Machismo
TEA (wearing a beaver felt hat) and Anya (the best tour guide ever) at Fort Crailo
TEA waiting for his pizza to cool while reading a new comic book at the Hill Street Cafe
"This is the best pizza ever!"
Yes, it is all my fault...
I waited too long to put further plans into place but...
Dear Lord!
Why can't (REDACTED)'s ticketing system work properly? If you have a problem with my billing address, why are you not telling me that? Oh, and why are you billing my (REDACTED) credit card? That's not how it is supposed to work! If the systems see a problem with the billing address, it should not bill the card. Period. Let alone seven times. Yes, (REDACTED), you did credit back my card six times, but what about that one charge? When am I going to see that? You have been paid and I do not have a ticket.
And (REDACTED), Anna at Web Support was wonderful. She was patient, and understood why I was close to blowing my stack. You need to empower her to make more decisions. This could have been resolved in ten minutes, but twelve hours later, it still is not.
Thank you to security services at (REDACTED) Bank. You were helpful and thank you for notifying me that there was weird activity on my card.
Okay, on to a great weekend.
Dear Lord!
Why can't (REDACTED)'s ticketing system work properly? If you have a problem with my billing address, why are you not telling me that? Oh, and why are you billing my (REDACTED) credit card? That's not how it is supposed to work! If the systems see a problem with the billing address, it should not bill the card. Period. Let alone seven times. Yes, (REDACTED), you did credit back my card six times, but what about that one charge? When am I going to see that? You have been paid and I do not have a ticket.
And (REDACTED), Anna at Web Support was wonderful. She was patient, and understood why I was close to blowing my stack. You need to empower her to make more decisions. This could have been resolved in ten minutes, but twelve hours later, it still is not.
Thank you to security services at (REDACTED) Bank. You were helpful and thank you for notifying me that there was weird activity on my card.
Okay, on to a great weekend.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Keywords
Another installment of those wacky keywords that are good for making me laugh or making me wonder what you people are thinking...
- "hermon raju" "casey anthony" (No, that was not two separate searches. That was one. Equating the two of them seems...unfair.)
- "joe dresnok" (There were a handful of searches about him and I am wondering why. I wondered if he had passed while I was disconnected but no.)
- "fat hairy chest" (I think I need to make this my default search when I am looking for myself.)
- forbes ranking rpi/forbes 370 rpi (Hee hee)
- And there were a bunch of ones related to craft beer, which makes me happy.
A Public Service Announcement for those who engage in cultural criticism
There is an awful lot of snark out here on the interwebs. I am not immune to it, in the least. In fact, I have been accused of being nothing but snark and self loathing. While not being an accurate representation of who I am or what I put out here, I allow for a certain amount of subjectivity when it comes to the reader' s mindset.
A lot of what I write is poor man's cultural criticism. I have some academic background in this, as well as a voracious consumption of media of all forms, and a jaundiced and cynical eye when it comes to mass media. I am also able to contextualize a lot of it. (i.e.: X film is directly linked to Y film because of n moment, which is what being a completest is helpful for)
That being said, and part of my superficial doucheiness, is all about preferring quality over quantity and preferring craft to mass production (which may be selectivity, and may be subjectivity, but art, like food, does have objective value, so...it may be pretension as well.)
Anyway, I am moving off topic...
Taking time to criticize someone else's work takes a certain amount of disconnection from the process of creation without being so disconnected that you cannot take someone to task for taking the easy way out.
But this piece from the Awl summed up what is wrong with current criticism as well as what could be right about it.
What Makes A Great Critic?
What we really need is a critic who has got something interesting to say. Who is writing something that we would like to read. Whose aliveness just comes out and grabs you by the throat and makes you think, or go pop-eyed with amazement, or throw your monitor across the room in a fit of rage. As a lover of good criticism, I am asking, or demanding (more like begging, really), that this passion and immediacy be the first quality that should recommend a critic to public notice.
What if the cozy and rarefied world of conventional reviewing is on its way out for a good reason, namely, that people aren't the slightest bit interested in reading that kind of writing anymore? Not because it's "serious" or "intellectual," but on the contrary, because it ain't. Maybe part of the problem is that we are no longer content to have the conventional book given a conventional reading by a conventional critic?
Give it a read, if you have time, and consider what you are saying (as I will) when you are pontificating about culture, be it in print, on the series of tubes, or at the bar after one too many.
A lot of what I write is poor man's cultural criticism. I have some academic background in this, as well as a voracious consumption of media of all forms, and a jaundiced and cynical eye when it comes to mass media. I am also able to contextualize a lot of it. (i.e.: X film is directly linked to Y film because of n moment, which is what being a completest is helpful for)
That being said, and part of my superficial doucheiness, is all about preferring quality over quantity and preferring craft to mass production (which may be selectivity, and may be subjectivity, but art, like food, does have objective value, so...it may be pretension as well.)
Anyway, I am moving off topic...
Taking time to criticize someone else's work takes a certain amount of disconnection from the process of creation without being so disconnected that you cannot take someone to task for taking the easy way out.
But this piece from the Awl summed up what is wrong with current criticism as well as what could be right about it.
What Makes A Great Critic?
What we really need is a critic who has got something interesting to say. Who is writing something that we would like to read. Whose aliveness just comes out and grabs you by the throat and makes you think, or go pop-eyed with amazement, or throw your monitor across the room in a fit of rage. As a lover of good criticism, I am asking, or demanding (more like begging, really), that this passion and immediacy be the first quality that should recommend a critic to public notice.
What if the cozy and rarefied world of conventional reviewing is on its way out for a good reason, namely, that people aren't the slightest bit interested in reading that kind of writing anymore? Not because it's "serious" or "intellectual," but on the contrary, because it ain't. Maybe part of the problem is that we are no longer content to have the conventional book given a conventional reading by a conventional critic?
Give it a read, if you have time, and consider what you are saying (as I will) when you are pontificating about culture, be it in print, on the series of tubes, or at the bar after one too many.
Wallets
I have carried two wallets since I was twenty one. The first was a Christmas gift when I was in college and then about six years ago, I purchased a new one when the gift fell apart.
Yesterday, when browsing in a big box mega store, I realized that maybe it was time for a change. Okay, it has been time for a change for a while, but when I was caught in the rainstorm that took out my iPhone, my wallet was...not quite ruined...drenched and needed to be replaced.
So...
What did I get at this evil mega-store?
Yep...an Aluma Wallet . In red.
It is smaller than my regular (and adult) leather wallet, and it is very silly looking, but for $10.00, I am willing to give it a try.
Good idea? Bad idea? Accessory nightmare?
(Yes, that is my Charlie Card in there. It made the transfer because I am going to be in Boston again this weekend and it is something to have with me.)
Yesterday, when browsing in a big box mega store, I realized that maybe it was time for a change. Okay, it has been time for a change for a while, but when I was caught in the rainstorm that took out my iPhone, my wallet was...not quite ruined...drenched and needed to be replaced.
So...
What did I get at this evil mega-store?
Yep...an Aluma Wallet . In red.
It is smaller than my regular (and adult) leather wallet, and it is very silly looking, but for $10.00, I am willing to give it a try.
Good idea? Bad idea? Accessory nightmare?
(Yes, that is my Charlie Card in there. It made the transfer because I am going to be in Boston again this weekend and it is something to have with me.)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Social Media Guilt
"It happens every year whether you want it to or not: your Facebook wall is assaulted by people you haven't heard from in six years with birthday greetings. The one-line exclamations tend to be the generic type of happy birthday wishes that used to hide behind the five dollar bills in greeting cards from distant family members. In a neatly packaged metaphor, Facebook birthday greetings represent the problem that the social network has become. Always billed as a place to connect with your real friends, Facebook is now crowded with shallow or even fake relationships."
The Problem with Facebook Birthday Greetings
Between this, and the original Plotz piece (H/T to FAU for that), I have a little bit of guilt when I decide to say hello to someone when Facebook lets me know that it is their birthday. It may be another way to overthink my place in relationship to social media, and it most definitely is wanking of a sort, but I now think about it. Thank you for ruining my nice gesture, Plotz.
The Problem with Facebook Birthday Greetings
Between this, and the original Plotz piece (H/T to FAU for that), I have a little bit of guilt when I decide to say hello to someone when Facebook lets me know that it is their birthday. It may be another way to overthink my place in relationship to social media, and it most definitely is wanking of a sort, but I now think about it. Thank you for ruining my nice gesture, Plotz.
Trying to understand the Tea Party
When I started going to Tea Party meetings two years ago, I was sympathetic. Just after attending one in North Dakota in August of 2009, I wrote: "Most tea partiers are not bad people. They're just mad. In many meaningful ways, today's Tea Party attendees' lives have gotten consistently worse for the last 20 years, regardless of which party was in power." I concluded that trying to figure out what they wanted was a dead end because what they wanted was simply to complain—that the Tea Party "is not a group of listen and respond; this is a group of respond and respond."
Two years of Tea Party functions later, and I finally know what the Tea Party wants: A Christian nation.
What I Learned in Two Years at the Tea Party
Rick Perry Loves America
From TDS:
I laughed, very hard, thanks to the impression that Jon Stewart does.
Especially the line, "I'm Rick Perry, and unlike Barack Obama, I will f*** the s*** out of America."
If you are not feeling conversant about Crotch, may I suggest that you peruse this list from the Atlantic. (H/T to @jonathanrnash)
I laughed, very hard, thanks to the impression that Jon Stewart does.
Especially the line, "I'm Rick Perry, and unlike Barack Obama, I will f*** the s*** out of America."
If you are not feeling conversant about Crotch, may I suggest that you peruse this list from the Atlantic. (H/T to @jonathanrnash)
A song...
A classic song...
Well, maybe not a classic...
Just a song.
MAL and HJ77, I blame you for this, though it is better than "Forever in Blue Jeans".
Well, maybe not a classic...
Just a song.
MAL and HJ77, I blame you for this, though it is better than "Forever in Blue Jeans".
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Happy Birthday to an American Original
Tom Waits reading Bukowski
I have a thing for Bukowski. He is the dark side of the American Dream, and he wrote about it with an openness (or is it a rawness) that was as shocking as it was profound.
Wherever you are, I hope the beer is cheap and cold, and the women are the same. There would be a symmetry to that.
Via Ebert
Oh, Good Hair!
"“I don’t think the federal government has a role in your children’s education,” Perry said, adding, “The federal government has no business telling you how to educate your children. They have intruded into so many different areas in our lives and that’s one of the things that I hope to be able to do, working with Congress, trying to make Washington, as I said, as inconsequential in your lives as we can.”"
He has only been running for a couple of days but he has blown a kiss to Mittens, threatened the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, alleged that the uniformed members of the Armed Services would be more likely to respect the uniform with another PotUS*, and that education is not the purview of the Federal Government.
Touching on that last one, does this mean that Good Hair (or "Crotch" as he was known in the Texas House) does not support standards or he believes that W. was overreaching with NCLB? Or is that a code word that I am not familiar with that attempts to replace scientific theory and methodology with stories of magic, allegory, and a wonderful six day, seven night, whole universe package?
What does Crotch Good Hair think the role of the Federal Government is?
Is it job creation, which is the laurel leaf that he has wrapped around his career as governor? Isn't that intrusive?
He doesn't think that government should be intrusive, but...he believes that it is his right as the Governor of Texas to tell Texicans who they can and cannot marry.
Oh, and then there is the whole right to being able to control your own body thing (right, ladies?) which is horribly intrusive, but that is different, because it is about women...
I believe that this is a very good thing for 2012.
Perry warns of Fed ‘treason,’ challenges Obama - The Washington Post
*How is that "supporting the troops?" I mean, that is the thing, right? The GOP supports the troops while everyone else loathes them. So, the GOP through Perry can challenge the integrity of the commitment of those men and women who have made the choice to serve, but...nevermind, I have answered my own question.
H/T to HJ77
He has only been running for a couple of days but he has blown a kiss to Mittens, threatened the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, alleged that the uniformed members of the Armed Services would be more likely to respect the uniform with another PotUS*, and that education is not the purview of the Federal Government.
Touching on that last one, does this mean that Good Hair (or "Crotch" as he was known in the Texas House) does not support standards or he believes that W. was overreaching with NCLB? Or is that a code word that I am not familiar with that attempts to replace scientific theory and methodology with stories of magic, allegory, and a wonderful six day, seven night, whole universe package?
What does Crotch Good Hair think the role of the Federal Government is?
Is it job creation, which is the laurel leaf that he has wrapped around his career as governor? Isn't that intrusive?
He doesn't think that government should be intrusive, but...he believes that it is his right as the Governor of Texas to tell Texicans who they can and cannot marry.
Oh, and then there is the whole right to being able to control your own body thing (right, ladies?) which is horribly intrusive, but that is different, because it is about women...
I believe that this is a very good thing for 2012.
Perry warns of Fed ‘treason,’ challenges Obama - The Washington Post
*How is that "supporting the troops?" I mean, that is the thing, right? The GOP supports the troops while everyone else loathes them. So, the GOP through Perry can challenge the integrity of the commitment of those men and women who have made the choice to serve, but...nevermind, I have answered my own question.
H/T to HJ77
Monday, August 15, 2011
A List of Movies for HJ77
HJ77, of Sugar N Spice, asked me to create a list of movies* the other day...
Here they are and why I am listing them:
Goodfellas/My Blue Heaven: Yes, they are both great and they should be watched together. Oh, and they show a much more interesting arc than the Godfather movies.
Blade Runner (The Director's Cut): Harrison Ford is great as Deckard, Sean Young is hot, and Edward James Olmos is creepy, but...Rutger Hauer steals the film with one speech about the nature of memory and identity...plus..."Wake up, time to die."
Alien: Another Ridley Scott film and proud owner of the most shocking scene in cinematic history. Ian Holm's second creepiest film role. His first being the father in Garden State. Which is more terrifying: the xenomorph or Weyland-Yutani?
28 Days Later: Danny Boyle could be on the list another two times (But...maybe not...though both Sunshine and Shallow Grave deserve to be there.) 28 Days Later took the zombie genre and turned it around and did it quickly and cheaply on digital. Oh, and the scenes of deserted London as well as the actions of the "military" in the event of collapse keeps me awake at night.
Shaun of the Dead: Another zombie film that helped redefine the genre. It also helps that it is hilarious. Another case of what happens to the average person when the zombie apocalypse hits, but what happens when the loser who is the hero is also a romantic and sees this as his chance to win his estranged girlfriend back.
Apocalypse Now: The horror. The horror. Yes, it is three and a half hours long. Yes, it is needlessly weird, but...it is visually spectacular and the best movie made about Vietnam that had nothing to do with Vietnam and everything to do with the general ignorance of those who presume power especially when they know nothing about the world they are presuming to rule.
Flash Gordon: Just a man...with a man's courage.
Broken Flowers: An aging Don Juan, a letter, and a journey of discovery with an excellent cast, and a great soundtrack. There is no resolution, which makes it a lot like life.
Tragic Donut: Just because I am an aging hipster jackass in it.
Hard Candy: In 2007, Paige called me at something like three in the morning to tell me that this film was on. I watched it, fell in love with it, and was terrified by it. I want TEA to be on the internet and I fear for it. Ellen Page is better in then than she was in Juno and Sandra Oh delivers an incredible cameo.
(and then there are the ones that I always suggest and love: Casablanca, Lost in Translation, Sideways, Annie Hall, Step Brothers, Batman Begins/The Dark Knight)
*Nope, I am not give you the reason for the creation of the list. Just enjoy the list.
Here they are and why I am listing them:
Goodfellas/My Blue Heaven: Yes, they are both great and they should be watched together. Oh, and they show a much more interesting arc than the Godfather movies.
Blade Runner (The Director's Cut): Harrison Ford is great as Deckard, Sean Young is hot, and Edward James Olmos is creepy, but...Rutger Hauer steals the film with one speech about the nature of memory and identity...plus..."Wake up, time to die."
Alien: Another Ridley Scott film and proud owner of the most shocking scene in cinematic history. Ian Holm's second creepiest film role. His first being the father in Garden State. Which is more terrifying: the xenomorph or Weyland-Yutani?
28 Days Later: Danny Boyle could be on the list another two times (But...maybe not...though both Sunshine and Shallow Grave deserve to be there.) 28 Days Later took the zombie genre and turned it around and did it quickly and cheaply on digital. Oh, and the scenes of deserted London as well as the actions of the "military" in the event of collapse keeps me awake at night.
Shaun of the Dead: Another zombie film that helped redefine the genre. It also helps that it is hilarious. Another case of what happens to the average person when the zombie apocalypse hits, but what happens when the loser who is the hero is also a romantic and sees this as his chance to win his estranged girlfriend back.
Apocalypse Now: The horror. The horror. Yes, it is three and a half hours long. Yes, it is needlessly weird, but...it is visually spectacular and the best movie made about Vietnam that had nothing to do with Vietnam and everything to do with the general ignorance of those who presume power especially when they know nothing about the world they are presuming to rule.
Flash Gordon: Just a man...with a man's courage.
Broken Flowers: An aging Don Juan, a letter, and a journey of discovery with an excellent cast, and a great soundtrack. There is no resolution, which makes it a lot like life.
Tragic Donut: Just because I am an aging hipster jackass in it.
Hard Candy: In 2007, Paige called me at something like three in the morning to tell me that this film was on. I watched it, fell in love with it, and was terrified by it. I want TEA to be on the internet and I fear for it. Ellen Page is better in then than she was in Juno and Sandra Oh delivers an incredible cameo.
(and then there are the ones that I always suggest and love: Casablanca, Lost in Translation, Sideways, Annie Hall, Step Brothers, Batman Begins/The Dark Knight)
*Nope, I am not give you the reason for the creation of the list. Just enjoy the list.
Two things that make me uncomfortable...
but I am not entirely sure why...
- 10 Year Old Girl in French Vogue
- GroupOn special: Half off at Housing Works.
Three last pictures from Maine
At Long Sands
At Short Sands
Eating lunch on the way home. He just looks so mature.
Who are these big creatures who lock up their spirits?
I was at a party on Saturday, where someone I consider a friend, expressed his belief that this was not a good album.
*shakes head*
Actually, PG was correct. It is not a good album, it is the greatest album ever recorded.
Speak of aliens, Harpoon's UFO Raspberry has become one of my favorite summer drinks.
Image via my Instagram
Sunday, August 14, 2011
I do these things to amuse myself
Does this show that I am cynical about relationships or about the PotUS? Or both?
So...what did I miss?
As you may have followed, I was gone last week, and I was not paying attention.
These are the things that I was aware of:
These are the things that I was aware of:
- Italy and Spain had their economies propped up by the ECB.
- We had a really volatile week in the markets.
- Someone was shot in England and the UK was lit on fire.
- Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa Straw Poll.
- Goodhair declared his intention to seek the nomination of the Republican Party for the office of PotUS.
- Bert and Ernie had to release a statement saying that they had no intention to marry.
So, what did I miss that was important?
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