Listmaker

Fall TV

2012-01-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

The Shows I Quit

Modern Family

The Office

Hung
How to Make it in America

The third season of Modern Family didn't start well so I gave up. They replaced the cute kid with a not cute one. And it's the same old story lines again and again. It was fun while it lasted.

Re: The Office

I was intrigued by James Spader but not that intrigued.

I didn't even give the bottom two shows on my list an episode this season. And now they both have been cancelled. I made the right call.

Shows Maybe I Would Have Liked But I Didn't Watch at All

American Horror Story

Hell on Wheels

I hear American Horror Story might be worth watching. I've only heard middling things about that AMC Western.

The Show That I Gave One Episode to But Then Marc Made Me Think Maybe I Should Give It Another Chance but Then Even He Got Bored With It

Enlightened

The Show That I Watched Once Two Years Ago That I Should Probably Give Another Chance To

The League

The Shows I Actually Watched

Bored to Death
The best of the three seasons and its reward was to get canned. There was a slight shift in tone this season and it made a difference for me. I'm going to miss this show and I look forward to whatever the next thing Jonathan Ames does.

South Park

Not the best season. Perhaps they are too busy working on their Broadway hit these days to pay close enough attention to their TV show.

Boardwalk Empire

I found the first half of the first season pretty slow. Then it slowly picked up. And then there was this season! I liked it a lot. I can't remember who I talked to that said that they thought too many things happened too quickly this season. I completely disagree. The things that happened in the last few episodes had been building up for a long time. I'm really looking forward to the third season.

The Walking Dead

Another show that really picked up the quality. I was a little down on this after the first season but it won me over by the time the first half of the second season ended.

Parks and Recreation

As always, so good. But Rob Lowe (or at least his dumb hair) should probably go away.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The show keeps getting more and more absurd. I love it. How many more years can they keep going on before it gets stale? Apparently - a long time.

Homeland

I watched all 12 episodes in roughly one 24-hour period in one visit to MD. I didn't sleep much that day. So much fun and so addictive. This isn't the best show you'll ever see but it definitely deserves all the buzz.

Only 9 Weeks Away!

2012-01-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

Who wants to go with me?

Both of these pictures were taken from different levels of the Times Square 25 movie theater. For some reason, I can't get enough of this billboard. It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Baseball Trip 2011, Part 2

2011-12-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

All pics in this post by Erik.

On the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

This was taken at some good ice cream place that Marc and Erik knew about. I wish I could remember the name of it or even where it was.

Too much posing and not enough remembering of establishment names.

Something about this picture still tickles my fancy.

Marc summed up his opinion about learning about history during our visit to Appomattox.

For pictures from the game in Norfolk, complete with a raccoon sighting, check here. For pictures from the game in Pulaski, VA complete with a great old ballpark, check here.

Baseball Trip 2011, Part 1

2011-11-28T23:14:00.001-05:00

We started with an afternoon game in Brooklyn. Then we drove to the Eastern Shore of MD for another game that night. After the game, it was Ocean City time!

For some strange reason, I just wasn't in the mood to ride The Zipper. I regret it now.

Boog! Oh man, Stone Groove would have loved that.

The rest of the night is a blur. I have no idea who took what picture although I think the waitress took the next one.

Oh man. What is wrong with my hair?

Erik was told by OC's finest not to relieve himself in the bushes anymore.

Supposedly, we went to the beach to play bocce. But I don't think too much bocce was actually played.

Marc did climb up to the top of a lifeguard's chair. And I do know that Erik went for a brief swim in the buff.

Luckily, he had put his boxers back on at this point.

Back to the hotel.

A chance to rehydrate.

Summer TV Thoughts

2011-11-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

Hey, it's only November. I think this is what they call "slow blogging."

Treme

I'm never super excited to watch this but always am glad that I did.

Breaking Bad

I'm always super excited to watch this and am always glad that I did. I'm already sad that one day this show will be over.

Entourage

The only reason I watched this show to the completion was that I had already put so much time in and it was about to end.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

This show just keeps plugging away in a fun way. The whole season was pretty good and the last two episodes (The Bill Buckner one and the Michael J. Fox one) were classics.

Wilfred

Much better than I expected. Glad that Jim and Marc convinced me to give it a shot. Not sure where it's going in the 2nd season, but I liked the vibe of this endeavor. Chris Larry must watch this show.

Louie

It's crazy to think that maybe Breaking Bad wasn't even the best show on TV this past summer. This show will go down as one of the best, most groundbreaking, funniest, most absurd, most realistic, and most heartbreaking shows of the decade, if not television history. That Afghanistan episode by itself is a landmark of TV history.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

In which we got a babysitter and went to Sean and Rebecca's Halloween party. Thanks again Matt!

It was a Friday Night Lights reunion. Buddy Garrity, Coach Taylor, and Tim Riggins.

Buddy Balgavy - always ready to cut it loose.

The ring and the panther on the tie really made the outfit. And the hair and the eyebrows. Balgavy never disappoints.

Jesus loves Tim Tebow. Or so I learned. We all want to know why Jesus was so forlorn.

The costume of the night. Carrie and Amy as Sam and Otis. Brilliant. They won the costume of the night and enjoyed the beverage we used to give the boys to get them to go to sleep.
For more pictures of the Double Trouble costumes and two actual photos of Double Trouble, check here.

All pictures stolen from Facebook.

This Spot Reserved For Studs Terkel

2011-09-18T22:29:00.001-04:00

From 1993 - 1998, I saw the Archers of Loaf about thirty times. I can't quite remember every show but I remember a good amount of them. With the reunion tour and reissues putting the Archers back on the radar, it has made me nostalgic and damn excited to reminisce.

I had this poster up on my wall for a long time. Then my sister had it. It might be somewhere in her old room. I'd love to find it.

1993
I'm pretty sure I only saw them once in '93 but it was a good one. It was part of the six band "World Series of Rock n Roll" that I put together for WXJM. It was the second show that I had booked. The bill was The Technical Jed (signed to Spin Art that night!), The Nightblooms, Throw that Beat in the Garbagecan!, Slant 6, Small Factory, and the Archers. I don't remember much about this show other than running around a lot, having a good time, and thinking the Archers were great. I'm pretty sure I was more impressed with Small Factory though.

Poster design by the late Jesse Rosenberg. I found this online because it was uploaded by the incomparable Ben Finkelstein.

1994
January
The second time I saw the band was as part of The Working Holiday weekend at the Black Cat. I was right up front with Jeremy for their set. They completely and utterly blew me away. Perhaps it was being able to actually watch the band rather than worrying about running the show? Or perhaps it was the great sound at the Black Cat over the crap sound at the P.C. Ballroom. Who knows? It was a blistering set and it remains one of my all time favorite shows. From the first song, Fat (which included a most excellent Eric Bachmann lunge of at least six feet to make it to the microphone to sing the first line), to the last second, this show blew me away.

April
There was that great show at the first MacRock. Where was that? Was it ODU? It was an incredible 2 day or so bill if memory serves correctly. Superchunk, right? Polvo. Archers. Helium. There were at least 20 of us from the radio station there. Maybe more. And there was a huge huge party in one of the hotel rooms one of the nights.

The Archers played a brand new song The Greatest of All Time and everyone thought it was about the recently deceased Kurt Cobain. As in he had been dead for like 3 days or something.

I think Nicole Curry bought the awesome What Did You Expect? 7 inch at this show. How the hell do I remember that? Did that really happen?

Summer
They played at the 5th anniversary of Merge Records at the Cat's Cradle. I went down there with a few friends. My girlfriend at the time and I stayed at Eric's tiny apartment while he stayed at a friend's place. The building we stayed in ended up being on the cover of the first Barry Black album.

I think it was during this trip that I began to hatch my plan to move to North Carolina after graduation. Or perhaps that was later. Either way, it was a fun weekend.

Fall
They played a great packed show at Tramps at CMJ. The Vs. The Greatest of All Time EP had either just come out or was just about to. Either way, they played all 5 songs and they sounded absolutely unreal. I think they had played a couple at the Mergefest show but hearing them in NY right as the EP was being released was great. Biting the hand that feeds.

I booked them for the 2nd time in Harrisonburg. They played at the late (not so great) Joker's. I had Raygun Theatre open. After the show, the band stayed at the Planetarium and I remember staying up way too late hanging out with Eric on the porch. I'm pretty sure I skipped my morning classes the next day. No wonder my grades weren't so good senior year.

1995
Vee Vee came out and the world went crazy for the Archers. Well, at least the indie rock world that I lived in did. Sometime during this year, I took my 12-year-old sister to see them at the Black Cat.

Winter
Saw them open for Weezer and then hung out with the band backstage instead of watching Weezer's set. The next day, I met up with them and got in the van and headed to their show that night in Richmond. Jamie and Marc met me at that show and almost died on the road both on the drives there and back because of deer on I-64.

Spring
I booked them for the last time. This time it was at the aptly named Little Grill. It was so crowded that a crowd gathered around outside watching the band through the window. They always were loud but seeing them in such a tiny space completely amplified the craziness. This was easily my favorite show that I ever booked.

Summer and Fall
I must have seen them at the Black Cat at some point this summer, right? And then I moved to Durham and saw them many times. I also saw them in September I believe back at the PC Ballroom.

1996/1997
The shows run together. I was in NC until 8/96. All the Nation's Airports came out in Fall of '96. The Chapel Hill shows I saw at this time were great as they worked on refining the songs that ended up on Airports. It was also during this time that my dad convinced Eric to name an instrumental (Bumpo) on the album after his favorite late cat. But that's another story for another time. Long story short - it was kind of an emotional blackmail tactic if you ask me. One of my favorite shows during this time was a surprise show under the name Amy Carter. The one song I remember absolutely killing it each and every time was Distance Comes in Droves.

1998
The end. White Trash Heroes came out and people didn't really seem to care. The album was pretty uneven but it did have some truly great songs on it. I saw them on a Saturday night at Tramps. It was a good show but nothing incredible. The next night, they played an unannounced show at Brownie's. And THAT show was great. I saw the writing on the wall. It was pretty clear that this was the end. I had a great time and savored every song knowing that it was probably the last time I'd see them. "This isn't fun anymore. It's not as fun as it was."

2011
Yes! The time was definitely right for a reunion. I watched every song that surfaced on YouTube from their surprise reunion show in January. Sujan got me tickets for four of the shows this summer. And I went to all four. They were even better than I thought they would be. They sounded fantastic. I would have liked a little more variation in the song selections but the songs they did play were good ones. I love that they wrote their reunion song (Nostalgia) 16 years before they really needed it.

Jeremy wrote about the two New York shows in an e-mail.

brooklyn - music hall of williamsburg - sat. june 25

it was sold out so there was no room to skank due to wall to wall hipsters. the crowd was rabid and knew every word, shouting along to every song including what did you expect. it was kind of amazing to see so much passion 13 years after their dissolution and the band was visibly taken aback by the hero's welcome. the started with audiowhore and ripped through the rest of their set with an intensity and energy that shocked me. they all looked so happy to be up there and so healthy. matt and eric johnson looked as fit and trim as they were 15 years ago and while mark and eric bachmann show their age a bit more they both never flagged in energy and together they made such a wonderfully cacophonous sound. they played most of the hits and i was amazed anew at how amazing their songs sound live and how revved up they are. they had a short midtempo section of 2 or 3 songs but even those had the crowd in a frenzy and then they finished it up with two encores, the second of which was the perfect ending to the night - smokin pot in the hot city followed by bacteria. some were annoyed by the chanting crowd, mooky dudes giving high fives and clueless ladies in little black dresses who appeared completely out of place but dan and i didn't care. it was great but not simply for nostalgic reasons, it was simply an amazing show.

manhattan - webster hall - sun. june 26

a larger venue featuring beautiful chandeliers and $8 bottles of budweiser. the crowd here was more subdued and the sound wasn't as cruching but it was still an amazing set and the crowd was so excited to be there. they didn't sing along with every word, i actually noticed no one singing along to waht did you expect, but the band was excited to see the size of the crowd and their enthusiasm. they started this show with strangled by the stereo wire and then launched into a similarly paced and energetic set. there was a lot of overlap between the two nights but when you get to hear harnessed in slums live two nights in a row you don't complain. in brooklyn, they played 4/5 of greatest of all time but here they played the whole thing ending encore one with all hail the black market and setting my heart a flutter. the final encore of scenic pastures and form and file left me wanting more and a better final encore but that's a minor quibble. what's next for the band?

Webster Hall
The Black Cat show was great. Mike Lyxx, of Raygun Theatre fame, was with me. We were really close to the stage (not 1994 close but 5th row close). We were so close and it was so loud that I was able to sing along to every song without even hearing myself. It was perfect. The next night at the Trocadero in Philly was a bit of a letdown because it was so damn hot and we couldn't get too close to the stage and were stuck under the balcony. But it was fun to go with Sujan for the 2nd time and I'm glad my sister enjoyed it. She was able to snag a balcony seat which definitely added to her enjoyment.

The band was exactly the way I remembered if not a lot less drunk. Matt still was the wild card with one funny comment and story after another. After the Manhattan show, I ended up catching up with Eric and their manager Shawn (who I interned for for a few months back in '95). I also spoke a little to Mark who remembered me as the guy who introduced him to Space Ghost. I love that. There are worse things to be remembered for.

Sam and Otis have become obsessed with them. They have moved on from Harnessed in Slums to Web in Front as their favorite. They call that one Backbone, of course. Their other favorite is Underdogs of Nipomo which they call The Beep Song. For the past three months, the only songs they want sung to them at bedtime are Archers songs. Who needs the ABC's when you have Throat Song?

The Rabbi's Eulogy

2011-09-11T22:35:00.000-04:00

Of all the things we can say about Matt Raphael, one stands out in my mind. Matt Raphael was… his own man. Even if he would call you on the telephone and pretend to be someone else… he was, wrapped in sharp wit, a great sense of humor, solid integrity balanced with a sense of mischievous menschlikeit… he was his own man.

And although he might, or might not, have been… troubled by the traditional prayers we recite on this sad occasion… I think he would be…amused in his own way, by the stories we will share, and the obvious love of family and friends around him.

Over time and many conversations I thought I had gotten to know Matt somewhat well, but I learned over the past few days and in descriptions of some alarming adventures that I had seen only a small side of him. For some of you, perhaps, in these words you will have your own sense of this man broadened a bit as well.

Matthew Raphael was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest of two children of Fred and Elaine Raphael His father worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yards, and must have had some kind of government clearance in order to do so, despite certain… left-wing tendencies in his own life. Actually Fred and Elaine met at a social gathering of like-minded socialists, and they almost didn’t meet at all – the train Fred needed to catch to reach his fellow Trotsky-ites took a long time to come, and he said to himself if it was not there on the count of 30 he was going home. At “27” he saw the lights coming, waited, went, and met Elaine.

Matthew did not remain in Brooklyn for long, although he did have an early memory of feeding the ducks in Prospect Park. The family moved to West Palm Beach, though, when he was very young, and before Rosemary was born.

Matt did say, very clearly, to his sister that she ruined his life by being born. And that she should have been born on Pearl Harbor Day, instead of just near it, since she was such a disaster. He called her a crybaby, she would burst into tears, and he would say “see, see!” And when the two of them shared a room he would toss things over the divider between them, to distract her or get her attention. There was a time when Elaine was distracted enough by her children’s interaction that, when driving, she turned around to scold them and promptly ran into a tree.

Despite this superficially inauspicious beginning, however, all was not as it seemed, and Matt and Rosemary got along very well. They were very close; losing their mother at such a young age brought them even closer together. If the fights were real at all they got it out of their systems as kids; they never fought as adults, and even recently, at a time when Matt was convinced he was not going to make it through the day, his words were “I want my sister.”

Matt was quite the reader – over the past year he and Rosemary shared a Kindle account, reading the same books, reminiscent of the days when she would go into his room and dive into whatever he had read, whether it was age-appropriate for her or not. Thus at a young age did she devour Catcher in the Rye, and Tropic of Cancer.

From his earliest years Matt loved baseball. He would play APBA, the first baseball card game with dice, invented in the 50’s and set up so that, based on a roll of the dice and last year’s statistics, you determined the probability of your chosen player getting a hit.

And music. Alice, Matt’s aunt, tells the story of when Matt was around four years old, and he loved the juke box in restaurants. Once when he family was out to dinner, he played so many songs he ran out of nickels, and asked his family for more. But they wouldn’t give him any. So he walked around the restaurant, asking nickels of all the other customers.

Matt’s grandparents eventually threw out all of his collections, his baseball cards and comic books, and his old ’45 records as well. But Daniel has, framed, the first album he ever bought, a Buddy Holly record.

Matt had polio in his legs when he was young; he could not walk for a year. But being in a wheelchair did not stop him from going out, or from getting in trouble. One day he was out playing with friends, shooting rubber tipped dart guns towards a nearby road. One of the darts hit home more than intended, perhaps; it went through an open window of a passing car, which pulled over and came after the boys. Everyone ran off… all his friends ran away, except for Matt, who could not move that fast. So he promptly stood his ground… and ratted them all out.

Later there was an incident with his friend Duffy’s car. Or Duff’s father’s car, to be precise. A brand new car, which the kids took on a joy ride, drank more than they should… and Duff got sick, all over his father’s nice new car. Worried about the reaction and the trouble which he would – and did – get into, Duff recruited Matt to help him out, scraping at the seats with Popsicle sticks in a vain effort to clean everything up.

Matt and his friends also went mansion hopping in Palm Beach. This meant visiting the empty estates of families whose primary residence was elsewhere, but whose beachfront homes all had pools of their own. So Matt and his friends figured it was a shame for such spots to go unused for so long, and they obliged by putting the pools to good use. Matt also recalled once swimming in the ocean off one of these private beaches, and a manatee brushed up against him. Thus began the Legend of Matt swimming with manatees.

In high school Matt was painfully thin; he had a unibrow, as his family described it, which Rosemary picked at and cleaned up for him. It was an enmeshed family… and an engaged one. Rosemary describes endless discussions over the dinner table, arguments over politics and patriotism, criticism and citizenship, international relations and the world, a proud immigrant grandfather holding a vastly different world view than a leftist father.

This family tradition of… sharing opinions with each other… could be embarrassing as well Matt went to the University of Florida, and Fred visited his son on campus. There, he discovered that Matt’s dorm room was so horribly messy – partly, to be fair, his roommates’ fault – that he got upset. When Matt defended himself by declaring that everyone else’s rooms looked the same way, off Fred went, marching up and down the hall, knocking on every other door to see the rooms and compare them himself.

ROTC was a requirement at the University of Florida, so Matt chose Air Force ROTC, the criterion being the assumption that there, he wouldn’t have to carry a gun.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, given his family’s background, Matt studied political science. Finishing at Florida, he came to DC, to GW for graduate school. And it was here, on Valentine’s Day in 1969, as Amy tells it, that Matt went to a Single’s Club called Wayne’s Luv. At one point nature called, and Matt was at this club for the first time, so he approached a young woman talking to a lot of other people as if she were familiar with the place, assuming she worked there, and asked her where the rest room was. Marilyn was, in fact, familiar with the club; she was there with casual friends that night, not the close friend she usually went with. The two of them started talking, and Matt never proceeded on to his originally intended destination. Instead, at Marilyn’s invitation, he followed her and the acquaintance she had come with back home so they could drop the other woman off, and wound up at Pop’s Pizza in Wheaton.

Matt asked Marilyn out again, for the next night, but he was so late Marilyn thought he was standing her up. Turns out he had gotten lost. But he did show up, and their first planned date was, of all things, a Truffaut double feature, Jules and Jim, and Don’t Shoot the Piano Player. It was an ironic choice given that Matt would be as likely to tease anyone else as a pseudo-intellectual for going to such films. But that was Matt – with layers underneath the surface.

Marilyn’s father was not that impressed when he first met Matt; here was a man who spent all his money on records, but showed up with holes in his shoes. Marilyn, though, knew what to look for. And she knew Matt was in love… when he didn’t spend all his money on records any more.

Matt would occasionally deny this, because he was not typically impulsive, this was not like him, but he informally proposed to Marilyn two weeks after meeting her, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They kept that conversation secret for a long time. And maybe, Amy said, maybe her father married her mother because she laughed at everything he said… he loved making people laugh.

Matt and Marilyn were married in March of 1970, a year after they met. Their honeymoon was… less than ideal in a number of ways. They went to the Bahamas, went to the beach on the first day, and Matt boasted “Oh, I’m from Florida; I don’t need sunscreen.” He got so sunburned that day he could barely walk, and they spent a fortune at the gift shop on every sunburn remedy they could find. Their return flight had an adventure of its own; both of their sibilings decided to meet them at the airport… Stephen with his beard at the time and Rosemary with her long hair, and in greeting them they looked so stereotypically suspicious – they so whatever profile the authorities were using at the time – that they were all hauled in to make sure they weren’t smuggling drugs or something.

But Matt was not only not doing anything nefarious, he was actually ready to settle into a fairly respectable life. He spent his career with the government, in Labor Management relations with various departments. He called himself a bureaucrat. Amy, who once went to work with him, had no idea what he did before she spent the day at his office… and she had no idea what he did after she spent the day there, either.

We will hear more, from Matt’s family and friends, in just a moment. I want to add just a few final comments of my own.

The first is to say that those conversations I had with Matt… took on a pattern of their own. A known spiritual skeptic, Matt would wonder what I was doing speaking with him in the first place, until I came to learn to announce at the outset that I was there to not pray for him. Matt did consent, eventually, to have his name included here in the prayer for healing. It was only after a discussion when I explained my own fairly liberal theology and my views regarding the non-magical purpose of reciting that prayer in a non-Orthodox setting that he allowed us to do that.

Matt was also not known as a stoic. He did not handle ordinary pain well. He would stub his toe and cry out: “Oh my God, oh my God!” – an ironic exclamation from an avowed atheist. But Amy, and others, have noted what an incredible hero he has been in facing his illness, what bravery he has shown, what grace. This past year… this whole struggle was so hard… And he taught, even as he fought.

There were real things that Matt was afraid of. Because he lost his mother so young, perhaps, he was afraid… of being forgotten. So the promise I will close with is this: that Matt Raphael will live on, in and through… all of you. When a young friend of the family says that she sometimes re-reads semi-sarcastic material “in a Matt Raphael voice,” he will live on. When Daniel says he is going to gather voices and reflections about his father, he will live on. And in all of the stories we share, the smiles they bring amidst the sting of the tears… Matt Raphael will not be forgotten. He will live on.

Aunt Chris's Eulogy for Stone Groove

2011-09-06T23:08:00.000-04:00

Remembering Matt

My mother once told me you always remember the people you laugh with.
Matt Raphael—brother-in-law to Stephen and me, “Uncle Mattie” to our children, was one of those people.

For many, many years, our family made long car trips to visit Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt “Maryland” and Uncle Matt, Daniel and Amy, every Thanksgiving and every February to celebrate the birthdays of Grandpa, Daniel and Elizabeth. (Matt and I once protested that there ought to be a family celebration of the three April birthdays, too—but perhaps because we were in-laws, second string, and the only heavy hitter on the April team was Grandma, who never wanted a big deal made about her birthday—or said she didn’t, anyway--the idea never got off the ground.)

Those car trips—from New York and later from North Carolina—were frequently stressful (could it really be possible for Michael to scream for the entire trip because he hated being trapped in his car seat? Yes, it could) and exhausting. But knowing that at the end of that long ride there would be Grandpa, eager to sit down on the rug and play games with the children for hours, and Grandma, making brisket and kashi and rum cake, helped to keep us going.

And there was Matt to look forward to. Matt, who played George Burns to Marilyn’s Gracie Allen. Matt who early in our relationship formally consulted with me about how we should greet each other so as to avoid those awkward moments at the front door (we settled on a kiss on the cheek—but a real kiss, no “air kisses” allowed); who was eager to talk about the latest novel he’d read and to find out what I’d been reading; who could locate any song I wanted to hear in his vast music collection—including “Needles and Pins,” by the Searchers, which I hadn’t heard in decades and which turned out to be one of his favorites, too.

Matt, who discovered that Bumpo the cat would fetch but only if you tossed him a piece of used chewing gum wrapped in foil. Matt, who never let me forget that the cute white kitten I’d innocently given to him and Marilyn grew up to be Winnie the World’s Worst Cat, peeing all over everything in the house. Matt, with whom I nearly came to blows over the Monopoly board because he drove such a hard bargain. Matt, who almost brought me to tears one morning when he thanked me for sectioning his grapefruit and said nobody had done that for him since he was a little boy.

Matt, who despite his own health problems, nursed Marilyn through her hospitalizations and recoveries with loving devotion; who adored his twin grandsons, Double Trouble, Sam and Otis; his son Daniel and daughter-in-law Sujan, with whom he shared a passion for music and baseball; his daughter Amy Elaine, the light of his eyes who was so often at his side in his last days, named for the mother he lost when he was only ten.

Matt, who could be as tender as he was grouchy, as kind as he was hard-headed, as sensitive to others as he was outspoken. Matt, who was smart and funny and always, always made us laugh.

I saw Matt for the last time in late June. I was going away for a month to Wyoming and I think we both knew we might not see each other again. He was still taking some pleasure in life at that point, listening to the Orioles and reading and eating a few things he liked. He handed me his Kindle and asked me to download some samples of books I thought he might enjoy. Later, I sat by his bed and asked if I could hold his hand. Of course, he said. I told him that I hated that he was going through this. He was philosophical: “Everybody has to die sometime,” he said. “I know,” I said. “But I don’t want you to go.” I told him I loved him, and he said he loved me, too.

We had fun, I said. He laughed and said yeah, we did: remember when we smoked pot at the beach?

I said I did, though that was thirty years ago and the memory was, unsurprisingly, a little hazy.

I told him I had a confession. For years he’d been asking me to make him a Greek specialty he loved, avgolemono soup. I finally got around to it, I said; I had made the broth the night before and packed it in a cooler with the cooked chicken to bring up in the car. But guess what, I said. I forgot the damn cooler. It’s sitting at home in the middle of the living room rug. I guess it doesn’t matter, though, I added, because Amy mentioned today that you don’t like soup anymore. Well, he said, glowering a little, not about to let me off the hook so easily: I might’ve made an exception for that.

He told me he wasn’t afraid to die. I said I was pretty sure it wasn’t the end. Either way, he said, there’s nothing I can do about it.

We’re going to miss you, I told him. You’re going to leave a big empty place in our lives.

Write a good eulogy for me, he said. But none of that Jesus stuff, O.K.?

O.K., I said. I’ll do that. And Matt, if you’re listening:

I’m really sorry about the soup.

Christina Askounis Pogoloff
August 23, 2011

Amy's Eulogy for Stone Groove

2011-09-05T22:06:00.004-04:00

There are endless things that could be said about my dad. All who knew him, even if they met him only once, even if they only heard stories of him from others, had a chance to experience his unique and often bizarre sense of humor. For example, his love and unflagging amusement by the Oriole “Bird in a dress." Originally simply a Baltimore Orioles bobblehead, my dad took a dress off of a pilgrim beanie baby and adorned the Oriole bobble head in this lovely blue dress. Known after that as simply “the bird in the dress," my dad never ceased to be amused by this silly bobble head bird attire.

Another example of his sense of humor was when he would be flipping channels, and land on the Spanish-speaking station. My father, having failed Spanish in college, would make up his own absurd dialogue to the programs.

My father did not often say sentimental things or speak strong feelings directly, often turning these emotions into a joke. But, he showed these emotions in other ways. Like when I was a kid and would wait for him to come home from work everyday, and I would run out the door and hug him around his legs and he would give me a big hug back. Or when my grandfather, David died, and at his burial, my dad took my hand and held it tightly while we both tried our best to keep it together. Or when I graduated from college, walking across the stage and seeing him standing on the other side of the stage with a proud look on his face.

Or after his kidney was removed when his cancer was initially diagnosed. He was recovering at home and could not sleep. In the middle of the night, seeing that my light was still on, knocked on my door to see if I wanted to watch TV with him. We stayed up through the night, watching Friends, Seinfeld, and most memorably The Graduate. My dad would recount that night fondly over the years, often joking that he would wake me up during the night so that we could watch The Graduate together again.

Or when I was living with my parents for a couple years after college and watching the Gilmore Girls with him, an often quite sentimental show. I would always know exactly what sentimental moments in the show would get to him; at these moments I would look across the room to him in his La-Z-Boy to note his “cry face”, which he would always, of course, deny.

Or his initial stubborn refusal to let me get my dog Lucy 3.5 years ago. I luckily didn’t listen to him and he quickly became one of Lucy’s biggest fans. And how much she comforted him in his last days, repeatedly remarking, “Lucy is such a good dog." Lucy stayed with him, under the bed, on the night he died, and she refused to leave the room after he passed away.

On the night he died, I held onto his hand and rested my head on his arm. A memory came to me of my dad taking me to see The Little Mermaid when I was 6. When I was scared of the evil character Ursula, I sat on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me and I knew at that moment that I was safe. As he lay dying, I felt a sense of panic that my dad was soon not going to be there anymore to protect me. But, I soon realized that his essence will always be with me, and that I was going to be okay.

I am like my father in a lot of ways; not just my looks (which he would always remark how lucky I was to look so much like him); but I also knew him so well that I know he will always remain with me. He passed on to me his sense of humor.

A couple of days before he died he told me how proud he was of me. I am sure he was referring to the accomplishments I have achieved thus far in my life such as earning a Master’s degree and starting my career. But, I think one of his proudest moments of me was when I prank called him. My father was notorious for making prank phone calls. He would often go upstairs with his cell phone and call the house number. My mother and I, seeing who was calling on the caller ID would ignore the phone call. He was so amused with himself and would laugh before he could get through the message. After leaving the message (which my mother and I could hear him leaving upstairs), he would nonchalantly come down the stairs and say to us “Hey guys, I think someone called and left a message." Again, we would ignore him as he giggled to call the voice mail and play his message on speakerphone.

Later, I got the ultimate prank call payback. In the last year, when he was in the hospital, about to be discharged to the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, I called his hospital room. He answered the phone and I said, “Hello, I am calling from the Hebrew Home to find out about your dietary preferences for your upcoming discharge here. I just have a few questions; do you like matzoh ball soup?” He answered no. “Do you like gefilte fish?” Again, he answered no. “Would you like us to leave a yarmulke for you on your pillow?”

A few seconds of silence followed and my dad finally said “Ohhh, Amy!” He was so proud of this prank phone call, he was bragging to all the nurses and visitors to his hospital room. I was so close to my father, and knew him so well, that he passed on the essence of his personality to me. While I know he is not physically with me anymore, the best parts of him will always remain with me, and that makes me certain that I will be okay without him.

The Legend of Stone Groove

2011-08-31T23:50:00.002-04:00

Adapted from the eulogy I delivered for my father last Thursday.

A number of years ago, my father went to a friend's funeral. He was struck by all of the colorful stories that were told about his friend and he felt that his funeral would pale in comparison. So he offered a co-worker money to pay people to make up colorful stories to tell about him at his funeral. Judging from all of the stories we've heard here today, my dad had nothing to worry about on this front.

I've been putting together a video project of friends and family talking about my dad so I can one day show it to my sons so they can have a better sense of who their grandfather was. As part of this project, one of my friends spoke about how much he always loved coming over to my house and talking with my dad. He also mentioned that in college he had to write a paper about his heroes. And the two people he chose to wrote about were Jackie Robinson and ... Matt Raphael.

The last time I stood at this podium, I gave one of the eulogies at my grandfather's funeral. I referred to him on that day as my hero. I'd like to say that my dad was my hero. But he wasn't. How could he be my hero? I'm too similar to him for him to be my hero.

My dad wasn't my hero ... but he was the best man at my wedding. Anyone who knew my dad in the past 25 years knew how easily he cried. I didn't see him cry for the first time until he was giving a speech at my bar mitzvah. I thought he was laughing. But over the years, he increasingly became more and more emotional. It was cute.

The night before the wedding, I told him that he had to give a toast the next day. He was the best man and that was his role. He said that he was afraid that he'd cry. I told him that he should simply tell an embarrassing story about me since he loved doing that. He said he'd try.

The next day, he tried his best. He stood in front of everyone. He started by mentioning the conversation we had had the previous night. He got to the point where he said that he had agreed to tell an embarrassing story about me. But then his voice began to quiver. He barely got out the words, "But what Daniel doesn't understand is that even the embarrassing stories make me cry." And that was all he could get out. He started crying, handed the microphone off, and walked out of the limelight. Oh Dad.

As you've already heard today, my dad was a troublemaker. He was a prankster. Most of all, it was the deadpan humor that stood out for me. It was sometimes very difficult to tell if he was serious or not. But other times, he would crack himself up or you would catch a glimpse of the twinkle in his eye and he'd give away the game.

He was always very sarcastic. But the good kind. The funny kind. Not the biting kind. A friend of my sister's commented in her video segment that she learned about sarcasm from him. She said that to this day, she'll come across portions of books and not be sure if the author meant the words sarcastically or not. Her solution? To re-read the part in question in a Matt Raphael voice to figure it out. This method has always proved foolproof for her.

My dad wasn't my hero but he was a great grandfather. Sujan wrote an e-mail to my friends letting them know about my father's death. She wrote about his "momentary look of terror that melted into joy when he held his grandsons for the first time."

The past couple of years (right to the very end), the first thing he'd ask was how the boys were doing. And more importantly, he wanted to know what new tricks they were doing. He loved his grandsons.

Some of you might not know that my dad had a great nickname over the past ten years. In 2001, a friend with a knack for giving nicknames that stick met my dad for the first time. The discussion turned to Huey Lewis's new LP, Plan B. I mentioned that I was less than impressed with it. My dad was annoyed and proclaimed, "It's good. It's a stone groove!" And a nickname was born.

Recently, we told the boys that they could call Grandpa by the name Grandpa Stone Groove. They instantly started calling him Grandpa Groove. And when I met Huey Lewis himself, he was impressed that his music had led to such a great nickname.

My dad often spoke about having good memories of feeding the ducks as a young child with his dad at Prospect Park. We live a few blocks from Prospect Park. Over the coming years, I plan on taking the boys to Prospect Park to feed the ducks and to share stories about their Grandpa Groove.

One other thing about my dad -- if something was funny once, it had to be funny 500 more times. He loved to beat jokes into the ground to the point where the whole original idea of the joke had morphed into something different and even more funny. And he was practicing this brand of repetitive humor years before Letterman was doing it.

I remember one trip to the beach where he kept repeating a supposed Chuck Thompson saying over and over. "You hate to see that kind of thing," he said dozens of times during the drive. The more he said it (about a bad driver, about too many McDonald's, etc), the more my mom got annoyed. But the more he said it, the more it made me laugh from the back seat, fueling his fire.

Chuck's most famous phrase was "Ain't the beer cold?" which he'd say to revel in the glory of a great Orioles moment. My dad didn't really like beer too much but he did love Dr. Pepper. I know that "Ain't the Dr. Pepper cold?" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. But I know as the years pass, I plan on toasting my dad with a cold glass of Dr. Pepper and toasting him in a celebration of a life well led and say those very words.

My dad wasn't my hero. He was who I tried to be.

He wasn't my hero but he was something more than that. He was my dad. And he was a great one.

I'll miss you Dad.

Matt Raphael

4/11/44 - 8/22/11

A Trip to Cape Cod

2011-08-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah!

Sam's Crocs make a perfect iPhone holder. Whale's Tale Pale Ale is tasty.

Rebecca and Sujan had a relax.

Hi Rebecca.

Captain Jack

For many more pictures, check here and then keep clicking newer post.

Top 5 Albums of 2010

2011-08-09T23:16:00.002-04:00

Only 7 or so months late!

Off the top of my head, I'd say these are my five favorite albums from last year.

Paul Collins - King of Power Pop, 2010

Collins was in the late 70's band The Beat. I don't know what he's been doing since then but I don't think it was putting out albums like this. The title says it all. A great album.

Superchunk - Majesty Shredding, 2010

I had given up on this band years ago. I know Chris Larry was in love with some of the recent Portastic albums but I wasn't nearly as enthralled. So where the hell did this come from? So darn good. A return to form? Perhaps. But it might be overall one of their best -whether it's 2010 or 1995.

The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt, 2010

This was my favorite album of the year. Kind of reminiscent of a lot of things that I really like - maybe a little Zopilote Machine era Mountain Goats with a sprinkle of Neutral Milk Hotel. Maybe even a little The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan action? Yet, it all sounds unique and new to me. Great obtuse lyrics, great delivery, incredible voice. This guy brings it.

Best Coast - Crazy For You, 2010

My favorite of all the new indie rock girl groups even though they do have a dude in the band. Some damn catchy jams on this LP.

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang, 2010

I reviewed their previous album like this:

Imagine an Old 97's cover band obsessed with Springsteen who also happened to grow up idolizing The Hooters and have a Crooked Fingers album in their collection and that is what this band sounds like. Only not nearly as good as any of those bands.

I'm not even sure what the hell I was talking about. But I hear a lot more Springsteen on this one and I like it more. All hail the Boss.

A Year or So of Reading

2011-08-08T21:12:00.002-04:00

One sentence per book.

Stieg Larsson - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, 2005
The Girl Who Played With Fire, 2006
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 2007

I'm not sure why these are so addictive but they really are. I actually think the first one is my least favorite of the three. I was a bit disappointed in the Swedish film version of the first book but I'm looking forward to the David Fincher version that comes out later this year.

Dan Epstein - Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging 70's, 2010

This book must have been so much fun to write and I can't believe no one wrote it until 2010.

Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell, 2008

Basically I took from this that I need to force Sam & Otis to practice throwing Jesse Orosco style for 10,000 hours each if I want my dream for them to come true.

Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City - Eric Sanderson, 2009

Basically all you need to know about how fascinating this book is is to take a look at this computer generated image.

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War - David Halberstam, 2007

I'm not sure I needed a 700+ page book about the Korean War but Halberstam was such a great writer that I'm glad I read this.

Clockers - Richard Price, 1992

The Wire was so clearly influenced by this book so obviously I loved it.

Audiobooks
The Wordy Shipmates - Sarah Vowell, 2008
The pilgrims were a lot more interesting than I had imagined.

Born Standing Up - Steve Martin, 2007

Pretty darn entertaining.

Life - Keith Richards, 2010

As great as I was hoping.

Winter and Spring TV Thoughts

2011-08-07T22:54:00.000-04:00

I know it's August but I've been busy, y'all.

Friday Night Lights

Sometimes I ask myself "What would Tim Riggins do?" but then I realize he would never have a blog. Great show. Great ending. I'll miss it. And for the record, Sujan only cried nine times during the series finale. I predicted it would be more than ten. Anyone who gave up on this show during Season 2 needs to come back.

The Killing
Eh. Gave up 5 or so episodes in. I'm glad I did.

Mildred Pierce
Good enough. Kate Winslet was scrumptious but not as delectable as Guy Pearce's fine 'stache.

Portlandia
I liked parts of this. Quite a bit. Other parts, I wanted to put a bird on it and never see it again. SHR and I were definitely in a negative loop while watching this.

The Office
Why am I still watching this?

Parks & Recreation
As great as ever.

Big Love
I wish I had stopped two seasons earlier. Ridiculous show. I liked the very ending though.

The Larry Sanders Show
As great as I remembered but SHR and I couldn't keep up. We watched the first three seasons and plan on going back to finish up sometime in the (hopefully) near future.

Justified
I'm so glad I came back to this show. Great times. And a fun second season story arc.

Archer
Completely ridiculous and completely fun.

Game of Thrones
Holy shit. Really. Just holy shit. I was confused half the time but I still loved it. So much adventure. So much hotness. Every single episode ended astoundingly well.

The scene of the year?

Stone Groove

2011-08-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, my dad isn't doing so well. It isn't good. He's receiving hospice care at home though which is a good thing. We put up a number of pictures in his room that he can look at from his bed. I love this wall.

The painting is my dad's all time favorite painting. It hung in his grandparents' house - the house he grew up in after his mother died when he was ten. Rosemary ended up with the painting and he's given her grief about it ever since. Rosemary thought it would be a good idea to bring it to Maryland for awhile and he loves seeing it everyday.

The two pictures in the upper right hand corner are of Rosemary and my father. I'm pleased to say that I took one of them - you guess which one. Below that is a picture of Stone Groove's mom in Prospect Park when she was around 19 or 20. Double Trouble are next to her.

Bottom row from left to right -- a framed Doug Sahm LP. Another picture of my grandmother, the autographed Huey LP I gave as a gift a few summers ago, and the first night game at Camden Yards. And on the very bottom - a picture of my dad and sister.

Amy told me that at one point, he asked her if the Doug Sahm album was autographed. She told him that the only one autographed was the Huey one. He said, "Oh yeah, that's right - Doug Sahm was from Texas. He didn't know how to read and write." Zing! He may not be on top of his game but he's still got it.

On the shelf to the right of his bed are some framed photos. And more importantly, some of his favorite bobbleheads. There's the talking Chuck Thompson one, the Buddy Holly one, Cal, and Eddie. And of course, the most important one there is - the famous Bird in a Dress.

I love you Dad.

A Trip to Memphis

2011-08-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

It's time to ease myself back into posting in this space. And what better way to do it than with a post featuring the Most Adorable Couple in Memphis.

In late June and early July, we took a trip down South. We stayed for a number of nights at the world famous Buttermaker's Lounge.

For many, many more pictures of the trip, check here and then keep hitting newer post.

Thoughts I Had While at the Baseball Project Show Last Friday

2011-05-05T20:16:00.000-04:00

- Is Pete Buck getting paid for this or since he's so rich does he let his bandmates pocket all the earnings?

- What percentage of people here are not baseball fans? What percentage of the crowd is under 40? Under 50?

- Any show where I can engage in a discussion with the person next to me about the 1976 Orioles is a good show.

- This was definitely my first ever show where Ron Gant was mentioned.

- Is Pete Buck even a baseball fan or is he just along for the ride? Is he even having fun? He looks bored. What's with his haircut?

- Where is Pete Buck staying the night? Perhaps at the La Quinta Inn at 3rd Ave and 13th St?

- I'm assuming Peter Gammons loves this band.

- How many of the players who are still alive have heard the songs about them?

- Has Bud Selig heard the song about Harvey Haddix?

- Oh my gosh, I want to punch Craig Finn in the face. I've now gone from being ambivalent about The Hold Steady to being downright hostile towards them.

- Wow, Scott McCaughey is what Balgavy really should be aspiring to be one day.

Bart bought one of the shirts.

After the show, Bart and I went to Sidecar where we got into a discussion about whether or not anyone there would even know who Pete Buck was if he walked in the door. It reminded me a bit of conversations I've had over the years with Stone Groove. People know who Pete Buck is, right? Bart basically seems willing to give up on anyone under the age of 35 about knowing anything about anything.

My iPod Has Been Taken Over by Double Trouble

2011-05-02T21:41:00.000-04:00

I do like that the Go-Betweens almost made the top 20 though.

Spring Training Trip, Day 3

2011-04-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

Jamie began the day well. Jim, not so much.

For the entries about the games we saw, check here, here, and here.

What is Going on Here?

2011-04-19T22:40:00.001-04:00

I heard that Cal lost his hand in a fight with Kevin Costner after catching his wife in bed with him and then he had his hand replaced with an artificial one. Seriously, that's what I heard.

I was afraid of Cal but Sam and Otis weren't. For more, check here.

Spring Training Trip, Part 2

2011-04-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

Our second day in Florida involved a lot of driving, a bit of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and a stop to see some gators.

Our guide was a nutball who had a bizarre way of talking that we all fell in love with. For example, Jamie DID touch this baby gator. This gator WILL one day grow up to be a big. You WILL be afraid of that big gator. Or something along those lines.

We loved the statue guarding the Cape Coral Shopping Center.

And then the trouble started. Jager shots!

May the dancing commence.

Only on vacation.

More dancing. This time in front of the laundromat.

What?

And then the real hijinks began.

Nothing to see here. Move along.
The rest of the night is mercifully censored in this space.

Spring Training Trip, Part 1

2011-04-11T17:32:00.001-04:00

Last month, Jim, Marc, Jamie and I took a mini baseball trip to Florida to see some spring training games and catch some rays. I had never been to spring training before so I was pretty excited. And it was nice to get out of a gray and drizzly New York for a few days.

First stop off the plane: The dog track!

Vacation Jim!

I was determined to make up for my ill fated decision the last time I was at a dog track. This time I was going to win! Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Marc did some research on the dogs while Jamie placed his bets.

Just my luck - I bet on the guy in last place.

Jim was happy. He won 27 bucks!

After the races, we headed to Hooter's. It was my first time. And guess what - the wings sucked. There's a great photo of Jim at Hooter's that I'm sure will surface at some point.

For details about the game we went to later in the night, check here.

And then it was drinking time.

Marc was a social networking king on this night.

He Should Have Slid

2011-03-30T11:48:00.000-04:00

I used to really be interested about the baseball steroids saga. I read every detail of every news story about the big players. I read Game of Shadows. I was excited to watch as much of the Congressional hearings as I could manage on a work day.

Now I'm kind of bored by it. But this picture in today's NY Times might bring me back to being interested. It is of the Giambi brothers outside of the courthouse after testifying yesterday. Jason is signing an autograph. And Jeremy is checking his phone in a great defensive "I don't care if no one wants my autograph" stance. Hilarious!

And for those who don't want to waste one of their their 20 free articles and still want to read the article, click here to get it completely free!

Six Days in February: 6 Grainy iPhone Photos to Document Them

2011-03-07T16:29:00.001-05:00

Friday 2/18
Heading to work.

Saturday 2/19
Crooked Fingers at the Bell House. His new stuff was great. This was actually my second straight show at the Bell House in two nights. The night before, SHR and I had seen The Reigning Sound.
The footage behind Eric Bachmann is from this crazy bicycle safety movie from the early 60's.

Sunday 2/20
We dropped the boys off with some pals and we had a nice meal at Lot 2.

Monday 2/21
A slow Presidents' Day. It was windy. The most exciting thing I did all day was watch The Daily Show.

Tuesday 2/22
Snow!

Wednesday 2/23
38 and feeling great! SHR took me out to a fantastic dinner at Del Posto. Thanks honey!

2010 Movie List

2011-02-27T18:36:00.021-05:00

By far, 2010 has the fewest amount of films on a year-end Listmaker list. I have my work cut out for me in the next 10 months to add more 2010 films before my self imposed deadline of the end of the year. I'll continue adding to it as I see more films.

Final Update: 12/31/11

My Least Favorite Film of the Year
Please Give

Not Good
Greenberg

The Kids Are Alright

Good Enough

How to Train Your Dragon

Shutter Island

The King's Speech

Race to Nowhere

The Ghost Writer

The Runaways

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Blue Valentine

Pretty Good

Despicable Me

Inception

White Material

Somewhere

The Illusionist

A Film Unfinished

Very Good
When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors

Smash His Camera

Everyone Else

Catfish

Mother

The Oath

Last Train Home

A Prophet

Winter's Bone

Still Walking

Top Notch

Enemies of the People

The Fighter

Valhalla Rising

Rabbit Hole

Inside Job

Exit Through The Gift Shop

Carlos

The Social Network

Restrepo

Another Year

True Grit

127 Hours

Black Swan

Machete

Best of the Best

Animal Kingdom

Dogtooth

The Square

My Favorite Film of the Year
Toy Story 3

Hanging Out With Huey Lewis is Becoming a Regular Occurrence For Me

2011-02-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

Last week, I saw Huey Lewis and the News for the 7th time. The first 3 times were in the 80's and those were glorious days. The 4th time was during my senior year of high school and that already felt like it was for nostalgia purposes.

In 2003, I saw them twice - once at Bowery Ballroom. And of course, in 2008, I saw them at Coney Island and met them for the first time.

At the Bowery show, I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to hear more hits than I did. I wrote this in my 2003 music writeup.

An Open Letter to Huey Lewis

Dear Huey,

The year began with high hopes. It ended with dashed dreams. I need to take 2004 off from you. Two shows within a week of each other in August will do that even to me. The Bowery show was a lot of fun to be so close to my idol from my childhood. I knew that I shouldn't expect too much and when you did most of your most recent album "Plan B", you lost me. I'm sorry Huey, even though my dad once described that record as a "stone groove", it is not very good. I respect that you are still playing new songs in a club setting, but come on, not for an hour. We want the hits. And when you finally delivered them, I was happy. The Wolf Trap show with my family seemed particularly uninspired. So unless you plan on playing my wedding, I need a break.

And what is up with no Chris Hayes, "The Kid", in the band anymore? You can't just lose your guitar player like that and expect me not to care. I mean, you already lost Mario "Bad Boy" Cipollina on bass a few years ago. And why is Bill Gibson on drums not wearing those tighty white shorts anymore as he pounds on the skins? Sean Hopper on keyboards is not looking so hot these days, is he? At least, Johnny Colla on saxophone is still super fine. Your name is Huey and you've just heard the news. Happy 2004.

Yours truly,

A disappointed fan

A lot has changed since I wrote that bitter letter. Hell, I've met the man twice now. Plus, Hot Tub Eric told me that he had heard that his recent Memphis show was all Stax stuff until the encore. So I was knew what I was getting myself into when Dave and I went to go see them last week at the Gramercy Theatre - a fairly small venue for an act that can sell out Wolf Trap.

Not even close to the great drink specials SHR concocted for the big tribute show that I put on 3 years ago.

The show was good - he did an hour of Stax stuff which was fun. And then an encore of 6 songs including 5 fan favorites that you'd expect to hear. All told, it was a fun night.

But then the night got much better. I had a chance to chat with him again! Granted, this wasn't nearly as random as running into him at the Nick Lowe show at The Bell House. Brendan had given me an after show party pass. So it was easy. Still, meeting one's childhood idol never gets old.

I needled him about not playing during I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll at the Nick Lowe show. I teased him about always having a harmonica in his pocket so he should have played. He didn't think it was funny and assured me that he didn't have a harmonica and that Nick Lowe probably didn't even know he was there. Um .... I quickly changed gears to baseball and we spoke about whether or not Barry Bonds should go to the Hall of Fame.

Huey paused when I asked him the question and really thought about it. We both are in agreement though -the man deserves to be in. We talked a bit about steroids and Mark McGwire. I said that without steroids, McGwire was Darrell Evans to which Huey replied, "Darrell Evans should be in the Hall of Fame."

He mentioned that Tony La Russa was his good friend and I asked him how people like La Russa acted like they didn't know what was going on. He mentioned that they all had their blinders on. You tell 'em Huey! I think I might have made a bad joke about him being on steroids when he recorded Sports and Fore! but I can't quite remember the context. Oh yeah - I forgot the best part. When I first went up to him, he said, "We've met before right? You look really familiar."

For the record, I have no idea who the guy in the middle is.

Huey marveled at the fact that he got to hang out with Dave twice in a 3 month time frame.

And because I didn't post this before, check out this bit on Jimmy Kimmel. Hilarious stuff.

If You Hear Something, DON'T SAY SOMETHING

2011-02-09T17:48:00.001-05:00

My class this year has been a little bit more, um, let's say rambunctious than other classes I've had. One thing I've resorted to doing which I've never really had to do before is to send students in the hallway to gather themselves before coming back in (hopefully) ready for class. I've never really liked having to do this but it has been something that has been necessary this year.

Recently, I've decided to hold them more accountable for their actions and now they have to fill out a "Hallway Cool Off Sheet." It consists of two easy questions to fill out before coming back to the classroom. If a student receives three of them in a week, he or she has to bring them home to show a parent.

Most are pretty standard offenses for non-stop talking on the rug, etc but some are pretty great. Here are some of my favorites from the past few weeks.

-- I was disruptive during class because: Boy Who Likes Poker Chips asked me to shake his neck.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Tell Boy Who Likes Poker Chips to not ask me to shake his neck.

-- I was disruptive during class because:
Boy Who Likes Magic shaked my neck.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
To tell Boy Who Likes Magic not to shake my neck.

--I was disruptive during class because:
Someone was playing with my hat.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Take deep breaths.

-- I was disruptive during class because:
I was fooling around with a hat.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Focus.

-- Earlier in the week, Boy Who Was Playing With Someone's Hat was sent out for an infraction that he clearly did not know what he was guilty of.
I was disruptive during class because:
I heard something.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Take a deep breath.

-- I was disruptive during class because Boy Who Likes Magic said I was a teacher's pet when I was trying to keep my spelling work to myself.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Take deep breaths.

-- I was disruptive during class because:
I put a raisin in my friend's cup.

My strategy to help me before I go back into the class is:
Not fool around.

Oh Terry

2011-02-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

It's been way too long since I've written in this space and it's been even longer since I mentioned my fascination with Terry Gross.

But I think this exchange sums up a typical Terry Gross interview. What used to infuriate me now amuses me to no end. It's all there. The giggles are the best part of course.Either that or the lack of a real question. I love that the transcript mentions the laughter. But there were at least 2 or 3 other moments of nervous giggling and stammering as she led up to asking the question (or non-question).

GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guest is Thanassis Cambanis, and he's the former Middle East bureau chief for the Boston Globe. He now writes the foreign policy column for the Globe. He teaches at Columbia University and is the author of the book "A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah's Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel."

Now you covered the war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006. You continued to cover Lebanon after that. You've covered the entire Middle East. So, Hezbollah is now an important part of the picture in terms of how the Middle East is changing in such a rapid way. Hezbollah now controls the government in Lebanon. So let me start by just asking you to connect the dots a little bit. Since you're looking at the region, I'm not sure what my question is here, so...

Prof. CAMBANIS: I have an idea of what the answer might be...

(Soundbite of laughter)

Prof. CAMBANIS: ...or the beginning of the answer.

GROSS: Okay. Then just take it. Go ahead.

Fall TV Wrapup

2011-01-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

With a bunch of new shows approaching, I consider it my duty to wrap up some of my thoughts on fall TV.

Terriers
I gave up after one episode but came back to it after a few more episodes. I'm glad I did. While I didn't love this as much as some others I know, I did like it enough. A very good mix of light and quite dark. Now I feel like I need to go back and watch some Veronica Mars since everyone compares that show to this one.

The Shield
I know this is an old show but I finished it this fall. I don't know why more of my friends aren't rushing to watch this. Trust me! It's incredible!!! In 2008, TV critic Alan Sepinwall wrote that he thinks the series finale was the best finale of any drama he'd ever seen. I think I might agree.

How I Met Your Mother
With my year of being a stay-at-home dad over, I had no more patience for this show. Once Barney and Robin started dating, this show had nowhere else to go.

30 Rock
Another show I gave up on. Pleasant and all each week but it just didn't make me laugh. And someone really needs to get rid of Kenneth the Page.

The Office
Speaking of shows that don't make me laugh. I'm not sure why I keep watching this. As SHR pointed out the other day, all the characters are caricatures of themselves at this point. And Pam and Jim are so incredibly dull and annoying in equal measures these days. And the whole Ed Helms/Ellie Kemper three way love triangle is stupid.

Boardwalk Empire
A very entertaining first season. I'm really looking forward to the second one and I hope they give Omar more to do. I'm not sure why so many people disliked this show so much but I think it suffered from Treme syndrome (people were expecting that to to be The Wire New Orleans style). I think too many people were thinking this would the 1920's Sopranos.

Eastbound and Down
Not as good as the first season, but not terrible. I think the third season will be better.

Bored to Death
I'll keep watching this show but I want it to be better. I want more of the depraved Jonathan Ames or, at the very least, for it to be a little less silly and a little more charming like a Brooklyn version of Stolen Kisses (a movie that Ames has mentioned inspired this series). Still, I love Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis. And I especially love Brooklyn.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
I don't see any reason why this show can't go on for another ten years. It is as funny and twisted as ever. The Lethal Weapon 5 and Christmas episodes were particular favorites from this season.

In Treatment
Is this show coming back for a fourth season? I hope so. This season was great. If anything, 7 weeks isn't enough to tell these stories. I could have used 9 weeks like they had in the first season. It felt like the series might be wrapping up but I want more!

Modern Family
The modern version of Leave It to Beaver. I like it.

A Christmas Present in January

2011-01-02T22:13:00.001-05:00

SHR mentioned a couple of months ago that she really wanted to go to a Jets game at some point. She had never been to a regular season football game. I decided to buy us a pair of tickets for Christmas. How was I to know that Mark Sanchez was barely going to play?

Can you sense the excitement?

Now, can you? Fire!

The crowd was dead - sure was no RFK.

Where is the Redskins Marching Band when you need it?

Touchdown!

For the record, this was my first football game since an Eagles-Redskins game in 1999 at the Vet. It was a good time but I'm definitely curious to go back to a game that actually matters.

Stoned Faces Don't Lie

2010-12-29T19:47:00.000-05:00

My dad has been in and out of the hospital and rehab centers since mid September. He just came home today and hopefully things will go well.

Obviously none of this has been fun for him but he did come out with one great story. He had one day where he was really doped up on painkillers. At one point, he was asked who he was and he said, "Doug Sahm" (of The Sir Douglas Quintet and The Texas Tornadoes fame.) Later he insisted that he was in the hospital because they were shooting a remake of the The Buddy Holly Story and he was playing Holly. I'm not sure if he meant that he was playing Holly or he thought that he was Doug Sahm playing Holly. Either way - pretty great.

Apparently later that day, he also was asking the guy giving him an MRI how they fit all the cattle in such a small room. I'm not sure if this was part of The Buddy Holly shoot or not. I love that he remembers this stuff. Who knows what comedy gold that happened that he doesn't even remember? Between this story and my mom hallucinating that she had won a house for me on Oprah, my parents sure have great drug induced fantasy worlds.

Me and my pops, Doug Sahm, back in the 70's.

Snowed In

2010-12-27T22:51:00.000-05:00

This is what we saw when we opened the door today. I love the imprint of the door on the snow.

I climbed out and made my way to 5th Ave to bring home some coffee and kielbasa. It was fun to walk in the street.

I hopped over the fence again to get back to the front door. SHR and the boys greeted me.

This is as close as they would get to the snow.

After breakfast, I borrowed a neighbor's shovel and made a path for us to get out. After the boys' nap, we went over to our next door neighbor's house so the boys could play with their son Hugo and so the adults could imbibe.

Tomorrow the boys have no choice - play time in the snow.

Pick and Climb 2010

2010-12-26T21:48:00.001-05:00

I didn't make a movie like I did three years ago. I barely even watched any of it. But I did take many pictures of the boys while they played during it! Check them out here and here. Don't miss the end of Part 2 where Marc saved my family from possible disaster!

Back in the Summer

2010-12-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

SHR took our first trip together without the boys. We went to the Twin Cities because we just couldn't leave twins behind.

Hey - look the Metrodome still had a functioning roof!

We visited many of the places that Marc, Jamie, and I visited back in 2004. First up - Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown.

It was just as good as I remembered despite the attitude from the should-have-been in Williamsburg doofus behind the counter.

Last time, I was at this old mill, I was about to be roped into some sort of Marc shenanigans.

The view from our hotel.

Not since my visit to Chicago in 2006 was I so enamored with taking photos of people's reflections.

This has been the header of this blog for months, might as well officially post it.

No mini-golf this time, but the spoon is still there!

Competing wedding parties!

A Juicy Lucy. Yum. It was good but still not as good as the Krispy Kreme burger.

I don't even remember where this was. It was near our hotel and looked super cool but was also absolutely completely empty.

Just like in 2004, the bar of choice.

The food was good but not as good as the sign. That's a hard act to follow.

For the baseball games we went to on on the trip, check here and here.

I Blame Cathie Black

2010-12-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

At 8:15 on Thursday morning, I received a phone call from a public school in Brooklyn. They wanted to know if I was available to sub that day. What? I asked the woman how they had my name since I hadn't ever subbed in the public school system. I explained that I had tried to sub last year but due to the hiring freeze, I hadn't had any luck.

She explained to me that a principal had to write a letter nominating a teacher to sub for the school. I knew this information already because I had unsuccessfully tried to get one from a few schools in my neighborhood last year when I wasn't working. I explained that I now had a job in an independent school so I wasn't available to sub.

I asked her how she had gotten my name though. She mentioned that she had my resume. I asked if there was a letter attached to the resume. Sure enough there was. It was dated March 2009. So basically, they had my resume from when the school was one of many that I was trying to get a job at before the hiring freeze. Sometime between March 2009 and now, my resume had been transferred from possible applicants for a head teaching job to the sub folder.

I thanked her for the call and she mentioned that I should keep trying to sub since the principal at their school did write nominating letters. I reiterated that I wasn't looking to sub any longer and the call ended.

After the call, I really began to think about it and I have a number of questions.
1. Why didn't they call me last year? I would have loved to have received this call in December 2009 when I actually wanted to sub.

2. How could I possibly have subbed for them if I hadn't gotten a nominating letter from the principal?

3. They wanted me to work that day, no questions asked. I never interviewed with anyone at the school. All they had was my resume, yet they were going to allow me to come in and be alone in a classroom with a bunch of kids? What the hell?

Actual photo of the woman I spoke to.

Sick of Fantasy Baseball

2010-11-30T22:06:00.000-05:00

I had been contemplating quitting fantasy baseball in 2011. But then ... but then THIS arrived in the mail for me.

I might have only been good in one of three leagues I was in this year but at least I was good enough to win the bobblehead!

Bring on 2011!

The Club is Open

2010-11-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

I saw Guided by Voices the other night. And holy crap, they were great. Much better than I remember from seeing them 15 years ago. Pollard actually stayed sober for most of the show.

The legkicks were fantastic, Mitch Mitchell blew me away. Tobin Sprout's wife even hit on me. It was a bizarre night.

Hey, it's me watching GBV!

(all photos by Mooney)

I've been quite skeptical of some of these nostalgia tours of late, but when they were as incredible as this one, I'm convinced. A perfect show.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:38:00.000-04:00

A Glorious Age of Huey

2010-10-27T18:46:00.001-04:00

1. First it was the National Anthem before a playoff game last week.

2. Then it was an appearance on Morning Joe on Monday. Dave excitedly texted me updates in the morning about it.

3. He followed that up with an appearance with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon last night.

4. And let's not forget he has a new album of Stax covers out next week. I can't believe how much I like it - much better than his last album of covers - 1994's Four Chords and Several Years Ago.
Hell, it's probably his best album since Fore! It's definitely a stone groove.

5. But best of all, I ran into him at the Nick Lowe show on Sunday night. I couldn't believe it. He was in front of me in line. I figured out who he was immediately and said to Dave, "Huey Lewis is in front of us." Dave didn't believe me. And then he heard his voice and immediately knew. Huey!

I tapped Huey on the shoulder and said, "Huey, congratulations on the Giants making it to the World Series." His face lit up and he became visibly excited. I reminded him about the tribute show and he said he remembered. Who cares if he really did or not. It was Huey! The man can do no wrong.

I kept hoping he'd jump up on stage with Lowe and perform. Hell, he's got to always have his harmonica on him, right? But when I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock & Roll started and Huey was nowhere to be found, my dreams were dashed.

After the show, Dave suggested I request the guest list as a souvenir but I was too shy. Great idea, lousy execution.

No matter, I saw a great Nick Lowe show and talked to my childhood idol for a minute. Huey!

I Don't Care, I Care, I Really Don't Care

2010-10-04T20:54:00.001-04:00

Other than SHR, Marc, and me, it seems that no one else was disappointed by the recent Pavement shows. They were okay but nothing special. They didn't sound spectacular like the Pixies. They didn't excite me like Superchunk on their recent performance on Jimmy Fallon. Obviously the key difference is that Superchunk is touring behind a new album and Pavement is simply cashing in. And it's not like Pavement ever really cared about their live shows anyway. But why did everything sound so damn slow?

Check out this clip from Colbert. Why did they have to slow down a perfect song and make it not nearly as good?

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Pavement - Gold Soundz

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

March to Keep Fear Alive

They were a little bit better on Fallon where they did Unfair but still not great.

I saw them twice in three nights. The Central Park show was a little bit better because the sound was better. And the sets were great both nights for the most part. But overall, I was just kind of blah about the whole thing.

On the other hand, check out Superchunk. They were great despite how weird John Darnielle was on stage with them.

Or perhaps this is a better comparison since this is an old song played by people who care.

Then again, maybe it isn't Pavement's fault. It seems like I'm just not that into reunion shows in general?

The Wedding

2010-09-22T20:43:00.002-04:00

Rebecca was ready!
(first 6 photos by Mooney)

Sean was ready.

And everyone else was ready too.

Rebecca and her little brother Jason.

I missed the entire ceremony though because right after SHR and I walked the boys down the aisle in their roles as the ring bearers, the sick Otis had had enough.

I brought him inside where he fell asleep in my arms. I brought him upstairs, put him in his tent and raced outside for the end of the ceremony.

And I caught the very end.

(photo by Skippy)

Can you tell what is the cake and what is the real grilled cheese?

Not sure what's going on here. This was after I went to bed.
(photo by Erik)

Hi Balgavy!
(photo by Erik)

The next morning.

Yep.

For many more photos from the wedding, check here.

Cape Cod Lounging

2010-09-19T11:13:00.000-04:00

There was an outdoor shower! The boys were very intrigued.

Hey - it's Balgavy!

Otis tried to muscle in on Erik's shower.

Run Otis Run!

Erik does his best Joe Strummer.

Skippy and the Pickle

More Cornhole.

Relaxing by the fire.

Mooney won the round.

Cape Cod Craziness

2010-09-14T22:05:00.001-04:00

It rained for the first 3 days. Things got a bit nuts.

Monday was Sean's bachelor party. Paintball, a drag show, and karaoke. And then this.
(photo by Erik)

And then this back at the house.

(photo by Erik)

Some nights were more mellow.

Game night.

The less said about this one the better. The aftermath of Rebecca's bachelorette party - back at the house. I was fast asleep when this picture was taken.
(picture by Lauren)

The Boat!

(photo by Luke)

Working on Cornhole.

I played Lauren in ladderball. She won.

Tumblin some dice.

I'm pretty sure everyone playing this game was asleep.

Preparing for the wedding. It turns out that the man can do more than take his shirt off and scream.

Otis got fresh.

SHR beat Luke in ladderball. Nice job yuhbow!

Summer TV Wrapup

2010-09-13T22:04:00.001-04:00

Louie
I love this show. Even when it didn't completely work, it still worked for me. It was so bizarrely funny and incredibly hard to pin down. I can honestly say I've never quite seen anything on TV like this show before.

Death Comes to Town
Each episode kept getting funnier. Those Kids in the Hall guys sure are talented, huh? I can't stop chuckling to myself every time I think about the big city lawyer or Death riding around town.
Mad Men
The best season yet? I really can't get enough.

Hung
SHR gave up. I've kept on and it's actually gotten a bit better as the season has worn on despite Jane Adams being so over-the-top annoying most of the time.

Entourage
For some reason, I've liked this season despite it being as silly as ever. Then when I found it that next season would be the last and it was finally going to end, I started really enjoying this season.

Rubicon
Just couldn't get into it. I feel like I have personally let Marc and Jim down. Sorry guys.

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday!

2010-09-06T21:38:00.002-04:00

Hey Cal - happy 15th anniversary for setting the consecutive games streak. Hey Eddie - happy 14th anniversary for hitting your 500th home run.

And most importantly - happy birthday SHR! Boog still would like to see you again.

Thanks to Hot Tub Eric for sending me the great Eddie and Cal picture. It is easily one of my all time favorites.

On another note, whatever Cal did to get punched in the face, I'm sure he deserved it.

I Didn't Mean for This Post to Sound Like an Oscar Speech, But So Be It!

2010-08-30T20:51:00.001-04:00

My 14+ months of being Mr. Mom has come to a close. I went to work for the first time today since last June. It felt really odd waiting for the train on the platform. This is my first time commuting regularly by subway since 1999.

The day was full of meetings. And they were all pretty damn interesting. I think I'm really going to like it at my new school. I think it is the right fit. I must admit that I felt pretty damn inspired to hear about the history of the school from the school historian. It is a fascinating story -one that I will delve into at a later time.

Anyway - I can't believe it's over. Sure, there will be vacations and three day weekends, etc. but it won't be the same. I was pretty much with the boys every day from the time they were 3 months-old to the time they were 18 months-old. I'm going to miss hanging out with them all day.

Anyway, off the top of my head --

Thank You To:

- TV! Especially five seasons of How I Met Your Mother, three of Damages, almost six of The Shield, and the one glorious one of The Prisoner.

- Everyone who came over to hang out with me during the day. And also the people that helped out when SHR went to Europe for 6 nights in January. So many people pitched in to help out including Uncle Brian and Aunt Rosemary who stayed with me for a couple nights and even helped me bring the boys to their 8:30 am swim class at the Y.

Hanging out eating lunch at Stone Park Cafe during the middle of the week wasn't so bad. Or how about ice cream at The General Greene last summer? So many people helped keep me sane over the course of the past 14 months. Last summer - it was nonstop Jim Flood. Once we moved to Park Slope, the Thursdays with Chris and Amelia were perfect. And, of course, how could I have survived without Tuesdays with Bart?

- Crocs. You saved my life.

- SHR's mom for watching the boys so I could take two baseball trips and so SHR and I could take a trip to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago.

- SHR for coming home everyday from a hard day at work and letting me relax for a spell. I might have been partly Mr. Mom but I sure as hell didn't do all the duties that a stay-at-home parent is supposed to do - like you know, cooking, cleaning, etc. Thanks yuhbow!

- And of course, Sam & Otis. The past year has been tough at times but it also has been unbelievably gratifying. I'm going to really miss my days with Double Trouble. They are the best.

I Don't Look a Day Over 55

2010-08-24T14:15:00.000-04:00

For the record, I'm 37. As of yesterday, 37 and a half to be exact.

But apparently most people these days think I'm much much older.

Just last night out of 8 people out for Sean's bachelor party on Cape Cod, I was the only one not carded. The only one. I asked if the guy carding needed my ID and I was told, "No, you're good." He then proceeded to card Jim who is two and a half years older than me.

While SHR and I were in Minneapolis, SHR kept getting carded and I wasn't. In fact, one waitress even admitted that she knew that SHR was older than 21 but she wanted to see her ID because she was curious. Curious as to what? Just how much older I am than her? I'm guessing she thought I was 45 and SHR was 24 or something.

But the best incident was at a recent visit to Tom's. An older woman (maybe 80?) came over to see the boys as we were leaving. She asking a few questions about the boys and Bart answered most of them. I assumed she thought we were two dads with our adopted Asian babies. That wasn't the case at all. I found this out when Otis started reaching for me and she said, "He wants Grandpa." Grandpa? What? She thought I was the grandfather and Bart was my son?

That night I shaved my gray beard.

Me right before shaving.

Baseball Trip 2010: Atlanta

2010-08-11T23:05:00.001-04:00

We had a little bit of time before our flight to go the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum. This was my third visit to a presidential museum after having previously visited LBJ's and FDR's. It was fun but not as good as the other two.

Still, with artifacts like this, who's complaining?

(photo by Erik)

(photo by Erik)

(photo by Marc)

I can't believe we didn't play bocce here.

And then it was time for the first ever Chick-Fil-A!

(both photos by Erik)

Then it was time to go home and start planning for 2011.

For the previous night's game in Montgomery, AL complete with some funny heckling and Erik snagging a foul ball, check here.

Baseball Trip 2010: Florida

2010-08-10T22:23:00.003-04:00

Remember back in early June when I went on a baseball trip? Well, I kind of do and here are some more pictures - all from Florida.

After the Pensacola Pelicans game, we headed to the beach for some bocce and to see news trucks.

(photo by Marc)

It was so dark that we had to occasionally take pictures of the balls to see who was closer.
(photo by Erik)

Erik won nighttime bocce and then took some great pictures. The next three were all taken by Erik.

Back at the hotel.

The next morning.

The next day brought more bocce, of course. We had to dodge the sprinklers on this court.
(last 4 photos by Erik)

Snooze. Erik won again.

Back to the beach.

(last 4 photos by Marc)

(photo by Erik)

The Oil Spill Champion. Yes, that's right. Erik won every single bocce match on the entire trip. Absolutely disgusting.
(photo by Marc)

The Last Day at the Beach

2010-08-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

All week Bart and Eric badmouthed wraps. So it was pretty darn funny when Bart inadvertently ended up with one for lunch on the last day. Blame it on wishful thinking and ordering from a Russian waiter.

S'mores!

One more night in the pool.

Some last minute poolaris - the best pool game ever invented. Thank you Mr. Coogen.

And then Bart contemplated fulfilling a week long dare of jumping into the pool from the shed.

He demonstrated how he would make it to the bottom step and then slide to safety. Luckily, he decided not to try it.

Mayer's Tavern

2010-08-08T21:56:00.001-04:00

The next to last night at the beach was Dude's Night Out. We went to Cape May for some scallops.

Fried scallops. Yum.
(both photos by Chris Larry)

Pool time.

Coogen planned his next move while Hot Tub Eric and Chris put on some tunes.

I love the Mark McGwire poster.

Coogen attracted some notice.
(photo by Eric)

She challenged him to a game of pool and tried to woo him.

She said to Coogen, "I see that you are the only one not wearing a wedding ring. You gay?" When he said no, she extended her hand and said, "Well, then my name's Margaret."

A few minutes later as we prepared to leave, she asked Eric if she could keep Coogen. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work out.

Coogen made more friends on the way out. This guy had just stepped off a booze cruise.

(photo by Chris Larry)

Don't Confuse the Pat's in Shore Harbor with the Pat's in Philly

2010-08-07T14:33:00.000-04:00

Because one is great and the other - not so much.

We all descended on the little shack over the course of a day. Why none of us thought to call others and warn them about it is beyond me.

We were the first there. We dodged the cobwebs and spoke to the quite proud owner. "Everything is first class!"

SHR and I split a lobster roll and then headed out. But before we left, Coogen, Bart, and Amy showed up.

The old man touted his soups to Coogen.

Soup it is!

Later in the day, the Mary Larrys tried the place. As did the Plumleys. No one had a good time and some even downright hated the guy for his boasting.
(photo by Hot Tub Eric)

Beach and the Boardwalk

2010-08-05T22:23:00.004-04:00

Bart and Coogen set up the humongous umbrella that they borrowed from the pool at our house. They soon realized though that a hole needed to be dug.

Bart started in on the digging.

Phoebe decided to help out.

And then she realized that perhaps Bart didn't have the proper tools to dig a deep enough hole.

Mooney's ill fated beach tent. It lasted about 2 minutes.

Boardwalk

Frankie, Hot Tub Eric, and Mary

Phoebe

Frankie!

Phoebe's first roller coaster ride.

Eric kept trying to get Phoebe to raise her arms.

Although later in the evening, there were no arms being raised during the Team Plumley log flume plunge.

Chris and Mary

Waving to the boys.

Concern

Don't worry little boy. We survived.

The Beach!

2010-08-05T00:04:00.001-04:00

Grill Master Larry

Bart made great drinks all week. He brought Hot Tub Eric a drink in a glass that's wasn't masculine enough for Eric. He didn't want to lose face in front of his new friends next door.

Begrudgingly, he took the drink.

Bart modeled his vacation hat - a hat he supposedly only breaks out once every three years.

Pool shenanigans.

Oh yeah, there were tons of kids on this vacation as well. Check the Double Trouble blog here, here, and here for the first three installments.

Top Albums of the Last Decade

2010-08-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago, I had my best of the 90's list ready to go as soon as the new decade began. I had lists of my favorite songs, EP's, and albums. This time round, it took me seven months to get around to it. And while looking at some of the albums that came out in the 2000's, I realized that only a few have really really stuck with me by decade's end. Sure, there were some great albums that I really liked during the decade that aren't on here. But these are the ones that I find myself coming back to over and over as the years go by.

The White Stripes - De Stijl, 2000
The first time I heard this album was in a store in Seattle while staying with Shawn after the completion of yet another baseball trip. From the moment, I heard the first few seconds of You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl), I knew I had to have this album. The rest of the summer, I must have listened to this album twice a day. I really couldn't get enough of it. The following winter, I saw them in a small club in Baltimore with Jeremy and the love affair reached a fever pitch. By the summer of 2001, they were huge. But for that one summer of 2000, they were still kind of a well kept secret.

Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear, 2001
Oh Beulah. Why did you have to leave us? I love this album so. Three straight amazingly great albums with this one being the final great one. This album was ignored and by the time the band got the attention they deserved, they were on the verge of breaking up and putting out a boring album (2003's Yoko). But we'll always have the first three albums, won't we? I never get sick of listening to this album. It came out on 9/11 and I bought it shortly thereafter. I was convinced I was going to die before the new year. Yes I was paranoid but I was out of my mind. This album helped relax me. Hell, if I was going to die in a suicide bombing on the subway, at least I'd be listening to a great album.

The Reigning Sound - Time Bomb High School, 2002
The garage rock album of the decade. Great originals, great covers. I like all of the Reigning Sound albums to one degree or another but this is the only one that I think fully captures their brilliance from beginning to end.

Neko Case - Blacklisted, 2002
In 2002, I wrote about this album, "For late nights, countryside diners, lonely days, snowy roads, and David Lynch movies. This album is timeless and will age into a classic. Her show at the Bowery Ballroom in September was one of the best shows I've seen in years."

Not sure I have much more to add to that. Not sure where I would rank this if I were forcing myself to actually make this into a real list but it would definitely be somewhere in the top three.

New Pornographers - Electric Version, 2003 The first three albums all blend into one big stew of greatness for me. For some reason, I resisted Mass Romantic when it first came out, but SHR got me into this even before it came out by putting The New Face of Zero and One on a mix CD for me when we first started dating. That's all it took. This album for me is taking many weekend trips with SHR during the summer of '03 including the one in which I proposed to her. Every song is a barnburner. Every song makes me want to stand up and pump my fist and sing along. Every song sounds even better when SHR sings along to it on the open road with the windows down and the upstate New York summer air in my lungs. I know that most people don't even consider this their favorite New Pornographers album but this is perhaps my favorite album of the decade.

Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic, 2003
In 2003, I wrote, "Just mere months after the release of their debut album, three of the four band members died when their van crashed while on tour. Arguments with Shawn about why a band like this needs to exist since there isn't much original about them drove me crazy over the summer. Without any context of either band, Josh ripped the Nerves (70's) for sounding derivative while in the next breath praised the Exploding Hearts. This proves my point that it doesn't matter who was first. What matters is if the songs hold up. And they do.

Stone Groove couldn't handle them (too loud) but the kids know this band is where it was at in 2003. Ten brilliant songs, over and out, goodnight. It is almost like they were here on earth just to record this amazing record, they did it, and then they were gone. Sounds crazy, but the rock gods must have had a plan to take this young rock band from us so soon. If only we had an Eddie Cochran of our generation to write a eulogy for them."

I have only vague memories of those arguments with Shawn and Josh but they sound amazing! I miss arguing about music. I never argue about music anymore.

Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame, 2005
I couldn't decide between this and 2003's Red Devil Dawn for my fave Eric Bachmann release of the decade. Am I crazy for putting this one as my favorite? Probably. But there's just something so great about this batch of songs to me. It's like Bachmann was putting himself out there with some pretty songs and some nakedly personal lyrics only to be rejected once again by the indie rock elite of the aughts. Sad. Is there any doubt that his next album of completely sparse and depressing songs was a reaction to the failure of this one?

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country, 2006
Or perhaps this is my favorite album of the decade? Wow. Where did this come from? I mean, their first couple of albums are good but nothing like this. Like a female Stuart Murdoch penning timeless girl group songs? I don't know. When I think about this album I think about my amazing Asian trip of 2006 where I pretty much only listened to this album on repeat.

I guess nothing great came out from 2007-2009?

What are your favorites?

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-16T22:54:00.001-04:00

Erik's rooftop in Red Hook was the sight of a great party on the 4th of July.

Party!

The newlyweds Sarah and Mike.

The soon-to-be weds Sean and Rebecca. And a scrumptious looking dessert. And a bowtie.

The family of three that is now a family of four. Congratulations Team Nelson!

The gracious host.

Now it's a party!

Sean and the Big O check out the Brooklyn evening.

Rebecca and Sam

Amy joined the party. SHR's facial expression cracks me up.

Otis was looking for buses in the sky. Or maybe waitresses.

Sam couldn't decide what kind of beer he wanted.

Yuengling!

Nah, Sam's a Bud man.

Jamie and Kaci, welcome to the party!

Yu showed up and surprised Sam who refused to share his Bud. I mean - milk.

Paul, a soon-to-be Brooklyn resident. Welcome Paul. Fuhgeddaboudit!

Flood

Mooney

Is there anything better than Wii on a rooftop?

The night was a lot of fun even though we couldn't see any fireworks because they were set off over the Hudson rather than the East River. Sam got cranky near the end but Otis didn't want to leave. He loved crying out "Buh!" to every passing airplane. Babies are stoopid.

We're Moving Yet Again

2010-07-13T23:55:00.002-04:00

We haven't even been in our current apartment for 9 months! We moved in in late October. But the owners sold the apt. which was fine with us. We need a bigger space.

I'll miss a few things about our current apartment including the sign and the red door. Luckily for us, our new apt will also have a red door.
There are also a few things about this place I won't miss. The beginning was promising. We immediately liked the woman we were renting from and some of our neighbors are really friendly. But there have also been a number of not so pleasant moments.

When we went in front of the board back in October (there are only 15 apartments in the building so the whole endeavor was pretty small) we were told that the building was more of a community than just an apartment. We were told that people brought up packages for each other (we've had one brought up for us), people held the door open for each other (the guy who said that doesn't bother to hold the door for either SHR or me even when we have 1 or 2 babies in tow), and that the building was making its own wine in the basement (we never were invited to imbibe because we are renters).

Basically that has been the biggest problem for us since the beginning - being renters and now owners. There is an email list for owners but not renters and despite the best efforts of our landlord, we were never allowed to be included on the e-mail list. Some e-mails we received, some we did not. Luckily for us, our landlord sent us pertinent e-mails if she happened to be at the computer. Like this snippet from a pretty urgent e-mail about bedbugs from the non door holding guy who lives directly below us.

As for our building, I strongly suggest everyone does a search of their bedrooms to look for signs of bloodstains, eggs, or bugs. I'll keep you posted. I have not included any of the renters on this email. I'll leave it up to the owners of those apartments to decide how to handle the situation.

Could there be any possible reason why we wouldn't need to be included on this e-mail right away? So odd.

When we moved in, there was only one other apartment occupied by renters. They happened to live right next to us. One day, I ran into one of them and she mentioned that she and her boyfriend were moving soon. She also mentioned how the owners were completely unwelcoming to renters.

There was another night when we first moved in when one owner came up to SHR as she was recycling to tell her, "We recycle in this building." Yeah, ok ...

Then there was this e-mail which luckily for us we were included on.

Hi all,
I hope you're all well. I was just outside and noticed some recycling was mis-sorted. There is a huge blue bag filled with plastic, glass etc in the paper recycling bin. Anyway, whoever's renters they are or whomever mis-sorted could you please go out and re-sort into the proper cans? The cans are labeled fairly clearly. I would have moved the blue bag but it's heavy and I just had surgery and am not allowed to lift anything for a couple weeks.
Thank you!
T

I love that she doesn't know that the huge blue bag can also be called a recycling bag. I must admit that I was the guilty party here but in my defense, the cans were not labeled properly - the top didn't match the bottom. The bag that she was calling people out on was full of baby formula bottles and baby food. Who else could it have belonged to other than us? Anyway, I immediately went out and fixed it.

Then there was the bike incident where my uncle was in the process of going to the basement to lock his bike. He and my aunt were staying with me during SHR's 6 night European jaunt in January. The Board President (I had already met Board President twice before this point and the third time we met, she inquired who I was) asked for my name and number from him so she could call me and scold me. She wanted to know if my uncle was who he said he was (not that she knew who I was) and let me know that she was worried because there had been some break-ins at the apt. Of course, I had no idea about these break-ins. Must have been on an e-mail that I wasn't allowed to get.

I was told that I needed to e-mail the entire building if I ever had visitors use my keys ever. Duly noted ...

BP told our landlord to tell us that no one should chain their bike to any water pipes outside or in the basement.

Oh, like this? Btw, that is the Board President's bike.

Then another e-mail from Board President (BP) to Awesome Landlord (AL)

Can you make sure your tenants know about tying up loose cardboard boxes? There were a few large boxes outside today addressed to them - they were broken down but not tied up, and we occasionally get tickets for that.

Thanks!
BP

This got SHR annoyed. She wrote to AL.

Sure. They were two large car seat boxes and tying them together seemed a little silly to me, especially as there was already a single electronics box roughly the same size by the cans, untied, that someone else had brought down earlier in the week. For future reference if we bring down a single box, does it need to be tied?
BP has our email addresses, right? She's more than welcome to email us directly about these things. I feel bad that you have to be the conduit.

AL wrote back, "Yes, BP has your email addresses but for some reason she feels the need to go through me."

Then the response from BP:

"Well, loose boxes need to be tied. So what they could do is just tie all 3 boxes together, even if one isn't theirs. That's what I would do, and I imagine others in the building would do the same. Renters shouldn't be an exception to this. Obviously a single box does not need to get tied up."

Renters are such freeloaders!

On a sidenote, a few weeks after this, I saw a homeless looking dude come untie the boxes in front of the buildling in order to steal the twine. Since I'm a renter, I didn't feel the need to say anything.

Also, I love that shortly after all this stuff, SHR ousted BP as the mayor of our favorite local bakery. Take that BP!

Perhaps my favorite e-mail from our entire stay here was from the dude who told SHR that we recycle in this building --

Early this morning, I was awoken to the continual sound of the Roof Door opening and banging shut in the wind. The person who left the door open, has left their key in the door, which I have. This is a danger to the building, as it leaves our hallways open to anyone that accesses the roof from anywhere on the block. The roof door should not be left open and unattended at ANY TIME. We need to add this to the agenda of the board meeting.
M

I wrote back to M stating that I bet the culprit was the broker who had been showing the apt next to ours to a potential client earlier that night. M didn't bother to respond to me. I found out later that my theory was indeed correct.

Then the new neighbors moved in. BP welcomed them to the building. AL forwarded it to us.

Hey everyone, Let's give a big welcome to our newest neighbors, H and K! I have invited them to the yahoo group as well They are moving in at the end of April but will be doing some renovations this month - so please keep everyone updated as to when you will have workmen in/out of your place. Thanks and welcome! BP

Why would we need to be included on this e-mail? I mean, we only live next door to the new neighbors and I'm the only one on the floor home all days with babies?

SHR sent an e-mail to the entire list welcoming the new neighbors and asking if they knew the construction schedule.

Recycling policewoman immediately responded

Hi guys!
They had mentioned renovations would be 9am-6pm M-F or business hours. I think they posted it to the yahoo group e-mail listserve which you might also not be a part of.
Thanks
T

SHR wrote me:

i want to reply and be like, "no we're not on the yahoo group. we're excluded from anything that might make living in this shitty building easier. don't you remember discussing it at a recent board meeting?"

too much?

She wanted to send this one as well:

Hi T,

No, we are not a part of that because we are not allowed to be. We do somehow manage to get included on random building wide emails when it involves people not recycling properly or keys being left in the roof doors, but not things like renovation schedules.

Thanks for the info.

Best,
SHR

She ended up going with:

Hi T,

No, we're not allowed to be part of the Yahoo group or any similar mailing list, either.Thanks for the info.

Best,
SHR

Anyway ...

I'm looking forward to getting settled in at our new place. I won't miss the crazy layout of this apt. I will miss the hallway playground though for the boys.

I will miss some of the people who have been extremely nice to us. And, of course, I will miss the roof. The glorious roof. Luckily our new place will have backyard access though!

Onwards and upwards!

Baseball Trip 2010: Alabama

2010-07-12T23:13:00.001-04:00

The previous night in Mobile was a bit of washout in more ways than one.

The next day saw a lot of bocce.

On the way out of Mobile.

I was kind of obsessed with the sky while we were playing.

(photo by Balgavy)

Four victories in a row for Sweet Touch.

I can't even remember where this was but the bocce courts were unplayable.

No matter. We played on the baseball field. It IS a baseball trip, y'all.

Yawn.

Baseball Trip: Jackson, Mississippi

2010-07-11T23:00:00.001-04:00

After New Orleans, we got on the road to Jackson.

First stop - a date at Chick Fil-A for a free spicy chicken sandwich that we had made reservations for. I felt so special.

Could this be the best moment of any baseball trip ever for Marc?
(photo by Erik)

We met up with Hot Tub Eric and headed to the game. After the game, we had some great seafood at The Mayflower Cafe.
(photo by Erik)

Then it was off to see what trouble we could find.

Earlier in the night, we had passed an old motel that had a sign in front dubbing the place as Romantic Adventures. What? We all know the south is dirty but could it be that blatant? Turned out - not really. It was just a porn/lingerie shop housed in an old motel.

(photo by Erik)

Hot Tub needed a picture. As he took this picture, a huge beardog emerged from the shadows and came running after him. Hot Tub ran for his life. I wish I had seen it but I was still inside debating whether or not to buy the 1976 "Women of Baseball" issue of Playboy.
(photo by Marc)

Second up, we ended up at a dive bar called Sam's Lounge that Hot Tub had spotted on his way into town. Sadly, some of the best moments of the entire trip were not documented photographically.The bartender Paul kind of reminded me of Bronson Arroyo. He thought we were kings when Marc tipped him four bucks on an eleven dollar tab.

We met a woman in her mid 40's who Hot Tub dubbed Tan Lines who was there with her creepy older boy toy. She offered to show us her tits within 2 minutes of us taking a seat at the bar. She then ordered us to give her money for the jukebox. Somehow we all avoided her overtures - except for Marc. He got roped into giving her 6 dollars.

She then took a young buck from the bar to help her pick out some jams. We looked over at one point and their backs were to us. Her skirt was up to her waist as she shook, shimmied, and grinded to the music and to the young buck's gentle touch. Gross!

Then she came back to her seat to make out with her older boytoy. She then tried to take her drink out of the bar and Paul busted her.

Look - cigarettes next to the chips in the vending machines in Jackson.
(photo by Erik)

Other things of note on the night:
- We kept coming across a dude who looked across a young Eddie Murray beyond Thunderdome.

- There was an annoying crack whore who kept following us around that night and the next morning every time we were near our hotel.

- We went to a strip club (based on Paul's recommendation) called Babes (The sign read "It's all in the name) where we ended up with 7 beers for 16 bucks! That also included a free one for Erik winning the loudest cheer or something along those lines that he won within 2 minutes of arrival.

The next morning we went to Peaches for the best pancakes I've ever had that weren't made by my grandfather.
(photo by Erik)

(photo by Erik)

We had to shoo away the wandering crack whore to take this picture.

Because Jackson is such a shithole, we were able to stay in one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. This place used to be the place to be in Jackson but then the area went to shit. After 40something years of neglect, it was recently renovated and reopened. Too bad the rest of the neighborhood still looks like a bomb hit it.

(photo by Marc)

Hot Tub headed back to Memphis and we started off on the way to Alabama.

On the way, we found some fountains to play some bocce near.

Erik celebrated his third straight victory.

The baseball game in Jackson.

Queens!

2010-07-09T00:15:00.001-04:00

My new favorite park - Gantry State Park in Long Island City.

Picnic time.

Right on the water, right by the great Pepsi sign.

Badminton.

Otis wanted in on the action.

Daddy Larry and Amelia

Elliott modeled Daddy Larry's sunglasses.

Almost time to go.

(photo by Balgavy)

For many more photos, check the Double Trouble blog here, here, and here.

Baseball Trip 2010: New Orleans

2010-07-05T23:31:00.003-04:00

Over a month ago, Marc, Erik, and I took our annual baseball trip.

First up - New Orleans

We took a 9:30 flight out of NY so we had some time on our first night to do some walking around. This is one of my all time favorite photos of me. Thanks Marc! Go Budweiser!
(photo by Balgavy)

The next day.

One of the tastiest lunches ever.
(photo by Balgavy)

Bacon and Oyster Sandwich!

Then we did a lot more walking and ended up at the National World War II Museum. Erik and I were pretty interested in going in and Marc was willing. But we were scared off by the $20 price tag.

The lobby was pretty cool though.
(photo by Erik)

Don't grandsons of World War II vets get a discount?
(photo by Erik)

Rather than spend our money at the World War II museum, we ended up at the Museum of the American Cocktail.

A good call.

Marc had scouted out all of the possible bocce courts on the trip. First up - a new one on the campus of Tulane.

New court, old balls.
(photo by Balgavy)

Looked pretty but pretty terrible.
(photo by Balgavy)

The winner.

Before the Zephyrs game, it was time for more bocce because it's what we do.
(photo by Balgavy)

New Orleans Champ

We were a few minutes too late to go to Hot Tub Eric's restaurant recommendation. Next time.

Instead, we went to a cigar bar around the corner while waiting for a friend of Erik's. I had no idea that every cigar magazine featured scantily clad women and centerfolds of those women.
(photo by Erik)

The next morning

Before heading out of town we had perhaps the best fried chicken I've ever had.
(photo by Erik)

Lots of Balgavy Posts:
It Begins

Lunch and an Afternoon Stroll

Early Evening Bocce

Pre-Game is All About Erik

Mini-Break

More Breaking. Ha.

A Zephyrs Game

A Lazy New Orleans Morning

And of course, my Baseball Diaries writeup.

Next up: Jackson, Mississippi

Spring TV Wrapup

2010-07-01T08:49:00.001-04:00

The Pacific
While I don't agree with Chris Larry's sentiment of F World War II, I might have to say F The Pacific. Boring.

Breaking Bad
The best of the three seasons so far and I've liked all three seasons quite a bit. I can't think of a show in recent memory that I've been so pumped to see on a weekly basis. I'm not saying that this show is better than The Wire but on a pure suspense what the hell is going to happen? on a week to week basis - I don't know if there's ever been a show I've ever seen quite like this. I can't wait to go back to the beginning at some point and trace the growing evil within Walter White.

Justified
I'm willing to give this show another shot when the reruns start. I was feeling overwhelmed with too many shows so I stopped watching it. And after the first episode, it wasn't as good as I was hoping. It feel a little too jokey to me and I wanted more of a continuing story line. I think I watched about 6 or so episodes before giving up. I love Timothy Olyphant so I should give it another go, right? And I hear that Walton Goggins comes back by the end. He was great in the first episode as the white supremacist.

Treme
I liked each episode more and more as I got to know the characters. I loved the pace of it. I loved the music. Anyone who didn't like this show because they expected to get The Wire, Po'boy Style was misguided.

Damages
Despite its increasingly silly developments, I kept really liking this show. That is - until the final episode of this past season. Terrible. Every crazy plot line of all 3 seasons was wrapped up in 90 minutes despite how implausible the solutions might have been. The series should probably end. Still, if there's a fourth season, I'll be back. I also can't look at Glenn Close anymore ever since Jim or Bart told me that she has had so much work done that her face doesn't move at all. In the last scene, she was wearing sunglasses and it was one of the scariest things I'd ever seen.

Friday Night Lights
Definitely the best season since the first one. I want this show to go on forever. I love watching it with SHR, she gets so excited. Is there a better character on TV than Mrs. Coach?
Sure, there's some completely illogical things that happen on this show but who cares? And yes, the past few episodes haven't been great but I'm expecting a rousing conclusion to the season. If they could only get rid of that dumb new Tim Riggins hanger-on girl. I prefer the weird little boy from Season 1 to her as far as characters obsessed with Tim Riggins. Hey Tim Riggins!

The Shield
I'm now officially more than halfway through the series having just finished watching episode 10 of the fourth season. I loved the first season, liked the 2nd one, and was astounded by the third one. The fourth one started off slow and a bit weird but has really taken off. I love Glenn Close in season 4 and am looking forward to Forest Whitaker in the 5th season. I hope to finish the entire series before I go back to school in the fall. The clock is ticking on Vic Mackey (in more ways than one I'm guessing).

Lost
Good enough finale I guess.

Parks and Recreation
Why is NBC messing with this show? It is definitely the best show on network television these days.

The Office
This past season wasn't so good. It had its moments but overall was disappointing. I still don't understand why they have made Jim and Pam so annoying. With Steve Carell's final season coming up, the show might completely be rejuvenated or it might die a slow death. Either way, it will be interesting to see who they will replace him with. I like Alan Sepinwall's idea - Ron Swanson!

30 Rock
I've said it before and I'll say it again - why am I still watching this show?

Party Down
Not a surprise that this was cancelled but still quite disappointing. At least, we'll have 20 episodes to savor. The comedic formula of this show was absolutely brilliant. It will be missed. Every episode had incredible laugh out loud moments. Where can I get an Mp3 of Kyle's band's song?

A Return of Summer Dan?

2010-06-23T10:02:00.003-04:00

Not likely but two shows in three nights isn't bad.

The Hecklers
My first time seeing them since the epic Huey show of '08.

It ain't 1998 anymore. Time for a nap after the show.

The New Pornographers

And then apparently, the night was made for tweets. A few of the selected highlights:
jewrean aka SHR
Neko = Mrs Coach, but who do I love more? 11:19 PM
As much as SHR loves Neko, I think she loves Mrs. Coach from Friday Night Lights more. Good call though!

jewrean to Rebecca Is there a long haired crazy dancing lady by you too or did we just get lucky 11:30 PM

SMcPickles replied: @jewrean Do you mean Dan?
I'm assuming she meant Dan Bejar and not me?

jewrean Also stop playing random covers and play your daddy don't know, ok? 11:40 PM
They didn't listen.

jewrean Is this a destroyer show? #somuchbejar #newpornographers #iamnowdrunk June 20, 2010 11:42:40
I love the so much Bejar tag. And she wasn't kidding about being a little bit tipsy.

jewrean "What's a computer doing on a rock n roll stage?" - Bart D. June 20, 2010 11:44:18 PM

jewrean Could listen to Neko sing Letter From An Occupant 50 times in a row. Then I'd need a sandwich. June 21, 2010 12:06:50 AM
She never did get the sandwich. But she did eat half of the bagel I made for her when we got home.

After the show, Sean decided to start tweeting some of my pearls of drunken wisdom.

FredSwayze "Treme" is like "Sex and the City" compared to "The Wire" for following. - things Drunk Dan says. June 21, 2010 12:59:07 AM
I stand by that.

FredSwayze "Summer 98 was the hottest I've ever been." - things Drunk Dan says. June 21, 2010 1:02:36 AM
I stand by that.

This pic taken from balgavy.com might be from '99 rather than '98 but it's close enough. Sorry SHR, you missed out on the hotness by a few years!

FredSwayze "If you need to know, get on Balgavy.com" - things Drunk Dan says. June 21, 2010 1:04:56 AM

FredSwayze "Summer 2000, I was in Vietnam. I was in the shit. I had a weird divot in my chest. I saw a picture and got so depressed." -cont' June 21, 2010 1:10:21 AM
It was a short lived glory of hotness, apparently.

FredSwayze "I don't want to compare myself to Sean Connery, but..." - things Drunk Dan says. June 21, 2010 1:11:17
I think that I was saying that I hope to rebound in my 70's and be handsome again.

FredSwayze "If I could meet Neko Case tonight, I would ask her what Robert Osborne was like." - things Drunk Dan says. June 21, 2010 1:13:03 AM
I really want to know what Neko's night with Robert was like!

FredSwayze
"Not to change the subject from iPhone reception, but you know... I forgot what I was saying..." - things Drunk Dan says.
June 21, 2010 1:17:51 AM
Always a good call to change the subject from that topic ...

Maybe a Few Music Reviews Will Revive This Blog From the Dead?

2010-06-15T09:49:00.000-04:00

Liars - Sisterworld, 2010
I like it! Perhaps my favorite since their first? Then again, I think I say that on all of their albums since the 3rd one.

The New Pornographers - Together, 2010
Much much much better than the last one. I think I like it even more with each listen.

Caribou - Swim, 2010
I've liked all of the Caribou/Manitoba stuff a lot until this one. Is it me? I think it might be. Just give me the classic rock now that I'm a dad. No time for this stuff.

She & Him - Volume Two, 2010
I like this despite myself. Half of it is really good. Half of it is boring. All of Zooey D is super cute though.

Kings Go Forth - The Outsiders Are Back, 2010
It's got the right sound but not the good enough songwriting to make a great album.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976
Wow. Some great hits like American Girl that I've never gotten tired of and then other should have been hits that I'd never heard before. Makes me feel like I really need to dig deeper than just his greatest hits.

Alex Chilton - Like Flies on Sherbert, 1979
I don't quite know what to make of this shambling mess of an LP other than that I like it.

Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain, 1984
Never a band that I'm dying to hear but whenever I hear them, I like what I hear. Other than that awful Lips Like Sugar song though from a few years later. I don't need to hear that song again.

Crusaders of Love - Never Grow Up, 2010
Carrying on the good times of The Exploding Hearts. A little more on the poppier side than the Exploding Hearts but still quite rocking.

Magnolia Electric Co - Josephine, 2009
Some of Jason Molina's stuff bores me as a lightweight Will Oldham type. But this one doesn't. If this is where he's heading, I'm ready to jump back on the Molina bandwagon.

Field Music - Field Music (Measure), 2010
Some really good songs but this album is a bit long. 20 songs is a lot. I liked their first two albums more.

Red Sticker Collection
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, 1993
I think I needed to be there the first time.

Guided By Voices - Mag Earwhig!, 1997
An album that I was there for the first time but didn't really give much of a chance to for whatever reason. There's definitely some good jams on here but overall seems like the beginning of a long run of albums by Pollard et al that had some really good songs and then some boring ones.

Heavenly - Heavenly vs. Satan, 1991
Oh Heavenly ...

Felt - Ignite the Seven Cannons/The Strange Idols Pattern, 1985
This is one of those bands that I'd never really heard but heard plenty about. Very minimalist/very Television/very melodic. I like it quite a bit and plan to listen to more of their albums soon.

Another Trip to Philly

2010-06-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

This time, the impetus was the last U.S. soccer match before the beginning of the World Cup.

Henry preferred to watch the game on the big screen.

Marc cracks me up. SHR looks great in her glasses. The dude picking his nose behind her is what really makes the picture though.

GOAL! 2-1 U.S.

Let's get outta here.

And just like two weeks earlier, it was Bob and Barbara's time.

Watching the end of the Roy Halladay perfect game.

Marc's hair was looking so luxurious.

So luxurious that it was time to pose.

For a new Facebook profile pic!

And once again - Pat's time.

The monstrosity of Geno's lurks in the background.

Night Time in Philadelphia

2010-05-27T09:50:00.002-04:00

Showing off part of the $3 special at Bob & Barbara's. The shots of Jim Beam had already been consumed.
(photo by Jim)

Not quite the same thing as the glory days of Nate Wiley, but the band still sounded great.

Classy.

And then it was off to Pat's.

Documenting the glory of it all.

The next morning. One man, two strollers.

For a lot more from the weekend, check here, here, and here.

Two Thoughts on New York Baseball

2010-05-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

1. I don't care if the Mets just beat the Yankees two out of three. Get rid of Jerry Manuel and bring back Bobby V. I liked Manuel when his managerial tenure began with the Mets in 2008. But he's not what the team needs right now. It needs Bobby V. It needs a celebrity hothead to take some of the pressure off of the players. It needs a better handler of pitchers. It needs a guy who knows how to coddle babies (see Armando Benitez) and get the best of them. Bring back Bobby V.

2. Is it just me or is this recent Sports Illustrated cover on the "core" Yankees a bit weird? Why is Jeter looking away from the other three? The dude is so aloof that he can't even look at his teammates or the camera for the cover shot? And what exactly is going on with Posada and Rivera's knee?

If only they could add some needles sticking out of Pettitte's meaty thighs, this picture would completely sum up the "Core Four." Or maybe they could have added A-Rod lurking on the edge of the frame begging to be let in on the fun.

Is Your Plumbing Company Too Ungrammatically Incorrect?

2010-05-10T10:47:00.000-04:00

I CAN HELP!

Cute Overload Times Two

2010-05-06T10:44:00.001-04:00

Now we will actually let Otis brush his teeth too!

Goal!!

2010-05-02T21:48:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Dave, Henry, Jamie and I headed to Jersey to see the new Red Bulls stadium.

It was a lot more fun than the last time I went to a Red Bulls game.

It was a nice day. Too bad there weren't more people there. Maybe if there were tickets cheaper than 20 bucks or so and they might see an uptick in attendance?

Time for a penalty kick.

Goal!!!!

The goal ended up being the deciding factor in a 2-1 Red Bulls victory.

I had a great time but wish that New York City had a team. It took way too long to get home. Still, I look forward to going to more games - especially with Double Trouble.

A New Job

2010-04-26T22:42:00.000-04:00

The job search is finally over.

I was offered two jobs on Friday in the city. One was far away. I'd have to drive to it. One was much closer - just a few stops away in lower Manhattan. The far away one was to teach a grade that I have more interest in. The closer one assured me that I can move up a grade when there is an opening.

The far away one offered A LOT more money. But then we'd have to leave Brooklyn. We didn't want to do that. The closer school offers a great financial package for when Double Trouble is ready to attend.

The closer school is a much better fit politically, culturally, and educationally for me.

The closer school also just hired one of my all time favorite colleagues at my old school. The closer school also employs my cousin as an art teacher. The closer school apparently has an incredible lunch menu - free for teachers.

I went with the closer school. It feels nice to be done with the search and to have landed at such a great school.

A great school that once housed this young man:

It's Not The Beatles on a Rooftop But It Will Do

2010-04-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

E. 78th between Park and Madison, 9:25 am on a Tuesday

Jews rocking out.

A Trivia Victory

2010-04-15T10:09:00.001-04:00

Last night, SHR and I won our first stab at a trivia night since 2004. To be honest, we only won one round rather than an entire night. And I didn't know an answer to any of the questions in our prize winning round. And we might only have won the cash from the wheel spin because they gave Rebecca the benefit of the doubt on her birthday. No matter! We'll take it.

(photo by Lauren)

This night was a lot less contentious than the last trivia victory that SHR and I participated in.

Thanks Carrie for watching the boys while we went out to make some bacon.

Cute Overload

2010-03-31T09:01:00.000-04:00