Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

READ: The Star of Athilien by Kendall Merk

This book is about two friends, Jonathon and Tristin who are your average everyday teenage boys growing up in america, until one day they stumble upon an alien named Elshin who takes them on a great adventure, and to a planet known as Athilien. The boys are told that they are needed to help restore the star of athilien (like the title) to save Elshin's home. This book is part one of a five part series, and it is a fun read. It is geared towards young adults, but if you are an admirer of Tolken or C.S. Lewis you can get into this easy. The author, Kendall Merk, is a friend of mine and I recommend everyone check this book out. Especially if you have kids, and the more people who enjoy this book, the faster Kendall will finish the series! So this is all a selfish plot of mine, because he wont tell me what happens next. Click here to purchase the book from Amazon for the low low price of 10.95!

LISTEN: Frontier Ruckus

What can I say about Frontier Ruckus? Everything about this band excites me. I first found out about them back in September by just searching for music on Google (google is a search engine, like Altavista.) The first song I listened to was "Orion Town". That sucked me in, and soon I found that "Orion Town" wasn't just a song, it was a life. I immediatly found everything I could from them, and bathed in the sound, the words. The band is a bunch of friends from Michigan, who come together and make me believe. I never feel like anything is forced, they arn't trying to be anything they are not. I cannot find one solid line that stands out more than any other. The lyrics are beautiful, and at times crushing. My buddy Nick, his friend Megan, Stacie and I got the chance to see these guys in Ames in October, and it was one of my favorite concert experiences ever. The band is not all that big yet (although, you can feel that they are on the cusp of being one of the elite bands of this soon coming decade), so to see them in concert was fun and relaxed. We got to talk to the band members and actually have conversations. I'll include a video, but you should watch all the ones you can find of them on YouTube. They made a film and just wondered around there backyards and timbers and played music. This song, "I Do Need Saving" is perhaps one of my current favorite songs. It's goregous. Enjoy.

WATCH: Clark and Michael

Clark Duke and Michael Cera. Magical. "Clark and Michael" is a 10 episode internet show from 2007 about the stars living together in LA and attempting to write a movie script. It is a mockumentary, shot like The Office, where the actors are completely aware of the cameras. Even though there are only 10 episodes and each episode is only a few minutes long, this is one of my all time favorite shows. Michael Cera kills in everything he is in (Note: I have not seen Year One), and Clark Duke, who I was not familiar with until this, steals a lot of scenes. I want more, I want these two to be on my Television weekly, but sadly we don't always get what want, just ask Mitch Hurwitz. Click here to visit the Clark and Michael website, where you can watch all 10 episodes. The show is full of great guest stars, like Tony Hale (Buster Bluth from Arrested Development), Andy Richter, David Cross, Tim and Eric (of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job / Tom Goes to the Mayor fame), Jonah Hill, Jon Francis Daley and Martin Starr. Heres a Preview for ya:


RENT: The Squid and the Whale

The Squid and the Whale was written and directed by Noah Baumbach. He was the co-writer of The Life Aquatic and The Fantastic Mr. Fox with Wes Anderson, and since this movie he also wrote/directed Margo at the Wedding, another wonderful gem. The Squid and the Whale is a story of a family going through divorce, and how it effects everyone involved. The mother, a successful writer played by Laura Linney, finds solice in her youngest sons tennis instructer (who is played by a fucking baldwin. And no, not Alec. Not Stephen either.) The father, an unsuccessful writer played by Jeff Daniels, who never lets an audience down, starts to bang his young student, Anna Paquin. (Fun Fact: Daniels played Anna Paquin's father in the 1996 film Fly Away Home, and now, 9 short years later, she blows him on camera. Fun stuff). The children, Jesse Eisenberg who has shined recently in Zombieland and Adventureland, plays the disfunctional teen to a T. (what the fuck does "to a T" mean anyways?) And Eisenberg even gets a piece of Rogue too. And my favorite, Owen Kline, son of Kevin Kline, is the youngest son, a 10-11 year old who deals with his family meltdown in amazing ways, like drinking heavily in secret, masturbating in the school library and whiping it on lockers, and telling his father he is a philistine. Watch this, and I hope you like it.

My Favorite Fifty-ish Books of the Decade

Well I made lists for my favorite albums and films of the decades, and so I figured I'd do books too. However, I don't read as much as I'd like, and when I do read I read from all different decades, so this is a list of the books from this decade that I do really like and recommend. Like in my music and movie post, there is a lot of similarity, because I read what I know I'll enjoy.

2000
Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Down Under / In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Ignorance by Milan Kundera
best: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

2001
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
How To Be Good by Nick Hornby
The Constant Gardner by John Le Carre
John Adams by David McCullough
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
best: Pint-Sized Ireland by Evan McHugh

2002
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
best: Atonement by Ian McEwan

2003
31 Songs by Nick Hornby
Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon by Chuck Palahniuk
Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
best: Dry by Augusten Burroughs

2004
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroguhs
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff
Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk
America (The Book): A Citizens Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart
Long Way Round by Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor
best: Chronicles Volume One by Bob Dylan

2005
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Oh the Glory of it All by Sean Wilsey
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
1776 by David McCullough
best: A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut

2006
Housekeeping vs The Dirt by Nick Hornby
The Audacity of Hope by Barrack Obama
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers
best: Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs

2007
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England: A Novel by Brock Clarke
I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories by Miranda July
Rant by Chuck Palahniuk
best: Slam by Nick Hornby

2008
A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut (posthumous)
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Downtown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman
The Film Club by David Gilmour
best: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

2009
Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut (posthumous)
Inklings by Jeff Koterba
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
best: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

This Just In: The Chiefs Win The Super Bowl!!!

So the Kansas City Chiefs have their 3rd losing season in a row. But don't worry folks, cause I got me a hunch. What is that hunch? Well, only this:

That's right folks, I'm calling it right now. The Kansas City Chiefs WILL win Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis in 2012.

Now, this may seem impossible, but I have a plan, so don't fucking worry. Here is how it will all play out....

-In the 2010 draft, the Chiefs will have one of the top 3 picks. I think Mr. Pioli will do

everything in his power to bring in this fella:

That's right. I think Ndamukong Suh will keep wearing RED once he hits the NFL. Suh will have big games at home against Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tennessee aswell as on the road at Houston and Seattle.

The Chiefs will make it to the postseason next season, with a record of either 10-6 0r 9-7 (depending on who the AFC East and North teams that are still TBD). The Chargers will again take the AFC West, but Kansas City will get the 2nd AFC wildcard spot. However, I think they will lose in the first round of the playoffs (probably to Cincinnati or Baltimore.)

Still, that will be a pretty good season, and a hell of a turn around.

-In the 2011 draft, the Chiefs will have a middle of the road pick, and I think they'll try for some offensive threats. Perhaps Golden Tate outta Notre Dame or Damian Williams from USC.

Either way, the Chiefs will have a pretty strong team going into the 2011 season. Cassel, Charles, Bowe, Tate/Williams/unnamed rookie WR/TE will be the offensive weapons. And Suh, Brandon Flowers and Donald Washington will lead one of the leagues best defenses.

The Chiefs will take the AFC West this season, edging out the Chargers, with a record of 13-3 or 12-4. (I call an upset of the Patriots in KC, but also a major loss to one of the NFC frontrunners, the Packers, in Green Bay).

I am not sure if the Chiefs will get a first round bye or not, but they will make it to the Championship game. (No clue who they will beat to get there).

In the AFC Championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Indianapolis Colts, who would be playing for a shot at a home field advantage in the Super Bowl.

All the Chiefs fans will be thinking of 2004, but unlike in that year, Kansas City will win this shoot out, advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time since beating the Vikings in 1970.

-So this leads us to Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis. I call the Green Bay Packers vs the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Packers, who were the number 2 seed in the NFC behind the Matt Ryan led Falcons (who lost in the 2nd round, not sure to who), will be favored in the game.

The sportswriters will all focus on the parallels between Super Bowl 46 and Super Bowl 1, when these two teams met (Green Bay winning that game 35-10), and the fact that the Chiefs lost to Green Bay in the regular season.

The Chiefs will ultimatly win, 31-24. Matt Cassel will get the MVP trophy.

And that... is how I see it.

(NOTE: All the facts behind this are my own bullshit. Really, all I am guessing for sure is that the Chiefs will make it to the Super Bowl and Win in 2012.)

Sports? Well I like Sports

i love sports. i am not one of those folks who can spout off stats and scores, but i do love 'em. here are my most memorable sporting events of this last decade. now, i understand these aren't the "best" but, they are what stick with me when i think of sports from this decade.

may 15, 2003: San Antonio Spurs 110, Los Angeles Lakers 82
this was a big game. a very big game. the spurs (with Robinson and Duncan) won the Championship for the first time in 1999. my childhood hero The Admiral got himself a ring. it was perfect. then, for the next 3 years the fucking Los Angeles Lakers won 3 in a row. oh, awesome! you got shaq on your team! how neat!

but then, came this series. Phil Jackson's boys were looking pretty solid in there first 2 losses. and then put up 2 wins, tying the series at 2-2. time to sweat, we got the 3 time defending champs snowballing us. then came game 5, Spurs get the win by 2. this is going to be a massive, amazing, great, grand, wonderful game 6 right? possibly one of the best playoff series in NBA history right? the writers new it, LA was gonna take game 6, setting up a 32-overtime game 7 that would last for a week.

but that isn't what happened. Tim Duncan, the horse/man he is, had 37 points. the spurs never trailed after the first minute, and ended up winning the game a breezy 110-87. 23 points! SA put up 23 points on the 3 time defending champions, with Shaq and Kobe. what a game.

not only did the Spurs get the win, they went on to the finals, D-Rob got his second ring and retired. which was ok, cause of some new kids named tony and manu (am i saying that right) who along with some help from there great grand dad Bruce Bowen were going to have us right back in the finals 2 years later.

The Spurs had 3 championships in the 2000's, easily making them the most succesful team i follow, but none of the finals wins were as memorable to me as beating those dickhead Lakers.

january 11, 2004: Indianapolis Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31
what a year! the chiefs started out 9-0, ended 13-3, Priest Holmes set the single season touchdown rushing record with 27, and Trent Green (fun fact: he was born in Cedar Rapids, just like Kurt Warner and Stacie. I am pretty sure Stacie could make it to the pro-bowl just because of her hometown.) got us a first round bye in the play offs.

then came the fateful day. no punts, a fucking shoot-out. i was working at a pizza hut in council bluffs and i had the radio blasting. the only time there wasn't points going up was half-time. dante hall had that 90-some yard kickoff return for a TD, opening our eyes to "the human joystick". when peyton manning ran those last 4 minutes down, i was livid.

but it was such an exciting game i was still happy. what a great season. it was a sign of things to come, Trent, Dante and Priest were gonna take us to the top. that was a fact!*
(*it was not fact.)

september 10, 2006: Cincinnati Bengals 23, Kansas City Chiefs 10
i call this game the beginning of the end. the chiefs, who just a few years before were looking like a premeir AFC team, were about to be fucked.

Trent Green, the best Chiefs quarterback in my memory, went to slide for a first down and was hit by D-end Robert Geathers. no foul was called, it wasn't a dirty play. just a shitty one. a really shitty one. it was game one, and our pro-bowl quarterback is gone.

the rest of the game doesn't matter. apperently some fieldgoals were kicked and few touchdowns, but the big loss was Green. He would never fully return to the NFL. poor bastard. atleast kurt warner got him that super bowl ring, that was nice of him.

in week 2, damon huard took over and dammit if he didn't do to bad. got KC to a 10-6 record, but missed the play offs. that would have won the NFC, but not in the AFC. with only a handful of wins over the next few seasons, and the firing of lackluster coach herm edwards, the chiefs were at an all time low. fucking bengals.

i was at our apartment in Ames, on Tripp Street watching this game. and it is like a recalling a dream. after Green went out, everything gets fuzzy.

june 2, 2008: Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (triple overtime)
oh doctor! what a game. penguins were back in the Stanley cup for the first time since the mid 90s, and with Sid the Kid leading the way, we got on the board early. Hossa and Hall (note: not jesse hall from the Mighty Ducks, adam hall, his white cousin) scored putting the pens up 2-0, but then those sons-o-bitches in red came back with 3 straight by some fellas whos names no one could ever learn to say so why try to read them?

well, nothing else happened until almost the end of the game when Maxime "the talbot" Talbot sunk one on chris os-not-good. (ya see what i did there?). the real tale of this game starts in extra periods, not the first or second of course, but in that third one. when Sykora booted it. my favorite stat of this game is that Detroit took took 58 shots in the game! thats 26 more shots then the Pens took to win it. dummies. Bell, Whistles, Win! look out Red Queens, Penguins are back in it!*
(*the penguins lost 2 days later, hopes/dreams ruined)


june 12, 2009: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
what a fucking year! changing coaches mid way through the season, during a slump, certainly made my heart sink. but then they blew through the Flyers (my 4th least favorite hockey team), took the Capitals (my 3rd least favorite hockey team) to 7 games and shut that douche alexander ovechkin up (how ya like that commrade?), and then beat the Carolina Hurricanes (who have a fucking stanley cup, but i really could care less about.) to get to the stanley cup, AGAIN, and play the Red Wings, AGAIN. (also, Detroit is my 2nd most hated hockey team. number 1, yep you guessed it, Boston Bruins.)

So here we are, just like last year except this time the Pens got to game 7. Look out Red Wings, we got this one. The game started off slow, with no goals in the 1st, and much like last year Sidney Crosby played more of a leader roll then a scorer, which is fine considering Mad "The Talbot" Talbot was on the ice. He was clutch, like last year, and scored both of the Pittsburgh's points.

when the siren rang, the penguins had done it. what everyone said they couldn't. they won a game 7, on the road, and beat the team that beat them the year before. i was at The Gigglin' Goat in Boone drinking when the game ended. it was a good night. no asterix.


november 22, 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Kansas City Chiefs 27
there it is. on the back of the worst 3 year skid in team history, the chiefs were still sliding. 2-7 Chiefs were about to take on the defending super bowl champs, 6-3 Pittsburgh Steelers.

the chiefs are trying. they got rid of Herm, they brought in Scott Pioli and Todd Haley and they did some wheeling and dealing to get 2008 superstar Matt Cassel. yes they are still losing, but atleast they are trying. after kicking a-number one-fuck head Larry Johnson off the team, it looked like distractions were out the window. (oh except Dwayne Bowe doing steroids, fucking my fantasty team) but still. who would bet on the Chiefs to beat the Steelers?

tied at 24 at the end of regulation after an exciting game including Studebaker picking off Rethlisaedadsgerearfdsarklalkjthaberdsfadler in the end zone, and then returing it to the Steelers 8. it was all up to 13 year old boy Ryan Succop (the last person drafted in the 2009 draft) to kick it through the up rights giving Chiefs the win.

not only did KC get the win, but some how Succop's kick automatically sent a text from my phone to my brother's asking if he had seen the game. (Ya see, he loves the Steelers cause he's confused.)

what a win. and yeah, it was followed by 2 MASSIVE 30 point blow outs by division rivals Chargers and Broncos, i'll still call that win over Pittsburgh a good win. fuck em.

whelp...

thats all i got. there are some other great games, the super bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. or even last year, the Steelers vs Cardinals. great games.

but those games above are the ones that i'll always keep with me. when i remember the 2000's in sports.

also, Manchester United is amazing and i couldn't decide on 1 or 2 games that were most memorable (consider i seldom watch the games.) but they are amazing and fun to watch when i get the chance.

the end.

i love christmas

well well well, it's time for a blog. eh? a blog. sounds about right. let's check the time... yes, infact, it is time for a blog.

it is also christmas time. and so, why not, be time for a christmas blog. bing-bang-boom, we got us a christmas blog.

i love christmas. and pretty much everything about it. i even love the religious shit that i don't really love, but this time of year, i give it a pass.

so what am i going to say about christmas in here? well, i am not sure. how about a list of my 6 favorite christmas movies? i seem to be good at lists these days.

6. Gremlins

Ya motherfucker. Gremlins.
5. Elf

I love Zooey Deschanel.
4. Bad Santa

"It's a wooden pickle"
3. Scrooged

"I never liked a girl well enough to give her 12 sharp knives."
2. A Muppet Christmas Carol

1. Every other version of A Christmas Carol ever filmed

yes even, the one i have saved on my DVR where Marley is voiced by Nicholas Cage and the Trinity Broadcasting Networks "call and donate to God's love" phone number is scrolling across the bottom.

so, after seeing my list of my 6 favorite christmas movies, i can assume that you learned one thing about me. i love the charles dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.

when i was a kid, on christmas eve i used to stay up late and watch it on PBS. this was the version from 1951 with Alastair Sim. i couldn't get enough of scrooge and company.

while visiting london in 2007, my fiance stacie (you know stacie, well, i am sure you have met her.) got us tickets to a stage performance for December 23rd. christmas eve, eve. in london. it was wonderful.

now, other things i like about christmas: the cartoons/stop motion animated specials. should i make a list?

6. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
5. Year Without Santa Claus
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. Frosty the Snowman
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
1. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

well looks at that. those are some good picks eh? my favorite, of course, is Rudolf because it is so good. i just watched it last week, and yes, it is the best. made my stomach feel warm and my heart feel not dark and buried. (note: my heart is not dark nor buried).

so what else do we got on the topic of christmas? oh, i was Santa Claus once. yeah i was. 5th grade mother fuckers.

what i remember from the story is that due to some faulty planning, christmas was going to be canceled. (snap, didn't see that coming). but to fix it, mrs. claus, the elves, reindeer and myself had to go to the only logical place on earth in a time of dire straits. FUCKING BRANSON, MISSOURI. no joke. it was a country christmas. now, i had stuffed my belly full of pillows and under them stage lights it sure was warm, so i come in and out on the memories of the evening, but i do recall a sea of jean jackets and bowl cuts, all around.

also, i was frosty the snow man once in a school play. i played him, the only way i knew how, ala rodney dangerfield as a crack stand up comic.

me: "i'm telling you it's cold out here."
crowd: "how cold is it Frosty?"
me: "it's so cold, you'll need two sets of gloves."
crowd: laughter, solid laughter, for 11 minutes*.

*glenwood middle school record for funniest mother fucker to hold a candy cane.

ah, those were some silly memories. another reason i love christmas is my birthday is so close to it. a short 10 days before. now some december birthday dickheads will complain that they get screwed on presents. well to them i say, have a more loving family (or stop being dickheads). cause i always did well.

well, thats about all i have to say on the subject. i planned on ending this with a photo of our christmas tree. you see punkins (can i call you punkins?) this is the first year that we have had a real christmas tree. and by real tree, i of course mean a fake tree, but it is tall and has lights and what not. but since we cannot find the pieces to make a photo from our camera become a photo on our computer, that will have to wait.

so what i will leave you with is this, the greatest christmas internet video of all time. but i should warn you, it is also one of the most offensive and vulgar videos of all time. so go ahead and watch at your own risk.

My 100 Favorite Albums of the Decade

This is my list for best 100 albums of the decade. Making this list was a lot harder then my previous list. There are tons of repeat artists in this, but that is to be expected. I have changed some things, like added and subtracted albums from previous "top albums" lists I have done.

2000
Belle and Sebastian - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasent
Badly Drawn Boy - Hour of the Bewilderbeast
Taproot- Gift
The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving
Five For Fighting - Americatown
Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines
Eve 6 - Horrorscope
Pearl Jam - Binaural
Twothirtyeight - Regulate the Chemicals
best album: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
honorable mention: Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Vol. 2

2001
Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter
Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings
Thursday - Full Collapse
Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
Our Lady Peace - Happiness is Not a Fish You Can Catch
Old 97s - Satelite Rides
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
Incubus - Morning View
best album: The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
honorable mention: Alien Ant Farm - ANThology

2002
Idlewild - The Remote Part
Badly Drawn Boy - About a Boy Soundtrack
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around
Breaking Benjamin - Saturate
best album: Desaparecidos - Read English/Speak Spanish
honorable mention: Beck - Sea Change

2003
Third Eye Blind - Out of the Vein
Motion City Soundtrack - I am the Movie
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
The Format - Interventions + Lullabies
Criteria - En Garde
Jose Gonzalez - Veener
Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
best album: Brand New - Deja Entendu
honorable mention: Something Corporate - North

2004
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who, Love Bad News
Pedro the Lion - Achilles Heel
Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
The Garden State Soundtrack
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Tilly and the Wall - Wild Like Children
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
best album: The Good Life - Album of the Year
honorable mention: Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

2005
Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Day
Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit
Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory
The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
My Morning Jacket - Z
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
best album: Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
honorable mention: Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness

2006
Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
Gin Blossoms - Major Lodge Victory
Cursive - Happy Hollow
Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
Kimya Dawson - Remember That I Love You
Ray LaMontagne - Til The Sun Turns Black
Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
best album: The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
honorable mention: The Kooks - Inside In/ Inside Out

2007
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature
The Gaslight Anthem - Sink or Swim
Rilo Kiley - Under the Black Light
Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild Soundtrack
best album: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
honorable mention: Bright Eyes - Four Winds EP

2008
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave
Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger
The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
She & Him - Volume One
Frontier Ruckus - The Orien Songbook
best album: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
honorable mention: Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

2009
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
Pete Yorn - Back and Forth
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
M. Ward - Hold Time
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
best album: Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
honorable mention: Brand New - Daisy

My 100 Favorite Films of the Decade

So, as this decade comes to an end, I decided that I would go back and reflect on all the movies that came out and make a list of my favorites. That was extremely hard, so I ended up doing my top 10 favorite movies for each of the last ten years. Here She Goes...

2000-
O Brother, Where Art Thou
Traffic
Boiler Room
American Psycho
Best in Show
Almost Famous
Requiem For A Dream
Snatch
Memento
best picture: High Fidelity
honorable mention: A Perfect Storm

2001
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Shrek
Black Hawk Down
Vanilla Sky
The Others
Joe Dirt
Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back
Out Cold
Made
best picture: The Royal Tenenbaums
honorable mention: Zoolander

2002
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
About Schmidt
The Count of Monte Cristo
Slackers
About a Boy
Super Troopers
The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys
Rodger Dodger
best picture: Gangs of New York
honorable mention: Orange County

2003
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Mystic River
Old School
Bad Santa
Intermission
Lost in Translation
A Mighty Wind
The Cooler
Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator
best picture: Veronica Guerin
honorable mention: 28 Days Later

2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
In Good Company
Sideways
The Life Aquatic
Hotel Rwanda
The Motorcycle Diaries
I Heart Huckabees
The Machinist
best picture: Garden State
honorable mention: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle

2005
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
40 year Old Virgin
Crash
The Constant Gardner
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Green Street Hooligans
best pictures: The Squid and the Whale
honorable mention: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

2006
The Departed
The Prestige
Children of Men
Clerks 2
Marie Antoinette
Running With Scissors
Trailer Park Boys: the Movie
Half Nelson
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
best picture: Little Miss Sunshine
honorable mention: V for Vendetta

2007
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Knocked Up
Juno
There Will Be Blood
Into the Wild
The Darjeeling Limited
The Simpsons Movie
Persepolis
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
best picture: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
honorable mention: Lars and the Real Girl

2008
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Tropic Thunder
City of Ember
Charlie Bartlett
Role Models
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Slumdog Millionaire
best picture: The Wrestler
honorable mention: Pineapple Express

2009
The Hangover
Star Trek
Inglourious Basterds
Zombieland
Funny People
The Invention of Lying
(500) Days of Summer
Big Fan
Fantastic Mr. Fox
best picture: Up
honorable mention: Where The Wild Things Are

St. Patrick's About a Stout!

So a couple weekends ago I went with Nick Lennemann to his parents cabin in Minnesota. During this weekend we consumed quite a bit of beers. Good beers too. None of that water down piss. (ok, some watered down piss).

The best beer of the weekend though, was Nick's very own Homebrew: "St. Nick's There Can Be Only One Scottish Ale". It tasted as good as it sounds (and thats a Highlander reference for those of you keeping score at home). I was surprised to find out it was his first attempt at beer making.

I decided that I wanted to make my own beer, so on the drive back he gave me tips. That is how I have come to this:

That is the label for my first brew, a stout. I went to the Midwest Supplies website, and ordered what Ineeded. They were delivered in just 4 days and I had what I needed to brew 5 gallons of stout.

What I got was this:
(The contents of which is explained here.)

After a few days, I was ready to start brewing. This is my step by step diary:

9/12/2009
8:30pm
-Sanitize 1 gallon of water and put into freezer in santized tupperwear dishes using Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser .
-Sanitize 5 gallon wert kettle, a bowl to use to keep supplies clean, spoon and thermometer using Easy Clean.
-Add 4 gallons water to Wert Kettle and place on heat. Bring to boil.
9:10pm
-Water is boiling.
9:14pm
-Pour grains on to cutting board and roll with rolling pin to "open them up".
-Place grains into sifting sock (much like a pantyhose) and set in the bowling water (like a tea bag in a cup.)
9:45pm

-Remove grains from kettle, squeezing the sock to help it drain.
9:47pm
-Crank the heat and let it boil.
10:00pm
-place the Malt Extract into a warm bath so that it becomes less syrupy and more liquid.
10:14pm
-At a rolling boil.
-Take the kettle off the burner.
-Add gypsum and malt extract (BE SURE TO REMOVE THE RING OFF THE TOP OF THE MALT EXTRACT JUG... OTHERWISE IT FALLS INTO YOUR WERT... NOT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME OR ANYTHING...IMJUSTSAYING!!!) Drench the bottle and be sure to get all the extract out of the jug. (AGAIN, REMOVE THE RING FROM THE TOP FIRST.)
- Stir well.
10:25pm
-Put wert back on the burner and bring to boil.
10:47pm
-Once boiling add bittering hops by placing them into the same sifting sock.

11:45pm
-Remove bittering hops and add aroma hops to the sifting sock.
-Place sock into wert and move up and down for 2 minutes.
9/13/2009
12:02am
- When it looks like this, it's ready.
- Remove wert from burner and place in an icebath in the kitchen sink. (I used 20lbs. of ice.) Add in the 1 gallon of frozen water.
- Coming off the burner, the temperature of the wart was 140 degrees F.
- Place lid on top.
12:17am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 130 degrees F.
12:21am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 102 degrees F.
12:33am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 86 degrees F.
12:40am
-Remove lid, Stir. Temperature was 80 degrees F. Perfect!
- Now that it is 80 degrees F, take wert out of ice bath and pour it into 5 gallon bucket for primary fermentaion. (use the bucket without the hole in the side).
- Place santized glass jar into the wert, scooping out enough for a Hydrometer reading. The reading was 1.046.
12:45am
- Add more sanitized water filling the bucket to the 5 gal. mark.
- Prepare the yeast by pouring the packet into 90 degree F water, let set for 10 minutes.
12:50am
- Begin whisking the wert with a clean sterilized whisk. That puts oxygen into the wert. Do this until it gets a nice foam on top.
12:55am
- Add in the yeast.
1:00am
- Place lid on top and put the airlock on the hole (filling it with half with water first.)
- Put into closet with thermometer on the side.
5:00pm
- I realized the temp was at 79 degrees F, a little to high for my liking, so I moved the bucket from the closet to right in front of our air conditioner placing a fan on it.
- For the next 3 days, it never got above 72 or below 69.
9/17/2009
8:26pm
- Opened the primary fermentation bucket, and noticed the foam from the fermentation had gone down. Leaving a dark ring about an inch thick above the beer.
- Took a small sanitized glass, and scooped out some. Tasted it. IT WAS GREAT! Stacie and I both had a taste, and were satisfied. No contamients!
9:05pm
- Prep the glass carboy by sanitizing it in the bath tub. (The heat and steam made the fire alarm go off. Awesome).
- Sanitize the auto siphon.
9:17pm
- Begin siphoning the beer from the primary fermentation bucket to the glass carboy.

- Once it starts to get low, tilt the bucket so as not to get the sediments at the bottom in the Carboy.

9:25pm
- Cork the carboy and add the airlock, filling it half with water again.
- I placed the glass carboy into the closet because the temperature does not bug me as much now in the secondary fermentation.

9/22/2009
7:59pm
-Began to steralize the bucket with spout, cyphoning tube, and hose.
8:10pm
- Took hydrometer reading: 1.114
8:15pm
- Cyphoned beer from carboy to bucket with spout.
8:22pm
- Began to bottle.
9:15pm
- Bottling was finished: 52 12oz bottles and 1 16oz bottle.

9:22pm
- Placed into closet in 2 boxes to let set for 2 weeks.


10/4/2009
10:30pm

-Opened first bottle of St. Patrick's About a Stout and drank. It was Great! Began labeling a few bottles for friends and family. SUCCESS!

That is all for my Stout (except drinking!). I am currently making:
"St. Patrick's Tastie Hastie Hefeweizen"

10 Movies I Want to See...

The following is a list of 10 movies that come out between now and the end of the year, that I think are going to be great. There are also trailers, so you can see if you also would like these movies or not.

10. Nine
Release Date: 11-25-2009
IMDB says: Famous film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother.

I says: This is not the animated movie called 9 which also comes out later this year. No, I am talking about a live action talky with the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis. Who is one of the greatest actors of our generation. It also has a string of lovely ladies, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Hudson. Not to leave out Fergie, who I think is sexy, but everyone else in the world has mixed opinions of and the double punch of Sophia Loren and Judi Dench, two women born in the 1930s who are still hotter than most hollywood stars today.



9. 9 (you didn't see that coming did you?)
Release Date: 9-9-2009
IMDB says: When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where all humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.

I says: This movie just looks good. I don't usually go for the animated stuff, much less this style. (Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride... not my thing.) However, on the heals of being surprised by Coraline, and an all star voice cast including Chris Plummer, Martin Landau (is that something you might be interested in?), John C. Reilly, Elijah Wood and Crispin "I played Marty McFly's father" Glover, I think this will be a twisted experience.



8. The Informant!
Release Date: 9-18-2009
IMDB says: The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president turned informant Mark Whitacre.

I says: So there have been a lot of movies the last few years I have skipped, 2 being Michael Clayton and Syriana. Why? Because even though I am interested in the plot, I have a hard time getting into political driven movies like the such. However, The Informant, a tounge and cheek film with the same plot lines, looks great. Matty Damon is a funny guy as is, but surround him with Joel McHale (from The Soup), Paul F. Thompkins (from Best Week Ever), Scott Adsit and Patton Oswald, and you have gold. This movie will make you laugh.



7. Brothers
Release Date: 12-4-2009
IMDB says: A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. Based on Susanne Bier's film, "Brodre". |

I says: I didn't see "Brodres". But, I am going to see this film for 3 reasons. Jake Gyllenhall, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. Now, I am not a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan, nor am I a huge Tobey Maguire fan, but I've been saying for years these two had the same DNA. Remember when Kirsten Dunst would go kiss Tobeyon the set of Spiderman and then go home and bang Jake? I am pretty sure she thought she was dating Spiderman. Poor confused girl. And then Natalie Portman, who I haven't seen in anything since Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited (in which I got to see her nude), is great in everything. I just hope it doesn't suck.



6. Extract
Release Date: 9-4-2009 (already out, haven't seen yet)
IMDB says: The owner of a flower-extract plant (Bateman), tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife (Wiig), a hot new temp (Mila Kunis), and employees who want to take advantage of him.

I says: Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck and Mike Judge. That's reason enough to go see this movie. Remember Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill or Office Space or Idiocracy? How about any Kevin Smith film or Arrested Development? There is no other reasons needed to go see this movie. So why haven't I seen it yet? (I was under the impression it came out next month, until I started writing this blog.)



5. Inglourious Basterds
Release Date: 8-21-2009 (already out, haven't seen yet)
IMDB says: An American-led killing squad known as “The Basterds” terrorize the Nazis in German-occupied France during World War II.

I says: I really want to see this movie. I do. I just haven't had the time. James saw it, he told me all about it. Fuck. I should see this movie huh? Tarentino? Ryan the Temp? Brad Pitt? Nazi Killing Bad Mother Fuckers? Yes I need to see this movie. (Also, if you watch the trailer I have posted, check out the vicious crazy shit in the comments. People are really fucking crazy.)



4. The Invention of Lying
Release Date: 9-25-2009
IMDB says: A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.

I says: I saw Ghost Town on a plane to Dublin. Not bad. Made me giggle. Of course I am a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, and so just seeing his name on a movie would be reason enough to check it out right? Well, what if I add these names to the mix aswell: Jason Bateman (holla), Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, Louis CK, and Nathan Corddry (Rob's Funny Brother), now whattayathink of that? I literally cannot wait to piss inside my pants watching this movie.




3. Where the Wild Things Are
Release Date: 10-16-2009
IMDB says: Young, mischievous Max is sent to bed without his supper, but when his bedroom turns in to a magical jungle landscape filled with strange creatures, he embarks on a wild imaginary adventure.

I says: Remember this fucking book? Holy shit, what a crazy story about a kid and his make believe animals. I bet ya it'll be tons of CGI and shit huh? Nope, it's as real as Harry and the Hendersons. Directed by Spike Jonze and even has Mark Ruffalo in it. I can't wait to show this to my kids when I am older so that I don't have to read to them. Aww, the wonders of Parenting.



2. Sherlock Holmes
Release Date: 12-25-2009
IMDB says: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

I says: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is bad ass. Iron Man is bad ass. Jude Law is bad ass. Guy Ritchie is bad ass. Therefore, Sherlock Holmes is bad ass. A classic story being told in the vein of Snatch/Lock Stock. Yep, I'll be there.



1. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Release Date: 11-13-2009
IMDB says: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

I says: I never heard of the book this is based on. I have been aware of the story though for several years. Because IMDB has had this film listed since late 2003. That was around the same time I found myself drawn to the work of Wes Anderson. Well since then, we've had The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, Noah Baumbach gave us The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, and Owen Wilson made our day by NOT succeeding in his suicide attempt (yikes). This is a stop-motion film. In the vein of those old Frog and Toad stories. I have been waiting 6 years for this, and with voice talents of George Clooney, and Meryl Streep, with Wes Anderson film mainstays Bill Murray, Jason Shwartzman, and Owen Wilson, I cannot imagine it sucking.



also, here is a featurette about The Fantastic Mr. Fox, narrated by Jason Shwartzman:

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

READ: Oh The Glory of it All by Sean Wilsey

I had never heard of Sean Wilsey. I had never heard of this book. I was at the Goodwill in Ames, and I saw this book staring at me from the shelf. The cover is crazy, it reminds me of an album cover, so I picked it up. It is about 500 pages, which is about 300 pages longer then the books I like to read. However, I bought it, started it, and love it. Sean is the son of rich San Fransico aristocrats, who are terrible people. His mom is a crazy person, his father is a 70 year old who doesn't care about him, and his step mom is possibly the worst person alive. The kicker is, it's all a true story. He really lived this insaine life, that involves meeting the pope and Reagan (as part of his moms "children as teachers of peace" program), beating off to paintings of his bitch step mom, and being friends with Danielle Steel as an 11 year old in the early 80's. I am only 170 pages in, but it's addictive. For fans of Augusten Burroughs or David Sedaris, definatly check this book out.

LISTEN: Monsters of Folk

Let's pretend you have a favorite band, or a favorite song writer. Now let's pretend you have two or three favorite bands or song writers. Now let's pretend, the members of three of your favorite bands got together to form a band. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Monsters of Folk. The name, tounge and cheek as hell, is comprised of Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes/Mystic Valley Band), Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), M. Ward (M.Ward/She and Him), and Jim James (My Morning Jacket). They released three tracks to itunes, with a new cd coming out on September 22nd, and I am a just a little more than excited. Of the three songs out now, there is "Say Please" which is solid with alternating vocals, "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F)" which sounds like track 8 on a Songs of the Seventies mix (but in a good way), and "The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me" which is possibly my favorite song released this year. Jim James and M.Ward singing together gives me chills, and that guitar, the steady rhythm and tiny picking, is perfect. I can see myself in 30 years listening to this song.



WATCH: Flight of the Conchords

Bret and Jemaine are New Zealand's 4th most popular folk parody duo. So obviously, it's time for them to take America by storm. The boys move to NYC and hook up with music mogul/New Zealand tourism director Murray (present), and set there sights on becoming rock stars. This is one of the funniest shows I have ever watched. The story is intercut with the bands music, and great side characters like Mel, the groups 1 fan, and Dave, a douche bag. You'll love seeing these guys deal with culture shock, love, parties, monkey killers as they follow the misdirection of Murray. It's hard to explain this show, so here's a sample:



RENT: (500) Days of Summer

You actually can't rent "(500) Days of Summer" yet. It came out last friday in theaters, but considering Stacie and I saw it on Saturday and we were the only ones in the theater, it will be on DVD soon. Which is a shame, it was great. It's the story of the 500 day long relationship between Tom and Summer, told in non-chronological order. Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (aka Tommy from 3rd Rock From the Sun) is one of my favorite younger male actors. After great rolls in Manic (which also starred Zooey Deschanel who plays Summer), Brick, The Lookout and Stop Loss, it's good to see he's blowing up in this movie and as Cobra Commander in GI Joe. Zooey Deschanel, who I mentioned plays Summer, is always good. I have loved her since I saw her in Manic, and since she's made indie flicks (Eulogy, Winter Passing, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Good Girl), big studio films (Almost Famous, Big Trouble, Elf, Yes Man) and television (Weeds, Tin Man) and in everything shes great. It doesn't hurt that she is the "She" in the band "She and Him" (where the "Him", is M.Ward, see this posts LISTEN section). This isn't a love story, nor does it try to be, but it does make you root for both characters. Also, within the first half hour the movie makes reference to my favorite song of all time, "Boy with the Arab Strap" by Belle and Sebastian. Roger Ebert, who is one of the only critics I pay attenion to (if Peter Travers wouldn't be such a dick about Star Wars, maybe him) gave this 5 stars. I have never seen him give a movie 5 stars. So go see it. Now.

Read/Listen/Watch/Rent

READ: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk just writes one crazy book after another. "Snuff" is the story of an aging porn star, Cassie, who decides as her last hurrah she is going to break the record for most sexual acts in one day, 600. The book is told through the eyes of four people. An aging male porn star who wants to bang Cassie out of respect. A confused middle aged legit-actor who recently lost his job on a popular "Law and Order" style tv show because of his sex life, who wants to propose to Cassie so they can get a reality show. An 18 year old high school graduate who is obsessed with Cassie, and doesn't want to fuck her but save her, because he beleives she is his birth mother. And the last character is the girl who organized the whole gang bang, Cassie's right hand girl. A tough feminist. This isn't so much a sex story, as it is a "who-done-it", "it" being Cassie. I'd say this book is better than "Invisible Monsters" and "Lullaby", but not as good as "Survivor" or "Rant". But still, the worst Chuck Palahniuk book is still pretty fucking good.

LISTEN: The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave

So back in Febuary when I made my "Top 10 of 2008" this was on it. At that time, I had listened to it once or twice and thought it was great. Since then, I have listened to it maybe 500 times. Kristian Matsson, who is The Tallest Man on Earth, has a voice like no other. It's not great. But it is booming. The music is beautiful folky/blue grass. Matsson is from Sweden, where latley I have found lots of great music (Jose Gonzales, The Knife), and he has a great take on the world. The best thing is, this is his debut album. And the 10 songs on it burn through your soul. I can't wait to hear how he progresses. Below is a live version of "Honey Won't You Let Me In", enjoy.



WATCH: Entourage

A lot of people, including one of my favorite bloggers Dan Hopper, write Entourage off as some douche bag parade. Well it's not. It is great. For anyone who has great friends that they have had for years, this is a show for you. Not to mention crazy story lines, a cool slant on Hollywood and the most beautiful girls in the world. Entourage follows Vincent Chase, a young budding star as he tries to make a career in the pictures. He wants to make good movies, not just popcorn bullshit, which can be a hard decision for a young actor to make. The "entourage" is his boys from Queens: Eric or "E", his manager, a feisty irish mick who is small but can talk the shit and beat your ass. Turtle, his driver, who is a little bit ghetto, but there for you at the drop of the hat. and Johnny Drama, Vince's brother and a washed up character actor on shows such as "Blue" (Pacific, not NYPD) and Melrose Place. Then there is Ari, Vince's agent, who is a complete asshole, but has Vince's best intentions at heart. The first 5 seasons are great stories with definite re-watch ability. Season 6 started last night on HBO, and I have yet to watch the first episode. I cannot wait though. The only negative of the show is the fact that it's sometimes a full year between seasons. Here is the trailer for season six. Get hooked.



RENT: Push

Push is a great movie. I wish I would have seen it in the theater. I don't really know how to explain it, but think X-Men meets Logan's Run. Great performances by Chris Evans (probably his best roll since Danny Boyle's Sunshine) and my biggest surprise was Dakota Fanning, as a 13 year old "watcher" or person who can see the future (sort of). Go rent it, it's in the Red Box.

Gonna Build Something This Summer....

It's been a while since I made a post. Mostly because no one is reading this. Except Jen. (Hi Jen). Anyways....

I haven't posted because I have been busy as all hell lately. It all started last Tuesday the 30th of June when after a solid night of bowling I jumped in the car and drove down to good ol' Glenwood to see some old friends and check in with some family.

It was a good couple of days, except when the car busted. The power steering on it was already wrecked, but now there was a problem with the fuel tank. Basically no gas would go in it. So I dumped the car at Schenck and Melissa's house and started using my Grandpa Kid's farm truck.

The night the car broke, I met up with Alister, Emilie, Tim and Sara. It was really fun night, full of hookah and some beers. It's great when you only see people a few times a year, but still can catch up without missing a beat.

On the 2nd, I woke up at 9am, and spent the day with my family. Hanging out with my grandparents and my Uncle Dickey who is now home and recovering very nicely from his brutal surgery in mid June.

That night, at 2am, I left Glenwood in my Grandpa's truck and headed to the Des Moines Airport. It was a 2 hour drive up I80 in the middle of the night, and I really enjoyed it. I stopped off at the Kum and Go in Underwood and the fountain machine blew up on me, but the old man working the night shift laughed at me and I cleaned it up for him since I could tell he was in the middle of his shift cut. I've met this same old man several times at that Kum and Go and every time he has been nothing but nice to me.

I got to the airport at around 4am. After checking and security I found my gate and had a seat. Sitting across from me was a man with sunglasses on and a shit-eating grin. He looked to be in his mid 30's but he was listening to new rap on his phone. Not through head phones, just using the phones speakers. Which meant everyone sitting there was listening to it. He even rapped a long with it some. This fella also was wearing a t-shirt that said "Socialism" on it and the "o" was the Obama logo "o". And to top of this schmuck had a Glenn Beck book sittin' in his back pack. It was like someone said "hey Patrick, if we were to build the perfect example of a person you'd hate, what would you want it to look like?"

Well, time and the aeroplane flew and before I knew it I was at LaGuardia. (remember in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when Raphael is chasing Casey Jones and that taxi pulls out in front of him and Raph rolls across the hood? and then the guy in the cab goes "what the hell was that?" and the cabbie goes "looked like a giant turtle, in a trench coat.... you goin' to LaGuardia right?" I like that part).

On that Friday the 3rd we went down to Jersey to a Medieval Times. It was BAD ASS. Stacie and I got seated in the "City of Leon" which made us root for the Green Knight. Well the Green Knight kicked ass, talking shit to the king, fightin' everyone, and he even tried to succeed from the realm. We were fucking South Carolina circa 1860 (without all that slavery/states rights bullshit). At the end the Green Knight was struck down by the Yellow and Red or Blue and Pink Knight. It was a total fix. But whatever. It was fun as hell. Stacie and I decided we were gonna go to every Medieval Times. There are like 8 or 9 and I have already been to Myrtle Beach (hey, that's in South Carolina, I like it when shit ties together like that).

The next day was good ol' Fourth of July. We went to Battery Park and saw Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band. It was perfect.

Here is a video of "Roosevelt Room" from the set. I didn't film the video, but I am in it.





After the concert we went to Brooklyn to see Stacie's workplace and one of her job sites. It was really cool to see what she does. Then we went to some side street of Amsterdam and watched the fireworks.

The next day, Sunday the 5th, we went to Avenue Q. It was amazing. Sesame Street for adults. I sugguest you go here and watch everything available.

Later that day, we went to 30 rock, and went to the top. There are some great pictures, but I don't have them here. So you can see 'em later.

On Monday I left NYC and flew back to Des Moines, where I got in Grandpa's truck and drove to Boone. After seeing Mattie Cattie and Murpho for awhile I went to work. I then went on to work something like 46 hours over the next 6 days.

Now I am back in Glenwood, at my parents house having a camp out of sorts with my two oldest nephews Hunter and Jackson and Murphy in my parents living room. Tomorrow I plan on getting the car fixed. And then Tuesday it's back to Boone for Bowling Night. Then I just gotta get through till the weekend and on Monday Stacie is back for good. No more internship, we can FINALLY be together again. It's pretty exciting. Murphy and Mattie can have a Mommy again.