How Duct Taping Became a Ritual

When I joined my soccer team 5 years ago, I got a new pair of soccer shoes... you may refer to them as cleats, or as those on the Continent do: boots. Call them what you will, they're pretty worn out. So worn out, in fact, that after the rainy game last week, I wore a hole through the toe of my right one. The hole 1st became apparent at the kids' practice the other day. The problem is that while I've been planning on getting new ones for some time now, I thought I could do it over the winter, between seasons. Decent boots cost a pretty penny, & I hadn't really budgeted for them at the moment. That said, the kids' practice went well, & my daughter scored a goal & got 2 assists in her subsequent game. My son is a bit pissed about the situation now though, so hopefully he can get one this weekend in their final game.Although the practice went well, I was a bit worried about my game this evening so I did what every broke soccer player has done since WWII... grabbed some Duct Tape. My running wasn't affected by the hole (how could it be? I'm slow as fuck anyway), but my kicking abilities (which have always been above average) were definitely going to be affected. After taping the toe of the old cleats up, they not only survived the game, but I got my duck as it were. (For those of you who aren't addicted to European Soccer, "getting ones duck" is the term used when someone scores her or his 1st goal of the season). And a sweet, sweet goal it was! At the end of the 3rd quarter, I mentioned that the other team's defense seemed confused when our defenders made attacking runs through the mid-field. Appropriately enough, I ended up playing center-back for the last 10 minutes. The other team scored a goal due to our goalie's lack of experience (putting us behind 2-1), & after the subsequent kick-off, they then had a goal kick. Having touched the ball all of about 5 times so far throughout the game, & having nearly missed about 10 times last week, I decided this was the time I really needed to do something good. The goal kick came right up the center & I chested it down to Roger, 1 of our strikers. I then proceeded to continue my sweet, sweet run towards the goal as Roger played it back to me. After a couple touches, I shot, but the goalie made the initial save. I stuck w/ it, however, & got around him w/ the rebound before slotting it into the net w/ an easy touch. Best of all, my kids were there to witness it. Of course, they weren't paying attention & missed it, but at least they were there. At this point, you may be wondering how this leads to the ritualization of Duct Taping. Of course, baseball players are known for their rituals, & sports fans do all sorts of fucked up shit in attempts to relive some fluke from weeks or even years before. Well, you can bet your bottom dollar that from now on, I'll never take to the field w/o a little Duct Tape on my boots.

Has it really been a week?

I just realized how long it's been since the last time I wrote something on here. I guess I've just been in a fog since the brilliance of the Dylan/Costello concert... I don't know. I do know, however, that very little has happened in my life since the last post, but I wont let that stop me from writing something. While nothing has happened lately, I have seen more than my fair share of Rockford Files episodes lately... DVR is a beautiful thing. I watched 4 episodes a few nights ago & loved every minute of them. I think my love of that show goes back to my youth when I would watch it in syndication w/ my dad on Saturday afternoons. It might be more closely connected to my youthful love of Support Your Local Sheriff though. If you haven't seen that movie, you definitely should. I got a copy a couple years ago, if anyone wants to come on by for a movie night. (Jean or Elizabeth... I'm expecting many quotes from the film in the comments section!) Speaking of movies, I watched one recently w/ Shannon called Perfume. It doesn't feature the genius of James Garner though. After the rather drawn-out voice-over narration in the 1st 20 minutes, it was pretty cool. It's about a guy in Paris in the 18th Century who has an amazing sense of smell & wants to capture the essense of woman in a perfume... in order to do this, he goes on a killing spree, becoming a serial killer and offing about 15 beautiful young women.

In other news, I took the kids over to Kate & Don's for dinner a couple weeks ago w/ Stacey & her kids. We hadn't hung out in ages. (You all may remember, Kate is the one who gave me the mohawk last summer.) Of course, before the end of the night, red wine was spilled on the old Zidane shirt, but w/ quick thinking & a ton of Stain Stick, it survived just fine. What didn't survive, however, was Kate's little secret: she'd never heard of Tub Girl before. Well, Kate, this is for you. Be sure to save it to your hard drive for future reference!

The other thing I need to mention is that my daughter has started posting on her blog again... just a little plug for her site. It's cute, but the info she posted today is a bit out-dated.

Dylan, Costello, and a few Mexican Slayrides

I'd been excited about the Bob Dyaln/Elvis Costello show at the EMU Convocation Center since I read about it last summer. The fact that they were coming to Ypsi was just so cool. Of course, half of my studens had never heard of either one of them, but that never stopped EMU from booking quality acts in the past. Over the years, I've seen Bela Fleck, P-Funk & Arlo Guthrie on campus, but Dylan is in a league of his own. Georgina met me at my house & w/ a bottle of Auchentoshan in my pocket, we biked to Jim & Rachel's where we had a few drinks before walking down the bike path to the show. As we got to the pparking lot, Annette supposedly saw a naked guy running around, but that couldn't be verified. As we entered the, Elvis Costllo was playing "The Angels Want to Wear my Red Shoes." He ethen went into "Veronica" which was fun & had everyone singing along. From there, he weent into a couple songs I didn't know and then a really cool version of "From Sulfur to Sugar Cane" into which he slipped a funny little line about Ypsi: "Here in Ypsilanti / Wear the women don't wear panties." He then played a newer song about the War in Iraq. It was really cool and definitely unafraid to tell the truth about the Bush Administration before segueing into a nice version Van Morrison tune. He then ended his set w/ "Radio Sweetheart" > "What's so Funny (About Peace, Love & Understanding)?" As he left the stage, the crowd was shouting for "Alison," "Radio, Radio' & "Watchin' the Detectives," but an encore was not to be as Dylan & the Cowboy Band were ready to hit the stage after a very short break. I really enjoyed Elvis Costello. He played a solo set w/ just an acoustic guitar, but he sound was full and complex. Many people (including many w/ whom I went to the show) were really there for him, but for me the main event was always going to be Dylan.

My first Dylan show was 11 years ago, the spring after Jerry Garcia died & Dylan played 2 Dead songs ("Friend of the Devil" & "Alabama Getaway"). My 2nd Dylan show, Valentine's Day in 1998 in Toledo saw him cover "Cocaine Blues." In July of 1999, I saw him cover "The Roving Gambler," "That'll Be the Day," & (w/ Paul Simon) "The Sound of Silence." Last night, however, he stuck to his more recent system of playing only originals like @ the shows I saw in 2000 & 2003. For complete set lists of those shows, follow these links:

16 May, 1996 (Pine Knob)
15 February, 1998 (Univ. of Toledo)
7 July, 1999 (Pine Knob)
16 July, 2000 (Pine Knob)
6 August, 2003 (Columbus, OH)
Last night, Bob opened w/ a pretty rocking version of "Rainy Day Women" which was funny because I'd just been joking about that song earlier in the day w/ the ex-wife. I'd never seen him open w/ it before, but it seemed like a good choice as it got people into the set right away... "Everybody must get stoned!!!"

Next up was "Don't Think Twice" for which the cowboy band switched to acoustic stuff & for which Rachel was happy about & about which you may remember my sweet cover version of that song w/ Brendan at 10K Lakes in MN a couple summer ago. It's always a fun song & people seemed to be digging it... "There ain't no use in turning on your light, babe, / The light I never knowed"

From there he went into "Watching the River Flow," a song I've never been able to remember. Every time I've seen him do it, it's been the end before I could figure out what it was. It was cool though as Tony Garnier switched back to the electric bass for a couple songs... "If I had wings and I could fly, / I know where I would go. / But right now I'll just sit here so contentedly / And watch the river flow."

He then played "Love Sick," a slow weird tune from his 1997 Grammy winning album Time Out of Mind. My copy has a nasty scratch & hasn't worked for a while, but after last night, I realized that I'm going to have to get another copy of it. It's a fantastic tune from a fantastic CD... "I'm sick of love / I wish I'd never met you!"

A couple of the new songs were next, "The Levee's Gonna Break" & "When the Deal Goes Down." At this point, people seemed to be getting restless as we had 3 in a row that few people knew. I was lovin' it though, as they're both great songs. Jim seemed to be digging the new stuff too, w/ such cool lyrics, how could he not? Dylan is a bad mother fucker... "We all wear the same thorny crown."

I was lovin' that he hen played "Stuck inside of Mobile," but I have a hard time w/ that song since I always think of Bob Weir's version. It's cool though, even if it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

"Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again."

From 60's LSD weirdness to a commentary on the current economic issues, he played "Workingman's Blues #2." I don't know if I can plug & push this new album any more than I already have, but it's just so damn good. "The buying power of the proletariat's gone down" Who but Dylan can get away w/ lyrics like that? Just soooo cool.

"Honest With Me" from his last album was up next. It took me a while to recognize it, but it too was well played. I don't have much to say about this song, but I was thinking the set would be over soon... wrong... 5 more songs before he left the stage.

"Spirit On The Water," a slow jazzy crooner tune from the new album was played nicely, but again, he seemed to be losing people since no one knew most of the setlist. I think this again shows his bad-assness. He plays to 5,000 people while knowing all along that only about 25 of us knew the songs 7 the other 4,975 just want to hear "Blowin' In the Wind" which, of course, he didn't play. He didn't play "Tangled Up in Blue" either. "Oh, you would like to hear 'Like a Rolling Stone?' Well, fuck off! You'll get the new stuff & like it!" Oh, & Tony was on he stand-up bass again.

OK, he did play a song from the same album as "Like a Rolling Stone," "Highway 61." It's not quite as good, but it always rocks. I was really hoping to hear it, & it made me happy, happy, happy.

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."
Then another new one, "Nettie Moore." "Gonna leave a greasy trail"... one of the strangest lyrics he's ever written. Of course, I love it none-the less.

"Summer Days" from the previous album, Love and Theft, was next. Of his 3 newer albums, people seem to jock that one the most, but it's definitely not my favorite. it's still cool though, & I was happy to hear another song from it. And Tony was back on stand up bass!

He closed the set w/ "Masters Of War." This is the song that got him banned from Ed Sullivan, so it's got that going for it. Whenever I hear it, I like to think it's in honor of Dick Cheney.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
I've never noticed this before, but before the encore, people were holding up their phones rather than holding up lighters. I suppose it's because fewer people smoke, but there were a few people there w/ pot as the Convocation Center had that nice hippie smell all night long. As upstanding members of our community, we, of course, did none of that though. Anyway, the phones yielded a nice post-modern blue glow to the atmosphere of the crowd before he came back to the stage to play "Thunder On The Mountain." It's yet another good song from the new album. "Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches / I'll recruit my army from the orphanages." What an awesome rhyme.

After introducing the Cowboy Band, he closed the night w/ "All Along The Watchtower." I remember an interview from 10 or so years ago where he claimed that even though he wrote it, he always feels he's paying tribute to Hendrix when he plays it. Last night's version didn't have a lot in common w/ Jimi Hendrix though (for my money, the Grateful Dead versions are a lot better than Hendrix's anyway), but it was really cool. He stood at his keyboard w/ his hilarious wide-brim white hat & rarely made contact w/ the audience. They just rocked for a couple hours. I can't wait for him to come around again.

Afterwards, a bunch of us went back to my place & had a few drinks, but the Slayrides may have been a bit too much as we were also doing tequila shots. It was the first time I've ever had that much tequila but not gotten naked, so all in all, I'll take it as an accomplishment. Getting up this morning to coach the kids soccer game was pretty rough though. I felt like Walter Matthau in The Bad News Bears. Hung over & hanging out w/ kids. Maybe I'm an ass, but at least I made it to the game & they won 5-3. And that's the important part of youth sports... winning and making the other team cry.

Bumper Stickers (part duex)

After complaining about the stickers I've been seeing around town, I realized this is a great opportunity for me to make a little extra cash in order to maintain this blog. While watching The Rockford Files last night (a great episode featuring 2 of my favorite bald African American entertainers: Louis Gossett Jr. & Isacc Hayes), I designed a few stickers of my own. Feel free to e-mail me w/ your orders. To start, we'll have to charge 8 bucks a sticker, but if demand is as high as the Internet buzz leads one to believe, we might be able to lower the price once I can start shipping in bulk. Furthermore, the option to get these slogans on a t-shirt is always a possibility. Let me know when you decide which shirt you want. They will be on white (w/ red ribbing around the cuffs and collar) & are available in L, XL, & XXL for $20 ($24 for the XXL).

The original www.visionsofypsi.blogspot.com sticker

Don't Be a Douche, Go To www.visionsofypsi.blogspot.com

Inspired by the stupid Jane Austen sticker... I'd Rather be Reading www.visionsofypsi.blogspot.com

Help spread the word about the important January election (the URL is in small print at the bottom)

A little something for the Dead Heads

A little something for the Arsenal fans

All proceeds from this one will be donated to the 2008 Dennis Kucinich campaign

Cannibal: The Musical

A couple weeks ago, I was approached by a former student who asked me to be the Faculty Advisor for his new student group, a theater company hoping to produce a live version of Trey Parker's Cannibal: The Musical. My 1st thought was that someone from the Theater Dept. would make more sense, but it turns out that since the play would be competing w/ actual Theater Dept. productions, it is a conflict of interest so he needed someone else. Considering the fact that I'd seen this guy in a production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile in Howell w/ my ex's nephew a year & a half ago (& he was really good), I figured I'd do it. Well, we had our 1st meeting tonight & it turns out that they needed me to cover a couple roles... I haven't acted since grade school, but they're small roles w/ only 1 song, so it should be alright. You read that right... I have to sing!!! That said, the song I have to sing is "Dixie," sung by a 1 eyed veteran of the Confederate army as I shoot pus out of my eye at the other characters. If they can find a taller person to play the role of the cyclops, I won't have to do it, but I'll still play the father who doesn't want his son to leave home until after the next harvest... just like Uncle Owen! The performances will be the last weekend in Jan. & the 1st weekend in Feb. at Roosevelt Hall. Be sure to check it out! O, I wish I was in the land of cotton
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

In Dixie Land where I was born in
Early on one frosty mornin'
Look away! Look away!
Look away! Dixie Land.

What ever happened to...

Andrew McCarthy? I don't mean, what happened to him physically. I know that he's still making films & television shows, but what happened to his career? I will always stand behind St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty in Pink, and for some ungodly reason, Jean thinks Weekend at Bernie's is fantastic, but other than a small role in The Joy Luck Club in 1993, "what's he done since?" is the question. Nothing worth while is the answer. I watched Less than Zero last night, and while Robert Downey Jr. does a fantastic job playing himself, Andrew McCarthy is pretty good too. I can't believe that over the course of the last 20 years I'd never seen it before. Not only is it based on a book by Bret Easton Ellis, it's about drugs and features a great song by L.L. Cool J. In fact, Rick Ruben was the music advisor on the set.Dida? He was the Brazilian #1 goalie for quite a long time, but after his shady showing against Celtic the other day, I can't imagine anyone will take this douchebag seriously for quite a long time. Watch as a fan runs onto the field & lightly touches his face, at which point Dida turns to chase the guy and after about steps decides to fall over as if this fan has actually hurt him. In an attempt to get Celtic, who was about to beat Milan after a piss-poor 3-0 spanking, he tried to get Celtic in trouble and even allowed himself to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Even if you're not a soccer fan or if you are only interested because your kid happens to play, you need to check this out.

Oktoberfest: Redford Style

A good Oktoberfest is more than just Men wearing Lederhosen & eating sausage. Unfortunately, this one was less. Of course, there was a bratwurst counter, but no one was dancing in lederhosen and the beer sucked, not to mention the cotton candy & Phantom Menace nachos. I went to this shit-ass festival because my parents wanted to go & I figured it'd be nice to hang w/ them for an evening. After about 20 minutes, my mom asked me if I knew what was right down the road. "Hell?" Apparently not, but I have a feeling it's in the vicinity. The other thing in the vicinity is the location of my high school, so I suppose I should have known what I was getting into. M parents ordered, rather than the standard sausage in a bun, the pork tenderloin dinner. As the woman took the top off of the vat of this so-called tenderloin, I thought, "You're not seriously considering eating that, are you?" I need not tell you that the answer was a resounding "YES!" And they both regretted it the way I knew they would. It was this small piece of spam-esque meat w/ a side of potato salad & sauerkraut. The sides looked alright, but I just went for the nachos...a little-known German delicacy. I also had a cup of Spaten which wasn't bad; of course, 98% of the people there were just drinking Labatt's Light... a little known German dark ale. A little tid-bit of info about Spaten: the brewery can be traced back to 1363... that's kind of impressive. Anyway, as we ate we enjoyed some live music by a group of douchebags w/ a sax & an accordion. One expects accordion music at an Oktoberfest, & I've never been shy about the fact that I love me some polka, but one wouldn't expect said band to be playing a stupid "Achy Breaky Heart" parody that goes "Don't play that song, that 'Achy Breaky' song / I might flip out & kill someone." A logical sentiment regarding Billy Ray Cyrus, except that in order to play the parody, one is basically playing the song. After we finished the beer & nachos we headed outside to check out the vendors. I was hoping for lederhosen or signed photos of Karl Heinz Rummenigge or maybe some Hasslehoff memorabilia, even some Nazi stuff would have been kinda neat, but I guess that's a touchy subject for some people. Instead, there was a booth selling pink cowboy hats w/ light-up bunny ears. I don't mean the ears were next to the hats on the counter, I mean the ears were somehow (& for some unknown reason) attached to the hats. I say all of this knowing you may think I didn't have a good time, but it was fun & for some odd reason, I'm glad we went. I guess if nothing else, it gave me a blogable weekend activity.

The Infamous Penis Story

Last week, while my son was getting dressed, he looked at me w/ sullen eyes & a forlorn, downcast face. I asked what the matter was, & he responded, "I don't think I'll ever have an adult-sized penis." I was immediately interested in what he had to say, for knowing the genetics involved here, I couldn't understand what he had to fear. As I asked what he meant, he replied, "It keeps getting bigger, but then it gets small again." There was such anxiety & frustration in his voice, I struggled to contain my laughter. "That's how they work," I said, "mine does the same thing." He was absolutely shocked by this little nugget of info, & he looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. Such utter relief in his eyes. I then suggested that it gets bigger when he wakes up and has to go to the bathroom or if he's been messin' w/ it, & he looked at me wondering how the Hell I could know such a thing. He then wondered how it gets bigger, to which I then had to reply by explaining that the veins fill up w/ blood. Of course, his next question, to which I didn't have such a good answer, was "what part of me doesn't have blood in it when it's in my penis?" I answered the best I could & realized that this had been bothering him for quite some time. It was awesome.

AIDS in Africa

Obviously, we all know this is a serious problem and by blogging about it, I'm doing my level best to fight it, but this Catholic Arch-Bishop from Mozambique just might be doing more harm than good. Check out this BBC article and his claims that European condom manufacturers are infecting the condoms in order to destroy all Africans w/in the next 100 years. I was alright w/ the claim that AIDS was developed by the CIA for the purpose that Archbishop Francisco Chimoio (of course other information suggests his name is Francisco Silota from the city of Chimoio) is claiming. I was alright w/ Public Enemy's suggesting that the formula for AIDS was listed in a book of chemical and biological weapons in the 1950s. But condom manufacturers? Be sure to also check out the picture that the BBC included w/ the article. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it might be a little jovial concerning the nature of the article itself. I wonder what the thought process was that went into picking the photo: "Well, I can't find a picture of Chimoio/Silota (maybe they can't find a picture of him because they don't know his actual name) or anything related to Mozambique or the Catholic Church or the global war on AIDS so lets go w/ this one."
For more info on the AIDS conspiracy theories, check out this wikipedia page... wikireality at its best.

American Telephone and Telegraph

I doubt this is what Alexander Graham Bell had in mind, but I'm sure he'd be happy about it. About a month ago, some dude came to my door promising faster Internet, my cable channels, & a lower price through AT&T's U-Verse program. While I'm usually skeptical about door-to-door salespeople, he sold me on it & I was scheduled to switch over on Sept. 2. I didn't want to do it immediately, because on Aug. 15, I had just paid my Comcast bill & he was on my porch on the 16th. I figured I should use the cable I had paid for already. Well, the douchebag didn't write the work order properly so when the cable dude called to say he was on his way on the 2nd, he wasn't prepared to switch my Internet. We had to reschedule for the 10th. Before I complain about the appointment on the 10th, I want to make it clear that I'm impressed by their 2 hour windows as opposed to Comcast's 6 hour appointment window, that didn't help on the 10th though as the dude went to the wrong house. By the time I got in touch w/ him, it was too late & we had to reschedule again. He said he could come back on Sunday the 23rd between 8:00 &10:00, so yesterday when I hadn't heard anything by 8:45 I was getting skeptical. I got a call at 9:00 though & he was at my house by 9:30. I imagine most people would have backed out by this point, but for more channels @ a lower price I stuck w/ them. This was their last chance though. He was able to do most of the work while I was watching the Man U v Chelsea game, but as he switched my TV over, I missed Saha's penalty. When I turned it back on, Man U was up 2-0. It was worth missing the goal though, because I'm lovin' the new cable. Particularly, I'm lovin' BBC America, VH1 Classic, The National Geographic Channel, & Boomerang. For those of you who don't know, Boomerang is owned by Cartoon Network & shows old cartoons like Super Friends & Inch High Private Eye! Missing part of the game leads me into why I scheduled it when I did though.I scheduled it for Sunday rather than Saturday for 2 reasons. First of all, my kids had their 1st game on Saturday, & I wanted to make sure there was no overlapping. They won 8-6 by the way which marked Solstice's first win ever. A couple of the kids on the team are dynamite, but Aiden needs a little more tenacity & Solstice was tired after a sleepover the night before. By the end she picked up her pace and seemed to really be enjoying herself. Afterwards, Aiden was dehydrated & ended up puking on the way home. I happened to have a cup in the car into which he hurled, but then as I opened the door to help him out, he poured it all on my feet. Typical. The other reason I wanted it on Sunday was because the Arsenal v Derby game was on Saturday morning & I certainly didn't want to miss any of that 5-0 thumping. You may be wondering how I knew the Saturday game would be better than the Man U v Chelsea game. The answer to that obvious question is equally obvious: Man U v Chelsea games always suck. Of course, this time there was the added excitement of Chelsea's coach having just "quit." As it turns out, that didn't make the game any more interesting though.
After the cable guy left, we went to my game where I should have scored 3 goals but actually scored 0 goals. My 1st short was like Fabregas' goal in the clip above, but it went just wide. My 2nd opportunity was like Adebayor's 1st goal except a defender got his foot on the ball. My 3rd chance came in the last minute when we were tied 2-2. I found some space about 15 yards out just like Diaby's goal above, but the goalie made a great save. Oddly, he wasn't really a goalie & no one (even the people on his team) thought he would save it. It was a fun game over all though, & since the other team had to use some of our people because they were short-handed, we technically won even though it ended 2-2.

Bumper Stickers

I know you might claim I have no room to talk regarding this subject, but I've seen a few stickers lately that have been driving me nuts for years. Now, I've suffered many a middle finger based on my stickers, particularly in the run up to the last election, so maybe I'm more qualified to discuss this than most of you.
*Sticker #1: "I'd rather be reading Jane Austin"
Really? Rather than driving around town, going on vacation, taking your kids to the beach, going to see a mid-wife after years of trying in order to find out you've finally gotten pregnant... rather than doing all these things or any number of other things you might be doing, you'd prefer to be reading fucking Sense and Sensibility? That's fucking crazy! Every time I see that sticker, I want to run the mother fucker driving it off the road. I mean, come on... Persuasion? Really? The only thing good about Persuasion is the fact that it was partially the inspiration for The French Lieutenant's Woman.
Of course, I could be misunderstanding the sticker. It's possible that it doesn't mean "rather than what I'm doing at this very second," but "rather than the book I happen to be reading this week," in which case, quit making the ridiculous bumper-clad assertions and just read fucking Emma. Or better yet, just watch the films. Other than Northanger Abbey, the films are better anyways.
*Sticker #2: "Against abortion? Don't have one!"
Come on! That's just stupid. I understand the desire to express one's right to choose, I also understand the desire to paste one's political beliefs on a bumper, but if that is the best the "Pro-Choice" folks can do, we're in trouble. Do yourself a favor & print up a sticker that says something about personal choice, about patriarchy, about the debate over when life begins, about rape, about pretty much anything other than the claim that people shouldn't voice opinions. This line of thought leads to 2 obvious problems. First off, this sticker is suggesting that people stop standing up for what they believe. Even though they may disagree, they should still be encouraged to speak up. Can you imagine a sticker claiming, "Against the war? Don't enlist!" or "Against slavery? Don't own one!" or a really topical one like "Against dog fighting? Don't train your dog to fight!" The other issue here is for you Poli/Sci folks. Suggesting that one shouldn't attempt to petition the courts to change is absurd. They've changed their minds before... they'll do it again. In fact, that might be the fear exemplified in that sticker, but the fact that the courts can reinterpret the Constitution and the fact that we can change it at all is what makes it such an important document. When the founders left room for change, they were acknowledging their own fallibility. If they assumed they wouldn't fuck up, they'd have ignored the need to amend the Constitution and probably would have made the President a life long position. Why bother w/ elections every 4 years if you never fuck up?
*Sticker #3: "Not all who wander are lost"
Yeah, yeah, yeah... so you read Tolkien... so did everyone else... other than me. Are we really supposed to be impressed by that? 3 books about a bunch of 'people" walking to a mountain? You read the books... I saw Clerks II. Go figure. Big fucking deal.
Or, you never read the book but feel that it's such a deep idea that the fact that the sticker doesn't actually mention the name of he person who wrote it doesn't matter. Which implies you don't even know who your bumper is quoting to begin w/. You fucking tool!

Take a Break and Remember Jake

Since long before I lived around here... apparently before any of you did... Jake was a mainstay in the vicinity of Main and Liberty. Rumors suggest that he may have been from Flint or possibly Florida, but of course the NPR story this morning featured a quote from him claiming to hail from Little Rock. Beyond the confusion surrounding his origin, there's also the mythology concerning his age, his wealth, his winters in a mansion in Miami and of course the supposed Voo Doo curse that allowed him, like Dorian Gray, to remain at a constant age. Unlike Dorian Gray, however, Jake hadn't been young in quite a long time. Apparently, he remained about 130.I first heard of Jake when I was working at Whole Foods and my supervisor mentioned him. I didn't know who he was talking about, but by the next time I walked through town, I realized exactly who Shakey Jake was. We had a few conversations over the years, but he never remembered me... in part because he met people in town every day, and in part because he was kinda nuts. Of course, there's the other rumor... the most easily believed of all the rumors about that guyt... that he was institutionalized for a while back, well, sometime in the past. The NPR story also claimed that his slurred speech was due to a stroke he suffered recently, but if that's the case, then what's to explain the fact his speech was always slurred? Maybe it doesn't matter. In the end, he was a cool old dude and everyone seemed to love him. He'll definitely be missed.

Michigan Daily Article from 1998

M-Live's Obituary

Another M-Live Story

Arbor Wiki w/ a letter from Jake's relative

Arrrrr... 100,000 Miles

My odometer just turned over on Sunday. I was driving home from my parents' house as it happened in the middle of Canton after a quick stop at The Trading Post in Plymouth where I picked up a new soccer ball & a new pair of sweet, sweet socks. I've never had a car long enough to watch this happen before. I may have the opportunity to watch this w/ my 1st car, but the odometer didn't work. of course, w/ that car, it wouldn't have been 100,000, it would have been 300,000 because by the time I got it, it'd already been all over the continent. In fact, the guy who sold it to me claimed he'd driven it to Alaska twice. My current car has never gone that far though. Here's a re-cap of the road-trips the old Escape has experienced since I bought it in 2002 w/ about 20,000 miles on it:
* Columbus 2003
* Petoskey 2004
* Cleveland 2004
* Cleveland 2005
* Petoskey 2005
* Chicago 2007
* Traverse City/Petoskey 2007Why did this post start w/ a pirate "ARRR," you ask? Because it's important to remind you all of the grandest holiday of the season. Wednesday is "Talk Like a Pirate Day," so get your rum now and be sure to rent yourself a couple Errol Flynn films. For those of you in need of a nearly comprehensive list of pirate films you should go here and then finish up the list here. When it comes to pirates, only at Visions of Ypsi do you get such top shelf service.

Random Info

Kickball:
In our double-header on Tuesday, we brought our record to 3-1. In fact it should have been 4-0 after that night, but a few errors in the in-field fucked us. The first game, however, we won 14-9 w/ my grand slam which was followed by my 2 run homer. We had a good time even w/ the loss in the 2nd game, but our 2nd base person was sent to the hospital after she tore her quad from the bone. She happens to be the same person who was knocked unconscious last week when the center fielder ran her over in a weak attempt to grab a fly-ball.

Friday Night:
My Dear Disco is playing at the Blind Pig. I've never heard of them, but they've been opening some shows for the Macpodz... apparently, & more importantly, they feature Tyler Duncan, son of my co-worker Jeff Duncan & integral member of Millish. You may recall that I wasn't too pleased w/ the Blind Pig the last time I was there, but I'll give it another go... and you should too.

Kids' Soccer:
Their first practice is this evening followed by another one next week leading up to their 1st game. They are so excited, & I am too. I love getting out there w/ them & watching them run around & learn how the game works. I was even able to get them on the same team this fall, so I only have to coach one team. Stacey's son, Luka, & a couple kids from last spring are on the team again too, so I think we'll have a great time.

Tastes of Ypsi:
The companion blog to Visions of Ypsi has been updated w/ recipes from Georgina and one I lifted off of Steve's blog after their party last week. Geo's zucchini stuff looks great. I recommend trying them. Steve's stuffed jalapenos looked fantastic too... check it out, and feel free to send in a recipe to be added.

Gay as a Handbag Full of Rainbows...

... Or the obligatory 1st game injury update
(Or, simply put, fodder for Jason)
I had my first game of the season yesterday & was playing much better than expected until the 4th quarter when a new guy on my own team kicked me in the ankle. I'd already strained my groin & twisted my back, so this was the final straw. I was hurting... & still am. I took to kids to Taco Bell afterwards & put them to bed when I realized that my aching bones would do well w/ a bath. If I remember correctly, I hadn't taken a bath in 4 years, partly because I know they aren't the most manly of activities, but I'm secure enough w/ myself & I knew it would do me good, so I figured, "What the Hell?" Since it'd been so long, I also figured I'd do it up... I opened a bottle of wine, lit a few candles, & grabbed the new issue of World Soccer. As I was soaking & feeling a bit better, I heard Solstice coming down the stairs. She enters the TV room & realized neither the light nor the TV was on. I then hear, "Dad???" "In here," I replied as she then looking into the bathroom. She eyed the candles, looked the wine up and down, & finally saw me in the bubble bath. The, w/ the funniest look on her face, she said, "well, this is a pretty fancy bath." It turns out that her eyes were itchy & she wanted an allergy pill, but I feel as though she was thinking the only thing that would have made my antics any gayer would have been if I'd had a cock in my mouth. OK, she's 8, she probably didn't think that... but she should have.