Everyone’s Gotta Eat

With the amazing amount and variety of food in NYC, even Pup has to take some time out in his world domination planning for some good meals.

Here are a few from this past week.  

Txikito - 240 Ninth Ave

Went to dinner with a couple friends at this nice place in Chelsea.  I didn’t know much about the restaurant other than it was supposed to be good.  Walking into the restaurant, there was a warm buzz about the place with a full crowd and very handsome waiters moving through the small space.  We had a look at the menu and couldn’t decide where type of cuisine it was.  It looked Spanish (the country) to me and Portuguese to others.  Looking at the wine list, we noticed that there were a lot of wines from Basque. 

I had no idea what that meant, but luckily my friends who were much more worldly and said that they are an indigenous group of people from around north-central Spain and south-western France.  A lot of the menu was written in Basque hence no one could make out what it was exactly.

We had a selection of small plates (tapa-ish) to share which were all delicious.  My favorites were the Octopus Carpaccio and the blistered Gernika peppers with sea salt.

Overall, the restaurant was nice and the wait staff very helpful and friendly.  The food was well executed and unique.  Be ready to wait on busy nights.

Bareburger – 366 West 46^th Street

We wandered by this burger joint and thought it looked nice so we stopped in for lunch.  Bareburger specializes in basically all-natural, free range, sustainable, organically sourced everything.  They know where every piece of their food comes from.  There are 9 types of meat you can put in your burger.  Everything from your usual beef to your more exotic bison, ostrich and everything in between.

Since it’s my first time I just went with a regular beef burger figuring if they can’t get this right, they’re not going to get the others right either.  The burger was fine, nothing to write home about, but it did taste much fresher than other burgers (it could be that I was reading about the farm that the cow was raised and how nice it seemed).  The burger was also a very good size.  Not so huge that you can’t fit it into your mouth and not too small that you’d still be hungry afterwards.  The sides were probably the main attraction here.  The sweet potato fries and onion rings were fantastic.  The salad was also very full of variety and taste.

Overall, there are way too many good burger places in NYC so I probably won’t revisit any of them.  Bareburger is good for a light snack or if you have vegetarian friends coming with you.   

Haru Sake Bar – 1327 Third Ave

After a long day of exploring the upper east side, we decided to make a pit stop for a drink and maybe a snack.  We happened on Haru Sake bar as I’m usually pretty excited about Sake bars and especially if it’s an izakaya (basically a Japanese bar with small plates).  Boy were we disappointed, they were not an izakaya (the host almost seems insulted when we asked) and the sake selection was pretty slim (for one that has ‘Sake Bar’ in the name of the restaurant).    

We had a couple of sake based cocktails and a few shared plates which were both pretty good, but again, nothing special.  The waiter seemed a bit annoyed that we were neither drinking fast enough nor ordering enough food. That didn't make for a good experience either.  It would be that we were pretty tired and cold from the day's walking, but this place certainly didn't put us at ease.

Overall, there are much better Japanese at the higher and lower end (price and location wise) than Haru.  I don’t think we’ll be revisiting this place again.

Gallo Nero – 42 W 44^th Street

After going to see Kinky Boots (and meeting Billy Porter by standing by the stage door forever like a teenage fanatic), we were looking for somewhere for a small bite after the show.  We wandering into Gallo Nero as it had a very warm open vibe to the restaurant (also a sign that said ‘Wine is how ‘classy’ people get trashed).  We sat at the little bar (6 seater) and was quickly greeted by the manager who was very friendly.  

We had 2 glasses of wine that were simply amazing.  Even better, he let us try the wines which is a new thing for me.  Often times you’re more or less guessing at which wines to order, but to be able to have a taste first is amazing.  We then order 2 of the night’s specials.  One was a Burrata (a cheese made with Mozzarella and cream.  It’s amazing and I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve had it).  with prosciutto and Beef Carpaccio.  Both dishes were wonderful and beautifully done.  Everything was so fresh.  It was light and substantial at the same time.  Reminded me of our meals in Italy.

Overall, I was very impressed with this place that we randomly found.  I would highly suggest it to anyone and it may make it on our come back list to try the rest of the menu, but with so much great Italian around NYC, we’ll just have to see.   

Not my finest hour

This is not going to be a very good post. I can tell you that now. Not because it's not that interesting, but more because I can't remember that many details to share, and some of the details that I do remember, I'm def not sharing. Not even here.

Last Friday started like any other Friday. Had meetings, did some work, had my usual Friday lunch. Nothing unusual.

I had a party with some Ultimate (Frisbee) people later that night so I was taking it easy during the day. Those things tend to go very long. It gets to the end of the working day, and me and a friend decided to grab a couple of beers before heading off to the party.

I got to the pub on time, which by my friend's time, is about 30 min too early. Luckily, this was my pub and my fav bartender was back from her trip to the US. We caught up a bit, and I had a few drinks while I waited. I was thinking I'm going to be so far ahead of him by the time he got here. Boy was I wrong.

When he finally showed up, it happened that he had left work a few hours ago and had started drinking. So he's had not a few drinks on me, but a few hours of drinking ahead of me. So instead of getting beers, as soon as he came in, he was getting shots for us. I knew nothing good happens after shots.

After a few shots, we got on the Ferry to go to the party in Manly (about a 30min ferry ride from the city). By now, we're probably still ok. Not like able to drive ok, but still ok.

This was a BYO party, and I told my friend to grab a bottle of Jack for the party while I went to the bathroom. I can drink a lot of that without getting really drunk. When I came back he had a bottle of Vodka in his hand. Oh crap.

I can't do vodka. We're not in College. There is never a time for vodka in my book. Sadly, being that I've been drinking so much already, I just agreed and we went on to the party.

This is where things gets fuzzy. The party was great. It was a house party. Lots of people, lots of drinking, and lots of soup (the host loves making soup). The kinda neat thing about this party was that there was a talent show. People did all kinds of talents.

Two acts really stood out. The first was this older couple. They performed a flamingo dance. It wasn't the fast version you would usually see, but a slow more expressive version. There was a lot of foot stomping. It was so good, and so impressive being they're a bit older.

The other act that stood out was the last act. This was from the host. She did a stand up routine which in my book is one of the hardest things ever to do. It was hilarious though. It was about how her not working on Fridays is actually more difficult than those of us that does work on Friday.

After this is where things get really fuzzy. My friend and I had finished the bottle of vodka by the time the talent show was over. I texted my dancing friend who said she was at a nearby pub and was ready for some dancing. Of course, I immediately jump at the chance for dancing.

So after this, I really have no idea. I know me and my friend walked to the pub. The next thing I remembered was kind of dancing somewhere. My friend no where to be found, and I was dancing with some strangers. Great story huh?

What I found out later is this. We got kicked out of a few bars for being disorderly. I'm not a disorderly drunk, I'm more of a touchy feely drunk, so this part was strange. We then went to the place with the dancing, and my friend wanted me to go with him to the casino to meet up with some girls, but I wanted to stay with my dancing friend and dance so he left.

I remember dancing some, then leaving my friend for the wharf to catch the last ferry home. She repeatedly asked to walk me there, but of course I refused. Such a bad idea.

I got to the wharf and I had missed the last ferry. I think I then proceeded to pass out at the wharf. The next thing I remembered was waking up at home butt naked. I have no idea how I got home nor do I know why I was naked. I'm not a naked kinda guy. I'm more of a boxer/tshirt dude. So the naked thing is very strange.

I checked my wallet the next morning, and it didn't seem like anything was missing. I did find some of my clothes in the hallway to my apt. Apparently, I also made some calls to people that may not have been a good idea. Nothing seem to be amiss really.

I still have no idea how I got home.

Drinking is bad.

Royal Randwick

Last week was the lawn party at the Royal Randwick. They Royal Randwick is a horse track here and last week was the first race of the season (I think), or maybe it was just a chance to throw a big party.

I wasn't too sure about this event as it was a pretty expensive event. The price of admission did include all you can eat and drink, so that along with a few friend's encouragement, I was there. Along with the horse race and booze, there was going to be 5 stages set up with DJs. Good ones, not glorified wedding Djs. That was also a big selling point. I haven't been to a big event here yet, so this will be a good trial. The event was also very cool in that every one had to dress up. All the guys were in suits and the ladies were all in nice dresses and hats. Big hats, small hats, feathers in their hair. It was pretty sweet.

We got there about noon, and for the next 5 hours, it was an open bar. Like I mentioned, this event was pretty expensive, so being the cheap bastard that I am, I tried to drink it all back. Yea... there was some serious drinking going on.

There were also lots of tents for food. There was an Asian tent that had stir fry and sushi, a curry tent, a fish and chips tents, and an Aussie food tent (meat pies, etc). I don't know if it's cause I was just drunk, but the food was pretty good.

In between the races, the DJs would start the beats. Apparently, the beats scares the horses, so no beats during race. Each stage was playing a different style. After a few races where I did terrible in the betting (if I chose a horse to win, the horse would come in 2nd, if I chose it to place, it would come in fourth. This happened in 3 races), I decided to concentrate on the drinking and the music.

I was loving the beats. It's been a while, and I sure miss good beats. I'll be the first one to admit this, I'm an incredible snob when it comes to dance music. I love dancing, but I will not dance to crappy music. Yea, get over it. With good music though, watch out.

So the beats were good and I got down. I must've been doing something right, or maybe just making a total ass of myself, but I got a lot of interest in the dancing which is always good. Had a few strangers take photos with me and got to pose for a few online magazines photos too (sadly, I was too drunk to remember which magazine they were).

It was a good day at the tracks. There was plenty to eat and drink and beats. Lots and lots of beats. I did bet on one last race and the horse did come in for me which even all of my other losses so it was all good.

Next week will be the first of the big dance events here in Sydney. Angels in White. Stay tuned for that, should be brilliant.

Aussies/Kiwi - 2 Team Pup - 0

Once again I have failed in keeping up with the locals. This is quite sad as I thought I did quite well tonight. Nonetheless, I had to retire early.

Just to give you a condense version of the happenings today.

- Got a number. This time from a girl. That's right, no more dude numbers. This is going to be sweet.

- Starting to be a semi-regular at a bar. Oh, it's so on.
- Got a bunch of numbers from a bunch of older ladies. Don't know what that's about, but it just happened.

- Saw a bunch of rave kids in full rave gear on the train. I asked where they were going. I had no idea where they said they were going, but I doubt I could keep up. Good god I'm old. Getting old sucks.

- There was a drug bust of Ecstasy worth half a BILLION dollars here in AU. I'm a bit sad about that.

- I saw a bunch of punk ass kids on the train today. They thought they were hot shit. They were barely cold diarrhea. Seriously. The old crew of Tony, Ski, and Nikki would've killed these fools without blinking an eye, and they thought they would try to be tough with me? Shit. They don't know how I roll.

- Have I mentioned rave chicks in full rave gear is just totally hot? Well they are.

Why Am I?

What am I so drunk you ask? Yea. Note to self. Don't try to outdrink a Kiwi, a Brit, and an group of aussies.

I was sitting in my hotel room all by me self tonight. I was thinking. I need to get out there. Meet some people and shit.

Where do I feel most comfortable even without my crew. A local dive bar of course.

So I went out and hit a few local bars. The first few didn't really click with me. Then I went to the 'Fortune of War'. Supposively the oldest bar in Sydney. Right away I struck it up with the bartender talking about Rugby. She was quite a cutie which really helped out things.

Then I talked to this german guy. He was pretty cool and I got his number. Weird I know. I have no issues getting dude's numbers. I need a crew.

After he left, this Kiwi and his girl came in. He was all kind of crazy. So funny. We started buying each other drinks.

Then this group of Aussie girls came in. It was great fun as we started doing Jager bombs. You know how everything goes down hill after Jager. These gals had been drinking before they came here. Within 30min, had more to drink than me in the couple of hours I've been at the bar, and were perfectly fine with drinking more.

Of course, the Kiwi was helping everyone out with drinking more and more. It was a grand ol' time.

At the end, they said they were ready to start drinking and headed to a bar called 'Three wise monkeys'. I can only imagine what that's all about. I was pretty hammered so I wasn't able to join them.

What a bummer. These were my kind of people.

Oh well, guess I need to work on my tolerance.

Rave on

Last weekend, after probably about a 2 year hiatus, there was a rave on the calendar. I was pretty hesitant about the whole thing. For one, earlier that day, I had my spring league end of season tournament. I’m usually exhausted and extremely drunk after that’s over. So this might not be the best timing.

I sucked it up. I wanted to see if the kids would come back. The venue was good enough. It was in this big trade center. Not as ghetto or scary as the old days in abandoned buildings or parking structure, but it was good enough. Certainly much better than the posh clubs that anyone ever goes to nowadays.

That’s just not how I roll. I don’t do the posh and dress code crap that these clubs enforce (unless you have an extra $20 for them).

I got back from ultimate and took a nap (ala Furdell style) before going out. I was quite tired from the tournament, but I was determined to suck it up. We left around 11pm which seems quite late, but still hours earlier then when we used to do.

We drove up to the place and I got a bit concerned. There were very few cars there. This was the venue that I went to see Tiesto last summer, and we had to park so far away and the lines were insane. Tonight, we parked right in front and got right in.

Not sure if we were going to be the only people there or what, but we went ahead and went in. Once we got in, we were greeted with some winged girls. Good sign so far.

We walked by the first room, I think it was playing some hard house. The second room had some happy hardcore going and the main room started with some good trance. I like the set up. It was spacious, the music was pretty good.

There were not many people there as the parking lot indicated, but the ones that were there, the majority were dressed properly (candy kid wise). What I was very happy to see and impressed with the dancing. Most of the kids knew how to dance. Not this jumping up and down crap you see at the clubs. I was even more happy to see that the people that really knew how to dance looked a little bit older. It was a good scene of older ravers and the younger kids.

It’s been so long since these events happened last that it’s expected that there wouldn’t be that many people there. Especially the younger kids. It was good to see that there was still a good amount of people there. After a while more people did come in. It never got crowded, but I think that’s pretty good. Hope the revival will continue.

Although I’ve got to admit, I was feeling pretty old with how tired I was getting by about 3am. So sad.

Jon Stewart Live!

I was probably more excited then I was leading on about this, but this Saturday night I got to see Jon Stewart live! Not doing the Daily show, but stand up. This was just awesomeness.

This is not the censored Jon Stewart you see on the Daily show. In case you forgot, he was a comedian before the show. This live show was probably 10x funnier when he was allowed to just say what was on his mind instead of having to be censored for TV and those pesky commercials.

There was a lot of cursing, talking about subjects that would just be horrifying for tv (even basic cable). Jon (look at me, we’re on a first name basis now), did a lot of political jokes, but what was interesting was hearing him do other type of jokes too. You got your poop jokes, sex jokes, you basic observation jokes. It was great to see him talk about other topics (even though secretly I wanted more political jokes).

This is the one thing that Jon said during the show that I couldn’t agree with more. During the show, Jon said this. There are 2 kinds of people in this country. It’s not red or blue, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. There is only busy and crazy. Sadly, crazy runs this country because busy has shit to do.

It’s so true. Crazy people are the only people with time to do all this crazy shit. The rational people out there with the good ideas are generally too busy doing things. Oh, say.. a job? You think you can get out of your job to go ‘protest’ at an abortion clinic? You think your boss will let you out to protest a war regardless of his/her point of view? No, busy people have shit to do.

That just leaves the crazies to come up with stupid ass ideas and crazy ass ways to show it. Take the rash of school violence in this country. Is anyone rational coming up with a good idea? No, you got the crazies coming up with ‘solutions’. You got the crazies on the right thinking if everyone had a gun, that would make things better. That’s completely insane. Then you got the left thinking we should ban guns all together and just hug more. Though I hate guns and think we should get rid of guns, this is just not a gonna happen so stop wasting time.

Crazies never come up with good ideas. Just crazy ones.

Jon suggested this, and it’s unbelievable that no one tries this. What we need to convey to the high school kids is that high school ends. All of us went through high school. The feelings and experiences they are going through is not new. As special as these kids think they are, they’re not. They’re going through what all generations of high school kids feel.

What the kids need to know is that the things that people get made fun of in high school usually becomes their strengths later in life. Those things that may have made them popular will probably become a weaknesses later in their life. Things have a way of working out.

Take these kids to a 20yr high school reunion. You’ll see. See that fat balding guy with the comb over working at Wal-mart? Yea, football quarterback.

I know it’s not funny here, but it is when Jon tells it.

Anyway, it was a great night. There were times I was laughing so hard I almost pee-ed on myself.

If Jon is coming to a city near you, go see him! You won’t regret it.

A solid weekend

This was truly one of the more solid weekends in recent memory. So solid I'm deciding not to drink for a week (yes, I know that's not long, but I'm being realistic). That's right.. I found a nasty note from my liver on my nightstand this morning.

Friday night, T and I went to a Japanese restaurant that I had read about. Unlike the other 95% of Japanese restaurants out there, they actually served Japanese food. That's right people, sushi is not the only thing they eat in Japan. Shocker I know. They had all the other goodies from Japan. Most of which I can't spell or pronounce, but I know is good.

Most importantly, they had ramen and other types of noodle bowls. Ever since my last San Francisco trip, I've been really craving ramen. Mmmmm... ramen. No, it's not that crap you buy for 50 cents a bag at the grocery store. This is great noodles.

It wasn't the best I had, and it certainly should've been a buck or two cheaper, but considering they're relatively close to my house, I'll be back soon! They also have a large variety of rice bowls that I'm drooling to try out.

After dinner, we decided to check out a new bar/venue. I've had wanted to go for a while, but never really knew where it was. I put it in the GPS and on we went. I gotta tell ya, I was a bit intimidated by this place. I'm all about the dives, but this place is something else. The neighborhood was very sketch, even for me. The building looked like it could be condemned at any time.

We walked up to the place. The crowd was definitely one that I liked. You got your goths, your punks, your strung out druggies, your rainbow colored hairs, your old drunks. Ah yes, my type of people. We went in and order what seems to be the preferred drink in the place. 24 oz PBR. It was huge, it was cold, and it was delicious.

A band was setting up when we got there. I was just going to get drinks, but I knew they have bands there all the time, so I guess it doesn't hurt to stay for a band. After a bit, we were enjoying the .... ok, I can't remember the name of the band.

Wish I could remember their name because they were surprisingly good. I will admit that I listen to some really crappy music. It felt good to be listing to awesome indie music at this place.

Saturday night was the Ultimate league's bar golf. I've never heard of it either, but after reading the rules, I knew this was an event for me.

What is bar golf?

It is a basically a bar crawl with a scorecard. each bar/restaurant is a hole. the group spends 30 minutes at each hole. Par is 4

Par = a beer (ex. high life)
-1 (birdie) = the signature drink of that establishment (see below)
-2 (eagle) = a shot AND a beer. (ex. captain morgan and a high life)
-3 (ace) = a shot IN a beer (ex. boilermaker, carbomb, dark shadow)

The idea of doing 18 holes was a bit ridiculous, so I decided to only do the back 9. For the back 9, I had a very respectable score of -7 at the end. I had 7 drinks and 2 beers. Doesn't sound like that much, but oh it sure was. I think the winner had the score of -18. That is nothing short of spectacular and probably dangerous.

I sure paid for this little stunt when I got home. I don't think I've gotten sick in a while. Had forgotten how insanely bad that feels. Hence my self imposed no drinking for a week.

I told Pup this morning about it and he said he could've gotten a -20. I think he's just full of cotton though.

I may not know where I’m going, but at least I still know where home is

Let’s just for a second, pretend that I’m not too old for this.

Friday night, there was a show at one of my favorite venues with one of my favorite DJ spinning. The venue was great because unlike a club, it’s a concert venue so it’s quite large. I hate going to clubs because it’s always so awfully crowded. No room to dance makes Pup an angry Pup.

I gathered a crew together. T, many of you know from this blog, and a new person B. During my hay days, it was always a crew of 3. It works well that way. 3 can take care of each other easily. Small enough to be mobile, and big enough to form a semi-circle.

T and B are both pretty experienced in these things so it wasn’t difficult talking about some basic guidelines about what to do (no, I’m not being anal, it’s just a pain to find each other without some type of plans for just in case).

None of us has gone to a show in a while, but you don’t forget.

When we first got to the show, it was a bit early. Being old, you tend to get to shows earlier I’ve noticed. Sad but true cause you never know when you’ll have to leave.

When we walked across the parking lot, there were very few cars and that’s never a good sign. Also not a good sign was the lack of a big bass beat. Anyone knows that any good show you can hear the bass from pretty damn far away.

We got in there, and there weren’t too many people as expected. We hung out for a while buying our time and getting our drinks on. Slowly but surly, the people and the music started getting better and better.

Yada Yada… the place is now packed and I was feeling very good.

I was getting my dance on, but being old and out of shape really does suck for dancing. I think I was doing ok though. Some of the moves were a bit rusty, but it had it going on. There weren’t any others out there dancing the same way as I was, so nothing to pick up, but I think I brought something to the table.

Towards the end of the show, The DJ turned things up. The beat was strong, the music was loud. I closed my eyes as some kid was giving me a light show. For the first time in a while, I didn’t have any stress or worries going on in my head. Not thinking about work, not thinking about other personal stuff going on.

Only one thought in my head.

I’m home.

Stressful De-stress Day

Having had a pretty long week, I planned to have a de-stress Saturday. I would do things that I’ve been meaning to do for a while around town. Not thinking about work or anything related to work.

The day started out well. I went to the museum where they had an exhibit from the Louve. Some of the art was amazing. What’s even more amazing is that they have this head set that they give you. Next to all the paintings or pieces of art there was a number. You just have to push the number into the headset and a description/story of the art would come on. Simply brilliant.

I was pretty interested in the stories about how elaborate life on the court was. They had all this great art and excess of fancy stuff everywhere. All the while, the common people in France were all starving. Yea, the court deserved to have their heads chopped off.

Afterwards, we went to a couple of bars to have a few drinks. Later in the evening, I decided to go to a club with a friend. I hate clubs. I don’t do them because of the people that go. Pretentious dumb ass posers that’s just there to hook up. Nothing wrong with that, I have different expectations when going to a club. Like actual dancing. This is my problem. I know that.

Anyway, we went to a place to meet up with another friend before going. We had a couple of drinks and when we came out, Lucy was gone. Oh my fucking lord. Lucy’s gone.

There was a cop nearby so I waved him down and started screaming about where the hell is my car. He said to call 911 to see if it had been impounded. Seriously? Is this the best use for 911?

I called and sure enough, Lucy had been towed. The police offered no reason as to why it was towed. I parked next to a meter. It was a real spot. I later found out that after 8pm, that spot becomes a taxi only spot. Nice of them to let people know with signs. Oh wait, yea, there wasn’t any.

Since there was nothing we could do that night about Lucy, I agreed to go to the club. I’m already seriously pissed. When we got to the club, they wouldn’t let me in. What the fuck? The guy was like you need to wear a collar shirt and you can’t wear sneakers.

Listen jackass. People who actually dance need to have dancing gear, and that’s what I’m wearing. Yea, I know you’re just looking for dumb ass preppy boys just there to drink and move around like they’ve got a rat crawling but their ass, but don’t be cramping me. Y’all can go fuck yourselves.

I’m sure if I said that my night would’ve gotten worst.

My friends had already gone through, and I went up to tell them the bad news. The manager came by and told me I can come in if I paid a bit more. Grudgingly, I agreed.

When we got in, it was just like I thought. A bunch of pretentious fucks that wouldn’t be able to dance if their lives depended on it. Just there chatting up the ladies. Oh, and you ladies might’ve looked good swaying back and forth, but please don’t say you were dancing. There were girls there that were paid to dance on the little stages. Now they can dance. Guess what, they wear sneakers.

I know that’s the purpose of these places. I know I get on my soapboxes about this, but I was in no mood. This might have been a club, and there might have been club music, but there certainly weren’t any club kids. I know I’m from a different mindset and era of clubs, but it’s just so hard to tolerate this crap. Especially being seriously pissed about Lucy.

The night went on. I got my groove on. I danced by the stage girls. They must’ve been ok with my moves. Talked to a couple of them and got some free water! Yay free water. They agreed about my view on most of the people in there.

I apologize to all of you that I texted. Especially the ones bragging about my dancing abilities. Totally uncalled for even if it’s true.

Today, I called the police to get Lucy back. Their computer system was down so they’re not able to release any car. That’s just fantastic. They’re only open from 8-4pm. This makes it very difficult for anyone to drive me by the station then pick up Lucy during the week.

Now Lucy’s gonna be scared and alone for another night. I’m glad gloomy’s with her. I’m going to take off the protection on gloomy’s claws when I get them back. He’ll have the order to claw out the next person that touches Lucy.

I blame all this on my stupidity. Not about the parking cause that just wasn’t marked. I was stupid in not making a trip this weekend. Stupid for not playing in an ultimate tournament cause I didn’t feel like getting cold. Stupid for trying to save $4 to park in a parking lot. Then stupid for going to clubs that I know would annoy the living shit out of me.

As a result of this, I’ve decided that I’m going to be grounded. No week night activity till May. Saturday nights I can visit someone’s home, but that’s it. No going out. I’m grounded. Hopefully that’ll teach me a lesson about being that stupid.

The Things I Do for My Friends

I was in Nashville this last weekend for an old college friend’s bachelor party. I haven’t seen this guy in quite awhile. Him, me, and another friend were trouble when we got together in college. For some reason when we were together, all reason goes out the door, heavy drinking and stupidity always ensued.

Me and the friend went up on Saturday. We checked in at the hotel and proceeded to meet the bachelor at his uncle’s house. It was amazing as we turned in the subdivision. This is the Bel Air of Nashville. The houses were all large and manor-ly. They were very nice and not tacky as some big houses/neighborhoods can be. A real sense of old money.

I later found out this is where Al Gore lives too. I drove by Al’s house today!! Hi Al!!

When we got there, we chatted a bit and did some catching up. As it always happens, we talked about some old drinking stories. Man, were we stupid then. I may have to write some of those down sometime, they're stupidity in rare form.

Now that we’re together again, I’m sure stupidity would again come out and party with us. At least that’s what I’m expecting.

We first went to a professional hockey game. Having always lived in the south of wherever I’m at, hockey was not a game that I grew up with or even know much about. I know there's a puck, a net and every now and then, a fight. This was my first introduction to hockey other then the 2 seconds I’d watch flipping through the channels.

In case you didn’t know, I’m one for screaming and cheering loudly. It doesn’t matter much about what I’m screaming for, it’s just fun for me to scream either cheers and boos. I don’t get to boo openly at people that often. I totally think we need to boo more in regular conversation. Sports events are where I let out all my boos.

This hockey game had all that I was looking for. The crowd was loud and fired up. The action was fast. Of course, the gigantic beers didn’t hurt either. I was screaming all over the place. People around me thought I was a good fan.

Good times. I may have to go back for another.

After the game, we met up with a few more guys (there was now 18 people in all). We were in the middle of the clubs and bars of Nashville. I know from experience that this is an extremely fun place. So many fun bars and stuff. When asked what was next, I fully expected a night of fun bar hopping. You know what the majority of the people said? Nudie bar.

Damn it.

Another in case you didn’t know. I HATE nudie bars. I don’t understand the concept or any good reasoning why anyone would go to a place to look and not be able to do anything about. There are also crazy rules about these places in Tennessee as well. You can either be full nude but BYOB, or serve, but the girls have to have pasties and a G-string. If you go to the full nude place, there’s no contact at all, and the places that serve, a bud light will cost you about $8.

Yes, it’s insanely stupid.

With the amount of cash that you would drop at one of these places, wouldn’t it be better to go to a bar and spend it on real girls? You’d probably see the same amount of skin plus you’ll probably be able to touch, and there maybe a chance you can take one home.

All that’ll happen at a nudie bar is you’ll be poor and unsatisfied.

I kept my mouth shut and just went with the crowd. After all, it’s not my bachelor party. We elected to go to a full nude place so we had to first drive around to find some beer and liquor. Tennessee doesn’t allow beer to be sold with liquor and vice versa so 2 stops had to be made.

We finally get in and we sit down. Not much to report here. Just the same boring stuff. Sadly, I was more interested in the girl’s pole skills and wondering how they move around in those stripper heels then I was looking at them. The thing that I noticed was that even though Nashville has some of the most attractive women I’ve seen, they certainly weren’t working at these places.

They traded hot drunk chicks which we would’ve seen at the bars for these girls. No my bachelor party I know.

I got smacked by a couple of friends throughout the night cause I was texting some people. They were all like, there’s a naked chick on stage, why’re you texting? You know what, I’ve seen it and my texting was more interesting.

I didn’t say that, but still.

I was thinking later as to who was more for going to the bars and who was more for going to the nudie bars. There was an almost equal amount of single and married guys. Can you guess who was more for which place?

If you said, married guys more for nudie bars, then you’re right.

At first I thought this was odd, but then it really does make sense for all the reason that I didn’t like nudie bars.

At a nudie bar, there’s no chance of going very far with the strippers. Frankly, you just don’t have that much money. With the alcohol being so expensive, you probably won’t drink that much. Whereas I guess at a bar, they could be tempted with a hot drunk chick. Guess it’s about playing it safe.

At least that’s what I think.

Well, the important thing is that I think the bachelor had a good time.

Making me see naked chicks. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my friends.

Respect My Pimping!

I heard this at the pool table next to mine. I think if you have to tell someone to respect your pimping, you’re not doing that great of a job. I couldn't help but hear that phrase in Cartman voice. Also, one said for their tie breaker game, they’re doing this straight street. Yea, they're playing pool. I’m not lying. They actually said straight street. If you’ve seen ‘You got served’ you’d know this is hilarious.

Me mind you, was not playing pool. I was, get ready for it… Shuffle boarding. That’s right bitches, Shuffle board. It’s a good time. I’m not good at it, but it’s fun! And nooooo it’s not just for old people.

There was this couple that played next to us. I'm not being mean I swear, but they just looked so interesting. Nothing specific, but just that they're both super skinny and a little bit awkward. Ok, by a little bit, I mean just regular awkward. Like I said, I'm not sure what it is or what I even mean by that, but they were interesting to watch. At one point I think I tried imagining them having sex. Yea, awkward sex. I'm sure they do it wild and crazy though. Go awkward looking couple go!!

I think guys have cycles. Like womanly cycles, but without the mass blood loss. Just times when your mood is all different. Yea, don’t fight it, you know you have cycles. Luckily, I’m out of my hateful mean cycle and now I’ve entered into my best cycle. My need to dance cycle. Yes, these are all scientific terms, hateful mean cycle and dance cycle.

That’s right. It’s time to dance.

Maybe it’s not a cycle, but that I’m just actually semi caught up a bit at work. At least enough where people are not yelling at me anymore. So it was time for beats. I turned up the music with some hard trance blaring. In between calls and emails, it was go time. I needed both the practice and the exercise. It’s quite a funny scene really.

I was thinking of what to do in the coming weeks. Should I try new things or get back in the swing of doing old school things. I really haven’t been doing very much besides sitting here in this room working.

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You know what’s funny? I wrote that part above last night. I’m not going to say if alcohol had anything to do with it or just general tiredness. Now that I read it, it sounds really silly. Not that any of it is untrue, but still. Too bad I didn’t put down the other stuff I was writing. Ha, that’d be a good read for everyone.

Whatever I do, I need to get the crew together. Maybe get some new people, but need a crew nevertheless. Time to start recruiting.

In a Dark Hour, Tiesto Comes to the Rescue

Yes, I realize I’m now a million years old and shouldn't be going to these kind of shows anymore. However, when my favorite DJ (Tiesto) was coming into town, I wasn’t about to miss his performance at my favorite Venue.

Many of you have heard me continuously bitch and moan about the lack of a good dance scene or death of the ‘rave culture’ all around the country and especially here where I live. Being old and pessimistic about the present scene, I was hesitant about the show. Also, my usual crew was no longer around, so I was stuck to going by myself.

I was quite hesistant about going even though it is my favorite DJ. It didn’t help that tickets were being sold for 3x face value and I was tempted to sell them a few times. Oh, but I trusted in my DJ and the beats, and I was so happy that I didn’t take the cash.

When I first walked into the venue, to my surprise, I immediately saw some Candykids (for explanations please go here). It was like seeing an extinct animal. I thought it maybe just a small group of kids, but as I followed them a little, they led me to more and more groups of Candykids all over the place.

This was a good sign of things to come.

As I walked around the venue, I saw more and more types of people that I haven’t seen in a while. People that I’ve missed in this culture. The place was not packed with the usual drunk frat guys and their slutty jump-up-and-down-bouncing-their-boobs-thinking-this-is-dancing crowd. What I saw was a place packed with UFO pants, glow sticks, pacifiers, Vicks, bottles of water, and people who were there to dance.

I got myself ‘prepped’, you know, stretching so I don’t throw out a hip, and other things and got down to the dance floor. I quickly found a couple groups of people to dance with around the stage. This is far different than the usual drunk groups that do not understand the meaning of dancing and thinks it’s odd that people are actually dancing instead of getting hammered and just jumping up and down like a dumbass.

I was quickly accepted into these groups as we danced in similar fashion. At one point when I was taking a rest (shut up, I’m old), a couple of people came up to compliment me on the dancing. This was a big ego boost as it hasn’t happened in a while (since the good ol' days). These people understood how its suppose to be broughten.

This one girl (AM) and I struck up a conversation as she mentioned that I danced very old school (her exact words). I was amazed and delighted that she knew. Having watched her dance as well, I knew she dances the same way. We started talking about the old days. We had been to many of the same venues, parties, and shows from ‘back in the days’.

Yay old ravers! This needs to be a new category in Wikipedia.

If you’ve ever gone to a show with me, you’d know that one of my big peeves is being crowed, especially by people who are not dancing. I’m there to dance and you don’t need to be all up in my space. When the crowd was encroaching on the group’s dance space, amazingly enough, AM had the same thought as I to move to another area so we can have space to dance while giving the remaining group more room to dance.

This is a usual practice in the days. It’s cool to hook up with people, but we like the dancing and always get back together later. As AM and I walked, we talked a bit more about the scene. Its difficult to explain as its a mentality, but to hear someone else talking about raving was worth the price of admission.

Speaking of old school, at one point during the night, I got a head job from one of the CandyKids. This involves a face to face light show with glow sticks while Vicks vapor is blown in your face. You have to be there, but it’s very cool. I was also asked for drugs several times. This is a great feeling as the kids don't think I'm old enough to be a Narc.

Besides meeting AM and many CandyKids, I met up with people who worked at a cool dance club who would get me into VIP whenever I’m there. I also met up with some groups that wanted to have regular meeting up of the make shift groups. I’m sure it was all just club talk, but it’s nice to be involved.

These are the kind of things I’m talking about. While most people’s objectives when going to a club is all about getting hammered and picking up, ravers are never about that. It’s always about dancing, meeting people, and unity to beats. Sure picking up happens, but its not why you're there. There're a lot of touching with this crowd, but its very comforting and not the creepy kind you generally get at the clubs. Also, certain chemicals may make touching an unbelievable feeling.

The only bad part of the night was when I had to leave during Tiesto’s set. I have never left a set early, but the venue was getting so crowed and insanely hot. Not to mention that I was dead tired by about 2am (this is quite sad as we used to go at 1am and stay till about 6am). I was too tired to dance anymore and even if I wanted to, there wouldn’t be space anyway so I decided to leave.

It was a good time. Old school good time.

You’re so Flamboyant

It’s probably been about 5 years since I’ve seen one of my favorite 2 man group in concert. With working hitting its crazy time, I needed a little break. In comes the group that I’ve been listening to since the 4th grade to make things all good and gay.

I don’t know what the attraction is, but I’ve always loved the Pet Shop Boys (PSB). I think it’s that mix of disco dance with the fab 80s vibe.

As usual, the PSB show delivered. It was more of a show than just a concert complete with dancers, multiple outfit changes, and an awesome ever changing stage. The fans went crazy the entire show. As I’ve complained about audiences before on this blog, there was definitely nothing to complain about this time.

The guys at the show were fabulous and the women were wild with little self-conscience. They were certainly there having fun. After all, there’s really no one to impress as the hot guys doesn’t exactly play on the right team. Everyone sang and danced during the entire show. A jolly good time for everyone.

They played ‘suburbia’, which is one of my top favorite songs in the beginning of the show. After the intermission, they played ‘always on mind’ which got the concert hall going crazy. It was a good mix of old material and new. Even though I’ve heard the old stuff a million times, it was so much cooler to hear it live. They ended the show with an encore of 'It’s a sin' and 'Go West'. Both crowd and my personal favorites.

What a great way to start the 2 week celebration to my oldness.

The Kids Redeemed

It’s no secret that I’m not impressed with the kids today. It could be that I’m just an old bitter man who drinks in the front parking lot with a wife beater and yells at the kids.

After the NIN show, I wasn’t sure what to expect as I headed off to the Artic Monkeys concert.

The concert was held at my favorite venue where I’ve had some of my favorite concert moments. Some that comes straight to mind is seeing Prodigy where we were asked to leave the upper levels because all the jumping was causing the place to become unstable. Orbital/Crystal Method where some of the sickest moves I’ve ever seen were displayed in a dance off. Dido where I was about 5 feet away from her. This and others like Pet Shop Boys and Marilyn Manson just to name a couple.

Earlier that day, I had endured two seriously tough ultimate matches that lasted about 5 hours in over 90 degree heat. We had very limited subs and was playing a high school/college team. Damn kids and their running around. It was all I can do during the game not to just hurl. I’m really selling this sport aren’t I?

Both games were great as both came down to the last point and more importantly we won both games. In the first game, because we were short people, we played 6 vs.7. Now that’s a lot of work trying to cover multiple people.

I was tired, to say the least, going into the concert. The venue offered standing room right in front of the stage or seating up in the balconies. Being old and very tired, we opted for the seats. Up around the seating area, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone around us was English. Not totally unexpected as this is an English Band. Their heavy British accents and England Soccer jerseys was an easy give away.

What a reaction when the monkeys finally came out. They rocked a lot more than I thought they would. There were people dancing in their seats and in the isles. As I looked down from the balcony, I saw a wave of people jumping up and down with fists pumping. Now that’s good crowd.

The energy level stayed high during the whole show. Crowd surfing ensued as the Monkeys kept rocking out. Even as tired as I was, the energy of the place lifted me back to life. About half way through the show I was back up and moving around in the isles too.

I was expecting a good concert, but it turned out to be great and lots of fun.

Kids, especially English ones, you are redeemed.

I Want to Pup You Like an Animal

With the continuing crap going on in my life, there has been an unlikely ally lately. I don’t generally go to that many concerts. Actually, before the They Might Be Giants concerts, I don’t think I’ve been to one in over 9 months (yes, I know that's still a lot more often than most people but the voices don't care about other people).

They Might Be Giants gave me a great lift with their energetic fun show that really helped my spirits. It all went away with the accident to Lucy last week, I was ready to punch someone in the face.

Last night I went to the Nine Inch Nails concert. Trent certainly delivered. The show was amazing and he was better than ever. Way to give my pent up rage a voice.

With that said, I must point out that I’m very disappointed in the crowd. Though they were into it, they weren’t really into it as much as they should. The music was rocking. Everyone should have been jumping around, but alas, just swaying.

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

Even right in front of the stage, there was no real action going on. T and I walked in the lawn area completely expecting a mosh pit or at least some slam dancing. Even there, nothing. I’ve seen more action at a widespread panic concert or at the Lilith Fair.

What the hell is wrong with these kids nowadays? Last time I saw NIN, there were 2 pits and looking toward that stage, you see an ocean of people jumping up and down with people being lifted to the top. People would run around and dance like they were possessed. Now that’s a good crowd.

In the good ol’ days, there would be a pit, maybe 2. As soon as one is formed, T and I would run and hurl ourselves in and clean up the weak from the pit. Yes, we were those guys. Of course that came with some serious bruises from other bigger fish in the pit, but it’s all good.

In this age of implanted fear from the government, religious minority enforced political correctness, lawsuit fears, too much coddling with our technology, and just generally pansy ass people who would use a weapon because they’re too chick shit to get some real action going, we as a society are going down the wrong path of civilization.

I’m not saying we should be anarchist or be randomly violent. No, that shit's just retarded. There is a certain degree of controlled violence that’s good for people, a controlled outlet. Anger and violence has become so shameful and unacceptable that we are forced to just pent it up inside. It doesn’t go away folks, it just manifests itself in other ways.

We’ve become so afraid to express ourselves. We’ve become so afraid to do anything that others may perceive as strange or different. We’ve become what the government and the religious minority wants us to be, an obedient subdued fearful group of citizens that needs their control on our lives because we don’t know any better.

Start mooing people, cause you're becoming cattle.

This country has shifted from power of the people, to power to the minority. If there is no hope in this crowd that I saw last night, there is certainly very little hope elsewhere.

As much as I wanted to hear more, I didn’t blame Trent for not doing an encore. The crowd certainly didn’t deserve one.

They Might be Pups

If you didn’t know, They Might Be Giants (TMBG) is one of my favorite groups. They were my first concert, and first …. Um.. I can’t say without getting into trouble, but let’s just say TMBG concerts was the first of many things for me.

I’ve seen them almost a dozen times in the 12 years or so I’ve been listening to them. So yea, I’m a bit of a fan.

After coming off a horrible week, and then a weekend that didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, I was a bit of a mess. I tried all my usual things to pick me up, but it wasn’t happening.

Just as I was about to give up doing something positive and revert to Jack and the Captain for support, a creative loafing page (alternative newspaper) flew onto my leg on my way to the liquor store.

I looked at it for a brief second and right there in bright wording “They Might Be Giants” in concert in a few days. I couldn't have been happier to see that. Yes, I know if I was a real fan I'd know if they were coming. So after sitting through the funk for a few more days, I went to the TMBG concert.

Sure enough, TMBG were every bit as fun as always. They put on a fun interactive show. There was even a special appearance by StrongBad of Homestar Runner (see link). Even the guy who opened for them was great. He sang depressing, happy, and some hateful love songs with a little uka-lay-le (sp?). A little guitar. No, I have no idea how to spell that. Anyway, he was fantastic.

Things haven’t changed with what’s put me in this funk, but I’m glad TMBG was there. I’m sure it’s pure coincidence, but right now, I’ll take it.

Remember kids, Istanbul is not Constantinople and Triangle man always wins.

Day Dream

Sometimes when I’m listening to upbeat trance music, my mind starts wandering. It’s like a music triggered flash back. I see happy faces. Lots and lots of happy dancing people. We’re on a beach and the flash back always starts during dusk and then goes into the night.

Everyone is dressed in their best parachute pants or Kandy Kid gear. The girls are cute, some with their wings, dancing perfectly with the music. And not that swaying, stripper, or booty bumping dance you ever see anymore. Real Dancing. The guys put on a good show too. Some with their light skills, and some get down and dirty with their breakin’. All the movements are fluid and the glow sticks are colorful.

There’s no one fighting, no arguments anywhere. Maybe a bit more hugging than normal. No one cares what each other’s race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, or style are. It’s just a group of people looking to have a good time and share it with others.

The beats moves everyone into a trance. As the beats moves faster, the people get more excited. An overwhelming sense of warmth flows through your body and the lights around you begin to blur a bit. The only yearning for you now is for more water and to be touched. The need to get that physical connection with someone.

You can try, but you won’t have a bad thought in your head. Similar to what a person with severe depression may experience with their downward spiral, you feel happiness and nothing but. You cannot stop but feel happy. Bad thoughts can be brought up for mere seconds, and all seem to just fade away. Nothing you or anyone else can do can bring you down.

Everyone dances into the night, and soon the sun will begin to shine. The rest of world will once again be awoken with their hatreds, prejudices, and self serving agendas.

It’s time to go.

Kids, don’t use drugs.

You’re in my closet!!

I met up with a good friend of mine from college earlier this week. For 3 years she was either my neighbor or lived only a couple of rooms down in our building. We were pretty close and hung out a lot in the same circles. Unfortunately, we parted after graduation and lost touch.

It’s funny how fast time flies. It’s already been 7 years since I’ve seen her. We agreed to meet at my favorite bar which is also right around the corner from where she lives. It was a rainy an cold night. When me and my roommate walked up to the bar, I instantly spotted her standing outside with her green umbrella (she has a thing with green umbrellas).

Almost instantly, it was as if the last 7 years never happened and we were still in college. We talked it up all night. There is a lot to catch up on in 7 years. Things were different in our lives, but somehow the friendship still felt very much the same.

We reminiscent about the old days (cause we’re old so we have old stories). One of my favorite stories is me almost peeing in her closet during college because I was so drunk. I was in her closet (I remember thinking to myself the bathroom sure has gotten smaller) and ready to pee. She came in her room and saw me and said “WHAT are you doing?!!” I said “I’m peeing, get out of the bathroom! I’m in here! “You’re in my fucking closet!” she said. "That does explain the shoes" I said.

Ah yes, good times.

Having moved back to ATL, hopefully we’ll be able to hang out more again and create some new fun stories about the new old days. That and hopefully she'll have locks on her closets now.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Old School

Like every Christmas for the last 10 years or so, a few of my high school friends get together for our annual Christmas dinner somewhere fancy.

The degree of dinner fanciness has changed with the times as well. I think the first few years we went to the waffle house, then it was off to Outback or another steakhouse of that level, and these last few years, the dinners have been amazing at some very nice places.

It’s really interesting to see how far some of them have come in their professional and personal life. Maybe it’s just the group, but they all seem to be doing quite well. We hear about others that we knew in high school that isn't fairing quite as well, and it's good to see the ones that I care about and keep in contact are doing well.

For many of us, this is the only time we see each other every year. Although you’d never be able to tell that if you saw us together. I guess knowing each other since 9th grade or longer makes you pretty familiar with someone.

It's not that we don't want to know about all the details of each other's lives, but we don't think it's necessary. We always know the big and important things. It's something nice to look forward to during this time to be able to catch up with all the little details.

A lot of things may have changed with our lives, but they’re all still the same people on the inside. It’s like I always say, people don’t really change.

Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing.