"Give 'em some space..."

SotonightIwenttoasongcritiquedowntown,andyouweresupposedtobring
yourbestChristmassongsoItooktheonlyoneIhad,andIdidn'trealizehow
downrightmiserableitislisteningtonothingbutChristmassongswithtitles
like"MerryChristmasFromIraq"forTWOFREAKINGHOURS!!!"andthepeople
doingthecritiquedidn'tlikemysongwhichIdidn'tfeelthatbadaboutsince
thedudekeptsaying"timesignature"whenhereallymeant"tempo,"andthe
winningsongwascalled"Santa'sBigFatAss,"andnoIamnotkiddingabout
that,butIstillcan'tgetthattwohoursofmylifeback,andinthatregard
Nashvillecompletelysucksrightnow.

(breath)

When I was a teenager, I thought Crystal Bernard was hot. I don't really think so anymore.

It (meaning the temperature... how are you supposed to always know that "it" means the temperature? Jeezis) got up to 74 degrees today. Friday it (yes, "it" still means the same thing) is supposed to get down to 28, with a very minor chance of a flurry. Also, it has started getting dark before 5 again.

11:45

I'll make this pretty short and marginally sweet. I'm in Marietta at my last stop before returning to Nashville tomorrow morning. My brain has been in overdrive since I arrived for Cub's birthday dinner on Monday, through my longest trip to my parents' house since I was a sophomore in college, and through the greatest morning in the history of Georgia football (i.e. Techfast 2006, which is pictured at left thanks to GeorgiaGirl). I will offer more detail later, but this trip was exactly what I have needed for quite some time. I'm re-energized, uncharacteristically optimistic, scared to death yet somehow feeling braver than normal, and actually rather thankful. Appropriate I guess.

Oh, yes... and I (as you are) am also victorious. I hate Tech.

Insert Dexter Freebish Lyrics here

I had planned to head back to Georgia later this week. A seat-of-the-pants gathering of recent (and a couple of perhaps future) Athens expatriates has caused me to push my trip up to Monday morning. So, I'm headed to the Classic City at 11am.

It's looking like I will get a day in Athens, about three in Throbbing, and then a few days possibly split between Athens, Marietta, and maybe even Gainesville.

I can't imagine that I will be writing much between now and then. Hopefully that won't matter, because hopefully you will be in a tryptophan- and gin-induced haze before you know it. Don't forget to purchase lime or lemon before you get started!!

I am ready to not be here for a while. Happy early Thanksgiving!

So I haven't mentioned this, because I thought would have gone away before now. It hasn't.

I have basically been laid up at home all week as the result of an exercise accident. The result is that I am awfully sore on the left side of my lower back, and somehow I am also hurting in my right heel. Think about it hard enough and you'll realize that the foot on which I would be relying is the one that is apparently bruised.

So, I'm a bit pathetic right now.

However, I did find this, and it amazes me in the dorkiest of ways.

Also, Rob won the caption contest with, "My uncle is a dick. What is this box for?" Congratulations to all of the players.

Beer me, son.

I've been pretty well pre-occupied with the events in Athens over the last few days. I am sure that you are dying for more material from me, but I just don't have it.

So instead, I'll hold a caption contest. The winner gets a six-pack of Bud Light. Bear in mind, that this is my nephew, so attempt not to insult the uncle of the child in the photograph...

Oh, what the hell. Insult me. Beat me. Make me write bad checks.

But contribute damnit.

Alright... On your mark...










Get set....


















GO!

Bullitz

• Great times in Nashvegas with BlogPong around. We caught Borat on Friday. It was riotously funny if at times completely inappropriate. Saturday you know what we did, because you did too.

• If you are interested in economics, globalization, or the future, you should read this book. It has affected my thinking more profoundly than any book I have read recently, with the possible exception of this book.

• I am getting restless. Like, bad restless.

• The following are some issues that I have with the way we use the English language. Some of you have already been graced with my monologue on these subjects, and that's okay. You may think my opinions about these things are wrong, but you are mistaken.
- The term "negative" as it relates to x-rays is misleading. "X-rays were negative" should mean that x-rays indicated something bad. This is currently not the case.
- The term "semi-annual" should not mean "every six months." It should mean "every two years." "Bi-annual" should mean "every six months."
- If one "receives" a "reception," then one should not "intercept" an "interception." One should "interceive" an "interception."

How 'bout them dawgs!!???

If you haven't heard, the short list of candidates for a significant position at my alma mater was published today. A man who gave an awful lot more of himself to the organization than would anyone else I know was not on that list. Their ommission is wrong on multiple levels. I have never been more disappointed in Georgia than I am tonight.

If I could throw something through a wall in this blog, I would.

And by the way, I am relatively sure that there were several thousand men in middle America (and probably a few women in other locales) on the floor with their heads tilted skyward when this was on the tube...

... or maybe it was just me.


Image: ABC/CMA

Somebody's Pissed!!!

Edit: I just saw that Russ beat me to this. I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often, since he probably wakes up before like 10 am.

Sometimes you're the windshield. Sometime you're the judge that everyone thinks is a loon or a drunk... and they might be right.

Wow. Ugh.

I am back in Nashville after a long-ass weekend in Missouri. I am really worn out, but am providing a very brief recap for your records.

Friday

I arrived just in time to hear the Miss0uri band rehearse. They are really sounding quite good, and have improved a lot in the last year. Knight had me write a tune for them earlier this year, and I got to hear them do that. That never gets old.

Dinner with most of the judging staff followed. We got full stomachs and half-drunk.

Saturday

7am wake-up. I wasn’t happy.

9am downbeat. I was ok… for a while.

In a huge judging error, I reacted to a dramatic change in the quality of bands right after lunch, followed by another dramatic change in the other direction. It was at this point that every band started sounding the same, and my gap never really recovered. The result was that one band that was sorta ok wound up making the final show. It was entirely my fault. The result for me was that:

1) I started thinking that judging shows might not be my, um, forte… and
2) I will never judge in the Great State of Miss0uri again.

I handled finals muuuuuuch better.

As promised, we wound up at the Heidelberg after the show. Due to social conventions and personal understandings, I can not reveal the events that took place after entering the establishment. Needless to say, we had a great time…

Sunday
…until around 1am.

I was out of bed at 6:30 this morning, and I was not happy.

In the Kansas City airport, it was revealed to us that Southwest had oversold our flight. They asked for volunteers, and I hopped on that shit. The result of this was that I arrived at home some seven hours later than I had planned. I also arrived at home with travel vouchers that will at least send me to Midwest for free.

Russ this Thursday. Random shit until then.

Go midwest, young man

Just a few bullets for you on the way out of town. This won't hurt, did it?

• Tonight's college football game was somewhat enjoyable and all. But I hope that the defense?-schefense! way of doing things isn't going to become the norm.

• I am flying here tomorrow to judge Knight's show. I am obviously excited to see him. I am also excited to see some great bands, and get a drink or three at one of America's great college hangouts.

• As you may have read, BlogPong is headed up soon for a weekend of sobriety, a symphony concert, and the watching of documentaries.

• The week got better.

Well, I guess if you want to squeeze in that game of Plinko or Guess Which One you'd better get crackin'!!

No idea why I am telling you this

Tonight, three minutes shy of my becoming exactly 32 years and 11 months old, the following thought ocurred to me for the first time ever:

Hmmm... Nothing rhymes really nicely with "Skeleton."

And then one minute later, I thought:

Wait... there's "gelatin!"

And then I told you about it.

That is all.