Hey, long time...

I've been slacking, I'll admit it. It's called "life getting in the way". A couple things this morning.

First off, the whole don't tread on me thing is wearing me out. Not that I don't see any valid argument at all for it (just not very much argument). It's just that WHERE WERE ALL OF YOU WHEN THE PATRIOT ACT WAS GETTING PASSED? It would have made a hell of a lot more sense at that time. Second part of this question is how do you feel about the Patriot Act now? Is it still "keeping us safe from the bad brown people who believe in some crazy god (that also believes in Jesus)?"

The second thing: Florida is filled with mouth breathing rednecks. Mouth breathing rednecks love football, especially college football. Now you know why the Rays aren't getting more draw. Baseball doesn't have Taylor Swift or Hank Williams Jr singing some lame intro song to every game. Baseball starts unceremoniously and the intricacies of the sport are not understood by them (the intricacies of football aren't understood by them either but all the smashing of bodies together like a crash up school bus figure 8 derby is enough to keep them interested). Tampa Bay is a great baseball team which isn't understood by a large portion of Florida.

Note: Most sports fans are "mouth breathers" but football is far and away worse.

Rocky Votolato

If you were to go to my lastfm page (saint_a) you'd see this guy at the top of the list. Great driving, working and resting music. Pretty interesting video too.

What I envy most, the ability to sing. Rocky has a ton of emotion in his voice and it makes his music so full and memorable. Easily one of my favorite things to listen to these days.

Kinda makes you want to pick up the guitar and get strumming, doesn't it? It does for me, in fact...

Christie Front Drive

They say that by the time you're in your mid twenties your musical taste is set for life. After that point humans tend to be set in their ways and say things like "they just don't make em like this anymore". This band was so influential for me and for a lot of my friends at the time.

It could be argued that the recipe is a little sophomoric. Appealing to the least common denominator because of using simply volume dynamic to create power in the song. Or even it's a little repetitious and drawn out causing the melodies to be burnt in your brain because of the sheer repetition of them all.

I love it. It beats the shit out of what the kids are listening to these days! Shit like further seems forever's horrific vocal styling (before jon bunch made the music viable)or fall out boy or... or... or...

The song "Saturday" is one of my absolute favorites. Be sure to check the studio version, it's mo betta than a reunion show video.

Written at 27k feet

On the first flight today there was a pretty heavy scare. Once seated I was shortly joined by someone that probably checked in at around 300 pounds, typically this wouldn’t be so bad but this was a CRJ200 which is known as one of the “little planes” to the layperson. It’s the sort of plane where you have to board from the asphalt of the runway and not from the friendly confines of the jet way. It’s only at that moment you truly realize how large some of the other planes are while having that same realization about your new seat mate. A waiting 747 appears to be a goliath and it leaves you wondering why you got stuck with the CRJ200. Really, you know why, no one flies to Memphis from Jacksonville and if I could have had the CRJ200 as a seat mate I’d have been thrilled.
But I said this was a scare and not a real problem. It was only a scare because after about 10 minutes of having a roll creeping over the arm rest and touching my arm, all the while with anger building inside me, another waiting passenger took the seat from my 300 pound seat mate. So not only was this lady unable to resist the temptation of sprinkle donuts and eating whole pizzas with a 2 liter of diet soda, she was also unable to understand that 2A wasn’t actually an aisle seat. Certain size people shouldn’t be allowed on such small aircraft. I know that sounds weight-est but you try riding in a CRJ200 for 2 hours all the while being crammed into a smaller pocket of the already small space you were supposed to be allocated for $500. Whatever intellectual thought process and compassion you might normally have is over ridden with “GOD DAMN IT, STOP TOUCHING ME!”
Travelling for work is awful outside of the occasional upgrade to first class. Since the wheat is separated from the chaff you are allowed to drink from real glass cups and not be harassed to move your seat back up and turn off your ipod once the boarding door is closed (I heard a flight attendant once announce “our monitors are showing 3 electronic devices still on”- Total bullshit, total Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Jesus Christ bullshit (are you reading this? I saw you had John something or other on your Kindle, mind your own shit fucker. Shit, pot – meet kettle)). The worst part about all of it is not being there to give my sons a bath, have dinner with my family, comfort of sleeping in your own bed, no possibility of a lunch time or after work surf or guitar playing, makes it damn near unbearable.
Having to leave your family for such bullshit as trivial as printers and their operation is awful falafel.

Fernando Perez is classic

All Certainty

I think one of my favorite pet peeves, if that's even possible, is when people say the following:

"Right, exactly"

It seems this phrase is only used when the person uttering it has absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Keep an eye out for it, it's real.

You know what else? I hate the phrase "pet peeves"

Surf today:

waist-ish - bumpy, but worth a go round. High tide made it a little flat at the lunch hour but much better than sitting here eating a sandwich and scanning craigslist for guitars I don't have the money to buy. Raw power SG is the dream guitar if anyone cares

There's a stray kitten that's decided it wants to live with our cats. This is not happening.

This is incredible. I took it from draysbay.com which is by far the most informed baseball blog in the realm of the Rays. I mean come on - Founded in 2005. DRaysBay is home to "Progressive statistical analysis and reasoned argument."

SABR is the atheist of baseball analysts in a world of religious talk of players being "clutch" "gritty" or other such nonsense.

4 game sweep, this is going to be a good season.

Copy Cats

I've been kicking around the idea of starting a blog for a little while. A friend of mine shared his blog with me and it prompted action.

As I am typing this I'm mentally preparing to give sub-q fluids to my cat who has kidney problems. A process worth looking into if you're into sticking cats with needles, getting scratched and ruining 20 minutes of your life. Those who are fond of this type of activity may also be interested in various other forms of torture.

I'll probably go downstairs to find hairballs coated generously with vomit which was once so eloquenlty described by someone as "the color of the sidewalk". (If you know where that quote came from you're doing pretty well and probably were friends with the odd kids in high school) Not to mention various things destroyed, more parts of our furniture dismembered and litter tracked all over. The last one is really the worst aspect. There's nothing worse than stepping on litter barefoot on tile.

The best part about all of this, I could have snuck in an afternoon surf before the wife and kids return from work and daycare if I didn't have to sub-q this cat and take the others to the vet.

GOD DAMN CATS .