Notes from a Hill in the Woods....
Just a few things that are on my mind, on the Summer Solstice....
I'm still looking for the milepost in this country we crossed, where lack of interest in an event equals disdain, and starting to doubt that there was one. It's something stashed deep in our DNA, somewhere in the same place where we choose Coke or Pepsi, Democrat or Republican, or to fight or flee.
I say that, to say this: My lack of interest in the World Cup is not that I do not understand, or do not like, necessarily, though when I express ignorance or lack of excitement, the response is largely disdainful. It's kinda like when somebody tells me a joke, or cracks wise, and I don't laugh, and the teller feels like they need to explain the humor in it....
Look, it's not my thing. It seems like it would be enough fun to be at in person...it's always cool to feel the energy of a crowd in that capacity. But, in general, it's just not my thing, and especially not on teevee (and especially not in a period of time where my free time's squashed to the time I wake up to the time I walk to my truck). There aren't a lot of reasons that I can or care to put a finger on, but then, there aren't a lot of reasons I don't like to eat okra, either. It's just a matter of taste.
If you dig it, cool. Aside from a poke at friends over watching somebody run seven miles to watch a game end a tie, there's not much bad I can say about the game. Multiple billion people can't be wrong. If it's your thing, then it's your thing. More power to you. I wish you well, and I hope you remember the sentiment the next time I say I'm going to watch baseball, or pro wrestling, or hockey, or Lost, or Head of the Class re-runs, or that series of commercials for Restasis with the redhead girl with the creepy eyes that I just can't seem to Not watch when it come on.
-----
Worked a hella-bunch last week. Such is life, working like a botard. Occasionally, I ponder a change in the blog name, and Working Like a Botard is something of a theme in my life...it's perpetually a candidate should I become too annoyed that people push too far with the belief that a blog name requests that I have everything explained to me, to the point of vomiting.
Anyway, I worked a lot last week, due to a co-worker's vacation. Unfortunately, it came on a week that I'd kinda earmarked and planned out. Chattanooga's Riverbend festival was last week. It's not a huge thing, but a couple acts had made their way to Chattaboogie, and I kinda wanted to go see. I've had an odd crush on Sheryl Crow for a few years now, and Allison Krauss was playing one Saturday night, and Charlie Daniels playing the closing night. Work and proximity to Chattanooga being what they are, I couldn't make it down for those shows, but I did head out with my friend Rachel to see George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic Thursday, thus filling in a box on a minor musical bucket list for yours, truly.
Got to see a local band, The Nim Nims, too. Good group. A bit heavy, southern enough and alty-enough without my having to think too hard about deciphering the lyrics. Right in my wheelhouse, actually....
Wandered to Mellow Mushroom for a beer pre-show. Was muchly chagrined to find that Rogue's Dead Guy Ale was no longer on tap. I haven't researched the phenomenon, but I'm thinking the economy's something to blame. You can't find a six-pack of the junk around here for less than $10 or $11, anymore. The barkeep said it's a distribution issue that's keeping them from stocking it on tap.
I did find it in bottles of Dead Guy at Hair of the Dog. Rachel & I wandered that way between the Nim Nims and P-Funk for a sandwich and a beer. I did a load of laundry this morning, and found the Dead Guy Ale label I pulled off the humidity induced sweaty bottle in the pocket of the shirt I wore that night....
As for the George Clinton show itself? Definitely worth the time and effort. It's not a show so much as a spectacle, and I can dig that very much. Rachel & I figured that much of Parliament-Funkadelic has managed to pickle themselves in drugs and alcohol. Though hearing George Clinton get up and down out of a recliner has to be a lot like throwing four sets of bagpipes down a garbage chute. He won't pass away so much as dry up like a raisin, and we will be able to reconstitute him in the future.
------
Cubs?
Shit. What are we? 70 games in? (69...a-her-her...). 31-38 this morning. Nobody in the Central is dominant. I wouldn't surprise me if the winner of the division ends up with 87-90 wins. Could it be the Cubs?
Not with this feast or damn famine group. Seems like they have a 12-run game once in a blue moon, and then struggle to score 12 runs combined over the next six games. The starting pitching is less consistent than it was early in the year, especially with Randy Wells shitting on the field more and more. And lately, I've seen tee-ball teams that field more fundamentally.
Let me go back to say this about Randy Wells: I don't know if he's tipping pitches or not, but if I had to bet, I'd say there's something to the argument. Still, I haven't had opportunity to see but a start or two this year, and even then, if I was the type who could decipher the tendencies of a major league pitcher, I'd like to think I wouldn't be putting 60 hours in retail management a week.
Is it weird to say that Wells reminds me of Tommy Glavine? Maybe it's all the junk he throws, and how the first inning seems to be a problem but (until recently) he found a way through it after he settles down. Glavine found a way through it to finish up with what will be a Hall of Fame career.
I dunno. At this point, I'm just curious to see if the Oakland start last week was an aberration.
That, or that 1.28 WHIP in 2009, up a quarter in 2010....
----
Wrasslin'? I honestly haven't watched much more than an episode or two of Monday Night Raw since Wrestlemania. Not having cable has most to do with that, but even when there's the opportunity, I haven't been keeping up. Nothing terribly interesting going on any of the three shows.
Still, when the NXT guys attacked John Cena a couple weeks ago, it made me pay attention. Hearing that much the same happened last night makes me curious if it'll be a story worth paying attention to. Given how pretty much every major story for a decade's not finished well (except maybe for Bret hitting Vince with a chair for 10 minutes at Wrestlemania, but I'm in the clear minority there), I'm pessimistic.
Still, I'm dogsitting, so I'll take advantage of a satellite connection to watch some Raw tonight.....
I'm still looking for the milepost in this country we crossed, where lack of interest in an event equals disdain, and starting to doubt that there was one. It's something stashed deep in our DNA, somewhere in the same place where we choose Coke or Pepsi, Democrat or Republican, or to fight or flee.
I say that, to say this: My lack of interest in the World Cup is not that I do not understand, or do not like, necessarily, though when I express ignorance or lack of excitement, the response is largely disdainful. It's kinda like when somebody tells me a joke, or cracks wise, and I don't laugh, and the teller feels like they need to explain the humor in it....
Look, it's not my thing. It seems like it would be enough fun to be at in person...it's always cool to feel the energy of a crowd in that capacity. But, in general, it's just not my thing, and especially not on teevee (and especially not in a period of time where my free time's squashed to the time I wake up to the time I walk to my truck). There aren't a lot of reasons that I can or care to put a finger on, but then, there aren't a lot of reasons I don't like to eat okra, either. It's just a matter of taste.
If you dig it, cool. Aside from a poke at friends over watching somebody run seven miles to watch a game end a tie, there's not much bad I can say about the game. Multiple billion people can't be wrong. If it's your thing, then it's your thing. More power to you. I wish you well, and I hope you remember the sentiment the next time I say I'm going to watch baseball, or pro wrestling, or hockey, or Lost, or Head of the Class re-runs, or that series of commercials for Restasis with the redhead girl with the creepy eyes that I just can't seem to Not watch when it come on.
-----
Worked a hella-bunch last week. Such is life, working like a botard. Occasionally, I ponder a change in the blog name, and Working Like a Botard is something of a theme in my life...it's perpetually a candidate should I become too annoyed that people push too far with the belief that a blog name requests that I have everything explained to me, to the point of vomiting.
Anyway, I worked a lot last week, due to a co-worker's vacation. Unfortunately, it came on a week that I'd kinda earmarked and planned out. Chattanooga's Riverbend festival was last week. It's not a huge thing, but a couple acts had made their way to Chattaboogie, and I kinda wanted to go see. I've had an odd crush on Sheryl Crow for a few years now, and Allison Krauss was playing one Saturday night, and Charlie Daniels playing the closing night. Work and proximity to Chattanooga being what they are, I couldn't make it down for those shows, but I did head out with my friend Rachel to see George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic Thursday, thus filling in a box on a minor musical bucket list for yours, truly.
Got to see a local band, The Nim Nims, too. Good group. A bit heavy, southern enough and alty-enough without my having to think too hard about deciphering the lyrics. Right in my wheelhouse, actually....
Wandered to Mellow Mushroom for a beer pre-show. Was muchly chagrined to find that Rogue's Dead Guy Ale was no longer on tap. I haven't researched the phenomenon, but I'm thinking the economy's something to blame. You can't find a six-pack of the junk around here for less than $10 or $11, anymore. The barkeep said it's a distribution issue that's keeping them from stocking it on tap.
I did find it in bottles of Dead Guy at Hair of the Dog. Rachel & I wandered that way between the Nim Nims and P-Funk for a sandwich and a beer. I did a load of laundry this morning, and found the Dead Guy Ale label I pulled off the humidity induced sweaty bottle in the pocket of the shirt I wore that night....
As for the George Clinton show itself? Definitely worth the time and effort. It's not a show so much as a spectacle, and I can dig that very much. Rachel & I figured that much of Parliament-Funkadelic has managed to pickle themselves in drugs and alcohol. Though hearing George Clinton get up and down out of a recliner has to be a lot like throwing four sets of bagpipes down a garbage chute. He won't pass away so much as dry up like a raisin, and we will be able to reconstitute him in the future.
------
Cubs?
Shit. What are we? 70 games in? (69...a-her-her...). 31-38 this morning. Nobody in the Central is dominant. I wouldn't surprise me if the winner of the division ends up with 87-90 wins. Could it be the Cubs?
Not with this feast or damn famine group. Seems like they have a 12-run game once in a blue moon, and then struggle to score 12 runs combined over the next six games. The starting pitching is less consistent than it was early in the year, especially with Randy Wells shitting on the field more and more. And lately, I've seen tee-ball teams that field more fundamentally.
Let me go back to say this about Randy Wells: I don't know if he's tipping pitches or not, but if I had to bet, I'd say there's something to the argument. Still, I haven't had opportunity to see but a start or two this year, and even then, if I was the type who could decipher the tendencies of a major league pitcher, I'd like to think I wouldn't be putting 60 hours in retail management a week.
Is it weird to say that Wells reminds me of Tommy Glavine? Maybe it's all the junk he throws, and how the first inning seems to be a problem but (until recently) he found a way through it after he settles down. Glavine found a way through it to finish up with what will be a Hall of Fame career.
I dunno. At this point, I'm just curious to see if the Oakland start last week was an aberration.
That, or that 1.28 WHIP in 2009, up a quarter in 2010....
----
Wrasslin'? I honestly haven't watched much more than an episode or two of Monday Night Raw since Wrestlemania. Not having cable has most to do with that, but even when there's the opportunity, I haven't been keeping up. Nothing terribly interesting going on any of the three shows.
Still, when the NXT guys attacked John Cena a couple weeks ago, it made me pay attention. Hearing that much the same happened last night makes me curious if it'll be a story worth paying attention to. Given how pretty much every major story for a decade's not finished well (except maybe for Bret hitting Vince with a chair for 10 minutes at Wrestlemania, but I'm in the clear minority there), I'm pessimistic.
Still, I'm dogsitting, so I'll take advantage of a satellite connection to watch some Raw tonight.....
posted by Tommy at
12:53
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