Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Last Call

Hey, I won second place in a pool tourney this weekend. The tourney was for a triple birthday of sorts, which made me realize what an utter cliche my tavern is: Celebrating were Jerry the Bartender, New York Tony, and Carl the Mauler. Pretty sure I don't have a nickname like that just yet.

Aside from that and a wonderful tale of the washing and rinsing of bovine testicles, not much in the way to exactly write home about. I've come to some internal terms (which may see light of day here), things continue to happen slowly and my trigger finger is getting itchy. If I wait too long, this sniper might wind up getting captured.

Oh, and sorry once again, Dag.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

This Whole Torture/CIA/War on Terror Thing

"[War] is instinctive. But the instinct can be fought. We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands! But we can stop it. We can admit that we're killers...but we're not going to kill...today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill...today!" -- Captain James Tiberius Kirk

"I want him brought in...and I want him brought in by the book! By the book, do you hear? We have to show him! We have to show him that our way works!" -- Commissioner James Gordon

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Last Call

Meet Peter.

Peter's a very good friend of mine, and does not typically appear as he does to the right. Be that as it may, he can get very passionate or ridiculous or provoking and seems to do so at alarming frequency. Take last night, for example.

On this particular evening, I do suspect that many a change that Peter (as well as all of us) has no control over is starting to get very much under the skin, so to speak, and he was in prime form lashing out against Chris the bartender's taste in music. In other words, Peter would not be considered a fan of early 80's pop/rock, and would much rather listen to more obscure music from that era or any other, for that matter.

One might easily stop right there, having explained it quite succinctly.

Alas, no -- For Peter railed on, citing the music piped into supermarkets and on the radio, played at the tavern, all in the name of the new nostalgic demographic: Us. That is, folks in their late thirties to early forties, who are bemused by listening to the songs that were played whilst in high school. Excepting my aggravated friend, of course. Tainted Love, Relax, and let's not forget Jenny (you know Jenny, 867-5309 and all that). Oh, and John and I were teasing him rather mercilessly about it. I thought a vein would pop on at least a couple of occasions.

On and on he raged, compounding his argument with more and more vulgarity, peppering it with spittle and slamming the point squarely into the table whenever possible.

After quite too much of this, the conversation suddenly and unexpectedly swerved to discussing Jamie Lee Curtis (along with some other actresses) who have become fairly well known for exposing their -ahem- assets in certain movies. At first I noticed little, however before a short time had passed I came to realize that the tone had gone from hot red to a cooler yellow, and finally mellowed into a greenish blue. Seems that the talk of titillation and mammaries had calmed Peter down considerably, and not because he's one to be easily distracted from his point by a pretty face -- In fact, he's very much a focused individual when it comes to making his point, however violently or in most cases, completely reasonably.

No, I believe the discussion of the female bosom was proof of the old adage, "Ah, breasts -- They hath charm to soothe the savage music."

Words, Just......Words

nekoneko: An Indonesian word meaning "to have a creative idea which only makes things worse"

gemütlichkeit: The warm, comfortable, cozy, social feeling, often associated with biergartens

mamihlapinatapai: Two people looking at each other each hoping the other will do what both desire but neither is willing to do

shakubuku: A swift, spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever

gedoogbeleid: The policy to not apply any policy

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Last Call

RAWR.

Far too infrequently I get the chance to go out and be bad on a Friday night, and last night turned out to be one of those instances. I always imagine that I'm missing out on all the truly fun stuff by being home-bound on the traditional "let it all hang out" night, and while I enjoyed drink and conversation with a number of friends, there were two or three that I really wanted to bump into who were conspicuously absent.

Which somehow makes me think that they're only coming in on those nights that they know I shall be there.

Like I'm a force of nature or something.

Kinda scary if true, which conjures up the comical notion of Godzilla being frightened of these tiny humans that pester oh so much while busy trashing downtown Tokyo.

Then again, I know plenty of folks who are deathly afraid of spiders, which approximates the scale.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Tin Foil Hat Time

I found this weirdly compelling.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Last Call

To quote Warren Ellis, "Body nazis can eat my smoky fuck".

Initiative 901 passed up here, which means that in thirty days I won't be able to smoke at my tavern, nor anyplace remotely close to being a tavern, or anyplace at all, it would seem. Without fail, every single patron of my tavern that I know smokes, all of the employees smoke, the owners smoke. So how did this happen, exactly? I am actually cool with no smoking in restaurants or coffee shops, but from my experience bars and taverns have always existed as nice little refuges for adults to go into and engage in adult things from drinking tasty adult beverages to smoking to many other things that adults tend to do.

So just who exactly narc'ed us out to mommy?

Aside from that, one of my new hats has not exactly been taken hostage, but is no longer in my control.

And I feel overall pretty damned powerless.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

I Shit You Not

Spotted on the interstate today:

A Lincoln Continental, with an older couple inside (guessing mid-50's or older), the required political bumper sticker on the rear.

The sticker wasn't your typical Bush/Cheney one, nor was it a Kerry/Edwards advertisement, not even was it for the Libertarian or Communist or Green Party candidates.

Instead, it advocated the election of Goatse/Tubgirl.

I can only hope it to be a prank, I cannot wrap my head around the alternative.

On Depression and Depressants

Alcohol is a depressant, so they say. I suppose it is on a chemical level, and no doubt continual intake of the stuff can lead to alcoholism, which would be quite depressing.

However, I find that other factors in life to have far more of a depressant-like effect. Since the release of OmniGraffle 4 I find myself suffering from a form of post-partum depression, coupled with a number of things all happening around the same time that simply haven't turned out the way I'd prefer and I find myself in a definite funk.

The only constant, which I try and find solace in, is my drinking. Truly it's more of a social endeavor, as when one has a neighborhood bar to go to and knows everyone there and it's been well over a decade since this little dance has begun, it's less the activity performed as those you perform it with.

But even then, repetition turns it into more like watching the same episode of a television show over and over again, and it feels as if I need a change of pace to snap myself out of said funk.

But I won't.

Here I sit, before the start of my three-day-long set of nightly excursions into irresponsible pseudo-bachelorhood, and ponder my reasons for continual routine, well aware that it's not doing me so well. Don't get me wrong, I know exactly the reasons I do these things, and it has zero to do with chemical dependancy -- Although since moving I cannot smoke in my apartment, so I tend to spend as much time in places where I can when I can.

(as an aside, if they pass that idiotic smoking ban on Tuesday, I shall simply explode)

Saturday, November 05, 2005

"I Have New Shoes"

Actually, I don't -- The quote is an inside joke. But what I do have are new hats. I decided to stop it with the baseball hat wearing during the offseason and get some more winter-driven chapeaux.

The Norwegian watch cap I have zero qualms with, it is really quite perfect.

The other cap is, well, something I need to come to grips with. A wool-lined soft leather billed cap, much in the same cut as a military soft cap. The leather or suede is really quite light in color, which is a first for me and I am struggling to get used to it.

But damn if it isn't the most comfortable hat I've ever worn and it's quite warming, to boot. Perhaps some pics will emerge in a future Last Call post.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Bypassing the MSM

Brad Friedman has some interesting comments over at the Huffington Post, so here I am passing it along. Be curious to see if yon blogosphere (to include forums) can pick this up and get it into circulation.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Poetry From Sweet Cincinnati

greetings
love me ironfist
mice sing songs to attract hottie female mice
this bit of trivia I bring to you hot off the presses
and what is my reward?
nothingness

Quoth teh Jeff.