Excursions

Soundtrack 2 My Life

2010-10-13T03:35:00.001-04:00

I've got some issues that nobody can see
And all of these emotions are pouring out of me
I bring them to the light for you
It's only right
This is the soundtrack to my life, the soundtrack to my life

Lyrics

2009-06-06T03:27:00.002-04:00

Shorty I'm there for you anytime you need me
For real girl, it's me in your world, believe me
Nuttin make a man feel better than a woman
Queen with a crown that be down for whatever
There are few things that's forever, my lady
We can make war or make babies
Back when I was nothin
You made a brother feel like he was somethin
That's why I'm with you to this day boo no frontin
Even when the skies were gray
You would rub me on my back and say "Baby it'll be okay"
Now that's real to a brother like me baby
Never ever give my cootie away and keep it tight aight
And I'ma walk these dogs so we can live
In a fat ass crib with thousands of kids
Word life you don't need a ring to be my wife
Just be there for me and I'ma make sure we
Be livin in the effin lap of luxury
I'm realizing that you didn't have to funk wit me
But you did, now I'm going all out kid
And I got mad love to give, you my nigga

Chorus 2X

Interlude: Mary J. Blige

Like sweet morning dew
I took one look at you
And it was plain to see
You were my destiny
With you I'll spend my time
I'll dedicate my life
I'll sacrifice for you
Dedicate my life for you

Verse Two:

I got a love jones for your body and your skin tone
Five minutes alone I'm already on the bone
Plus I love the fact you got a mind of your own
No need to shop around you got the good stuff at home
Even if I'm locked up North you in the world
Wrapped in three-fourths of cloth never showin your stuff off, boo
It be true me for you that's how it is
I be your Noah, you be my Wiz
I'm your Mister, you my Mrs. with hugs and kisses
Valentine cards and birthday wishes?  Please
Be on another level of planning, of understanding
the bond between man and woman, and child
The highest elevation, cuz we above
All that romance crap, just show your lo

What are your thoughts on this grammy award winning song by method man & mary j. blige? 

I think that my boy Method Man exemplifies my feelings on what I look for in a relationship. 

Specifically, she is reassuring through his tough times, knows she's beautiful but
doesn't flaunt herself for attention because she's secure with herself, and doesn't
but into society's view of what her man should do just because...they are on another level

Think about The Roots Grammy award winning track, "Baby Don't Worry." 

If you want :)

Bars

2008-08-23T20:40:00.002-04:00

Hearin noises, dead tired, eyes bloodshot red
Sleep with half closed eyelids
Some say it's strange, sometimes that's how strange life get

I spent too many night sniffin ****, gettin right
wastin my life, now I'm tryin to make things right

Pop Culture

2006-10-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

As most of you are aware, since October 1st, I have left the friendly confines of Arlington and have moved to Rockville with my friends Justin and Jen. (I'm currently playing the role of Dupree in this dramedy). So, after living with 3 other guys for the last 4 years, I feel I've been taken back in time to my Aeropostale-colored days of 2001-02, when A (squared) and I lived together in Oakton. Back then I was subjected to watching shows that ran the gamut from Yes Dear and King of Queens (which I ended up liking), to Three's Company and Animal Planet (which were OK), all the way to Lifetime hits like Strong Medicine and Any Day Now (which, given the option, make having hot candle wax poured on my nuts seem preferable by comparison).

Fortunately, Justin and Jen enjoy shows that are a bit more gripping, but they do require the viewer to keep up on a weekly basis. In 3 plus weeks, I have already watched a number of popular shows that I had never previously considered...such as! Prison Break, My Name is Earl, Desparate Housewives, The Office, Hero's, Nip/Tuck, and Grey's Anatomy. Some random thoughts/first impressions:

1. Grey's Anatomy sucks. The acting is bad, the story lines are unoriginal and uninspiring, and the female leads are in the category of good-looking but not quite bonafide

2. There is a character on Prison Break named "T-Bag." We all know what goes on in prison, do we need a character named T-Bag to remind us?

3. I like the fact that there's a character on The Office named Ryan Howard. Maybe Lost could add a character named Brian Westbrook or Andre Igoudala.

4. I wasn't impressed by Nip/Tuck, but I'll give it another chance since I caught it halfway in.

5. The Desperate Houswives women are strong to quite strong. Something about the possibility of hooking up with an older woman like Teri Hatcher seems infinitely more intriguing than hooking up with a much younger one like Mischa Barton. Maybe I have an older woman thing. I'd rank the DH girls like this - (Longoria, Hatcher, Sheridan, Cross, Huffman)

Hot New Track of the Week:

Duende (Lost in Robert Babicz Space Remix) – Martin Eyerer and Toni Rios - track 3 on Disc 2 of Sasha - Live at Avalon

Movie Quote Trivia:

*I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth. You can build your filthy world without me. I took the father. Now I'll take the son. You tell young Vallon I'm gonna paint Paradise Square with his blood. Two coats. I'll festoon my bedchamber with his guts. As for you, Mr. Tammany-fucking-Hall, you come down to the Points again, and you'll be dispatched by my own hand. Get back to your celebration and let me eat in peace.

Answer

Lastly, but certaintly not least, I want to wish my close friend Quincy Conner a happy 29th Birthday. I know you're enjoying it right now. See you in the next life brother.

1996-2006 & Beyond

2006-10-17T20:23:00.000-04:00

First the fat boys break up, now I've been out of high school for 10 1/2 years - what's next? Quite a scene/show/celebration for the Woodbridge Senior High School class of 1996 on Saturday night. For me, the 6+ hours of partying mirrored my 4 years of high school: Quite a bit of fun, new memories, a late night, unnecessary drama, and of course, a handful of people who drank much more than their bodies are capable of handling. Anyway, reflecting back on the last decade brought to mind one of the more intriguing philosophies out there:

Nihilism is a philosophical position, often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, which argues that the world, and especially past and current human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. Nihilists generally assert some or all of the following: there is no reasonable proof of the existence of a higher ruler or creator, a "true morality" is unknown, and secular ethics are impossible; therefore, life has no truth, and no action is known to be preferable to any other.

I concluded, this may be true or not true, but while I try to figure it out over the next 10 years, why not have some fun and leave a legacy behind that I can be proud of.

-Deep thoughts...by Jack Handey

Movie/TV Quote Trivia:

Lee Harvey: You keep fuckin' around and you gonna get that scholarship to Yale taken away. End up at Stanford with a muthafuckin' sling blade.
Jamaal: Shit, yo' ass gonna be lucky to get into Duke, gettin' a muthafuckin' 1430 on yo' SATs. Lee Harvey: Shit, muthafucka you know I had the flu.
Jamaal: You'd have to have a muthafuckin' aneurysm to get a 1430, shit.
Lee Harvey: He's so stupid he thinks Calculus is a God damn emperor!
Shonte Jr.: Yeah well you think Polypeptide's a motherfuckin' toothpaste!

Answer

Couldn't Pass it Up

2006-09-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

Caught this book cover in Barnes and Noble today at lunch. Get funnier.

Also, anytime I see an article on espn.com about JMU-related content I have to peep it. This article is a great story about Mickey Matthew's son Clayton, who was always hanging around practice when I played there back in 1999 and 2000.

Thought Jason Whitlock made some fantastic points in this interview, and he made fun of Scoop Jackson, which is a bonus.

Shout Out

2006-09-21T16:27:00.000-04:00

McAdams, Hunter, Morey. All pretty cool Rachel's. Today happens to be my sister Rachel's 26th birthday, and I'm sure she's gonna be celebrating in true Wisconsin fashion (whatever that means). She's come a long way from the days of not being able to pronounce her "R's" and having a problem with spilling any drink handed to her, from chocolate milk to vodka tonics. I gave up keeping a running spill tally - last I checked it was in the 25,000 spill range. Anyway, I'll be out there the weekend of October 6th and 7th for a belated party, where hopefully she'll have some friendly girls ready to hangout on State Street. In the mean time, Happy Bday!

As a bonus trivia question, somebody please name the guy passed out in the picture from this episode of Seinfeld.

Bebe Girl Mystery

2006-09-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

In the world of random thoughts, I’ve got one to share. A few days ago I was bored and wandering around Clarendon on a nice Thursday evening. I grabbed a wrap over at Robek’s and decided I’d head over to Barnes & Noble and chill out a little bit before heading home. So I wander around that area in front of B&N for a few minutes, stopping at the Apple store and then walking through an area with some park benches and a little playground for the kids. This is around 8:45 PM. As I’m doing this I see this phenomenal Asian girl in this white Bebe shirt sitting outside eating a sandwich and talking on her cell phone with one of those wrap around ear pieces. First of all, this girl was special. If ever I would allow a girl to hot lunch me, it was her. (Wait, what was I talking about?) Anyway, I go into B&N and read a couple chapters of Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs, (a B Richards recommendation) and head out at around 10:30. Well the Bebe girl is still there talking on the phone, although at this point she had finished her sandwich. So a series of questions started to creep into my head, primarily because A) I never see bona fide girls alone for more 5 seconds without someone approaching them, and B) I wanted to know why she was out there for so long. Here were the questions/possibilities I came up with:

1. She was waiting for her boyfriend to get off work. But if so, where did he work, and why wouldn’t she have waited for him to call her before meeting over there.
2. Maybe she was meeting a friend to go out for drinks somewhere in Clarendon. But that’s not how hot girls roll.
3. She was in town for business and had a plane to catch, but had already checked out of her hotel.
4. Her car broke down and she needed a ride back to her place out in Reston.
5. She locked her keys in her car and was waiting for AAA to help her out.
6. She’s a heroin addict and was waiting to meet her dealer.
7. She’s an undercover cop staking out the area.
8. She lives in Reston, but was going out to the city to party later that night and didn’t want to use unnecessary gas going back and forth.

Which one seems most logical? Or is it possible that she, like me, just felt like getting out of the house and enjoying the nice weather? Perhaps I’ve just grown accustomed to certain types of people doing certain things based on their appearance. Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

Let’s say you’re looking for somewhere to go on your lunch break to just sort of get away by yourslef, grab a book, do some reading, and get some simple peace and quiet. There’s this place called “The Rio” in the Rockville/Shady Grove area near my office that may just possibly be the worst place on Earth to try to satisfy the aforementioned objective. That is unless you find stay-at-home mom’s with 2+ kids all under the age of 4 therapeutic. Seriously, I think 80% of the people in this neighborhood of Suburbia hell are mothers and their toddlers. Just today, I went to Corner Bakery, dolo, for an hour to grab a chicken pesto sandwich, and attempt to chillout and read a magazine. It was around this time that I nearly had my ACL taken out by a 2 year-old who was spinning the revolving door as if it were The Price is Right wheel as I tried to exit the premises. And this was after I was forced to abandon the idea of eating outside and enjoying some fresh air due to two MILF’s and their combined 4 kids shouting at the top of their lungs for 3 straight minutes. True story. Next time, I’m going the pick up route. Lesson learned.

Weekend of Specialness

2006-09-12T11:20:00.000-04:00

"I could care less whether people feel we're back. One game doesn't really make a difference," safety Brian Dawkins said. "But when you line up against us and start playing, when we run the ball or throw it, when the big hits start coming, that's when I want them to recognize what type of Eagles team this is."

Man it’s good to have football back in my life. I’m a mess without it. I've missed it's smell, I've missed it's musk...But I digress.

Sometimes you just have to get back to basics. After a prolonged absence from Gua-rapo it was nice to return there in style for Morgan’s birthday on Saturday night. The re-modeling has taken the upstairs to a new level and if I had any game whatsoever I would of talked to one of the 50 or so A-list caliber ladies that were in attendance. Combine that with NFL Ticket all day on Sunday, some Peru, and an Eagles win, and it was a pretty special post-Labor Day weekend. I should mention that last weekend did have its moment of sadness as Saturday was probably the last time that 1124, AKA “The Factory” will ever host an after party. Only 2 weekends remain before the move takes place, and neither figure to play host to the type of decadence that has become customary over the last 4 years. In honor of 1124, I present a favorite quote of mine in memory of, with a dedication article to follow later this month:

* I didn't think it would end this way.

* End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass... And then you see it.

*What?...See what?

*White shores... and beyond. The far green country under a swift sunrise.
[They both smile as they look at each other]

* Well, that isn't so bad.

* [softly] No... No it isn't.

Answer

Sold

2006-09-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

I got an email from my friend Knute that I wanted to share. Kind of came from out of left field, but I thought it was interesting from the standpoint that most of us that have only lived in the DC Area since high school/college assume that our steez must be the steez in every other major city as well. Obviously, it's not the case. Anyway, if for some reason you can’t find me in DC after my lease is up at the end of September, you’ll know where to start your search.

This dialogue originated from a MySpace message Knute sent me saying that I need to get on gmail chat so we could catch up:

Me to Knute:

Yeah, I got totally dominated - my company now blocks gmail chat and myspace, so i can't use either from work. how's everything going? lemme know if you're gonna be around later this evening & we could catch up after work.

Knute to Me:

Your company's bombed-out and depleted. Who are you working for? I was thinking how different it must be working in VA and Denver. VA is almost all business. Rarely do you find jobs that let you, for example, dress in jeans if you don't meet with clients, work without fear of being tracked and watched, or take your dog to work. In VA, bosses micro-manage, talk to you like assholes, and blow spots. And you have to slug it out a few hours in traffic to go and take your daily beating.

Working 9-5 in D-town is near ideal. My boss won't mind if I come to work in jeans, come in late, take a little xtra for lunch, surf the net during downtime, or any of that. I brought my PSP to work last Thursday and Friday and played Madden for 5 hours each day. I have a west facing view on the 20th floor, my own office, and a boss that probably gets high the moment he gets home. The other lawyers I work with are just as chill. And even the people you meet during feeding times downtown. I am starting to realize that people in Denver just don't care if something is done late or later on. Everyone stops working at 530 and everyone balls out to the mountains on weekends. If only Denver had better law schools.

Sorry, I don't mean to rub it in. You shuold get the eff out on NOVA and explore the rest of the country. NOVA's rancid...you know it, I know it. In any event, ski season's coming up and you should start looking online (ebay) for ski passes-- search under "Keystone 4 pack" for example. Let's plan a trip this december or early January...gwarens! Already began talks with Joey.

END MESSAGE

Can you really get paid to play Madden for 5 hours at work? That can’t be possible can it?

Hot Trance track of the Week:

The Girl from Botany Bay - Sasha: Live at Avalon

Rap Lyric Quote Trivia:

The brainwake, causes vessels to circulate
like constellations reflect at night off the lake
Word to the father, and Mother Earth
Seeking everlasting life through this Hell for what it's worth
Look listen and observe
and watch another C-Cypher pullin my peeps to the curb
Heed the words; it's like ghetto style proverbs
The righteous pay a sacrifice to get what they deserve

Answer (Track #5)

Movie/TV Quote Trivia:

*She tell you she was married?
*Yeah.
*So what the fuck were you thinking?
*Her husband wasn't supposed to be back 'til six. Fucker rolls in at five.

*Okay, so what's the plan?
*Uh... the plan is... you go.
*ME?
*'Cause of my ankle. Still hurts. Just go explain the situation, Miles.
*[laughs uproariously] Explain the situation? Yes. 'Excuse me, sir, my friend was the one balling your wife couple of hours ago. Really sorry. He seems to have left his wallet behind. I was wondering if I come in, just poke around, I don't know'
*Yeah, yeah, just like that. That's good.

Answer

Doctor Dictionary

2006-08-30T12:10:00.000-04:00

About 3 months ago I signed up to receive a "Word of the Day" through the website dictionary.com as a way to expand my vocabulary and, maybe even impress someone at a party with big words. The thing is, if I don't start breaking the words in right away into everyday conversation, I forgot about them and what they mean. So my new idea, is to write them down in a sentence and then use them as they relate to my life. Here are a few examples:

(August 29, 2006) Sui generis: being the only example of its kind; constituting a class of its own; unique.

When it comes to doing exhaustive, obsessive research on any monetary purchase, JP is sui generis.

No matter how many times I hear *Chris Weinke* embellish a story it never gets old. He is most definitely sui generis in that regard.

Even with all the talented running backs that have played in the NFL, my prediction is that Reggie Bush will create a category of his own during his career, sui generis.

*This is an assumed name, because the actual person would probably try to fight me.

(August 28, 2006) Aegis: 1. Protection, support. 2. Sponsorship, patronage. 3. Guidance, direction, or control. 4. A shield or protective armor (applied in mythology to the shield of Zeus).

Under the aegis of new head coach Mickey Matthews in 1999, JMU Football won its first Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.

The aegis that Blair has offered me over the years, through good times and bad, has been invaluable.

How does Doc Rivers receive a paycheck to be an NBA coach? I wouldn't even trust him to coach my Gold's Gym Summer League team. Under his aegis, Legacy would have been relegated to playing in "B" League games on Sunday afternoons.

Dungeon Family

2006-08-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

It's no secret what a huge fan of OutKast I am, and in honor of the release of the 6th OutKast album - Idlewild, I felt it would be a good time to pay tribute to Andre and Big Boi. In a way I think OutKast has been the defining hip-hop group for me growing up. I’ve always placed them in my Top 5, along with Wu-Tang, 2 Pac, Biggie, and Big Daddy Kane. But the more I think about it the more I realize that if you were to parallel my life to any rap group, the best correlation you could find for me would be with OutKast. As a matter of fact, I think you can make the case that the same rings true for a lot of people born between 1977 and 1979. Now, I realize that comparing my life to that of two Grammy-winning brothas from Atlanta is a little bit of a stretch, but, I think I’ve got a few valid points here.

Now, OutKast first came onto the scene in 1994 – my sophomore year of high school. Their steez back then was true to was common in hip-hop. On Southernplayalistic, they rapped about dime sacks, Cadillac’s, and trying to make something of themselves. My steez was playing video games, sports, and trying to hook up with girls. Oh, and also trying to make something of myself in the form of an athletic scholarship.

After that they did ATLiens (1996), where they got more introspective and rhymed about esoteric subjects that got you thinking. There was definitely a shift in their content and rhyme style. I would liken that to me heading off to West Liberty State College in West Virginia. As a matter of fact, I actually can still picture myself purchasing ATLiens from some little music store next to the mall (which was 45 minutes away in Ohio). So from DC to a small, country town. Not knowing a single person, forcing myself to branch out and adapt to my surroundings.

Next, Aquemini (1998): On this album, OutKast experimented with different styles of music outside of hip-hop. They mixed it up phenomenally with George Clinton on Synthesizer, as well as the jazzy sounds of SpottieOttieDopaliscious and Liberation. Unfortunately there is nothing I was doing in 1998 that I could remotely compare to that steez. I was actually being a huge Russ at JMU at that point in time. Quite possibly the worst year of my life. To quote the sports guy, ‘let’s just move on.’

Stankonia (2000): This album was a bit of a disappointment and was a little all over the place. It had 8 friggin’ skits (out of 24 tracks) which broke up the continuity of the album for me. There are some solid individual tracks of course. So Fresh, So Clean & Ms. Jackson, B.O.B. to name a few. But after track 15, the album gets pretty boring and stagnant. This album came out during my final semester at JMU. I had decided not to play football and be a regular student, and my long-time girlfriend had graduated and was living 2 hours away. I pretty much flailed and was also all over the place. Way too much time on my hands, which led to too many nights at Highlawn Pavilion drinking Blue Motorcycles and Long Island Iced Teas. This was pretty much the beginning of my ascent to being a semi-big fella at 205 lbs by 2002. You could also say that because of the very little I had experienced in my life up to this point, that after a certain point, just as from track 16 on in Stankonia, there wasn’t much to my steez.

Speakerboxx/The Love Below (2003): This was where you really saw the full-fledged changes with Andre, as he explored a completely un-hip-hop approach to his album. On The Love Below you started hearing him talk about random things he had on his mind, like relationships & the wide range of emotions that women inspire. During interviews he talked about taking acting lessons and wanting to enroll at Oxford – clearly ideas you can only start to entertain when you’ve got millions in the bank. I liken this to my self-proclaimed independence from everything I had grown accustomed to up to that point. This album came out right after a few fallouts on the relationship front for me, where I was forced to branch out and go my own route. This led to the Aaron “Garment Renaissance,” which correlated with something many of my friends were undergoing as well. I started tossing out my XXL-sized shirts and jackets, and began started picking up things to wear that actually fit me. I also made trips to Vegas, South Beach, Europe, Montreal, and switched from skiing to snowboarding (which was a special decision).

Idlewild (2006): So that brings us to Idlewild. I picked this up last Monday (August 21st – its release date). As with any new CD, it’s too early to decide. My gut tells me it won’t end up as an OutKast classic – there are again too many skits, and the end of the CD is rather annoying. But there are some genuinely good tracks within the first half of the album. We don’t know where this album will take us as we look towards 2007, but I’m sure when OutKast Album #7 drops, it’ll remind us all of some interesting things – possibs?

Wavy Gravy OutKast Album Rankings:

1. ATLiens
2. Aquemini
3. Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik
4. Speakerboxx/The Love Below
5. Stankonia

Wavy Gravy Top 13 OutKast Songs:

13. E.T. (Extraterrestrial) – ATLiens
12. Da Art of Storytellin’ Pt. 1 – Aquemini
11. Wheelz of Steel – ATLiens
10. Crumblin’ Erb – Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik
9. ATLiens – ATLiens
8. Humble Mumble – Stankonia
7. Aquemini – Aquemini
6. Git Up, Git Out – Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik
5. The Whole World
4. So Fresh, So Clean – Stankonia
3. SpottieOttieDopaliscious – Aquemini
2. Hootie Hoo – Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik
1. 13th Floor/Growing Old - ATLiens

Wavy Gravy Favorite OutKast Lyrics:

“You can't discrimi-hate cause you done read a book or two
What if I looked at you in a microscope, saw all the dirty organisms
living in your closet would I stop and would I pause it? Whoo!
To put that bitch in slower motion, got the potion and the antidote
And a quote for collision the decision.. is,
Do you want to live or wanna exist?” (Andre 3000 – Humble Mumble – Stankonia)

My mind warps and bends floats the wind count to ten
meet the twin Andre Ben. welcome to the lion's den
original skin many men comprehend
I extend myself so you go out & tell a friend
Sin all depends on what you believing in
Faith is what you make it that's the hardest shit since MC Ren
Alien can blend right on in wit' yo' kin
look again 'cause I swear I spot one every now & then
It's happenin' again wish I could tell you when
Andre this is Andre y'all just gon' have to make amends (Andre – Aquemini – Aquemini)

Right now I'm smiling
Taking advantage of this moment
Cause there might not be another soon
Holding on to memories like roller coaster handle bars
tightly cause I'm slightly off my rocker--
But to youI may appear to be your average joe
But little do you knowthat even joe got problems that he gots to joust with
Floating in this game of life
Despite how out of place you may feel
In this race oh you just can't quit
Ain't that a bitch…
Cause in a sense
See we all be kind of fly
Just can't be scared to spread your wings
Head to better things
Maybe the mockingbird and nightingale
they want to sing--keeping this thing alive
To the table's what we bring
We like hailstorms and blizzards in the middle of the spring
Extraterrestrial, out of this world (Andre – E.T. Extraterrestrial – ATLiens)

Me and everything around me, is unstable like Chernobyl
Ready to go at any moment, jumpin like a pogo stick
Life never lived up to my expectations, so I accept the patience
Expect the worse but now I'm pacin, back and forth
Inside I'm melting like water on wicked witches
A monster truck done came and ran over my picket fences
I had the best of life in my clinches but monkey wrenches was thrown
Like chairs kings sit on, my prayers seem to long
I fall asleep before the endin, don't even get to say Amen
I hope He understand I be on bended knees
At times, I think I'm crazy, so I say forget it
Or maybe it's the devil infiltrating and like Riddick...Bowe
I've been fighting this since them fetus days
I count from one to twenty, when I'm through, repeat the phrase
It's just a phase, it's gon all pass, but that gets old too
I'm weakening like a deacon doin dirt
What am I supposed to do? (Andre – Millennium – ATLiens)

Three in the morning yawnin dancin under street lights
We chillin like a villain and a ni**a feelin right
in the middle of the ghetto on the curb, but in spite
all of the bullshit we on our back starin at the stars above(aww man)
Talkin bout what we gonna be when we grow up
I said what you wanna be, she said, "Alive" (hmm)
It made me think for a minute, then looked in her eyes
I coulda died (Andre – Da Art of Story Tellin Pt. 1 – Aquemini)

Follow the funk from the skunk
and the dank that is crunk in the Dungeon
It goes on and on and on, like that
Goin out to the Jeeps and hoes in the 'llac
Ah suki, sukiAll day and day, any day, every damn day
I be thinkin about the good ol' days when I was a whippersnapper
Used to try to get a kiss, but now it be them draws I'm after
I'm just a Southernplayalistic pimpI used to slang a fat rock, but now I'm servin hemp (Big Boi – Hootie Hoo – Southern)

Oh, it's Saturday night, I guess that makes it alright
Got an obese twenty sack, fully packed, it's so tight
That it's bustin out the seems, yes sir, I'm set
Oh, but let me tuck the 380 before I jet (Andre – Hootie Hoo – Southern)

When it come to this music we stay relentless
Pursuing all that's pursuable
Doing God willing all things that are doable
The only liable limitation is yourself
Dre set it on the right and I'll set it on the left (Big Boi – The Whole World – Big Boi & Dre Present)

Come on LB

2006-08-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

I'm still not quite sure what to make of this story about Lonny Baxter. I mean I'm hoping maybe its the wrong guy or there was a mistake, but I guess the bigger question is, why would you be driving around 17th and I St. NW with a pistol and spent shell casings in your SUV? Aside from about a dozen Starbucks within a 5 block radius and some annoying GW students, there's not really much over there. Maybe him and his boy that he was with were upset that Eye Bar wasn't very exciting, or the sushi at Cafe Asia sucked, or maybe they got sideswiped by some duschbag in a black Mini Cooper who then fled the scene as I did over in that area on July 4th. That would be grounds to open fire I suppose. I think what really baffles me is why you would take a pistol with you in the first place. I'm assuming Baxter made some decent money in the NBA over the last few years. I would think that sort of financial security would alleviate the need to put himself in any sort of situation that would require a piece. But what do I know?

This is completely random, but this list has been on my mind lately:

Things that annoy me more than they should

1. People who whistle. What’s the point, seriously?
2. When people talk on the cell phones at my gym in the cardio area. How can you possibly be on a treadmill, have a conversation, and get a real workout? Usually the culprits are one of 3 types at Regency in McLean: (1) a soccer mom type that just comes to the gym out of sheer boredom from being at home all day, (2) a high school girl that is there with 2 of her friends as a social gathering, (3) the self-serving ninny type guy who’s talking to a business associate while he’s working out.
3. People who take longer than 60 seconds to pull their car out of a parking space when someone is waiting to get their spot. It should never take longer than that.
4. When people are walking close behind and having a conversation. This has always bothered me and made me slightly paranoid. I intentionally stop and let them get well ahead of me. I know I won’t catch up due to #5.
5. People who hold the door open for you when you’re 20 feet away. I’m a slow walker, probably one of the slowest in the world actually. So I don’t want to have to pick up the pace so that I don’t make the person wait on me. If I’m not right there, just keep going. I think I can manage to open the effing door myself. I do appreciate the gesture though.
6. Having to fold my own laundry, iron my clothes, make my lunch, take out the trash/recycling. I would bring someone on staff for $50 a week to not to have to do these things.
7. The Austin Powers issue. These are people that have a problem controlling THE VOLUME OF THEIR VOICE. Usually this happens on the metro or in a restaurant, or sometimes with people that come back to 1124 for after parties while my roommates are trying to sleep.
8. The phrase "Cool Beings." I have a guy in my office that uses this. This should always be substituted for either "Fact," "Copy That," or "Guarens."

Movie Quote Trivia

*I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.

Answer

Solid

2006-08-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

Came across these rankings from Money Magazine today and it made me feel lucky to live in the Nation's Capital. Not only does Arlington rank high on this list, but DC ranks in the top 15 in the country in this highly important category. So not only are there plenty of single women to go around in the DC area, but the icing on the cake is that most of them are in good shape as well. Get better.

WB2K6

2006-08-03T15:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the unofficial start of the Woodbridge 2006 Fantasty Football Challenge. This will be Year 6 for our storied league, with things getting underway via conference call at 8 PM for the annual Draft Lottery. I was fortunate enough to win the Lottery last year and elected to choose #1 overall. With that pick I drafted LaDanian Tomlinson and the 20 TDs that came along with him. Based on my past performances Vegas (aka Finney) has me as 2 to 1 favorites to win the title and I'm hoping to live up to those lofty expectations.

Side note: I always enjoy trying to relate what's going on in my life currently to what I was doing on that date say, a year ago, 5 years ago, etc... first because I think its cool to reminisce, and second, to reflect on what sort of progress (or lack thereof) I've made over that time period, how my thinking has changed, or what my focus was back then. Well, a year ago, on the evening of our WB2K5 Draft Lottery, I was working at Urban Outfitters in Georgetown and had just finished up something like an 8-6 shift. Afterwards, I went with 2 of my co-workers to Paulo's on Wisconsin for a few drinks, one of whom was kind of a prototype girl that I was into. So I guess my focus on that particular night was on if the two of us could possibly get hopped up enough to play a game that I believe Vince Vaughn likes to call, 'Just the Tip.' And it was looking pretty good until around 10:00...when her boyfriend came and picked her up. Total domination.

Anyway, tonight might not be that exciting to look back on when the WB2K7 Draft Lottery date is upon us. To be determined.

Movie Quote Trivia

The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice. The eye of the enemy is moving. He is HERE.

Answer

950

2006-07-31T22:20:00.000-04:00

So my car battery died on Sunday and I had to buy a new one and replace it myself this morning before work. It was a great way to start the week, especially since it was about 104 degrees by 9 AM. Anyway, it was my first time changing a car battery, but after some trial and error I finally put the new battery in and was on my way. Sometime during my workout (Just missed that 950, Tribe said Find a Way) my Mom leaves me a message telling me how proud she was that I was able to replace the battery on my own. When I returned the call my Dad essentially echoed the sentiments of Moms. While I was comforted by the positive reinforcement, It got me thinking about the level of expectations that I've apparently established for myself and others. Perhaps this is part of a subconscious master plan that I've had all along to fool people into underestimating me. I'm not really sure. Maybe that's the result of having 7 jobs in one year. Yeah that's what happens man, that's what happens.

Check out this link a friend of mine sent me. It's a music vide o by RadioHead and DJ Shadow (from U.N.K.L.E.). It's a different vibe than anything else I've ever heard Shadow affiliated with, clearly not the same steez as "No More Subliminal Shit" or G.D.M.F.S.O.B. off James Lavelle's GU Romania album, but I enjoyed the message of the video.

So, a little update on that ringing endorsement I gave for Fly. Yes I do dig the fact that the bartenders are hot and I guess it's cool that it looks like the inside of an airplane, and it is a good place to go on a Tuesday night...but I'm way off it as a Saturday destination. Unless you have a hookup (which I guess we now do) or are planning on getting there early you have to deal with an obnoxious wait even without a line, and the crowd is, let's just use the word suspect.

Finished Angels & Demons today. I agreed with a lot of people who said they liked it better than Da Vinci Code. It took longer to get going but the climax was more enthralling and didn't leave me hanging at the end. I just wanna know what Vittoria Vetra looks like. In my head she's that woman who Tony beats up over in Italy during Season 1 of the Sopranos.

Rap Lyric Trivia

Fuck fist fights and lame scuffles

Pillow case to your face, make the shell muffle

Shoot your daughter in the calf muscle

Fuck a tussle, nickel-plated

Sprinkle coke on the floor, make it drug related

Most hate it..

Answer (Track 3 on this Album)

Movie Trivia

*I think I still want to look her up.

*Who, rollerpig? Are you nuts?

*You said she was a real sparkplug.

*No, I said buttplug. She's heinous.

Answer

Gold is Your Metal

2006-07-27T17:42:00.000-04:00

Just finished checking out some updates in the world of college football. It's a good time to be a USC fan. Now I just have to figure out where I can get my Stafon Johnson jersey.

I had a rather unnerving experience today in the men's restroom at work today right before lunch. I was at the urinal revlieving myself and the middle-aged Asian guy to my right was making noises as if he hadn't used the restroom since Memorial Day. Meanwhile, the guy in the stall to the left was dropping his kids off at the pool while sending a text message from his cell phone. I'm very big into public restroom etiquette and I felt that I was confronted with 2 major violations in a short period of time. My rules are simple:

1. Never take a stall right next to someone (unless it's a serious emergency)
2. No making noises
3. Wash your hands
4. Don't use your cell phone
5. Lift the seat
6. Always flush (it's amazing how often this gets violated in the men's room)

I feel like girls don't have these issues but I take them very seriously.

Hitting up Otani's tonight out in Chantilly. Never been there before but it looks pretty good. Plus, does having a shrimp tossed into your shirt pocket ever get old?

I registered for my 10-year class reunion today under peer pressure from the Woobridge committee member who designed the website. I gotta be honest, I'm a little disappointed with the single-girl to married-girl ratio that I'm seeing so far. Fortunately out of a class of 642 I'm assuming there will be at least a few eligible receivers at this event.

Song of the Week:

Swordfight [Trent Cantrelle Remix] by Lower East Side off Sander Kleinenberg's Everybody on Tour Collaboration with Lee Burridge. I think the song title was picked by Lance Bass. Nevertheless the track has really grown on me over the last few weeks.

Movie Quote of the Day:

*Why not use your knowledge of the future to play the stock markets? We could make trillions.

*Why make a trillion when we could make... billions?

*A trillion's more than a billion, numbnuts.

Answer

Ready for the World

2006-07-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's because this is the time of year where sports is at it's most boring, when aside from baseball there is nothing else to really follow on a daily basis, but I'm pretty fired up right now about USA Basketball. For some reason I always get pretty excited about Team USA. Maybe partly it's because I actually get to root for the guys who routinely punish the Sixers and make me wish they were on my squad, but I think more than that I just want to see us pee on the rest of the world in a sport that I love to play and watch.

I feel like aside from myself and JP, no one else pays enough attention to Team USA. During the 2004 Olympics in Athens, I felt that we were the only two Americans that were even routing for us to win. I can remember having heated message board battles in our now defunct True Players fantasy baseball league with guys who routed against us because they didn't like the way USA played, or the NBA, or some other petty reason. So I guess all of those quislings were pretty effing happy when we lost to Argentina in the Semi's and had to settle for the bronze, but I was pretty annoyed. (As a side note, I still haven't forgiven Nocioni for his dirty attempt to under Marbury in the 2nd half of that game. Total bitch move).

This year, and 2008 in China will be different though. The squad assembled - even without Iveson which is ridiculous - is filthy. Again - it's filthy. Lebron and Wade are the 2 biggest stars, although everything I'm reading is how nasty Carmelo has been out in Vegas, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's the leading scorer when the team heads to Asia. We've also got Chris Paul, Arenas, Elton Brand, and a recovering Amare Stoudemire. Oh, did I mention Kobe Bryant? Well the Mamba will be in Beijing also, but he's currently recovering from a recent knee surgery operation. Yeah, he averaged 35 ppg last year. Even being an anti-Duke guy, I think Coack K, with the help of Mike D'Antoni, is the perfect coach to get these guys to mesh. So I'm looking forward to putting on NBA TV in a few weeks and watching us punish some of these other countries who think we're vulnerable after our last two international showings.

So as I was reading about the finalized Team USA roster I saw that Shawn Marion had to withdraw because of a knee injury. I'm a Shawn Marion fan so I clicked on his espn.com page and noticed that he is 28 years old just like me and it got me thinking...who else tight is the same age is me? Here's the list that I came up with:

Coolest People My Age

Shawn Marion, Josh Hartnett, Nelly Furtado (28 in Dec), Kobe Bryant (28 in Aug), Kanye West (Just turned 29 last month which means we were both 28 for a few months - I'm counting him), Riquelme, Thierry Henry, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, and Tom Brady. I had trouble finding cool, ridiculously good looking models, actresses, music artists that were 28. They all seemed to be either 23 or 33. If anyone can think of anyone to commemorate the class of 1996 let me know.

Fresh Guarens

2006-07-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

So I'm officially sold on the activity of White Water Rafting after this past weekend. Despite an inauspicious start to the trip that included bumper to bumper traffic on 66 West and poor directions which led B-Real, Cummins and I down a gravely road that featured 1) a blood-stained boulder, 2) a group of young guys on ATV's that looked like they were planning an ambush and then God knows what else, 3) a deer that casually rolled up on us as we were turning around, and 4) an elderly couple that, when we approached them to ask for directions, looked at us as I can only imagine the Native Americans gazed upon Columbus when he hit the shores of America. After all that there was only one thing running through my head - Fuck you Bruce Dickerson!!

But back to my original point - if ever there were an activity designed for a group of dudes in their 20's looking to escape the usual city grind of work, traffic, etc...it's white water rafting. It was especially timely for me since I've been lamenting how much the term "fun" has become synonymous with bars/clubs, drinking, and things of that nature. So I'm officially endorsing ACE Raft and Summersville, WV for anyone looking for an escape from DC. Watching Joey getting tossed off the raft on the "Ejector Seat" probably makes my top 5 on the list of funniest things I've ever witnessed in my life. Although him messing with Cummins after he had fallen off the raft and telling him he had about 20 seconds to get back on before we hit another "Meat Grinder" rapid was not far behind. Amazing trip all around.

New Hot Spot of the Week: Fly (Tuesday nights)

Went there last Tuesday for Jordan's birthday. It's the old Red in what I refer to as Mid-Town. Solid mix of Electronic and hip-hop with some bonafide talent in the mix. Of course if you have too much fun there on a Tuesday, you still have to get through 3 days of work until the weekend, so keep that in mind.

Movie Quote Trivia:

*Cause the house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet and you bet big, then you take the house. [another pause]

Been practicing this speech, haven't you?

Little bit. Did I rush it? Felt I rushed it.

Answer

Dog Days

2006-07-03T19:46:00.000-04:00

I think last weekend officially marked that time in the summer that inevitably hits me each year after too much...of everything. So following an AGGRESSIVE night last Wednesday at Lima I had to throw myself a life preserver and reel it in a bit. I decided to shut down the engines and recharge my batteries. Played a little ball on Saturday morning, sat by the pool, watched the Brazil-France game, threw on Syriana, and slept an average of about 11 hours a night, including a special nap at around 8 PM Saturday night.

The R&R came at a good time, even though I did miss out on heading up to NYC to chill with Liam and Roon, which sounded like it was a blast. Regardless, these next 3 weeks are shaping up nicely. Nags Head IV is coming up on Friday, which means Woodbridge will be making it's way down to Jody's beach house for what will no doubt be a celebration. This trip will also mark the 10-year anniversary of our Beach Week trip down there in '96. 10 years! Some highlights/stories that stand out on trips I-III for me:

*My first experience with Captain Morgan ('96)
*Joe unbelievably destroying his knee in a game of 3 on 3 (obviously not a highlight but one of the things that was completely surreal. You really had to see it to believe it ('00)
*Triple Body shots ('05)
*The "Zerks" story ('00)
*"Buford" the dog ('00)
*Imitating Method Man and the Rza with Quincy ('96)

And my number one Nags Head story: After deciding that I had a few too many while out with Jody and Quincy among others, I decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air to compose myself at around 1 AM. I spotted a restaurant next door which had been long closed for the night. So I strolled over to the top of the steps in front of the establishment, sat down, and layed my head and body back for just a moment to rest my eyes. In what felt like an instant later, I opened my eyes and looked around. Everything appeared to have shut down. 'Impossible' I thought. 'My friends or someone coming out of the bar surely would have seen me.' Finally my eyes adjusted and I checked my watch. 3:25? Nah, that would be 5:15 in the frigging morning! Not a person in site. I was like NPH in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, 'Dude, I don't even know where the fuck I am right now!' I had no cell phone back then, no idea what the house number was, or what street it was located on for that matter. And I had $7 in my pocket. All I knew was it was next to some pink building. I just picked a direction and walked that way. After about a half hour, mercifully, a cab strolled by and gave me a lift the rest of the way. So sometime in the neighborhood of 6:30 AM I found my way in through the back door and slammed out. Apparently the fellas thought enough of my skills to assume I had gone home with a girl and didn't bother to look for me after my disappearance. I was sorry to disappoint, but all I had to show for my absence was a couple of extra hours of sleep. I can't wait to get back.

Mommy, Look!

2006-06-27T13:01:00.000-04:00

I was taking my daily stroll on Wikipedia for the featured article of the day, when I came across a link to the nation of Suriname. Being the cultured and curious individual that I am, I clicked on the link and started reading. About halfway down I stumbled on this term, and did a quadruple take. Out of sheer curiousity, I would love to see the minutes from the meeting where a group of guys were sitting around spitballing the idea for these things. Aggressive.

Dave Matthews

2006-06-27T00:57:00.000-04:00

Went to my first DMB concert this past Saturday with Liam, Nicole and thousands of others who stood out in the monsoon at Nissan Pavilion. I think everyone should go to a show in a torrential downpour at some point in their life. It definitely builds character. Drinking also helps distracts you from the elements. Nicole was crowned champion of our 1st Annual, "who will bump into more random people that they know" challenge - with 11. I edged Liam 4-3 to take home the silver.

6 of the Week

2006-06-16T16:49:00.000-04:00

6. So I was reading the Christina Aguilera article in this month’s GQ and found it pretty hilarious to find out some of the cute things her and her new music exec husband do together couple and how he got a tattoo saying “I love CA Forever” on his arm in Hebrew letters. After I read that I did a double take and scrolled back to the beginning of the article where it describes him as a “nice little Jewish guy from New York.” That’s like reading “friendly Hindu eats cow.” Didn’t think that Jews were supposed get tattoos, but at least he got Hebrew letters.

5. Got a cool link forwarded to me by Liam last weekend http://www.di.fm/edmguide/edmguide.html
breaking down the different categories of Electronic music. It’s a good site to check out, although it also helps me relate to the lost and confused feeling my Mom gets when I’m listening to Deep Dish in the car and she can’t tell the difference between one song or the other.

4. Slightly disappointing start to Season 3 of Entourage on Sunday. Not only was bringing the mom’s out to the Aquaman Premiere robbing us of seeing the crew with some bonafide Hollywood hotties, but it didn’t add anything humorous to the equation. The parts with Ari and Lloyd were funny as were the James Woods scenes, but I’m a little nervous that the season is gonna go to the Well too many times with the same style of jokes and not add anything clever or original. We’ll see.

3. After 2 visits from Finney, 2 new software programs that are gonna cost me roughly $85 when the 15 day free trials are up, and about 18 hours of frustration over the last 7 days, I finally burned my first DVD courtesy of the Tivo to Go feature. It’s semi to fully bonafide, although the amount of time it takes to create the DVD even after you transfer the programs onto a laptop is obnoxious. I’m also trying to figure out why my 40 hour Tivo box starts deleting programs that are under “Save Until I Delete” Status when there are still 20 free hours available on the box. I’m losing World Cup games left and right. I’m already fearing the look of disappointment on Parsels’ face when I tell him the USA/Czech game didn’t record. If anyone knows why Tivo does that let me know. Speaking of:

2. I’m not giving up on Team USA in this cup just yet. You telling me we can’t beat Italy? Oh, you are? Sweet. We’re rancid. I guess I am the same guy who stood by the USA Basketball team in Athens 2 years ago. Occasionally I let my biases get in the way.

1. I am ridiculously sucked into Season 1 of Lost right now. I’ve been up until 2 AM the last two nights hanging out with Gauch watching episode after episode. I’m having a tough time ranking the 3 smoking girls on that show. Kate has the perfect body in my eyes and Shannon’s not too far behind. And even though she’s still pregnant up until where I’ve watched, Claire is special. She’s got that Australian accent and that girl next door look to her. I think I could make the actress who plays her happy in real life. I’ll even let it slide that during her back story it’s revealed that she apparently got knocked up by the guy who plays Todd in Wedding Crashers. I mean if Todd could get her I should at least have a shot to mold her and take her under my wing I think.

Should be a pretty exciting weekend for the crew. Finney's in Vegas completing his 3-trip Vegas cycle featuring some of the world's phatest clubs, while Hewlett just texted me from Wrigley Field while I sit at my cube checking out the clock.

Tomorrow's supposed to be 85 and sunny, which means I'll be pool side either at Sport & Health or at Nicole's friends' high-rise near the Verizon Center. The weekend highlights revolve around 2 birthday's: Joey's celebration, which kicks off at 1124 and ends up at Dremo's, while Brett hits the big 30 in style up at Chloe. Go get it.

NBA Finals Preview

2006-06-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

This NBA Finals Matchup is one of those rare years where I don’t like either of the teams, but at the same time I don’t hate one of them bad enough to automatically root for their opponent. It’s not quite as bad as the ultimate worst championship matchup ever – the 2001 NY Giants-Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl – but it’s up there. What’s wrong with these teams you ask? Well let’s start with the team I’ll be routing for:

MIAMI HEAT

#1 The NY Knicks-Miami Heat rivalry circa 1996-2000.

These hated rivals went head to head for the Altantic Division title every year during this era and battled through 3 grueling playoff series. I couldn’t stand guys like Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Bruce Bowen, and of course PJ Brown, whose gutless flip of Charlie Ward led to 4 Knick suspensions and a resulting 3-1 come-from-behind-series victory in the 2nd Round of the 1997 Playoffs. I’m not saying the Knicks would have knocked of Chicago in the Conference Finals, but that team was playing some great basketball and featured a still dominant Patrick Ewing as well as Allan Houston, LJ, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Chris Childs. At the very least the series would have gone 6 games and given us another chapter of Knicks-Bulls from the 90s.

#2 Miami Heat fans and their gay white shirts

Do I even need to add commentary?

#3 Antoine Walker, Alonzo Mourning, and Gary Payton

All 3 of these guys were at one time in my good graces, but through team changes, annoying antics, and generally just doing prickish things, they’ve fallen into my most despised players category in the NBA. I liked Walker at Kentucky and even briefly in Boston, but his unnecessary taunting of Larry Brown in Boston’s Game 5 series clinching victory over the Sixers back in 2002 was the final straw. Not only did I have to witness his ridiculous Mark Jackson style “Shimmy” when he made routine shots, but now he directed it at Larry Brown after making a 3-pointer in the 4th Quarter of a blowout against my boys. Mourning is from VA and went to Georgetown so that makes him a favorite in the DC area for the most part. But just watching him posture after making an “And One” shot, or getting a block annoys the hell out of me. If I saw him flex his bicep one more time in the series against the Wizards in 2005 after a block…well I wouldn’t have done anything other than yell at the TV, but it pissed me off. That, along with the aforementioned Knicks-Heat battles, the LJ-Zo-Van Gundy Brawl, I just don’t like the guy as a player. Payton, he just comes off as someone who I would never want on my team.

#4 Dwayne Wade’s Posturing

I love Wade’s game, he’s an absolute beast, no doubt about it. I just wish he’d cut out the tough guy-I’m sooo good-looks he gives after making a tough shot, and his preening and posturing to the crowd in those situations. He doesn’t need to do that.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

#1 Dirk Nowitzki.

I had a tough time answering the question of why I don’t like Dirk when B-Real asked me last night. I can’t really point to one reason but I guess it is a combination of things. I guess I’ve always viewed certain types of players as having the indefinable quality of being Championship-Worthy and Dirk doesn’t fit the bill. I don’t know if it’s because he’s ridiculously ugly and has a mullet, or that I’ve always thought of him as a soft European, but the thought of him having a ring while AI doesn’t just bothers me. And that, above all else, is why I don’t want to see Dallas win.

#2 Mark Cuban.

In all fairness, he’s not that bad sometimes. Other times he just reminds me of that smart, nerdy kid in your algebra class who after college makes a ton of money and comes out of his shell and tries to be cool. But to the people who went to middle school or high school with him he’ll always be that Russ from your algebra class.

#3 The City of Dallas.

It’s not enough that I had to suffer through the 3 titles that the Cowboys won in the early to mid-nineties, but now I have to watch former Eagle and self-serving ninny Terrell Owens wear one of those hideous blue, white, and silver uniforms and play against the Eagles twice a year. I hate Dallas.

As far as the series goes, I don’t think the Heat match-up well with the Mavs. They don’t have anyone capable of guarding Dirk over a 7-game series. There’s no one that Antoine Walker can guard between Howard and Dirk. Aside from Wade and Shaq, the Heat offense consists of perimeter players whose only skill is the ability to spot up for a 3 and wait for the ball. Between Posey, GP, Williams, Mourning, Haslem, and Walker you don’t have much in terms of creating offense. Add to that the fact that Dallas has 2 big bodies in Diop and Dampier to throw at Shaq and it has the feel of a 4-2 Series victory for the Mavericks. Get worse.

Movie Quote Trivia:

I can't believe you brought my daughter to this place.

Woah. Why don't you just back the fuck up, man? "To this place"? What is that shit? Ok, right now, all over this great nation of ours, 'hundred thousand white people from the suburbs are cruisin' around downtown asking every black person they see "You got any drugs? You know where I can score some drugs?" *Think* about the effect that that has on the psyche of a black person, on their possibilities. I... God I guarantee you bring a hundred thousand black people into your neighborhood, into fuckin' Indian Hills, and they're asking every white person they see "You got any drugs? You know where I can score some drugs?", within a *day* everyone would be selling. Your friends. Their kids. Here's why: it's an unbeatable market force man. It's a three-hundred percent markup value. You can go out on the street and make five-hundred dollars in two hours, come back and do whatever you want to do with the rest of your day and, I'm sorry, you're telling me that... you're telling me that white people would still be going to law school?

Answer

2006-06-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

After a poison ivy induced 9- day hiatus from working out resulted in my tipping the scales at my highest weight in probably 2 years, I realized workouts alone would not get me back to my playing weight of 175 – 178. So I tapped into the best resource I’ve got – Joseph E. Watson. After a nice cardio at Sport & Health I followed Joey to his favorite place in the world – Trader Joe’s. Being a loyal Harris Teeter guy the last 2 years, this was my first trip ever to Joe’s. I guess I always dismissed it as a place where only Russes from Oregon that eat strictly organic food go (Oh, hey great to see you again Parks), and was under the misconception that the food had to taste awful. My intention was to just pick up some fruit and be on my way, but with Joey as my guide I definitely stumbled upon a new Super Fresh Guarens. The sushi, the veggies, even the healthy chips and salsa looked good. And Joey’s assessment on the above average quality of pigeons was right on point…if only I could figure out a possible intro line in a grocery store. I’ve thought about this for the better part of a decade and I’ve still got nothing.

Song of the Week:

Esplanade ’97 off Lee Burridge’s This is Everybody on Tour. It’s track 11 on Lee’s Disc of the double disc album. Surprisingly I like Burridge’s album much better than Sander’s Disc.

Rap Lyric Trivia:

Maybe if I popped Cristal
Said I had a Lexus, or a triple beam I'd get a deal
I'd rather speak upon a Maurice Cheeks steal
It's the outta paper, not the caps I peel
I used my independent, money to pay the rent
Remain at hell bent, and far from heaven sent
Where they went? The days when mics got destroyed
B's just boy-ed, the soft punks got toyed

Answer (Track #9 on this album)

Confessions

2006-06-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

So I have to admit, I’m pretty sucked into Madonna’s latest CD – “Confessions” right now. I know it came it out last November, but my Dad just burned it for me about a month ago and it’s off the meat rack. Apparently the Guy Ritchie-London-Kabbalah influence has been good for Madonna. I like the way she incorporates Electronic/House principles into the album. I wish My Space Music had “Isaac” available. I’d be all over it for my page. Still waiting on a new Global Underground to come out, but this should hold down the fort for now.

Movie Quote Trivia:

But you know what I've learned in my seven years here at Coolidge... Timmy? I've learned that you can't treat every situation as a life-and-death matter because you'll die a lot of times. Write that down.

I don't have a pen

Well remember that then. And you know something, Timmy? I think you've got the balls to make it here. Call me nuts, but I believe in you.

Answer

Illadelph Halflife

2006-05-30T17:47:00.000-04:00

As a lifelong fan of the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers, with no affiliation to the city of Philadelphia other than my love of its sports teams, I was long overdue for a trip up 95 to the City of Brotherly Love. So when my boy Kevin gave me the heads up a few weeks ago that he wanted to celebrate his 28th birthday in Philly, I was all over it. For two weeks I had been mentally prepared for a nice, decadent time, and I was not disappointed.

So after week # 2 of my tenure at the NASD concluded on June 2nd, I made my way up to Arch Street to meet up with Liam and Kevin who were already there. First up was dinner at Cuba Libr e a Cuban restaurant/lounge in an area that is vaguely reminiscent of Adams Morgan. Kevin's friend Didier manages up there and he was able to hook us up with some pretty sweet comps on our bill, which also led to an intriguing debate on how much to tip when you get a discount on your bill. Liam and I were of the opinion that you take the amount that you would have tipped if the bill had been full price and add another 10 or 15% to that total. That way the server is happy because he gets more than he would have ordinarily, and we save ourselves some money as well. Kevin, a veteran of the service industry, felt that the tip + the reduced bill amount should equal the total that we would have paid with no hookup (i.e. our bill should have been $140 and we would have left a $30 tip to equal $170. However the bill was reduced to $80, but Kevin thought we should give a $90 tip to pay a total of $170). I don't think that makes much sense because A) It was Kevin's birthday, and B) what good does it do us to still pay the same amount? Just a thought. Regardless, the Blue Fin Tuna was great, as were the Mojitos and the overall ambiance. I highly recommend Cuba Libre if you're in Philly.

After CL, we had a typical night of debauchery. Didier joined us afterwards and led us to the Suede Lounge and another club above a sandwich joint that I can't remember the name of which was pretty tight. Finally we ended up at Blue Martini where our table reservation awaited us. A decent place overall, although I would never go there without a table and bottle service - its way too crowded to linger in the common area. The music was 95% hip-hop, sort of like Modern on M Street I guess. Some highlights included the inebriated girl who helped herself to a shot of our Grey Goose, the 3 girls from Houston who came with us to 125 afterwards, and the "Billionaire" who paid for our bottle for some unknown reason. 125 was a good spot, mostly house music and cute girls. Late night someone decided that our potato chips would look better on the floor which made for a nice decoration and I somehow managed to get grease on my favorite Guess shirt. All in all a good time, although I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that for the 2nd time in 3 weeks I ralphed on the side of the road on the drive back. Good times indeed, but never again will I take a shot of Grand Marnier...ever.

Top 5 Things to Look Forward to this Week:

Capote coming to me on Netflix

4. NBA Finals start Thursday

Sasha & James Lavelle @ Fur on Saturday night

Premier of Entourage this Sunday

1. World Cup kicks off on Friday

Bald Head Revisited

2006-05-25T15:32:00.000-04:00

Bald Head Revisited: Last year when I made my way down to Bald Head Island, NC for the first time I was recently unemployed, had no money, girlfriend, and lived with 3 other dudes in Arlington. A lot has changed in one year - now I only live with 2 other dudes in Arlington.

This year was a great time though. It marked the first time down for Lauren and Tara, as well as a chance for me to come up with some new blog ideas. My top 6 list from BHI 2006:

6. The Cummins living room turning into Club Glow after 2 bottles of wine and about 74 Mixed Drinks.
5. Me yakking on the shoulder of 95 somewhere in NC.
4. A bonafide dinner at the Shoals Club featuring my first experience with Chilean Sea Bass.
3. A tree climbing expedition at 633 Kinakeet.
2. Cummins attempting to drive us back from Shoals without the aid of Golf Cart 1's headlights.
1. Video footage of Lauren using a Yeungling bottle as a mic to sing B.B.D.'s "Poison" with Tara.

Can't wait for next year - it's gonna be special.

In other news, I headed over to Play last night over in Midtown with Liam and Vic, and for the 2nd time in approximately a year I recognize Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejo out on the town. Last time was at Five after a the Cavs played the Wizards. I'm not really sure why he would be in DC now, but it's hard to be incognito when you're a 6'10 inch Brazilian with Side Show Bob hair. Anyway, I gave him the fist pound as he made his way across the dance floor - you know, just some mutual respect between 2 world class athletes.

Bald Head Island...Season II

2006-05-09T18:03:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day Weekend is upon us and that not only signifies a time for us to show appreciation to women like Karen and Aviva, but for myself, Cummins, and JP, it also means a return to a little place we like to call...Bald Head Island.

The Maritime Market, Sonic in Wilmington, golf carts, Corona's, building a base - it's all gonna be going down from Thursday to Monday for the 3 of us and 2 lucky females. It's gonna be special. One thing I won't be doing this time down at BHI, will be what is on display in this picture:

I've been trying to come up with a list of my favorite words over the last few days and here's what I've settled on:

1. Hindu Kush (Two words, but anything with Kush sounds tight)
2. Alchemist
3. Uzbekistan

Season 5 VTBA Champion Crowned

2006-04-20T18:19:00.000-04:00

I gotta offer my congratulations to the newly crowned VTBA Champion - The White Shadow. Andy's squad defeated JP's 24 Tough in a 5-4 battle that was ultimitely decided in the 3-pointers made category, in which Steve Nash (4 3PTM), Peja (3), and Mike Dunleavy (2) gave Shadow the advantage.

I now must officially hand over my 2004-05 Championship Belt to Hewlett as my team was quite possibly the worst fantasy squad I've ever fielded in any season or sport. Although I might also mention that there were surrounding circumstances that forced me out of my element during my draft-night process. Typically my loft at 1124 serves as my War Room as JP and I open up our own browser and an Amstel Light and trade barbs with the rest of the league while looking over yahoo stats to aid our decisions. Well this year the draft fell on a Halloween night that I was closing at Urban Outfitters in Georgetown after working my day job at Strategic Financial Advisers in Bethesda. So basically I made up a story that I had client phone call so I could head across the street to Starbucks with my laptop and set up shop there. Long story short, I'm sitting upstairs at Starbucks trying to decide who to take with the number 4 pick, while the streets of Georgetown are filling up with douchebag AU, GW, and Georgetown students getting their drink on. Instead of sharing in 'Cummins is short' jokes with the rest of the league I'm trying to figure out how quickly I can enter my credit card info into the T-Mobile Hot Spot page so I can be granted internet access to participate in the draft.

Well I didn't adjust very well to adversity in this case and my poor excuse for a team ended up 39 games under .500, a mere 43 games out of 1st Place. I took Tim Duncan at #4 in a year in which he had the worst statistical season of his career, drafted the "career on the downslope" Shaq in the 3rd round, and totally wasted my 6th round pick on Kenyon Martin and his bum knee. I felt I did a great job getting Jason Kidd in the 2nd (when I wanted to take Marbury) and stole Carmelo in his break-out year in round 5. I was also pretty pleased with Al Harrington in the 8th but that was about it. Rounds 10-15 yielded nothing, and other than my FA pickup of Josh Smith, my waiver wire activity was awful. Bottom line, next year I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get Lebron, Nash, or Kobe.

Hot Spot of the Week:

Check out Lima over on 14th and K tonight. http://www.limarestaurant.com/
No cover, open until 3 AM, beautiful ladies. I went there about a month ago and it was bonafide.

Wednesday's Trivia Answer:

Lyrics: Method Man
Song: N.Y.C Everything
Album: B.O.B.B.Y. Digital
Artist: Rza

Aries Season

2006-04-19T14:44:00.000-04:00

It felt good to wake up this morning as an employed member of society again. Sure it's as an associate of H Hilfiger - the new "upscale" line of Tommy Hilfiger - but it cuts down on an excess of idle time spent primarily debating whether to watch one of my Netflix choices or check to see if I have any new MySpace messages, oh and I get paid for it - so I'll classify it as a success for now. Besides, any company headline that claims to be "inspired by luxury, understated refinement and sophistication and encompasses the ease and spirit of the good life" has to be something I can relate to right? Check it out at http://jonesbeach.tommy.com/hilfiger/

So with today being the final day of the NBA regular season, I feel it would be a perfect time to express my extreme displeasure with the performance of my beloved Philadelphia 76ers in 2005-06. If you had told me back in November that Allen Iverson would average a career-high 33 points per game on 45% shooting, and Chris Webber would only miss 7 games and put up 20 and 10 night in and night out in the Eastern Conference, I would have pegged us as Atlantic Division Champs with a #3 seed and a good chance to make some noise in the playoffs. But instead we will finish as a sub-40 win team and the only playoff game we'll see will be on ABC as Bill Walton tells us how 'when you're 6'10 and you grab an offensive board, you gotta throw it down!'

The entire season our Achilles heel was defense and the inability to protect a lead. A classic example was the Nuggets game we lost at the Wachovia Center back in March. (As a side note, I watched this game at Dulles Airport on a Thursday night that I was supposed to spend in Montreal at my friend Parks' bachelor party. But I got dominated because my plane had electrical problems and couldn't leave that night - No Biggieee!! Fortunately for me, there were no more flights going out that night to Montreal, and they couldn't get me on one the next day either. Not out of Dulles, Reagan or even BWI. Fortunately there was a 1020 AM flight out of Philly Friday morning that I could get on...all I had to do was wake up at 4 AM, cab it to Union Station, take a 5 AM bus to Illadelph, get on their Metro system for a 20 minute ride to the airport, and then hop on a plane to Canada. Oh, did I mention that the $20 bottle of Crown I bought at the Duty Free shop that was supposed to be given to me as I boarded at Dulles was conveniently missing by the time my original flight was canceled? Good times.)

The pic above is the aftermath of of US Air, Montreal, Bachelor Party, Strippers, and no sleep.

Anyway, as far as that Nuggets game was concerned, we had a 15 point 3rd quarter lead that was trimmed to single digits by the start of the 4th, and I watched helplessly as guys like Matt Barnes and my boy Kyle Korver couldn't make shots or stop Carmelo Anthony and Ruben Patterson. Denver went on a 13-0 run to take control of the game and we took the L. It's disappointing for me to see AI now, at age 30 and playing the best basketball of his career, not have the supporting cast to even make the playoffs, much less be a legit title contender. I understand that he's a difficult player to play alongside because of his style and the number of shots he takes, but come on. Your telling me that the Lakers or the Cavaliers have it any different? I don't want to see AI in another jersey next year, but I think he deserves to be on a 50-55 win team at this stage in his career. If that's somewhere else, I'll definitely be disappointed, but I'll support him nonetheless.

As it is Wednesday I guess I'll make it my movie recommendation day. Check out Lucky Number Slevin with Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley (I don't know why he's a Knight either) and Bruce Willis. It's tight, trust me.

Lastly, it's Rap Lyric Trivia time (i.e. I give a few verses from a hip-hop track, you name the song, artist, album, etc... It'll be fun. I'll post the answer tomorrow.):

Drink a Heineken, as we go inside the mind again
Nevermindin men droppin gem, can he shine again
Most definite, let this be my last will and testament
For the pessimist, exercise for the Exorcist

2006-03-02T01:23:00.000-05:00

I will begin this blog by discussing some upcoming events for myself as well as what to expect from Excursions. It's basically gonna be a running blog about things that I'm involved in i.e. places I'm going, the friends that I hangout with, travel destinations, etc...

Also, I'll interject some of my opinions on things like sports, nightlife, girls, careers, experiences, and random thoughts. I'm in the process of trying to figure out how I can post polls to get feedback from readers, as well as allow others to chime in with discussions. I'm going to have a few "Items of the Week" that I will place in the blog, such as "Hot Spot of the Week" which will feature some lounge/club/bar/restaurant that I want to give my stamp of approval to, or "Bonafide Song/Album of the Week." Things like that.

Anyway, I'm one week away from my roommate Parks's bachelor party in Montreal. The picture above was taken from my first (abbreviated) trip 2 nights before New Years Eve 2006. There will be 8 of us going and we'll be staying right in the heart of Montreal, just a few blocks from Saint Laurent and all the hot issh that the French-Canadiens have to offer. Unfortunately we're looking at temperatures between 15 and 30 degrees, but I'm sure we'll manage.