Mimosas and Crepes

I would love to do some sort of Halloween appropriate list such as favorite Horror movies or favorite Halloween attractions; something along those lines, but the fact of the matter is I hate it all.  Not that I'm in the least bit afraid of horror movies or haunted houses.  I just haven't come across enough of them to find the ones that were enjoyable.  It just isn't my season.
I think my favorite holiday would be Thanksgiving if it weren't for the whole family part of it.  Family holidays just suck.  And not in any way that my family sucks.  Now that I've grown I've found that I actually have one of the most stable family units of anyone I know.  The fact is that I'm terribly uncomfortable around any of my immediate family and large parts of my extended family.  That's why you won't hear much of them in this blog.  I don't know how it happened but I have very little in common with my own family.  I think it was all the antagonism from my older brothers.  Me being the youngest, I think they felt a necessity to 'tough me up'.  I've never been one for toughness.  That along with being the youngest son of a Pragmatist made things difficult for me.  As a child I was always an idealist and an aesthete.  The idealist in me has long died.

Anyhow, due to an article in this month's issue of GQ regarding a Thanksgiving tradition in which the writer always has all the guys over in the morning to nurse their hangovers with wine and clams before sending them back to their wives and families, and coupled with my lack of wanting to do family things, I now want to start my own Thanksgiving morning tradition for my friends and I.  Mine would probably be more along the lines of a crepes bar and mimosas.  I'm still working that part out along with gauging interest.  I honestly think, though, it would be one of those things best left to a Thanksgiving morning mass text.  Can't really plan ahead for anything the morning after Thanksgiving Eve.

As this entry has gotten well away from me (I don't even recall was I was originally going to write about) I'll leave it here.  Anyone who reads this locally, which I believe is all of you, let me know what you think about Thanksgiving morning.  I'll be more than happy to host this year.

Halloween 2010

Band #2 is set to take the stage tonight downtown for our Halloween show.  It's been a long time coming but only in the way that it was last minute rushing to get the Rick James songs that we're covering together.  It'll be interesting to see how they turn out.

We've been practicing a lot and the past two days were spent recording.  We like to get as much done as we can when our lead singer is in town.  The sessions came out really well and we recorded a new tune that I'd been putzing around with on keyboard for quite some time.  I'm really glad with how it came out and I hope to share it soon.  I got to play a Fender Rhodes Seventy Three as well as putting backing vocals on the chorus.  My Microkorg seems to have sh*t the bed on me and I wasn't able to lay down a synth track that I was really excited about.
It features some hearty hand claps that sound almost automated and a thundering chorus at the end.  I'm sort of now thinking that it may need a third verse just to showcase the crescendo that comes about after the second verse.  Always leave them wanting more I suppose.

After tonight is over my schedule will be 90 percent less hectic.  Tomorrow will be spent with this:

I only have about a day and a half with it so I'll probably run through it on easy.  I may or may not write a review.  I don't think many of my readers are video game heads but it's my blog so deal with it.  

Gonna take Paisley out for a quick walk and then it's back downtown to writhe my under-parts on mic stands.  Pictures to follow, I'm sure.  Wish me luck. 

Carmencita!

My man Rob Roy is back with his second video.  I've been touting his praises from the mountaintop for some time now.  He's finally got a proper label deal and things look to be picking up for him.  He's gonna be a big name and I can't wait to hear what comes from him. Check out my favorite song from his King Warrior Magician Lover album, Carmencita:






Also, lots of new photos in the Photographs section of this blog if you haven't been checking back.

Apples to Apples

Paisley has been keeping me pretty busy these days.  Not to say that there has been a terrible amount to write about.  Even now this entry is being forced.  Thusly I'll leave you with this:

The Gentleman Rules

Before this blog went public one of the original titles for it was The Gentleman Rules.  It was basically a half assed idea where I posted said 'rules' and assigned them an arbitrary number to make it seem as though I had more rules than I really do. So every now and then I'll drop a rule on you guys. Thusly:

Gentleman Rule #006
Have a speech prepared for every wedding you attend.  Even if you have no obligation or plan to deliver it.  

Paisley Descartes

So there's this guy.  His name is officially Paisley Descartes.  And barring anything unforeseen he is mine:

Paisley and Bethany

I woke up Wednesday and saw him lounging in my neighbors yard just as peaceful as he wanted to be.  No collar.  No worries.  Just soaking up the sun.  I spoke with said neighbor and she had no idea where he'd come from.
He'd been on my mind that entire day at work.  I have an ideal fenced in yard that was meant for a dog or other small animal.  All summer I was planning on building a small goat house so I could have a goat come next spring.  That never happened.
When I'd gotten home from work he was nowhere to be found.  Luckily while writing up my Things I'm Consuming entry I heard barking from outside.  Low and behold it was Paisley and some other neighborhood stray that continued to bark.  Paisley has been with me since.

• He is the most handsome dog in history
• He has huge nuts that will be cut off soon (but lets keep that between us)
• He hardly barks which is awesome
• He still has his dew claws
• He is probably 5 to 10 months old (so I hear)
• He is a Pitbull/mutt mix
• He has huge nuts
• His favorite character on The Wire is Brother Mouzone

He just got his first bath today (thanks to Lauren and Sarah) and finally made it indoors.  Thusly, he's met Bethany and the two posed for the above photograph.  He's been blowing the illest dog farts  all night.

Oct. 20th

What have we here??

Guess we'll find out Oct 20th...

Things I'm Consuming (circa Oct 2010)

Peep Show

Oh those quirky brits with their crisps and flats. Their lifts and loos. Their so very bad teeth. I've been in and out of love with this show for the 3+ series that I've watched so far.  I've even sworn off the show once or twice.  But not due to the show not being great.  Each episode has more than kept my attention.  It's more due to the fact that I relate so well to Mark's defeatist and defeated character and how whatever campaign either of the duo endeavor always ends in failure.  Of course this is a theme that's played out in so many situation comedies, both US and across the pond, but in this case it's all about empathy.  It's mirrored my life so effectively that I've taken long breaks before, inevitably, returning back to the show.  The inner monologues make sure than neither of the characters are terribly lovable, but you still root for them in some misdirected way.
All 6 series are available for instant viewing on Hulu.  I highly recommend that you sit down with this one.


Vicks Vapor Inhaler

F*ck yes.  Not that I have much experience, but I can't imagine snorting anything else and being more satisfied that this.  Although I was hipped to this by a woman that broke my heart and although every sniff brings a flood of painful memories back to mind it's so worth it.  I keep it next to my iMac and even without any nasal congestion I find myself shoving it up my nose a few times an hour.

Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki

I put this on litra'lly everything.  Sauteed veggies for fried rice.  Ground beef or chicken.  Fried lunch meats for a quick sandwich.  If you've every had anything out of my kitchen the it's pretty likely you've (hopefully) enjoyed this product.  The company, run by a Jewish/Chinese couple (hence the name Soy Vay. Get it?) makes a number of sauces that are great for marinade or cooking.  This one in particular is very smokey and very flavorful.  Good if you're not the best at concocting your own seasoning.  I swear by it and would be completely lost if my grocer stopped carrying it. 

Lil Caesar's Hot-N-Ready

The Hot-N-Ready is a bachelor's best friend.  Whether it be a lonely Wednesday night with nothing in the fridge or a Friday night with company and a movie, the Hot-N-Ready is a lifesaver.  Lil Caesar's changed the game when they introduced a large pizza, either cheese or pepperoni, for just 5 bucks and ready once you step in the door.  No calling ahead.  No waiting 25+ minutes.  In and out and you got your grub for the night.  Sure, it's not the best pizza but you can doctor it up.  Just heat up a little of your own red sauce for dipping and you're set.  Now all of a sudden all the big chains have their own version of the value pizza and it's all due to the Hot-N-Ready. 

Regarding Id Versus The Superego

It was long thought that that which separated Man from the animals was his capability to use tools. We've now learned in recent years that that doesn't entirely hold true. So what now does? It is the ability to ponder the hypothetical. To imagine a scenario without putting it into action. Experts say it's this gift, keener in Cro Magnon Man, that allowed him to inherit the Earth over the Neanderthal. Aristotle may have said it best with "It is the mark of an educated man to entertain a thought without accepting it". But that distinction is not only for the educated man.   

A child is born 'Id-ridden'.  Wanting only for immediate gratification (which to an end is necessary for it's survival at that vulnerable age). It's the parent who first notices, somewhere around the year mark, those wheels beginning to turn. The first synapses of reason firing. The child becoming aware of the conditions and responses of it's actions. Those that result in praise or chastisement. The child now knows that for the desired results there is behavior more conducive to that end.  There lies the birth of Ego.  Personality traits come out as the child gets older.  Motives become apparent.  The child is now an individual with differentiating tastes. The Id is still very much a player in this equation and it is with the aid of the Ego that determines how the Id is satisfied. Or if the Id is satisfied at all because now the Id has a rival.
The third entity in this trinity emerges, or perhaps is molded depending on the case.  From early childhood through usually the early to mid twenties the Superego is identified and tweaked through out the remainder of life. Superego is the moral compass by which the individual carries himself.  The governing code that one chooses to adopt and adhere by.  Usually under the influence of religion or community, it's the portion of the psyche that makes us decent.  If the Id would have us stone our rival and rape his woman it is the Ego which would then have us lure our rival away and seduce his woman under some guise of plausible deniability.  It is then the Superego which would have us do neither because it is 'wrong' to take what is not yours.

The Id wants without regard for consequence or accountability.

The Superego is governed by a code of morality and justifiability.

Then there's the Ego;

The constant middleman charged with catering to both extremes but with the luxury of preference and objectivity.

So there we have the wrestling match.  The game of tug-of-war in which the Ego is the prize and both Id and Superego are constantly trying to pull it to their side.  Of course, depending on the individual and the circumstances, one side may win out moreso than the other.  It is for those instances that man imagined hypothetical ideas like law and standardized education.  Generalized codes of conduct.  But that's for another conversation.  

We have the ability to play out scenario's in our head, taking into consideration the variables and chance, and calculating a percentage of successfully getting what we want.  We also have the the wherewithal to determine if what we want is something we should have or if the actions to get it justify the means.  Some implement this more than others. And make no mistake; In the individual where Id and Superego are no longer at odds there is no safe place about him. 

NO EXIT (And Three Other Plays)

Wanna bank on who has the most random items in their car?

This is a perfect illustration of how my life is these days.  

This Doing It Alone thing is working out just as I expected. But a lot sooner than I expected.

Cartelle.nl

I was hipped to this site tonight which is a pretty sweet time killer and indicative of where HTML is heading:

Cartelle.nl

More links to be found on the 'Destinations' page of this blog.

Letters To Russia

My Dearest Alexeyevna

     There is a coldness I cannot shake. A coldness down to the very marrow of my bones.  A coldness in my bed.  A coldness in my study.  A coldness that, in my sleep, visits me in my dreams. That coldness is the absence of you. These days have been long indeed and to find anything to occupy my idol thoughts, I am hard pressed. It all comes back to you.
When you are not with me I am sullen. Confined to a life in which the senses are muted.  I find no interest in the happenings around me.  No joy in the consort of my fellow man.  Man, in which I once marveled in his every achievement.  Now all moot.  My only consolation is that this insurmountable distance between us serves only our best interests.  My rational mind holds dear to that logic but the impulsive part of me, the mighty steed that the rational jockey can only hope to bridle, seizes all control and my thoughts return to you.  The thoughts of a young child who longs to feel his bare feet sway in the wind, cradled in the arms of his mother.  I want to spend my Autumn with you. Tangled up in blankets. Taking meals in bed. becoming familiar with each other's stench. But none of this will happen but only in my own mind.
You are my country. You are my university.  You are my crops. You are my kingdom; and it is dutifully that I serve you.  You are my all. And until I have you in my arms again I will be a man broken.  Defeated and uninspired. My life. My love. My Alexeyevna.  If I occupy half as many of your waking thoughts as you mine then I pity you.  For then any hope of being any use in any capacity is lost.
I hope this finds you well, my dear.  I too hope to be well soon.

    - Sincerely,

Rob Roy - 'King Warrior Magician Lover'

My vote for the most under-the-radar album this year has to go to my man Rob Roy for 'King Warrior Magician Lover' which he released for free on his website in early May of this year.

I was originally a bit disturbed that he so blatantly took Andre3000's flow (lord knows HE's not using it anymore) but he shows love to the 'Kast and eventually made it all his own. 

Do yourself a favor and download it right now. Listen to 'Carmencita' and 'Bowden Acres Parade' and tell me you won't be rocking this album for the rest of 2010. 

Check out the video for 'Fur In My Cap' and make sure you got the bass pumpin' for the neighbors. 

Texts From This Morning

4:01AM - C.Benton: Found it!! In my pants, just as I suspected.

#TimesAreTough

Bachelor or not, no 30 year old's refrigerator should look like this:

That cake was my breakfast today. Living the dream.

Power

So do I get to do my first Kanye West blog now?
Or is this blog above feeding into his media circus?

Well since no one will read this blog ever I don't see the harm in it. Suffice it to say, I did enjoy his SNL performance last night. I'll go as far as to say I was impressed. And not so much in Kanye's performance itself. He still has that amateur flailing around on stage thing going on like he's a singing atop a foundation of various sized loose stones. See for yourself in this YouTube clip which will likely be removed soon:





Now of course any blue-blooded heterosexual male is gonna be entertained by the full 5 minutes of this. But, straight up, Kanye himself gets in the way of this gorgeous set up. These ladies, clearly classically trained (Yea, I've dated dancers which gives me a trained eye for these things), are more than just a set piece.  Reminiscent of the second circle of Dante's Inferno, these ladies evoke something more carnal than just a group or barely clad vixens on your Friday night dance floor. This writhing is painful yet pleasing. Intentional to an end. Sound familiar?
I was all about the video for 'Power' when that was released. And keep in mind, I'm not a Kanye fan in the least. I probably should have prefaced with that. Be that as it may, I give credit where credit is due. And that video, as well as the aforementioned SNL performance, is more so a result of having talented and brilliant people around him to execute these ideas. I like what he's doing in support of this album. Very surreal and very beautiful artistic visuals to go along with the music, which based on the bits I've heard of the new album, is actually pretty good. So much so that when it's all said and done, I may actively search out all the clips and performances on the web just to see what became of it. Still not enough to say, at this point, that I'm a fan.

The Autumn Blues

So my most dreaded season has begun. For someone who hates cold weather so much living in Ohio is probably ill advised. I think Fall is such a dreadful time for me primarily because one would think that there will be a gradual decline into the bowels of winter. Perhaps have some pleasant days in between the uncomfortable heat and the uncomfortable cold. But not here. Not in Ohio. Last week were in the 80s. tonight I'll be firing up my furnace for the first time. I'm most certainly am not looking forward to my utilities skyrocketing.

Of course, if watching everything around you die and all the colors of Nature fade isn't enough to damper anyone's spirits, then there's always Halloween.

Don't get me wrong; Halloween isn't all together terrible. I always end up enjoying it to a degree when it's all said and done; but there's so much hype and preparation around it that it kills any possible excitement.
As a kid when you're in grade school there was so much focus on Halloween. You even got to leave school for like an hour to go home and get in costume. I think all of that conditioning has been hard for a lot of us to grow out of. We've all got those friends who are planning their parties and costumes in August. Not matching their enthusiasm will quickly and assuredly getting you tarred, feathered, and banished from any social circles you may have been accepted into.

Mostly I'm just bitter because being in bands means that you have to 'work' on most of the more fun holidays. Of course, those do prove to be the most lucrative shows (and probably the only time one can justify spending so much time being a musician) but it's a real drag to have all of your friends that you don't get to see for the majority of the year who are in town foe Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas because you have to spend the whole night loading/unloading/performing.

Maybe I'm just a poster-child for SAD but it seems that bears have it right. This Fall and Winter I'll be spending my time hibernating.

Bad Boyz 3 (with a 'Z')

So this is happening:



Shot here in my hometown, the locales are ones that I recognize from my daily travels but web searches only provide results from Bruckheimer's "actual" Bad Boys 3 slated for 2012. I have to know if this is a real movie and going to see a proper release. If so, I'll be front row center.