So exactly how does one follow up an interview with an honest-to-God member of the rock and roll hall of fame on their tiny little podcast? Well, by interviewing M. Dung a second time, of course! In a near 180° from the last interview back in December, 2006, Dungboy is back and as crazy as ever at idiotshow.net with his idiot show podcasts. I'm sure you're already eager to hear what he had to say this time around so don't delay - clicky to listen today:

Labels: audio, awesomecasts, celebrity interviews, famous folk, podcasts, radio stories

So what do you figure are the chances of having the opportunity to interview one of, if not THE big hero of your life? Once in a lifetime, perhaps? Well, I was fortunate enough to be able to beat the odds...Kids, this week's guest is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. He was a true rock and roll pioneer, he was the original and only lead singer of the group the Coasters. His name is Carl Gardner and he and his wife were gracious enough to spend some time chatting with me this past weekend. Go ahead, clicky to listen:

Labels: audio, awesomecasts, celebrity interviews, famous folk, podcasts

Something you scurvy dogs may not be aware of is that September 19th every year is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day,' so sayeth the Pirate Guys, Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket of talklikeapirate.com. I myself have dilligently observed the holiday since I became aware of it a few years ago and, since it fell on a Wednesday this year, I figured the awesomecast was a fine forum to discuss such things. We were VERY fortunate, though, to be joined by Cap'n Slappy himself for the first half of this week's episode! The last half, well. Hey, we have Cap'n Slappy in the first half so clicky to listen:

Labels: audio, awesomecasts, celebrity interviews, famous folk, podcasts

Lo, it is Friday, the day set aside for the sharing of the visual images and somesuch and whatnot. Indeed, it hath been said to me by certain people that this is the lone day which they visit my humble little blogsitething, drawn solely by the prospect of pictures, yearning for photographical goodness...Seriously, I didn't realize. Shit, enough with my blabbering, how about I show you kids some pictures from our recent trip to Las Vegas which, if you're the regular readin' type, you already read a tiny bit about earlier in the week and, if you're the listenin' type (my favorite type, by the way), you heard about on this week's podcast...
clicky! They get so damn big you won't know what to do with them


So yes, we enjoyed food at the Hash House A-Go-Go while we were in Las Vegas. My dad especially wanted to try the place, seemingly in disbelief that their portions could be anywhere near as large as the legends state that they are...So unsuspecting...So carefree...They have no idea what kind of monster cuisine lurks just around the corner...


Myself, I'd been to Hash House once already, as had my wife. As you can see, I had already slipped into a fear-induced coma while my wife put her "brave face" on for one last snapshot before her French Toast arrived...Would it devour her or would it go down the other way 'round? (in reality, this was the first day in a few days that I was feeling good and had an appetite. Just before this picture was taken, I was admonished to "take a NICE picture." I smiled real nice and normal but, right after the first "redeye" flash but before the main flash, I did the whole eyes in the back of the head thing that you see here. I know, I'm proud too).


Seriously though, look at all of that Goddamned food! This was my entree, the sage fried chicken. That yellowish mound on the left are scrambled eggs. It was supposed to come with 2 eggs over easy but...Well, they fucked up. Additionally, observe the biscuit and it's imposing girth! It dwarfs even the water glass on the table (and tastes excellent, I should add). The huge mound underneath all of it are griddled mashed potatoes. There's a caramel-maple reduction drizzled over the whole mess. So yeah, if you're not hungry by NOW...


Here's the massive mofo of a pancake which my dad ordered. Yes, it takes up the whole platter and yes, it's the most fluffy (and delicious) pancake that I've ever had occasion to ingest. Just amazing...


Getting away from the subject of food portions so large they border on illegal, here's the an interior shot of the hotel we stayed in at night. Yes, I know it looks like the OUTSIDE but it's not. The hotel is set up to mimic a nice park on the inside. It's really quite cool, you should check it out sometime...


Here's a quick snapshot of Shannon and Aldie taken while we were enjoying dinner at Austin's inside Texas Station. You'd think the camera steals Al's soul or that he's in the witness protection program or something the way he turtles everytime someone wants his picture. On the bright side, Shannon looks normal. And happy.


So in the three times that I've seen Penn and Teller perform at the Rio in las Vegas, I've not had my picture taken with Teller. As you can see, this time out I sent my mom up to pose with him...Why do I avoid him? Oh Hell, I dunno. I just seem to be stuck holding whatever camera we have with us when we first exit the auditorium and *bam* Teller's right there. I did get a chance to ask him about his shoes (which were awesome and DAMMIT, why didn't I take a picture of them). They are, of course, custom made. Anyway, enough about Teller's shoes...


Here I am getting my picture taken with Penn Jillette, pretty much as I did this time last year. Of course, THIS time I'm sporting the shirt that I made specifically to wear as a gag to show to Penn and, hey, he laughed. You can hear about the whys and such surrounding the shirt if you listen to this week's awesomecast. No, seriously, I'm not going into any more detail. No. Shoo. Go listen.

So that's that, our trip to Vegas condensed into 8 tiny photographs. As always, thanks for stopping by. You kids have a fine weekend now...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, Phrickin' Photoblogs

And again, we find ourselves at Wednesday and, yes, I do have another episode of the big awesomecast to share with you kids...Like last week, in today's episode Collin and I are joined by Justin Carmical which is pretty fortunate since Justin is handed the reins, so to speak, and gets to interview his hero, the Game Jew. I have to say, it was a fun interview and that the Game Jew is quite the nice guy...So listen! Clicky to listen!

Labels: audio, awesomecasts, famous folk, geekery, podcasts

Hey, kids! Welcome to the first Friday in a while wherein I'm not a complete slacker loser! Indeed, it is time for the triumphant return of the Phrickin' Photoblog Phriday! Today's photoblog is the first in a series of three which serves to illustrate scenes from our recent excursion to Estes Park. In particular, today's display of picturey goodness focuses on the Stanley Hotel, our first stop last Thursday. Ready? Good, here we go...
click on any one of the pictures to get a better view


Welcome to the Stanley Hotel. Completed in...1907, I think, it stands as...um...Look, it's a neat place and it's rumored to be haunted. It also boasts a fine restaurant called The Cascades and really exorbitant room rates...Hey, let's go inside, huh?


Inside the richly-appointed lobby of the Stanley, we see the main staircase which leads up to the guest rooms (and, conceivably, spooky shenanigans and ghostly goings-on). To the left there is the check-in desk and to the right is the elevator which was installed in 1908 and is still running today. ON THE POWER OF STOLEN SOULS!..Er...Heh...


As I mentioned, we were there at the exact same time as some sort of paranormal conference thing. As proof, I offer this shaky, blurry photograph of Patrick Burns (star of the Court TV program Haunting Evidence) conversing with an obese gentleman who is sporting the mutton chop look and a XXXXXL sport jacket. And "Husky" jeans. And...And...


Once again, much like pictures of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, we have another shaky, blurry celebrity sighting photograph, this time depicting Grant Wilson, the shorter half of the Ghost Hunters from the Sci Fi Channel program of the same name. Apparently, Grant is seen here playing "cops n' robbers" with some chubby fellow who's boldly sporting a 1980s retro chapeau. To the right, Pat Burns observes the action with a strangely constipated expression.


And as if those celebrity sightings weren't enough, we were also able to catch Ray Romano taking a little catnap in a chair by the fireplace. Click the picture to see a closer view of the narcolepsy.


Inside the lobby of the Stanley Hotel is one of the original Stanley Steamer vehicles. Indeed, Mr. Stanley made his fortune off of these beauties before moving to the mountains of Colorado and erecting his famous hotel. Neat, isn't it?


And we end today's photo display with a shot of my wife hanging out on front of the waterfall which adorns the courtyard behind the hotel. All in all, I have to say that the Stanley Hotel, and Estes Park as a whole, is not lacking in the aesthetics department. Quite the beautiful place...

Well, that's that...As always, thanks for stopping by...You kids have a fine weekend now...

Labels: 'de paranormal, famous folk, get outta town, Phrickin' Photoblogs

And so, once again, we find ourselves at Wednesday. As at least four or five of your have come to expect, this is the day where I post our most recent podcasty effort. This week's show is one of the thoroughly random variety - vacation recaps, another visit from Sergeant Hoeppel and even a bit of an argument. So just clicky! Clicky to listen!..

Labels: 'de paranormal, audio, awesomecasts, famous folk, podcasts

And yes, it's "Monday" again. For me, it's the dreaded "back to work after a week off" kind of Monday where I have to get back into a routine after 7 days of shunning all things...well..."routine." Add to that the fact that I'm even sicker now than when I started the vacation (despite having been proactive and all that jive and getting meds from the doctor, etc.), I'm not really feeling terribly industrious. All that aside, though, I think that it's time I should post...

The Earth Completed A Full Orbit 'Round The Sun Since My Last Birthday...
Indeed, on the 25th of March, 'round 4:45 in the AM, I became 33 years of age. To celebrate this milestone, my parents were nice enough to take me (along with my wife) out to the Peppertree, a swanky restaurant in a not-so-swanky part of town (literally just a couple hundred feet down the hill from where I work). Despite it's proximity to an outpatient mental health facility and some questionable apartments, the place is really quite upscale. The most important part of any restaurant, however, is the food and in that category, the Peppertree did not disappoint. The house specialty at the Peppertree is their Pepper Steak which is prepared tableside, finished with a brandy flambé and served with spicy mango chutney. I chose said pepper steak, as did my wife, and was extremely impressed. My mom chose the Veal Neil which was more than awesome and my dad had the bone-in Kansas City strip which he surmised was the best steak that he's had anywhere at anytime. Overall, if you're ever in Colorado Springs and looking to impress someone (like maybe me, perhaps) and you've also got some coin to blow, I'd definitely recommend the Peppertree. A all the way.

Get Outta Town!..
On Thursday of last week, myself, my wife, my mom and my dad all took a quick trip up to Estes Park, a small town in the mountains about and hour and a half outside Denver. Among other things, Estes Park is home to the Stanley Hotel which was, of course, the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in the Stephen King novel "The Shining." The Stanley was actually used as the Overlook in the cheesy Television Miniseries adaptation of "The Shining" and, as you might expect, the gift shop there is simply maggoty with Shining memorabilia. The Stanley was our first stop as we got into town on Thursday and, as Collin mentioned on last week's podcast, it's pretty damn close to EVERYTHING in Estes Park. In the book, of course, the Overlook was completely isolated and impossible to access in the winter months. In real life however, the Stanley is within easy walking distance of the local Safeway and less than a mile from several restaurants, including McDonald's and the Egg and I. Maybe if Jack had just looked around a little...Anyhow, it was decided that we would have lunch at the Cascades restaurant inside the Stanley before checking into the condo which we had rented for the night. As we entered the restaurant, my wife recognized Grant Wilson from the Sci Fi Channel Ghost Hunters show and exclaimed "Hey, T.A.P.S.!" He looked back at us with an almost "I should know who you are" look as we were led to our table (conveniently, right next to his). Soon after, he was joined by someone who I later found out is Patrick Burns from Court TVs "Haunting Evidence" and some others who I figure I should've recognized but didn't. As we ate our lunch, it became increasingly obvious that, just by dumb luck, we had stumbled into the middle of a paranormal conference there at the Stanley. Because of this, everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) except for us was there for said conference. As such, EVERYONE was staring at US trying to figure out who the Hell we were. As an aside, our waiter at the Cascades, assuming that we were there for the spooky shit, was trying his level best to be as "spooky" as he could be. Poor bastard. His whole spooky act was wasted on our table...The only one he scared was my wife, as he kept sneaking up on her...I will give him credit, though...He moved swiftly...

As an aside, it's always amazing to me exactly how small these TV personalities are in real life. I'm talking homunculi-type small. That Grant guy was a damn midget and the Pat Burns guy...Well...Let's just say that our table could've engulfed and devoured him if the whim struck us...Tiny, tiny individuals...

Another Place To Recommend: The Fawn Valley Inn...
Since it is almost a 3-hour drive up to Estes Park from the Springs, we figured it'd be a good idea to find a place to stay for the night as opposed to just turning right around and coming home. As such, in my search for lodging, one of the few places with a vacancy (Goddamn paranormal conference) was the Fawn Valley Inn, which specializes in condos for rent. Going for what seemed like a bargain as compared to the $500-per-night Stanley (it's still the "off-season" in Estes Park), I booked a deluxe hot tub condo at the Fawn Valley Inn. The website made the place sound top-notch, recently remodeled one bedroom, two bath condo on the second floor with a private 4-person hottub on the deck which overlooks the Fall River. For a mere $188 per night after taxes, how could I pass it up? All four of us could stay in one place comfortably for $47 per person...I have to say that, once we got there, we weren't disappointed...The place was great...Pictures will be posted on Friday...

Then Comes The Sickness...
And then we come to this past weekend...We had many plans which had to be forsaken (hockey, housewarming at the Angellos, dinner at the Melting Pot for my mom's birthday and my mom and dad's anniversary) because I fell ill with a nasty chest...thing...It's still with me today, I was able to get a prescription called in, so I should be better within the week, but it's just so damned inconvenient to be sick. THAT, I don't recommend to anyone...

As always, thanks for stopping by...You kids have a fine Monday now...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, spooky shit

Wow. I'm lame. It's been a few days since I thought to post anything on this sad little blogsitething. You know, it's not for lack of inspiration (or even "stuff") in this case, it's just been a lack of "time," really. I had pictures all ready that I was hoping to share on Friday and...Yeah, never got around to posting them for your collective visual enjoyment. I also have a video that depicts what happens when my parents come over to play Wii Sports (my mom has trouble figuring out the VCR, so imagine how she dealt with the Wiimote). Indeed, there were moments of hilarity and yes, I should have put that up for you kids to chuckle at, but I haven't. Yet. Again, it's a time thing. Maybe Thursday or Friday, howsabout that?

Anyhow, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'd better get back to the workin'...Oh, wait...I do have one more thing...Yesterday, as you are all likely aware, was MLK day and, since I already had it written, I touched up my (old) entry about my having read the "I Have A Dream" speech when I was in elementary school and sent it into the Penn Jillette Show. I didn't expect much but damned if Penn didn't read the whole stinkin' thing (and it really was a long email) on the air. The podcast of yesterday's episode should be available soon so, if you've ever read my blog entries and thought "that's nice, but it'd be better if a big hulking juggler were reading this for me" (you know you have, don't lie), well...Then you're about to get your wish. I'll at least link the episode as soon as it becomes available. Until then, you crazy kids have a great Tuesday...

***Update - The episode is now available for download if you click here. It's the January 15, 2007 episode and my letter/story is read in the last break (with about 12 minutes to go).

Labels: audio, famous folk, lame stories, me roots, pointless shit, stagnation, tales of triumph

Wow, how time flies!..All of a sudden, I wake up and it's Phrickin' Phriday! Of course, this stray fact should clue in the few of you who will stumble by my humble little blogsitething today that you are about to be rewarded with the display of photographic goodness! Today's phrickin' photoblog features NOT ONLY the two pictures which we took while we were in Las Vegas recently, but those will be followed by (yet more) "podcasts-in-the-works" pics. Certainly, I should delay your picturey gratification no longer...Off with the jibber-jabber and ON WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHS!
when you click on the pictures, they BALOON so's you can get a better look at 'em (with your GOOD eye)...


Here's my wife being...well..."nuzzled," for lack of a better term by STAR of stage, screen and television: Teller (of the comedy and magic team Penn and Teller). Heather didn't know exactly what he was doing while I took this picture (and I wouldn't tell her). She had to wait until the film was developed (yeah, I TOTALLY said "developed!" We had one of them "disposable" cameras with us). When she saw the picture, she said "what the...He looks BORED!" Still, nice tie, Teller!..


Conversely, here I am NOT being "nuzzled" (thank God) by STAR of stage, screen and television: Penn Jillette (of the comedy and magic...oh, you get the idea). You know, it never fails. I only get like...One chance per year to have a picture taken with any sort of celebrity and I end up looking like an idiot. "What the Hell, is that a CAMERA over there?" At least I wore my good shirt...I think my wife snapped the picture a little fast...Regardless, nice...uh...Nice watch, Penn!..


And now, quickly moving from Las Vegas to Studio De Chevalier, here we all are (Collin, my sister Heather, myself and broadcast veteran Johnny Huston) recording one of those impending AWESOMECASTS...OBSERVE the two new microphones! SEE how happy Heather is to be a part of the action! FEEL sorry for Collin 'cause he...didn't have much to say during this particular episode...


But, not having anything to say certainly doesn't dampen Collin's mood any! On the contrary, he and Heather appear so damn happy in this photograph, I really don't know what to say!..


And finally, we end today's Phrickin' Photoblog with a shot that clearly illustrates the "face for radio" principle...Man, if that's not the stupidest look ever that I have on my face, I don't know what is..."Nyuuurrrrr, durrh! (drool)" By the same token, Johnny appears to be positively RIVETED by what I'm saying...Still, though, look at that awesome new Microphone!..Yeah!..

So anyway, as always, thanks for stopping by...You all have a fine weekend now...

Labels: Card Tricks, famous folk, get outta town, Phrickin' Photoblogs

So where did we leave off yesterday with the big recap (part one)? Ok, yeah, it was Saturday and we'd just enjoyed awesomely decadent burgery bliss at the Burger Bar and were about to head over to Harrah's to take in the Mac King comedy-magic show...I can only imagine, since you've taken the time to read THIS far into today's post, that you expect me to provide you with a detail or two...Fine...Because I'm in a "typey mood," I shall oblige...Don't say I never gave you nothin'...

...At Least He Wasn't Following A Funeral The Day WE Were There...
Way back at the end of May, Mac King was a guest on two consecutive episodes of the Penn Jillette Show, one being a Monkey Tuesday and the other...well...NOT being a Monkey Tuesday. In fact, the reason for the second guest appearance was so that Mac could tell the story of his "worst day ever in show business," a sad (yet hilarious) tale of how he was hired to perform at a college and, due to unfortunate circumstances, was stuck doing his goofy magic act following a memorial service for a recently murdered student. The reason I bring this up is simple: until you actually SEE Mac King in action, you can't truly fathom the horrible position which he was placed in on that (fateful) day. Now, this isn't to say that Mac doesn't do a good job, on the contrary, his show is more than worth the money which we spent to see him...The problem lies in the fact that his act, simply, is "goofy and fun," not exactly what one would consider as standard fare for a funeral or wake. Anyhow, both the wife and I enjoyed the Mac King show immensely and, because we were astute enough to wait in line after the show, I had the opportunity to tell him how much more the story which he told on the Penn Jillette show means to me now that I had seen him perform...He responded with "Penn enjoys my pain, it's his favorite story." Anyhow, next time you're in Vegas and looking for something to do on one of those deadly hot Desert afternoons, run into Harrah's and see Mac's show...Personally, I give it an enthusiastic A+...

EAT FASTER, KOBIYASHI! EAT FASTER!..
Following the Mac King Show, the wife and I figured that, since we had a little time and since it was "on the way," we'd stop by the Rio on the way back to Andy and Andrea's house and pick up our tickets to Penn and Teller (big show starts at 9pm, music at 8) so that we could have a leisurely dinner afterward. Heck, we were patting ourselves on the back for "thinking ahead" and stuff until the combination of "a lot of traffic" and the fact that the P & T Box Office wasn't even OPEN yet when we got there. Sadly, that kind of "screwed things up" for us and, suddenly, we found ourselves with "not a lot of time" to have dinner. Certainly, we didn't have NEAR enough time to do what we had planned (head out to Henderson and have dinner with Shannon and Big Al). Instead, Andy suggested that we go to Memphis Championship Barbecue, since it's on Rainbow, not TERRIBLY far from Flamingo. Heck, it was on our "list of places to try" anyway, so we agreed. We arrived at Memphis Championship with what I thought was "time to spare" but our "server" (I'd actually call her an "ignorer") was so far on the side of incompetent that we had almost no time to enjoy our entrees. Sadly, I had to inhale as much of my St. Louis Style Ribs and Half of a Chicken as I could before the wife and I had to run out, sticking Andy with the bill. (That's a lie, I left $40 with Andy and he, in turn, had our food boxed up so we could enjoy it later). My review of Memphis Championship, I believe, is not a fair one because of our compressed schedule. Still, I have to rate service: D-, Meat: A, Sauce: D+. Overall: INCOMPLETE. I'll have to give it another try...

No Lord Duckley, But Yes: They Did The Bullet Catch...
Seeing the Penn and Teller show at the Rio was a lot of fun. It was my second time and my wife's first. There were a number of segments in the show which I hadn't seen before (God of Polyester, Knife Throwing, etc.) and, of course, Mike Jones, Penn, and Teller all hang out in the lobby following the show and will chat, sign autographs and pose for pictures. The thing is, the LAST time which I saw the big show (which was my first time, of course), everybody was very orderly. There were lines to get to each performer and things were relatively calm. THIS time, however, people were just mobbing Penn and Teller from all sides (poor Mike Jones just stood there and maybe signed one or two stray autographs) and things were completely chaotic. Because of the madness, I had my wife pose with Teller and then I posed with Penn (pictures which I'll share soon). I also had a quick chance to ask Penn what had happened with the 4th of July Monkey Tuesday episode (at the time, the podcast had gone screwy and I couldn't find it). He assured me that it'd be put up but, so far, it's only available through unofficial channels. Of course, the reason I wanted to get hold of that particular show was because I was one of the "callers," having had the opportunity to relate ao condensed version of my made-up monkey story on the air...Anyhow, the show was great, I give it an "A," see it next time you're in Vegas with a medium-sized wad of cash to blow...

If This Is How They Eat In Indiana, They Must All Be Giant Fat-Asses...
The following day (Sunday), we all joined up with some of Andy's relatives, who were in town for a conference, and had brunch at a place called Hash House A-Go-Go. Andy had prefaced the place by telling me that NOT ONLY was the food awesome but that the portions were just insanely large. The restaurant's tagline is "Twisted Farm Food" and they claim to serve "Indiana favorites." While waiting for our table (the place is wildly popular, it seems), I noted that the plates which were on tables yet to be bussed were not so much "plates" as "platters," big enough to hold, say, a whole turkey with trimmings. Regardless, I ordered the Sage Fried Chicken brunch plate, my wife went with the French Toast and Al opted for the Hand-Hammered Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. Soon, each of us had a giant platter full of food in front of us...My platter had two eggs (over easy, thank you), two giant slabs of bacon, a huge hunk of Fried chicken (it was like...half a chicken) with a maple caramel reduction glazing it and (I'm not kidding) 3 to 5 POUNDS of bacon mashed potatoes. Hell, the eggs and bacon would have been a FINE meal in and of itself ('cause it came with this GIANT buttery flaky awesome biscuit...I forgot to mention that). The wife's French toast consisted of giant slabs of Homemade Hash House Milk Bread, battered in banana cinnamon cream and then covered in pecan maple syrup. Overall, it was surprisingly light, no where near as dense as normal French toast but MAN was it good! Al's sammich was kind of a conundrum...The bun, while large, didn't come close to covering the succulent breaded pork tenderloin which it came with...Literally, two people could eat the extended portion of meat (which Al and Shannon did) and STILL have a whole big sandwich left to go...Insanely large...In addition, we all got to sample Andy's dessert, the Snickers® bread pudding, and all I have to say about that is "holy crap." Seriously, outside of the stupid lemonade mimosa (which is my fault for even ordering it), I'll have to give Hash House A-Go-Go a solid A-...

Tie Up Those Loose Ends, Boy!..
After the Hash House, we split up, Andy going with his relatives and the wife and I going with Al and Shannon. While their group went to the Silverton Hotel and Casino, our group went bowling at Sunset Station and, I swear it's not my fault, I fell into the lane and jammed my knee on my first approach. I hadn't even had a sip of my cognac and ginger ale at that time! They must oil up their lanes funny or their shoes must be too slick...Dammit. Anyway, outside of that "looking like a clumsy idiot" crap, I didn't bowl HORRIBLY...Hell, bowling is always fun. After the bowling, we enjoyed dinner at Inka, another incarnation of the Peruvian restaurant which I enjoyed on a previous visit. The following day, prior to flying back home, the wife and I joined Andy and Andrea for lunch at Metro Pizza, a New York style pizzeria which ended up being very very enjoyable. After we parted ways, I hear that Andy passed the tests and is "in the pool," so to speak, for upcoming episodes of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." (There were open auditions that day and, the only reason we ALL didn't try out was the 4-hour wait, which would've put us REALLY CLOSE to the time which our plane was supposed to board). As usual, we had a great time in Sin City...Personally, I ate way too much and drank way too much but what the Hell...What else are you gonna do when you're on vacation?..

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, lame stories

Checked your calendar today? That's right, kids, it's Thursday and that means that, just by being in the right place (here) at the right time (now), you are about to be hit with yet another odd little Illustration Friday endeavor. How lucky are YOU today, huh? Anyway, this week's theme was "Skyline" and, because 1950s music is really where it's at, I decided to add an extra letter (or two) to this week's theme word and bang out a quick sketch of the legendary Pittsburgh vocal group, the Skyliners...
click on them, they'll get bigger (and stuff)

You've no doubt heard the Skyliners' 1958 hit Since I Don't Have You. Like many groups popular in the 1950s, only one original member (Jimmy Beaumont) remains as an active performer, the other male members of the group having long since retired and the female soprano, Janet Vogel, having died tragically in 1980...

Anyhow, thanks for stopping by...You all have a fine Thursday...

Labels: cartoons n' stuff, famous folk, Illustrations, sad stories

And so, much like last week, the week before and (likely) the week before that, we find ourselves once again locked in a staredown with that bastard they call "Tuesday." I'd like to take this opportunity to tell all (3 or 4 of) you kids that I have a lot to type about, and you should be absolutely RIVETED by what you're about to read but...I'd be lying to you if I did that. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time I've lied to you (not by a long shot) so I know that, by now, you can handle it. Hell, you've no doubt come to expect it. In fact, the handful of you who keep coming back to this goofy little blogsitething here must REALLY like being lied to...For that, I am appreciative...Thank you...

Anyhow...

How 'Bout Them Avalanche!?
I started off LAST WEEK'S completely random Tuesday post with this topic and I am compelled to do the very same thing THIS week...SCREW YOU, DALLAS STARS! Yeah! ha HA! The Colorado Avalanche, the same team that played poorly down the stretch during the regular season, the same team that had a big, fat glaring question mark at the goalie position, the same team that backed into the playoffs and had me worried that they would fall flat against Dallas not only did NOT fall flat, but they hung a Texas-sized asswhuppin' on those Stars, eliminating them in 5 games. In the series, 3 of the 4 Avalanche wins came in Overtime and the much maligned (by me) Jose Theodore stood tall when it counted, shutting the door on the Stars late in the games and giving the Avs the opportunity to score the late goals which meant the real difference. Also: Andrew Brunette, you're my HERO...

In addition to the 7th seed knocking of the 2nd seed (Avs over Stars), Edmonton pulled the proverbial rabbit out of their hockey helmet and, despite a superhuman effort by Henrik Zetterberg for Detroit, knocked off the Redwings in 6 games to also advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Detroit, who had the best regular season record in the NHL, is not the first President's trophy winner in NHL history to be bounced unceremoniously in the first round. Some call it the "curse of the president's trophy," but I have a more realistic view: the Wings severely underestimated their opponent and, conversely, overestimated their own talent. Regardless, they're free to make tee-times now and that makes me quite happy...

Everybody Needs A Little Positive Feedback Now and Then...
As some of you may already know, I've always been quite enamored with talk radio. Among other things, I've been a talk show host in my past and, if I'm not listening to a CD in my truck, I'm likely listening to talk radio. Sadly, outside of sports talk, I've found that actual "good" talk radio can be pretty hard to find. With that said, I've really taken a shine in the last few months to the Penn Jillette Show which you can stream live from noon to 1pm (Mountain time) or, if you're so inclined, pick up as a podcast the following day. Now, because I am a proud and permanent member of the lunatic fringe, I've called into the show a couple times and also sent in an email which was read on the air. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that a "fan art" section was added to the show's website and, since I had a few extra minutes, I decided to slap something together and submit it. Now, the whole "fan art" thing has always seemed a little geeky to me and I've only slipped completely into fan-geekdom once before in my life, submitting this, which was inspired by this, to this guy some years back (he liked it). Anyhow, with only a couple of photographs to work from (and, of course, my spooky, spooky brain to assist me), I came up with this to submit to the Penn Jillette Show:
click it, it'll get all "big" and you'll be able to discern "detail" and shit...

When I sent it, I got a nice email back from Michael Goudeau saying that it was...well, I can't exactly remember what he said (and I'm not going to take the time to look) but I do remember that he liked it and that he said it would go up on the website...After a few back and forth emails between me and their web guy, it DID go up and, predictably, I felt "pride." At the end of last week, though, I got some nice, non-specific feedback on the air from Penn which led to me feeling even MORE "pride"...In lieu of an audio snippet (which might get me in trouble...copyrights and all, you know), I'll transcribe the little bit he said about my drawing during the show...

(Penn, speaking to Michael Goudeau) ...I looked at (the website) the other day, it's got pictures and stuff! Pictures from the AIDS walk, pictures of your kids, just kidnapping fodder all over the place there and uh...A picture of Moxie, me holding Moxie walking across the line at the AIDS walk and ALSO cartoons, psychotic cartoons that people send in of you and I doin' the show. There was one I really liked with you, uh, juggling donuts and me eating donuts and just boxes of donuts all over the place. I guess we give people the impression that we do nothing but eat Krispy Kreme donuts...

So there you go..."one I really liked." I know it's not much but every little bit of feedback helps. What it helps, I'm not exactly sure, but it helps. Hooray for "positive feedback" (like comments - hint hint). As a sidenote, since I was just guessing as to what the studio would look like when I drew the thing, I now feel compelled to rework it and resubmit it because pictures of the actual studio recently went up on the site and...well...The only thing I really guessed right on were the microphones. I was way off on everything else, especially about the whole "lighting" factor...

A Day Without Immigrants? Ooh, Can We Shoot For a Whole Week?..
So yesterday, in an attempt to display their "clout," scores of "immigrants" were supposed to take a cue from the AFL-CIO and forego doing any actual "work" to instead prance around in public places all across this great land and shout half-assed slogans, likely in a language which I would have trouble comprehending. Now this is all well and good, I guess - we do have a number of freedoms in this country including the freedom to assemble and the right to free speech but, if the people who were assembling and speaking are in this country illegaly...Do they really have those rights at their disposal? I think what has bothered me the most about this whole "immigration reform protest" deal which has, of course, been coming to a head for more than a few weeks now, is that those involved seem to think that the only "immigrant" which matters are those who trek across into the States from Mexico. I guess it's only fair - they probably couldn't get any help from the NAACP since the only color which that organization believes exists is "black." Regardless, around here I didn't see any significant impact - we don't employ any illegals where I work. I heard on the news that there was a gathering in Memorial Park near downtown and, following that, the group attempted to march downtown but were turned away by the cops. Now that yesterday is over (and, presumably, all of the dishwashers and construction site cleanup guys have gone back to their temp agencies to pick up some work) I'd like to say that I don't begrudge anyone who wishes to enter our country and become a part of our population. After all, this country was built on immigration, it's one of the things at the very core of american society. I just have one simple request of those who would seek to join us here:

Follow the stinkin' rules, would ya?..

Labels: cartoons n' stuff, famous folk, hockey stuff, Illustrations, lame stories, misguided rantings, radio stories, sports, tales of triumph

So I guess I should stop with the procrastination and actually post something. Now, I know that today is Wednesday and, as such, it'd be pretty darn cool if I could stick to my self-imposed schedule and post an audio ANYTHING...but...Well...How about a recap of my recent trip to Las Vegas? Huh? How about that?...

You know you want it...

Anyway, yeah...On Sunday of last week, my wife and I got up early and hit the road for (roughly) 12 hours en route to Sin City, USA. We stayed with my wife's sister and her fiancee Big Al who have a house out in Henderson. Due to the fact that so many birthdays are clustered so close together (my buddy's wife had one earlier in march, mine was the 25th, his was the 26th and my wife and her sister's birthday is April 6) we decided to all get together the first night we were in town at the Steak House at Circus Circus for a big-time birthday celebration eat-fest...Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Circus CIRCUS!? eww!" If you WERE thinking that, you'd be right...Circus Circus is a lousy place...Lousy, that is, EXCEPT for the Steak House, which has been rated the best Steak House in Las Vegas for like...17 years running. They feature Prime beef, aged 23 days and, of course, cooked to order on a mesquite grill. I enjoyed the surf and turf, an Australian lobster tail paired with a petite filet (medium rare) with the garlic mashed potatoes. Throw in some Macallan 18-year-old single malt scotch (neat, thank you) and it should be quite obvious that I enjoyed my dinner, as did everyone else at the table. I'd heartily recommend the Steak House at Circus Circus if'n you got a hankerin' for some high-falutin' dining...

Just don't stay there OR play there...Seriously...

On Monday, the wife and I went to a few casinos and wasted some money along with some time. Dinner that evening was BBQ chicken pizza which I made with help from Big Al. Man, that was some good pizza...

Tuesday evening, we met up with my buddy Andy and his wife for Pub Quiz at MacMullan's which is very near to the Orleans hotel and casino. I wrote a bit about Pub Quiz after my last Vegas trip so you should already know that it's a ton of fun and that there are prizes involved. Long story short, our team (the Angels of Def) emerged victorious on that evening and were the proud recipients of a one hundred dollar bar tab (which JUST covered all of the stuff we ate and drank)...

On Wednesday, we all had dinner at Geisha, which is a teppinyaki joint (you know, where the fella' comes around to your table and cooks your meal with fanfare and shenanigans). Despite the fact that the place was short staffed and we had to wait a considerable amount of time before we got out dinner (and a show), I found Geisha to be quite enjoyable and certainly worthy of a return trip somewhere down the line...Following the dinner, Andy and I went to the Sahara to see the Amazing Johnathan do his thing...I had purchased "VIP" seating for the show, expecting to be pretty close to the stage, but the joke ended up being on me: more than half of the seating at the Congo Room (where Big John performs) is VIP seating...regardless, I thought that the show was pretty good and certainly worth the money. It did get me to thinkin', though...While the Amazing Johnathan is billed as a comedy and magic show, he's essentially just a prop comic since he actually can't do any "magic." Essentially, Carrot Top with a big ol' gut and a headband. Still, his show is one that's on the list to see again...

Thursday evening, we enjoyed dinner at Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe. Actually, I shouldn't say that we ALL enjoyed our dinner...My wife's food (pastashemolionch, or some such shit) was on the side of strange and unenjoyable while mine (trio o' kabobs) was good, but the meat was all overdone. Dessert was pretty tasty, though...Following the food, we all went to the Flamingo to catch the the Second City show which, since it was completely improv, was a bit hit-or-miss. With that said, it was a real fun show and, like other stuff I've mentioned, is one the "let's do that again" list...

On Friday, Big Al and Shannon slaved all day to produce a barbecued meat-fest of biblical proportions. The smoked ribs (Al's third attempt so far) turned out awesome and the pulled pork that shannon concocted was excellent. My wife's dad and stepmom chose not to join us, so they missed out (big time) and poor Catholic Andy had to wait until midnight to enjoy some meat because it was a Friday during lent. I admired his fortitude, though...Admired it while I was stripping rib bones clean....

Following a short night of sleep, my wife and I hit the road early on Saturday and headed home, another big fun Vegas trip in the books. Our road trips aren't finished yet, though: we're going to St. Louis to see my wife's favorite team (the Blues) play this coming weekend. 12 more hours on the road (each way), albeit in a different direction...Should be fun...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, lame stories, stagnation, tales of triumph

This, of course, is the latest continuation of a series of entries wherein I share tales of me "eating food" and "doing stuff" during my recent excursion to Las Vegas. Subsequently, you are invited to feel jealous and/or hungry at regular intervals. Read on, if you dare.
No Flash Photography, Please...
And so, in a state of "full up like so many fat little piggies" due to the previously described ingesting of the lamb meat, kobe beef (meat), sweet potato fries and sweet, sweet booze, my hosts and I wandered more or less aimlessly back through (the opulent) Mandalay Bay. Or did we go through Luxor first? Eh...No matter...I really should add that, while I was "wandering" and Andy's wife Andrea was "walking," Andy was "prancing." You see, something (I cannot remember what specifically) had given Andy the idea to "dance everywhere" for the rest of the day...While he needed a bit of reminding here and there, his "interpretive dance-walking" certainly added an amount of...something...to our day...Anyhow, dancing and Jazz-hands aside, following our lunch at the Burger Bar, we eventually danced our collective way toward "Shark Reef" which, if you are unaware, is a very large indoor aquarium exhibit at Mandalay Bay...I had heard of it but had never actually partaken of it's marine-related eyefuls of goodness...Thanks to a decent "locals discount," though, we were all soon taking the grand tour, greasy "audio wands" in hand...

But, sadly, without the ability to snap pictures of any kind...

You see, prior to my going on vacation, I had purchased two new digital cameras...That's right, TWO stinkin' cameras: one for me, one for my wife. I was sure that, at the same time that I was staring at marine life from around the globe (sans camera) in Vegas, my wife was probably joyously snapping pictures, one right after another, while visiting her mother in Florida. As opposed to resting usefully in my hands, MY camera was safely in it's case, next to the sleep-futon, back at Casa de Andy. It's sad, really, because during the tour I was constantly thinking "damn, I can't descibe THAT! I'd have to take a PICTURE!" So, yes: Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is pretty impressive, And when you take my word for that and go and see the stupid thing for yourself, take your camera...And send me pictures...Thanks.

And What Exactly Do They Eat in Peru?..
Having already enjoyed lunch at the Burger Bar, and after having given many a shark the "stink-eye," Andy, Andrea and I had to decide where we were going to eat our dinner later that evening before dancing over to see the magical magic that is Penn and Teller. We decided to enjoy one of the restaurants which Andy had already tried, and subsequently recommended, called Inka Si Señor. Now, every town in the USA has at least one Mexican restaurant, everyone is familiar with Chinese restaurants, many people enjoy German food and Japanese food and countless other restaurants featuring ethnic fare (I'm quite partial to Vietnamese, too)...Tell me this, though: when was the last time you sat down at your favorite PERUVIAN restaurant? Huh? C'mon, smart guy!..That's right, you are "at a loss"...While not the most widespread of the ethnically-themed restaurant fare, Peruvian is pretty good stuff...At the very least, I found Inka's Peruvian food to be very tasty (they claim that their food is so homemade, that it won't taste the same twice, so I'll let you know how it is the next time I go)...The restaurant itself is a relatively large establishment with a friendly staff and a full bar. Myself, I enjoyed a chicken and rice dish that, when delivered to the table, was not only a heaping mound of food but sported a unique shade of green...The dish itself was bursting with flavor without being spicy, which I found unique...Andrea enjoyed a steak dish, covered with melted cheeses and served along side a similar rice as the one paired with my chicken. Andy, of course, shared Andrea's plate (and sampled my chicken) and also had a side-dish of sweet plantains which were quite awesome...Because I'm a borderline alcoholic To compliment my dinner, I tried a Pisco and Ginger ale with a twist of lime. If you've never enjoyed it, Pisco is a form of Brandy and is, essentially, the national drink of Peru. Pisco tasted mostly like whiskey to me (which was just fine) and was relatively smooth without being overly fruity...While I was able to finish the drink, I was not able to finish my meal (yes, it was THAT much of a "heaping mound"). Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Las Vegas and you're thinking to yourself "all of these hip, trendy 5-star restaurants just won't do," hit up Inka Si Señor for some hearty homemade Peruvian food...You certainly won't be disappointed in the slightest...

Try, Try, Try To Understand (He's A Magic Man)...
As I mentioned earlier, following our thoroughly enjoyable culinary visit to Peru, we danced off to the Rio to witness the madness that is Penn and Teller. Andy had actually purchased the tickets (in addition to picking up the tab at Rum Jungle) as my Christmas gift (thanks, buddy!) and, truthfully, I couldn't be happier, I'd been wanting to see Penn and Teller for years...Andy had said that he saw them some years ago at Penn State and that they were pretty awesome...Without revealing too much about their show, they tend to reveal EVERYTHING. That's right, they'll do all of their magic and stuff and then, I guess because they like you, they go ahead and show you HOW THEY DID THE TRICK...Entertaining, to say the least...On top of all of that, after the show is over, they will do the whole meet-and-greet thing with you, your friends and anyone else who comes by out in the lobby...And, oh yeah...You can probably guess what I didn't bring along...

That's right...My friggin' camera...

So I didn't get a picture with Penn, or with Teller, or with Penn and Teller, but I did get their autographs and got to chat briefly with them and yes the little guy DOES speak and yes he's friendly and yes Penn is like 6 foot 6 and HUGE and imposing and funny as Hell and if you get a chance: SEE THE SHOW TWICE. or three times. Doesn't matter, that show kicked ass...

Thanks again, Andy!..

As much as I've already shared with you folks regarding MEAT FEST 2005 in Las Vegas, THERE'S STILL MORE TO COME! Oh yes there is, so be sure to join me again (soon) 'cause there's more opportunities for me to make you feel all hungry and stuff...

Labels: famous folk, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, lame stories

Rafael Corrales Palmeiro
1st Base • Baltimore Orioles
Denied using steroids before congress
Tested positive for steroid use
stated that he "didn't know" he was taking steroids


Ulysses Everett McGill
Ward of the State of Mississippi
Uses only the "cream" (Dapper Dan)
IS the "damn paterfamilias"
is NOT, however, "bona fide."

Labels: famous folk, Phun With Photoshop

I just had the opportunity to meet Mike Shanahan and shake his hand...This is extremely cool, seeing as I'm a HUGE fan of the Denver Broncos. It was real hard to not sweat and freak out (I THINK I did ok)...I know he's just a person, but it's...well...Hard to explain, I guess...I was the same way when I got to meet Carl Gardner, lead singer for The Coasters. Have you ever had a chance to meet someone who is kind of a "hero" to you? Anyway, He's a pretty neat individual...Especially so, since he took the time to meet us monkeys here in the art department...

Thanks, Mike!

Labels: famous folk, sports, tales of triumph