My Wife is Cool

This is the text message I got from my wife at 3:30 pm, Wednesday, December 10th:

"Cardinals are coming march 6 Alabama theater. Aren't I so with it?"

Is my wife really breaking Music news to me?? She sent this one hour after Pitchfork broke the story????

Like I said before, I don't think we'll be buying any tickets to this show (now if I happen to win any off the radio???), but to answer your question, Yes Dear, you are so with it!

Happy Birthday to Me (Dec 9)

Is there anything better than Facebook on your Birthday?? Seriously, you get birthday well wishes all day long!

Today I turn the Big 2-7 and celebrating with a mock interest look-back tax project at work!! Tonight the the Mrs. and I are heading to Rojo for some fish tacos! Oh man, I love fish tacos!

Man's Best Friend

So, about 3 months ago, the Mrs. and I “adopted” a dog. Ok, the dog really belonged to my wife, but had been living at her parents’ house the last 8 years (they got it for her when she was a freshman . . . in college, not high school).

Phoebe (aka Pheebers) is a Brussels Griffon, and although if you had asked me a year ago if there would be a dog in my house, I would have said a resounding “HECK NO!” she has slowly, but surely melted away my cold, icy heart (that is one long run-on sentence). According to Wikipedia, “Griffons tend to bond with one human more than others,” and my wife will reluctantly admit that person is me. I was also glad to see the Wikipedia entry mention the fact they bear a strong resemblance to a certain species in the Star Wars galaxy.

Anyways, I was bored last night, and made another short film with Pheebes. The wife and I had to leave her with her “grandparents” (aka the wife’s parents) this weekend, and when she returned to us, she was happy to see me . . .



PS - I know I’m removing the black veil of secrecy over my identity. Please internet world, don’t steal it.

Oh, I heard of them 3 weeks ago . . .

Has anyone else seen The Deer Hunter? I saw it a couple years ago (I think I fell asleep during part of it – it’s over three hours) and remember being BORED OUT OF MY MIND! My taste in film must not be that classy, because it won an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (plus Best Editing and Sound, but those are kind of boring awards). The only scene I can remember is the one where DeNiro plays Russian Roulette with the other Vietnamese guards/prisoners (MAU! MAU! DIDI MAU!)

Well, this weekend JD and I are going to get ROCKED OUT OF OUR MIND, as Deerhunter (the indie blog-darlings of the season) comes to the Bottletree on Saturday night! I had never listened to them until this week (I got a copy of Microcastle), but I’d compare them to an up-tempo My Bloody Valentine (and my exposure to MBV is only limited to Loveless). I should have guessed they were pretty uber-hip as Pitchfork had their latest album review on their front page for what seemed like forever.

Anyways, I’m bringing along my trusty Nikon, so you might see some of my picts over at Bham.fm next week.

Hope everyone has a good weekend! CHOMP!! CHOMP!!

Slap Yo Mama

Oh man, I think I found my new favorite BBQ joint in Birmingham . . . Moe’s Original BBQ


What started in Colorado by three Bammers, has now landed in Orange Beach and two Bham locations (in Vestavia and downtown in the Massey Building, home of the former Bombay Pub). Before I talk about how tasty Moe’s was/is, can we have a moment of silence for Bombay Pub?? Best sandwich in downtown Birmingham. Too bad we never invited Pete, right Andy . . . lolz.

I went to Moe’s with Jay for lunch (I doubt the downtown location is open for dinner) and ordered the Pulled Pork platter, Bama-style (vinegar slaw on top) with Mac n Cheese (nothing special) and Collards greens (fantastic, but not as good as Sweet Bones Alabama). We got there pretty early, as they had limited seating (maybe 5 or 6 tables) and our order was up fast. The meat (pork shoulder) was tender and the sauces (white and red) had great flavor. And they have REALLY good grilled cornbread. Jay also mentioned they make some mean Ribs and Brunswick Stew.

I am definitely down to go again if anybody’s interested . . .

War Damn Tubby

After 10 years as Auburn’s head football coach, ole Tubbs is out.

Did anybody watch the official AU press conference on Coach Tommy Tuberville’s “resignation”? We are supposed to believe that on Monday morning, CTT met with the powers that be, and told them he wanted to coach at Auburn for another 5 years (to let his sons finish out high school in Auburn). Then, on Wednesday afternoon, he tells Jay Jacobs (Athletic Director) and Jay Gogue (AU President) that he wants to resign??? And Auburn is just going to honor his $5.1M buy-out out of the goodness of their heart??? I know the AU administration is in a tough place (that they put themselves in), but I can’t believe they would say that with a straight face to the Auburn family (and media).

Tubbs is the 4th winningest Auburn football coach behind Shug Jordan (who they named the Stadium named after), Pat Dye (who they named the Field named after) & Mike Donahue (who they named a Street on campus after). Tubby won 9 of the last 14 games against teams ranked in the AP Top 10. Until this year’s shellacking by UAT, Tubbs had a higher Iron Bowl winning percentage (9 W, 2 L - 78%) than “the Bear” (19 W, 6 L - 76%).

The world of college football coaching salary/buy-outs has gotten out of control and with that the expectations. It will be interesting to see who Auburn brings in, and the amount of time they get, before getting ousted for a losing season (Auburn’s last losing season before this year was 1999, Tommy’s first year as head coach).

In honor of the Riverboat Gambler, let’s pour out a bag of delicious Golden Flake potato chips and remember some of his Greatest Hits.

10/13/2001 – An (unranked?) Auburn defeats #1 ranked Florida 23-20, with a last second FG in the rain. Bandaniel sends me his first congratulatory webcam video from the UK.

9/18/2004 – #14 Auburn defeats #5 LSU 10-9, after Courtney Taylor comes up with a touchdown reception late in 4th quarter. The crowd goes wild!

10/14/2004 – #3 Auburn defeats #5 Georgia 24-6, to continue their 2004 undefeated season. One of the largest crowds on Auburn’s campus for College Game Day (I heard it took the cleaning crew a week to pick up all the trash)

12/03/2004 – #3 Auburn defeats #15 Tennessee 38-28 in the SEC Championship (2nd time to defeat UT that year). Good times to be had in ATL by all!

11/12/2005 – #15 Auburn defeats #9 Georgia 31-30, after Aromashodu’s 63-yard reception in the 4th quarter, set up a field goal with seconds remaining.

11/19/2005 – Stanley leads #11 Auburn over the UAT Crimson Tide 28-18, with Brodie Croyle suffering 11 sacks. Fear the Thumb!

10/14/2006 – #11 Auburn defeats #2 Florida 27-17. Just like UAT, Auburn owned Florida in the 2000’s.

9/23/2007 – Urban Meyer can’t freeze Wes Byrum, as (unranked) Auburn defeats #4 Florida 20-17, with another last second FG.

Thanks for the memories, Tubby! We'll miss ya . . .

Top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the 80s and 90s?

Back in college, Mike P. and I came up with a “Cool Quiz” (what a lame name, right?) to gauge one’s music knowledge and street credibility. Here are some of the questions we came up with:

The Velvet Underground & Nico cover art was created by what famous art icon? Andy Warhol. What was on the cover? A Banana

Can you name one or more of David Bowie's alter egos? Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke

Who is Pete Best? The Beatle's original drummer

Where did Tom Morello graduated from college? Harvard

Well, you can imagine my excitement when I saw the Bottletree started hosting a Music Snob Trivia Night a few weeks ago!!! Every Tuesday, teams compete in eight rounds of music trivia benefitting Scrollworks.

Whaley, JD, D. Rooney & I went 2 weeks ago (JD came up with the best team name in the history of music snobbery - “Oh, I heard of them 6 months ago), and although I was confident we would walk away victorious, we came in 5th (apparently there are a lot of music nerds, err, snobs in Birmingham). The rounds range in categories from Album Cover Art, Music Theory, Misheard Lyrics, Rolling Stones, etc. and you weigh your answers 1, 3 or 5, depending on how confident you are. Does anyone know what Andy Summers is doing on the cover of the Police’s Synchronicity . . . yeah, me neither (he was making a telephone call).
Anyways, if anybody wants to join us, we’re heading up there tomorrow (Tuesday) and it starts around 8:30.

PS – For those of you who have not been to Bottletree, they have some of the best food (vegan and “regular”), and also bring in some of the the indiest of indie acts in music (I can't believe I missed Vampire Weekend earlier this year!)

Week in Review

I really did have good intentions to catch up on a little blogging over the holiday weekend, but I’m sure you’ve noticed . . . nothing! I’ll try not to bore you (nobody likes a “vain blogger”, right??) with what I did instead . . .

Wednesday night, the wife and I went to John Cassimus’ (of Zoe’s fame) newest restaurant venture, Maki Fresh, a Sushi Bar & Japanese Grill. I like the concept, but would like to see more variety in the Sushi options (Crunch Crunch – good, Summer – ehhh??). We also decided at the last minute to finally go see Fireproof. I really didn’t think the acting was that bad (if you really want some bad acting, check out Facing the Giants . . . no offense, both were good movies with positive messages . . . just not Oscar winning performances).

Thursday, the wife and I celebrated Thanksgiving at her sister’s house with some tasty food catered by Sweet Bones Alabama. Now, before you go and cast guilt and shame on us (who am I kidding, we just brought the rolls) for catering, there were 24 folks there (6 kids, 18 adults). Sweet Bones Alabama (formerly BoneDaddy’s) recently opened in the former On the Border location at the Scummit. They spent a lot of time and effort re-doing the interior, and the menu is on par with any of the award-winning BBQ you’ll find in Memphis. FYI - If you go for Sunday brunch, they have really good BBQ Bloody Mary’s . . .

Friday, the Mrs. was up and at ‘em at 4:30 am to brave the Black Friday crowds but was back home and in bed by 6:30. We headed back out to brave the Scummit after lunch, and then spent some time hanging out with Wyatt (and Fef & Clay) before going to Four Christmases. I know the reviews weren’t that great, but we both thought it was hilarious. Then again, if you’re a Vince Vaughn fan, he basically plays the same character he’s been playing the last 5 years (Old School, Wedding Crashers, etc. ) and has some really funny lines . . .

Saturday we went to Tuscalooser, to watch the worst Alabama Ass-Whuppin’ since 1962. We sat in a Bammer section. The traffic was awful. I mentally checked out of Auburn’s football season five losses ago . . .

And finally Sunday, the nephews and nieces (yep, there’s two if you count the bun in Jessica’s oven) came over to our house to take the annual grandchildren Christmas Card picture. This is the third year all the kiddies have dressed up in a Nativity scene for the In-Law's Christmas Card (Made on a Mac). Note: this is NOT the OFFICIAL finished card . . .

What I’m thankful for this year:

My sweet wife *

I really am so blessed to have a wife that loves me as much as the Mrs. She’s such a good hearted (she’s a kindergarten teacher), beautiful, hilarious woman (doesn’t “woman” make it sound like she’s 40?) who not only loves me unconditionally, but also challenges and inspires me to be the Godly leader I want to be.

That God loves me enough to send his Son, Jesus to die for my sins. Everyday I fall short of His standards, but I know He loves me just the same. I’m sad to say, I’m not the “boldest” Christian, and although most people know I’m a “good guy” I’m not the kind of guy that can just drop in verses or “Christian” dialogue naturally in conversation. I don’t mean to get all preachy, but I can’t thank God enough for what He has done for me and praise Him for who He is.

My friends and family, in Birmingham and everywhere else throughout the U.S. We had 26 groomsmen/bridesmaids in our wedding. We love our friends and family. We’re glad we get to see a lot of them on a regular basis here in the Magic City and would love to see more of you here (wink, wink, nudge, nudge . . . Brad come work for Harbert!!)

Google Reader. Seriously, if yall are not using Google Reader, you are wasting your time on the internet (which if you are reading this blog, I guess you already are??)

PS – This post is so self-servingly long, but I’m trying to make up for lost time . . . please forgive me.

* Yes, I know I’m already posting my one “sentimental” post on 12/1 . . .

Ace of Cakes . . . err, Spades!!

This post is dedicated to Colton, Whaley & JD.

So two years ago, I was all hyped up about some Butternut Squash soup and tried to make it for a group of our friends on New Year's Eve. I was pretty cocky and didn't actually try out the recipe beforehand (I think it was Tyler Florence's) and needless to say it was a bust (at least I thought so). Well, this week on Google Reader, I saw not one, but two different folks blogging about ole Mr. Butternut Squash (I guess its not that weird since Thanksgiving is this week). The wife also had some tasty butternut squash soup the other weekend in Asheville, so I decided I would give it another go.

I'm no expert on Butternut Squash, but I was a little disappointed in the size Publix had (I'm including the bottle of Shiner Bock as a reference and also to try and un-Gay this post as much as possible*).

The recipe I used this time came from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) via the Amateur Gourmet. If you've ever watched Ina on Foodnetwork, you know she loves to use HEAVY CREAM and BUTTER in almost everything! I always crack up, because whenever she over-indulges in her recipes, she reassures the camera/audience, "You know, it's ok, this is for a special occasion/recipe."

Anyways, I was pretty pleased with how the soup turned out (I didn't use as much curry powder, and added more apple cider). I didn't really think about how much soup this would make, so if anybody is hungry, we have about 2 quarts worth in the freezer!

* I'm also listening to Motorhead right now!!

Sorry, haven't been too Bloggy this week

So enjoy this picture of Tony Perkis . . .

Though I must say, he is a bit . . . over the top!

Revival Picts and Shameless Self Promotion

The show on Saturday was SWEET!

If any of yall are still bored, check out some more picts I put on Flickr.

I’m also contributing to a new Birmingham music blog called Bham.fm. They posted my thoughts on the show earlier today.

Don’t worry, I still have my day job . . .

Shoot Her! Shoot Her!

Oh Man, has anyone else seen the commercial for Kota, the Triceratops?!?! (ok, it came on when the Mrs. was watching Jon & Kate + 8 . . . I was, uh, I dunno, I was doing something in the other room, not really paying attention).

Anyways, I made her re-wind because this thing looked AWESOME! Can you imagine being a 7 year old boy (or 26 year old lawyer . . . JD) and having a life size (ok, it actually looked like it was 3 feet tall) dinosaur to play with?? That thing looked seriously sweet!

PS - R.I.P. Michael Chrichton

PPS - I will proudly wear a "No Worry, Beef Curry" t-shirt if you can find me one . . . 

The boys are playing those old sad songs

Some might say I’m a Lucero “super-fan” (yes, I bought an original 7” Kiss the Bottle/My Best Girl split off eBay a few years ago). I’ve probably been to 30+ shows since the Summer of 2000 and although spraying PBR on your friends while singing “Tears Don’t Matter Much” isn’t near as fun as it was in college, I still enjoy getting out to see the boys play (they’ve already made two stops in the Magic City this year).

This Saturday, you can catch Ben Nichols (Lucero) with Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Tim Barry (Avail), and Tom Gabel (Against Me!) on the Revival Tour at Workplay. Although, they all share punk roots, each has (or about to) released a solo and/or acoustic record recently. In addition to playing their own material on this Tour, it sounds like they’ll be trying out each other’s as well (Check out this song they all teamed up on here)!

Ben Nichols’ The Last Pale Light in the West is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, Blood Meridian, and is set to “drop” early next year (but you can pre-order with an instant digital download!). You might know McCarthy as the author of No Country for Old Men (I still need to see that!), and it looks like Blood Meridian is also set for the big screen in the near future.

Anyhow, I’ve never listened to Hot Water Music or Avail, but Against Me! always puts on a good show (they played Workplay in September).

Let me know if anyone is interested in going and check back next week for picts!

Soylent Green is Asheville

Oh man, I’m sure I could really bore you readers with a long detailed itinerary of our weekend in Asheville, NC, and how sweet that town is, but I’ll try my best to keep your attention! Let me try and break it down DDT style.

1) We stayed at the Beaufort House Victorian Inn (my first time at a B&B). It’s funny because you feel like you have to whisper and tip-toe down the stairs because the house creaked like a 100 year old house would. Both of us enjoyed the friendly conversations we had with the other guests at the breakfast table each morning (how random is it we ran into a couple from Troy, OH, where my grandparents live?). We also found out Charlton Heston rented a room here for 6 months in the 1940s.

2) If you had asked me before how exciting I thought a 110 year old house could be, I probably would have shrugged and said, Ehhhh, but seriously the Biltmore is a really cool place (and attracts over 1M visitors a year). The nation’s largest private residence opened in 1895 and had a bowling alley, an indoor swimming pool and 43 bathrooms before most Americans even had electricity in their homes. The audio tour was key and gave me all sorts of new trivia I would otherwise have had to find on Wikipedia . . .

3) In addition to tourists, this town was full of hippies and/or artsy folks. The Mrs. and I played a fun (for me) game called “Count the Subarus” . . . I think we lost count after we saw 5 on one neighborhood street (approximately 75% with Obama bumper stickers). Asheville was also home to Kenny George (of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs), the world’s tallest (7’7”) college basketball player. Sadly, KG had to undergo a career ending surgery on his foot earlier in the year. Another notable AVL resident: Memphis transplant Greg Cartwright (of the Reigning Sound, Compulsive Gamblers, Oblivians, etc.). Oh, you wanted street cred? I saw them Live at Legba Records (TBHS record release – Summer 2002).

4) Twice a year, all the local artists open up their studios (housed in dilapidated old warehouses and factories) for the River Arts District Studio Stroll. We actually didn’t know this was going until Saturday night, but got to see some really interesting stuff Sunday morning. I’d love to see Birmingham “gentrify” an older area like this, I think they’ve started on 2nd Ave North . . .

5) My one regret of the weekend . . . Not having enough time to try all the restaurants! We had dinner Friday at the Corner Kitchen, and Saturday at Fig (Oh, man, the Bass with baby bok choy). Both excellent meals, but I wish we had more time for Bouchon, Table, Salsa’s, Tupelo Honey, 12 Bones, Wasabi, Laughing Seed, Bistro 1896, the list really could keep going and going . . .

Ok, I just have to say one other thing about Asheville . . . Chocolate Fetish! Recognized by the LA Times as one of America’s Best, this Chocolate Shop (get your mind out of the gutter) makes gourmet truffles (at $2 a pop) with some exotic ingredients (Wasabi; Basil & Pistachio; Cayenne Pepper). The French Kiss was hands down the best we tried . . . Dragon’s Kiss was a little too funky cold medina for me . . .

And there you have it, my longest post to date . . . Hope I didn’t bore you all and seriously . . . go visit Asheville!

I read a lot of photog blogs

See question #3. I like how “accountant” is the lame, sell-out, stereotypical profession you choose when you don’t follow your hopes or dreams :(

I’ll just assume that Accounting isn’t as sexy in London as it is in the States . . .

PS - I think I'm going to stick with this "Normal" font size. Everybody ok with that?

Still a Red state

I get a lot of cookbooks as gifts but sadly don't do enough of them justice. Last Christmas I was super pumped when my sis gave me the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. These guys (who look a little too light in their penny loafers to me) have some great recipes, but can definitely call for some "exotic" Southern ingredients. Anyways, we had an election party Tuesday night and tried their Red Velvet (cup) Cakes. It took a little guess work to convert the baking time (9-inch round cakes -> mini-cupcakes) but I think they turned out pretty good! The Mrs. also made Cindy McCain's Oatmeal Chocolate (substituted for Butterscotch) Chip cookies. No pictures because they were all eaten!

The wife and I are headed to Asheville, NC tomorrow for a little R&R. The liberal media published a pretty sweet article on Asheville last year and I'm excited to try out the various "foodie" establishments!

Like you wanted to read another thought/commentary on the Presidential election . . .

I think the biggest disappointment of this election had to be “the kids” (hooligans, whipper-snappers, etc.)

I was watching Fox News (big surprise, right?) this morning and they were talking about how this election had record turnout among young voters. Then they played footage from last night showing “young” Obama supporters cheering and celebrating in D.C after Barack was announced the winner.

Woooo Whoooo!!! Yeah!!! Obama!!! Alright!!!

There was one hipster waving a Soviet flag . . .

Hooray Communism!!! It’s the Best!! Workers Unite!!

They had another kid wearing a t-shirt with the hammer and sickle on it . . .

YES!!!!! Reed College!!! Change!!! Michael Moore!!!!

It reminds me of the “Rasta Man” digital short SNL played the other week. Do these kids know why they are waving a Soviet flag?? Or at least why they voted for Obama??

If you are passionate about the issues Obama supports, that’s fine; you have that right as an American. But if you are just voting for him because it the hipster thing to do, you are a moron. And your parents should cancel your tuition to Oberlin.

I just want to ask all of these young people.

So why did you vote for Obama?

(pause)

Oh, you don’t really know which issues are important to you; you just want “CHANGE”!!

(pause)

Well why not Bob Barr or Ralph Nader? They were on the ballot. They would bring Change.

(pause . . . puts in iPod headphones)

Ohhhhhh, you voted for Barack because he was on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Or because Jon Stewart fawns over him like a little school girl.

Or because Bright Eyes thinks he’s dreamy?

PS – I promise I will not turn this into a boring “political” blog . . . I’ll make it up to you in the next post . . .

(insert clever title here)

Stop! - lyrics by Tom Gabel

Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
You’ve got to make a serious decision.

It could be me up there in stage lights.
It could be me on the TV in your living room.
It could be me jet setting with my band all across the world.
Appearing live in concert one night only, tickets sold out.

Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
You’ve got to make a serious decision.

There I am giving candid disclosure to press in interview.
There I go on my way through the crowd up to the podium.
On behalf of our fans we’d like to accept this award.
Smile for the camera boys, gold record in hand.

Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
You’ve got to make a serious decision.

All of our lives in waiting.
All of our lives traded for their roses and applause.
All of our lives dedicated to shoving it right back in their *** face.

Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
Stop! Take some time to think, figure out what’s important to you.
You’ve got to make a serious decision.
You’ve got to make a serious decision.

Stop! Take some time to think.

Nenamoosha Crush Party - Fall 2K1

Just want to welcome the Harden’s* to the blogosphere! Jonathan and Heather are expecting in December and wanted to jump on the family blog bandwagon . . .

Jonathan’s ferocity on the fútbol field is matched only by his loyalty as a friend.** Can’t wait to meet Jackson in a few months!


*I also want to welcome any new blog stalkers! I think you know you’ve “made it” as a blogger when you have a dedicated audience of blog stalkers . . . I’m assuming I have that now . . .

** I am allotting myself one sentimental post per month.

Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday

This post is for my friend, Cooper. After I e-mailed him to say I started a blog, he replied:

"I'm sure it's riveting stuff like, "so last night I was watching 'Two and a Half Men' . . . "

I've always considered myself a semi-handy kinda guy. I mean, I know I can't "flip" a house by myself or anything, but I installed a new kitchen sink a few months ago. And I've crawled under our house to re-wire some outdoor speakers, etc. Today I added another skill to my ever expanding list of, um, skills . . .

Curtain Hanger-Upper

Window Treatments are Punk as ****