The past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster.
It is true that I have (ahem...) extra time. Fortunately, Doug was already scheduled to be here for the week to entertain and amaze Jamie, so I never really got much of a chance to just sort of roll around in the dark and feel sorry for myself. I was in a weird mix of not feeling great/ anxious/ glad to be playing host/ geared up for Mel's party/ coming down from my own very nice birthday... In addition, it was great to have Judy and Dick in the area for the past few days.
In addition, the past week my grandfather was in the hospital in Florida. KareBear has been out there since last Thursday helping out, and The Admiral went out there before the weekend. My grandfather is home now, but its likely that they'll be moving out of their home and into a retirement facility of some sort in their current town. I'm watching all of this from a bit of distance, but am feeling positive about the steps my parents and uncle and aunt are taking.
Anyhow, this week will be different. I've done the resume polishing. We'll see what happens.
I'm also hoping to play a little more bass this week. Maybe get to read some, and maybe draw a bit with some gear I got for my b-day.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Thanks, Leaguers!
Hey, Leaguers!
I think its safe to say Mel had himself a great birthday party yesterday. We missed those of you who couldn't make it. Perhaps the next League gathering?
Thanks to those of you who could make it to the party. A special thanks to both those who brought Mel gifts, brought food, etc..., and a special welcome to doggie guests Pierre and Levi. We had five dogs in the yard, and it seemed that they all had a pretty good time. Although poor Pierre had it in for my plastic squirrels I keep on the front porch.
Jason posted some nice pics here.
Leaguers came from near and as far away as the furthest reaches of Parmer Lane (hi, Sue!). We had some new guests with Jason and Mike, as well as Amy C. Our timing with the Shoemakers was a bit off, and for that I apologize. We'll have to catch up with dinner this week. The In-Laws attended what will surely be the first of many League HQ parties, and despite the fact I would not eat Judy's blue-cheese crackers (look, I can't deal with blue cheese), it was fun to have them meet so many of the folks they've heard about over the years.
Mel had a great time (that much attention never hurt him). It was great to catch up with so many folks. We even wrapped things up and headed over to Madam Mam's for some Thai food at 8:30 or so. So, I think it was, all-in-all, a success.
Special Request: If anyone is posting pictures to Flickr, etc... let me know.
Doug and Kristen are leaving today, so by this evening, its going to be pretty lonely around League HQ.
Next week will probably be a lot of putting my nose to the grindstone and job-hunting. If, uh, anyone knows of any local companies looking for an able-bodied project manager, let me know.
I think its safe to say Mel had himself a great birthday party yesterday. We missed those of you who couldn't make it. Perhaps the next League gathering?
Thanks to those of you who could make it to the party. A special thanks to both those who brought Mel gifts, brought food, etc..., and a special welcome to doggie guests Pierre and Levi. We had five dogs in the yard, and it seemed that they all had a pretty good time. Although poor Pierre had it in for my plastic squirrels I keep on the front porch.
Jason posted some nice pics here.
Leaguers came from near and as far away as the furthest reaches of Parmer Lane (hi, Sue!). We had some new guests with Jason and Mike, as well as Amy C. Our timing with the Shoemakers was a bit off, and for that I apologize. We'll have to catch up with dinner this week. The In-Laws attended what will surely be the first of many League HQ parties, and despite the fact I would not eat Judy's blue-cheese crackers (look, I can't deal with blue cheese), it was fun to have them meet so many of the folks they've heard about over the years.
Mel had a great time (that much attention never hurt him). It was great to catch up with so many folks. We even wrapped things up and headed over to Madam Mam's for some Thai food at 8:30 or so. So, I think it was, all-in-all, a success.
Special Request: If anyone is posting pictures to Flickr, etc... let me know.
Doug and Kristen are leaving today, so by this evening, its going to be pretty lonely around League HQ.
Next week will probably be a lot of putting my nose to the grindstone and job-hunting. If, uh, anyone knows of any local companies looking for an able-bodied project manager, let me know.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Melapalooza on SATURDAY
Hey all,
Everyone who reads this is welcome to attend Melapalooza '08. Please be aware that we open doors at 2:00. I think there's some confusion over what time the party starts, so I just want to make sure I make a final note about that one. As much as we love all of you, I'm kicking you folks out before midnight.
The League needs his beauty rest.
Anyway, hope to see everyone. If you need directions, etc... do not hesitate to e-mail.
Best,
Ryan
Everyone who reads this is welcome to attend Melapalooza '08. Please be aware that we open doors at 2:00. I think there's some confusion over what time the party starts, so I just want to make sure I make a final note about that one. As much as we love all of you, I'm kicking you folks out before midnight.
The League needs his beauty rest.
Anyway, hope to see everyone. If you need directions, etc... do not hesitate to e-mail.
Best,
Ryan
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Mono E at Club DeVille 2nite!
hey,
Just a quick FYI. Jason's band, the Mono Ensemble, will be playing at Club DeVille tonight at 8:30ish.
Jamie, Doug, Nicole and I will be there to have a drinky drink and salute the Mono E.
Don't you feel the need to rock? DON'T YOU????
Just a quick FYI. Jason's band, the Mono Ensemble, will be playing at Club DeVille tonight at 8:30ish.
Jamie, Doug, Nicole and I will be there to have a drinky drink and salute the Mono E.
Don't you feel the need to rock? DON'T YOU????
Meatloaf and Advertising
Around 1995, after the Holiday festivities at my folks' house had wrapped for the day and the relatives were headed off to bed, Jason and I headed to a longtime Kuykendahl-based watering hole, Molly Maguire's. The place is dark, smelly, has a few pool tables, etc... and the sort of local color one would expect so close to the edge of 1960 and Kuykendahl. Plus a barkeep who I believe may have actually been Irish (I didn't press the point).
It being Spring by Houston, at the end of the 1990's, the scene in Houston was very cheap-beer-rock-centric. Houston loved its ACDC and ZZ Top, to the point where every time I would re-enter Houston from 1993-1997, I was literally able to find ACDC playing somewhere, on some station. And this bar's jukebox was littered with 70's and early 80's rock classics, a fact I was entirely unable to appreciate at the time (but, seriously, they should have enshrined that @#$%ing jukebox as a time capsule representing a time and place).
In that Jukebox, they also had Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell". I had never shown Meatloaf any respect, honestly. As a child born of the 1970's, I knew the name. By middle-school, Meat Loaf had disappeared. I would learn later (via VHI's "Behind the Music") that he was battling the usual set of addictions one associates with superstardom when, somehow, he became associated with the following Marvel comics ad:
click on the pic for a better size of Mr. Loaf's advertisement
You can read Dave's(of Dave's Longbox) review of the ad here.
I didn't think this looked a darn bit like Meat Loaf. And I didn't remember Meat Loaf playing much guitar or giving two flips for Special Olympians. And I wasn't going to cut up my X-Men or Cap comics on Meat Loaf's say-so. Especially with the creepy finger of Mr. Loaf still attached to the coupon.
In high school I finally rented "Rocky Horror Picture Show", and was surprised to find that Meat Loaf was featured as Eddie (what a guy!). And I dug the song he played. Plus, you know, Little Nell as Columbia rocked my socks (perhaps a future DITMTLOD?).
Hot patootie, bless my soul!
As I entered college, Meat Loaf released "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell". An album I decided I would have to be too hip for, and for that I apologize. Especially to Peabo, who defended the single "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)". The video was the sort of high-budget, mini-movie that Aerosmith had developed with "Janie's Got a Gun", and Guns'n'Roses had perfected with "Use Your Illusion". And because I was trying to be awesome and punk rock, I wasn't about to be into a middle-aged dude's rock opera nonsense (even if I kinda liked Queen).
The video also featured the lovely Dana Patrick (lip-synching to Lorraine Crosby), who I never heard of or saw in anything else. Which is a shame.
It was during that dark night, on what was turning into a lengthy Christmas break that Jason headed back to the table from the jukebox and announced "I just put in money. We're going to listen to all of 'Bat out of Hell'".
"Oh, hell, no."
"You don't like Meat Loaf?"
"Dude..."
"You got to give Meat Loaf his respect."
Steanso was pretty keen on teaching his younger brother to show respect for all sorts of stuff. This was not new.
Anyway, we had our cheap beer, and they hadn't carded me, so I wasn't going to put up a fight.
I didn't become a Meatloaf nut on that night, and I never really have gone completely crazy for Meat Loaf. But I do, now, as they say, respect the man. I respect the hell out of Meat Loaf, and I have "Bat Out of Hell" on my iPod. And as much as I like big, overblown songwriting that delves deep into the melodramatic without blinking (I own, like, six Roxy Music albums), how could I not be a sucker for "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"? I love that song. I love how absolutely HUGE Meat Loaf knows a rock song can and should be. It doesn't always work, but when it does, man... that's not just a rock power ballad, you've got yourself an anthem.
The man at the height of his powers
Meat Loaf has a crazy expansive career, including acting. If you didn't love him in Fight Club, well, more's the pity.
Most recently "Paradise" was adapted for a commercial for something called a Go-Phone. Johanna did a bit on it over at "Comics Worth Reading".
I'd seen a shortened version of the video with Jamie, and saluted Mr. Loaf for being a sport. I still think its hard to forget the context of the original song when watching the commercial, which makes it... odd... to say the least.
But, anyway, here's the commercial:
Apparently the Mom in that commercial? That'd be Tiffany, who is better looking than I remember as she's aging (although I sort of thought the Debbie Gibson/ Tiffany battle was a fight in which we all were losing, at the time), and certainly a much more entertaining performer.
So, a salute to Meat Loaf. He's a hell of a performer, and apparently he's got a pretty good sense of humor about himself.
It being Spring by Houston, at the end of the 1990's, the scene in Houston was very cheap-beer-rock-centric. Houston loved its ACDC and ZZ Top, to the point where every time I would re-enter Houston from 1993-1997, I was literally able to find ACDC playing somewhere, on some station. And this bar's jukebox was littered with 70's and early 80's rock classics, a fact I was entirely unable to appreciate at the time (but, seriously, they should have enshrined that @#$%ing jukebox as a time capsule representing a time and place).
In that Jukebox, they also had Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell". I had never shown Meatloaf any respect, honestly. As a child born of the 1970's, I knew the name. By middle-school, Meat Loaf had disappeared. I would learn later (via VHI's "Behind the Music") that he was battling the usual set of addictions one associates with superstardom when, somehow, he became associated with the following Marvel comics ad:
click on the pic for a better size of Mr. Loaf's advertisement
You can read Dave's(of Dave's Longbox) review of the ad here.
I didn't think this looked a darn bit like Meat Loaf. And I didn't remember Meat Loaf playing much guitar or giving two flips for Special Olympians. And I wasn't going to cut up my X-Men or Cap comics on Meat Loaf's say-so. Especially with the creepy finger of Mr. Loaf still attached to the coupon.
In high school I finally rented "Rocky Horror Picture Show", and was surprised to find that Meat Loaf was featured as Eddie (what a guy!). And I dug the song he played. Plus, you know, Little Nell as Columbia rocked my socks (perhaps a future DITMTLOD?).
Hot patootie, bless my soul!
As I entered college, Meat Loaf released "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell". An album I decided I would have to be too hip for, and for that I apologize. Especially to Peabo, who defended the single "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)". The video was the sort of high-budget, mini-movie that Aerosmith had developed with "Janie's Got a Gun", and Guns'n'Roses had perfected with "Use Your Illusion". And because I was trying to be awesome and punk rock, I wasn't about to be into a middle-aged dude's rock opera nonsense (even if I kinda liked Queen).
The video also featured the lovely Dana Patrick (lip-synching to Lorraine Crosby), who I never heard of or saw in anything else. Which is a shame.
It was during that dark night, on what was turning into a lengthy Christmas break that Jason headed back to the table from the jukebox and announced "I just put in money. We're going to listen to all of 'Bat out of Hell'".
"Oh, hell, no."
"You don't like Meat Loaf?"
"Dude..."
"You got to give Meat Loaf his respect."
Steanso was pretty keen on teaching his younger brother to show respect for all sorts of stuff. This was not new.
Anyway, we had our cheap beer, and they hadn't carded me, so I wasn't going to put up a fight.
I didn't become a Meatloaf nut on that night, and I never really have gone completely crazy for Meat Loaf. But I do, now, as they say, respect the man. I respect the hell out of Meat Loaf, and I have "Bat Out of Hell" on my iPod. And as much as I like big, overblown songwriting that delves deep into the melodramatic without blinking (I own, like, six Roxy Music albums), how could I not be a sucker for "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"? I love that song. I love how absolutely HUGE Meat Loaf knows a rock song can and should be. It doesn't always work, but when it does, man... that's not just a rock power ballad, you've got yourself an anthem.
The man at the height of his powers
Meat Loaf has a crazy expansive career, including acting. If you didn't love him in Fight Club, well, more's the pity.
Most recently "Paradise" was adapted for a commercial for something called a Go-Phone. Johanna did a bit on it over at "Comics Worth Reading".
I'd seen a shortened version of the video with Jamie, and saluted Mr. Loaf for being a sport. I still think its hard to forget the context of the original song when watching the commercial, which makes it... odd... to say the least.
But, anyway, here's the commercial:
Apparently the Mom in that commercial? That'd be Tiffany, who is better looking than I remember as she's aging (although I sort of thought the Debbie Gibson/ Tiffany battle was a fight in which we all were losing, at the time), and certainly a much more entertaining performer.
So, a salute to Meat Loaf. He's a hell of a performer, and apparently he's got a pretty good sense of humor about himself.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
League of Melbotis in Yo Face(book)!
Hey, Leaguers!
I have a little extra freetime (cough... cough...), and so I've set up a Facebook group for all Loyal Leaguers.
Want to upload photos of your kid? Want to upload embarrassing photos of Randy dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly? This is your forum.
Got a video of Jamie punching out a meter maid? Click "send".
Want to start a discussion board topic of your own? We're your huckleberry.
Some of you may have received an invite, courtesy of Facebook. If you did not, I think Facebook's search should be able to find us. If not, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help.
If permissions become an issue, let me know. I'll see what I can do to add you to the list of folks who can edit, alter, etc... the LoM Facebook group.
Why not go to Facebook now and sign up?
I have a little extra freetime (cough... cough...), and so I've set up a Facebook group for all Loyal Leaguers.
Want to upload photos of your kid? Want to upload embarrassing photos of Randy dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly? This is your forum.
Got a video of Jamie punching out a meter maid? Click "send".
Want to start a discussion board topic of your own? We're your huckleberry.
Some of you may have received an invite, courtesy of Facebook. If you did not, I think Facebook's search should be able to find us. If not, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help.
If permissions become an issue, let me know. I'll see what I can do to add you to the list of folks who can edit, alter, etc... the LoM Facebook group.
Why not go to Facebook now and sign up?
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