"I ain't dead ho, I'm still alive even if I'm breathin heavy."
Notorious BIG, Skye's the Limit

How true that rings? Unfortunately Im struggling to act out the positivity in the rest of that song.

Something I heard on Jim Rome show needs to become my mantra. Its actually a Navy seal saying, "Not dead, can't quit!"

So like Biggy, I'm tryin to go from ashy to classy.

I don't think my edge is gone forever, somehow I temporarily I can't locate it.


Oh yeah, I wanted to make a post in the first place to comment about the changing internets.
Go back and look at all the hyperlinks in my post from years past. (Spoiler Alert!) They are all gone. Makes me ponder...how many internets hosts have gone out of business? How have the rules changed regarding posting media? Who is making the rules for the internets now compared with years past?
So FYI: Create your own content no matter how funny Jim Mora re-posts are when you post them.

Hah! At least I posted something.
In the ironic sense of irony, e.g. "being in on the joke" check http://www.ndcq.com/. Richard"Mack" Mackowicz recommends taking a cold shower every morning to cut a toughness grove in your brain. I think I need a toughness grove. Maybe that's what I lost.

Music Update

Since I can't stand Cris Collingsworth, the one of the primary voices of Madden 09, I always listen to music while I am playing. Here's a rundown of my play lists of the time. These albums are in no particular order.


Terry Reid

I came about this artist through the dalai Lamar
and our viewing of The Devil Reject's.
I guess this is an artist that just fell through the cracks for me. Maybe arrogantly, I consider myself fairly well versed in classic rock. So I'm not sure how this guy slipped through. He sounds a lot like other singer/songwriters of his time. His wikipedia entry reveals some interesting facts.




Between the Buried and Me - Colors

I'm proud to say that XM 42 liquid metal introduced me to this gem. (thanks Katie). Since this is my blog, I am declaring Between the Buried and Me - Colors album of the year for 2007. This album is truly a journey. They cover just about every music style (including bluegrass) even if for a brief moment. I love albums like this where the track number really doesn't matter. The album is really well mixed as a 64 minute track. If I had to pick my favorite track, it would probably be track 5 - Ants in the Sky. It is basically prog-rock with an especially great riff that I think could save the earth Wyld Stallion style. They help prove that heavy music doesn't have to be brutal, but instead can be melodic and dynamic.
This is a band I would not only want to see in concert, but I might actually pay for an album. I haven't explored their entire catalog yet, but I can't wait to hear more.


Genghis Tron - Board Up the House

This is another liquid metal find. If you didn't already know, I am an XM junkie. It is totally worth the cost. The name Genghis Tron initially pulled me in and the music kept me on board. The quest for metal not made for children is pushing toward this kind of rock. I've heard the term "technical rock" loosely tossed around this kind of band. Although I think they are technically gifted and structure their songs to an impeccable degree, there is too much emotion in the lyrics and the changing style creates a dynamic that certainly isn't "technical". They use slightly more keyboards than Between the Buried and Me to create more of a digital sound. Again I cant wait to check out more from GT.



Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal


Ok. Enough with my serious musical tastes. It's time to have some fun with this one. I was doing an amazon search for new metal, and saw this band name and album cover and had to check it out. Austrian Death Machine, of course, is a tribute to Ahnold and his action movies. The marriage of Ahnold-style action and strait heavy metal downbeats and power cords makes perfect sense to me. I wish I wouldn't have read the reviews on amazon because they pretty much hit their mark. The voice they used for Ahnold isn't that great except for the guttural Ahnold distress sounds, but its a side attraction to the metal. I don't agree with the comparisons to Dethalbum except maybe in the comedic spirit of the album. Tim Lambesis, the singer of As I Lay Dying (meh), created this side project as a joke or novelty. Any band or singer that can execute self-deprecating humor as heard on the track "So Far, So Good, So Let's talk" about it is on the right path in my book. Sadly this metal is more pure and better than some bands' honest efforts. If you are curious about this band, I highly suggest you start with the opening track "Get to the Choppa" and then give "I am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue over Metal Endoskeleton" a listen, then move on to my dark horse favorite "Screw You (Benny)" (name this film in the comments for a prize), the last track worth committing some time to hear is "If it bleeds, we can kill it". This song is sort of a response to the Predator's badassness. "It's not a Tumor" is decent as well. So if you want some light hearted screaming and heavy guitars, then Austrian Death Machine is for you. The Governator is gonna kick ass in T4. WOOT!

The Quest for Topo-Chico

Those who know me are aware of my love of this liquid. It is the perfect mix of carbonation without flavor. No plastic bottle taste, no hint of metallic aftertaste, no smidgen of anything but goodness. Nothing but fizzy large bubbles to enjoy. In my opinion, its the best drink on the planet (except for maybe Keystone).

So my relocation to Nevada presented a unique problem. Before I left, I was concerned that since Topo is made in Monterrey, Mex it would only be available in border states. Of course I was going to look for it. My initial search of surrounding convenience stores proved fruitless. So I expanded my search to grocery stores with no results. My next step was to try the Mexican grocery stores. There are no Fiesta's in Nevada other than the casino, I had to use the google to find places like La Tiendita, Grocery Outlet Rancho, and Supermercado Los Compadres. Most of these stores were in the yet unexplored north LV. So I gassed up and head out into the new northern horizon. After fifteen minutes of driving, I found myself at La Tiendita. I observed I was the only caucasian and proceeded to the beverage section of the store. A thorough scan revealed only Jarrito's mineral water and sodas. The next store had the same inventory. The next store--same result. A heavy sigh and a future without my favorite beverage was really bringing me down. So I accepted my life without Topo-Chico.

Several weeks later I was in the 7-11 closest to the house. It was a typical trip to the C-store. I had Keystone, Camel lights, and a Perrier for the next morning. As I reached down at knee level to grab a lime Perrier, something caught my eye on the shelf a little above neck level. It was a beautiful clear glass bottle of the exilir of eternal happiness. That was truly one of the happiest moments of my life. So I scooped up about a dozen bottles and then of course they didn't scan. So eventually I became better at scanning the bottles than the series of temporary employees they ran through at the 7-11. I spoke with the series of gump temps and found out the owner only carried Topo because it reminded her of some product from her native India. I met her (Seriea sp?) and built a customer/store owner relationship. Now I get 15% off a case where ever I like.
I am affectionately known as the Topo-Chico guy. It's not the loving handle my parents gave me, but the Topo-Chico guy abides.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story of personal triumph.

The Salt Lick (Red Rock style)

On my journeys in the great big festering neon distraction, I frequently search for some Texas in my life. Most things that claim to be "Texan" are undoubtedly disappointing considering my knowledge and experience of the real thing. For example, the casino Texas Station is about as Texan as Outhouse Steakback or Fosters are Australian. I have found some of the essentials such as Topo-Chico. Only one store in this entire city sells the precious uber-carbonated liquid, and it's a 7-11. They sell them because the bottle reminds the owner of her native Indian products. Never the less, I am grateful to have the ability to get them. Otherwise it would be Perrier or Jarritos. But I digress...

My roommate the Dali Lamar (aka DJ Graytape) casually asked me if I knew about The Salt Lick. My eyes lit up at the mention of some Austin-ness. He went on to explain that Red Rock casino just opened a Salt Lick. That casino is literally on the other side of the valley from my hood. So I used to excuse of my family being in town to satiate my curiosity. After the long drive (40 minute) to Red Rock, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Salt Lick placed as a major attraction. Upon initial entry of the restaurant, my skepticism began to rise. The fake wood walls made to look old and dingy were as fake-ly Texan as other things I've seen in the desert. Once the menus arrived, and I placed my standard Salt Lick drink order of Lone Star, I began doubting my intuition. The smells of burning wood, BBQ sauce, and smoking briskets truly reminded me of the original Salt Lick. Being pigs, we ordered the family style serving. So here is a run down by dish to the original:
1. Brisket - just as good as Driftwood

2. Sausage - just as good as Driftwood

3. Ribs - a little drier than Driftwood, but seasoned the same

4. Potato Salad - not quite German style. It had too many eggs in it. Much more in line with west coast PS than it should have been. Maybe it was just a bad day for the PS.

5. Cole Slaw - the only real disappointment. I am normally not a slaw fan, but I dig the un-creamy, limey flavored style of SL. It wasn't as bad as KFC, but not the delicacy like Driftwood. It wasn't limey enough, and was missing the signature caraway seeds. Still not bad.

I inquired of the waitress how the SL came to Las Vegas. Apparently SL is world famous. Someone in the Station Casino family knew of SL and asked the owners what it would take to bring it to Las Vegas. So my guess is a large check. The original owners had some influence in the new versions from the tables and chairs to the cooking process. I now know that there are 2 SL's in Las Vegas. One is in Red Rock Casino, and the other is in the Colorado Bell . If only it were more geographically friendly to my house. If only...

My apologies for the different fonts. Blogger is gumping on me.

More of my LV experience to come.

leroy jenkins

'nuff said!
This is even funnier now that I am a WoW player.

For the third time in my life, I went to witness the spectacle that is a Tool concert. I knew it was going to be a good one before it started. In my first trip to the bathroom at the AT&T center, some disheveled stranger asked me if I had a condom. Welcome to the big rock show!

As a veteran concert-goer, I can safely say that Tool is unlike any other show I have ever seen. My usual type of concert is a beer-fueled, testosterone jacked, scream and hate fest. Tool has their songs that encourage head-banging (Stinkfist, 46&2, and Vicarious this show). The performance is borderline performance art but with a withered twist. For my tastes, Tool includes enough mysticism, philosophy, and spiritualism to make the haunting riffs, cryptic vocals, and disturbing images mean something. Some say Tool is to pretentious, but I see music written on a personal level and those that are left behind might feel some jealousy or fear.

My personal Tool experiences are not my own. Most of the crowd bought a ticket to see the emotionally heavy music performed live. Sure, some of the crowd came to see Sober, Undertow, Schism, and Vicarious, but I didn't let those people ruin my experience. It's always overwhelming to me to share a personal experience (through the music) with thousands of strangers who I'm guessing have a similar feeling.

While my mind wandered during the slower parts of the show, I couldn't help but think of how my life has changed since I bought the ticket almost 9 months ago. I moved addresses, lost a friend, changed job titles, and discovered and forgot many revelations about myself and the world. I can remember who I borrowed my first copy of Aenima from (thanks Paul). I remember going to the Lateralus midnight release party at Hastings and the crowd with witch I shared my first listening.
Guess I'm a Tool dork because I can frame almost the last year of my life through Tool. But at least they write their own music, and aren't concerned with making the Billboard charts like those pussy, money-grubbing, sell-outs Metallica.

I just don't feel that way about you.

Here is a follow-up from my last post.

Mack Austin,
Master of the Muff

Magnolia - Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar

Don't worry. We're gonna workshop it.