brake light, finals, music, great
15 June 2007
This past weekend I was down the shore in North Wildwood, New Jersey. I had my sister’s car for the weekend, which has one busted brake light. Prior to taking off for the 90 minute drive, my dad warned me that I could get pulled over for this, but the cop would have to be a real dick to do so. Since I’ve been on a roll lately, I didn’t worry about it and drove on down the shore. The ride went fine. As did the whole weekend.
On Sunday, my last day down the shore, I stopped by my aunt’s house to hang out with some family before I made the drive back to Philly (at which point I’d drop the car off and get a train back to NYC). It was about 1:30pm, and one of my uncles who shall remain nameless (remember, Dad one of ten kids and Mom one of six kids, so lots of aunts and uncles) asked for a ride to the bar on my way out of town. I said, "Sure, no problem," as it’s not unusual for someone related to me to start drinking at a bar at 1:30pm on a Sunday afternoon.
As we got into the car, me in the driver seat and him in the passenger seat, he asked how the car was running (all the men in my family are very into cars). As I was backing out of the parking spot, I said, "Well, it’s fine. It could use some new brake pads, though. And the right brake light is out."
This spooked my uncle.
Uncle: [scared] "The right brake light is out?"
Me: [confused] "Um, yeah."
Uncle: "Oh – I ain’t riding with you then."
At that point, my uncle got up out of the deep seat and started opening the car door, getting out of the vehicle, now stopped.
Me: "I don’t get it – so what if the brake light is out?"
Uncle: [speaking through closed door/open passenger window] "You could get pulled over for that."
Me: "So what?"
Uncle: "So what? I got a bench warrant out on me – We get pulled over, we get ID’ed, and I go to jail, homes."
My uncle started walking away from the car. "Fuck it – I’ll walk," I heard as he strutted away.
I love my family. I know this for sure because I was completely unphased by this turn of events, shrugged, and drove on back to Philly. Just another regular day, learning my uncle has a bench warrant out for his arrest.
[Shrug]
*****************
A few quick notes on the NBA Finals:
1) It wasn’t as boring as everyone is saying it was. Seriously.
2) Donyell Marshall is probably the worst basketball player in the NBA. His incompetence in all matters basketball is astounding.
3) The image of Gregg Popovich on a large plasma TV will haunt my nightmares for the next few years. I’m no Denzel Washington, but he is not a good-looking man (and he has shark teeth). However, he is a basketball coaching genius, whereas I’m going to get so drunk and feel so alone tonight that I’m going to suck the marrow out of a T-bone (see below). So he wins.
*****************
Six Songs
"The Latest Toughs" Okkervil River
Driving, catchy and quirky, it grabs you right away. This song is quickly become one of my anthems of summer. This is also a mainstay on my "I’m Washing My Balls and Rocking Out – What?" playlist, which I listen to while getting ready for a rousing night out (note: I use the word "rousing" in the broadest possible sense to include "staying in with a cherry vanilla sundae to watch six hours of prison documentaries").
"1-2-3-4" Feist
Talk about catchy – holy crap. This is almost too poppy or too girly for me to like, but because it has banjo in it (actually, two banjos if I’m not mistaken), it’s ok.
"Into the Sun" The Hiders
This is a very good band recommended to me by Katherine, formerly of Canada but now of the UK (unless she’s lying to me and making up faraway locations so I won’t track her down). They sound a little like Neil Young before he got all high-horse and soapboxy. Also, there’s a girl singer, which is cool. Love the whole "I should have…" element to the song. After all, the best advice I ever heard and the words I try to live by: "If you ever regret something, regret it because you did it, not because you didn’t do it. There is no greater regret than lost opportunity." So yeah, you should’ve.
(You can check out their MySpace profile here.)
"Have You Forgotten" Red House Painters
This song gives me the chills. I don’t like to pick favorites, but if you only download one of these songs, download this one.
"No Rest For The Weary" The Blue Scholars
A lot of my friends who are more into hip hop and rap than I am make fun of my inclination toward "soft" rap, and this song only gives them more ammo. Hey, I like rap about ho’s and guns and niggas trying to git at my shit, but I also like rap that sounds nice on my ears. Also, these guys are from Seattle, which I find kinda weird, but appealing.
"Rebel Rebel" Ricki Lee Jones
Terrific, unique cover of a terrific, unique song. This has to have been used in a movie or TV show. It’s so ambient I actually float away – physically and mentally – when I listen to it. Also I’m on mushrooms right now.
(Just kidding – I wish I was on mushrooms right now. Speaking of, can someone get me mushrooms? They’re for, uh, a friend.)
*****************
I’m going to a barbeque in Hoboken tonight at which there will be so much beer, testosterone and raw meat that the world may explode. Pray not only for me, but for yourselves.
This is the start of a very fun stretch for me where every other weekend I have something cool going on: I’m in Boston at the end of this month, then I have "Drink Until You Shit" in July, Milwaukee and LA in August, Boston again in September, and then Knoxville/Nashville in October. Not sure what’s going on in November (I’d love to go to the Caribbean) but then I’ll be in Seattle in December for the 2nd Annual West Coast Wine Drinking Competition, which, I’d like to point out, I won last year.
Life is good right now, thank you very much.
[Have a good weekend.]
On Sunday, my last day down the shore, I stopped by my aunt’s house to hang out with some family before I made the drive back to Philly (at which point I’d drop the car off and get a train back to NYC). It was about 1:30pm, and one of my uncles who shall remain nameless (remember, Dad one of ten kids and Mom one of six kids, so lots of aunts and uncles) asked for a ride to the bar on my way out of town. I said, "Sure, no problem," as it’s not unusual for someone related to me to start drinking at a bar at 1:30pm on a Sunday afternoon.
As we got into the car, me in the driver seat and him in the passenger seat, he asked how the car was running (all the men in my family are very into cars). As I was backing out of the parking spot, I said, "Well, it’s fine. It could use some new brake pads, though. And the right brake light is out."
This spooked my uncle.
Uncle: [scared] "The right brake light is out?"
Me: [confused] "Um, yeah."
Uncle: "Oh – I ain’t riding with you then."
At that point, my uncle got up out of the deep seat and started opening the car door, getting out of the vehicle, now stopped.
Me: "I don’t get it – so what if the brake light is out?"
Uncle: [speaking through closed door/open passenger window] "You could get pulled over for that."
Me: "So what?"
Uncle: "So what? I got a bench warrant out on me – We get pulled over, we get ID’ed, and I go to jail, homes."
My uncle started walking away from the car. "Fuck it – I’ll walk," I heard as he strutted away.
I love my family. I know this for sure because I was completely unphased by this turn of events, shrugged, and drove on back to Philly. Just another regular day, learning my uncle has a bench warrant out for his arrest.
[Shrug]
*****************
A few quick notes on the NBA Finals:
1) It wasn’t as boring as everyone is saying it was. Seriously.
2) Donyell Marshall is probably the worst basketball player in the NBA. His incompetence in all matters basketball is astounding.
3) The image of Gregg Popovich on a large plasma TV will haunt my nightmares for the next few years. I’m no Denzel Washington, but he is not a good-looking man (and he has shark teeth). However, he is a basketball coaching genius, whereas I’m going to get so drunk and feel so alone tonight that I’m going to suck the marrow out of a T-bone (see below). So he wins.
*****************
Six Songs
"The Latest Toughs" Okkervil River
Driving, catchy and quirky, it grabs you right away. This song is quickly become one of my anthems of summer. This is also a mainstay on my "I’m Washing My Balls and Rocking Out – What?" playlist, which I listen to while getting ready for a rousing night out (note: I use the word "rousing" in the broadest possible sense to include "staying in with a cherry vanilla sundae to watch six hours of prison documentaries").
"1-2-3-4" Feist
Talk about catchy – holy crap. This is almost too poppy or too girly for me to like, but because it has banjo in it (actually, two banjos if I’m not mistaken), it’s ok.
"Into the Sun" The Hiders
This is a very good band recommended to me by Katherine, formerly of Canada but now of the UK (unless she’s lying to me and making up faraway locations so I won’t track her down). They sound a little like Neil Young before he got all high-horse and soapboxy. Also, there’s a girl singer, which is cool. Love the whole "I should have…" element to the song. After all, the best advice I ever heard and the words I try to live by: "If you ever regret something, regret it because you did it, not because you didn’t do it. There is no greater regret than lost opportunity." So yeah, you should’ve.
(You can check out their MySpace profile here.)
"Have You Forgotten" Red House Painters
This song gives me the chills. I don’t like to pick favorites, but if you only download one of these songs, download this one.
"No Rest For The Weary" The Blue Scholars
A lot of my friends who are more into hip hop and rap than I am make fun of my inclination toward "soft" rap, and this song only gives them more ammo. Hey, I like rap about ho’s and guns and niggas trying to git at my shit, but I also like rap that sounds nice on my ears. Also, these guys are from Seattle, which I find kinda weird, but appealing.
"Rebel Rebel" Ricki Lee Jones
Terrific, unique cover of a terrific, unique song. This has to have been used in a movie or TV show. It’s so ambient I actually float away – physically and mentally – when I listen to it. Also I’m on mushrooms right now.
(Just kidding – I wish I was on mushrooms right now. Speaking of, can someone get me mushrooms? They’re for, uh, a friend.)
*****************
I’m going to a barbeque in Hoboken tonight at which there will be so much beer, testosterone and raw meat that the world may explode. Pray not only for me, but for yourselves.
This is the start of a very fun stretch for me where every other weekend I have something cool going on: I’m in Boston at the end of this month, then I have "Drink Until You Shit" in July, Milwaukee and LA in August, Boston again in September, and then Knoxville/Nashville in October. Not sure what’s going on in November (I’d love to go to the Caribbean) but then I’ll be in Seattle in December for the 2nd Annual West Coast Wine Drinking Competition, which, I’d like to point out, I won last year.
Life is good right now, thank you very much.
[Have a good weekend.]
