“What they don’t tell you in Hollywood is that the tea wound up in the harbor.” -Showcase Showdown Around the turn of the century my music listening habits mainly consisted of punk music. One of my favorite acts at the time (aside from the amazing Dillinger Four) was Boston’s Showcase Showdown. Their music had everything I needed, fast sloppy chords, spit-a-second lyrics and a [...]
Every fighter has their nemesis, the one who forces them to go where no one else can. Hulk Hogan had Andre the Giant, Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, Oscar De La Hoya had Fernando Vargas. My grandfather, a gurgitator long before the sport was famous, faced off many times against his arch enemy, pasta. Year after year the two would square off at a church [...]
Surprises don’t come easy for my sister-in-law. She purchases a Christmas present and immediately tells what it is. This weekend was different. My brother turned 30 (yesterday) and she decided to have a party for him. For two months she made arrangements, invited friends and gathered supplies without him getting a whiff of it. The ultimate coupe was when she asked me to show up, [...]
(picture by J-Fur) The little guy on the left has some sort of liver ailment which requires medicine each morning. I take one of his pills from the container, push it into a meat pocket and roll it while announcing in a bad Italian accent “Who ordered the meatball? The meatball?” By this point the little beast has rushed over and is bouncing around with [...]
The Taco Bus (here) is a Tampa legend that serves delicious authentic Mexican fare from the side of a bus. It has tons of vegetarian options and is open nearly 24/7 to satisfy cravings at all hours of the day. Recently the owners of the bus have expanded to St. Pete and more traditional restaurants (you know the ones with walls and floors) in Plant [...]
I ate dinner with a group of friends a few years back to celebrate a wedding or birthday or something. At this dinner there was a guy and a girl who I had never met. The two weren’t dating but it was obvious that the guy wanted to get with her as all night long he was putting on a show. Unfortunately a lot of [...]
For years I’ve been visiting blogs, reading their recipes for focaccia, and posting something generic like “looks good, I can’t wait to finally make my own.” Then I’d go back to my kitchen, get sidetracked on something else, and continue being a homemade focaccia virgin. About a week ago I finally was inspired enough to dive in and make my own. It is all thanks [...]
J-Fur had been bugging people for weeks to go see the Bridesmaids movie. No one seemed interested. Her sister and I finally broke down last weekend and agreed to accompany her to the theater. I had heard very little about the movie, other than J-Fur telling me it was a comedy, so I didn’t really have high hopes. I can’t go so far as to [...]
When a songwriter sits down to pen a song they have something in mind, a sort of destiny for the song. Some are meant for the dance floor where glistening bodies and colored lights will move, sway and grind to the beats (think Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” or LCD Soundsystem’s “Drunk Girls”). Others reach for the airwaves so that people in cars and kids on [...]
