Hostest With The Mostest.

PITF favorite Mean Art Green's severely cool friend Cindy visited from Vancouver for work a couple of weeks ago, and he asked me to show her around. I'd never met Cindy, but we were fast friends and collectively had a very silly week together - the crescendo of which was a Bruins game with Detroit Velvet Smooth and Clarkey in tow. Long story short, we took some neat photos with her wide-angle lens, and I've added them to the gallery here.

While we're on the subject of hockey, I am trying to organize a crew to go and see the LockMonsters take on the Providence Bruins this Saturday evening in Lowell. Any takers can feel free to comment or email me. Revelry will ensue during and afterwards. You haven't lived until you've tasted Lowell's nightlife. Or crack. Is there really a need for a differentiation there?

Wednesday Wadio: XTC's Generals And Majors.

"In my view, XTC is the greatest rock band of the 1980s... they've never really lost their edge: they've consistently delivered quality recordings that show increasing sophistication and maturity instead of burnout and boredom." - warr.org

"Dear God" is the closest XTC ever came to a major Stateside hit, but they have have an enormous back catalog which includes 14 full studio albums, the first of which was released in 1978. I have been a fan for almost 20 years myself, and my favorite XTC tune is by far the fully infectious "Generals and Majors" off 1980's Black Sea album.

The lyrics aren't all that sophisticated and seem to poke fun at warmongers, for lack of a better analogy. So the tune should be soundtracking another questionable video from MoveOn.org within the week. To call the baseline simply catchy, would be a disservice to catchy baselines everywhere. If you can listen to this song without tapping your foot, either have your pulse checked or report to a Dave Matthews concert immediately.

Here is a great collection of videos I found on the expansive and interesting tribute site, Chalkhills - and you can also visit the official site for the latest news, audio clips, lyrics and a full discography. Revisit the XTC, kids. I can't stress that enough.

Goodbyes To Sweaty Palms And Butterflies.

Romance dies after only the first year, according to Italian scientists who probably hope they're next in line to woo your girlfriend as a result of you buying into their findings. So enjoy the honeymoon as long as you can, folks. Because after a time you're apparently no more in love with your spouse than you are with one of your best friends:

"Research has suggested that romantic love fades after a few years and becomes companionate love and it seems certain biological factors play a role. But while we are a pair-bonding species, there is some doubt over whether this is within monogamous relationships or not."

That sorta puts a wee damper on things, huh? Here I am thinking some spectacular female is due to come down the pike into my life at any minute, when really I might as well be buggering a buddy. I don't buy it. There's no way my mother would have ever put up with my father for all these years if there wasn't something deeper at play. No way in hell.

Eh, I'm thinking too hard. Que sera sera. And buggery.

Monday's Quotelet: What Hope Is There For The Rest Of Us?

Thanks to the foresight of a pre-nup, Nick would get custody of the brain on weekends.

Friday's Quizzlet: Be The Bard, Danny.

Appetizer: What did you look like when you were a teenager?
I actually looked a lot like James Coburn during my teens. Smoking a pipe and wearing white tuxedos almost exclusively. What kind of a silly question is that? I had less wrinkles, more hair and was a liberal. I pine only for the first two.

Salad: Whose advice do you listen to?
I like to listen to my own advice, primarily. But there a few folks I turn to from time to time when I need some guidance. You know who you are. And you wish I'd stop calling.

Soup: Name a book you would like to memorize.
The combined works of William Shakespeare. To be able to shout out powerful passages in modern, everyday situations would be... annoying.

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." "I still don't understand, sir. does that mean you want the fries or the coleslaw?"

Main Course: How often are you sick?
About once a year during the winter. I take very few sick days, as I need them for traveling to Canada, etc. If we're talking about sexual deviance, however - is it noon yet?

Dessert: Do you like or dislike change?
I like it. I have moved around a lot in my life. I went to three different high schools and have been lucky enough to travel all over the world. Bring on the change, I say. Providing, of course, that I don't have to leave the North End.

Thigetty-Thanks To The Giving.

Live from Concord - just got back from the football game where the Pats were receiving a sound thrashing from Bedford. I hope it worked out as we had to leave early. I saw absolutely no one I knew, save for Gilbert Simmons, and felt about 400 years old. Still, it's great to be out here as always. Deep-fried turkey, old friends and beer. Have a great holiday everyone.

Wednesday Wadio: Kate Bush's King Of The Mountain.

Opening with mysterious panning pulses and the whistling of wind, the song gradually swells into a climax of guitars, crashing drums and spookily layered vocals. As comebacks go, they don't get much better than this. - Virgin

When I heard Kate Bush was making her unlikely comeback, I decided I should put her 1978 classic Wuthering Heights up on Radio Pye. WH is based on Emily Bronte's book of the same name, and has long been an obsession of Bush's. The tune took the scene by storm, and although it confused the heck out of a lot of people, it stayed at #1 in the UK for a month that year. Bush went on to record with Peter Gabriel, release a good album every few years until 1993 - and then go absolutely stark raving mad before disappearing into the desolate English countryside.

Earlier this year she spent 2.5 million pounds on an estate near the setting of the 158 year old novel, and registered herself to vote in the county under the name Catherine Earnshaw - which just happens to be the name of Wuthering Heights' heroine. But she's back, and I'm pumped and I want to share. And, no, her new album isn't entitled "Mad as a Box of Frogs".

The first thing about Kate Bush is her voice. If you hate her, that's probably why. It's childish and prickly, and she sweeps through her four-octave range with all the inhibition of someone taking a shower in an empty house, seemingly oblivious to the fingernails-on-chalkboard effect a voice like that can have. - Salon

See what you think of King of the Mountain. If you like it, try Wuthering Heights, Running Up That Hill and Babooshka. And maybe don't try moving onto a remote moor and spending all your time reading the Bronte sisters and sculpting whilst wearing leotards. Or do - you know what? It's almost Thanksgiving. Let's all get a little nuts this weekend, hah?

I Wish My Building Would Fuck Off.

We've been in the midst of a monsoon here in Boston for the past 24 hours or so, and it's quite miserable to say the least. I've just heard from a building-mate that the roof in her bedroom is leaking like a seive - so we can add that to the list of decrepitude that has taken place since I took over managerial duties. Let's recap, shall I? Fine then:

1. Two windows were broken by people moving out just prior to my tenure.
2. A sink fell off one of the walls.
3. Two medicine cabinets had to be replaced.
4. The front door lock was destroyed by a burgular/drunk.
5. The fire-escape broke and had to be painted.
6. The roofdeck had to be stained.
7. The washer and dryer broke down.
8. My inebriated, keyless roomate destroyed our front door.
9. The fire alarm malfunctioned.
10. The exterior light stopped working.
11. The roof is leaking.

Am I forgetting anything? Probably. It's just dumb luck, as it's a great little building. But I wonder why it has waited until my reign of terror to begin falling apart. Does it think I have more empathy than Seamus? No replicants have moved in to date, so I guess it can't be all that run down just yet. All those... repairs will be made. Like tears in rain.

Monday's Quotelet: Mongolian Anagrams.

Bush locates a MWD. The Mongolian Warlord, Daryll.

Polly Wanna Open The Bomb Bay Doors?

As I strolled through Government Center this morning, my head its usual jumble of stresses and tasks for the imminent workday, being shat upon by a seagull was the last thing in the mental pipeline. It wasn't the first time this has happened - once as a child I was visiting an amusement park near Toronto when one of the winged bastards managed to get a cluster bomb right in my bag of cheesies. What are the chances?

What, indeed. When I got to work, looking like one of the paint covered crooks from Home Alone, I met with some reassuring words from one of my coworkers. "It's good luck when a bird shits on you," he said. "Think about the accuracy that takes. You couldn't do that if you tried." Well, the last time I tried I got arrested for a hate crime. So don't hold your breath for that to happen again anytime soon. At least not while charges are still pending. But anyway, he's right.

The angle, velocity, windspeed, etc. would all have to be perfect. A pidgeon dropping a white, watery grumpy on me from 10 feet in the air is akin to Luke getting two proton torpedos into the Death Star's exhaust shaft. The assault didn't worsen my mood though, it actually improved it. All my other worries melted away as I started to giggle at the silliness of it all. Luck, fortune and avian feces. Great shot, Polly - that was one in a million.

Wednesday Wadio: Goonies 'R' Good Enough.

"Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket." - Mikey

The video for this song is emblazoned on my memory like a makeshift coathanger cattle brand. Cyndi Lauper and the child cast of 1985's The Goonies run around various sets from the film whilst being pursued by professional wrestlers of the day. Steven Spielberg's mullet makes an appearence. The octopus (which was cut from the final print of the film) dances along to the breathtakingly strange accompanying song. As I was very in to giant squids, Rowdy Roddy Piper and The Goonies that year, I sat glued to my favorite Canadian video show every night religiously after school hoping for a Goonie-glimpse.

On the eve of the film's 20th anniversary, and a possible sequel in the works, I thought I'd add this strange-but-catchy little tune to Radio Pye. Forget Time After Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - this is Cyndi's best work, and the only video she ever made in which that most creepy boyfriend of hers did not also appear. Whoops, I spoke too soon. Upon review it looks like he played the right honorable Captain Lou Albano's flunkie. Maybe that trusty cattlebrand needs to be reheated.

"During the scene where the boys are sitting in the living room watching MTV, they were not actually watching the Cyndi Lauper "Good Enough" video, which was to be developed six months after filming wrapped up." - IMDB

Peaking at #10 on the Billboard charts, Goonies 'R' Good Enough was shat out by popular culture almost as quickly as it appeared. The cult following of the film cannot be denied, and recently New Found Glory covered the tune on a compilation called "From Your Screen to Your Stereo". Quintessential 80s synth handclaps, xylophones and Cyndi's harpy-like voice combine and draw off elements of the film's original score to create a passable musical tie-in. And when I say passable, I of course mean awesome.

Trolling For Testimonials Two.

It's been about 6 months since I added the funny little testimonial section you'll see over to the left there. Every time the page refreshes, a new quote is displayed from a list of about 15 which were submitted at the inception. They're getting a bit old. A bit long in the tooth. A wee bit stale. If you're looking for a little interactivity today, email me a testimonial or leave one in the comments for me to add to the fray. I'm not fussy, but the funnier the better. Thy will be done.

The Bag Is Out For The Cat.

I maintain that cats are brighter than dogs - because coming on command does not a smart animal make. Those dense, hairy little canine buggers would jump off of a building if they were told to follow a tasty snausage over the side, wheras a cat would stop dead in its tracks and wonder what the heck you'd been smoking. I don't think obedience equates to superior intelligence. I like the fact that my domesticated house pet of choice has his own agenda, and doesn't jump on me, drooling like Sloth every time I walk in the door. I like the fact that I can leave him alone for a weekend and not come home to an apartment that looks like it was broken into by incontinent gorillas.

When I got home tonight, however, Boss put on a show that ranks him right up there with the deer tick in terms of intelligence. I bought a new winter coat on Saturday afternoon, and it's a big 'un. The white plastic bag that I brought it home in is ginormous as well and Boss was curled up inside of it just as comfy as can be. I sat down and started watching the news, and he poked his head up to look over at the TV. That was when I noticed he had one of the handles wrapped snug around his neck. I made a mental note that when he tried to get up I'd lean over and remove it - thereby escaping a tragic garroting at the hands of the spiral staircase.

When he finally got up, he got up fast - suddenly realizing he was supposed to be in my bedroom for some life and death situation as cats are known to do. The bag followed him whipping back and forth and making a heck of a racket. Before I could grab him he was off the couch with the enormous bag tagging along above and behind him like a raincloud with a vendetta. He became absolutely terrified, and ripped around the kitchen and living room at a speed I've never seen, desperately trying to escape his cheap plastic pursuer. I nearly doubled over laughing as words cannot really describe how ridiculous it looked, but then he headed for the stairs and I snapped back to attention as my spidey senses began to tingle.

By the time I got down to the lower level, he'd successfully gotten away from his nemesis and was looking up at me from the middle of my bedroom floor, chest pumping and eyes wide with kitty shock and awe. The bag lay a few feet away, hung up on the last step. He quickly turned his attention back to it - I assume anticipating yet another attack. That was 4 hours ago, and he's still there staring at the bag as I type. It's a Filene's Basement Bag Standoff, and I truly hope it's over by morning as I'd like to use it to take my gym clothes to work. Godspeed. You show that bastard bag who's boss, Boss.

Monday's Quotelet: Furry Fornications.

From the producers of Mississippi Masala, The Bodyguard and Jungle Fever comes the latest heartwarming tale of forbidden love: Kibbles and Naughty Bits.

I Sincerely Like The AHL Hockey.

Site favorite Detroit Velvet Smooth works for the Lowell Lock Monsters as an off-ice official, and he's invited me several times to accompany him to a game. I finally tagged along last night, and I have to say - AHL hockey is considerably more enjoyable than its older brother. I may be hooked.

I will be going to the Monsters' game a week from today to continue my new obsession. It's healthier than niche German pornography, anyway. Let me know if you'd like to accompany us.

Arrested Development Guilty On All Counts.

That's right. It's guilty of being original. It's guilty of being hilarious. It's guilty of being a fucking milestone - and today - it's also guilty of being cancelled.

Bateman will now be able to join the support group for "brilliant shows which were axed by stiff suits before their time". Colin Quinn and Chris Elliott are bringing the donuts and coffee this week, while Peter Griffin moderates via satellite from the Drunken Clam.

Other tragedies include: The Tick, Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night, Firefly, NewsRadio and, of course, Mr. Show. Where is Susan Powter when you need her? Cancelled, I'd assume.

In Flander's Fields The Poppies Blow.

Please read the poem you see below, and then this accompanying article on the poem's history and author Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In Canada, you used to learn this poem in the 2nd grade or so. You would memorize it and recite it every November 11th with your classmates - I remember saying it out loud in a gym once with every other kid at my school at an entire assembly devoted to Remembrance Day. We'd all be given poppies, in keeping with the poem, which we would wear on our little lapels for the entire day - and usually for a few before and after. Veterans would come and speak to us, and most kids were well versed on the major wars before they were old enough to fully appreciate G.I. Joe. Although I cut and paste it into this page, I could have still typed it out from memory. And it gets me every time.

I say 'used to' because the current Canadian climate is not really conducive to mentioning war, or the soldiers who fight them, in any sort of favorable light. It's probably been stricken from most curriculums in favor of repeated viewings of Ellen. Regardless, I wanted to share Flanders Fields with my American friends who have likely never heard of it - and say a sincere personal thank you to all those who have fought and died so far from home over the last hundred years. See another tribute over at GoonBlog.

Almost Frat Pack Photoshop Famous.

You may remember my half-hearted post from a few weeks back - when bored and starved for material I spent 15 minutes Photoshopping a "Frat Pack" image. This combined an original photograph of the Rat Pack performing at the Sands in the early 60's with the heads of our beloved modern day dummies. I also mentioned a site which was thoroughly devoted to the Wilsons, Ferrell, Vaughn, Black and Stiller - and gave him a little kudos for his efforts.

Well apparently - it's turned into a circle jerk. My silly little collage is now featured front and center on his very popular site. I first noticed this when I saw the abundance of traffic coming through from that domain. He even mentions Pye In The Face in his latest Podcast which, if you're a fan of the boys, I highly reccomend. Thanks for the hat tip, Kevin - and keep up the good work.

Wednesday Wadio: Luna's "City Kitty".

City Kitty reels with befuddled disgust, shot through with a clammy sci-fi movie organ and the rattle of screwdrivers on fretboards -- until the strings start soaring above a bridge which is one part Ennio Morricone, one part Glen Campbell. "Slinky and winky, stinky and drinky." - TeenBeat

Hi everybody! This is Nate, guest-blogging because my esteemed roommate is off making a hamhock sandwich. He LOOOOVES his pork. But at the end of the day, who doesn't want to tuck in to some salty hog? Here's the deal: there are 3 kinds of people I hate:

1. People with oversized umbrellas that are the width of the sidewalk because they are so fat they need them to stay dry (it's called a tarp - get one).
2. People who don't look forward in an elevator because they are checking out my enormous cock.
3. People who don't like Luna.

More specifically, their best song - City Kitty. A song of mystery and mystique. A song of black-eyed susans and chilled potatoes. A song of triumph and adversity. It's a song I have been screaming for them to sing for the 13+ years I've been going to see them, to which they consistenly reply: "fuck off, Nate." Real funny, jerk-offs. It's a song I have only heard once in concert, and that's because they were drunk one night and tried to appease me. But they gave up. Unlike this song, they were weak. They did not try to persevere.

The song is about positivity. About achieving one's goals. About heading into the realm of the unknown. Okay, fine. It's a song about drugs. And I'm drunker than a poet on payday. Enjoy, and stop checking out my package, perverts.

A Wee Bit Sick. But You Knew That.

Once a winter I get sick. As far as I am concerned, the sooner the better - last Christmas I drove from Boston to Kingston and then Toronto whilst delerious. So I wasn't totally disappointed this morning when I woke up feeling like a Tombstone lunger. So I'll sit here in front of the TV, with a laptop in my... lap, just like the good old days when I worked from home everyday as an editor. Consciousness - coffee - Columbo. Day after day after day. Rise and shine, imbibe caffeine and then religiously watch a 30-year-old police show everyday before starting my first keystroke of work.

Do I miss that? Kinda. But I also had to eat dog food back then. So I'm just fine with the whole rat race thing.

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me How Funny Arrested Development Is?

Tobias Fünke: O-kay, who'd like a banger in the mouth? [laughs] Right, I forgot, here in the States, you call it a *sausage* in the mouth.
Michael: We just call it a sausage.

Good lord. If you haven't seen this show yet, tune in Monday nights at 8pm on Fox. I'd heard things, sure, but this is quality stuff. David Cross, Martin Short and even frigging Dave Thomas is in it too. I am hooked after about 20 minutes, and this exercise started as little more than a way to kill time before the Patriots game. I don't know that much about the show, other than it's really creative, unique - and seems to feature a lot of guest stars.

One thing I do remember, is that a' la Family Guy - the show was cancelled and then brought back to life after grass roots, obsessive and downright creepy support from legions of fans Fox didn't know existed until after the fact. It's a shame the same couldn't be said for Get A Life.

Tennessee. Tennessee. Tennessee. Just joshin'.

Monday's Quotelet: Harboring Some Resentment.

New pals Lindsay Lohan and Billy Joel were asked not to return to Hyannisport.

Friday's Quizzlet: Slicin' Up Eyeballs.

Appetizer: What was the last game you purchased?
I did you one better, you Quizzlet bastard - I purchased a membership to GameFly. It's like NetFlix for the geeks who are worse than movie geeks. I'm not ashamed, however. There's nothing unhealthy about coming home on a chilly fall evening and battling a Rhino from the comfort of your own couch in front of the fireplace. Then I tell her she's pretty and take her out for something to eat when I'm sure none of my neighbors are looking.

Soup: Name something in which you don't believe.
I don't believe in institutions, parties, groups or denominations that spend more time and energy debasing others than bettering themselves. So, basically, I don't believe in much. Debasing should almost always be left to The Pixies.

Salad: If you could choose a television boss, who would you pick?
I would love to put a stapler in jelly, throw a shoe over a pub, go to Chasers, softly softly catchy monkey, headbutt a secretary and discuss dwarves - all under the guru-like tutiledge of Mr. David "Bluto" Brent.



Main Course: What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
We had this question over a year ago, you bastard quizzlet. And I will defer to my previous, and still funny, answer. I may just have to find another source for the weekly questions if this sort of redundancy keeps up. Or get a girlfriend.

Dessert: Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.
One in which I'm unconcious.

A Hunka Hunka Big Haunt Photos.

Much needed and much better additions have been made to the Big Haunt 2 gallery. About 40 of them to be exact. You can actually see what some of the costumes looked like in the early evening before they were abandoned and beer-soaked. So be sure to click through and have a gander. Janet's also added a gallery of pictures in her own section from a Halloween party she attended Monday night. Because she needed to go to another Halloween party. All I have to say is - "...and she wonders why her cat is fat".

While I'm in the process of self-promotion, we've been doing a lot of work over at GoonBlog (hockey goon, enforcer and fight site) and DogGoneKnit (free dog sweater knitting patterns and a related community). If you haven't visited in a while, please stop by and re-aquaint yourselves. And if you're not into hockey pugilism or dog sweaters, I sincerely applaud your possession of priorities.

Absolutely Riveted To The English Auction Shows.

See if you can follow me. I am watching a show in which professional antiquers cruise through a family's home and look for items of value. The families in question always have a need or a goal for the money raised. This week, a husband and wife wish to buy a rather expensive goat. After the walkthrough, the pros compile a list of everything they feel is of value to antique hunters. Then they take those items to an auction, while the original owners stand on the sidelines and knaw at their knuckles to see if the estimates will be reached, exceeded or shitcanned.

I don't believe this - After selling furniture, 2 paintings, a set of 3 barometers, a 200 year old grandfather clock, mugs and some dishes - these folks still need 190 pounds to get their goat. Now... How much would I need to pawn to get a goddamn life? I'm watching an antique reality show, afterall.

Wednesday Wadio: A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays

Janet told me yesterday that I should remake "Trunk of Funk" in its entirety, and post the whole thing here on Radio Pye. TOF was a cassette tape mix that I made a year or so after high school. It consisted of probably 20 early 90's rap songs (the golden age as far as I am concerned) and was copied and handed around many times. I'm not gonna do the whole thing, but I'll do one. I'll do one.

An oddly named single from De La Soul's second album, De La Soul Is Dead ("...One of the most progressive, complex and boldly experimental albums hip hop has ever seen."), A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays "seamlessly incorporates Chicago, Chic and Franki Valli samples into a taut, scratch-heavy disco jam". The video features Pos, Trugoy and Maceo and guest rapper Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest surrounded by roller skaters on a sunny day in Central Park.

This song would easily make my top 10 list of favorite rap songs of all time. It is so happy, infectious and funky it's almost hard to resist strapping on skates and looking aimlessly for some long since torn down rink. Whenever I hear this song, I am instantly brought back in time - driving around in my '79 Chevy Malibu, listening to TOF on the yellow Sony Sport boom box that's plugged into my rusty cigarette lighter. And I desperately want to get back to 2005. Not really. Pass the peas like they used to say...

The Big Haunt 2: Paranormal With The Pictures.

Janet and I got out to Concord Friday night with stereos, decorations, costumes and about $200 worth of change I wanted to get rid of in tow. They don't have many of those supermarket sorters in the big city, and I had 6 years worth shrapnel I wanted to move/pay for a keg or two with. I almost exchanged my Chewbacca costume for that of "Hernia-Patient." The old red house was partially decorated when we got there, and Jim, Stacey, Amy, James and Ryan were hard at work pimping out the remainder. Chris was hard at work sitting on a barstool and making gay jokes. Several folks dropped by to pitch in over the course of the evening, and "B.H. Eve" was a good time all by its lonesome.

Saturday we all got up at the ungodly hour of 10am to start prepping for the second annual Big Haunt. The delegation began weeks ago. Jim was on food. Dave was on music. Phil and Jason were on decorations. James and Ryan would fill in the cracks where needed. Jim's sushi went to shit. Ryan forgot to get pumpkins. Jim and I sped off to deal with the 3 kegs we'd ordered, and the rest of the crew split up accordingly.



After visiting Alexa's awesome new store in Concord Center, we then headed to her dad's to do a little business. While the half barrels were being wheeled out to the truck, I spoke with Mr. B. about his website and some of the ways I thought he could improve it. He reciprocated by hooking us up to an extent which still boggles my mind. And it wasn't with hugs. Thanks Mr. B! I will return the favor.

After getting the beverages back to the house, we headed up to New Hampshire to pick up the heaters and chafing dishes we'd ordered. As we were driving back after an additional and most productive trip to Costco, a piece of one of the heaters ripped off its bolts and flew into heavy traffic on 95. After hitting a couple of vehicles, the piece of metal disappeared and Jim, James and I pulled over sheepishly to see if anyone had any choice words for us. To my extreme amazement, nobody stopped and we continued on our way. Then the snow started.

While the weather definitely hurt attendence, we dealt with it. After getting back to Concord, Eric dropped by and removed all the snow and leaves off the back lawn with a high powered blower - and I'm not talking about his girlfriend (rim shot). We decorated and wired the attic. Jim got to cooking. I set up the stereos and organized the playlists. Amy arranged the bar and Ryan tapped the kegs. The old Concord contingent works extremely well together, and I reckon it's because we've been on so many of the same landscaping crews over the years. We were ready.

I could go into a lot more detail, but if you were there you know how it played out. And if you weren't, you were probably invited but blew it off due to a couple of fruity flakes - so just make sure you show up next year and frig off for the time being. There were a lot of cameras there that night, and frankly my pictures aren't all that exceptional. So email me your best and I'll add them here. Don't anyone take this the wrong way, but I think I had more fun planning and setting up for that party than I did in the 6 hours or so that the house was packed. But whatever works - dysfunctional fun none the less.

Twice The Funk Of James Brown's Socks.

Wow - quiet week on the blog so far. How about that Bruschi? I'm in a bit of a funk as of late. But I rarely leave you hanging, so I'll press on and keep 'er going. It may not be pretty. It may involve latex.

I have little patience for moody people. But more and more I realize I'm a card-carrying member of the club. The best I can do is to keep from using it as an excuse to be a jacktard, or take any sort of snivelly whininess out on other people. What it is doing, however, is frigging me up at work occasionally - and I can't have that.

So tonight I'm going to go home, dust off my Depeche Mode records, have a little pity-party for myself and pull my head out of my puckered nostril. And I'm going to do it all without the help of Ridalin. Shame I never discovered ManRay before it closed.