Showing posts with label cigarettes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cigarettes. Show all posts

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Wolves are cooler than tigers.

Hey everybody.  It's nearly 3am, and I've got to get up early tomorrow to move.  Oh joy.  The new place is actually probably less than a mile away from here and definitely much easier to get to and direct folks to, so maybe that's a plus.  Bigger bedroom, bigger bathroom, much more closet space, better view.  Super plus??  Perhaps.  Tiny kitchen.  Yuck.  Speaking of yuck, there is a band called Yuck.  They're actually pretty good, and you can download a lot of their songs for free from their blog.  DIY music at it's finest.  And that's a great band name, is it not??  Really grabs your attention.  Hey, and speaking of band names, you know, there are a lot of bands with animals in their name.  Think about it.  Frog Eyes, Band of Horses, Minus the Bear, Tiger Army, Wolfmother, Wolf Parade, Wolves in the Throne Room...

Hmm... a lot of wolves there.  "Why could that be??" you may find yourself asking.  Well lucky for you, I will tell you.  It is because wolves are awesome.  That's a fact.  Most people seem to be either dog or cat people, and yes, I know that's a gross over-generalization, but it just kind of works out that way.  This can be extrapolated to a much grander and more epic scale.  You're either a wolf person or you're a tiger person.  Unfortunately, in this day and age, both of those animals are pretty much endangered, and that's pretty sad, cause I think they're both inarguably awesome.  However, thanks to the wonders of the National Geographic Channel, I may have been converted fully to the wolf pack.

I just watched what happened to be a totally bitchin' documentary about a wolf.  This wolf has a pretty unfortunate name.  Black Wolf.  Believe it or not, for the wolves living in Yellowstone, that's a hell of a lot more creative than most of their names ever get.  However, living where he did and being a wolf meant Black Wolf was kind of a big deal.  Almost all of these wolves have collars and are tracked and studied exhaustively, and Black Wolf was no exception.  Early in his life, it became clear that he was no ordinary wolf, however, and they started filming his ass a lot.  He lived almost double the life expectancy of other wolves in Yellowstone, fathered almost 30 cubs that survived to adulthood, killed literally hundreds of elk, caribou, and coyotes, and eventually became the alpha wolf of one of the largest packs in the vast park. And for most of his life, he actually lived as an outcast, a lone wolf never completely accepted into a pack.  That's just epic.  I mean, that's the kind of shit Disney might make an animated film about.  It would probably suck and have way less violence and all that, but still, it's not a bad idea (note to self: market this before Disney can).

Look at this badass wolf just lookin' all majestic and awesome and... covered in blood.

I don't know if you're aware of this, but I actually have a velvet painting of a wolf.  Until now, I kept it just because it was kind of interesting and kitsch and was given to me, but all of the sudden, it just feels a little more awesome.

And speaking of awesome, let me show you another awesome thing that I have been made aware of.

What is this.  I don't even.

Boom.  This thing.  What the fuck is that about??  A friend showed this to me joking about how awesome it would be to get one for christmas.  Personally, I laughed aloud.  It's good for a joke, but that's about it. I don't like knit hats and I'm perfectly capable of growing an amazing beard without having to substitute a fake one to keep my face warm.  This almost seems like a cop out.  I am disappointed in you, world.

And speaking of things that disappoint me, let us address the subject of Four Loko.

Last night, I ventured to the gas station to acquire a fresh pack of cigarettes.  Not an uncommon occurrence.  However, on this particular evening, I got to feeling bold.  I wanted a beverage.  So I went to the back and there was the obvious answer, staring right the fuck back at me.  Four Loko.  23.5 fluid ounces of hell.  This is a beverage which has been outlawed in several states.  They're trying to make it so you can't get this shit.  I have literally heard nothing but negative comments about it, it's taste, and the things it does to the human body (unless you count "it'll get you drunk" as a positive comment).  So my wallet $8 lighter, pack of Marlboros and Four Loko in hand, I triumphantly exit.  After all I'd heard about the watermelon flavor, I opted for fruit punch, hoping it would be less offensive to my tongue.

I pop the top and take a nice, long swig, and... I don't see what all the fuss is about.  It's not so bad.  I take another slurp.  Sure, it's not the best thing I've ever had, but I paid all of $2.34 for nearly 3 cups of this stuff.  I mean, I did the math, one can of this stuff is like the equivalent of 6 glasses of wine and 2 red bulls.  Literally.  That is not an exaggeration.  That simply cannot be good for you.  Another couple of sips and suddenly, I'm not feeling it.  I decided the taste could politely be described as "slightly off-tasting, possibly tainted, metallic Hawaiian Punch", but with an after taste of stale turpentine and iron shavings.

You stay classy America.

Seriously though, don't bother.  No, I don't think you're getting it.  Don't drink Four Loko.  Unless, you know, you're really cheap, your taste buds don't work, or you really want to get wasted.  Though I was pleasantly surprised at the buzz I was able to catch from just one can, I wonder if it was really worth my dignity.


Anyway kiddos, it's bed time now.  I've got shit to do tomorrow and I'm not sure how quickly internet will be up and running at the new place.  Plus, I really don't even want to think about how tired and worn out I'm going to be in less than 24 hours time and I might not even want to blog again for a few days.  This might suck a little bit.


EDIT:  I bet that's the first time anyone has ever labeled a post with both Disney and Four Loko...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Mixtape #3 - "Rainy Day Woman"

No one ever accused me of getting everything done on time or staying free from distractions, but the past several days have really dragged me away from here.  So sorry for that.  I'm sure I'm leaving dozens of you hanging on in anticipation, waiting, wondering what's coming next.  Can you detect the note of sarcasm??  Family for the holiday and I just got a new job!!  Say hello the the newest member of the Advance Auto Parts team (in other car-related news, Forza 3 Ultimate pretty much rules).  Aside from that, I'll go on and use the piss poor excuse that I had a post typed up yesterday and then the power went out.  True story.

Anyway, Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are now into the ever-lengthening, ever more commercial holiday season of Christmas.  Truth be told, it makes me sick.  But that's entirely besides the point.  I may just be feeling that because it's been raining all day today.  And yesterday.  And the day before that.  I know the mixtape is a little late, but shit, how about I just agree to try and post one per week rather than every monday??  I don't do well with deadlines.  Fuck it.  You'll probably get one monday.  Let me just say that.  Fresh mixtapes every monday... usually.  Maybe even most of the time.

So I actually ended up making 3 different mixes.  One for me, one for you, and one for someone else.  Of those three, I ended up combining bits and pieces from each to make something different entirely.  I'm sure you'll notice a bit of a theme in most of the songs.  Can you tell what kind of mood I've been in??  If you guessed vaguely sad, nostalgic, and contemplative, you guessed right.  I don't know what it is about a good storm that makes me want to ignore my health, stand in the rain, and slowly enjoy a cigarette as I get lost in thought.  And as we've previously discussed, our music is the soundtrack to our lives, and I found myself thinking about that soundtrack these past few days.  I wanted the songs to say something about the mood I've been in, but be relatively relatable.  Man, those two words have a lot of the same letters...  I promise I'll post again soon.  Probably tomorrow.  I have a few funny stories and observations for you to enjoy, so you've got something to look forward to.


What follows is a collection of songs that are perfect for a rainy fall day.  I hope you like them.

01 - Act of the Apostle - God Help the Girl
02 - For the Price of a Cup of Tea - Belle & Sebastian
03 - Sweet Child o' Mine - Taken By Trees
04 - Tonight - Stars
05 - Capturing Moods - Rilo Kiley
06 - Nineteen - Tegan & Sara
07 - Everything With You - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
08 - Jen is Bringin' the Drugs - Margot & the Nuclear So-and-So's
09 - One Two Three Four - Feist
10 - Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
11 - Norway - Beach House
12 - Moths - This Is The Kit
13 - Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Radiohead
14 - I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab For Cutie