Scott Pilgrim rox my world... but I can't find the score.

So the brother and I just saw Scott Pilgrim Vs. The world. Movie seriously kicked ass. Very cool on the visual scale, very awesome story, Michael Cera was a nut in all the good ways and I wasn't freaked about Kerrin Caulkin (who I just checked if I spelled his name right and then closed the browser like an idiot so it will have to do.) as I thought I would be.

The music was really cool & I checked out the Sound track on iTunes, but I would guess I need the score. The song that Brie Larson sings with the band in the movie was awesome and I really liked it but the entire soundtrack is mainly Beck. Not that I don't like Beck, I just don't want to listen to Beck singing all the songs, I want to listen to the cast singing the songs... I know they did parts of it, but still... is it too much to ask for that when you have a movie that is based so seriously in music that the soundtrack be verbatim the music of the movie? They did the same thing with 8 Mile, things just don't line up with the music we fell in love with in the flick. Kills me... I want to hear what makes me want the sound track in the first place.

Song of the Moment: Evanescence "Lose Control" Album "Open Door"

P.S I'm really starting to hate Pod Snack - so I'm on the hunt again for a music widget!

What part of my book says speak to me?

I am not your best friend. Met this girl a few years back riding the bus. Couldn't get rid of her to save my soul. She was pregnant at the time, always asking me for cigarettes, trying to give me advice on living in Ypsi and always struck up conversation with me - even if I had on headphones and was reading. It got to the point that I was trying to hide from her, even sort of augmented my schedule so I wouldn't be on the same bus as she was. I saw her one day about 2 weeks ago and was thankful she didn't see me. Today however - by George she saw me. I was nose in my book - trying to get a lot of reading done in my boredom while dog/house sitting - had headphones on rocking out to Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and she does the full on flailing hands then tapped me on the shoulder.

Never remembers my name so I'm just "Hey Gurl" to her. She wants to talk briefly and I've really got nothing to say.

her: "How's your boyfriend"

me: I threw him out a long time ago

Long pause

her: "Why?"

me: "Because he was shit. I think he's in San Diego or San Francisco or something"

her: "Is that why you dumped him."

me: "No, he left well after."

Long pause

her: "So where you going?"

me: "The office"

her: "Still working at the same place"

me: "Yup, not much has changed."

her: "I hear that."

Longer pause - I go back to reading

her: "You look good, look like you lost some weight."

me: "Oh, sure, hadn't noticed - I'm too busy to notice these days. Just trying to catch up on reading because this is the only time I have to do it."

her: "What else you been up to?"

me: "Same old song and dance."

her: "Yeah."

Long pause AGAIN I think this is finally over. I'm looking out the window, checking my watch every 30 seconds like I've got something super important to do in that second though I'm trapped on the bus.

her: "It's really good to see you. I miss seeing you around"

me: (internally "FUCK OFF!") "How's your baby?"

her: "She's good, getting big."

me: "That's good."

Then I go about looking out the window during her next long ass pause and start reading again, never looking in her direction and trying hard to ignore the hell out of her.

I get up to get off the bus and low and behold she's getting off at the same stop, so I'm praying she's going in the opposite direction because I don't need anymore awkward conversation when this is my moment of me time before the calamity of my office ensues.

So what part of my book makes it look like I want to have a conversation? Not too sure... People fucking kill me!

Song of the moment: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. "Atrophy" Album: "Don't you Fake it"

Casualty of War...

It's always me. I'm always the one who is not spared.

Many moons ago when the Taproom addition was not complete and the Annex was a separate entity of Taproom; Jeff - Bestest #4 could hang out for hours after his shift while he closed with select few and no one would know the difference. Brian & Lisa the owners were not in on weeknights, and all the more reason that I could go up to Taproom at 3am in my PJ's to hang out with Jeff while he closed the bar. Back in those days Mondays were dubbed "Slightly more than Mild amounts of fun" and Thursdays were "No pants Thursday". Seemed to be that every Monday there was a water fight. Pop guns were used to hose down whatever server had earned the foray and for some reason, I was always the one to come up almost as wet as the two players in the game.

Tonight was no exception. To satiate the boredom of the crew tonight somehow the great water fight involved Katie & Jeff. Kristy decided to stay as far out of it as possible. I stated my firm rule of if you are going to do this keep it away from me because I will inevitably end up wet. I am always the casualty of war!

10 minutes go by and Jeff runs back in the room and to his post behind the bar, hands me a full roll of paper towel and a serving tray as a shield and then the calamity ensues. R.C actually got up and stood behind me because the person to get it second to me is always him. Even standing there blocking most of the wet with the tray I still managed to get wet. Shorty - A.K.A Michelle thought I was just being a sissy until the damage was done and all of the bar in front of her, my chair and paid tab were soaking wet, and then she believed me. I am, always... without a doubt, the Casualty of war.

On another note - I'm about to be relegated to much time alone staring at the dogs. I'm sure you will be inundated with pictures and stories of the puppies being silly. I mean hell - Dexi managed to bite her own lip today and make herself bleed.

Song of the Moment: Fall Out Boy "This ain't a scene, it's an Arms race." - and my "widget" though not what I want as far as a widget goes doesn't support MP4 - shit heads! Someone suggest a true music widget - HELP ME Support the Music!

So maybe not...

Being lazy last night has now translated into me not taking my laptop with me for the weekend. So I'll be sure to have something interesting for Monday - for example the pending day trip to one of the great lakes tomorrow. Photos to follow.

Have a good weekend!

Song of the Moment Thousand Foot Krutch "What do we know" Album: "Flame in All of Us"

Just plain lazy...

I have been wondering most of the afternoon what to blog about, and while a few things come to mind, it's now 3am - the time when I should be done with my blog and getting into bed - and I'm too tired to be funny.

Just spent the last hour and a half trying to get a PSN Trophy for Mushroom Wars that I already had. Trust me I'm pissed about it too! Will get to work on the real trophy I was aiming for tomorrow. Don't know if I'm going to the office tomorrow, going out sailing with my boss or just staying at home watching this weeks TV since I did not bother when any of it was new.

Until tomorrow friends, I'll be clever then.

Song of the moment... got nothing, going to the pretty place where the flowers grow, I'll be back in 8 hours or so.

The Neighborhood... emphasis on hood

I live in a town where the most notable land mark is something we affectionately call the Ypsi penis. I live in a town where the local bar has a door handle 4 inches below where the standard door knob sits. I asked this question one of an old bar crony when I was barely a regular and was told that Ypsilanti used to have the largest number of midgets per capita. This owing to the plants that were around town and for some reason the smaller type person was more suited for some of them.

I live in Downtown Ypsilanti Michigan, where the historical district is really just a series of old brick buildings that have been turned into something else. Many of them make a person feel like they are looking at snipits of Downtown Detroit with big stone facades and empty buildings. Bums sit on the corner of Michigan Ave, and ask for change and cigarettes of the bar patrons. I happen to live 1 block from 4 bars, and 2 blocks from 1 bar.

Things can sometimes get weird around here. By weird I mean the friend of mine who helped me move to the neighborhood going crazy and blocking off 5 lanes of traffic with 4 traffic cones and a conga drum.

By weird I mean this....
The dead monkey I saw laying face down on the sidewalk next to the "corner store" that was to be seen minutes after I'd passed it being rocked back and forth by some odd looking woman. By weird I mean what's going on in the apartment behind my house...

A few weeks ago we ran into our land lord which was good, because that meant I didn't have to go to drop off the check to him. He told us someone would be moving in and sharing our back door - a person I've seen once, but I am not entirely sure that he's moved into this mysterious and supposed back door unit. A few days go by and I notice this oddly constructed wagon that had at least 6ft of 2x4's running along it, with a dolly that is attached to one end for wheeling and some torturous looking pieces with nails that protruded from the top. Purpose unknown. I'd seen it a few days later with smaller chops of wood being cradled in the protrusions. Okay... so I found this odd, have no idea whats going on but as the rain progressed I noticed it was no longer swimming in the pond that is our back driveway and was broken down and standing upright leaning against the side of the building. Okay - whatever he'd been doing with it, he'd done and now it was just to be around if needed.

Then things got even more odd. A bike appeared with a kart on the back. Looks like a smaller version of a hotdog cart - sans umbrella and the tasty treats, thats been put on bicycle wheels and attached to a bike for pulling.

Then the little blue Honda arrived. I didn't see it get here, I came home from work and it was backed into the spot next to where my brother parks and all the windows were down. I thought maybe it was from the members of the AA meeting in the house next door that take up our parking daily and make massive amounts of noise. Next day I get home from the office and this car is filled to the brim almost with big black trash bags - windows still down... wondering what's going on in there? Then a day later the bags are all gone, the windows have been rolled up - smart as we'd had torrential weather 3 days in a row - and the car looks normal again.

I've seen the guy in question once or twice. He whistles odd things and is oblivious to anyone being around. Has long hair and looks like the standard Ann Arbor Hippie and has a unique side pack that seems to be doubling as almost a traveling tool belt. I heard an electric saw moments before I saw him last, but still - I got nothing on whats going on in there.

That's when the shit started to appear. Came home and there was shit in the car, this time toys and random articles, milk crates, a lamp, a very ugly clay vase; no one was monitoring them and then they were gone. Not in the stolen sense of gone, but just poof gone. A day later the random assortment of items were back, but now they are sitting against the brick wall covered in plastic painters drop cloth. A day later - they're back in the car. Day after that they are back on the wall. I would assume they are back on the wall because now there is a full mattress set sitting on top of the car. Honestly - I'm wondering what the fuck?

Day passes, the Mattresses are still on the car, the items are on the wall, the long haired Hippie has not been seen. Then suddenly the mattresses are gone by the time I left for the office. Came home and they were back on top of the car. I'm starting to wonder if this apartment is the housing version of Mary Poppins' magic carpet bag. Things can go in and out and no matter how big you never know how it's happening.

As it stands now, the mattresses are gone again, and the vast majority of "stuff" (I'll be polite and call it stuff) is sitting on the trunk of the car or the ground around it covered with the plastic drop cloth with milk crates of more stuff holding the drop cloth down. Or it is sitting next to the wall uncovered.

This mystery is really making me wonder about my very eccentric land lord - and my new neighbor. Never know when that moment will come when I'll step out the back door to find a stuffed Kodiak or something. Go figure.

Song of the Moment: Thousand Foot Krutch "Broken Wing" Album: Flame in all of Us

The Music... has a page!

I'm still working on the genius I've got in mind behind the music of my blog. No I'm not talking VH1.

I'm what I think I should called an audiophile in training. I do have a lot of music, my life is a streaming playlist of a lot of music. Everything from metal to country. At the end of my posts you'll notice I add a song of the moment. Whatever's stuck in my head at the moment. I'm looking for an appropriate widget for the playlist so that it can hang out on the face of my blog and give you my reader(s) the option of listening to the songs that I post. Have I found that widget that will let you listen to the whole song.. now, but I did find a link that will let me give you my playlist for your listening pleasure. So Checkout the page at the top that says "The Music" and enjoy

Song I'm listening to right now... The Script "The Man who can't be moved" Album "The Script"

On the ZEfron Train.

I've been holding out. "17 Again" was good for me because Zac Efron is so freakin' charming and adorable he's irresistible. Bestest #1 and I made "Charlie St. Cloud" our movie of the week for $6 tuesday and yes as much of a cry fest as it is, I walked away feeling like a dirty old woman for wanting to hump the leg of the believably (yes, I said that right) sexy Zac Efron. He's grown into his manly-ness and I give him 2 more years before he's so filled out that he'll make everyone woman jump on the gravy train.

I'm a resister. Won't admit to liking pop culture fads as the people who tend to like them annoy the shit out of me. However, "Charlie St. Cloud" was such a good movie that now a movie may be a contender just because the billing says Zac Efron. "17 Again" was adorable. Brought back to me memories of "Friends" in it's first 2 seasons when it was more than pop culture, but good. But it was the ZEfron that made the movie exceptionally adorable and worth seeing more than once just for the feel good. "Charlie St. Cloud" was more than able when it came to being emotionally satisfying as well as a plot twist that me... the one who predicts everything didn't see it coming until 5 minutes before the reveal.

I'll admit it. I'm not ashamed to say that if it were possible Zac Efron would be on the Pretzel list -as in a man I'd be willing to pull a full on Sandra Bullock from "2 Weeks Notice" Bobcat Pretzel for. I hate the emo hair cut on anyone and I'd let him go bald, go it 3 feet long or anywhere in between because his adorable/adorkablity is off the charts... And here is one really good reason why... the ZEfron is fucking sexy... young or not at 22 he's got a body I'd climb like a tree trunk and I'm over being not willing to admit it. Why you ask... here's why... happy trails to you....

He's entered my ranks of Jensen Ackles & Jeffrey Dean Morgan where I just wish I was the t-shirt he's wearing...

Song in my head at the moment: Script "Breakeven" Album "The Script"

Blogger thinks I need Jesus

My religious views not withstanding, I was browsing blogs via the "Next Blog" button and the first 5 were family blogs - come see with Chrissy did with the cat this week, 2 were shopping-esque but mostly baby related and the rest were all religious. I got to one that wouldn't even let me hit the next blog button because it had disappeared! Post after post was telling me I needed Jesus. One was a Catholic wife and mother of 7. One was about the Jewish faith, another told me to follow the Watch Tower - I get those passed at me by everyone from the lady to delivers the News Paper to my office to the woman who remembers me in the grocery store from the one time she came to convert me on THANKS GIVING! (Still jaded sorry)

I didn't know that the Blogger had a stance on my religion, but apparently this morning it thinks I need Jesus. He & I are already copacetic so I'm going to go have a smoke & go back to bed.

Still ramblin' around my head is Taproot's "I" Album: "Gift", if you've not heard it, check out my boys! They are local and awesome!

Blogging - who knew

I have a best friend who follows the blogs of like 25 people. I like to have the things I say put down for the world to read but she is pretty hard core about checkin' in with her blogs. Then again this gives her the worlds gossip, news on the newest hotties, whats new in media, etc. She's a monster of a media whore and I don't fault her for it. I'm normally the one saying "Did you know so and so was dating? When the fuck did this shit happen?" then out of nowhere she looks at me like I'm a massive idiot and says "Dude, they're married, I think have 2 kids by now."

I can't say I don't care about things going on in the media but I'm not an information whore on things like who's dating whom from Twilight. What band is back together. What celeb is going to jail tomorrow for back taxes... I just never really cared about it.

Now I want to actively blog, to give myself an outlet and something to do when the mind races at a hoe-gillion (technical term I swear) miles a minute in the middle of the night. I don't follow Twitter as closely as I'd like because I end up following the people who Tweet 30 thousand times a day. Literally. I know people who will tweet 35 times in a row about nonsensical things and pretend that they were just filling in blanks. I can't follow Kevin Smith anymore for just that reason. I guess it's like Formspring for me, I don't get the point. How many people can care about having their life down to 140 characters or questions? If you're a celebrity I can understand Formspring being cool for your fans. It's open forum of the greatest kind to just throw out all the shit that anyone has ever wanted to ask. Granted for them that is a lot of work to answer all of those questions, but what purpose does it serve for the average person?

I Facebook - no lie I'm a bit of a Facebook whore. I post random videos, funny things here and there and the update of my life at the moment, but even then unless I'm so amped up I can't sleep, bored to tears or I have 30 unrelated things I want to say I don't update more than 5 times a day. I don't Facebook while I'm at work, and I don't do a good enough job of trolling the internet to have that much to post. I wish I could to better but today (in the last 24 hours leading up to now)- and having been home almost all day I have shared one tidbit (Travis Pastrana related) from XGames, posted one video from Youtube, had 2 status updates (one of which asking what I should blog about tonight), made 2 old friends, and managed completely on accident to make one Farmcrack share (Farmville to the rest of you. It's crack, I can't stop playing the damn thing!) I have friends that will post pictures all day, tell the world what they've had for all 3 meals of the day (with photos), inform us they were going to shower... you know who you are... and the like. I'd rather be quippy and have something fun to share rather than turn my life into a status update. Don't get me started on 4 Square, Gowalla and the like.

However, I Buzzed all morning and got to the point where I had to walk away because I didn't want to be that person who is sitting there and after a post or two finds myself having conversations through the comment logs. I think one of my posts today had 16 comm-versations (new word - Comment Conversations = Commversations), sadly one of the prime contributors is my brother and the other was his co-worker and they were in the same building.

Do I have to be an over sharer to be a good blogger? What do people want to read about? Are my Rants Ramblings & Revelries enough to maybe create a following? We will see. But for now, Ramble on!

Song in my head at the moment - Taproot "I" (Album - Gift)

Good Bye Sweet X-Games... Good bye.

Every year I look forward to X Games. It's my summer highlight. I got into it oddly enough the same year they started FMX and it would also be the year that the one and only Travis Pastrana came to the big show. I had a crush on him then in 1999, and I've still got a crush on him.

Hail the Wonderboy #199

This year I think a lot of big things happened. I'm not a fan of the super condensed format, because we did lose a lot of things that used to be cool about Summer X. No more Wake, no more Surf, no more Roller blading. No more Dirt for BMX, no more Moto-X and thankfully no more Super Cross - it didn't translate. There were only 3 dedicated events for women this year, only one of which gets primary billing in the television coverage. The entire event is crammed into 4 days, and now has even been cut from ABC having coverage. Show times ranged from 1-2 pm to 4 or 5pm with a 2 hour break for the early evening Sports Center, and PTI then coverage again from 7-11pm - for those of us on the East Coast.

I get that things have to progress, because if there's one word that X-treme sports athletes know it's progression, but unfortunately I feel it's been molded and defined for television. I love that technology has pushed us to the point of having 3D television, but you can't take some of the coolest stuff like the Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam and only put it on ESPN 3D! That was killing me. Luckily they wasted a lot of time airing things I'd seen the previous day (aired again for the jackassed posers who don't go at it hard core) and then showed the last 16 minutes of the Rail Jam. If not I'd have missed Bob go huge with that 50/50 body varial or whatever he & Tony Hawk are calling it. What gets ratings stays, and what doesn't will go. I understand it because I wish that Street would go, it's boring as hell to watch even if Tony Hawk & Sal Masekela are commentating. Chris Pastras really burned my biscuits this year because he's not a well tuned "field" reporter. I know Kier Dillon wasn't great either when he showed up, but he upped his game by the end of his first games.

Let's talk about Rally having the EPIC of all PHAIL! The rally course could have been very cool, but it was just too confusing for it to count where it should have. The majority of the winners in Rally heats won by default because the other driver went the wrong way. 1 - label the course more recognizably if you are going to take away the co-driver. 2 - the street portion of the course was too small and didn't allow for there to be time for the dust to settle so a driver could see the course as they enter the coliseum. 3 - Time of day would really weigh in on how the course bakes. If you water it to help reduce the dust and allow for traction, would you not expect that the summer sun in L.A of all places would not bake it to death? and 4 - How is it possible that people who were seeded best got the least amount of practice?? Pastrana went out there for his elimination round and it was the second time he'd been on the course. That's just stupid.

The Street course was horrible. The spacing of the entire deck was off. Riders and skaters seemed to be having problems controlling gaps knowing there's only so much you can do with a 6 foot gap and your next trick is on the coffee cup like it or not. Transitions were hard because you have the front and the back but you can't mix it up too much because you don't plan out a street run like you would a vert run. Wasn't cool and was boring as hell. Adding SK8 - the Skaters version of Horse was cool. I've seen it done in parking lots, but this had serious potential had the street course been better laid out. Maybe Miami is not the place to model a street course anymore. It's bad enough the X Games is only in LA now, but lets take what may have worked in Miami and make some dudes reconstruct it to force suckage in LA... AWESOME!

Putting Vert in the Nokia Theatre is cool, and allowed for more room at the Staples Center for Moto-X events (Best Trick, Step-up (getting boring), Best Whip (weak - in a session style WHAT?), & Speed & Style. Using the L.A Coliseum is a great venue, though it seemed to have posed the most problems by not thinking things through. 1- By putting FMX & Rally there you opened a host of issues. a) the placement of the sun throughout events. - When you're flying above the crowds after hitting a 70+ foot kicker and the sun comes just over the edge of the Coliseum that's blinding and could make it hard to see a landing. and b) the drop in is so steep it's almost blind. 2 - Travis Pastrana alone kicks up too much dust to have the Mega Ramp outside on the same course. At least when it was in Staples Center the wind is not a factor - factor for dust or a factor for blowing mega ramp skaters slightly off course. Having to cover the Mega Ramp then uncover and clean it is too much to handle. Then complicate having it outside by the potential for condensation as the night air cools is a dangerous. If Danny Way is thinking twice - situations could be serious.

There were a lot of glitchy moments this year and that's for sure, but it didn't change the fact that I think every minute of X is a moment to look back and say WOW! Some of these kids are younger than the event it's self with Curren Caples knocking down doors in skate at only 14 years old & Pedro Barros taking home Gold from a 2 time winning veteran being only 15.

If you wanna know more, poke around this place. Facts & features are cool, and there's always a good break down of what went on. Videos, pictures, highlights & more check out XGames.com

Anyway, I'm sad it's over - I can go back to Twitter & Facebook without getting things ruined by those who were there live & giving shit away. Follow for your sanity, XGames: @XGames, Tony Hawk : @TonyHawk, Bob Burnquist: @BobBurnquist (though it's often not in english!), Travis Pastrana: @TravisPastrana (He's not much of a tweeter but check the Nitro crew too), Sal Masekela: @ImSalMasekela, Andy Macdonald: @andymacdonald, Brian Deegan: @mmgeneral, Nitro Circus: @Nitro_Circus or Erik Roner of the Nitro Crew: @ErikRoner. Check 'em out!

It looks like I need to come up with some money hunny because X-Games is all me next year!

Taking Liberties

Some peoples kids... or as I like to call them often "other peoples kids" just don't know when to stop.

Incident tonight - if you know me I'm trouble walking. Long story short. I met 12 relatively nice guys from Arizona this evening. They are in town doing training at the U of M and staying at Webers' Inn. Who knows what brought them out Ypsi way but they were here none the less. A few of them could fall into the "douchy" category but the majority were harmless on a whole; came into Taproom this evening. Taproom is my home, I live one block from the bar and the owners trust my judgement. They know who I am and respect my opinion. After the extended stay and partial annoyance of Lisa - Co-Owner of Taproom - the boys decide to leave. I send them to Smarty Catz, a new bar in the area that's small has a bit of the home town feel and has potential to be good fun. They have been to Pub 13 which is over priced and highly over rated. Friday nights at Smarty Catz a DJ spins and they just installed the stripper pole in the dance floor that's maybe 12X12. Patricia and I arrive at Smarty Catz maybe 10 minutes behind the boys and at least 3/4 of them are out on the side walk smoking and talking to chicks that can maybe send them in the direction of the next dive to party at. The well meaning boys that they are, they've got to designated drivers on hand to make sure everyone is safe.

One of them not falling into the "Douchy" category - Joe was very polite, barely had more than 2 beers prior to walking into this bar, tipped for water and is happily married gets fingered by a hoe-cheese kinda girl who's a server for grabbing her ass. I was standing there when the incident happened and he didn't lay a hand on her though he did make the move toward the "gentlemans step" as I call it where he steps back and would have made a move to put a hand on the small of a womans back. She was letting us know that she'd just broken glass behind us and to be careful. Not having touched her, another man comes out of the mens room behind her and very well may have touched her but she lost her fucking mind! Started shouting in Joe's face about never fucking touching her like that ever again, not caring about how big he is she'll fucking whoop his ass... etc. She walked away after a very Joe apologizes if he's touched her. I step out after a chat or two with other peoples I knew who were around and next I see Joe is being thrown out of the bar. I step up to speak to the owner - who wants me to be a welcomed patron of his bar to let him know that I was standing less than 2 feet from the incident and was there when it happened and that he never laid a hand on her. The situation takes a turn for the worst. The bouncer Richy- AKA Super Douche - starts yelling about how he doesn't care, Joe is never allowed back in the bar. Joe rebuts with the fact that he's from Phoenix and doesn't give a shit if he's not allowed in this shitty bar ever again. I start to get the situation defused and the bouncer just keeps going.

I understand backing your staff. On more than one occasion I have been the person who does not work at the bar but is put in charge of bar backing & bouncing the door by people who trust me with their business as I am the worlds greatest promoter of the local businesses that I frequent. Having been approached by one of the principle partners in the business to get me to push people to come to his establishment I would like to think that my word stands for something. However, backing your staff and letting your 5'8 bald headed bouncer act like a dick when he knows he's out of bounds is far beyond my reach. My violent center only finds it chi easily when I know I'm being met half way. The bouncer continued to yell at the no longer welcomed guest after he'd asked for someone from his group to collect the remaining members of his party so they could depart and well after he'd walked away.
Long and short of it, I got most of the 12 away with one of the sober drivers left to collect the remaining members and next thing I know as I cross the street the bouncer is still yelling back at an upset falsely accused Joe talking about how he's calling the cops.

I had to step in and effectively make bald headed bouncer guy walk way when he decided to proclaim that they even own the sidewalk. Then while trying to prove just how big of a man e wan he came across the street to cause further problems. Yes Joe was mad and still spouting about how this whole situation was bullshit but that is no reason for a man who would call himself a professional to cross the street to goad him on. His friends - the not so sober ones are now pissed on his behalf and ready to talk. That's when Amanda got to play. I'd have hated to have to hit a bouncer over people I barely know but it's just uncalled for to continue a charade of having pretended to call the cops just to piss off a man who did nothing wrong in the first place.

When did we forget that manners go a long way. I've been close to the owners of some of the baddest bars in the business. I mean hell, no one wants to believe me that the owner of the Blind Big/8 Ball Saloon - one of the most notorious musical venues in Michigan, a place where Cobain played - is a little old 75+ year old lady who will slap you if you cross her. I've got owners across Ann Arbor and Ypsi in my pocket because they know they can rely on me in a pinch... but they manage to hire people who will under every circumstance take it two steps too far. Why have we become a group of people that can't bark before we bite. The brother and I have a saying - "When the big dogs bark the puppies listen." If I bark people know I mean what I say, and not have to press me to punch them in the face but some people just ask for it. It's time to start cracking heads assholes, especially when the people who will send others to you when they have left are the ones offended at the end of the day. Mind your manners, it's not hard too hard to do!

Song of the Moment: Breaking Benjamin "Lights Out" Album "Dear Agony"

Ever have the moment...

Ever get that feeling that the world just changed? I know that the day will continue like every other. I'll get dressed, I'll go to the office and I'll pretend that I'm frazzled by the comings and goings of the world, but something in me knows that the world just changed.

I'm up early for me, I've been doing it a lot lately and having a morning of creative thought, wishings & wonderings as I see the day start to unfold. Yet every morning seems just a little bit better than the day before just because I get that little tingle that says something is different about today. Today is only different because I decided it is, but lets see if my gumption holds out and the changes I make in life today will carry over to tomorrow.

God speed my travelers, today is the day we make greatness happen!

Song of the morning: Sara Bareilles "City" Album: "Little Voice"

Change of Pace

Let's just preface the whole thing... I just watched a sappy movie and those who know me can tell you that I cry at commercials. That being said I have had this feeling for a while now about the person I am. I used to keep a blog where I put a lot of things out there and I'm still trying to figure out if that's something I want in the world. If my most vivid and unfiltered happenings and feelings were something I should be afraid to let others see. I love the Ugly Shoe Diaries, and though I've been more than shitty about updating it - not that the idea hasn't struck me, I'm thinking of a change of pace. So I'll start another blog. I don't know where it will go but at this moment things need to be said, questions need to be asked and I want to start here.

Welcome to my Random Rants Ramblings & Revelries. I'm wordy so beware but who knows, my insight might just strike you and if it does, that's enough for me!

So back to the fact that I was watching a sappy movie. I do it all the time because quite simply put I like that I'm emotional. I'm not that vapid idiot you encounter day to day who only shows emotions through text quality phrases like OMG! So as I was approaching the full on snot dripping cry towards the end of "P.S I love You" I realized something. Too many people fear their own feelings. I enjoy that at points in my day the excitement overwhelms me so much that my skin tingles. I love that there are moments when I'm so deep inside my own head that I forget to care about the less than desirable moments in life. I like that there are moments so touching that my insides swell and I want to cry. Above all I am thrilled that anger gets me so deep in the pit of my soul that I shake and spout words faster than your average New Yorker.

Watching this movie I realized I am a host of the characters through their emotions. I am Holly not knowing what to do with the pain of loss. I am Jerry for I've loved another person so deeply. I am Daniel tired of being a shoulder to cry on but loving the feeling of need that another person has for you. I am Patricia hating to see someone they love not seeing the forest for the trees and knowing there is nothing you can do but be the sage voice of reason. I am Holly's friends & sister for being that clown when the moment calls, the bitch when they've gone too far and the constant in a world that spins too fast.

Then it hit me. Why do people fear their own emotions. Why is it so hard to be who you are and share what you feel to the people who should take you as you are or leave you in the wind. Is it the fear that they will not? I don't understand why I don't understand. I've watched a lot of people I love and analyzed myself to no end and I can't come to any definitive conclusions. I have married friends who after years still look at each other in wonder of how they could possibly love someone so much every day. I have married friends who after years look at each other and wonder why they still bother. I have single friends who dwell on the fact that they've not found real love. I have "dating" friends who don't know whats up from down. Then I have friends who are lost all in the middle and then there is me.

I'm single and I'm not angry about it. I long for love but refuse to settle. I know what I want and don't think it's entirely too unreasonable because my relationship goals are as realistic as anyone else's - I want to be happy. Question is this? How do we make ourselves just be happy as we are? How do I make people realize that I'm not a leper for wanting to retain being who I am while in a relationship and have the same go for the other person? Why can't people just understand that if you can't stand being alone with yourself what makes you think someone else is going to want to do it? Love is not a status update people, it's real life. It's quality over quantity and it's supposed to be something that grows. It's not fleeting and it's never the same, everyone is different and the way they love, who they love and why they love them will be as different as we are.

I know, I ask a lot of questions, and really I ask a lot of people. But sometimes it gets old being the one that gets the phone call at 3 in the morning because a relationship that's been doomed for months has gone south and the caller just doesn't know where to start. Maybe I should look into talk radio and get paid to give advice. I'm not a doctor but I know people and most of this is simple. If all you do is yell when you're with someone you can't possibly love them. If all you do is wonder what the other person is doing wrong they can't possibly love you. If all you do is think of why you're with that person... nothing is right in the situation. But why the fear of letting it go? Just as you throw out the garbage and comb a garden over for weeds we should do this with our lives. If you have to let go, you have to let go... it'll hurt, but the impression was made times have changed and you still have to get out of bed in the morning so muster your courage to know what you feel; feel it and go on.

I'm a romantic I'll grant you that and I've held on longer to people than I ever should but this mantra still should stand "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds" It is not a guessing game, you know it when you have it and should learn to nurture it within oneself as well as in a relationship.

Wake up world! Walk tall, love hard and be yourself. You'll love yourself for it, and understand others better because of it.