The Bosque

I'm off work until next Wednesday...whoohoo!

Originally, I was supposed to go to Oklahoma for April's uncle's wedding, but I decided about a month ago that I should stay home since I really didn't have the money. I was supposed to housesit April's family's house, but then her mom got all weird and asked her brother to do it last week. And I was going to go on a mini-roadtrip because I wound up having money after all, but I decided to save it. And I considered going to Oklahoma after all, but April and her family are staying with relatives and they flew down there. The drive from St. Louis to OK City is about 7 hours...no thanks. And I want to save some money...gotta get April that rock soon or else she's gonna whoop my ass. :)

I could've not taken the vacation time, but I've earned it, and I have to use it up by the end of the year anyway. Not to mention, I have another week coming on my anniversary date--October 10th.

So, I'm just gonna get some homework done (we have a 20-page paper due in 4 weeks for my marketing class) and take it easy. Maybe do a little driving around the area once I get my car back--more about that in tomorrow's Manifesto. If the pizza shop calls, I'll put in some time there as well.

But why the fuck did I wake up so early? Habit, I guess...it's all good, though.

A year ago today, I pulled up in the driveway of my parents’ house, officially resettling in St. Louis after 6 years away.

It’s been a good year…a great year, actually. April and I hit it off just like I hoped we would, and we’ve been stupidly happy ever since. I have a job that pays fairly well, and is stupidly easy (though it bores the living shit out of me). I’ll be done with my Masters degree in less than a year. And I’ve been able to enjoy life more in the past year than I probably ever have before.

Wolf was needling April and I about moving out to Philly yesterday. I love Philadelphia…I truly do. I miss it almost every day because it became home to me, particularly in the last year I was there.

But it’s not where I was meant to be. I never thought I’d say this again, but I’m very happy in St. Louis. I fully admit that April helps with that, but even if we weren’t together, I’m glad to be here. While I wouldn’t mind living someplace else, I could spend the rest of my life here. If we travel as often as we currently do and plan to, I don’t think I’ll want to leave at all.

St. Louis is on the verge of finally breaking out, much like Philadelphia has over the past 10 years…you can feel it in the air. And Philly and its suburbs are about as country as we are here. You all have some cooler historical shit, but I think we’re more laid back out here. I still get unnerved by people being so Goddamned friendly. It’s a fair trade-off to me…plus we have a cool steel arch that soars into the sky.

So, sorry East Coast peeps…I’m staying put. But we’ll come out and visit. And once we buy our place, you’re always welcome here. :)

Moving East was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Coming back tops that now.

With the anniversary of my migration back west tomorrow, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the things I miss about my second city:

Cheesesteaks: Yeah…a real no-brainer here. It cannot be duplicated outside the Mid-Atlantic. It can barely be duplicated outside the City of Philadelphia. So many great places for steaks…and really crappy ones too—like Geno’s and Pat’s. If you buy steaks from either place, you need to visit Wolf out at her place of business. My favorite place became Chubby’s in Roxborough during my last year in town. And they served beer. Which brings me to…

Yuengling: Can’t find it here…of course, I really haven’t looked hard, but I seriously doubt it’s easily available this far west. Hell, I can barely find Hoegaarden, much less Yuengling. Good beer though. Which brings me to…

My favorite watering holes: I didn’t really do a lot of drinking during my time in Philly, but McMenamin’s in Mt. Airy and Johnny Mañana’s in East Falls were my favorites.

My old stomping grounds: I lived on the very edge of Germantown. East Falls and Mt. Airy were practically across the street from me, and Roxborough and Manayunk were 5 minutes away. During my time on disability (March-June 2005), I walked all over the place. And I loved Germantown, despite the fact that a good chunk of it is the hood…its characters, its atmosphere, etc. I miss walking down Chelten Ave., looking at the street vendors’ offerings.

Wissahickon Park: It was literally across the street from my apartment in Germantown. I usually walked in it every day during my time on disability. Though I live near a large city park now, it’s not like Wissahickon. Wissahickon feels like real wilderness. If you were dropped in the middle of it, you’d never know that you were within the city limits of Philadelphia.

The ocean and Belmar: I love the Atlantic Ocean. Never swam in it, but waded in it a few times. Just looking at it was so calming. Belmar was my favorite ocean town on the Jersey shore. It wasn't big on the scale of Atlantic City or Sea Isle City, but had enough to keep me entertained.

Proximity: In Philly, you are 90 minutes from NYC, 2 hours from Baltimore, 2 and change from DC and 4 and change from Boston. Not to mention 2 hours from the Poconos. The closest "destination" to St. Louis is Lake of the Ozarks--about 3 hours west of here.

The atmosphere: Philadelphians have an image issue, but they really shouldn't. It's a great city...friendly with a bit of grit. Cosmopolitan, but not too foo-foo. The town certainly has its issues...but what city doesn't? And of course, it's the fucking birthplace of the US...mad history.

And last, but certainly not least...

My peeps: Wolf, Bruce, Blue, Sean, Geno, Brooke, WWD, Mr. Andersen, Eldondre, and anybody else that I've left out.

One of these days, I'll make it back there...I promise.

A couple of weeks ago, St. Louis's Riverfront Times (our version of City Paper) had an article on the state of independent record stores in the area in light of the developments on the Internet. I decided to send them my thoughts on the best-known of them, Vintage Vinyl. They published my letter (2nd one down).

Whoohoo! Go me! I suspect that a few folks will not appreciate my comments and will respond accordingly.

April's doing Manifesto duty today

My sister and I went to Build - A - Bear workshop today to get a baby present for a friend. There was a big display advertising a Hello Kitty contest. May grabbed an entry form and started to fill it out. When she started to read it, she had to laugh:



What's next? Japanese entrants must pass a spelling test? :shock:

Over the course of this year, Depeche Mode is re-releasing all their CDs to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their first release. They'll be remastered and include bonus tracks generally only available on singles, along with short DVD movies about the albums and the band at that particular time. In addition, they include 5.1 mixes of the CD.

The first releases came out 2 weeks ago: their 1981 debut "Speak & Spell," their acclaimed 1987 release "Music for the Masses" and 1990's "Violator," their biggest seller. I'm not sure when the next ones will be released...hopefully soon. There are 7 more to be released. Apparently, another "best of" collection is to come as well, with a new track or two.

Of course, I had to buy them. But I was good...I worked this past weekend at the pizza shop, making enough extra money to buy them Monday.

I'm happy with them for the most part...the sound is a lot better (the production on the original S&S was just awful, and the original MFTM needed some improvement as well) and the short movies are cool. The only thing that really irks me is that the bonus tracks are on the DVD, instead of the CD. And a standard CD player can't read the DVD (at least, mine can't). Weird. *shrugs*

I better start saving up more pennies...

From the Raleigh News & Observer: As his teammates danced wildly at the other end of the ice, Rod Brind’Amour skated by himself, head bowed and hands on his knees. As Justin Williams scored into an empty net to seal the win, Brind’Amour was overwhelmed by the moment.

After years of struggle for both the captain and the Carolina Hurricanes, he was minutes away from lifting the Stanley Cup above his head.

You could say it took the Hurricanes 10 months and 107 games to win the Stanley Cup, but it really took nine years, countless losses, the trials and tribulations of a slapdash move, two years in Greensboro and a lost season to realize this impossible dream. A franchise once seen as hopeless has now conquered the entire hockey world.

And the folks down there will be excited for about...oh...what's a Stanley Cup?

...I'm not sure if he should run for president in '08. From MSNBC: (Barack) Obama, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, seems to be hitting the right notes these days. During Senate recesses, he has been touring the country at breakneck pace, basking in the sudden fame of a politician turned pop star. Along the way, he has been drawing crowds and campaign cash from Democrats starved for a fresh face and ready to cheer what Obama touts as "a politics of hope instead of a politics of fear."

...

The money he is bringing in for fellow Democrats is shaping up as an important influence on 2006. And the potential Obama is demonstrating as a political performer -- less than two years after his elevation from the Illinois state legislature -- is prompting some colleagues to urge him to turn his attention to 2008 and a race for the presidency. Obama has made plain he is at least listening.

I like Obama. He's was in the Illinois Senate for 8 years and has been in the US Senate for a year and change, so he can't be accused of being politically inexperienced. And 3 of our last 4 presidents have been state governors, not national politicians.

But it feels like we're still in the honeymoon phase with him...like he's too good to be true. And I'm not sure that we're ready for a Black president...we're barely ready for a woman.

I don't think he's gonna run, but at the same time, us liberals need a hard charger to step out for '08. Kerry is not the man, and while I like Hillary, I fear that she'll be eaten alive.

The mid-terms will give us some guidance on this matter. 4 months and change to go...

From today's Philadelphia Inquirer: The city health advisory on recreational activities on the Schuylkill has been lifted, the 148th Schuylkill Navy Regatta is back on schedule, and the intake at one of two city water plants on the river has been reopened.

However, as of yesterday, officials still had not pinpointed the substance that killed 1,000 fish in Montgomery County along a 2.5-mile stretch of the Wissahickon Creek, nor where it came from.

From St. Louis’s NewsChannel 5 (full story follows): A bill requiring people to show a photo identification before they can vote starting this fall was signed into law by Governor Blunt Wednesday.

Republican supporters say the change is necessary to prevent fraud in elections and to give people confidence that legitimate votes aren't being watered down.

Democratic opponents say the state's current requirements are sufficient and that this new one will especially harm the poor, elderly and disabled who may not have driver's licenses. A legal challenge is expected soon.

Free photo I.D. cards could be issued to the estimated 170,000 voting-age Missourians who don't have one. People without a photo I.D. could cast a provisional ballot, which would count if their identities are verified.

While there could be ulterior motives on the Republican side, the Democrats are overreacting. If implemented properly, if the affected groups are informed and if they get the free IDs, then I see no problem. Hell, you could verify folks’ ID, issue it and have them vote all at the same time.

It’s stoopid easy to vote right now…MO and PA are similar. Here in MO (unless it has changed recently), you simply sign the voter roll where your signature is located and then vote. In PA, IIRC, I showed my voter registration card from the City of Philadelphia, signed the voter roll and voted. I’m all for making it easy to vote, but it’s not that hard to get an ID. It shouldn’t be that easy.

I really need to register to vote before the mid-terms…the last time I voted was for President. And talk about being stoopid easy to vote, my polling place was in the lobby of my apartment complex…how cool is that?! I used to vote at the Board of Education greenhouses here in St. Louis, which were near my house. They’re tearing those down now to build condos…I think we now vote at the public school near our house. In any case, I need to head over to the library to get a new card and to register to vote.

…best left as an idea. From Philadelphia’s NBC 10 (full story follows): Authorities said frustration apparently got the better of a Philadelphia man who wanted to operate his own newsstand.

Fatai King, of East Mount Airy, had filed 42 applications for newsstand licenses with the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Each one of them was rejected.

So, authorities said, in April, King used a rented crane to lift five newsstands from city streets and redeposit them on some of the corners where he had hoped to operate.

King was arrested on June 8 and charged with theft, unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Remember my newsstand idea?

First off, 42 rejections? What the hell?! Was he just submitting stupid and/or unfinished applications? Or did the City just not like the guy or want him to run a stand?

Secondly, where did he get the 5 stands from? Were they empty? Someone else's?

I had to find some more info on this story…sure enough, it was in the Philadelphia Daily News almost 2 months ago (full story follows…they’ll probably yank it into the archives any day now): A man hired a crane to uproot six newsstands Sunday that were not his and transport them to six other corners where he had applied for permits but had not received approval to do business, said a stunned city official yesterday.

"That's stealing," said Licenses & Inspections Commissioner Robert D. Solvibile. "I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. And now he'll have to pay the price."

While the police major-crimes unit investigated the bizarre heist, Solvibile wondered yesterday what possessed Ofatai King, aka John King, aka Fatai O. King, to make the surreal snatch.

"I went to Catholic school," Solvibile said, "where this would be considered a mortal sin. I would have had to confess to the priest."

King, of Germantown, could not be reached for comment.

Solvibile showed the Daily News 42 newsstand-license applications that King filed on April 1, including ones for the six corners where the shanghaied stands were dumped.

None of those applications has been approved, he said. So, King has no permission to do business at any of the 42 corners.

He certainly had no permission, Solvibile said, to uproot someone else's business - candy, magazines and all - and slam it down halfway across the city.

A newsstand lifted from 36th and Market streets landed at 12th and Walnut streets so roughly that two of its four steel bar supports, which would normally be bolted to the sidewalk, are suspended inches off the pavement, giving the whole stand an eerie tilt toward the gutter.

The damaged security gate is hanging loosely off the front, allowing a passer-by to see hard candies strewn on the counter inside, along with a crumpled magazine.

Loose electrical wires hang from the air conditioner as if they were ripped out of a connection.

A newsstand at Cottman and Bustleton avenues ended up at 52nd and Chestnut streets. Another was crane-jacked from 13th and Market streets to Bridge Street and Frankford Avenue.

"He took one from Center City to the Northeast, and another from the Northeast to Center City," Solvibile said. "It doesn't make sense. Of course, none of this does."

King has been known to L&I for a decade and has never engaged in this kind of behavior before, Solvibile said.

"It was unbelievable," said John Rocco, chairman of the Newsstand Association of Philadelphia, who sees his mission as helping new immigrants, who own newsstands but speak little or no English, to work with L&I and the Streets Department.

Three of his members called Rocco after arriving for work Monday to find that their businesses had disappeared.

"Of course, I tried to allay their fears and calm them down a little bit," Rocco said. "But after I determined that they hadn't received a letter or a call from L&I about anything, an alarm bell went off and I said to myself, 'Something's not right here.'

"So I did some private-eye work. I found out from the crane company guy that he had an invoice to do the same thing to more newsstands on Monday night. The police investigation ended that. We were lucky to nip this in the bud."

Damn…this guy sounds like he wasn’t fully wired. Wolf, have you had the pleasure of meeting Mr. King?

One of the biggest challenges in my life these days is that I am tired a great deal of the time. I get what I think is enough sleep (6-7 hours a night) plus I use a CPAP to treat my sleep apnea. In addition, I'm eating better and losing weight again.

But I'm still tired as fuck all day. When I have slow periods at work, I can actually doze off. April thinks my problem is that my job is incredibly boring and puts me to sleep. I hadn't thought about that...I've never been in a job that is so boring before.

So, I'm gonna try a little experiment of sorts. I'm going to go to bed within the next half-hour. That should give me 8-9 hours of sleep tonight. Then I'll see how I feel tomorrow. If I'm still incredibly tired, I think that will at least lend some credence to the boredom theory.

Good night!

...the photos didn't quite turn out:

For the first time in 3 months, I'm writing from Cielo, my desktop computer.

I moved it down here while putting my new room together, but for whatever reason, I didn't hook it up. And I had the laptop, and it's not like I had anything on here that I really needed to access, so...

I gotta get used to this keyboard again...it feels weird. This monitor, too...I normally only use flat panels.

Thursday was the final for my Accounting class. Wow...that class sucked about 46 farts. Everyone in our class (17 total) thought they did poorly on the test. I dunno...I feel like I should have studied harder. But there was so much material...would it have helped? Thank God it's only worth 30%, and I did well in the rest of the class.

Marketing is next, on the 22nd. I'm currently in a school blackout...I refuse to do anything school-related until next Thursday.

4 classes down, 8 to go. I finish a year from next Wednesday, though I won't get my diploma until December...WTF?!

From the AP/Yahoo!: An English-only ordering policy has thrust one of Philadelphia's best-known cheesesteak joints into the national immigration debate.

Situated in a South Philadelphia immigrant neighborhood, Geno's — which together with its chief rival, Pat's King of Steaks, forms the epicenter of an area described as "ground zero for cheesesteaks" — has posted small signs telling customers, "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'SPEAK ENGLISH.'"

Personally, Geno's actions seem silly, but who the fuck eats cheesesteaks from there besides tourists and retarded Philadelphians?

I just discovered this whilst working on the phone book delivery for Hot Springs, AR:



I wonder if any atheists or satanists live on this street.

I love Steak n' Shake placemats...as with the last one, click the image above to see it up close. Look at the lower-left corner.

From Reuters/Yahoo!...the entire article follows: KIEV (Reuters) - A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.

"The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.

"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

The incident, Sunday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.

Damnit, Wolf, where the hell were you when this guy did this?!

...at least Jim Edmonds is back in the lineup. And he apparently can play 1st base...win-win.

I'm not worried about losing Pujols for an extended period of time. It would suck, to be sure. But as long as the pitching staff stays healthy, I think the Cards will be alright.

I'd like to see the Cards pick up a real 2nd baseman though, like Alfonso Soriano from Washington. That way, you'd have a great 2nd baseman who would hit well at Busch, and you could use Edmonds, Aaron Miles, Chris Duncan and Scott Spiezio in some sort of 1B-OF combination. Duncan was great in place of Pujols in spring training...hopefully he'll do well on this stint with the big club.

Man...I really need to score some tickets to a game at the new Busch...

...and it looks like he's saying, "Knock off the crazy shit, or you're next."

From MSNBC: A Learjet registered to religious broadcaster Pat Robertson crashed in Long Island Sound while flying in heavy fog Friday, killing both pilots, authorities said. All three passengers escaped without serious injury.

Obviously, he wasn't asking to be in the news this time, but I haven't seen this much of Robertson since he ran for president in 1988. Makes me wonder if he's considering another run. No way he'd ever win, but he could be the Sharpton of the GOP primaries.

The Dave Matthews Band began their summer tour in St. Louis Tuesday night. I’ve wanted to see them for a while now, and my friend Tracy is a huge DMB fan, so she convinced me to go. This is the first major concert I’ve seen in St. Louis since I saw Ministry in 1999, the week before I moved to DC. As I try to do in most situations, I gleaned some wisdom and insight from the experience that I’d like to share with you all.

DMB are a great live band: I’ve heard the stories about how good they are live…and they’re all true. They put on a hell of a show. They enjoy playing for the audience and with each other. And they jam without feeling like a jam band. Their song “Jimi Thing” went on for 20 minutes before segueing into Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”

DMB shows are great for people-watching: DMB draws fans from all walks of life: Dead-type hippies, frat boys, yuppies, plain ol’ music fans, etc.

There were these 4 women that sat near us…they were probably in their late 30s or early 40s. And let me put it this way: they must have great self-esteem because they really thought they were hot stuff.

Then there was the hippie girl dancing across the aisle from us. No biggie…lots of people dance at DMB shows. Then she decided to smoke a little weed with her friends…and got busted by security. Here’s a tip: if you’re sitting near an aisle at a show, it’s probably not a good idea to smoke weed. Apparently, they just gave her a warning, as she returned before the end of the show.

And there was the girl behind me, who seemed to sing almost every song. If I wanted to hear someone other than Dave Matthews sing his songs, I would have stayed home and sang them myself…I would have saved $71.

And then there were the 2 drunken frat boys. I don’t know how much alcohol they consumed, but it appeared to be a lot. And they screamed and yelled extensively during the show. And they were touching each other a lot. They didn’t seem gay, but then again, I don’t have the best gaydar. And one of them got into a confrontation with a security guard…fortunately, nothing got out of control.

And that guard was a prick. He kept roaming up and down the aisle all night (it’s a pretty wide aisle), demanding to see tickets, making sure no one was standing there too long. I can understand the issue of standing in the aisle, but he just seemed like an ass about it. He even asked the girl behind me one time for her ticket, and I’m sure he saw her about 20 times before then…he was on that aisle for most of the night. Maybe he’s not good with faces.

At another point during the show, he got into an argument with a guy that had what appeared to be a printed internet ticket. Some words were exchanged between the two…next thing I see, the guard has the guy in a choke hold. Just as I was about to snap a photo of the situation with my camera phone, he let the guy go. Maybe he knew the guy and was playing around.

Outdoor concerts are great if the sound is good: The band played at UMB Pavilion, our outdoor amphitheatre most famous for being trashed by Guns ‘N Roses in 1991, only a few weeks after it opened. I’ve been to 5 shows there, and the sound wasn’t all that great for rock bands. (I saw Sarah McLachlan and the Chieftains there in 1995, and it worked well for them, given their musical styles.) I haven’t been there since 1998 for Pearl Jam, and the sound seemed greatly improved. Then again, I was in seats instead of on the lawn…maybe that’s the key.

I can’t stand as long as I used to: About an hour into the show, I had to sit down. Then I had to sit down several more times in the next hour. My feet hurt like a motherfucker when I got home. I could barely move my legs yesterday morning. Thank God for ibuprofen!

I need to start wearing earplugs at concerts: Even for an outdoor show, and even being 40 rows back, my ears hurt at times. Given what a huge music fan I am, going deaf would really suck.

If I go to a concert on a weeknight at UMB, I need to take the day after off: That, or stock up on ibuprofen. I hurt so bad yesterday morning. My legs felt like concrete and it hurt to walk until noon.

Anarchy on the parking lot: There is no real order to getting out of the parking lot after the show. Fortunately, Tracy and I parked over at Dave & Buster’s, but we had to walk back over there after the show through UMB’s parking lot. And it was just nuts. I saw no UMB security or any Maryland Heights police officers (the suburb where UMB is located) on the lot. One guy actually hit my friend Tracy…he grazed her as he was making a turn.

The concert was over at 11:30, and Tracy and I walked back over D&B’s, where I decided to grab a beer and wait a bit for traffic to thin out. I still didn’t get out of the area until after midnight. There was a 2-vehicle accident on the expressway leading to Interstate 70, but that only had one lane blocked and didn’t seem to be causing much of a delay.

Too bad parking is included in the cost of a ticket. You can park over at D&B’s for free, and either walk over to the concert or use their shuttle service. I don’t know if you have to be a patron or not…it didn’t matter for us anyway, since we ate there. At least getting out of D&B’s parking lot was easier than getting out of UMB’s.

Dave & Buster’s makes great hamburgers: I had a Monterey cheeseburger (I think it had white American cheese and mushrooms), and it was excellent. Not the best burger I’ve ever had, but it was damned good…and quite reasonable for the price (about $8, including fries).

Illadelph represent!: Philly natives G. Love and Special Sauce opened the show. They were great…first time I’ve seen them live. They’re pretty damned funky for being a predominantly white band…not as funky as me, but then again, only a handful of folks beat me there.

I missed the ladies in St. Louis: I forgot how beautiful they were…and it’s spring and it was warm Tuesday, and we all know what that means: less is more. ;-)

My friend is nuts: Tracy is a huge DMB fan…almost groupie-like. She’s also only the first or second black person I’ve known that likes them. (I can’t recall if Rhoda likes them or not.) I think there were more black people in the band than in the audience. ;-)

And there you have it. I had a great time, and should DMB come back next year, I’ll probably go. And prepare accordingly. :)

Can you believe it?! It's already June 1st! Damn...this year is flying by! My 1st anniversary with April is next month...I'll be 31 in 4 months and change...and I graduate just over a year from now...whoohoo!

Celebrate by watching Junebug.

Or eating a junebug.

Or dancing the junebug...errr, jitterbug. Fuck it...call it the junebug!

Happy June 1st!

(As I'm finishing this, a repeat of "Rita Cosby Live & Direct" has just started on MSNBC. What's up with her voice? It's kinda scary. And who the fuck came up with the idea of giving Glenn Beck a show on CNN? And why would he do a show on a "liberal rag" like CNN?)