Weekend

Thank YOU

Saturday will be the second anniversary of this blog existing. It's because of you, the readers, that this blog is second only to Facebook in popularity in my mind.

It's been an amazing two years. While I haven't learned anything, I am sure you have.

NE

Image dump

Best start canning

And it's best that we are getting free grub, because the END OF THE WORLD is almost here! Apparently! I don't see any TV, so I was pretty unaware of this. And I used to think about this twaddle all the time, and I can truthfully say I now giveth not a shit about any such goofy-ass matters. What can I do about it? Nuthin'! Plus, I don't get it - don't the apocalyptidiots who ramble on about "surviving" and such WANT this all to happen, so they can go to Heaven and be with their ol' dog Shep and Gramma will be there "smilin'"and the whole place smells like some pumpkin spice air freshener plug-in?

On my mind because of dumb article in USA Today about growing "trend" of doomsday shelters.

Quote from one who would lead the next generation:

"It's an investment in life," said Hodge, a Teamsters representative. "I want to
make sure I have a place I can take me and my family if that worst-case scenario
were to happen."

Dude? You already have a place: it's called BRANSON! Yakov Smirnoff is on at eight!

And that family of yours better watch out, because you will be first in, if your shitty syntax is to be believed to be true. No "i" in team, l'il Hoffa!

Volunteers!

Thought maybe mama and kittens were safely ensconced in these tomatoes outside out back gate...volunteers, no less. A month ago, I was all "Huh - a tomato plant growing that we didn't plant. Bonus!" But now, even these are growing out of control. Yellow grape tomatoes and they are delicious! Must be because they are nourished by the tobacco-spit and Funyun crumbs of alley passersby...

Growing THROUGH fence!

Oh, mama!

The kittens have arrived! They are somewhere in the backyard across the street, maybe!

A very thirsty Tess rolled up last night, anxious to show off her post-kids bod! Quelle bounceback!

Wait! Did I say very thirsty? I meant VERY VERY thirsty!:

Scum Fun

But what do I know?

I mean, it's halfway through the year, more even, and one of my top albums is that Tracey Thorn solo LP? I obvs need a head-up-ass-ectomy!

Really?

Gorillaz bashing continues: I cannot believe this confab is popular enough that they are playing arenas in the US. But I'm old, yes.

Scarf

The Bride will kick me so hard in the nuts for saying that summer is not going to last forever, and that I need one of these scarves [image via that Trad dude] from J Press:

BBQ

Had never been to our local chain City Barbeque (I think they are actually from Columbus), as I figured they would be blasting that Hannity "Let Freedom Ring" song or something, but then I went Saturday and IT SET ME FREE.

Carolina-y! Plus, icy bottles of Cheerwine, which they SELL BY THE CASE.

Got no "before" pix, but here is the aftermath:

And, lawsamercy, the SAUCES!:

ALL of these are INSANE.

SORRY about the PROLIFERATION OF ALL CAPS, it's just that I'm EXCITED!

Pushups, to entertain a dog/modified "Day After" [tie]

Here's Cory, doing some pushups for the edification of his dog Buck, who seems to be imitating a dolphin:

Here is Cory at age 4, asleep!:

Oh, noes! NUCLEAR ATTACK!

Overheard:

"Well, a wife ago, I certainly wouldn't've felt that way..."

Akkk! A SPIDER ON THE BED!!

Oh, wait - just Marge!

Phew!

Scenes from a Laserium

It was this lady's (L) birthday last week and having taken her son to Laser Web before, she thought it would be fun to get her dorky friends to do same. While this veered dangerously close to SoberFun, it was a silly blast.

I broke nearly all these rules, running as fast as I could, knocking six-year-olds facefirst into cement and yelling "GODDAM! GODDAM!" as much as I could. Actually, none of that, though I did bug the Bride with my incessant Bill Paxton-in-Aliens squawks: "Put HER in charge!"

Let's say when you were a kid you decided to make a treehouse, then make said treehouse into a spaceship! For a Scout badge in home decor or some shit. What sort of pictures would you hang inside to give the impression of deep, deep space exploration? Maybe something quite like this 1983-in-excelsis p.o.s.:

Can't wait to go again!

Green zebra #1

Here is the season's first harvestable green zebra tomato. The tomato stalks in the back yard are starting to bend with the weight of the oncoming fruit [twss].

STOKED.

Moonrise over, what?, Hickory and Alberta...

Get thee behind me, kittens!

Po, actually.

Also ten years old...no, eleven

So did not care for this in '99. Then, the last ten days or so, "Bugman" has been kicking my ass. And the fact that I want a pair of Adidas Trimm Trabbs made me reconsider "Trimm Trabb" and that one promptly destoyed me.

Does this mean I will give a shit about Gorillaz ca. 2021?

That would be NO.

You will be making a tremendous mistake

...if you fail to listen to Tahiti 80's Puzzle today.

Yes, it's ten years old. Come back in ten years and I may say you should listen to Animal Collective. BUT I DOUBT IT.

Weekend

WHO'S OUT THERE???

Keep yourself alive

New Clientele ep late August!

That Chicago catnip is the FUNK

Sweet!

My love for Cheerwine soda is well documented around these parts...then Kyle sees that they have a NC-centric tie-in product (July 1 - July 31): CHEERWINE KRISPY KREMES.
















Yes, that is Cheerwine-flavored glop inside a cake donut with chocolate icing and sprinkles! Kee-rist!

Semi- or not at all relatedly, but for the sugar content, I spend roughly 40% of my waking hours thinking about Zotz. I get tired of explaining them to the uninitiated, but, for verisimilitude, they are/were a hard candy that, when the middle is gotten to, foam and fizz, in a way not dissimilar to Space Dust/Pop Rocks, only more fizzy than poppy. I NEED SOME OF THESE. Those vintage candy shops online have them; perhaps if the Volvo repairs come in at less than $11K, I will order some.

Follow

How did the song have it? "...and I'm bustin' up my brain for the words..."

You know, there are upwards of a hundred web sites now. Possibly more.

It would do my withered and feeble old corazon a world of good if you joined as a follower, if you haven't.

I mean, suppose, The Road-style, everything goes ker-flooey. And by some unfathomable chain of circumstance, only this blog remains as a proof that mankind existed.

Wouldn't it be cool to be a follower on the one speck of history left?

Don't hesitate!

Mad cat and Irishman

Hey! Our friend Roy is moving to St Louis. We had him over for dinner last Friday and caught this shot of him holding the Pig.

"Sante!" Or whatever that Irish "cheers" thing is one sees on matchbooks and tee shirts at shitty faux-Irish "pubs."

Is there time?

I used to hear people say "Oh, there isn't time in the day for all of the things I have to do!" which grated, because all I did was lay around hungover, waiting for dark.

Now, I am one of those chirpy twits with trop du faire [if that's the proper French; trying to say "too much to do"].

For instance, tomorrow I am taking the 1990 Volvo 240 in for about five fixes. I like to wait, get the most for my time and spend the most cash possible! Then cut grass. Then weedeat. Then do the wash and put it away. Then make up a crushing pop song*. Lunch with Bridey. Clean catboxes.

ECK cetera.

So, do I really have time to download/find in my archives all the Divine Comedy tracks I think I need to make a best-of? Especially when I know, that once perfect running order is achieved and the folder is safely ensconced on Terry TerabyteDrive, I will likely never, ever play it again?

I mean, the new album is really good...songs like they used to make. Like Cole Porter. Only with astringent lyrics about the 2008 financial meltdown. It's good, but life just may be too short to listen to it very much. SO, instead, I can do my patented flawless job of taking the best tracks, as ascertained by me over two listens, and juxtapose them with tracks from his, what?, seven other records and then entomb this comp away forever. Did I say this already?

I guess I'm wondering whether you trust me, is all.

* I think I will make up "The Pullout" tomorrow. Tonight is "A Couple of Hundred Knives."