The Borba Zone

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

goodbye aughts!

East To The West

2009-12-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

This video makes me feel damn good!...love Michael Franti.

Take Me To Your Leader

2009-12-02T00:44:00.000-08:00

Lemon Jelly....Kneel Before Your God

Devendra Banhart

2009-11-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

He is God!...and his brand new album...now available...'WHAT WILL BE' is frikkin' fantastic!...check it...especially the song "Rats"!

Zero 7

2009-10-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

distractingly chill.

Morcheeba

2009-10-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

My head just popped with splendor.

I'm Zucchero'd

2009-07-22T01:10:00.000-07:00

Billy Jean

2009-06-26T00:26:00.000-07:00

Soundgarden/Audio Slaves' Chris Cornell.

R.I.P Jacko!

David Allen Coe

2009-06-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

This guy is badass!...read his bio.

Gogol Bordello

2009-06-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

I saw them at the House of Blues in Boston last night and I must say, WOW!

They are a must see!...Great energy, beautiful people and, of course, a bit of alcohol

doesn't hurt!...OO! Crazy gypsy rock. Eugene Hutz, the Ukrainian lead singer, is my new hero.

Funk Ya!

2009-05-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings are super funky delicious.

This Years Birthday Video To Me

2009-05-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist...haha!

Dick Cheese

2009-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

..doing Snoop Dogs' "Gin and Juice"...I love this guy!

Smooth Dude

2009-03-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

No Line On The Horizon

2009-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

The new album by U2!

I'm going to see them on their next tour, most definitely.

Aussie Plight

2009-02-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

Seriously, mate!

Franz's New One

2009-02-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

The new album TONIGHT by Franz Ferdinand is out of body beautiful.

Get it!

Here's a vid for the first track 'Ulysses'.

A Blast From The Past

2009-02-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

Janis Joplin at the Monterey Pop Festival, June 1967

A Damn Good Cover

2009-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Charlyn "Chan" Marshall aka CAT POWER doin' 'New York'.

Yannick Noah

2008-12-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

and Les Fous Chantants d'Ales perform "La voix des sages"...The voice of the wise ones.

Enjoy Your Holiday

2008-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

No Argument Here

2008-12-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Ben Harper at Bonnaroo

No Way!...Really?

2008-12-03T00:51:00.000-08:00

Aah...Charamba

2008-12-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

Feelin' a bit Portagee?

Gobble, Gobble...It's Turkey Day

2008-11-27T01:39:00.000-08:00

Pure Elation

2008-11-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

Konichi-wa..wa!

2008-11-13T02:21:00.000-08:00

God Bless America!!

2008-11-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

VOTE NO ON 8

2008-11-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Vote Barack

2008-10-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

Dream Machine

2008-10-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

I heard this song at work tonight and it instantly had a great calming affect on me.

So when I got home I went online and found it. I can't believe its been around for 5

years already. I found a cool vid someone posted. Check it out.

Gotan Project

2008-09-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am now a huge fan. These guys are awesome. Cool tango with a nice french touch.

This music makes me want to grab some good crusty bread, tangy cheese, a bottle of

bordeaux and sit at a nice Parisian sidewalk cafe to watch beautiful people stroll by

all day long. The musicians are Philippe Solal of France, Eduardo Makaroff of Argentina,

and Christoph Muller of Switzerland and are based in Paris.

Check out the videos posted on youTube. This is one of my favorites.

Hometown Homies

2008-07-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Nathan introduced me to Moonshine Bandits the other day.

They're from my hometown Los Banos, so it's got to be the shit, right!

Hell ya!!

I can already see myself crankin' this out coming off the pass into town.

Start Wearing Purple

2008-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Gogol Bordello!!!!!

Hand-Made And Awesome

2008-07-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Thank You, Justin!!

Digitalism

2008-07-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

A fabulous German "mySpace" find.

A Citizen's Mandate

2008-07-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

It would be unlawful for you to NOT engage in viewing this material.

The best show on TV now.

Trust me!

And I'm not alone...

Snug Harbor Peeps

2008-07-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, my neighbors and I had another usual great 4th of July!

Del Monte Blvd. was closed to traffic again for the fireworks show

so it's quiet and serene and made a few of us want to do stupid stuff.

Bert barbequed some chicken which was damn tasty.

Rachel, Mike and Avery loved the fact that they didn't have

to go anywhere to enjoy the spectacle, a big plus for those of us here at the Snug

Harbor party complex.

Well, until next year, we'll just keep on keepin' on!

Mudcrutch

2008-07-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

My new favorite album. The cover art is wicked awesome.

Tom Petty gets back together with his pre-Heartbreakers band

after 33 years. These guys aged well.

Below's a vid of "Scare Easy".

Creepy

2008-07-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Boston's Boylston St. subway station, located next to the Common, was constructed in 1897, making it the oldest subway stations in the US.

American horror, fantasy and science fiction author, H.P.Lovecraft's (1890-1937) story
"The Pickman's Model", mentions a fictional painting in which monsters "were clambering up from some unknown catacomb through a crack in the floor of the station and attacking a crowd of people on the platform."

I didn't have to use this line during my short visit to Boston this spring, but
now I wish I had. I'll make it a point to ride it next time I'm in town.

Clickety clack, clickety clack...

Buenas Tardes, Amigos

2008-06-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

By WEEN

That's Right, Beyatchez!

2008-06-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Can anyone guess who the man in this photo is?

And when it was taken?

Observing Another Last Sunday In June

2008-06-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I was googlin' images of the rainbow flag to post on my blog and came

across an article written by Colin Dugdale.

Awesome humor and insight. But I'm a bit short in concurrence.

So guess what?...Yep!...Copy and paste. So here it is.

BLACK THONGS, LEATHER PANTS & ANGEL WINGS

When you look at this picture, what do you see? Pride? You see an emaciated boy waving a rainbow flag. You see his meaty butt cheeks, strangely disproportional to his toothpick legs. You see a black thong shoved in his crack like a coin in a couch cushion.

Of course, that’s not all you can see. It’s only what you choose to see. It’s what you choose to focus on. That’s all anyone wants to focus on at a pride parade – the butts. The nakedness. The showiness. The feathers. The glitter. The surface.

Now look closer. In the background of the photo, to the immediate left of thongboy’s head, stands a tiny Asian woman. She’s staring at the boy’s jiggling crotch-pouch, wearing a horrified expression – the bulge in his Speedo causing her eyes to bulge in shock. Her mouth is wide open, practically lock-jawed. A folded magazine rests atop her head, preventing exposure from the sun – and the shame.

When I finally discovered her in the picture, standing meek and unnoticed inthe background, I realized the tiny Asian woman … is me. Moreover, that tiny Asian woman represents an entire subset of the gay community, mortified and embarrassed by the lewdness of pride parades. Only instead of hiding a face of disapproval under a magazine, I’ve decided to expose it by writing in one.

The ultimate goal of the parades is to instill a definite sense of self-worth within the gay community, which continues to face oppression and inequality. And yet, many people participating in the parade itself seem to be working against this goal, pushing our progression backwards as the parade marches ahead.

The photo, which I took at a New York City pride parade this summer, illustrates this point. It’s a perfect example of false pride. Though the bony boy is “proudly” waving the rainbow flag, a symbol of unity, his conceptualization of pride is deeply cracked – not unlike his own ass.

Not only is his nakedness and showiness pushing social conservatives further to the right, it’s causing normal, non-diva gays to disassociate from the celebration.

There are thousands of people who march at the parades (fully-clothed) in support of marital freedom, adoption rights, and equality in the workplace. Unfortunately, because the media focus all of their attention on drag dressers and Harley-riding lesbians, the more conservative demonstrations at the parade are ignored. Their voices are muted by the loud colors and boisterous costumes of the dancing queens, who feel that egotism and whorishness are traits to be proud of.

“It’s time to stop parading and start marching,” gay columnist Roger Downey says in a June issue of Seattle Weekly. “Sure, let’s say it loud: We’re gay and proud. Now let’s accomplish something we can be proud of.”

In Christian theology, pride is said to be the deadliest of all the sins, a trait from which all of the other sins essentially spawn. At the parade in Manhattan, I was reminded of how figuratively fatal pride can be.

THE DEATH OF SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE
I’m on the corner of 50th Street and 5th Avenue – buying a bag of warm nuts from a guy who looks like the Indian version of Alec Baldwin. My friend Kate is across the street buying a hot dog. When she comes back, I notice that – together – it’s like we’re eating an entire crotch. Appropriate foods for a gay pride parade.

We’ve just finished shopping at a three-story H&M, and our legs are tired after squirming into countless ill-fitting pairs of skinny jeans. We sit on a bench and watch the floats.

One of the first to pass by is filled with “leather daddies.” A group of old men sporting assless leather chaps and shiny dog collars are dancing in locked cages. They’re shaking flaps of loose skin to the beat of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

“With a taste of a poison paradise. I’m addicted to you, don’t you know that you’re toxic?”…

In retrospect, the song seems strangely metaphorical. The leather-clad men in dog collars seemed to be completely unaware of their own toxicity, oblivious of the chemically dangerous effect their actions have on the public perception of the parade.

After all, if the parade is supposed to promote acceptance and equality for the gay community, how could these tacky displays of sexual depravity be thought of as anything other than “toxic?” Is this what we want straight people to see us as? Is this really what we’re proud of?

IU senior Peter Hart went to a pride parade in Chicago this year. We discussed the embarrassment of leather daddies over a delicious Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny’s.

“They’re the reason straight people hate us,” he said, balancing a jiggling piece of scrambled egg on his fork. “They’re worried that we’re all secretly like that – leather-bound, boawearing, sex-crazed freaks.

“I wish the parade were just a whole bunch of gay people dressed normally, nicely,” he continued. “Like in suits and dresses and stuff . Nice shoes and cummerbunds … I know it might be really boring in comparison, but it would have such a good message.”

At this point in the gay pride movement, the gay community should be focused on moving forward, charging ahead. The fact is if we spend our time dancing in cages, we’re not really going anywhere – we’re simply locking ourselves out of social acceptance.

MURDERING OUR OWN SELF-IMAGE
I crumble my empty sack o’ nuts into a ball and toss it into a trashcan. After making the shot, I focus my attention on an incoming fl oat, which is filled with steroid-pumped men slathered with liquid glitter. They’re wearing angel wings, which are strapped tightly to their broad, tanned backs.

Together, they flock towards us – rubbing their bodies sensually from nips to hips.
I’m always worried about how the straight community is affected by what they see at the parades – if it’s just throwing more fuel on the Christian fundamentalists’ fi re. It wasn’t until this past summer, while watching the fallen angels, that I began to wonder about how the parade may be affecting how we see ourselves.

A study published last year in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology shows that gay men report high levels of “body dissatisfaction, body-related stress, eating disorders, and poor body image.” Regale this fact to any gay man on campus, and he’s bound to give you a hearty laugh. It’s like telling Rosie O’Donnell that butter is awesome – the fact is pretty well understood.
Cut to Read Center, fourth floor, freshman year. I walk into the communal restroom to find a gay friend of mine hunched over the toilet, removing the recently eaten chicken dinner from his tummy.

“Are you sick?” I ask him, holding a cupped hand over my mouth.

“No,” he says, flushing his purged poultry. “I’m just fat.” A growing number of body-conscious gays are tossing their chicken wings to fit into their angel wings. In April, MSNBC published a study on eating disorders within the gay community. Th e results, which were compiled by Columbia University, showed that an estimated 15 percent of gay men suffer from an eating disorder – proving that, once again, this “sinful” obsession with bodily perfection can become deadly.

RESURRECTING OUR PRIDE
Kate and I are winding through a maze of tourists, trying to find an entrance to the subway system. As I’m doing this, I walk straight into a large sheet of pink poster board. On the board is a message that reads: “Together 50 Years, Still Not Married.”

Holding it is an elderly man, dressed adorably in J. Crew slacks and a blue ball cap. I apologize to the man, who slightly tips his hat in acceptance. When I finally catch up to Kate, I swivel my head around to look back at the man. He’s holding the sign with one hand and his partner’s hand with the other. The two men are watching the fl oats together, smiling – the glossy number “50” glistening slightly in the sunlight.

Forget black thongs, leather pants, and angel wings.
“That,” I think to myself, “is something to be proud of.”

Secessionists?

2008-06-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to see what's above the bar.

So Detachable...!

2008-06-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

My Shit's Fucked Up

2008-06-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone!, please welcome Warren Zevon.

Because It's Been Such A Long Time

2008-06-17T21:18:00.001-07:00

The Boston Celtics win!!...I knew they would...yes!!

There's Nothing Like Being In The Driver's Seat

2008-06-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

And sniffin' the tears....1978.

I was only 14 when I experienced my first "joint" in an almond orchard with a cool friend. We heard this song for the first time on the car radio and went ape-shit over it. We must have played it over and over again until we just couldn't stand listening to it anymore.

A Blast From The Past

2008-06-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Dead Or Alive.

I turned 21 in 1985 and, boy, did I have some great times to this song!!

Oh, Hell Ya!

2008-06-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

Gogol Bordello doin' 60 Revolutions.

Crossing The Line

2008-06-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

There's something about this shot I like.

A random woman's feet crossing the Freedom Trail leading towards the Boston harbor.

I wonder what's she's thinkin'?

Got any tea to dump?...or a declaration to sign?...or an Obama Freedom Loaf to bake?

Perhaps.. perhaps.. perhaps.

I'm Amazed

2008-06-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

A song by MY MORNING JACKET

X-Fire...The Bens

2008-06-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Bens are:

Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, and Ben Lee

Enjoy!!

A Guiding Light

2008-06-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

St. Mary's is just a stones throw from Keri and Justin's place.

We would walk past this church on the way to downtown Pawtucket.

I never felt lost because I'd just look for her steeple in the skyline.

Sweet Mother of God.

Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness

2008-06-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

Slater's Mill

2008-05-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Pawtucket, RI...home of the American Industrial Revolution.

Hydro-powered manufacturing. That's right, bitchezz!

Tough To Leave Paradise

2008-05-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

I know Justin hates the Eagles--sorry, buddy :)-'tis Don Henley.

Thank You, Rhode Island

2008-05-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Keri and Justin are truly the most beautiful people I've ever met. Thank you both for your gracious 'go-with-the flow, that's how we roll' hospitality.
What a wonderful three weeks it's been!

You Can Say That Again

2008-05-24T16:40:00.001-07:00

For Poochie

2008-05-14T23:26:00.001-07:00

Feeling As Free As A Bird

2008-05-14T12:58:00.003-07:00

There's something about sitting on a porch with wonderful, beautiful friends on a hot spring day.
I want this feeling to last forever.
It is now my mission in life.

Death Cab For Cutie

2008-05-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Justin won four tickets to a Death Cab for Cutie concert at the Providence Piers.
They play tonight. Since there's an extra ticket, our friend, David is coming along.
Should be loads of fun!

Turned out, the Piers was an outdoor venue, and due to rain, the concert was moved to a hockey auditorium at Brown University. Way cool!

Going Up The Country

2008-05-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Takin' the train to Boston, bitches!

Doherty's East Ave. Rocks!

2008-05-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

This place is great. Great food, tons of draught beer and did I mention the food--OMG!
It's Justin's favorite place to go. And it's right around the corner next to the Modern Diner.
Here's a video Justin took not long ago at Doherty's.

A Nice Long Walk

2008-05-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

KJ & I took a nice stroll down to Providence. The weather's been perfect for picture taking and doing drinks and lunch on the outdoor seating of Kartabar, a really nice place on one of my favorite streets, Thayer.--the other being, of course, Wickenden.

Thayer St, which reminds of Pacific St in Santa Cruz, is just up the hill from Brown
University, so you could imagine the fine people watching I was doing! I could have
sat at Kartabar all day.

We did more picture taking along our walk down College Hill to the river's
waterfront. Those streets reminded me of San Francisco.

As the evening came, we had dinner at Waterplace. This restaurant is beautiful. It's right on the river and the food and desert drinks were awesome.

As soon as the pictures are edited, I'll post some of them.

Wickenden Pub

2008-05-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

I've just had the best time with the coolest people EVAW!!!
I'd like to thank, first and foremost, Keri & Justin!
Iris and Shay. Also, the bartender extraordinaire--and ya know ya aw--Ted.
Kevin, too!
Kai--yaw sleight of hand was incredible,
Steve Brown, and Jim--yaw beautiful!!
Thank ya, thank ya.
I had a wild, wonderful birthday.
I recommend everyone go down to the Wickenden Pub in Providence.

The Modern Diner

2008-05-01T12:49:00.001-07:00

K&J and I just had breakfast at Modern Diner. I had the linguica hash omelette.
Holy cow! It was delicious. The place is awesome. Classic American diner eats.
I'm definitely going there again and again.--And it's just around the corner!

Entomophagy

2008-05-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I'm finally on my vacation in beautiful Pawtucket, Rhode Island, visiting Keri and Justin. Last night we met a gentleman named David Gracer. He had lived in the apartment prior and some mail came for him so Keri contacted him and invited him over.
Turns out he's a bug eater. He brought some leafcutter ants, wax worms, and crickets.
Keri made a loaf of cricket bread and since the ground crickets smelled and tasted like malt, she thought they would be great in pancakes. The pancakes were great, by the way.
David smashed the wax worms into a bowl and added fresh garlic. It looked like pesto and was
pretty tasty. I spread some on a slice of cricket bread. It wasn't bad at all.
He was just recently a guest on the Colbert Report.
Here's the video...

Brett Dennen

2008-04-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

There ain’t no reason things are this way.
Its how they always been and they intend to stay.
I can't explain why we live this way, we do it everyday.
Preachers on the podium speakin’ of saints,
Prophets on the sidewalk beggin’ for change,
Old ladies laughing from the fire escape, cursing my name.
I got a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same,
A window and a pigeon with a broken wing,
You can spend your whole life workin’ for something
Just to have it taken away.
People walk around pushing back their debts,
Wearing pay checks like necklaces and bracelets,
Talking ‘bout nothing, not thinking ‘bout death,
Every little heartbeat, every little breath.
People walk a tight rope on a razors edge
Carrying their hurt and hatred and weapons.
It could be a bomb or a bullet or a pen
Or a thought or a word or a sentence.

There Ain't no reason things are this way.
It's how they always been and they intend to stay
I don’t know why I say the things I say, but I say them anyway.
But love will come set me free
Love will come set me free,*I do believe*
Love will come set me free, *I know it will*
Love will come set me free, yes.

Prison walls still standing tall,
Some things never change at all.
Keep on buildin’ prisons, gonna fill them all,
Keep on buildin’ bombs, gonna drop them all.
Working your fingers bear to the bone,
Breaking your back, make you sell your soul.
Like a lung that’s filled with coal, suffocatin’ slow.
The wind blows wild and I may move,
The politicians lie and I am not fooled.
You don't need no reason or a three piece suit to argue the truth.
The air on my skin and the world under my toes,
Slavery stitched into the fabric of my clothes,
Chaos and commotion wherever I go, love I try to follow.

Love will come set me free
Love will come set me free, I do believe
Love will come set me free, I know it will
Love will come set me free, yes.

There ain't no reason things are this way
It’s how they always been and they intend to stay
I can't explain why we live this way, we do it everyday.

This guy's great. He's a folk/activist/dylan-esque songwriter and singer. I had to paste his lyrics 'cause it so powerful.
Frikkin poetry, man.

It's Earth Day ;)

2008-04-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Almost Time To Jump On The Party Train

2008-04-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Fabulous Life of Sen. John McCain

2008-04-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yearning To Ramble

2008-04-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

A Masterpiece

2008-04-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Firefall

2008-04-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget my leather craft class in junior high. It was an elective. A great one at that. And it was 1977.

Mr. Clarke, our instructor, always had FIREFALL's music playing while everyone made
some cool stuff.

Lots of amazingly cool stuff.

Here's "It Doesn't Matter".

Thank you, Mr. Clarke!

Pulitzer...ness!

2008-04-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bob Dylan, 1976 "Idiot Wind"

Coinkidink?

2008-04-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

I googled and it read...

Chillin'

2008-04-09T01:57:00.000-07:00

Friends

2008-04-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

Free Tibet Already!

2008-04-09T00:26:00.002-07:00

Charlton Heston

2008-04-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

Power To The People!

2008-04-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day, Everybody!

2008-04-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama-sistable

2008-03-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

Summerchilde shared this video with me the other night.

Now, that's what I call a rockin' political arena!!!

Lovin' every minute of it.

Comedia Ironica, Estilo Americano

2008-03-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

Amy's Crack House

2008-03-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the funniest parody I've seen in a very long time.
I laugh my ass off every time I watch it.--And I'm on her side!

Kooza

2008-03-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Julie and I are going to see the Cirque du Soleil in San Jose this Saturday night. I've always wanted to see the Cirque live. I think all their shows are great.
I've seen a few on PBS and I'm always WOW'd. I was lucky enough to get great seats up front for KOOZA before all were sold out. Plus the show closes the next day and moves to another city.

I checked out the vids posted on youTube and found one that I liked.
So I figured I'd just paste it on to my blog. What the hay!

Julie's birthday's on March 11th. Let's all wish her the happiest of birthdays.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULIE!!!!!

The Boston Celtics

2008-03-07T23:31:00.000-08:00

Dudes!, What's up with the Boston area pro sports teams? Is there something in the water that we should be drinking?
I mean, the Red Sox win the World Series-again, the Patriots have an almost perfect season and go to the Super Bowl-again, and now, the Celtics are the #1 NBA team with only 12 losses so far this season and have already clinched a playoff berth.
With guys like Pierce, Perkins, Allen and Rondo, this team should go to the Final Four.
This team is on fire!!
Oh man!, I'll be in Rhode Island around that time. I'll definitely be tuned in and drinking that water.
Go Celtics!!
PS. Now I gotta see how the Boston Bruins are doing. Stanley Cup, perhaps?

Oscar

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, dudes and dudettes, it's time for the 80th Academy Awards. So get your wine, cheese and crackers and plop yourself on the couch.

Even though I haven't seen any of the movies or performances nominated, I think it's fun to predict the winners and see how many I get right. So here's my predictions for this years Oscars:

PICTURE: 'No Country for Old Men'

DIRECTOR: Julian Schnabel,'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'

ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis,'There Will Be Blood'

ACTRESS: Julie Christie,'Away From Her'

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Javier Bardem,'No Country for Old Men'

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Ryan,'Gone Baby Gone'

ANIMATED FILM: 'Ratatouille'

FOREIGN FILM: 'The Counterfeiters'-Austria

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Diablo Cody,'Juno'

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Joel & Ethan Coen,'No Country for Old Men'

DOCUMENTARY: 'No End in Sight'

ORIGINAL SCORE: 'Atonement'

ORIGINAL SONG: "Falling Slowly",'Once'

FILM EDITING: 'The Bourne Ultimatum'

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: 'Sari's Mother'

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 'No Country for Old Men'

COSTUME DESIGN: 'Atonement'

SOUND MIXING: 'Transformers'

SOUND EDITING: 'Transformers'

LIVE ACTION SHORT: 'Tanghi Argentini'

ANIMATED SHORT: 'I Met the Walrus'

MAKEUP: 'La Vie en Rose'

ART DIRECTION: 'There Will Be Blood'

VISUAL EFFECTS: 'Transformers'

And the Oscar goes to....

Well, folks! I only got 10 out of 24 correct.
BTW, watch "Le Vie en Rose" and you'll know why Marion Coulliette(sp) got best actress . Her portayal of the French cabaret singer, Edith Piaf, is superb!

Amy Winehouse

2008-02-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've read a lot of negative comments about Amy Winehouse. Since winning 5 Grammys, many people have posted terrible things about her on the internet, especially on youTube.
One comment made by Natalie Cole made my blood boil. She said Winehouse shouldn't have been given Grammy awards because it sends a bad message to up and coming musicians by rewarding bad behavior.
Hello! What a hypocritical bitch!!
Cole was doing major drugs when she accepted a Grammy in 1976 and she didn't clean her shit up until 1983.
I think negative people should sit down and shut the fuck up.
Amy is a talented singer and songwriter, who's in rehab and dealing with her reality.
She deserves all her awards.
This is the video to a song ironically titled "You Know I'm No Good."

Basking In Glorious Sunshine

2008-02-10T13:14:00.001-08:00

Wow!!!! Beautiful day here in Monterey.
I've been waitin' for a day like today to coincide with a day off from work.
Coupled with the fact that the Giants beat the Pats---yeah!!!-- and football season is over,
and no visitors expected, today is a finer day, indeed!
All stress and no downtime makes Johnny a moody boy.
I thought I'd post a Keri Marion photo or pehaps an Eric Burdon & Animals video
for kicks!
Salude, todos!!

The Count Of Sesame Street

2008-02-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

Summerchilde found this hilarious video.
Oy vey! So relative.
Can't stop laughing!!
I just had to post it.

Tim Crawford

2008-02-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, I lost a brother-in-law.
They say time heals.
I'm not quite sure.
Easier, perhaps, but it will never be easy.
Tim's favorite musical group is still CCR.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
So here it goes.
I miss you, Tim!
I know you can hear me.

A Super Bowl Stunner

2008-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

The New York Giants pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history defeating the now 18-1 w/ *(spygate) New England Patriots 17-14.
With 35 seconds left on the clock, Eli Manning throws to Plaxico Burress, who hauls in a game winning 13 yard touchdown!!
My buddy, Rich, and I had a blast watching the game.
And the chicken wings were delicious!!

Patriotic People Playing Against Giant People

2008-02-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Mariza

2008-01-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

Mariza Reis Nunes was born Dec. 16, 1973 in Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony in Africa.
She moved to Portugal when she was 3, and was raised in one of the most traditional quarters of Lisbon, where she learned to sing fado.

Fado (translated as destiny or fate) is a music genre which can be traced from the 1820's.
It is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor.

Mariza sings a song so beautiful that it brings me to tears every time I hear it. It reminds me of where I'm from and helps keep me connected to my portuguese heritage. The song is titled "O Gente da minha terra" (Oh people of my land).
The translation to the lyrics of this song follows:

This Fado is both yours and mine
The destiny that unites us
No matter how much it is denied
By the strings of a guitar.

Whenever one hears a lament
Of a guitar's song
One is instantly lost
With a longing to weep.

Chorus:
Oh people of my land
It is now that I have perceived
This sadness which I carry
Was from you that I received.

It would seem a kindness
If I let myself be soothed
The greater the anguish
The less sorrowful my song.

Repeat chorus

Did You Know That...

2008-01-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Roy, the coy boy eating beans of soy, plays with his new toy with joy?

Lean Gene, who has a clean gleam of a machine, loves to dream of drinking Jim Beam?

Jane Gane, who lives on Maine Lane, loves rain and pain and keeps herself sane with 'cain in her vein?

No Name has a game that's lame but just the same, he came to mame a dame with fame?

A chime is like a rhyme? It takes time for a mime to climb a lime for a dime? Is that a crime?

A man with lots of loot, wearing a suit and only one boot, took a toot and said, "Shoot, pull me by the root!"?

Sam listens to Wham! in 'Nam and jams with a girl named Pam, who says, "Damn!", when she has to eat ham with jam? -- Ma'am, how about trying lamb with yam!

Professor Jot and his wife, Dot, thought not of the pot they bought? They sought lots tied in knots.

I bet the vet that my pet would get wet if set by the net? I haven't met my debt, yet.

Folks!, it's no joke. Try revoking a toke and you'll choke smoke?

Four gory whores tore down my front door roaring, "More, more! We're hardcore!"?

It's queer to fear a new year without beer? Veer away the tears, go sit on a pier with your dear and cheer from ear to ear...There's another year!

I'm perked? Had to work. Wanna burst. So mad, I cursed. What a jerk! This is the worst.

Miss Wyde died? She lied in a tide and went for a ride. Oh, how she cried!

On a gay day in May, in Santa Fe, Ray and Kay lay in the hay to smoke a jay? Nearby, horses neigh, "Say, Ray! Which way today."

Mel, who had a bad smell, rang a bell to tell Nell he fell in a well and went to hell?

Gary had a sister named Mary? She was so hairy they thought she was a fairy, but she fucked a guy named Larry and was married by a priest named Harry.

The Longest Game

2008-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

The first team to be dubbed the Pawtucket Red Sox debuted at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Before that, through venue, league and franchise ownership changes, they went from being the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Louisville Colonels.
As the Colonels, with star players such as Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans and Cecil Cooper, the team made the playoffs in 1969 and 1972.
Following the 1972 season, the Colonels moved to Pawtucket and became the Pawtucket Red Sox.
The team was an instant success on the field winning the 1973 Governors' Cup over the Charleston Charlies. The next season, the team finished 30 games below .500 and in 1975, the PawSox finished with a miserable 53-87. In 1976, the franchise went bankrupt.
The current owner, Ben Mondor, stepped in and made sure the team would remain in the city.
With Mondor at the helm, attendance records soared and in 1983, the PawSox won its second Governors' Cup, beating the Maine Guides.
In 2000, the PawSox set an all-time victory record with 82 wins. That record was broken in 2003 with 83.
The PawSox also played in and won the longest game in professional baseball history against the Rochester Red Wings at McCoy Stadium. The game began on April 18, 1981. Play was suspended at 4:07 am at the end of the 32nd inning. That game resumed on June 23. Only one inning was needed. With the PawSox winning 3-2 in the bottom of the 33rd, first baseman, Dave Koza, drove in second baseman, Marty Barrett, with a bases loaded single off of Cliff Speck. Future MLB stars, Carl Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs, also played in the game.
I'll miss the 27th anniversary game to this year's "Longest Game" celebration, but I'm really looking forward to attending Game 18 of the 2008 season vs. the Durham Bulls with my beautiful friends. We have front row, home plate seats.
Hey, batter batter!!
Eat pine, meat!
Go PawSox!!!

I Can't Quit You

2008-01-24T00:37:00.000-08:00

I was horribly saddened to learn of Heath Ledger's death.

What a waste of some fine, young, acting talent.
He was robbed of an Oscar for his portrayal of
Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain.
So was the movie.-- I mean, CRASH!, Fuck!
"Matilda, your daddy loves you very much."
Anyway.
He helped open so many minds.
Rest in peace, buddy.
We won't quit you.

Dude!

2008-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine from Washington state sent me this photo.
Is this guy talented or what?