SwampLog 3.0

Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch

From Mr. Sun, it's time to Make Your Own Dubya Stump Speech. Fun for the whole family!

Late-Night Epiphany

thatdevinguy: Still awake?
e2: yep
thatdevinguy: Hi.
e2: was just looking at DAM.com, in fact :)
e2: hello
thatdevinguy: I've come to a realization, just now, and I don't know what to necessarily do with it.
e2: what's that?
thatdevinguy: A couple of things. I think I'm at the point where I'm damned near undateable. I don't think I can be totally happy in a relationship. And while I like being with someone, I don't think I'm husband / boyfriend material anymore, and wonder if I ever was.
thatdevinguy: I think it's possible to be friends with me, but just about undateable.
e2: what makes you undateable?
e2: (that is, what do you think makes you undateable)

Best Destiny

I just spent the last fifteen minutes going through the comments in here, and deleting all of the poker and herbal Viagra spam left in here. Apparently, since people's e-mail spam filters are getting better, this is the latest technique to get your eyeballs. Astonishing.

On Friday, I got the phone call I had been expecting from Rawlings. In essence, they admitted that firing me had been a mistake, and they wanted to see if I would be willing to come back.

For the last month, I had wondered how I would react when I got that phone call. I had been hearing amazing horror stories about my "replacement," the level of his rudeness and ineptitude. The guy seemed nice enough to me, but I didn't have to work with him.

I could have held Rawlings over a barrel, asking for more money or other perks. In the end, though, I told them that the previous arrangement would be just fine. So, I worked this weekend in my old booth, the one I've made my own over the last several years. Other people come there from time to time, and try to make it theirs. That's just killing time.

The truth is, I went back because I needed the money. Desperately. I can continue to do mobile gigs during the week, and still work with the staff I've come to know and like. I missed them. Apparently, they missed me as well, since Saturday was a whirlwind of "OhMyGodIAmSoGladToSeeYouAreYouBackForGood?!?" My flippant answer was always "Well, until they decide to fire me again, I'm back."

It felt really good.

Mr. Burns

So, I'm trying to determine whether or not to shave off my sideburns.

I've had them for an amazing long time -- the better part of two decades. My hairstyle has changed repeatedly, I've grown, lost, and grown again facial hair, and the sideburns have remained.

So, I put it to you, gentle readers -- am I holding on to my youth by keeping the 'burns? Is it time for me to get rid of them once and for all? Or are they a part of my "look"?

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You

I still haven't gone to see Zach Braff's 'Garden State' yet, but everyone and their mom kept telling me to get the soundtrack.

They were all right.

The album is a moody, almost etheral mix of songs from Zero 7, Coldplay, Colin Hay, Simon & Garfunkel, and a bunch of bands I'll have a great time unearthing. Go buy it now.

Three Men And A Ballpark

Eric White from WGHP in High Point, North Carolina sent us the videotape of the FOX News segment on the Three Amigos' visit to Greensboro's World War Memorial Stadium. You can see that segment in it's entirety here, in QuickTime (4.8 MB).

Early-Morning Slobberknocking

First, I was thinking tonight how much I had contributed to the redux culture that I abhor so much -- where a perfectly good [or horribly bad] TV show or movie from the 70s or 80s gets re-made, and it's all about irony and winking at the original material.

I did go to see the first 'Charlie's Angels' McG movie. I did not see either 'Brady Bunch' movie, 'Starsky & Hutch,' 'The Mod Squad' or any of the other remakes I can't recall off the top of my noggin. I will not be going to see 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' 'Oh, God!' or 'Revenge of the Revenge of the Nerds.' I'd rather spend my money on wholly original fare, like 'What the Fuck Do We Know?' At least they're not doing something I saw done right or wrong the first time around.

Next, you need to bookmark Go Fug Yourself, one of the absolute funniest blogs out there. Heather and Jessica skewer fashion disasters with the glee and abandon that only a pop-culture masochist could possibly muster. If E! knows what's good for them, they'll cut loose the Rivers clan and give Jessica a fat suitcase of money to cover fashion for them.

Behold, the razor-sharp barbs directed at Beyonce Knowles' VMA outfit:

As we've stated before, Beyonce is a lovely woman with fantastic curves that can be -- and have been -- dressed to complement and enhance her figure. Short-shorts of the Nair ad variety do not achieve this. Her legs look like mighty oaks and her hips look like Austraila. I can't fathom why Beyonce hasn't looked in a mirror and wondered, "Is this perhaps the most flattering thing I could put on, Mom?" I know summer is ending. I get that. But regular pants are not the enemy, Beyonce. Capri pants can be your friend. Mini-skirts would even work. But hot pants are a different beast, and they are gobbling up your pelvis, Beyonce. Please intercede.

To the left, you'll see the iTunes logo. Clicking it will take you to my affiliate of the iTunes Music Store. Any purchase you make will earn me five percent, regardless of what you buy or how long you stay in the iTMS. Also, when I link to a particular album (like the phenomenal new Scissor Sisters' effort, or my upcoming 2004 year-end CD, Re-Emergence, you can still buy from "my store." So, get going, capitalists!

Tonight, Gator's had a group of 20 or so, saying farewell to a young girl who's getting ready to ship off to the Army tomorrow morning. This bunch had been at Bronco's last Wednesday, so I knew the whole story.

Do Something

The guys who run HotOrNot.com are posing a challenge to ... well, everyone. They're giving away $100,000 to one random person who pledges to vote in the November election. They don't care who you vote for, only that you get involved int he political process.

So, head to VoteOrNot.org and pledge that you'll vote. If you win the $100,000, then I will as well.

If you're not registered to vote, you can go to Rock The Vote and print out a pre-paid mailer to register in your state.

You guys know my politics. What you may not know is that I hold people who aren't poltically aware in fairly low regard. If you do not take the time to learn the issues and vote your conscience, you have no right to bitch about anything that the government does for the next four years. This includes, but is not limited to: the state of the economy; national defense; Social Security; the quality of your kids' education; and foreign policy.

Just take off the blinders and do something.

More Fuel For My Ire

It's bad enough when there's a film version of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' in the works, with Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott as the Duke brothers and Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke (grumblegrumblemutterfuckknuckles). Now comes word that the genius who beought you TWO "Charlie's Angels" movies is now revving up to re-make 'Revenge of the Nerds.'

Enough, enough, enough! You directors and writers who keep trying to re-hash material from the last 40 years? Quit it. Write something original! If you are unable to do that, stop writing scripts and directing movies. And, you producers and Hollywood suits who keep greenlighting this trash, knock it off. You're moaning about losing profits on piracy, when the real crime being committed is allowing good, original scripts to languish in Development Hell while drivel like this is given the go-ahead! Enough!!!

Devin's Christmas Gift Suggestion #1

The Zippo Spy Cam from ThinkGeek.com