Saturday, April 24, 2010

From Mezz0:
The Best of All Possible Worlds


I’ve been doing a hell of a lot of documentation at work these days, and do not feel like writing in my spare time. Furthermore, I don’t have a lot to say. I am boring myself writing this sentence. I feel as though I’ve been on the leading edge of contemporary thought for years now, and it’s just so fucking exhausting. I’ve lost my passion for furthering the discourse of the intelligentsia, and am sick of seeing misquotes of misquotes make it to press sans credit. I’ll let George Will and Arianna Huffington battle it out, and will no longer accept last minute interview requests from NPR the next time there is some desperate international situation. The world will just have to get by without my cogent insights and incisive political analysis. After experiencing the pinnacle of blogging, I am officially semi-retired, and will only post every few weeks or so when I need to expectorate some nonsense for all my bottom-feeding readers.

Speaking of which, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that, aside from one or two exceptions, you, dear readers, are not really doing it for me. That’s right, I said it. I didn’t, and will not miss you at all. I no longer have to pretend to be someone I’m not. The emperor has no clothes, and he is wagging his penis at you.

I’ve been asked hundreds of times what I’ve been doing in my time off, and apart from investigating why U.S. Americans are saying “Really?” in mock disbelief in record numbers, delving into the rash of kissy-face photos that keep cropping up on Facebook, and obsessing over Justin Bieber, I have been preparing for the looming, massive inflationary crisis about to hit my beloved country, and tending to my patio garden.




Dwarf 2-3 Year Old Grapefruit Tree




 Dwarf 1 Year Old Lemon Tree

Container Tomatoes & Seedlings
It’s my personal opinion that precious metals, normally a safe haven for a once-in-a-generation increase in prices, may, like using miracle-gro on your container tomatoes, be the obvious choice, but not the best choice. I believe we need to throw conventional wisdom aside, stop using traditional fertilizer, and start using fertilizer bombs (metaphorically speaking) to deal with this looming threat that is the flood of M3 monies flowing into the financial system. Indeed, we will reap what we sow, and I’m not talking about delicious dwarf grapefruit due to ripen this Fall, rather, I am talking (again, in metaphor), of running bamboo, planted by the previous owner, that will threaten the foundation of your house, or at the very least, require the repaving of your driveway every few years. If we can’t trust a fellow citizen not to destroy his own property by planting an invasive and insidious foreign flora, how can we trust that a charming community organizer will not continue to pull the levers of our economy with the reckless abandon of a child with a Hasbro toy?

It is time to invest in agriculture ETFs, for we must, as investors concerned about the inevitable collapse (in real value) of our 401ks, follow the advice of Candide (excerpted from Candide, 1759, by Voltaire):


"Neither need you tell me," said Candide, "that we must take care of our garden."

"You are in the right," said Pangloss; "for when man was put into the garden of Eden, it was with an intent to dress it; and this proves that man was not born to be idle."

"Work then without disputing," said Martin; "it is the only way to render life supportable."

The little society, one and all, entered into this laudable design and set themselves to exert their different talents. The little piece of ground yielded them a plentiful crop. Cunegund indeed was very ugly, but she became an excellent hand at pastrywork… Pangloss used now and then to say to Candide:

"There is a concatenation of all events in the best of possible worlds; for, in short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle for the love of Miss Cunegund; had you not been put into the Inquisition; had you not traveled over America on foot; had you not run the Baron through the body; and had you not lost all your sheep, which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts."

"Excellently observed," answered Candide; "but let us cultivate our garden, and more importantly, invest in exchange traded ag funds."

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

From The Youngest:
No Respect!


















I needed some new glasses so I went to my optometrist today. After spending an hour trying to get my prescription right, she finally threw up her hands in exasperation, "You know what your problem is? You don't focus!"

I tell ya, I get no respect. Even my eye doctor is giving me life advice. That bitch even charged me for an hour of counseling!

...no respect!

(Yeah, my doctor actually said I don't focus. Ever since I figured out that magic eye thing in middle school, I never went back to normal. I've also eaten a considerable amount of acid and spent way too much time as a child shining flashlights in my eyes for the bizarre aftereffects.)


Friday, April 02, 2010

From The Youngest:
The Youngest Plans Travel
(a pictori-videopreview)
















Well, I'll be damned. 80 degrees in Chicago on April Fools Day. Who doesn't like unseasonably blissful weather? Finally it's about time for us to bid a fond "fuck off" to the horrors and savage depression that accompany the harsh midwestern winter. Spring/Summer/Fall triseason has arrived...which means it's time to get the hell out of here and go somewhere fun to enjoy it.

Minnesota Camping trip - Mid May
Time to get drunk, jump in a boat, and throw out a few lines. Maybe we'll just get drunk and throw a frisbee around. Maybe we'll just do lines and talk politics. Indeed, the possibilities are endless in Paul Bunyon country.

















June 11th - Chicago - Toyota Park
Alright, I know I live in (the)Chicago (area) but this shit is important. Phish kicks off their 2010 Summer tour right in my own backyard. Should I make a joke involving faulty Toyota vehicles? You know I would...but if I get going I'm scared that I won't be able to stop.

(make sure to watch until at least 0:45 of the video)



June 12th - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center

New venue for me! This is a pretty cool looking place tucked into a state forest just south of Cleveland. After taking a look at some pictures and realizing that the show was on a Saturday, how could I not go? That roof is just asking to get climbed on.









































Hiatus - June 13 - Aug 5
Yet another reason to generally loathe the east coast of our country is the fact that Phish plays a shitload of shows over there. The west gets three nights in Berkeley and two in Colorado, the east gets 16 shows in states bordering the Atlantic.

August 6th-11th - Telluride, CO - Telluride Town Park
Holy shit! Two years in a row I managed to pull the hardest Phish tickets on tour. Last year was four nights at Red Rocks, this year is the tiny resort town of Telluride for two nights. It looks like Phish is following in the historic tradition of the Grateful Dead yet again.

Will I see Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Norman Schwarzkopf, Kristie Brinkley, or any other of the famous Telluride residents trying to score pharmies on lot? Who gives a shit. Check this place out.

Extra Bonus: Fri/Sat/Sun I will have to camp, fish, hike, and enjoy the area before the concerts come Mon/Tues night.






















































August 12th-13th - Deer Creek(Verizon Wireless) Amphitheater- Noblesville, IN
Last year I gave a ride to two complete strangers from Chicago who paid me in drugs. The '09 Creek show was fucking awesome. A sweet Drowned jam following about an hour of standing outside in a massive lightning storm during set break. For some reason, they only did one night instead of two or three like they used to, so there was no point in camping. It makes the trip a lot more fun when you can relax, get some sleep, and rage another show the next day. Plus the whole charm of Deer Creek is the fact that it's surrounded by houses that turn extra land into campsites and charge concert goers to stay.
























August 14th-15th - Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, Wi
If you live in IL or WI, you never miss alpine. 40,000 people in a huge lot two days in a row feels more like a mini festival than a concert. If you're a real Phish fan in the midwest, you never miss the Creek-->Alpine pilgrimage. Alpine is loooong overdue to get ripped apart by a wild show.























This was Cicinatti's Divided Sky crowd cheer from last year. Fucking awesome. Loudest I can remember...fun fun show. Listen for the guy close to the cameraman who is tripping so hard he forgets how to scream and lets out a weird unnatural noise (1:16).