Ok. So, I completely forgot that the superbowl is sunday.

But, I found exactly the right thing to do at least to start the day.

Fried Chicken and Cheese Grits Brunch at Plough and Stars.

Then I'll go to a Grocery Store that isn't Whole Foods, and purchase the most obscene snacks I can imagine, and the cheapest blue collar beer I can swill. And then I might be able to make up for not having a potluck Commercial rating chili cookoff/Neighborhood Snow Bowl.

Maybe.

Late Night/PTDX

I am working on a Sunday Night/Monday Morning

SketchUp is a slow bitch
and I'm modeling the wet dream of an aging wanna be carlo scarpa
It's all for naught
tuesday I'll be on to another task
but right now...nautilus

[edit Monday]

I would like to add a recurring bit called: PTDX

Phrases That Don't eXist, 

{despite some message boards}

PTDX of the Week

"short sided"

apparently when someone doesn't  take into account your side in a discussion (typically on a blog) and you believe their side is naive or "shorter" than your side of the argument

M2S {meant to say}

"short sighted"

Maaaaaasaaaaaachusets

Before we get to alcoholism and bad movies let me just say a word about Massachusetts and it's inherent state of terror induction.

The White Death.

I was raised in a society where the winter is a tale told to children at night to scare them into eating their vegetables and voting republican. Any amount of snow on the ground such that one can not see the grass underneath is treated in the same manner as a two hundred foot tall plutonium chainsaw-nunchuk wielding osama bin laden. The entire city comes to a grinding halt until the snow is thoroughly obliterated through use of plow mounted flamethrowers and orbital solar mirrors. In the confounding state that is Massachusetts people seem to have accepted snow as a natural part of not living in the tropics. Here they actually drive their cars in the poisonous substance, leading me to doubt the veracity of claims made by prominent cincinnati officials that to let it touch a moving vehicle will lead to the instantaneous formation of black holes.

Traffic Circles.

A.k.a. vehicular thunderdomes, these vortexes of metal and profanity are known to disrupt the brainwaves of midwestern drivers and send them into fits of hulk-esque rage and confusion. In the commonwealth of Massachusetts a decree has been passed down since the days of the revolutionary war that there shall be three traffic circles constructed for every man, woman and child living in the state. This was done to confound the hessian divisions of the british army who's native german traffic circles operated in the clockwise direction. The countercolockwise colonial traffic circles proved to be too much for the formdiable mercenaries and they soon surrendered. The traffic circles now stand to ward off unwanted out of state drivers.

More on Massachusetts later, now drinking movies.

Death Race 2000

Starring Sylvester Stallone and David Carridine. It is one of my favorite movies for obvious reasons if you have ever had the pleasure of viewing it. I'm not going to give away any spoilers here, just rules.

Take one drink any time anyone is "scored"
Take one drink anytime you think Sylvester Stallone regretted this scene later in life
Take one drink anytime David Carridine has a ridiculous non-sequitur
Chug every time a president is assassinated

Jake: saving the bike jousting for when photos are available, also we should get all you bostonians/salemites together and get some good drinking movies. purely for research purposes of course.

MASSachusetts

I'm living in the Peoples Republic

John's chillin in a Spring Field.

I'm going to try and get this going again, see if I can muse more.

Right now I'm on an MLS binge.

Weird for someone who hasn't played soccer in 7 years.

I watched the playoffs this past november, and started getting addicted, just as it ended.  Now, I'm intrigued with the new expansion, the league history since I stopped giving a rats ass in 2001. The fan culture, which is so much more game oriented than pre-game show oriented.  I am also feeling that what draws me to it is similar to what draws me to baseball.  Stadiums are being built around getting fans to feel close to the game, the player development is through a hierarchy, not college to pro with millions made just because someone thinks you'll be good. It's more performance reliant, although performance isn't exactly how I'd describe MLS competition quite yet.

I don't really care for stadiums in the sub-urban areas, where most of the new Soccer Specific Stadiums are. But I think the league goes well with a lot of the emerging American trends, including cheap tickets starting at between 5 and 10 bucks.

I'll get back to you on what I mean by American trends, but right now I have to go and model a nautilus trains station.

Jake

Also, john, let's continue our drinking game posts as a weekly addition.  I'll send it over to you to fill that requirement this week. As well as telling us about this jousting nonsense. 

You Get a Lot More Respect for the Homeless

When you become one of them.

So remember that picture a few months back of the apartment with no running water, bare concrete walls and power tools and mattresses strewn all over it? Well I got evicted for not paying rent while doing 8 hours of construction work every day and sinking more money than I would have paid for rent on construction materials into that hell hole.

On top of that my computer was destroyed by angry neighbors, my bike was torn apart in three separate attempts to steal it and I've moved about three times in the last month and a half.

So the next time some guy asks you for a buck on the street don't be so fucking rude to him. It sucks being homeless.

Anyway I'll have some photos and stories and whatnot in a bit when I've got a computer again.

I am living on the coast of the sea of marmara. Drinking tea and eating mussels every day.

We saw peacekeeping forces traveling up the bosphorus today.

Danced on two rooftop clubs to an assortment of turkish covers of american songs last friday and saturday.


I commute too and from europe from asia daily.

I get people from Iran taking photos of me as if I was a tourist attraction.


I've helped teach gypsy children english. I hope they never offend anyone with it.

I've also taught them the explode-a-five.

I now have internet and I will update more often. Where are you john?

tons of photos to come, but I do not have the time or resources for that kind of endeavor at the moment

some thoughts:


The Netherlands are the future, and it's amazing

Dick Cheney is the first truly "vice" president

It takes a lot of kroner to equal a dollar, but according to our "hotdog exchange rate" it still costs 5 bucks for a hotdog in Copenhagen.

Biker road rage hurts.

Bike lanes are eerily more comfortable for walking than sidewalks.

If you complain about taxes ruining our economy, a 200% income tax hasn't hurt denmark, just it's visitors.

the Wanted drinking game:

Drink anytime something physically impossible happens
=you will be drunk
Drink anytime something physically improbable happens
=you will black out
Add drinking anytime James McAvoy explains what is happening through pointless dialogue
=
YOU WILL BE DEAD

thank you for your time
major picture post probably when I get to istanbul
AKA Aug 8-15