flight 000

wiener dog races

My dream finally came true and I was able to go to dachshund paradise, also know as the annual Wiener Dog Races in Buda, TX. The champions were out defying some unbearable humidity, as well as the odds in doing their best with some rather short (er, nonathletic) legs.

Dachshunds were in all shapes, color, sizes, and of course clothing. Add a shabby Elvis impersonator (stopped 20 seconds into "Hound Dog" because HE didn't like the way he sang it), pony rides, a kissing booth, food that will shorten your life (but tastes so good), and all the wiener dog paraphernalia you could ever want. My dachshund had the time of his life and his human had a pretty swell time too.

i'll have a side of pleaseeasaur with that burger

What a combination.... Neil Hamburger and Pleaseeasaur. I gotta say that I'm partial to the latter, a two man group (one on stage, the other behind the scenes) that combines props, several costume changes, song, and comedy into one. You have to see for yourself to truly understand how and why this marriage of ridiculousness really works. "Action City News", "Randy Normal Jeans", and "No Prob Limo" are particular favorites.

Mr. Hamburger is entertaining in his own right... a crotchety, "lounge act" with sorely out of fashion hair, harkening back to the 60's, with punchlines about as out of date. Be prepared to hear "why" about a 100 times and to be insulted. If you're lucky (or unlikely, depending on your tastes) he'll hurl a cocktail at you.

Check our their respective websites for more info and merchandise. Pleaseeasaur & Neil Hamburger

b-i-n-g-o

The best way to spend $1!

el gringo

Swanky 50's ranch house decor. Nice outdoor area. Giant beer. Yummy food. Good time.

oink & purr

holgaroid

hobo with a shotgun

today

if you could see what i hear

Celebration. Johnette Napolitano wearing new skin having a grand old time, jungle drums, psychedelic keys, organ grinder dance. Must see. Must hear.

yes! yes! yes!

A great way to spend 6 hours. Any doubts about Aqua Teen were quickly squashed before the acutal movie even started. The concession punk band in the pre-opening sequence was perfectly bizarre. This movie also the boasts the best use of a Phil Collins song ever (beating out... ok, so the field is pretty thin). Speaking of thin... the plot, yeah pretty much... but who cares? The usual suspects all get screen time with some memorable dialogue to boot.

In an unintentional move to continue the underlying gore theme (see kittens in ATHF) Grindhouse followed. Enough near vomit inducing moments to last you the rest of the year... or a life time. No real departures here in styling from either director, but entertaining none-the-less. It's been a while since squirming has been so fun (don't think the beef sandwich I was eating during the film helped however). Watch out for golden moments from Kurt Russell, a kid's head, and goopy attempted rape. One note... could have done without the onslaught of Austin business name dropping Mr. Tarantino. Yes, you love Austin... got it.

To cap off the night, I rinsed the blood off as it were, and switched gears with the new Blonde Redhead album, "23". A nice antidote, with vocals like a wash of sweet sunlight on a landscape of percussion and guitar. It's hard to think of anything bad. I've always been a bit taken with these guys though, so my opinion is a bit slanted. Tracks 1 and 6 are particular favorites this go 'round. I'm instantly in my own swirlying French montage, full with the feeling of first loves. A nice illusion and not a bad way to end the night.

Thanks Saturday night.

r.i.p.

boy band

and the rest of the time?

barcelona

Aside from muggings and a lack of places to grab a beer, a good place to go. Read here to learn more about Barcelona or to check out more of the city in my photos.

oxymoron

lefties got it rough

I got my hair cut the other day, which started this whole thing. My hairdresser and another customer got into a conversation about the hard knocks associated with being left handed. I always knew things must be a bit harder for the 'ole lefties... nothing is made with you in mind. Having trouble cutting with every day scissors pales in comparison to though to the madness of way back yonder.

"Until the latter part of the twentieth century, Roman Catholic nuns in United States elementary schools would punish children for using their left hand to write, typically by slapping their left hand with a ruler if they attempted to pick up a pen with it.

As late as the early 20th century, school teachers in the Netherlands would force right-handed writing on left-handed writing children. An example of such treatment involves baseball players and Babe Ruth, who both hit and threw left-handed and wrote right-handed after enduring left-handed suppression during their formative years.

Left-handedness was often interpreted as a sign of Satanic influence, and thus prohibited. Many examples can be found in the Christian-Greek scriptures in which the wicked or evil sit at the left hand of God, while the righteous sit at the right hand of God, during the Last Judgment. The Inuit also believed that every left-handed person was a sorcerer.[citation needed]

The Romans also frowned upon left-handedness. A left-handed boy who was training to be in a Roman legion would have his hand bound to his side, and would be forced to use the gladius with his right hand. This was done out of necessity, as a left-handed Roman would have interfered with the cohesion of the Roman legions.

The use of left hand was also frowned upon in Asia. Allegedly, though there were few examples of its happening, a Japanese man could divorce his wife if he discovered that she was left-handed.

Until very recently, in Chinese societies, left-handed people were strongly encouraged to switch to being right-handed. However, this may be in part because, while Latin characters are equally easy to write with either hand, it is more difficult to write legible Chinese characters with the left hand. The prescribed direction of writing each line of a Chinese character is designed for the movements of the right hand, and some shapes tend to feel awkward to follow with the left hand's fingers. It results in a less soft writing than it would be with the right hand.

In many parts of the world, such as Indonesia, it is considered impolite to eat and accept gifts with the left hand. The reason for this is that a person who uses his left hand to eat would often cause trouble with the person to the left of him. Another stated reason for this is that the left hand is used in some countries, like Indonesia, during a bathroom visit.

A profound Arab stigma against left-handedness dates to a pre-industrial period when paper was extremely rare and (in desert regions) water was too precious to be used for hand-washing. Because it was necessary to use one hand for wiping oneself after defecation, and because it was impossible to cleanse this hand thoroughly, the hand used for this task (traditionally, the left hand) was deemed unfit to be used for any other activity, especially as most Arabs of that time lacked eating utensils, and so they ate with their fingers (of the right hand) from communal dishes, while keeping the left hand entirely concealed at mealtime. To this day, it is widely regarded as taboo in Arab culture to handle food with the left hand. Offering one's left hand for a handshake greeting, or even waving it in greeting without touching, would be considered a serious personal insult in Arab society. Left-handers are also persecuted to some degree in the Arab World due to this taboo." --www.wikipedia.com

i prefer swell over great