...since moving into a basement, I'm starting to become paranoid about bugs. There's lots of spiders and other weird centipede-y things crawling around down here. Anytime a I feel an itch or something brush against me while sitting down here, I twitch and spasm. It makes for difficulties getting to sleep sometimes. I've been trying to crush those bastards every time I see one, but they just keep coming back. I feel they may be plotting against me.
...these national political conventions crack me up. I love watching the speeches, the random unexpected events, and the crowd shots of all the delegates dancing around like dorks. It's quality, prime-time entertainment that I enjoy even more than the Olympics every four years. Here's some of my favorites this year:
Favorite DNC speaker: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer was absolutely hilarious. Not so much of his speech's content, but his mannerisms while speaking. He was so damn fidgety, it was as if he downed a case of Red Bull before he went on. I liked it. Bonus points for doing the Chris Farley-esque shoulder shrug/double chin thing a few times (2:02 mark on the YouTube video).
Favorite RNC speaker: Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson endeared to me. He just had that surly old grandpa demeanor that reminds me of my hometown. I can see this guy fitting in fine with the grumbling old farmers at the local cafe or barber shop. They're always amusing and always blunt. Bonus points to Senator Thompson for constantly clearing his throat every minute, too.
Favorite moment caught on camera: Sarah Palin's second youngest child styling the baby's hair with her own saliva. It either elicits an "Awwwww" or an "Eeewww." Either way, it's a good catch by the camera crews.
Finally, here's a pretty funny picture that was sent to me by way of Lisa:
If you're quite familiar with this show and these characters, it's even funnier. Now who has some cartoon equivalents for Obama/Biden?
...the good thing about having a national political convention in your town is that it brings out some pretty damn good concerts. On Monday, I attended the Take Back Labor Day event at Harriet Island in St. Paul. It featured a line-up of Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine), Atmosphere, Mos Def, and a reunited Pharcyde.
I would describe Tom Morello's performance as spunky. His solo album has a mellow, folksy feel to it, but he treats his live performances as if he's up there with RATM. For example, he closed out his set asking the crowd jump up and down like mad while he played Woody Guthrie's "This Land is My Land."
The Pharcyde was the other highlight of the day. They closed out the show and bucked the trend of playing songs about the poor, the working class, and unions. They just busted out their hits and it was a damn fun set. I was surprised so many people stayed around for them. I honestly thought the entire crowd would dissipate after local legends Atmosphere performed. The only complaint I had about their set is that they would show some of their music videos on the big screen behind the stage while they performed. I preferred the screen to show shots of the group on stage and action out in the crowd.
There were some other notable shows through out the week, including a free show by Michael Franti and Anti-Flag at the Capitol Grounds on Tuesday afternoon. Apparently Tom Morello and the rest of Rage Against The Machine showed up at the end of the event and played Bulls On Parade before they got shut down. No bother, as they had their own gig at the Target Center the very next evening.
So if you want to see a week of great shows, then get ready to make a pilgrimage to the RNC city in four years.
...last and certainly not least is that football season is finally upon us. I went to the Gophers home opener against Northern Illinois last Saturday. The season got off to a good start when we won 31-27. While they look like an improved team from last year, they still made some costly mistakes to make the game a lot closer than it should have been. It's hard to gauge where your team is at when it took a last minute touchdown to beat a MAC school that finished with a 2-10 record last year.
This week's match-up at Bowling Green should be a lot more telling. BG beat us last year in overtime and they opened this season with a 10-point win over #25 ranked Pittsburgh. If we win this game, I have reason to be optimistic that we'll reach a bowl game. If we lose, then I don't think we'll finish above .500 this year.
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