I have seen...

Get a drink.  This is the list of bands I have seen perform live.  I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot too...

Jerry Reed
WASP
KISS
Ted Nugent
Black N Blue
Slaughter
Danger Danger
Yngwie Malmsteen
Lita Ford
Faster Pussycat
Trixter
Aerosmith
FireHouse
.38 Special
Tora Tora
Paw
T Ride
Nitro
Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies
Eric Culberson
Tab Benoit
Buddy Guy
Guitar Shorty
BB King
Susan Tedeschi
Sonny Landreth
Love Jones
Luther Vandross
Sounds of Blackness
Def Leppard
Motley Crue
Quiet Riot
Cinderella
Jackyl
Poison
Vince Neil
Skid Row
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Slayer
Motorhead
Great White
Ratt
Van Halen
Tesla
Soulmotor
Moon Dog Mane
Kaleidoscope
Frank Hannon Band
Sofa King/Bar 7
Beach Boys
Jimmy Buffett
Inner Circle
Butch Walker
Vonda Shepherd
Greg Kihn
Oleander
Three Doors Down
Bon Jovi
Goo Goo Dolls
Whitesnake
Dokken
Y & T
Aldo Nova
Gilby Clarke
Enuff Z’Nuff
Pretty Boy Floyd
ELI
Every Mothers Nightmare
Gary Hoey
Pat Benatar
Huey Lewis & The News
Hootie & The Blowfish
LA Guns
Lizzy Borden
Eric Martin
Dave Meniketti
Samantha 7
Stephen Pearcy
Rockets To Ruin
Paul Stanley
Sedona
Scorpions
Emerson Drive
Shania Twain
Brother Cane
Jimmy Buffett
Kurt Elling
Seven Mary Three
Pebbles
Samantha Fox
Information Society
Lucky Peterson
Bret Michaels
Winger
Metal Skool
John Lee Hooker
Atomic Punks

6:13 PM - 8 Comments - 11 Kudos - Add Comment

Sad news
Current mood: sad

I just heard some bad news.  An old friend passed away last week.  Her name was Crista Sandoval, and she was a middle school teacher.  I knew her while I was a manager at a book store and she was one of the sales clerks.  I remember the first conversation we ever had, I was a fish out of water, newly transplanted in Sacramento, California from Tallahassee, Forida.  She was a lifelong resident of Sacramento.  She made fun of my vaguely Southern accent, and playfully accused me of being politically incorrect because I was wearing a Florida State Seminoles shirt.  But she still would eat the banana bread, or biscuits and gravy I'd bring from home, so Southern culture wasn't completely foreign to her.

She left the book store, and later worked in an upscale restaurant not far from my apartment.  It was a seafood restaurant, and although I'm allergic to most seafoods, I used to go in just to have a drink and say hello to her.

She was one of those types who was always smiling, always positive, and genuinely good.  There are far too few people like her in the world, and those of us who were lucky enough to have known her are better off just for having done so.  She was an inspiration to me, and although it reeks of cliche to say how special someone was when they have passed, it truly applies to her. 

One time, she came over to my apartment for a housewarming party.  It was actually her idea - when I told her that I had moved, she thought I should have the party even though I didn't own any furniture at the time.  Long story short, I bought some.  Just for the party.  That was the kind of effect she had on people.

She was a great friend when I was at a tough time in my life, and remained a great friend when things turned around for me.  She finished school, got a job teaching, and was beloved by students, faculty, and the general community alike.  She even continued shopping at the old bookstore for her classroom.  Sadly, I lost touch with her when I left California.   I never really got to say goodbye.

I'll share the only picture I could find of us together, from the housewarming party.  I'll miss you Crista.  God rest your soul, and comfort your family.



  

6:06 PM - 5 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

TAG - 7 weird things

7 weird things about me



THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 7 weird things about themselves.  People who get tagged need to write a BLOG of their own 7 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 7 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog..

1. I have never heard Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" from beginning to end.  Not once. 

2. I am terrified of strange dogs, and was once late for work because I was afraid to come down the stairs to get to my car - there was a stray Rottweiler runing loose.

3. I was once incorporated into a collectible Christmas plate that was sold at JC Penneys.  I was about 6.

4. I have been known to set the a/c at 84, reuse plastic silverware, clip coupons, and pick up pennies on the street.  I can be very cheap and hold onto a dollar for a ridiculously long time.

5. Despite the above, I'll think nothing about dropping $200 for more cds that I know I'll probably only play once.

6. I am allergic to shellfish, and can never eat lobster, shrimp, or conch fritters.

7. Every time I watch an episode of Married With Children, I laugh out loud.  Even if it's a lousy episode that I've seen many times before.   Yes, I even own the dvds...

I'm tagging - Danielle, Staci, Pinky, Pinki, Carie, Judy, and Mary.  But not until after LOST comes on...

4:43 PM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

No way!

ELI is on MySpace now!  I'd been considering making a page for them, if for no other reason than to have some of those old songs on my profile. 

For those that didn't know, they were Tallahassee's next big thing, BC (Before Creed).  They worked all over the South, and kicked all kinds of ass.  I've seen their cd go for hundreds on ebay, but I'll never sell mine.  Too many great (albeit fuzzy) memories of those days.  Florida never had a Sunset Strip, but Tallahassee had a great music scene in the late 80s/early 90s, and ELI were the kings.

I'm proud to endorse them here.  Go check 'em out.

8:48 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I might be going to Hell.

Have any of you ever gotten those scam emails from Nigeria?  The ones where you are promised a huge payoff if you agree to help launder foreign money "liberated" from a long-forgotten account before it goes to the corrupt government?  Generally speaking, it's required that you front small amounts of cash to them for "administrative fees" and "lawyer stuff" in order to expedite the "transfer" of "funds". 

Of course, most folks think "Who could be dumb enough to fall for that?" and hit the delete button.  But an elderly coworker of mine actually did fall for something similar about two months ago.  (understatement - she is a bit naive)  She is also not very financially savvy, so losing ANY amount of money hurts her tremendously.  So I made it my personal mission to exact a little revenge, waste some time, and see how many hoops I can make him jump through.  Dance, boy, dance!

I've been in a dialogue now with (I think...) the same scammer who got her for a few weeks now.  She gave me the first email address that hooked her.  And I've made him fill out paperwork, pose for embarassing pictures, and book me hotel rooms for the purpose of meeting in person and signing documents, all with large amounts of cash "I" promised to bring.  It's amazing what one can get another to do with a photoshopped "passport" and a few forged airplane reservation screenshots.  Either I'm damn good at this, or he's really stupid.

I figure I need to get him to waste about $500 and we'll call it even.

If the next batch of pics show up, I'll post the whole dialogue here.

Ethical question - is it wrong to scam a scammer?  :-)

8:09 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

In case anyone's curious...

The new song on my profile rules.  It's "Filling Up The Holes" by one of my favorite Sacramento bands, SEDONA.  I used to listen to this song over and over again before I ever had any Sedona cds, when it appeared on a compilation album of local bands.  Ironically, it doesn't have a guitar solo even though Mark Holley is one hotshot guitarist.  But the three of you who actually read this stuff should definitely go check out Sedona's page. 

Oh yeah, my website will be back online again soon.  With any luck, the problems that forced it to the backburner will be resolved soon and I can once again return to singing the praises of tropical life, 80s metal, and general miscellany for the entertainment of, well, no one in particular.

In the meantime, go check out Sedona.

5:05 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?
Current mood: anxious

'Tis once again one of the highest holy times of year for me...  Ranking up there with "Day Off with Good Waves" and "Day Off with No Waves" comes "The Mighty Florida State vs the Evil University of Miami". 

This Labor Day, be sure to join me in celebration and victory, as my beloved Seminoles emerge triumphant.  Or help me drown my sorrows and wallow in defeat.  But either way, know this - I will not be at work.

GO NOLES!

8:07 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Holiday.

I'm celebrating Mexico's kicking of French asses today by having a margarita and heading to the beach.  Some call that tradition "Cinco De Mayo".  I just call it "Friday".

9:20 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I still got it.
Current mood: satisfied

Y'know, I was actually planning on going and getting a haircut today.  I have a day off (finally) and figured I'd just go ahead and do it.  Summertime is rapidly approaching, and long hair doesn't mix well with ocean water if you have to work for a living.  I want to catch morning waves and still be on time for work.  And unless Jimmy Buffett needs a retail manager, I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon.

This morning, as I was taking the garbage down to the curb for pickup, a truck drove by my house.  The driver actually slowed down, rolled down his window, and yelled "GET A HAIRCUT" at me.  I looked to see if it was one of my friends, but it wasn't.  It was just some random old guy.  My first instinct was to shout back "I boned your daughter", but if family resemblance is a factor, I wouldn't want to take credit for that.  Second instinct was to flip him off, but it didn't seem worth it.  Despite my obvious tendency to outwardly project anarchy, chaos, rejection of all social taboos and mores, blatant disrespect for all authority, and general hatred of the establishment, I'm far too lazy to actually put forth the effort.  Add to that the fact that I'm actually quite clean cut, conservative, and dare I say - nice, and you can see that it just wasn't necessary.

It's oddly refreshing to know that even as I mature into middle age, continue to mellow out, and assimilate into suburban humdrumery, I can still piss off old people and solicit a reaction without lifting a finger.  

Some days, I love being me.  Maybe I'll get a tattoo and see if I can't give the guy a coronary on recycling day next week...

8:45 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I need some advice...

It's been a little over a year since I cut off all of my hair and donated it to http://www.locksoflove.org.    I've had it cut a few times since then, but in recent months I've run short of time and neglected it.  It's almost to the point where I could credibly join Def Leppard.  I'm not really ready to hang out on the Sunset Strip, but then again I've got more hair than everyone in Poison combined.  I'm trying to decide what to do with it - should I accept my inevitable maturity, or try to milk a few more years out of looking like the poster boy for 1987?

I've got a few more years to go before 40, but have long since passed 25.  What looks better?  I get a lot more compliments from women when it's long, but my mom blames all of my life's problems (of which there have been a few) on hair going past my ears.  It's tough to meet nice girls with long hair, and it's easier to switch jobs with short hair.  But my general personality and attitude is a little more conducive to having a less-than-mainstream appearance. 

 
I'm tired of analyzing the variables myself, and am curious to know what the world thinks.  Take a gander at these shots from over the years, and tell me what you prefer:

The Windswept 1987 Hair Farmer




The Dude, Where's My Comb?




The Pressed Flat Snap Into A Slim Jim




The Captain Ron




The I Just Cut Off A Ton Of Hair And Replaced It With A Brillo Pad




The $150 Salon Treatment




The How Much Did That Just Cost Again?




The I Just Got Back From The Beach And Haven't Washed It




The Mid Range, Keith Urban On A Bad Day




The Taken 5 Minutes Ago, Wish I'd Have Brushed It First Aging Rock Star

Which hairstyle looks best?  Whatever style wins is the next one for me. 

8:34 AM - 9 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment