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August 29, 2006
Fluin' It Up!
I left the office around 9:30 this morning, went to Wal-Mart to buy some flu supplies (juice, soup, fruit, etc.) and promptly slept on the couch from about 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. when Melissa needed to be picked up. I have to admit, being home sick while my very pregnant wife is at work is a tad unsettling. The thought of my wife being at work once the baby is here is also very unsettling. I'm sorry to offend the progressive types around here, but I am 100 percent in support of stay-at-home moms, and if we can find a way to make it happen, Melissa will be one, too.
So, Robert T. Nash is now a full-fledged member of the talk radio schedule. I have to admit that I am intrigued by the show -- almost as intrigued as I am that callers seem to have such an issue with a talk host who has, um, attitude. Media higher-ups tend to get tense when people complain, but as a former KZ-106 staffer mentioned on the air today, people aren't listening if they aren't complaining. Granted, that's not the only time that people are listening, but last week, when Robert and Mary Anne got into an almost-heated discussion about Robert's demeanor towards callers, the phone lines lit up.
The only other constructive criticism I can offer is that Mary Anne should take the gloves off more. Seriously, go for it, girl. I remember one morning back in 1995, when I was living back up north, Steve Somers and Russ Salzberg of WFAN were having a literal shouting match on the air. Don Imus, also a WFAN personality, played clips of the altercation repeatedly the next morning, saying, "Folks, if you can get your hosts to have a fight on the air, well, then, that's just about the greatest thing ever." I was listening to Imus while I was painting an old victorian house in Essex, CT at the time, and almost fell off the ladder because I was laughing so hard.
Anyway, I think "Live and Local" has a chance of sticking around for a while.
Dave Walters needs a liver transplant. Three benefit shows have been set up. The first one will be this Thursday night at Rhythm and Brews. Please attend and give if you can.
Dave is a fantastic pianist and one of the nicest people I have met in this town. He played alternating Friday nights at 212 when I worked there. His jazz trio also played our Sunday brunches, as well as my wedding.
Dave and I would chat about all kinds of stuff (I remember drooling when he talked about his baseball card collection) and I would slip him a "request list" whenever he played. The list would be all over the place -- horrible, horrible songs that I knew he wouldn't ever play -- and he would laugh as he looked it over.
The news of his medical condition is somewhat of a shock, and I hope all works out well. Maybe we can raise some money for him, ourselves, Chattabloggers?
Posted by colrus at 10:48 PM | TrackBack
August 28, 2006
Photo of the Week: Justin Cox, circa 1990
Everybody's favorite and my former on-stage collaborator in "Faces," Justin Cox, taken in 1990. (Click for a bigger view.)
Justin let me snap a picture of this high school photo, which he showed me during my visit to Lupi's on Friday night. I wish I'd had a scanner with me. Taking a picture of a picture never does it justice. Though, considering Justin's current appearance, this picture is still pretty awesome...
Posted by colrus at 11:50 AM | TrackBack
August 27, 2006
Could Somebody Please Remove This Jackhammer from My Skull?
I am now almost three full days into what I'm guessing is the flu. It started late Friday afternoon, was a contributor to Melissa and I leaving the Of Montreal show early (sorry we couldn't hang, Ernie) and has completely destroyed my plans for a productive weekend.
Some quick things to mention before I stumble into unconsciousness:
1. My fantasy baseball team made the playoffs.
2. Watching Bob Newhart award The Office for "Best Comedy" at tonight's Emmy's was comic nirvana for me.
3. The Red Sox are not going to the playoffs.
4. I am quite pleased with LaLa.com.
5. I could be mistaken, but my child (if his in-womb kicking is any indication) is going to be a ninja.
6. I have two more pieces to write before we go to press tomorrow night. This is going to be interesting.
7. Word Play was good. It's playing at the Bijou this week. If you're like Melissa and I, you'll be the only people in the theatre.
Posted by colrus at 11:24 PM | TrackBack
August 18, 2006
Carell Beats the Heat
A classic from back in the day.
"I've chosen to wear number 31 of the New York team."
Best. Line. Ever.
Posted by colrus at 10:36 PM | TrackBack
Our Vacation in Pictures
During the first week of August, Melissa and I spent a much-needed vacation (our last one before the baby comes) on Lido Key on the southwest Florida coast. Lido Key is adjacent to Sarasota, Longboat Key, Siesta Key and St. Armand's Key.
(Click on each photo for a larger view.)
After exhaustive Internet research at the beginning of the summer, we booked a room at the Helmsley Sandcastle. While the hotel is in need of a wholesale updating, it was clean, not at all crowded, and located directly on a private beach.
The hotel also had two pools and a REALLY good restaurant. We ate breakfast there every day, out on the porch amongst the birds that call the hotel home. The funniest moment of the trip happened when a crow swooped down onto a neighboring table, stole a jelly packet, and flew away with it.
Just down the street was St. Armand's circle, an upscale shopping/dining area on St. Armand's Key. We became quite fond of the neighborhood pizza place, which was manned with guys with New England accents and tasted like Naples back home. Good stuff.
In the center of St. Armand's Circle is a green area bordered my monuments to circus performers and personnel. Circus magnate John Ringling originally developed the area.
We decided to rent a car for the trip. We got a good deal on the car -- a Suzuki Forenza -- and it got great gas mileage. Though the air conditioning left a lot to be desired.
Food was a big part of our vacation. We ate very well. Here, Melissa smiles upon receiving a lobster roll at the Lobster Pot in Siesta Key. I had the clam strips. Both were phenomenal. We will be back.
We spent a few hours at the Mote Marine Laboratory up the street. It's as much a hospital as an aquarium, and it was interesting to watch a manta ray get its shots. In addition to sharks, dolphins and a wide variety of fish, sea turtles and manatees were also on hand. Ever since a manatee swam up to me at Fort Pierce a couple of summers ago, I've really dug manatees.
Here's a fun fact about manatees:
After leaving the hotel on Friday, we met Melissa's parents at a hotel about 45 minutes from Tampa so that we could go to the Red Sox/Devil Rays game (the only one the Sox won in the series) that night. The Red Sox got Javy Lopez that day, and he caught Curt Schilling, who had a steallr outing. David Ortiz hit two home runs, and Gabe Kapler made a KILLER play right in front of us in right field, cutting down a guy trying to stretch a single into a double. Red Sox fans far outnumbered Devil Rays fans, so cowbells were given out to folks sporting Rays gear. The Sox fans were still louder, however.
We spent our last day of vacation at Melissa's folks' house, where they threw us a surprise baby shower upon our arrival. While we still have a long way to go in the baby supply department, we got lots of great stuff.
So, there you have it. Our vacation. In pictures.
Posted by colrus at 12:11 AM | TrackBack
August 16, 2006
Editing, Pondering, Pointing and Kashad
We're entering the home stretch. The OTOH DVD project is darn near completion, darnit. To prove to you that I have actually been working on it, Mr. Ryan DiGiorgi helped me stage a couple of dramatic reenactments during today's hurried lunchtime editing session at the Lazy Bear bunker.
This is me pondering my next editing decision.
This is me pointing out my next editing decision.
I'm excitedly awaiting the completion of this project. Ryan said I should charge people $5 per copy. I told him I should pay people $4 a piece to watch it. So, yes, some things still need to be worked out.
Speaking of Ryan, he and Logan have started shooting Killing Elvis. The movie will be on the short side of feature-length, and quite the unique effort for a town like ours. I'm VERY interested to see the final product. And not just because I have a (very) small role in it.
Here's a shot of the film's star, Kashad Moore, during a recent shoot:
Posted by colrus at 01:38 AM | TrackBack
August 11, 2006
Catching Up Wit' Y'all
Ah, the Chattablogs server seems to be acting like the Chattablogs server of yore, so I will post things this evening until I pass out. Good? Good.
25 or 30 more people showed up this time around to see the California Guitar Trio at Rhythm and Brews on Monday night. Joe Lance, Ernie Paik and myself sat mesmerized all evening -- as is customary at a CGT show. On his show today, Jeff Styles wondered if I taped the show. I didn't, but I wish I had.
The setlist was similar to last year's Chattanooga shows (with a bit more Whitewater material) with ONE BIG EXCEPTION.
"Freebird."
Yep. After an encore of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as requested by a few of us in the crowd, they lit into the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic. It was quite astonishing.
Here's Paul Richards' diary entry about the show.
Here's Bert Lams' diary entry about the show.
Here's Hideo Moriya's roadcam entry about the show and their visit to town.
It is especially good. I love Hideyo's roadcam entries. The pictures of food always crack me up.
The Red Sox just lost their fifth game in a row, getting swept in Kansas City by the, gulp, Royals. The sweep comes on the heels of losing the last two games of the series in Tampa Bay. There are roughly 50 games left, so the season's not exactly over, but the Sox are sure playing like it is.
Want a cool T-shirt? Check out TheNoog.com. Good stuff...
My new column officially has a name. After much brainstorming and discussion with my inner circle (consisting of my cats and my wife until she falls asleep from boredom), I've settled on "The Yankee Peddler." Why "The Yankee Peddler" do you ask?
1. I grew up on a street called Yankee Peddlar Path. (Though "Peddler" is the AP Stylebook-approved spelling.)
2. I'm a Yankee, and by openly labeling myself as such in a town like Chattanooga, some readers will instantly dislike me and argue with every last thing I have to say. This is a good thing.
3. I like to sell things. In this instance, ideas.
4. I'll get to wear a tricorne in the byline photo.
5. "From the Editor" just wasn't getting it done.
A "Yankee Peddler" column should appear in print in the next week or so. Unless it doesn't. The columns will appear here, as well. Unless they don't.
Speaking of in print, Blair Hickman's piece on World of Warcraft has shattered all previous Web traffic records for a single story on our Web site. Prompted by discussion on WoW messageboards across the globe, people are flooding to our site thsi week to see what all the fuss is about. And many are leaving comments.
I could be wrong, but next week's planned cover story, "World of Go Outside," probably won't be as popular.
The baby is kicking like crazy these days. He's due November 6 and we're going crazy in anticipation of his arrival. I refinished his dresser and his room is filling up with stuff. Fast.
His first name will be Samuel (we'll call him Sam) and, after considering many suggestions, I think we're going to settle on William as a middle name.
But that could change.
I still might be able to talk Melissa into any of the following middle names: Adams, Clemens, L. Jackson, L. Mankowitz, Hagar, Goldwyn-Mayer or "The Butcher."
I'll be posting an account of our recent vacation in the next day or so. Complete with pictures.
That is all. Good night.
Posted by colrus at 12:23 AM | TrackBack
August 08, 2006
Back from the Beach
In case you were wondering, oh four readers of BillColrus.com, I was, indeed, on vacation last week. I am now back. Blogging will ensue.
Posted by colrus at 12:24 AM | TrackBack