So, I drew a maze today. I started these when I was quite young. I would draw them a lot while I was in the hospital with pneumonia or bronchitis. I continued to draw then with decreasing frequency all throughout high school, and maybe just a few here & there since then. I ought to do more of these. They’re quite relaxing for me.
I’m hoping that a few of you at least will print one out & have a go… then maybe send back the completed one? If you’re really brave, try it in Paint or Photoshop. Ha ha.
Clicking on the maze should take you to the full-size image.
I like weird Christmas music. I’m not sure why. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and of course I dig the spooky sound/imagery with “scary” songs… but I listen to that all year long. I just listen to Christmas music when the holiday is approaching, then it’s locked safely away until next year. I’ve always had a thing for odd/goofy songs… and some of these are the goofiest ones yet. I’ll start with whole albums that I have lying around, then I’ll descend into random stuff that I’ve collected over the years.
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus – Various Artists[Sympathy for the Record Industry] – This is one goofy 2-disc set. with 13 tracks on each CD. I mean, look at the cover. It looks like an LP from the 70’s… maybe 60’s. This is very punk and garage rock oriented… it’s a lot of sloppy dirty bands just rocking out some Christmas songs… some traditional, some original. One of my favorites is the opener “Christmas Is A Comin’ (May God Bless You)” by the Shitbirds. It starts out nice enough, then descends in to chaos. Claw Hammer’s “The Night Before Christmas” is unsettling, and The Phenobarbidols’ “O Holy Night Parts 1 & 2” is sure to win over a crowd until it gets to part 2 (The most awesome part).
Punk Rock Xmas
Punk Rock Xmas – Various Artists[Rhino] – Of course, any compilation with the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight)” is a win in my book. This actually has a couple of the same songs as the previously mentioned CD. I guess if you’re putting out punk rock Christmas songs, you’ve only got so many to choose from. This disc is tight, allt he songs are winners in my book. D.I.’s “Mr. Grinch”, The Damned with “There Ain’t No Sanity Clause”, Sloppy Seconds, Pansy Division, The Humpers… all with great solid catchy tunes. This is a definite one that you need to own if you’re a punk rock fan and Christmas music fan.
The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride
The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride – Psychostick[Rock Ridge Music ] “Jingle bell. Jingle bell. Jingle bell. Metal!” is all you really need to know about this one. If you’re going to go out shopping on Christmas Eve, you’ll want to listen to this to prepare yourself for battle with those other maniacal consumers. This is all kinds of heavy and aggressive… and it’s Christmas music. These dudes are also hilarious, which there should be more of in metal. Some metal bands take themselves way too seriously. Psychostick does not… perhaps obvious from the title of the disc.
Oi to the World
Oi to the World – The Vandals[Kung Fu Records] – While there are a plethora of awesome holiday albums out there, I’ll stop here. Everyone has probably heard No Doubt’s cover of “Oi to the World”, not even knowing it’s a cover. The song is catchy, it’s got a good message, and it’s funny. This whole album is ridiculous. With tracks like “A Gun for Christmas”, “Grandpas Last Christmas”, “Christmas Time for My Penis”, and “My First Xmas, As a Woman” you know it’s got to be good. These guys are crazy, and their songs make you tap your feel and put you in a cheery mood. It’s all-in-all a great Christmas disc.
Now, I’d just like to pop up some of my favorite Christmas songs… and I’d love to hear some of yours in the comments section…
Yeah, I know I just blogged about Food Allergies, & I try not to beat that subject to death, but Twitter was blowing up this morning on this subject, so I felt that I needed to say something.
What does all this mean? As far as I can tell, it’s just a coming-together of the powers that be in the food allergy world to say, “Hey, if we’re gonna get anywhere with awareness & treatment, we’re gonna all need to get on the same page so we can move forward.”
If this is of interest to you… I urge you to check out the following links to read-up on what it means for those afflicted with food allergies:
Hopefully, you’ll find the time (like I hope to) to be able to take that all in and see what it means for you & your friends or family members who may be deathly allergic to something that’s in kitchens, food processing plants, grocery stores, & other food venues all over the place.
This was a project by our friends Jason & Terry. Luckily, they needed a band and we were up for making a video. I know I’m pleased with the results!
Ernie and the Berts owes these cats some thanks as well as Jonathan and Naveed for starring along with Jason & the band… and Erin and Lynn for giving up their house for a day.
Almost forgot, Brendan for helping us record this thing & his patience!
Hopefully, you dig the song and the video. We’re (of course) interested in your thoughts/critique/reviews/compliments/criticisms/etc.!
Numbers Stations. I want to say that I’ve heard of them before, but recently they’ve popped up in a Fringe episode and in Uncle John’s Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader, and they’ve piqued my interest. Ham Radio always seemed cool to me, and growing up in the 80’s there was a very USA vs. USSR cold war spy thing going on that feeds into my interest of these things.
The general consensus is that these number stations are broadcasting some type of code, most likely with a “one-time” pad which would make each code impossible to crack unless you had the key.
What are they doing now though? The cold war’s over, right? What’s their use? Spies are still out there & active, apparently.
The UJ article Numbers on the Radio is a really good read! It lead me to search the internet and come across these recordings free for the downloading: http://www.archive.org/details/ird059
This kind of stuff fascinates me. I’m definitely going to have to read more on the subject!
I’ve been meaning to reblog this for a a few days, but it’s been a hell of a week. I haven’t posted any food allergy propaganda in a while, so I figured it may be time.
Restaurant legislation is starting to get introduced in other states, too.
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In Pennsylvania, House Bill 45 would require training programs designed to prepare candidates for certification exams to include training on food allergies, including a video and written materials.
Legislation in PA? I need to do a little more research and some letter-writing.
While I generally would like to see a consumer-driven allergy-friendly service movement because I feel the “want to” motivation is better than the “have to” motivation, I don’t see legislation like this as a bad thing at all. More education, information, and training on food allergies can only help everyone involved… and hopefully over time help food allergy issues to be taken more seriously than they currently are.
I have a problem with weird guitars. I’m drawn to them. I love the classic Les Paul shape and sound, but something about goofy-looking guitars really speaks to me. I’ve blogged before about my Galveston B.B. Stone, and drooled over the fanboy/kitsch factor of the Millennium Falcon guitar. Now, I’d like to blog about my most recent 6-string purchase… the Dewey Decibel FlipOut Guitar.
I was drawn to the goofiness when I saw it somewhere online. I even saw it hanging in Pittsburgh Guitars once, but I had no play money at the time, and couldn’t justify getting the thing.
I bought it through ebay a while ago, as my last band (Gasoline Dion) was kind of petering itself out of existence. I hadn’t really gotten the chance to use it on stage until recently. It always draws out a question or admiration. I don’t think I’ve drawn ire from anyone yet… except the expressed-yet-repressed hatred that my friend and guitar-guru Dave has toward just the general idea of the thing.
Dewey Decibel FlipOut Models
Yet despite his disdain for the abomination of an axe, Dave did help me install some GFS pickups to replace the stock ones… since I do like that beefier fat-Strat sound. They’re some great pickups for the price. Ernie and the Berts recently recorded a demo, and I’m quite happy with the tone coming from the guitar. I also like the feel of the frets. This has become my “it” guitar of the moment.
The weird thing about these guitars other than the backwards body is the color schemes and names. I oddly enough chose the “Lit Cigarette” color scheme. I wouldn’t mind a black pick-guard, but I don’t think you can walk into any guitar shop and just pick one up.
Fallout Shelter - Oct 30th, 2010
Obviously, I like the whimsical/goofy factor with this thing, and my “stage name” being ERiC AiXeLsyD, I felt that that backwards guitar should certainly fit that quite well.
I’m glad that Dewey Decibel makes this guitar, and I’m glad that I found one… or it found me. I’d love to see photos of other FlipOuts in action. I know they even have basses if you want some backwards bottom-end. They may just be prototypes, their web page hasn’t changed for quite some time… and as it last stands they’re available for pre-order, “to be filled in 2005.”
If you have one of these guitars, or know someone who does… post photos!
World (and Lunar) Domination 
