"Every Blogger Has Its Price.. But I'm Priceless"

Thanks to TheAnswer for providing us with this week's blog title. It's a connection tied to Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase. Yep, a wrestling reference, good to see.

My blog is becoming somewhat of a tradition around here. After 4 years solid, we're still grinding it out on a regular basis. Now that I'm back after last week's time to relax, we're going to jump straight into things. In this one, there's not one main topic I'll focus on. Those are always fun to write out since I can do the usual style of rambling on and on. Hopefully that same style works for another 4 years, but that's a long time down the road. I like writing them up as much as ever, but getting tons of feedback from everyone after I put one up, whether good or bad, keeps the production flowing.



What are we going to dip our pen into for this edition? We'll hit up the fact that summer is right around the corner, fishing, Idol, Real World, "or best offer", a new batch of CDs, Bret Hart, and who knows what else will fill these pages. Enough screwing around, let's see what the fingers can type out this week for all to wonder about.

One thing I never understood and that is what people call "or best offer". You all know what I mean. You'll see a car sitting and it'll say, for example, "$2000 or best offer". Hmm.. Maybe it's just me, but why don't those people put a big sign on their head that says IDIOT? That's basically what they're trying to tell us what is going on. That $2000 price is just a joke in a sense. If I want that car, I'm not going to go in there and settle for $2000 just because it says so and I'm a nice guy. Apparently he'll take less than $2000. Isn't the point of buying something like that (it doesn't have to be a car) to negotiate? Even when you go to a car dealer, they won't have OBO on there, but it's just kind of stated in standard that you can at least try to talk your way down in price. They're so jacked up anyways that it usually works out for the better. Even if I did want to sell for lower than the $2000 price, I'd still never put the OBO, that makes me sound desperate. Maybe I'm alone in this one.



As promised, I said I'd give the link to the videos from the Pittsburgh trip a few weeks ago. After trying to fool around with adding music and graphics to the clips, I lost my patience and just put them up as is. Maybe I'll get better at that, but that's how it goes. Anyways, you get 3 videos I had from my camera. One is a kid jumping Spank over a set of stairs and the other two are just random shots in Downtown Pittsburgh of the BMX scene. It's worth checking out, even if you aren't into the BMX scene. It's funny talking to the people outside of my area. I know I sound like a big hick with my accent, but I guess you don't realize it if you're around it all the time. People from outside were saying after they watched that they got a kick out of just what we were saying. Anyways, feel free to check out the vids: http://youtube.com/user/DruDown894

From Thursday through Sunday, I hit up some fishing with the family. My parents have a place a few hours away, so it's not like I have to rough it, which is handy. As I wrote about during Spring Break, I was saved that we had satellite up there and I was able to watch my sports and all of that fun action. The only downfall was that there is no internet access in the area that we stay at. I can handle that for a day or maybe two, but after that for those who know me, I need my crack back. My crack would be hanging out online and doing absolutely nothing. On Saturday night, I drive about 15 miles away and go to a rich boy section where I know they have wi-fi. I then have my laptop with me in Dad's truck and proceed to hangout in an empty parking lot and feed the internet as I chill. The looks people would give when they'd drive by were priceless. They probably figured that I was the middle man in a drug ring and just waiting on customers to drive up to my window. But nope, I was going worldwide and getting my internet fix.



Some are wondering how the actual fishing part of the trip went. First off, it seemed like it was a good 20 degrees colder up there from my house. One day we hit it up on the lake (Spruce Knob Lake, the highest point in WV) and I had to wear a t-shirt, two long sleeve insulated tops, a hoodie, and a big coat over that with a hood. Then jeans and insulated bottoms, plus two pair of gloves (yep), and a Notre Dame toboggan. This was May 23rd, it shouldn't have went down like that. I didn't get that cold though, so I guess the layers helped. The water was high on most days since they got a bunch of rain the past few days before. That mangles the streams and doesn't give many options, but I was able to get 3 or 4 per day. Of course, if Dad doesn't catch 50 a day and slay them, it's not a successful day for him, but those days are over. I'm personally happy to catch a few a day and just relax at the place to get away from the regular grind of Shinnston. Saturday night we hit up church about a half hour away and then ate at an Italian joint in Davis called Sirianni's Cafe. If you're in the area, it's worth eating there. I got a pasta dish with spinach, chunks of tomatoes, and garlic. I forget what else it had in it or what it was called since I can't find a menu online, but you get the point.

American Idol is now over with and finished. I watched the whole season, but those last few weeks to me aren't nearly as fun when you have less people around. I'm happy that Cook won and the season still kept me interested. The final show is usually cheezy to me, but I think they did a nice job with it. They brought a nice mix of name rockers/singers out to do collabos. My favorite was probably Cook jamming with ZZ Top. It was also good to see some of the bums return. The funny thing about this show is that my crew on our message board ran by the great ManDingo (http://lobsterrodeo.proboards76.com) breaks Idol down like we know even a little bit about music. We know jack, but just how we argue and make it fun is always a good time. I'll have a real good creation to talk about soon that Kasher came up with today. It's a genius idea for guys (and I guess girls too) to go back and forth on during message board chatter. Stay tuned for that, it's excellent, but I'll hype it up soon enough and make you all wait.



Other TV? If you haven't gotten into the Real World crew this year, something is definitely wrong. If you're all about drama and seeing crazy things go down, multiply that by about 10. We have a roid freak/alcoholic who is currently in rehab. We have a model guy who talks down on people, calls his girls associates and everyone else as peasants. He messes with everyone and they take him the wrong way. He met up with this chick he's been seeing, but to double cross him, another guy in the house hooked up with her in the same house. Confused? It's good stuff. Then we have the criminal/stripper girl. After her, it is Closet Ho as Manda calls her that is the southern accent blonde girl that appears innocent, but I'm sure she's filthy. After Closet Ho is Baseball Jock. He likes to brag a lot and thinks he's big and bad, but doesn't appear to have tons of drama so far, but I'm sure it'll brew. Lastly, we get the goody goody girl who is being corrupted and flips out when people are bold. It doesn't seem like much of my crew is watching this year, which is a shame since it's that good. Kari, you better be watching this season, but I figure I don't have to worry about that.

I'll probably come across as sexist here, but I think it's a valid argument, so I'll say it. Who out there is watching the WNBA? Honestly. Even the girl sports fans that I know could care less about this league. Yet the TV media runs it down our throats making it appear to be good when it's brutal. Fundamentally, I've always said that girls work much more on that aspect of the game than dudes. I'm not even wanting them to throw down on heads in traffic, but it just seems so boring to me when I've watched a bit. As TheAnswer says on the subject, "Anybody else as annoyed as I am with those Super Woman commercials ESPN runs for the WNBA? Can't be helping the league's piss poor ratings. I got this Super Woman crap stuck in my head now. What other league could suck so bad and last as long as the WNBA anyway?"



How's the workout routine going? As of May 27th, I've ran outside at least 2 miles on 23 of the past 27 days. I'd say a good four or so of those days were in the rain. I actually like running in the rain, especially if it's warm enough. My town is a bunch of bums, but you see some characters walking on our trail (usually dog owners), but very few runners. I've also upped the intensity on the free weight action, but I've been hitting that for a while now. I'm no Super Woman like the WNBA chicks (who can compete with those stars?), but April marked 14 years of working out with free weights with never missing more than one week. That's not a bad streak, I just hate missing any time with it, so I try to stay dedicated.

On the book scene, and this won't pertain to many unless you're a wrestling fan. I'm about halfway through Bret Hart's book, My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. You have to order it as it's not released yet in the US, but it's worth doing that before waiting till the fall for the US release. So far, it's a wonderful read. He's not shy at all on what he speaks either, so that always makes for excitement. You get drug stories, breakdown of matches, how crazy his family is, and you end up getting a ton of respect for the guy, at least I do. I have a lot more to go, as right now I'm 1996, and it's hard to put down. I've been lucky in that most of the books I've read recently have been great. The moral? Reading is a great hobby, maybe that makes me feel like an old man, but I guess that's the teacher coming out in me.



It's that time to get everyone updated with the latest CDs added to the collection. Maybe I can steer you in the right direction to pick up some of these, or drive you away from some, either or. Whatever floats your boat, this is what we have:

40 Cal: The Yellow Tape. The first of two Dipset members that I picked up a CD of in the past week. You can do a ditto when you get to Duke Da God in a few. If you're not a Dipset fan, you won't care for this or Duke Da God's CD. All of them sound the same to me, and while I'm used to it and can handle it, they're not lyrical assassins or anything. The thing that sets them apart is the beats and funky sounds they throw in around their raps, not bad though if you want some New York style rap.

Bizzy Bone: A Song For You. It seems like each of the Bone guys come out with a new CD every other week. It's tough to keep them all apart, but if you're a fan of Bone, you'll want this. Nothing outstanding here, and it won't blow you away, but Bizzy stays steady and does his thing. A few recommendations on this? Mercy Mary, I Need You, and Memories.

Duke Da God: Harlem Classics. I haven't listened to this one yet, but he's Dipset as I said earlier. I figure it's nothing that will amaze me till no end, but maybe I'll be surprised. Most Dipset stuff to me is ok, not awful, but nothing incredible either, just mediocre.

8Ball & E.D.I.: Doin' It Big. This one is going along for the ride to work tomorrow, so I don't get to give a full review. I made copies of these for Spank and Cork. Spank says it's a real good listen through the first 5 tracks. He hasn't listened to the whole thing, but his tastes are a lot like mine when it comes to rap, so I'll take his word for it and figure it'll be worthy.



Fat Joe: The Elephant In The Room. Fat Joe does a pretty good job of balancing between mainstream rap and mixing it in with some street feel. This one reminds me of a great comparison of the late Big Pun, Joe's boy from way back. Songs to pick up out of this one? The Crackhouse with Lil Wayne, I Won't Tell with J. Holiday, and My Conscience.

Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple. The title of this CD probably says it all. It's an odd pairing and style of music for sure, but it adds something different. Cee-Lo Green has always been his own guy anyways. It's nothing I'd pop in a lot to listen to, but it has it's own feel.

Krayzie Bone: Smoke On This. After listening to all of these Bone CDs for the past decade plus, these guys must never leave the studio. I bet when they die, they'll be like 2Pac and have tracks upon tracks of "unreleased" things. Who knows. I dig the Bone style though. I'm due for a Cleveland trip just because they have me in that mood.

MJG: Pimp Tight. It's weird seeing MJG do something solo, without his buddy 8Ball. Either way, this one is very good. If you want the hard and grimey raps, here you go, this one has it. Ones I like are Small Town Girl, Pimp Tight, and I Tried featuring 8Ball.

Ray J: All I Feel. I had to throw in some pimpin' vibes to slow down things. Of course, most chicks will be all over this if you stick it in, so that's a tip to all who are struggling in that department. He's known to people who may not be up to date, is that he's Brandy's brother and was in the Kim Kardashian sex tapes. Speaking of Kardashian, I'm a fan of that. Dark hair and some thickness, but not too much, that'll work. I like his songs as I'm not afraid of some good pimpin' tunes, but he has a song called Real N**** with Shorty Mack. Now come on dude, you're not all hard, you're Ray J. 8Ball & MJG saying that, maybe it'd be credible, but stick to doing the baby makin' music. I'm just speaking from a whitey's standpoint, so maybe I'm off on that opinion, but let me know what ya think. Howevahhh, that song is good, go pick it up.



Bird's Dirty Thug Ho of the Week: As usual, we like to let the blog readers have some big input around here. Even more so when we get ladies involved. Or how about the ladies even picking out some of the dirty thug girls? Jas is wanting her turn and gets credit for this one, here is this week's dirty: http://www.myspace.com/96038728

Bird's Video Moment of the Week: Hardcore stuff right here. This dude is trying to impress his girl by juggling bowling balls. First off, not a good idea. Adding to that, he knocks out a little kid in the process for something you just have to see: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7uvV0R0qHUc



3 Quick Thangs:

1. We haven't done birthdays in a while. Let's try for Wednesday, May 28th. We start out with the NBA logo himself, West Virginia native Jerry West, he's now 70. Seriously? Dude doesn't look a day older than 60 if that. Then we move to Rudy Giulani, politician who embarrassed himself this year and Yankees fan, 64. John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, 63. Baseballer and 1988 NL MVP, Kirk Gibson, he's limping around the basepaths for his 51st. He looked 51 in 1988, he's the reverse Jerry West. Former NBA baller, Glen Rice, he's 41 and has one smokin' wife. Singer Kylie Minogue, 40. That's a pretty good list there, it's no joke. I think I may have done this date before in the past, or it seems that way.

2. A comment from the mean streets of Germany from blog faithful Kristen. She was going through the CD list in the last edition and found something that amused her. She liked how I had Frank Sinatra and Adam Sandler in there. Of course. I know 95% of my stuff is rap, but I can switch it up if need be. An Italian guy like myself has to have some old school Mafia music, so that's the reason there. Old Adam Sandler is about as good as it gets for laughs. Can you really go wrong with Sandler being The Goat?

3. Oh, so it's a quick fact that you demand? This one from funnyfact.com: "Formicophilia is the fetish for having small insects crawl on your genitals." Hey, I only report it. I'm not sure that's considered a funny fact though, but you can find anything on the internet.