Just Another Perfect Day in the Fiery Inferno

Another first SoCal experience for me: Being overwhelmed by the smoke and particulate matter from a raging forest fire about 20 miles north of the city. My eyes are bloodshot and I'm all stuffed up. Who knows what junk I'm breathing in?

*****

The Lansing State Journal's MSU football coverage has been the best in the state recently. But this illustration for a story about the State-Michigan rivalry gives me serious pause. Did they actually have Joe Rexrode draw this because they were trying to cut costs? Yikes.


*****


We just discovered this morning that Wallace the cat has taught himself to pee in the toilet. My guess is that if the Hudsons still had the Pet of the Month award, this would make him the automatic qualifier.

We have met the enemy ...

... and the enemy is portly.

Thanks to Craig Schmidt for forwarding this gem.

Advantage, Callet

We all knew our neighbor Ben Callet was a world-class ladies' man, had a magical touch with parking spaces, and knew the difference between whisky and whiskey. But a tennis poet? I'm telling you, this guy is full of surprises.

But What Did He Say About Ostentatious A-Holes?

"(Winston) Churchill said, 'In war, resolution. In defeat, defiance. And in victory, magnanimity,' " Carr said.


"Neveronceagaininsomuchas," Schmidt replied.

Iron Chef

Mike, Becky, Meghan and I ate at Michael Symon's restaurant Lola in Cleveland a few years ago. It was the greatest food experience of my life. Catch him this Sunday on "Iron Chef America." Story here.

*****

Detroit: Be afraid. Very afraid.

The Odenkirk Dialogue

From: Craig Gaines
Date: Sep 26, 2005 12:11 PM
Subject: Bob Odenkirk
To: Hayley Gaines

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

You may have heard of him. I saw him in lockerroom at the Y this morning. He was sweaty.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

next time you see him, try to wipe some of his sweat on a towel or something. Then we can extract the sweat and clone our very own Bob Odenkirk. Like a pet, only better

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

Now that's some genius.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

Yeah, yeah, I totally know a guy on the inside. We can clone him and keep him as a pet. Feed him table scraps if he's good and rub his belly while we watch television.

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

Let's think big: An army of Bob Odenkirk clones. They'd stake out the Church of Scientology and then pounce on Katie Holmes. And then do something funny. Or funnier than pounce on Katie Holmes.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

For that matter, let's bring home the troops and send Iraq not just the gift of democracy, but the gift of laughter (if we're going for an Army of Odenkirks). The jihadists will be too busy enjoying themselves and their new freedoms to blow up anybody

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

And then we can send them into outer space to spread goodwill and arch humor across the galaxy. We'll be making friends with Gorg in Sector A.19-Z in no time.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

You don't think we need Bob Odenkirk's permission for this, do you?

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

I'm sure he'd be very supportive of our endeavors and that such a busy guy in the industry such as he wouldn't want to be bothered with such issues as "permission." Let's not get bogged down in Katrinaesque bureaucracy.

What about a basketball team? The Odenkirks vs. the Harlem Globetrotters would be HILARIOUS!

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

ANy sporting team, really. Army vs. Odenkirks.

Or an all Odenkirk cast of Lysistrata.

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

I advocate creating a superrace of Bob Odenkirks, an insanely funny, clever race of men governed by the rules of irony and sarcasm.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

Where will they live? Hitler apparently originally wanted to send all the Jews to Madagascar. Can the Odenkirkians live there? Or would we be wasting a resource by limiting them to an impoverished African island country?

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

I'd say Greenland, but I've always suspected that it's just a cartographer's hoax. My top three choices are: Utah (lots of open space; sticking it to the Mormons), Ann Arbor (central location; assured annhilation of the pretentious thousands), and North Carolina (everyone says that place is great).

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

Greenland exists, only the name is meant to trick the masses. It is not, in fact, green at all, but icy, icy, icy. It's really just one giant igloo, actually. Then, to really fuck us over, they named the green, lush country Iceland. Those Vikings sure were smart.

I vote for Ann Arbor. I think it holds a lot of potential for absurdity.

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

I've heard the whole Greenland/Iceland thing. But have you ever been there? Ever known someone from there? I believe I also went on this line in the past year about Portugal: Who knows anything about Portugal? No one.

If we did create a super race of Odenkirks, would we be there leaders? Or would we designate one of the Odenkirks to lead all the other Odenkirks? And if so, would let the Odenkirkian society determine its own fate or would play the Rasputin role and rule from behind the scenes? I vote for the latter.

On 9/26/05, Hayley Gaines wrote:

I'm fine with behind-the-scenes string pulling. It's amazingly effective. Furthermore, I've known people who have visited Iceland, and I've known people from Portugal. I believe my response to this argument before was that if any country in the world was fabricated, it was Djibouti. Think seriously for a minute: Djibouti?

On 9/26/05, Craig Gaines wrote:

Trust me, I'll never think seriously about Djibouti.

Best Weekend Yet?

FRIDAY
Best show ever? The Kills.

After the show at the El Rey, Mike said, "That was like a snuff film."

SATURDAY

Best MSU quarterback ever? (Detroit News)

How does that feel? Ooh. Ouch. (Detroit News)

Best football fans ever?

Pretty good beer at the best bar ever?

Best siblings ever?

OK, this is getting old.

Lotus.

A tradition is revived.

We represent Commonwealth.

SUNDAY

Ugliest house ever?

Deez ...

Courtesy Terry and Bill Joyce.

Mike says ...

"Hang on, folks! A great post is coming later today! Wheeee!"

When I Close My Eyes I See...

To Come: The Weekend That Was

My connection is a bit sticky this morning, so I'll include a full report later today or tomorrow. But rest assured that this was an electric weekend, one that gave me more than a few adrenaline rushes.

Hud says ...

"We're havin' a great weekend!"

Quakers on the Warpath!

Geoff Kimmerly does a fine job on a feature about my alma mater's football squad. I seem to remember the coach's name, but I can't place the face.

*****

So long to Curt Sylvester. He told our Free Press family (in Lansing, odd, I know) the Lions story with class. I hope Nick Cotsonika does an O.K. job filling his shoes.

*****

Just found a column archive for Beth Jones. Happy reading.

Bairds + Beaches = Bucketsful of Fun

Yesterday was the type of day everyone should experience at least once. I know I'll do it again. The Siblings Baird and I hit Redondo and Hermosa beaches, taking time to tour Redondo's quaint downtown (think Up North beach communities); eat some grub at an "authentic" Irish pub in Hermosa; lie out for a couple hours on Hermosa Beach, where we braved the thrillingly cold surf for a few minutes. We then headed up to Santa Monica to watch the Indians-White Sox game. We were disappointed that the bar's DirecTV feed didn't come up, but we didn't let it harsh our buzz. We kicked back brews, watched other baseball games, Scott went to the bathroom, and we watched the JetBlue plane land safely at LAX (which we had passed about an hour earlier; that plane had been circling directly above us). It was fun to watch that expert landing at the bar -- everyone was tense as it approached and then clapped and cheered when the wheels held up.

A few images from the day:

What a great coupla kids.

In which I make a new friend named Hector Villenueva von Boorstein, the Third, the Second, DDS.

Scott loves California; California loves Scott.

"So the beach house would probably go about there, the cabana to the left, hot tub somewhere in the back ..."

Why not all the way off?

*****

I'm excited about the volunteer gig. I'll be helping clients prepare resumes and conduct mock interviews with them. These are folks who want to get into the work force, but never learned the basic skills for doing so. Most of them have pretty resume-unconventional pasts, so this will be a challenge. But I think I'm going to meet some great people and learn a lot about life on the tough side. I'll keep everyone posted.

*****

Katie Rexrode is back from her punishing, but I hope rewarding, journey. Welcome back, champ!

*****

Hafner for MVP.

CENTRAL	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
Chicago Sox	91	60	.603	-	44-33	47-27	698	621	Lost 1	4-6
Cleveland	89	63	.586	2.5	42-33	47-30	741	606	Won 1	8-2

Quickly

Congrats to Mike Zawacki, who's gotten ANOTHER promotion at GIE, and Bill Joyce, who has a new job at Advanstar. Well done, fellas.

*****

I'm going on a tour of SoCal beaches with the Bairds today. Yes, I'm luckier than most.

*****

Why didn't I know that Steven Seagal was born in Lansing? Did anyone else know this? Why didn't you tell me? What's going on here?

Wwwwwhaaaat?

So did anyone else know that Steven Seagal was born in Lansing? I spent most of my damn life there, and no one ever said anything about this to me. Am I the only one? Did other people know this? Why didn't they tell me this? What's going on here? Who's in charge?

Have a Heart

Alethia Calagias, Spartan No. 1, is seeking donations for her Heart Walk. Throw her a few sheckles here.

*****

That's right. The card says Hollywood. Took a quick swim after joining today. Weight machines, exercise bike, and buff Gaines to follow.

*****

Now I'm off to interview for a volunteer gig at this place on Skid Row called Chrysalis, which helps poor folks attain job skills. Wish me luck.

2.5 Games Out!

Paul Konerko, meet Bob Wickman. Cleveland Indians, get ready for first place.

CITY OF CLEVELAND: START SUPPORTING YOUR BASEBALL TEAM. ALL YOU PEOPLE DO IS WHINE WHEN THE TEAM IS BAD AND THEN YOU DON'T SUPPORT THEM WHEN THEY BECOME THE MOST EXCITING TEAM IN BASEBALL. BUY A TICKET. GO TO A GAME. YOU CAN DO THIS. SEE THE 1990S FOR REFERENCE.

Driving Race Cars in Monterrey

That's where I be for the next few daisies.

This Is the Future

This is what I always wanted after a tough day of multiplication tables. From the NYT. Thanks to Sister.

MSU: AP No. 17 | Saturday: Gaines Top 50

There was only one day this weekend. I skipped Friday and forgot about Sunday. This was all about Saturday, one of the best days of my life.

It started with breakfast on the beach in Venice, served to Mike, Scott, and me by the dearest waitress, fresh to this country from a land that produces beautiful women with heart-melting accents. If the day weren't so perfectly sunny, her smile would have lit all of Southern California. But I digress.

We decamped for the MSU bar in Santa Monica (I can't bring myself to write the damn name of that place anymore) for what the Game of the Season, MSU-Notre Dame. Before we get to the game, allow me a few sentences of background on how much I hate Notre Dame. My hatred for this football program doesn't spring from any weird anti-Catholicism -- I'll leave that to the Catholics. It's just that since I started being cognizant of college football, in the late 1980s, ND has been the most arrogant, hyped, and, I'll be honest, maddeningly successful program. They were the favorites of favorites, loved by the media, followed by an army of fans. I couldn't stand their maudlin traditions, I couldn't stand their nebbishy coach, I couldn't stand their golden helmets. I hate Michigan more, but only by a nose. But I digress further.

Most of you have seen the game, so I'll spare most of those details. The atmosphere at the bar was solid, if not spectacular. It was helped a bunch by those most dedicated of alumna, Becky and Alethia, who helped sell raffle tickets and passed out surveys and generally represented well the Alumni Association. The group itself was typical MSU, good-natured, tortured with doubt, uncomfortable with our large lead for three quarters. When Notre Dame scored and a few Irish fans cheered, Mike yelled (three times), "You're still going to lose!" No one backed him up. Through the ups and downs, I communicated with my two no-fail text-message comrades, Leslie Rotan ("This is hurting my stomach.") and Jamie Cook ("Fuck yeah"). But as the game wore on and, even though we eventually gave up the lead, we were oddly optimistic. I know I was. I was sure MSU was going to win this football game. I've never been able to say that in my life. Why? Drew Stanton. The guy just doesn't lose his wits. He's in a good system and has good runners and great receivers. And as long as the defense came up with a few big stops -- and boy did they -- I knew we were going to win.

Overtime seemed over in a flash. ND scored their pathetic field goal in no time. And then ... that gorgeous option from Stanton to Teague, who, with great blocking, skipped right into that end zone. I don't think I even watched him cross the goal line. I was shouting and stomping and jumping and swearing and spitting and hollering and pounding tables and smacking high fives with everyone within reach. I ran around the bar and nearly ran my heart into the ground. In many ways, this was better than the Duke win in the basketball tournament last year. I was so proud that these guys actually won a game that we all expected them to. Pure magic.

Post-game highlights: Mike taunting some U-M fans as we left the bar ("Hey, didn't Michigan just LOSE to Notre Dame?") ... spotting Damon Wayons on the Third Street Promenade ... talking to a very lucid Craig Schmidt ... getting a respectful nod from a threesome of Iowa kids ... talking to some college professors who were MSU alums ... and Scott Baird uttering the quote of the day in the Adidas store, a quote so perfect and wrong that I can't record it here.

I'm sure we did some stuff after that, and that I had an OK time on Friday and Sunday. But it didn't matter this weekend. Those days didn't exist. Only Saturday. Sweet, victorious, top-50-days-of-all-time Saturday. And the California breeze stays steady ...

*****

Alethia Calagias, Spartan of the Century.

Double the Baird, Triple the Fun!

The entire Eastside is abuzz with the latest news: Scott Baird is in town! Becky's brother flew in from The Nasty yesterday and commenced to take a walk halfway to San Diego, attract hungry stares from every chick at Ye Rustic, and consume so much Miller Lite that the company is fretting about inventory. And it's only his first night! Look for future posts about Scott watching MSU dismantle Notre Dame, Scott playing ticket shark with the Angels, Scott making friendly with Jessica Simpson, and all other manner of Scott Baird news. Welcome to L.A., Scotty. Your destiny awaits.

Buckley was so excited about The Man's arrival that he fashioned festive headgear for the occasion.

Isn't Tom Petty Great?

I just burned his greatest-hits CD from the Huddies. I'm now working on how each song somehow applies to my life. I think I might adopt "Even the Losers" as my personal anthem. More on this, maybe, later.

*****

The gym I visited yesterday, 24-Hour Fitness, was nice enough. The facilities were clean and the equipment was very up to date and it wasn't too crowded. And it was even cool that it was located in the Arclight complex. And the women ... keee-ryste! as Zawacki says. But those sales jerks were so damn pushy that I wanted to not sign up just to stick it to them. I haven't had such a hard sell like that since I bought my car. And I liked the car guys better.

So I'm going to go check out the Hollywood YMCA tomorrow. The fees are about the same, and I've always liked the Y. Better people. I bet it's not as crowded, and I know the people won't be so slick.

*****

I saw "Mr. Show" alum Jay Johnston at Ye Rustic the other day. And I think I saw Jason Lee there a few days before that. Can't be sure about Lee, though. (By the way, if you're ever at the bar with Hud and think you're spotting a celeb but don't tell him until later, he gets really grouchy.)

*****

I thought I was about to go on this tea kick and move away from coffee, but that ended this morning. Damn chemical addiction.

*****

The Detroit News comes through with a really interesting feature on Lansing Eastern alum Kaleb Thornhill, a third-generation Spartan. I'd never heard the story of how his dad, who's from Roanoke, ended up at State. Great read.

*****

2005 American League Wild Card Standings
AMERICAN	W	L	Pct	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
Cleveland	84	62	.575	-	39-33	45-29	701	589	Won 2	9-1
NY Yankees	82	62	.569	1	47-27	35-35	777	695	Won 3	7-3
Oakland	80	65	.552	3.5	41-30	39-35	696	588	Lost 2	4-6

My Favorite Martian, Er, Roommate

Becky says: "Click back to Rocket Fever later today for more on Craig's gym search, two recent entertainment people-of-note sitings, and his take on coffee vs. tea!"

Breaking News!

Rampaging Sea Lions Sink Boat in Newport Harbour!!!!

A Brand New Gaines

I'm checking out a gym today. Oddly, since I've gotten out here I've been a lump. I was more active in Michigan and Ohio. After a few months of sitting around and eating my fair share of bar food, it's high time I get back into game shape. A Gaines never knows when he'll be needed.

I finally decided to join a gym after trying to jog yesterday. Has anyone ever done this? Jogging? It's the worst goddamn thing you can do to yourself. You feel awful, you're panting like a pederast, your dorky glasses are falling off your face, you're dodging cars and dog poop. Who thought up this kind of exercise? Stalin? I'll take a pool or exercise bike anytime, thanks.

*****

The Lansing State Journal rolled out a new look for its Web site. Oddly, Joe Rexrode's head hasn't been designed into the logo. ***** Speaking of Rexrodes, everyone send good vibes toward Katie, as she walks approximately 7,000 miles for a breast cancer walk. Go Katie!

*****

Nice feature on Andy Birol, IB.

*****

The top of the Washington Post's Web site is a blog on the Roberts confirmations. First time a blog's ever led a major news site?

*****

Attention, people of Cleveland: Be like Joe Frey and start attending baseball games.

*****

Governor Swanny? I bet he'd have Keith Jackson's vote.

The Tigershark

Rocket Fever staff photographer Ryan "Tigershark" Ward has sent in some shots from the Sunset Junction street fair in Silver Lake. Have fun.

Falling James Moreland, lead singer of The Leaving Trains and copy editor at the L.A. Weekly, tells the truth at Sunset Junction.

Bassist for The Leaving Trains.

Me, sweating like a criminal, at Sunset Junction. Warren Clarke's mouth is in the bottom left.

While the Junction could be described as a carnival-like atmosphere, I didn't see any clowns.

LA Goes Dark

SANTA MONICA -- Most of Los Angeles has lost power, including your heroes at 2070 1/2 N. Commonwealth Ave.

But reports from the house -- taken by Hud who works outside the city on a giant, beautiful body of water -- say the Beckster and Craigers are holding up despite the darkness. Weather statistics would seem to imply that it is still a beautiful day outside. And latest information said that at least one 'fan can' of Coors remained in the fridge. Experts disagree as to how long the can will remain cold.

(Developing...)

-MORE-

Most power is back on. Chances of watching MNF: 90 percent.

ESPN-U & The Sports Mix

So they show up, climb on to the roof, install this dish, juice us up...

"You are ordering NFL Sunday Ticket along with Premium Platinum including every premium channel and all sports networks. Is this correct Mr. Hudson?"

"G'ya."

and then...

They handed us the remote. No instructions. No hints. No tips or tricks. Just a remote, like the Spaniards dropping three boats and some crew on Columbus.

Michigan had already lost (as I predicted) to the Irish. This day can't get better.

Gaines and Hud hit guide. 300+ channels? Sports please. Flip. Flip. Flip.

ESPN-U "NCAAF: HAWAII (0-1) @ MICHIGAN STATE (1-0)"

You're kidding. Add the XM broadcast and we've got George Blah-hah! and a live picture. Oh my. Add about 12 beers, a Ye Rustic Run, some pizza, wings, etc. Great day. All day.

But the real star emerged with the new California sun. 10a -- we head over to Glennys for some downtown tamales and conversation with the Interscope crowd. JETS blow it quick. Looks awfully nice on the plasma screen, though.

@ the half, I dash back to the spot. On our own telly, we've got the Red Zone Channel, a channel that shows you the best action of the games at the moment, the NFL mix 1 & 2 which allows you to watch eight games at once. AND most importantly, we've got instant stats and scores from every game.

Get this. Watch one game...get that screen ringed by the scores from the others. All with little meters telling you who has the ball w/ field position. OK, then...the teams that are in the red zone turn red! And you just jump right over to them. So. Much. Buzz.

Sunday has truly become Funday.

It's Pronounced "Dir-EK"

I'm going to let Mike go into more detail about our new football lives, but I'd just like to take a moment today to thank the good people at DirecTV for the greatest sports viewing experience of my life.

Rise 'n' Shine!

Man, sometimes my nose looks just humongous.

*****

I think I'm going to start posting (with permission) e-mails from friends that I find to be good reads. So few e-mails are. The first is from Ryan W. Ahrens of San Diego:

I know what you mean about life being too easy lately. I'm working in another restaurant, the job just sort of fell into my lap. It is exactly one block away from my apt.; I don't get paid a lot, but more than enough; it's really laid back so far, I almost feel like I'm stealing from this guy, know what I mean.

The restaurant caters to the ab. fabulous Hillcrest crowd, we have great food and wine (free to friends from LA), and there is a small courtyard between the kitchen and dining area where we project old b/w films. It risks being pretentious, but based on my observations of the owner (Chef Richard Wood, yeah, Richard Wood), that's not his intention at all.

How is it, with our "liberal controlled media," the Dems end up looking bad no matter which stance they take? Seems as though we're not allowed to discuss things in this country without being called names. I haven't been able to follow it as much as I'd like, but I've heard a lot of the arguments, and if Bush ends up stronger in the end it is the fault of the people (or, about 55% of them). It's not as simple as that, I know, we'll talk more about it later, I've been waiting to have someone to talk to about that, etc.

I really have to go, but, I can't remember if I told you that Nancy and I were just in New Orleans at the end of May. Even with a fresh image of the place and some of it's people it is hard to imagine the scope of it all. There are a lot of people with next to nothing in that area, I can't imagine what losing next to nothing is like.

Going to go get my learn on,

Ryan.

NFL Debut! But more importantly...

The Huds and the Houseguest from Hell...er...Cleveland (which is less durst?) are going to be tanning in a radiation of a different sort starting this Saturday as...

At some time starting from between 8a and Noon on Saturday the 10th...

We will have...

After an 8 month vacay...

DIRECT---MUTHEREFFIN--TV.

Best day since yesterday. Buzz. Adelphia can eat a dee.

Where's Dave Chappelle?

In a time of great distress and confusion, I think this country would do well by getting Dave back on the air to help us straighten out our lives.

Dave, where are you?

RF Roundup

What's Kitty Hudson doing on my desk? Who knows? She usually just sets up shop on a chair downstairs officially known as The Most Uncomfortable Office Chair.

*****

From the Life's Unfair, So Sue Dept.

*****

Detroit, oh Detroit.

*****

Interesting story out of Cleveland.

*****

Break out the Tribe!

*****

Can someone tell me why the Cavs signed Damon Jones? I though "allowing Chauncey Billups to dominate your point guard" was a discounted strategy after the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

*****

I'm usually pretty impressed with the work done by The Roanoke Times' Web site. They have a nice Katrina blog written by solid reporter John Cramer.

Rock It

A note from the Official Band of Rocket Fever:

Hoka Hey.

Charlie Don't Shake will be warming up the stage this Thursday for The Sights and The Minor Fall at the Temple Club in Lansing, MI.

The Sights, The Minor Fall, Charlie Don't Shake

The Temple Club, 09/08/05

$7 for 21+, $10 for 18+

Doors open at 9pm

We think you should know, Charlie Don't Shake as a band started somewhere in Mississippi on a trek returning from New Orleans to Chicago. The city has blessed us with the inpiration for countless songs. So whatever share Charlie Don't Shake pulls from the door and CD sales this Thursday will be going to some sort of disaster relief fund. We are looking forward to one last fun show before we head into seclusion for the fall to finish the next album.

Love you bye,

Craig, Jeremy, Andy and Chris

Ready for Launch

The Ben Gay Pain Relieving Patch, in one day, eased a nasty pulled back muscle that's been bugging me for a while. The mentholated goodness seeped into my skin and worked the offending muscle into a state of reverie. And it did a good job of adhering to my skin. I didn't have to adjust it too much. It actually allowed me to have a better sleep last night. Aaaaah.

Thanks to Becky Hudson for the suggestion.

How Could I Forget?

How could I forget that the Saturday BBQ featured wigs?

Spartans Undefeated; Beautiful Barbecue

Happy Labor Day, brothers and sisters. I, for one, wear the chains of capitalism with ease and pride. And I also like barbecues. Where is this going?

Right into the Weekend Wrap, a brand I'm bringing back after some needless tinkering.

Saturday was the crown jewel of the weekend, a day so great I had a hangover by midafternoon. The journey started at 9 a.m. Pacific Time at the horribly named Yankee Doodles, a former strip club in Santa Monica where the MSU-L.A. Alumni Association gathers to cheer for the green and white. I watched the Sparties wreck Kent State, 49-14, with friends Mike, Becky, Alethia, Austin, screwdriver, and Irish coffee. With the victory easily in hand, Hudson made the phone rounds, ringing Brunt and Adrian, Chris Solari, Jamie Cook, and an absent Craig Schmidt. We then celebrated the win at Ye Rustic with some wings and beers. After that, it was on to the midday nap, which energized us for the night ahead and brought on a mild headache and loss of inner-ear function.

Fully recovered, Mike, Warren, and I headed to the home of the Exulted Warandis for a barbecue extroardinaire. The vintage Duran Duran and M. Jackson tunes set the mood for a really fun night, which included conversations on ethnic categorization and identity in the U.S., cross-country driving, life at the L.A. Weekly, and how to properly light a charcoal barbecue. I lost this last debate, in the second of a series I'll call "Having My Nuts Handed to Me in Front of Cool Persian Girls." This time, a mob of pyros insisted that the proper way to light a charcoal barbecue wasn't to light the coals and give them 20 minutes to slowly turn ashen, but rather to empty almost an entire container of lighter fluid on them. Having lost the debate, I retreated inside so as not to stand under the growing hole in the ozone layer opening above us.

But regardless, I did have a classic time talking to some great folks and sampled the best damn salad I've had in months. Thanks for a great time, Naz and Ryan.

Sunday was spent mostly in recovery. Mike and I stole over to our neighbor Ben's place for a few hours to eat pizza and watch hurricane coverage.

Not Much to Say

New Orleans is about the only thing on my mind for the past couple days. In terms of material impact and the required recovery effort, this is worse than Sept. 11, not that comparisons are of any use right now.

I keep wondering where all the poor folks will go. It'll be months if not a year or more before they can return to New Orleans, if they do at all. This country is obviously large enough to absorb them all, but where will they go?

CDS Does Good

The official band of Rocket Fever, Charlie Don't Shake, is donating its cut from an upcoming show to hurricane relief. If you're anywhere near Lansing, check this out.