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I recently went to a bar and someone brought their dog. I love when people bring their dogs to bars. That’s so fucking cool to me. Look at this dog. You just know he’s a good boy (or girl).
Random Thought
My kitten, Jinx, is the youth gone wild. She is a true punk rock kitty. My whole apartment is her mosh pit. She jumps and dives and claws and bites and pretty much only has two modes. She’s either a complete tornado of reckless kitten abandon or she’s snoozing. She’s always knocking something over. It feels like every day there’s something new she can get at and knock over and that’s one more thing I have to hide somewhere else she can’t get to it. I have Funko pop figures and I don’t even bother standing them back up anymore. They all lay on their side, victims to the warpath of Jinx’s fury (except Garth, somehow he’s still standing. Maybe Jinx just likes Garth, I mean, who doesn’t?) I have a cat carrier and a cat cage and I leave them open and she’ll sleep in them sometimes. She gives no fucks that they were created as ways to confine her. She snubs the idea that any cage can contain her and includes them in the variety of places she likes to take a nap. She wrestles my sneakers and tries to get at my food. She sometimes makes eyes for the outside world when I come through the front door (she’s bolted and gotten in the hallway a time or two). She claws me when I try to show love and cries if I try to close a door not to let her in. She’s a little maniac but she’s my little maniac. And every so often, she’ll curl up on my lap while I’m watching TV or I’ll wake up to find she’s laying on a blanket next to me in bed. She’s helped me to realize that the things she knocks over are just things and that there’s more important matters at hand which to her I think are mostly going crazy on some cat toys and taking 8 naps a day. And when I think of it like that, it’s like damn, Jinx really has her priorities in order. We all need to play and nap a little more and let all the other nonsense in the world take a backseat.
Jinx just chill-axing in a cage.
Movies I Watched Recently
I watched two movies this week, whoa.
The Outlaw Josey Wales
(Netflix)
So I don’t know, I think this is supposed to be a classic. It was okay, I guess. Parts of it frustrated me. Josey’s family is killed early in the movie and they never really explain why. They’re just like, ‘these bastards here did it.’ But what’s even more frustrating to me is they killed his wife and daughter (and burned his home down) but let him live. That’s vindictive as fuck and I demand an explanation. But mostly, we’re just told, ‘there’s certain bastards in the Union army that just like to do mean things.’
Also, that’s the other thing, this is the end of the Civil War and Josey ends up joining the Confederate side to exact some revenge. So am I, in the year 2021, just supposed to root for Confederates? I don’t think I can. I get that war is Hell and there’s probably a lot of nuance to consider, but I’m not into a montage of Josey and some Confederates kicking a bunch of Union ass. It feels dirty.
I’m sure there were bastards in the Union army that did fucked up things such as what was depicted in this movie. And if that indeed is the case, that sucks a bunch. Sometimes there’s no good guys I suppose.
Anyways, the war ends and most of Josey’s homies surrender but not Josey so he has to live life on the run and that’s pretty much the rest of the movie. He ends up assembling a ragtag posse. Josey has the charisma of a scary paper bag. The second half of this movie is probably more entertaining than the first half but that’s just how movies be sometimes.
Anytime I look at an image of Clint Eastwood now, I see it yelling at an invisible President Obama in a chair. Watch where you point that gun, Clint.
War Dogs
(Netflix)
This movie is super dope and based on a true story. Two dudes in their 20-somethings start selling weapons to the Pentagon. But they get big time with it and they end up having to do things like fly out to Jordan and drive through Iraq and supervise a weapons warehouse in Albania. I’m a sucker for watching a movie about people who get super rich and successful real quick and then it all comes crashing down. The one dude, David, is sorta living a double life. He has a wife and daughter and they don’t know the whole truth (at least at first). Jonah Hill is really good in this movie. I mean, the whole cast is pretty good, but Hill shines the brightest.
Also, the music is really good. I listened to a War Dogs playlist on Spotify recently and it’s a solid collection of good tunes.
I could probably wax poetic about the underlying theme of weapon profiteers and how war is really just it’s own economy kept in constant motion so businesses can make money at the expense of the lives of soldiers and innocent civilians. But I’d rather just assume that most of you already knew that and what can any of us do about it anyways except blast Black Sabbath’s, ‘War Pigs,’ and hope they just stop one day.
TV show I’m currently watching
In the Dark
(Netflix)
This show is so good. I’m learning to let go and just enjoy things. For a while now, I’ve had a slight bone to pick with just how ridiculous this story has gotten. But who cares? I’m still watching, right? I’m maybe more into it now than ever before and the ridiculousness has only heightened by episode/season. I mean, I’m super into it. I’m home alone (unless you count Jinx) yelling at my TV. I’m not a big participator like that but this show has been bringing that side out of me lately.
A lot of it has to do with my least favorite character, Josh. I hate this guy! His disdain for Murphy is out of control. I just don’t understand how someone who has a full grasp of Murphy’s story can completely hate her? She was thrown into a bad situation. Sure, she’s made some bad/dumb decisions but ultimately, the only reason any of this started was because she wanted to know who killed her friend, Tyson.
So anyways, now I find myself yelling things at the TV like
“Fuck you, Josh!”
“Nobody likes you Josh!’
“Josh, you’re the worst!”
and I hope none of my neighbors are spying on me because that must sound really troubling without the proper context (and also because spying is wrong, obviously).
Also, it seems like slowly but surely, everyone is getting fed up with Murphy’s shit. She keeps leading everyone into more trouble and it slowly seems like everyone around her realizes that and that they gotta stop giving into her. She can be so needy (but also, she’s blind so she needs help from those around her. It’s a conflicting character flaw). But she can be so extra and I find myself yelling things at the TV like, “Enough!” and, “Don’t do that, that’s stupid!”
So I’m having fun with this show. I think I might be done with the third season by next week. A part of me hopes I get a definitive ending and this is it because I don’t know if I can handle a cliffhanger and be forced to wait for a 4th season. But there’s also another part of me that hopes that there is a 4th season because I’m really enjoying this show and all its ridiculousness and I think I’ll ride it out for as long as they’re willing to crank it out.
Shout out to my favorite character, Pretzel. This dog has been through some shit. Also, that makes 2 dog pics in this week’s newsletter. You’re welcome.
Album of the Week
Cockadoodledeux / Legendary Shack Shakers
So a little context on this group up front. Many, many years ago, my friend Kevin brought me to a show to see these guys and I was mesmerized and I’ve seen them a few times over the years since and they are legitimately one of the most entertaining bands I’ve ever seen live. I’m not sure the exact count, but they’ve never disappointed.
That being said, I’ve never actually sat down and listened to a whole album. I’ve never been very disciplined with stuff like that till I started writing this here newsletter, which has pushed me to listen to one new album a week. And so here we are, LSS, have finally released something new and I was all too happy to dive into it so I can write about it.
This album is excellent. Everything about it is great. It’s country with some old school rock and roll. It’s got attitude. It’s got great lyrics. The energy on this album is frantic much like their live shows which is sorta incredible to me. I’ve seen numerous bands live who I thought were great only to go home, give something of there’s a listen, and be completely disappointed.
It’s an extremely entertaining listen. I’m not a big country music guy, but if you were to ask me how I like my country music, I’d say, “something that sounds like the Shack Shakers.” The production on the album sounds crisp. Everything is so clear. I can’t say enough good things about it. Might be one of my favorite albums of 2021. I’ll probably listen to it again. It has replay value for days.
Book I’m Currently Reading
White Line Fever: The Autobiography / Lemmy Kilmister, Janiss Garz
I’m pretty close to done with this book. It’s been a mostly good read. I’ve read a lot of music bio’s though and just before this I read a pretty exhaustive history of 80’s hair metal and Lemmy’s book is entertaining, but it’s not quite the ride some of these other books take you on.
It really feels like one long interview. I dig that but also, at times Lemmy seems to interject his personal opinion on things and that’s his right but I’ll sorta think well okay that’s cool but can we get back to the story now.
I also thought there’d be a lot more cocaine and alcohol in this story but Lemmy doesn’t seem to share a whole lot of his partying stories. Maybe he has too many of them? Maybe he just wants you to know the history of Motorhead and not let his reputation to party hard get in the way of that. But I’m a little surprised by how many times Lemmy seems to be disappointed in a label, manager, or bandmate. That’s part of the game and his honesty on such things is blunt and that sorta makes it refreshing. But I could use one less, “that guitarist was an asshole,” story and and more, “you’ll never guess who I did cocaine with that one time in a bathroom stall,” stories.
So photogenic.
Random sports thought of the week
I could talk about Aaron Rodgers but fuck I just don’t care what Aaron Rodgers thinks. People went crazy with it and I got caught up in the hype and so I watched the dumb interview and can I have my 47 minutes back now?
Instead, we should celebrate the Golden State Warriors and their NBA best record of 10-1. They’re off to a hot start and are currently the best basketball team in the world and damn that feels good to type. And this is all without Klay Thompson, who is still out with an injury but is due to return in just a few weeks. The Warriors could be scary good this season. I’m all for it. I love this team (when they don’t have Kevin Durant, that just seemed too extra to root for) and would love to see them back on top, especially after unceremoniously being knocked out of a play-in game last season before the playoffs. Here’s hoping the Era of Curry isn’t over yet.
Random pro wrestling thought of the week
This moment in pro wrestling belongs to Eddie Kingston. Him and CM Punk tore it up in a promo piece leading up to their match coming up at Full Gear. I’m a big CM Punk fan, but Eddie said things that endeared him to me while Punk said things that made me wanna boo the man (especially when he called Kingston a bum, yikes). But when Eddie told Punk that no one wants him here and he hopes he quits again after their match, it was like he was breathing fire. He was bringing the verbal vitriol to the dude who most would say is probably the best promo guy/talker in the game.
The thing with Punk is that since his return, he’s felt like the, “happy to be here guy,” and I don’t know how long that character can be fun for. Punk’s had a few matches, the most interesting being against Darby Allin and that whole storyline was pretty much about how Punk respects Darby. It’s a nice storyline, but where’s the CM Punk who used to tear into people?
We used to call Punk the voice of the voiceless but I think Eddie Kingston is that dude now. A piece written by Kingston hit the internet recently where he opened up about depression and alcoholism and being the dude who wasn’t supposed to ever make it to TV. He talked about how old school tough guys would probably tell you not to open up about such things but Eddie did and he’s still got his tough guy cred in tact. Assuming being ‘voice of the voiceless,’ means you speak for the underdog, who’s a bigger underdog than Kingston? Punk used to be the guy who didn’t belong but that was a long time ago and fans have been begging him to come back for 7 years.
This promo felt like a light switch moment. Has Kingston been what we all wanted Punk to be for the last 7 years while he sat on the sidelines of professional wrestling? Eddie is our guy. He hit the scene during the darker days of the pandemic, the oddest and maybe worst times for pro wrestling. Every time he grabbed a mic, he spit the truth. There’s nothing glamorous or phony about Kingston. What you see is what you get, a tough ass dude from New York City, believable as fuck, probably the last dude you’d wanna get into a scrap with in a real life scenario.
This is such a great moment for both these guys and pro wrestling in general. The whole angle is entertaining but the thing that shines brightest to me is Kingston lighting it up and possibly stealing the shine from one of the all time greats and probably the biggest name in wrestling at the moment, CM Punk. Even if Punk wins the match (I assume he will), Kingston already won something else. He’ll walk out of this with an even more devoted fanbase than before. He has all the credibility and integrity fans love to see in a pro wrestling top guy, possibly more than anyone else in the game at the moment, even CM Punk.
If you get a chance and haven’t seen it yet, give this a read. Eddie Kingston wrote it himself. It’s great:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/eddie-kingston-aew-wrestling
Weekly Top 5 List: Top 5 Songs About Rain
1- November Rain / Guns N’ Roses
2- Have You Ever Seen the Rain? / Creedence Clearwater Revival
3- Dreams / Fleetwood Mac
4- Riders on the Storm / Doors
5- No Rain / Blind Melon
It’s raining today and honestly, I just wanted to give ‘November Rain,’ some love on what is the first rainy day of November in my area.
Weekly Quote
“If you didn’t do anything that wasn’t good for you it would be a very dull life. What are you gonna do? Everything that is pleasant in life is dangerous.”
-Lemmy Kilmister
(I might be using this quote to justify the slight hangover I’m currently experiencing.)
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