Tour blog 3

OK, OK, OK. So Penn State at 6am we (Bill in particular) had an idea. Hey since we're all wasted and it's morning out, how funny would it be if we all strolled down to campus and went to class?!? What followed is the funniest shit I've seen in a looong time. At 7am we started walking. RIDICULOUS!! We've got it all on tape and I don't really wanna ruin it for ya, but trust me, hilarious! I'll post some of the videos but Tom Beal has the best shit which will be on our tour DVD later. Long story short, Penn State was thus: waaay to much traffic, no one came to the show, the show was bad (I fucked up waaaay worse than usual), met some cool people. Eddie and Merideth from Cherry Darling Productions ruled, some amature Playboy model loves us, acoustic jams at Gregs apt, and then went to class and harrassed a music theory class and then a slew of pre-freshmen campus tours. I think there atleast a dozen or so kids who are definitely NOT going to Penn State now. Or maybe they definitely ARE. It's open to interpretation.

Over n out

Tour blog 2

For the sake of time spent reading per blog, this is everything leading up to yesterday/today. More to come The people at Scourge House in Cleveland Heights are the coolest motherfuckers on the planet. Is like god jizzed there and then they built a house on top of it! They let us stay, all the bands all the kids ruled. They actually knew the words to heart attaque. Let us crash, we smoked a shit ton of salvia and had a blast. By far the best show of the tour. Big ups to max, warren, noah, and esp. Branden(new best friend)!! Anyone ever goin on tour in the midwest hit these kids upppp.

Swing state in lake villa I'll was chill as shit too. It was a hooka lounge wit all these gnarly ass metal bands and then us. We fucked up a bunch but the kids dug us a bunch. Shout out to Pops and Screams of Winter (if your lookin for some bad ass head bangin metal, look these dudes up.

Pittsburgh was at the Stay Young house. Thank you so much to Tony and Cassie n all their roomie for hookin us up. Cassie was the sweetest person I encountered while booking this. Soooo willing to help. Prawn fucking killed it. Go see em in Philly w/ eveyone everywhere aug 14. Ape Up from Boston was the shit too. Big ups!! Also mad thanks to Kristen Fleurh for lettin us crash and annoy her roomate all night drinkin n watchin the State on her broke ass dvd player. What follows in Penn State was legendary. More on that in a minute. We fuckin love all of you.

Over n out

Tour blog 1

So it's 8:20am on Thursday, July 23rd. You have no idea how many emails and myspace messages I sent out with the subject "July 23rd". Actually not nearly enough as some upcoming dates, but still enough. This girl Cassie is letting us play in her house in Pittsburgh and has been super nice and helpful to us. Kristen Fleuhr is letting us crash at her apartment and has also been super nice. I just hope we get on the road by when we say we will we still hafta go and abandon Plic's car and Bill has to return a rental. (side not, I now own the only running automobile in the band... my how the tables have turned.) Anyways, we'll be leaving my house to meet up with the rest of the guys in about an hour. For god's sake wish us luck. I will try to update this once a day. Next stop the Steel City and I swear if I see Sidney, I promise you all I will punch him square in the mouth.

over n out.

Philadelphians Abroad!!!

So i've been playing music with the same band for 8 years now. We've recorded demos, we've even recorded a legit EP and full-length. But until yesterday, I still felt that we were still not the band I've always wanted us to be. We had never toured. And with yesterday's booking of our show in Rochester, NY, our tour is complete. Now of course we'll hafta deal with finding a van, I hafta learn how to drive it and we'll hafta deal with a ll the touring/road bullshit that every other band I've ever loved has had to deal with... and ya know what? I can't wait. It feels like I'm finally a part of this this long elusive club. I've seen all my favorite bands and where they've played and those places still seem untouchable (after touring, my next goal is to play a show at the Church). But now it seems atleast I can have something to boast. I've seen bands I was friends with, we were all on the same playing field and they went out and toured while we sat around on our asses.

I had alot of self-doubt and I'm terrible with rejection. So that's why I think i avoided booking a tour all those other years. I just can't take being told "yea you guys arent any good". Marty McFly had the same affliction. But now it's gonna happen. It feels like the 8 years I've spent doing this have not all been wasted. This is a huge milestone for me. Also it forced me to man up and get a drivers license, another milestone. One last reason why this is great for me. I've always had a little brother complex when it comes to the band Blue Collar. Seeing them practice in their basement when I was in 8th grade is what inspired me to start my own punk band. All my friends loved them and I wanted the same but I never got it. Kids went to my shows cuz it was something to do. Kids went to go see them cuz they WANTED to. And while they wrote great songs and had a great live show when they played the same bar night after night in the NE, they never took the plunge and went on the road. I realize Vinny's passing put a wrench in those spokes and believe me, I was so sad to see him go. But even now with this new version of the band, they're still stuck playing the Ashton twice a month. Well now I feel we've finally passed them by and the next time I see em will be in the rear view mirror of my van.

I realize this blog is kinda braggy (I don't mean for it to be braggy) and it kinda seems like I'm talkin shit, but I don't care. I'm finally fuckin proud of myself and it's a damn good feeling.

Licenses and Futures

So i finally got my drivers license. It's been close to 7 years now. I've been the butt of plenty of jokes by now, everyone from my best friends to even my parents. It wasnt nearly as hard as I had pictured all those years. I guess when it comes down to it I was just scared of growing up. Getting a license (and later health insurance) was just a sign I was becoming an adult and I think I wanted to just perpetually live in a world without responsibility (eventhough I was more than happy to get out of my house and pay rent/bills). I've been doing a good deal of reflecting recently, what with the tour coming up and my impending license test. I've been wondering if I died now if my life would be widely considered a success.

Tonite in the midst of a Phils game I attended w/ my dad, a band emailed me back about a show (I know he hates me using my blackberry during the games) and said "maybe we'll get you on this show" and then 5 minutes later sent a message back titles "Fuck it, you're in!" wherein apparently the listened to our shit and decided even if they had to sacrifice their own slot, they would make sure we played b/c they like what they heard so much. It really touched me and made me feel like someone appreciated the work I've been doing for years.

I think it's been a success so far and I've always believed in futures.

Septa bitch

The other day I was getting off the 39 heading down Tasker to Broad St so I could get the Orange Line to get to work. The girl in front of me stalled as she stepped off and I accidentally flat tired her. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, it's when you step on the back of someone's heel and the back of the sneaker tucks underneath the heel of your foot OR the show comes completely off.) Her shoe came off. I immediately said "holy shit, I'm so sorry!" She grabbed the shoe and shot me a look of utter, utter, uttttter disdain. Again I said Sorry and asked if she was OK, if she needed help. Same look of : I-hate-you-and- want-you-to-die-and-burn-in-hell. Sooooooooorrrry, BITCH! Not my fault, honest mistake. My bad, get over it. UGHHHH I hate people on the bus.

On side notes, I saw the Hangover today with Bri. Fucking HILARIOUS!!!! i saw Gavin Rosdale as we left the theatre. I said loudly Holy shit, it that the guy from Bush." He looked over. he then ordered a medium popcorn and a soda in a British accent. It was totally him cuz No Doubt was in town the other day. I wonder if Dan Gross would give me money for this story

Floods and Duds

I woke up at 8am today to the sound of giant thunder and lightning crashes (insert Live song here). It was crazy. I heard the rain and prayed it wasnt coming down so bad that it would clog the drain in my back yard causing flooding. I looked out my bathroom window on the 3rd floor n saw just that. I ran downstairs, climbed out my kitchen window and poked the drain with a hockey stick then ran into the basement to run the wet vac. Fun!!! Went back to bed though and slept alot. Drank a bottle of Pinot Grigio and watched Rescue Me and then Blink 182 on Kimmel. They're improving but Tom is still disappointing. I only hope he shapes up by the Camden/AC shows. Going to get my permit for the 3rd time tomorrow. Yay!! Plic was sick last week. Now Anth's sick. I'm trying very VERY hard to not get sick. I hate getting sick. Knock on wood. Later Boners.

ps... Don't get the raspberry lemonade at Wawa, it sucks.

Free Sandwich

So today I go to Wawa at 2nd n South. I get a Turkey bacon ranch Ciabatta, bag o' chips and ice tea. Girl behind the counter isnt playing attention and scans the ticket for the sandwich twice witch I guess in Wawa-land voids it out. Sooo I got my lunch for $2.28 today. Score!! Soon off to my parents house to eat steaks and celebrate a belated mother's day. It's gonna be a good day.

Things that make my blood run cold

So tonight Mary got done class for good from Temple so we were having drinks at the Kite n Key (like we do every Monday) and she was wearing a corduroy jacket. I told her that it gives me the heebee-jeebee's. She proceeded to rub her jacket-clad arms all over my neck/face. I then got in a conversation with Archna about all the things that make me cringe/make my blood run cold. Theres alot of them:

1 - Velvet
2 - Corduroy
3 - Micro-fiber
4 - That car apolstery in like every car from the 90's that feels like velvet/micro-fiber
5 - when people's fork scrapes against their plate
6 - writing with a dull pencil
7 - when people crush/chew storyfoam
8 - nails on a chalk board (obvious but still makes me cringe just thinking about it)
9 - when you go to write with a clickie pen but it's not clicked and it scrapes against the paper.
10- Chewing ice/when other people chew ice
11 - Walking on fresh snow on the sidewalk and it makes that crunching sound under your feet.

So yea, 11 things. Velvet is my A #1 enemy in the world. When I was a little kid at the Altomari's house they used to throw 3 velvet blankets on me and envelope me in a frightening prison of fabric. Later in life Bill and Anth strapped me to a chair with the dog's leash and then threw one on me. Bill then decided to have an on running joke wherein he tried to hide a velvet blanket in my top-bunk every night. Often times clever. Often times sloppy and blatantly obvious. Please don't take this as an opportunity to torture me. Oh my... I think I've made a mistake.

Cavanaugh's

Rejection is hard for me. Walked in and I see my buddy Dave talking to this girl. I'm 99% sure it was this girl Lisa who grew up next door to me. I said hey and tapped her on the shoulder as she walked away, but she didn't hear/recognize me and it was embarrassing. Later, I saw Mike Nahill. He looked at me later and said "Ugh... What happened to you?". Again, not flattering. Heard Mike Eaton and Steve Mauro were there. Saw both of em... got big hugs. It made me feel loved. Then later I saw this girl Kate I hooked up with/was friends with 3 yrs ago. I said hey. She didnt respond. Her friends looked at me like "wow what a loser". I had to emphatically get her attention. She said hi with a confused look on her face. It took atleast 45 seconds before she realized who i was. I have grown my hair and a beard a bit but seriously, Im not that different. I think i'm just gonna stop saying Hi to people.

I had to cancel my bank account and credit card for the 2nd time in a month. I wrote a check for my credit card bill and lost it. I hate this. Punched a whole through my closet. Thumbs down.

Bird Shit

Some people say it's lucky when a bird shits on you. I'm totally convinced that's something some mom told her son one day to make him feel better after he got shat on by a pigeon. I've never been (knock on wood). But I was walking to work the other day and it was kinda spittin' out. As I walked underneath a tree, I heard what I thought was a very big rain drop hit the ground right next to me. I looked down, and it was a big white stain. A bird shit missed me by like a centimeter. Now THAT'S lucky.

I haven't posted on here in a while... so here's a quick rundown of my life:

Phillies have been playing mediocre, we need to improve this. As I am writing this, Cole Hamels has just been hit in the shoulder by a bullet line drive by Prince Fielder and got taken out of the game. Yikes! Also LA just said the Phils have yet to have a starting pitcher NOT give up a homer. Really? That's sad.

The Flyers have been getting dominated by the Pen's in the first round of the playoffs. Or should I say Marc-Andre Fleury has been dominating us. It doesn't look good.

Went to see New Found Glory but missed Bayside b/c I had to work. Fuckin lame but NFG ruled!

I'm booking our tour and it's hard, but I've got 3 out of 11 dates booked and I'm excited. This is gonna be one of those things where it makes all my hard work over the last 8 years seem totally worth it.

Lastly, Harry died. I'm not gonna expand on this now. He deserves his own post and will get it soon.

VH1's Worst Fuckin Day EVER!!!

Today i was full of optimism. "I'm gonna go up to work, I'm gonna get my bike, I'm gonna take it to a bike repair shop and get a flat fixed (which I've put off for about 3 weeks)" I said to myself. "Then I'm gonna go to the record store and get the new Thursday and Higher Giant albums, then I'll go home and relax before I go to the movies." That all fell apart after I took my bike to Breakaway Bikes for the FIRST time. Got my flat fixed. The guys there are snooty and basically just verbally tore my bike apart. I hate going to bike shops... I never know what I'm talking about or what THEY'RE talking about. I've had this bike for like 3 years, but every time I go to a bike shop, I tell people I JUST got it so that they don't think I'm a total fuckin moron. I feel much more comfortable at a record shop, which is where I went after they "fixed" my flat.

Long in the Tooth is great. The guy there is super nice, and I've gone in enough times now that he recognizes me. We talk punk rock and baseball. He occasionally throws out bands I've never heard of, but I nod my head and act like I know what he's talking about so that the flow of conversation doesn't get interrupted, I also fear he'll think less of me. Got the Thursday "Common Existence" CD, I'm loading it to my computer now, so I'll have a review later. I rummaged thru his dollar bin of used LP's and found soo many gems: Greetings from Asbury Park (which I know Bri Mac has been looking for FOREVER), Darkness on the Edge of Town, Puff Daddy and the Family "Victory" Single complete with remixes, The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, and The Go-Go's "Vacation". I think I could sit there for hours finding albums. He has the BEST used records. If you haven't been there before, go! I also got Big Fish on DVD there for $4 and I picked up NOFX's Backstage Passport, which I watched the other week and is fucking hilarious. Seriously, it has rekindled my love of this band.

So back to why this day sucked... I get to about 19th and Catherine and something's wrong. He mentioned my handlebars were crooked, and I feel he made them worse, but this was not the problem. The problem was, my tire was flat again!! Fuck me!!! I call and they say to bring it back and they'll hook me up "homie". This guy said "homie" entirely too much. Like he was really really trying to bring it back, but like forcing it too much. Anyway I bring it back there, and they say I need new tires. When I tell them I've had these ones for a year, they laugh at me, saying I'm lucky they lasted THAT long. So fine, gimme new tires for like 97 bucks. Only problem is when I go to pay... I don't have that much money (cuz I just spent 50 at the record store, plus the 15 to get the flat fixed to begin with.) I got to give him my debit card but oh yea... I fuckin cancelled that card on Sunday when I had a panic attack thinking my wallet was lost. I also cancelled my credit card. The wallet ended up being on my top bunk ( I have NOOO idea why I put it there on Saturday nite, but I guess my drunken self thought it'd be a good idea) Anyway, I have like 30 bucks on me and the Global Cash Card aka the stupid fuckin debit-type card my job has been putting my paychecks on in an effort to save money on paper. But the shop doesn't take that card. So I got to CVS. I have 70 bucks on it YES!!!!!! But NO! CVS does not dispense 10's. Oh wait, there's a Wawa at 20th and Chestnut right? Wrong! Shut down b/c Wawa is closing all their stores that don't have gas stations. Lame! What about the one at 20th and Locust? Also closed. Same reason. I run to the one at 18th and Arch where thankfully I get my money. Did I mention this card also charges like 3 dollar service fees at selected ATM's and not ALL Wawa's are covered, there was a shot, I wouldn't be able to get my bike back, but thankfully I got the money ran back where I got more attitude from the bike store employee (who was NOT infact a mechanic which is why I think he fucked up my handlebars.) God I'm on a rant. I'm gonna go see Sunshine Cleaning.

Crazy Cabbie

So this dude picks me up from work. First sign I don't like him: He has a very long, black/white beard and he only seemed by be in his 20's... it looked like he dyed it. Second: There's a guy riding shotgun. Why is there a guy riding shotgun??? This made me uncomfortable, but it was raining and I didn't wanna wait for another one. Then I tell him to take me to 9th and Washington, then on to 4th & Dickinson AKA my house. When we stop at 9th and Washington and I'm about to go into the little bodega (that I call Pounder's Jr.'s, which is a looong story, but basically, they sell 6 packs of pounders) to get, well... 6-packs. He asks, "Are you going to purchase some sort of alcohol?" "Of course" I answer. "Well then I cannot take you any farther... I cannot let you back in the cab." I stared at him dumbfounded. "It is against my policies to allow it." I guess he was Muslim or sumthin, but seriously, people. So I had to get out. I never got the answer as to why his buddy was also in my cab... and i guess I never will.

In other news, I bought the Riches Season 2 on DVD and wow! What a fuckin crap factory. Not the episodes themselves, they are great. But the DVD and the handling of it sux. I didn't realize the show got cancelled mid-season and never gets a chance to end. Episode 7 ends just like any normal episode and then that's it... it's just over. I never get to find out what happens to the Malloys. Daliah's on the verge of being a drug addict/cheating on Wayne w/ her parole officer. Cael is in the Traveler tent city with Quinn, Wayne is trying to scheme $13 million out of this real estate devlopment deal designed to screw post-Katrina New Orleans, Hue is running for mayor, Dale is in a fuckin neck brace and Sam is a cross dressing 9 yr old about to find his 1st girlfriend and then it just fuckin ENDED?!?!?!?! I love FX, but I can't believe they've done this to me. Also they put the DVD's out so cheaply, they are double sided discs with no bonus features so they could fit 7 hrs on 2 discs. Assholes.

I'm half-way thru "Taken" as I write this and I gotta say, it's pretty good. Liam Neeson is a bad ass. Also I Love You, Man was hilarious!! Go see it if you haven't Paul Rudd and Jason Segal are both stellar.

Gaslight Anthem

I spent 60 bucks for this ticket. This better not suck. But seriously people... When hey opened for Alkaline, Thrice and Rise Against, like 100 people out of the 2,000 there that gave a shit about this band. How did this SELL OUT???? Honestly?? More power to them, I hope they get all the success they deserve, I'm just lost on how they blew up so quick. I've heard though that the set list is really good and I'm loking forward to it. In other news in Tom's life: join the Good For Nothing facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60262682794. Also, I've promised not to cut my hair until I book atleast half the dates on our summer tour. ( I do have to trim the sides though). This could get nasty... but if you know who books all-ages/basement/house shows in the midwest/new england, please let me know. Go watch this Where The Wild Things Are Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N9klJXbjQ

My headache's gone

It was here for about 2.5 weeks and concentrated directly behind my left eye. It's gone now, but it made me very worried when coupled with my chest congestion. Thank god. Nothing really new. Insomnia has gotten worse so I bought Melatonin b/c I was using Nyquil and I realize that is kinda unhealthy. It has helped. Although It's currently 4:30 and I'm still up. New Found Glory album is awesome. It pleases me to see this band grow as it has. Other new things for me that are great: Bayside's Live at the Bayside Social Club... I just got this album finally and it is brutal. Can't wait to see NFG and Bayside at the Troc. (Also, when I bought the NFG cd, it came w/ a T-shirt that looks like a championship belt.... how did I never make that idea happen for my band?? I am sooo jealous) Breaking Bad Season 1 is great. Brian Cranston totally deserved the Emmy. I haven't seen any of Season 2 yet, so don't ruin it for me. Also saw Californication Season 1... same rules apply, don't ruin anything. Eastbound and Down is the funniest thing I've seen in forever. Danny McBride is going to own Hollywood this time next year.

Enjoy the List.

These are not necessarily my top 50 favorite albums, but these are the albums that have had a great impact on my life. I have memories of these. I can place myself in a specific place and time where all of these were at somepoint the soundtrack to my life. Cases in points: Grade school sitting in Tom Altomari's house where I first started discovering cool music: Sublime, G'NR, Lagwagon, Offspring. Sitting in my room doing homework every day: Joel, Petty, Clapton, RHCP, Metallica. Walking to and from Judge with my Discman: MxPx, Midtwon, Green Day, Blink, NFG. Working at Rosewood Caterers washing dishes sucked except for a few reasons: A. They let us drink at the bar at the end of our shift when we were 16 and B. they let the dishwashers control the radio. We're talking Bad Religion, AFI, the Clash and Weezer EVERY night. I can even remember the day I bought/acquired certain CD's. NFG was at a mall with my friend Timmy Smink. He bought a NBA video game and I bought New Found Glory-s/t. How appropriate. Wu-Tang I remember sitting at my parents old hi-fi (which is not sitting in my room) dubbing a tape from the original copy i think Mike Eaton had let me borrow. I had to do it quick before my parents found out I was listening to rap music so I used that option where it would go really fast and make Method and the RZA sound like chipmunks. I remember having a CD burning party at Anth's house when I was like a junior in high school along with Dave. I got Can't Slow Down and so many other choice CD's which I'm failing to remember right now. Enema of the State I got cuz down the shore me and my buddy Tom Alto (again) went to a record store and he bought it...I bought No Pigeons, a spoof single of No Scrubs by TLC (which i STILL contest is a hilariously awesome song!). Listening to them on the way back home we traded and after hearing it I went out the next day and bought it. Dude Ranch came in the mail with a Columbia House order and I had to sneak and get it before my parents realized I just bought an album with balls on the cover. Eminem me and Nick Coco went to the Tower Records on the Blvd. with a fake note from his dad, cuz we had heard if you don't have a note from a parent, they wouldn't let you buy it!! Ok, I'm going on for a long time, enjoy the list.

Blink 182 - Dude Ranch
The Clash - London Calling
AFI - Dark Sails in the Sunset
Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
Billy Joel - Turnstiles
Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Paint it Black - Paradise
MxPx - The Ever Passing Moment
Bouncing Souls - How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Sublime - Sublime
The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart
Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview
Kid Dynamite - Shorter, Faster, Louder
NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
Bad Religion - The Process of Belief
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
New Found Glory - New Found Glory
Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down/Through Being Cool (tie)
The Postal Service - Give Up
The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
Bayside - Bayside
Descendents - Milo Goes to College
Rancid - Life Won't Wait
Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
Bouncing Souls - Hopeless Romantic
Hot Water Music - A Flight and A Crash
Eric Clapton - The Cream of Clapton
Offspring - Smash
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
Alkaline Trio - From Here to Infirmary
None More Black - Loud About Loathing EP
Lagwagon - Double Plaidinum
Midtown - Living Well Is the Best Revenge
Lifetime - Jersey's Best Dancers
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
The Explosion - Flash Flash Flash
Blink-182 - Enema of the State
Pennywise - Land of the Free?
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Rufio - Perhaps, I Suppose...
Anti-Flag - A New Kind of Army
Weezer - Pinkerton
Catch-22 - Keasby Nights
Strike Anywhere - Exit English
Thursday - Full Collapse
Guns 'N Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II

Even more honorable mentions: Mettalica - S/t and Green Day - Dookie. How can I deny those two their moment to shine??

i hate my phone

About 4-5 days ago, my phone started acting up.  First the sliding action stopped working so well.  It feels like it's caught on something inside the phone, so it has this herky-jerky feel to it when i slide it out and I feel like I'm breaking it every time I open it up.  Now the 8 doesn't work.  Goodbye texting becuz how can you text with using t's u's or v's?!?  I just used them 8 times in that last sentence!!  And 9 times in that one!!!  This might get interesting for all you out there that I text on a regular basis.  Get ready for some elaborate vocabulary words I'll hafta pull outta my ass just to get my ideas across.  Ugh.  Today me and Bri auditioned a girl to sing with our new side project with us two and Chris Pires.  It went well!  She can really sing and is cool enough to hang out with...and can tolerate the utter silliness of us two... so far.  Usually I can gauge how my days are gonna go by the way Septa treats me.  Today I was running late for this band get-together and got a bus in 5 minutes (good), the Subway in about 5 (better) and hopped on the R7 just as it was about to pull away (awesome!)  And I had a good afternoon.  On the back end however, half an hour for the R7, which I had to pay for b/c I had a ticket for zone 2 and I was in zone 3 (Cornwell Heights).  Bad!  Then I found out I would not be going out tonite with someone I've been looking forward to going out with.  Worse!  Then when I finally got to 4th street, I walked all the way to Christian before the goddamn bus picked me up, so I rode about 6 blocks before being dropped off.  And of course my phone is the cellular device from hell (did I mention the down button goes in and out now, it keeps bringing up options I don't need like Office Profile Mode and I think somehow I perpetually put it on complete silence b/c I don't know where to find that option and it shuts off every other time I try to use it!)  Fucking Sucked.  

Walking around is not so fun anymore

After a few days of peacefully walking through the city at night, I decided to take care of some business today and finally get my bike back (which has been broken and parked at work for the past month).  I stopped by Long in the Tooth mainly to pick up the new Loved Ones EP and the new Bruce album.  I ended up spending about an hour and a half in there talking to the guy who runs it.  From everything from music shopping in the NEast to how we like Gorilla Biscuits and hate Set Your Goals, to being sad over Joe Strummer's death to the Phils.  Unfortunately they were sold out of Bruce and I spent so much time there, Via Bikes was closed by the time I got there.  Walking from work to 20th & Sansom to South St was kinda brutal.  Not as quite and peaceful and wind-free as the past few days have been.  Went to Repo to get Working On A Dream, which was either 20 for LP or 12 for CD and even though I told myself I'd cut down on spending, I went for the LP becuz i just got the damn thing and I want to start my collection.  So sue me.  Also, I'm weak.  After about an hour back at home (complete with a chicken cheesesteak and fries from Ishkabibble's), I ventured back into Center City to meet up with Candice for beers at Oscar's in between her class and her ride home.  Fun!  We have entirely too much in common, it's almost scary.  An awkward moment when I stopped at Phillip's led me to Chima for a drink at Anth's bar and then back to (guess where) Oscar's for further drinks with Anth and the Mac's (Bri, Zach and Dan).  Off to Manhattan tomorrow for a show at the Annex and a night on the town (aka getting drunk all over the island and crashing a discounted hotel thanks to my crappy job).  The following is what I bought today: LP's: Bruce Spingsteen - "Working on a Dream", Chicago - "Chicago Transit Authority", Quiet Riot - "Metal Health", Elvis Costello - "Imperial Bedroom" and Prince - "Purple Rain".  CD:  The Loved Ones - "Distractions EP", Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - "Rock Art & the X-Ray Style" and "Global A Go-Go", The Clash - "The Essential Clash" and "The Singles", American Steel - "American Steel" and "Rouge's March" and The Beatles - "1".....by the way, I totally closed this window and am SOOOO happy that they save drafts of everything now-days.  Have you noticed that?  Everytime you write a myspace message, blog or anything, every time you stop typing it saves.  Awesome!

This long walk home...

With every step I take, a new motion-sensitive light senses my presence and turns on, lighting my path kinda like the Bill Jean video, only from up top rather than the cement tiles I walk on.  Sunday was the second annual get-a-six-pack-and-walk-from-Center-City-to-home night.  With a sixer of High Life bottles I ducked down streets I had never seen before, that I had never known existed.  This is what I love about the city.  A side street off of a side street.  An alley really, not nearly enough room to fit a car down, but with the coolest row homes.  It's like an oasis in the middle of chaotic Philadelphia.  Right below 9th and South exist these homes and the people that live in them totally separated, but at the same time right in the thick of things.  I envy them.  It's like stepping into a little secret world the common folk aren't supposed to know about... thus the motion lights going off as if to tell everyone "intruder alert, intruder alert!"  These walks give me time to be by myself.  It's why I do it instead of hailing a cab (that and I'm short on cash, although I'm perfectly comfortable getting a $60 haircut today... go fig.)  Last night after practice it was snowing, like pretty hard.  If you were out you know what I'm talkin bout.  Speaking of which, I should get outta bed and go shovel.  As soon as I'm done this post I will.  But I digress.  Despite the shown, it wasn't too cold or windy or anything thing, so I again walked, sans beer this time.  Hopped on the Night Owl bus down Market from 8th to 4th to save some time and walked down 4th street to home.  No one was out, it's like I had the city to myself.  I threw snowballs at street signs, I several times contemplated falling back into a snow angel, but on second thought, didn't wanna fall into a pile of dog shit covered by snow (b/c I know people do that instead of picking it up when it snows.)  Got Lorenzo's without waiting in line.  It was great.  Soundtrack to Tom's nighttime winter strolls:  Bruce Springsteen - "The River" & "Born in the USA" (goin to see him at the Spectrum, bitches!!).  Brand New - "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me".  Latterman - "Turn up the Punk, We'll be Singing".  The Lawrence Arms - "Apathy and Exhaustion".  and The Decendents - "Everything Sucks"

I hope you enjoy the throwbacks

I've never posted lyrics to my songs, let alone new songs that haven't been recorded before, but I just feel the need get this out there.  It's a Good For Nothing song in the making.   It's called "I hope you enjoy the throwbacks". 

I can't pray anymore

I've forgotten just what I was fighting for

my life is feast or famine

nothing's gonna happen from folding my hands and singing to the sky

I've lost my faith in humankind

I don't think everything is gonna turn out just fine

I wanna start something, but I don't know one thing

about leading a revolution.

I know that I am lost.

Pull over to the nearest gas station, 

I need to ask someone for directions.

But when we find a way

to get us through these days, 

we'll be happy for the imperfections

'cuz that's what makes it worth breathing

This whole world is goin to shit

and we're stuck here right in the middle of it

and as the world crumbles around us, 

we're lookin' for something solid to ground us.

Well maybe it's this guitar or maybe it's this bottle

that I've been holdin' so tight.

Or the letters you wrote or the tapes that you made

or the way that you looked in the backseat that one night

Well I am well aware

That we're not goin' anywhere.

We've been running as fast as we can, 

but now we're right back where we began. 

But when we find a way

to get us through these days,

we'll be happy for the imperfections

'cuz that's what makes it worth breathing.

Best of '08

Best song: "Gainesville" by Dillinger Four - This is a great album 6 years in the making and this song was the anthem of my Autumn.  "It feels like summer in October.", I mean, c'mon that was perfect for this year.  The whether was unseasonably warm and the Phils were playing baseball still.  Sounds like summer to me.

Best album: "The 59 Sound" by Gaslight Anthem - This album rarely left my rotation once it came out.  Their mixture of punk with bluesy vocals and old school rock and roll just won me over.  Top songs include the title track, Miles Davis & the Cool, High Lonesome and The Backseat.

Best live show (tie): Bayside Nov. 15th at the Troc - they played an awesome set (I only wish they had played A Call to Arms and Tortures of the Damned) and they opened their encore with a cover of Linoleum which I'm pretty sure only 25 out of the 1000 people there actually got.  This night was followed by the funniest trip to a strip club EVER!

Paint It Black April 10th outside at Sailor Jerry's - this was the most unique show I've ever seen.  Free booze, Yemin masks, annoyed customers at El Vez, an entire block full of kids, TREE diving.... not even the technical difficulties (people tripping over guitar chords, knocking over pieces of the drum set and overall poor sound quality) could spoil that experience.  

Best Phillies game attended (tie): Aug. 26th vs. the Mets & Oct. 9th vs. the Dodgers - Now I went to game 4 of the World Series with my Dad, and that was probably the most emotional and special game I've ever attended, but we blew the Rays out 10-2, which was awesome, but I'm talkin' best game.  We also went to Wrigley to watch Phils/Cubs, which was also ridiculous fun, but we lost.  Aug. 26th was the night we took over 1st place from the friggin mets with a 13 inning 8-7 come-from-behind win after being down 7-1.  Chris Coste went 4-4 after coming in in the 8th and Clay Condrey got the double that started the whole rally!  It's always great to rub it in Met's fans's faces.  Game 1 of the NLDS had an atmosphere I had never seen before.  When people say "they house was rockin'", yo it was that night.  Rally towels and "Beat LA" chants were silenced by Derek Lowe until Chase Utley and Pat Burrell came through with homers in the 7th (I think) to beat the Dodgers 3-2.  

Best Thing I Read All Year: The Watchmen -  Besides the Inky and Daily News the day after the Phillies won.  This classic graphic novel by Alan Moore was something I shoulda read a long time ago, and I'm glad to finally see what the hype is all about.  Best character is Rorschach followed by the Comedian (even though a minor role) and Veidt.  Can't wait for the movie (but more on that later.)

Best TV Show: Sons of Anarchy - while Sunny came through with a real solid season, SoA stole the show.  It had sex, violence, inter-racial gang wars, the guy from Hellboy, Shakespearean undertones and a great cliffhanger for season 2.  By far the most addicting thing on TV this year.  

Best Comedy Movie: Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Step Brothers and Pineapple Express were up there, but Sarah Marshall beats them out.  Jason Segall wrote it and starred as the pathetically love-sick Peter, and I gotta say, I'm proud of him after watching his career since Freaks & Geeks.  He seemed doomed to perpetually play side characters in Apatow movies.  I'm glad he had his own chance to shine.  Plus bonus points b/c Kristin Bell and Mila Kunis spent the entire movie in bikini's.  Russell brand was hilarious as Aldous Snow and Jonah Hill's man crush on him was just awkward enough to be funny as shit.  

Best Movie: The Dark Knight -  C'mon, how can you not go with the movie that murdered one of it's actors?  Hellboy 2 and Iron Man both made good cases, but the Dark Knight is like the Godfather of comic book movies.  Heath Ledger was beyond words with his sadistic,  psychopathic, let-the-fuckin'-world-burn Joker.  My only critique is they tried fitting in too much of the Two-Face story line.  I think they shoulda saved him more for the 3rd installment, but we'll see.  

Most Anticipated of '09: Rescue Me Season 5 - just got done Season 4 DVD and cannot wait to see what happens in the world most fucked up fire house.  

The Watchmen Movie - see above

The Wrestler Movie - Finally a film that captures the humanity and pain of professional wrestling.  They filmed in ROH rings with indie guys (I heard Necrobutcher is actually quite good) and Earnest the Cat Miller is bad guy the Ayatollah.  There's already Oscar buzz for Mickey Rourke.  Plus I hear you get to see Marisa Tomie's tits.  

I Am The Avalanche - Demo stuffed has leaked, so a full length should be out soon.  It's been almost 4 years since their self-titled debut and I'm dying to hear their new shit

New Found Glory - After hearing the Tip of the Iceberg EP and the news that this release is on Epitaph, I can't wait to hear their next offering.  Here's hoping to hear a good mixture of hardcore and pop punk in 09!

Going on TOUR! - I swear it's happening this year.  I'm getting a license, getting a van, and Good For Nothing is going on tour if it's the last thing I do!!

Best Beer: Mad Elf - This winter brew by Troegs with it's hints of cherries and honey made my Christmas season a big ass blur.  Four of these bad boys with their 12% alcohol was enough to knock me on my ass night after night at the Kite & Key, not to mention that one time I bought a case for everyone at Studio 4/GFN band practice and put down roughly 10 or so.  

Best Guilty Pleasure: Pop Radio - Yes, I'll admit it, I like it.  It's so much better than what they're playing on (ugh) rock radio anymore.  Top 10 real quick: Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire", Britney Spears "Womanizer", Beyonce "Single Ladies", Kanye "Flashing Lights", MIA "Paper Planes", Pink "So What", Lil Wayne "A Millie", Panic at the Disco "Nine in the Afternoon", TI "Live Your Life", Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"

Best Parties: 3rd Place - NYE/2 Street - This is officially my new tradition every year.  Party at my house, mimosa's in the morning, 2 St. at night.  That shit was like South Philly Mardi Gras.  Not to mention we made it rain like whoa and popped bottles all night at my house on NYE.

2nd Place - Chicago - The whole fuckin' trip was just one big party.  That punk bar we went to where we drank PBR's and Fosters all night and there was a motorcycle inside, Mother Hubbards til' 5 AM, Dueling Pianos, and the insanity of Wrigleyville was just part of what made trip so awesome.  

1st Place - Cottman & Frankford - Holy shit, where do I begin with this one?  The whole build-up was great: Champagne purchased 2 days prior, having to get out of work for a second time, cramming everyone we know into Bill's basement (so sorry Boyce), having my Dad come down to experience it with me and all my moron friends, the final strike in Bill's living room and the years and years and years of dissapointment melted away with one pitch.  Bottles: popped, Cigars: lit, Flags: waving as we marched victoriously down Frankford Ave. to Cottman where an entire neighborhood breathed out a collective "Phinally!"  It was a sight to behold and a special moment I'll never forget.  Which leads me to...

Best Thing Ever:  Phillies '08 Season - I honestly couldn't have scripted this better.  We were at opening day.  Me and my Dad went to like 15 games together including Game 1 of the NLDS (see above) and Game 4 of the World Series (also see above).  Me, Boyce, Bill, Chris and Anth had a 6 game package, PLUS we went to Chicago to see them play with Bri, Dave and Georgie where we had a great vaca. (once again, above.)  It's a great feeling to be on top.  I saw a parade.  I thought I never would.  I experienced a unique bond with my pops over those 8 months, which made this season the most special.  My sincerest thank you's to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brad Lidge, Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Shane Victorino, Charlie Manuel and everyone else on the team (Matt Stairs, anyone?) for letting me have this.  A very special shout out to the Mets for sucking once again as well!!  Fuck all you clowns!  Here's to more parades in '09.