6.20.2005 |  A soldier's reaction to the National Anthem

posted by Jon
19:44 | SAY SOMETHING |



"...something struck me (no not my wife) this evening and I wanted to share. I was watching the NBA playoffs, and realized something. I love this country. You know, two things happen every time I hear our national anthem. One, I feel like killing bad guys, i.e. terrorists, dictators, doctors that eat babies, hippies, liberals and war protestors. Two, it really does get me all choked up to know that I served a country that is this great.

"I wonder if liberal hippie democrats get choked up when they hear the national anthem, or does it just fill them with rage. I think that the national anthem for them is just another symbol of an oppressive capitalist society. How sad it must be to feel like they do. So, to remedy this, every time you hear the national anthem choke a liberal hippie democrat until they cry...."

- Some soldier's blog


6.17.2005 |  You're going to want to see this...

posted by Jon
12:44 | SAY SOMETHING |





Vying for the Presidency

posted by Jon
11:39 | SAY SOMETHING |

Nashville, Part Deux

posted by Jon
08:53 | SAY SOMETHING |



The last trip I made to Music City almost didn't happen. Two of my friends made the last minute decision to not go, partly because of a hurricane/tropical storm (can't remember which) that was making its way toward us at the time (I guess a little highway whitewater is a little intimidating to some people). Luke and I headed out anyway early on a Friday morning for Beth's house on Lookout Mountain, where we spent the night before continuing our journey to Nashville.

The whole junket was a great deal of fun, and we ended up spending most of our time on Broadway, where bars and surprisingly talented musicians lined the street on both sides. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and Market Street Brewery & Pub House are a couple of places I really liked, but there are a few other establishments I really regretted not being able to try out the first time around, so Luke and I planned another trip for July. This time we'll be taking some others with us, and will be staying in a downtown hotel (probably this one) so the walk isn't quite so long.



The Bluebird Cafe.

This first place I wanna go to is a place that I've heard a lot about, but never actually saw when I was in Nashville last year, and I don't exactly know where it is, except for the fact that it's not downtown. It's basically a small venue for songwriters (who've had plenty of big hits with songs that other people have recorded) to perform their work themselves.


The Beer Cellar.

We actually went inside this one briefly — I would definitely like to go back and stay longer. It looks and feels like a huge old fire-lit underground tavern, and it's got lots of beer.


4th Annual Music City Brewer's Festival.

This is actually an event, not a place. I'm putting this on here as more of a reminder to myself than anything else. Here's the description that nashvillecvb.com provides:

"Hilton Park @ Hilton Nashville Downtown
121 Fourth Avenue South

615-664-2484
www.musiccitybrewersfest.com
Category: Fairs & Festivals, Special Interests


7/30/05
- 7/30/05


2:00 PM - 8:00 PM


Sample beer from over 25 local, regional and national breweries. This one-day event is in celebration of America Beer Month, presented by the Institute for Brewing Studies. Live music entertainment will be featured on the Music Stage."


6.15.2005 |  TAKE HEART

posted by Jon
15:57 | SAY SOMETHING |

6.08.2005 |  Gatorade and Mouth Cancer

posted by Jon
08:47 | SAY SOMETHING |



So Andrew told me last night that Gatorade can help prevent mouth and throat cancer. Anybody else hear anything like that before? Regardless of whether or not it's true, I've decided to lighten up on the tobacco a bit. While it's certainly a fun habit, it is also A) expensive, B) not at all attractive, and C) unhealthy. So I will be trying (like those who have gone before me) to relegate the occasional dip to the occasional weekend or backyard BBQ. Wish me luck/good providence.


6.06.2005 |  5 Minutes with Wichita

posted by Jon
16:50 | SAY SOMETHING |



There's this guy who calls himself "Wichita" who interviews various bluegrass artists and records his own podcasts of 'em. One of his recent guests was Chris Thile of Nickel Creek. Check it out (it's an mp3).


6.03.2005 |  Only 4 hours of sleep last night, but I'm feeling strangely fine

posted by Jon
06:59 | SAY SOMETHING |



I guess some of you can function off of less sleep than that, but I get drained when I get less than 6 hours. I take Red Bull when that happens. Actually, I take Red Bull every day. I've heard that having a lot of caffeine makes your heart do crazy things and jump around a lot, but I haven't experienced anything quite so thrilling as of yet. Should I up my dosage?

Speaking of thrilling experiences, I hear that Nicorette gum contains nicotine. I didn't know this before, but it made me think. If you can put nicotine into gum, what else could you put it into? Coffee maybe? The possibilities are infinite. You could even put it on the table next to the salt or something.