Drink this...

This... is Sir "Diesel" Duke

Miles Davis has a new baby brother playmate pain in his ass! The week before last I decided that Miles needed a buddy. He needs far too much attention to be left home alone all day and begged for it all night (and sometimes weekends) long. Two days after my resolution, a colleague of mine hit me up to take one of four eight-week-old kittens belonging to the neighborhood stray off his hands. Kismet.

Enter Sir "Diesel" Duke! His name in keeping with the musical theme of my life and in honor of the late jazz-great Duke Ellington, some of whose master recordings recently went up in flames in the Universal Studios fire. (Whoops, did I just write that out loud? Oh well, you don't suppose people--and by people I mean shareholders--really believed Ron Meyer that day when he said all of the film and recorded music masters were in a "safe place," do you?)

I'll try to get a shot of Sir Duke inside one of my Diesel sneakers to demonstrate the inspiration for the nickname. He likes my Simple sneakers well enough, but he's anything but--and already smarter than his three-year-old brother. Miles welcomed his fellow adopted feline kin with open paws on first sniff and Diesel made himself at home the first night in his new my bed. With the exception of a few high speed chases, the transition has been incident free. Miles has even stopped whining, plus he's getting some exercise.

Looking for Answer this...?

Hey, NASCAR.com readers, you're probably looking for the links to Answer this...

Specifically the NASCAR Gossip, NASCAR Wives and NASCAR Girlfriends links.

Enjoy!

Bugged by the littering of this...

I don't have a problem that U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera smokes. I don't even care that they showed him smoking on national television.

What I do care about is him tossing away his cigarette butts on the golf course--or anywhere else besides an ashtray or other appropriate receptacle. 

I think the cigarette butt pet peeve of mine comes from the new Californian in me--cigarettes are the #1 littered item on California freeways.

But my issue with littering in general isn't anything new. Three years ago, Scarlett Johanssen broke my heart and my girl crush on her over some fast food trash.

I've been stewing about the Cabrera thing since I read it on The Fanhouse the other day, but I hadn't been inspired enough to post even though a lit cigarette on a golf course is what charred my favorite park last month.

Then tonight, I watched the premiere of "Heartland." The Treat Williams character pulled out a cigarette and his daughter called him out on it, something about treating people with lung cancer. So he thought better of it. Then he tossed the cigarette out of his car window into the street!

I was completely turned off and wrote the show off in that moment. TNT's audience services will be hearing from me

What's worse is that I see this every day on my 6-mile, 30-minute drive to work. Endless numbers of people who think that the streets of Los Angeles are they're personal ashtray. Do you know many smokers there are in LA? and how much time they spend in their cars? Any idea how many butts that adds up to?

Are cigarette butts trash?

Of course they're trash! And to litter them anywhere is positively rude, ugly and bad for the environment. And when they're lit, they're also unsafe.

Like, duh. I just have zero tolerance for it.

If you're random person who got cursed out by a crazy blonde in the car next to you, that might have been me. If only the City of Los Angeles would give me a citation book, I'd be passing out $1,000 fines on the regular to help the city pay for all the asses it has to clean up after.

Celebrating no father on the day of this...

I celebrated Father's Day this year much in the same way that I have for the past several years, coming out of a funk that begins on or about Memorial Day weekend, sometimes as early as Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of my own father's death.

Not having a dad to celebrate leaves me looking for creative ways to recognize the special day or ignoring it altogether.

This year, I tried something new. I went Father's Day shopping.

The shopping spree started the week after Memorial Day when I traded in the bitchin' Camaro convertible for a more grownup, but not too grownup, SUV: a Land Rover Freelander:

(not mine, but you get the idea)

The spree ended yesterday at Target when I bought all the accessories I imagine my dad would want me to have in the car if he were here:

• The Original California Duster,
  
• A Black & Decker Simple Start 12-Volt Battery Booster,
• An Arometrics Auto Fragrance System (what a fancy name for an airfreshner),
• A compass (I've needed one of these since I moved to LA seven years ago),
• A Water Jel Emergency Burn Kit (Personal experience with a second degree burn taught me the value of this... and I already have a survival kit so I thought this would be a wise addition. Also good for home.)
• An Accutire Standard Digital Tire Gauge, and 
• An Armor All Wipes Combo Pack.

Ok ... I'll fess up. I didn't actually think of the Father's Day twist until I was checking out of Target and saw my total receipt. But the justification worked! And I must say it was damn therapeutic. The fog has lifted.

The tire gauge is what actually kicked it off. After a few days with the new wheels on the road, I noticed the alignment was off and could tell in the turns that the air pressure was low in the left front tire. I put some air in, but the gauge on the free air at my corner Mobil station was broken.

After I got the tire gauge, I checked the pressure and the air was still down--38 lbs. in that tire vs. 48-50 lbs. in the others. Now I gotta go see how much they should actually have and get 'em all right.

Happy Father's Day to Joe and Jeremy and all the other dads out there!

Observing the fire raging through this...

Photo: tallglassofmilk

At about 3 o'clock this afternoon I heard that the fire in Griffith Park wasn't anywhere near the observatory and had been contained. I didn't think anything more about it. What a surprise I got on my way home.

From my vantage point on random street, the fire appeared to be blazing full speed ahead--in every direction. I was stunned into pulling over with camera in hand when I actually saw flames... and how far down the mountain they had come... and how far east it had spread.

600 acres later...

It's well after midnight now and I'm still hearing plenty of sirens and helicopters.

Here are a few more pics. I took more when I got home, but by then it was really dark and most of those didn't turn out. I'm a terrible live photographer anyway and I'm not sure of anything harder to shoot that a fire. A moving racecar might be easier.

CBS2.com has tons of fire coverage and reports that the zoo has been evacuated and animals are secure. The people too.

High winds testing the power of this...

190,000 Without Power After So. California Fires

I got home last night to find out I was one of them. Fortunately, mine came back on this morning. Unfortunately, it was while I was already on my way out the door - after my cold shower.

Fire and smoke are looming over this...

I've had a pretty unproductive afternoon firegazing. Several offices and productions closed early - I have not been so fortunate.

Photo: seriouslyomg.com

Early reports are saying that the fire was started by kids playing with fireworks in parking lot of the Oakwood Apartments on Barham and Forest Lawn Drive. Most everyone I know in LA, myself included, has done time in the Oakwood temporary housing. I can't say this surprises me at all.

Update: Two Teens Surrender to Authorities for Hollywood Hills Fire

The tallglassofmilk's place in the history of this...

In 2006, the NASCAR weekend generated more than $197 million in both gaming and non-gaming revenue. There were over 94,000 people that to town for that weekend and it contributed to the most visited month in Las Vegas’ 101-year history.

Tessa and I were two of them.

This morning I'm mourning the loss of this...

Ziggy (1995-2007)

It's a sad, sad day at casa de TGOM.

I woke up this morning and noticed that the Zigster was sitting in the same spot on the living room floor as I left him when I went to bed last night.  He's been kind of quiet the last couple of days and when I saw he hadn't moved, I was immediately concerned. 

I nudged him to get up and go to the kitchen for breakfast, but noticed he was kind of wobbly.  As he got to the food bowl he reached around as if to get an itch and then sprawled out on the floor and had some type of seizure that lasted about a minute.  Afterwards, he was stiff-bodied and mostly unresponsive.

I promptly took him to the vet who admitted him for x-ray and bloodwork. About a half hour after I dropped him off I got the call.  He crashed when they put the i.v. in to draw his blood and couldn't be revived.

Ziggy was adopted from the North Shore Animal League when he was just weeks old.  I had just moved into my own apartment in the big city and mom was out helping me get situated.  We decided that I needed a cat and off we went. While there my mom suggested several other cats, but I knew Ziggy was the one the moment I saw him. He was quite possibly one of the oddest looking cats there. His head was ginormous compared to the rest of his body, but his body eventually caught up and he grew up to be a gorgeous cat. 

Ziggy lived a long, happy life and we particularly enjoyed our last month together.  He was alone over the holidays and upon my return received much special treatment - a new collar and tag, more frequent canned food meals, catnip treats and lots of ice cubes.  His love of ice cubes was a fairly recent, accidental discovery. I only wish I had known earlier and that he could have enjoyed many more throughout his years.

The Zigster was loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

A milky toast to this...

Kicking 2006 to the curb and ringing in 2007. 

TGOM c. 1970

All the best to you and yours! XOXO ~tallglassofmilk!

TGOM Trivia
Did you know the tallglassofmilk is actually allergic to milk?

Finding jeans long enough just got a little easier for this...

The struggle to find a perfect-fitting pair of jeans online is finally over!

Introducing www.searchbyinseam.com, a new website dedicated to helping women of all sizes quickly and easily find jeans that really fit by making products searchable by inseam length. Specializing in designer jeans with long inseams for the tall woman, Search by Inseam also features petite, plus, and maternity jeans, all searchable by brand and inseam length. Purchases are eligible for free and reduced shipping, as well as other discounts, depending on the retailer.

Founded by Corrinne Henderson, a tall woman fed up with having to click through detail pages online to find the inseam length for a single pair of pants, Search by Inseam allows customers to enter their exact inseam length, type of jean they're looking for, and brand. Search results display jeans from multiple retailers simultaneously, allowing for easy comparison shopping.

Quoting this...
Henderson: "For the longest time, it's been nearly impossible to quickly find pants online that are the right length. Search by Inseam fills that void with its easy-to-use inseam searches. Customer feedback on the site has been tremendous, with women emailing to say they're finally able to find trendy jeans that fit correctly. From tall to petite, maternity to plus-size, Search By Inseam has the sizes women need."

The site features inseam lengths from 25 inches to 37 inches and over 30 designer brands, including 7 For All Mankind, Antik Denim, Apple Bottoms, Baby Phat, Boden, Calvin Klein, Chip & Pepper, Citizens of Humanity, Earl, Guess, Hudson, Joe's, Levi’s, Lucky, Miss Sixty, Paige Premium Denim, Rock & Republic, and True Religion.

How really awesome is this...?

Did you know the tallglassofmilk is really awesome?

For $1 you can be really awesome too:

The smarts are in the height of this...

Taller people are smarter: study

(Reuters) - While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it's not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality -- tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds.

"As early as age three -- before schooling has had a chance to play a role -- and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests," wrote Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Full story

And in the words of my friend Cindy who has just imparted me with such wisdom, this... is just another reason why people should listen to me.

Peeved by this...

1. Political Correctness - It is going to be our undoing. People no longer have rational discussions about things like religion and race for fear of offending someone.  This is seriously hindering the advancement of civilization.  And now it's gotten to the point where you can't even have healthy competition amongst different groups without there being controversy.  (See also: Survivor: Cook Islands which is being dubbed Survivor: The Racist Edition).  The money quote is this...

   "People who don’t have hangups about race have no problem with this racial segregation idea for “Survivor.” People who object to it are simply scared that their own racial hangups will become manifest if they watch or comment." ~ Adherents Webmaster

2. Illegal Immigrants and the businesses and politicians that pander to them - America owes those foreigners who violate our generous immigration laws NOTHING. End of discussion. Deport them.
3. People who come to America for a better life but refuse to learn English and make it better for us to communicate with them.  Oh, and the educators that allow this..
4. Litterers - Every morning on the way to work I wish I was a part-time traffic cop.  I'd be issuing tickets daily for the littering of cigarette butts. Today it would have gone to the driver of the #1051 Independent Cab. Co. CA Lic. plate # 7Y39398 (800-521-TAXI).
5. Being constantly asked "Where's Jeff?" - If you know me, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, you don't care.

There's more, but I had to get all that off my chest and post this...

What about you?

Rockin' the ages with this...

Last night began what is a birthday weekend filled with fabulous (well, mostly) music for the tallglassofmilk:

Friday: Tim McGraw/Faith Hill @ Staples (Thanks, Cindy)
Saturday: Jack's 1st Concert @ Irvine Amphitheatre (Thanks, Ian)
Sunday: All-Star Rock Star Jam @ the Rock Star Mansion (Thanks, Sulls)

Friday recap:
The problem with going to see Tim and Faith is Fatih.  After an opening duet, the audience is forced to sit through over an hour of just Faith before Tim comes back.  Not ideal for a country music fan there to see Tim--since she's not country, can't really sing and has about two moves on stage. In other words, a snooze fest.  Cindy and I entertained ourselves by anticipating her next missed note. Portions of the performance were partuclaruly painful, like when she had to change the key of one of her own songs and still couldn't hit the notes.

More painful, however, was watching them on stage together.  This is supposed to be the Soul 2 Soul tour. There wasn't anything about those souls connecting on that stage.  To begin with, they came out a half an hour late and didn't appear to be "talking to" each other the whole night. I had flashbacks to the huge fight they had Grammy week and wondered what was up.  The only time they came within three feet of each other was for the closing song of the night, which was choreographed for them to use the same mic. I'm pretty sure they only exchanged one smile between them during the 3 hour concert.

Tim, on the other hand, was freaking awesome, although I was a little bummed he didn't sing "Please Remember Me" or "We Carry On."

Saturday:

The Lineup: Violent Femmes, Cheap Trick, Billy Idol, Journey and Def Leppard

I had a chance to see my former favorite all-time band Def Leppard rehearse for a show a couple of months ago and lamented the energetic band they once were (read: before they got fat and stood still on stage). Still I can't resist going to see them headline a concert with some of my favorite aging rockers and take a trip down memory lane with songs from albums I'm more familiar with than the voices in my own head. (Not to mention some of the best-selling of all time. Have I mentioned I'm still bitter over Pyromania never reaching #1 because of this thriller?)

The jury's still out on Journey sans Steve Perry and I've never seen Violent Femmes so I'm stoked about that.  Fairly confident that Billy Idol will be some sort of train wreck.  Nevertheless, it'll be an awesome top-down ride down there and a day in the sunshine for me and Tess.  I'll be back with more thoughts after the show!

Update: Neal Schon still kicks major ass on the guitar and has aged gracefully as a rocker, i.e, he acts his age - no cheese.  Can't say the same for their new Journey frontman, Steve Augeri.  Great voice, but, well, let's just leave it at that.  They were awesome overall.

Def Leppard made me want to see them again.  Lucky me, they just announced another leg and will be at the Hollywood Bowl October 13.  So will I.

Supernova Sunday:

You've all seen the pics from last year and if you've been paying attention, the one from this season's previous parties are on MySpace. I'm not too disappointed that my birthday coincides with the final mansion party of the season.  I am, however, extrememly bummed that Zayra isn't still there to help me celebrate.  Love ya, girl.

Feelin' the birthday love from my boy Toby

This fall, tune into this...

My Recommended Fall TV Viewing Schedule (links to grid and premiere dates below)

MONDAYS
8PM Prison Break, starring my favorite TV hottie, premieres early on Aug. 21
9PM  Vanished or Heroes (haven't seen either, hear good things about both)
10PM Studio 60 (Best new fall series)

TUESDAYS
8PM NCIS
9PM The Unit
10PM Boston Legal

WEDNESDAYS
8PM Jericho
9PM Criminal Minds
10PM The Nine

THURSDAYS
8PM My Name Is Earl
830PM The Office
9PM Grey's Anatomy
10PM Shark (the new series I am most looking forward to)

FRIDAYS
Eh... don't bother... go out instead. If you must stay in:
8PM Ugly Betty
9PM Las Vegas
10PM Numb3rs

SATURDAYS
Seriously?

SUNDAYS
7PM Everybody Hates Chris
8PM The Amazing Race
9PM Desperate Housewives
10PM Brothers and Sisters

Full schedule grid (all networks)

Fall 2006 TV Premiere dates

Clips of most new shows are available on TV.com

Getting the party started with this...

Where in world is TGOM? 

On page 2 of today's USA Today's life section in one of the best seats in the house for the first Rock Star: Supernova summer mansion party super jam:

The music in Tommy Lee's dressing room at CBS is so loud that it's impossible to say anything when he offers a shot of Jagermeister liqueur.

Lee and a small gang raise little paper cups Sunday night in a toast to having just taped Tuesday's episode of Rock Star: Supernova. But that was just the beginning of the Rock Star: Supernova partying Sunday night.

Later, a jam session rocked till after midnight at the mansion being used to film the second season of the reality show, which is in search of a lead singer for a band made up of Lee (formerly of Motley Crue), bassist Jason Newsted (Metallica) and guitarist Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses).

The band guys and contestants stepped up to microphones in the main room of the house and sang, played bongos, piano, guitar or tambourine, all doing cover songs (no originals allowed). Lee even drummed on the floor at times, since there was no drum set. And at one point, Lee and Phil Ritchie, a contestant from Ocean City, Md., got up and poured drinks on each other while dancing.[...]

Panickin', hammerin' and rockin' out with this...

Where in the world is TGOM?

It was great to see Marty!!! and his performance with the Lovehammers, while not my favorite, was quite good.

For the most part, Navarro is better than his new band, The Panic Channel, but they are all talented musicians and a pleasure to listen to and watch.

And even though Dave is only like half a tall glass of milk, he still has a hot bod and I can still appreciate him playin' topless. Their songwriting together has a ways to go, but overall, a solid show!

The bitchin' LAPD drive this...

Sometimes... when you're driving to work in your bitchin' camaro with the top down listening to--and enjoying--"Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy thinking to yourself, "wow, I'm totally a child of the 80's (and a total dork)," you look over and see someone of a different generation doing the same exact thing. 

This morning that someone else was Det. Lt. Provenza. He was also top-down in his bitchin' camaro.  I couldn't hear what he was listening to, but if I had to guess it was something from the 60's, just like his ride.  He was groovin' and rockin' the fly Hollywood shades. And his camaro was a lot more bitchin' than mine.

I'm a pretty big fan of Det. Lt. Provenza. He made me forget all about that butthead Lt. Thaddeus Harris:

"My name is Lieutenant Harris, in case you missed it. This is Sergeant Callahan, in case you missed it. We are the meanest instructors here. We've got you because you are the worst people here. From now on, you are "D" Squad; "D" for "dirtbags." When I say: "Hey, dirtbags." that means you. I'm going to make you hate me for the rest of your lives."

Are they still making sequels of that crap?

Behind on this...

Is it really Thursday already and I haven't blogged? (Well, not here anyway. Maybe over here.)

I was sick last weekend (not my thing AT ALL) and even missed a day of work and am still behind.

Is anyone reading even if I have nothing to say? 'Cause really, I can talk a lot of nonsense.

Stuffing your cat on this...

Ok, so y'all know I'm not a cat blogger, but I'm looking for something put on Ziggy to get him featured on this...

Stuff On My Cat

Those of you that know the Zigster got any Ideas? I've already done the tape thing and it's hilarious, but don't think I can catch it in a still photo.

The cult of Scientology to sponsor this...

So, yeah, the tallglassofmlk's support for NASCAR sponsors runs deep. 

But the support stalls upon hearing this...

Answer this...: Dianetically sponsoring this...

Blogging a face on this...

The tallglassofmilk is thrilled to have been selected by Thomsen Young for inclusion in the  Blogs with a Face. The purpose of Blogs with a Face collage is to give bloggers a way to connect to their audience by matching a face with their blog.  I have some good company, too.  But I don't know my next face neighbors!  Gotta go check 'em out.

Where's Waldo TGOM?

Cinco de Mayo is the stinko anniversary of this...

RIP, Daddy.

(Just so y'all know where my head is at today.)

Have a bad day with this...

I'll be away for a few days marrying Alysa off. Did I mention Alysa is getting married this weekend? And to her soulmate no less.  I'm looking forward to a fantabulously celebratory and ceremonial weekend in Miami.

Anyway, I won't be around for a few days, so, I leave you to have a bad day with this...

Daniel Powter "Bad Day"

Daniel Powter’s MySpace Page

Daniel Powter is my latest high rotation album. Yeah, album. It's not just the single "Bad Day," which I loved on the first listen (and no, that wasn't on "Americal Idol," but yeah, I've since learned that it plays at the end of the show).  It's my latest favorite song that's not country (see also: "What Hurts the Most" and "Tonight I Wanna Cry"). And I can get through the rest of the album without skipping any song!  Rare these days.

I heard he had a hard time getting signed 'cause of his age.  Typical music business.  Have I mentioned lately how happy I am that I got out of this...?  Or how much I miss this...?

Currently available on iTunes, pre-order at Amazon and in stores April 11.

Get a human on the line with this...

gethuman database

Soliciting your opinions on this...

Off looking for comedy in this...

I'll let ya know if I find it.

When the U.S. government sends comedian Albert Brooks to India and Pakistan to find out what makes Muslims laugh, Brooks -- accompanied by two state department handlers (John Carroll Lynch and Jon Tenney) and his trusted assistant (Sheetal Sheth) -- goes on a journey that takes him from a concert stage in New Delhi, to the Taj Mahal, to a secret location in the mountains of Pakistan. Written and directed by Albert Brooks.

Watch the trailer

The cycle of life begins and ends with this...

If you had asked me the day before how I'd be spending Saturday morning, I wouldn't have answered, "in the delivery room with my sister."  Especially considering she lives in Texas now and I'm still in Cali.  When my home phone rang at 8:30 AM Sat. morning (!) I knew it was mom 'cause no one else would dare.  But she had Susan on the line, who had just settled into the hospital room having gone into labor a couple of hours earlier.  The early morning wake-up call was quickly forgiven.  The second call came at about 10:15 and mom and I stayed on the line 'til sister brought my first nephew into the world at 10:30AM.  Merek Allen, who wasn't named for hours later, was 7 lbs., 14 oz. and 20 in.

God Bless him.

If you told me then that as soon as the following day while still giddy over becoming a fourth-time aunt, that I'd be mourning the loss of someone I'd never met, I would have bet against you.  But on Sunday afternoon that's exactly what happened when, while I was making casual movie plans, I learned that my good friend Dave Hummel had lost his brother-in-law in Iraq. Sarah and her family were still adjusting to Tony being gone, packing their first boxes to ship over - he'd been there six short weeks.

Army Pfc. George Anthony Lutz II, 25, was killed Thursday when his patrol was attacked by small arms fire in Fallujah.  He is survived by his wife, Tiffany, and his two children, George Anthony III and Ava.

Tony was a dedicated soldier (and Redskins fan) and served our country with enthusiasm.  He left for Iraq eager to apply what he had learned in training.  He was assigned to the Army's 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, at Fort Bragg, N.C.  Prior to being sent to Iraq, Tony had been in New Orleans where, among other things, he rescued two elderly women from a house that had already been searched.

Sarah and Dave were already on the east coast visiting their families when they got the tragic news.  Sarah was fortunate to have received a call from her brother just a few days before his death.  His grandmother, too.  They had both solicited his needs for care packages.  One of his last requests: please send candy for the Iraqi children.

God Bless him. 

Brrrrr, I'm freezing in this...

Blogging is light.  I'm enjoying the arctic temperatures and the fam in Iowa.  Currently 10°F, feels like 0°F with whatever it is the meteorologists at The Weather Channel figure in.

Oh, and did I did I mention I forgot the down jacket and scarf on my couch in Cali...? 

Still got current events on my mind though.  Have they finished that wall yet?

Blog mad over this...

Welcome to BlogMad! What is blogMad? an evolutionary approach to blog traffic! we'll boost your site's traffic in no time! You can start earning pre launch credits by signing up referrals now.

Here mom, shop this...

Greta, they have Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys here.

 

 

 

The only place to buy the new box-set for the Garth Brooks fan on your list.

 

 

Links good for anyone else who wants to buy so I get credit, too. (Might help me recoup that airline ticket to Iowa for Christmas so I can see the nieces open the gifts purchased through the above links.)

Heart me in the deck of this...

The incredibly popular Deck of Bloggers has finished with the suit of Clubs (Milblogs) and is now accepting votes for Hearts (female bloggers).

Your very own tallglassofmilk is an early nominee along with this...
Absinthe & Cookies • Ann Althouse • annika's journal • Atlas Shrugs • Da Goddess • Dizzy Girl • Dr. Sanity • e-Claire • Electric Venom • Elephant In My Coffee • Joan of Argghh! • La Shawn Barber • Little Miss Attila • Mamamontezz • Not Exactly Rocket Science • Meryl Yourish • Michelle Malkin • Mind of Mog • Misty • Moxie • SarahK • sisu • Soldier's Angel • SondraK • The Patriette • The Anchoress • Who Tends the Fires

All excellent choices!  In fact, many of them are on the Drink this... blogroll and we all belong in the deck together.

Heart me! Heart me!

Get over to Aaron's and vote for Drink this...!

A day to celebrate this...

Today I went to the kick ass wedding of  this...

About the bride and groom.

As the righteous dude said, their union restores faith in the idea of everyone finding their someone.  It was a beautiful, comedic ceremony quite befitting of the pair in fabulous Union Station.  Best of luck to Rene and Dayan.   Are you guys having another New Year's party?  I hope it doesn't rain this year.  Will you keep the fire burning for me just in case?

They chose a great day.  Happy birthday Mom!

Celebrating the centennial of this...

Where in the world is tgom?

Venice will take to the streets to celebrate it's 100 years of community at the 21st annual Abbot Kinney Festival. Running through the heart of Venice, Abbot Kinney Blvd. will be closed to traffic from Main St. to Venice Blvd. to accommodate 2 stages of live music, dancers and performance artists, a spectacular children's court, 3 food areas, a Spirit Garden, Art Pavilion and over 300 vendors featuring original, handcrafted goods.

My favorite thing about Venice Beach?  The lingering presence of Jim Morrison.

A tale of two Pauls rocking this...

As I mentioned, another Rock Star Mansion party was planned while I was away on my cruise. Indeed I was obliged to attend and my first day back to the office after a weeklong vacation was spent wading through 500 emails while nursing a Belvedere Rock Startini hangover after half a night's sleep.  I so thought my rock star days were over...

I finally got to meet "Rock Star: INXS" House Band Leader Paul Mirkovich, which I've intended to do for quite some time.

Andrew Farriss of INXS, the tallglassofmilk and "Rock Star: INXS" Music Director Paul Mirkovich at the Rock Star Mansion party September 11, 2005 (Photo: Jennifer Hozer)

I've been a fan of Paul's since the release of After The Rain in 1990.  If you happen to be familiar with the interlude on the Nelson album, you probably understand how it started.  I dare say that was my favorite album that year and I took much ribbing for being a devoted fan of the twins' band.  Despite their talent, they were far too pretty to be taken seriously as musicians and I frequently turned to keyboard player Paul's classically trained background as a musical defense for my passion.

I was a tad apprehensive in my introduction, not knowing how the Emmy Award-nominated musician would receive my expression of love and affection for Nelson.  I certainly wasn't expecting to be enthusiastically embraced and flashed all smile.  Paul was most appreciative of the recognition and said that despite having played with countless professional musicians and composers (Cher, Janet Jackson, Whitesnake, Peter Gabriel, Shawn Colvin and more), that Nelson is the most talented band he was ever part of.  I was thrilled to hear this... and will continue to be an unapologetic fan. Unfortunately, he said, the success went to the twins' heads and ultimately lead to the band's demise.

I got a little inside info on the rockers, the songs and what's been going on behind the scenes from Paul and the rockers themselves, but will save that for a later post on Auralize this... probably after next week's finale.

There were other Pauls in the house and I also spent some time chatting with KCBS Anchor Paul Magers. 

KCBS Anchor Paul Magers and the tallglassofmilk at the Rock Star Mansion party September 11, 2005 (Photo: Jennifer Hozer)

His daughter's friends were visting from Minnesota and are big MiG fans.  They had previously seen him in Queen's theatre hit "We Will Rock You" and were very excited their friend's dad was able to secure tix to Sunday's taping and invitations to the mansion. They didn't get to stay as late as me, but by all accounts it was a great time.

+   +   +

Did you watch tonight's last performance episode?  Marty told me that couldn't believe the audience knew the words to "Trees."  As he and Dave Navarro started the acoustic performance, they conferred briefly and determined neither could hear themselves in the monitors due to the crowd drowning them out.

The audience also knew the words to J.D.'s original "Pretty Vegas," which, if you ask me, is INXS's single.  But what do I know...?  Only that Paul Mirkovich is the most wanted keyboard player in Hollywood.

For a real review of tonight's episode, go see Joe. 

Many thanks to Hozer for the photos!

I leave you with this...

I have no idea if I'll have any internet access while I'm away, but even if I do, I doubt you'll be hearing from me.  But surely you didn't think I'd leave you without anything to do.  I recommend this...

Visit the library. Your Homework is to Study Islam-the Right Way

Make a special delivery:

Habitat for Humanity has helped change the lives of more than 30,000 American families since its first U.S. affiliate was founded in San Antonio, Texas, in 1978. Habitat affiliates build in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each affiliate is an independent, locally managed organization which coordinates local construction and selects partner families without regard to race, religion or ethnic group.

Learn more about how Habitat for Humanity works and their Completed Response Projects.  If you know displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina, advise them to let Habitat for Humanity know about their housing needs.

Bon voyage!

Gas leak kills three onboard this...

Yep, that's my cruiseship:

Gas leak on cruise liner kills 3 crew members

Departing Monday...

Rockin' Citywalk with this...

Is it any wonder I'm still single?  I'm blowing off a date with "Geoff with a 'G'"  tonight for this...

On Friday, Aug. 26, Universal CityWalk will host the final six contestants from "Rock Star:  INXS" as they perform a series of INXS hits -- including "What You Need," "Don't Change" and Need You Tonight" -- in a free outdoor concert series.   The performances will follow a set from the ultimate 80's cover band, The Spazmatics, hosted by Star 98.7 radio personality Richard Blade.

Remaining six:

J.D. Fortune - Oakville, Ontario (Canada)
MiG Ayesa - London, England (Originally from Australia )
Marty Casey - Chicago, IL
Jordis Unga - St. Paul, MN
Ty Taylor - Santa Monica, CA
Suzie McNeil - Toronto, Ontario

Showtimes:

8:00 - 8:45 PM - The Spazmatics concert performance
9:15 - 10: 00 PM - "Rock Star: INXS" performances

So... you can see why the rock stars take precedent.  They're not all gonna be around much longer, plus, this will be our first opportunity to hear Jordis and MiG perform INXS songs since they have yet to be in the bottom three.