Hafer will love this post. It’s a shame he doesn’t read anymore.
On our trip to Nashville we were at Honky Tonk and the band played this song: Kenny Chesney – American Kids
The entire audience was going ham singing along and having a grand all time while I was standing around like a stickman. I pretty much stand around like a stickman anyway but especially to country music I’ve never heard before. While the song was playing I thought it sounded fine so I decided to start expanding into country music using Spotify. After going through Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, FGL, and Eric Church, I came to the conclusion that I still don’t like country. Sure I can listen to the favorites like The Dance, Cruise, Toes, and Springsteen but most of it isn’t for me. That being said I added these two songs to my playlist just for the heck of it and think they are pretty damn good.
Thomas Rhett – Unforgettable
Luke Bryan – Light It Up
Country songs all have the same simple themes to them which is alright. Getting drunk. Breaking up. Banging. Repeat. It’s relatable to the large majority of the population so I understand the appeal. The music seems to be secondary to the story. Just wanted to write this post to show my ever expanding music tastes. Any songs I should check out?
Last night was the first time I’ve taken part in a keeper / auction league draft. You keep 2 players from the year before and they affect your auction salary which was $250. My 2 chosen for me were Ajayi and Pryor who were relatively cheap at like $12 and $10 respectively. The auction process works by nominating a player and then the people bid on them. I entered the draft with some key people in mind but not exactly sure what I was willing to pay for them.
The first couple guys were Gronk ($51), Zeke ($62), Shady ($85), Julio ($105), Michael Thomas ($80), Lynch ($63), AJ Green ($100) and Doug Baldwin ($62). I had not gotten anyone and still had $225 of my salary so I was getting eager and the only top WR’s left were Jordy and TY Hilton. Jordy came up and I wasn’t going to let him slip. I got back and forth with some bro and ended up snagging him at ($105). Clearly this is not nearly as good value as getting Julio at the same exact price, but I needed a stud on my team.
A few other notable players I got were:
Andrew Luck – $4 – My jaw dropped
Jimmy Graham – $20 – Way undervalued imo. This guy was a 1st round pick 2 years ago
Dalvin Cook – $49 – I’m going to be keying in on him on every draft. The volume is there and he’s cheap (for now)
Danny Woodhead – $20 – I’m not a huge Woodhead guy but he was cheap for a RB on a team with uncertainty at RB. In .5 ppr, I hope he’ll have some value
Cameron Meredith – $8 – Like I don’t want the team’s #1 WR for 8 bucks
Zay Jones – $5 – Like I don’t want the teams #1 WR for 5 bucks
Kenny Britt – $4 – Like I don’t want the team’s #1 WR for 4 bucks
I have a few other guys but all in all I think I’ll be competitive. I’m short on RB’s so I’ll hope to package one of those WR and Woodhead if I they get off to fast starts. Guys who I wanted to get in the draft that passed me by were A Pete and Jamaal. I think there still may be some gas in the tank but this may be wishful thinking.
I know I need a haircut when the back of my neck starts getting wild hairs. My top wasn’t too long, but I prefer my hair short, so I figured what the hell. I stroll into Mario’s and Irena (is it Irene?) is finishing up. I sit down and wait, she collects payment from the last customer, then sits down on her seat acting like I wasn’t going to pick her because I’m waiting for one of the male barbers. Wrong. I don’t give a shit who cuts my hair. Out of the 200+ times I’ve been to Mario’s, I’ve probably gotten her less than 5. It’s not that I don’t actively choose her, it’s only these other guys expect me to pick them. Anyway, I sit down and ask her if it’s been busy. She says a sentence and the only word I pick up is vacation. She is speaking so soft, and she’s from Russia or the Ukraine so she has a bit of an accent, that communication was going to be difficult. After the initial intro, it gets silent for a bit, then I ask her if she’s taken any trips and she tells me she just got back from a Cruise. We talk about that and it’s the same problem. I hear in and out but I can’t respond appropriately because I can’t hear her. At one point she tells me about this full facemask snorkeling gear that’s new and asked if I ever tried it? Earlier I told her I hadn’t been on a cruise or to the islands in 10 years but I just said that I was aware of it even though I had no idea. She said another soft sentence and I just nodded my head and said, “yeah, that sucks”. Then she was like, “no, it’s great because it doesn’t mess up your make up.” At that point we were getting close to the end and she actually used a razor blade on my sideburns and neck which felt pretty nice with the warm shaving cream. No male barber would do that. For this extra service I figured I was supposed to tip more but I have no idea what she expects as a reasonable tip. The haircut was $18 and I gave her $23. I felt stingy but still have no idea.
The Quiet Dental Pitch
I go to the dentist every 6 months and my dental care has improved over time. I regularly brush twice a day (at least) and floss at least 5 times a week. I’d consider my dental hygiene adequate but I’m regularly told that my gums have pockets and I have to floss 24 hours a day. There have been hygienists in the past who will purposely pick at my gums to see how much they bleed and it’s not fun. My current one is incredibly delicate and it’s actually a pleasant experience. It doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty, around my age, and a normal person. I would make a move but I’m pretty sure she’s married (Meet the Staff) (guess who?). Anyway, she finishes the cleaning and the higher up dentist looks at my teeth and suggests veneers for the 2 front teeth that I chipped when I face planted on the sidewalk. I don’t doubt the veneers would be better so I went along with the pitch and listened. We went to the front where I was met with another pretty girl who was going to give me the details of the veneers.
She asks, “do you have any questions?”
“Just one, how much doesn’t it cost?”
“Let’s go into this room.”
The exact room
We go into this room with a computer and nice presentation where she shows me the what a veneer is and how my teeth are currently set up. She asks again, “do you have any questions?” Same response. I knew I was in trouble when the paper she put on the desk was facing downward. She flips it over and I look at it and say, “whoa, whoa, whoa, is that the price of my bill or my telephone number?” Family Guy reference fwiw and I didn’t actually say this. Anyway it was $5,700 for 2 crowns and 2 veneers and I was like See Ya Later.
After being away from Friday to Monday last week, and being removed my routine, I came back with some unfinished business. Here is what I did to catch up:
Rick and Morty – These characters act exactly like they are supposed to based on their personalities. This is what makes the show so good and it’s that the characters don’t deviate. I can’t stress this enough because once you get to know a character, you laugh with how they experience whatever the writers have them do. Classic lines over and over.
Game of Thrones – I saw some tweets on Sunday night about some javelin throw so I knew it was coming I just didn’t know when. Frankly I thought it was going to be when Gendry was running his sub 1 hour marathon back to the wall. Either way, this show has jumped the shark. The characters have turned into mindless morons. I won’t reiterate the stupidity of the timing and Uncle Benjen literally being a tardo, but the show is going downhill.
Read Fantasy Football Updates & Mock drafts – If you’re in my league, just know you’re up against a seasoned vet. I’m up to date on all the teams and expected usage with players that I think are going to get the opportunity. I have my first auction draft tonight and feel comfortable with who I’m targeting. I have subscriptions to FantasyLabs, FantasyPros, and PFF which will carry me through the season. I’m in over $500 dollars worth of leagues and will use a $500 DF budget which hopefully won’t get wiped out after the first 2 weeks. Leggo.
Exercise – This is the hardest part with being away. I came back feeling like a fat shit after drinking 50 beers and eating whatever the hell i wanted for 4 days. When I got back I gutted out a 6 mile run and then did at least 7 yesterday with 4 on the track. This is a necessary part of my life that gets put on standby for trips.
A quick summary: Sam, Laura, and I went to Nashville on a road trip to see the solar eclipse. It’s about 800 miles and a 12 hour drive. This was my first visit so it was all new to me and I’ll touch on a few of the finer points.
10. Rent a Car – No exaggeration, this was the best $400 dollars we spent on this trip. When I compare driving 1,500 miles in my ’13 Acura TL or doing it with a ’17 Nissan Altima, it’s night and day. My car has 75,000 miles on it and even though I get it checked up routinely, there is still a doubt in my mind it’s ready for this kind of road trip. The new car got incredible gas mileage (39 miles per gallon) which led to fewer breaks, it also ran smoother, and was an all-around nicer ride. Paying the $6 a day for Sirius is also a must unless you plan on bringing CD’s or using all your data.
9. Passing the Time – When you have to spend 25 hours in a car together you have to all get along and find some ways to pass the time. We played the name game for a while (ever hear of Rutherford Buttfucking Hayes?), ridiculed the new Wits and Wager questions, and listened to PopRocks way too much. Sam’s enjoyment of John Mayer’s Your Body Is a Wonderland is unquestioned.
8. Air BnB vs Hotel – My intuition when going on a trip is getting a plane ticket and booking a hotel room. For the eclipse, 98% of the hotel rooms were booked when we were looking and the other 2% was too expensive. The plane tickets were over $700 each for that decision of driving. Renting the Air BnB proved to be the best option for our journey ahead. We ended up spending a tad under $1,000 for the 3 nights which broken up 3 ways was affordable. The first night we got a house with 2 bedrooms that was a mere drive away from downtown and had a huge backyard. The 2nd night was a room broken off from a complete house where space was not abundant but the owners took it seriously and it was clean and the amenities worked. For booking it so late, we made out like bandits and there were no complications at any point.
7. Broadway is 99% White – I”m not writing this because I’m racist, I’m writing this because it’s true. The main downtown street, Broadway (more on this later), is the party street with all of the bars and where everyone goes. If you’ve ever noticed that all country stars are white, this is not a coincidence. The Music City is absolutely known for it’s music and that music is country. I only went to this one area so i’m 100% certain there is diversity elsewhere, just not here.
6. Live Music is Off the Hook – Knowing what I know about Philadelphia, if a person said Nashville is 100% more fun, I’d have no argument. Broadway is a street with 50 bars and 95% of them have live music. Many with multiple bands in the same building. It’s what Nashville is known for. The kicker is that all of the acts are professional and appealing. People are loving the vibe. Everyone is having a great time. It’s sheer fun and I’d be surprised if there are many other cities that can duplicate this. I was recently in Austin and this place blew its doors in.
5. Be Careful on the Bike Trail – On Saturday morning (after an eventful Friday night which makes it further down on the list) my day went like this
1) Breakfast Beer
2) Ate a Chicken Quesadilla on at the farmer’s market
3) Drank a house tequila drink and 2 bud lights while watching Cannon Cox perform at Cervezas Jack’s
4) Drank a Helping Hands IPA while Sam woofed down a double cheeseburger
5) Drank a Yuengling at a roof top bar
With this setup, it was about 3:30 and Laura and Sam wanted to go for a bike ride. Sure thing. As we were riding my wheel slipped off the sidewalk and as I tried to get back on the tire didn’t get completely over the hump and I wiped out. Not a major injury but this was on looked right in front a police officer who I assured I was ok and sped away. Drinking and biking are not that easy.
Didn’t get to go inside
4. The Sheep Shuttle – Figuring we were here for an eclipse, why not check out the science center? We were met with a parking lot constructed by scientists (sarcasm), a sheep shuttle which took 20 people a half mile that was walkable every 20 minutes, a sold out event with the lamest nerd festival created, a bizarre incident with a kid getting lost in a park, and parking attendants imitating Michael Jackson. This was one of those places that has good intentions and is probably fine on regular days, but volume was not its friend on this day. Plus my sno-cone sucked.
3. Hipsters Don’t Know Business – I’m sure this is every city but hipsters should stick to craft beer and making breakfast…oh wait…they couldn’t even do that. After the Science Center fiasco we decided to go to the Jackalope brewery which has the best intentions but it’s outgrown its setup. On a hot Sunday afternoon, we were greeted with a tight quartered area with a live, hippie-esque, duo that there was no space for. The ordering of the beer system was destined for lines which is pretty much the #1 concept you should try to have figured out. We ended up playing some Halftime unsuccessfully while we enjoyed our beers. Not saying this was a bad experience, it just could have been better. Which brings me to breakfast on a Monday morning at a hipster breakfast place downtown. Where to begin. The tables were shaped like guitars with actual holes in the table below the neck. It was 9am and they had run out of most breakfast items. The coffee, which they were known for, was dispensed from one of those Holiday Inn push down containers. I wasn’t even there when 3 people messed up Laura and Sam’s order, but it happened. Sheesh.
Remember this bar, Sam?
2. Don’t Give Sam Whiskey & Remember Your Location – Friday night was Sam’s time to shine as I’ll rehash what happened when we arrived. After the 12 hours drive we were ecstatic to get out there. After Sam tried to convince me that Damon from Shark Tank had hair in the early seasons, we each drank about 4 bud lights. We then went to the neighborhood bars for some cheap PBR’s and a Jai Lai. We then Ubered to Brodway where we went to a bar that must have had 50 taps. Sam and I each had 2 beers and I remember thinking when I went to the bathroom one time that I was starting to get buzzed. We wandered around to a smaller bar with live music where Laura was ready for a drink and she oddly chose a shot of whiskey. At the time, I didn’t remember that Sam wasn’t a whiskey fan so I bought 3 and downed it without much thought. This shot, and another beer or so, turned Sam’s brain from bright to dark as his solar eclipse settled in. We went to another bar where we stormed the front of the crowd and had some fun. In my drunk state I told Laura that she should take Sam home as I wanted to stay out and party some more by myself. Whoops. I creepily went to a few more bars by myself (having Laura in the group made Sam and I less creepy as a whole I may add) and at 1:30 or so decided to walk home. Considering we started the day at 4:30 in the morning and I hadn’t slept a wink, I may have been a bit out there. Without having any destination in mind, I set off to get “home”. I ended up in some part of town that I guess I wasn’t supposed to be and was approached by a police officer who asked me where I was going. I didn’t know the address of the AirBnb and told him I didn’t know. He asked if I knew any landmarks? “The Bear Den” I said (it actual place was called the Crying Wolf). He then took my phone and he asked me who I was with and I said my sister is Laura. The cop called her, she heroically saved my night, and he put me into a cab to get home. All’s well that ends well.
This one’s for you Hafe
1. The Bars – I touched on this earlier but Nashville is the real deal when it comes to partying. I understand that the locals probably hate Broadway, but if you are there for a short period of time, it’s all you can ask for. I’m a big live music fan and you’ll get your mix of bands playing the classic party songs, bands going hardcore country, and all else in between.Country music isn’t my cup of tea but it’s an awesome sight to see all these country folk jamming out to songs I’ve never heard before and all having a great time. The city doesn’t have this uptight feeling where you’re being judged by what you look like or doing. I’ll throw out a few of the bars that I particularly liked for various reasons. The FGL bar was setup with a sick stage with a band that knew what to play and the crowd was going nuts. Honky Tonk was sweet with a more country feel. Acme has an awesome view of the city from its rooftop bar. I wish I could comment on more of them but I only remember these few. An awesome factor is that none of these bars charge cover. This offsets the fact that these “fun” bars usually charge $6 for a 12 oz Bud Light. It doesn’t matter your age or intention, you will have a good time here.
Special thanks go to Laura and Sam for making this a memorable trip. It’s nice that we can travel like this and have no issues. We do a good job understanding that we’re all in a trip like this together and are aware of each others needs. Spending that much time in a car together isn’t easy. Lots of laughs and memories created from this fun experience.
The Eclipse
The final section of this post will be dedicated to the eclipse as this was the whole reason we went. Was it worth it to drive 24 hours to spend 2 minutes in totality? Probably not. Sam was in charge of getting us in a place to see it and we found some train tracks that had a perfect view of the sun. At whatever time the moon was going to cross, you could start to see a sliver blocking sun. This lasted for about an hour before the main event occurred. We passed the time by throwing rocks at a can and complaining how hot it was. I didn’t even touch on this in my write up but this city is fucking hot. Once the moon blocked the sun in full, you could see it perfectly in line and you didn’t have to use the glasses. The entire area got dark and bugs were going nuts. It was certainly odd to see it go completely dark for 2 minutes but certainly not an apocalyptic feel. It was fun though and a perfect reason to go on a road trip. I know the video sucks but it was useless to photograph it.
It’s 3:47am and I ran out of the Green Mountain for my Keurig and resorted to the shitty WB Mason brand that tastes like shit. I’m currently listening to The Nylon Curtain by Billy Joel and want to leave some brief Billy thoughts. He’s probably not as well revered as you may think as most music critics think he’s a bit of a hack. He self admits (modestly) that his piano playing is enough to get by but his body of work speaks for itself. I find myself changing virtually everyone of his overplayed songs but I enjoy, oddly, 1980’s Billy Joel which is overlooked. Specifically Laura, All For Leyna, I Don’t Want To Be Alone Anymore, and Scandinavian Skies. Why am I awake at 3:47? Good question. I don’t have an answer.
I went to sleep at 10 after having a few pints at Moriarty’s (they have Pliny the Elder). The chalk board clearly said “happy hour all day” for 3 types of beers and the bartender told me it ended at 7. I wasn’t going to argue. I had planned to clean my house (for some reason whenever I go on a trip I like returning to a spotless place) and pack for the Nashville trip but didn’t feel like doing it. I wanted to sleep more but we plan on getting up early tomorrow and figured this will make me tired throughout the day so I can sleep tonight and be ready for tomorrow.
What am I doing you ask? Sam, Laura, and I (or myself) are heading west to Nashville to witness the Solar Eclipse. I want something to do that’s different (a solar eclipse in Totality last happened in 1918) and am hoping these 2 minutes are worth 24 hours of driving. I suspect we’ll have plenty of good stories and will hopefully come away with some cool pictures and a fun trip report.
Googling “can I go blind while looking at a solar eclipse” is an amusing exercise. It runs parallel with “can I go blind looking at a laser pointer”. The obvious answer is “yes”. I’m not making light of the situation (great f’ing pun) but there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of difference between when the eclipse occurs and looking at the sun in daytime. Like, no shit if I look at the sun for 2 minutes straight, I’m going to have eye problems. “I’m sorry to break your bubble, my friend, but the sun does not emit any extra ultraviolet radiation during a solar eclipse. It emits exactly the same amount ultraviolet radiation as it does on normal days.”
I found this little nugget too, “It is my greatest disappointment that so many have missed seeing one of natures most beautiful events – a total solar eclipse – because of misinformation. No photograph, no TV or other laboratory technique can represent or capture this unique physical phenomenon. The colors and contrast, the detail and structure of the image is beyond reproduction.”
So all in all, I’m going to be headed to Nashville with 1 million other tourists to watch day become night for 2 minutes and spend the rest of the time getting drunk and listening to Country. Anyone else going? Should be a jam packed party. I’m not sure if good pictures will be produced. I tend to think not as I did some basic research and unless your familiar with exposure settings, it sounds like they’ll turn out as duds.
Above is a 30 minute video on the fall of the Simpsons. I watched it yesterday and was amused throughout. There were a lot of good points that echo what I had in my mind when I decided to stop watching 20 years ago. Just a few reasons why the decline occurred: loss of writers, characters started behaving away from their characteristics, and episodes that started becoming too far fetched. I can’t comment on mostly anything past, and I’m guessing here, season 10, but the show started to suck.
The same quality control happened to Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane got less involved in the show, the characters started becoming less of themselves, and the jokes were used up. The first few seasons of Family Guy stack up against any comedy because they were unique, intelligent, and over the top. The jokes had a darker feel and plot lines just as funny. People who bash them for cuts are angry people. I give South Park a lot of credit because their seasons are still as funny as ever, but remember they still have Matt and Trey pulling all the strings whereas I feel like Seth stopped.
This brings me to a new show that I watched for the first time last night that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not Futurama, even though I have seen a few episodes recently and was chucking throughout, it is *Drumroll Please*…Rick and Morty.
I was aware of Rick and Morty but had never seen an episode. Then when I was doing my TV post 2 weeks ago, I noticed it had a 9.3 rating on IMDB which is way above other shows that I knew I liked a lot. That surprised me. How could a show on Adult Swim have such a high rating? Last night I watched 2 episodes from season 3 before I went to sleep and was cracking up. It was sophisticated. It was hilarious. The characters were tremendously funny (big Rick fan). I completely enjoyed that 22 minutes of time. I will be watching more and I’m sure it’ll make the blog.
If you couldn’t guess by my title, the epic run was not meant to be as per usual. I did end up winning the aggregate in golf for $700+ but this only counteract the $580 I lost playing 1-3 on Saturday night. My fantasy baseball run ended as quickly as it started in this shortened season and all I can say is it wasn’t meant to be. The guy used an average pitcher I dropped 3 weeks ago for a 2 start 40 pt performance just to rub my face in it. Oh well. To top it all off, Louie couldn’t get it done which seems to be the consistent result with our relationship. Back to Monday.
Who doesn’t love a nice Sat & Sun sweat? For me I have about 3k of sweating to do over this weekend if all goes right. Let’s dive in:
Frank Paone hosted a Fantasy Golf Tournament that revolved around the 5 majors (including the Players). 40+ people entered at $75 each creating a nice little prize pool. Each low aggregate of the tourny wins $375 and the winner of the lowest score of the 5 combined wins $750+. I’m currently ahead of the 2nd place guy by 20 strokes for the low round aggregate with a chance to win this tournament outright. Since I passed 5 guys, I don’t get hit with a major penalty of missing the cut. As it so happens, the guy in 2nd place is also in 2nd outright. We share 3 of the same golfers in ZJ, Fowler, and Finau. He needs Rory and Patrick Reed to beat Paul Casey and Adam Scott by 20 strokes for me to lose the $775. For 1st place of the PGA, it’s still to early to call but I’m obviously in a nice spot in 1st (same scenario with Rory and Reed to beat Casey and Scott)
TotalWin Percentage: 98%
PGA Win Percentage 33%
I had a bye in week one of the fantasy baseball playoffs and am currently in the Semi Finals against a guy who I’ve had some history with. This scenario is a bit odd but I’ve been taking the short end of the stick over and over again. Let’s start with me dropping Bellinger earlier in the season (I read he was being sent back down to Triple A and Adrian Gonzalez was coming back up) and this guy picking him up. Then I dropped Dylan Bundy 3 weeks ago and this guy scooped him and hit me for 20 with a start on Monday and he gets another start today. In what I thought was a good move on my bye week, I picked up Andrew Cashner for a double start this week who then scratched. Last night I felt like I had to stream so I picked up Edwin Jackson who is an RP, SP (instead of an SP, RP) and this caused me to drop one of my RP’s (Raisel Iglesias) who went for 9.9 points last night and Edwin got PPD (he pitches today but still). My catcher, Wilson Contreras, went to the DL as well this week. So as all of these things are going against me, I’m going to need my bats to show up. He has 4 pitchers today and then 2 tomorrow including Chris Sale (he can also stream once). I’m spot starting James Shields today at +130 which is a huge if, but I have to have some luck on my side. I’m looking at another stream tomorrow and I have Ervin going on Sunday. So it’ll be my 4 pitchers against his 6 (7 if he streams).
Chance To Win: 35%
I have more action on the PGA as well. I put 10 dollars on Louis at 70-1 and 5 more at 40-1. He’s currently in 5th place at 14-1. I also have 4 on Henrik Stenson to win 600 which is unlikely. I did mange to pass all 6 people in 1 DK team which is always a good chance to cash. The lineup is Cantlay, Kuchar, Lovemark, Matsuyama, Reavie, and Stenson. Xander Schauffele and Daniel Berger prevent 2 other teams from passing 6 so I’m hoping for maybe a min cash on those ones if I get lucky.
I played some Bovada Blackjack today for the fun of it and saw I had a $150 bonus. Nice. After playing about 10 hands of blackjack I was curious how long it would take me to earn the bonus. I was greeted with this message.
The entire audience was going ham singing along and having a grand all time while I was standing around like a stickman. I pretty much stand around like a stickman anyway but especially to country music I’ve never heard before. While the song was playing I thought it sounded fine so I decided to start expanding into country music using Spotify. After going through Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, FGL, and Eric Church, I came to the conclusion that I still don’t like country. Sure I can listen to the favorites like The Dance, Cruise, Toes, and Springsteen but most of it isn’t for me. That being said I added these two songs to my playlist just for the heck of it and think they are pretty damn good.
