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Mar. 3, 2010

Took Joan to see one of my all-time favorite artists, Bob Mould, perform at the wonderful venue World Cafe Live, where we enjoyed some delicious sandwiches and drinks in addition to the show.

Bob took the stage with his signature blue Stratocaster and informed the audience that his set would be entirely electric, since his acoustic guitar had fallen victim to baggage handlers earlier in the week. The unexpected change might have flustered a lesser musician, but Bob actively embraced the different format. He smiled broadly throughout the evening, and mentioned more than once that he should consider playing all-electric shows more often.

Surprises included the scorching Sugar B-side “Needle Hits E” and an impromptu version of the anguished ballad “Thumbtack” in response to a request from the audience. Between songs, Mould candidly discussed the painful side effects of writing his autobiography (which is due out next year) and his recent move from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. And toward the end of his blistering set, he graciously thanked the Philly crowd for their consistently loyal support at his shows over the years.

[ # 566 | Link ]

Feb. 26–28, 2010

Joined my girlfriend Joan on a long-overdue, late-winter weekend trip to meet up with our friends in the Washington, D.C., area.

Friday. We left Joan’s place in the city by late afternon. Along the way, we made a brief pit stop at the Baltimore Travel Plaza, which turned out to be a desolate, creepy bus depot (as opposed to a busy, reasonably clean fast-food complex). Thankfully, we encountered relatively light traffic for a Friday night, even on the dreaded Beltway. Checked in at the gorgeous Westin Alexandria, where we had booked a room on hotels.com for an astounding $95 per night, then kicked off the weekend with drinks and appetizers with my friend Larry at nearby Theismann’s.

Saturday. Enjoyed a delicious late brunch at Jamieson Grille, the stylish restaurant in our hotel, then embarked on a leisurely afternoon walk around the Old Town section of Alexandria. Later, back at the hotel, we met up with Joan’s friends Alyssa and Uzo for drinks at the Trademark Bar, then joined a lively group of my college friends and their wives at the Union Street Public House, where the bacon-wrapped shrimp and shellfish/pasta entrées were superb! We finished the night just down the street at O’Connell’s for a few late beverages, then took a short ride back to the hotel.

Sunday. Started the day with a refreshing dip in the hotel’s third-floor pool and hot tub. Upon checking out, we drove to the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, where we enjoyed a huge brunch buffet (including crab legs!) while seated at the bar at Whitlow’s on Wilson. And after an equally fun-filled and relaxing weekend with old friends in northern Virginia, we even made great time on our way back to Philly.

[ # 565 | Link ]

Feb. 14, 2010

Last weekend, I expressed genuine amazement at this winter’s heavy snowfall while admitting that “spring isn’t exactly around the corner, either.”

How true those words turned out to be. On Feb. 9–10, we were pounded with a second blizzard in less than a week. The additional 15.3 inches of snowfall (on top of the deep blanket of snow from the previous weekend) brought the greater Philadelphia region to a standstill — even the Schuylkill Expressway, Blue Route, and Vine Street Expressway were all closed!

This latest onslaught also contributed to a new all-time record of 71.6 inches for the season, and winter is still far from over. Incredibly, this season’s snowfall in Philly is starting to approach the massive amounts of snow I witnessed during my days in State College in the mid-’90s.

I’m thankful that I wasn’t among the 100,000 local residents who lost power during the storm. But the evergreen trees that stand very close to my house gave me a great deal of anxiety — they were so overloaded with snow that many of their large branches broke off, including one that landed with a frightening thud on the roof while I was working in my home office.

The local weather reports are calling for yet another moderate snowfall tomorrow night, to my utter dismay. Spring can’t arrive soon enough.

[ # 564 | Link ]

What’s not so new?

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Video clip of the moment

Most infomercials tend to irk me, but having already enjoyed the ad campaign for the ShamWow, I have to admit that I’m mesmerized by the frenzied, Brooklyn-accented showmanship of pitchman Vince Offer — yes, that’s his stage name — and his latest wonder product, the Slap Chop (running time: 3:10).

Previously featured clips:

1. Sesame Street’s Pinball Number Count, brought to you by the number 8 (1:07).

2. Family Guy patriarch Peter Griffin wears a mustache and tries to speak Italian (0:43).

3. The music video for Röyksopp’s “Remind Me,” a song from recent GEICO ads (4:15).

4. The superheroes from Super Friends perform key scenes from Office Space (2:54).

5. John McCain and Barack Obama star in JibJab’s “Time for Some Campaignin’” (2:30).

6. Derrick Williams scores a Penn State touchdown on a 78-yard punt return (1:58).

7. Homer Simpson demonstrates the theory of evolution through the ages (1:29).

8. A gorgeous VW Cabrio ad, featuring Nick Drake’s ballad, “Pink Moon” (1:00).

9. A clever, intricate Honda commercial that required 606 takes to complete (2:01).

10. Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang dance to OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” (4:07).

11. Old-school Sesame Street revisited: a lost boy finds his way home (1:38).

12. More classic Sesame Street: a pair of Muppets imagine shapes (3:22).