I may have brought this subject up before; I don't remember. But even if I had, I'm bringing it back up because the debate was never settle in a way that satisfies me.
Pleated Pants vs. Flat Fronted Pants. Last night, this issue was covered by a roomful of women and a couple of men. A guy was wearing pleated pants, and all but one woman commented on how awful pleated pants are. The men in the group didn't give two craps about if the guy's pants were pleated or flat fronted. However, when pressed about why they feel that pleated pants are awful, the women had no answer, except that they personally think they're ugly. I'm sorry, but your personal taste is a weak foundation for a debate. Please leave the stage and take your seat.
Tell me, who said that pleated pants are tantamount to the Holocaust? Did some fashion designer deem them unworthy recently? Did some hipster on Project Runway turn up his/her nose at them on an episode?
If pleated pants are so awful, why do so many guys wear them? I walk around my work building, full of lawyers and other professionals, and see nine out of 10 guys wearing pleated pants. Some of these guys are younger than me, and I'm sure most make more money than I do, so it stands to reason they're aware of modern fashion trends and are able to afford them. But they go for the pleats. Why?
I know there are some fashion Nazis that read this blog, so please whip out your best reasons for not wearing pleated pants. If they're reasonable and logical enough, I'll pass them on to the lawyers on the 13th floor.
Observer photo was altered improperly Picture in Observer was in violation of accuracy standards RICK THAMES
Accuracy is among our most sacred journalistic values. That goes for the photographs, as well as the words, that we publish.
So, it is with much regret that I inform you that the color in a photograph in Thursday's editions was inappropriately altered before it was published.
The photo, taken by Observer photographer Patrick Schneider, appeared on the front of the Local & State section. It depicted a Charlotte firefighter on a ladder, silhouetted by the light of the early morning sun.
In the original photo, the sky in the photo was brownish-gray. Enhanced with photo-editing software, the sky became a deep red and the sun took on a more distinct halo.
The Observer's photo policy states: "No colors will be altered from the original scene photographed."
Schneider said he did not intend to mislead readers, only to restore the actual color of the sky. He said the color was lost when he underexposed the photo to offset the glare of the sun.
In 2003, Schneider was reprimanded and suspended for three days without pay after editors determined he had inappropriately increased the intensity of colors and darkened backgrounds of several photos.
Because of the most recent violation of our photo policy, Schneider no longer works at the Observer.
We apologize for this misstep. Your trust is important to us. We will do all we can to ensure the integrity of all of our photos going forward.
Wow, talk about a zero tolerance policy! May your weekend be better than Schneider's.
This sweet tea sure is yum-yum good, and so are these tidbits for the day.
Every office has at least one office pest. Here's RedEye's list of some of the worst offenders. What, there's no clockwatcher on that list?
From my co-worker:
According to some accounts, people have started getting out-and-about the last few days, despite the shelling that occurs nearby. The author of a popular Lebanese blog, "Cedarseed," writes that she was astonished to see shops open this week.
"The resilience of this people will always amaze me," she writes. "Even my hairdresser was open, so I went to have a manicure." (War is no excuse to be scruffy, as all hairdressers that worked during the war can attest.) ...
Fake zombies arrested with fake weapons. Story (and photos) here.
Should I get this Corky tattoo? I don't have a tattoo yet, and damn, this looks good!
It's an interesting time in my life. I have a foe. Someone doesn't like me or my band. I'm not sure who it is, because this person posts anonymously on blogs.
On several occasions, this person (I'm guessing it's only one person from the writing style used) has questioned my ability to criticize music, called me a douche bag, and labeled my band a piece of shit.
I wonder if it's the same person that got upset when I said I thought the Black Angels were boring live. Or, maybe it's the only friend I know that uses the term "douche bag," and he's just playing around. Or maybe it's a true, old-fashioned enemy. How exciting!
Thank you to all the people who have questioned AnonFoe's logic. His (or her) rebuttals have been quite entertaining. I can't wait for that person's next attempt at insulting me.
Ian, a member of a message board that I occasionally read and post on, put up this mix over the weekend. I'm not sure if it's his creation or something he found. Either way, I'm digging the crap out of it. Sixty-three minutes of mixed and layered song bliss that you may not think will work well together. Somehow, though, they all fit into place perfectly.
From watching the movie Rock Star, I learned the difference between a tribute band and a cover band. A tribute band is one that recreates the actual moments of a band they're portraying, including the clothes, the movements, the exact way the songs were perform, etc. A cover band merely plays another band's songs, without any concern about authenticity.
Here in Dallas, we have a few tribute bands and cover bands (one of which is Boys Named Sue ... sure, they have their own songs, but I've only heard them on Myspace, never live).
Even though it amazes me with the size of the turnout to see these bands, it really shouldn't surprise me. People usually want what's safe, and they want to hear songs that bring back memories of better times.
Now, thanks to Office Pirates you too can relive those golden moments of life through 20 Classic Rock Tribute Bands.
For some reason, the Hungarian tourism people failed to sell Lake Balaton to me this way when I visited. Where was my topless girl in a boat?
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Fancy sex on a fishing boat? Then visit the Lake Balaton resort, say Hungary's authorities in a recently launched campaign aimed at attracting young people to its main lake resort.
The tourism authority is sending around an email with an internet link http://abalatoninyar.fw.hu/, leading viewers to a short cartoon film which features a young blonde woman having sex with a married man on a fishing boat on the lake.
The film, accompanied by a popular song from the 1980s, shows the tourist hiding his wedding ring while in bed with the woman. It also shows her wowing him after taking off her bra.
"The marketing campaign is aimed at selling Balaton as a travel destination primarily for the young generation," the tourism authority said in a statement.
Under communism Balaton was a popular tourist spot of Germans and east Europeans, but its popularity fell in the past few years as Hungarians choose to spend the summer abroad.
Apparently, I work for an industry that includes one of the sexiest U.S. jobs. According to this report, event planners tied fourth in a "sexiest jobs" poll. Number one? Firefighter, of course.
"The inspiration for the product came from an accidental biscuit spillage into hot asphalt by a group of Tarmac workers on a tea break in 1995 while working on the roads around Tarmac's headquarters in Wolverhampton. The road gang, all of whom still work for Tarmac have been granted an extra tea break a day and free biscuits, for life."
For the last couple of years, the only two places to eat in Expo Park in Dallas were the Meridian Room and Crayton's. The Meridian Room is great (especially their half-off meals on Wednesday), and Crayton's was a nice fine dining experience. But fine dining in Expo Park doesn't usually work, since the area consists mainly of art galleries, bars, a couple of retail shops, and more bars. What Expo Park needed was a good cafe or diner that stayed open late, since the Meridian Room kitchen stops serving at 11 p.m.
Enter Expo Park Cafe, a new restaurant that has taken over Crayton's. While it says cafe, the food there isn't your standard cafe choices. Josh and I went there last week, expecting to order a burger and fries (or a sandwich and chips, or something cafe-ish). What we bought (and loved) was the bleu-cheese stuffed chicken wrapped with bacon, served with twice-cooked potatoes and asparagus. All of this for only $10.95. A good price for a big meal, in my opinion.
If I had remembered to grab a menu, I could tell you about all the other tasty choices available, of which there are many. But maybe it's better that way; maybe you'll find something surprisingly enjoyable like we did if you visit the place.
Expo Park Cafe is located in the Fair Park area of Dallas. Its chef is the same one that used to run the kitchen at Zubar. And if my memory is correct, it's open till 3:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday--perfect for an after drinks dinner.
Song of the Day "April Skies" by the Jesus & Mary Chain
Some anonymous person over at We Shot J.R. called me a douche bag in yesterday's comment section. I quote:
Anonymous said... Good God - Is Blackheart Society really behind that fucking blog? What absolute douche bags if that is true. We already have one douche bag (Pimplomat, also in Ashburne Glen) who promotes his band on his blog.. do we really need another?
All I can say is...finally, Ashburne Glen gets written about on We Shot J.R.!
(I kid, stonedranger.)
In other news, want to buy a fake vacation? Read up.
Some of my friends are going crazy over this new Gnarls Barkley CD, featuring the hit....you know..."Crazy." The blog, Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good, recently posted an entry about the song. Visit the site to read all about "The Evolution of 'Crazy'."
Song of the Day (Go ahead, guess what it is, I dare you.)
Several months ago, I wrote an article for Nerve.com's weekly "Sex Advice from" series. My assignment: Used Car Dealers.
I conducted all the interviews, took all the pictures, and turned in all the material. I got paid. Then I waited for it to run. And waited. And waited. I finally gave up waiting.
Last night, I decided to read Nerve.com, because I hadn't visited the site in quite a while. An ad banner pops up with a picture of one of the car dealers I interviewed, with the question, "Want sex advice from a car dealer?"
WTF?
I click on the banner, and I'm taken to this book.
So, yeah, my first book publication in a way. The Nerve.com editors didn't list any of the contributors, but if you read the "Used Car Dealer" section, just know that I fielded it.
I just wouldn't feel right about not letting my female readers know about this wonderful opportunity for a free trip overseas.
CHICAGO, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago bachelor Scott Tucker is making a unique internet search to find a new traveling companion to join him at the exclusive luxury "Hotel Arts" in Barcelona, Spain.
A Ritz-Carlton Group hotel, and within just 100 yards of some of the most superb beaches in Spain, the Hotel Arts is considered to be the finest hotel in Barcelona.
Tucker originally arranged the whole trip and reserved one of the best rooms in the hotel -- costing over $450.00 per night and complete with panoramic views of the Mediterranean -- as a surprise six-day birthday treat for the girl he was dating.
But she dumped him when he discovered she was cheating on him, and now Tucker has found himself faced with the prospect of either taking the trip alone or finding someone to accompany him. And he hasn't got long to do it: the trip is booked to start on July 30th.
However, Tucker is in a tight spot: the spare $4,500.00 business-class airline ticket is in the name of his original companion. And only someone with the exact same legal name can use it.
Undeterred and unwilling to let the ticket go to waste, Tucker, who recently won the Glazer-Kennedy Inner-Circle Marketer of the Year award for his work in marketing his mortgage brokerage, turned his marketing skills to bear on the problem.
And so, to find the ideal traveling companion in name as well as in nature, Tucker has set up a website and launched an on-line search that will give just one lucky lady the unique opportunity of joining him in this exclusive luxury hotel and enjoying an all- expenses-paid trip of a lifetime.
To be eligible for the search, candidates must go to the website, www.freetriptobarcelona.com, and enter their full legal name, submit a photo, tell him about themselves, and then give him one compelling reason why he should choose them above everyone else who might share the right name. All candidates must be female, single, and be 21 years of age or over.
Tucker insists the trip is platonic. He is not looking specifically for romance and wants nothing more than good company and lively conversation with someone who has a sense of adventure and fun.
When the deadline passes Tucker will take all submissions with the correct name and select the winner. His decision is final.
Scott Tucker is a mortgage broker, loan officer, and the No.1 educator in direct marketing for subprime mortgage professionals in the country. To learn more about Scott and his Spanish holiday internet giveaway, go to www.freetriptobarcelona.com.
"She dumped him when he discovered she was cheating on him." Am I missing something? Shouldn't he had dumped her?
I just returned from the trade show part of my company's big conference. Has anyone else been to a trade show before? You're walking down the aisles and people just stare at you; they desperately want to talk to someone. If you don't want to talk, don't make eye contact. I spent about two hours walking around looking at the floor. The Dallas Convention Center has a nice floor, by the way.
Maybe the local press is waiting until after the event to report on it. Still, it would have been nice to have some pre-event coverage, just to let people know what the hell is going on. Sure, the Dallas Morning News ran a small piece about it, but for all the hipsters/scenesters/cube jockeys that read the local press' blogs everyday, there was nothing, no Frontburner coverage, no Unfair Park blurb and not even a mention in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
It's okay; the meetings industry only generates $122.3 billion a year. No need to write about 3,000 conference attendees wondering around Dallas to see if they would like to bring their groups here, along with a good chunk of that yearly revenue.
This weekend, Dallas will experience an influx of meeting planners. So, everyone that lives here, please be on your best behavior. We want these people to bring their groups to Dallas in the future. The money groups spend in the city will eventually find its way into your pocket.
A person from DFW Acoustics wrote me asking for some exposure. I'm not sure how much exposure you'll be receiving from my posting about you on this site, but readers, please check out the site. It's actually really well put together.
And then there were two Dallas character-based music blogs. Check out Bobby Ewing Dreams for an interview with my piano teacher. Go Sean!
Wee Demon is back, if you didn't know. Now, maybe we can get Candy and Nuts to come back.
This is all I have today. Next week, I'll talk about black holes, public art, and why red apples taste better than green ones.
As as I was saying, Dirtfoot put on an incredible show that had several people dancing and singing along. I mean, who can't love a band that inspires people to dance with boxes on their heads?
The next day, we headed out to a flea market where I was tempted to buy several cheap adult movies. I decided to save my money for some pie from the famous Strawn's Eat Shop. The place is known worldwide for its delicious ice box pies. Josh and Jill dove right in, but not before taking this oh, so cutesy picture.
In the end, I believe my favorite part about Shreveport was how nice everyone was to each other. "Sweetie," "honey," and "sugar" were commonly used and never in any sexual way. At the bars, too, every sort mixed. From bikers to hippies to sorority girls, there never was a "cooler-than-thou" attitude that is often found here in Dallas. The hipsters were non-existent. Well, maybe except for this guy.
Saturday, Josh and I went to Shreveport to visit our good friend, Jill. She moved back there almost a year ago, and being the procrastinators that we are, we just now got around to visiting her.
Before leaving Texas, I had Josh try some sweet tea from Golden Chick. I think I made a dent in his nonsweetteadrinking armor.
Since Josh had never visited Louisiana, we stopped to get him a souvenir shirt. I bought one, too.
Jill took us to many places and introduced us to many friendly people. We discovered that rent is really, REALLY, cheap there. We're thinking of ditching this high-price city and opening our own club in Shreveport. Not really. Okay, maybe.
We even saw a blue crawfish at her friend's house.
Here is the Municipal Memorial Auditorium, home of the famous Louisiana Hayride where several artists such as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and George Jones got their start.
We went to a bar/club to hear a couple of bands. NOTE: DFWd bands, go play Shreveport. The citizens crave some outside of the city entertainment.
First on deck was The Peekers, a more folky version of ABBA. They had great harmonies, and I'm sure if they were located in Denton (or maybe even Dallas), all the hipsters would be falling over themselves to support them.
Next was the incredible Dirtfoot, who describe themselves as "a dose of Gypsy punk country grumble boogie." That pretty much sums it up. I tell you, this whole "world indie" genre is going to blow up big within the next year, and Dirtfoot will be there leading the charge. Imagine Man Man growing up in Louisiana; that's a good description.
(Okay, it appears I'll have to show more pictures tomorrow, since Blogger is being a bitch and not letting me upload anymore. Part II tomorrow; you've been warned.)
Song of the Day Dirtfoot live at the Municipal performing "My Girl"
