I don't know a lot about baseball and I avoided playing it when I was a kid- I'm no good at that shit.
But latey I've gotten into the Red Sox and Dustin Pedroia. Something about him is very interesting. I wanna buy the book he put out in 2009, Born To Play: My Life In The Game.
The only problem is: Pedroia co-wrote the book along with Ted Delaney. I don't care if someone works very closely with their editor, but when you put a famous person together with a writer you know that the writer is going to take over and then the person's voice is lost.
I'd rather read a sloppy book by Pedroia than a neat, organized book by a real writer. But anyway, I checked the library last year and theyb didn't have it; I'm gonna try again Monday.
I also wanna try his salsa.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Meeting new people
I consider myself the kind of person who doesn't attract other people. Not that I repel people. Just that out in public, I'm not the person that a talker come up to. I'm bad at conversations and I think other people sense this. That's good for me because I mostly enjoy listening to other people talk.
But the last 2 days thing have been different.
Yesterday afternoon I was waiting at the bus station and smoking a cigarette when a chubby woman in her late 40s came up to me and started talking about how she almost missed her bus earlier and how she had an argument with the driver. She told me the whole story and we talked about busses in general plus the weather and the tornado that rolled through the area on June 1st. She was clearly a little "off" but not so strange or crazy that I felt like making a run for it or politely finding another place to wait. She was nice and harmless.
Today, a the same place, the same thing happened. I feel so popular. I was talking to this guy that I had talked to before when this other guy came up to ask the other guy what time it was. The new guy mentioned that he'd just gotten out of prison and we congratulated him. Then a funny thing happened. Of the two of us, the jailbird started talking to me. The other guy ended up drifting off and Anthony told me about how he liked to work on, and race, cars and how big his 3 year old son was. I know nothing about cars but it was interesting and I pretended that I knew what he was talking about. Turns out that he started with one kind of car and added parts from another kind of car and modified everything.
He's 22 years old and he was very happy when I said that I'd thought that he was 25. He said that's because he's matured now. He's learned to forgive his father and other people who've hurt him and because of that he's able to forgive himself. I said that's a good way to be. It's healthy.
Turns out that he was taking the same bus and that we live in the same part of the city- on the edge of town. I got on the bus first. I'd hoped that he'd sit near and, in fact, he sat right next to me and we talked the entire time. I was disappointed when he got off the bus before its final stop but he had somewhere else he had to go.
I'm hoping that we'll run into each other again. He might be trouble, but he seems like a good person.
But the last 2 days thing have been different.
Yesterday afternoon I was waiting at the bus station and smoking a cigarette when a chubby woman in her late 40s came up to me and started talking about how she almost missed her bus earlier and how she had an argument with the driver. She told me the whole story and we talked about busses in general plus the weather and the tornado that rolled through the area on June 1st. She was clearly a little "off" but not so strange or crazy that I felt like making a run for it or politely finding another place to wait. She was nice and harmless.
Today, a the same place, the same thing happened. I feel so popular. I was talking to this guy that I had talked to before when this other guy came up to ask the other guy what time it was. The new guy mentioned that he'd just gotten out of prison and we congratulated him. Then a funny thing happened. Of the two of us, the jailbird started talking to me. The other guy ended up drifting off and Anthony told me about how he liked to work on, and race, cars and how big his 3 year old son was. I know nothing about cars but it was interesting and I pretended that I knew what he was talking about. Turns out that he started with one kind of car and added parts from another kind of car and modified everything.
He's 22 years old and he was very happy when I said that I'd thought that he was 25. He said that's because he's matured now. He's learned to forgive his father and other people who've hurt him and because of that he's able to forgive himself. I said that's a good way to be. It's healthy.
Turns out that he was taking the same bus and that we live in the same part of the city- on the edge of town. I got on the bus first. I'd hoped that he'd sit near and, in fact, he sat right next to me and we talked the entire time. I was disappointed when he got off the bus before its final stop but he had somewhere else he had to go.
I'm hoping that we'll run into each other again. He might be trouble, but he seems like a good person.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Machete
Machete (2010) Directed by Robert Rodreguez and Ethan maniquis
Machete is a great Friday night movie to watch while you'tre sitting at home on your loveseat drinking cranberry/ raspberry juice cocktail and eating croutons straight out of the bag.
That's the scene here except it's Tuesday night.
Normally movies with all-star casts suck. There's Mars Attacks. That movie is a piece of shit. And I look back fondly on the Cannonball Run movies but they're pretty weak.
Machete, though, is a good movie. I'm still watching it. Right now Lindsay Lohan is naked, Splash-style. Don Johnson and Cheech Marin are reunited- they were great in Tin Cup- but here they don't share any scenes. Jeff "The Lawnmowerman" Fahey does a good job as one of the bad guys and I can't get over how different he seems now that he's older.
Danny Trejo doesn't have a lot of lines, but he carries the whole movie well. After years of supporting roles this is his first time being the leading man and he does a great job.
So here's what I really think about Machete: It's an entertaining movie, but it just seems like an episode of CSI :Texas only it has nudity, swearing, and more blood. Note: Now I'm eating a bowl of bread & butter pickles. They go so good with croutons. Anyway, I can't help comparing Machete with Jackie Brown and Kill Bill. And Machete lacks all the elements that make Jackie and Bill special. I could watch Quentin Tarentino's movies over and over again. There are so many scenes that I love and am amazed by. If I never see Machete again that's fine- there's not one single scene that I remember and think, "That was great, I'd like to re-watch that".
Machete's over now so I'm gonna have one more cigarette and then I'm going to bed. Big day tomorrow, maybe. Good night.
Machete is a great Friday night movie to watch while you'tre sitting at home on your loveseat drinking cranberry/ raspberry juice cocktail and eating croutons straight out of the bag.
That's the scene here except it's Tuesday night.
Normally movies with all-star casts suck. There's Mars Attacks. That movie is a piece of shit. And I look back fondly on the Cannonball Run movies but they're pretty weak.
Machete, though, is a good movie. I'm still watching it. Right now Lindsay Lohan is naked, Splash-style. Don Johnson and Cheech Marin are reunited- they were great in Tin Cup- but here they don't share any scenes. Jeff "The Lawnmowerman" Fahey does a good job as one of the bad guys and I can't get over how different he seems now that he's older.
Danny Trejo doesn't have a lot of lines, but he carries the whole movie well. After years of supporting roles this is his first time being the leading man and he does a great job.
So here's what I really think about Machete: It's an entertaining movie, but it just seems like an episode of CSI :Texas only it has nudity, swearing, and more blood. Note: Now I'm eating a bowl of bread & butter pickles. They go so good with croutons. Anyway, I can't help comparing Machete with Jackie Brown and Kill Bill. And Machete lacks all the elements that make Jackie and Bill special. I could watch Quentin Tarentino's movies over and over again. There are so many scenes that I love and am amazed by. If I never see Machete again that's fine- there's not one single scene that I remember and think, "That was great, I'd like to re-watch that".
Machete's over now so I'm gonna have one more cigarette and then I'm going to bed. Big day tomorrow, maybe. Good night.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Amy Winehouse
I got home from work around 6pm and, like always, got on the computer to check on news and whatnot. Had I gone to USA Today online instead of my local paper I would've seen the news right away. As it was I scan the local headlines and didn't see the story about Amy Winehouse till I scrolled down.
I've gotta say: I'm surprised. Yeah, I knew she had plenty of problems, but it never occurred to me that she might die. She seemed like a survivor, in spite of, or because of, all the trouble she got into.
I liked the two songs that I heard on the radio, "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good". I checked out Back to Black at the library and while i thought it was good, nothing else jumped out at me. Still, those two songs are excellent. I love how "Rehab" has that 60s sound to it but I can't think of any particular song from that time that it sounds like.
And she was so cool looking- that beehive was so unexpected and so right. She was very pretty and she seemed like she'd be fun to hang out with, at least until she started coming off as more of a fighter, somebody who actually gets into fights with people.
I think the whole thing is so sad. Like I said, I didn't see this coming. I always imagined that, while she may or may not keep getting in trouble, she'd have a decades- long career and a lot of amazing songs in the future.
On a side note, Twitter is starting to annoy me the way that it's become a legitimate news source. Everyone's Twitter account is being quoted. I know it's early, but have you read any thoughtful comments from any of her fellow musicians? I haven't. Only Tweets that don't look much different than the comments that teenagers leave on their friends' Facebook pages. "RIP Amy", ect.
I've gotta say: I'm surprised. Yeah, I knew she had plenty of problems, but it never occurred to me that she might die. She seemed like a survivor, in spite of, or because of, all the trouble she got into.
I liked the two songs that I heard on the radio, "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good". I checked out Back to Black at the library and while i thought it was good, nothing else jumped out at me. Still, those two songs are excellent. I love how "Rehab" has that 60s sound to it but I can't think of any particular song from that time that it sounds like.
And she was so cool looking- that beehive was so unexpected and so right. She was very pretty and she seemed like she'd be fun to hang out with, at least until she started coming off as more of a fighter, somebody who actually gets into fights with people.
I think the whole thing is so sad. Like I said, I didn't see this coming. I always imagined that, while she may or may not keep getting in trouble, she'd have a decades- long career and a lot of amazing songs in the future.
On a side note, Twitter is starting to annoy me the way that it's become a legitimate news source. Everyone's Twitter account is being quoted. I know it's early, but have you read any thoughtful comments from any of her fellow musicians? I haven't. Only Tweets that don't look much different than the comments that teenagers leave on their friends' Facebook pages. "RIP Amy", ect.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Summer plans
Summer plans. I'm not talking about camping or going to the beach. I'm talking about a couple of blog ideas I have. I don't keep notes or make lists of potential topics (though I'd like to). So what I do is make note of my plans and ideas here, at RJ Battles. That may, I might have other things on my mind, but when I come here I'll see the older subject ideas and get to work.
Number One: I'd like to write about all the Stephen King books I've read (plus some of the movies). Someone once asked King what book he'd most likely be remembered for. Not what he considered his best book, or what he wanted to be remembered for, but which one had the best chance of being read far, far into the future. He answered The Shining, and I can kind of agree- it sounds like a sound choice, but I disagree. I chose another book and I'll get to that in my upcoming Stephen King post.
Number Two: I wanna write about Frank Black and all of his solo albums and songs. Of all the musicians that I like, the two whose music most excites me are Kristin Hersh and Frank Black. The ups and downs and highs and lows of FB's musical output are extreme. So many awesome, amazing songs (usually un-released or B-sides) and a bunch of weak, uninteresting tracks (singles, of course- you knew I was gonna say that). There are a lot of things to talk about.
I can't wait to write these two posts. It's just past 3am so in a couple minutes I'll be back in bed and this time I'm gonna fall asleep. 5am will be here soon.
Number One: I'd like to write about all the Stephen King books I've read (plus some of the movies). Someone once asked King what book he'd most likely be remembered for. Not what he considered his best book, or what he wanted to be remembered for, but which one had the best chance of being read far, far into the future. He answered The Shining, and I can kind of agree- it sounds like a sound choice, but I disagree. I chose another book and I'll get to that in my upcoming Stephen King post.
Number Two: I wanna write about Frank Black and all of his solo albums and songs. Of all the musicians that I like, the two whose music most excites me are Kristin Hersh and Frank Black. The ups and downs and highs and lows of FB's musical output are extreme. So many awesome, amazing songs (usually un-released or B-sides) and a bunch of weak, uninteresting tracks (singles, of course- you knew I was gonna say that). There are a lot of things to talk about.
I can't wait to write these two posts. It's just past 3am so in a couple minutes I'll be back in bed and this time I'm gonna fall asleep. 5am will be here soon.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I need a new banner
I keep on forgetting- it looks like it's still Eastertime here. But I wanna do something really cool and not just the usual Belly collage (not that they're not great, I just wanna do something different).
I'm going to a Jack & Jill tomorrow night and I can't wait. The last time I went out and had a few drinks was March 2. This weekend I'll tell you all about the party.
I like to go to the blog By Ken Levine. Levine used to write for M*A*S*H and Cheers. He's also a baseball announcer and he was involved with a mini-fued with Aaron Sorkin back when Studio 60 was still on the air. Two months ago Levine was involved in a smaller mini-fued with Roseanne over an article she wrote for New York magazine. I like Roseanne and Sorkin but in both cases I have to side with Levine.
So anyway, I found Levine's blog last year when I was looking up Cheers on Wiki- Wiki linked to his blog and an intersting story about why Eddie Lebeque was written off the show. I've been reading every day ever since. Plus I've read just about every post from the archives...
...Ok, I just remembered my point. Today he wrote about the quality of the movies that have come out so far this year. I haven't gone to the movies yet this year but I've been watching a lot on Comcast and Netflix and I have some opinions.
It's too much to get into tonight- in ten minutes the lights will be off and I'll be in bed- but we'll talk about this later this month. Or early next month. We'll see. Good night.
I'm going to a Jack & Jill tomorrow night and I can't wait. The last time I went out and had a few drinks was March 2. This weekend I'll tell you all about the party.
I like to go to the blog By Ken Levine. Levine used to write for M*A*S*H and Cheers. He's also a baseball announcer and he was involved with a mini-fued with Aaron Sorkin back when Studio 60 was still on the air. Two months ago Levine was involved in a smaller mini-fued with Roseanne over an article she wrote for New York magazine. I like Roseanne and Sorkin but in both cases I have to side with Levine.
So anyway, I found Levine's blog last year when I was looking up Cheers on Wiki- Wiki linked to his blog and an intersting story about why Eddie Lebeque was written off the show. I've been reading every day ever since. Plus I've read just about every post from the archives...
...Ok, I just remembered my point. Today he wrote about the quality of the movies that have come out so far this year. I haven't gone to the movies yet this year but I've been watching a lot on Comcast and Netflix and I have some opinions.
It's too much to get into tonight- in ten minutes the lights will be off and I'll be in bed- but we'll talk about this later this month. Or early next month. We'll see. Good night.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Things to do and people to see
Last night I wrote about Jincy Willet's short story "The Best of Betty"*. I just wanna say again how good it is. I think anyone would like it, but it helps if you grew up reading advice columns like Ann Landers and Dear Abby. My local paper also carried Dr. Ruth for a while too.
I'm just gonna take this time to recomend a few other things you'll like.
I like just about every O Henry story I've read but my favorite is "The Last Leaf". Check it out- it's very short and won't take much of your time but you'll always remember it. You can easily find it online. Also, if you get the chance, see O Henry's Full House. "The Last Leaf" is acted out, along with "The Gift of the Magi".
One of my favorite songs from the last 10 years is "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley. I heard it one time on the radio and then never again. I thought it was Jewel so that made it a little harder to track it down on the computer but I still found it on YouTube.
Speaking of YouTube, if you're in a bad mood with time to kill watch some of Kathy Griffin's Bravo specials. She has a couple new ones out- "50 and Not Pregnant" and "Gurrl Down". She talks about Steven Segal: Lawman and spending her birthday with Cher.
Ok, I guess I've given you enough to do. Now go do it.
* "The Best of Betty" is from Jincy Willet's book Jenny & the Jaws of Life.
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