King of the burritos (and tacos and pizza)

I'm playing around with the layout and elements and all sort of fun stuff on here, so don't be alarmed if things are a little different. I'm just bored and figured what the hell, may as well see what I can do.

Speaking of bored, that's pretty much been my life of late. I haven't written much on here because, well, not much has been happening to me. Like I mentioned, I went to 3 Royals' games in the past week, which was awesome. They won all 3, and I got a bobblehead, a hat, and a shirt. So really, I won, too. I'd post pictures, but my camera has been extremely temperamental, and I haven't taken any great shots anyways. On account of my viewfinder thing being broken. But rest assured, it was fun.

Also, something I've been doing Friday nights is heading to Lawrence, KS (about a 30-40 minute drive) with some friends to get a burrito. Not just any burrito, mind you, but a burrito from the wondrous Burrito King. It's a drive-thru place, open until 3 in the morning every day, serving the cheapest burritos I've ever seen. For the three of us, each getting a burrito and a side of nacho cheese, the total price is usually around $10. For three people. Together. It's amazing. I say usually because I don't know if it's ever cost the same amount twice, but that's just part of the fun. Last night it was $11.90, a couple of weeks ago it was $9.50, either way it was a deal. I usually go with the carnitas with rice and cheese, and it's usually delicious. But getting through a whole one can be a feat unto itself. A feat in amazing food.

An even more amazing event occured when we went a couple of weeks ago. We were going to hit up a place called Pizza Shuttle, also in Lawrence (the two other guys both went to school at KU, so they've gotten quite attached), for their $4.50 personal pizza and a soda pop special. On the way, we joked around that we should also stop at Burrito King, and hit up Taco John's while we were there. (Note: I freakin' love TJ's, but the closest one is a ways away from me.) Soon the joking turned into a frank discussion, and shortly thereafter, we had a plan: split one small pizza amongst the three of us, each get a taco from Taco John's, and each get a burrito from BK. We don't know how exactly it came about, but we had our minds set.

The eventual feast turned out to be magical. We headed to a park to sit at a picnic table, spread everything out, and just marvel for a moment. Then, we dug in. I only wish we had brought a camera to document the night. We were taking a bite of each in rapid succession, washing them down with our foutain sodapops (also part of our tradition, we stop at a Quik Trip for a 32 oz fountain drink), and even had a bite of all three at once. This bite, my dear friends, was incredible, while testing the tensile limits of the mouth.

Jared was the only one to finish all three portions, I just couldn't quite get all of the burrito. I had only about 2 or 3 bites left, but had I tried to get those in, the results would not have been pretty.

The drive home was a glorious one, recount our tale to each other, making plans for the next "ironman" night. Our rapture only slightly dampered when we thought about how many calories we had just consumed. But at the price, around $17 TOTAL, we were truly champions.

Showbiz Clubbers (or, a good morning spent on the internet)

This has been an exciting morning for me and my internet browsing ways. First, I find out that scholars have found the exact date when Odysseus returned home from the Trojan War! Because that really happened, and scholars need to be focusing their time on the subject that in-depth.

Next, I've found a couple of videos that need to be watched by everyone. First, Shakira with her best friend Glenn Danzig




And if you think that's awesome, wait until you see this



That's it for now, but I'll have more to say soon. I've been busy with work and going to Royals games (3 in the last 4 days!) and having a temporary roommate and playing video games, so I haven't had a whole lot of time to sit and type a lot of stuff out. But it's coming. Promise.

Francois Virot and Ramona Cardova

I'm up very late on a Monday night, but it was worth it. I went down to visit my friends at Skinless Gallery (ok, so I kinda know one of the guys there, through Charczuk, but I think I can still call him my friend), since there was a show being played there, and I need to go out and be social on occasion.

Opening was Alex Niedt (myspace), a local kid playing (I think) his first show. He was good, has a great voice, and good show (in spite of his"jitters," which he claimed he had, but I never saw).

Next on deck was Francois Vidot (website | myspace). I had only heard his stuff in the background, last time I was at the gallery, so I wasn't too familiar with his stuff. But when he set up on the side of the stage, to perform without any amplification on his guitar or mics for his vocals, I was intrigued. Then I was amazed by his performance. Here's a sample, in a little bit of a different setting, but you'll get the idea.

Francois Virot - Say Fiesta

His vocals are definitely unique, but they fit his style so well, are so emotional (without being emo), and, even though he was in the midst of losing his voice during the performance tonight, sounded so great to me. To top it off, he's a super nice guy. I talked with him a while, about his tour and the Midwest, and about speaking French.

The third and final act of the night was Ramona Cordova (website | myspace). Another great guitarist and vocalist. His songs were touching, his voice touching, and guitar parts complemented the setting perfectly.

Ramona Cordova - Heavy on my Head

He was also struggling with his voice, I guess they camped out in Arizona a week ago, and the dry air got to their throats. It didn't hurt the performances too much, though, even when the singers couldn't quite complete the verse before a fit of coughs came on, it didn't detract from the song, and they still gave it their all.

I was sooo glad I came to this show. It turned out to be one of the more impressive shows I've seen in a long time, and a genuinely good time. If they're coming to your town (I'm looking at you, Minneapolis friends - Wednesday at a place called New Pines, check either of their myspace pages for more info), I'd really recommend going to see them, support them, chat with them, because they're great guys, great musicians, and definitely worth your while.

The Films

I'm just sitting at work, watching the U.S. Open playoff (Tiger wins it in sudden death!), listening to some tunes. Busy day.

Here's another group I've just heard about through XM. I'm probably way behind on them, like most bands, but I thought I'd mention them anyways. Here's The Films (website | myspace)!



My favorite song of their so far has been "Belt Loops," but "Black Shoes" is pretty solid, too. They have some of Elvis Costello's old punk sound, mixed in with more modern indie pop, like an American version of the Arctic Monkey (a band I've been getting way way into, by the way). A pretty catchy combination, if you ask me. And obviously you care what I think.

Well, it's about time I get hittin' that old dusty trail. But, I'm very excited for an album coming out tomorrow, a new one from the Notwist. So check back for my thought on that!!

Happy Father's Day!

I wanted to take this chance to wish all of you dads out there a fun Fathers Day! Hopefully you're not getting rained on, for any planned barbecues or outdoor activities that you had planned.

I also wanted to thank my dad, for being such a great dude and putting up with me all these years. For taking me to my first baseball game in '85, my first Hawkeye game earlier than that, for showing me how to really fall in love with a team, following them through every turn, savoring the victories and graciously accepting the losses. Those days so long ago playing football in our yard, my brother versus me, with my dad being the all-time quarterback for both teams, were some of the happiest days I've had. As were the days when he would pitch to us, I would giggle as I "stole" second base, but he'd never pick me off. And for as much as I laughed the time I rocketed the whiffle ball back at his face, knocking off his glasses, I still feel kind of bad for that.

But mostly, I wanted to thank him for being such a great person, the best dad anyone could hope to have, and for showing me how much fun and therapeutic a good catch can be. Thanks dad!

(note: If you watch the follow clip and don't get a little misty-eyed, I don't think we can be friends anymore. And if you haven't seen "Field of Dreams," you may not want to watch this clip yet. You need to go buy the movie ASAP, because it's probably the best movie ever made.)

I love math (too!)

I Love Math features members of the Deathray Davies and Philip Peeples of the Old 97's, as well as the drummer from Apples in Stereo. And with their name, I basically liked them before I heard a note. Good thing they didn't disappoint.

They've got a folky-country-indie sound, that I really dig. Their myspace is their only website, so go check it out. It's nice to have on in the background, and just generally nice to listen to. I wouldn't lead you astray.

In other news, posts should grown longer and more frequent after Friday, when I'll finally be getting internet set up at my place. So until then, enjoy the music, and check back this weekend. . .