27 October, 2008

Wow. Ralph Nader Was in Baltimore? Really?

http://indyreader.org/content/ralph-nader-speaks-2640-space-charles-village-%E2%80%94-eric-imhof-october-9th-2008-audio-tech-erich

So I guess Ralph Nader was in Baltimore at the 2640 Space in St. Paul St.
On Oct. 1st. Damn, Not only did I not hear anything about it but I didn't even know until almost a month later.
Too bad. I've been a Nader supporter (not so much for president though) for a while now.
Where was the news that this event was happening? Did you know? Did you care?
It's nice to hear a voice come out every election cycle to tell us the same thing and always correct in it: No matter who wins this election (2 party election) the people still lose.
In the future can we get some more notice when events like this take place? Please?

23 October, 2008

Allergies: Dr's Fight Peanuts with...Peanuts!

Like OMFG! You guys! Check this out.
So, I was like watching the news tonight, right?
Yea, really, Me? Watch the news? No but really, I was.

So there was this news story about allergies in children being on the rise. Like, they're up 18% in 10 or 20 years. Or something like that, right?

And there's like nothing Dr's can do about it. This is totally unfair. These kids can't eat peanuts. No peanut butter. Nuttin'. Haha, get it?

But check it out. This is where the science part comes in. And health is science too, yea?

Right so now doctors are giving kids a small small dose of peanut so that their immune systems can, like get used to it. Like 1/100th of a peanut.

So they're thinking that soon kids will become less allergic to stuff like this.

This science stuff is cool. I'm so happy I watched the news tonight of all nights. Just imagine. I could've turned on the news any other night and just saw stuff on the war or poor rich people on Wall St. or the 187th murder in the city. OMFG, that reminds me of that Dr. Dre song where Snoop Dogg says "It's like a 187 wit ma dick in yo mouf, bi-otch!". Dude, you know that one. Yea bud.

So anyway. Check the link. Dr's are actually subjecting kids to their allergies. This is news. It's like on the brink of some serious shit.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergy/story?id=6097888&page=1"


Imagine if we could subect a small dose of allergin to kids and their immune system would build up a tolerance

22 October, 2008

Adlai Stevenson. Meet Barak Obama:

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1952 Journal photographer William M. Gallagher's picture of Democratic presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson (right) and Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams would have been just one more picture of a politician until Stevenson crossed his legs, displaying a hole in the sole of his shoe. The flawed shoe was totally out of character for the aristocratic, intellectual Stevenson, who was having difficulty establishing himself as a candidate of the people in his race against Dwight D. Eisenhower. Gallagher’s shot — taken with camera held at arm's length so Stevenson wouldn't realize what was happening — became one of the great political photos of all time and winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Gallagher was a Journal photographer from 1941 until his death in 1975, at age 52.THE FLINT JOURNAL FILES / WILLIAM M. GALLAGHER

Photobucket

I believe this photo is for the baby boomers. Great savvy photo.

21 October, 2008

To Pleat or Not to Pleat?

So over here at Daily Breather central there has been discussion about weather it is still OK the wear men's dress slacks with pleats?
What's the problem? Really. DB here is not a slave to fashion so this question is not one to be pondered with any great brain power. But that's just the sort of idea that I like to waste my morning with. So here's the run down on why I don't mind wearing pleated slacks.

1. Hey, they're just as comfortable as any other pants, right?
2. They're cheap as hell! So what if 90% of my work attire comes from various Goodwills around the city and county? Have you seen the huge selection of Jos A. Banks gear at the Goodwill in Fallston? Or the selection in Owings Mills? Score.
3. Sewing pleats in pants show that my tailor took extra time and effort to put them there. There has to be some sort of functionality for that, right? (No, I don't have a tailor but that's not the point here)
4. My mom still buys me slacks with pleats in them. (after writing that I don't feel like this is so much of a good thing)
5. They're still around. Hey, it wasn't a passing fad. I can still find them easily. So pleats are a classic, yea?
6. Nobody laughs at my pants at work. Actually, no one ever comments on my pants. Hmmm.

Here's the reasons why I should not wear pleated pants:
1. My Suesue tells me that I am "woefully out of style" and laughs at me.
2. I'm out of reasons not to wear pleated pants.

So it's 6 of one and 1/6 of a dozen of the other. What's the difference? None here. Pleats win!

20 October, 2008

JD's Smokehouse Pt. III. Make it Stop!

Apparently this has been the week of JD's Smokehouse. I've gone from never being there to being there 3 times in one week. I gotta say, though, that my visit went from great to grumpy.
So Lady and I went to JD's on Sat night to watch the Texas vs. Missouri game and to check the place out on a Sat. night. Sure, why not. I had just spent the afternoon at home watching my alma mattar, Michigan State, get crushed by Ohio State. Let's go out and watch SueSue's alma mattar get crushed by #1 Texas. That would only be fitting.
So here's the run down of the place for Sat. night:

-No room at the bar. We shoulda expected that. Not even upstairs which was fine because they were watching Nascar up there and I don't have the strength to listen to jocko bicker about Nascar. Hell, I thought Sox fans were dipshits.

-No drink specials after 6pm. WTF? Whatever. $2 Natty Bohs then. I can tolerate that. They still didn't have any Hoegardens so it didn't matter. Why does a bartender always try and sell me Magic Hat products when I ask for Belgian Whites? If I wanted to drink Fruit Loop milk I'd go home and eat come Froot Loops and save $5.

-The game was on the big plasma above the bar which was in great view of us but there was barely any sound. Thanks for nothing. It probably wouldn't have mattered though because they had so many people packed in there I couldn't hear anything anyway.

-The DB factor was pretty high but that's what I first heard about this place so I shouldn't expect anything different for a Sat. night. Right?

-On the food tip I tried the original JD Smokehoue brisket sammich. It was decent, not overpriced ($8) and their wings were as good as I remembered. I still haven't tried the mac-n-cheeze wedges though. i hear they're known for that too.

So, in retrospect, after visiting this place 3 times in one week I have decided that Monday nights are the only night worth venturing out to JD's Smokehouse. That's the day with the best specials ($2 drafts and 20 wings for $6 as opposed to 10 wings for $8 on Sat.). And Monday has the fewest people. I'll drink (at the bar) to that.

18 October, 2008

Contractor's Grout Job: Paltry and Pathetic

So hey! Check it out. I just got a new computer and a new camera so I can capture and instantly blog this photo and email it to my landlord to show how their contractor is robbing them. This is the grout job that I had to wait 5 mo for. Nice.
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B-More Electro Is Bringin' It!


Drew Pompa (Blank Artists-Detroit)
More or Less Monthly Techno Party at the Hexagon

I've been living in MD for 7 years now after leaving Michigan like a guy making a jail break. I've been mostly satisfied with my new are and have been able to call Baltimore home for the last 2 of these years. I think I'm going to stay. I like it here.

But one thing that has been hard for me to find out here is quality techno on a semi-reoccuring basis. Coming from MI and spending my college days in undisclosed warehouses in Detroit and Lansing I've been finding it difficult to find similar events in this area.

That's why I've been delighted to find the B-More Electro crew throwing monthly More or Less (M/L) parties in the area.

Now don't get me wrong. Baltimore has a rich electronic music scene (It's no Berlin or Detroit but it's home now) and I could find DJ's spinning every night of the week if I wanted (thank you Shorty's http://www.shortysbaltimore.com/home.html). But like all other music categories "techno" is but one of many genres in the electronic family. And techno is what I am looking for.

Enter B-More Electro (http://www.bmore-electro.com/) These cats have been throwing relatively small monthly events in Baltimore for over a year now and they're growing. They started in the Depot in Station North, had a travelling road show for a few gigs in DC and Talking Head and have found a new home at the Hexagon (http://www.myspace.com/lofisocialclub) which has proved to be the best place yet. The space is just the right size for smaller shows (50-150 people) which is perfect for this event. And it's a BYO! Which means that 6 pack of Natty Boh that you got at home is all you need for the night. Save your loot and bring it with you. This also invokes the spirit of sharing as many bring a few extras for new friends made along the way. Instant kharma

I really enjoy these events for two reasons:

1. The crowd is made up of a loose alliance of local techno Dj's, producers, afficianados and just about anyone who hears the thump pourng out of the Hexagon. The audience is not restricted to those in the know but at it's base is a collection of people who love good techno music. Nothing fancy, no glowsticks, relatively little name dropping, big smiles and people dancing. People are dancing again. And being on the Station North circuit I get a chance to see waves of people come and go throughout the night. Many are impressed with the waves of sound pounding them. Many are dancing, yet some are confused. Yes, this is techno and it's happening here. The crowds are not massive, they're not even at capacity but what the crowd IS is a ground up approach to a real techno music scene on the horizon. If I know Baltimore bandwagons then this may be one on the way. But weather it takes over Artscape or not is not the point. It's techno music at a quality level. That's what I love. It hasn't attracted everyone but what it has done is contact many people who have been hiding in the city and brought them back out into the light. I'm sure they've been here all along but as an outsider to this city it sure has been hard to find them. (Big shouts here to the number of folks I've met who are bringing the sound. You have my support.)

2. The crowd makes a DJ want to come back and play again. Case in point: At the most recent MoL event Drew Pompa returned to Baltimore for a second MoL event and came ready to party. The house was not as packed as the first time he came out but that did nothing to diminish his spirit and enthusiasm. The man came to party and party he did. Fun to watch, great to hear and he kept the energy up all night with a very dense batch of records. Yes! Vinyl. I've seen many DJ's just show up, grab their paycheck and play some half-assed set and leave. But a punk like that would get called out for that in this setting. We know what we want and know when we're not getting it. Bring it!

So Bmore-Electro has another event at the Hexagon on 10/24/08. If you miss it you can probably catch a rewview from Alex over at Auralstates (http://auralstates.com/). You can catch up on older events here as well.

OK, I thnk I've done enough name dropping here. I'm gonna go call famous Dj's now and text other famous people on my blackberry. Catch y'all later.

JD's Smokehouse II: What a Difference a Day Makes

OK OK, so maybe I was a bit overzealous with my praise for JD Smokehouse or maybe I just needed to collect some more data points.
So lady and I went back to JD on Friday for happy hour. This was a bad decision but how was I to know? I was expecting fatty wings and Hoegardens but was met with:
1. No room at the bar
2. No food specials meaning 10 wings for $8. No deal
3. No Hoegarden on tap. With 4 clusters of taps in the bar they had no Hoes. Disappointing.

What a difference a few days makes.
Oh well. I guess I just learned not to waste a Friday happy hour at this place. Nothing ventured nothing gained, 'eh?

17 October, 2008

JD's Smokehouse. What Took Me So Long?

So this past Monday ladyfriend and I went on a small Canton Square pub crawl. We've not spent much time on this block because it always look overcrowded and douchebagged out when we are there. But we beat the crowd on Mon. thanks to the gov. holiday (I already forget which one it was. Who cares!)
The square was pretty much dead. We went to about 3-4 places before entering JD's Smokehouse.
Now I've stayed away from this place because of the "meat market" and "douche nozzle" stories that I've read. I've also been finding that their reviews are not always in keeping with my own (here's to free will).
Holy Shit! I was wrong about this place.
OK OK, so yes, there was a good deal of douchey looking people there but nothing was out of hand. Hey there was a Red Sox game on. You can't keep douchebags away from that. It just doesn't work.
Anyway they had $2 draft specials. On ALL draft beers. So I was sluggin' back $2 Hoegardens, by far the best deal in town on white hoes. One of my fav beers for $2 a pound. SCORE!
And we got 20 wings for $6. Not just wings but big ass wings. Meaty wings. Not the breaded Tyson bullshit you get from the corner bar (that has a fryer in the back).
Damn good wings. And when I say damn good wings I pretty much mean damn good wings. I would slap my mother with one of them if she were there. (Mother dear, if you are reading this please know that I would never slap you with a chicken wing. It's just an expression. I love you)
Maybe it was the suprise of beer and wings being so good in spite of what I've read about the "clientel" or maybe I was already drunk and looking for some life after 3 stops of entertaining the lonely bartender and waiting to leave his dead zone.
Anyway. Why the hell did it take me so long to step into this place? I'd go back fa shao.