no dumping...

Obbs gon weigh in on a very sensitive and often stinky subject here folks.

You see, my place of employment thought it would be wise to consolidate from 3 floors to 2 four or five months ago. I thought this would be ok at first.

Little did I realize that I would be crammed onto a floor of approximately 275 other people. I would say that 75% of these people are male.

You can use your imagination as to how this affects our 3 stall bathroom...

Needless to say, I often have to make 2 or even 3 flyby's before I am granted clearance to land and drop off cargo. It is absurd. And quite possibly a health hazard!!

And once I DO finally touch down, I am astonished at how often I am the first one of my two wingmen to exit the hangar-- even when I was the LAST one in!! Am I simply a speed-demon? Are they reading a novel over there? Was there some step that my parents forgot to teach me in my upbringing that is giving me an amazing advantage in the race to get back to work? I simply do not know.

*sigh*

In music I want you all to check out the producer of my favorite hip-hop act, CunninLynguists. He graciously has put out 5 albums worth of purely instrumental beats. They even include a few "interludes" which feature the *shhhh* undisclosed samples that he used in some of his beats. It is here that I am most interested, as you can see how he took certain elements of the original song and re-wove them into his art.

This isn't Puff aka Sean Combs aka P.Diddy using a Duran Duran lyric verbatim... this is a dude using a simple drum beat or rhythm and completely reworking it.

Check out what I mean.

He took this sample from some obscure cover of the Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" and reworked it to make a beat which uses the word "do" or "due" to complete to emcee's rhymes. Mr. SOS does a damn good job on the song as well, incorporating the sample into his story-- gotta give HIM props on that as well. He just had a baby, by the way. I know this by stalking him on Twitter.

Jus lissen.

sample: link
Mr. SOS (produced by Kno of CunninLynguists) -- Time

Also, just listen to this instrumental. If I were an emcee and asked to write rhyme over this I honestly would say "no way, that track should just stay the way it is." At least those are my thoughts. This is simply beautiful by itself.

Kno -- What'll You Do?

sleep well princes of maine, kings of new england.
-- obbs

winter whites

Obbs checking in from behind the desk. All this holiday shopping has hit the wallet a bit, so I need to do some overtime shifts here and there to gimme dat cash flow, yaknow.

Last nite me and the ladyyyy checked out the Boston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. It was at the Opera House and was gorrrrrgeous. What a spectacle. I'm usually not one for ballet, but I was very impressed by the dancers and the set design and the whole production. Well done, Boston Ballet. To make things even nicer, we got 'student' tickets for only 20 bones... and our seats were 20 rows away from the stage!! Nuts!

Boston is covered in snow rite now. It started last night and we've gotten 5 inches or so. It's cold... but the first snowfall is always kind of magical. By February I probably will be cursing it... but what the hell.

This evening I hope to spend some time with my cousins and the girlf. Should be a solid evening.

All for now. Enjoy yet another amazing R. Kelly remix. Beyoncé did the original, but as expected when the King of R&B jumps on your song, is outdone on the remix.

R. really sings on this one. And gives the women out there some real talk.



have a good day fans!

-- obbs

good night

Well my trip to Arizona was pretty awesome. Nice sunny weather and some good times with my brother. That's pretty much the two reasons I went... so I'd say it was a very successful and enjoyable trip!

We hung out in Tempe a few times. That is a real cool area it seems. It has a young vibe to it, as ASU is located there. There is this place called the Tempe Marketplace which is essentially an open-air mall with restaurants and bars throughout, as well as stages for live music and couches with fireplaces for shoppers to sit and warm up during their frigid 65 degree winters. Pretty awesome.

In music news, Kno -- the producer for CunninLynguists -- was recently asked to do a remix for the now-released Maroon 5 album called "Call and Response," where famous producers like Swizz Beats and ?uestlove from the Roots reworked M5 songs.



That's pretty awesome, and I think he actually made the song better than the original. The beat seems to fit the subject matter of the song a bit more, IMO.

Sadly, Kno's version had to be left off the final CD due to issues regarding the sample he used. I asked on the blog run by the label Kno is a part of why Maroon 5 couldn't have ponied up the funds to pay to clear the sample, and Kno replied:

The issue wasn’t money, a sample used in my track was too obscure and they couldn’t find the publisher. Instead of just saying fuck it and mashing on with it, the label dropped it last minute. Understandable.

Cool. Bottom line is Kno is getting recognized for his beats by some bigger ears... which is exciting for a fan who has been following for 5 or 6 years now.

Check out Kno's remix to Maroon 5's "Goodnight, Goodnight" below:



Last night was my company Christmas party. It was pretty amazing. With the economy in the crapper, I keep seeing stats about how companies are canceling or down-sizing their holiday celebrations and gifts. My whole company gave us a mug, and (since I am dating the event coordinator) know that they spent over $70,000 for the party last night. Food, DJ, and 4 hours of open bar for about 700 people will do that.

It was a good night. No, it was a great night.

goodnight,
-- dr. obbs

raisin arizona

Welp, I had an awesome thanksgiving. Food, friends, family, and football. And a nappie on a couch. All that eating really took it outta me... phew.

Then on Saturday, since all my cousins were still in town, we threw an ugly sweater party. It. Was. Epic. People really got into the spirit of it which just made it all the more fun. Showing up at a bar all dressed like fools is something I hope to do more often. Read my entry detailing the pirate pub crawl for more thoughts on THAT.

BUT! The big news is that tomorrow I am flying out to Arizona to see my brother and his fianceé! And their doggies. I have not been out there yet... and they've been there for... a little over 2 years. I had to do some mental math there.

It'll be cool. He has season tickets to the Cardinals, so we're gonna tailgate and see them destroy the St. Louis Rams. Not sure what else, but i don't leave until Tuesday the 9th, so that's a pretty solid stay.

That's about it for now. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Until then, check out this hilariously sexist badger!!



-- obbs

I DID IT!! UNBELIEVABLE!

It's official! The gospel of obbs has reached the White house!

You see, I keep my ear to the streets, people. So when I was checking the news this morning, I noticed that, due to my blog on Septemeber 11th, George W. Bush decided to give one of his 14 Presidential pardons to the one and only John Forté.

I was pretty humbled and amazed at the news, as presidential pardons in general seem like such bullshit to me... but I suppose as long as no murderers or rapists are getting released it's okkkkk... hmm.

Anyways, for more info, I'd recommend giving this lil rundown a read: MTV News

It's cool how Carly Simon and her son with James Taylor went to bat for Mr. Forté.

So that's pretty dope.

In other news, I can't wait for Thanksgiving.

Oh, I also went to a concert a week or so ago. Hellogoodbye. I used to play them a lot in college on the radio show I had with my friends. So to see them (only $15 too) was pretty cool.

Check out this vid, and have a Happy Turkey Day!

-- obbs

Squeeze Me

Just a quik note.

Heard this song on a Rhapsody commercial... did some e-snoopin and found the video for it.

It's amazing...

Makes me wonder why stuff like this doesn't get the shine it deserves.



Gonna go read the book "The Game" by Neil Strauss.

It's about the pick-up artist, named Mystery, who now has his own tv show on VH1 which I am oddly intrigued by. Perhaps because I see a little of myself in some of the nerdy, struggling men? I dunno. I was pretty shy around girls back in elementary and middle school. And even high school...

anyways, all for now!

-- obbs

GRUSTLE

yo wattup homies. mr. obbs droppin by while pickin up some DOPE overtime skriller at the J-O-B.

Things is gettin hectic in life but in a good way. Goin to concerts (hellogoodbye last week, all-american rejects this week), seein the bruins and celts (FO FREE) and pretty much just ballin' outta control as much as possible.

In other news... I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL THANKSGIVING.

I love that holiday. All my cousins, family, and food. And football.

NOW WATCH THIS DOPE VID!



all for now, just thought I'd check in.

-- obbs

times they are a-changin

There aren't many things that really get to me emotionally. Sometimes the national anthem can do it... Schindler's List reaaaally did it... the loss of a loved one.

But, as I read the paper on November 5th, I was overcome by a feeling I had never felt before... not sadness... not utter joy even-- though I was happy... but just a feeling that something so amazing and important had just happened in the world. Something people died for... struggled for... or never thought they would see.

Now, I don't think my words are quite strong enough to do this moment we are living justice, so I won't speak on it further. But I do know that I have never responded this way about anything before in my life-- ever. I was riding the bus home by myself after work and just thinking about the election and its results put a lump in my throat and my eyes started to well up.



And I don't care what the pundits said-- I thought Michelle's dress was pretty friggin fly.

-- obbs

FCC won't let me be

Hello fans.

I got an unsettling email the other day.

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

It went on a little while longer saying they'd deleted my post. Apparently someone didn't like me giving away Phil Collins tracks!! lol.

Anyways, a few days laterrrrr I got an email from Facebook.

We have removed your video entitled "Owner of a Lonely Heart" uploaded at 8:34pm July 1st, 2008. We did this because we learned that your video might include copyrighted material owned by a third party, such as a video clip or background audio.

Damn!

Ok, so I used some footage from a Bonnie Raitt concert in my video... gimme a break. And think of allll the amature videos that use music in the background! Come on Mark Zuckerberg... quit bein such a d-bag.

In copyright infringement-free news, i went on a pub crawl the other day for a friend's birfday and it was friggin awesome. The only rule she had was that we had to dress as pirates. First of all, I love gettin dressed up. Secondly, I like dressing up with other people. So it was a blast and everyone at the bars were nice and inquisitive. It was like we got to celebrate Halloween a week early!

And who doesn't love Halloween?

Sorry for the brevity... but i gotta go buy some clothes.

Peep out this amazing Scarface track for some music. It's off his album "The Fix" -- one of the best rap albums I've heard in a long time. Every track is damn good. You probably know of Scarface from the song "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster" by the Geto Boys. He is 1/3 of that group. 'Member dat.



Gimme a comment if you want the mp3 -- for future reference. Don't want mr. obbs to hafta pay any fines to the RIAA!

-- obbs

'LYNGUISTS SHOW

Me and some homies rolled to this concert last night.

It was dope.

We showed up around 9:45 to a pretty terrible opening act. Motionless on stage. Meh.

The next guys weren't too bad, actually. I think that was The Camp (?) The main MC was wearing jorts... that's all i took away from his performance.

Anyhow, we'd been pregamin for quite some time prior to the show.. so i was fairly crunk by the time I rolled thru. Saw Substantial walkin around and said wattup and introduced him to my friends. Noice.

Peeped the merch table. Bought PackFM's new Best (Of) CD/DVD. They've only pressed 1000 of them, and each one is hand-numbered. For the record, I have #65 of 1000.

Went back and watched the guy in the jorts finish up. Not bad... but I wanted Stan to start. He did and rocked. He did some beatboxin and acapellas which were friggin schweet. He did his latest single, which has actually gotten airplay on MTV Sucker Free Countdown! It's a dope video and doper song. Check it outttt.



I love the piano intro. Kno of CunninLynguists made the beat... and i think it's a beauty.

Pack kicked it up a notch. His live performance is really a special thing. He did a long acapella of a song off his upcoming album, titled "I F***ing Hate Rappers." It was pretty impressive from what I could make out.

And CunninLynguists fuckin tore shit down. So much energy... so much stage presence. These guys have been touring a lot-- perfecting their live show all across europe and the US, and it shows. The way the songs transition into one another keeps the crowd locked for the whole performance. Simply awesome.

I got more and more inebriated throughout the show, but not out of control. I hung out afterwards and chatted with Stan and Kno. I picked up the last copy of Substantial Evidence, an out-of-print CD of Stan's-- pretty happy bout that. I bought a red CunninLynguist T. Talked with Kno about the presidential debate and the upcoming shows still left on their tour. Stan showed me a picture of his baby on his cell phone and how he's dyin to see her when he gets back to the DMV area. These guys are my favorite musicians due in large part to just how much they appreciate their fans.

Then the bouncer told us we had to leave, as I noticed I was pretty much the only person still there.

All in all, an awesome nite.
--obbs

It's a gas gas gasss

in this world of overconsumption and dependence on foreign oil leading to exorbitant gas prices, commuters have turned to walking and riding bikes as a way to cut monthly spending. I, personally, think this is awesome. Less cars on the road... less pollution... more money into public transportation which will )hopefully, but not likely) lead to an improved rail system like Europe, and maybe even inner-city congestion laws like the one London uses to keep minimal cars from clogging the main roads of the city. You may say that I'm a dreamer...

Anyways, one thing that REALLY pisses me off is the stupidity shown by so many of my fellow pedestrians and bicyclists. Bikers constantly are looking for respect on the roads... and yet the majority still run red lights, weave in and out of traffic, do not signal, or, for my pedestrian brethren, LOOK both ways. There's an intersection near where I work where it can look completely in the clear, yet one lane has a green light for a right turn... needless to say, I have seen many a person almost get taken out 5 feet from me. That would be a sad start to the day...

Sorry about that spiel, but I felt as though I needed to vent.

In other non-co2-emitting news, I told my parents that I didn't see myself needing my car anytime soon, and that they could sell it. It had pretty much been sitting idly in my parent's driveway since I had moved to Boston last December. They put it out for sale on my front lawn (how things are sold in Maine and many rural areas)
and it was sold by the end of the day. To my neighbors across the street. Turns out the wife works in Portland and it was costing her $16 a day just in gas to make the commute. With my Honda they can cut that in half... not to shabby!

Plus, my rents were generous and gave meeeee the money. So I can buy some other beater if/when I need it. I will most-likely blow the money on other luxuries, however.

this song is cool, in my opinion. Good beat. Catchy hook. Doesn't hafta change the world with it's message... but makes me happy and wanna dance. ooooh yeaaa.



All for now!

-- obbs

love lockdown

Sorry for the absence.

not having internet at home has been a fairly interesting time actually. I don't do anything too interesting instead... I work more. I worked 22 extra hours at work over the last 2 weeks... so I guess that's good money.

I watch tv. I go to bed at a better time. That's bout it.

Anywhoo, I also find myself missing out on a lot of new music. So when Tonedeff dropped his "re-imagination" of the new track Kanye premiered at the VMA's, I still had yet to hear any of the buzz about Mr. West's latest offering.

'Ye was going into uncharted territory for himself by debuting his all-sung track. He went into it using the beat-to-deaf autotune effect, however. But anyways, it's pretty cool, though the crowd acts as if they don't know whether to applaud or not...



Interesting.

I think Tone does it a lil better tho. Pretty much tosses everything out but the drums really... maybe I haven't compared them enough, but I can't get thru the kanye version. He also added a pretty nuts verse at the end. Check it out.

Tonedeff - Warden (Love Lockdown rmx)

The Chew Fu remix is pretty awesome too... more for the dancefloor perhaps?

Tonedeff - Warden (Chew Fu house rmx)

Other than that, not much goin on. Workin and clubbin... got some friends comin to town this weekend... should be frickin SHWEET!

keep yo stick on the ice.
-- obbs

we tryin to stay alive

Not to seem all doom and gloom lately... but being the anniversary of 9/11 I figured, why not keep the sad motif a-rollin!?

This morning I waited for the bus and read about the anniversary of 9/11. I remember I was in my junior English class of highschool, taking a quiz on some reading I had not done. I was struggling to make up answers which could possibly be considered correct when my principal came over the intercom to deliver the news. THe class sat in awe and left once the class was over to go watch the news on some tvs which had been set up in the library. I was always a little miffed that my English teacher had GRADED those quizzes. Probably because I hadn't done the reading... but still, considering the circumstances in which we took them, you'd think she coulda let it slide for once.

I'm actually writing this as I do some overtime in one of the larger, more recognizable skyscrapers in Boston. Believe I had thoughts of horrible things happening. Sad but true...

Anyways, my mother emailed me a week or so ago with some sad news. You see, I have an uncle-- or rather a step-uncle as I consider him, seeing as he fathered none of my cousins and my aunt just married him 10 yrs ago or so and he has played no significant role in mine nor many of my close cousins' lives-- who recently overcame throat cancer. It was a pretty terrible ordeal he went through. The surgeons actually had to take tissue from his stomach to recreate the lining of his throat. Thus, his stomach became MUCH smaller and he didn't eat as much and thus lost a LOT of weight. He wasn't lookin too good, but the doctors took some tests and found out the cancer had finally left his body.

He slowly gained his strength back and was able to go golfing quite a bit with my father. He is a professor at the prestigious Philips Exeter Academy, and also was the coach of their golf team. Essentially, he could golf at the Portsmouth, NH course whenever he wanted for free. I even played with he and my father on one occasion. It is easily the most beautiful course I've ever walked. Sik.

Anyways, he went to the doctor a few weeks ago and was told that the cancer had come back. Not only that, but the doctor predicted that he only had two months to live.

I have a hard time imagining how I would react to being told that. It must have been an absolutely awful moment... to go from thinking you had beaten this horrible disease, to finding yourself with 60 days remaining in your life. Gotta be hard for the doctor too... sheeyit.

So my uncle, who I'm not very close to but still wish no harm upon, is faced with the often-hypothetical question of what you would do if you were told you had x amount of days to live.

He has already planned a trip out to Santa Fe, NM, which I hear is beautiful at this time of year. Other than that I am not sure.

He's a real interesting guy... just came into my life late and in very small doses. He was really well-liked by his students, which included my cousin, Big Sauce, who went to Exeter for a PG year before Bowdoin College. Interestingly enough, he even served as a character witness during the trial of John Forté, the member of the Refugee Camp who is currently in year 7 or 8 of a 14 year sentence for the trafficking of liquid cocaine... dayum. Not smart for a dude with such an education.

As I browsed YouTube, I forgot how awesome this music video and song was. I gotta say, Forté may very well have the best verse in the whole damn thang. I also can't help but notice how appropriate the title now seems...



'Clef looks so young!

The Fugees and Wyclef was the first rap I ever got into. I think his album "The Carnival" was my first rap CD...and its damn good. I think that's all I have to say about that.

Though it may sound cliché, try and live each day to its fullest... i know i often forget to.

until next time,
-- obbs

wake up time

Sorry for the lack of updates. Mr. obbs has had a few things to deal with...

I moved. It was one of the most exhausting endeavors I have done. Moving all my crap, plus my tiny asian roommates crap, up to the third floor of our new place left me utterly exhausted for the majority of this week. If it hadn't been for my friend, Steve Nichols, and his brother letting us borrow his truck, I really don't know what I would have done. Thrown down a buttload of money on some moving broski's probably... Steve didn't even have to help me... he didn it out of the kindness of his heart. How precious!

Then on Friday I found out that I did not get the PR job I had applied for within my current company. This after having a great interview, where my would-be boss fawned over my resumé and experiences. In the rejection email he wrote:

Dear mr. obbs,

Thanks so much for participating in the search for our next PR Person. I really thought your writing and background were quite impressive and you interviewed extremely well. The competition was remarkably intense for this spot, making the decision very difficult. In fact, you were among our top candidates.

You would be a great addition to our team at some point down the road, but for now, I’m sorry to say we’ve selected someone else for this particular position. Though I do hope you apply for the next spot that opens on our PR team. If all goes well, we should be expanding in the future. In the meantime, I’d also like to tap you for periodic brainstorms in the PR Department, as we’re developing new ideas. (If this would be of interest, please let me know.)

Again, I thought you were a great candidate. Thanks again for going through the interviewing process with us.

While I understand that you might be disappointed, please try to emphasize the positive here. You are extremely talented and we’re really fortunate to have you here at our company.

Let me know if you have any questions and have a good weekend.

All the best,
benny mcBleh

Sooooo yeah. I didn't get the job, BUT!! He would still like me to contribute my ideas, for the good of the company. Pro bono. I guess I could think of it sort of lie... oh, an unpaid internship. I haven't emailed him my decision on that opportunity quite yet.

I was about 90% sure i'd get the job, so I was bummin preeeeetty hard for the rest of Friday and then Friday evening. I joked about doing nothing but going home and listening to "Everybody Hurts" on repeat. On the busride home it really felt similar to when that girl you've been crushin on for the whole school year tells you she's been foolin around with the tight-end on the football team. I actually felt physically sick to my stomach that I hadn't gotten this job.

I got home and made dinner. I had made plans earlier about goin out... but really didn't feel like moving. I sipped a natty light on my bed while i played Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" album and thought about applying to other jobs and the general state of my life.

The album is one of the greatest i own. I remember buying the cassette, alongside Tp's greatest hits back in about... hmm 5th grade or so. For an album to still be classic that many yrs after is a testament to the quality of this thing. Tom Petty is one of the most-consistent songwriters I know. Every song is good. Not just the singles.

Anyways, "Wildflowers" is one of his more somber albums, I'd say. Lots of good songs to just chill/cut your wrists to. I stayed staring at my ceiling until about 10:30 when I decided to wander outdoors.

"Wake Up Time" is the closing track on the album, and it is beautiful. I'm not going to break it down lyric by lyric for you... but petty wrote well. Lots of stuff in that song i can relate to. If I had the internet at my new apartment, and weren't writin this from work, I'd put up the mp3. This youtube vid will have to suffice for now.



Petty sure is an ugly lookin dude. Yeesh.

Anyways, I ended up meeting some co-workers that nite and we danced and drank and ate chinese and didn't go to bed until about 4am or so. The night actually ended up turning out pretty well.

Saturday night i didn't do much. I was supposed to meet a friend for her birthday party, but i had a late dinner and watched some college football with my cousin. I literally 'hung out forever, and still missed the dance.' my bad.

and now i'm at work. gonna start lookin for a new job i guess. Sad, because i liked a lot of things about my company, just don't like my actual job. It was bearable for awhile, but now that we're understaffed, the workload is not reasonable.

we'll see what happens...

--obbs

fire water burn

Prepare for perhaps the most immense blog yet! Buckle up.

Mr obbs returned to beantown Monday after one of the most enjoyable weekends he's had in quite some time.

My company sponsored a rafting trip up in the nether-regions of the great state of Maine. The plan was to go and camp Saturday, then get up early Sunday and raft until 3 or so, thus leaving ample time to get back to Boston Sunday night.

Being a native of 'vacationland,' I took a few hrs off from work and left the stress and congestion of the city mid-day Friday alongside co-workers joe mac and Marfa and headed up to my momma and poppa's house. I had spoken with the cook prior to our arrival and put in my request for the menu-- shish kabobs... burgers... caesar salad. There's something about cheese on a salad that I am a big fan of. Anyways, my body was fiendin for a square meal. During my frantic and stressful apartment hunt i had often completely forgotten dinner. One night it consisted of a bowl of canned vegetables. Pathetic.

Friday night was great. A cousin of mine from my dad's side of the family is currently sailing around most of the world with his wife. They are now docked in a harbor about an hour from my house, so they were actually able to come for dinner as well, thanks to a man near their boat who was generous to let these two strangers borrow his car for the evening (does stuff like that happen in other states? Really? Some stranger letting two sailors use his car for whatever they want. That blows my mind.) Anyways, I hadn't seen this guy in approximately 21 years (my dad's side of the family is MUCH more spread out and distant than my momma's).

He's had a pretty remarkable 34 years, to say the least. Grew up in British Columbia, CA. Went to trade school... learned the pipe-fitting trade and also got trained in welding and scuba-diving, among other things. He worked for the film industry doing special effects and explosions for awhile. He grew up fishing and being outdoors, so he told me he just could not imagine having a job where he would be stuck inside. I don't blame him, really. Somehow he lucked out and found a job doing underwater welding, which paid him enough money that he could afford to work 4 months a year. I asked him what he did with the rest of his year. "I was in Australia." "Oh, that's awesome. What did you do down there?" "Surfed. Yeah I'd work, make money, then fly down to Australia until the money ran out. Then I'd fly home and work some more." I was growing mildly jealous of this guy's lifestyle and total disregard for the traditional model of working, saving, and then retiring.

And now he's taking a solid 3 year vacation. on a sailboat. Who does this guy think he is? Marfa compared him to Hansel from Zoolander. And I have to admit, she nailed it. His mannerisms, way of talking, APPEARANCE, and general aloofness were so Hansel-esque that I was a little disappointed in myself for not thinking of it first.

Anyways, we ate and drank and made smores all while sitting around a firepit in my backyard as the stars shone down from above. Friends Kbell and my future housemate Al_Likes_Waffles also joined. To put it plainly, it was perfect.

Saturday we arose and played pool... then basketball... then horseshoes as we waited for two of my highschool friends, Jon and JJ, to arrive so we could make the 150 minute jaunt to the sparsely populated town of Jackman, ME-- where we would camp and eventually raft.

Whenever I get together with JJ and Jon, it's pretty much laughs the whole time. I get on a high I'm laughing so much. We took a trip to Montreal a few years ago, along with my good friend Jarrod, and-- not only was it an amazing experience alliteratively-- but we had an awesome time just catching up and, well, laughing. I didn't get too many pics from that trip... but here's one:



ahhhh memories.

Anyways, we got up to the cabin after a car-ride full of laughs and a massive stop for booze. Got all set up and pretty much commenced the crunkulation. We went swimming and played wiffleball and flipcup and ate burgers my company provided. Partied until about 2 or so. I'm not sure really... i turned my phone off due to there being no reception. Regardless, there was fire, foods, booze, and friends. What else does one need? honestly.

I realized how much I love a fire. I always have... but now they just seem to be such great settings for endless nights of conversation. I mentioned last entry how much I enjoy just sitting and talking with people... and I guess a simple fire or firepit is a great way to do that.

Two years ago at New Year's Eve I went to a huge party with family friends in my hometown and they had a huge bonfire. There were friends playing live music and people singing and drinking and reminiscing and talking and just generally enjoying one another's company. My hometown has a great community feel to it. I hope to experience that when I get older and hope my children can as well.

Anyways, on Sunday we got up and made it to the rafting site at 8am. I. love. rafting. It is pure adrenaline and laughter and exercise and... just an amazing time. Also a great cure for a hangover. I wanna go more often... a tad expensive... but so damn fun. It's similar to paintballing in that adrenaline-rush sort of way... only less ingrained with redneck DNA.

We finished up without any flips or people falling overboard and headed for home. Marfa, Joe, and I got to my house and decided that A) none of us felt like trekking another 3 hours back to Boston B) None of us wanted to work on Monday morning and C) We would much rather eat homecooking, and drink cold beers for another night.

So we did. Made it back to the city for a few hours of work on Monday...and it was perfect.

_________________________________

Garth Brooks -- The River
Just a cool song. We went rafting. Talks about a 'river.' Damn...Garth sure can write a song.

Schooner Fare -- Portland Town
This is pretty much the perfect osng for anyone from Maine who is coming back for a visit. "Momma... won't you make my bed?"

The Rolling Stones -- Play With Fire
I like fire... but I'm not really a pyro. My bro and I would occasionally melt our GI Joes and such... but that was really the extent of it. I always loved just standing around the fire when we'd go camping and burning a stick or something, howveer. I love the smell of a campfire too... wouldn't mind if AXE made a 'smoke' spray one of these days... hmm.

all for now fans!
-- obbs

real talk

First off, this book above is essentially based on my younger years and how I remember my relatives and the 4th of July. I think I had a post where I touched on that. Great book. I'll let you borrow it sometime.

Anyways, I just got back from a weekend of spendin some QT with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I'm real close with the cousins from my mom's side, so I love being with them, and now that we're a bit more spread out over the eastern seaboard, need to take advantage of the times when we are all in the same area.

Saturday I went to my uncle's in Holliston, MA and we had a huge lasagna feast. It was friggin amazing food and a great time watching to Olympics and catching up. One of my cousins had ridden his bike from California. Another cousin had just returned from 5 weeks in Argentina. So they had some stories to tell. I regaled the crowd with stories of how I spend my day in front of a computer. Somehow they didn't make quite the same effect as my cousins' experiences. This life.

Today I went to another aunt and uncle's place and just chilled all day with my two cousins. We played Scrabble, then went to a neighbor's house for more good eats and good conversation. The shish kabobs were friggin amazing. The neighbor's were cool. They'd gone to Dubai to visit one of their sons who works there-- so they had some interesting stories. That country is friggin crazy. Unlike anything you can imagine.

Have you heard about the structure they are planning that will constantly change shape and has built-in wind turbines...?!



But anyways. I realized I really miss just sitting around with other people and talking. Not in a loud bar. Not with a bunch of broskis about who the Patriots will be playing. But adults. You really don't get it much in the normal day-to-day routine, really. Have you ever sat down with a senior citizen who can tell a story? Storytelling is a lost art, I tell ya. Everything and everyone is getting increasingly detached. I watch the people around me on the way to work. Earbuds stuck in their ears. Completely shut off from the world. Boring. I saw this cute girl on the T one day, but there's no way in hell i'm even gonna say hi to them if they have their headphones in. Got dammit.

I'm goin home next weekend to see the parents briefly and to go whitewater rafting with my company. Dope. So i'll catch up with the 'rental unit and perhaps have some more intellectually stimulating convos around some foods and such... should be good.

Anywhoo, for some music, check out Pink Floyd's take on verbal communication.

Pink Floyd -- Keep Talking
"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals... then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination..."

And for some hilarity, check out R. Kelly's absurd take on givin it to a psycho bitch over the phone for hasslin' her man in "Real Talk."



enjoy the week.

-- obbs

supastah

I love music. I don't really know why I didn't get into it more in the performance side of things... but I wish I had. Sports pretty much dominated my childhood. I was traveling every weekend for soccer tournaments or basketball tournaments or practicing. But I loved it... so I guess i can't complain.

Anyways, karaoke is my golden opportunity to live out all my musical dreams of glory. Last night I went to a bar in the Harvard Square area with some buds and performed some classic numbers. I had been before and rocked "Friends in Low Places" with joe mac, but this night wanted to switch things up a bit.

80's numbers are always popular-- Livin on a Prayer... Like a Virgin... 867-5309... you get the idea. I wanted to take it back. Motown baby. Joe mac and I did a rousing rendition of "Sugar Pie Honeybunch" to get our vocal chords loosened up.

It was merely a taste of what was to come.

Now, a few years back, NBC broadcasted perhaps the greatest musical made-for-tv movie in the history of western civilization. I am talking, of course, about The Temptations.

Most people only know these guys for sangin "My Girl." A typical sappy, catchy Motown love song.

But they had so much more. VH1 Behind the Music needs to get their shit together and do their story. They had a whole funk era... drugs... fights... you name it. Anyways, I ended up buying the VHS and watched it bout 18 times. They had some awesome dance moves which I like a lot better than the synchronized crap in today's videos. Chris Brown ain't got nuffin on David Ruffin!

One of my favorite scenes in the biopic was when David Ruffin, lead singer for most of their biggest hits but had been kicked outta the group for bein a self-absorbed piece of s, storms one of their concerts and steals the mic from their new lead singer to do a few songs.

It's drama!

Anyways, back to the karaoke. I chose "I'm Losin You" and had Joe Mac and Senator Cream as my dancers and backup singers. I even did the spin with the mic behind my back! So sik! To get a better idea, just watch this vid...


Anyways, the performance was epic. People were dancing and all that shiz. Awesome.

The actor playing David Ruffin is Leon. Just Leon. Like Cher. He was in "Cool Runnings" if your memory is good.

Here's another dope vid of the REAL Tempts. This song is one of my favorites. Check out the pink suits!



i should get back to work.

-- obbs

party hard

When i first heard Andrew WK on Saturday Night Live, I watched a group of disgusting, hairy dudes in cutoff flannel shirts wielding guitars for a few seconds and switched the channel. For their second song, I gave them a longer chance, and was eventually sucked in by their crunchy riffs and catchy hooks.

Ever since, this man has amazed me. His devotion to partying and living life the way he wants to is truly an inspiration for all! I remember going to his website one day. It was simply a solid wall of text. No pictures or anything. Just straight up talk from Andrew WK about how much he loves life and wants to live every moment as if it were his last and how he just wants fun.

What a role model.

His music is evidence of that. I am not sure how many songs have the word 'fun' or 'party' in them, but it is a lot.

He's an interesting dude. He went to the same highschool as a buddy of mine, before transferring to some special music school. He's classically trained on the piano, and performed ALL instruments on his album "The Wolf."

A buddy at work said he performed here in Boston once, and after the show he chilled with some kids at Emerson and sat and played video games.

Whenever I'm driving home late at night and need some caffeine, i put his cd in. Instant adrenaline. It's crazy.

Please. Just watch some of his videos and try not to get amped up.

"We Want Fun" with the dudes from Jackass.


Here's an interesting interview. He sounds like an everyday dood.

...i think it's a joke?

and one more vid for your nite.

For some reason i can't imbed it... but its rockin. just AWK on his piano and playin air drums.

"Never LEt Down"

enjoy your thursday.

-- obbs

tweekin'

Some important things of the past week:

-- Still working til 9 every night. My day is a total waste. I sleep til 1030. Eat. Go to work. Go home. Watch tv. go to bed. I had originally thought I could get up early and go workout or something... but nope. Not motivated enough! meh!

-- Nelly was named a model for Sean John underwear. Deservedly so!

-- Housemate michele moved out. Upsetting! It was cool havin her around cuz she was a super fly chick in mr. obbs' book. She had a pretty shitty job though, so I don't blame her for peacin out. She will be missed.

-- Ricky Ross had his past exposed by The Smoking Gun. Apparently he used to work as a Correctional Officer at a prison-- thus blowing his whole fabricatd persona as a huge drug runner out of the water. I don't really care... I guess I just wish MC's wouldn't put so much emphasis on building up their personas instead of their skills.

-- I watched the clip of Bill O'Reilly flipping out.

-- I began looking for a new apartment. It's about as fun as a vasectomy.

-- I learned that CunninLynguists will be playin Boston Oct 15th. It will be epic.

-- I just saw Lil Wayne's video for "A Milli" and it makes me angry at America that this man sold a million copies of his album in a week.

I think that's about it.

OH! and today I laughed so hard at work that i actually cried. I watched this video. It's a remix to the Bill O'Reilly clip I cried at a day or so ago.



One more thing. I have been watchin the Daily Show and was VERYYYY surprised to see DJ Quik's name dropped on the air in a "Rapper or Republican?" segment. THe dude gets no love on MTV or tv for that matter, so to see his mug on The Daily Show really warmed my heart! Enjoy his music!

DJ Quik - Summer Breeze remix

This song is PERFECT for the summertime!! Listen to it!

2nd II None - Princess

A beautiful song DJ Quik produced. Sing it to your loved one please. James DeBarge provides the glorious falsetto.

adios music lovers!
-- obbs

WE'LL DO IT LIVE! FUCK IT

obbs checking in from his work computer once again... slowly drifting off into insanity while his peers are all out enjoying their Friday evenings.

The only thing that's gettin me through right now is my discovery of the Bill O'Reilly clip where he flips his shit. Nothing further needs to be said. Just watch.



I hate this man so much.

Anyways, Colbert had his take on it.



In related news, there's another clip of Chris Berman floating around where he just goes off. This is a dude I thought was always just a chill funny guy. So it was a tad shocking to see him so pissed. Funny though.




And here's my boyeeeee Danny Marino losin it a little. Surprising after the grace-under-pressure he displayed during his career, and most notably during Ace Ventura.



I almost forgot... this one goes out to all the kids who got called 'fat' or maybe dropped a pass in the town pickup football game. Coach Mike Gundy from Oklahoma has a spot for you on his football team.



ok thats all for now. I will likely continue watching television personalities fuckup on YouTube for the next hour.

I have some college frands in town tonite. So that will be fun I hope.

-- obbs

argghghh

NO INTERNET MAKE OBBIE GO CWAZY

*breathes in*

So there was this huge lightning and thunder storm on Sunday... and apppppparently it did somethin f up the router or modem in our crib. Somehow only one of our 3 computers gets internet access, and it is NOT mine. GAH.

It's sad how addicted we've come to the internet...

Luckily I am behind a computer ALL DAY at work... where I sit now.

Not much else to report. The storm only affected our internet, not cable, so I can still watch the latest, greatest, reality tv. My new fave is "From G's to Gents" hosted by the inimitable Fonzworth Bentley. He's an interesting dude...I knew him mostly from dancing in some OutKast videos and swirling his signature parasol umbrella.



Regardless, he hosts and mediates as a bunch of thugs attempt to be transformed to gentlemen. So far I have only caught one episode, but it looks promising.

Fonzworth has also completed his album... some people are a little surprised, but judging by the loads of crappy MC's spewing out garbage these days, why not give Mr. Bentley a chance behind the mic?

So here he is, in a pretty awesome video for a fairly mediocre, yet catchy, song featuring some of the heaviest of hitters in the game right now-- Kanye West and Andre 3000.



brings it back to the days of the temptin' Temptations.

all for now.
--obbs

god bless america

welp.

mr obbs is back from a whirlwind week or so of non-blogging. I had an awesome 4th of July. Went and saw the Boston Pops and Rascal Flatts perform for free at the Hatch Shell along the Charles River. I had seen Cake perform there (also for free) a month or so ago. It's a pretty cool locale... and the price is of mr. obbs' liking. The Boston Pops performed some classics-- the Rocky Theme, the 'Shipping Up to Boston' tune (Boston's anthem, apparently), and their signature piece: 1812 Overture. All in all, a great night capped off by some drunken singing of "God Bless America," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "America the Beautiful," etc, etc, and some cool fireworks over the river.

I then went home Saturday morning to spend some time with the 'rental unit. We played some games (I won in a VERY close game of Scrabble with my mom... 172 -170 i believe) and I ate a lot of free food. At nite, we hit up LL Beans in Freeport for ANOTHER free concert. This time? The ultra-cheesy, ultra-catchy playing of Daryl Hall, the non-mustachioed half of "America's Greatest Songwriting Duo," -- Hall and Friggin' Oates!

He put on an awesome show. Apparently he wrote a lot of the classic hits... not that I am takin anything away from Oates, but Daryl had said he only likes to perform 'his' hits, and he covered "Rich Girl," "Kiss on My List," "Sara Smile," "You Make My Dreams," (sounds exactly like the theme to Ducktales btw) and of course, an encore of "I Can't Go For That."



Sadly, youtube won't let me link directly the the friggin awesome video, but there's a live version to display the showmanship of Mr. Hall. He was awesome and you could see how much he really enjoyed performing.

He is still a busy dude-- touring and recording live jam sessions straight from his house called, well, "Live From Daryl's House."

I had actually not heard "I Can't Go For That" before... and yet, once he dropped that synthesizer riff I knew I had heard it before... I just didn't know where. Once I got home and hopped on wikipedia (love that shit) I came to realize that the song has been sampled by more than 200 times! Who knows where I heard it. For the love of god, even "Billie Jean" sampled the bass groove. Listen for yourself! YouTube "Robot Rock" by Daft Punk and see if you think they're riff is the keyboard riff. I think it is...

But anyways, to tie this blog together, I won a ticket to the Red Sox game today. It was awesome. A co-worker invited me and the other ticket winners (you know, augustus gloop, veruca salt, and Violet Beauregarde! LOL!) to his apartment with a friggin ROOF DECK and we grilled some franks and slugged some brews prior. It was glorious. The 4th co-worker who won a ticket was actually already at the ballpark, cuz her friend just happened to be MISS VERMONT 2008 and it was Vermont Day at Fenway! Her friend sang "God Bless America" during the 6th inning.

and it was glorious.


For some toonz.

1. Daryl Hall ft. Travis McCoy (of Gym Class Heroes [of Geneva, NY]) This little track was handed to mr. obbs by a fan of the blog, and was performed/recorded during one of the "Live at Daryl's House" sessions. It is, for lack of better words, the shit. "Be Thankful."

Apparently, there is supp to some mash-up album featuring all GCH vocals over classic Hall and Oates beats, a la the Jay-z/Linkin Park thang. So says MTV, and we all know they're never full of shit.

2. Tamia ft. 213 "I Can't Go For That (remix)" -- 213 is the supergroup made up of Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Warren G-- named after the area code they all grew up in. This is a sub-par r&b chick wit some of the greats. Nate Dogg is one of my faves... so i downloaded this back in like... senior year of high school or somethin.

3. While we're on the subject of Nate Dogg... didja know he had a whole album that was never even properly released? It was dope (I downloaded for free... meh!) but they made it only available on iPoons or somethin. Here's a track with a beat and verse by my 2nd favorite producer -- DJ Quik.

Nate Dogg ft. Warren G and DJ Quik - There She Goes



4. Ok one more song. This is a remix of the Coldplay hit "Viva La Vida." Beat by Kno, of CunninLynguists, and verses by Natti of CunninLynguists. Natti takes on two personas... listen carefully. It'll blow your mind.

Natti - Ruled the World

all for now fans!
-- obbs

independence

The 4th of July is always a great holiday. It's usually sunny... parades have people in floats throw candy at you... barbecues and open flames... oh, and sparklers (fireworks are illegal in Maine booo).

When I was younger we'd have large family reunions at my house. The relatives would all drive up from Massachusetts and we'd laugh and swim in my pool and eat boigahs and tater chips. They were habitually late, so sitting and waiting on my front steps for them to arrive and the good times to begin was one of the toughest things for a young child like myself.

Sometimes, years after, I'd hear certain songs on the radio and they reminded me of those summer family reunions. My parents probably had the songs playing as we got the house ready for all the guests, or maybe I heard them on the way to the grocery store to load up on meats, cheeses, dips, fruits, and various mayonnaise-based salads.

That's really all I have to say. I love how certain songs can take you back to certain times. Kenny Chesney wrote a damn good song about that -- "I Go Back." Oh yes.

I'm at work, so no mp3's. Just peep these vids.

Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life


This is great stuff right here. Another song would be "Finer Things." Those songs are amazing. So is "Higher Love." The story behind this song is real interesting too. read it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xdZIZ7UPCs under the 'more info' link.

Bruce Hornsby - Mandolin Rain


I couldn't find any real music video... but this will do. Beautiful song. Bruce Hornsby is a talented mutha.

Tom Petty - Free Fallin'


Petty is amazing. One of the greatest American songwriters, and so consistent. As I've gotten older and heard this song more and more, it kind of has lost it's magic from when I'd hear the opening guitar chords as a child, but it's still a great song, co-written by Jeff Lynne. I saw Petty live with a bunch of friends, and he puts on an awesome show.

Some other ones I'd hear were "Walkin in Memphis" and "The End of the Innocence" by Don Henley (co-written by Bruce hornsby ooooomg!) and other various adult-contemporary 80s hits. Some Phil Collins I'm sure.

Anyways, thats about it. I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July.

-- mr. obbs

For some fun, here's something that a co-worker showed me and that i like a lot.

nashvegas

Can someone tell me why the only black dude remaining on 'Nashville Star' is named 'Coffey?' That shit just ain't right.

But anyways, I just saw this show for the first time. Fairly entertaining. Tonite's episode all the contestants did their own country-fied versions of classic and recent pop songs. 'Love Shack,' 'P.Y.T.,' 'Umbrella' all got redone, and done quite well. Coffey did "Umbrella" and brought the frickin house down. The only judge who liked it was John Rich tho... but watever.

Here he is doing a mix of Akon's 'Locked Up' and throws in a verse from Jay-Z's 'Dirt off Your Shoulder." Pretty impressive on the acoustic gee-tar.



But speaking of John Rich, and Big & Rich, if you remember from previous obbs' bloggery, I picked up their latest CD for free offa some stranger on the street-- and it's pretty damn good. They are something I've never really seen before-- fusing hip hop, pop, rock, and country. I saw them do a concert on MTVHD and it kicked ass. Some will say they're too rock for country, others too country for rock. They even signed a black country dude to their label, Cowboy Troy. They call it 'hick hop.' It is terrible... but the bottom line is that mr. obbs gives them credit for doing what they wanna do.



On their latest they have collabos with John Legend and Wyclef Jean. The Wyclef track is pretty wack... but the Legend one is catchy.

Speakin of which, Legend is going for the money on his newest album. He's doin some collabos with some heavy-hitters. I first heard a snippet of the track with Andre 3000 (OutKast) and literally went 'hot damn.' Listen for yourself and you be the judge.

Big & Rich - Lost in This Moment
Big & Rich - Eternity (co-written by Legend)
Big & Rich - Radio
John Legend ft. Andre 3000 - Green Light

"So I went hard like Medusa starin at me..."

enjoy my faithful followers.
-- obbs

Celtics get their 17th

Bein in the city for the playoff run was frickin awesome. Nuff said. It's amazing how everyone gets drawn to the team and the whole city really comes together. I got to see the parade from inside the Prudential Center today... not the same as bein there on the ground... buuut close enough without blowing vacation time i guess.

Go Beantown.

Here's some Boston music.

Boston -- Something About You (classic)
7L & Esoteric -- Watch Me (flow is ridic)
Aerosmith -- You See Me Cryin (somber)
Donna Summer -- Hot Stuff (classic)

throwin a party saturday. holla.

--obbs

squirm in my skin

As part of my job, we get a nice discount at the local fitness center. Pretty awesome. I made sure to sign up and try my best to swing through after work whenever I don't have other plans. My workouts are pretty half-assed... but at least I get a good sweat in.

Anyways, when I first started going, I couldn't help but notice the complete unabashed nakedness of my elder gym-goers in the locker room. Now, don't get me wrong, I have been in many a locker room in my day, but I have never seen this level of pride and free-spiritedness before.

Now, as a disclaimer to this blog, I do not consider myself an overly homophobic person. That being said, I do not go out of my way to get a daily dose of naked, saggy old man. I can tolerate a naked body. I saw the David by Michelangelo in person, and it was frickin amazing.

I used to use a locker near this one guy. He'd get out of the shower... come to his locker, take out his bag, kneel down, get his clothes out... rearrange stuff... dry himself off... ALLLLLL NAKED. Would it TOOOOTALLY inconvenience him to wrap a frickin towel around???!

And then today. This dude is shaving. Naked. I don't even do that in my own home when no one is within 100 feet of me. That's not even comfortable. And what if you drop the razor??

Now, there's funny nudity. Streaking is funny. Will Ferrell in Old School, for instance. I had a friend who went to Hamilton College and was actually on their streaking TEAM. Yes, that is right. Competitive nudity!! Hilarity ensued wherever they would 'compete.' They'd convene upon an unsuspecting NESCAC campus and begin. If no students from the home campus joined in the streak, they crowned themselves the winner of that match.

Check out this clip from FOX NEWS of all places. The host being, oh, i'd say a medium-to-large sized bag of douche, and the Hamiltonians givin it right back to him.



Thinking back... I even went to a nudist spa with my hippie aunt and my whole family back in third grade! That actually didn't freak me out too much, surprisingly. We first dipped our bodies in steaming hot water to open our pores and 'release the toxins', then went outside and sat in a cold free-flowing stream to wash them all away. NAAAATUREEEEE!!! Goulet. Mr. Obbs highly suggests some quality nude time with the whole family.

So there you have it. Bein nakey can be fun sometimes for sho. Buuuuut i think it's just the last thing I wanna do after lifting or goin for a run.

...I gotta go shave.

-- obbs



For some music, here's some stuff from an artist whose CD I stole from my college radio station about 10 months ago yet I'm JUST gettinga chance to listen to now. I may have too much music. Anywhoo... it's DJ Shadow. The first thing I ever heard from this guy was Organ Donor. Decent. Wasn't a huge fan. Then I heard "BUilding Steam With a Grain of Salt." I love that shit. Totally blew my mind. Still to this day, I don't really fully understand this guy. He makes rap beats, electronica, trance, folk(!?), pop-rock... I dunno. It seems that, for his rap production at least, he's doin a lot of the 'hyphy' beats so popular in the Bay Area of Cali. I'm ont a huge fan of that... but his other stuff is awesome. I really don't know much about him besides the 8 or so mp3's on my computer and this CD i stole, The Outsider, which I finally sat and listened to on Saturday while chillin on my porch readin the free periodicals and makin small talk with the homeless dudes walkin by ("...Sox game at 7:05 tonite, maaaaan..." ..... "nice.")

So check some DJ Shadow.

DJ Shadow -- Organ Donor
DJ Shadow -- Building Steam With a Grain of Salt
DJ Shadow -- This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)
DJ Shadow -- You Made It (ft. Chris James)

sleep well. Celtics tomorrow.

historic

THursday was a good day. Went to work. Went to my company basketball championship. Played well and won (TWO-TIME COMPANY BASKETBALL CHAMP!! SUCK IT MARK LESNEWSKI IN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE!!)

After the game I went to my cousin's place as he was having a chicken and beer gathering for Game 4 of the Finals. My cousin is a pretty damn good cook when it comes to grillin meat on an open flame. I would trust any cut in his hands. So the chicken was delicious, the beer was just what a dehydrated man needed. The group of people was awesome. The game started. And it was horrible... for awhile.

Now, I am not going to give you a blow-by-blow of the game, because Bill Simmons from ESPN has already done that. And i am man enough to admit that he is just a little bit of a better writer than I. So, I suggest you go read his highly entertaining and humorous blog. Simmons.

A few things I will note, however:

--I said in the 2nd quarter that, if we could get the lead down to 10 going into the 4th quarter, we'd be in fine shape.

--The refs have ENORMOUS leverage in basketball. Is it strange how the foul shot disparity swung in the favor of the hometeam in the early games of this series?? Sometimes I see a horrible call and just think of how much extra millions of dollars in advertising NBA commish David Stern (NOT related to Daniel Stern of Home Alone fame) is counting in his head if the series goes another game or two. They were makin some straaaange calls in this one.

--I been saying we need Eddie house out there. The dude has energy and quickness. Sam Cassell is about as old as James Naismith. He has the experience, yes. But he's old.

--I am so happy to see Ray Allen playing like he can and not like he was for most of the first two rounds of the playoffs. Seeing a shooter lose his confidence is one of the hardest things to watch as a fan. Now that it's back, all is well in the world.

I think that's it. It was one of the most amazing games I have ever seen.

Read the Simmons article for some laughs. or watch this ESPN recap.



music.

A new song from N.E.R.D. (No one Ever Really Dies. That's deep, Pharrell.) I like their production most of the time. Most. I just heard a new song they produced for Madonna and, it's a little much. Sometimes they go over the top a bit. This song is frickin awesome tho, in mr. obbs' opinion. I am diggin the sax on the bridge/chorus/whatever the technical musical term is.

N.E.R.D. -- Yeah You

all for now. Game 5 on Sunday. Tomorrow.

-- obbs

Testosterone.

So, on Thursday at work, I am minding my business. My eyes are slowly begining to melt out of my head from staring at my computer screen. I get an email saying that I've won a ticket to the Red Sox game that evening. Sikkk.

So I head over to Fenway after werk. I end up missing the first inning. I am under the bleachers as Manny blasts a 3 run homer. Gad dammit.

Anyways, I get to my seat. Begin to take in the sights and sounds.

Coco Crisp steps into the batter's box and quickly gets nailed by a pitch. He is not happy and charges the mound. After he got hit, the crowd let out an 'ooh.' But when he charged the mound, people flipped out. Everyone jumps to their feet. The teams spill out onto the field, even the guys in the bullpen make the sprint from right-field to get in on the action.

Now, I am no fighter. I have never thrown a punch at another person's face-- but fights are interesting.

I was in Worcester maybe a month ago for an alumni rowing event. About 6 of us had decided to pitch in on a hotel room for the night after the race, so we could go out and spend a nite in lovely Worcester-- seeing the locals and checking out the bar scene. So we hit up this place with a sik dancefloor. I kid a little... they had this stage a few feet above the dancefloor. Of course, i attempted to climb up and dance, yet was quickly ushered off by some bouncers.

Apparently only females were allowed to dance on this elevated platform. MEH!

So there was maybe one attractive girl at the whole bar. I tried dancing in her vicinity but nothing really happened. Later, she came up to me and, reading the crimson t shirt i had on, asked if I indeed went to Harvard. Now, lots of guys lie to girls... and i definitely could have, but I did not. Instead I said "No," thus killing the conversation dead in its tracks.

Later in the nite I go back and dance near her. Its 2, and the music stops. Then, for no reason whatsoever, the chick sprays her drink in the air-- a majority of it landing on me.

I am pretty pissed. One of the dudes she was with, rockin the black dress shirt, unbuttoned to show some chest, with a gold chain, confronts me.

"Yo man, you know how people get when they're drunk yanow."

I get drunk. I get drunk a lot. I do not throw beer on people. Not on purpose.

I stare at him.

"Yo man... we got a problem here?"
"Yeah we got a problem. She just threw her fuckin drink all over me."

Now, some of his dudes have decided to join in.

And behind me comes the boys I'm with. Being all crew guys, we have a couple guys at 6'5", one at 6'3", myself at 6'1" or so, and then the Kressticle at 5'11". grenier tells them to start walking. I am pretty heated and yell at them to go find their favorite tanning booth.

Anyways, I never really understood baseball fights. But it's all about standing up for yourself and your boys. Later in the game, a Red Sox pitcher nailed a Tampa bay batter. Nothing happened, but that stuff usually happens as a way for a pitcher to stick up for his teammate.

After the game, and after the Celtics game (sik game by the way. KG's tip-dunk at the end got me so amped) I was watching the news. Apparently Kevin Youkilis and Manny had to be separated by teammates in the dugout. Later i would find that Youk was mad that Manny hadn't gone out of the dugout to fight after Coco got nailed. He was pissed Manny wasn't goin to battle for his boyee.

One thing I will not get, and that really pisses me off, is the baseball celebratory circle-jump. After a walk off homer, or a world series or big win, the whole team gets into a big pile and just bobs up and down. Weeee! For some reaason that really annoys mr. obbs. At least they get a little more creative in football and soccer.



For some music, check out a solo track from Jeff Lynne. He was the mastermind behind Electric Light Orchestra, the Traveling Wilburys, and a lot of Tom Petty's classic 80's material.

This is from his solo album, Armchair Theatre, which is now out of print. I bought it off some dude on Portobello Road in London for like 2 pounds. Sik.

Jeff Lynne -- Blown Away

And check this vid of Jeff talking about his writing process for Livin Thing, a song I previously posted here on the blog. The dude's good at writin catchy songs.

-- obbs

craigslistin like a muhfucka

There are many things a person can become attached to. For some its drugs... alcohol... consumption... bananas. I am, possibly, addicted to craigslist. It's amazing.

Last weekend, my brother was in town for a nite. He also had driven down his girlf's (scratch that: fiancee's!!) mother's Chevy Tahoe. Now, we had a couple hours to burn, so I figured I may as well take advantage of what I had to work with here. I went online and found a sectional couch down in the dorchester area. Drove there, crammed it into the back of this Tahoe, and made it back to my place. It was free too. Sik.

Then today, I need an extension cord. Who the hell doesn't need an extension cord sometime? Am i rite? Anyway, I find one for free about 2 miles away. Some family had a yard sale today, and they'd left everything that didn't sell on the curb for the trashman to pickup. I ran the two miles there (with frequent breaks) and started digging through the stuff.

As I did this, I realized I was now digging through trash... i let thatthought marinate for a second... but didn't let that stop me. I found a bag of those hawaiian umbrella things that you put in your fruity tropical drinks. I got a frisbee. And i got these plugs that turn a 2 prong outlet into a 3 prong outlet, something i desperately needed. No joke.

Content with my pickups, i started walkin home. Only about 10 minutes into my 2 mile return journey home, some dude and his girlfriend walking towards me randomly asked "Dude, you want some CD's?"

Not one to turn down anything free, I of course say 'HELL YES I DO.' He had a whole box of em, brand new promo copies. Apparently his roommate had worked for Warner Bros and had been given all these new CD's. I picked up some Big and Rich, Jason Mraz, Craig David, Simple Plan, and a compilation from the show Entourage.

What an awesome, free Sunday.

For some music, we're gonna try and tie this all together here.

I got a free Entourage CD today.

In this clip from the show, Turtle wears some t-shirts designed by Akomplice.



Akomplice also sponsors QN5 and Tonedeff.



In this song, Tonedeff samples Jason Mraz.

Tonedeff - Optimist

I got a free Jason Mraz CD today.

ehhhhhh?

-- obbs