26 things...

1. Some days I hate my job
2. Other days I hate myself
3. I believe that jealousy is illogical and a waste of energy
4. I love vocal trance music
5. I hate whiny, skinny-tie indie music played by a bunch of privileged white kids
6. Henry Rollins was kind enough to give me an interview, many years ago
7. Since then I’ve lost my taste for him and his over-the-top political tirades
8. I love a good story
9. I love a good story-teller even more
10. I have a long lasting love/hate relationship with Wil Wheaton
11. I sat next to George “The Animal” Steele on a flight from Minneapolis to Boston
12. He was reading War and Peace
13. I feel very adrift lately
14. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up
15. I believe that no ever does anything that won’t benefit them self somehow
16. I dare you to prove me wrong
17. I don’t trust people
18. My negotiating skills are top notch
19. I enjoy a good horror story for the building suspense
20. I have an inexplicable attraction to Twitter
21. I think it’s because Twitter is like a digital whisper from across a dark room
22. The above statement and all its parts are held in a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States license
23. Sometimes I think very highly of the blather that comes out of my head
24. I believe that everything is negotiable; even love and happiness
25. I think Battle Pong and RONG are the two best time-wasters on teh intertubes
26. I have to go do some work now…

Article=/Geek/sub_route_{boner [if awexome]}

Geek wetware across the globe exploded in ecstasy all over their servers and biometric readers, today.

Just a taste:
In each cluster's first year, it's typical that 1,000 individual machine failures will occur; thousands of hard drive failures will occur; one power distribution unit will fail, bringing down 500 to 1,000 machines for about 6 hours; 20 racks will fail, each time causing 40 to 80 machines to vanish from the network; 5 racks will "go wonky," with half their network packets missing in action; and the cluster will have to be rewired once, affecting 5 percent of the machines at any given moment over a 2-day span, Dean said. And there's about a 50 percent chance that the cluster will overheat, taking down most of the servers in less than 5 minutes and taking 1 to 2 days to recover.

God, that's hawt.

If you think you can handle more, follow the white rabbit.

Seven Deadly Sins

Thanks to Dooce, I've found something that I estimate to be the epitome of cool. A collection of wine glasses that represent the seven deadly sins.

You know, my birthday is just around the corner. Next February. Just so you know.

Clarity

Even with the economy falling and gas prices rising, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Honda, today, rolled out a new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car off its Japanese production line.

Even though I don't own a Honda, I am a big supporter of their green initiatives and their vision for the future. If the spec sheets I've seen are to be believed, the new FCX Clarity will offer two times more energy efficiency than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car. Now, even though they are only releasing a handful (maybe a couple hundred) over the next three years, I have confidence that there will be enough buzz to increase hydrogen station infrastructure, which, in turn, will make the Clarity more user-friendly.

Just in time for me to be in the market for a new car. How fortuitous for me.

I believe there is hope for us yet.

Finally...Hellbound Snowballs

A heart-felt congrats to Rob for his perseverance and patience. The fruit of which can be found here, at Target and here at amazon.com.

Now go out and buy many copies. At least one for each hand. And one for every friend, family member and house pet.

That is all.

R.I.P. Teh Intertubes?

Hoax or no? You decide.

http://www.infowars.com/?p=2640
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Weyah gonah need ah biggah bote...

This just in from the "Life Imitating Art" department: Fishermen Report Great White Shark Off Martha's Vineyard.

The fact that the original Jaws movie was actually filmed in Martha's Vineyard back in '74 should not be overlooked.

Rainy Thursday

I'm sure it's just me, but some days I feel like teh interwebs just aren't as funny or interesting as they used to be. I mean back in the day there were things like Bob from Accounting and Shizzy's Mailbag. Hell, even WednesdayClub.net brought the funny now and then...cough...plug...

Now they've all fallen by the wayside.

I mourn them all, though when I think about WednesdayClub's demise there is bit of a pinch. A small painful reminder that my inaction contributed to its demise. You live and you learn, right?

Dunno if it's just the day, but I really can't find anything humorous to occupy my time. Please help.

In the meantime, I will search through the WayBack Machine for some comfort from the past.

On an unrelated matter, my mom has now had a couple of doses of her chemotherapy and so far there have been no side effects. I'm going to take that as a positive sign. For now.

Mazel tof for a great man

I'm a bad person. With everything going on right now I totally forgot to mention that Geoff Trenchard got himself hitched. Back in May. Congrats, Geoff!

Soundtrack for the Day

Lots to do today. Need good music.

Got it.

Gimme Shelter--Rolling Stones
Painkillers--Big Quarters
All the Same--Sick Puppies
Drowning--Fade 2 Shade
Nice Boys--GnR
Back 2 Skool--Prodigy

Got any other suggestions?

...And Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Foreclosure

Apparently even Ed isn't immune to the recent housing down-turn. Poor guy.

But then again, that's a risk when your whole career revolves around a single catchphrase.

I predict a bunch of commercials with Ed McMahon as the spokesperson in the very near future. But hey, if you gotta be a whore, be a whore with a nice house.

Neither Feast Nor Famine...more of a light supper, really

My mom's oncologist appointment was yesterday. We went, we sat, we waited, we learned that her cancer, while incurable, is treatable for now. It's also stayed put and hasn't spread any further. So far.

While it's not the best news, it's about as good as anyone could expect in this situation.

We discussed various options, including phase 1 or 2 first line clinical trials, but in the end she opted for a milder form of treatment. By the end of the week she will have begun her first round of chemotherapy. The bright spot is that, for now, she will not require a pump or portal, because rather than having traditional IV chemo, she will be taking Capecitabine, otherwise known as Xeloda. It's an oral form of chemo, that has milder side-effects.

There's no way of knowing how long it will work, or if it will work at all, but for now it's a forward step.

Something to Spur Me On

I really need something to get me through the day today. This ought to do it. Enjoy.

I love this one. It'll get me through.




Or there is this one, too.

Feast or Famine

Today's the big day. This afternoon I am taking my mother over to the Humphrey Cancer Center to get the results of her PET scan and blood tests and to meet with her Oncologist to go over her options for treatment.

Today is one of those days where things will go very well or very poorly, hence the title above. We'll find out if the cancer has spread further, if there are any treatment options and whether my mom has years or months. Either way, the six hours between now and then are going to be stressful for everyone here.

...

Really wishing I were here today...



or here...

Odd Stuff on Teh Interwebs

I love stumbling upon something strange, yet wholly entertaining, on the internets. It's, as "they" say, "Teh R0xz0rz!!1!11!"

How about some exceptionally odd/surreal LP Cover Art? Make sure to pay special attention to "XOXOX is Barok", The Singin', Swingin' Pastors "Shaking up Las Vegas", the ever-so-creepy "Happy Holi-dee", Something for GW "Circus Polka",

Addicted

Remember that episode of Star Trek TNG where the crew becomes addicted to a video game? I'm sure that Big Willie remembers, since it was the episode where he got to make out with Ashley Judd.

Anyhow, I'm feeling like I can relate right now (to the addiction, not the making out part), thanks to RONG.

Sex and the City...final cut

The movie was mediocre at its brightest points. The story line was predictable. The audience was an interesting study in female group-thought.

So many young women dressed in frauda and "Louise" Vitton. It was an absoloute estrofest. TheWife owes me big-time.

For me, the best moment came during a dramatic "plot twist" that made the whole crowd of ladies gasp. And I mean the Whole. Crowd. Which I promptly followed up with a burst of laughter. Seriously, nothing could have been funnier than to hear a crowd of Paris Hilton wannabe's surprised by such a horrible and mundane thing.

The audience that immediately surrounded us responded with a group-stink-eye that had to have been pre-planned in case of such an event happening. TheWife responded by hitting me, thus appeasing the estro-gang who probably would have tried lynching me with their "Vera Wank" spaghetti straps.

Good times. I love fucking with the masses. Especially the dumb sheep that comprised the majority of this audience.

Yeah me!
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Sex and the City

It's 6:30 and there is already a line forming for the 7:15 showing of Sex and the City at the MOA. There are actually grown women here "woo-hoo-ing" and "hootin' and hollerin'"

TheWife dragged me here.

Dear God. Help.
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Bored now...But I'm not alone...

Yesterday I posted about my having run out of things to read. Then, today, I wandered over to Little Black Duck and discovered that I'm not the only one. Maybe it's the weather. Or maybe awesome people live their lives in similar cycles. Not sure. I'll have to do more research.

The Undisputed Truth

A while back I got an advance copy Brother Ali's new album, The Undisputed Truth. At the time I gave it a couple of listens and didn't really care for it. I was supremely disappointed, not because I didn't like the album but because Ali is a cool dude and an awesome person who I've had the privilege of meeting on a number of occasions. I had a lot of trouble reconciling that and because I couldn't separate the person from his art, I didn't listen to the album again until this week.

In fact, I gave the album to my wife so I wouldn't be tempted to give it another try and have to start all over with the internal turmoil. TheWife didn't share my views on the album and it became a mainstay in her car's CD player ever since. All the while TheWife has been trying to convince me that the CD is worth another listen.

I finally gave in and I must admit that it's grown on me. It's still not my favorite album, but there are definitely some shining standouts, like Take Me Home and Walking Away. Check it out, you all may like it more than I did.

The PET Scan Part Deux...

Everything went as expected with my mom's PET Scan yesterday. We won't get any of the results until our meeting with the oncologist on Tuesday. However TheWife and I have to stay clear of her for a day or so until her body flushes the radioactive materials. The caution is more for TheWife than myself, but everything should be 5x5 by tonight. I guess the radioactivity has a really short half-life of about 2 hours. Thus, by the end of the first 24 hours she should be clean and clear.

Now it's just another waiting game. Waiting for results, waiting for treatment suggestions, waiting for the next show to drop, etc. In the meantime I have to meet with her and her financial manager to discuss her estate and what will happen to it if anything happens to her. Did that make sense? Anyhow, it's a conversation I really do not want to have. I think that's why she's taking me to the Farmer's Market first--to bribe me into being in a good mood. We'll see about that.

Bored now...

I need something to occupy my time. I don't have any more BSG DVDs coming for a while and I need an escape. Up to now I've been re-reading my old copies of Preacher, Transmetropolitan and Quiver, however I can only read about Spider being in the 2% group so many times before it loses its luster. Gasp.

I'm thinking I need to bite the bullet and spend some money I don't necessarily have and get some new graphic novels. However I'm not sure which direction I want to go. Should I go the superhero route with some Death of Super Man, or Knightfall? Or, should I go foPublish Postr the anti-hero, like Sandman or Fell?

Please help me choose. My brain is starting to slog a bit.

No title sad enough...

Doesn't this just break you're fuckin' heart? Seriously--no sarcasm here. As I was walking my dog this morning, I read that story and it just about made me cry.

In other rainy day news, my mom goes in for her first PET Scan today and more blood tests. The PET Scan will tell us how far the cancer has progressed and help determine the best course of treatment. The blood tests are being done to try and reconcile why she has a multi location cancer, yet her liver functions and hemoglobin levels are currently normal. We won't know the results until next Tuesday.

I really need something good to happen today. Anything, no matter how big or small would help.

Stripped!

Just got home from the Eddie Izzard show. It was ok. Certainly better than Definite Article, but nowhere near as good as Dressed to Kill. I think the reason I liked the show, but did not love it, was because the entire show was devoted to two topics, really. He alternated back and forth, using his special brand of free association, between God and human history. Whereas in other performances of the past, he ranges a lot further with topics and jokes.

Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with either topic, it's just that after an hour of it, things start to feel a bit stale. And then you've still got another hour-plus to go. For me, the highlight of the show was in the first 10 minutes when he said that dyslexics hate the city of Minneapolis. "Because they can't spell the fucking name!"

I was also a bit disappointed in that he came out on stage in full bloke gear. That's a new twist. He's gone from being an "Action Transvestite" to an "Off-duty Transvestite." I really had to wonder if, with the success of his new show, The Riches, F/X network has asked him to tone down that part of his personality in public. Or maybe some random fuck-knob told him that that kind of thing won't play in the Midwest. Either way I wouldn't be surprised. Just disappointed.

Overall, I gave the show a B+. I would suggest to most people that they should save the $70 per ticket and go buy one of his DVD's for $19.95 instead. Sorry, Eddie, but I'll give you another chance next time you are in town.

...and here comes rob...

...On a red Honda Elite scooter...

Awesome.
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I miss the city

About a year and a half ago I moved out of the city. Much like Spider Jerusalem, I was burnt out on the rude people, the noise, the stress, etc. So I went up the mountain, so to speak.

I still work in the city, but with gas prices being what they are and my wages being what they are, I don't get much chance to spend any down-time in the city. For the first year or so I didn't miss it much, but lately I have been.

Right now that sentiment rings especially true. I'm at my favorite little coffee shop, waiting for the famous Rob Callahan to appear. But in the meantime I have some entertainment. There is a guy across the way who is the spitting image of what Jimi Hendrix would look like today if he'd sorted out his troubles back in the day. And he's playing guitar-fairly well-on a portable amp.

Good times. It's these kinds of things that I miss about living in the city.
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I'm a winner...part deux.

Actually, I ended up winning two. Even got my picture taken. And a bunch of shwag.

There was a cool component of the keynote address in that you could text message your questions to the speaker. I sent in multiple questions referencing spider jerusalem and transmetropolitan, just to mess with him. You could visibly see his face change as he read my questions to himself, then skipped over them. It made me laugh.
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I'm a winner!

Today, rather than spending 12 hours busting my hump as a rain-maker, I am heading off to the MSAE Annual meeting. At some point I'll be getting an "Award of Excellence."

Yeah. I'm that awesome.
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I Love Teh Interwebs

Good morning. In times of darkness, when the world seems to be against you, there is a strong need for comfort. Something to soothe and provide momentary respite from daily grind that is slowly etching a deep groove inside your chest.

For the past week-and-change, I find myself waking each day with the singular thought of "where am I gonna find my comfort today?"

Today it's comes in the form of words and images that remind me of my childhood.

Because so much of my daily work involves the written and spoken word, I've developed a cache of inspirational heroes who I turn to when the well runs dry. Usually I turn to Dessa first. She helps me get some groove. Not only is she a hell of an MC, but she's always been kind to me as a person-always greeting with a hug and good word or two. Personally, I think all women should aspire to be just like her. I may be biased, though, since she was kind enough to perform at my wedding.

After that, I turn to something else. No matter what you thought of Reagan's politics, you have to admit that he was one of the best public speakers in American history. The words he spoke, and the way he spoke them, were unlike any president before or after. Just saying.

As for comforting images, I love me some plaid stallions. It brings back strong memories from when I was a child when life was better.

Have an ok day.

...And the surgeon says...

...your mother has cancer.

It was the last thing I ever expected to hear.

On Monday my mother went into the hospital to have some surgery and when it was over the surgeon came out to tell me that during the course of the procedure they had to abort because they discovered numerous tumors in my mom's abdomen and colon.

Fuck.

It could be worse

Because I am the kind of person that I am, I keep a collection of "it could be worse" examples. These are items I find on the web that I can review any time I feel like the fates and furies (not furries) are conspiring against me. I keep things like this. And this. Oh yeah, can't forget this golden nugget (the design became obsolete in 2003).

Today there is a new addition, and I needed it. After a long day where everything went wrong, I realized that it could, indeed, be worse. I could be involved in some sort of ass-clownery like this.

Battlestar Galactica: The remainder

...was awesome.

That is all.

Battlestar Galactica: hour 1 and some of hour 2

I was too young for BSG the first time 'round. I've seen a few of the old episodes and they never did much for me.

However, I keep hearing so much about the new episodes. Normally I don't buy into buzz, but this time it came highly recommended by someone I trust in such matter.

Hour 1 has been ok, and hour 2 has been more action packed. Also, the whole "drum-only" soundtrack is an interesting idea that I like-so is the silent space.

More later.
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Back to civilization

The wife and I are back from our little sojourn to the north shore. Some nice photos and a little tumult. More to come later when I've rested a bit.

Oh, by the way, I see that none other Mr. Carson finally got himself a blog. Go check it out.

Neil Gaiman is so lucky

He has minions who always send him the Coolest. Links. Ever. Unfortunately he obviously doesn't get enough of them.

Wish I had minions. If I did, they'd probably be like this. Minus the gothic choral music of course. That would be more Rob's style. Rob has minions by the way.

Ghost Hunters

The new episode of Ghost Hunters can be summed up in two words: Wicked. Awesome.
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1985: The Revenge

The 1980's are back with a vengeance, thanks to the American Apparel store that is currently vomiting neon colored stretch pants all over Lake Street.

And before you even ask-no, I am totally sober as I type this on my BB.
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RIP: Personal Accountability

It appears that personal accountability in Charleston, WV has passed away. Let's have a moment of silence and think back on it with fond memories.

...

Ok, for those of you who either don't get it or were too lazy to read the article, here's the elevator version of the story:

1. 15-year-old girl gets drunk AT school by engaging in a "vodka chugging contest" with other students.
2. Said chugging contest occurred in a classroom where no teacher was present.
3. Said 15-year-old girl gets caught (still during the school day)
4. Mother of said 15-year-old girl determines that based on points 1, 2 and 3 the all fault lies entirely with the school and it's principal, not on herself--the PARENT.

God, how I love the way some folks will do, say and believe anything so long as it removes any fault from their own backyard.

"Oh no, not MY child."

"My pure little snowflake would never drug, overpower and anally rape an under-age girl!"

"My little princess would never willingly have sex with the boy next door!"

"My child would NEVER drink or do drugs if it were illegal or against parental rules! The fault must lie with society!"

Yes! Society!

Blame the masses, blame television and the media-whore-hopping-mongers! Blame politicians and teachers and priests and anyone else you can think of! Essentially, blame everyone who is not you, because god forbid you admit that maybe letting strangers and T.V. babysit/raise your child for you for the last 15 years was bad idea on your part.

Ms. Angel Cincinnati (which, by the way, sounds like a bad stripper name), you are to parenting what clown shoes are to footwear.

QC Hotness and teh Hobocore (Or Linky-McLinkerson and the Hot Links)

Normally I'm not a big fan of web comics. I often find them too quirky, or too indie for my own tastes. Also it doesn't help that most of them, in my opinion, are the Tatooine or Dagobah of the Fun Universe. There are, however, a few stand-outs that have become part of my OCD-driven morning ritual. There's Lil Spencer, and Toby . Hell, even Barkeater Lake is is alright now that Pandolph finally got back to updating (though it appears he's dropped the whole Toby crossover).

The best of the all, however, is none other than J. Jacques very own Questionable Content. It's teh awexome fer reelz. But seriously, it's good humor, a lot of indie (the good kind) pop culture references and above all it brings the funny in every aspect, even in the wardrobe and and set design. Even when the story is slow, I love reading the com just to see the characters wearing shirts like this. Ok, maybe it's not the best example, but I'm tired and don't have time to weed through the archives right now. However, I do love the shirt worn in today's comic (i.e. Tits or GTFO) by the lady librarian. And if that don't beat all, you can actually buy some of the stuff for real. I'm considering a TEH shirt, or maybe the Hobocore model. Dunno yet.

Wow, this turned out to be a lot more linky than I had intended.

Oh well, gotta run.

Ciao.

Northern Minnesota: Believe It or Not

Now if I understood the story correctly, my good friend Hauana caught this fish with little more than a piece of string and her own rippling muscles. If it were anyone else making that claim, I would call bullshit in half-a-heartbeat. However, I have been witness to Hauana's exploits in the past which make this story a little easier to believe. Since we first met back in 1997 (I think) I've seen her:

• Threaten a boy she didn't care for with mass physical violence.
• Drive said boy to tears with what amounted to 3 sentences.
  
• Gleefully break the hearts of both men and women like they were out-of-date Christmas ornaments.
• Manhandle a full grown Doberman Pinscher (not mine) because it was "getting saucy" with her.

These are just a sampling of course. I think the most telling of all, though, would be the fact that she was the daughter of a small-town sheriff. Meaning she had to be tougher than the other kids just to withstand their misguided abuse that should have been aimed at her dad.

Reprise

Some guy representing Mirimax films just called and offered me some tix to a preview screening of Reprise. It looks pretty cool and I think I may go, if I can get away from the missus and the foetus.

Wide-Eyed Nightmares and the Spring that Never Came

This morning, round about 5 a.m., I awoke from a dream where it was late April and spring had fully sprung. This morning I awoke to below freezing temps and a high of 46 degrees.

Strangely enough I kept thinking about that quote from Last of the Mohicans where Hawkeye says, "You be strong, you survive... You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you."

Is that being overly dramatic, or is that how I'm going to have to relate to spring this year?

Suburban Sunday

As I sit here, looking out the window at my withered strip of a lawn and watch the sprinklers spinning, one small thought keeps running through my mind.

God, I miss living in the city.

That's "Captain" F*@kin' Asshole to You!

Tripping the Rift is awesome! It's also available for instant viewing on Netflix.

Now if I could just find a good source for some IT Crowd.

Drug Czar

Geoff Trenchard is one of the best spoken word artists out there. Learn it.

Nice

Oh look-I can even post from my BB.

A New Beginning

The beginning of all things is important. The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step and if that first step isn't taken with style and purpose then you are doing little more than wandering. Like a buffoon. Or a clown. And Clown's are a scary lot to be sure.

So, in an effort to avoid being a scary clown wandering about, I'll make your acquaintance with a "50 things about me" list and go from there. I know, I know--it's so over done, but really would you rather we explore the scary clown scenario together?

No? I thought not. So here we go.

1. While my real name is obviously not "Yours Truly," it is how I sign all letters.
2. In this age of e-mail and cell phones, I still write letters.
3. I am an American, but my family comes from NSW Australia.
4. I have loved two women in my life-unless you consider coffee to be a woman.
5. In which case, I've loved three.
6. I am addicted to Law & Order.
7. I have a fear of speaking in front of people, but I love to be the center of attention.
8. I was once a performance poet.
9. Hence I smoke used to smoke a lot of cigarettes.
10. Hence I drink a lot of coffee.
11. I've seen sunrises on two continents.
12. I've seen sunsets on three.
13. I was once the center of a small misunderstanding in a foreign country.
14. Others, in the foreign services profession, referred to it as a minor international incident.
15. I currently live in the Midwest.
16. My favorite number is 7.
17. I have two tattoos.
18. I want more.
19. I am 31
20. In 31 years I have known Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, Fashion Models, and the closest thing America has to royalty.
21. in 31 years I have also known drug dealers, strippers, vagrants and various people of leisure.
22. I was much more impressed with the latter than the former.
23. I live in a house.
24. I am married (see #4).
25. I believe there are bad people in the world.
26. But I have hope in humanity and faith in people.
27. I have no idea why.
28. I am very close to my family.
29. I love the act of writing.
30. My best friend died in 1992.
31. To this day I still can't bring myself to visit his grave site.
32. I have a Masters Degree.
33. I love candles.
34. I love to watch car wrecks…like Flava Flav, Danny Bonaducci and George Bush. Fucking clown shoes.
35. I am a very moderate democrat.
36. If I were a woman, I'd totally do Jamie DeWolf (Kennedy).
37. Ok, ok…I'd do him now. So what??
38. People like Shane Koyczan, Dessa Darling, Mike McGee, Wil Wheaton, Geoff Trenchard and Carrie Spellman are my heroes.
39. I believe heroes are a hard thing to come by these days.
40. I panhandled while I was an undergrad.
41. I miss Justin Miller.
42. I miss being a kid and laughing at everything.
43. I find intellectual property to be an interesting subject.
44. I believe ghosts are real.
45. I don't care for seafood.
46. I'm constantly amazed by the genius of Li'l John and his making of career out of three words.
47. POS ruined my life.
48. Not really. He's actually a very nice person to talk to.
49. I think Dessa is the best thing to happen to hip-hop in years.
50. I am going to be a dad by Christmas and the thought scares me to death