Been Awhile

Just stopping in to say hello.

Birthday

January is National Buy Me Lotsa Presents Month.

They have gift certificates here... Hint

Musical Offering

I have ruined many a computer over the years while boldly clicking one link too far while on my search for the ends of the internet. While this may be disappointing to some, I have found great pleasure in the treasures I have unearthed...

I have found the future of the music business and it is called Grooveshark. 10 years from now you will look back at this moment and wonder why you did not start your own business like this one. Trust me. I am right. The Captain is many things but liar he is not.

They truly do have a lot of music to offer you for free. It only costs if you wish to download the tracks.

GROOVESHARK

PS: They even have URBN DK

Top songs of the decade?

The bean counters at Nielsen Ratings were so kind to share with us the most played songs of the last decade.


Country: "Something Like That" / Tim McGraw / 487,343 spins
CHR/Top 40: "Yeah" / Usher featuring Ludacris & Lil Jon / 416,267 spins
Hot AC: "Drops Of Jupiter" (Tell Me) / Train / 338,749 spins
Alternative: "Last Resort" / Papa Roach / 221,767 spins
Rhythmic: "Low" / Flo Rida featuring T-Pain / 206,864 spins
Album Rock: "It's Been Awhile" / Staind / 189,195 spins
Urban: "Drop It Like It's Hot" / Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell / 169,511 spins
Urban AC: "Think About You" / Luther Vandross / 147,818 spins
Gospel: "Never Would Have Made It" / Marvin Sapp / 92,603 spins
Smooth Jazz: "Pacific Coast Highway" / Nils / 29,328 spins


I am pretty sure I was present for this decade yet I found myself completely ignorant to the majority of these tracks. Upon further research, I have in fact heard these yet did not find them all that memorable. It could be that it was probably at a strip club and was slightly distracted. I however can not allow myself to suffer through this alone so I dug deep into the internet to bring these gems to you.


Country: "Something Like That" / Tim McGraw / 487,343 spins



CHR/Top 40: "Yeah" / Usher featuring Ludacris & Lil Jon / 416,267 spins



Hot AC: "Drops Of Jupiter" (Tell Me) / Train / 338,749 spins



Alternative: "Last Resort" / Papa Roach / 221,767 spins



Rhythmic: "Low" / Flo Rida featuring T-Pain / 206,864 spins



Album Rock: "It's Been Awhile" / Staind / 189,195 spins



Urban: "Drop It Like It's Hot" / Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell / 169,511 spins



Urban AC: "Think About You" / Luther Vandross / 147,818 spins



Gospel: "Never Would Have Made It" / Marvin Sapp / 92,603 spins




Smooth Jazz: "Pacific Coast Highway" / Nils / 29,328 spins



What really upsets me is that this song did not make it to the list...

Drinking Quotes

“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” –Frank Sinatra

“Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.” –W. C. Fields

“Here’s to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” –Homer Simpson

“You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.” –Dean Martin

“There can’t be good living where there is not good drinking.”–Benjamin Franklin

“I don’t care how liberated this world becomes – a man will always be judged by the amount of alcohol he can consume – and a woman will be impressed, whether she likes it or not.” –Doug Coughlin (Cocktail)

“I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.” –W. C. Fields

“My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.” –Winston Churchill

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, “It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.” –Jack Handy

“Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.” –W. C. Fields

“It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it.”
–W. C. Fields

“I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. They wake up in the morning and that’s the best they are going to feel all day.” –Frank Sinatra

“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline… it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” –Frank Zappa

“The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.” –Humphrey Bogart

“It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can’t remember if it’s the thirteenth or the fourteenth.” –George Burns

Alcohol, Drinking and Hangovers

Oktoberfest 2009

No Place Like Home Pt 2

Continuing my references to Wisconsin from this blog...



To be continued

Why didn't you tell me about Ernest Ranglin?

I love reggae. Whether it be the textured rhythm, the groove of the bass, the uplifting yet occasional anger in the message or the subconscious feeling of the sun on my back while overlooking the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean.

Add all of that to the fact I am the kind of music fan that when he finds something he likes, he digs in. I peel back the layers in search for something even greater. I figure if you were able to create something I enjoyed, you probably had an influence of something I also would enjoy. This life long habit of mine has brought me quite a few gems as well as a very large music collection.

Having this penchant for research is what surprises me that I never heard of this man. While I am sure I have HEARD him, I had no idea who he was or that such an amazingly original player existed. I am embarrassed to say I did not know who basically invented the reggae guitar style and sound.

Ernest Ranglin








May you find as much pleasure in this as I have.

Cheers!

Proud Catholic Parents

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee. The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."

The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'."

The third Catholic gent says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says 'Your Eminence'."

The fourth Catholic man then says, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'."

Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men give her a subtle, "Well....?" She proudly replies, "I have a daughter, slim, tall, 38D, 24, 34" . When she walks into a room, people say, "My God."

No Place Like Home Pt 1

What does it say about a person when you hear where they are from?
Is there a preconceived picture relating to everywhere?
Do all zip codes come standard with a stereotype?

While I do not find myself qualifying as the atypical cheesehead, there are many things about where I am from that make up who I am. I will build upon this on an ongoing basis but I wanted to start a social experiment by posting a collection of some of the most screwed up, twisted or just down right funny stories from America's Dairyland. At some yet to be determined date in the future, I will come back to this collection to see how they all relate to themselves as well as myself.

This could get interesting.

We will start with this one.

So a Guy Walks Into a Bar With a Staplegun...

Or how about a Christmas Carol by the police department of my old home town

...And the winner for The Most Caucasian Band goes to

OK. I am not going to say I am the most knowledgeable person on the planet when it comes to music but I know Whitey when I see him. He is alive and well while touring in a vintage bus and singing lyrics like "Chocolate Candy Jesus Christ"

Either way, I think I like them even if they can't dance.

We Gather The Distinguished

I have fond memories of my pops working at a public radio station. While his own amazing voice was rarely heard, the sounds and thoughts my mind was exposed to at that point in my life left a lasting impression. The majority of what he played were prerecorded programs where he would flip from one tape to the next. Surrounded by electronics and music, my early teenage mind had me on full nerd alert. I briefly attempted to pursue this memory as a career and had my own prime time radio show but the mystique wore off as I realized that I would have to do and play what I was told.

I do, however, still listen to public radio to this day. NPR offers a wide spectrum of aural delights sure to please everyone at some point. This time of year I find myself enjoying it even more. Please take a moment and listen in to this eclectic collection of Holiday music they have provided. You might find something new to fall in love with too. Let me know your favorite.

All Songs Considered

Favorite Places

While I am discussing exploring, I figured I would cover some of my favorite places I have been. I have traveled extensively through out North America and have seen many things the continent has to offer. Here is a list of links that cover my suggestions for you.

I spent 3-4 months exploring Mexico in a van in my mid twenties and returned again a few years later. These were some of my favorite stops.

Playa Del Carmen
Iberostar Quetzal in Playacar
Palenque
Hacienda Las Palmas

I have explored the country playing music on quite a few occasions. I will recreate one of the tours again at some point even if many of the clubs are no longer open. Some of my favorite stops were:

Storyville - New Orleans











The Stone - San Francisco














The Axiom - Houston















The Satyricon - Portland


















To be continued

In the beginning

I guess the time has come.

To set sail on the journey through my mind.

While I have always spent quality time wandering the hallways of my cranium, any attempt to catalog these jaunts have turned out to be more graffiti than literary. I make no promises that this will change except that this place will at least create a single wall for it all to be scrawled upon.

This will be an ever evolving platform of words, pics, videos and music. Some will be mine. Some will be what I bring back from my travels. I obviously would hope you enjoy what you see but at the end of the day I place this here for my own self indulgence. This is not intended to be rude but more of a statement of purpose. If you do not enjoy doing something, chances are your audience will match your feelings.

I welcome your company and appreciate your feedback. Now grab a pint and join me on this distractionary adventure.

Cheers,
The Captain

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