Theme: Love – Friends, Family, and the Rest

photo contributed by: Ernie Arias

——————————————– ~ Amy Li

So, something things that need to be known.

1.) I’m ill. I have been for around a month and a half. At first, it was just stomach pains whenever I ate. So I started eating severely less. Since I was losing weight, I didn’t mind. My family was proud of me because I looked nice, so I didn’t tell them I was sick. But in the last month, I’ve been having trouble moving, seeing and staying awake. I’m seeing a dcotor tomorrow and am beyond horrified.

2.) I’m going to see Kate and Tyler this weekend. They bring me strength.

3.) I spent the entire weekend with Tyler, and never felt sick once. I want to be by his side always.

4.) I have been unable to write anything lately. It’s disgusting, and makes me hate myself.

5.) This illness is affecting my school work, which makes me hate myself, as well.

널 생각만 해도 난 강해져 울지 않게 나를 도와줘.
Even though I can’t do a lot for you right now,
will you please continue to stay by my side?

Erin, Leo, Sam, Amea-Grace, Lucy, Jade, Maia, Charlotte, Bronte, Lila, Ivy, Thomas, Sophie,

Matthew & Marcus, Quaide & Brathan, Mia, Livvy & Isla, Felix & Ruby, George & Harry, Leah, Luke & Finn.

Oscar & James, Ryan & Lauren, Luciella, Oscar & Maggie, Courtney, Olivia, Violet, Quinn & Cody.

Erica, Simon, Max, Samuel, Grace, Esme, Alex, Hamish, Grace, John, Aaron, Wolf, Sophia, Conn,

Keegan & Brenna, Soliana, Degen & Betsity, Bidya, Shreezana & Jessica, Fatima, Zeeba & Aram.

Milly, Monty & Matilda, Zoe & Sam, Jakeb & Kodi,

Corey, Cerys, Benjamin, Izzie, Trent, Mackenzie, Te Aowai, Thomas, Mitchell, Tamihana.

     Panthene had fallen sleep. The shops and businesses that surrounded the city streets had all closed up with the disappearance of the day’s sun. It was too late for even the taverns to remain open. Those who had bought one too many had stumbled back to whatever places they knew as home.
     The one thing that stirred did so in the Castle Panthene, from which King Abbelem ruled over Panthene and the rest of Palcore. The castle itself was impressive: tall and proud, its shadow covered half the town by day and half the sky by night. The giant structure had sprouted from the mind and hands of a direct ancestor of the king himself uncountable generations back. The peppered stone walls, beaten though they were by war and weather, climbed toward daring heights. But not so daring, of course, as the mountain the castle was carved from. This mountain stood as the southernmost summit in the Running Mountains, which indeed ran all the way to the high end of Palcore and left room for only a few cities before reaching the Northern Ocean. Though the highest tower of the castle stood nowhere near the height of the mountain’s peak, from it still most of the country could be seen. To the east the Running River traveled from the mountains and separated the island continent into two pieces—Palcore and Rhodera. It rushed its waters southward where it eventually split and emptied itself into the Cold Sea. On the clearest of nights the soft and distant lights of the southern cities Ilsbeth, Palkone and Stableton sometimes appeared through the darkness, along with the Embers. The outlines of those islands looked like the twisted backbone of some great creature resting on the bottom of the sea.
     But nobody was on the highest tower tonight, save for the guard whose very job was watching these sights for any sign of trouble. Fortunately, no trouble came from any place around the castle.
     Unfortunately, it was inside the castle.
     This disturbance occurred far below what most people knew as the lowest level of the castle; thus it did not disturb too many people, only the silence of the cool night. Through the vacant catacombs, built and then forgotten, walked a man. His footsteps, young and unsure, were muffled by the dampness that covered the floors and seeped through the walls. He crept along, blind and forced to feel his way. The hand not guiding his path held a rolled parchment; his shaking fingers clung to it as if his life depended on it, as if it held the secrets of the universe.
     He saw something ahead: a golden rectangle, growing as he approached it. Finally he came to the door and glanced behind him, feeling more paranoid than cautious, then rapped his knuckles thrice on the hard wood.
     A deep voice penetrated the door and answered quickly. “Enter.”
     He did, barely having to open the door to slip his thin frame inside. Inside, the weak light from a lantern barely revealed that someone else was in the room with him. This someone stood in the middle of the room, hooded in black. Before him stood a table.
     “Erin. Did you bring the papers?” his voice demanded more than asked.
     The young man nodded. He fidgeted, fixing the hem of his tunic as he approached the table. It frightened him that this man knew his name, while Erin didn’t even know the man’s face. He realized as he moved his head that the man probably couldn’t see the motion very well with the hood draped down over his face. He sputtered out a short “yes.”
     The man held out his hand and Erin quickly dropped the parchment into it. It looked as if he could wring Erin’s neck with that hand, if he wanted to. This had initially motivated him to accept when the man had first introduced Erin with this offer. If it could be called an offer.
     He waited awkwardly as the man untied the string holding the paper together and unrolled it, setting it on the table to examine. While he read the words, Erin stared down at them. The king’s handwriting, slanted and precise. The ends of words pointed like a knife. There was one letter that swooped out lower than any other and looped back around. Erin couldn’t read, but it reminded him of the noose he would face should he be caught. He would also probably face it if he accused this other man of treason like he dearly wanted to. This, the fear of losing his life to the rope, was one of two things that had kept him from confessing. The other was the abject helplessness instilled in him by way of whispered threats, spoken by none other than the very man in front of him. Fear ran its fingers down his spine, and he shivered.
     The man noticed, and glanced up at him through the thin veil of cloth. If only Erin could find out who this traitor to the crown was, he might stand a chance. But this man was too smart for that.
     He looked back down at the letter, rolling it back together and tying it carefully with the string. “Good boy. You may go. You know what to do.” He held out the paper for him to take.
     “I—yes, sir,” Erin muttered and took the letter, then turned around and stepped gingerly to the door, afraid that if his feet made any noise at all it would wake the entire kingdom. He reached the door and took hold of the heavy latch. But then he turned back. It took him a second to steel his unstable voice enough to talk. “S-sir—”
     The voice snapped off the rest. “Yes, Erin?”
     “I…I was wondering, sir, if you could tell me what’s…what’s being planned? I’ve brought these letters and things down here a few times now, sir, and I feel…”
     “You feel what? You want to feel like you have the right to be included, messenger boy? Is that what you want to feel?”
     Erin choked on the words as they fell off his tongue. “If you approve of it, sir.”
     The man sighed. It dripped with impatience. “There are going to be changes, Erin. We’ll leave it at that. Stay loyal to me and you’ll be safe.”
     “I don’t even know who I’m staying loyal to.” The words spilled out of Erin’s nervous mouth before he realized he said them. “…Sir.”
     The cloaked man was silent, and Erin hurriedly left the room. Once outside he leaned against the closed door, willing his heart to stop beating so wildly. He sought fresh air, but the catacombs possessed none. Blind once more, he staggered back to the castle, parchment in hand.

I don’t know what the first post is supposed to be about.

But Erin is probably the only one who will read this anyway, so hi, Erin. Come back to Oregon, please.

Here is a really terrific picture of Erin and me. Naturally, we are eating. We are very good at that.

Yum.

This was a special meal: the first breakfast after “meeting” Emma Watson/the last breakfast in LA during the best trip ever.

Galera gosta de dar ibope pra besteira. Sério. Post anterior? Pois é. Já deu merda. Tá na boca do povo aí, vazamento de informações (olha, isso dá cadeia, hein, povo…) do fundo do poço do inferno, vulgo lugar pra onde foi o quinto (ou sexto, não sei contar) cavaleiro do apocalipse: tem gente aí condenando gente por plágio. Dou nome aos bois. Aliás, daria se soubesse, por que quem denunciou é anônimo. As rés são – tambores – Gika e Fê, acusadas de plagiar personagens de Thaís e Susana.

Isso me lembrou de um post já programado pro blog: Prazer, meu nome é Luiz Gustavo, vulgo LG. É, eu tô falando mal de você! O: É, eu te chamei de bobo! O: É, tô colocando meu nome aqui. Por que ser anônimo é ridículo. Quer fazer denunciar, atacar, falar mal, responder, comentar aí embaixo? FALA O NOME, PORRA. Sério, de anônimo já tô feliz com o que deu prints sem provas sobre mim que me fizeram ser julgado por conivência. PS.: FOI A LELÊ, LG, TÔ TE FALANDO!!! COMO VOSSÊ AINDA É AMIGO DELA?! Meu, pára de tentar enfiar essa idéia na minha cabeça. Que seja. Foi a Lelê? Pelo o menos ela é bonita. Ainda assim eu curto mais ela do que você, mals aí Falsa e Bonita > Feio e Verdadeiro. Retornando… Conivência.Aprendi a palavra esses dias, vou usar muito nas minhas próximas redações. Essa e mais o monte de jargões jurídicos que o povo de Beaux anda adorando usar, tô tendo que aprender. Bom mesmo era quando todo mundo tinha 15 anos e tava na sétima série, sem saber palavras difíceis. 15 anos físicos, claro, porque psicológicos, tem uns que até hoje não chegaram nem aos 13. Fê, isso te inclui xD Enfim. Anônimo pra mim = ninguém.

Mas voltando ao assunto… Meu, tem gente que gosta de dar ibope. ACABOU DE VER NO TÓPICO QUE O ROLF PODIA SER ACUSADO DE PLÁGIO DO LEX E ME DÁ UMA DESSAS? Tem gente que joga merda no ventilador, né não? E seja sincero aí, fala quantas patricinhas já existiram em Beaux? Agora quantos burros já existiram em Beaux? Agora, quantos personagens de dupla personalidade já existiram em Beaux? Quantos rp’s parecem muito com aquele outro seu? Segredo só pra você, hein, não espalha: ninguém ali é original. É tudo copiado. OOOOOOOOO:

Aproveitando, comentário pro Lucas, que depois resolveu se pronunciar no Fora do Personagem: tá se rebaixando a nós, fera? Sério, a gente é baixo pra caralho, barraqueiro e tudo mais, se pá a gente já xingou até sua mãe, mas aí o rei da ironia, o ser supremo das discussões, perder tempo em discutir com a gente no FdP? Isso a gente faz com o Luiz.  Volta a ser o cara diplomático das tiradas legais, que a gente gosta mais de você, porque senão, com quem a gente vai discutir ficando com medo de sair perdendo a discussão? Se tu se rebaixa a nós, nem rola, a gente é bom no que faz.

Kids today with all their “sexting”, xxx rated online forums,social networking hook-ups, and girls that consider themselves to be virgins because blow-jobs don’t count!?!…what does a parent have to do to get their child’s attention with all these distractions in the world today.

Girls were not in to “sexting” when I was a kid…but they are now!

Communicating with teens is difficult,and new and innovative means are necessary to get the attention of the children in todays fast paced world.

The media is reporting that 35-year-old Steven Russo,of Bethlehem Township,is charged with furnishing alcohol to Freedom High School students after he allowed his 17-year-old son to host a party at his home on Dec. 12, police said. He coaxed girls wearing cheerleader outfits to dance around the stripper pole in his basement, police said.

He is charged with nine counts of endangering the welfare of children, eight counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and nine counts of corruption of minors in connection with the party.

The Stripper Pole Bad-Dad...Steven A. Russo

Steven Russo may have went to far in his attempt to get his sons attention, but what surprises me about this story is that he was succesful in getting the girls to not only wear the cheerleader outfits,…but they also got busy on the pole!!!

Defense attorney Erv McLain said the story has been so sensationalized that Russo can’t get a fair trial locally.

Russo is currently in prison after being convicted of stalking an ex-girlfriend  Jessica Clapso, of Northampton,  on behalf of their son, Michael Clapso, whom he also tried to kill. Steven Russo was found in his idling car in a closed garage with his son Michael by his side, unconscious, by his grandfather, who just happened to stop by their house.

The Express-Times reports that…Michael Clapso was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg where a blood test showed he had an elevated carbon monoxide level, Jessica Clapso said in her statement, adding that Michael will be OK.

Quoted in her statement to police, Jessica Clapso said Russo text-messaged her, saying, “This is on you and good-bye.

(SOURCE-http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1236402326155380.xml&coll=3)

Hey,…I like strippers just as much as the next guy, so that does not bother me, BUT…you probably need to abstain from enjoying that particular activity with your son, until he can legally attend a strip club with you!!!!..other than that, this story is just creepy!!!

Sexy Bartender and Bad-Dad Steven A. Russo...the "Stripper Pole Dad!!!

Read up on the “Stripper Pole” Dad Here…

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a4_4stripper.7158246jan26,0,2491577.story

http://www.bustedcoverage.com/?p=12113

“Starring Heaps and Heaps’ brother Heaps.”

What better way to express our excitement for our show this Wednesday @ Malones than with our cover of a song we’ve only played once . . . here’s “Hey Sandy,” better known as the “Pete & Pete themesong”:

Most of the things from childhood don’t really hold up to the scrutiny of later return but Erin & I have found that “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” does (at least while you’re drinking and watching it off of DVD).  The show captures the early 90s cooled-edges take on the shrill polymorphous zaniness of the 80s, creating a world of magical realism  where undisguised but privately held eccentricities get tangled but are ultimately accepted and turned into myth.  The prevalence of Big Pete’s stolidly verbose, unblinking narration frees the actors up from the shackles of having to be cookie-cutter laugh-track imitations of people and lets them be “characters” in the best sense of the word, larger than life but in the compact scale of a kid growing up in the suburbs.  Big Pete’s every hyperbole is confirmed by a “reality” constructed as a clear narrative for children that doesn’t talk down to them even as it creates a kids-eye view of the world largely free of the mopey, dopey high school drama that dominates shows meant to make kids want to be older as soon as possible (the occasional Big Pete and Ellen love plot aside).  As for Little Pete, he may have his own personal super hero (who looks like he’s trying to chew on his own face in every scene) but he’s basically everyone’s super hero himself, a taciturn figure of stubborn willfulness who is capable of sticking to any plan without falling into the smirkiness of other 90s “attitude figures” (see Bart Simpson, Sonic the Hedgehog, Poochie).  Somewhere along the line,  a paper must have been  for the annual Popular Culture Association conference comparing Big Pete, Little Pete, and Ellen to the Freudian ego, id, and superego

Encomia aside, all these years though, I never could figure out what the theme song was about (not that it kept me up at night) but when I saw the video for a cover of it by Tera Melos (which does a great job of recreating shot for shot the original P&P opening credits), I was compelled to try to get the other Heaps to at least try playing it. Turns out in the intervening years, they invented something called “the internet” which is basically a poorly maintained list of the lyrics to every song ever written.  Thus, here’s the original lyrics to the song by Polaris:

Hey Smilin Strange,

You lookin’ Happily deranged

Can you settle to shoot me?***

Or Have you picked your target yet?

CHORUS:

Hey sandy [Ay ay ay]

Don’t you talk back [ay ay ay] Hey Sandy

Four Feet away,

End of Speech is the end of the day

we was only funnin’

But guiltily I thought you had it comin’

I say “original” because that’s not what I’d be hearing all these years.  Here’s my version (which we slip into at 1:33 in the track above):

It’s kinda strange;

you’re lookin’ at a leaky range.

Can you guess what’s in me?

Or have you bit the dog again? (It’s in me!)

CHORUS: does your dog bite? (it’s in me)

I contend that my version fits the show much better even though Little Pete has a pet lizard instead of a dog.  The “missing line” (omitted in official lyrics sheets and marked above with “***”) has fueled the urban legend that the song is about the shootings at Kent State in 1970.  There apparently is an entirely different song called “Hey Sandy” about Sandra Scheuer who was indeed killed at Kent State by the National Guard for walking to class, but it’s not clear that Polaris had that in mind themselves when they penned the un-family friendly phrase. It would certainly make more sinister the lines “don’t you talk back” and “guiltily I thought ‘you had it coming.’”

So as not to end on that heart-warming note, here’s a music video for the Ganglians’ song “Hair” using Pete & Pete footage:

If you want what an A&R guy would call a more “urban” video for the same song, check out the 2nd half of my 2009 list.

See you in Santa Ana, Wednesdaynauts!

domeTiIME + domeSPACE are about to collide.

Transports:
Stefan Car = Stefan, Sam S and Sam Y leaving on Friday 2pm from DC returning Monday.
Elaines Car = Elaine, Poonam, Nadine, and Andrew leaving on Friday 2pm from Bmo returning on Monday.
Hollys Car = Holly, Jason leaving on Friday at 2pm from Bmo returning Monday
Bretts Car = Brett, Christine, Ezgi leaving on Friday 6pm from Bmo returning Sunday.
Erins Car = Erin leaving Friday at ?pm from DC returning ?
Megans Car = Megan and Christine leaving Friday night/Saturday…? from DC returning ?
Anthony DB = ?

Erin, Brooke and I were talking in the hallway at lunch today. Allison yelled from across the hall: Erin, I want my eraser back! So then Erin threw her eraser over to Allie and that’s how it all started. Our history teacher came over and got mad at Allie for throwing an object in the hallway. In the teachers eyes, Allie “talked back” to her so she gave both Allie and Erin detention. Erin because she threw and object…wow.

Now how did Brooke and I get detention? Well we laughed…which we probably shouldn’t of done in front of Mrs. Vinivon. Apparently we were being disrespectful towards her so we all got 45 minutes after school. That was the second detention that I have ever gotten The other time was because I pushed a kid back in grade 6.

Tonight I have to take Jono to his hockey practice since no one else can. The hockey arena is not a place that I belong, lol!

Livi

Erin besloot de Achievement Fair met Karley (“Hoe te communiceren met Karley”) te doen, maar ook met Sven (“Het ontstaan van Sesame Street”). Die van Karley is bijna af en daarvan springen de tranen je in de ogen. Hoe natuurlijk zij is met Karley, is zeer aandoenlijk. De ouders zijn er geemotioneerd van en hebben ons uitgenodigd te komen eten. Julie (de schoolnurse) wil de krant uitnodigen(!) De Achievement Fair is volgende week dinsdag.

Voetbal staat op een heeeel laag pitje, met instemming van iedereen. Hockey gaat als een trein. Het afgelopen weekend heeft Erin’s team een tournament gewonnen!! Heel stoer!

Een verjaardagsfeestje van Marie. Ze hebben 2 grote stukken fleece aan elkaar geknoopt en creeerden zo een hele warme deken. Super leuk! De volgende ochtend zijn ze met het hele gezelschap naar Karley gegaan.

Bij de parent group (DSAMN) heeft Erin weer geholpen met de kleintjes. Ze hoort er helemaal bij.

Het 6^th grade concert was erg mooi. Erin neemt nu deel aan het “Honors Choir”. Kids van dezelfde leeftijd van alle vijf scholen oefenen een aantal keren en hebben hun performance donderdag aanstaande…

Erin heeft voor de eerste keer officieel ge-babysit!! Een buurvrouw vroeg me of ze dat wilde. Een jongetje van 4 en een baby van 7 maanden!! Een fles geven, luier verschonen, de kleuter naar bed brengen, ze deed het allemaal. En ze kwam er bruisend van de energie weer vandaan. Het zag er heel goed uit. Wat ze ermee verdiende was heel aardig, maar dat liet ze hier op het aanrecht liggen(!)

A not too long time ago in a land not too far away…Mr. Mitchell Einhorn bought a building on Ogden near Grand and set up his photography studio, renovated a few rooms to rent, and settled in to the neighborhood.  This was back in the day.  1987 to be precise.

Shortly after, his father and brother jumped into the restaurant business, buying a smoker and opening a hardcore BBQ joint named ‘Bone Daddy’.  Music, pork, booze.  Good times.  Serious good times.  After a good run, they moved down the block and opened the Twisted Spoke, bringing family friendly and biker bar into the ‘hood under the same roof. The Spoke is still kicking, hard, with a crazy selection of bourbons, really tasty American classics, and great craft brews. Along the way, the Pie Hole, a handmade pizza joint in Boys Town, came and went, offering wildly innovative pies to the Halsted and Roscoe crowd. (Notice any irreverent humor here?!)

Since then, Mitch had a moment.  A very special moment with a very special bottle of Alban Syrah.  Mr. John Alban wasa mongst the first, I presume, to bring Rhone varietals to the Central Coast of California and craft small production, high intensity, cult wines.  Once he had this in his mouth, Mitch was on a mission to get more.  But, living in Chicago, he was unable to get a constant supply of crazy, wild juice.  He exhausted his shopping options and thirsted for a wine shop experience to quench his desire.  In the meantime, he kept drinking and making boozy relationships.  And, then, in 2005, he began the quest that is LUSH.

Mitch consulted and schemed, designed and collected a handful of investors to share in his concept.  The aesthetics, I believe, originated from the giant, vintage clock hanging in his living room…there are now several of those clocks (shipped in from a special store in Florida) that adorn the walls of each LUSH shop.  The clock is all blues, greens, and purple on a background of copper and brown with delicate hands and just enough ornamentation.  The woodwork is all handcrafted by local carpenters of mainly mahogany with freezer door handles, plush leather chairs that are modern enough but comfy, stained concrete floors, and lofty ceilings with wine stretching all the way up and across the walls.  It was imagined to be an inviting, luxurious yet accessible aesthetic with eclectic, delicious wine, beer, and spirits.

The concept for the LUSH experience was based upon an intimate, client oriented approach, transcending just an exchange of commodities, to be an integrated part of everyday life.  To customize each interaction, tailored to a particular palate, a specific event, or occasion.  The staff was handpicked, primarily from backgrounds not in wine, based upon life experience, personality, and willingness to get down and dirty the nitty gritty details of running a retail shop, but also delve into the depths of wine.  The Lushies all work at all locations, but tend to be focused in a particular shop.  Thus, the atmosphere at LUSH is meant to be casually hands on, educational, and fun.  Each shop is necessarily immersed in the culture and the needs of each neighborhood, striving to quench your thirst with the good stuff and encourage responsibly educated consumption.  Drink up!

LUSH University Village originally opened in a temporary space on Halsted, eventually flipping across the street to the permanent space in a renovated historical building, complete with an outdoor patio and more roominess and space for wine.  The neighborhood, back in 2006, was desperately and entirely lacking a wine shop and was full of professors and eager students from UIC, as well as young professionals, and old Chicago families.  The area was and still is being infused with more local businesses and additional new construction and is growing and expanding rapidly.  With the addition of the patio space, LUSH University Village is rockin’ during the warmer months with a custom dinner series and an outdoor event venue.  And, with the new and exciting expansion of the license at this shop, you are welcome to pop in for a drink and hang for a while. Ms. Erin is all about no-nonsense indulgence in good booze and will tell you all about it.

LUSH Rosoce Village came next, after being in the works for several years, it opened in January 2008 with a raucous bang.  Nestled just west of the bustling retail shops on Roscoe, this location offers an intimate, personalized, and serious approach to wine.  The neighborhood is always moving, with bikes, baby strollers, and puppies…all of which are welcome to visit the shop.  With Ms. Jane running the shop, the spirit selections and cocktail recipe suggestions are spot on, and her penchant for quirky wines keep the shelves full of wildly interesting bottles.

LUSH West Town recently debuted in 2009 holiday season, but was also a while in the works, involving an intense series of steps that included lifting the notorious moratorium of liquor licenses on Chicago Avenue that opened up the neighborhood, well at least a 2 block radius, for new wine shops to come on in.  The moratorium is now back in place. The local business owners were amazing and supportive and walked through the tedious process of bringing in the newest Lush with enthusiasm.  Cheers, friends!

Although the finishing touches and carpentry are still being polished up, the West Town shop is basically fully functional and definitely the largest shop…with space for snacks and larger events, a second beer cooler, and more wine and booze!  Ms. Suzanne, the director of snacks is creating a custom, innovative, rotating menu of cold plates.  Small production, extra delicious and rare cheese and charcuterie are the focus, with fun little special creations, too.  The menu should launch in mid-February 2010.  After doing wine, Lush style, for four years, the carefully edited selection of wine, beer, and spirits were thoughtfully collected to offer an accessible, yet eccentric and expansive array of bottles.  We were able to bring in all our old favorites, yet pull in the wines from our ‘wish list’ and bottles that fit the neighborhood.  This location has a very vibrant, city feel to it, with awesome local clients, but also pulls in enthusiasts from downtown and around by bus, train, automobile…and maybe plane or boat too.  The shop is shiny and new and in the process of settling into the neighborhood…very exciting times.  Ms. Rachel is thrilled to offer a playful selection of bottles and track down all the tasty, intriguing fermented beverages out there.  She is super geeky and always looking to learn a new thing or three, as well as chat about your palate and educate by request.  Pop in anytime to check out the new digs.

So, Mr. Mitch Einhorn has come full circle, ending up back in the neighborhood…or, remaining steeped in the neighborhood and continuing to invest his time, energy, and particular craving for damn good booze.  And, although he looks a bit like a burly biker, he is absolutely dedicated to sharing the textures, atmosphere, eat and drink that he loves.  Thank you for hanging with us for the first four years…here is to a few more.  Hope you enjoyed the little foray down memory lane and the less than brief biographical history.  Edumacation is fun.

Cheers!

Philadelphia police have arrested a Northeast Philadelphia man for allegedly pouring rubbing alcohol on a pit bull puppy, and burning him alive, in front of his own children!

33-year-old John Fleet , was arrested Friday after his traumatized children told a school counselor about the incident.

He has been charged with animal cruelty.

The dog survived the torture, but  a spokesman for the SPCA said the dog is in very bad shape.

The SPCA spokesperson George Bengal, also stated that the dog ,a 5-month-old pit bull is responding well to medication and is expected to survive in spite of his wounds. The dog, who had extensive burns to his head, ears and face, will be in intensive care for five to seven days.

Philly.com reports that…Its neck and ears were charred, its whiskers were burned off, and one of its corneas was seared. The animal also had been burned repeatedly with a cigarette, Bengal said.

“It’s going to be disfigured, and maybe also blind in one eye,” Bengal said.

The incident happened Thursday night inside the home, in front of his two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. “He actually had them hold the dog while he did it,” Bengal said.

A counselor at Harding Middle School learned of the incident yesterday morning, then notified the SPCA…

(SOURCE-http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/83120197.html)

I think that school counselor should be commended for their swift action in reporting this cruel incident, as soon as they learned of the case from the traumatized children of Mr. Fleet.

Fleet told the investigators that the dog was burned accidentally,…but investigators believe that Mr. Fleet became enraged at the puppy after it ‘nipped’ at the children.

When investigators arrived at the home of Mr Fleet, he was uncooperative, and would not come to, or open the door.In fact, the investigators had to break through a second story window to force entry into the house, and rescue the puppy.

The puppy, which the rescuers have named Rudy, was found in the basement and was showing obvious signs of physical torture and abuse.

Click on this link to see a video report on this unimaginably tragic case of animal abuse….http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/012910_Father_Charged_With_Burning_Dog

Justice For Buddy,killed by an animal abuser

http://wp.me/pEzT2-yl

Between “Buddy the dog” being dragged to death in Colorado, and this horrific case of burning a puppy alive …IN FRONT OF YOUR OWN KIDS!!?..one could come to the conclusion that there are a lot of sadist out here in the world, that have absolutely no respect for the lives and feelings of our animal population.

It has been found that a person that can viciously murder innocent pets also has the potential to become a mass murderer.

I can not imagine the level damage that the children who saw their father torturing this poor pit bull puppy must be enduring, but I know that they made a choice to do the right thing and turn him in.That descision in itself had to be traumatic at their age to come to.

I can only hope that they get the support and counseling that they will need, and the good news is that they are safely in the care of their mother, staying at another place, far away from their father.

If you would like to give to the care of Rudy, you can go to the Pennsylvania SPCA website, and hit the donate now button. Here is a link to their site….

http://www.pspca.org/

Read more on this story here…

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Lucky-Puppy-Alive-After-Being-Set-Ablaze-83074377.html

(The dogs pictured in the photos included in this article are not Rudy the dog).

My sweet little girl, Erin, turns 11 years old today. I can vividly remember a Saturday 11 years ago when, while watching Pepper Ann on Disney’s One Saturday Morning with our 3 year old son, my lovely wife turned to me and said “It’s Time.” Less than 4 hours later, Erin was part of our family. She is a sweet, sensitive, wonderful girl and I am so glad she has been a part of our lives.

The HEAPS pay the cost to be The Boss

We’ve got practice tonight in preparation for next week’s show at Malone’s 02/03/10 but here’s a gem from one of our other recent practices: a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “10th Avenue Freeze Out”:

If I sound a little hoarse, it’s because I’d been singing this same song (and a bunch of others) the night before in karaoke.  After visiting New Jersey over the holidays and listening to nothing but the “all Bruce” station on Erin’s parent’s car’s satelite radio, I came back with a weird compulsion to do this song.  Erin was nice enough to indulge me and she even volunteered to alternate between saxophone and keyboards.  From karaoke, I learned that I only actually knew 4 words of the song (guess which ones) so I printed out the lyrics but Bruce really does pack a lot of words in his damn lines in his early period.  Anyway, that was only third take ever of that song for us but I was pretty happy–I almost wish Erin had done the squeaky freejazz bit from the very end throughout the rest of the song but I’m probably weird that way.

(Just what is a “10th Avenue Freeze Out” you ask?  Apparently not even the Boss himself knows (or will say).  The song is a compacted narrative of the rise of the E street band but since it references Clarence but not Little Steven, we figured maybe the title refers to what ol’ Sil got.  For our cover of Bruce’s “I’m On Fire”, check this post.)

Our show next Wednesday should be great. We won’t be playing any Bruce but we will be rolling out some new songs for the first time ever.  Joining us is our old pal S.A. Bach and his latest band The Middle Initials but we’ll also be joined by the spacious indierock of The Atlantic Line and the outspoken acoustic rant of Theo Hirsh & the Homos, plus the TBA sounds of Mystery Band #5.  We visited the venue (Malone’s) last night and it’s a nice space but their dedicated parking lot is kind of small so PLEASE COME OUT AND SEE US but prepare to be creative and check the signage.  21+, no cover.  Our set is at 10:30.

Update: This just in: I made a flyer for our show.

Now you have to come to it.

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