Whoa - That Was Fast.

It's been about a month, now, since the last post in the 'real estate' series.

Not much has changed on my end. However, my landlord officially put the house on the market this past weekend. Friday evening or Saturday, I believe.

To my amazement, last night (Tuesday) was the first showing. There's already a second one scheduled for tomorrow night (Thursday, which is tonight really). That's two within five days. I have to say it's a great piece of property but I'm still a bit surprised at the quick response.

My friend who's been boarding here for the past few months is in the real estate biz, to some extent - and he caught it in the MLS listings this weekend. Apparently, it's one of the higher priced multi-family properties in town. Yet, still, two quick showings in less than a week. Interesting, to say the least.

There's not really much more to add at this stage. I guess I just wasn't expecting this level of activity this early on.

So all those initial fears I had have come flooding back after a month of relative calmness. It's not a bad thing. Definitely good motivation to keep me on my toes.

With all this, I'm now even more grateful for the upcoming holiday weekend. It should be a good opportunity to spend a few solid days going through the inventory and cleaning house. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Besides that, it should be a good weekend to continue my latest flurry of reading - and plowing through a couple of Netflix viewings, to boot.

On tap for entertainment this weekend are a couple DVDs and one of two books I just got in the mail : The Wedding Crashers and Blue Car (DVDs) and Alice Cooper - Golf Monster (book).

The other book is I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon. That one will be pushed back in the queue a bit, though. I've a few others to get to before that. The Alice Cooper one is short (~250 pages), so that'll be a quickie.

I can't wait to read it because Alice Cooper is a riot. You may find that surprising if you've never paid much attention to him - but he really is.

So, that's it for the time being. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend... and please take some time to remember those that have passed before us.

The Adventures of Coma Girl and the Excitement Gang

Admittedly, I arrived at the greatness of The Clash a long while after they were 'new' to the scene. Years, a decade or more, later.

That's not totally true. I did own a cassette version of Combat Rock when it came out. But I'll fully admit ignorance to (most) anything they'd done prior to that "MTV" record in 1983. Give me a break; I was 13.

That doesn't diminish their influence on me and the esteem to which I hold them as a band. A pillar, an essential of Rock and Roll. One of, if not my favorite, artists of all time.

Unquestionable.

You may or may not like The Clash. And that's fine. But I'm willing to bet that more than one or two post-punk era bands you enjoy, did. No, not bet. Guarantee.

I can't get into a whole Clash history here - but I have to give a nod to my man. Joe Strummer.

Back a few years ago, I'd heard that he was touring with his own band - The Mescaleros. I decided I didn't have the time to go to the show, and missed it. A while later, he died.

My bad. I should have gone to see him live when I had the chance.

This isn't some sappy "now that you're gone" retrospect. I've been listening to Streetcore in my car, recently, and realized that his talent and influence have been wildly overlooked - or underappreciated.

Joe Strummer was a master lyricist. His songs filled with words making up part of the instrumentation. Check out Beck and Anthony Kedis as those who, I'm not shy in suggesting, were influenced by him. I have no proof - but I'm sure a 50/50 bet would score.

There's lots to say about this guy that I don't have the time for right now... but after the past week, listening (again) to his voice, his lyrics, and the way Streetcore was finished after Joe's passing that makes me confident in my assessment.

Joe Strummer is a man that can not be overlooked when reviewing the history of Rock.

There may be more detail here in the future.. Until then, just remember his name.

Wot's all this, then?

For a few months now, I've noticed something while walking from my car in the office parking lot to my building. Then again, on my way back to my car at the end of the day. It is something on the ground and it's remained there for all this time. It must've been scraped up by the plows over the winter but it hasn't disappeared with the fairer weather.

It's a patch of the paint, or whatever it is, they use to coat the lot.

There are bits and pieces of it everywhere but this one caught my eye due to its size - and it's conspicuous shape.

After the first couple times I saw it, it dawned on me. It looked like the United Kingdom.

This morning on my way in, I decided to snap a photo of it for perusal here.

Turns out it was a good incentive to find a new FTP program to upload files, too. I needed something on my laptop I could use to transfer files to my remote storage site. I found what appears to be a good program for doing that. Much improved over my utility I have on my pc.

Anyway, here's a map of the UK I've borrowed from a website ::

Here's the photo I snagged this morning. Granted, it's not a precise replica of the actual island - but I think it's close enough ::

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the similarities.

Cheers.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Yeah, so,

before I get into it, let me just say, I love the Moss move by the Pats. it's a no-lose deal. he kicks ass, he kicks ass. he drags ass, he's out on his ass. it's that simple. and after seeing some footage and hearing some commentary - i'm looking forward to the Belichick Moss Experiment. very excited.

but the point is i am so psyched with my new tires. finally got the Jeep in for an appointment. man, wish i had done it sooner.

my tires were so bad, the whole car would shake something fierce as soon as i hit 55-63 mph. yah, it was that specific. uncontrollable to the point that, it's time. like, within the week.

so, i was just gonna get a replacement of the exact tire that came on the car from the factory. the guy at the shop tells me there's another tire, cheaper, and 'better' i could also get. couple questions answered to my satisfaction later, i'm in.

four new yokohama geolandar a/t-s tires.

driving out of that place was unbelievable. it was the smoothest ride i'd ever had in that car. at least that i could remember. the old tires had 62K+ miles on 'em. five an' a half years... so, could be that the original drives were as smooth.

i dunno... it felt like ridin' on butter - but with complete control. like there was some kinda fin coming out the undercarriage of it, stickin' into an invisible track on the road. like i was in one of those electric, trigger-controlled toy racecar things i had as a kid. but better controlled.

and i know the shopkeeper is supposed to keep you happy. make sure you think you're happy with your purchase. but two different guys commented to the like of, "hey... that's a good tire." something like that.

but something about the way they said it. i believed them. and that first and second drive on those things... can't wait to drive to work tomorrow. can't wait for some rain. can't wait for some snow. i'm dyin' to check these things out.

the smoothness, though. it's unbelievable. oh, brian. those ears. how do you? they're so soft. they're like dog ears.

that's kinda what they feel like. family guy people will know what i'm saying. others may not.

all i'm sayin' is, these new tires were worth every dime. the Jeep feels higher, like it was when i first got it, and sturdier, ditto. never underestimate the contribution of a good tire. on any vehicle.