Monthly Archives: September 2010

Bicycle, bicycle

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Well welcome to another week of work and as per usual on Mondays, I’d like to be somewhere else. Like my bed, still sleeping. It was a fight with the snooze alarm to get here today and I’m officially in so I will make the most of it.

Last week I did a story where I kind of grabbed a camera, flew out the door and crossed my fingers.
It was about two hipsterish dudes from South Park Slope in the Bronx. Nothing fancy about hipsters but these two were riding their bikes across the country will no assistance.

The best part was that they did not have a cause, just doing it to do to do it and see the country from the two wheels of a touring bike.

They are uploading a website with updates as they go along in the trip and one is doing some writing while the other does drawings of their journey.

You can check it out right here

Camping as they go along, this seems like it would be a pretty fun trip. I don’t think I could produce 100 mile-a-day trips but more power to them because they can.

They should be somewhere in Montana along Highway 2 right now.

Here’s a song that features bicycles. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guv6hWaIQaE&feature=related

For entertainment purposes only

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If you were keeping track at home I did pretty poorly last week handicapping the picks. But that’s just it; it’s only week 1 and some of those games were won by the underdogs. 3-2 could be a lot worse but my lock of the week was strait cash homie.

Let’s get right into it.
I’m going to take Buffalo to cover the 13 point spread against my Green Bay Packers at home at the Frozen Tundra. In the NFL 13 points is way way too much.

Look for Carolina to cover the 3.5 at home against Tampa.

The Colts will beat the Giants by the 5.5 points.

New Orleans will cover the 5.5 on the road against San Francisco.

Finally the lock of week will go to Denver to cover the 3.5 at home against Seattle.

This week better turn out better or else my bookie said he is going after my thumbs. Good luck.

‘Gracie & Glorie’

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Tis the season for theatre, at least in this neck of the woods, and nothing spells true North Dakota performing arts like the theater in downtown Grand Rapids.

This bustling metropolis of less than 100 residents about 35 minutes south of Jamestown is host to a top-notch rural production house and it will be showcased this weekend with the production of “Gracie & Glorie.”

I chatted it up with director Christine Ward-Hatton this morning for a quick minute to get a run down of what to expect.

Here’s the synopsis: A young woman from New York City, for one reason or another, is forced to move to rural Virginia. We’re talking backwoods Jed Clampit style, that’s Hill Billy Appalachia for y’all.

She meets a 90-year-old lady and they two form a relationship of sorts. Cultures clash and funny, interesting, touching and even combative situations occur.

Plus the best part for us adults is that the play is written for adults and children should not be brought. Make it a date night parents and don’t feel guilty about the babysitter.

Even more frosting on the cupcake is that this is a dinner theater. As Ward-Hatton described to me in an Appalachian tone of voice is that there will be fired chicken, mashed taters, and corn on the cob with apple crisp for dessert. For rural theater this is pretty upscale.

To get a true gauge on a play I’ve never witnessed or heard of, I did a bit of comparing with the director.
Playgoers will laugh as hearty as they did when they saw “Arsenic and Old Lace” but at times might shed a tear like it was “Old Yeller.”

The young and the very, very old should find this play a good time.

The show runs tonight and Saturday night with a matinee on Sunday. Dinner is at 6:30 and the show at 8.
The full-out meal deal is $17, with the show only going for $7. The Sunday show is at 2 p.m. and there will be no food.

Seems like something I’d enjoy, but it would be a date night deal and this is Jamestown therefore there are no single women in their 20s without children. I dare you to prove me wrong Jamestown.

As the late great Kurt Vonnegut said “So it goes.”

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go.

Best in The Buffalo City Area is back

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It’s that time of the year where area businesses face off to find out who is the Best in the Buffalo City Area. The best part about this is that readers control the results.

Also new this year is that we moved the contest online so you don’t need a paper and a stamp to cast your votes.

We are talking everything from chicken wings to new siding.

First though we need to whittle the competition down a bit by nominating your choices.

You can vote right here

It can also be found on our website jamestownsun.com on the right hand side, for those that troll the site with regularity.

Go ahead and nominate away because it closes on Sept. 22. (There’s something else special about that day…)

What are you waiting for? Nominate already!

Romans Go Home

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I can’t make this up but apparently UEFA, the governing body of European football, has no sense of humor, or at least no reference to great movies. Here’s the story fresh from the AP Wire:

UEFA bars Bayern Munich fans’ Monty Python banner

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has barred Bayern Munich fans from displaying a Monty Python-inspired banner at a Champions League match because it could offend visiting fans from Italian club Roma.

UEFA says the intended banner saying “Romani ite domum” — Latin for “Romans Go Home” — at Wednesday’s match was considered provocative.

The slogan references a scene in the movie comedy Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

However, UEFA approved the German fans displaying a ‘Life of Bayern’ flag at the Allianz Arena.

In a statement, UEFA says: “Anything that may cause offence to a fan base or ethnic group, and therefore pose a security risk, including banners or symbols, is carefully vetted.”

Really UEFA? Was it this bad?

Much respect

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Nothing fancy here today just a shot out to my buddy who completed basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, in the show me state yesterday. He graduates today.

He should ship out to Afghanistan after Christmas.

I’ve known Kevin since sixth grade, back in the days when bowl cuts were all the rage. Later we had some pretty crazy times in high school, most of which I can’t post here. In fact I tried locating a picture me and him from Facebook and I don’t think any of those belong on here either.

Anyways we went different ways in college, he to Milwaukee and me to Green Bay. But we still got had some fun in Milwaukee.

Like, in 2006 when the Bears made it to the Super Bowl and ultimately lost. Let’s just say I lost a bet and ended up buying enough barley pop in Milwaukee to go around for a while.

I learned my cricket dart game from Kevin and was also there the night his CD player got stolen from his Jeep outside a Milwaukee bar. I don’t think we can forget the Bob Dylan concert at the Rave either.

But those days are long gone. I’m up here in North Dakota remembering the good old days. He spent the last 12 weeks training to defend our freedoms, like my right to waste everyone’s time by writing this blog.

Much respect to you Kevin and to all of those Americans willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice. I know you’ll make one hell of an Army Ranger and that your friends and family are proud of you.

Trailer Tuesday

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Occasionally a movie is released that appeals to me so much that I must see it immediately.

Back in Green Bay this was as simple as going to a midnight showing, book it, done.

Not so fast here in Jamestown. We have some midnight showings but I am by no means whatsoever a fan of the Twilight or Harry Potter series.

For this year’s fall movie lineup I was thinking more along the lines of Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete” staring Danny Trejo as a Mexican mercenary set up by the U.S. government.

In North Dakota, this movie was showing no where in the entire state when it opened. Now it is in Bismarck and Fargo, so making a trip would be about as significant as a midnight showing in my book.

Plus I don’t think it will ever make it to the silver screen here.

Here’s the trailer:

What else does a man need in a movie? Action, guns, explosions, a corny plot, star studded cast, some foxy dames.

But alas, there is another totally different movie that I would also consider making the drive for.

“The Social Network” which has been on the commercials a lot this past kickoff weekend, was written by my man Aaron Sorkin.

Sorkin was made famous by writing the following cult classic TV shows, “Sports Night,” “West Wing” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Not to mention the play “A Few Good Men” and the film “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

I have a feeling this film will eventually make it to Jamestown, but as Tom Petty said, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

If it does come to Jamestown it will be after it’s nominated for a slough of Academy Awards, or walks home with some serious hardware.

Here’s the trailer:

FYI, the Vega Choir singing Radiohead’s “Creep” may have sold it.

So readers (at least my two commentators) I want to see a movie in a theater, very soon, what to do?

Case of the Mondays

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Ah Mondays. Who doesn’t love getting back to work and starting the week all over again?

Allow me to borrow from the always hilarious “Office Space.”

“Let me ask you something. When you come in on Monday and you’re not feeling real well, does anyone ever say to you, ‘Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays?’”

So when Monday comes around I look for things I can look forward to throughout the week. I’m close to finishing a book, which I will review here. I got lots of magazine reading to catch up on and the new Madden game is a blast on my PS3.

Speaking of football I am 3 for 4 on my picks for last week with one game left tonight.

I correctly called the Saints Vikings and greatly enjoyed the disappointed look of fans in Jamestown.

Here’s a song with some pictures about New Orleans that is a classic.

This video brings up another item I can look forward to, the 25th Farm Aid in Milwaukee.

You see the always great-innovative-musical genius that is Neil Young covered this Fats Domino dity when I was last at Farm Aid five years ago in Tinley Park, shortly after Katrina.

I never knew it was Fats until I heard it on NPR on my way to the golf course, but I’ve been looking for it ever since.

The 20th Farm Aid was a truly awesome show, Obama introduced Wilco, and Widespread Panic played great as did John Mayer and Buddy Guy. The founding four of Willie Nelson, John Cougar, Neil Young and newcomer Dave Matthews were on their game. And for any old timers out there Arlo Guthrie rambled off a full version of “Alice’s Restaurant.”

This year’s lineup isn’t nearly as strong but it’ll be nice to get back home, enjoy some Spotted Cow and catch old Neil for the third time.

Here’s the lineup set for Oct. 2 at Miller Park.

http://www.farmaid.org/site/c.qlI5IhNVJsE/b.2723647/k.2B7B/The_Lineup.htm

Real live music

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As winter looms over North Dakota the Fall Festival in Medina might be the last chance for a state-wide staple, the street dance.

I’ve never seen a street dance before coming to Jamestown. Most of the time in Wisconsin streets were too busy to be shut down or the venue was big enough to hold a stage, band, equipment, and people to listen to the music.

So head over to Medina if you want to catch some music from a band called Gravity. I would offer up more information on this band, like a link or maybe even a song, but it seems like there are more than 50 bands with that name, at least according to the all-knowing Google.

But I’m sure it’ll be a good time. Heck, I was even having a good time at the end of the Zwarte street dance show a few months ago. (Trust me Zwarte is not my bag)

I haven’t decided if I’m going yet but if I do and any readers tell me they read about it here first, I’ll buy you a barley soda.

SIDE NOTE: Sun sports scribe and “Caddyshack” fanatic Dave Griswold disagrees that “Blue Velvet” was the finest movie made in the 1980s. What a dork.

For entertainment purposes only

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Professional sports are a form of entertainment to keep peoples’ attention from the real game we all play, called life.

It is with this train of thought that compels me to include the occasional sports related post in this here blog.

Since the sports department led by Davey “Maverick” Selvig will not let this great football mind I possess into their good ole boys club known as Pigskin Picks, I will one up him at his own game. Not only will I pick the winners but I will pick NFL teams that will beat the point spread.

Think of this as my shot out to Matthew McConaughey in the movie “Two for the Money.”

I must state this though; these picks are for entertainment purposes only. Also don’t come looking for me if you put the five picks in a parley and lose your socks.

Everyone and their mother will be watching the game tonight between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints on the Big Easy. The sports score app on my BlackBerry tells me the Saints and 4.5 point favorites. They will be gunning for Old Man Favre who doesn’t have any real options at wide out. Plus look for Brees to ignite an aerial assault.
The Saints will cover the spread.

The Indianapolis Colts are 1 point favorites over the Houston Texans on the road at Reliant Stadium.
Look for Peyton to do what he does best a throw the ball to a Indy victory by more than 1 point.

The Green Bay Packers will cover the 3 point spread on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Book it. Done.

My Lock of the Week is the Detroit Lions to cover the 7 point spread on the road at the Chicago Bears.

And on Monday Night the New York Jets will cover the 1.5 point spread at home against the Baltimore Ravens. Boom outta here!