This made me think

The other day while stopped in bad traffic waiting to turn on to the interstate I saw another car opposite of me that I can only describe as a kind of gang banger car. It was lowered with big chrome rims and there was a 20ish African American male slumped low in the drivers seat sporting cornrow braids. I didn't think anything of it at first as this in itself is not an unusual sight, however I had to take a second look. As I sat there I began to realize that he was singing the the same song that I was hearing on my car radio. I looked again and there was no doubt that he was mouthing the words to Led Zeppelin's Living Loving Maid.

I had two thoughts. First of all maybe just maybe I have more street cred than I thought. Then discarding that as preposterous my second thought was that some prejudice or preconceived notion inside of me automatically assumed that this guy based solely on his appearance would probably enjoy some other kind of music that I was listening to. That made me think. I am certainly not a racist person. I was actually brought up in a very racially and culturally diverse family setting. This situation just helped to remind me that self examination of my own preconceived notions about the other folks we share this planet with is healthy for me. Never make assumptions based on appearances because so often those are wrong. If my window had been down I would have probably said something totally un-cool to him like. "Rock On Man!"

Yeah I really need to work on that street cred thing.

-Doc

I am feeling very BLUE this morning

My Monday morning begins with sheer euphoria over my New York Giants fantastic win over those hated Dallas Cowboys last night. It was the very first playoff game between these two teams believe it or not. This is one of the greatest rivalries in sports, so this win is completely satisfying. But now I have a very important personal decision to make and I need the help of my fellow readers. There are a couple of rabid Cowboys fans in my office that I have engaged in verbal battles with over this past season. I am debating on taking the high road and just smiling when I see them, OR running up to them yelling 'Yeah baby!! Giants win!! Cowboys suck! Tony Romo's gotta a big ol' butt, oh yeah! Whoop, whoop, whoop!' What should I do my friends? I am learning towards the former with quite, dignity and grace.

I watched the game in Hoboken with some friends including fellow blogger Uber. After the game Uber and I hailed a cab in the pouring rain. As we get in the taxi feeling high on football, ironically the first song we hear on the driver's radio is 'It's Raining Men' by the Weather Girls! Now it is said that music is associated with good memories. So unfortunately, this Giants victory will be associated with this song! Ugh, the horror!! I am unable to block the song out of my head now. Oh well, to make lemons with lemonade I turned to Uber and jokingly said 'Whenever I think about this day again my friend, I will remember this moment we shared together in this cab'. Uber just shook his head and ignored me.

- The Mountain Cat

The Meanest Mom on the Planet

I simply love when parents find interesting and unique ways to get their point across to their kids in punishment. There is this mom in St. Augustine Florida whose 13 year old daughter apparently stole her car. She had to wear a sandwich board sign that read: "I am 13 years old. I stole my mother's car without her permission and endangered my two younger brothers' lives as well as others on the road," and stand downtown for hours. It seems to have gotten the point across. And the picture is priceless.

The article also gives examples of others who have had to wear sandwich board signs. My favorite is: The family of Jamal Wooten, 16, of Portage, Ind., made him wear a sign downtown after he got into trouble at school. The sign said, "I got suspended for using foul language. Look at me now. Don't be like me." It's great when parents are creative and get the point across without simply beating their kids. The lessons learned probably last a lot longer too.

Those other stories are good however none compare with "The Meanest Mom on the Planet" Jane Hambleton of Iowa who became semi-famous earlier this week. This mom just got her son a car around Thanksgiving and gave him only 2 rules. Keep the car locked and No booze. Should be easy enough to follow don't you think? NOT for young Steven Hambleton. Mom finds a bottle of booze in the car and decides to levy the greatest punishment EVER! She placed the following classified ad in the DesMoine register:

Yep she sold his car. Something tells me he got the point. In my opinion the punishment fits the crime and no punishment is too strong to deter a teenager from drinking and driving.

Does anyone else have a unique parent punishment story that you either used or had used on you that got the point across? We would love to hear them.

-Doc

Status of my Type B metamorphosis

I am taking baby steps to my goal literally. I am walking much slower too and from the subways. What used to take me 5 minutes from my apartment to the train station, now takes 8.
Then when I get out on Madison Avenue, I let everyone walk, push, rush past me and I am the last one up the stairs and out of the station. Really now, why rush? So I get to my cubical at 8:55 instead of 8:52. Meanwhile in this tortoise-like walk of mine, I am either grooving to my iPod or just breathing in all of God's nature that midtown Manhattan has to offer (Exhaust fumes, truck horns, panic). Ahhhh, serenity. It is mind control. I am beginning to block it out like Brett Farve on a Sunday in front of 80,000 screaming Cheeseheads. I am in the zone to total Type-B-ocity. I have found myself enjoying those precious moments more. Why rush through life?
- The Mountain Cat

Things bouncing around this head of mine: 1/10

- If Mississippi borrowed Missouri's New Jersey to wear to a party, what would her best friend Delaware? (answer below).

- "Mets baseball is sponsored by Pampers. The official disposable diaper of the New York Mets."

- As the original document of the Declaration of Independence reads: I believe in Life, Liberty and the Purfuit of Happyneff.

- Wow!!!!!!! I went to the store and received a one dollar bill with my change that originated from Topeka, Kansas!!!!!! So to celebrate, I immediately spent it.

- Paula Cole was right; where HAVE all the cowboys gone?

- The day before yesterday I felt that today is the day that will bring tomorrow but only found out that a week from now it will not happen until the day after.

- "Dominus Vobiscum" is Latin for "Dominic Go Frisk 'Em."

- "Jer-emy Spok-ane...Washingtonnnnnnnnn (TRY to forget this...)."

- Does PETA stands for "People Eat Tasty Animals"?

- I once drank a pitcher of non-alcoholic beer all by myself and I got into a fake a fight.

- What wine goes with Captain Crunch?

- Sometimes I like to mix Sweet n Low, Equal and Splenda in my coffee and let them fight it out.

- This 12 Step Program really works! My footprints are all over town!

- Anita Bryant or Anita Baker? DEFINITELY Anita Baker.

- "...well yeah it's true! Come on now, it was on television."

- "The Mountain Cat back and is better than before. Hey nay, hey nay! The Mountain Cat!"

- Answer: Idaho? Alaska.

Love, TMC

(Insert headline here)

To my fellow bloggers and fans of this website. I implore you. I need your help. Like every great artist sometimes go through, I am having a hard time coming up with anything creative or interesting to say. I don't want to put out half-assed material like Elton John's 'The Fox' album or Woody Allen's film 'The Curse of the Jade Scorpion'. For the layperson, I don't want to suck. I am here being honest. Stripped down. Here I am. Completely naked for you. Help me help you. Be my muse. What topics do you want to discuss or have me write about? Please bring the Sgt. Pepper album back to my adroitness.

- The Mountain Cat

Polar Bears or lemmings ?

Please tell me that I am not the only one who thinks these Polar Bear Club lemmings are one sandwich short of a picnic. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in January off Coney Island may not be the dumbest thing on earth but it's close.

Check this out Here are the "rules"... and of course I have a few comments. - I do love their website "http://www.freezinforareason.com/" but that animal on there looks more like a moose than a polar bear to me

-Participants must raise a minimum of $100 in pledges. - At least they are raising money for charity in this case a kids camp Camp Sunshine
-No Pushing! All participants must enter the water of their own volition. Please do not enter the water until asked to do so. - As if we didn't all learn this in kindergarten
-Participants will plunge their willing bodies into the water. The entire body must be submerged. - Well I guess in for a penny in for a pound
-No dry or wetsuits. Participants may smear their bodies with a liberal coating of bear fat. Note: This may negatively impact your social standing. - This has to be my favorite - Bear fat? are you freaking kidding me? I guess it would have a negative impact on your social standing. And just how do you get this bear fat in the first place in a very bear infested place like New York City? Something tells me I don't want to know. THIS is the rule that shows these folks have lost total touch with reality wetsuits are bad but bear fat well that's just fine... YIKES!

-No 'endurance' contests will be permitted. Participants must jump in and out. Yelling is optional. - I think this would be more fun if yelling was forbidden... Let's see how many of these lemmings would do this if they couldn't holler about it.
-Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraisers and costume contest winners. - How come none of the pictures I have seen show these "costumes"? They must have all been covering themselves with that bear fat. (YUCK) That actually might be mildly amusing.

So is anyone else with me or am I the one losing it? I think this is simply a case of people acting like lemmings. One dude did this a long time ago and others followed along. They don't really like doing this. NO ONE enjoys swimming in near frigid water. And just like lemmings this could lead to big trouble for the participants. (I refer you back to rule #2) If you don't believe me just remember back to George Costanza from Seinfeld in the "shrinkage" episode.

-Shane (doc)

The Best Show on Television is Back

This Sunday, January 6th is the premier of the fifth and final season of HBO's drama The Wire. For those of you who have not watched the show before, the four previous seasons have been absolutely phenomenal! One better then the next. Set in Baltimore, it is the continuing story about the drug crime in the inner city. Filmed on location in the real ghettos of seedy Baltimore.
I have never seen a drama with this much ambition. There are so many characters. So many story lines.
The cops and drug dealers play cat and mouse with the increasingly advancing technology of wire tapping and cell phones. Meanwhile, the cops can't properly get their jobs done because of all the red tape that goes on with the city politicians. And the drug dealers are in a constant battle with rivals who want to steal their 'package' or their 'corners'.

But the show is so much more. The shows title, The Wire is a metaphor for walking the thin line between Good vs. Bad. Success vs. Death. Reform vs. Relapse. Destiny vs. Change. Their are also side characters. One who struggle with drugs and fall deeper into a hole of addiction and poverty. Another is a former convict who is now clean but fights to keep the young kids off the streets and do something positive for the community. Their is a teacher who struggles to keep his pre-teen children from getting involved with drugs or ending up dead. They all add to the authenticity of real life as well as the gritty dialogue and real street lingo and 'Ebonics'. It is a constant struggle for every character to walk on that wire from day to day.

Season five will add even more characters. It will focus on Baltimore's media. How they influence and spin how the citizens, the politicians and the cops view what needs to be done to battle this increasing problem.

The Wire is created by former homicide detective and Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon. The Wire is based off his 1988 book 'Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'. This book also spun the former TV series 'Homicide: Life on the Streets'. Another brilliant show set in Baltimore.

This show had not been as popular as other HBO shows The Sopranos or Six Feet Under. Probably because it is far from glitzy. And also there is no real star of the show, just a very large ensemble cast. (They even killed off their most popular character for a brilliant story line!). But the Wire still has gotten critical acclaim across the board. This shows appeal is its humanity and grit. And The Wire never take sides.

After this seasons 13 episodes, it will be missed. But will hopefully live on as a mirror to real life.

For more about The Wire, please check out HBO's web page:

http://www.hbo.com/thewire/?ntrack_para1=feat_main_image

- The Mountain Cat

Norefil

My 58 year old cousin Sal called his doctor recently to order his new heart medication over the phone from his pharmacist.

The following conversation came next:

Sal: 'I need to get more of my medication please.'
Pharmacist: 'Sure Sal. What is the name of the medication'.
Sal: 'Ahh...wait...on the bottle it says...Norefil'.
Pharmacist: '....I don't think we have that medication sir.'
Sal: 'I bought it there before. It says it here on the bottle'.
Pharmacist: 'Sorry sir there is no such thing as Norefil'.
Sal: (agitated) 'That can't be! I was given this medicine before by the other pharmacist in your store. And I have the bottle right in my hand. It says Norefil right there on the
bottle!'.
Pharmacist: 'Sal. I think you are confused. That is not the name.
It just says No Refill. The bottle cannot be refilled sir.'
Sal: '......oh wow. Ok. Sorry'.
Pharmacist: 'I will have to do some research with your old prescription
and get back to you with the proper medication'.
Sal: 'Ah ok. Thank you.'

I can't wait until I turn 58.

- The Mountain Cat

The Best Songs of 2007

Well folks I have to say I am getting old and I am no longer into all the hip sounds you young crazy kids are into nowadays. But there were still some tunes that helped me keep jiggy with it in 2007. Here are my favorites:

1. The Pretender by The Foo Fighters.
Not that Kurt Cobain’s suicide was a good thing, but we would never have had to Foo Fighters otherwise. Dave Grohl is the panacea of rock!

2. Straight Lines by Silverchair.
Best song from a band no one has heard from in 10 years. Fantastic lyrics about a fresh start and redemption.

3. Rehab by Amy Winehouse.
Just say No, No, No! Never has a triple negative sounded so soulful! Let’s just hope she cleans herself up and stays alive in 2008!

4. I Don’t Wanna Stop by Ozzy Osborne.
The Grandfather of Metal! The Prince of Darkness! The Sultan of Slurred Speech! Nah we still love you Ozzy. And you still put out great music as you approach the age of 60. Also in part to your great young guitarist, Jersey City’s own, Zakk Wylde!

5. King Without a Crown by Matisyahu.
For so many years I wished Hasidic Reggae were more popular. Thanks to this kosher rastafarian, my dream has come true. He composed a very strong rock track musically and lyrically.

6. North American Scum by LCD Sound System.
These New York City’s alternative-techno rockers burst on to the scene with the best 3 chord head-bopper of the year. ‘New York’s the greatest if you can get some one to pay the renttttt!’

7. Icky Thump by White Stripes.
Hard to believe two people, Jack and Meg, can produce so much noise and still produce great original music. ‘Well you can’t be a pimp and a prostitute too!’

8. She Builds Quick Machines by Velvet Revolver.
Axel who? Slash you still rock, but please take a shower! You haven’t changed your clothes in 20 years! This is the best driving song of 2007.

9. Dance Tonight by Paul McCartney.
A cute, simple ditty from the holy master himself. (Hey Paul, is it true the mandolin in this song is made from one of Heather Mills’ old wooden prosthetics? Just wondering).

10. It's Not Over by Daughtry.
Power Rock lives! Pure emotion from this North Carolina American Idol. Thanks, dogg.

Hope to keep groovin’ in 2008.

- The Mountain Cat