Fuck and Yes!!

Pearl Jam was on Conan's First Ever Tonight Show last week and because I was still catching up from my trip I didin't watch my recording of the show till yesterday morning, post Tessie bathroom run. So...you say that Backspacer doesn't technically come out til late September. "When will then be now?? Soon."

"Hell yeah I remember Aurora"

All throughout the 12 hour drive yesterday from Jacksonville, FL to the District this song was in my head, even as I listened to quite a few other tunes. It should also be mentioned that this is so not a bad thing. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you "Aurora" by the Foo's.



You gotta love that Dave Grohl, he can sing so pretty yet sounds can turn on the badass should the opportunity present itself. Don't believe me, go dig up "Monkey Wrench" on Youtube after "Aurora" has run its course. Niiice.

Initially this post was to be something of substance, but following my aforementioned 12 hour trek yesterday, my brain is a bit fried. The Foo Fighters will have to do for now. Any issues, take them up with management. Hope you all found a way to enjoy the Holiday. More zany Toast adventures to come.

Dangited!

Now I don't watch Saturday Night Live, nor have I ever seen "Hot Rod" or "Space Chimps" (not that I ever will) but this Samberg guy pops up every now and then and what I'm left with is something that's actually pretty damn funny. Makes me wonder what's going on the rest of the time.

"When you've found something so good it's hard to focus on what's right"

Dear the Frames,

If it's in your power please decide to come back to the East Cost, preferably the Northern VA/Washington DC area, you know, just to do a couple shows. I have recently come in possession of a live show from back in April '07 that was done at a local venue here in the District called the 9:30 Club that was made available through NPR and by god is that a damn fine beat you boys are producing.

Now, your studio stuff is something I have enjoyed for a while and word on the street was that your music should be experienced live because, well for lack of a better term, your shows were just that bad ass. After giving this show the once over I have found myself repeatedly going back to soak it in, and this is from a guy that is out there takin' it to the streets; a man about town who's busy driving fast and taking chances who often doesn't have the time to sit around and listen to two and a half hour concerts with multiple sets.

In this instance however, I have made the time. Now, all that I am asking is that you make the time, just like I have, to stop by and maybe just hit me up for a little bit. I didn't live down in D.C. back in April of '07 and to be honest, it'd be pretty sweet if you would. I realize that you all probably have families and you're away from your homes across the pond in Ireland but I have a family too and my girlfriend is currently none to happy with me, due to a slight misapplication of my time (Oh, don't worry, this one has nothing to do with you, it's all me). Think of what will happen if I continue to devote so much of my time your way. Loss of job?? Loss of significant other?? Drop 20 lbs and wake up three months later to find that I am working in a record store?? Hmm, that last one wouldn't be so bad, at least the record store part, but let's make it 10 lbs, I'm pretty happy with my current frame.

Ok, now I am starting to miss the mark. Anywho, I end now just reinstating how much I would enjoy it if you were to drop by the East Coast here in the states, just for a little while. I'm sure quite a few others would appreciate it to boot as I am telling all the "real" music fans that I encounter about you fellas. Besides, I think there are others that are just like me as well, huge fans of a little known band state side that both love a good show and a fucking damn good time. Just think about it is all.

Regards,

Toastmaster General

P.S. The song "Finally" is the mad note!

"What a headline! Frog Bribes Reporter: Muppets Desperate For Publicity!"

Not too long ago I noticed an advertisement online for an exhibit at the Smithsonian International Gallery here in D.C. so over the weekend that came complete with an under the weather Kool-Aid, nasty forecasts for the out-of-doors, and just a general thirst of all things knowledgeable, an outing was planned to give said exhibit a good once over. Oh...did I not mention what was to be the substance of this temporary Smithsonian exhibit; the reason for this most recent museum outing?? Sorry. Basically all can rejoice for your good pal Toastie as this past weekend, with Kool-Aid in tow, he went and saw a bunch of Muppets.

That's right!! The Smithsonian has put together an exhibit devoted to the life and work of the great Jim Henson, a native of these parts, simply titled: Jim Henson's Fantastic World and I spent the better part of an afternoon heading to the District to soak it in. As a huge Muppets fan back in my day, it was safe to say that this kid was "living the dream". Truth be told, I wasn't officially "living the dream" until we hit up a local sandwich joint called Potbelly's for a tasty toasty roast beef sandwich treat. What??? With the hot peppers, you kidding me??

But let's get back to Henson for a moment. He truly was a visionary for both entertainment and for children's education. I know I probably wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for all he did with children's television programming. And where exactly would I be you ask, probably still trying to figure out how to get these shirt buttons all done up correctly. Ah..that Sesame Street, works wonders I tells ya. Not only that, but any program from the Jim Henson's Television Workshop brought with it not only viewing pleasure for us wee lads and lasses back in the day, but a great deal of education of a wide array of subjects. They did their best to make you well rounded by teaching children tolerance, fair play, interracial equality, and so on. The Muppets and all Henson programming was a staple in the Toast's house during his younger years. And don't get me wrong, its good for grown ups too. Hell, even today I own The Muppet Show on DVD. Throw that in the player and try not to have a good time. Go ahead...I dare you.

But going to this exhibit over the weekend brought back a lot of memories from my childhood and it really got me thinking about the differences between now and then, how things used to be. Times really have changed even though it seems as though only a few years have passed, everything is different. Whether it my life (I'm old), technology (I can't seem to keep up anymore), the types of commercials and programming on T.V. (doesn't seem to even seem compare now-a-days), the direction of things like our country and family values (I don't even know what to think anymore), etc.; the Muppets...Muppets are what got me to thinking like this. And what exactly is a Muppet? They're not quite mops, they're not quite a puppet, but man… (laughs hysterically) So to answer your question, I don’t know."

Thank god for the obligatory Simpsons quote; always there when you're in a pinch and need to find a way to end a blog post. You've got me out of a jam yet again. Oh well, we'll catch you on the flip flop kids. You take 'er easy. Toast OUT!

"Taked baby. Meet at later bar, night or day sometime."

Today's Toastedblog title comes straight to you, my internet audience, as a line from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; one of this guy's current favs. And why is it that I choose I line that out of context really doesn't make all that much sense?? Well, that reason is simple.....I'm off to Phlly bitches!!!

The Toast is trekking to the City of Brotherly love, via my new rig, tomorrow morning for some general debachery with some burly, surly, and more than likely, rather drunken individuals. In the manner of such great and forever heralded summer baseball roadtrips of yore (i.e. "Classic Over-binge" and "Dependence Day Weekend"), I am all set to get together with a number of college friends of old to go to a ball game in Philly and spend a night out on the town. You see, a few years ago when we were all younger and didn't have the reponsibilities that some of us have now, a solid group of ten plus guys would take off in a rented van and see as many baseball stadiums as we could over the course of a few days. Cheap beer, ballpark eats, unintelligible conversations, hours in a rather potent Ford Windstar; these trips proved to be some of the best times that I've ever really had...that I can partially remember of course.

But then, issues such as: marriage, kids, steady jobs, moves across the country, and graduate educations got in the way and these trips have kinda come to a halt over the past two summers as free time became something of the past. However, this year, we have decided to scrape together at least a weekend that we can all link up, and at least, for one night, it will be like the old days when we were twenty one and didn't get tired by 11:30PM or become horribly bloated and in desperate need for tums after a few tacos.

Now, due to work here in the office, the Toast was unable to attend this little weekend's pregame, which was some gamblin' on the ponies today up in Saratoga, NY but the plans are to be up and at'em early tomorrow morning and make the two hour drive to meet up with the caravan at my buddy's place in Philadelphia. Tailgating, mean meat grillin', frisbee and beers will be the agenda prior to an afternoon game at Citizen Bank Park to see the Phils take on the Dodgers. From there...it's really anyone's guess. Some may not live to see midnight but, what I think is needless to say, the results of us all getting together again is going to be something of a sight. And what a cast we have to boot. Jables, Willie Moe, Billy Ball, Uncle Jitter, Tucker, Reyn, The Hoff, yours truly (the Toastmaster General), Dunford. That's just about 1 metric ton of fucking awesome right there. I'm so amped that I might not be able to get any sleep tonight. It's been too long since we've done something like this, and boy is it going to be sweet!!

Later boners.