Yesterday I just plain crashed after getting home from work. I just slept from 6 until 11:30 sometime missing dinner and everything. What I did manage to do was catch the latest Atom Egoyan film "Where the Truth Lies" it isn't his best film but it did satisfy my Canadian film needs and my unrealized craving for a good cinematic "Mindfuck." I think it was on the Movie channel but I can't say for sure what channel it was on. Much to my surprise he did not cast Sara Polley in the film at all. Any more of him perverting Sara Stanley would just not be in Cananda's National Interest. Although Exotica is most likely my favorite Egoyan film.

What I enjoyed more than anything was the time setting of the late 50's and early 70's. I am not one of those people that wishes they were born in a certain time period, but if I had a time travel machine I would love to stop by and see all of the fun. In some ways I was lucky to go down to Miami as a kid and experience it when it was still Jewish and imagine how the old gangsters spent their time in those hotels decorated in the way that the Palms in Vegas tries to emulate. For that time period one of my favorite movies is the HBO movie Lansky when he is in Wolfies, a famous Jewish Deli/Restaurant telling his life story to some journalist.

So the great icon Merv Griffin passed away at 82. I think that it really is more than just the guy that gave us Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune passing, but another indicator of the loss of that "depression generation." There are just aren't enough of them around anymore to guide us when the next one, (and if you are in my camp, believing that at least a deep recession is imminent) or at least for some deep wisdom.

Obviously he had more rescources than the most average person of his generation [making the Forbes list a bunch of times] It's just that he seems to me to be typical of his generation, being conservative with his cash. My Ex's Grandfather passed away at age 78 and left her Mom a Ton of $. I guess that generation just had incredible fortune of being at the right time or just using practical lessons of growing up in very difficult economic times.

These days it's all about how much OPM (Other people's Money) you can borrow. It's all fine and good until what he are going through now with Wall St.

It is kind of ironic on the day that he leaves i come across this study of disillusionment


or the regular link

I was listening to the Bill Press show this morning driving into work, and he played this clip from 1994!!!!


This is just freaking Priceless, if he was a religious man instead of former Secretary of Defense at the time, I'd call him a Prophet!!!

It is nights like last night in which I miss e:ladycroft A kick ass show @ the square and basically just me and an old friend to soak it all in. It was show that just snuck up on you. It started out pretty shaky when the started out with "somebody to shove." You could just tell that his voice jus wasn't like it used to be but in the end by 9:10 I was totally sold and especially on the new stuff. The highlight was when Dave Pirner was being a dick in between songs. For some unknown reason they were playing "Pass The Courvoisier" and he put the mic into the speaker and made some smart ass comment. For once I actually was laughing with a rock star and his ego.

On another note it was just cool to experience those guys. Both my friend and I had fond memories of this band in which we were discussing on the way home. I just remember talking about them to Tabitha Soren back in the day when she came to town back when she worked for MTV. I think the conversation was pertaining to long haired/short haired bands. D* was just talking about when she first was getting into alternative music some guy gave her a mix tape with Jane's addiction on side and Soul Asylum on the other.

Something I noticed on the way home. That alleyway between Pearl and Main by the old Happy Garden restaurant that leads to the convention center/Hyatt. It used to be a congregating point for hot topic looking kids, but Buffalo Place had the place roped off and security chasing everyone away. I'm wondering if it is due to those $2,000+ a month lofts being right above it?

I'm just off balance. This weekend really did it to me. First I hang out with my friend Peter's guest worker tenant from Belarus and while it was really cool to hang with a 22 year old chick that is a 9/10 at the same time it just screwed with my mind on a couple of levels. I did get to bond with the topic of emotional musical concepts but in the end there was just something that never came through. This was due in part to Pete telling me that she wanted me to be more "aggressive" but in essence that just isn't me. So when I was hanging with her at a local watering hole in Y-town to me it was just good enough shoot the stuff & soak in the perception that these local guys I know assumed/thought I'd hook up with her. It didn't happen for whatever reasons but after hearing his "inside info" from her other roommate friend I just was totally sick. Although it's just not me to be ultra mr feel upper. If I did that with women from this country usually one would be brought up on charges. It was just exhausted thinking about it all. Oh, yea and during this whole experience I was just pulling emotional experiences from my ex wife who was half Polish/Ukrainian straight out of the old country. YEA....

Now on to violence.

While having a really shitty afternoon @ Fort Erie Racetrack, I noticed all available security officers moving to the left of the building. So having a little bit of curiosity I head in that direction. When I arrived in the next room I saw an "old man" late 50's early 60's all bloody in his face pushing a pile two other people wrestling/fighting. From what I gathered the "old man" got into a fight with opponent B over cutting in line at a self betting machine. Old Man's son stepped in to help his dad. It was a freaking mess. The worse part of it was the son's wife was there holding their 5-7 year old kid, the "old man's" grandson yelling at her husband/boyfriend. I just could see the kid shaking, crying not knowing what is going on. It just made me sick. The last thing I remember hearing was the mother yelling at her guy, "He [our son] is more important right now while was still getting into it with the security guards.

To top off this wonderful experience I wait an hour and 20 minutes to cross the Peace Bridge. Also while waiting on the Q.E.W. some bad ass looking menacing type tried to cut in on me with the line backed up more than a mile. He did squeeze in as I just sat there not moving or waving him in at all. After giving me the finger, ironically he did pull out of the lane and snuck in further down the line by cutting through the Duty Free Store's entrance way to the bridge.

So on a day where they had a Chicago cover band play of which was a really good act I had my experienced ruined by this event. I just sent a check to re-up my old Xpressbet account. Screw all of this hassle, I'm just going to play online by phone watching the Horse Racing channel on the Dish. I just don't need to deal with all of that shit. If I save up enough money I plan to go out to California to spend some time playing out at the actual track if its Santa Anita or Del Mar. Fort Erie is going to die anyway with the border hassles and Buffalo Creek Casino. Although I figure I may be the last of the horse players I'm going to do it from the comfort of my home or through technology. I don't have to go and get a Daily Racing Form from the track.

I'm going to hide under my covers now :-0
ARGG

I was bored last night and didn't feel like doing much on the way home. So I overheard someone from work say that they were going to the Kenny Rogers concert. I must admit that some of his songs are guilty pleasures of mine. Lady, The Gambler, Through the Years and that song that he did with Diana Ross.

It was all I expected the usual wide spectrum of the socio-economic in regards to people just attending. Although I did get a kick out of this family that had a cooler of Natural Ice for the show.

The place just too crowded as this was the only place where I could find to be able to see KR as a white blotch. He did put on a great show and told a bunch of great stories like a true showman.

Now time to eat some of his Roasters chicken ;-) If he still was in business.

Not the Red Hot Chili Pepper album, but the show on Showtime with David Duchovny.

Fuck, I just love watching it. It just is a overload of my fantasies about living the Posh life in California. I feel more enthralled just watching the last two episodes than hitting a small trifecta from Del Mar.

The episode tonight about the fired office assistant being a suicide girl and then revealing that secret to get her job back was just INSANE!

HBO when there were on top had The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, now Showtime is on fire with Weeds and Californication.

All I can say is good job Viacom, in bridging the gap between good intelligent subject matter and softcore!!!