Every Matchbox 20 Song Sounds the Same

This is the thought that comes to mind at this very moment as we continue to listen to the Mix in my office. Check out my friend Patrick's comments on MB20, I agree completely.

Anyway, what's been new lately? I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy doing homework, going out, and bathing in the filth that is reality TV. Last night's triple threat of American Idol, The Bachelor, and The Swan was almost too much to bear. American Idol: Please, parents, take the phones away from your 12 year old daughters. That's the only explanation I can think of for John Stevens and John Peter Lewis remaining in the competition. They are the suckiest suck that ever sucked singing wise, but I can see pre-teens swooning over their non-threatening vanilla appeal. I'm hoping I was smarter than that when I was that age. Then again, I recall my Kirk Cameron poster book. Also, I've had Camille Velasquez's painful version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" stuck in my head for two days. I need to pop in my Guns & Roses' Greatest Hits cd when I get in the car. . . The Bachelor: Jesse is hot, though squareheaded, but man was it hilarious when he forgot one of the girl's names. You knew it had to happen eventually, especially on a show where every third person is named Jessica or Jennifer. Anyway, I think I like Jesse better than Bob Guiney, the greasiest man on Earth, but time will tell. The Swan: this show is the bottom of the trash bin, but I'll be watching. Two "ugly ducklings" get extreme makeovers, and then one is told she's not pretty enough to be in "The Swan" beauty pageant. The women loked plastic after their makeovers, and one of them looked kind of like a human Miss Piggy. I think that she might have looked better before the surgery. This trash is hosted by the same vaguely European accented woman that hosted my all time favorite, Paradise Hotel. Amazing stuff.

Didn't go out last Thursday, but the Thursday before was pretty entertaining. Rumor had it that Heroes was possibly creeping up to be a big challenger in the Battle of Thursdays, but a brief visit proved that wasn't so. After picking up Wendy we drove by Heroes, and thinking the parking lot looked pretty crowded, we decided to stop by. The visit was short and unexciting, however we did see Legal Larry and Guy Whose Name I Can't Remember, and there was a guy who looked very much like Dubya there. The guy he was with did not look like Cheney, though Wendy and I discussed how we really only had a vague idea of what Cheney looked like. I guess that's what happens when national officials don't do anything interesting enough to be parodied on Saturday Night Live too often. Note: for a while I was convinced that NYC Mayor Bloomberg looked exactly like Chris Kattan because all I'd seen of him was Chris Kattan's impression on SNL. Note to self: learn about politics. While Dubya and Non-Cheney enjoyed their wine and beer (each had a wine glass, and a bottle of beer. Beer taste on a wine budget? I know not), a pair of gentlemen walked by us, one outfitted in a leather Pillsbury Dough Boy jacket. I don't mean a puffy jacket, I mean a leather jacket, kind of like the old school Looney Tunes jackets, with the Doughboy emblazoned on the back. I was of course amused, and Doughboy and pal mistook my amusement for interest, and came over to the table to chat. Doughboy's pal, whose teeth were festooned out of various metals rightly assumed that we knew the Joliet social scene, and asked if Heroes was going to get good. We told him no and decided to take the opportunity to head out to Samy's. Note: Doughboy and Metal Teeth came to Samy's later, but we did not chat. We headed to Samy's to meet up with Megan, and luckily the line consisted of only guys, so we got pulled in immediately, hurray. I really don't remember much of what happened the rest of the night, which is why I really should start updating the day after I go out rather than 2 weeks later, except that again I noticed that the trend of collars up on jean jackets seems to be coming back at Samy's. I don't know if this is an 80's revival thing or a Joliet bar thing, but I'd guess the latter.

On that Friday, aka movie night, Melanie, Courtney and I went to see Jersey Girl. I enjoyed this movie thoroughly, despite unnecessary use of Stevie Nicks music (or, as Melanie would call her, "Goat"). I don't mind Fleetwood Mac, but the goat comparison ruins it for me everytime. It was a very cute movie, not typical Kevin Smith, and even though I love typical Kevin Smith movies, I liked this one too. Three stars.

After the movie I went over to Samy's to meet up with Angie and her friends to celebrate her 22nd birthday. When I got to the door I was informed that there was a $5 cover for "the band." What, praytell, was the band? It was a Poison cover band named Posin'. Yes, Posin'. It was an amazing experience. I was hoping that crowd-watching would bring me some real winners, but it was actually pretty much the typical Samy's crowd. One crowd member was apparently a brother of Posin's lead singer, aka fake Bret Michaels, and wore a plastic orange vest that he had bar patrons sign. Someone had written, "Loose the vest," on the vest. Nearby, Angie pointed out that someone else had written, "Learn to spell." I highly recommend Posin' if you're ever in the mood for a Poison cover band, but does anyone else think that maybe Poison would be in the financial bracket now that would allow them to play suburban Chicago sports bars, thus rendering a Poision cover band unnecessary? It's not like I'm seeing them on TRL these days If Vanilla Ice played at Sean Kaley's and Tuckaway, anything's possible.

That Saturday we went to Naperville, no real stories there except that half of Features is now under construction, taking its fun factor with it. We spent some time at Jimmy's and the Lantern, but it's just not the same.

Last Friday's movie was "The Prince and Me." I would title it, "The Prince and Crap," or perhaps "Crap and Me." It was not a good movie. It felt like it was three hours long, and about twenty minutes were taken up by a riding lawnmower race that wasn't too integral to the plot. I think I'd give it two stars at best. Saturday evening I went to Samy's with Nancy, met up with Murphy and some of his friends, the highlight was Murphy dancing a little too feverishly near one of the bouncers, leading the bouncer to say, "Get the f*** off me!" Probably a "You had to be there" situation, but still quite amusing.

In other news, I took a step the other day into the great unknown: I changed one of the presets on my car radio. This rarely ever happens, I even kept 96.7 when it went from Will Rock to light hits. What can I say? I love Bryan Adams. However, when the Bus went off the air last year I deleted it from my presets. Checking around the radio lately, I realized how much I enjoy the new 100.7, aka "The Southland's Classic Rock." The final straw occurred when I flipped it on and heard "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey. At that moment I knew I had to add it to the presets. What was sacrificed? 94.7 the Zone. The Zone has been going downhill since it switched from modern alternative to modern rock, and finding a station that regularly plays Journey is something I just can't ignore. I still miss the Bus though.
This weekend should be pretty busy with friends' birthdays and Easter, so I should have some good stories. However, I don't know if they'll compare to where I'm going next week, a little city that I like to refer to as Whiskey Tango West: Las Vegas. I can only imagine the entertainment I'll find in a town known for its buffets. Adios!