Spending Memorial Day 08 on the Couch of the Unknown or Little Direction. K and I went down to West Chester over the weekend and enjoyed the 29th Annual Kimberton Antique Car Show. (This is a shot of Dad with his matching shirt/car combination- sweet!) The show used to be over at the Exton Mall (my place of employment through high school) and has now moved to a field with three picnic benches and no shade. But the streaky sunburns aside, it was a great day to sit out and see the friendly faces of the Chester County Antique Car Club. I grew up in the Club and I can attest, not only do they have the best picnics with the tastiest eggrolls in South Eastern PA, they also are among the finest souls that ever picked up a wrench. So while today I salute our men and women in uniform, I also salute the men and women of the CCACC. Here’s to the red, white, blue, green, and gold.

There’s no two ways about it. Things Younger Than McCain.

Just got back from visiting a top secret set for a top secret new reality series on Country Music Television. Being of CMT origin, it only made sense for it to take place in Music City, USA: Nashville. I learned a great many things down south and thought I’d share a few with you here.
1) Nashville is like 5% of what you think it’s going to be. Seriously it’s like one street with bars. Thayer Street in Providence may have had more to offer.
2) People are crazy for painting pictures of country stars. And they’re less crazy about being good painters.
3) Mother’s Day is not the day to go to Bob Evans outside of Opryland. Half hour wait? For biscuits?
4) I don’t think it’s a good idea to assume that every woman at Bob Evans wants to be greeted with Happy Mother’s Day. Not everyone is a mother. The carnation was nice, though.
5) Barbara Mandrell seems like she was a freaky bed time companion. Mirror on the ceiling of the canopy bed? I could see that for Irlene, but Babs? Shocking.
6) Charlie Daniels has a museum.
7) If you do paint Conway Twitty- it’s okay to leave out the chest hair. Yeuh.
8) Brisket Sandwich at Jack’s BBQ = Pork Bun at NY hotspot Momofuku. Fat + Starch + Sweet Sauce is a recipe for magic.
9) Newark Airport is far from Brooklyn.
10) Late night trains smell even worse than day time trains.
GO COUNTRY!

Like I said, Spring and Bewleys just go together.

From the time I was a squishy big headed squeaker riding a tractor wagon through my grandmother’s flower gardens in Newtown Square, I’ve always fallen for this time of year. Now after essentially ten years without a change in season, this Spring has got me all a twitter. I find myself mumbling about cherry blossoms, dogwoods and rhododendron and just marveling at what is surely the luckiest, most beautiful one block walk from the subway a fella could have.

Oh it used to be so easy in LA. I was well on my way to seeing the entire cast of Head of the Class. Dennis, Ms. Meara, and Mr. Moore. I had em all. Dennis was actually on my flight to NY from LA! But now that were settling into the New York way of life, I’ve seen an entirely different kind of celebrity. The reality show kind. So shopping at Fairway market – Alex McCord with her adorable little son talking about becoming a marine biologist with the fish monger. Outside Momofuko, Victorya Hong the always kind of angry one from Project Runway. In fact last time I was here, I saw Jai from Queer Eye outside a gym. Anyway – reality is much more real in New York. Oh and I saw the Pope today. Twice. Totally underwhelming.

Back in blossom filled New York. You can almost smell the urine of summer. Last night we enjoyed a Stravinsky concert at the Morgan Library and dodged a few raindrops back to the F Train. The F is the 22 Fillmore of NY. And someone needs to start a daily review site for all the various homeless pitches on that train. Instead of stars it should be used Metrocards. Would I give more MCs to “Morty” for his played down approach, the barely able to carry a tune quartet that sang In the Jungle into my ear, or for toothless Dream Shirt man who asked for hugs from the attractive people on the train? I dunno, but someone should be rating this stuff. Unless that’s offensive, and then of course not.
*This image is a Raymond Pettibon, that now that I think about it is a somewhat spring-timey limited edition print that I just bought. Soon to replace some weird thing hanging at the end of our hall. Enjoy the buds!

I find myself back in the arms of Los Angeles for the week. Sitting atop the freeway in the Angeleno Hotel, listening to the constant roar of the 405. It’s like they designed this to be a traffic themed hotel. It even looks like a parking garage.

So many cardboard boxes. We’re still digging out from the cross country move. Kellie and I are fighting the cold. AGAIN. Which meant we spent Easter in the Emergency Room at Chester County Hospital. They didn’t have any marshmallow peeps or honey baked ham there, but they did put me on anti-biotics which I hope finally kill this damn cold once and for all. Good news is that I don’t have pneumonia or influenza, but whatever I have has got ahold of me good. And no amount of extra spicy Thai takeout is helping! But given that I’m eating so much of it, I want to give a shout out to the fine folks at Ghang Thai in Brooklyn. It’s still early, but in the new-to-the-city takeout competition of 2008, they’re pulling ahead.

One of the many reasons why I love Tracy Morgan. Watch this. But also mainly for things like this clip from Totally Awesome. Did that movie ever come out?? Peekaboo, I wanna hump you! (Which, it should be noted, should never be said while wearing the Eliot Spitzer mask below. *shudder*)