Play That Funky Music

I first heard Tortured Soul on a DJ Spinna mix tape several years ago that I found on Milk Audio. Not long thereafter I serendipitously discovered they'd be playing at Southpaw, a Park Slope music venue. Their energy, throwback style, and overall vibe were a big hit with me. This past Wednesday it all came full circle as they once again performed at Southpaw. Let's see, great local band. Check. Amped up crowd. Check. Free Admission. Awesome. Whiffs of ganj in the air (sadly as close as I come to the stuff these days). Hearing new jams along with the ones you know well. Super Duper. These skinny tie wearing white boys jam some seriously good house/soul/funk. If you weren't watching them play live you'd think they were a synthed up studio band - the amount of sound these guys generate is pretty wild. Their music is fun, danceable, and even better live where the guys get to show their chops as musicians.

[not a bad shot for a camera phone in a dark room huh?]

Not Usually

Do you dress like a Douchebag?

Apparently Can Out Bench Me

Meet Lil' Romeo, the world's smallest bodybuilder

3rd Time ... And More to Come?

The photo you're looking at is of my Xbox 360 in dreaded "Red Rings of Death" mode. These red lights means your system is FUBAR; in Microsoft parlance, you've suffered a hardware failure (according to some retailers, the failure rate is over 30% compared to less than 1% for the playstation 3). It's my third time, lucky me. You call the repair hot line, walk through some pointless troubleshooting, a week or so later you get a box in which to mail the 360 to the service center, and then depending on the backlog, you get an 360 back in two to four weeks. You might receive your actual xbox back or it might be a refurbished unit. Fun. The two prior failures cost me almost two months of down time; the first unit they returned to me failed in one day and had to be sent back! There are legions of unhappy folks out there who have it even worse than me; this guy has gone through the dance 12 times. Microsoft, after denying there was a problem, generously extended warranty coverage for three years. Until the next unit arrives I guess air guitar is going to have to substitute for Guitar Hero - what a rip.

My Mom Is Not Wealthy ...

Update: I got the idea to take these photos from a feature in Andrew Sullivan's blog called "the view from your window." Anyone interested in submitting the view from theirs?

But she does have million dollar views. The Buffalo Light House, Naval Park, and Lake Erie from her living room, and downtown Buffalo from the roof of her building.