My Sick Mind

Friday marked another trip to the venerable Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA. This time, to see the venerable Gov't Mule . I have been going there for concerts for about 30 years, and other than upgrading the seats, the place is exactly the same as it was when I saw Gentle Giant there in 1976. There aren't too many things in our lives that we can say haven't changed in 30 years. I'd guess I've seen almost a hundred shows there, and while I was waiting for Mule to go on, I found myself pondering the great music I've heard there. The mystical part of me figured that somehow, it was still vibrating around in the walls; but the cynical part of me figured that the walls have been painted at least once, which would negate the vibrating music part. Nevertheless, I did get a little nostalgic for the old days, which were easy to imagine with the place still looking the same as when I saw Van Halen's first tour there or heard The Pretenders (twice) before the dea...

There are certain days of the year when it isn't necessary to turn on the local TV news to see what the "top story" is. Around here, it's generally a fire or some huge traffic accident. Some days, however, are no-brainers for the folks at the local TV stations, and even the gang at CNN. Today was one of those days. It is Black Friday . They write songs about it, and people start standing in line right after they finish their Thanksgiving dinner. Why? You tell me. I just watch 'em on the TV. My impression of the gangs of people waiting around at 5am for the doors to open is that they are a pack of nitwits, led around by the short h airs by the lure of advertising, that promises Door Buster savings. Little do the stores know that the doors will almost truly be busted by the stampeding jerks who break through the barrier before the clerk has the key out of the door. You saw them today, I'm sure. It doesn't matter where y ou live, asshats populate the planet...

Merry Christmas, kids ... where did Santa leave the bullets? That's the question lots of kids will be asking as they open their presents under the new tree ornament being sold by the crazy nuts at Urban Outfitters. The ad goes like this: "Bust a cap in your tree with this super-glittery ornament in the shape of a handgun, complete with a satin ribbon for hanging" And, it's only $6. But, hey -- it includes the satin ribbon. Steal some money from your parents and run to your local store and pick one up. Click here for the full article from this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I don't think I am) but the marketing people at Urban Outfitters are college educated, semi-sophisticated people working for a company (headquartered in Philadelphia, I'm ashamed to say) that pulled in $828 million in revenue last year. These genuises had all sorts of options for Christmas goodies and settled on a little gun to hang from a tree....

Just so you’ll know, we are losers here in the greater Philadelphia area. We are reminded on a daily basis by newspapers, television and radio that the losing has reached epic proportions. Never mind that property values are sky-high, the weather has been unseasonably warm and we live in an exciting part of the country where there is an abundance of art, history and entertainment - we are losers. Our sports teams lose, and we lose with them. We are losers by association, or so we are told. The whining has also reached epic proportions, as the “woe is me” refrain has become as old and tired as the losing. The football team that two years ago was near the top of the world is now being subjected to cries of “fire the coach” and “get a new quarterback”. In true chicken or egg fashion, I don’t know whether the fans begat the media or vice versa. Whatever the answer, the local sports media is feeding the frenzy by enabling the loser mentality. This past Sunday on our local Comcast Sp...

Almost anything for a buck. After a firestorm of criticism, News. Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and TV special "If I Did It." "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson." A dozen Fox affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps month special, planned for next week before the Nov. 30 publication of the book by ReganBooks. The publishing house is a HarperCollins imprint owned — like the Fox network — by News Corp. Finally, someone came to their senses. But why did it take a "firestorm of criticism"? Can't reasonable-thinking, intelligent people make those kinds of decisions for themselves, without the backlash of the public? No? Well, we are talking about Murdoch and News Corp. -- which should...

Oh -- you're already sitting down? OK, here's some news I'm sure will shock and amaze you: CAMARILLO, Calif. - Gas prices are on the rise again, just as Americans hit the highways for Thanksgiving. Gas prices rose about 5 cents per gallon nationwide compared to two weeks ago, industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday. The national average for mid-grade was $2.34, while premium was $2.44 per gallon. The lowest average price in the nation for self-serve regular was in Houston, where a gallon cost $2.05. Of course, that doesn't mean that any of us want to go to Houston, merely for the gasoline. But don't ya think that someone somewhere would make the connection between the rise of gasoline prices and the increase in travel? Airlines, oil companies, travel agents and hotels screw consumers over the same time every year, and we just bend over and take it. I guess we get what we deserve. So , to take your minds off your misery, here's a video about a wom...