Danny Doom’s Booze Cabinet

Hello, old Booze Cabinet, how are you? Yep, I figured as much. Well you know how it gets around here in summer. Yeah. So anyway, here’s what I’ve seen lately:

Sunset in the Smokies

Treehouse at Buffestalo

Elvis’ car in Pigeon Forge, TN

Chicago from above

And more bridges crossed, this one near Louisville, I believe. More to come…

In the midst of serious summer madness, having set my feet on the ground in Virginia, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and now gearing up for a drive that will lead to the deepest corner of Tennessee. Dollywood, here we come! Add in a trip to Colorado at the end of this month and another to San Francisco in October and we’ll have criss-crossed the country. And there’s even a bachelor party in Vegas that I simply cannot make, which is probably a good idea anyway. Man, oh man…

And so I’ve seen a lot of animals over the course of these journeys, from dolphins and monster jellyfish to crabs and deer and tons of bugs, but then last night at home I hear a scratching in the backyard and look out to see this critter climbing over my fence. He was huge! Bigger than our cats, like a medium-sized dog, and we stared each other down until he finally climbed back into the neighbor’s yard. This is Chicago, buddy! What are you doing? Get outta here!

Nag’s Head, NC

Yes, it is summer and it is busy and stuff. Lots of travel and what not coming up, and of course the constant ongoing celebration of Lord Stanley’s Cup, for the lack of a better reason. But anyway, as the oil spill disaster horrorshow slowly unfolds before us without any sign of stopping and we all watch the images helplessly, it’s easy to get really pissed off. I happened to see just a snippet today where the protester interrupted the testimony of BP CEO Tony Hayward and it made me want to punch this guy in the face–not because of his reaction (there was none)–but for the primal need to inflict pain on this corporate asshole. Someone deserves to be punched for what’s been done, right? And the sight of this woman with painted oil hands screaming at the guy tapped that caveman instinct inside of me. String him up!

But that’s not the way it works. BP will pay, and they will suffer, and possibly go under, but how different are they from every other oil company? I need a goddamn oil change in my car! What the hell am I gonna do? We’re so screwed here. And it’s my fault because I need it just like everyone else. I’m gonna get in a plane soon and then I’m gonna drive the shit outta my van soon and all of this oil is gonna burn and I’ll refill the gas and there’s nothing I can do about it.

It totally sucks. And I have no further revelations or answers, it’s just out there and that’s it.

So then there’s politics and of course I think it’s silly to blame Obama or get worked up about the response, this isn’t Katrina and there aren’t people waiting on rooftops for rescue or dying in the Superdome. The government can’t fix this, they can only get money for it and help the people affected by it, and so that’s what Obama is doing, and has done. I didn’t see his speech and haven’t read much about it but I like Andrew Sullivan’s comments here (“Getting Shit Done”):

Obama’s incrementalism, his refusal to pose as a presidential magician, and his resistance to taking the bait of the fetid right (he’s president – not a cable news host) seems to me to show not weakness, but a lethal and patient strength. And a resilient ambition.

Obama, I don’t worry about; it’s everyone else. I heard that his speech was regarded as too far above the heads of his viewers, too “professorial.” Why not just say “people are really stupid”? We prefer things dumbed down, it’s the American Way. This guy just doesn’t get that…thankfully.

I’m off again, for a while. I’m sure nothing will have changed much when I return…

Let us drink a big giant toast to Lord Stanley’s Cup! And Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews! Your 2010 Champion Chicago Blackhawks!

Let’s not mince words, let’s not beat around the boooosh, it’s Miller Time, it’s the Lord’s Stanley Cup for the taking, holy shit, could tonight be the night? Let’s do this! Blackhawks! Owooooooooooooooo!

And still, hockey. Hopefully the Hawks can end this thing by Sunday night, eh? It’s aboot time. Lord Stanley awaits!

Dug this one out from a few years back, it’s timely again. Actually, I never posted it, it’s been sitting in the archive waiting for the right moment. Memory like an elephant over here, we never forget!

Note: Not to be confused with this entry. Abbate, Burge, who do we have for “C,” “D,” and “E”?

Been gone, crossing bridges and things, and I would imagine this site will be kind of quiet for some time, or at least much less filled with top notch insight and wisdom. Oh, the horror. Let’s be honest: if you read this site on any kind of regular occasion you’re better informed than most Americans anyway. How much more do you need?

You know I’m kidding, at least partially. At least three-quarters kidding. Two-thirds. An eighth. The Crazies have pretty much hung themselves on their own words anyway, who needs to pile on? I’m looking at you, Rand Paul. And you, Sarah Palin. Drill, baby, drill! Ahh, that oil spill pisses me off and no one can do anything about it. Sucks.

Yes, I know, it’s a terrible cellphone picture. But it’s all I have right now. Me, a Tecate and my Blackhawks t-shirt. These Hawks are up and down, they better get it together for the next series!

I don’t know much about British politics but it appears that “conservative” does not mean the same thing over there as it does here.

“One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you’re injured or fall ill – no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you’ve got – you know that the NHS will look after you.”

That’s the new Prime Minister David Cameron–of the Conservative Party–championing the National Health Care they have over there in Britain. National Health Care. That’s socialized medicine to you and me. Socialism! Aaaaaaah! Get me a spot o’ tea and a racist sign, quick!

Cameron may hold other views that are right-wingin’ but I have no idea. All I know is that it appears “conservative” does not mean “crazy” like it does here.

Glenn Greenwald is really on top of this one. I don’t have a solid opinion formed yet on Elena Kagan but I am curious to understand why it is that the Supreme Court is kept consistently free of true progressives and instead filled with center, center-right, and right-wing judges?

Or why, as Greenwald points out, did liberals, independents and rational thinkers of America “elect a Democratic President, a huge majority in the House, and 59 Democratic Senators,” and yet are expected to be satisfied with a candidate that may push the Court further to the right?

Or, really, why does Joe Lieberman think Kagan will make the Court slightly less liberal“? And he’s happy about it. That can’t be good.

So, what’s the case for Kagan? Here’s one at Think Progress. I am one of those people who holds a relatively strong faith in Obama’s judgment, so there’s that. But I am curious to learn more about this woman’s views before I get behind her nomination.

Get yer tix here, you can still will call it! Should be a doooozy!

The small print: This is an early school night show, doors at 8:30, show at 9PM.
Stardeath and White Dwarfs (10:45PM)
Milk at Midnight (9:45PM)
Tin Tin Can (9PM)

UPDATE:

“Three allow-me-to-tell-you-what-you-should-do-with-your-time reasons to do as I say and hippity hop on over to the Subterranean this very evening…

1. Sometimes trolling the internet for shows leads me to discover some pretty lovely local music that has somehow escaped my ears. Such is the case with Chicago’s Milk At Midnight. This stuff is right up my alley (Yes, I have other alleys than just metal ones). Sure, there’s a little old Flaming Lips – You know, when they were a rock band – but more than anything it’s just good old, driving indie rock. Welcome to my ears, Milk At Midnight.”

- Ross Meyerson, Loud Loop Press

Just realized the last two booze pix I posted were a Corona and a margarita. In the fridge we’ve got Tecate and Pacifico. My new fave team in the NBA are Los Suns de Phoenix. Cheech and Chong still make me laugh. Today I will do what’s right and apply for dual citizenship. I am a Mexican-American!