MAYBE Plax was out of line, but really, Boston took it one step too far. From Big Blue Interactive:
The City of Boston is already planning a Super Bowl victory parade for Tuesday, February 5th.
Also, although it was just pulled by Amazon.com, you could have pre-ordered "19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots" published by the Boston Globe. "If people go out and buy that book before (Sunday), they’re going to be pretty pissed off," said HB Brandon Jacobs.
So I think we're still ok?
In other news, bigday in the political world, surely will have some brilliant polling analysis to pass along later today.
As expected, the primaries have sucked up the vast majority of my free time lately, but this week provided a welcome reprieve (thank you, collective secretaries of state, for not scheduling any primaries). I celebrated with a trek out to Virginia last night for some good old fashioned blues madness... North Mississippi Allstars live at the State.
It was a fantastic show, provided exactly the sort of let-loose outlet I needed. Though I will say that compared with the last time I saw them (way back in the dark ages when I lived in Jersey and saw them at the Bowery Ballroom, I think), this show, in a larger venue with a, um, less dedicated audience, wasn't quite as enjoyable. It got better once I worked my way to the front of the room towards the end of the show, but, lesson learned: NMA are not a band best enjoyed while leaning on the bar. For those unfamiliar, a few clips follow.
I've been to shows before where it felt like every guy in the room had been dragged there by their girlfriend (exhibit A, John Mayer at Kahunaville in Delaware, where after a few G&Ts, I actually started asking guys whether they were there voluntarily and found my theory to be pretty darn good), but this show felt like the opposite: every girl in the room had been dragged out by their b.f. Probably because a good portion of the show is spent like this.
As that last clip demonstrated, Luther Dickinson's pretty effin' good! In fact, he was named one of the 20 new "guitar Gods" by Rolling Stone last year. The article's not online, but here's a helpful blog post including clips from the entire pantheon.
Their recorded stuff isn't as satisfying as their live performance, so if you're building a new NMA collection, definitely start with Hill Country Revue, recorded live at Bonaroo, or Keep on Marchin'.
2008 is off to a somewhat rocky start for this blogger. I spent the first 48 hours of the new year (plus the last three of 2007) under the influence of heavy doses of cold medicine. For two days I slept, surrounded by unpacked luggage, discarded tissues and the detrius of a month of working too much. As you surely understand, once I was out of the NyQuil fog (and had survived a caucus or two), I had to clean up before I could even begin to blog (sorry, dear readers), but now that it's all done and I've even managed to cook myself a couple of real meals, I'm here. I'm pumped. And I'm ready to blog.
Ended 2007 with one of the coolest things I've ever done: attended the Giants-Pats game and had incredible seats which have surely ruined me, for I will never have seats that good ever again. My favorite picutres are below. First, Tom Brady gazing lovingly at me in the stands.
Second, Eli Manning, living up to his surname and manning up:
The game was amazing, would've been more amazing if we'd have won, but it was damn cool either way.
Since then, I haven't quite achieved that level of cool again, but I have managed to get a byline, which hopefully has not yet gone stale by the time you read this, and do a podcast in which I sound remarkably unlike a person getting over a cold (check out Saturday's Post Politics Podcast if you're interested, if I could find a link, I'd include it, but the best advice I have is to find it on iTunes. Apologies.).
I've also uploaded the whole Christmas bounty of shiny new CDs to my iPod, and have a new offering for song of the day!! Woo-hoo!! Not selected randomly at all but instead with the utmost care and attention, Josh Ritter's Empty Hearts. The album from which it comes, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, is hands down my favorite of 2007. It's BRILLIANT. Massive apologies to Aaron for not taking his advice on this one sooner. Feel like a complete moron, I mean, I could have had the words memorized by now, dammit! Words that include:
"There's a friend that I have, and for her I'll go back. You see all of these empties that I'm holding? They're too much for a man, empty arms, empty hands. And she'll know me by the sound of my hoping. Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart, with an empty heart."
Anyway, here's the clip:
I love it. Check him out, buy the CD, don't be like me and waste four months. I'm off to get some pre-New Hampshire rest. And contemplate spending ridiculous amounts of money on a TV. Anyone with advice on HD sets between 40 and 46 inches, do drop a note in la comments... later taters.
Newslink o' the day: Giant Step (what, you were expecting something political?)
