For both of you who care about these things, there are some new items (Sweatshirts & Hoodies! In Black!!) in the Swag Shop.

These items feature the text logo from our parent group, Cold Rage Soul Entertainment...which, in turn, is a division of Cold Rage Soul Enterprises.


We’ve also added this doohickey:

Apparently, all the rage with the kids these days. They smuggle vodka into class with it.

Some items have been removed. (The ones you weren’t buying). But rest assured, thongs are still available. Not gonna stop production on the moneymaker.

Tags: Swag

Where I was last year:

Charlotte, NC+
Sarasota, FL #
Tampa, FL
Davidson, NC
Blowing Rock, NC
New York, NY *
Vero Beach, FL #, *
Orlando, FL *
Richmond,VA


The plus sign is home base, pound symbol denotes long-term stays of more than a month, and asterisk means multiple non-consecutive visits.

I feel like I travelled a lot more than I did, and I’m surprised that I didn’t go West at least once.

Tags: Travel

• I’m on my way to recovery from a nasty bout with the flu. Hit me hard Wednesday evening, and I was useless for three days. (More useless than usual, some would say.) I was able to work today, but my head is still clogged and my throat is scratchy. I hope I’ll be full rid of it soon.

• I’ve been mulling over my Winter Sporting Event Entertainment Options. Since I’m spending many of my days uptown, a mere two blocks from the arena, I can–if I so choose–attend minor league hockey and major league basketball games without having to pay for parking. Football tickets are not in the picture. How anybody can afford to attend NFL games is beyond me. Hockey tickets are easy to come by and no real drain on the wallet, and I can easily get seats at the glass on the Blue Line for most games, but good basketball seats are another animal entirely. Time Warner Cable Arena is not like the old LA Sports Arena, where one could pay $10 for corner nosebleed seats, but move down several sections when the crowd realized they were watching the Clippers. And though these Bobcats have been Clipper-like in the win column during their brief history, the NBA has changed. Now $10 will get you in the door, but when you do get your corner nosebleed seat, heavily armed security makes sure you stay in your assigned section. Unless you go to the loo, or the concession area. And there’s the answer: Restrooms and concessions are located several times closer to the action than the cheap seats. If one doesn’t mind standing around the nacho stand, one can generally have a good view of the action from the eateries. I don’t know that I’d want to make a habit of it, but security isn’t going to hassle you if you’re spending money on over-priced hot dogs or chowing on same while standing at the rail.

• We seem to have acquired another cat, though not officially. Another male tabby, but larger than any of ours, has been visiting regularly, acting as if he owns the joint. He and Binx got into it last week, and Binx was limping around for a few days, but now seems resigned to being Alpha Cat Emeritus. The new male, whom I’ve dubbed Wannabe, bears a striking resemblance to our Sophie, so much so that each of the girls at least once have let him in the house, mistakenly believing him at first glance to be Sophie. This confuses the other cats, but both Twidge and Cisco appear fascinated by him and follow him at a safe distance to see what he’s getting up to. And when I pulled in the driveway tonight, there was Wannabe trotting up behind the car to greet me. My hope is that he’ll be enough of a presence to ward off the other random one that comes around, the mysterious round-headed black cat. With whom Binx, of course, had a major tussle this morning.

• Bob, I agree that Gladiator vs the Mannings is a million dollar idea. Unfortunately, the medical expenses would exceed a million easily. Puppets, man...think of something with puppets. People fuckin LOVE puppets.

Tags: Basketball Jones, Football, Hockey, Kitteh, Puppets

Kevin and Jimbo, my guys in development, were under the gun to fix the display problems that have recently vexed us. Some javascript code needed rewriting, a bit of css required noodling, and I had to personally contact a trusted advisor (Thanks, Aron!). Some sleep was lost, and not a small amount of blood, but corrections were made. Corrections that, left undone, may very well have cost the company untold tens of dollars.

The site should now display properly on Firefox, Camino, and Internet Explorer. If it doesn’t, and you can navigate your way to the email page, please do let me know. I will then decide who is the more expendable, Kevin or Jimbo. (Right now, due to an unrelated matter, its Jimbo, but Kevin isn’t exactly a boy wonder any more, either.)

Tags: Site Stuff

• The new design that the boys in R & D slaved over, this very one you’re looking at right now, is massively broken in Firefox, and Camino browsers, and behaves a bit strangely in Internet Explorer. FAIL, as the kids say. I’m told a fix is in the works. (Of course, I was also told the designed played perfectly with all browsers...)

• The third and final installment of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog debuted today. Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and the upcoming Dollhouse, has unleashed a demented, sentimental, outrageous, and tender musical exploration of a would-be supervillian, a moronically macho super hero, and the girl in the middle. The supremely talented Neil Patrick Harris (the former kid doctor) is Dr. Horrible, and Firefly’s Nathan Fillion is his nemesis, Captain Hammer, and Felicia Day is Penny, the girl they both love. All three do outstanding work, and it’s hard to imagine a better ending than the one Whedon serves up. Watch, and be rewarded with great songs, a touching love story, subtle and not-so-subtle humor, and a glimpse of the inner circle of the Evil League of Evil, including the nefarious leader, Bad Horse.

• The Clippers pick up Marcus Camby from the Nuggets in exchange for the option to switch second round picks in 2010. Whaa? This is Marcus Camby we’re talking about. I don’t know what Denver was thinking, but the addition of another big man helps the Clips ease the sting of losing Elton Brand. It’s not a long term fix, but it won’t hurt in the short run.

• I don’t remember any details of the dream I had last night, but I do know it involved me playing for the San Diego Chargers. Which is absurd, of course: The Chargers already have a perfectly useful Outside Linebacker.

• This is me now:

Most days, I can be seen as the gladiator Lucullus at the “A Day In Pompeii” exhibit at Discovery Place in Charlotte. For the record, and my participation not withstanding, its an extraordinary exhibit and well worth the trip.

Tags: Site Stuff, Basketball Jones, Football, Musical

Baron Davis opts out of his Golden State Warriors contract to join Chris Kaman, Corey Magette, and Elton Brand in Los Angeles, setting the stage for a new era in Clipper land. Magette then takes a huge offer from the Warriors, leaving LA behind. Brand, one of the league’s most sought after free agents, assures Los Angeles fans that he wants to “end my career as a Clipper.” Turns out, he meant just that: Brand will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers for 82 million. Kaman and Davis must be reeling right now.

Tags: Basketball Jones