What's been goin' on?

It seems that this time of year is rough on me with regard to keeping up my blog. I don't know if it's a function of my job picking up, football, or what, but the August/September/October stretch was rough on me last year.

Granted that you know I will be weighing in on the elections, Browns football, my own five (yes, five) fantasy football leagues, my band, and all things Dan.

In the meantime, here are some quick hits to get you caught up:

• After all of my posturing, the Browns have started out a blistering 0-3, and except for their game effort on Sunday against the Ravens, they've looked bad doing it. Sunday was the first time I saw the team I thought I'd see in the preseason: using Winslow and Edwards as offensive weapons, a game defense putting pressure on the QB and doing decent against the run (in spite of many injuries), and close games that the Browns have a chance of winning. If they win 4 games, I'll be impressed, but at least they played hard and looked like a team that might have a chance to be good next year. Until they all get the bubonic plague, in true Cleveland Browns fashion.


• My Wolverines have started out fairly well, avenging losses to Notre Dame (in grand, on the road, punking them up fashion) and Wisconsin on consecutive Saturdays, and showing some spunk on defense for a change. They also get a chance to avenge a third loss from last year as well this Saturday on the road at Minnesota. I still don't think they have the secondary to keep up with Ohio State, but there's a pretty good chance they won't go 7-5 again with their current run defense, front 4, and a rejuvinated offense. Mario Manningham looks like the next coming of Braylon Edwards, both in spectacular catches and in occasional drops, but I would take another B.E. at Michigan this season. Mike Hart looks healthy, which is a huge upgrade over last year's rushing attack. They get Iowa and MSU at home this season, as well, which means there might be a date looming in November in Columbus with two undefeated top-5 teams duking it out for a BCS birth. Having said that, watch them both lose this Saturday.


• House of Cards is keeping on keeping on. We played this past Friday to another good crowd at the Newport Music Hall, though we were not headlining this time (which helped us steal a little draw from the other bands). It wasn't our best show (we weren't as tight as we were over the summer when we were playing a few shows a month), but the crowd seemed to enjoy it and we broke out a new song (one of four we're working on). We also have appointments at the studio on 9/27, 10/1, and 10/2 to finish the mix on our 9-song album. The demo in the post below is hardly representative of how good this album will be in terms of recorded quality. Better studio, more takes, mixing the best takes of each instrument together, etc. Once finished, I will have a link to a new single for all (two) of you.


• Melissa and I had the priviledge of meeting (hopefully) future governor Ted Strickland a couple of weeks ago at an education event. It's good to know people, hehehe. Strickland really seems to "get it" about education in this state, and would hopefully do two things if elected: 1) fix the funding issue in the state of Ohio for education, which has been declared unconstitutional at least four times by the state supreme court, and 2) close the charter school loopholes that steal tax money from public schools and allow people to make a profit on education using public money. Example: currently, if my wife ever does an evaluation of a kid who needs special ed, and then that kid goes to a charter school, the Columbus Public School system has to pay for ALL of the services that kid gets at the privately-run charter school. Guess where that moeny comes from: your property taxes. If Strickland can do something about those two things, his term would be successful.


• Strickland leads significantly in most polls I've seen. So, how much of a cynic am I when I think that Blackwell is owed a Kathrine Harris-style "favor" for the 2004 election, he currently is in charge of our elections as secretary of state, and I don't trust the voting machines? Stay tuned.


• Took my first trip to Seattle last weekend for a wedding. I must say, I enjoyed visiting, although I don't know that I would like to live there, due to the cost of living and the overwhelming abundance of hipsters. I'm neither rich nor hip enough for that. The Experience Music Project was fairly cool, though. The Hendrix retrospective was very enjoyable. Melissa and I also witnessed some enjoyable fish-tossing first-hand at the famed Pike Market. Good times.


• Check out the latest from Mono: You Are There. Six tracks. 63+ minutes. You do the math. If you love instrumental, crazy-dynamics, soft-then-loud Mogwai-style rock, then this album is for you. It picks up right where their last album ("Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined" - say that five times fast) left off, and takes it a step further.


• And, from the "NO FUCKING SHIT!" files: U.S. report says Iraq war has fueled terror threat. Really? You think? Weren't there people saying that before you started the war? Oh, yeah, I forgot. You fired them all for insubordination. Nice work, chief.

I promise, I'll endeavor to do better in the coming days and weeks. Thanks for bearing with me.