Welcome to the Void

This song totally rules. Please excuse the excessive use of force.

Above Ground Sounds

While this is not my favorite song on the album it was the best one I could find during a rudimentary search on the old tube. This guy totally rules. The dude was super handsome and wrote some righteous tunes. I highly recommend the songs, "She belongs to me" and "Hard to Keep My Mind On You." Both songs are about man and his perennial affection for the attractive.

In other news....

Floyd Mayweather, who many considered the best pound for pound fighter prior to his sudden retirement (And it should be noted, pre- Manny Pacquiao hayday), remerged in the ring to take on the Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez. Now let it be known straight off the bat. I'm not a big Mayweather fan. I think the guy is an excellent fighter. Without question an amazing fighter in the same tradition and Pernell Whitker of his father, Floyd Sr. All amazing defensive fighters, all quick as lighting, all very skilled pugilists, all weak on KO power. That said... I don't like the guy. I think he is an immature man who blames his inability to sell a fight and unpopularity on racism, when in fact i think it has more to do with the perception that he is an arrogant prick with a chip on his shoulder. Many have also claimed that he emerged as the greatest in an era when his division was not especially deep. Sure, he fought and beat some amazing fighters. I mean the guys is 40-0 at this point. There's no denying that he has amazing skill. Now however is the time for him to prove his greatness. His weight class is deep, there are some real stellar fighters out there in his division. Now is the time to come out of retirement and prove himself. Anyway, i diverge. What I wanted to comment on is how lame I think it was for Mayweather, a naturally heavier, bulkier, muscular fighter to call a catch weight for the fight ( I believe it was 144 although i know there was some discrepancy about that weight in july when the fight was originally scheduled... but it should be noted that the vague terms were 143 give or take a pound not above.) and then come to weigh in 2 pounds over weight. While this may not seem like a big deal, I would argue it is, although i don't necessarily think it was the deciding factor in the fight. First of all, Marquez is a naturally smaller fighter, considerably smaller. He typically fights around 130 lbs. The man had to gain about 10 lbs for the fight, which meant he had to adjust his speed to that weight. No easy feat. Second, as mentioned before, Mayweather is a larger fighter, he fights more in the 145 to 155 range. Third, you can assume that both of the fighters were denying themselves fluids and making an effort to make weight JUST below the limit. However, Marquez was most likely already pushing himself pretty hard to bring himself up to the fighting weight while still maintaining his speed and agility, therefore we can assume he probably isn't gaining much weight after weigh in, maybe 5 pounds, tops. Mayweather on the other hand is a naturally heavier fighter and we can assume, that he is going to gain much more weight after the weigh in. Likely, Marquez came into the ring somwhere around 148-150 whereas Mayweather, who weighed in at 146 was probably coming in somewhere around 155. Now as I said before, I don't think that this was a deciding factor in the fight. I think Mayweather probably would have won regardless. He is quicker, stronger, and a better boxer... he lacks Marquez's heart, but simply put, he has a better skill set. I do however think that it was disrespectful for Mayweather to not take the weight in seriously enough to make it. He could have, he was a partner in agreeing to it, he just did not show the discipline to make it and discipline i have to think is a fighters most prized asset. I feel for old Marquez getting hit with an extra few pounds over the course of 36 minutes... It isn't sportsman like. At any rate, this sets the stage for a premier fight in about 6-12 months for a bout between the winner of the Cotto v. Pacquiao fight in november. I eagerly anticipate it, A) Because I would love to see Floyd beat and B) because i think the likely match up of Pacquiao v. Mayweather to be a rather exciting if unsure fight. Enough said. The next few months are going to be exciting for boxing fans and i hope you stay tuned for my admittedly amateur analysis.

To wrap things up: I have less than 9 weeks left in Koreaville. I shall be returning to the hinterland the third week of November and no later if all goes according to plan. Next week will mark the one year mark of my sojourn from the great city of Portland. I miss you lady Portland and hopefully we will share embraces soon.

Bam. That's it. I'll be posting something at least bi weekly from here on out. there I said It.

As always. Stay tuned.

Yeti Fest

So if you're in Portland tonight and you're not going to Yeti Fest you might want to get your head examined.  The event, hosted at Holocene is going to feature music from some of the best bands in the old rock & roll business (that is if your preferences tend to lean towards the low-fi, garage punk, psych-drone end of the spectrum).  The whole shebang is organized by the proprietor of the esteemed local (maga)zine Yeti, Mike McGonigal (who also happens to have all my shit stored in his attic).  As well as being able to lurk around some bitchin' bands, you'll have the esteemed pleasure of hearing DJ Yeti (Mike, duh) spin some of his fabulous records, of which there are thousands.  While you're there you should also  take the opportunity to grab the latest issue of Yeti which has features and tracks from some of the finest acts gracing the stages of today including and not limited to: Vivian Girls, Eat Skull, Sic Alps, Times New Viking, Cystal Stilts, Cause Co-motion, Blank Dogs, e*rock,The Clean,  and a look back at outsider musician Mingering Mike.  As if that wasn't enough of a  reason to attend, I'm pretty sure there is going to be some radical merch being hocked at the show, including, from what I understand to be reliable information, CDR's of Eat Skulls upcoming release on Siltbreeze, Wild & Inside and a compilation of all of their previously undigitized 7'' releases.  Both are Winners.  Don't be a loser.

For your own edification, or if you're an unlucky bastard like myself and will be unable to attend due to geographic constraints, here is a look at some of the talent.  Enjoy: 

This song is fantastic... and really seems to work well with the bizarre Asian tv show.

An absolute banger.  I love this song.

These guys are one of my favorite bands.  Period.

In related news, on the other side of town Psychedelic Horse Shit, Coconut Coolouts, & Pierced Arrows are playing a show at KLC's annual Sunburn festival out in the cut (Lewis & Clark College 0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd).  This is the first time in the last couple of years that it has had a stellar line up.  The thing lastspretty much all day and has some really decent bands playing.  I think it is only like five bucks, too.  For more info check out:

 http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfmfuseaction=blog.view&friendId=49939017&blogId=481115259

Facial Features

In the spirit of change, the spirit of spring I decided to shed my winter beard, as sparse as it was, and opt for some new facial features.  Given my limited facial hair growing abilities I went with this charming little configuration:

I can't say I'm crazy about the look.  I have to say I pictured it looking a little more appealing.  Perhaps more conquistador and less barrio.  So given my indifference and curiosity regarding the matter I have decided to open the question up to my dozen or so blogologists: What should I do with my face?

Beyond the pure aesthetics of the issue, lets take a look into the practicality of said topic.  The beard is the easiest configuration to maintain.  It require absolutely no maintenance for about 2 months and then only a trim about once a week after that.  Shaving everyday for the hairless looks is kind of a pain in the ass, but I suppose millions of men do it everyday, so i'll limit my complaining.  Furthermore, the hairless look would be a change from the last 3.5 months, so there's that to consider as well.  The mustache is probably about the same amount of work as shaving everyday, but there is the added benefit of looking like a total creep, which is appealing on some level.  Finally, there is the status quo option, the above look.  I don't know, like I said, i'm a little skeptical... I'm not too sure I can take it seriously or how much I really like it, so please weigh in.  Please cast your vote in the upper right hand corner of the blog and leave comments to convey the conviction of your votes.

R.I.P

Get Buck: Black Out Club takes it to Nippon

Just bringing Buck to the land of the rising sun.  Zerked.

Rachel was easily the most poised person present at any point in the evening.  When others were getting shitty she was getting her glam on.

Just two office jocks cutting loose like freshmen on spring break.

Bringing it down to stand by mode.

This picture kind of reminds me of a killer whale crashing through the water and ascending into the air.

Getting buck with some Hotel wrestling

It's worth noting that this was all fully on autopilot, if it wasn't already painfully obvious.

Sean looks flabbergasted, Takuoka looks happier than a pig in shit, and I'm looking downright ferocious.

The self satisfaction of a blacked out drunk in his underwear.  Everyone was pretty caught off guard by this move, but as anyone who has put in some serious drinking time with me knows it's only a matter of time before the clothes come off.

I'm fairly certain TK is pointing at me accusingly as if trying to convince someone to do something about my state of undress.  Sean is looking pretty unsure.

Down for the count.

Sean putting it down like a champ

There is something strangely erotic about this photo...

Golden Gai part 1

When I last left off we were leaving the batting cage in search of sustenance and booze.  Naturally, we found both.  Unfortunately, and what would eventually lead to my undoing, we found much less of the prior than the latter.  In the interim between leaving the cages and winding up in this cozy little bar we managed to get our hands on some fried Japanese cuisine, a few mugs of beer, and another half pint of whisky (this time opting for the tried and true: Johnny Walker Red).  By the time we waltzed into this bar I was already a little sloppy as I had been suffering from a mean case of the hungry's all day long and truly did not have enough fuel in the tank for the sheer magnitude of the impending bender.  So that brings us up to speed, too much booze and not enough food.

This young Salary Man was named Takouya...(or some variation there of.  I think between Sean, Rachel, and myself he wound up having about 10 different names.)  He was a very pleasant young man who seemed to enjoy partying with us, perhaps for no other reason than he was at least as drunk as we were and were not to discerning in our choice of company.

Ever the pensive.

I believe at this point Takouya and myself were exchanging contact information.  I still have the sheet of paper with said info on it, but fluid saturation, poor handwriting, and the language barrier have made it virtually undecipherable.

Ah.  God bless this patient soul for whom we gave so many reasons to 86 us.

Truth be told, I think they rather enjoyed our company and indulged most of our silly requests for photos.

Glamour Shotz

getting some sake behind the bar...

Rock meets Peace

This was the first sign of a devilish grin that would surface time and time again throughout the evening.

There's nothing more empowering than embracing a pretty lady.

And this is where things really began to go south for our hero... 

To be continued...

Stay tuned.

Fake Baseball

Hey Folks!  Thanks for still coming by the old web address after a month of unexplained absences.  When we last left off, I was at the Incheon International Airport detailing the fancy get-ups all the Korean flight attendants were wearing and waiting to fly into Japan.  Well, I made it... at times barely.  Some highlights include getting blacked out my first night in Tokyo and almost getting my passport stolen from my hotel room, wrestling in my underwear, seeing a bum jerkoff in a cardboard box,  all you can drink beer, Japanese speakeasies, puking 45 stories in the sky, Japanese Rock & Roll and spending the night passed out in Kareoke parlors.  Most of this would not have been possible without the selfless help of my friend from college, Toku.  He was our omniscient & benevolent tour guide without whom, few of the awesome things we experienced would have been possible.  Domo Arigato Gozaimas, Toku-san!  

Here are some pics of our first night in Tokyo.  We were in the Golden Gai section of Shinjuku.  After procuring some 3 dollar half pints of Suntory whisky Sean, Rachel and I made for the town in search of trouble and adventure.  We found both.  

These pics are merely an aside, a short pit stop before things got weird.

Big Liquor, son.

These were coin operated batting cages complete with virtual, pixalated pitchers.  

3 bucks scored you 25 pitches.

Given the recent Japanese victory in the World Baseball Cup, I suppose you could say that these are some of the best virtual pitchers in the world.

Proper form is crucial

They were all home runs.  I swear to God.

Stay Tuned.