Featured Weekend Artist - Jack Johnson - Upside Down

This song was released in 2006 as the feature song on Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George. It peaked at 38 on the Billboard Top 100 list and still remains a top 40 song for him.

Also featured is a cute little video made by elseyrams featuring Jack Johnson's third song from the 2005 album, In Between Dreams.

Featured Weekend Artist - Jack Johnson - Sitting Waiting Wishing

Jack Johnson released Sitting Waiting Wishing in 2005, and the song eventually led to nomination for a Grammy Award as Best Male Pop Vocals. In itself, the song tells a story of a man's pursuit of love and how he continues to be shot down. The song is said to be inspired by one of his friend's pursuit of a woman.

Featured Weekend Artist - Jack Johnson - Breakdown

Jack Johnson - Breakdown

As a former surfing champ, Jack Johnson brings an easy-going laidback vibe into his soulful songs. Breakdown was released in 2005 on his In Between Dreams album and peaked at number 73 on the UK charts. One interesting fact about 'Breakdown', it was written on a train ride between Paris and Hossegor, which is a famous surf location in France.

To me, its more about stepping back from life and taking in the moment.

To Stacy... Azuzephre's Pon & Zi Collection

Photo is Azuzphre's Pon and Zi collection by Jeff Thomas. Check out his online library at http://www.ponandzi.com/

Pon and Zi are two cute little emo cartoon characters created by Azuzephre. This is the biggest and best UNOFFICIAL collection of Pon and Zi cartoons on the web. We have gone all round the internet finding all the original Pon and Zi pictures in the highest quality avaliable that were originally posted by azuzephre. This is our collection of all the official Pon and Zi images that are known to exist. If you have never seen, or never heard of Pon and Zi, click below as you're missing out!

http://azuzephre.deviantart.com/

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

"First off I want to thank Candid Carrie the brilliant blogger who came up with Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. Without such an idea I would be without inspiration for a post today! If you are up for playing the rules are easy. Post a Foto saying why it is one of your favorites and then hop on over to Candid Carrie and tell her you are playing! Easy peasy!" copied from Squirrel Chatter.


This is one of my all-time favorite photos. As you can see, it's an underwater picture of Stacy snorkeling in Cozumel, Mexico. The amazing thing is, this was her first time snorkeling and she took to the sport like a 'fish in water'...

Matt's Thoughts on Fourth of July Weekend

Even as the fourth of July approaches, I find myself un-enthusiastic about this weekends activities, and a little worried about what's going to happen in my community. Just for the record, I love what the fourth stands for: Freedom, Togetherness, Community, I just don't care for the fireworks, the traffic, and most of all, the stupidity.

I especially hate fireworks. I've never really been impressed, and I don't see why other people are with firework shows. Oooooh...look hunny, there's some red sparkles followed by an extremely load, ear popping crack. Amazing! Oooooh...look hunny, that vendors selling overpriced hotdogs and watered down soda.

It's depressing. I'm pretty sure George Washington would punch us in the face for the way we celebrate this nation on fourth of July. There's nothing honorable about handing ten year olds small sticks of dynamite and saying go play.

But for me, it effects my pets the most. They just don't understand. They get scared, and it makes me feel bad.

In conclusion, if you are going to shoot off fireworks and you live in the Country Gate community, please go by the pond. Or else.

Yeah, or else, George Washington will track you down and punch you in the face!

Mallow Run Winery Visit

Today, we visited our favorite winery, Mallow Run. It was just a quick lunch stop, but we had fun. We tried their new Strawberry wine, but ended up choosing a sweet, Picnic blush to taste during our lunch.

Cooper, the Mallow Run dog, was a big fan of our cheese tray. Although, he really didn't like the crackers, just cheese.

After awhile, it started to get pretty hot. Stacy took a break from the sun.


In the end, you can't argue with a picture like this. The clouds were beautiful as they floated over the grape vines.


For more information on Mallow Run visit http://www.mallowrun.com/

Getting ready for some wine!

Tonight is a wine night. Stacy and I are going to visit the Chateau Thomas Winery for a quick tasting and some music. They feature a summer concert series and tonight's musician is Luke Austin Daughtery.


For more information on Chateau Thomas Winery, visit here.


For more information on Luke Austin Daughtery, click here.


***Check out the song, "Lexi Danced" its a tribute to Alexa Shank, who went to heavan at the age of 10 after battling leukemia for 4 years. He met her at the Artcraft Theatre in Franklin Indiana, and she touched his heart in such a way that she inspired this song. For more information on Lexi, visit www.2.caringbridge.org/in/princessalexa

Indianapolis Is Cool!

So, Thursday night was a pretty neat evening. Stacy and I traveled downtown for the ol' dinner and a movie date, but with a few twists. First, we took advantage of Devour Downtown and dined at The Capital Grille. Located in the fabulous Conrad Indianapolis Hotel, the restaurant is an infusion of Indiana Heritage, elegance, and great food. We were treated like food critics, and received a complimentary tuna appetizer, which had such a perfect malaise, it melted in mouth. Our meal was the standard Devour menu, we chose the Kona Sirloin, which has a coffee ground crust. It was served with a side of mash potato's and creamy spinach. My father once told me that you can tell the quality of a steak by the look and presentation, and at The Capital Grill this is exactly the way it worked. The steak was a perfect combination of taste and quality. Most of all, the desert, which was the cheesecake, was delicious and graciously portioned. One final comment about my dining experience, if you are a big fan of knowledgeable service, our servers were top notch. Ask for Brian Phillips or Scott Starret, they went well beyond their required service to make the dinner a perfect experience.

Following, dinner Stacy and I went for a quick stroll around the circle, and then caught the Red Line. The Red Line is a part of IndyGo Transportation, which provides free trips up (and down Ohio Street) and around IUPUI. It was my first bus experience, and I've realized that I have to be a little less outgoing on the bus because I talk to too many people. This one guy (who only had one eye and was homeless), who I had a little conversation with, got a little too friendly and wanted to start a bus riding friendship with me. But I survived, and feel a lot more comfortable with the whole process now.

We jumped off the route just outside the Indiana Historical Society, which was featuring their summer concert series. This is why Indianapolis is so cool because there is always something going on. Just up the street, set-up has begun for this weekends Jazz fest. Finally, we arrived at the Indiana State Museum for our night-cap.

Yats, along with Hanover College, Butler Toyota Scion, the Jazz Kitchen, and Nuvo, were presenting a New Orleans Fund-raiser called "The Voice of the Wetlands" at the IMAX Theater. It featured two films. The first was short film called Happiness, which is a personal reflection of Yats founder Joe Vuskovich and was directed by Duncan Alney. The main film was MacGillivray Freeman's Hurricane on the Bayou. This IMAX film follows four musicians at they dig through the culture of New Orleans, and most of all, it presents the current environmental issues affecting the wetlands.

Here's a short clip from Happiness:



Click here for more information on the IMAX film, Hurricane on the Bayou.

http://www.hurricaneonthebayou.com/html/

Anheuser-Busch Deal Update

Recently, the Wall-Street Fighter blog analyzed the AB/InBev deal, and has a great new post about the plan. Basically, the blog makes a couple key points:

How can they turn down an offer which is almost 14% more than their current stock price?

With AB being such a strong Americana brand, how with they change/adapt their brand with an InBev influence?

In my opinion, this is the next step for AB.

Injury Update - Fluidotherapy

Well, I'm stitch free, pin free, and now I start my therapy. (Isn't that a fun bunch of alliteration).

Anyways, I had my first therapy session, and it consisted of a basic movement exam. I had several tests to check the movement of my left thumb and several tests to check the pressure of the grip on my left hand. In one test, which required me to pinch a pressure gauge with my thumb and index finger, I squeezed a score of 16 (PSI likely) with my right hand, but only a score of 5 with my left hand. That means that I have a ways to go. One of the movement tests had me touch each finger to the tip of my thumb, I was only able to touch my pinkie and thumb together, and that was pretty tough.

My favorite part was the fluidotherapy machine. Basically, its a big machine which requires me to stick my hand into a base of sand (or small grounds of corn) and then the sand is heated and moved around my hand relaxing the joints and muscles. Being a little mischievous, I enjoyed playing in the sand.

Here's a more technical description of Fluidotherapy:

Fluidotherapy is a useful mechanical device for occupational therapists which can be successfully used to help treat a wide variety of afflictions: pain treatment, range of motion, blow flow insufficiency, arthritic treatment, wounds and swelling. The effectiveness of using Fluidotherapy in a therapeutic setting is based on its ability to simultaneously apply heat, massage, sensory stimulation for desensitization, levitation, and pressure oscillations.


I took a picture of the machine with my cellphone, and will post it up soon. Other than that, I'm getting ready to mow the jungle, aka the backyard. Then Stacy and I have plans for dining at the Capital Grill, with a nightcap movie presentation at the IMAX theater.

Fun, fun, fun.

Visiting the Canal

Stacy and I recently took a walk around the canal. It's such a neat area of Indianapolis. You get to see the museums, the monuments, and all the people. During our trip, we met a young couple who chatted with us about Lola and life, we got to pose for pictures during a IUPUI scavenger hunt, but most of all, we got to relax a little. Here's a few pictures from our Sunday adventure.

[Here's a quick snapshot of me feeding the Indiana State Museum mammoths]
[View of downtown from the Indiana State Museum]


[Clouds outside the ISM]

[Stacy cooling off her feet at one of the several waterfalls lining the canal.]

More canal information: (from Indy.org) Discover Indiana's heritage as you meander along the limestone walkway, enjoying a stunning backdrop of the Downtown skyline. This cultural destination boasts seven major attractions, festival space, public art, unique cafes and three miles of walkways on the refurbished historic Central Canal.

Canal Information

Major Rain

Friday night's shower made a real mess in my area. At one point Saturday afternoon, all major routes into Southern Indiana were closed. Most areas were experiencing flash floods, power outages, and road closings. By late afternoon, Gov. Mitch Daniels had declared the area as a state of emergency. The damage that 9 inches of rain that can cause is unbelievable. Luckily, Casa de Quasebarth was spared.

Here's some pictures from a walk around my community, Country Gate.

[Photo 1: Entrance off Tracey Road. Once contained two ponds, but has now flooded to the point where they are flowing over the road and through neighboring yard.]


[Photo2: The homes on the far northeast side of the community were experiencing the worst flooding with water flowing completely around homes and up to the top of mailboxes.]


[Photo3: The retention pond facing US 31 was up nearly 10 to 15 feet and completely covered the walking paths in spot.]


I'm just praying for the rains to stop so the water can recede. For more information check out these links.

Indy Star Coverage
Flood Stage Map

To Stacy... Let's speak whale!

It's a Weezer Weekend - Island in the Sun

I was half-tempted to sell out and include Buddy Holly in my salute to Weezer, but no, today's Weezer video is a little more personal. This song wasn't originally included in the 2001 release of the band's album, "Green Album", but due to some pressure from the album's producer, Ric Ocasek, it ended up in the final product. Ultimately, it has become a fixture in their shows. Frontman, Rivers Cuomo, usually leads into the encore by performing acoustic version on stage.

Two versions of the video were released. The first was released by Marcos Siega and features the band playing at a Mexican Wedding reception.



The second version, directed by Spike Jonze, is more popular. This video shows the band playing with wild animals on a hill. It only features three band members (Bell, Cuomo, & Wilson) becuase bassist Mikey Welsh left the band slightly before shooting. MTV preferred this video, so it became the primary spot for the single.



Also, for an added bonus, let's post one more Weezer video. Here's Keep Fishin' featuring the muppets.

It's a Weezer Weekend - Beverly Hills

A one-time personal anthem, Beverly Hills was the first single of the album Make Believe. My favorite lyrics begin the song:

Where I come from isn't all that great
My automobile is a piece of crap
My fashion sense is a little whack
And my friends are just as screwy as me

It was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, which was the first ever nomination for the band and also the Best Rock Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.

Its a Weezer Weekend - Say It Ain't So

Weezer - Say it ain't so

Wrote by front man, Rivers Cuomo. "Say it ain't so" was released in 1995 as the band's third single, and most recently, the song was ranked #72 on Rollling Stone's list of the top 100 Greatest Guitar songs of all-time. The song tells the story of Cuomo coming home and finding a bottle of beer in the refrigerator on day during his teenage years. He believes that his parents divorce (when he was just four years old) was caused by his father's alcoholism, and the beer in the fridge is a cruel reminder of the incident. Even without the back story, the song still rocks and rolls through my Weezer video weekend.

Helvetica - The Film

Last night, Stacy and I went to see the Indie-film Helvetica at the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art). The film is an in-depth conversation into the history and importance of the type-face, Helvetica. As one of the few non-design professionals in attendance, I found the film to be more of a discussion between elite designers than a historical representation. It did open my eyes to how often Helvetica is used in society, but I disagree with the core theme of the film, which is, Clean design uses Helvetica, but Grunge design does not.

More about Helvetica click here.

More on the design film series at the IMA.

More on the IMA.

It's a Weezer Weekend - Pork and Beens

Here's the newest release by Weezer.

See how many internet videos they use in their video. I can recognize at least 5 of my favorites.

Weezer - Pork & Beans

Bud Light Wedding Commercial

So my wife sent me this Bud Light Commercial. She originally found it on a blog she reads called gigglesugar (or something girly like that). Anyways, its pretty cool, and I wanted to share it.

"This calls for a Bud Light"

June Events - Indianapolis & Beer Tasting

List of Beer Events for June.

Thanks to the folks at DIG-B for providing the information.

June 4th McCormick & Schmick Seafood and Beer Tasting
June 5th Rock Bottom American Dream IPA Tapping
June 11th Rock Bottom North Brewmaster's Dinner
June 11th St. Elmo's Anheuser-Busch Brewmaster's Dinner
June 19th Ales for Adoptable Tales (Humane Society)
June 20th Rathskeller Wine & Brew Fest
June 21st Brew Ha-Ha (Phoenix Theatre)
June 28th Indy Pub Crawl
June 28th Hops for Pops

Man Journal - Home Alone

Sunday, June 1 @ 10:05

Worked sucked. I want Stacy to come home soon. Supper consisted of a can of vegetable soup. My stitches hurt. My pins tingle.

Man Journal - Home Alone

Sunday, June 1 @ 9:22 am

Well, I made it up. I'm pretty tired right now. It's off to work. I let the dogs sleep out of their crates last night.

Stacy comes home tonight, I still need to call her to find out what time.

Man Journal - Home Alone

Sunday, June 1 @ 3:07 am

I'm tired. Done with work. Ate a little (Taco Bell). And watched, I am Legend.

Not a bad film. I watched it with all the lights on because Zombies freak me out a little. The dogs are outside.

I'm a big fan of Bob Marley.

Here's a quick Bob video.



Well, off to take a shower b/c I have to be at work by 10 tomorrow.