Happy New Year from the future...

Greetings from Melbourne. It's new years day, hot and muggy. Nothing much happened last night except a bunch of hippies dancing around to Modest Mouse in Tasmania. Shows have been going great. M. Ward puts on a damn fine show. Yesterday I ate fish, chicken, beef, and kangaroo for lunch- it was all delicious. Off to Sydney tomorrow. Hope you're all doing well and I'll see you when I return

Happy New Year

This is what will happen to the porch this year if it continues to suck. Consider yourselves warned.

I'm a dumbass

so i have this blog that i can't remember anything about...user name, password etc. i guess i'm trying to set up this blog, but it won't let met customize it. what the hell is wrong? when i go to edit blog, i can't even post shit on my own blog. get this...i work of a software company and i'm supposed to know this shit. little help maybe? btw, the blog i've most recently posted on is alookatwhatsnext.blogspot.com...wish i could get back on that.

anyway, i wish i were ca to enjoy some quality time with you guys with some quality beers etc.
hope all is well...

Party Hard!

Think for a minute. What would an annual visit from the Hamiltons be without a ton of parties? Exactly. Nothing. So, without further ado, and in order to clear up some possible confusion while simultaneously informing those who do not read all the comments posted on this blog, we are going to be having a dudes get together in honor of Andrew's impending fatherhood. The ladies will be having a concurrent affair.

Said dudes get together will take place at 11:00 in the am on New Year's Eve Day (Sunday) at the Patterson household. You may call or email yours truly (Ryan) or yours deviously (Matt Bethancourt) for directions. Details are:

-BBQ (Please bring some things to cook or eat [ie. chips, meats, vegetables] though we will have dogs and some carne.)

-Beer (Please bring loads of yard beer [or fancy beer if you are so inclined] so that we may drink and be merry [though not die imminently]

-Hugs (These are for Andrew)

-Drugs (Also for Andrew)

I think that this about sums this up. A proper NYE party will be held later on that evening at the Bethancourts, so be sure to attend this as well.

I look forward to seeing lots of dudes at my house on Sunday.

loveryan

Another Party

As if you needed another excuse to get loaded and hang out with me. On Friday the 29th, there will be a party in honor of my wife and me at Gwen's house in South Pasadena. It's more of a "drop by and hang out for a while, if you end up staying for a long time, fantastic" type of party than a "you must show up at this time and never leave" kind of party, if that makes any sense. It will start around 7 p.m. Please bring a drink that you would serve to a classy celebrity like, say, Beyonce. If you need directions to Gwen's, call me or email me. Awesome.

Darren... just a second...

Darren posted this on his blog.... and i just need some clarification. please.

thanks.

Another One Bites the Dust

Merry Christmas

Very Cool

Congratulations to Matt Maust and the Cold War Kids on the Letterman show appearence. and apparently Paul's new favorite band.

Tickle Me Emo!

Love me some Griyutts n eggs for breakfast

Howdy everyone,

Dana and I just returned from Mississippi- good times were had by all. I really explored the possibility of becoming a redneck- spending a great deal of time on a 4-wheeler, excercising my skills with a shotgun, learning the craft of the 9mm remington automatic as well as becoming a marksman with a revolver, and finally going to dinner with mud caked upon my arms. Yay! We're going to be in the area for christmas, then I'm off to Australia. Hope everyone is having a yule-nut-log good time.

smoking kills

From me to you...

there's a new gavel in town

i'm in new york with jacqueline. having a good weekend. i called my first sale friday as an auctioneer. took about 50 lots in the asian arts sale. very fun-i can knock it down... thursday we're going to stanwood for christmas time then back to nyc for new years. looking forward to seeing goss out here. i have to do my christmas shopping. happy holidays

the official virtual porch top 10 albums of 2006, albums that actually came out in 2006 edition

The votes are in. Witness the list. The list may seem strange to you. All I have to say to that is, "Being the list compiler has certain advantages, biatch."

10. TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain
9. Cat Power, The Greatest
8. Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury
7. Comets on Fire, Avatar
6. Six Organs of Admittance, The Sun Awakens
5. M. Ward, Post-War
4. Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
3. J Dilla, Donuts
2. Brightblack Morning Light, s/t
1. Band of Horses, Everything All the Time

See you in a few weeks...

Tuesday Game

Pick out the reference to the favorite Halfway House joke (and furry friend) in this otherwise not-funny piece from McSweeney's:

BEAN AND NOTHINGNESS


BY JON FITCH

- - - -

Hi, and welcome to Bean and Nothingness, New York's first truly holistic coffee bar. My name is Harmony and I'll be your beverage liaison this morning. Since this is your first time with us, why don't you sit in one of our Epiphany Chairs while I give you a quick orientation? Feel free to self-reflect, write poetry, or juggle if the mood strikes.

Here at Bean and Nothingness, our aim is not just to provide you with the sheer tranquillity and utter transcendence that only the best coffee and coffee-related products can achieve but also to help you reach complete spiritual self-actualization during your time here. From our socially conscious beverages to our community-oriented pastries and our globally sensitive condiments, Bean and Nothingness is committed to making this a better world one customer at a time, just like it says on the door, and the counter, and the wall. It's not just a slogan, either. No, every staff member here at Bean and Nothingness truly believes that we're making a better world one customer at a time and has sworn it, in blood, under the influence of sodium pentothal. I should also tell you that our coffee pickers are the happiest in the world. While other companies exploit their Third World employees, we at Bean and Nothingness ensure that our field workers are given a constant intravenous drip of MDMA and opiates. Sure, it slows down production and, sure, they spend a lot of time hugging, but, in the end, it's worth it. You can practically taste the love in the beans.

Now, before I present our beverage menu, may I interest you in an Amouchino™? It's an antebeverage, or pre-beverage beverage, served from an eyedropper. The idea is similar to what the French call an amuse bouche—a small appetizer to amuse the palate, except, of course, it's a drink and not an appetizer. Today's flavors are Milagro Sweat and Artic Seal Tears. If you're interested, Klart, our certified Amouchinist™, will be glad to Amouchatisfy™ you with a few drops on your tongue.

No? OK, then. Let's move on to our beverage-menu lexicon. The first thing you should know is that our drinks are served in three sizes—Gandhi, King, and Mandela—with Mandela being the largest. Now, if you want nonfat milk in your drink, ask for a Sub-Saharan. If you want your drink decaffeinated, ask for a Mandarin Opium Den. If you want a double shot of espresso, ask for a Pinochet Helicopter Ride. If you want whipped cream on top, ask for a Hello Sailor Dirty Sanchez. And, finally, if you want boiling hot water thrown in your face and a vigorous kick to the crotch, ask for a venti skinny latte. We hate that. So, let me give you an example. If you wanted to order, say, a small decaffeinated latte with whipped cream, you'd ask for a Gandhi Mandarin Opium Den Hello Sailor Dirty Sanchez Latte. See how easy that is?

Of course, we don't just serve coffee drinks. We serve a variety of liquid-refreshment options that will do much more than just quench your thirst. Our coconut chai will align your chakras. Our prune smoothies will purge the sins of past lives. Our Key-lime shakes will polish your aura. And our wheatgrass cider will cure bad karma. Oh, by the way, if you get tired of our Epiphany Chairs, you can always move over to our Inspiration Bar to work on your screenplay, write your great American novel, or found your Internet-based startup.

Any questions? No? OK, then what can I get you this morning? Just a small cup of coffee, no cream and no sugar? No problem. Hey, Klart, give me a Gandhi Coffee.

That'll be $68.

Dearest Comrades,

You are cordially invited to a New Year's Eve celebration, marking the end of a landmark year and breathlessly awaiting the coming of the next.

Where: Matt and Lisa's House
When: December 31, 2006 : 9 pm

There will be cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and champagne. Please feel free to bring more champagne.

We look forward to seeing you all in your finest attire, ringing in the new year with style.

A Little Bit of Gloyd, a Little Bit or Harbaugh

Walt Disney Presents, The Story of Menstruation

Prayer Request

posting this as a heads up to all the porch friends.

grant redwine needs our prayers big time

I don't want to go into it on the page, but give me a call and I can fill you in on specifics. be praying for grant's heart and mind. big time serious stuff people. lets rally for our friend.

Our Baby Boy is all Growed Up

The big Two Seven eh, my good man? Hard to believe we've known each other for only eight and a half of those.

Here's to eight and a half more!

(p.s. in eight and a half years you will have a daughter in the third grade. I think I just blew my mind!)

I No Longer Care for Andy

Dude doesn't call people back. Time somebody sacked up and called him out on it. I am that somebody.

Question: Anybody out there listen to The Hold Steady? If so, thoughts?

VU $$$!!!

Hey, check out this auction on ebay. This is every dumpster diving record collector's wet dream. With wetness. Lots.

Make sure to read the article found in the item description.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=300054910309&rd=1&rd=1


Sorry. I don't know how to hyperlink stuff.

Jarvis' Favorite TV Show

Heil Honey, I'm Home!