This is a somewhat delayed post, about a week and a half to be exact, but I was reminded to tend to it tonight at the gym when
Colin Hay's "Waiting for my Real Life to Begin" started playing on my iPod -- such an f-ing great song - please excuse my French. On 4/27, I did in fact see Colin Hay (of former 80's band Men At Work fame) perform an acoustic solo show at the Tin Angel in Old City. Come on, you remember:

"Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
And he said,

I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."

Well Colin has since evolved into a very noteworthy lyricist and acoustic performer. He has had several solo albums with one very popular song on the Garden State soundtrack, "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You". A few of his other songs have appeared on the NBC hit, Scrubs. Aahhh, Zach Braff... ahem. His Tin Angel performance was part stand up comic (he was hilarious and a really cool guy)/part singer-songwriter. He segued into each song with a funny story that was related without you knowing that was what he was doing. He did a few Men at Work songs acoustic-style and lots of his own stuff from various albums. At the end Colin received a standing ovation from the audience, played three more songs, and all departed with smiles on their faces.

Dick Dale of Dick Dale and the Del-Tones fame will be appearing live at the North Star Bar on June 5. I'm going!

This Sunday I hit the Ritz to see Thank You for Smoking. I give it a two thumbs up. I won't go into a full fledged review -- just go see it -- it's definitely worth the $9.50. Thank you Jason Reitman and Marlboro Man, and please, whatever you do, watch your intake of Vermont cheddar.

Last Sunday I went to see Friends With Money. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was very uplifting. Makes you kind of feel like slashing your wrists if you are over 35, married, not married, financially secure, not financially secure, like your job, don't like your job, etc, etc. I really went to see it because I like Catherine Keener whose character turned out to be kind of lame and whiney. Frances McDormand's character was quite entertaining bashing her face into a plate glass window at Old Navy because someone butted in line, and Jennifer Anniston's performance deserved mention as well. Oh, that guy from Ally McBeal was also in it as Joan Cusack's semi-prickish husband. Scott Caan played some jerkoff personal trainer who was banging Jennifer Aniston. I think they based his character on most of the really nice guys who live in Old City.

So I was in a meeting this morning at work. Someone mentioned something about "daily duties" of telemarketing reps. I started to chuckle inside and looked around the room. Every face was just business as usual. Did no one else in the meeting find that entertaining? Ya know, "daily doodies", not "daily duties"? Am I the only one with a sense of humor equivalent to that of a 7th grade boy? I guess so. I guess I'll just go kvell over the 12 pack of TP for my bunghole that I bought on sale over the weekend.

It was a good shopping weekend for me. I procured a pair of beautiful Italian leather black pumps for work, two really cool bags on sale might I add, and a few adorable little terri cloth items reminiscent of my youth from
American Apparel on Walnut Street. I love that store! I got this little one piece tub top/shorts number very similar to one I had in mint green with white trim when I was six. Also picked up a couple of super soft tees and some bi-color terri running-style super shorty shorts. Summer is gooooood :)

I still can't accept it. I am in absolute denial, similar to if I had a severe drug and alcohol problem. No more Silk City Diner. Please, someone, say it isn't true. Where will I go now at 2am after five Bombay Sapphire and tonics to wolf down a plate of pancakes and eggs, fall asleep on the table, and then arise muttering to my sister where did my pancakes go while she worries whether we have enough money for a cab to get home? Just tell me, where will I go?! Does this signal the end of an era? What about my black bean tostada, my chile cheese fries, my chocolate chunk bread pudding all nice and warmed up with vanilla ice cream on the side? No more Silk City? This might be worse than Land of the Lost going off the air. I bet this is how Elaine Benes felt when they stopped marketing the Today Sponge.

Well I ventured out to one of the Philly Film Festival films (say that five times fast) with my friend Mike G. It was called LOL, but there was absolutely nothing to laugh at, well at least during the parts where I could stay awake. We both tried to figure out the message which was virtually nonexistent -- possibly that people are so caught up in technology (email, IM, cell phones, internet dating) that they are not living in reality and enjoying the present moment...something to that effect. Or maybe that "the internet is for porn" (to quote the show Avenue Q ;) All in all, I think just an unlucky pick.

It's that time of year again. The 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival is in full swing. I really wanted to see the film the festival closes with called Friends with Money , starring Catherine Keener, but of course that one is SOLD OUT. I guess I will have to pick another. There are so many that sound great so it shouldn't be a huge problem. Some of the others I am considering include Tapas, American Dreamz, La Petite Jérusalem, LOL, Boynton Beach Club, and The Wedding Party. Uh-oh -- Tapas and American Dreamz are both SOLD OUT.

Singer-songwriter Ben Arnold is going to be at the
Tin Angel in Old City this Friday night 4/7. Ben is a Philly native. I have been listening to him for over 10 years. I have seen his live performances at the Tin Angel, The Grape Street Pub, and North By Northwest. He is also a friend of my good pal Kevin Ginsberg :)

Check out Ben at: www.benarnold.com

These are the best.

I was listening to XPN this morning, and I stumbled upon an artist that I really like. Check him out:

www.raylamontagne.com

My little bubbeles