SC6 New Music Pick: Amos Lee 'Windows Are Rolled Down'

We Found Another One With SC Roots ...


    Today, we'd like to introduce you to Amos Lee.  He's a folk-rock guy from Philadelphia, but there is reason for South Carolinians to take a little pride in him.  Amos is a 1995 graduate of The University of South Carolina, and it was there that he began to play guitar.  Guess not everyone ends up spending all day at Five Points - but probably a little!  I knew when I heard the lyrics 'I'm fixin' to die', that The South was somewhere in that guy....


    Lee spent 2 years afterwards teaching, but decided to try and give music a shot. It was there that he ran into a little woman named Norah Jones (umpteen Grammy's), and it took off from there. His next album, 'Mission Bell' will be out in January, and this is the first track from it, "Windows Are Rolled Down". Enjoy!



www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4xY__FoDzY

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SC6's Coverage of the Great Blizzard of 2010 !!

Is This The Reino Snow Curse ??? HAHAHAHA !!!!


     Yes, we're getting hit with our first real snowstorm of the season here, and it's a good one.  Anywhere from 10-16 inches of the White Stuff will fall overnight, pushed around by 40-50 MPH winds. When I saw the snow coming from the east this morning, I knew we were in trouble....



    It's not so much of a surprise that it's snowing here, but that it snowed in South Carolina - again.  It snowed exactly twice in my 13 years there (once it was gone by lunchtime), and now it's snowed BOTH winters that I have been gone.  The Curse of Reino strikes again.....

For the first time ever, work already called and said be in at 10:00 - if they open at all.... Sweet!







Still, for all the mess and confusion that this will no doubt bring to Florence - have the grocery stores already run out of milk, water and bread? -  there is a certain niceness about snow on Christmas weekend, even if it was one day late.

One last pic to conclude our Christmas weekend... Stay warm, and good luck finding an ice scraper in Flotown!!





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Our Rejected 'Alternate Blog Ideas' ....

A Blog About John Mayer's 'Best Friend'?


      Like we've said, the blogging has been weighing a bit heavy on us lately.. Usually, the first thing you try to do is work harder at it, but since time is so short, we thought briefly about another way - an alternative blog.  That is, a right turn into a totally different field to renew our passion. The problem is that we don't really give a crap about anything.  Still, we decided to try and overcome our ambivalence, and think of some great new ideas for blogs. When you see what we came up with, you'll understand why we'll be clsoing up shop soon. Here they are......


NY1

Essentially, we would be continuing SC6, but with a focus on our home here on Long Island. We'd be the voice of cost cutting and snaity in an insane area, and we'd rail against those who take so much from our pockets.  Problem was, we are afraid that a garbage man would come up and put a bullet in our head, never to be seen again. Pass.....



NY BBQ

Great idea - find every good Southern BBQ joint in New York, and blog about the adventures.  Too bad there are none... Haven't found a vinegar-based sauce yet here.




Blue-Gray Blog

  Like the BBQ Blog, except I trace the Civil War from beginning to end across America by going to every battlefield, and meet all the important people involved.  Too bad I get one day a week off, have no vacations, and all every authority on the Civil War is dead...




SC6 & Julia

    I spend the next few years re-creating recipes from Julia Child's 'Joy of Cooking' book, and I blog about it... Wait a second, that idea has already been done.  DAMMIT !!!!




Pop Music Hit List

   I make a list of people in music that I Mark For Death, and my legion of followers carries them out for me... First on the List is Justin Bieber.... Nah, too creepy, and we're not exactly the Hit List Type.



NY Sports Blog

      Yeah Buddy, you and everyone else. Besides, everyone up here is 'an expert'.



John Mayer's Penis

    Seriously, this was an idea I had for a while - A blog about the life and times of the biggest Johnson in Rock Music today. Didn't know that? Know you do.... Picture it: a daily diary of Big John.  Hanging in the studio, going inside Jennifer Love Hewitt, going on tour, going inside Jessica Simpson, hanging out in South Beach, going inside Jennifer Aniston.  It could have been great!  Since we don't actually KNOW John Mayer, it would be 100% fiction from the mind of yours truly, but we have a pretty good idea of what it's like...



Too bad none of them really got our boat going...... If you have other ideas, we're all ears.

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Today's Founders Quote: Factions, Oppression and Anarchy

"In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature."

-James Madison, Federalist No. 52, 1788.


    Like we've been preaching lately, a bipartisan government may be the best thing for America.  Sometimes being forced to coexist with your antagonist can be fruitful, rather than stalling.  One question: which is scarier - the fact that Danica 'Winnie Cooper' McKellar is almost 36, or the fact that she's about 15 years older than the average woman we put on our founders quotes?

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Cartoon of the Week ...

    With the holiday weekend here, it was a tough time for political cartoons. For three weeks, it's been Santa Claus - Wikileaks jokes. Enough already... So, with little else to fall back on, we opted for Kim Jong Il celebrating Christmas like we all do - by threatening a Nuclear Holocaust.  Happy New Year to you too, you little freak!

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Today's Founders Quote: Expectations and Illusions

"There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. 'Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard."

- George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796.


Simply put, we should never have expectations of gifts or handouts, and the feeling of self-reliance to refuse them should always be in our hearts. It's a good quote at Christmastime, where everyone has too many expectations.  As for us, we calculate that if Romanian beauty Castinel Menghia gave us any favors, that it would likely be an illusion as well... but we wouldn't let our pride get in the way of asking anyway..

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Bipartisanship Works In Obama's Favor.....

This Isn't Just a Route in Pa. Or LT's Jersey Number ...


     Nope, according to a poll taken this week by CNN, that is Barack Obama's approval rating. For a year plus, Obama has been stuck in a plummeting death spiral - at least as far as political approval goes.  But, thanks to that funny little tip we give called Bipartisanship, Obama finds himself on the rebound - and the Republicans have a bit of problem on their hands..


    First, there is one important thing we need to learn from this poll: Barack Obama still and likely will always have the benefit of the doubt.  Even if he spends nearly 2 years in lockstep with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, all it takes is one piece of legislation to right his political ship.  He IS special in voters eyes.  Need proof? The Democrats approval ratings are 42%, and Republicans notched even lower at 40%... Barack Obama is above it all.....


    Therein lies the problem for Republicans...... What do you do? You just followed the people's lead, went to the table with the President, and carved out the first halfway bi-partisan legislation in almost 2 decades - and he got all the credit.  Do you go back to the old plan of blocking and waiting it out, to the possible detriment of your country?  Or, do you continue the new path, and almost ensure that your party loses the presidency in 2012?  Tread lightly, my friends.....


    Yes, it was a beautiful thing to see Barack Obama locked arm in arm almost with Glenn McConnell - while Reid and Pelosi didn't even bother to show up for the signing (very classy, guys).  But now McConnell and the Republicans know who will be the major benefactor of bipartisanship in 2 years. Actually, we all will benefit - but that's not how DC works.   Will the lovefest continue?  We doubt it, but hey, we can wish, can't we?  There are worse things than having a Democrat as President.  We think....

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Our Christmas Present to Unrealistic Single Guys Everywhere

Scarlett Johansson Is Back On the Market !


     It's official: Megababe Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds filed for divorce concurrently.  Yeah, we felt the same way when Megan Fox split with Brian Austin Green - and we know how that ended.  But, we always remain hopeful and deluded for the little guys... That reminds me to go buy a Powerball ticket.  Hey, you never know...........

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SC6 Christmas Music Pick: David Bowie and Bing Crosby 'Little Drummer Boy'

     Even though we're worn out from 11 hours of Christmas music daily for the past month, we figured we should post at least one Christmas song.  Our favorite since we were a kid is Bing Crosby and David Bowie's 'Little Drummer Boy'... Maybe it's because it was he first video we saw with a real rock star in it, or perhaps we liked the backstory.  You know.... Bing's hanging at his cousin's house , and David lives down the road. Who the hell is Sir Percival anyway?


    But, it is an original version, and we like the mixing of Old School and New School - at 1970's New School.  Ziggy Stardust and the Florida OJ Guy singing together. Awesome !!!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiXjbI3kRus

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We're All Just Riding In Moye Graham's Wake, Baby...

        Like we always say here, we may have invented the term 'The Four Horsemen of the Political Apocalypse', but we are by far it's weakest and most uninfluential member.  The Big Dog of the FHPA is Moye Graham...  How do we know?  We JUST DO..... Then there's news like what we heard this week that cements it...



      Recently, the Clarendon GOP Chair was named to the Governors Council on Aging, where he will fill one of the 15 positions available.  Who asked him to be on it?  Andre Bauer himself.  In comparison, the last thing Andre asked me was 'Who the F**k are you again?'  Yeah, there's ground to be made up, but I just mention Moye is my buddy, and I can get free lunch anywhere east of Columbia....



    Moye will serve in the position under incoming Lt. Governor Ken Ard, and we applaud Ken for not asking someone like me to fill a spot. Personally, we spend a lot of time arguing with elderly people, which would make us a bad fit for the job.  We'll work on it.... Congrats to Moye for another notch in his belt, and for showing the Four Horsemen - or at least Moye - are true badasses!!!

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Happy Birthday, Jesus !!

          Just a quick note from us to wish you a Merry Christmas. It's been kinda hectic the last two days, as we have found that others find their priorities more important than mine. But, we've worked through it, and are looking forward to a quiet and more restful Christmas Day....



     We'll be dining on the best that Carol can muster up with friends and Carol's family tomorrow, but the part we are looking forward to is the kids opening presents - particularly watching Sarah open four wrapped boxes to get to the gift card I got her.  If you can't mess with a 7 year old, who can you mess with?


    Best wishes to you and your this Christmas Day, and remember why we have Christmas in the first place, if only for a minute. It won't kill you...


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SC6 New Music Pick: Guster, 'Do You Love Me?'

Someone's Ready For Christmas Morning .....


     We almost forgot our new music pick.... Time is short - 4 hard days til our weekend off (our first Christmas Eve off since college), so we need sleep... Instead of playing a video of a Christmas song, we decided to play a song that sure sounds a lot like a Christmas song, Boston-based Guster's 'Do You Love Me?'  Don't answer that question, we already know the answer.  We are unloveable......


    It must be the bells playing - or the band's obvious penchant for Long John's (Thermal Underwear to the rest of you).... Whatever reason, it sure makes us think of Christmas....


www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k-VAlIPzKg



      In fact, Guster DOES have a Christmas song as well, called 'Tiny Tree'. Charlie Brown would be proud.  Here's that one as well.....Our Christmas gift to you - you were expecting an actual present?   HAHAHAHAAHAHA !!!!!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjnzzLaNWxg

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Cartoon of the Week....

       Nothing like a little Christmastime cynicism to put you in the holiday mood......  Feliz Navidad !!!


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Today's Founders Quote: Love, Liberty and Body Parts..

"Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment."

-George Washington.
 
 
 
   The father of our country always seems to get it right, but our heart is interwoven with soemthing other than Nikki Fritz's ligaments... Not bad for 46!  Even George would recommend that....
 
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The Search For a Home Is Over At Last !!!

The Bad News Is I Have to Share It With the Dog ....


     After two weeks and viewing nearly a dozen apartments after work or on weekends, I finally found a place that I can live with and afford... It's a relatively small studio apartment, but it's superclean and awesome looking on the inside, with all new appliances and tiled bath.  Best of all, it's in a great neighborhood in Commack (pronounced CO-mack) Long Island. 


    The tab for this place? Only $850 a month. No doubt most of you in SC are gasping right now, but it does includes all utilities, cable and internet. Hey, maybe I can keep the blog going after all.... For around here, that's a pretty good deal, and I cut my commuting time to work in half. Yeah, I could have found a place even closer, but none fit quite right, and the deal with rentals here are one month's rent, one month's security, and one month non-refundable commission the the agent... Mine didn't have one, so I saved a nice chunk o'coin one that deal...


     I might still suggest to a woman 'why don't we go to your place?', but it's not too bad. Better than having to admit I'm staying at a friend's house, right?

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SC6 Turns Five .... And a Day!

Make a Wish .... Sorry, The Blog Hasn't Ended Yet!


      We apologize for our tardiness on celebrating the 5th Anniversary of SC6, but it has been CRAZY busy around here... By our count, we worked 17 of the last 19 days, 11.5 hrs per day. One of the two days off was spent watching Stevie for 11 hours, so we're considering that as work also.  Therefore, we've had exactly ONE day off.  Yeah, we're a bit exhausted...


     Today, we had off, but it was spent apartment hunting, and we're happy to say that we finally found a winner... Joe & Carol are probably happier than me, but they haven't shown it yet....


      Yes, it was five years ago yesterday that we started SC6 in a lightly-furnished apartment in the West Ashley section of Charleston, South Cackilacky.  While the focus and popularity of the blog has changed and waned, we still find it hard to believe that we've kept this up for so long - longer than out first marriage, or any job we've ever held.  Come to think of it, I've had nine jobs since I started SC6. With that in mind, we're trying to keep this job for a longer period of time.



     So, how much longer are we going to keep this up? Not much. We had thoughts about stopping it today, but are getting close to a milestone post number - 3000, baby! - and we think that's where we'll end it.  Yes, we've cried wolf a dozen times before, but frankly we think we did our job.  America has gotten fed up with Washington, and they finally got the point, as evidenced by the new bi-partisan tax cut.


    Also, Florence now has a Kohl's, two Wal-Mart's and a Creek Ratz (although a hole filled with water does not contsitute 'waterfront dining').  There are no more mountains to climb.  Short of fixing the education problem on the I-95 corridor, and bringing unemployment under 10%, things are alright..  Those problems may be unfixable..


   So, let's blow out the candles today, and begin the countdown to our last 50 or so posts... We'd save you a piec of cake, but actually tastes pretty crappy...

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Cartoon of the Week

     We're working a late night shift on the blog, because on Sunday, we will be watching Steven while Carol hits New York all day... That's how much we car about you!


   This is our choice this week. No,it's not easy to turn your back on your party on an issue if it's right. We've done it on occasion ourselves...

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Today's Founders Quote: Relationships

"Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the cords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people."

- James Madison, Federalist No. 57, 1788.


   After seeing the new tax bill, the thought given by Madison - which seemed like a pipedream recently - may actually be renewed. Nah, probably just a blip on the radar... As for Daniella Sarahyba, we have sympathy and fidelity for her great ass of the people.. Oh, Great Mass !!  Sorry..

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Congress Gets More Done Than We Expected...

Is There 'Hope' For Barack Obama After All ??


     Every three or four decades, Washington DC will surprise us... A week or two ago, we begged for Barack Obama and the GOP to compromise, and work out a bi-partisan Tax Bill package.  Honestly, they did better and more comprehensively than even we though they could.  Even if it is only for a few weeks, Congress has gotten the message, and we can't criticize Obama on this one.  No, it's not perfect, but it is one of those cases where action is better than inaction...


     In a stunner to us, and some Democrats, was that the Bush Tax Cuts will stay in place fully.  To offset this, the bill hammers Estate Taxes at 35% for those over $5 million.  Kids, have Mom & Dad sign everythign over NOW, or don't let them die for the next few years.... For those of lower incomes, Earned Income credits stay as well. No, we're not fans of getting tax breaks for having kids, but we'll live with it...


    And what about the rest of us? The middle class?  Well, there's an interesting cut for us - one that does leave a lot of questions in our minds... The first-ever cut to the Social Security tax on your paycheck will be part of the Plan as well.. The rate will drop 2 full points , from 6.2% to 4.2% applied at your first $100k or so of income.  So, a Joe like me will pay about $1000 less in taxes a year. No, $20 a week will not change my life, but it will help pay for gas - or whatever the hell I want to do with it, rather than DC.


   As nice as it was, it throws up a huge red flag for us: how is Social Security going to be funded with a 30% cut in it's main source of revenue?  It's already paying out more than it takes in, so where's the stopgap for the future.  Huge cuts in benefits?  We know that Obama wanted a cut that would be immediate in people's paychecks, as opposed to a 2% income tax cut on the first $100,000 - but he may have cut the nose off Social Security face in the process. We await the answer to this question. We're certain that we're not the only ones who noticed this...


  Like most decent legislation, neither side got everything they wanted, but both sides got some of it... In the end, tax cuts are good for all Americans and for Washington. There's enough here to make lower, middle and upper income Americans, along with businesses looking for Capital Improvements breaks (to the tune of 100%) to let everyone walk away happy...


   Congress may finally figured out that if they want to stay, then bipartisanship is the way to it. It's like in 'A Beautiful Mind', when they go to the bar, and the hot girl is there. Everyone walks away happy by leaving the Hot Girl alone, if they go for the thing they can get, rather than what they want.  In this case, the hot girl is incumbency.. If DC works well, then they get to stay - and we all benefit. Adam Smith needs revision....


www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5jrNoNNtrE&feature=related

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Time to Move: Snooki and J-Woww Moving to Long Island?

     We almost categorized this as Sign Number Five that the World Is Coming to an End, but we reconsidered.  Still, the word that Jenni 'J-Woww' Farley is moving back home to Long Island - and bringing ultra-tanned Lilliputian Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi with her - definitely made us wonder if moving back was a good idea...Pick on Florence all you want, but you wouldn't ever have to worry about running anyone from the cast of 'Jersey Shore'.  That is, at least for a few years, when the headline at The Trophy Club....


    Yeah, there is a bit on envy here... A pair of talentless chicks barely out of college (if they went) are able to drop $$ on a pad here. Meanwhile, I'm scoping out basement apartments at age 42 ???   No, Snooki does nothing for us, and we thought J-Woww had some potential - until we saw that tattoo on her side, and heard her truckdriver-like voice. Ease up on the Parlianments, honey....


   We're sure P-Luv is green (or Orange Tanned) with envy.... If we cross paths, we'll be sure to take a pic for him - but we're not exactly looking forward to it. Maybe we'll start hanging out at GLO....

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Get Well Soon, Moye !!

Slacker Four Horsemen Member Won't Leave Hospital !!


     Like we said, there are close friends that I've been neglecting well wishes to this week. For anyone involved in the SCGOP, word has been out this week that probably our best bud in the party, Moye Graham, had been laid up with kidney surgery.  From speaking to Moye, the initial proceedure went well, but they needed followup surgery, which we think may have already taken place.  We don't bother people in times like this until everything is done - right now is time for his family to be with him. We'll see him over a bucket of Blue Moon soon enough....


     Truth be told, we think he's just not recovering speedily so he can take some additional and much-deserved rest from his day job. I know I would... Who could blame him? Between work and kicking ass as Clarendon GOP Chair, a vacation is in line.. Sorry for getting this out so late, Moye.  Rest up, my friend... You are THE MAN !!

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SC6 Remembers Ripken ....

Rocket's Twin Brother Passes Away ...


       This was always one of my favorite pictures that I took.  I must have taken twenty crappy ones of Rocket and Ripken as puppies that day - but I got one that was just about perfect...


       While I've been a bit preoccupied with my own troubles this week, more serious problems have been circling around my friends - and two of our four consistent readers.  Bobby called me earlier this week to inform me that Ripken, his three year old dog, and twin of my dog Rocket, broke loose from his backyard, ran into the street, and was hit by a car. 


      I'm not sure if Bobbo picked up Ripken at the pound for himslef, or ended up getting him because he was surprising me with Rocket while I was away in the Ukraine, but he was a good dog, like most dogs that have any ounce of Lab in them... His real twin was Bob's other dog Sandy, who lost her play buddy.


      Some people think I care more about dogs than people. In some cases, it might be true, becuase in many cases, dogs are better than people.  They don't hold grudges, they don't scheme and judge.  Whether you live in a mansion or a shack, if you feed and play with a dog, they feel at home. Ripken is in Doggy Heaven now, playing with Snoop and my old dog Andy, and meeting his sister Sam for the first time.  It's a bit ironic that, as I started writing this, this song came on my Pandora. The name is very unapt today, but I'm sure that it's about a guy's love for his dog... Peace, buddy!


 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GemKqzILV4w

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I Owe You Nothing .....

  'In This World ..... All You Have Is Yourself'

- William Davidowitz, Cocaine Philosopher.



     No, I'm sure you've never heard of him. Billy Davidowitz was a friend of my brother's when I was in college. During my Summer Job days, I'd get up at 3:30AM to go to work, and Matt, Billy D. and few other would be sitting around the kitchen table, all high and trading sob stories - what we called The Crying Game.  When you have all that free time, occasionally you will come up with sage advice..


     That thought came to me in the past 48 hours, as I was kicked out of the house for driving Carol home from a party at 300AM, where I spent the rest of the night in my car in 25 degree cold, until I had to go to work at 630 on Saturday, where I was then summarily written up for a fuck-up that was not my responsibility.  I finally went to bed last night at 1100 - I was up for 42 straight hours..


    The thought of dropping my keys on my new boss' desk, packing my shit up, and going back to Florence definitely crossed my mind for more than a minute.  I have realized that people are screwed up and selfish, and that I am easy pickings for everyone to kick around.  When I do stand up for myself, I'm a malcontent and I'm the one with the problem. To hell with everyone...


    The fact is, I bust my ass for nothing.  I'm constantly put in a position where I am at a disadvantage, and forced to be a dick and start trouble, or say nothing, and then get pushed around. No more... I will push back, piss people off, and get out of whatever tough spot they've pigeonholed me in. They will temporarily feel better, like they've done all the accomplishing - then I will dump their ass like they've dumped mine, and they can go search for someone to fill in all the shit I do for them.... I can get my own place. I can work anywhere, and do about anything. No one owns me, and any debt I ever owed was paid off long ago. In fact, the way I see it, the world owes me at this point...


     Stupid customers can kiss my ass. Stupid bosses can kiss my ass. Stupid friends can kiss my ass.... It's as simple as this: if you're cool to me, I'm good.  If you want to bust my balls, expect retaliation - immediately and harsh.  I'm getting too old to be a punching bag.  Go bother someone else - I've had enough of your shit. Thanks for playing.....


www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rs9UbqU5DU&feature=related

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No Magic Left Under the Visor ...

Cam Newton and Auburn Pounds S. Carolina 56-17 in SEC Championship Game....


     Somewhere in Atlanta, there is a Florence attorney sitting depressed at a local bar, staring at his Bombay Sapphire and Tonic - wondering what could have been.... For P-Luv and other Gamecock fans, reality came in quick and harshly yesterday:  Auburn is the best team in the SEC, and maybe the country. We'll find out in January, when they play Oregon. The first one to score 60 points wins...


    No, coach Spurrier couldn't muster up enough magic from his playbook - or his visor - to avenge South Carolina's loss to the Tigers earlier in the year, a game SC should have probably one. Perhaps they could duplicate the effort shown there, and fix a couple things, but three things were evident: SC got a little better, Auburn got WAY better, and the best player in college football is Stephen Garcia ..... of course, I mean Cam Newton. His dad may be looking for some $$, but he'll see some soon enough in the NFL. Cha-Ching !!!!


   In the battle of the Best in the West and the Beast of the East (was there really any beast this year?), the Gamecocks might have been the 5th best team in the SEC... In games like this, talent usually rises to the top. But, this was by far the best effort South Carolina football has had in the Reino Era (1996-present), so there is definitely hope for the future.... The Offense is good.  Tighten up that D a bit, and we might be somewhere big next year....

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Today's Founders Quote: Passion and Reason

'"In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason. ... Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob."

- James Madison, Federalist No. 55, 1788.


    We don't know much about SO-Crates, as Bill and Ted called him, but it does stand to reason that we'd be passionate about an Old School woman like Rachel Hunter. Anyone that can turn Rod Stewart into a babbling, crying idiot on stage must have something special going on..



www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ4NAZPi2js

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Cartoon of the Week....

      With no doubt, the Wikileaks story was the talk of the 'toons... Most were pretty good, but top honors went to this one. Even Santa Claus can't keep stuff secret. I never did trust those snitching little twirps anyway...


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Cartoon of the Week: Bonus

     However, this one was too good to pass up as well... Not sure if it's 'Common Ground', but we'll see...

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Congress Has Tough Choices to Make...

Unemployment Extensions, Taxes, Social Security Already Have DC Deciding To Sh*t Or Get Off the Crapper...


    Well, the lovefest is over already. In this tough time, the Lame Duck Congress and incoming replacements are having to face what will surely be a testing first 100 days - and what level of sanity, compromise and common sense occurs will determine how much gets accomplished...


   In business, when you have a huge pile of crap on your desk, rather than stare at it and let it get larger, you prioritize it, and start plugging away. Eventually, it gets smaller... This week, the decision on unemployment benefit extensions is front and center.  Almost a third-rail issue, the time to be tough and Just Say No finally appears to be at hand...


    We're almost experts at this topic.  We've been unemployed more than almost everyone in US History. We don't have an actual skill, yet we make more than the average bear come pay day.  Yes, we're a Worst Case Scenario - the guy with 'people skills' and nothing else. Too good for McDonald's, too dumb for a real job. So, what's the longest we've been out of a job? Four months.. Why? Because we've done whatever it takes to go back to work, at our own detriment sometimes. Yeah, if I waited for another cushy gig to show up in six months, I might still be in South Carolina, but that's not my style...


     Currently, the benefits have been extended to a mind-boggling 99 WEEKS, or damn closed to two entire years.... Short of physical limitations, no one has an excuse for being out of work that long, unless their expecting to land the same job that they had. Good Luck, you unrealistic jaggoff...



     Our favorite reason for extending is the economic impact of not sending money to unemployed receipients.  Yeah, every dollar of that check goes to pay bills, but at what cost?  Even if every person without a job got half thier usual pay, that is about 4.5% less money in the economy. So, that's the same as when this recession started at 5% unemployment. Did we push the red button then? Nope... Also, the added cost goes towrds our debt - and the interest added to it. That doesn't happen with earned money....


    Lastly, we have perhaps some good news related to why extensions might not be needed. Today's job outlook showed an additional 150,000 jobs were created, mostly from small business.  Yeah, it's shopping season, but any good news is good news, right.  No, the job outlook for 2011 isn't great, but continued small gains would make the 600,000 people facing loss of benefits in the coming months null and void. Unless of course, they've stopped looking....


    This year has been a real eye-opener for America.  The boom of the 80's and 90's are distant memories, and our 2 new cars and ovepriced McMansions are overwith... We need to learn to live on the cheap and maybe save a few bucks for once.  Government needs to do the same. If we are upping the cost of the basics, then cuts from somewhere else need to happen. It's all a matter of priorities....

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Enter Your Own Title For HOW Terrible U2's 'Spiderman' Musical Really Is?

Sunday, Bloody Sunday Matinee?  Or Just Plain 'Bad' ??


      As Harry Callahan once noted, "Man's got to know his limitations". I'd like to own a motorcycle one day, but the talent to actually DRIVE one isn't there. Therefore, a hog will never be in my garage.... All of us have limits, but some of us can recognize them - and others have that realization thrust upon them in stunning public fashion.  Bono and The Edge of U2 are finding that out...


    I've been a big U2 fan since 'War', but even a Spidermam musical, featuring 18 songs written by the two of them wouldn't draw me to the theatre - and for that I am grateful. Why? Because the $65 million production (the highest ever) was panned in it's opening preview earlier this week. The next preview is tonight. We hate to use a pun here, but the technical 'bugs' on 'Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark' were so numerous, it might soon be Spiderman: Turn Out the Lights...


    How bad was it?  Well, with times being tough for Broadway, the reviews aren't as scathing as they used to be. However, Michael Riedel of The New York Post held nothing back in describing the multiple and protracted failures of falling equipment, missing props and actors hanging from the air for 7-8 minutes at a clip. Think Spinal Tap meets Heaven's Gate, folks... Also, the play is missing something very important - a plot. Broadway crowds are tough, and they don't expect to show up and watch something just because it's Spiderman...


    Last year, I thought Green Day's 'American Idiot' was a bad idea, but at least it was based on a concept album.  This seems worse.... much, much worse. When people are yelling things like 'I feel like a guinea pig tonight', 'Is this a dress rehearsal', and stating the best part of the show was performer riffing a song NOT from the musical - while stagehands are scrambling to fix his equipment - you're in for a bad time.  Dirty Harry was right - hey, wait a minute.... 'Dirty Harry: The Musical'.  Nah, that's too good an idea to work!

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SC6 New Music Pick: Cake , 'Sick of You'

     With some of our music picks, there are verying degrees of excitedness.  Some bands are just the best I could find that week - and some we are truly jacked up about them still turning out a 'New Slice' of music.  Cake is one of those bands...



    Without a doubt, the San Francisco quartet is one of the most unique groups to ever hit the alternative scene in the 90's.  Need proof? Name another band that manages to get a trumpet in every song?  I win.... Top to bottom, Cake kicks ass, and they have for 15 years now.  This is their newest track, 'Sick of You'.  Our favorite part? It's shot at what is obviously a closed down car dealership. Whether it was a Ford or Chevy dealer, we don't know.  Enjoy!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi9MLL8QOY0

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Today's Founders Quote: Rising Above

"There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism."

- Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted, 1775.


   The thought came to us this week. Which are there more of - Founders Quotes or Hot Women?  We have a good 30-40 quotes saved from The Patriot Post, so this weekend, we are planning a MASSIVE Founders Quote Blowout... Everything must go in time for Christmas!


   As for the quote, Austrian beauty Mirjam Wichelsbraun may be from the country that brought us Adolf Hitler, but she definitely gets us enthusiatic and rising... Sorry!

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A Part of Our Past Is Gone...

The Last Roy Rogers Closes Down at Last...


     Last year, we showed you this picture of the Roy Rogers in Shirley, NY at the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Sunrise Highway.. This was the last place I worked before I moved to South Carolina in 1996. For 15 years, this was the last and only place around to get a Double R-Bar or the best fried chicken in New York - it was owned by Hardee's, so they had an idea of how fry a bird. Yesterday, they closed the doors forever...


     The ironic part of it all is that they were supposed to close when I left, and they never did. I ended up taking them to small claims court in NC after I moved over the $1500 they promised, but I lost. Big surprise there.  Never sue a company in it's hometown....


     Still, that store was legendary for a lot of people. After all, how many fast food store closings make the TV and print news?? Why all the hoopla? Well, that store was there since before I was born I think.. Secondly, for decades, the Roy Rogers in Shirley was the last stop for fast food before you got to the Hamptons - the equivalent of a Last Chance Gas Station for munchies..


    For me, there were other memories: meeting my wife there, realizing that working with 16 year olds was not for me. Bringing back leftovers to the bar for everyone after work, and drinking for free all night....Getting my last check with the U-Haul trailer hitched to my Nissan 200SX-SER in a blinding snowstorm, and sliding out of town for SC ..... literally sliding! Good times...


   Yeah, this day was coming for a long time, and I'm surprised I was here to see it, but things come and things go.  Vaya Con Dios, Roy! 

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How to Save $75,000 On a Car ....

Fathead's For Your Garage .. The Neighbors Will NEVER Know!


      Times are tough. Money is tight.... But in these days of keeping up with the Joneses, what's a prestige-obsessed couple bent on having everything to do? We have the answer..

     Simply get a Fathead for your garage. A company called 'Style Your Garage' will print a garage-sized decal of just about anything for your home. The German outfit (as Vince from Sham-Wow will tell you, all the best stuff is made in Das Fatherland) has them economically priced from $199 to $399 for a double garage.  Here's a couple examples:

Amaze your friends with your outstanding parking ability....

Uhh, this one might freak the neighbors -and the ASPCA- out a bit.....









       Here at SC6, we're all about looking fly - on a budget.  So, this one is easy: get a Fathead of your favorite car, stick it on, and watch the interest from the neighbors and local single women multiply literally overnight.... No, we haven't tried it out yet - After all, there's a REAL Lamborghini in our garage, and that hasn't helped yet.  ***


*** - Results are not guaranteed.

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Today's Founder's Quote: Inconveniences

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it."

- Thomas Jefferson.


TJ is right, when it comes to Liberty, it's hard to have too much of that good thing. Meanwhile Carolina Girl Julianna Guill (she's a Winston-Salem, NC native) has something common with Teri Hatcher in the Seinfeld episode: they're real, and they're spectacular.  If you would like to see them expose, we recommend renting the 2009 Friday the 13th. We didn't find that too inconvenient..

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Cartoon of the Week...

      Internationally , all eyes are on Korea this week, as North and South play games.. It's a bit of a tough topic to comment and be funny on, but this one was the most appropriate. Stay away from the Red Button, Kid........

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Fuzzy Thoughts: The Shiny Fridge Edition

And It's Excellent for Storing Plenty of.... Nothing.


     Karma bitchslapped me square in the face yesterday.  Yes, every once in a while, what goes around , comes around again to yours truly.  Ben called up, and told me the fridge crapped out. Too bad it's excluded under the home warranty ($450 a year for nothing, thank you.)... So, knowing that the other applicances are stainless steel, and the dumb fridge was white, we just dropped $970 on a shiny new stainless steel fridge that I likely will never use or see.. Fuck me very much!


     It is a justice in a way. After all, I do make people drop thousands of dollars everyday on car repairs, so it was bound to happen. However, after just spent another $900 on loans to friends and family, the timing could be better.  Luckily, it could have been worse. Something like this could have killed me a year ago... Still, the glare of that fridge is making things kinda hazy as we peer on the past week.


    Weather first: clear and pretty cold. Highs today only about 45.. Just got a new jacket to bear the cold at work. Christmas is here now, and I got a head start on shopping today. Went to Modell's, and got a pair of Mark Sanchez jerseys for Joe and Stevie, so they can do the matching Father & Son watching the game thing. Yeah, it's gay, but Carol thought it was a good idea... Speaking of which, it is impossible to get stuff for the women who have everything already. Carol gets a Guess Gift card... Sarah is 7, and wants an I-Pod Touch or a Cell Phone. IIIIIIIII don't think so.


    I'm still laughing over Obama's Fat Lip.... And I might for a while.


    At work, I've kicked it up a notch or two, but the new boss doesn't talk to me too much out there in Alcatraz... He had a couple interviewees in his office, but they turned out to be technicians. WHEW !!!!! Thanksgiving was nice with Joe's family. Never saw so much food for ten people in my life. Needless to say, every day , it's leftovers for lunch!


    North and South Korea is a good example of why diplomacy only delays the inevitable... Perhaps we should put a gigantic bowl over Korea, let them duke it out, and start over from scratch... It is funny watching your little brother or sister get in fights every now and then. They're so cute at that age.... Maybe they should have given that island that's 50 feet for North Korea to them.


    In sports, Derek Jeter and the Yanks continue to piss into the bucket.. NY doesn't want to blow all it's Cliff Lee $$ on Jeter while he slides off into mediocrity. My guess is this -  3 yrs/$54 million.. This next admission is going to hurt: The Jets are the real deal, the Giants are wannabes. BTW, I tried out for WR on the G-Men this week...... and JUST MISSED !!



 Socially, it's a mixed bag as usual: met someone on Match, but I keep getting canceled on, so I'm backing out of that one. The holidays are a bad time to try and date.. Julie is the same (no idea), so we trudge on as usual.  Will be going out with some old high school friends tonight. Beats being in the house all winter...


    Note to the guys at Subaru: that little girl was awesome, and the commercial was great, but could you please make another one, and stop dragging that shit into the ground??  Speaking of which, how does Flo keep getting commercials, and our buddy Christa the Planters Peanut Girl never got a second one? There is NO JUSTICE !! 


    Justin Bieber wins FOUR American Music Awards?  I just set all my guitars on fire, and am looking for a rope as I write this... MUSE won one as well, and seemed VERRRRRY excited about winning it.  Meanwhile, Jennifer (Jeannie Bueller) Grey won Dancing With the Stars - a show we still have never seen an episode of.  There was all this craziness over Brandy getting booted off. Maybe it was racial. Maybe it's because Brandy is a biotch.. Bristol Palin gave hope to Middle American white girls with two left feet everywhere that if you really try, you can bring home a Bronze Medal too...


    I'm still a bit stunned and shocked that none of our recently elected SC leaders have called on me to serve on their staffs yet.  OK, not really.  2010 is over now - time to kickstart 2012.  Do we have ANY candidates on the Republican side yet?  Time's a-wastin'...

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SC6 New Music Pick: Shawn Mullins 'Light You Up'

Yes, The 'Lullaby' Man Is Still Kicking It ....


     Old rock stars don't go away - they just play smaller venues. And sometimes, One Hit Wonders finally catch another break.  Remember Shawn Mullins? His hair was a bit longer a decade ago, when his hit 'Lullaby' was EVERYWHERE... Well Mullins has been on the circuit lately again, and our recent switch to the more acoustic-friendly Spectrum channel on XM caught him.


    Mullins still sings very similarly - 'Light You Up' is a lot like 'Lullaby' (verses are spoken, chorus is sung), but 'Light You Up' is harder and funkier. Not nearly the bordering on faggy 'Lullaby'. It's a bit ironic too, because where I grew up, 'lighting someone up' meant you wanted to kick the shit out of them. In Mullins' case, he just wants to hit that.... We like it, so here's the longer clip of 'Light You Up'...


www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqly6Ix6uRA

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Obama Takes One in the Face - Literally.

Someone Make Sure That Guy Wasn't a Republican !!!


     In life, we all have our rough patches. Those times when just nothing seems to go right. Usually, it's mostly work-related things, where you don't actually show any physical signs of the pain your in... Then you literally get jacked up!  Barack Obama has had a bad month - and now he has the scars to prove it.


     Stitches to prove it is more correct... This week, Obama was taking part is his usual pick-up basketball game, when the hypothetical pain turned into the literal pain, as he caught an elbow from another player flush in the mouth, and had to get 12 stitches to close it.  At least he has all his teeth still, because it would be embarrassing to have a President that looked like Alfred E. Neuman from Mad Magazine....

We imagine it would look something like this.......
















     Yes, people in politics are generally overcompetitive people who once thought they'd be rock stars or NFL All-Pro's. Get them on a court or ballfield, and they suddenyl forget who the hell they are.. Rey Cerenega, who works for some BS government -related agency, got a rebound, and we guess he swung his arms around like Darryl 'Chocolate Thunder' Dawkins - and plowed his elbow into The President.  For his actions, Cerenega will be charged with assaulting a President and overactive rebounding, for which the penalty of course, is Death...


     Cerenega seemed only marginally sorry for KO'ing Obama.  He called him a great competitor and good ballplayer, but the words "I'm sorry for f**king up the Leader of the Free World' wasn't there.  Word is, every GOP intern and page are singing up for a crack at Obama now... With any luck, Obama didn't brush his teeth that day, and Cerenega will get nasty staph infection. In the meantime, Obama will have a Bubba Lip for the next couple weeks.  Don't expect any press conferences or speeches soon.... HO-BUP, AND-BA CHA-BANGE-BA !!!!

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Time to Support Small Business This Weekend..

SC6 Reminds You to Hit The Mom & Pop Stores This Season


     Black Friday is over... Now that you're exhausted from getting up before dawn to get that 6AM 'Doorbuster', might we suggest a change of plans to actually enjoy your holiday shopping. Go Small - as in small business...



    This weekend is the first ever official Small Business Weekend, sponsored by American Express (for obvious reasons).  It's a good idea too. In this age of going to the Big Box store that seems to have everything - which makes your local dollars end up somewhere else - your local shops keep a much higher percentage of your local dollars locally. Something like 100%...


   No, we don't expect you to do all of your shopping locally, but this weekend,  instead of hitting the megamall and all the traffic and fighting, take a drive down Palmetto , Irby , Evans or Dargan streets. Chances are, you'll find a record store, gift shop or antique store for a unique present you couldn't find at Target or WalMart.

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Happy Thanksgiving 2010 !

     Why did I choose this picture for Thansgiving? First off, we've run the Horn O'Plenty and turkeys into the ground, so we're going with a funny pic instead this year. Secondly, i'll be damned if that guy isn't a dead ringer for Tommy Grimes, minus the hat, cane and axe... Tommy only chops people's heads off intellectually.


   We'll be short here.  Carol has to cook for Joe's whole family today, which makes me Chairman of the Counter Operations Dept. - which means I have to keep Stevie busy so she can cook without being bothered every three seconds. He's up already, so I gotta go... Best wishes for a Happy Turkey Day to you and yours - even to your Congressman! God Bless us, everyone.

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The Showdown in the Stupidity That Is Fantasy Football Starts Today ..

It's Blogger Versus Fan In the Carolina Jox League !!!


    Most of you long time readers know I play Fantasy Football. This will be my fifth season, and I'm actually pretty good at it: I only had one losing season my first year, and I have one imaginary championship trophy sitting on my mantle. I swore that this year, I'd be too busy to care about FF.... but destiny has gotten in the way....


    Somehow, I've run the entire frickin table so far this year: a perfect 11-0 !  When you consider I play against a league full of Disc Jockey - who have all day long to do this crap in between pre-selected songs and commercials, it's pretty amazing. So, with only 3 games left in the regular season, the chance to make history is there. Today however, we have a tough challenge from one of our own...


    Yes, my Rusty Lombardi squad will be facing Bobby's 7-4 Steeler Nation team today thru Monday night.  Bobby's team is always dangerous. He might get gooseeggs all over one week, then drop 200 points on your ass the next. Yes, he's a FF Mental Patient, but he's won three in a row, and seems to have found his stride as the playoffs approach. 


    I do have one chit in my pocket: we made a minor financial agreement a few weeks ago, and my only request was that Bobby lay down and die like a Persian Rug when we played next.... Will he do it? Probably not, and I wouldn't expect him to. However, the trash talking as the scores come in should be fun...

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Sumter Little Theatre Gets It's Acting Props...

Braden Bunch's Company Named Best in SC .....


     While we always jokingly called the Sumter GOP meetings 'The Braden Bunch Show', because it had a feel much like a talk show ( and Braden always had a coffee mug handy), the County Chair does take his acting seriously.... and it's paid off.


    Last week, at the South Carolina Theatre Association's annual Community Theatre Festival, Sumter Little Theatre took home top honors for Best Performance, Outstanding Ensemble Cast, Best Director and Best Actor.  No clue as to whether they have an award for Special Effects...They now will go onto represent South Carolina in the Southeastern Theatre Conference's 10-state festival in March...


    Braden, who is President of SLT's Board of Directors (the guy wears a lot of hats, doesn't he?), spoke correctly in local theatre's importance to the local economy and quality of life. "The arts in general, and theatre specifically, play an important role in a community’s quality-of-life,” said Bunch. “They do this not just by providing entertainment, but by also providing educational opportunities for the area’s citizens and by aiding in economic development by making its community a desirable destination for employers and employees alike.”


Kudos to Braden, who is top notch in everything he does, and all the members of the Sumter Little Theatre for a great job. Yeah, we still do community news - even from 700 miles away - but it helps if you e-mail it to us...

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