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The King of all Blogs. sign my guestbook message board IM me hit me up with an email cd reviews buds: al bill ed jen mike richard sam steve teams: ny giants ny rangers ny yankees psu photos: jay's fotolog jay's pics jenibabe's fotolog mcfresh's fotolog mik's fotolog murph's fotolog psu pics slavin's fotolog fun stuff: chappelle's show conan o'brien donnie baseball ghost cam lego porn transformers trek bikes weird nj games: nintendo playsite snood text twist bands: a perfect circle beastie boys black sabbath dimmu borgir god forbid iced earth in flames iron maiden judas priest opeth otc outkast ozzy osbourne shadows fall slayer tool zakk wylde music-related: 89.5 wsou nj 90.7 the lion wkps 93.3 wmmr philly blabbermouth bravewords concerts east crowbar infinity 1 KNAC.com metalbite metal review metal rules metal sludge the prp 4th and one records info: bwi cnn daily collegian daily record espn h-town imdb the trib History: 
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Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Shocking developments today from a press conference held at the Collegian offices .... here's the recap, as posted on Penn State's Blue-White Illustrated message board:
At a dramatic press conference today, Rob Riva reneged on his verbal commitment to Stetson and instead chose Florida Coastal as the place where he will study law. Before about 15 members of the media, Riva, a 6-foot, 165-pound speedster who turns a legal pad with amazing grace, said the possibility of a wild nightlife in Jacksonville is what swayed him. Riva also thanked the people who have helped him along the way, all of whom were not available for comment and refused to acknowledge ever influencing the young man. "Back at Spring Break I took my official visits to Stetson and Florida Coastal," said Riva, a world renowned recruiting guru. "Stetson had been my top choice throughout the entire recruiting process. As I took my official visit, I expected to be blown away by this tropical paradise at Tampa Bay. However, at this time, I would like to announce my official commitment to the Florida Coastal College of Law." The Dean of the School of Law at Florida Coastal University was not available for comment. When a secretary was asked about his status she replied "Who the hell is Rob Riva?" What a turn of events! Anyway, congrats to Mr. Riva, hopefully he won't turn out to be a bust. I have added three new cd reviews, as promised: Damageplan - New Found Power, Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine, and Beck - Odelay, enjoy. Oh, and keep those cd suggestions coming over on the message board, you're doing a great job so far.
I've added a new corny message board to the site, (see the left of the screen) so feel free to go on there and tell me what you like/dislike about the site, or me personally, or basically anything remotely related to the site.
I've also added two new cd reviews: Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny, and Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. II: Scenes From a Memory. Why? Well, because I have nothing better to do, basically. And I enjoy it. Hopefully you will too. I originally added reviews of Damageplan - New Found Power and Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine, but somehow, I lost them. They were cool too, dammit. Here is a summary: Rage = good; Damageplan = not so good. Maybe I'll redo them tomorrow if you're lucky. If you have any recommendations for cds I should review, just put it on the message board. Anything at all. Thank you. So I see that Condoleezza Rice has now agreed to testify before the 9/11 Commission .... it was mainly due to all the political pressure and bad press she's received from Jay's World (and other news outlets too, I suppose) ..... see, we really CAN make a difference. I also see that the Yankees lost to the Devil Rays, 8-3, in the season opener in Japan. I guess I'm going to have to set my alarm for 5 a.m. tomorrow so I can watch the game live and give them some good vibes. Hah. Tuesday, March 30, 2004
I'm proud to mention that Ms. Jen Zak was recently named a CA (similar to RA, but cooler, hence the C) at Penn State's luxurious Nittany Hall, where she'll have her own suite and more ..... congratulations from all of us here at Jay's World, we know you'll do a great job!
Speaking of Penn State, the women's basketball team obviously didn't have what it takes to upset UConn, in fact it was a pretty brutal game to watch as a PSU fan (they lost 66-49; scored only 13 points in the first half), knowing they are capable of playing much better. But oh well, such is life, they gave it a good shot and Connecticut is no slouch (Diana Taurasi may be one the best women's players of all time, she's still a bitch though ... same goes for coach Geno Auriemma, but that's another story) ... It could have been a different outcome if the ladies got to play on their home court, they were a No. 1 seed and all, that would be crazy, but oh well ... anyway, congrats to seniors Jess Brungo and All-American Kelly Mazzante for an incredible run, and best of luck in the future (Can you say WNBA?). While we're on the subject of sports, I should mention that the Yankees and Devil Rays will kick off the Major League Baseball season in a matter of mere hours (first pitch: 5:07 a.m. EST, ESPN2) as they begin their series in Tokyo ..... I don't think I'll be able to catch it live on TV though .... hell, I'll be lucky if I'm up in time for the 4 p.m. replay .... but I'm looking forward to this MLB season, look for the Yanks to dominate once again, it certainly won't be boring ... I'm excited that this summer I'll be able to follow the games closely on TV and at the paper, as opposed to spending last summer following the exploits of the bumbling Pittsburgh Pirates. It should be a heck of a baseball season ..... I'll even be participating in the Daily Record's fantasy baseball season this year, the draft is this week so I'll be sure to keep you posted on my team's exploits, of course. You can't get enough of it, can you? Monday, March 29, 2004
Congratulations to the PSU Lady Lions for their victory over Notre Dame the other day in the NCAA tournament ....... they now advance to face powerhouse Connecticut (Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN) in what should be an outstanding battle of No. 1 PSU against mighty No. 2 UConn (who will be playing on its home court, by the way) for the rights to advance to the Final Four ..... hopefully the ladies won't lose by over 20 the way they did two years ago when I covered their tourney game in Milwaukee ..... I'm pretty sure it will be a good game though, and if any PSU team ever has a chance of unseating a national power, it's this one .....
The Rick and I successfully put out an 8-page Daily Record high school spring sports preview section, which came out Sunday .... unfortunately it's not online because our web guy is a slacker to say the least, but of course you need an actual copy to get the full effect, they're available upon request .... The Bicycle Trail Chronicles continue over on my fotolog, check it out if you haven't yet .... Friday, March 26, 2004
It's official: Al-Dawg and I are headed to the OZZFEST this summer .... Aug. 26 in Camden, NJ, to be exact. Should be a blast: Ozzy, Judas Priest, Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Superjoint Ritual, Black Label Society, Slipknot, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Bleeding Through and God Forbid, just to name a few ...... can't wait.
How about that NCAA tournament? I'm still alive in the pool, believe it or not ..... two of my Final Four teams advanced last night (Oklahoma St. and UConn) ... I need Duke to pull it out also tonight, and they should .... I can almost smell that $75 ...... Anyone following those 9/11 Hearings? I've been .... it's really kind of whack to see those who worked under Clinton and Bush prior to the attacks sitting there before the commission, and all they basically do is blame the other administration for a failure to address terrorism. And pretty much only one guy has apologized for anything, and that's Richard Clarke, who started this whole thing by writing a book that claimed that Bush and his people ignored multiple warnings about terrorism threats before 9/11 ..... he was the one bringing up the possibilities of an attack on American soil, his warnings fell on deaf ears apparently, and he's the only one who is apologizing. I mean, these people knew that there were wanted terrorists in our country, they knew that one had even taken lessons on only how to STEER a plane (not take off or land, mind you, just steer), they knew that the WTC had already been attacked by terrorists (in 1993, remember that?), they knew that an attack via airplane was a real possibility (they had discussed it as far back as 1996 in preparation for the Olympics in Atlanta), they knew Osama Bin Laden hated Americans and would sponsor attacks on our people (they've been trying to kill him since at least 1998), in fact he and al Qaeda were already behind at least three attacks on Americans (two on the embassy in Africa, one on the battleship U.S.S. Cole, remember those?) yet nobody was smart enough to put two and two together, or at least they didn't have the opportunity to because of disorganization and incompetence among the various government branches, and hardly no one has come forth to apologize for this incompetence, yet they're all willing to sit in a hearing and pass the blame onto somebody else, it's pretty shameful really. And that's only those who have the guts to appear under oath, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Condoleezza Rice doesn't feel the need to go before the commission (I guess the NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER doesn't really play a role in the issue of NATIONAL SECURITY, silly me). She's willing to talk to the commission in private and appear on dozens of TV news programs, but she won't come before the public or the families of victims because, get this, she wants to uphold the Constitutional right of "executive privilege" that allows the president and his staff to refrain from voluntary hearings like this ... what a real American hero. Anyway, that's just how I feel about it. Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Must have this ...... must have this ........ must have this .......
Well it's my day off, so why not some music reviews? I decided to go with a couple classic reviews from a great year, 1994: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication and Weezer - Weezer. You'll find them here, as always. Note: A deluxe 2-disc edition of the Weezer album is actually being released today, with a bonus disc of B-sides and rarities. Check it out. Monday, March 22, 2004
March Madness continues ... I'm still in my pool, barely, even though Kentucky lost to Alabama-Birmingham today, there's a shocker for you .... three of my Final Four picks are still alive, and it seems like just about everyone has one of theirs gone already. Oh and I had the same four as the Daily Record's editor, except I had a different champion ..... If I end up losing to him I'll probably kill myself.
In the women's tourney, No. 1 seed Penn State blasted Hampton today in the first round ..... now they have the privilege of facing ninth-seeded Virginia Tech on the Hokies' home court ... should they advance, they get the pleasure of losing to UConn in Connecticut. Utter ridiculousness. But enough negativity, go Lady Lions. So I'm working on this death metal compilation cd, I call it The Madman's Ultimate Death Metal Mix .... want to see the track listing? Of course you do, why else would you visit this site if you didn't want to hear every mundane detail of my life? Anyway, it includes my personal favorite artists/songs and the most influential acts from the world of death metal, here's the lineup, organized by country of origin: 1. Bloodbath - "Ways to the Grave" 2. Grave - "And Here I Die" 3. Entombed - "Living Dead" 4. Dismember - "I Wish You Hell" 5. Carcass - "Carnal Forge" 6. Decapitated - "The Negation" 7. Behemoth - "Typhonian Soul Zodiack" 8. Vader - "The Nomad" 9. Nile - "Kheftiu Asar Butchiu" 10. Vital Remains - "Dechristianize" 11. Death - "Lack of Comprehension" 12. Cannibal Corpse - "Vomit the Soul" 13. Deicide - "Lunatic of God's Creation" 14. Morbid Angel - "Rapture" 15. Obituary - "Slowly We Rot" 16. Suffocation - "Catatonia" 17. Krisiun - "Ravager" 18. Kataklysm - "In Shadows and Dust" I know what you're thinking .... No Cryptopsy? No Napalm Death? No Hypocrisy? Well, like I said, I could take only the cream of the crop, the most influential, and those that fit within the strict guidelines of death metal, as well as my personal faves .... it is the ultimate death metal mix after all. But yeah, don't let those scary names deter you, there's some quality stuff on there. If you're into that sort of thing. Over on Jen's site, Jen has posted an interesting list of 103 things about her ... If you don't really know her that well, this would be a good place to start. The only thing I didn't know already was #32, and let me tell you, it came as quite a shock .... So last week I paid a visit to what was formerly Anthony's Bicycle Trail ... the place has been completely gutted since the new owners took over. Supposedly it will be put up for rent or sale as office space in the near future. It was quite whack looking in there and seeing nothing, no work benches, no counters, no bike racks, no key-making machine, no Wall of Fame ..... I've spent basically the last 23 years of my life in that place, so many good memories, it almost brought some moisture to my eyes. Through everything it's been one constant, unchanging place ... but I guess it will live on only in memories now. On my fotolog I'll be putting up some recent pics of the shop as well as some older ones, as sort of a Bike Trail retrospective. Enjoy. Friday, March 19, 2004
I had a nice long weekend up at Penn State with Jen ..... I was planning to stay Saturday and Sunday for the conclusion of my mini-vacation, she had to be up there for RA-related duties even though it was still Spring Break .... We were the only ones in the dorm Saturday night, which allowed me the opportunity to have a little wholesome fun (See Jen's site for more details on that) ... then I found out I also had off from work on Monday, so I got to stay another day .... then on Tuesday there was a snowstorm stretching from State College to Northern N.J. and gratefully my boss let me have that day off as well ..... so basically for four days we chilled in the dorm, watched some movies, played some heated matches of 20 Questions, enjoyed some delicious meals (it was great to eat at the commons again, but since it had been a while the food wreaked havoc on my stomach, I'll let you draw your own conclusions), played some pool, and I visited with some of my Collegian chums as well. So all in all, it was a cool week. Now it's back to work ...
Ah who am I kidding ...... today all I did was basically watch basketball, before, during and after work .... that's because it's one of my favorite times of the sports year, March Madness, particularly the opening round ... two full days of non-stop action, it's quite thrilling, and I wouldn't even say I'm a huge college hoops fan (although I'm more into it this year than ever). I'm even in my first officially offical "office pool" .... If you're wondering, my Final Four picks are UConn, Duke, Oklahoma State and Kentucky, with UConn beating Oklahoma State in the championship. I know, not much of a stretch, but it's just a hunch I have this year. A couple years back I did win a pool with the guys on my floor, correctly picking Michigan State over Duke in the championship. I had a decent first day today, going 12-4. My losses were Southern Illinois (lost to Alabama), Michigan State (to Nevada), Dayton (to DePaul, in double OT) and BYU (to Syracuse). I'm hoping for a good showing, I can't end up losing to some geeky computer guy or a middle-aged housewife in the features department, I gotta represent sports to the fullest. CHEERS to the Hollywood Rockwalk for inducting late guitar legend Randy Rhoads in a ceremony yesterday attended by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, members of the Rhoads family and Randy's fans ... JEERS to the Hollywood Rockwalk for misspelling Randy's name as "RHODES" on a bust bearing his likeness. CHEERS to the Penn State women's basketball team for earning a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. They face Hampton on Sunday, check out the game at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2. JEERS to the NCAA Selection Committee for placing the top-seeded Lady Lions in a region where they could end up facing Virginia Tech in BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA, and Connecticut in HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. What a reward. CHEERS to Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis for returning interest to the program. It wasn't a great year of course (they finished 9-18), but the team was competitive early on, fans returned to the Bryce Jordan Center, and Eddie could be on his way to building a respectable program. JEERS to the players who've quit the team since DeChellis was hired, specifically center Jan Jagla, who decided to forego his senior year so he could pursue a professional career in Europe or - get this - the NBA!! Look out folks, a non-talented and physically non-agressive European big man could be coming to an NBA arena near you, some experts say with a little practice he can be the next Gheorghe Muresan, only with less athletic talent (but perhaps more acting talent) ..... Friday, March 12, 2004
I was bored again so I added another cd review, this time it's In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape, give it a read if you're interested.
Hung out at Applebee's (Neighborhood Grill and Bar) with Jen, Al, Mike and Ed, we also ran into Elk and we even saw John Applebee himself there, so it was a cool time. After that we met up with Steve at Dunkin and had some good laughs (21!!) as always ..... Alright now I'm really outta here, catch you in a few days..... Thursday, March 11, 2004
My mini-vacation continues ....
The other day I hung out with my old pal Justin, who I've known since preschool, then our days as catholic school kids at St. Raphael's and finally co-worker at the legendary Anthony's Bicycle Trail ... He's been away for the past few months touring the country and the world with Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance show ... I kid you not. He's been doing Irish dancing for as long as I've known him, and he's turned it into a nice career, not to mention a chance to see the world, he's already been to every state in the continental U.S., plus Canada, Mexico, Australia, and more .... he was only home for a week or two, then he's heading out for a few more months to Alaska and beyond for some more shows ... I have to say I was in awe of what he's been doing, and I'm happy for him because I know he's worked hard. It was cool to catch up on old times and have some laughs (I hadn't talked to him in over a year), and we'll be in touch. If you get a chance to see his show, you should check it out because I hear good things, and I'm planning on catching it the next time he's in the area. I also got to catch up with my old pal Karen "Elk" Ehrhardt who is home from school and also recovering from yet another foot/ankle surgery (I think that is No. 27, by my unofficial count since I've known her) .... Al, Mike, Jen and I paid her a visit the other day, it was cool to spend some time with her as well. Jen and I went to see Starsky and Hutch recently, I have to say I was a little disappointed, I've wanted to see it for the longest time and I pretty much already did just by watching the commercials, they gave away most of the jokes and the plot. I had much higher expectations .... hopefully the next few Ben Stiller projects (Envy co-starring Jack Black, Anchorman with Will Ferrell, and then finally the Meet the Parents sequel, Meet the Fockers) will be better. Well the Rangers' dismantling has finally come to an end for now, in the past two weeks they've traded away Brian Leetch, Matthew Barnaby, Alexei Kovalev, Petr Nedved, Jussi Markkanen, Greg de Vries, Vladimir Malakhov, Chris Simon and Martin Rucinsky and getting only prospects and draft picks in return. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a firesale like this before, but if any team ever deserved it, it was this one. Eric Lindros could be cut or retired, too, and Mark Messier will likely retire, meaning next year it'll be Bobby Holik, Jaromir Jagr and a bunch of minor leaguers. And watch, they'll probably make the playoffs. The Giants, on the other hand, have made a few nice moves, getting younger and more athletic at the linebacker spot by picking up promising Barrett Green (Lions) and pro-bowl caliber Carlos Emmons (Eagles), while releasing Mike Barrow and letting Dhani Jones and Brandon Short go via free agency. They also got a bonafide center in Shaun O'Hara, and cut underachieving Brian Mitchell and Dorsey Levens. I think with a good draft (Robert Gallery!!!) they will have a very strong team in 04. Oh, and stay tuned for my NFL Mock Draft coming in the next few weeks. I was bored today so I did some cd reviews today: Soufly - Prophecy God Forbid - Gone Forever Decapitated - The Negation and a classic, Mercyful Fate - Melissa So check those out!!!! Maybe I'll do more in the near future and keep that page semi-updated. Or not. We'll see .... Well I'm going to be hanging with Jen and my pals tonight and the next day, then Jen and I are heading up to PSU for the weekend, catch you later. Monday, March 08, 2004
Jen's home! Haven't gotten to see her too much with both of us working, but I'm off for a few days starting Wednesday so that's cool ......
As promised, here's a cd review....... Fear Factory - Archetype (2004) Archetype is Fear Factory's triumphant return to the realm of relevant metal. They've rebounded from 2001's somewhat lackluster Digimortal (not as bad as some make it out to be, but far from their best) and the subsequent fan fallout. The band was thought to be all-but broken up by late 2002, but in the end all they did was kick out founding guitarist Dino Cazares, switch bassist Christian Olde Wolbers over to guitar and replace him with Strapping Young Lad bassist Byron Stroud. The lineup shuffle doesn't really hurt them at all, surprisingly, as Archetype displays their same trademark sound, a grinding metal meshed with slight industrial keyboard melodies and other effects. Vocalist Burton C. Bell (one of my personal favorites) is back with his mix of harsh growls (although not as harsh as he used to be, of course) and clean melodies, and drummer Raymond Herrera sounds great as always. The album musically fits somewhere in between 1995's Demanufacture (generally considered their masterpiece, and a classic of the genre) and the 1998 follow-up Obsolete - far from the punishing death metal of their debut, Soul of a New Machine, but also distanced from the nu-metal leanings on their previous album (Remember the duet with Cypress Hill's B-Real? You'll find none of that here). The band pounds away intensely on "Corporate Cloning", "Slave Labor" and "Act of God", then moves to more memorable chorus-driven songs like "Default Judgment" and the title track. Sometimes things get a little too repetitive ("Undercurrent"), and "Ascension", basically a 7-minute atmosphere/background music track is a waste, but I guess that can be forgiven. The relatively mellow and introspective "Human Shields" is a nice surprise that deserves a listen. (somewhat in the vein of the awesome "Resurrection" from Obsolete) There's also a cool cover of a Nirvana song ("School", from their Bleach album) which is pretty cool. Fans of either of the band's middle-period albums should be pleased with this disc. It doesn't top Demanufacture, but it may at least equal Obsolete. In any case, at least they're pointed in the right direction again, and that's a very good thing. Could be in the running for Comeback Album of the Year. Jay's Picks: "Archetype", "Bonescraper", "Act of God", "Default Judgment", "Human Shields", "School" Friday, March 05, 2004
JEN IS COMING JEN IS COMING JEN IS COMING TOMORROW :)
It's finally spring break, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my gal. Should be a fun week... I got to see my good buddy and avid Jay's World reader Sean-Dogg today, he came up from Delaware for a visit and we went out to lunch along with Al-Dawg and Nooch Dog ... it was pretty fun, good to see him after many months, and of course we had some good laughs. Hopefully we'll get to chill more often in the near future. The other day Al and I checked out Vintage Vinyl in Fords, N.J. ... pretty good metal selection, and they also had a decent used section too. Here's all I picked up: Pearl Jam - Lost Dogs: Rarities and B-Sides (new, double cd, $9.99) Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (used, $4.99) It didn't quite fulfill my dream of finding used obscure 80s metal cds for 99 cents, but still it wasn't bad. The Pantera was to replace my crappy burned copy, and the Pearl Jam was a nice surprise, I had heard about it but wasn't planning on buying it, but it was mistakenly placed in the metal section .... I was a PJ fan back in the day and it was ten bucks so I couldn't resist. Some other cds I've burned recently or am in the process of burning, which you should check out: Soulfly - Prophecy Fear Factory - Archetype God Forbid - Gone Forever In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape Maybe I'll do a review of some of these in the coming days, you'll just have to stay tuned ...... Thursday, March 04, 2004
So the Rangers traded Brian Leetch today to Toronto for some prospects as part of their house-cleaning as they prepare to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year ...
Like I posted earlier, I would've liked to see him stay a Ranger the rest of his career, but I'm glad he's somewhere where he has a shot at winning another Cup, and it's not the Flyers or anything either so I can root for him ... The Blueshirts have also traded Petr Nedved and Alexei Kovalev in the past two days in return for a bunch of prospects and draft picks, hopefully at least some of them will pan out and hopefully they'll ship out some more veterans and make this team less of a laughingstock .... Here's something else interesting from the world of sports ... you may have heard of some of the scandals involving the Georgia basketball team recently and some of the violations by their coaching staff, led by Jim Harrick .... there was a story about a class taught by the assistant coach (Jim Harrick Jr.) on "Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball" in 2001 in which several Georgia players basically received automatic A's, even if they didn't show up. There was only ONE test in the class all semester. Here are a few sample questions (mind you, the students are basketball players at Georgia): What is the name of the coliseum where the Georgia Bulldogs play? a. Cameron Indoor Arena b. Stegeman Coliseum c. Carrier Dome d. Pauley Pavilion How many HALVES are in a college basketball game? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 How many points does a 3-POINT field goal account for in a Basketball Game? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 .... these are just some of my favorites. Go here for a copy of the test, and see how well you do. So I got this e-mail the other day from someone called "Mike" ... Hi pa , Thise people will ship your tablets without a dr visit for way than the regular money that you give them. http://66.218.71.223/*-http://httpd2.goholiday.com/2/main.html Talk with you and mum shortly Night, Mike. So I went to that site right, put in my credit card info and ordered like $1,000 worth of my tablets, turns out it was a pretty good deal, I haven't gotten them yet but I'm sure they're on their way .... I'm still waiting for a call from Mike too, his mum is gettin pretty ticked ... |
