Thundercracker's blog: "My First Blog to my friends"

Being a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, I've noticed lately that since the arrival of Sidney Crosby, there's a lot of fair weathered friends out there. We had quite a few bad years with budget problems, but a great group of fans stuck around no matter what. We put up with the flack. However, now when I post my avatar as a Pens logo, I receive "Go Pens!" where I used to get "They suck!" Imagine that. So lately I've been wanting to show my support as a TRUE fan, and also give credit to Sidney Crosby for yet again making us legit. It's not his work alone, but he is definitely the spark plug of the team currently, and his NHL Draft Day was a very exciting event. Possibly the greatest since Mario Lemieux. I'm a guitarist in the band Thundercracker, and I've always wanted a custom paint job on my guitar, but those will set you back a few bucks. Now, I've started working again at Modesto's Sign Shop (in Ardmore, OK) and have the ability to use the equipment for designing said guitar. So using my tools of the trade at the shop, I took my ESP Viper (baritone) and made it a custom. I still have to re-equip a couple of pieces of hardware and clear coat the guitar, but here is the image. As any TRUE Penguins fan would know, Sidney Crosby made his impact prior to Draft Day with the Rimouski Oceanic hockey club. Given my guitar is a dark, dark blue - I elected to go this route. I used their logo and the rest is history... LET'S GO PENS!!!

Again, welcome to MY world. This is a true story, as hard as it may be to believe. Long story made short: I just went to Taco Bueno and ordered 2 batches of my favorite, Mucho Nachos. I drive on home 10 minutes away. Sit down to eat, and guess what ---- They forgot to put cheese on my nachos. All I could do was just sit there in awe. Is it possible in that they are so stupid they have somehow found a way to keep me from complaining because I would sound like a liar? God does favor the meek, I'll be damned! Now correct me if I'm wrong, but if you or anyone else was making a recipe for Nachos, it would go like this: 1. Chips 2. Cheese 3. the rest -or- 1. Cheese 2. Chips 3. the rest So yeah, one of the two main ingredients would be cheese. Taco Bueno has a rep for being tight with their cheese, but heavy with their refried beans. This is pushing it though. Anyway, as I just told my lovely lady friend, I'm happy because with each new day comes the promise of finding someone else to hate Thats it! Games over! Back up the truck!

I often try to describe my life to my friends, and they often gut-laugh at my stories. Not that I'm so damn funny, it's just that my life circles me like a ten-ring nightmare. That being said... Today was a long day, as I got little sleep worrying about how to start my own business, then had to spend the morning at the Title Agent because we are selling old property. After that I get a call from my Realtor Boss to help her set up a web page she bought without my advice or understanding. So hours later, I'm beat. I have a headache among other things. So I come home and decide that I'll take a shit (I said this was humbling) and then take a nap. So I get down to my tighty whities, lock my door and grab a copy of Musicians Friend. I figure I'll look at some guitars, take care of business, and then get a much-needed dose of shuteye. Wrong. As I'm doing the deed, suddenly I hear what sounds like Niagara Falls above me. I think "Is that a water pipe?" but it is not. It is a ton of water going to places that a water pipe should have took it. I stand up and say BAD TIMING. Suddenly, gallons of water pour through my vents in the ceiling upon me. I yelp, try to finish the job I was tending to prior in a rapid fashion, and grab the phone with one hand screaming HELP to the Office Lady. With one foot I kick all of my high dollar posters away from my bathroom door (my bedroom hooks into the bath), and with the other throw my clothes in the air. Jumping through them like Evil Kneival, I'm dressed and grabbing towels. I build a dam in the doorway to keep the water from pouring into my carpeted bedroom. I move shit around; throw more towels down, and then the Landlord shows up. He sees the water flow, freaks out, says he's going to kill the Asian people upstairs. See, they clog the kitchen sink up all the time. I know they may not understand, so I don't get too mad about that. However, this is a good one. So, as I throw down every towel and washrag in possession, he comes back with an interesting tale. The little couple upstairs bought themselves a washing machine. However, their apartment doesn't feature the convenience of a washing machine hook-up. Thus, they put it in their bedroom and ran the pipe to their bathroom sink. When gallons of water poured out, the sink couldn’t hold it. Somehow, the Little Lady was in the living room doing her chores and never seemed to notice that a washer full of water had poured into her bathroom floor etc and down into mine. Its all okay now. The water is mostly up, my towels are waiting to be taken to the laundry later, and all my shit is soaked fucking wet. I told the Asian girl that I wasn't mad at her, and accidents happen, she replied "OKAY" and I'm pretty sure she has no clue what I said. But I tried, I guess. The morale to this story is: a guy can't even take a shit anymore. The End.

MMmmkay, just when I thought I'd seen it all, my friend Tracy links me to a profile of a dude who likes to dress like a chick and carry a samurai sword. Whatever happened to the good old days?

Tis the holiday season, and the heart is warmed with thoughts of family, Christ, love, happiness, and joy...and as I've mentioned, I humor the thoughts of each of us doing something positive to promote respect for our fellow man this year... But then I see the usual: crazy bitch, pimp420, juggalette, hot4u, xxrazorxx, hottie, cutie, babygurl, playa, xforelornex, morbid darkperson, well hung sexybacks.... and I have to think that the perfect gift this year might actually be a coat hanger. (Well, some of you got it, and that makes you as crude as me.) Then of course, clinging to the giving spirit, it finally meets its' demise when I log in and have 30 messages from bands, rappers, and website pushing models who’ve added me. They’ll want me to join a fan appreciation group that was started by them, not fans (uhhh, LAME), or they will send me a message like: "Hey INSERT NAME HERE, we are cutting and pasting this message to say Happy Christmas, and if you have time be sure to come by and check out the new songs or photos at www.whythefuckdowethinkweneedawebsitewhenwereallyaretalentlessfuckskickingaroundthesameoldripoffmusicorpornpics.com" So, in starting 2007 let me just lay down a few ground basis thoughts (hey, it is MY blog): 1. Just because 100 pc geeks jerked off to your pictures online, does not mean you are a model. Any girl can have 10000 guys fan them online, just because desperation breeds commerce. Please go get a degree instead, so when your tits burst from a freak pole-dancing accident, you can co-exist aside from your "hot new website for members only". Although the meek are supposed to inherit the Earth, I'm thinking that's next year. 2. If you've ever written music and said, "that doesn't sound enough like the band on the radio", immediately sell your instruments and go sell cars, you poor lost soul. It's okay to want to sound like cool bands, but if you are schlepping your creative muscle to get your break, you'd be best off being a roadie. Write music that energizes you, not bridges your gaps. You are a musician, not a karaoke machine. 3. Part of being an artist, or a talent of whatever form, is getting people to like you. I myself have written letters, sent out demos, gave away stickers, and blown a few people give-or-take 20 just to get a little credit. However, I think forging a fake message of sentiment and posting it identically on 3000 people's page showing them your "appreciation" is kinda sorta chickenshit. Then, going one step further and starting your own "fans of _______" group.... that might be chickenshit too. Go to Mecca, and ask your God of choice just what it is you have become. 4. “It’s not how you play the game, it’s if you win or lose.” BULLSHIT. Honest bands and artists of these days do not prosper financially, which is the yardstick by which most people judge their lives. I’m pretty sure I read in the Bible one time that rich people aren’t going to heaven, because they are supposed to share...etc...etc. My point is this, those artists that write the REALLY GOOD SHIT may not be as rich, or drive the high end cars that the folks on MTV drive, but because they have remained true to themselves and wrote music from their heart, they have rewarded their fans in the most pure and honest way...and in turn, have prospered from having true respect. They have “won” because of how they played the game. It’s just like love...be sincere, or be damned. 5. Lastly, this. You can wear clothes that you saw someone else wear. You can play music that you heard someone else play. You can drive a car that is like someone else drives. You can buy a house just like someone else’s. You can settle down and have 100 babies because someone else did that. You can take off your clothes at the drop of a hat because someone else does too. You can smoke crack because someone else smoked it before you. You can do 100 things that 100 other motherfuckers have done to show you an example... But when the chips are down, when your luck has ran out, when you are at the bottom and you’re looking forever upward trying to find a way out...SOMEBODY ELSE ain’t gonna save you. It’ll be you, your faith, your will, and your strength. BE YOURSELF. Fuck 2006 anyway. Fuck 2005 years before it! 2007 is the year that everything can go right.

Lenin. Interesting. I'm seeing trends here.

On the night I signed up for Cingular phone service, a 2-phone plan, they not only said on the site that both activations were FREE, they mentioned a Mail In Rebate. After receiving my first bill, it was doubled by the 2 activation charges they added. Upon emailing them, they said "Oh, well yeah, you DO get charged for those....our bad" Also, I just received the rebate in the mail saying it wasn't redeemable because of time frame. HOWEVER THE SITE SAID IT WAS Losers. Kill them all if you can.

ABOUT ME Full Name: J. Thomas Birthday: September 4, 1972 Birthplace: Durant, Oklahoma (home of the whopper) Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Black Height and Weight: 6-foot-tall and 1-fat-bastard Right or Left Handed: Right Heritage: Native American and Honkey Worst Habit: touching my Christian parts in the shower Shoe Size: 13 Shoes You Wore Today: my black sneakers Innie or Outie: Innie Weakness: pretty eyes and star wars Fears: spiders, heights, and Ryan Seacrest Perfect Pizza: Sausage and Beef on a crispy crust Thoughts First Waking Up: “Aww shit, I gotta get on that Bowflex today!” Best Physical Feature: my fingers (ask around, she’ll tell ya) MY FAVORITES Color: Black Food: Italian and Nachos (fuck I love nachos) Sport: HOCKEY!! GO PENS!! Animal: Titmouse Candy: Zots Song: Tom Waits – The Return of Jackie and Judy Gum: sugar free bubble, dont care what brand Holiday: Festivus (for the rest of us) Season: Winter Radio Station: I don’t listen to the bastard devil radio Body Part on the Opposite Sex: Eyes, although I do like the other stuff due south FRIENDS AND LIFE What do you want to be when you grow up?: Superman Where do you want to live when you grow up?: Parts Unknown (like the wrestlers) If you can change one thing about you what would it be?: My inability to get a record deal Which one of your friends acts the most like you? I wouldn’t say anything mean like that about a friend : P Whose the loudest?: Greg, he’s hard of hearing from the drumming Who makes you laugh the most?: Todd Smith representin’ OKC Whose the shyest?: Tony FINISH THE SENTENCE Lets walk on the: water like we did last summer Lets look at the: bottom of the bottle What a nice: ninja sword you’ve got Never under any circumstances: let em see you sweat Everyone has a: fucking story to tell, and i’ve only got a case of beer HAVE YOU EVER Ran away from home: gonna do it tomorrow if I dont get to watch Spongebob Pictured your crush naked: I have pictured 90% of the chicks in the world naked Skipped school: many times Laughed so hard you cried: yes, my friends are kickass that way Fell off your bed: earlier when I saw the picture of Laney Cheated on someone: NOPE Drank alcohol: hiccup Been on stage: yes I have, and I long for those days again DO YOU Want to go to college: only to see the football game Want to get married: well, it would be nice to marry and have a bunch of little Indian babies Think you are attractive: I’m tall dark and gruesome Play an instrument: guitar, bass, etc Sleep with stuffed animals: she was pretty bad, but not that bad THIS OR THAT Single or Group Dates: SINGLE, fuck I hate group shit Strawberries or Blueberries: Straw TV or Movie: hmmm, 24 or Star Wars...movie I guess MTV or VH1: NEITHER, they are whorish channels Boxers or Briefs: briefs, gotta keep the boys in a bunch WHOSE THE LAST PERSON You talked to on the phone: my boss Messaged: Tracy and her fine ass Hugged: My Mom when I gave her the Xmas present Yelled at: the Pittsburgh Penguins for giving up a goal Played a sport with: pocket pool is a one man sport , I got this RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT Where are you?: in my apartment killing time What can you see out your window?: the pool all covered up for winter Are you listening to music?: Yep, some shit I wrote for the local wrestling promotion What are you wearing?: tight whities and a Raiders shirt What on your mousepad?: my mouse IN A GIRL Favorite Eye Color: green Favorite Hair Color: red Short or Long Hair: long, but depends on the person Height: over 3` tall and under 7` Weight: I love em all Best Clothing Style: casual with just a touch of slut (haha) RANDOM What country would you like to visit the most?: Czechoslovakia How many pillows do you sleep with?: One Person you hate the most?: THE MAN How many rings until you answer the phone?: 4 What is the worst weather?: Drought!

For Christmas I just received two music editions that I'm very proud of. The first is the 3-c.d. set by Tom Waits called "Orphans". Granted it'll set you back 35 bucks, it has about 54 great Waits pieces, mostly new, and some unreleased. So, you get stuff you havent ever heard and a lot of it. It's bad to the bone. One CD is tougher rougher tunes that are upbeat, one is more piano ballad and mellow, and then the third is obscure selections. Greatness. The other C.D. is the best Stoner Lo-Fi rock album since Blind by Corrosion of Conformity....the cd is called AGE OF WINTERS by Austin Texas' THE SWORD. The Sword plays the hell out of their guitars and makes great rock anthems. I can't quit listening to it. So if you like hard rock metal.....this is melodic and heavy, without the hooplah. Great shit man!!

MIAMI - Martin Nodell, the creator of Green Lantern, the comic book superhero who uses his magical ring to help him fight crime, has died. He was 91. Nodell died at a nursing home in Muskego, Wis., on Saturday of natural causes, his son Spencer Nodell told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He previously lived in West Palm Beach. Nodell was looking for a new idea for a comic book in 1940 when he was waiting for a New York subway and saw a train operator waving a lantern displaying a green light, said Maggie Thompson, senior editor of Comics Buyer's Guide. Nodell imagined a young engineer, Alan Scott, a train crash survivor who discovers in the debris an ancient lantern forged from a green meteor. Scott constructs a ring from the lamp that gives him super powers, and becomes a crime fighter. He brought his drawings and story lines to All-American Publications, which later became a part of National Periodical Publications, the company that was to become DC Comics, Thompson said. The first Green Lantern appearance came in July 1940, an eight-page story in a comic book also featuring other characters. The character then got his own series, and Nodell drew it until 1947 under the name Mart Dellon. After its cancellation in 1949, the series was reborn in 1959 with a revised story line, and it has been revived several times. Meanwhile, Nodell left the comics field for an advertising career. In the 1960s, he was on a design team that helped develop the Pillsbury Doughboy. In later years, Nodell traveled the comic book convention circuit with his wife, Caroline, who died in 2004. "There were myriad of fans who would come up to my dad and would say `Green Lantern got me to read' or `Green Lantern got me to do something in my life,'" Spencer Nodell said. Nodell was born in Philadelphia and studied at art schools in Chicago and New York. Besides Spencer Nodell, survivors include another son, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.