Cleaning

I like Cleaning. Call me Danny Tanner, I don't care. I like to clean. Whether its the living room, my bedroom, the bathroom, dishes in the sink--in my ripe young age of 26, I find that a messy apartment is not conducive to a good day. That includes waking up to a mess and coming home to a mess. Both are deflating to the start or end of my day.

Growing up I was a slob. My room was never clean, and if I was forced by my mom to do so, I basically did what any other 11-year-old did--shoved everything in my closet and under my bed. Once you closed the closet door or pulled a blanket low over the bed, the room was magically clean. I was also known for having a messy apartment in college. But I chalk that up to the fact that we were four guys sharing one bathroom. Considering those parameters, our bathroom looked pristine.

Even back in college, but more so now, I have trouble thinking or reaching my full potential when there is a mess to be cleaned up. It's a great way to "clean the mind" if you will. Even at work, I'll spend 15 minutes cleaning up my desk or filing away papers, just to clear my thought process and break a writer's block. It works for me, who knows, it may work for you too. Get clean and have a great weekend!

National Spelling Bee

I like the National Spelling Bee. Going on right now in our nation's capital is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis. Spellers from all over the country and the world, ranging in age from 8-14, compete for the title of Spelling Champion.

Since 1994, the Entertainment Sports Network (aka ESPN) has been covering the annual convention of vowels and consonants. (NOTE: I just misspelled "consonants"--meaning I couldn't hold a candle to these kids). And while some may ask, "Where is the sport in this?" I say watch this video and tell me that the Srcipps Spelling Bee is not high-intensity drama, that which rivals any Game 7.

The kid fainted, then got back up and spelled the word CORRECTLY! Is that the equivalent of getting a puck to the face in Hockey, stitching up the gash in the locker room, and coming back out to score the winning goal in overtime? I say yes.

In a society where we rely so heavily on spell check, it is even more impressive that these kids can spell as well as they do. If you are looking for some riveting television, the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee will air live tonight at 8PM on ABC.

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

I like Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. The upcoming album from the Dave Matthews Band is being touted as one of their most anticipated albums yet. In a behind-the-scenes video from the studio, Dave himself hopes that if this is the last album he ever makes, that it be the one people listen to. And people, you should listen. The album is great.

The band seemed to have pulled from their past as inspiration for these songs. Many tracks feel as though they could have been an additional track on a previous DMB album. Songs like "Shake Me Like a Monkey" and "Why I Am" provide a loud, jovial collaboration of horns and percussion that make them fun, cool, and party-like all at once. They could have easily been added to Under the Table and Dreaming or Crash. The album even begins in a similar fashion as 1998's Before These Crowded Streets. On that album the instrumental "Pantala Naga Pampa" led into the rocking "Rapunzel". On Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King it is "Grux" leading into the aforementioned "Shake Me Like a Monkey".

Of course, it with a heavy heart that this album came to be. In August 2008, founding member Leroi Moore passed away from injuries sustained in an ATV accident two months earlier. While many of these tracks were laid down or created with the help of Leroi, the heavy heart of a band who missed their friend comes through on the single "Funny The Way It Is" and on the darker "Squirm". A line from "Funny The Way It Is" sums up said feelings with the line, "Funny the way it is/Somebody's heart is broken/And it becomes your favorite song".

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, however, is truly a celebration of life, not a mourning of death. Take a listen for yourself by going to a special DMB Pandora page where you can listen to all the songs on the album, set to go on sale Tuesday, June 2nd. Let me know what you think.

Maps

I like Maps. If you're anything like me, you could spend hours just staring at maps. I like to know where I am, where I am going, and where I have never been. Of course, some of you who know me may be wondering, "So why are you always getting lost?"

Truth is, I like to get lost sometimes. I am never really lost, just misplaced on the globe. Usually, once I get my bearings, I can find my way out of anywhere. And then there are the times I go to the map. Sure, there are the GPSs out there, making the paper map almost obsolete. But that is just no fun. Do students even learn how to read a real map anymore? Like the newspaper, the folded map is a dying breed.

But you know, I am not a total luddite with maps. Where I used to spend hours on road trips reading the folded map of various states, I now spend hours zooming in and out of Google Maps on my computer. I mean, come on, the Google Street View is pretty damn cool. Just ask these folks in Pittsburgh.

Our Troops

I like Our Troops.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Phoenix

I like Phoenix. Not the city, my friends, but the band. Back at my old job a co-worker suggested I check out some songs from this band unknown to me. He is known for having a good handle on decent music, so I figured why not. Well, I was hooked. This French quartet has a sound unlike I'd heard before.

My favorite song from Phoenix is "Long Distance Call". Check out the YouTube video below to hear the track. On May 26th their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix will be released. Go here to hear a few tracks from that album, as well as a few older ones too (thanks PopCandy). Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Farts

I like Farts. And admit it, you do too. You laugh when a baby breaks wind. You chuckled when a kid in class sat on a duck. You feel relieved when the room clears and you can finally rip one. As Shrek says, "Better out than in!" So don't act all high and mighty, as if you are grossed out. You like farts, too.

Alavert

I like Alavert. My saving grace in this retched allergy season, Alavert Allergy and Sinus is an over the counter drug that makes me feel good. No, I'm not an addict. We're not talking about crack or cocaine, even though Alavert contains pseudophedrine, a common ingredient in meth, making it a task to purchase at the local Rite Aid or Target. It is easier to buy alcohol than it is to buy allergy medicine.

If you know me, you know that I swear by this stuff. After a bad sinus infection in college, a doctor basically told me never to stop taking the medication and I haven't. About 2 or 3 years ago they put the Alavert Allergy and Sinus behind the pharmacy counter due to the aforementioned meth connection. You can buy the allergy-only version without going to the pharmacy, but then you lose the sinus-opening pseudophedrine. While the anti-histamine is the allergy fighter, I think it's the pseudophedrine that really helps me.

Not all stores carry the Alavert Allergy and Sinus. Your best bet is Target, where you can get a 24-pack, otherwise Rite Aid has the 12-pack. Some other stores may carry it, possibly Walgreens, but CVS stopped carrying it, as did many supermarkets.

Pork Roll

I like Pork Roll. The delicious breakfast meat is one of my favorite sides with any order of eggs, french toast or pancakes, or on a sandwich with eggs, cheese and ketchup. Some call it Canadian Bacon, some call it Taylor Ham. I call it heaven--er, Pork Roll.

Quite frankly, I don't want to know where it comes from--the part of the pig they cut the greazy (the 'z' is for the extra greasiness) Pork Roll. Some things are best left unknown. And while Bacon reigns supreme, and will certainly get its own post in the future, today it is Pork Roll that wears the crown.

And yes, I just finished a lovely breakfast of eggs and Pork Roll. Mmmm.

Woot.com

I like Woot.com. Who doesn't like great deals on random products and electronics? I know I do. And while there are many outlets on the web and in the trunks of Monte Carlos, a great source for some of the Internet's best deals are at Woot.com. Only there's a catch-- only one product is for sale per day and once its gone, its gone.

Woot.com started as, "...an employee-store slash market-testing type of place for an electronics distributor, but it's taken on a life of its own." At 12 AM central time, a new product is posted. Sometimes there is a "Woot-Off" where a new product is posted right when the first sells out, and on Tuesday's, you usually get two-for-one deals. They also have days where they just offer a bag of crap. Products range from laptops to action figures and everything in between. And if cool gadgets aren't your thing, there is also wine.woot and shirt.woot.

I have made it part of my daily routine to check Woot.com. You never know when the product posted is the one thing you've been thinking about purchasing for months--or a great spur of the moment impulse buy. (Hey, those ear muffs made great Christmas gifts!)

DC 101 Chili Cookoff

I like DC 101 Chili Cookoff. For those who don't know, this is more than just a get-together of tex-mex chefs. While chili will be readily available, Chili Cookoff is actually an all-day music fest taking place tomorrow outside RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. The great music and food aside, DC101 Chili Cookoff also benefits the National Kidney Foundation--in fact they raised over $1 million in 2008. Pretty sweet deal for a pretty awesome cause.

For those who are going, let's hope for good times and sunny skies. For those who aren't going, here are the bands you'll be missing--sucks to be you. Rock on and have a great weekend! (Yes, I'll be there!)

The Offpring



Third Eye Blind



Shinedown



Papa Roach



Puddle of Mudd



The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus



Nikki Barr Band

(NOTE: People who disable the embedding of videos from YouTube are giant tools. I'm looking your way Universal Music Group.)

Pennsylvania

I like Pennsylvania. I know, big shocker. Maryland is great, and is probably my new home for a long time, but it's always going to be #2 to good old PA. If you think about it, Pennsylvania is about as widespread, diverse, and renowned as any other state in the United States. Like many other Pennsylvanians, I have had chance to travel across the state and back again many times over in my life. And from those travels, I have many great stories and memories, some of which include:

• My first step on the Penn State campus, knowing it was the place I'd spend the next four years of my life


• Running from the cops in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh after they broke up a house party I was at with high school friends attending Pitt


• Getting lost at Dorney Park while there with my family, only to be found by my Dad who then took me on the Balloon ride--I was 23 (kidding, I was 6)


• Sledding at Slippery Rock University the night before a THON Canning trip in Grove City


• Late night drives all around Philly and its burbs for no reason at all, except to drink exorbitant amounts of Wawa coffee, smoke cigarettes, and talk about life with good friends


• Seeing my beloved Phillies win the World Series--priceless!

And this is just the teeny, tiny tip of the iceberg of my stories. I bet you have tons of stories, too, whether you grew up there, visited friends or family, or just got lost on the way to New York City. (Share in the comments section!)

In an effort to boost tourism to Pennsylvania, VisitPA.com has created a little movie about one guy's PA story called Peter Arthur Stories, a short film that sort of embodies Pennsylvania. Check out the trailer below and then head on over to PAStories.com to watch the full-length feature, premiering today. They're even giving away a free PA Getaway (which is probably a day razing a barn with the Amish, then sleeping in it) if you can answer a few questions about the film. Enjoy!

Pepsi

I like Pepsi. Some people are Coke people, others are Pepsi people. I am the latter. Is anyone a Mr. Pibb person? Probably not. Whether in a two-liter bottle, an aluminum can, or fresh out a fountain with crushed ice, my favorite soda (that's right you "pop" folks, it's soda) is Pepsi.

Growing up, my family was split--at my Aunt and Uncle's house there was only Coke, and at my Grandparent's house it was Pepsi. Had I spent more time at my Aunt and Uncle's, perhaps this post would be Andy Locke Likes Coke. But, as it was, I lived two streets away from Grandmom and Grandpop and they always had a fridge full of Pepsi. My Grandpop loved Pepsi so much himself, that when he passed away we placed a can Pepsi with him to enjoy for eternity.

Go ahead Coke, take your polar bears, Santa ads and nostalgia. I am putting my support behind Cindy Crawford, the King of Pop, and the next generation. If you'll excuse me, I am going to grab myself a can of Pepsi, and bag of potato chips and kick back in the Cat Napper.

The Philadelphia Union

I like the Philadelphia Union. The newest addition to Major League Soccer has officially been announced--the Philadelphia Union will take the field in a brand new, 18,500-seat stadium along the Delaware River in 2010. Now just so we are all clear, as of this moment, I really don't like soccer. But, I have a great respect for anything that is so wildly popular in every country but ours. And it is because of this that I am willing to give the sport of soccer a chance. Wow me with your league. And it goes without saying, but as a Philly homer, I am rooting for the Union do the wowing.

The new logo of the Philadelphia Union may be one of my favorite team logos ever. The blue and gold are taken from Philadelphia's official colors, a nod to the swedes who first settled here. The thirteen stars, representing the thirteen colonies adorn the seal, along with a rattlesnake made famous by Philly's favorite son Benjamin Franklin in his 1750s Pennsylvania Gazette political cartoons. The final detail is on the shield, where the Latin phrase "JUNGITE aut PERITE"--Join or die--appears. I love it.

So as we approach next spring, there will certainly be much buzz in the City of Brotherly Love about, what will hopefully be, their new favorite sons. I for one look forward to picking up some Union schwag and watching me some "futbol".

Star Trek

I like Star Trek. I never thought I would write those words, but let me tell you, the latest addition to this storied franchise, isn't your daddy's Star Trek of years gone by. The new movie from J.J. Abrams impressed me on all levels. The writing was solid--funny, too. The actors, while not exactly Oscar-worthy, were cast extremely well and played their roles near flawlessly. And most of all, the action-packed explosions, graphics and sound made Star Trek a great movie to not just watch, but experience--especially in IMAX.

I can remember hearing through the grapevine many months ago that Abrams was planning a new Star Trek movie, but with a fresh, updated look and feel. Even though I was not a Star Trek fan growing up, I still have great respect for its impact on pop culture, so I was intrigued as to how he might do so. His casting of Zachary Quinto, fresh off his break-out role in Heroes, and funny-men John Cho and Simon Pegg, really got me excited. And when the reviews came back positive after early screenings--from Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike--my interest was at its peak.

I'm no Siskel or Ebert, so I have no rubric for rating movies involving appendages. But if I did, it would be elbows. Star Trek gets two elbows up. It entertained me and I think it will entertain you, too. Do yourself a favor and pony up the $10 or $12 for a ticket, another $12 for popcorn and a soda, and go see Star Trek in the theater. I'll be shocked if you are disappointed.

Explosions in the Sky

I like Explosions in the Sky. That's a band, by the way. And if you have read my blog before, you know I am a big fan. You might now these guys from the soundtrack to Friday Night Lights, both the movie and the TV show. I have been a fan for some years now and find them to be the best band for awesome background tunes.

Explosions in the Sky is an instrumental rock band that has found a way to own any moment in life. I can listen to them when writing a marketing plan or when I am just just hanging out at home. Whether happy or sad, mad or crazy, their sound has such great range for any situation.

Here are a couple of their tracks that I really dig. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Spinach

I like Spinach. Popeye definitely knew what he was doing when he consumed can after can of spinach. The vegetable has slowly crept into the number one spot on my favorite vegetable list, edging out asparagus and cauliflower. Of course, if it were "Andy the Sailor Man", my spinach would be fresh or frozen, and steamed to perfection.

This delicious side dish has always had the stigma of YUCK (at least it did for me growing up). I was probably in college when I first tried spinach--and I was hooked. Despite looking like freshly mowed grass clippings, I have found that I can eat spinach with the same excitement and enjoyment as I would potato chips or cookies. Crazy, right?

If you're wondering, and I know all 20 of you reading this are, here are some of the benefits of adding spinach to your diet (courtesy of WebMD):

• Help fight off osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, and several types of cancer


• Loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, heart-friendly A and C vitamins, folate, and magnesium


• Low in calories

So the next time you need a quick side dish or vegetable to go along with your meal, pick up some fresh or frozen spinach. And before you know it, your forearms will be abnormally large as well!

Hulu.com

I like Hulu.com. If you haven't discovered Hulu.com yet, you are missing out. From your favorite TV shows and movies to behind the scene features and clips, Hulu.com has it all. Missed last week's episode of 24? No problem, just go here. What's that, you say? You really want to watch the documentary movie Super Size Me? Done.

Hulu.com is the joint venture of NBC and Fox to offer exclusive, minimally-interrupted content online. And on April 30, 2009, ABC/Disney joined the fun as well. While they don't have EVERYTHING, their selection is pretty wide. And with the addition of Disney, they will certainly grow. Plus, the quality of the video streams are great, and as long as your Internet connection isn't too bad, there shouldn't be much buffering, either.

So when it's a random Wednesday night and all your favorite shows are on hiatus, log on to Hulu.com, create a free account, and see what all the fuss is about. And for those of you with half an hour to kill, here's the pilot episode of Doogie Howser--wait for it--MD. Enjoy!

Tums

I like Tums. Is it bad that I am 26 and have heartburn? Probably. Well, thank God for Tums. Yesterday was terrible and I have no idea why (well, yeah I do). Following a weekend filled with beer, junk food, movie theater popcorn, a bucket of soda, and a Pat's Cheesesteak, I had a bagel, coffee, leftover ziti and a few glasses of tea throughout the day. Okay, I know exactly why I had heartburn.

And of course, when the burning hit its highest point, there were no Tums to be found. We ran out. Sometimes you truly don't realize how much you like something until it's gone. (Kind of like Parking) I'm used to always having a bottle on hand. Even my girlfriend knows to carry them in her purse when we have a day of beer consumption ahead of us. But yesterday I was left with no relief and even tried to take an Altoid to help. No dice.

Finally, I made it home and threw back about 4 or 5 of those chalky gifts from heaven. Even the fact that my power was out couldn't dampen my euphoria from the relief. If anyone has any suggestions for helping me curb the heartburn, aside from stronger Tums, I'm all ears. The only answer I won't accept is, "Drink less beer."

Facebook Scrabble

I like Facebook Scrabble. Since its rebirth on Facebook, Scrabble has become more than just a nerdy board game for family night. Triple word scores are now part of the numerous ways in which relatives, friends and colleagues can keep in touch from miles away (or the next cubicle over). The games can last for days or hours--depending on how much time you have to kill hanging around on the Book of Faces.

The kick-start to the Facebook Scrabble craze began with a knockoff version of the game created by a couple of rouge developers. Their game's popularity ended up being what did them in, as the real Scrabble moved in and put an end to the application. Months prior to that lawsuit being official in courts, the game was back, was flashier, and had a branded Scrabble skin.

Facebook Scrabble turns out to be more education than one would think, as well. Where else could you learn that poyou is a South American armadillo? That nugget of knowledge came from Spar, who is trying desperately to beat me. Because he had junk letters and randomly tried various combinations, he ended up with poyou. Ridiculous. Of course, I scored 82 points with Prez.

So anyone who wants a game, just challenge me on Facebook and prepare to be defeated.

Stadium Arcadium

I like Stadium Arcadium. This double-album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has been the unofficial sound of my past three summers, since it was released in 2006. With the recent wave of eighty and ninety degree days, its been difficult to NOT think about all the beauties of summertime. When the weather reverted back to sixty five and rainy on Wednesday, I wanted to keep my mind in the summertime, so I cranked up Stadium Arcadium in my iTunes and rocked out.

The two discs, titled "Mars" and "Jupiter", each hold the distinct honor of being complete albums, meaning I can listen to each from beginning to end without skipping a song. Most people know the singles from the radio like, "Dani California", "Tell Me Baby", and "Snow (Hey Oh)". And while I like those songs, it is the lesser-known tracks that really make Stadium Arcadium the award-winning rock album it is.

Below are a few of my favorites for you to enjoy as you kick-start your weekend. Here's hoping for more summer-like weather in the coming days!

"Wet Sand"



"Readymade"



"Animal Bar"