who else is itchin?

As I watched a semi-boring Hall of Fame game on the NFL network, I thought to myself, "Why do I not have the itch yet"?

Could it be that the Buffalo Bills are going to maybe win 3 games max. this year? Or...could it be that I have no confidence in the freshman Jimmy Clausen to actually lead the Fighting Irish to a winning season?

On a serious note...how bad is football really going to suck for me this year?!?!? Come on people!

Well... today everything may have changed. My "future husband" Brady Quinn finally signed with the Cleveland Browns for $20.2 million dollars over 5 years; with incentives to possibly make $30 million total for 5 yrs.Read here

Finally some great news! Now all I need is a solid Fantasy Draft in two weeks and I just might start to show minor symptoms of football fever.

Who else is itchin?

Who are we predicting to breakout this year?

5 more weeks of countdown people :-)

Honeytribe and the curious disappearance of Devon Allman

Anyone else venture out to Eight Great Tuesdays to see Devon Allman's Honeytribe?

Yes, he's the son of rock legend Gregg Allman—although he kinda looks like a cross between Sammy Hagar and that dude from Nickelback.

If you've never heard him, young Mr. Allman is indeed a capable guitar player. He also seems to be one heck of a magician. In fact, Tuesday night, he made himself disappear.

Yup, right in the middle of a song, he calmly leaned into the mike and said: "Let's here some bass" (or something to that effect) and then promptly walked off stage. For like 15 minutes.

WTF?

To their credit, the other three band members (the bass player in particular) expertly jumped into an impromptu albeit seemingly endless jam. At one point or another, however, they each looked as confused as the rest of us in the crowd. Then the drummer and keyboardist also left the stage, leaving said bass player alone to entertain us all. I think he strung off every bass solo he ever learned.

Perhaps Allman may have broken a string, but even a blind man with one hand stuck in a pickle jar could restring a guitar quicker. So my initial assumption is that he had some, uh, internal plumbing issues? To put it delicately.

At any rate, when he finally rejoined his band mates, it started to pour. Sadly. So we, like the rest of the throng, picked up our folding chairs, tucked them neatly into their carry-alls and headed for the hills.

Bathroom emergencies aside, I did pick up Honeytribe's album on iTunes today. Sounds good. Hearing all the songs live would have sounded better.

Seriously. Anyone got an inside scoop on what happened?

pillowfight!

Ahh... to have a sniff of the production budget of this one. Beautifully shot, wonderfully directed, great score. Yeah, I'm jealous.

R U drawn to life?

His work is raw, meticulous, awe-inspiring. His tools are made not of iron or steel, but flesh and bone. He's a local phenom known nationwide for his gritty, in-your-face portraits of some of today's most gifted athletes, including Hines Ward, Terrell Owens, Smokin' Joe Frazier, Mel Blount, Jerome Bettis and Brad Boyes. Just to name a few.

He's celebrity sports artist Kevin-John Jobczynski—whose devotion to his craft is equaled only by his passion for those around him. And now he's giving back to a community that's already given him the world.

In support of the Community Blood Bank, Kevin-John will create a custom 30" x 40" graphite work of art for one donor chosen at random. It's a coveted prize package worth $20,000.

You can match his selfless donation with one of your very own. Simply donate blood now through December 31, and you'll be automatically entered to win.

For years, Kevin-John has been drawn to sports. Now, more than ever, he's drawn to life. To see his work, visit Kevin-John.com anytime. To become part of it, donate blood today.

To find out more, call 456-4206 or stop by the Community Blood Bank at 646 Peach Street. Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

breasts, tattoos and lawyers: a retrospective

Back in May, we featured the first of our random work updates. Part exhibitionism, part catharsis, it's a chance for us to show you (well, you, in the plural sense, being collective members of the Erie-blogging community) what we actually do for a living. And what we're proud to call our very own.

Last time, we featured the first in a series of newspaper ads for Dr. Gunnar Bergqvist, the local plastic surgeon. As pictured here:

As you can see, this ad deals with breast cancer and the positive outcomes associated with reconstructive plastic surgery. Not quite your typical superficial nip/tuck fare. But then again, Gunnar's not your typical plastic surgeon. Below, you'll find subsequent ads that have run in the series so far. You'll also find a billboard execution that many of you have probably rubbernecked on your way across town. (Sorry 'bout the printer's marks on some of these...)


And for all of you Bayfront Highway travelers, here's to discovering New Hope... and hopefully a commute home without any lane closures and/or significant construction delays.

Here are some print ads that aren't necessarily new, let's consider them new-ish, for the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP. There's actually a whole slew of these, but since they've only run in the Manufacturers' Association business magazine, I figured most of you haven't seen them. Then again, I could be wrong.



There's a bunch more stuff, but I need to get back to work. C-ya!

Baba Booey's Doppleganger on People's Court

So we're chowing down on some Quizno's yesterday at lunch, watching some People's Court and harassing Melissa about, well, about being Melissa, when who should appear but Fafa Fooey's twin brother from another mother, complete with 80's era 'stache and hair.

Check it.

For the uninformed, Baba Booey, aka Gary Dell'Abate, is the long-time producer of the Howard Stern Show. Jamie sent the above link to the Stern Show for their viewing pleasure. We're hoping to get some props on air in the coming weeks.

But even if you don't see the resemblance—which, by the way, is indisputable—or if you don't care about all things Howard Stern, the beauty is in the way-too-short-but-hilarious Q&A after the court proceedings:

Question: "What's the hardest part about being you?"

Wait for it.... wait for it....

Answer: "Mustache."

That's all I've got, people. It's Friday.

Recycle your e-Waste on the 23rd

Saturday, June 23, 2007
e-Waste Recycling Event
General McLane High School, Edinboro

Free and open to all Erie County residents, this e-Waste Recycling Event will offer collection between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Typical electronic items county residents may bring for proper disposal include televisions, microwaves, computers and peripherals, VCRs, telephones, stereos and tape players.

Any type of electronic equipment that has been improperly disposed of is considered to be e-Waste. Such waste may contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. These toxics pose no problems when properly contained in the equipment. However, when thrown away with other household garbage, the hazardous materials can become airborne or leak into the ground and contaminate drinking water as well as cause other environmental and health hazards.

When recycled, the electronic equipment is taken apart and plastics and glass components are turned into new products and reused. Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium are also removed and recycled. In fact, a recent ECRP-sponsored e-Waste collection event netted 16,373 pounds of electronics to be recycled alone. County residents brought 67 televisions, 249 computers, 92 printers and fax machines, 35 VCRs, 22 telephones and 72 other electronic items.

Each e-Waste Recycling Event is limited to 250 participants and pre-registration is required. County residents may contact the Erie County Recycling Program at (814) 425-7773 to register or for more information.