Super Bowl Bound!!!!!!!!!!

Winter... What's The Point???

I'm just going to come right out with it: I HATE WINTER!!!!!

It's cold. It snows. It gets dark early. You can't keep your vehicle clean no matter how hard you try. When the snow melts, guess what? It gets muddy! And filthy! And nasty! And dirty! Any kind of outdoor activity is impossible unless you like building snowmen or skiing/snowboarding. I hate that my power/heating bill TRIPLES in the wintertime. I hate wearing three layers of clothing and never being comfortable.

Winter SUCKS!!!

Do I have to say it again? Okay: I HATE WINTER!!!!!

Basically, you could put me to bed on November 1 and wake me up on April 1 and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't miss much (hey, I can DVR the UK and Steelers games and watch them when I wake up).

But-

I realize that God has a plan for everything and a reason why we need winter. Apparently, the snow cleanses the earth and the cold kills a lot of germs and disease and other general "funk" that otherwise would run rampant and destroy much of God's glorious creation (and probably the people living in it, as well).

I'm more of a spring and summer guy. I love going to outdoor concerts, baseball games and auto races. I love going to Keeneland and Churchill Downs. I love hanging out on the patio with a bunch of friends having drinks and talking about everything and nothing at all. I love grilling out. I love playing cornhole. I love wearing shorts and t-shirts and being comfortable.

Now before you start leaving comments about what an ungrateful jerk I am, let me put your minds at ease. I know how lucky I am. I haven't forgotten everything I've been blessed with. I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and a job that allows me to pay the power bill even when it triples. At least I have the extra layers to wear even when I'm uncomfortable. There are many among us that don't have homes or heat or clothing. Just take one trip to the Men's Hope Center or a homeless shelter and you will see just how truly blessed you really are. I get it. I really do. But it doesn't change the fact that winter, in my humble opinion, simply sucks!

I guess I should stop ranting and start appreciating God's blessings more. However, one day when I meet Him, I'm sure one of my questions will be, "Winter. Why?"

I guess there are some good things about winter. Not only are there Steelers and UK games, but there are also some pretty great TV shows to watch (LOST, anyone?).

I guess being cooped up inside has its advantages, after all! But I still hate winter...

Quote of the Day

"Global warming is like the earth having a hot flash." -Amie

One More Week!!!

Happy Birthday Dave!

Two More Weeks!!!

Top Tuneage of 2008

UPDATED 1/5/2009

I won't call these my favorite albums of the year, because the word "favorite" would lead you to believe that I liked these albums more than others. This is not true at all. There were several albums released in 2008 that caught my attention. Let's just say these were in the heaviest rotation at the Layne house, how 'bout that? So, in no particular order:

Metallica - Death Magnetic

Imagine if you woke up one day and realized you had been asleep for twenty years and someone says to you, "Dude! The new Metallica album came out today!" Then you went to the record store and bought this album and realized that this is just another in a long line of great Metallica albums. However, you'd never heard the Black Album, Load, Reload or St. Anger. In fact, you didn't even know those albums existed (especially the last three). This would be what you would expect of the next Metallica album.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

If you like My Morning Jacket, you will love this album. If you like Prince, Radiohead, Gov't Mule, Phish or any number of laid-back seventies love songs, you, too, will love this album. With Evil Urges it seems that My Morning Jacket really couldn't decide what kind of album they wanted to release, so they just threw everything they had at it and the finished product came out sounding like an old jukebox on random. Normally, this would piss me off. But that is exactly what I dig so much about it! Although I must say I like Z and It Still Moves much better.

R.E.M. - Accelerate

Normally, I really have to be in the right mood to listen to R.E.M. This is a band I have always respected, appreciated and paid attention to, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that they are one of my favorites. As much as My Morning Jacket ran the gamut of musical styles with their latest effort, R.E.M. did just the opposite. They stuck to the "two-to-three-minute-rock-song formula" and it worked for them. Less is certainly more in some cases and this is one of those cases. I guess the reason I really dug this album is that I didn't expect it! It might be the surprise album of the year for me.

Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad

I think everyone has things from their youth they carry around with them well into their adult years. For me, it's music and movies (i.e. Metallica and Star Wars). Back in the late '80's, Whitesnake released a self-titled album with those classic rock anthems "Still Of The Night" and "Here I Go Again". I still love that album. In fact, every time I hear "Still Of The Night" I have to crank it up! As Donnie Baker would say, "You have to crank it up, man. State Law!" "Here I Go Again", on the other hand, wore out its welcome years and years and years ago, in my opinion. The only thing I'll say about Good To Be Bad is this: If you play guitar and are heavily influenced by hard rock riffs that can tear the roof off an arena, this is your album. I think I've stated on here before... this is a 59-minute riff fest. It's just a solid rock guitar album. It won't go down in history as one of those albums that changed the world or anything, but its a great guitar album. Every time I play it, it takes me back to that self-titled Whitesnake album from the '80's and reminds me of a simpler time before mortgages, car payments, actual responsibilities, etc.


Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain


Sometimes we all just need to chill out and unwind for a bit, right? This was my chill out and unwind soundtrack of 2008. I love it when you hear an artist and immediately know who it is. Ray is the man, OK? He has a playing style and voice that are his and his alone. There is no mistaking Ray when you hear him. Great album from start to finish. Two thumbs up.

Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

The only clever thing I can say about this album is that this is what I think U2 would sound like if they were from Nashville instead of Dublin. Great album from beginning to end. It's one of those few albums that you can put in, push play and get lost. Awesome!

I guess that'll do it for this year's list. I tried not to put any live albums on the list, although I really really really wanted to put Pearl Jam at Bonnaroo on there. But since it was only released on their website and wasn't really an official release, I opted not to include it. Also, because I was staying away from live albums, Dave Matthews Band at the Mile High Music Festival didn't make the cut, either.

I'm really anxious to see what 2009 has to offer music-wise. I know we're getting new albums from Chris Cornell, U2 and Dave Matthews Band (I'm sure at least two of the three have their spots reserved on next year's list already). But I want to be impressed. I want to be amazed. I want something new to move me. Where is the next great musical genius? I hope I find him/her in the coming year.