Half Dollar Hot Dogs on Air

Ted and I (half of the HDHDs) are going to play a song or two live on WXDU tomorrow night around 8pm during Chris's show. [Ted's the one with the demonic eyes in the photo above.] I'm scared...not of Ted, but of singing and playing into a microphone. I was trying to practice last night and I wasn't doing so well. But Ted is really really good, so maybe I can just hide my playing behind his. My strumming is still not up to par and my vocals leave alot to be desired. Where's a magic ukulele fairy when you need one?

Last night, my strumming was aided by the use of a pick. I do love to play with a pick. Is that so wrong?

Seasonal Happiness

In the past, I have noticed that I suffer (as we probably all do) from a little bit of seasonal depression. It seems like around December, my jobs get crazy busy, it's cold outside, there's not alot of daylight, there's alot of holiday obligations, etc. It can be a drag.


But in July, it's different. It's warm outside, there's lots of daylight, you can sit outside on the porch and have beers with friends, you can go swimming in the ocean, etc. And of course it's National Hot Dog Month. I was thinking about hot dogs last night. (Shocking, I know.) The hot dog is simply a happy food. I cannot imagine someone bawling their eyes out while eating a hot dog. I could see someone crying over a bowl of soup or a piece of toast or oatmeal, but not the weinie. Hot dogs are often eaten with other people who are also happy. You just can't be sad and lonely while eating a hot dog. And I have noticed that it's hard not to smile while eating one. Have you noticed that, too? Maybe, I am nuts.

Also adding to my seasonal bliss this July has been the ukulele. Like eating a hot dog, I cannot imagine anyone being unhappy playing or listening to ukulele music. Well, except maybe some of Stephin Merritt's ukulele songs. But with the inherent brightness and beautiful tone of the instrument, even Merritt's sad uke tunes make me happy. At High Dollar Hot Dog practice, we are continually coming up with quirky, playful songs that we want to play on the ukulele... such as Roger Miller tunes, 70s pop songs, and some vintage pop songs from the 30s. I doubt you'll ever hear an Elliott Smith or Morrissey song covered by the HDHDs.


National Hot Dog Month ends today. I am a little sad that the holiday is over, but not too much. I'll just have to make more of an effort to eat hot dogs and play ukulele music throughout the year. Maybe my parents will serve bacon-wrapped hot dogs for Christmas dinner. Or the HDHDs could find a New Year's Eve gig. That would be the best.

One day, I promise to stop writing about hot dogs and ukuleles. But it might be awhile.

What Happens When You Google Hot Dog

I like to post pictures with my blog entries as anyone can probably tell. I am an extremely visual person. In my previous post, I really wanted to post a picture of a hot dog, but I didn't find one that fit my mood tonight. However, I did find these, which kinda creep me out.

Radio Show, Tuesday July 24 6-9PM

Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider
Desi Arnaz - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
Skeets McDonald - Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes
Ashley Stove - Amen Grasshopper
Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
Small Sins - Is She the One
Brian Eno - I'll Come Running
The Replacements - I Will Dare
Marshall Crenshaw - Cynical Girl
Luna - California (All the Way)
Gene Kardos & His Orchestra - A HOT DOG, A Blanket & You
Les Chauds Lapins - These Foolish Things
Fluffy Hunter with the Jesse Powell Orchestra - The Walkin' Blues

Sunday night, I ended up having dinner at James Joyce. (Federal was too crowded and James Joyce was blaring Camera Obscura, who I love to the point of obsession). About halfway through my burger, I heard a familiar guitar line and the words "I've gotta run to keep from hiding/And I'm bound to keep on riding." I racked my brain trying to figure out who was singing this song. Once I was told that it was the Allman Brothers, I knew I had to play it on my radio show. There is definitely not enough Allman Brothers being played on WXYC these days. And "Midnight Rider" is just a great song. I just now tried to play it on the ukulele and it has too few chords and it relies too much on vocals. Neh.

And folks, my favorite holiday of the year is coming to a close. National Hot Dog Month is just days away from ending. So sad. In honor of the last few days of this monumental holiday, I had to play "A Hot Dog, A Blanket, and You" by Gene Kardos and his Orchestra.

I gotta get back to the ukulele practicing. But I do want to play some 70s soft rock or 70s country rock on the ukulele. Maybe I can try America's "Sister Golden Hair."

My entire playlist can be found here.

Late Night Horrorscope

America - Lonely People
Ocie Stockard & the Wanderers - You've Got Me There
The Four Yanks - Dudu Wam
Eric Bachman - Genie, Genie
Ella - Angel Eyes
Roba Stanley - Single Life
Beck - Paper Tiger
The Minders - I've Been Wondering
Little Willie John - Let Them Talk
Wayne Newton - Strangers in the Night

It's hard to listen to any song these days without rating it ukulelebility. America's "Lonely People" has a high ukulelebility rating, but Little Willie John's "Let Them Talk" doesn't.

Right now, I am really trying to figure out the chords on Buck Owen's "I Betcha Didn't Know." My musical limitations are really killing me these days. I want to be able to play four-fingered chords, strum in rhythm, and sing in key. AND I CAN'T!!!! And I really want to be able to listen to songs and figure out the chords for them. I want it so bad. I just gotta conquer this one Buck Owen's song.... maybe tomorrow.

Gutterglory & Gut Glory

My senior year at UNC, I realized that I needed to take one physical education class or else I wouldn't graduate. Yikes. I had taken an 8am aerobics class my freshman year and I knew that I didn't want to do anything like that ever again. Who wants to work out that early in the morning? As a college student, I sure didn't. During my senior year, the only time I worked up a sweat was dancing all night long at a local rave somewhere.

Anyway, there were stories about an easy PE class that didn't require any physical exertion or sweat and even allowed SMOKE BREAKS. (I am so glad that I grew up in this state.) I needed to take that class. It was bowling. It was hard as hell to get in the class because everyone else at UNC wanted an easy PE class, too. I took a gamble my final semester of college by signing up knowing that there was a great chance that I would be rejected. Thank god I made it into the class.

Bowling met on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons around 3:30 or so, which was great, because it allowed me, some of my classmates and a huge group of friends to go to Papagayo's for margarita pitchers before class. So not only did we get smoke breaks, we went to class tipsy on margaritas.

Our instructor was cute, but he wore those god-awful, tight, polyester coach shorts. Ew. But he was cool. Well, at least he didn't seem to mind or notice the margaritas on our breath. He encouraged us to do midnight bowling (bowling with the lights off)... which is always fun when you're a little tipsy. We had ridiculously easy multiple-choice tests, like how many pins are there in a frame? He didn't grade us on our bowling scores or number of strikes or technique really... if he did, I would've flunked. I never even broke a 100 in my bowling class. But I did make an A.

UNC offered its final bowling classes this past Spring semester. The student union's bowling alley is now closed and the university plans to turn that space into offices.

In March of this year, I joined a bowling league. I became part of a super team with some guys who are bigger music geeks than I am... I love it. They came up with the brilliant name Gutterglory, a nod to the now defunct indie rock band, Butterglory. The day before Gutterglory's first game, I fell and sprained/fractured my ankle. Luckily, the boys were able to find a last minute sub, who's been covering my slot since April. But last night, I was back in action! We got beat by the other team 2 out of our 3 games. But the one game that we won, I bowled a 120!!!! My cute, polyester-shorts-wearing, bowling instructor would be proud.

I wanted to celebrate my incredibly high score, so my teammate, Mark and I headed over to the Federal to meet up with some of the other bowlers. After a couple beers, Mark, who was starved suggested that we drive over to Cook-Out to get a burger and a milkshake. I was a little hesitant because for one, it was 12:30 at night and two, I am not a fan of fast food burgers. But he said that they had really good milkshakes. Let's go!!

As we were driving, Mark was telling me about Cook-Out's seasonal WATERMELON MILKSHAKES. Oh. My. God. We pulled up to the lighted menu board and then everything after that was a big blur. Before I could blink, we were driving away with two bacon cheeseburgers with grilled onions and two watermelon milkshakes. Mark and I sat at my kitchen table and enjoyed an incredible, late-night, gluttonous meal. The burger was really great for fast food. It was a decent thickness and rather juicy and had a good meaty flavor. The bacon on it ROCKED.

Oooooohh. But that milkshake. It was incredible. The watermelon chunks were so large that they kept clogging my straw. You couldn't help but use a spoon. I was afraid that the creaminess of the milkshake would overpower the sometimes delicate taste of the watermelon. But that was not the case at all. It was great. They had a gazillion milkshake flavors on that menu board, but the watermelon will only last another month or so.

I think that a late-night trip to Cook-Out might be mandatory for all future bowling nights.

Today's Playlist

Today, I spent some more time looking for my lost beloved John Schneider album. During my search, I realized that I have been really neglecting my records. So, this evening, I decided to listen to some. They included:

Electric Light Orchestra - On the Third Day (side two)
Duran Duran - Seven and the Ragged Tiger (side one)
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (side two)
Little Feat - Sailin' Shoes (side one)
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze (side one)

I just don't get Electric Light Orchestra. But I loved that Seals and Crofts album side.

But John Schneider is still lost.