The 2005 Baseball season is coming to a close this weekend and my beloved Ole’ Town Team (Boston Red Sox) are going to square up against Evil Empire ( NY Yankees ).

You’re probably asking yourself… “How could that be possibly true?”

The Red Sox did the unthinkable last year when they came back from an 0-3 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in what could arguably be the greatest 7 game series of all time.

Prior to that AL Championship, a few co-workers asked if I wanted to have the Sox play the Yanks to get to the World Series…. the truth is, I really didn’t want to see the match up. It wasn’t because I thought the Sox couldn’t be the Yankees. I just didn’t think that the match up could rival what happened in the 2003 ACLS.

The truth is… I didn’t care who the Sox had to topple on their way to the World Series. I didn’t have to add a degree of difficulty to it. A World Series win is a World Series win. 25 guys have to come together as a team every fall and figure out a way to win the best of 7 to win it all… Having to face the Yanks before getting to the biggest prize in Baseball would have been cool… don’t get me wrong, but who was going to hold our feet to the fire?

Apparently everyone. Had the Sox not defeated the Yankees on the way to the World Series, we would have never heard the end of it.

I think that’s the reason why this weekend mach-up meets so much. At stake, the Division Title. A prize that we have never successfully wrestled away from the Yankees in the history of Sox VS Yanks, in respect to head to head mach-ups in September/October.

To clinch the division, the Sox must sweep the Yanks 3 games to 0. If we win 2 out of the 3, we get to play them in the house that Ruth built for a 1 game playoff to win the East.

.mCr.

A few people who visit the site might not know why its called “September29th.com”… Several years ago I needed to come up with an chat handle for AOL Messenger. I think that everyone can relate to the difficulty of coming up with something unique to go by that isn’t already taken. After 5 or 6 attempts to score a handle I wanted, I looked up to a picture of my younger sister and typed in her birthday: September29th.

She (with many other people around the world) are celebrating their birthdays today.

I raise a toast to them all.
.mCr.

Several years ago I was asked to pen a lengthy column for a webzine I scribbled for called Bettawreckonize. Life’s been a little uneventful lately, so I thought I would drag out a little entry I wrote up a few years back.

Enjoy,
.mCr.
_________________________________________

After five years of outstanding service it finally came to me last night that it was time for a new wallet. My current wallet (a gift from my sister five years ago) is showing signs of near death!

1st Sign: All wallets have lining on their insides. The lining separates the bills and the cards into little respective slots. Anyhoo, that lining has started to give and I fear that my cards will have access to escaping.

This is actually the first time that I’ve ever had this happen, but I attribute it to having more credit, ATM, ID’s, etc.

My first wallet was a very nasty blue Coca-Cola velcro wallet that I got while on vacation with my family in Colorado. I remember pulling out a small wad of money somewhere and my father asked where my billfold was? I stood there looking at him with a blank stare (knowing very well that no answer was never agood excuse for my father) and told him that I didn’t have one. I guess I didn’t really think about it too much then but his concern about me not having a wallet as a little boy (more importantly – his little boy) was very noticeable. He managed to find the Coca-Cola billfold at my aunt’s house that afternoon and it served as my wallet from age 7 to 11. In retrospect, I didn’t use it all that much I just had it on me in case my father asked me to pull it out. On Saturdays he would wake me up really early to go get “father/son” haircuts. He’d ask where the “bill fold” was and I’d flash it out so I could get the five spot to pay for the snipping. The biggest problem with this wallet was:

· It looked cheesy (it being a freakish BLUE).
· It had that super Velcro that kept it together.

Remember those 80′s Velcro wallets? It was like tearing a fucking phone book in half! I wonder what ever happened to all those wallets? I think I missed out on a class action lawsuit of some kind – where children all across the U.S. suffered freak arm dislocations from trying to tear open one of those things. Come to think of it? I remember having a CAMEL cigarette “Six-pack” cooler, also a vibrant blue, that looked like a plastic paper bag of some kind. Again, my forearms suffered from its VELCRO HELL! But what can I do? My mother urged me to use as a lunch box and I did.

· I should note: My parents stressed the importance of never drinking, smoking or doing drugs, but fuck if they ever passed on the opportunity of outfitting my sister and I with countless “one-size-fits-all” garb from Salem, Camel, Marlboro, Budweiser, Miller Lite, etc. I remember how pissed my mom was when I was in 4th grade and they announced that these shirts could no longer be used at school! I shit you NOT!

Here is a 3rd grade photo of me wearing a *Playboy* polo shirt, my father got from a subscription. He had wanted a medium shirt, but they sent a small by accident. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the front zipper goes down to my belly button!

Anyway, after several complaints my father broke down and gave me a money clip he had stored somewhere.

The Money Clip – That lasted all but three weeks. I never had enough money to really ever put in a clip at the age eleven, so after another two weeks of complaints on my part, my uncle was kind enough to pass on his old wallet. A nasty, NEAR LEATHER job, that had a deep CACA brown border and a freaky tan fuzz square on each side. My uncle (George) was seven years older than I was so he was an Idol of sorts. So I took this wallet as a “coming of age” moment. For most guys it’s shaving, but I run deep with Aztec blood (that means no facial hair till your early 20′s) so I had to make good with what I had.

But I digress….the nasty, “Near Leather” wallet lasted for a couple of years. I didn’t really need a wallet from ages 12 to 14. I really only had it on me, when I went out to the movies or the mall. A nasty rubber-like piggy bank that kept my School I.D. and what little money I didn’t blow on records.

My third wallet was the monumental wallet. This was the wallet that would set my wallet tastes FOR LIFE! A very fashionable, tri-fold brown leather wallet made by FOSSIL. I was only months away from acquiring my license and I was GEEKED to finally have use the FLAP function! The ability to flap open is the reason why I’m a tri-fold man for life….I don’t see how people can justify the bi-fold. It’s an inferior wallet. Sure it’s slim and it’s probably better for your back, but I need that inconvenience on my right butt check. Sure it hurts, but at least I know that it’s still there!

The FOSSIL wallet lasted for five years or so. I remember the little metal logo coming off fist then the leather began to tear from it missing. I actually took a needle and thread to it and gave it a scar like appearance. Something that I thought was FUCKING COOL, but got little support from loved ones

Present Wallet: Five years ago, on Christmas, my sister decides to get me a new “bill fold.” I knew that this should be taken as a thoughtful gesture, but it’s a bullshit last minute gift on her behalf. My mother urged her to get if for me! Women don’t understand the relationship between a man and his wallet. No one should come in between that.…if a person is going to let something that special go, then let that person do it on his own. Don’t gift wrap it in a little box and have him open it in front of family members!

So now I’m in a living room, stuck with extended family (that I wouldn’t be caught dead with – if it weren’t for Christmas) fielding silly remarks like: “Wow Rollie! A new wallet.” “You’ve been needing one of those… why don’t you try it out?” “Try it out? Have you no fucking HEART WOMAN,” I said to my aunt (we’re a drinking family on the holidays).

So, after my little drunken blow-up. I took my new wallet and the rest of my unopened presents up to my room. I just sat there with the creeping thought of having the “changing of the guard.” Every man has to do this. You set the new wallet on the right side of the old wallet and you pull out all the old things that you may have forgotten about over the years. The high school pictures, the phone number from “what’s-her-name,” that you promised to give a call to after a long Friday night in Mexico. It makes you really not want to get rid of the precious little thing. Anyway, I decided to use the little black wallet my sister gave me.

I hated it at first. I remember the first time I accidentally left it in some pants and it got washed in the washer. I pulled out the little wet mess and I didn’t feel bad for it. I kind of hoped that the wallet wouldn’t pull through. Anything so I could get my mother to send the old wallet back! But, it didn’t. New wallets, like new dogs that replace old ones, have to EARN YOUR LOVE!

And it has. Strangely enough, the wallet was a little more convenient than my old wallet and I got several compliments from friends on how nice it was.

However, the compliments are few and far between now and it just gave off another sign of near death.

You know that little plastic laminate that covers the license? Well, it started doing what I like to call “the stretch.” That’s where the laminate seems to stretch beyond the leather border, possibly caused by the giving of the glue from various dunkings I gave it in the washer. Once the laminate stretches, it begins to curl. My laminate is now beyond the curl stage and its found it’s way to the cu
rl and crack stage. Not good, especially for a happening young gent like myself. I can’t be taking out the old wallet with a cracked and curled laminate…. it’s not DONE in rock n’ roll!

But, I’m four years out of the wallet loop (actually nine years or so since my sister purchased my last wallet). Where am I supposed to start my search?

I’ve never seen an article on wallets and that gave me a reason to even write a column on the subject. Is there a specific brand that I need to keep an eye out for? Does one limit themselves to visiting his or her local mall to get one of these things?

I know that I don’t need anything too fancy. A wallet from Luis Vuitton won’t do. I don’t ever frequent a spot (or know a person for that matter) that would admire that kind of wallet. With that said I don’t want something that may be too trendy either. I mean, I don’t care how popular Paul Frank is; a silly monkey on my wallet won’t do!

I just want something simple. I’m not set on having it a specific color but I’d like to have a leather wallet. A nice tri-fold with equipped with a few slots to showcase my spending power.

So if you have any recommendations or thoughts on my little piece please send them in.

As I slowly creep to Twenty Eight tender years of age… little things in recent months have began to shape my adult life. Most recently, I received my first ever ‘prescription’ to cure a mild case of Acid Reflux that I was diagnosed with in late July. The routine is rather easy… I take my pill around 7:30AM every day and have breaky half an hour later.

In recent weeks… I’ve been a little bad about getting up early on Saturday’s to take my prescription, which leaves me a little puzzled in the morning when I’m walking around the apartment, wondering whether I took it or not.

I decided to swing by a local drugstore over the weekend to find a pill box that I could easily put my prescription medication into. I kinda hoped to find a pill box that would be small, sexy and discreet…

I naturally didn’t come across anything described above, but I got a pharmacist to give me this little number for free!

I couldn’t possibly begin to describe my excitement of the Nintendo Revolution prior to September 16, 2005. A few months ago, Nintendo released photos of the Nintendo Revolution (the 5th platform from Nintendo, replacing the Gamecube) at E3 with the promise of releasing information about their next-gen controller at a later date.

It was reported then that Nintendo wanted to be very secretive about the look & abilities of the Revolution controller because other consoles look to ape their ideas.

The second bit of information was that the console was going to have the ability to download & play any game in the history of Nintendo. This was an amazing bit of news, because unlike the other consoles, Nintendo has a stable of FABULOUS games.

In 1985 the NES debuted and my parent’s were cool enough to get me one for Christmas. This was quite possibly the best reason that I ever stayed up until Midnight to receive something.

The machine was nothing short of “perfect”. It had an incredible color scheme, futuristic design, 2 breathtakingly simple buttons on the front of it: Power & Reset

The machine simply shat on everything around it from an indefinable hight.

And it wasn’t only the console that eclipsed everything that I had ever encountered… it was the controllers that simply set it apart from anything I had ever laid hands on. Resembling very closely to the form factor of the NES, the two button controller was year zero for console controls. Was it perfect? Absolutely not… It had very sharp corners and this was problematic when thrashing it down onto the carpet and having it come flying back at your head. The cords that accompanied it were impossibly thick. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent trying to wind the cord perfectly around its rectangle head before putting it away.

But despite these shortcommings, I never set out to replace it with the inferior NES Advantage. A shitty device that only aided those who needed the benefits of a Slow and Turbo button to defeat obstacles in games they couldn’t normally finish.
Nothing was more upsetting that playing against someone who hid behind the need to play with a joystick that mimicked the feel of an Arcade layout. When it was all said and done, it was the Turbo and Slow buttons they were after.

But I digress. The system benefited from having an amazing set of games. Super Mario Bros. (1, 2 & 3,) Zelda I & II, Final Fantasy I, II, III, Megaman, Metroid, Adventure Island…. the list goes on and on.

All I could do the very moment that the Revolution could play its entire back catalog, was think about what games I wanted to download the very evening I brought it home.

RC Pro-Am, Megaman II, Contra!!!

Contra gave us the “Konami code” An intricate sequence of button entries for (up,up,down,down,left,right,left,rightb,a,start) that set apart those in the know from those who are undeserving to get it.

Which got me thinking again about the controller. How would Nintendo develop a controller that would cover every console that they’ve ever released?

As cool as the NES controller was, the following system SNES (Super Nintendo) had a controller that completely trumped its predecessor . Upping the ante to Six buttons, games on the SNES could do things that were just unimaginable. The form factor couldn’t have been better. The familiar grey casing had a dash of periwinkle and purple. Which in retrospect looks a bit silly, but it may arguably be the finest controller they’ve ever made.

The following controller (for the Nintendo 64) showcased (IMHO) the second time Nintendo got a controller wrong. The first time honor goes to the Power Glove. A mishap that I think many want to forget about…. the Power Glove was a nightmare to configure (with silly pieces of plastic that Nintendo wanted you to velcro onto your Television set so that you could get the Glove to be recognized by NES. While the N64 was a little hard on the eyes… Nintendo developed incredible games around the controller. The N64 benefits from having 7 buttons. The coolest of the 7 was button “Z” on the center grip. It’s the button layout that made Mario Kart 64, Golden Eye, Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, all rock veracious wang!

So much so that the N64 is my second favorite controller behind the SNES one.

Then there was the Gamecube…. the Gamecube controller, never appealed to me. I think it will go down as the most forgettable controller to date. While many of the games benefit from single button action… it makes the system feel regressive. Which is really unfair to the Gamecube, because game development has never been better at Nintendo. The layout however is just simply rank. Weighing in at 8 push buttons (one directional push “C”) the control is equally over and underwhelming.

Which brings us to the morning of September 16th, 2005. The day that will go down in history as being the Nintendo controller that jumped the shark. There isn’t words to describe the horrifying disappointment and shock I felt this morning. The controller is rumored to work like a mouse, except that it works in a three dimensional space. Sensors are reported to be inside the controller to interpret pitch and yaw.

The remote control/directional pad… um device? Has a large Gamecube inspired “A” button below the directional pad with a button “B” directly below it, acting much like the trigger button did for the N64 controller. Below that mess is a row of three small buttons: Start, Home, and Select.

Near the bottom end of the controller are two additional buttons labeled a and b. Which means one could could turn the controller 90 degrees to rock out some serious NES games, but it doesn’t say much for SNES, N64 an
d Gamecube games now… does it?

I read word this afternoon, that more controllers are to surface. Specifically multi button ones. Something I’m desperately hoping for. How in the hell am I supposed to get my Madden on with a numchuck device?

Can anyone ever recall a system launching where 3rd party controllers would be gladly welcomed? Some may say the original X-Box controllers were shitty enough, to get 3rd party apps pretty geared up for aftermarket…. but they’re not nearly as bad as this one.

Going into 2006, I saw myself as a 2 console home. I would be getting a Revolution and PS3 at a later date…. announcement of todays control setting just assured me of getting a PS3 (regardless of the cost) on release day.

.mCr.

I’ve been described in the past as being a person who is “hard to shop for”. I don’t really know why… I never shut up about what I want. While surfing the net last night I ran across this little gem.

Bill Waterson’s classic Calvin & Hobbes will be released as a complete set by: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

I spent a good part of my teens reading every panel by Senior Waterson. No word on there being bonus materials…

Safe to say that this collection Rocks Wang

I’m completely taken aback by the arms race going on between Schick and Gillette these days…

I’ve been a devout Gillette user since my 18th birthday… I (like many other guys) got a Sensor Excel in the mail from them (without any provocation from my part) and for that reason alone, I’ve been brand loyal to them. There was a brief moment in the 90′s when Schick came out with a bendable 2 blade razor (the Extreme I think…) but it felt shitty in your hand and the blades managed to pull hairs more than it managed to cut them. Gruesome I know… but there’s penalties for cheating on the one you love.

I’ve been using the Sensor Excel now for about a decade now… In my opinion it never got better than the Sensor Excel. Replacements roughly set you back a dollar for every blade set and you could retrofit it with the Gillette Sensor (also a double blade, but they weren’t as expensive) for a little bit less in the event you were hard up for money.

I hesitantly went up to the Mach III two years after its introduction because I received a free one in the mail. I didn’t stick with it too much because I got very put off for shelling out 11 dollars for FOUR blades. It’s not so much the money, I can afford to pay it… I just wish there were more options out there.

Last year Gillette decided to introduce the M3 (a Mach 3 that vibrates) and I realized that very moment that Gillette jumped the shark.

I gladly went back to the Sensor Excel, but Gillette decided to quietly introduce the Sensor Excel ^ 3. This isn’t the official product name, but the blade setting went up a number – driving costs to get close to that of the Mach III. This is really upsetting seeing that the Mach III blades can bend to the contour of your skin.

The announcement of the Gillette Fusion was rather predictable. The Onion called this announcement out a year or so ago with the fabulous headline Fuck Everything, We’re Doing Five Blades.

No word yet on how much a set of 3 blades will set you back. Keep this in mind… 3 blade sets will contain 25 RAZOR BLADES.

I’ll set the over under @ $15.99

As consumers, we need to seriously wake up. We’re being held hostage by this silly shit.

.mCr.

With news of My Favorite breaking this afternoon… I’ve decided to post about a band from Austin Texas that I’ve been digging for a few months now. They’re called Voxtrot and my friend Heather turned me on to them after she wrote up a brief blurb for a pop festival they participated in out west.

I think they’re absolutely dreamy.

Give them a listen and pick up their album from the link above.
The Start Of Something

.mCr.

I was forced a few weeks back by my friend Heather to NOT break this story… She was in attendance for My Favorite’s last performance in August… It was only this afternoon that the band finally went public about their split.

I learned about My Favorite four years ago when my dear friend Heather spun their album at my house… I foolishly dismissed them after my first listen, but became obsessed with them a year or so later.

Highly recommend them to anyone who likes: the Smiths, Young Marble Giants

.mCr.

Finally got around to watching Eraserhead last night. A film that I’ve been meaning to get to my entire life, but never managed to secure a copy until this week. It’s not so much that the film is unattainable… I’ve gone to a number of rental stores but the bloody movie never seems to be on the shelf. I have a friend in Detroit who has a copy of the film, but it’s a freak Japanese import (on Laserdisc) that set him back 70 dollars in the mid 90′s.

The film was restored a few years ago to DVD and is made available by David Lynch at his website: www.davidlynch.com

The film will set you back $40.00 (shipping not included) and I thought that was a bit too high to schill out on a movie I hadn’t seen. I opted to secure the film from Netflix and made time this week to catch it. My thoughts:

The DVD starts out with an interesting introduction about what the appropriate TV settings should be to watch the film. After adjusting the contrast, brightness and sharpness of my Television, I dimmed the lights in my apartment to take it in properly.

The film restoration is amazing. I don’t really have a reference point to compare it to, it was my first time catching the flick, but the scenes were crisp and surreal. I won’t go too much into the plot development of the film… I’m possibly the last person on earth to see it.

My favorite part of the DVD is that the movie is 1 track.

There’s no chapter selection on the movie and I think its appropriate. It forces one to sit down and enjoy it in one sitting.

Seek it out: It Rocks Wang

.mCr.