McDonalds Monopoly, Craft Beer Week, Emeralds Live & More!

• McDonald’s Monopoly game started this week, and my friend and I couldn’t be more excited. Within the first twenty-four hours of the promotion, we’d made half a dozen trips to our local McDick’s. So far we’ve won a few orders of french fries and Nate won a McFlurry. We’re smart Monopoly players. We know what we need to win, and we know that entering game codes online is way more important than trying to match like-properties. Still, that doesn’t stop some people who participate in the annual McDopoly competition from being complete retards. Like this guy from Canada, who peeled Park Place and thought he’d won the million dollar grand prize. I guess there was a typo on the McDonald’s website that neglected to mention you need Boardwalk and Park Place to win. Now this guy wants to sue McDonald’s. Fuck him, he’s a fucking idiot. Learn to play the game the right way, guy. I hope you get no money and someone rapes you. Leave McDonald’s Monopoly to the pros, asshole. [story]

• Robeto Alomar and the case of his “full-blown AIDS” has resumed. Now he’s being sued by his soon-to-be ex-wife for the same reason he was sued by an ex-girlfriend. He “intentionally, with corrupt intent, [concealed] from [her] his physical condition.” That is to say, he told her he didn’t have full-blown AIDS just to get her to have unprotected sex with him. It’s funny that Alomar caught the bug after he retired from baseball, because when he played for the Mets he couldn’t catch shit. He had one of the worst fielding years of his career! [story]

• As I was falling asleep last night I started to wonder how often I wash my bed sheets. I guess it’s been a few weeks now, and every time I go to do laundry I consider stripping the bed and bringing along the sheets but I usually succumb to laziness and leave them behind. Now that we’ve entered the first month of cold and flu season everyone is stressing the importance of sanitizing one’s linens. I’d rather just get a flu shot, inject some serum into my sheets, and never take them to the laundromat. Eh, I’ll probably cave and wash them this week. [story]

• You should all check out my friend Autumn’s blog. She’s a very accomplished photographer and a pretty good writer, too! [story]

• Craft Beer Week has begun! I rang in the celebration last night with a pint of Lucky Devils in Hollywood. I also had a diablo burger (with grass fed beef) and fries. I still think Lucky Devil’s might serve the best fries in LA, but the diablo burger isn’t one of the best in the city. I don’t like the bun-to-meat ratio. The spiciness is definitely there and I love bacon and avocado, but the competition for best burger in this city is really, really tough. I will say I liked the tall-grass beef better than the kobe beef I had last time I went to Lucky Devils. In other craft beer news, the industry has managed to survive and flourish in spite of the economic downturn. In fact, sales of craft beers were up 9% during the first half of 2010, while total national beer sales declined by almost 3%. Maybe more people are realizing that there are beers beyond the swill they serve at most bars. Good job, America! Welcome to the club. [story]

• Also last night, I went to see Emeralds perform at the Music Box in Hollywood. I didn’t stay for either of the other acts on the bill, but I got my money’s worth from Emeralds. They went on at 9pm and launched into “Genetic.” They did not cease playing for 45 glorious minutes. It took someone from the next band walking out in front of the stage and waving at the trio to remind them that they needed to draw their jam to a close. The highlight for me was the guitar playing of Mark McGuire. The second half of the song, the build-up with the repeated D, G, C riff and the guitar solo that followed, was for me the highlight of their set. Some fans might disagree with me, but I really liked what Steve Hauschildt was doing, perhaps more so than the frantic, freak-out synth of John Elliott. I was digging the textures and drones he built. I wanted their set to continue but I guess I’ll have to wait for them to tour on their own, not as a supporting act. I could trip out on that shit for hours. Emeralds. So good.

Emeralds – Genetic

• Oh yeah, and if you live in the New York City are and want to meet your favorite blogger and buy him a drink, let me know. We’ll make it happen sometime between October 20th and November 2nd. Blackout optional.