it said ice cubes a pimp

zona: I say the 00’s was a downright crappy decade. even Obama’s election has gone south. can you find me 5 significant good things that happened?

some say its not really our president’s fault that hope ‘n change didnt just sprout out everywhere overnight, magically, like flowers in the springtime after a harsh winter. some say he inherited a depression-like recession, two unwinable wars, and a divided nation so at odds they have forgotten who the real enemy is – indeed, the designated hitter rule continues to mock the integrity of the national pasttime. as wanda sykes so eloquently put recently, “i donated twenty five bucks, i expected change immediately.”

the fact that the usa finally got over whatever it had to get over to elect a black president, in this black man’s eyes, is easily the most significant good thing that happened. it was good not because of the gentleman’s politics or world view, but because racism is one of this country’s most shameful elements, and its erosion can only lead to a greater understanding of our place in the global community.

madonna dancing with xtina and britney comes in a close second.

everything else, i agree, was mighty craptastic.

although it was in this decade that the busblog was created and all the riches that befell yours truly in its wake.

david lee roth reuniting with van halen should probably be #4

18 million people turning its back on terrestrial radio was pretty awesome as well

Aaron: to continue zona’s thought; 5 significant things that didn’t happen.

1. we didnt find weapons of mass destruction in iraq
2. virtual reality
3. the twin towers werent replaced
4. oj didnt keep his freedom
5. the cubs didnt lose one game in the world series

g/d: followed by 5 reminders why I should continue to live in Montreal in spite of all the snow and cold.

1. when you speak french people dont say “qué?”
2. you have the best poutine anywhere
3. the habs are due for a return for glory any year now
4. warm weather and ocean breezes are overrated
5. if everyone left MTL, the arcade fire would be sad

timmay!!!!!: can you add the 2004 red sox to zona’s list?

although the busblog doesnt officially recognize the junior circuit, especially a team that turned its back on the Moneyball philosophies when it shelled out tens of millions for several stars (papi, manny, pedro, schill, et al), that league championship series was easily the most fascinating television since ojs slow bronco chase.

Andrea: To go with the five theme, name your five favorite bands/movies/books of the decade.

top 5 bands who released their first record this decade
1. Tsar
2. Kanye West
3. The Grates
4. Arcade Fire
5. Quiet Company

top 5 books whose hardcover or paperback came out in this decade
1. Cruddy by Lynda Barry
2. Scar Tissue by Anthony Keidis
3. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
4. The Illustrated Genesis by R. Crumb
5. Moneyball by Michael Lewis

top 5 movies
1. Kill Bill Vol. 2
2. The Fabulous Mr. Fox
3. Lost in Translation
4. Moulin Rouge
5. Fahrenheit 911

Second Time Long Time: To continue with the theme of five, what are five things you would do if you were able to backpack through Europe for a month?

1. id land in amsterdam so i could see art and ride bikes with bicycle mark and JaG.
2. then germany for the beer in the huge mugs served from the big ladies
3. then sweden, because the people are extremely nice
4. then prague cuz they too have good beer, im told
5. then italy because its amazing

jessica: what is a girl who got kicked to the curb to do? (aside from send you naked photos, sorry tony)

the only reasonable thing to do after a breakup is to move on. if that means sending innapropriate photos to bloggers half way around the country, so be it. whatever helps ease the healing process. unfortunately romance rarely lends to reasonable thought and not only do we have a hard time running in the opposite direction of those who are no longer good for us, but we obsess over the past. thank god the sun stays in the moment. thank god tv doesnt pine over yesterday. thank god life moves on even when we are so resistant to the here and now. we are humans, not boulders in the river. its our job to ride the rapids, not sit and wait and watch.

meredith r. mistletoe: a) i object to this being the last ask tony of the year.
b) give me back sass
c) what do i want for christmas (my birthday!!!!!!!!)?
d) can i have everything that i ever dream of?

a) next friday night i fly into The Windy, and the friday after that is a little thing called Christmas Eve. not the best days for silly blogging traditions.

b) sass is ours forever. shes even stated how her feelings about this strange and unusual town have changed for the better. in fact this afternoon i believe shes going to a flea market with a scruffy young colleague of mine. her life will be changed forevermore. good thing you took pictures cuz thats all you’ll have to remember her by.

c) you want world peace and for all the little babies of the world to feel loved. your so sweet.

d) yes but since youre canadian you have to give 60% of it back to the state.

Steven Allen Adams: Hey T, I know you say design isn’t important, but I’m looking to redesign my personal blog at www.unsilentm.com and I’m looking for someone to design me a original wordpress template. Who would be good to go to for something completely original?

design is a fakeout. ask drudge, ask the wall street journal, ask the google homepage. its the content that matters. some would say its all that matters. ask donald trumps hair how much looks matter. ask susan boyles accountant. but since youre here ask the design team of the world famous busblog who hasnt had a redesign in 8 years.

nature has created things to look a certain way for one reason only: to trick you.

start with the heart and work outwards. make sure the content that youre providing is special and unique and timely and insightful and meaningful and interesting and delightful and funny and smart and useful.

then paint it if you must.

but until what goes in the box is spectacular, theres no reason to even spend a second on what the box looks like.

Matt Welch: To put an optimistical spin on the questions above, maybe five reasons for hope that the twenty-teens will be maybe almost as good as the ’90s?

1. the stock market seemed to have found a bottom and is slowly bouncing back.
2. the real estate market seems to have found a bottom and is now coming back.
3. theres no future for the yankees
4. theres a nobel prizewinning brotha in the white house
5. there are plans for not one, but two NFL teams in that cultural hotbed: irwindale

raymi: when will the anonymous turd be permanently phased out? and why do they think we care?

for every action theres an equal and opposite reaction. thats the theory of relativity. its also the theory of douchebagivity. its also a good measure to find out exactly how edgy and popular you are: how many negative anonymous commentors muddy yr waters with their ignorant bile. yes, its a measuring de tool. the only way to rid yourself of the opposite reactions is to stop producing the awesome.

first we have the most adorable lil kid who could be a mini rivers cuomo
he plays the ukulele and makes his momma laugh.
but all it will make you do is hate john mayer more
and curse yourself for never learning chords

next we have a homeless man being interviewed by Opie & Anthony on Sirius/XM
during the interview its revealed that the gentleman used to be a musician
so they get a guitar and let him play and its amazing. and nsfw.

and now you realize that a homeless man and a little kid both shred better than u

happy holidays!

which means its Ask Tony

this will be the last Ask Tony of the year so dont hold back

last night i took my truest to a sushi place downtown.

super cozy, fun, delicious place.

so cozy i had my arm around her the whole time.

little did i know that the dude sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HER was hitting on her right as we were getting ready to leave.

what was i doing while the move was being busted? i was buying a beer for the dude next to me who was celebrating his 55th birthday.

he and his wife was in town from Santa Barbara, where they are natives.

drinks all around and the most delicious sushi downtown: Sushi Hama.

so heres a picture of me and my momma cuz i love her

and i wouldnt be anything (worthwhile) without her

ive been clammed up in this apartment for two days now.

my nose is raw from blowing and sneezing and wiping and sniffling.

thought i had the swine but this morning it was half what it was the day before.

so if it was the swine it either was a little piggy or no match to my mcdonalds interior.

regardless, this poorly shot video brought some sunshine to my cold dark existence.

if i was a musician giving a live performance i would do this: i would pose in rock poses for 5 minutes before the show. that way everyone with a camera would get a good shot. then id figure out the three people in the crowd with the best cameras. if they swore theyd post a few dozen pics for Flickr and any video onto youtubes and that they would grant access to bloggers etc via Creative Commons, id let them work their way to the front of the stage. then id tell them they have to crouch down or sit on the stage. etc.

then id demand that everyone else puts their damn crappy ass cameras in their pockets AND ENJOY THE SHOW.

sadly i can barely even whistle.

because if we did, and we acted like Saints fans, more than hilarity would ensue

but back to the video and the incredible impression it could be sending to the world.

not that i care all that much about what others think about the usa – to me its far too diverse and freaky to be accurately categorized – but as funny as this video is, i hope the international community knows that not every american has a flat screen tv thats so easilly disposable, or racks of guns at the ready poised to put holes in anything in the name of a good time (or sporting result).

but i do hope they make it to the end of the clip where the gentleman with the head tattoo puts on a helmet before attempting his stupid human trick.

america: we practice safe stupidity

h/t the lisanti quarterly

still at home drinking oj and slurping soup.

heard the gardeners in courtyard with their leaf blowers, etc.

remembered that one of the palm trees had a frond that was drooping right in front of my ficus. now that poor ficus has been here since Shira had the place and its done better and worse over the last decade of rock n roll.

but lately that frond has been sun-blocking it and all its little leaves are dying.

so i poked my head out and said, amigo can you cut that palm tree por favor?

he did so pretty quickly with the help of his partner and i ran inside my house because i remembered that i had picked up two really good bottles of wine that were practically being given away at the grocery store for $5 each.

i retrieved the bottles and gave them to the gardeners with a Merry Christmas and muchas gracias.

the whole thing brought a warm feeling inside me.

“Wear warm clothes home” she wrote in the subject

shes referring to the fact that im going home for Christmas, and when i was a younger man, i would climb on the plane in shorts and only pack tshirts.

she included this recent picture from my sisters house.

i want to tell her that its so cold here that they closed the freeway after an inch of snow, but she, like most of you, probably, want to believe that LA is an endless summer dream.

which it is, mostly. but last night i had to break out the lectric blanket.

according to matt’s site he will be in the US from Mar 8th – Apr 4th.

because life isnt fair, he will rocking one of LA’s coolest clubs, The Troubadour, while im in Austin for SXSW.

the good news though is Matt has a curious hole in his schedule as his tour goes between Arizona and Texas, and it happens right when the music portion of SXSW is going down.

and if theres one place Matt Good would be perfect in is SXSW: tech, new media, great vibes, passionate music.

h/t duane story’s twitter feed