Another Friday Night

It's kind of a sad state of affairs that the only date I can get on a Friday night these days is with Shelvis. That's right, Shelvis and I went out to the Mariner game, and oddly enough, he wasn't a whole lot of help in attracting women. As a matter of fact, a good portion of the night was spent being mercilessly elbowed while hearing, "I hope she bends over" or some similar phrase. That's right folks, Shelvis is a dirty old man. I hope you were sitting down for that shocker.

Now for me, the most entertaining portion of the game came when 2 middle aged women sat down in the seats next to me. That's when the Shelvis pep talk started. It started out with, "those women are so gettable. I guarantee you they are divorced and looking for some action." From there it progressed to, "A little weed and they are all yours. I've got enough in my pants right now to get you in the door."

At this point, I'd like to say for the record, that when I start looking to Shelvis for dating advice, I have officially hit rock bottom, and I hope that someone will step in and get me the help I need. That is just one step away from moving out into a shack in the woods, living like a hermit, and beginning work on my manifesto. Fear not though, when I do get to that point, I will freely share my manifesto via this blog. Stay tuned.

Anyway, back to the game. I was fortunate enough to hear the pitiful pickup attempt from a guy sitting behind me. I don't remember exactly what was said, but this is a pretty close approximation:

Pitiful Dude: You know, I build skyscrapers for a living.
Woman: Cool
Pitiful Dude: It's true, I really do build skyscrapers.
Woman: I believe you. I said cool.....
Pitiful Dude: Well, believe it or not, most women think that's pretty hot.
Woman: Uh huh.......

It was at this point that I was tempted to jump in with 'you know, I sell insurance for a living', but then I remembered, oh yeah, women aren't impressed with that. And I don't actually sell insurance. And then I'd be left in the awkward position of trying to describe what I actually do and I would come off as just as pitiful as the skyscraper builder, who I assume is actually a lowly construction worker who has worked on a high rise before.

I was also disappointed to find out that years of smoking have left Shelvis incapable of unleashing his trademark ear splitting boo anymore. For those of you who have never heard that, it was a thing of beauty. And in the old days, when the M's were only drawing 15k, the boo could be heard by everyone in the Kingdome. It was a deep, heartfelt boo that came from the diaphragm. It was so powerful that the hate and animosity were actually tangible. The reverberations would hit you, and you would actually feel the hate yourself. It's sad to know I've heard that for the last time.

Wrapping things up, I got to see the M's extend their winning streak to 6 games. I thought I might get to see a fight break out as some raucous Toronto fans got shouted down with chants of U.S.A, U.S.A., and other various taunts and threats that it's probably better if I don't repeat. I don't know why, but the Canadian fans that come down to see Toronto like to get a little drunk and rowdy, and generally piss off the usually mild mannered Mariner fans. I just enjoy seeing the M's fans get a little fired up about something. It's pretty sad that appearances by the Moose and Captain Plastic draw the most crowd attention at a lot of games.

And just remember, Shelvis: not a good role model for anyone. But thanks for going to the game with me. We'll have to hit another one before the season is up.

Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott

Here it is, the funniest commercial I've ever seen. The commercial that put the phrase 'boy howdy' into my lexicon.

New Music

I can't seem to get enough of this song lately. Paralyzer by Finger Eleven.




Also I really am into Evolution by Korn and I will even admit to liking Life Is Beautiful by Sixx AM (featuring Nikki Sixx). I know I shouldn't admit to that last one, but what the hell.

I'm tempted to get tickets to the Pain in the Grass show coming up in August. Featuring Godsmack, Buckcherry, Candlebox (who I thought had broken up long ago since I haven't heard anything from them in about a decade), the above mentioned Finger Eleven, and some other bands. Should be a pretty good show, but it's at Cheney Stadium and I'm not sure I want to drive all the way to Tacoma for that.

Ghost Rider

I know I promised a full blown Ghost Rider review, but I just don't think I'm ever going to get around to it, so here's the half-assed version.

I'll start out with the positives. The drop dead gorgeous Eva Mendes was in it, showing off her cleavage throughout the film. The only way I could like her any more is if she agreed to change her name to Eva Crawford. Please take the time to enjoy this picture of her:

And now I'll try my best to focus on the film. The bike was damn cool. The Ghost Rider character looks pretty cool in still pictures.

That's it for the positives. The story made little sense, what there was of it. There was no character development for any characters other than Johnny Blaze, which is a really dumb name by the way. The villains in the movie were not at all scary or threatening. Particularly the main villain - the son of the devil - who came across like a pale, whiny yuppie. The special effects weren't all that special. And finally, I really got tired of Nick Cage mugging for the camera in every scene.

So there you have it. Or part of it at least. It is every bit as bad as you can possibly imagine. But, if you're like me and have a huge crush on Eva Mendes, it may be worth the torture.

Red Sox Suck

With the Red Sox in town to play the Mariners, I thought I would take this opportunity to remind everyone of my blinding hatred of the Red Sox. Those idiots can't eve spell their name right. How am I supposed to have any respect for them? And when the nauseating Ben Afflek starts getting all blubbery talking about them, I could just puke. So let's all hope for a Mariner sweep.

Quote of the Day

If Elvis was still alive, he'd be dead by now.

The Boy Is Back In Town

No, this has nothing to do with the Thin Lizzy song, my brother (aka 'the boy') is finally back from his 7 year (I think) exile to Dearborn Michigan. Having now been to Michigan a few times, I have to wonder what took him so long to get out. Other than the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and delicious delicious bakeries everywhere you look, there isn't much worthwhile out there. I guess there is one other good thing: it is only about a 2 hour drive to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. For those of you who don't know, Cedar Point is the roller coaster capital of the world, and the best damn amusement park I've ever been to. I guess I'll have to rent a hotel if I ever want to go back again. Unless somebody else I know moves out there and wants to put me up for a few days. But I digress...... I am happy to have him back in the area.

It is odd that he came back to town the same weekend as The Kid (Griffey for those non-baseball jerks out there). I got to see the M's beat him twice this weekend, and hopefully will purge all memory of that Friday night debacle before long. That was easily the most horrific baseball game I've ever been to. I should have known better than to go to that game though. I thought it would be easy to hop a bus from work (in the U-district) to downtown. Well, it was all smooth sailing until we hit Stewart. And after taking almost 15 minutes to get from one stop to the next - 4 blocks away - I looked at my watch and saw it was 10 minutes to 6 and figured I better get off the damn bus and get down to a Starbucks before every coffee shop in the city closed. I've tried to get a cup of coffee at 6:05 before in downtown and know from experience that it is impossible. I hate that.

Anyway, I got off the bus at 5th and Stewart and hit the Westlake Starbucks for my caffeine fix, and then proceeded to walk to the stadium from there. Surprisingly it didn't take that long. And along the way, I got to pass through scenic Pioneer Square, where I got to see the worst looking cross dresser I've ever seen (with a nice 5 o' clock shadow going), had several exceptionally smelly transients ask me for money, and got accosted by a gang of scantily clad hot women in front of Seahawks Stadium who all wanted to 'Tag' me (spray me with Tag body spray). I politely declined, although if their advertising is true, I could have skipped the game and made out with all those women since Tag makes me irresistible to women. If I'd only known that it would all be downhill from there, I would have gladly called it a night and gone home then.

Other things that occured to me this weekend: my hatred for the Mariners management grows every time I hear Cotton Eye Joe or Don't Stop Thinkin About Tomorrow. It's just a matter of time before I hear one of those songs one too many times and erupt in a massive explosion of uncontrollable rage and go on a killing spree. Also, what the hell is the deal this year with the M's playing We Want The Funk and flashing Funk Blast on the scoreboard every time someone hits a home run? Does this make sense to anyone? What started out as odd and confusing has quickly turned irritating and confusing. This may lead to me eating a lot of burritos and dropping my own funk blast on the music director's desk.

Ugly Dogs

If you are a fan of cute puppies, don't look at this link. These are some of the ugliest dogs I have ever laid eyes on.

Hail To The King Baby

It was on this date (June 22) in 1958 that beloved actor Bruce Campbell was born. Happy birthday. And a reminder to all of you out there (and there shouldn't be any) who haven't seen Army of Darkness yet, run down to your nearest video store and buy a copy and watch it immediately.

"Are all men from the future loud mouth braggarts?"

"Nope, just me baby."

Media Player

Now this is one cool gizmo. I should have held off getting an ipod and waited for the Archos 705 to come out. Basically a portable DVR, it comes in configurations up to a 7" screen and up to 160 GB hard drive. A hi definition display, wi-fi enabled, capable of web browsing. This has me salivating. It would sure make the bus riding experience more tolerable. So if anyone wants to know what to get me for my birthday......

Fun on the bus

After reading about Shelvis's drama on the bus, I'm reminded of an old bus story myself. Back when I lived in West Seattle, I was taking the 21 home as usual when we pulled up to the stop at 35th and Morgan in High Point. Now High Point wasn't as nice back then as it is now. There were usually a few unsavory characters hanging around. Well, at the stop, there was a woman carrying a Washington Mutual duffel bag getting off the bus. As far as I can tell, some drugged up idiot got it in his head that said bag must be full of cash. He then punched the woman, tried to grab the bag, but was unable to rip it away from her, gave up and ran. We sat there for several minutes before the police showed up, and sat there for several more while they interviewed several witnesses. I would guess it had probably been between 10 and 15 minutes since the incident had happened when the perpetrator stuck his head around the corner of the Pizza Hut across the street to take a peek and see what was going on. Somebody spotted him, told the police, and very shortly later they had him handcuffed in the back of a squad car. He had that long of a head start and wasn't smart enough to get farther away than across the street. I can only imagine that he still had ideas about getting that womans bag. In the end, a good time was had by all though.

Nonlethal Biological Weapons

I found this report today on a weapon the government supposedly was trying to develop known as the 'gay bomb'. Now supposedly, they uncovered a "U.S. military proposal to create a hormone bomb that could purportedly turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals and make them more interested in sex than fighting."

I have a hard time believing that such a weapon could be developed, or could be at all effective, but it is at least entertaining. I have to give kudos to the military for being creative. I also assume that this weapon would also make soldiers more interested in going to musicals and criticising the opposing army's fashion sensibilities than fighting.

Some more in depth coverage can be found here, and here.

This should not be confused with the movie The Nude Bomb, in which Maxwell Smart from the tv show Get Smart is called back into service in order to stop a terrorist from exploding a bomb that destroys only clothing and thus KAOS would be the world's only supplier of clothing.

Elijah Dukes

I came across this story today about Tampa Bay Devil Ray outfielder Elijah Dukes. Allegedly, this moron has knocked up a 17 year old foster child who used to live with his mother. If the allegations are true, this would be the 6th child with 5 different women for the 22 year old. At this rate, he's a virtual lock to break Shawn Kemp's record.

As if that wasn't enough, he also has threatened to kill his ex-wife and her kids. And while I certainly don't condone steroid use, I can't help wondering why Barry Bonds gets so much negative press while guys like this jackass are relatively left alone outside of local papers. If what his ex says is true, and I don't know how it couldn't be since she saved the phone messages, this guy belongs in jail.

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but how much of this behavior are we going to tolerate from athletes before we've finally had enough and start cracking down hard on them? I appreciate the fact that Roger Goodell is at least coming down hard on NFL players, specifically Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones, for behavioral issues, but the NBA and MLB really need to follow suit. I haven't watched an NBA game in several years because I can't stomach the fact that so much criminal behavior is overlooked. Bud Selig and David Stern are both worthless commissioners and need to go.

My Current Theme Song

Frequently I will get a song stuck in my head that somehow encapsulates how I am feeling at the time. My current theme song is an older song, but it's still great.

Say Cheese

At a recent trip to the grocery store, I found myself intrigued by the blue label Tillamook cheddar. What makes it so special that it get's a fancy wrapper, other than it's white cheddar? I had to find out. Well let me say that it is slightly sharper than their regular cheddar, and it is also a creamier texture. It is a more full bodied flavor. If I remember right, it was about $2 more than their standard cheddar. So while it is a little tastier in my opinion, it is not enough so to warrant the extra price. I did like it better than their black wrapper cheddar, which is even sharper, but is so crumbly that it is nearly impossible to slice.

On a completely unrelated note, I watched Ghost Rider a couple days ago and am planning a review. As a perfectionist, I don't want to write a half-assed review, and haven't really felt like sitting down and writing a full fledged review, so it may be a couple days before I get around to it. For those of you that can't wait that long though, I'll boil it all down to one word. Bad. Stay tuned.

Oil Change

Today I stopped in to the local Firestone to get my long overdue oil change. What I assumed would just be about a half hour of waiting was interrupted by some unexpected entertainment. About 20 minutes into the wait, somebody came out and brought me an estimate for all the work they thought needed to be done on my car. Apparently they feel I need my tires rotated and balanced, along with a front end alignment. Luckily for me, they were willing to do all this work for the low low price of just $315. I don't know why, but I found it very amusing that I went in for a simple oil change and they thought they were going to squeeze $315 out of me. I don't know who falls for this stuff, but somebody must or they would have given up by now. I am proud to say, however, that I was polite enough to not laugh in his face. I simply said I didn't have time today but I would think about it. What fun.

Stock Tips

I find myself in the predicament of needing some stock tips, and so I'm opening the floor to suggestions as to which stock is going to be the next big thing and allow me to retire. The one caveat here is that stock tips must come with some sort of explanation as to why they are assured to go up.

The reward for providing said tip is that once I am rich enough to retire, I will buy the provider an ice cold beer. If that isn't incentive enough, then I don't know what is. Perhaps I will be rich enough to finance a new reality show called 'Who Wants To Make Me Rich'.

Presidential Campaign

Since I will officially be old enough to run for president once the election rolls around, I'm going to throw my hat in the ring. Here is my campaign slogan:

Vote for me, I have no other way to attract women.
**I really need this!

So there you have it. Anyone else who's got a better slogan, feel free to submit it. I'll put up a poll and have a little democracy right here to decide which of you has what it takes to be my campaign manager. The job doesn't pay much, but the fringe benefits make it all worthwhile.

Fathers Day

Sunday 17th June - Father's Day
In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia. It was first celebrated as a church service. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers, after a mine explosion in nearby Monongah, which killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Father's day originates as far back as 1839, in celebration of the fathers that went to war in the Battle of Iransop in which 123 fathers lost their lives defending the outpost.
Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day, was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, from Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, raised his six children alone. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA.
President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.
Other countries who also recognize the third Sunday of June as Father's day, include:
Argentina, Canada, China, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March, though in most countries Father's Day is a secular celebration.
In Germany, father's day, Vatertag, is always celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday, forty days after Easter). Regionally, it is also called men's day, Männertag, or gentlemen's day, Herrentag.

Technography

Today's story begins early on a Monday morning. This particular Monday morning, I decided that I would forgo my usual routine of sitting on the bus listening to music on my ipod while reading either a book or a magazine. This day I brought along my portable DVD player so I could watch a movie while commuting to and from work. This seemed like a good idea until I actually got on the bus, whipped out my DVD player, tried to plug in the battery pack, and it was at this point that I realized that my battery pack was still plugged into the wall at home. Brilliant move on my part. Today there would be no movie.

No matter, I thought, I still had my ipod with me. I didn't have a book or magazine, but at least I could still listen to some music. Wrong again. Today was also the day that I found out that the button I had clicked on in itunes labeled 'manually manage music' had, in fact, deleted all music off my ipod. In a truly heroic move on my part, I was able to suppress the urge to shout profanities, fly into a Hulk-like rage, or generally act in a childish manner. It was at this point that I really felt like a grumpy old man who can't figure out the new fangled devices. Kind of like a nursing home resident trying to program a VCR. Fortunately, all was not lost, as my trusty ipod still contained a couple podcasts, but nearly a full day later, I am still heaping curses on Apple and swearing out a vendetta on Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak.

What this all brings me to is yet another anti-Apple tirade. Why do they have to take good products and make me not want to use them because of their cumbersome, crappy ass, proprietary bull $h!+, in this case, itunes. I absolutely hate it. Why can't I just drag and drop files onto my ipod like I have no doubt I could with any other mp3 player on the market? Why am I forced to use the bloated, slow, unintuitive itunes? How has Apple managed to maintain their nearly 3% marketshare in the PC world with such irritating products? Yes I realize that the last statement is almost completely unrelated, but my blinding hatred of Apple knows no logic.

I presume that Apple is completely in the pocket of the RIAA, and that's why I am forced to use itunes, so I can't throw songs on my ipod from my computer in my bedroom, plug it into my computer in my living room and throw some more songs on it, plug it into my computer at work and throw some more songs on it, plug it into a friends computer, or even Devon's computer and throw some more songs on it, etc...... But, to be honest, I haven't tried accessing my ipod through Windows media player. MS may yet come through and save the day. We'll see, but I'm not holding out much hope. So, I will end this rant by saying, if you buy Apple products, the terrorists win.

Best Ichiro Quote Ever

The Mariners were clearly not thrilled with the detour before opening a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

“To tell the truth, I’m not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to,” Ichiro said through an interpreter. “If I ever saw myself saying I’m excited going to Cleveland, I’d punch myself in the face, because I’m lying.”

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003742764_marinotes11.html

Burger Time

This weekend I was tipped off to the list of the 20 best burgers in the country - although that probably means in the world since I don't think any other countries eat many burgers. I think the list is a little dubious though since the only place on the list that I've been to - Red Mill Burgers - I didn't find particularly impressive. Granted it was far better than a fast food burger, but I've had many better burgers. I think that Red Robin is probably the best I've been able to find in the Seattle area. Also detracting from the credibility is the fact that the #8 spot on the list belongs to Miller's Bar in Dearborn. I haven't been there myself, but my brother (who I believe is officially escaping Michigan on Monday and is on his way back to Bremerton) had this to say about Miller's Bar, "they were just okay. And the service sucked, the beverage selection sucked, they were even kind of expensive...and we had to brake our rule about not going to restaurants with no-windows. I'd take Fuddruckers or Red Robin over them any day." Not exactly a raving review.

That being said, the best burger I have ever had was at Bob's Burger And Brew in Bellingham. Apparently they have 8 other locations, but the one in Fairhaven is the only one I've been to. If you're ever up North, you owe it to yourself to stop in and get a Bob's Bonanza burger. Two 1/3 pound patties of beef with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc. It comes with sauteed mushrooms if you like, but I hate mushrooms. It is also served with a mountain of jo-jos. It is probably the most delicious thing I've ever eaten in addition to being a lot of food.

If you ever find yourself in Jefferson county, out in the middle of nowhere by Quilcene, you should also stop in to Fat Smitty's. Yes the burger you will get there is almost that big. Unlike the one pictured, however, yours will not be made of wood. It will simply be an enormous, exceptionally tasty burger.

An honorable mention also goes to the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro, OR. They make a damn fine burger.

Finally, I found this article about 6 stalwart souls who traveled all over our great state in an attempt to find the best burger. Sadly, most of the featured establishments are too far away for me, but maybe I'll drive up to Mount Vernon one day and visit the Chuck Wagon Drive In. Anyone willing to make the journey with me is invited.

Since I am always on the prowl for a good burger. Any suggestions are welcome. I know the Seattle Weekly puts out a best of Seattle issue every year, but since Red Mill perennially wins, and since Dome Burger in Pioneer Square also made the top 5 the last time I saw it and I was unimpressed with them, I don't give too much credibility to them.

Howard Jones

I stumbled across this gem today and figured I should share/inflict this on everyone else. Enjoy!

MLB Draft

Apparently the MLB Draft was today since there is an article on ESPN.com stating that the Mariners selected another big, hard throwing pitcher who is probably going to get injured and never make it to the big leagues, like most of the big, hard throwing pitchers we seem to be in love with. The twist this time is that this is a kid from Canada, where they are known for their quality hockey players, but I'm not sure any of my readers could name a Canadian baseball player (or football player for that matter) off the top of their head. I do remember that there was that one guy who I think played a couple games for Detroit last year, but I can't remember what position.

But I digress. This particular guy is a 6'7" 225 pounder with a 96 mph fast ball named Phillippe Aumont. Of course the Mariners were thrilled and shocked that he dropped all the way to their spot in the draft (11th this year) just like they are every year. It doesn't matter who it is, it's always the same story, "we couldn't believe he was still available". Anyway, he's 18, and they claim he is about the same level as a junior college player, or a rookie level minor leaguer. I would guess we'll see him in spring training in about 2 years, and probably in Tacoma shortly after that. The Mariners have really been rushing guys through the minors since Bavasi took over, so there's the chance that if he's still healthy in 2-3 years, we might start hearing talk of calling him up.

The one other interesting tidbit mentioned down at the end of the article is that the Mariners drafted Denny Almonte in the 4th round. For the briefest of moments after reading that, I thought they had picked up Danny Almonte, the kid who lied about his age to throw a perfect game in the little league world series a few years back. No dice though.

MMA

Am I the only person left in this world that couldn't care less about ultimate fighting? It seems that I am absolutely being bombarded with coverage of mixed martial arts these days. And I really don't understand the appeal. I understand that there is strategy and skill involved, but to me, it's just 2 guys beating each other up. Cock fighting has been banned. And thanks to Michael Vick, I now know that dog fighting is a felony offense in 48 states. But somehow 2 humans beating each other senseless is acceptable. I know that we like to think that we have evolved as a society to be more civilized, but to me, watching fighting is one step above the Romans watching gladiators fight to the death, or feeding Christians to the lions. And I feel the need for a small disclaimer here: when I refer to fighting, obviously I am excluding boxing since it is only slightly more credible than pro wrestling.

And it's not just televised fighting. Youtube is littered with clips of people beating each other up. I really don't see how it is that so many people enjoy watching people inflict pain on each other. And yet on the other hand, I really enjoyed the short lived tv show Max X which was chock full of stupid people hurting themselves doing stupid things. So maybe I'm just hypocritical. Either way, I'll still politely decline the inevitable invitation to go hang out with friends every time Chuck Liddell fights.

Today's Useless Fact

Liechtenstein is the world's largest exporter of false teeth.

Congratulations Are In Order

Big congratulations go out to Craw Fu cousin Pat and his girlfriend Melinda who recently got engaged. Welcome to the family Melinda, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into.

I'm also very excited to say that my brother, aka 'The Boy' has put his home in Dearborn on the market and is officially escaping Michigan. He will be back in the Bremerton area by the end of the month, thus ending his exile into the land of long cold winters, no mountains, crazy people who want to shoot or stab you, etc. On a side note, having been to both Detroit and Oakland, I'm not sure which is worth. What I do know is that the farther you can get from either, the better off you are. Anyone looking for a house in Dearborn should go check this one out.

Things You Don't See Every Day

What I saw today that was fairly unusual was out at the ballpark. This particular Mariner fan was a 6'2" or 6'3" drag queen. I've been to a lot of Mariner games over the last several years, and this was my first cross dresser. And let me tell you, this dude made one ugly woman. Still, I'm not sure he wasn't less creepy than the middle aged yuppie who kept cheering for the Seahawks and hitting on the high school girls sitting nearby. Kind of how I imagine Shelvis in 10 years (except he had money, or at least appeared to). Oh, and he was one of those clowns who has to leave his blue tooth headset on all the time. I could write a whole post about how I can't stand those pretentious asses, but I won't.

Beware The Imposter

An odd thing happened to me while I was waiting for the bus on Friday. As I was standing there, a woman I didn't know who had been driving by pulled into the park and ride, parked near the stop, got out of her car, walked up and tapped me on the shoulder, and it was at this point she was surprised to find out I wasn't her son. She told me I looked exactly like her son. Apparently enough so that she couldn't tell I wasn't until she got up close. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anything clever to say like 'he must be a good looking man' or 'well you don't look anything like my mom'. So beware, I have an evil twin somewhere in the area. Or maybe I'm the evil twin. I haven't quite worked out which it is just yet. I just find it odd that not only is there someone out there who looks so much like me that I could fool his own mother, or that this guy has chosen the same hair style and facial hair style, but that he also lives so close by.