THE PARTY CONTINUES BELOW FOR THOSE WHO MISSED IT...
Coming up this week on DR. BLOGSTEIN’S RADIO HAPPY HOUR:
(Live on Tuesday March 18th at 9PM ET and forever archived at BlogTalkRadio.)
Coming up this week on DR. BLOGSTEIN’S RADIO HAPPY HOUR: (Live on Tuesday March 18th at 9PM ET and forever archived at BlogTalkRadio.)
The Radio Happy Hour turns into the “Radio Whore House” when Dr. Blogstein and Dangerous Lee host Dennis Hof, the owner of the World Famous Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Nevada. Hof, whose brothel has gained fame by being featured on HBO’s reality series Cathouse, will discuss his business, his girls and his thoughts on the Governor Eliot Spitzer scandal. 
Also, actor Scott Cohen drops in to discuss his new FOX sitcom The Return of Jezebel James and Martin Rooney, trainer of the 2007 IFL World Team Champions, joins us to tell us about his new book Training for Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout.
All that, plus, Vinny Bond drags his Big Leather Couch into the Radio Happy Hour Lounge to chat live with the listeners and Justin the Weatherman may be returning from Costa Rica and we’ll take your calls at 1.646.652.4804
Join us live every Tuesday night at 9PM ET. The Radio Happy Hour Lounge-a live chat room during show time-is a whole new reason to make sure you listen live!
It’s the show within the show!
Also, actor Scott Cohen drops in to discuss his new FOX sitcom The Return of Jezebel James and Martin Rooney, trainer of the 2007 IFL World Team Champions, joins us to tell us about his new book Training for Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout.
All that, plus, Vinny Bond drags his Big Leather Couch into the Radio Happy Hour Lounge to chat live with the listeners and Justin the Weatherman may be returning from Costa Rica and we’ll take your calls at 1.646.652.4804
Join us live every Tuesday night at 9PM ET. The Radio Happy Hour Lounge-a live chat room during show time-is a whole new reason to make sure you listen live!
It’s the show within the show!
Now...on to our next celebration...On March 16th, 2006 we began a new adventure in our life. Bond's Big Leather Couch was born on that day. Prior to that day, we had maintained a blog to doing reviews of American Idol - Season 5 over on their website.After some 'situations' occurred - we had to find a new home and we came across blogger.com...
Our intent was to post the reviews and recaps of AI, but also, we found there was a need to put
words to paper. We truly did not know what to expect when we began this adventure.Sure, we had a faded pencil outline on a soiled cocktail napkin in our mind - but how it would develop, or if it would even continue more than the length of that season's shows...we stepped out off the cliff of silence into the air of words...
We thought about this post and have already warned you once it is going to be long.
If you take the next two days to read, that is wonderful...if you get to the wonderful video you are about to see and decide to close the window and wait for Wednesday's post, then that is fine also - really...like who would know anyway???
This video began as an idea we had for a song and we asked our friend Matt-Man to sing and film it for us...Well, that became a situation - and Matt-Man felt he could not do what we were looking for justice - so he told us to "Just relax and let me take care of it".
Of course this conjured up images of ritualistic torture and animal abuse and a totally meatless vision from a man who needs meat to survive...BUT we did...and this is the result...
Matt-Man...Sir you are a special person and we thank you so very much...if you were here right now, we would give you a man-hug and even a kiss on your cheek (very manly of course)...
This is the first post we ever did...short and to the point:
March 16, 2006
Well... welcome to the BIG LEATHER COUCH... this will be my place to open the top of my head and let all that information up there spill out.
It will take the form of stream of conscienceness and rants and raves...but it will also be well thought out and concise (yeah like I ever do anything concise!)
I am hoping you will bookmark me and come and visit.
The plan is to post daily, but that might not always happen...so be patient...
Like what you see? Want to help contribute to my piggy bank? We will be looking for advertising along the way and hope you join the COUCH in that way also...
Like we said - short and to the point...
Yes, that is me and my alter-ego...The life-sized stand-up was given to us when we left our job in Boston, MA back in 1997. Our face was pasted over the face that was on the actual piece.
Sometime back in the late '90's a lawsuit was brought against Hooters, as the did not hire
male wait-staff...This life-size piece was created as a joke, with the hairy guy, given breasts...My friends got a picture of me and had it laminated on the head...still have this...if you ever come to Casa Marini-Memphis, you can check it out for yourself...
Please endure - as they have offered to cover the costs of some of the libations...
We found it funny reading our 100th post...blogger problems - have we ever truly lost them? Do not get us wrong...there are other sites to host - or you can host your own domain - but for overall ease...blogger does rule...
We had not begun to add music to The Couch at this point...but we did discuss this Tuneage near the end of the post...so we added it here.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Sting & Jeff Beck
100th Post
August 16th, 2006
"Blogger, Apologies, Blogs & Music"
Welcome To THE COUCH...Sit on Down and Get Comfy...
I am getting frustrated by blogger. As of last week, all of a sudden, I need to do a verification before I can post my blog.
I received the following message:
Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive. Before we can turn off mandatory word verification on your posts we'll need to have a human review your blog and verify that it is not a spam blog. Please fill out the form below to get a review.Well, so far, I have filled out the form every day (7 times) and still, no word from the "powers that be".Do I look like Spam? Gosh, I have never even eaten Spam.
Well at least these incredible words of wisdom get posted, but what a PITA!
I send a slight apology for yesterday's posting. Not for all of it, but for the ramblings about credit cards and the like. My situation is such small potatoes compared to what some of my friends are going through. Diana's father (Diana's Journal - linked on the front page), and her daily struggle to care for him is so much more important and critical...
My friend Donna, who lives here is going through treatment for breast cancer...
My niece Candice and her ordeal...Another friend who is going through problems at home with an abusive spouse...(this one makes my blood boil, but she has become strong and he currently resides behind bars as he should)...The soldiers who are overseas fighting an unwinnable war and losing their lives over it...
My friend who is dealing with health issues with BOTH her mom and dad and needs to care for them as much as possible...And my wife's struggle with her chronic pain and now a benign tumor on her spine...
There is also good news out there...Gary's recovery from his scare with cancer...It appears he is on the road to recovery...Another friend who just completed her treatment for a rare form of cancer on her breast...And she is recovering nicely...Fred, just celebrating his 20th with the Missus...Matt is healthy...Mom is still in total recovery from her cancer of three years ago...
So, I need to focus on the positives more then the negatives in my life. I am the type that has always put my issues aside to focus on my friend's situations, and it bothers me that I have let my minor problems become the focus here once again.
That will stop my friends.. It is all good....
OK...Also linked on this site is the blog my brother Richard writes for the San Antonio Express-News MySA.com website called FAVORITE OFFICE TIME WASTERS. I have mentioned this many times before and will continue to do so, because - if you have not been there- you are missing out.
You MUST check out his link called "BUT DOES DIRK KNOW" on the site right now. Personally, I am upset it did not come with a warning label like they use on CD's and TV programs, that your eyes may spontaneously combust when looking at the site it links to.
I am also very very curious how many of my readers will get the context of the title "But Does Dirk Know" and ask you to tell me in the comments section if you did or did not get it.
I have to admit, it took me a few seconds, once I had seen the site, to get the connection, but when I did.. I laughed so hard a tear came to my eye.
Rich...Your sense of humor has always had a certain warp to it that I love!
If you go over to Fred's World, you will see his latest post about his 20th Anniversary and some nice shots from the wedding...Oh..Rich is the guy just to the right of the Missus in the group shot (your right not theirs)...His legs are no where near as nice as mine though!
Another site that, I think, I had previously recommended is the OCEANGRAM.COM site where you can write a message, put it into a bottle and hoist it into the virtual ocean. Then you can wait for messages to come back to you (YES, I got this one from Rich's FOTW site also...)
But I must insist that, if your boss catches you on his site or on links you got from his site, that you don't blame him! LOL
I have also been spending some time going through my music collection...reaquainting myself with some of my all time favorite songs.
Still, to this day, Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" makes me smile like a teenage boy in love for the first time.
Derek and the Dominos doing "Bell Bottom Blues" is another incredible song and another is Aretha Franklin doing "The Weight" (yes THE BAND song) with Duane Allman doing the slide guitar.
I also did some searching on Limewire the other night and found the most incredible live version of Sting with Jeff Beck doing the George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Jeff Beck is one of the more unrated guitar players of our time, IMHO.
FYI ... My opinion is - if I have already purchased the song in analog (vinyl) I have no qualms about downloading a digital version, and any music that is live and not available on CD, well that is fair game also. I will not hurt an artist by downloading music I have not previously owned.
Just my opinion and I am sure there are those who will disagree...But please don't call the RIAA police on me...Rock on....
Remember .. Nets For Malaria - UNFoundation.org/malaria - find the big SI's Nothing But Net logo ... Or call 202.887.9040. Every cent goes to buying nets to place over the beds of children in Africa to stomp out Malaria. PLEASE HELP.
Keep that spark of insanity kids...It helps keep you an individual.
I received the following message:
Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive. Before we can turn off mandatory word verification on your posts we'll need to have a human review your blog and verify that it is not a spam blog. Please fill out the form below to get a review.Well, so far, I have filled out the form every day (7 times) and still, no word from the "powers that be".Do I look like Spam? Gosh, I have never even eaten Spam.
Well at least these incredible words of wisdom get posted, but what a PITA!
I send a slight apology for yesterday's posting. Not for all of it, but for the ramblings about credit cards and the like. My situation is such small potatoes compared to what some of my friends are going through. Diana's father (Diana's Journal - linked on the front page), and her daily struggle to care for him is so much more important and critical...
My friend Donna, who lives here is going through treatment for breast cancer...
My niece Candice and her ordeal...Another friend who is going through problems at home with an abusive spouse...(this one makes my blood boil, but she has become strong and he currently resides behind bars as he should)...The soldiers who are overseas fighting an unwinnable war and losing their lives over it...
My friend who is dealing with health issues with BOTH her mom and dad and needs to care for them as much as possible...And my wife's struggle with her chronic pain and now a benign tumor on her spine...
There is also good news out there...Gary's recovery from his scare with cancer...It appears he is on the road to recovery...Another friend who just completed her treatment for a rare form of cancer on her breast...And she is recovering nicely...Fred, just celebrating his 20th with the Missus...Matt is healthy...Mom is still in total recovery from her cancer of three years ago...
So, I need to focus on the positives more then the negatives in my life. I am the type that has always put my issues aside to focus on my friend's situations, and it bothers me that I have let my minor problems become the focus here once again.
That will stop my friends.. It is all good....
OK...Also linked on this site is the blog my brother Richard writes for the San Antonio Express-News MySA.com website called FAVORITE OFFICE TIME WASTERS. I have mentioned this many times before and will continue to do so, because - if you have not been there- you are missing out.
You MUST check out his link called "BUT DOES DIRK KNOW" on the site right now. Personally, I am upset it did not come with a warning label like they use on CD's and TV programs, that your eyes may spontaneously combust when looking at the site it links to.
I am also very very curious how many of my readers will get the context of the title "But Does Dirk Know" and ask you to tell me in the comments section if you did or did not get it.
I have to admit, it took me a few seconds, once I had seen the site, to get the connection, but when I did.. I laughed so hard a tear came to my eye.
Rich...Your sense of humor has always had a certain warp to it that I love!
If you go over to Fred's World, you will see his latest post about his 20th Anniversary and some nice shots from the wedding...Oh..Rich is the guy just to the right of the Missus in the group shot (your right not theirs)...His legs are no where near as nice as mine though!
Another site that, I think, I had previously recommended is the OCEANGRAM.COM site where you can write a message, put it into a bottle and hoist it into the virtual ocean. Then you can wait for messages to come back to you (YES, I got this one from Rich's FOTW site also...)
But I must insist that, if your boss catches you on his site or on links you got from his site, that you don't blame him! LOL
I have also been spending some time going through my music collection...reaquainting myself with some of my all time favorite songs.
Still, to this day, Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" makes me smile like a teenage boy in love for the first time.
Derek and the Dominos doing "Bell Bottom Blues" is another incredible song and another is Aretha Franklin doing "The Weight" (yes THE BAND song) with Duane Allman doing the slide guitar.
I also did some searching on Limewire the other night and found the most incredible live version of Sting with Jeff Beck doing the George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Jeff Beck is one of the more unrated guitar players of our time, IMHO.
FYI ... My opinion is - if I have already purchased the song in analog (vinyl) I have no qualms about downloading a digital version, and any music that is live and not available on CD, well that is fair game also. I will not hurt an artist by downloading music I have not previously owned.
Just my opinion and I am sure there are those who will disagree...But please don't call the RIAA police on me...Rock on....
Thanks for sitting on THE COUCH, hope you enjoyed your stay.
Remember .. Nets For Malaria - UNFoundation.org/malaria - find the big SI's Nothing But Net logo ... Or call 202.887.9040. Every cent goes to buying nets to place over the beds of children in Africa to stomp out Malaria. PLEASE HELP.
Keep that spark of insanity kids...It helps keep you an individual.
Please welcome the Republican candidate for President, as he speaks about The Couch...
The other Democratic candidate takes time away from his busy schedule to speak to you...
Bored yet?
SO much has happened in our life since we began this two years ago. Back then, we were not really working....we were living in NJ...we had Matt with us all the time as he lived at home as he went to college. Money was real tight...our life did not have a lot of personal happiness.The appearence of Taylor Hicks on AI had introduced us to some incredible people. Some we have even gotten the opportunity to meet - and some we still only know through the cyberwaves.
The Couch has been the one constant as we have a great job...now live in Memphis...Matt is
900 miles away and is missed so...Money is still tight, but we are now finding personal happiness in our life.We have met so many new friends because of The Couch...We get to live their (your) lives with you every day...and you get to live ours (gee....sorry, never thought of that...poor you!)
When we first began this, we thought of posting more "Landmark" posts here...We will spare you that looooooong read....
IF you are interested...
Post 300 is HERE - Wednesday, April 25, 2007. At least one of these ended up being a piece of fiction. The story is called "Dangerous Lines"
Post 400 is HERE - September 4, 2007 - it was titled "Tuesday Thoughts & Thanks" was a collection of bling given to us...a wish for Labor Day and a little party for #400.
When reviewing the posts done over the last two years, there are some we remember with fondness. They were fun to write. They made us giggle.
We have truly enjoyed sharing our fiction during MONDAY MATINEE...and also sharing musical knowledge with the TUNEAGE TUTELAGE...
But there are a couple of posts that have been labors of love. Those that live inside of us and are one of the reasons we did begin this adventure afterall.
We did a post for Matt on April 3, 2007 for his 20th birthday. You can find it HERE.
Way back on June 22, 2006, we did the post "The Rise & Fall Of FEMA" and their inability to coordinate a true response to Katrina and Rita - found HERE.
There was the post on October 19, 2007 about Jason Kendall Ray, the brave young man, whose selflessness helped save lives. The post was entitled "Do You Know?" and can be found HERE
The post that got more comments than any other was one entitled "Where Are We Going", published on August 30, 2007. It revolved around the state of our children and how parents are shielding them from the real word. It can be found HERE.
Now on some sites, this might have had 100's of comments....On our little home, it received 43...a HUGE number for us....and one more than this final post for you today...
One that, coincidentally had been posted the week prior, on August 17, 2007. It is a comedic post about a very stressful day...hope you enjoy it HERE
Thank you for allowing us to overload your senses today. We certainly hope to continue to spend time with all y'all here, five days a week for a long time to come...
Sure this was a pretentious post...but is that not the nature of our blogs? A place for we, as individuals, to be semi-dictorial and decide what will appear? Of course, if people stop coming to visit, then you might as well just fire up your word processing software and put your thoughts there where only you can read them.
Hope you had enough to eat and drink and enjoyed the desserts...
Be back on Wednesday to start our THIRD year with you all...and we will be introducing a new way to be a Couch-Sitter then...
Grab some Champagne as you leave...
We always sit through the credits of movies, since you never know what the Director might do...
You are one crazy blogger dear Vinny! Love ya and cheers to many more years blogging!
**smooches and hugs**
Does this mean I can spank you twice?
**sly grin**
Great post vinny but it took me 3 hours to get through it! :D Loved the video - gee that Matt-man is talented. But of course he's been telling us that! I was glad to find out all about you and your blogging experiences I feel like a member of the family now!
JULIE: Ah shuck, thank you ma'am....spannking is only allowed for good friends...so sure spank away
TEACH: Well, that is why I left it here for two days! LOL...I am thankful some of y'all actually read it all...Welcome to the FAMILY
Dennis Hof, huh? Wow. I hate that I have to work tonight and can't be near a computer. I will have to check it out on the archives.
Glad to see that the party is continuing strong.
Congrats! I love reading you blog and sitting on your couch. I got caught up in the St. Pat's Parade in NYC yesterday. Man oh man! It was so crazy we had to stop by the Roosevelt Hosp ER before leaving town. Next time we'll leave the kids at home before going to NYC.
Pass the cake and bubbly!
I haven't been around for the entire ride but hopefully I'll still be here for next year. It was worth it just for the bush joke LOL!
KEEP ON BLOGGING:)
I thought I had more catching up to do than I really did....whew! (it was deja vu all over again)
Congrats on it all Vincent!
thanks for my place on the couch.
RWA: Enjoy the archives..should be a fun show
KB: I hope the stop at Roosevelt was not for one of the kids...Thanks for being a regular here....cake and bubbly on the way
CATHY: Glad you enjoyed it...it ended up being a throw in at the last moment
KATHERINE: Glad it was painless...LOL TY my friend...I truly enjoy you coming around...and your place is always waiting...
:sniffles:
Two whole years. I was there. Hehe!
DANA: YUP and you still are...
Thanks for the PhotoShop encouragement. As you can tell, I am using Elements. I may graduate to full blown PS CS3 someday, but for now, I will explore the workings of elements. I know I am going to love messing with this.
I have a Nikon D80 with a 18-135 lens, so the camera side is taken care of. It's the post photo operations that I am learning now.
Thanks again for the encouraging words...and I may indeed have a question or two.
Congratulations! Oh blog King Vin may
your couch never develop a loose spring!
Happy (late) blogiversary!
I'm going to pinch it and put it in my sidebar
Whewwwwwwww... I'm give completely out after reading that post.. *giggles*
Happy belated Anniversay dear sweet Vinny... may you have many, many more years of blogging.
SMOOCHES~
Congrats on 2 years, Vinny! Mine is coming up as well in May. It's fun to go read what you were doing on a specific day one or two years ago, isn't it? Sorry I have been absent, the concert Friday was fun, the fall I took on Sunday was not =(
And I LIKE your template!
DRILLERAA: anytime
ROGER: TY kind Sir
BECKEYE: TY so very much
CATHY: Pinch away
DIXIE: SMOOCHES SUGARBABY
STARRLIGHT: What the hell happened? Are you ok? and TY re: the template
Eh I am better today. Slipped on a metal grate cover downtown Sunday while Kidlet, The Mom and I went to a Gem Show.
The fact that mom is going to make me a fabulous chandelier necklace of citrons and amethyst is the only thing that makes it worth it. Was hugely bruised on my left side. Falling with arthritis and fibromyalgia is not a treat =(
Frankly I have been home for 3 days with it and today is the first day I can really lift my arm up. It was the suck. But I called the stupid metal grate a whore many times over (which made mom and kidlet laugh like loons -so cruel) and felt somewhat vindicated.
The street people thought I was nuts :P
OH MY STARR....are you sure the street people were not just impressed that a 'normal' person could act like they do? bwahaahahahahaa
Ya know Vinny I think I might have scared a few of them ;)
LOL... You? nah!