Happy Sunday from the land of hops and suds known as The Beer List here at The No Seatbelt Blog! Here we go…
All the way from the magical land of Pennsylvania comes a Belgian tripel ale that will knock your socks and your taste buds off, and it goes by the mighty name of Golden Monkey. Victory Brewing, located in Downingtown, has been pumping out this strong but delicious triple ale for nearly two decades, and it’s no wonder why it has such staying power. Continue reading
Funko Friday is back at The No Seatbelt Blog, casting a spotlight on one of my favorite superheroes of all-time, Spider-man! I have always loved Spidey (and have had to put aside my abiding hatred for actual spiders), and since Marvel has brought him to the big-screen over the past decade, that love has only grown. When geeky, science-obsessed teen Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, he is blessed with superhuman strength and the desire to rid New York City of crime. Continue reading
The already tenuous relationship between the United States government and the nation’s citizens was thrown into a tailspin in 2013 when Edward Snowden, an analyst for the National Security Agency leaked classified documents concerning a government surveillance program to a journalist. The programs, which allegedly monitored the phone calls and email communications of ordinary citizens and leaders alike, at home and abroad, did not sit well with Snowden, leading him to “blow the whistle,” violate his oath of office, and possibly risk his own life to defend the privacy of the American people. Continue reading
Twenty years on, I remember the first time that I heard “Sick of Myself” by Matthew Sweet. My cousin Brian had just gotten the record from whence it came, 100% Fun. Brian had just gotten into playing the guitar, so we used to sit and listen to all kinds of music, and this particular song stuck with me after all this time. I wouldn’t recognize anything else from the album right now, and the only other song I’ve ever heard from Sweet is “Girlfriend,” mostly because of its appearance on one of the original Guitar Hero games. Continue reading
After a beerless couple of weeks due to a sudden and unfortunate medical condition which is now resolved, The Beer List is back right here at The No Seatbelt Blog with the skinny on another awesome brew! It’s good to be back! Continue reading
In the late 1960’s, California’s Bay Area suffered a rash of seemingly random murders, which to this day remain unsolved. The killer, who is credited with at least five separate murders, sent cryptic messages to local newspapers, taunting the area’s law enforcement agencies for not being able to capture him. Calling himself “The Zodiac,” and adopting a symbol with which he would address his letters, he continued to kill and threaten more murders until suddenly, the deaths and letters mysteriously stopped. Police officers investigated the case furiously, frustrated by the fact that the killer wore a mask and outfit, and by the droves of imposters who came forward to erroneously claim responsibility for the attacks. Continue reading
From Feeling Strangely Fine, the same album that brought you “Closing Time,” your favorite “last song at the bar” (yes, even above “Don’t Stop Believin'” or “Livin’ On a Prayer”) comes “Singing In My Sleep”, the other great Semisonic song that few too many people know. Continue reading
Last week, I finally got to watch The Gift, a thriller that I had heard mostly good things about and was eagerly awaiting. The directorial debut of Joel Edgerton (who also wrote and starred in the movie), The Gift revolves around Simon and Robyn (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall), a young couple whose lives seem to be coming together as they move into a new home, Simon gets a significant promotion at work, and they work on starting a family. This ultimate happiness comes crashing down when they run into Gordo (Edgerton), a former classmate of Simon’s who harbors a dark secret. Continue reading
Coming from the band that named itself after the grain alcohol that could strip the paint off a car (but people still willingly ingest…still boggles my mind), Everclear’s “Heartspark Dollarsign” was a song that delved into the ugliness of racism, and the love that is needed to rise above it. The song, written by the band’s lead singer Art Alexakis, centers around an interracial relationship, with the protagonist having to deal with grief from his racist family members for having the nerve to date a black girl, seeing past the color of her skin and loving her for what she is. Continue reading
One of my favorite horror films of all time came to the big screen in 2008 in The Strangers. Supposedly inspired by a true story, the film revolves around James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler), a young couple, who after her rejection of his marriage proposal, return for the night to a summer house owned by his parents. As if the night wasn’t bad enough already for the two of them, a mysterious woman knocks on the door in the wee hours of the morning, asking for someone who is not there. From there, the same woman, along with another woman, and a man, all now wearing masks, start terrorizing the couple from outside the house. Continue reading
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