Up early in the mournin(g) dressed in black...

I saw a woman I used to work with today. We were co-workers for about 3 years and then I left after getting a promotion. She remained and joined the management team shortly before her 27th birthday-now she'll be 26 forever.

Pinky Ring Scale: Vol.2 Starring Ill Mondo and Neal Rames!

After This Debacle, we put Chet back on CD/DVD alphabetizing duty indefinitely.

Sometime last week he came back to the manor with my yummy lunch from Mo’s (shameless plug) and dropped a CD from Ill Mondo and Neal Rames! on my desk as well.

Neal Rames! is a white rapper. I’m not really a fan of white boys rapping. I like Cage’s Smut Peddlers stuff with Mr. Eon (Hi & Mighty), Eminem (especially The Eminem Show) and a smattering of others.

In my opinion, except the aforementioned, most white rappers have little to no flavor and their approach is so academic and sterile it turns me off. I’m also a reformed Hip-Hop snob, so all that “real Hip-Hop” stuff they often subscribe to bothers me as well. In light of that, I’ll try to remain as objective as possible- but don’t count on it.

More Than Meets the Eye.

Transformers went from bad to worse with the latest installment of the films that continue to ruin my fond memories of Saturday morning cartoons.

I thought part one was awful, mainly because the fight scenes looked like close ups of shopping carts being slammed together (if you can't clearly see the robots kicking each other's asses, what's the point?) but luckily they addressed those issues in Transformers 2; the fight scenes are incredible. They're shot wide enough and high enough to clearly see all the action, without looking like you're in the bad seats at a ball game. Megan Fox is still hot as fish grease, but I have no idea why she's in the film other than to run around in slow motion.

It Was Written > Illmatic

This is one of my favorite barber shop arguments.

Well I guess it’s more like I disagree with the broadly accepted opinion that Illmatic is better then It Was Written- and then everyone yells at me. Yeah that’s more like it.

I always get into trouble with this sort of thing- it's right up there with Ether or Takeover (Ether), Jordan or Kobe (Kobe), Superman vs Flash in a race around the world (I got $20 on Barry Allen) Lola Love or Buffy (I’ll take Toccarra thanks). Who has time for a haircut when serious intellectual pursuits like these are going down?

True Stories: Thriller

By Pinky Ring

My mom knows how to throw a birthday party.

I thought my brother was the crown prince of Zamunda when he turned 7. There was "Play Doh", face paint, action figures, gift bags, all kinds of vittles, the obligatory cake and ice cream and Michael Jackson.

True Stories: The Preakness Stakes

(By Pinky Ring)

Besides the worst junkies, the best heroin and a higher murder rate than most undeveloped countries- Baltimore has the Preakness Stakes. This weekend the Preakness will run, in MD like it does every third Saturday in May, at Pimlico racetrack in historic West Hell Baltimore.

I haven’t been to the Preakness or a racetrack in general, in about 5 years because I’ve moved on to better ways to worsen my gambling problem- or maybe I’m still scarred by my last race track experience.

I used to hate h.i.m.

Nas is the best rapper (living or dead) and I got the surveillance tapes to prove it. But I must concede, Jay-Z is in his own lane and I've had hate in my heart for far too long. This is not meant to be an exercise in the differences between Nas and Jigga or anything of the like- think of it as more of an apology.

A Very Special Episode of "That Pinky Ring Shit"

Remember in the glorious 80's when sitcoms, and even cartoons, often soft-balled some social commentary or a PSA straight into the program? No? Well they did.

Often, these tidbits were stowed away at the end of the episode GI Joe style

Pinky Ring Scale: Vol.1

If you're scratching your head and thinking, "What the hell is a "Pinky Ring Scale?", get educated here and read on. We'll wait...

Now that we're all caught up, here goes my inaugural review:

F%ck christmas

I don't like what Christmas has become...so I like to use a small "c" to differentiate between christmas and Christmas, because sometimes I get confused. I'm not a christmas kind of guy, cause I don't like to spend money I ain't got. christmas is for rich people. It must be, because no one really believes it's the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving anyway. Give your significant other a hand-crafted do-hickey of some sort (I dare you). and see what kind of upside down looks you get.

I hate your cd so much

I will begin reviewing CDs in this space in the coming weeks. But I must warn you rappers, singers, kazoo players, and generally sensitive artists that you are starting off with a deficit...because I hate your CD before it even gets in the player. I hate it so much that I met it in the Costa Rican jungle for an underground cage match. I kicked, and then punched your CD in the eye and bit its ear off and suplexed it into the crowd. Then I grabbed the ringside bell and smashed it into your CD's throat and kicked it in the ribs until the ringside security had to taze me and pull me off of your CD. So chew on that before you decide to subject yourself to my review. And with that in mind, I present to you: The Pinky Ring Scale--Tah Dah! Pay close attention, for it shall be your judge.

American Gangster

Illinois got more G’s than a gaggle of Fraggle gagging on eggs in a grey garage (and that's alot of G's). It's known for being the home of some of the largest and most notorious street gangs like The Black Gangster Disciples, The Folk Nation, and The Black P Stone Nation not to mention the legends like Al Capone and many others.

The "3K Effect"...

(Editors Note):

Aside from Hip Hop, Fast Food, Gadgets, Porn, Advice and Current events, we here at Fish&Spaghetti plan to give you some good ol' internet rants about all types of bullshit.

Today, contributing editor "PinkyRing" gives you his theory on why Common and Kanye are giving you some of thier weirdest music ever. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more ramblings from all of us.