read and reap

Hope everyone's having a great Tuesday.

Today's passage is from "Irresistible You" by Francis Ray. The book's front cover teases, "They can resist anything but each other." I expected some good material and wasn't disappointed. Here's one of my favorite passages:

Sabra didn't remember ever feeling so at peace and happy. It must have showed on her face, because Pierce had reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Having fun?"

"Yes, although my backside might regret it later."

Isn't that always the case?

false advertising

Happy Monday!

This week's usual weekend recap is a rant directed toward the disorganization that's grown to characterize the typical downtown bar crawl.

I began my night at The Loft, since I had promised former Columbus resident John Scott Evans that I'd stop by and listen to his set. I figured it would all work out well, since The Loft was one of the bars slated to participate in a First Friday Bar Crawl that lets you get into the majority of downtown hot spots for one unspecified cover charge.

So I handed my $10 to the guy checking IDs at The Loft and asked for a bar crawl wristband.

Cool, right?

Wrong.

He said, "Um, we're not participating in the bar crawl."

Though annoying, under normal circumstances I would have accepted the explanation as a misunderstanding on my part, or some sort of last-minute fluke.

Except on the outdoor walls of The Loft, there was a poster listing the hot spot as a participant. (See photo above.)

That was probably the epitome of the night's disorganization, but as the bar crawl progressed I learned that few bars had the drink specials that organizers touted as one of the night's main draws. Moreover, the lip print contest at Rumors, originally slated for Labor Day weekend, had been postponed yet another week.

Yes, I know some level of disorganization is expected whenever nightlife plans are concerned. But if Columbus really wants to give area partiers consistent nightlife options, bar owners need to show us they have their stuff together.

Thoughts?

i need sax

That's why I recommend hitting up the Columbus Jazz Society's Concert and Jam Session featuring saxophonist Mace Hibbard on Sunday night. It's 6-9 p.m. at Liberty Theatre (813 Eighth Ave.) and tickets are $7.

What else is going on this weekend?

Just learned there's a bar crawl downtown Friday night. It's the usual drill...one cover gets you into the majority of Broadway bars.

Also on Friday...a band called Whiskey Shit Vomit is playing at Soho. They're joined by The Hot Rods. Show starts at 10 p.m.

Who knows where I'll end up Saturday? Options: downtown, Belloo's, Shanty Shack. Think about it.

I'll give you the full report Monday.

mile-high club

A 23-year-old college student (who's incidentally also a Hooters waitress) was recently lectured by a Southwest Airlines customer service representative, who said she was dressed too provocatively to fly. Since she didn't have any other clothes to change into, she had to cover her legs with a blanket for the rest of the flight.

Read the full story here.

The girl is featured in the pic above, wearing what she wore during the infamous flight.

Think she's out of line? Personally, I think her biggest problem is being a butterface.

damage control

Happy Friday!

By now most of you have heard about the nude pic of Vanessa Hudgens, the chick featured (clothed) here. She's best known for her lead role in the Disney movie "High School Musical."

Anyway, the pic leaked yesterday, and even though the majority of fans were skeptical, Hudgens, 18, later admitted in a brief statement via her publicist that it was really her.

Multiple sources are already speculating Hudgens will be fired from all future Disney promotions. How did the pic leak? People are speculating it was posted by her boyfriend Zac Efron, 19, also of "High School Musical" fame.

(You can read more in this article, which may link to the nude pic. You might also be able to see the pic here, but I didn't tell you that. Perverts.)

The most ironic part? Today I found this Aug. 31 article, titled "Vanessa Hudgens: 'I'm a good kid.'"

Here's a sample quote from the actress: "I've been brought up with very good morals, and I'm not going to go out and do something I don't want other kids to do."

What do you guys think? Do you feel sorry for Hudgens, or do you think this happened because of her own stupidity? Does the pic alone make her immoral?

what's going on tonight?

It's Thursday, and tonight I'm going to try to hit up The Phenix City Amphitheater, where you can see the All That Jazz concert at 5:30-9 p.m. John Scott Evans, David Ragsdale and Kevin Vannoy are slated to perform. It's $10, $5 with student discount and free for kids 12 and younger.

In tonight's other live music news...

You can catch house band The Rhythm Roosters at Broad Street Blues. Show starts at 9 p.m. and cover is $5.

Atlanta-based rock act No Longer Mica takes the stage at Soho Bar & Grill at 10 p.m. Cover is $5.

Finally, stop at Scruffy Murphy's and see the rockers from Connor Christian and the MorningStar Revival. Show starts at 10 p.m. and there's a $5 cover.

alone again. naturally?

This week's column is about singlism, a new buzz word that refers to discrimination against single people.

I was inspired by "Singled Out," a recent book that aims to debunk the myth that married is better.

In spite of the fact that many readers have interpreted the column as an excuse to hit on me, I think the idea of singlism touches on some important questions. Especially here in the South, where I think there is much more pressure to be married than what I experienced while living in California.

I saw the same thing when I lived in small-town Wisconsin -- many more people getting married directly after, or even during, college. I'm not saying that's a bad thing -- I'm just saying that small towns in particular seem to hold some sort of expectation that makes people marry early.

Am I right? Is this geographic, or are there other factors at work?