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Brandon Strohl

Last Updated: 11/18/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 24
Sign: Scorpio

City: Lehighton
State: Pennsylvania
Country: US
Signup Date: 1/5/2007

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December 31, 2009 - Thursday 6:32 PM

my top 24 albums of 2009
Category: Music

It's been so long since I've updated this blog that I forgot what formatting I usually use. I'm hoping this is it since I don't really want to go back and edit it. Anyway, much like the last couple years, I've compiled my list of the "Top 24 Albums of 2009". Last year it was the the Top 31. But this year I was more selective. Without further delay. Here is my Top 24 Albums of 2009.

1. Ben Moody – All For This

2. Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue

2.2 The Artist Usually Known as Clash Hiwatt - Sorry...But It's The Best I Could Do With Such Short Notice

3. Parabelle – A Summer Borderline/A Drop Oceanic

4. Dashboard Confessional – Alter The Ending

5. Red – Innocence & Instinct

6. Breaking Benjamin – Dear Agony

7. Evans Blue – Evans Blue

8. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows

9. The Mars Volta - Octahedron

10. Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Dellusion

11. Silversun Pickups – Swoon

12. Saosin – In Search of Solid Ground

13. Chevelle – Sci-Fi Crimes

14. Mute Math - Armistice

15. The Veer Union – Against The Grain

16. Julien-K – Death To Analog

17. Every Time I Die – New Junk Aesthetic

18. The Black Crowes – Before The Frost…Until The Freeze

19. Thrice - Beggars

20. Brand New - Daisy

21. Powerman 5000

22. Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment

23. Stephen Lynch – 3 Balloons

24. Psychostick - Sandwich

Much like every year. I don't claim to be a music critic. I don't claim to know what I'm talking about. I just know what I like. And this year, this was it.

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March 8, 2009 - Sunday 7:12 AM

the set-list for the bethlehem brew works (updated 3-9-09)
Category: MySpace

3-8-09
Barring any changes, I already have tomorrow's set-list for the Bethlehem Brew Works finalized. I only have 5 minutes. So I have to make it count. I think what I've picked out represents some of my best material. All but one joke is taken from the set-list I used Thursday night. I've shortened the "Intro" and added a few lines on to "Bagel".

3-9-09
Now that last night's over, I can put up the set-list I used last night. I debuted a new joke last night, "Chicken". It didn't go over as well as I would have hoped for. It wasn't because the joke was bad, but it just didn't mesh well with last night's crowd. Without further ado, here it is:

Masturbating Intro
Chicken
Toys 'R Us & Babies 'R Us
Bagel
Lucky Condom
Love, But Not In Love
Trix and Suicide

Currently listening:
Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden
By Dane Cook
Release date: 2007-11-13

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March 8, 2009 - Sunday 6:07 AM

the set-list used @ the sterling hotel
Current mood:

accomplished
Category: MySpace

Masturbating Intro
Carpets Don't Match The Curtains
Counting Sheep
Drugs and Ice Cream
Death By Chocolate
Bagel Fucking
Self-Checkout Jobs
51 Cups
Sociable Crackers

Things I've Learned
ACME
Why Can't I Shit My Pants
Giants Are Scary
Corn on the Log
Body of Lettuce

Things I Wanna Do
Where's Brandon
Cake Jumping
Drive-Thru
I'm Not Loving It At All
Toys 'R Us & Babies 'R Us
I Work Harder for the Money

Things I Like
Mean Genie
Pineapple Tidbits
Warm Pockets
Kool-Aid Self Esteem
Midget Blowjob
Mitch Hedberg's Kit Kat Joke
Kit Kat Klan

Lucky Condom
Condoms + Sex = Magical
Shit Fucking
Love, But Not In Love
Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Cracks and Backs
Boring Time Travel

Gay Wikipedia
Wikaholic
Lucky Shit
7 Year Dog
Taxis For Dogs
Car Window Dog

Smoke The Bear and Me
Mobile Homeless
Tom-Tom
Monster's Ball
Tam-Tam

My Jokes Are Grrrrrrrrrreat
Alpha-Bits Cereal
Rice Krispy Crazy
Trix and Suicide

Currently listening:
Innocence & Instinct (CD/DVD)
By Red
Release date: 2009-02-10

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March 5, 2009 - Thursday 6:20 PM

tonight, tonight, tonight - oh
Current mood:

excited
Category: Life

Yes, the day has finally arrived. It all goes down tonight. Having finalized the setlist earlier today, I can guarantee that time will be shared, laughs will be had, and everyone in attendance is going to be comedically fucked tonight. I was going to incorporate that into one of my intros, but have since nixed that idea. I never said they were all winners.

If you're wondering if I'm nervous. I will tell you. Right now, I'm about 36% nervous. My excitement outweighs any nervousness I should be feeling right now. Have you ever had one of those moments when you know you're about ready to accomplish one of your goals. That excitement that builds right up until that moment when you're finally like, "I did it." That's what I'm feeling right now.

I'm confident. I'm not going to lie. I'm very confident with the material I've written and compiled into what has become tonight's setlist. Part of that is ego, but most of that is confidence. I envision myself being amazing. I envision myself being a success. I'm not even thinking about, "What if...?" Fuck what if. This is, what is. I don't know if that really makes sense, but fuck it, I'm not going back. I've come too far. Haha. I didn't really laugh right there, but that seemed like a place where I should interject the image of me laughing.

If you come out tonight. I hope you enjoy yourselves. I know I will. I'll be loving every minute of it.

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February 24, 2009 - Tuesday 9:03 PM

the process of writing a setlist...
Category: Blogging

A great comedian once said, "As a comedian, you have to start the show strong and you have to end the show strong. Those are the two key elements. You can't be like pancakes. You're all happy at first, but then by the end, you're sick of 'em."

It is with that in mind that I begin the process of determining my setlist. So far I have my opening written out and the next 2 or 3 jokes planned out. Previously my opening was going to be this:

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming out tonight. It's great to see so many faces out in the audience. (Pause) I had about a 30 minute drive to get here tonight. How many of you are from right here in Allentown? (Pause) Sucks to be you. (Pause) Yeah, I went there. (Pause) The problem is I'm still there. After the show, you will see me run to my car, lock the doors and speed off down the street."

I now have decided against that opening. It's not because I don't think it'll go over well, but because I've come up with something better and funnier. Yes, it is both those things. And...No, I will not tell you what it is.

From this point on I will refrain from telling people my jokes. You will just have to wait like everyone else.

As March 5th approaches, I will continue to update you with the status of my setlist. Like I said, so far I have about 2 or 3 jokes planned out. But that's how I work. I'm a procrastinator. So this is normal.

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February 22, 2009 - Sunday 6:39 PM

my first official tour date...
Current mood:

excited
Category: Life

Yes, you read that right. I officially have my first show on March 5th at the Sterling Hotel in Allentown, PA.

What I originally thought was going to be an open mic night has turned into me being one of three or four acts to perform that night. I'm not gonna bullshit you, I am a little bit nervous. I've acted as bit part in "Fiddler on the Roof" back in high school, but this is different. Whether I fail or succeed is all on my shoulders now. There is no cast. It's just me, myself, and I.

I know this hasn't been a goal of mine for that long, but I'm so excited to see this all come to fruition. I've been writing jokes on somewhat of a daily basis since I first told you about this whole thing a little over a month ago.

I'm realizing that writing jokes is very much like any kind of writing I've done before this. The process is pretty much the same. I'll take the time to write out the joke at first. Then as time goes on, I find myself coming back to the joke, rereading it and at times rewriting it.

I've discouraged myself from posting any of my jokes in here to keep things as a surprise. As of right now, there are a select few that have heard some of my material. They are what is known as my "support system". They're the people that I want to laugh at my jokes. If they don't find it funny, then I can't help but question why I thought it was funny in the first place. I'm not saying that I've abandoned ideas that they've deemed unfunny. Instead, I just save that little tidbit until I can retool it to find it's potential. I don't claim that all my jokes are gems. If you happen to be at my show on the 5th, you'll find that out. They can't all be winners. But I'd say I'm rather proud of about 73% of what I've written so far.

So please, come out to my show on March 5th. You only get one first performance, and this is mine. It'll be a good time. I promise.

Who? Me (Brandon Strohl)
What? Debut Stand-Up Performance
Where? The Sterling Hotel (Allentown, PA)
When? March 5th
Why? Because

Any other questions you might have, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to answer them. Hope to see you there. Please come out and support me and some local comics.

Currently listening:
No Line On The Horizon
By U2
Release date: 2009-03-03

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February 15, 2009 - Sunday 3:01 PM

first tour dates...
Category: MySpace

No, I'm not kidding. I was dead serious when I said I was writing jokes for a stand-up comedy routine. As of right now, I will be partaking in at least 1, if not 2, Open Mic Nights in the Lehigh Valley.

Currently, the Sterling Hotel in Allentown is thinking about having an Open Mic Night. Should they go through with this, it will be on either March 4th or March 5th. I will have more details as we get closer to the date. As long as my schedule permits, I will be there.

If the Sterling Hotel falls through, the Bethlehem Brew Works is going to start having what is called "Tickle Me Tryouts" on March 8th and every other Sunday after that. Basically if your stuff is good, you'll get called up to "Tickle Me Tuesdays" at the Allentown Brew Works.

So by at least March 8th, I will have taken my act to the stage at least once, if not twice. Please come out and see me if you can. I will continue to provide you with as much information as possible. And I will also continue to hype the crap out of these two shows.

Currently watching:
I am Sam (New Line Platinum Series)
Release date: 2002-06-18

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February 4, 2009 - Wednesday 2:52 PM

i didn't shoot my eye out
Current mood:surprisingly not mad yet
Category: Life

If you've seen my newest status update, you'd know by now that I broke my glasses. I wish I had some kind of cool story, like I was in the backyard shooting targets with my BB gun when it ricocheted and hit me in glasses, but I don't. Instead, I have a lame story of how I was leaning against a pile of blankets on the couch when I reached over my head to grab a blanket behind and hit myself in the face resulting in the breaking of my glasses in half.

Surprisingly, I'm still not at the point where I'm pissed off or angry yet. I know I'm probably going to have to pay for the new pair of frames, and I just bought the glasses last year. But for now, I still find it laughable. Considering all the times I fall asleep with my glasses, all the times I've hit my head off something, I'm shocked that this is what did them in.

Currently listening:
Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics
By George Carlin
Release date: 1990-12-08

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February 2, 2009 - Monday 4:02 PM

my redneck other half... (re-edited 2-4-09)
Category: MySpace

I was curious today and decided to do a friend search on myself. Apparently there is only 2 other people on Myspace that share my same name. You'll see 4 results, but the one with "The Voice of Rock" Glenn Hughes and a rainbow in the background is my old profile. If you pay attention to the one I circled. Apparently there's someone with my name, from my town, with the same age as me. Apparently I have a redneck other half.

On a side note, I need to use a thesaurus. I just used the word "apparently" 3 times in the span of 6 sentences. My English teacher would have her panties all up in a bunch if I were still in school.

Check him out. Apparently I have a redneck other half.

Currently listening:
Controller
By Misery Signals
Release date: 2008-07-22

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February 2, 2009 - Monday 2:37 PM

super balls during the super bowl???
Category: Sports

Tucsonans watching the Super Bowl got more action than they bargained for when a short clip from an adult movie channel interrupted Comcast's feed with full male nudity during the final moments of the game.

Officials at Comcast said about 30 seconds from Club Jenna, an adult cable television channel, were shown on the local Super Bowl telecast. The company was still working Sunday night to figure out how it happened.

Comcast had "no idea" at the time it happened how the porn may have gotten into its feed, said Kelle Maslyn, a company spokeswoman.

The Star newsroom was flooded with calls from irate viewers who said that the porn cut into the game with less than three minutes left to play, just after Arizona Cardinals player Larry Fitzgerald scored on a touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to put the team in the lead.

Callers said that the clip showed a woman unzipping a man's pants, followed by a graphic act between the two.

"I just figured it was another commercial until I looked up," said Cora King of Marana. "Then he did his little dance with everything hanging out."

Jeanene Piek said she was outraged that her granddaughter had seen the clip. "I was in a state of shock. I am totally disgusted," she said.

The Super Bowl was being shown locally on KVOA. The station sends its signal to Comcast through a fiber line, said KVOA News Director Kathleen Choal.

KVOA's signal didn't have porn on it when the station sent it over to Comcast, station president Gary Nielsen said.

The company will continue to investigate what happened to its signal, Nielsen said. Engineers at Comcast will be working throughout the night to determine what happened, Maslyn said.

The porn broke into the standard-definition feed reaching analog TV sets. It appears the porn only reached homes in the Tucson area, but Comcast did not know exactly how many homes were affected, Maslyn said.

Comcast's high-definition feed was not affected. Maslyn did not know how many homes were affected.

Comcast is the second-largest cable-television provider in Southern Arizona and serves more than 80,000 customers in unincorporated Pima County, Marana and Oro Valley.

Currently listening:
Medium Energy
By Todd Barry
Release date: 2005-10-25

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January 24, 2009 - Saturday 7:31 PM

stand-up pt. 2
Category: Life

Well, it's been 4 days or so since the last blog and I'd just like to say I've made quite a bit of progress so far. I think I've written between 60-70 jokes so far. Others are still in the developmental stage right now. I've been listening to a lot of stand-up over the last couple days or so, which makes me even more eager to accomplish this goal. Once again, I will continue to update you on my progress as time goes on.

I also bought tickets to see Stephen Lynch in March, so I'm really looking forward to that. All of this started years ago when I first saw his first half hour special on Comedy Central. Since then, comedy has always been something I wanted to do. So everything is starting to come around full circle.

Currently listening:
The Craig Machine
By Stephen Lynch
Release date: 2005-10-04

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January 20, 2009 - Tuesday 9:49 PM

stand-up
Category: MySpace

I know I alluded to this awhile ago and I'm sure I'll be talking about it more later. I'm currently in the process of writing jokes for my stand-up comedy routine. So far, I've come up with some that I think are pretty fuckin' funny. I'm not trying to toot my own horn. I've had George and Eric laugh at some of them. The beauty of having a job where you don't have to concentrate too much on what you're doing is that you have a ton of time to think to yourself.

I've yet to determine my style of comedy or comedic persona. But the comedians I enjoy the most are Mitch Hedberg, Dane Cook, Todd Barry and recently George Carlin. Stephen Lynch still applies here, but not in the same vein as the others.

I know I'll never be on the same level as any of them, but this is something I've always wanted to do. As time goes on, I'll update you on my status and where you can come out and see me perform.

Currently watching:
My Best Friend's Girl (Unrated )
Release date: 2009-01-13

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January 19, 2009 - Monday 4:24 PM

super bowl scenarios (yeah, it's a day late)...
Category: Sports

I apologize for not typing this up yesterday like I said, but I spent pretty much the entire day at George's watching old WCW footage, then Mean Girls on ABC Family, then playing TMNT on the PS3 until almost 10:30 pm. By this point, the games had already been played and the Super Bowl has been set between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. So let's go back a little and talk about what we could have ended up with. If you remember, I did this same thing last year.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, by now, we all know this is the matchup we got. I had figured that the Eagles were probably going to get by the Cardinals. So I'm not entirely too into this matchup. As long as the Cardinals offense doesn't get completely shutdown by the Steelers defense, I think this could be a pretty good game. How much must it suck to be Matt Leinart right now. You went from possibly being the #1 pick as a Junior to getting picked #10 by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006. Having played in a pro style offense in college and having some rather good weapons in Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Edgerrin James (at the time), you eventually became the starter. 3 seasons later, your team is in the Super Bowl, and it's not because of you. All hail Kurt Warner. Good luck. Steelers over the Cardinals to win their record 6th Super Bowl championship.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Baltimore Ravens
I had thought of this as the least likeliest scenario. I didn't think that the Cardinals would get past the Eagles and I really didn't think the Ravens would get past the Steelers. I know the Ravens have a great defense. Heck, they're the 2008 version of the 2000 Ravens. Just swap rookie QB Joe Flacco for experienced veteran Trent Dilfer. Both teams relied on the defense and the running game. Heading into their game against the Steelers I had seen the Ravens were rather banged up at some positions. Most noticeably running back. I saw that McGahee did in fact play and scored the Ravens lone 2 touchdowns. But without the constant running threat, the defense could focus on shutting down the rookie QB. And that's just what they did. That hit on McGahee just looked nasty. I really hope everything is okay. My pick, had this been our matchup...Ravens over Cardinals. That's for you Bourgault.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This would have proved interesting among my circle of friends had this been the outcome. Bourgault's Ravens vs. Brandon's Eagles. I didn't really think the Eagles would have made it this far into the playoffs, but much like everyone else around the East side of Pennsylvania, I started to believe. I've always liked Donovan McNabb. I'm glad he's gotten his game back on track. I'm not really looking forward to the day that Kevin Kolb takes over, if that is the way they end up going. I'm not a big fan of Andy Reid's play calling, and I still think they need a big game WR. Sorry DeSean Jackson. You're not it...yet. If it had come down to the Ravens and Eagles, I think the Eagles would come out on top, somehow. Cause it's just been that kind of season. That's for you Brandon.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the matchup I was hoping for the most, for obvious reasons. If you can't figure it out, duh, I live in Pennsylvania. I think I said the other day, we're one of 5 states that can have the claim of having the same state Super Bowl. Well, I was wrong. But I corrected myself, so that's okay. Those 6 states for those wondering are Pennsylvania (Steelers vs. Eagles), New York (technically New Jersey, but, Giants vs. Jets), Missouri (Kansas City vs. Rams), Texas (Cowboys vs. Texans), Florida (Buccaneers vs. Jaguars or Dolphins) and Maryland (Ravens vs. Redskins who technically play in Maryland). Being an Eastern PA guy, I would have rooted for this Eagles in this game, but my gut would be telling me that they would end up falling to the Steelers.

Currently listening:
In Rainbows
By Radiohead
Release date: 2008-01-01

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January 11, 2009 - Sunday 3:45 PM

top 31 albums of 2008: yes i know it's january 11th (re-edit)
Category: Music

I apologize for not getting this up on Friday, as it was a busy day of working, shopping, sleeping, and getting people's girlfriends where they belong. Saturday was much of the same, except it consisted of work, breakfast, sleep, Christmas Party, then more sleep.

Now that I finally have a day to myself. Here it is. Let the judgment and ridicule begin. Enjoy

1.    10 Years – Division
2.    The Underwater – Forces
3.    A Utopian Skyline – A Local Anesthetic
4.    The Drama Club – The Drama Club [EP]
5.    Safetysuit – Life Let To Go
6.    Innerpartysystem – Innerpartysystem
7.    Panic at the Disco – Pretty.Odd.
8.    Bullet For My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire
9.    All That Remains – Overcome
10.    Metallica – Death Magnetic
11.    Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone
12.    The Mars Volta – Bedlam In Goliath
13.    Radiohead – In Rainbows
14.    Shinedown – Sound of Madness
15.    Dustin Kensrue – The Good Night Is Everywhere
16.    Miley Cyrus – Breakout
17.    Sevendust – Chapter 7: Hope and Sorrow
18.    Story of the Year – The Black Swan
19.    Counting Crows – Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
20.    Anthony Green - Avalon
21.    R.E.M. – Accelerate
22.    Hawthorne Heights – Fragile Futures
23.    Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. 3 & 4: Air and Earth
24.    Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
25.    Hinder – Take It To The Limit
26.    Ill Nino – Enigma
27.    MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
28.    Ashes Divide – Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright
29.    Nickelback – Dark Horse
30.    Scott Weiland – Happy In Galoshes
31.    Hollywood Undead – Swan Songs

837.   Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

P.S. I'm also apologizing to anyone that likes Fleet Foxes. Since they're on just about every "Top Albums of 2008" list I've read so far, I figured they ought a be on mine too. "837" was just the first number that came to mind.

Currently listening:
Do You Believe in Gosh?
By Mitch Hedberg
Release date: 2008-09-09

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January 5, 2009 - Monday 9:56 PM

top ?? albums of 2008: coming soon
Current mood:

stressed
Category: Music

Just in case you were wondering, I haven't forgotten about listing my top albums of 2008. I just haven't located the document file that I typed it in. Either it's not titled what I thought I titled it, or I might've accidentally deleted it. Either way, I'm working on my list all this week, and I hope to have it up by Friday at the latest. I've determined most of what's making the list, now it's just determining the order and any last minute contenders. Like I said, look for it on Friday, if not before than.

P.S. The Fleet Foxes are not making the list. Sorry critics, you and I have two completely different opinions.

Currently listening:
Fleet Foxes
By Fleet Foxes
Release date: 2008-06-03

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