It was from a fortune cookie. it says:

“You are headed in the right direction. Trust your instincts.”

Well that’s good to know.

Unless my instincts are to not trust a fortune cookie.

I recently got my hands on a couple of music fan’s gems: Eric Clapton’s autobiography, and the “Runnin’ Down a Dream” Tom Petty DVD set.

Clapton’s autobiography is about what you’d expect: the storied history of a legendary guitarist who battled addiction and didn’t act like an adult until middle age. Clapton is obviously no Stephen King, but he writes with enough competency that it doesn’t distract from the fascinating portrait he paints of the classic rock music scene.

As EC is one of the first and biggest guitar influences I’ve ever had, I knew I had to read this book. What I found was a guy who is not totally unlike me, with many characteristics I could relate to. He gives great insight into his thoughts on music, and I certainly learned a lot about his past that I would never have known otherwise. I feel a bit sad reading about how much cooler the music scene was back then—walking into clubs and hanging out with Pete Townshend and George Harrison… running around New York City with Jimi Hendrix, guitars in hand… the occasional phone call from John Lennon—but felt good about the fact that I could never be the substance abuser that he was for most of his life. If you ever want to be assured that you are not an alcoholic, just read this book. And if you want to feel good about the fact that you haven’t spent your entire life making horrible decisions constantly, read this book.

The end gets a bit rambly when Clapton spends a bit too much time describing the details of his current life, but I was captivated by this autobiography.

My enjoyment for Tom Petty went from casual to dedicated after I saw him live in concert in 2005 in what was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. For $30 (exclusively from Best Buy), the “Runnin’ Down a Dream” DVD set is a steal. First are the two DVDs that contain an inspirational 4-hour documentary on the history of the band. Not only is the film very well-made, it takes care to leave few stones unturned as it hops from album to album in Petty’s career, including some rare live footage that displays the Heartbreaker’s prowess as a tight stage unit.

As if that weren’t enough, also included is a full-length concert DVD and a soundtrack CD containing some of the live performances from the film. The concert, while leaving a tad to be desired with the setlist, is a great companion to the film. My only complaint would be the overly long “It’s Good to be King.” I love the song, and I appreciate a good extended jam, but it meanders more than I have the patience for and makes you wonder why he didn’t just throw in a couple more classic songs from his extensive repertoire.

Flaws aside, “Runnin’ Down a Dream” should be required viewing for Tom Petty fans.

Next time you’re watching Bear Grylls take on mother nature, grab some brews and invite your friends over, because you’re in for a wonderful hour-long drinking game.

The rules are simple. You have to drink any time one of 4 things happens:

1) He says anything is “deadly,” “lethal,” “fatal,” or anything of the sort. You’d be amazed how often he stresses the possibility of impending doom.
2) He spouts off a fact or anecdote of dubious origin. How many times in each episode does he say: “last year, two campers came here for a weekend and died of thirst in 6 hours. Their bodies were found a week later as skeletons being eaten by maggots with 2-inch fangs.” Any time he tells one of these urban legend-like “factual” stories, it’s drinky time.
3) He eats something disgusting. Admit it: you pretty much watch the show and count the seconds until he bites the head off of some poor, revolting live animal. There’s no shame in admitting it. This works for drinking nasty shit, too.
4) He takes his clothes off. Bear seems to like getting naked whenever possible. If this happens, you should probably chug an entire brew.

Another fun way to play is to assign different people to drink for each rule, although I prefer to just get everyone to do it for all of ‘em.

Now turn the TV on to the Discovery Channel and hit up that Man Vs. Wild marathon… It’s gonna be a long night.

I went to CNN.com today only to find the following picture:

Ok, I admit to some level of photoshopping. But tell me they weren’t just asking for it!