Buffa's Buffet: 5 things on my mind

Clear the deck.

Potpourri sessions are required for writers, in my humble to a degree opinion. You take aim at several topics or ideas, and see what you come up with. Sometimes, talking about one thing is just fucking boring.

Yes, that was a curse word. There may be more. If this is going to be an essentially free updated edition of the Dose (with the original DOB serving as a MOVIES only site), I will let it go when I please. So, let’s get into what’s on my mind.

~David Gray in concert is better than most big-budget, loud and crazy yet soulless shows that pack stadiums and make for fine background music on a cross-country drive. As David Letterman once noted before Gray’s appearance on his show, what you see is what you get with this guy. He plays at the relatively new Saint Louis Music Park tonight, a concert more than two years in the making. Originally scheduled in 2020, a pandemic broke out and delayed it. Tonight, he revisits the album that put him on the map, “White Ladder.” He was terrific at Touhill over a decade ago, singing and dancing across the center of the stage as if he was possessed by some special drug.

Yay Cork dot com

~Albert Pujols putting on a show at the Home Run Derby last night sure felt like a middle finger to all the doubters who didn’t want him there. Go take your boring sandbox somewhere else. The All Star festivities should always live in fun town. If baseball wants to be somewhat popular, you need to show teenage to 20’s fans legends of the past. They helped build this incredible game that you are watching. The Derby is an action gas. Pujols taking down Kyle Schwarber exorcised a playoff Cub demon, and he took future Met, Juan Soto, to the wall in the semifinal.

~Here’s something I need to say. “Stranger Things” is overrated. That’s not to say it’s unwatchable or boring. The show just repeats a lot of familiar tricks, which lessens the entertainment value on each subsequent occurrence. Such as Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven saving the day, to a degree, during the climax of each season. She’s this unorthodox alien with supernatural abilities, and then “El” gets attached to Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and his friends. She comes under the protective wing of Sheriff Jim Hopper (an excellent David Harbour). The threat appears. Eleven, after much encouragement and previous season-saving hero work, appears and almost defeats the threat. “Almost,” as in pulling them up into the air or against a wall, thinking about turning them into mush. But no, she relents. The threat fires back and attacks El. One or two of her friends join and die. She comes back and finishes the work. End. Repeat.

Snooze. One more season is all this show needs. The well is just about dry.

~If you see a line stretching out of the Dairy Queen parking lot in South City, please do me a favor and head east on Eichelberger (not pronounced ITS-YOUR-BURGER). Hang a left on Macklind Avenue, and drive a mile north to Clementine’s Creamery. They have over a dozen flavors, with preferences for gluten-free customers and various sweet replacements. My favorite: Blue Moon. Please don’t burn gas and wait for DQ. Go to a local shop and get a better product, and air conditioning. My name is Dan Buffa and my foodie brain is one you can trust.

One more thing. Please, stop over-using your damn brakes out there. You know who you are. The drivers who hit that baby without hesitation, even if the car in front of you is four car lengths ahead. You punch, stab, and press on it. The pads are like scrubs in your sink. Twist, work, shout, burn, work, and stretch them out. Stop that shit. Listen to me. Less is more with braking. Brake when necessary. Otherwise, you just look like a high-powered row boat floating down the street. This isn’t the river, so get in line. Blend in.