Man... if I had a kid a would TOTALLY dress him (or her) up like this at Halloween!
And of, course... your's truly in costume for today:
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Sometimes I just can't figure it out.
I tried to write yesterday's post, but once I added a picture all the spacing went 'wonky' and I couldn't get it corrected.
So I scapped the entire post and started from scratch. This time I waited until I was finished before adding any pictures but it still made the line spacing come out weird.
I corrected it as much as I could but now I've noticed that all my former posts have eliminated the line spacing and look like one big paragraph per post.
If I can find time to fix it I will, but I don't know when I'll have enough time to fix the previouse 100+ posts.
Maybe (hopefully) it'll correct itself after a few more new entries.
So in the meantime, I apologize if you're reading any of the older topics and find it difficult to follow.
* UPDATE - 12:45 p.m.
I seemed to have fixed the problem.
Resume reading at your leisure
I packed a lot of adventure into just 12 hours yesterday with my friend Liz.
She's taking off for Europe today to go see her favorite band W.A.S.P. play eight shows in eight days.
Before she left, she wanted to pick up a gift for a friend of hers from Italy. He's a big Motley Crue fan, so she wanted to get a signed 1st edition copy of Nikki Sixx's new book, "The Heroin Diaries".
Nikki was doing a booksigning at Barnes & Noble in Seattle on Saturday at the University Village.
I told her that we'd probably want to get their early so we could get a good place in line, but she didn't think that there would be much of a crowd for him at a bookstore. Ha! Boy was she wrong!
The place was practically over-run with fans of the rockstar who came out of the woodwork to get their book, CD's, records, etc. signed by him.
The B & N staff was very friendly though and despite the nature of the crowd, everyone was well-behaved.
When we got there about noon, they were giving everyone wristbands to signal your place in line.
Our's were labeled "D", which means we were in the 400 group (the fourth group of 100 people). They ran out of bands at the "E" group and people were STILL showing up to get his signature.
After we got our wristbands but before we could get in line, we had about 3 hours to kill, so we walked around the shops and got something to eat.
We got to talking about things she had planned to do before her trip, but was running out of time for.
One of them was going to Jimi Hendrix's grave to make some tombstone rubbings to give to friends in Europe at the concerts. I told her I'd never been to his grave, even though I'm from here. Since she lives close to the cemetery (and I had to give her a ride home, anyway) we decided to stop and do that when we were done for the day.
We finished eating, then wandered around for a while outside. It was an awesome Autumn day. The sky was clear and the air was very crisp. A little too warm for a heavy jacket, but a little too cool for just a light jacket.
Here's a little 'artsy' photo of one of the fountains in the shopping center:.JPG)
Our group got called into line around 3:30 and by the time we finally got to meet him it was almost 4:30.
A few minutes after she got the book signed, they announced that they would have to end the signing in another 10 minutes. We were VERY lucky to have made it in line when we did.
We left the the shopping center and promptly got stuck in traffic leaving from the UW Huskies game.
It wasn't too terribly bad, and we were soon back towards the Eastside to get to Jimi's grave.
We had taken her car to Seattle (I HATE driving into downtown), so when we got back on the Eastside we switched cars so she could drop hers off for some work while I drove for the rest of the day.
She had to pick up her concert tickets from a friend who was originally going to join her, but wasn't able to go.
So a quick drive to a local Starbucks and the ticket transaction took place.
(Heh-heh! LOCAL Starbucks. They're all over the place. You can't throw a rock without hitting one. They are ALL local!)
Then we headed south to go to Fry's Electronics. I was there the night before with G-rod, but forgot to pick up the one item I specifically went there for... a new DVD-RW drive to replace my old one that stopped working.
She heard they had a digital camera for under $100 and wanted to get it for her trip, because she couldn't find a replacement battery for her current camera. (by the way Liz... you can get it here)
Yeesh! The service there is HORRIBLE! You'd better know what you're going there for and where it's located because the service staff there is totally no help whatsoever.
Unfortuantely, they did not have any more of the cameras nor did they have the one battery she needed to replace on her current camera.
I, however, was able to get a nice new DVD-RW drive and a couple other things while I was there.
Score: 1 - 1.
Edge: No one
It was just a short trip from Fry's to the cemetery, so we headed there next.
By this time it was dark and a heck of a lot colder.
The cemetery was 'closed' but since they didn't have a gate to close off the parking lot, we went in and parked and went about our business.
Luckily I had my headlamp in the car, so we were able to navigate around in the dark.
We got to the gravesite and taped some paper on the tombstone to make a rubbing.
We did a few when we saw the flash of a car's headlights swipe by us.
"Uh-oh. It's probably security coming to kick us out of here", we thought.
Then the car parked, the doors opened and closed and we heard the 'chirp-chirp' of a car alarm.
I said, "I don't think it's security or police. They don't set their car alarms when they're coming to get you."
Sure enough, it turned out to be a young couple from Seattle who came to visit the site also. Not "The Man".
We each took some pictures, then they left and we got back to our project before it got much later.
I wanted to get to a Kinkos to print up the pictures of the day's events so Liz could take them with her on her trip. So further south we drove until we got to Southcenter Mall to get to a Kinkos.
Got there, made copies, and then we went to Taco Time to get something to eat.
(Mmmm... Taco Time! The only other place for more authentic Mexican food is Taco Bell)
After that, it was getting pretty late.
And by 'late' I mean it was after 9:00 p.m. and I still had to get her home so she could pack and I could drive back to my place.
It all wrapped up 12 hours after it started.
We both had a really fun time and I'm looking forward to hearing how her Euro-trip was when she gets back.
(I also want to find out what her friend's reaction was when she gives him the book!)
A good friend of mine was fired from their job today.
For the sake of preserving their identity, I'll call this person "Jack".
Jack went to lunch and when he got back he was called into the HR office.
A few moments of awkward "politically correct niceties" and then they were let go.
There was no advance warning, no indication that the job was in jeopardy, nothing.
Now, it's not like this person loved their job.
They were actually going to look for a new job after the Holiday season was over, because they felt that the job offered very little room for career growth and wanted to branch out and gain more varied job skills.
But now Jack is forced to look for work. Which means that his family, house payment, and other bills are dependent on him getting a job ASAP, instead of being able to look for something suitable in his spare time.
I guess what bugs me most about this, is that my friend is very skilled and was more than qualified for the job.
The fact that no warning was given, while other employees have received SEVERAL of them and continue to work at this place, seems more than unfair.
I don't have any real eloquent things to say about this.
I'm just pissed because of the way it was handled and I wanted to get it off my chest.
My job is a pain and I don't like it, but it pays the bills. So did Jack's.
I wish him luck. I know he'll get something.
It's on everybody's mind lately, but nobody really talks about it.
The threat that zombies pose to the average citizen is greater than we realize, and now the White House is allocating funds to mount a defense against them.
As long as my tax dollars are going to a good cause, I'm all for it.
After all, zombies are a threat to our children.
Saturday morning, I got up and got stuff together to head over to my aunt's aptartment.
I promised her I'd get her a DVD player when I got paid this last time, so I was going over to hook it up and drop off some movies for her to watch.
I took the back roads getting to her place, and went by the property my grandparents used to own when I lived with them in High School.
That area has sure changed!
It took a little over an hour to drive to her place, so I picked up some lunch for both of us before I got there.
After we ate, I opened up the box for the DVD player and started hooking everything up.
Now let me just say this, it wouldn't be a big deal for most people to have to talk about this, but nothing is ever as easy as I'd like it to be.
My aunt's TV didn't have any REGULAR inputs for video and all that.
All she had on the back of the TV was a single coaxial input. Very Old-Skool!
I had to also get a phono-to-coax converter to get it all to work right.
I plugged the phono plugs into their respective places, attached the coax cable from the wall to the converter and then.... found out that the coax cable from the converter was a "screw-on" type but the coax input on the DVD player was a "push-on" type. WTF?!?
So I had to run to Radio Shack and pick up an adapter. A 15 minute drive there & back for a $1.99 part.
Except when I got back, I got the wrong adapter.
I needed a 'screw-on coax-to-phono" adapter.
So back in the car to Radio Shack again.
Luckily I was able to exchange the part without having to shell-out another 2 bucks.
I got back again, and then discovered that.... ta-da!... I was trying to plug the DVD player back onto itself.
I really didn't need that adapter at all.
2 trips to Radio Shack and $2 dollars spent on a part I didn't need in the first place.
Oh well, I finished plugging it all together and then tried out a couple of videos to make sure it worked, which it did, and then I left.
Success!
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I beat feet back home to take a shower and get ready to go to Puyallup for a friend's birthday party later that evening.
Hotness drove (Thank goodness!) and we got there in plenty of time.
It was sort of a birthday / new job celebration for him, as he has just recently started a new job as a financial consultant for an International firm.
We ate lots of great food that his wife put together, played some Nintendo Wii, and just hung-out for the evening.
We weren't keeping track of the time, and so it was around.... yup, you guessed it... after midnight before we left to go back home.
I think my life is becoming a Judas Priest song!
Since his birthday wasn't officially until Sunday, we were there long enough to be there when it became his actual B-day.
So.... Happy Birthday Joe and congratulations on the new job!
Friday night was another adventure.
I'd gotten home from the Ozzy & Zombie concert around 1:00 a.m. in the morning and had to be back up for work at 5:30 a.m.
To say I was dragging is an understatement!
Anyway, Friday night was GAME NIGHT at my buddy, Dug's.
So after work, I was headed to his house.
Game night is for Geeks & Nerds. Jocks need not apply!
It's a gathering of friends and their computers (desktop or laptop) and having a LAN party until the wee hours of the morning.
I've participated in a few, but two things prevent me from really ever being any good and staying for very long;
1) I don't usually play PC computer games, so I'm not really good when everybody else has hours and hours of practice. (I make a really great target, though!)
I'm more of a console gamer. (PS2, Nintendo, etc....)
2) I get really bad motion-sickness from trying to play games on the PC. So I have to dope-up on Dramamine to play. (Which takes us back to #1)
The usual game is Battlefield 1942 or Unreal Tournament, but this time they started playing Team Fortress 2.
If I could get over the motion-sickness these games cause me, I could REALLY get into Team Fortress 2!
That game not only looks cool, it is funny all get-out!
As it was, I didn't bring my computer with me to join in the battle.
Instead I brought my PS2 and played Guitar Hero on Dug's big-ass widescreen HDTV! (I had to break it in for him, you know!)
One of the other gamers brought his guitar controller and between rounds of Team Fortress 2, he came out and joined me on the PS2.
Here are some pics of the group with their computers all networked and blasting the crap out of each other:
I watched them play for a little while until my head started getting woozy, then I went back into the living room to play Tetris on my cell phone or play a solo round on Guitar Hero.
Dug's wife & daughter (my neice) were at another friend's house for the earlier part of the evening.
When they got back they feasted on some of the junk food before heading upstairs to go to bed and "let the boys play".
I read my neice a couple of books while her mom tucked her into bed, then I went back downstairs.
Finally, around midnight, I had to call it an evening and go home.
No amount of Coca-Cola was going to keep me awake any longer.
I packed up my game, said good-bye to the gang and went home.
I don't know how much longer they played, but it's been known to go on until 2:00 a.m.
Another late evening for me, but that wasn't the last one for the weekend.....
On Thursday night, my friend Liz & I went to see Ozzy Osbourne & Rob Zombie in concert as they kicked off the start of their most recent tour in Seattle.
I found out only just a couple of weeks ago that thay were coming to town, and I called to see if she wanted to go with me.
I told her I'd spring for the tickets, since it would be her birthday present from me.
We've been friends for more than 10 years now, and gone to quite a few concerts together.
Hmmm, let's see... we've been to; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Metallica (2x), GWAR, Lollapalooza '96, and now the Ozzy & Zombie concert. I still haven't got her to join me for a Weird Al concert, but that's okay. Maybe one of these days....
So, back to the concert.
I was a little late in trying to get tickets so I was at the mercy of whatever was left available.... if at all.
Fortunately I was able to get two tickets with a full view of the stage..... w-a-y up in the nosebleed section.
I got 'em and then scheduled to take off early from work the day of the concert so I'd have plenty of time to get there.
On Thursday, I left work at 3:00 and drove to Bellevue to leave my car at the Park & Ride and take the bus into Seattle.
Here's my bus to the show:
(Ha ha! No, not really!)
Man, I am so glad I took the bus. The traffic was flippin' crazy that evening getting into town.
I got into downtown Seattle and then took the Monorail to Seattle Center.
Inside the Center House (the main building where they also have the food court) was Liz & G-rod waiting for me. G-rod wasn't going to the show, but since it was close to his work, he thought he'd stop by to say 'hi'.
We sat around and B.S.'d for a while until some other friends showed up.
About 7:15 p.m. we headed over to the arena for the show and G headed home.
We got inside and went to the T-shirt booth to get our swag before the show.
Ugh! I like concerts, but beer-impaired meatheads are really the dominant crowd at shows like this.
After standing in line for QUITE A WHILE to get our shirts, we finally made it to the front... about the same time as "Mr. I've-Already-Had-Too-Much-To-Drink". He had the advantage of seeing ALL the freaking merchandise before we got to it and he STILL didn't know what he wanted and had to ask the dumbest questions about everything.
Well, we got our shirts (I got an Ozzy shirt for me and picked up a couple for shirts for Hotness) while the opening band was playing, which was fine because what we could hear didn't sound all that good anyway.
They finished about the time we left the T-shirt booth, and by the time Liz & I got to our seats, we only had to wait 10 minutes for Rob Zombie to start playing.
Here's the view of the arena from our seats:
And here we are before the show (sorry about the crappy picture):
And here's the view with Rob Zombie on stage:
Wow! What a performance! He really put on a great show. My only complaint was that I wished he'd played longer.
He only did a one-hour set, but it was packed with great stuff!
I can't remember all the songs he did, but here a few that I do remember (in no particular order):
"Demon Speeding", "Superbeast", "Thunderkiss '65", "Living Dead Girl", "Dragula", "House of 1000 Corpses", "More Human Than Human"... and a few others. All the hits without letting up for a minute!
He had Go-Go dancers and flash-pots, and he even had some guy come out on stage with the big robot costume during "More Human Than Human".
Everything you could want from a Zombie show!
Then when he was done, they dropped a big white curtain down in front of the stage and got it ready for Ozzy's set.
It took about a half-hour to get it all switched out.
Then the lights dimmed again and they played "O Fortuna" over the speakers, followed by some videos of Ozzy spoofing various pop-culture topics.
Here's a couple:
(this one is NOT safe for work!)
Then the video stopped, the curtain dropped, and Ozzy and band broke out with a song from his lastest album, "Black Rain". After that it was hit after hit after hit! He just kept 'em coming!
The next song he did was "Crazy Train" and the place just erupted!
Ozzy's show went on for two-hours!
Here he is on stage:
Again, I can't remember all the songs he did, but here's a sampling (in no particular):
"Mr. Crowley", "Over The Mountain", "Suicide Solution", "Paranoid", "Iron Man", "Mama, I'm Coming Home", "Bark at the Moon", "Into The Void", "Sweet Leaf".... on and on. In fact, aside from his own list of songs he did 6 Black Sabbath tunes... four of which were during his encore!
I was a very happy-camper at this show!
Zakk Wylde did a guitar solo which also incorporated the famous "Star-Spangled Banner" that Jimi Hendrix made famous.
Between each song (and sometimes during them), Ozzy would rile the crowd up by saying "I can't F***ing hear you! Louder!!!".
I am STILL hoarse from yelling, screaming and singing along at the show!
Three-hours long (longer if you count the opening band) of greatest hits by two top-tier performers.
Definitely worth the money and I would certainly do it again!
After the show got out, around 11:30 p.m., Liz & I went to get her car so she could drop me off in Bellevue to pick mine up and go home.
Except.... we came out on the wrong side of the arena and ended up walking around in the rain for a half-hour. Well, I was able to walk off my contact high. (Yes, even in the arena there was plenty of pot-smoking going on!)
I had an awesome time with a great friend and I look forward to doing it again soon!
Update 10/22/07:
Here's a review from the Seattle Times for the show.
Actual content coming soon.
In the meantime, please enjoy Gali The Alligator....
(Thanks to The Presurfer)
I mentioned earlier on here, but October is Diabetes Awareness month.
I thought it might bear repeating again as this is also Breast Cancer Awareness month.
(I'd tried to find a link to their website, but.... well YOU try to do that while you're at work)
It seems that the Breast Cancer people have a much better PR person, because everywhere lately are products sporting something PINK to make sure you're aware of the disease.
I got a pink plastic grocery bag from the store. I've seen HP copy paper for my computer printer all wrapped up in pink wrap. And a host of other items.
Not that it's a bad thing, mind you.
As a guy who likes breasts (make that LIKES breasts), it's very important that research is properly funded to battle and eliminate this disease.
And odd as it may sound, even men can develop breast cancer. So it's not just a "women thing".
It's just that diabetes is affecting both men and women AND children equally. Kids are developing it earlier and in greater numbers than in the past.
But yet, what are we doing about it? Why isn't this being brought to our attention like breast cancer is this month?
I guess McDonald's wouldn't want to advertise diabetes awareness month on their soft drink cups. That might affect the sales of their Happy Meals.
And what about all the candy that will be given out at the end of this month?
I guess Hershey's and Nestle's wouldn't want to scare off that "traditional fun time" market by putting a "surgeon general's warning label" on their bags of candy. (But really, has that worked to stop people from smoking?)
Anyway, that's my 2-cent rant for today.
Something for you to think about.
Oh by the way.... it's also Lupus Awareness month.
And yet another story about killer microscopic organisms.
This one comes on the heels of yesterday's news about the killer fungus.
This time it's bacteria,
which we all new were bad anyway, but this ones seems to have been a simple strain that was never a problem until recently.
Scientists have been warning us for some time that using antibacterial soap was not helping the situation in warding off the critters, but was in fact helping to breed these antibiotic-resistant strains we're now fighting.
As a result, we now have a strain of staphylococcus that is killing more people than AIDS in the U.S.
Maybe George Carlin was right....
(Not safe for work without headphones, so be sure to wear them!)
Yeah baby!
"Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock" is coming out soon.
I just ordered my copy today.
If you pre-order from the website you got lots of cool goodies.
I got a wireless guitar controller and a carrying bag (for two controllers), plus some other stuff.
(unfortunately hot babe was not included)
This October is turning out to be a month of microscopic killers.
If the brain-eating ameoba wasn't enough to get your skin crawling and keep you out of the lakes, now we have a deadly fungus lurking in the woods.
They say the probability is extremely rare of encountering it, and really, you have to have a compromised immune system that isn't strong enough to fight off the spores, but still.... ICK!
We could take a note from Japan and get ourselves one of these USB-powered facemasks:
Well, my impromptu poll is over. (actually it has been for a few days now)
Of the people that voted, 50% said they liked dill pickles, 25% liked hot 'peppered' pickles, and the other 25% wouldn't touch a pickle if their life depended on it.
Interestingly, nobody said they enjoyed sweet pickles.
Hmmm... maybe it's just me that likes them.
I don't have another survey yet, but when I do I'll let you all know.
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In the meantime, this has been an ugly week so I haven't been up-to-date on this blog.
I won't go into details because I promised I wouldn't talk about work.
But let's just say it sucked and leave it at that for now.
I'm hoping that opportunity knocks for an opening elsewhere... real soon.
On the bright side, it's now the weekend. I have a pretty nice paycheck waiting for me on Monday, so this weekend Hotness and I will be picking up some things that have been on the 'to get' list.
Also, I found out today that Joan Osborne had a new CD come out a few months ago. I didn't know about it until today, but I'll be picking it up soon.
I really enjoyed her last one, which had more of a country-feel to it, rather than her typical bluesy/R&B vibe.
Ever since her "Relish" album, she's kind of stayed under the radar but has put out some really great music.
One of my all-time favorites by her is "Righteous Love". It's a great CD with alot of good songs, but didn't receive much airplay.
I saw her at Bumbershoot with G-rod when she was playing some of these songs live before the album came out.
Highly recommended.
Anyway, I hope your weekend is off to a good start.
Other than some shopping, I don't have much planned this weekend.
The weather should be nice (probably the last nice weekend we'll have for a few months), so hopefully I can mow the lawn and get the mower 'winterized' for the season.
Next week promises to be more exciting.
Coming up:
1) Game Night at Dug's
2) My concert review
3) Birthday hoe-down in Puyallup
... stay tuned....
The 100th post, huh? Wow, I didn't realize how much crap there is to talk about.
Well, today I am devoting this post a very special friend of mine who is celebrating her 29th birthday (again!) today.
Happy Birthday Liz!
She shares her special day with David Lee Roth (woo-hoo!), although she wishes that weren't the case.
Instead of celebrating today with her, we are going to a concert next week in Seattle as her birthday present (which I will give a report after the show).
In the mean time Liz, please enjoy these the male dancers I got for you...
Have a great birthday today!
I started going back to the gym today after work.
I needed to start going again, but I kept finding excuses to not start back quite yet.
Well... today I said "This is it."
I have sort of a Love/Hate relationship with going to the gym.
I really dislike having to pay to exercise and do active things that I could just do at home for free if I were so inclined. But that there is the problem, I need to be doing something at home.
But instead I get home from work, change into comfy clothes and then park my fat butt at the computer, TV, or what-have-you and that's about all the activity I get for the evening.
On the other hand, I really like how I feel mentally after working out. I don't get a "runner's high" or anything, but I just feel better after going to the gym.
Plus it helps to lower my blood pressure and keep me in better shape.
Luckily the gym I go to doesn't cost an arm & a leg, so price is really a small sacrifice in trying to stay healthy in this instance.
While I'm on this topic, here's what my goals are for going:
1) Lower my already borderline high blood pressure
2) Lose the spare tire above my waist
3) Improve my aerobic intake (I'm tired of getting winded after climbing a few stairs)
That's all. No lofty dreams of bulking-up and trying to look like the Hulk or Thor.
I'm not aiming for that "chisled-body" look.
I just want to feel better... physically & emotionally.
(Plus it wouldn't hurt if I looked good naked for a change)
I'll keep you posted on how I'm coming along.
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Now... having said all that, get a load of THIS!
I've gotta work out just to get my heart in shape to tackle trying to eat that thing!
The Imperial Forces have a stern task master with Darth Vader on their side.
Here's Darth on his SL1 Terminatrix. A sweet ride for the man-about-town.
Taking a "pause for the cause" during a Monsters Of Rock concert.
With the new iSith phone, Vader can keep in touch with friends on the ice planet Hoth and with family on Alderaan.
While crushing rebellious forces under the boot-heel of the Empire is taxing work, there is always time to enjoy a little music. You know what they say; "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast".
When he was there, he stayed at Lando's house, where he and fellow Imperial associate, Stormtrooper ID# 5857D391 (a.k.a "Larry") helped themselves to the fridge.
I like case modding, although I personally don't do it myself, but I can appreciate the works of art that others come up with for their PCs.
Like this one....
This rocks!
It took this guy 14 months to make this into a workable computer. That is some serious dedication to your hobby.
I'm lucky if I just upgrade my hard-drive and DVD/CD burner in an afternoon.
There are many different mods, some cooler than others.
I looked for a few other comic-related types and found these:
The Batmobile Tumbler
Optimus Prime
But there are lots of others.
So my hat is off to you case modders, congratulations on making your geektacular dreams becoming a reality!
Sibu the Orangutan has miffed his Dutch keepers by refusing to mate with females and showing sexual interest only in tattooed human blondes.
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Sibu, I know what you mean.
I feel the same way sometimes.
Jacksonville authorities say a mother pulled out a gun at a school bus stop because her son was being bullied. The police report says 40-year-old Johnna Briggs pointed the gun at other students getting off the bus and said, "Does anyone have something to say?"
Her son was being bullied on the school bus and authorities say she wanted to put an end to it.
Briggs is charged with improper exhibition of a firearm, a misdemeanor.
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That's mom for ya. Always got your back.
By the way, in case you didn't know it October is Diabetes Awareness Month.
As a person who has more than one family member and a few friends who have been diagnosed, I thought I'd take a moment to remind you:
1) Check you blood pressure regularly
It's not called the 'silent killer' for nothing
2) Eat lots of leafy green vegetables and include lots of fiber in your diet.
Diets high in saturated fats and sugar causes imbalances in your system.
Foods that help you poop it all out keeps your system in better condition.
3) Get some excercise
Walk, throw a frisbee with a friend, anything.
Just get outside and be active (or be active inside.. whatever!).
Luckily I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes, but it tends to run in my family so I constantly have to keep an eye out for indicators that I have developed it.
So do yourself a favor and get checked.
Never let it be said that Hotness and I fall into any particular stereotype.
Case in point: This past weekend.
Saturday started off as any typical weekend day.
We got up, Hotness went to ride her horse, and I bummed around the house for the better part of the morning.
Ah.... but later that day, we went into town (actually the town next to us) and watched the "Eve of Destruction" at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe.
This was the season finale for the track and had all the automotive destruction anyone could ask for.
We saw (in no particular order):
The Hornets race
Demo cars heat race (beat-up cars just racing for best lap time)
School bus figure-8 race
Roll-over contest
Boat races
School bus demolition derby
... and, of course, the good ol' fashioned car demolition derby
After the car demolition derby, they shot off a butt-load of fireworks to wrap it all up.
Hotness and I cut out when the fireworks started so we could beat the crowds out of the parking lot.
______________________________
That was Saturday.
On Sunday, we went to the ballet..JPG)
Here we are at the Opera House. Look me holding my Cosmopolitan. How Metrosexual!
We have season tickets (this is our 7th or 8th season so far), and we were supposed to go last weekend, but that day was taken up with Technogreek's birthday party so we had to reschedule.
Anyway, this was the season opener and the performance was a set of three different works by George Balanchine.
The first one was called "Square Dance" and incorporated different movements of classical ballet with American West dancing. It was okay. Niether Hotness nor myself were overwhelmed by it. In fact I found myself almost nodding off near the end of it.
The second one was a work called "The Prodigal Son" and was based on the Biblical parable.
This was really fantastic.
No one is allowed to take pictures, but here are a few I found online from some local papers:
The third picture features our favorite female dancer, Ariana Lallone. She is incredible on stage.
This piece was a short one, and after it was over they had a brief intermission before the third and final part of the program.
The third one was more of a classical piece but we decided to leave during the intermission and not stay for it.
We were going to head over to our favorite "after-ballet" restaurant, Pomodoro, but they weren't open for a couple more hours. So instead we headed home and ate an early dinner at a Thai place closer to our house, The Silver Spoon.
And there you have it.
Demolition derby one day, ballet the next.
We like to stay cultured.... kinda like yogurt!
Sorry about the sporadic posting lately.
It takes a few days sometimes to get what I want to talk about all formulated in my head.
I had meant to talk about my past weekend, but I needed to get pictures posted and videos uploaded before I could do that.
Now that that's been done, I can tell you what's been happening.
.... plus, I'm still a bit freaked-out by that brain-eating ameoba.
