Spongey Monkey

Once there was a zine, and now there is a blog?!?

email us

**Local Show List**

(updated semi-regularly)

Blog Archives:
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005

March 2005
February 2005
January 2005

A Few Old Links

Spongey Monkey?
Old Issues of SM
GodHeadSilo
Elliott Smith
XBXRX
Man Or Astroman?
Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
Mike Dirnt (Green Day)
Old Band Pics

Friday, 11 April 08

We're moving: http://spongeymonkey.blogspot.com/

You can also visit us at our Facebook & Myspace sites.
Chris (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher_Joy/618920409
Kelly (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly_Enriquez/1219352768
Spongey Monkey MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=18352518

Sunday, 16 Mar 08

It's been a busy past week. Kelly arrived home on my birthday, the 7th, a bit later than expected due to snow in Memphis and a delay to de-ice the plane. At least she finally made it home though after about two and a half months away. After work I had met a few riders at Competition Sports for the last Urban Night Ride for one of the bike club members, Cheryl, who was moving away. Only four of us ended up riding, but it was a good 18 mile ride to Hiller Park and back. After riding I had picked up sushi take-out from Samurai and killed time at Jason's while waiting for the plane. Saturday morning we slept in a bit, then Kelly had a haircut appointment so I rode my bike down to Gulfport to meet her. It was a good 28 mile ride on a nice day. Only a bit of riding into headwinds was a drag. After Kelly was done at the spa we went to get lunch to go at Grate Grills Deli. I had read a review of the place in a local magazine, plus my co-worker Chris said it had good food. It sounded perfect to get carry-out to take home and eat while watching the Avs/Stars matinee game. The Avs played pretty well at home and after being down 1-0, they came back to win 3-1. Kelly was happy to see the Avs back in action again, despite Foote and Forsberg out of the line-up, and they were pretty fired up. After the game Kelly watched some of her recorded programs and I listened to a bit of the Seawolves second loss in two nights to Florida on the internet broadcast. The Daylight Savings time pushed the clock ahead one hour, but I still stayed up late to watch new episodes of Bleach and Death Note. Awesome shows that were well worth staying up for.

Sunday morning we woke up early and headed north on our annual trip to see the Avalanche. This year we headed to Atlanta. We didn't do much but drive on Sunday, but we did find a sports bar to watch the Avs play against Dallas again, this time in big Texas. They looked horrible. One of the worst showings all season. Not only did they hardly get any shots on goal, but Steve Ott of Dallas injured Jordan Leopold with an ice-leaving hit against the boards, then he fought new defenseman Ruslan Salei who left the game with a possible eye injury. What a deflating loss after the win the previous day. Monday we did some shopping around Atlanta and the Perimeter Mall, including REI, plus shopping for baby clothes at the mall for our friends Christy and Dwayne having a baby next month. After shopping we went to a late anniversary dinner at Chop's Lobster Bar. Kelly had read about this place and sent me the link to make reservations. It was a nice restaurant, and the service was excellent. The food was good as well. Kelly ordered a steak and their signature lobster tail (lightly battered and flash-fried with a spicy mustard sauce), while I ordered the Chilean sea bass, and we split an order of their macaroni and cheese side dish. Overall we really enjoyed it, especially the macaroni and cheese. The lobster tail was different, but tasted really good. It was a nice place to celebrate a late anniversary. After dinner we went to see 'The Band's Visit', which surprisingly wasn't at the Landmark Theater. I had seen a preview for this film about an Egyptian police band who get lost in a small Israeli town on their way to play at the inauguration of an Arab Cultural Center. It was a good film with quirky humor. After the movie it was late so we went back to the hotel room. On Tuesday morning we got up and went down to Little Five Points to shop at Criminal Records. Of course we found some cd's to purchase. After Criminal, we stopped by Green's Beverages to pick up some regional beer for Jason and Ellen at the upcoming beer tasting party. Our next stop was downtown to the Georgia Aquarium. We had been wanting to visit since when they opened in late 2005, but when we had considered going previously there were no tickets available due to it's recent opening. We didn't have to get tickets this time though and were able to walk right in without really any wait at all. We enjoyed walking through the different exhibit sections, especially the frisky beluga whales in their mating, pre-copulation rituals. There was an abundance of sea life that fascinated us and was interesting to look at. We spent almost 3 hours there.

Jellyfish swimming at the aquarium

After the aquarium we walked around downtown a bit, then had a late lunch at Glady's and Ron's. We had heard about chicken and waffles as a popular dish, but had never made an effort to find a restaurant that served it. With our plans we were fortunate to be able to go somewhere in the downtown area where we already were at to try it. I didn't get the signature version of three wings and a waffle, but instead got the fried chicken breast and buckwheat waffle a la carte. Now normally I don't eat fried chicken, but I made an exception this time, and it was really, really good. The chicken and waffle combo might sound really odd, but it's actually quite tasty. Kelly had the smothered chicken breast which she enjoyed as well. It was a unique experience, but one I'm glad we made the effort to try. After eating we headed over to park the car and hang out at the CNN Center to wait for the arena to open. It wasn't as busy as previous times we had been waiting for a game at the Philips Arena, but there were quite a few Avalanche fans wearing their jerseys. We got inside and had really good seats in the corner at the end the Thrashers were defending twice (more chances to see the Avs score goals). We went to the tunnel with many other Avs fans to watch the team come out for warm-ups and take some photos. In talking with some of the other fans we learned that Salei hadn't fractured an eye bone in his fight with Ott the previous Sunday and was possibly going to play that coming Thursday night. He also said that Forsberg was day-to-day (still) and Smyth might also be coming back on Thursday after an ugly looking hit into the boards 'post' that is at the end of the bench a couple weeks prior. We were impressed by the number of Avalanche fans who had come out for the game. It was actually even more noticeable when the game started how empty the arena actually was. There were some empty seats in the lower level where we were, but there were also upper level sections that were completely empty. It doesn't help that the Thrashers haven't had a great season this year and are near the bottom of the standings, plus trading off one of their star favorites at deadline time also doesn't encourage fans, but wow. We were impressed by how well the Avalanche played, including rookie David Jones, a call-up from Lake Erie earlier this season who finally scored his first NHL goal. The Avs looked much better than their non-showing in Dallas on Sunday and won the game 5-2. It was kind of funny that the two goals scored by Atlanta were from players acquired from Pittsburgh in the trade that sent star Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh.

Adam Foote back in an Avs uniform Celebrating after goal #3 (or was that goal #4?)

Atlanta ice girls can skate and help set the goal net

After the game we were a bit hungry and stopped for Indian food in Little Five Points, which Kelly decided later was a bad choice, then we went back to the hotel and went to bed not that late so we could start home early in the morning. We stopped by Whole Foods and Great Harvest Bread Company to pick up some groceries and some delicious bread (that is where I would love to work). The special bread for St. Patrick's Day during the month of March is a gouda & stout that has a good amount of Guiness beer and chunks of smoked gouda cheese. Yum! We got a loaf of that, a loaf of cinnamon chip, and a loaf of their Dakota grain bread. Mmm....bread good. Then we were on our way home. The drive back wasn't too bad, although it was a shame to be in the car on such a nice day outside.

Thursday night after work I met Kelly at the Beau Rivage for 'Hockey and Sake'- a fundraiser for the Seawolves Foundation. It was a dinner with the team players at Jia, the Asian-fusion restaurant at Beau Rivage. At $75 per person, and the typical Seawolves fan probably not largely into Asian dining, we didn't expect many people. We arrived at the 5.30pm starting time and found many of the players hanging around the bar (what else to do at a required function?). We stood for a bit, then sat at some empty chairs where Kelly attempted to strike up a conversation with new team player, Andy Contois, but he wasn't very talkitive. After a bit everyone sat down at tables. There wasn't assigned seating, so we were by ourselves at a table, but then Kelly invited Chase Trull to sit with us because he had sat at another nearby table by himself. It's kind of awkward, but we all got to small-talking, and Chase was a really nice guy. After a bit, Travis Lisabeth sat down with us as well. Kelly joked later that Travis came over to 'save' Chase from us. Travis was also a pretty nice guy and we had a nice chat with them during dinner. Mainly about hockey of course, but just other things about them and life in general. Dinner was good, although a bit pricey for what was served. There was a small dinner salad, all-you-can-eat fried rice with either beef, chicken, or shrimp, one alcoholic beverage, and a small bowl of ice cream for dessert. At least it tasted good and was fresh from the grill. At the end the president of the team thanked people for attending, then Chris Cava thanked attendees and the restaurant, but of course had to make some dumbassed comment. He thanked the restaurant for a good meal and said something like, '...and they do a good job at Yuki's as well.' What a jerk. Even Chase and Travis shook their heads and made a comment that bulldog needed to be taught some public speaking manners. We said goodbye and headed home to watch Colorado play against Edmonton, whom they handily beat 5-1.

Friday night Kelly went to dinner with the Navo crew in New Orleans, while I stayed home to bake cookies and get some shelf supplies to repair the shelf that fell down in the guest room closet. Saturday morming I got up early and rode my bike down to the Mockingbird to meet some other bike club members to ride around the Bay a bit, over to Pass Christian, then back to the Mockingbird for lunch. It was a great day, although the gnats were horrible. I still got in a good 35 mile ride and Kelly met us for lunch afterwards. We came home and watched the Avs lose to New Jersey, and really not play very well. I guess I'm glad that I fell asleep on the couch during some of the game since it wasn't very good. That night we went to a baby shower for Christy and Dwayne at Jason and Ellen's house. It was nice and the baby shower part was over quickly. Some people left, but those of us left ended up playing Cranium, which was fun since we hadn't played in awhile.

Today was a really nice day as well. Kelly did some gardening while I was working on the computer this morning. In the afternoon we went to lunch at Shaggy's Harbor Bar and Grill in Pass Christian. It was actually pretty decent food, and with nice weather it was great sitting out on the deck overlooking the marina. After lunch we got coffee at the Mockingbird, then went up to Neco's in the northern part of Pass Christian to get groceries. The rest of the afternoon I did some more work on the computer and we did a few chores around the house. Our friend Peter called to remind me about the NCAA brackets being announced, so maybe I'll put in some picks just for a laugh. I'm waiting for the NHL playoffs so we can get the H.P.P. League tournament going again.

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 1 Mar 08

Coil - 'All The Pretty Little Horses' - Black Antlers (Threshold House)

Faust/Nurse With Wound - 'It Will Take Time' - Disconnected (Art-Errorist)

I've been lazy as usual about updating the blog the past few weeks. There's been a few things going on, but mainly things upcoming that I've had on my mind. Next Friday Kelly comes home, and it's my birthday, so I think that is a good way to celebrate the day, although her plane doesn't arrive into Gulfport until late in the evening. There's supposed to be a meeting of the 'Urban Night Riders' that night, so I'll get to ride, pick up sushi take-out for dinner, and get Kelly at the airport.

The Seawolves have had a long home stand the past couple of weeks. Seven games in a little over two weeks time, but unfortunately they've only been 2-4 (two wins and four losses) in the first six games (number seven is tomorrow night). They played probably their worst game of the whole season this past Thursday night in a 3-0 loss to the Charlotte Checkers in a 3 game series this weekend. The team was probably still suffering low morale from the previous week's 'brilliant' move by Coach Walby in trading our BEST player, Lance Monych to the Stockton Thunder. What the fuck were you thinking, genius? Monych was our top scorer, set up plays well, and was well-liked by the fans, and you go and trade him. Your comments in the Sun Herald were pretty classless as well. A one-dimensional player?! No need to be negative on your top scorer as you kick him to the curb. If you want to talk about one-dimensional, let's talk about your coaching, jackass. It sure isn't inspiring the players to have more of a desire to win, especially in the game a couple days after the trade. At least in last night's game it was a hard fought, well-deserved win. Maybe something has to do with Chris Cava being a scratch. Sure, he's a veteran 'favorite' (of some fans) who I'll give credit to coming back to the MS coast along with Travis Lisabeth and yourself, Walby, but there's a general consensus among a portion of some season ticket holders that it's time for Cava to go (personally I wouldn't mind seeing you pack up and leave, but you've put in at least an effort to get the team back after the hurricane, so I'll give you another year to build on this year's team). Were your comments in the Sun Herald on Friday a hint of upcoming changes? Time will tell...

In addition to Seawolves hockey, it was NHL trade deadline last Tuesday. All sorts of transactions went down, and my friend Andy in Boston kept me posted with text message updates throughout the day. The day prior to the trade deadline, the Colorado Avalanche picked up the biggest boost (along with the returns of Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, and Ryan Smythe off the injured reserve) in the signing of Peter Forsberg to play for the rest of this season. Of course, it all depends on how his ankle holds up, but more recent stories in the past couple of days indicate that he'll be helping them make a strong playoff push, including the game we're going to in Atlanta on March 11. On trade deadline day the Avs got a big boost on defense with Ruslan Salei from Florida in exchange for Karlis Skrastins who had been slumping with the Avs this season, and then another face from the past, Adam Foote, who had played the past few seasons in Columbus. The best part about signing Foote is that he obviously wanted out of Columbus so bad that he took a private charter flight on Tuesday afternoon after the trade deadline to Calgary to play in that night's game with his new team against the Flames. They showed him arriving during the first period, then he got out on the ice towards the end of the period. Now that's dedication, and it ended up sparking the Avs to a 3-2 overtime win over Calgary, who they're chasing in the playoff race. The next night they played in Vancouver in what looked like a playoff game with last-second heroics and an Avalanche win in the shootout. I've been sending all sorts of email links to Kelly on the ship and telling her about the games, and we're both super-stoked for the game coming up in Atlanta. I've been fortunate to already see the Avs play in person once this season (and they lost in overtime), but this is going to be a whole new team, plus I'll be with Kelly so it's going to be an extra grand time for us.

I've also been biking each weekend since I got back from my trip earlier in the month. My normal routine is to get up on Sunday morning and ride down to the Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis for lunch and coffee, then back home. It's a decent 32 miles roundtrip, plus I can get a good sandwich and a frozen mocha to fuel me for the ride back home. I still need to email the Breadman about baking insight and tips.

Recent links that have entertained me or made me happy:

http://www.hockeyfights.com/

http://www.milehighhockey.com/

http://coloradoavalancheblog.com/

http://melroserocks.blogspot.com/

http://www.greatharvest.com/

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/baking/norwich_class.html

http://www.chunklet.com/

http://www.toyslogic.com/

http://brainwashed.com/

This week's music are tracks from cd's I picked up while in Colorado. The Faust/Nurse With Wound disc would have definitely made my top 15 of 2007 list if I had heard it prior to now. I'm starting to get back into the 'experimental/noise/drone' that I used to listen to while in college (that skippy death ritual music, as Kelly might say), thanks to the weekly podcasts from Brainwashed (last link).

Oh, one final note. I'm working on compiling a list of shows and updating the show list in the next week or so. Considering it's been almost 3 years since I last updated it, I might as well make use of the page Kelly created for it.

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 16 Feb 08

DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist - 'Cut 4' - The Hard Sell (Encore) (Pillage Roadshow)

This Will Destroy You - 'Threads' - self-titled (Magic Bullet Records)

I got home this past Wednesday morning after a little over a week's vacation out west to visit family in Colorado and Las Vegas. It was a good trip and I enjoyed seeing my parents, brother, and grandmother, but it is nice to be home again with the kitty girls.

My flight left at 4pm from New Orleans on Saturday the 2nd. I made sure I left and got to the airport plenty early because that Saturday was the prime highlight of Mardi Gras (which was avoided this year completely) and I didn't want to get stuck in traffic re-routed to avoid the parades. I grabbed lunch to go from The Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis along with a frozen mocha and drove over to New Orleans. I arrived at 1pm, so I made an extra stop at Lenscrafters at the mall near the airport to have my glasses slightly adjusted, then went to the airport to wait for a few hours. It really wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I had my book to read along with my mp3 player, so I was set. The flight from New Orleans was quick, then I had an hour layover in Atlanta, which has a decent airport with CNN news being broadcast on television monitors throughout (that night was one of the Obama/Clinton debates). The flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas was full and long (about 4 hours). I slept a bit while listening to my mp3 player, but I also watched bits of the in-flight movie 'The Bee Movie' without the sound. I don't think I really missed much. Arrived in Las Vegas and had to wait about 45 minutes for our luggage to be unloaded, then another half hour before the shuttle to the Best Western showed up. There was a couple from Calgary also waiting for the shuttle, so I chatted with them a bit. By the time we arrived at the hotel and I checked into my room, it was almost midnight (Pacific Time). I decided not to attempt to call a taxi and head to the Hard Rock Casino sportsbooking to bet on the Giants winning the Superbowl the next day (now that they've won I wish I had gotten to Las Vegas earlier that night), but instead was able to watch that week's episode of 'Death Note' (for the first time during the weekend). I then watched hockey highlights on Sportscenter and went to bed since I was getting up early the next morning to fly out to my parents in Loveland.

Allegiant Air said on their website that passengers are supposed to be checked in 2 and a half hours prior to their flight. I made sure I arrived early enough to meet this time frame, in case it was actually true. I probably could have arrived later, but I've been to the Las Vegas aiport previously and the line to get through the security checkpoint snaked around for a long distance. This time it was quick with no problems, so I had a couple of hours to kill. I watched people a bit, then plugged in my music and read. This flight to the Loveland/Fort Collins airport was pretty full, but I managed to be near the front of the plane in an aisle seat, so maybe arriving extra early paid off. The flight was less than two hours long, a quck hop over the mountains and onto the Colorado plains. Talk about a tiny airport. It's like a large shed where passengers go through the security checkpoint on one side, the check-in counter is in the middle, and a door to the outside landing area is on the opposite side of the counter and people can meet the people flying in as they walk in from the runway/landing point. This is smaller than the airport in Fairbanks used to be. My parents were both waiting for me inside the small terminal area, then they unloaded the bags outside from a cart underneath this canopy. Odd. I gathered my rolling duffle, and we were on our way. We were all a bit hungry, so we stopped at the Whole Foods in Fort Collins to have some lunch from their many food bar options, plus we picked up a few groceries for the week. I had some grilled tofu and a salad while they had udon noodles. The last stop on the way to their house was just up the road, a Great Harvest Bread Co. that I noticed on the way to Whole Foods. They were about to close on Sunday afternoon, and didn't have many loaves left, but I picked up a cinnamon swirl loaf for breakfast that week. I had brought along a loaf of my chocolate chip/pumpkin bread for my parents to try, but wanted another fresh loaf from Great Harvest.

We finally made it back to their place (after an hour of errands, then a long drive up the hill to their house) about 2 hours later, near 5pm. It was just in time to watch the Superbowl, and we had only missed the first quarter. My parents have a nice HD 46" television in their living room, so it was great for viewing during the week. The Superbowl wasn't really that exciting until the final quarter, and the commercials weren't that great either. It was nice to watch with my dad though, and I'm glad that the Giants ended up winning in the end. Yeah, baby Manning! For dinner my mom had made some pizza dough in their bread machine and some pizza sauce, then we topped it with cheese and other items we had purchased at Whole Foods. I selected fresh basil, artichoke hearts, veggie pepperoni, and spinach for all of us. We each had our own mini-pizza and they tasted really good. I spent the rest of the evening talking with my parents before they went to bed and I went down to the guest room in the basement (my dad's study) to use my laptop and their wireless router (DirecTV satellite internet) while watching some hockey highlights on the 42" HD television in that room, then reading before falling asleep.

Monday morning my dad was working on paying some bills while I was on the internet for a bit, then we headed out to Denver by noon. It was snowing pretty heavily that day, but not enough to hinder our trip to see the Avs game. We stopped along the way to get coffee, then met Matt for dinner before we all went to the game. I wasn't sure if we'd make it in time because one of the commuter trains (like an above ground subway) had hit a vehicle and was stopped in the middle of the road on the street which led to the Pepsi Center. We made it just in time for the faceoff. The arena hadn't been selling out lately (as in the past), and the incliment weather probably hampered more people in attending, so the upper bowl looked pretty empty at the beginning of the game. It filled up a bit into the second period, but definitely far from sold out. I always enjoy live hockey, especially NHL games. Being in the lower lever corner we had a really good view. It was an exciting game which the Avs seemed to dominate most of, but they had a horrible face-off in the third period to give up their lead and let Phoenix tie it up. In overtime the Avs got totally ripped off by the officials and Phoenix ended up winning 4-3. Lame. Still fun to attend and I am really looking forward to the game in Atlanta (against the Avs, of course) that Kelly and I are going to next month. On the way home it was snowing pretty hard again, but my dad is a good driver and we made it home safely. When I got home I was able to re-watch the week's Death Note episode in HD (Cartoon Network has an HD feed) on the big screen. Awesome!

snow

Snowfall on the porch from just one day Colorado/Phoenix second period face-off

On Tuesday we just stayed at the house. I read and was on the computer some, while my dad did more bills and my mom worked in her studio. We had salads for lunch and leftovers for dinner. Wednesday was another trip down to Denver. In the morning my mom had a doctor's appointment in Longmont and my dad had a dentist appointment in Boulder. We dropped my mom off, went to Boulder and I left my dad at the dentist's office, then drove back to pick up my mom in Longmont before we got my dad after his appointment in Boulder. It's actually not that far of a distance between the different communities, kind of like here on the coast. After Boulder we stopped at the Flatirons Mall halfway between Boulder and Denver and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. Not bad for a chain, although I just had a salad. I purchased a plain grey t-shirt for myself at Banana Republic because the weather in Las Vegas was going to be warmer than I had originally expected, so I figured I would get something nice, but comfortable (instead of a sweater) for my visit to the culinary school there. We also stopped by the Bose store to look at soundsystems for my parents. They were thinking of purchasing a wave machine with a multiple cd changer and built-in speakers. Those have pretty decent sound, but after talking with the salesperson, they ended up considering a larger, more elaborate system. I'm glad I was there to give some input and minor knowledge of questions they might think of, but overall I was impressed by what they selected. They were going to think about it a bit, but then decide by the end of the weekend because their 24-month no interest financing special was going to end at that time. After shopping we got into Denver and had a snack at a small bar near the theater complex. We then went to see the play 'Plainsong', which is based on a book about life in a small town on the Colorado plains. I hadn't read the book and wasn't sure what to expect, but it was actually really good. I had forgotten how enjoyable it was to see small theater productions. Maybe Kelly and I will have to go to some more in New Orleans or Biloxi this year. The play was 3 hours with two intermissions, so it was over at 9.30pm and we went home. On the way we were able to listen to some of the Avs game in San Jose on the radio, but Altitude rebroadcast it late, so I watched it when I got home in the study. They looked good and actually won 3-1. Not bad against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Thursday I was taking my mom's Land Rover and driving into Denver myself. I left early because I had plenty of shopping to fit in before the show that night. I first stopped at Daveco Liquors, which is just off the interstate north of Denver. There were a few other box stores around, and I was talking with the woman at the checkout and she showed me their recent certification by Guiness Book of World Records for being the world's largest liquor store. Nice. State law in Colorado prohibits sending liquor out of state, but that didn't stop me from purchasing 12 different 'large' bottles of beer to send to Jason and Ellen. I wound up with 11 different types of beer brewed at Colorado breweries (most were from different ones, although I did get a couple different types from the same brewer) and one from California that I couldn't pass up with Thelonious Monk on the label. I purchased the beer and had them give me two 6-bottle wine boxes, then I went to Office Depot and purchased some bubble wrap and some duct tape at Home Depot (all in the same box store complex), then I was set to find a UPS Store later in the day to mail home the goods.

Upon arrival in Denver, my first stop was the Pepsi Center. I had browsed the Avs merchandise on Monday night between periods, but didn't have time to get what I wanted. I saw the items I was interested in and purchased a hooded sweatshirt for Kelly, and a short and long-sleeved t-shirt (with different designs) for myself. The items I found I hadn't seen online, and I was pleased with my purchase. Next I headed out to the suburb of Aurora and to Gimme Anime, a store I had found before my trip on the web. They had an extensive collection of anime dvd's for rent, but also merchandise to purchase. I ended up purchasing a Skuld (from Ah, My Goddess!) t-shirt and a couple of manga. I also asked the woman working if she knew of a nearby UPS Store. She looked it up on the computer and there was a location about a mile away, and she wrote down the directions for me. I drove to the UPS Store and packed my two boxes VERY well (wrapped each bottle in bubble wrap twice, then packed each slot with another piece of bubble wrap, then laid a few sheets on the top before taping each box up with duct tape) in the car, then carried the boxes inside. The young woman at the counter looked at me and asked if there was wine in the boxes (which were for different wines), and I replied 'no', then we sent them on her way after I had her stamp them with the 'Fragile' stamp. At least I didn't lie to her. I grabbed a bagel for a late lunch, then drove downtown to Wax Trax to browse the cd's. For some reason the selection seemed rather lacking this time, which seemed odd to me, but maybe diigital downloads are having more of an effect on smaller record stores than I was aware of. I found a couple of discs on my list, then I headed to Tattered Cover. I think I've mentioned that Tattered Cover used to be a great independent book store in Denver, but when I last visited they had recently moved from their Cherry Creek location to a new spot on Colfax. I'm not too keen on the new location, and the selection seems to be either diminished or laid out so much differently that there doesn't seem to be as much in stock. I browsed the cookbooks a bit in seaarch of an Ethiopian cookbook, but no success. Next door I did find Twist and Shout records, which one of the clerks at Wax Trax mentioned, so I went to check it out. They had a much better selection, especially used, as well as avant-garde/experimental. I purchased a few more discs including the Nurse With Wound/Faust collaboration disc that I had read about when it was released last year. I'm glad my brother called me to let me know he was home from work and ready to go to dinner, otherwise I probably would have bought more. Anyway, I drove to Matt's apartment downtown and then we headed to a nearby Japanese restaurant he enjoys to have sushi. It was pretty good with standard rolls. It was nice to sit down and talk with him since I don't see him much during the year and we don't talk very often. He's doing alright with his new job and the main distress in his life seems to be trying to sell the home he and Tymbre own in Longmont. It's a nice place, but the crummy housing market hasn't helped things at all. After dinner we went back to his place so he could be there to watch 'Lost'. I sat for a few minutes, then drove up to the Ogden Theater for the main reason I was in town that night and staying on Matt's couch afterwards.

I think I've been to the Ogden Theater once previously years ago, but I can't remember what show. Ah, well. It's a pretty nice set-up with the front section near the stage, a 'lean rail' seperating a small riser or floor space from the main floor, the sound table, then another lean rail on the next riser up (where I stood right behind the mix board), and one behind me with a bar at the back. There was also an upstairs, but I found a spot below early that was near the mix board and had a level view of the stage area. Ever since I had read about the DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist 'Hard Sell' tour I partially planned my trip to Colorado around the show so I could attend. One of the best ideas I've come up with in awhile. Kid Koala opened up with his own 45 minutes set of some awesome mixing and scratching on four turntables. There were cameras all around the stage area that displayed some of the action on the two large screens behind the turntables, so the view was of the turntables, mixer, and his hands in action. Most impressive and so enjoyable that I'm going to purchase a cd later (I had already purchased a shirt and cd from the main headliners). After a brief intermission to clear his gear from the front of the stage, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came out from behind the screens to 'man' their 8 turntables, mixers, and effects pedals under the table (to loop sound, etc). DJ Shadow was more talkative and introduced what was going on, but they also played this video as their standard intro before launching into their set. They had split it up into about 3 or 4 main 'movements', but it was a pretty continuous mix with accompanying visuals/videos on the screens behind them (look on youtube for various show coverage). They also had quite a few cameras set up (including the wristband cam that Cut Chemist wore to be right in the action). They mixed all sorts of genres of music with cutting and mash-ups, some of it was some pretty ugly shit, but for the most part it was jaw-dropping and amazing to witness live. They played just under two hours total and this was the BEST show I've seen in quite a long time. I mean, mixing all 45's is just insane. It would have been even better if in this 'non-smoking' venue I didn't have a bunch of potheads getting high right behind me (yuck!), but still it didn't detract too much from the show itself. I'd go see them again if I had the chance. I'll just have to purchase the dvd when it comes out (as with their previous live collaboration dvd's). They ended their set by coming out in front of the turntable set-ups with 'portable' turntables and mixers they strapped on over their shoulders, cutting up some Metallica and other rock shit. Crazy! At the end of the show it was just midnight. I didn't really want to search around for places to hang out, so I went back to Matt's and went to bed on the couch.

Friday I drove back up to my parent's in the morning. I rested a bit, then my dad and I went down to Loveland where I purchased a New Belgium Brewery sampler pack to bring back bottles in my luggage at another liquor store I had read about. My dad also had to stop by Barnes and Noble to pick up a book, then we came back home. For dinner my mom had gotten some chicken breasts out of the freezer and I went through her spices to find something to use in a marinade and grill outside. I found some Tandoori seasoning from Penzey's Spices and mixed that with some lemon juice and olive oil and let the chicken soak in it for a bit. I kept turning it and adding more spice directly to the chicken to increase the flavor. It turned out really well and was good with the brown rice my mom had cooked. After dinner they watched 'Best in Show' while I read.

Saturday we went back down to Denver one final time. My mom had to pick some Quilt Guild items up from the house of a recently terminated volunteer employee from the southside of the city, so we left early to get that finished. On the way we did stop at the Bose store and my dad purchased the home stereo sound system, then they dropped me off at a Border's for a bit to read while they picked up the Quilt Guild boxes. It wasn't too long before they came back to get me, so we looked around a bit, then went to Matt's apartment. Matt and I were taking my parents to dinner for both of their birthdays which fall in February. We ended up at Kevin Taylor's, a well-known local chef. It was a bit pricey, but had good food. I wasn't starving and ended up having the sea scallop appetizer (one scallop, but it was really good), the bouillabaisse soup, a salad, and dessert. Everyone else got something different and we shared small bites of each. It was nice to take my parents out. We dropped Matt back off at his apartment and headed home. It wasn't even that late, so we got to listen to the first two periods of the Avs/Canucks game on the radio. Colorado played well and was leading 5-1 in the second period. We got home and I watched the final period on television before my parents went to bed and I headed downstairs to pack and watch 'Death Note'.

Sunday morning my dad had to leave early to head out to Cortez because he was going to be working at the lab out there for the next two weeks. It took about 12 hours to get home the last time he went. I got up and had breakfast with them, then he drove off. After some final packing my mom and I left to get me to the airport in Loveland. We stopped by Whole Foods and got wrap sandwiches for lunch (mine I put in my carry-on bag) and coffee, then headed to the airport. My mom dropped me off and I waited in line to check in and get my seat assignment. My suitcase was 3 pounds over the 50lb limit, but the guys there were nice and let it slide. I guess trying to bring 12 bottles of beer adds significant weight. After going through security I went to the next building over, which was like a small hanger, that was the waiting area for passengers and listened to a couple of podcasts before boarding the plane. The flight to Las Vegas was another relatively quick one, about an hour and a half. I slept while listening to my pod. I got my rental car and drove out to my grandmother's house. On the way I found a coffee shop with a UPS Store in the same parking lot, which was perfect to lighten my suitcase the next day. She had some cold chicken (like a rotisserie chicken from the store) in the refrigerator, plus I grilled some red potatoes with olive oil and spices I found in her cupboard, and also had some raw baby carrots with ranch dressing. We talked for awhile after dinner, then I went to bed to read.

Monday I went to the UPS Store first and bought a box and some packing tape. I loaded 9 of the bottles (which were still wrapped in bubble wrap inside freezer ziplocs, then wrapped in my shirts individually) into the box, had them top it with some packing peanuts, then sent it on it's way. I then went to the coffee shop and had a bagel for breakfast and made use of their free wi-fi. After about an hour I drove down to Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops because it was the only Swatch location still in town. I needed to get a battery for one of my Swatches at home, plus I like to look. That was a quick stop, so next I drove out to the Sun Coast Casino which had a movie theater (like most in Las Vegas) to see 'Persepolis'. It's an animated story about a girl from Iran who grows up in the late 70's during the Islamic Revolution, moving out of the country to Europe, then back to Iran. It's gotten really good reviews and I enjoyed it. It was kind of funny that I was the only one watching it on a Monday afternoon. After the movie I went to another coffee house closer to my grandmother's called It's a Grind. They also offer free wi-fi and had good frozen mochas. Another bonus was that they are open 24 hours, although I wasn't planning any late night coffee runs, it was good info to know. After a bit of internet business, I went back to my grandmother's to pick her up and head downtown to dinner at Lotus of Siam. This was a place Kelly and I had read a review of in USA Today on a previous travel, and we brought everyone on our last visit to Vegas. They have some of the best Thai food we've ever eaten. I told my grandmother I wanted to go when I visited and she made reservations. We had Tom Kha Gai soup, Panang Curry with shrimp, and drunken noodles. All were excellent. After dinner we stopped by the largest souvenir shop that sells all sorts of Las Vegas junk (literally some real crap), and I bought a few decks of casino-used cards. I think some of the colors and designs of the casino decks are pretty neat. Then it was back to her house to read.

Tuesday morning I woke up and got re-packed, then I headed out to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. I had an appointment at 12.30pm, but on the way I was picking up the bagel order I had made the previous day at Einstein Bros. I also had some extra time, so I stopped at the public library, which was very nice and had an impressive collection of dvd's as well as a good selection of manga and graphic novels. Lynda from the culinary institute called me at 11.30am to make sure I was still coming to visit, which I told her I was, so she said that I could show up early if I wanted since she had plenty of time until the afternoon. I was close-by, so I went over. She gave me a tour of the main campus which had multiple large kitchens set up with individual workstations, a computer library for on-line study/reference, and the student-run/staffed restaurant. We talked about the school and she answered the questions I had on my list and it was very informative. The school costs $21,000 for the 9 month Baking and Patisserie certificate program, but that includes tools and the required uniforms (always worn on campus). They are well-known and most students go on to form careers in their field, plus some have worked for more reknowned chefs. Many stay in Las Vegas because of what the service industry field has to offer there. The program I was inquiring about focuses on many different aspects such as breads, tarts and pies, cake decoraring, sugar sculpting, and centerpieces. A lot of those would be invaluable and useful skills, although I'm not totally 100% sure that's the kind of focus I am interested in. I'd rather bake breads, cakes, and cookies, taking a more 'simple' approach. I thanked her for her time and showing me around and said I would contact her by late spring to let her know if I was intending to apply. I think at this point, probably not. I have some other options that I am pursuing and ideas of how to do exactly what I am interested in, so I'm going to follow those paths and see what happens.

I came back to my grandmother's briefly, then went back to It's a Grind for a bit, and made a final stop at Whole Foods to get some tuna steaks and a side dish for dinner. I made a teriyaki marinade when I got back to her house and let the tuna soak for awhile before grilling it for dinner. We had a few potatoes left and I had picked up and pasta salad with pasta, spinach, and mozzeralla cheese. We sat and talked and I watched the Avs lose to Anaheim on Versus before heading back to the airport to return the rental and check in for my 1am flight. It was a quick check-in, so I had about 3 hours before my flight left. I ended up finding a quiet part of the terminal with an electrical outlet nearby and watched about 5 episodes of 'Kekkaishi', an anime torrent Gary had burned to disc for me. Quite entertaining.

Leaving Las Vegas (moon and Luxor light beam)

The flight to Houston was crowded, but not full and there was an empty seat between me and the passenger in the window seat. I slept a bit, but mainly listened to music for the 2 and a half hour flight. The plane change in Houston for the flight to New Orleans was close, but I made it from terminal to terminal. It was a short 45 minute flight, but when I arrived I definitely did not feel like going into work later that day. I got a couple of things at Whole Foods, then headed home. I got home to a pile of mail and proceeded to throw away the junk and organize the bills, then I did some laundry and watched a bit of tv before falling asleep on the couch. I woke up and ate dinner then watched some other recorded programs before going to bed early. Three time zones in a day is a bit tiring. Those are my travel tales (yawn).

I did feel better on Thursday and got a lot done at work. I then came home to watch the Avs play crummy, or at least Theodore did, and of all times for Legace on the Blues to get hot (he stopped 39 of 40 shots) it had to be against the Avs. They lost 4-1. Last night I was supposed to go on a Night Ride, but no-one showed up, even Erik who said he would ditched. I ended up going to have sushi alone at Samurai and came home to watch some other recorded programs and read.

Today I got some groceries and Powerball tickets in Slidell early, then came home and worked on the blog, taking a break to nap on the couch. Tonight is poker, so I had better get going. Maybe something interesting will happen like I'll win PB or poker.

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 26 Jan 08

Buddy Holly - 'Dearest' - Juno soundtrack (Rhino)

The Moldy Peaches - 'Anyone Else But You' - Juno soundtrack (Rhino)

The songs today are for Kelly because I'm a sap. It's our 13th anniversary and she's out on a ship while I'm sitting alone at home with the cats. She did call me late last night which was nice, but it's not the same. We probably would have gone out to dinner and then came home to watch the NHL All-Star Super Skills Competition tonight up in Atlanta (if we weren't up there to see it live). Instead I have these songs for her. Happy anniversary!

Well, the H.P.P. League Tour 2008 is over and I have tales of my journey to the Northeast and Canada. I woke up at 3.30am on the 16th (after watching the Seawolves beat the Texas Wildcatters at home 5 hours earlier) so I could shower and drive over to the New Orleans airport for my 7am flight. Everything went well with no delays and I actually arrived in Boston half an hour early. Andrew and Ethan picked me up and we went to a pub in Cambridge where they had vegan stew (Ethan is vegan) and we all split 'chips and dip', which was raw sliced beets and carrots with an herb dip. It was my first time trying beets, but it turned out to be a pretty tasty dish. I wasn't too hungry since I had brought pizza from Mellow Mushroom with me on the plane. After eating we got coffee and stopped at Newbury Comics to browse cd's while killing time until Andy was ready to leave. We drove up to Andy's house about 30 minutes north of the city of Boston and loaded our gear into the rented Explorer (which was actually a nice, comfortable option for the trip) and hit the road north a little after 5pm. The drive up wasn't too bad. We talked (mostly about hockey) and Ethan and I slept a little bit in the back seat. It took about 7 hours to get to Ottawa, and we arrived at 12.30am. We brought our luggage up to the room, then the other three went to have a drink at a bar. I stayed in the room and read because I was kind of tired from traveling all day long. They didn't stay out too late and we all went to sleep around 3am.

hppmembers

Ethan, Andrew, and Andy- 3/4 of Team Awesome Maurice 'Rocket' Richard statue in Gatineau

Thursday we woke up around 10 or 11am, and went downstairs to have lunch at the Don Cherry's in the lobby. The food was standard sports bar fare, but not too bad, plus there were televisions all over the place with hockey news on. After eating we went driving over to Gatineau across the river to find out where the arena for the game Friday night was at, plus I cashed some traveler's checks to get some Canadian money. Fortunately, the exchange rate had improved for the American dollar, so it was a few cents in my favor. After our trip to Gatineau, we drove back to downtown Ottawa to stop at the Ottawa 67's arena and merchandise shop. We were hoping to catch these guys play, but they were out of town that weekend, hence the Gatineau Olympiques option on Friday night. The merch shop for the 67's had closed down and we were directed by some of the staff to a sporting goods shop a little drive outside the city in the suburbs. This place didn't have what Andrew was looking for, but they did have a nice selection of hockey jerseys as well as hockey sticks (and some other sporting gear). After checking out the sporting goods shop we hopped back onto the highway into mild rush hour traffic and headed west towards the Scotiabank Place arena (where the Senators play), which is about 25 minutes outside of Ottawa. Near the arena there was a small shopping center where we had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Everyone pretty much had some kind of noodle dish. I had the spicy mixed seafood which was a huge bowl of noodles and assorted seafood. It had a kick and was tasty. Next stop was the arena and the first game of Hockey Tour 2008. We had pretty decent seats in the upper lever near one of the corners of the ice. The crowd was kind of quiet, but I've noticed when watching some of the Senators home games on television that the crowd takes awhile to get into the game. It was Canadian Armed Forces appreciation night, which paid tribute to the Canadian military and 2600 fans gave their tickets up for the military members and their families. During the singing of the National Anthems, in the upper level across from us, a huge Canadian flag was unfurled by the fans and passed along the sections until the first puck dropped. Although I was rooting for Ottawa to win, unfortunately it seemed as if Carolina was asleep or didn't show up at all. The Senators schooled the Hurricanes 5-1, and in the 3rd period the fans were chanting 'pizza, pizza' because if the Senators scored six goals and won the game, each fan would get a free slice of pizza from local pizza chain Pizza Pizza. No pizza goal was scored though.

Inside Scotiabank Place in Ottawa

After the game we made it back to the hotel and dropped off the car. We then went out and walked to a nearby bar called The Pour House, which was upstairs from Aulde-Dubliner, an Irish pub. It wasn't too crowded when we arrived, so we sat at the bar. The bartender was a younger, blond-haired woman that was friendly enough. The guys were talking with her and telling her about our hockey tour and how Ethan and Andrew were disappointed they couldn't skate on the river because of the recent 'heat wave', which presented a safety hazard and wouldn't be usable again until the temps had dropped below -5 degrees Celsius for at least 3 consecutive days so it could freeze again. The bartender, Heather, was telling us how she used to be a goaltender herself in minor leagues, which impressed all of us (especially our goaltender, Ethan). After a bit a group of guys came in and asked if the guys had heard of Sleeman beer and said they were buying the drinks for all of us (well, the other 3 since I was drinking water). They were some kind of sales reps for the Sleeman Breweries, so the guys each had a few of their different beers which were on tap. We talked with them for awhile about hockey, sports, and music (well, I actually listened mostly). They were alright guys (they bought a few rounds of beer). One of them had lived in Detroit for awhile and the discussion of Detroit bands came up and one of the funniest comments he made was calling Kid Rock 'Skid Rock'. After they left it was pretty much just the four of us and Heather. We talked with Heather some more before the bar closed at 2am. Ethan was pretty happy talking with a young, attractive, female goaltender. We went back to the hotel and watched a bit of television (hockey highlights) before falling asleep around 4am. Friday morning we got up and walked around downtown Ottawa. It's not a large city, but nice and clean. We stopped in a few shops and at a bar (you note that these guys like to drink?), as well as a couple coffee shops (I had to get my daily mocha fix, at least once or twice since I wasn't eating much during the trip). Finally we headed back to the room to get the car before driving across the river to Gatineau. We arrived early to purchase our tickets for the small arena (oldest in the QJMHL league holding a little over 3000 seats), then grabbed a snack at the mini-mart before the gates opened. Gatineau is part of Quebec, so everything was in French. We did talk with some local guys before the game who were pretty impressed with our roadtrip from Boston. Kind of crusty older guys, but friendly. One of the guys who was a bit younger though had the most distasteful comment of the whole trip, 'Ah, I like the Boston Celtics. You know who my favorite player is? Larry Bird, because he's white. Heh, heh.' Ugh, that kind of turned us off, but other than that the guys were pretty cool. We were sitting in the same section as they were and when they saw us they gave us the thumbs up sign. There was a small pre-game ceremonial puck drop that featured a couple of the players from the Candian team that recently won the Junior World Cup, and all the fans were cheering during the presentation (which WAS all in French). It was a fast paced game that reminded me a bit of the play of the Seawolves and the ECHL. Gatineau lit up Chicoutimi 7-2. It was more exciting than the game the previous night. The arena totally reminded me of the University of Alaska Fairbanks games when I lived in Alaska or the Gold Kings games up there. Totally family oriented in a small arena. After the game we dropped the car off and went to grab something to eat at a falaffel stand (shop). I had a falaffel sandwich with hummus and potatoes. Yum. Ethan had falaffel quite a few times during the trip being a vegan. We went to the 'punk rock' bar the guys had gone to on the first night. It was pretty crowded, more than when they went two nights previous, so Ethan and I went back to the room by midnight, only staying about an hour. Andrew and Andy stayed for awhile longer. Ethan fell asleep pretty quickly and I watched some hockey highlights and then the new episode of Death Note. The two Andys got back and we were all asleep by 3am because we were planning to get up earlier the next morning for the drive to Montreal.

Parliament House in the capital city of Ottawa View from our hotel room in Ottawa

We checked out of the hotel room by noon the next morning and hit the road towards Montreal. It's not that far of a drive, only about two hours on a clear day. It was a bit cloudy when we left Ottawa, and got progressively worse on the road as we drove along. Good thing that we had an Explorer that had automatic traction control as well as 4 wheel drive. We did stop on the way so I could get coffee and the other guys had something to eat, all at a mega-truck stop. We passed time on the drive by playing a hockey name game, each person had to name a player who's first name began with the first letter of the previous player's last name. It got pretty challenging after awhile not repeating the same player twice. It took us all the way into Montreal.

Blizzard-like conditions on the road to Montreal Not the best coffee, but it'll do in a pinch...

We arrived in Montreal and it was noticeably colder outside. Fortunately, I had planned ahead reading the weather forecast and wore both my long john top and bottoms as well as a couple of other top layers. Montreal is a much larger city which kind of surrounds this hill in the middle of the city. We drove up towards the top of the hill and took some photos looking out across the area. A pretty nice view. We then checked into the hotel and walked to one of the main shopping streets to get something to eat and check out the Moog Audio shop that Andrew had been to on one of his previous visits to the city. We stopped at a small steakhouse so Andy could get a steak to eat (he's a meat and potatoes guy). Ethan had a salad, but I didn't eat anything because I was going to stop at a place I had seen walking along the street earlier called 'Just Noodles'. We got to the Moog shop and I was thoroughly impressed. They had all sorts of models of the Moog as well as turntables, keyboards, and other instruments of noisemaking. Pretty cool. There was also a room with guitars and amps, which Andrew and Ethan were looking around in. Andrew started talking shop with the guys who ran the place and was trying out the equipment. Andy walked with me back to 'Just Noodles', which had more than noodles, and I had King Tao Tofu which came with some cheap steamed rice. It was my only meal of the day, so I was pretty hungry and ate all of it while Andy and I chatted. I finished eating and we headed back to get Andrew and Ethan, but Andrew was still playing some of the guitars. The other 3 of us waited for a few minutes, then went back to the hotel since we had to get to the game soon. I think we were getting on each other's nerves a bit in one way or another at this point. We made it back to the hotel, but somehow Andrew had made it back before we did. We think he cut up a different street, then ran on the street the hotel was on, but he never told us. We all used the bathroom then took a cab to the Bell Center (Le Centre Bell) for the Canadiens and Penguins game. Unfortunately, we weren't going to get to see Sydney Crosby due to his injuring his ankle the previous night, which was a big bummer, but it was still going to be an exciting game. Our seats were about 3 rows from the top of the arena on the side, and Andy was feeling a bit of vertigo at first, but got over it after awhile. The really great thing about the arena is that the seats in the upper level had 'lean bars' on each row. Like a hand rail which could be used for a person to lean on and watch the game. Cool concept. It may have been so people that high up didn't go tumbling down into the lower levels, but it served a dual function. The strange thing about the arena was the press box. Instead of at the top on the sides, it was kind of suspended over the ice on this catwalk. We could see it in front of us with the televisions and the windows on either side. We wondered if it had a glass floor, but we couldn't see from where we sat.

habsarena

View from our seats at Bell Center in Montreal Press box 'catwalk' in Montreal over the ice

This was an exciting game with amazing saves by back-up Penguins goaltender Sabourin. The Montreal fans were pretty ruthless. They kept yelling and booing at their own team who couldn't seem to score. They cheered their goaltender, with chants of 'Huet, Huet' when he made some good saves himself, but in the end it was a 2-0 shutout by Pittsburgh. A win which I had hoped for, but cheered a little more silently. With Crosby out, Evgeni Malkin really stepped up his game and led the team with all sorts of great plays. He got an empty-net goal at the end for his awesome effort. On our way outside there were some people smoking (with a distinct marijuana odor) and watching a couple of guys fighting halfway inside and outside the arena as the security attempted to detain them. Mean hockey fans in Montreal. After the game we walked around the city some, getting me a mocha at a coffee shop, then ending up at a pretty cool bar. It was kind of like a warehouse space with plenty of tables and chairs spread out on one side, then on the other was the bar, walking area, pool tables, foosball tables, and coat check as well as stairs to the restrooms in the basement. There was also a dj booth/table with live dj's playing 'nu metal'/punk music over the soundsystem. They also had four large flatscreen televisions hung around the space from the ceiling showing hockey on one, boxing on another, and old 70's(?) Marvel Comics cartoons with Thor and the Hulk. Total old school. It was a pretty awesome place to hang out after the game, talking and watching people. There was also some really neat artwork on the walls by one artist that I really liked. I wanted to purchase one of the pieces of a train engine appearing to be spraypainted on canvas. I took the artist's myspace profile, but it's in French. Maybe if I send a message I can find out if it's possible to purchase it and have it shipped here. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at another falaffel shop for Ethan. We got back and I read for awhile when Ethan fell asleep. Andy and Andrew went out to get something to munch on at the convenience store. Another late night of going to sleep around 3am.

The next morning it was noticeably colder than the previous night. The temperature had dropped the night before and the wind was cold outside, which made me thankful for multiple layers, but it wasn't bad enough to not be able to walk around the city and get some exercise. Montreal is definitely a larger city, and reminded me a bit of someplace like New York City with the hustle and bustle. We checked out of the hotel and drove to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant to have brunch. I had a couple of croissants, but Andrew had eggs and Ethan had a vegan breakfast burrito. Andrew gave us a brief driving tour around 'old Montreal' but we all decided it was too cold to get out and enjoy the city, so we hit the road so we could get home not too late and catch some of the Patriots/Chargers football game (big Patriot fans I was with, as well as Bruins fans). The drive home was smooth. I got rid of my last Canadian $10 at the duty free shop before crossing the border. On the way we stopped in Burlington, VT where Andrew, Ethan, and I again had falaffel, then I had a great mocha at a local coffee shop right next door to a pub where Andy had a burger and we watched some of the pretty unexciting football game. We hit the road again after I picked up some regional and Candian beer for Jason and Ellen at a local shop, and arrived back at Andy's around 8 or 9pm, in time to watch the end of the second football game where the Giants beat Green Bay in overtime to earn a rematch against the Patriots, this time in the Superbowl.

Architecture in Montreal

After we got back we watched some of the football game and I talked to my dad to let him know I had gotten back to the states. I also used their computer to check email and ate some halibut and barley (like rice) that Andy's girlfriend Inmay had fixed for dinner earlier. We chatted for awhile, then I went up to bed to read. Monday Inmay had to work, so Andy drove me around the neighborhood he lives in and the surrounding communities. Very nice area. First we stopped at Whole Foods where I got a couple of side items for dinner to go with the fish, then we stopped at a corner deli/convenience store where he knew the owners because he'd been going there since he was a kid. They had good sandwiches and wraps. I had roasted turkey with stuffing in a wrap. Yum. We then went back to his place and watched three hockey games on tv. With the MLK holiday, there were games starting at staggered times during the day, and we were able to catch them. Andy has some old stand up video games in his basement as well, so we played Ghosts and Goblins for a bit during the break between games. He cooked himself steak and tuna for me in the oven, which went well with the potatoes and sauteed spinach I had bought at Whole Foods.

Tuesday we slept in a bit, then Inmay dropped us off at the commuter train station where Andy and I rode in to Cambridge. We walked along Harvard to a shopping area which had been converted from a parking garage. I picked up a couple of cd's at Newbury Comics and then stopped at an anime store called Tokyo Kid. I had to muster up much restraint so as not to go 'spend crazy' with all the anime, figures, and manga. I only bought one manga I hadn't seen before. Andy was impressed with all the Death Note items because we watched the repeat of last week's 'Death Note' late on Monday night after hockey, and he's hooked on the series after not watching it previously. He'll just have to start watching again when they start at episode 1. Mwah, hah, hah. Another convert. After shopping we wandered to the recording space where Ethan works as a sound engineer, recording bands. It was a pretty impressive little studio that they had fixed up with a lot of equipment. He wasn't recording, so we just talked with him for a bit then said goodbye and walked to a nearby T station. We rode to another part of town with another Newbury Comics that was larger (and I found a couple more cd's) then took a taxi to the Italian restaurant where we were meeting Inmay for dinner called Giacomo. It was really good and fresh. I had a house salad with balsalmic dressing and lobster ravioli in a creamy cheese sauce. Very good. After dinner we drove to a bar to meet some of the other H.P.P. League members that I hadn't met yet, while watching the Bruins lose dismally to Montreal 8-2. Ouch. It was really great to meet some of the other people that I've been gambling with on-line for the past few years. We didn't stay too late since I was leaving early the next morning and I went to bed soon after we got back to their house. My flights back to New Orleans the next morning went smoothly without complications. I got home to the kitty girls around 5pm. It was nice to be home in my own bed and having clean laundry.

It was a great trip and nice meeting friends only known previously via email. We talked a bit about Hockey Tour 2009 hitting some different cities with more minor league games. We'll see what happens, but I can say that I very much enjoyed the trip and company I was with, despite a few minor group conflicts. The area was really nice as well and I look forward to when Kelly and I can take a trip back up together maybe in the summer, spring, or fall months when it's more colorful. Now I'm back home for about a week before I head to Las Vegas and Colorado next weekend for more hockey, a nice visit with the parents, and checking out the culinary school in Las Vegas. More on that trip later on.

-posted by Chris

Monday, 7 Jan 08

John Coltrane - 'Route 4' - Interplay box set (Prestige)

I've noticed that when I leave work in the evening (5.30pm) that it's starting to get a little bit lighter outside, or the sun isn't setting as quickly. That's kind of nice not to be going home in pitch dark like I have since the time change. It's still dark on my hour drive home, but I could see the faint glow of the recently set sun as the clouds of night were moving in. Nice. I can't believe that it was 73 degrees today and so humid. Now that's nuts for f**king January. The record high yesterday was 74 and we were only one degree short of tying that record.

So, what have I been doing since Kelly left? Not much of anything. I did watch the NHL Winter Classic (see previous post link) on Jan. 1st after a morning bike ride around Diamondhead. It was all that I expected it to be- great viewing for a national audience that may not normally watch a game. It was cold, but not freezing like the outdoor game in Edmonton a few years ago. Snow, wind, and sleet came down, but didn't stop it from being a good game. There were a few delays to fix one small patch of ice, but overall it was a decent game. At the beginning of each period when the ice was fresh it was fast like a regular indoor game. Pittsburgh scored quickly, within the first minute of the game. Buffalo came back early in the second to tie it up. It went back and forth in the third with both teams making some furious runs at the net on either end. Regulation ended with a Pittsburgh penalty giving Buffalo a Power Play in the beginning of the overtime period. Ty Conklin made some good saves for Pittsburgh and the overtime ended with the score still tied 1-1. The shootout was held with both goaltenders defending one end that was more favorable weatherwise. Each team had scored one goal each prior to the final shooter, Sydney Crosby, who somehow poked it between Miller's legs to win the game. Some people have said it was a scripted finale (and it sure looked like it could have been with the result), but I doubt it since both teams wanted the two points. After the game I watched a little football, then I went to watch the Seawolves. They came out strong and pulled off a 5-2 win over the Florida Everblades. Ryan Munce had just been sent back down from Norfolk and made some really amazing saves. He's been great to have back in net, not to dog Cey who really wasn't getting much help in front of him, but Munce is a monster in the net. He has made some saves the past few games where it was almost sure to go in behind him, but somehow he's stopped the puck. Crazy! On Friday night the Seawolves hosted the Trenton Devils for the first time in their history. My co-worker Jeremy used the extra ticket that night. It was kind of a dull, slow-paced game, but the Seawolves got the needed win 4-1. I came home after the game and stayed up watching Witchblade, a new anime series being shown on IFC, then read for awhile before going to bed at 3am. Saturday morning I woke up late and went shopping at Crossroads. I needed to get some winter clothes for my upcoming trips to more frigid locations. Banana Republic was having a 50% off lowest ticketed price on winter clothes. I ended up with a Merino Wool sweater for $12.75. Next I found some Merino Wool socks at Academy Sports who was also having a 50% off winter clothes sale. 2 pairs for $10 was the regular price, so I ended up with four pairs for $10. I also picked up a couple pairs of pants at Old Navy because we had a coupon. I normally don't like to shop, but I like a bargain. I went to Slidell to get Powerball tickets, then came home. Jason and Ellen came by and picked me up at 7.30pm and we went to Thai Orchid for dinner in Slidell. It's been awhile since I've had Thai food, and it was really good. We had Tom Kha Goong, Panang Curry Shrimp, Green Curry Shrimp, and Phad Thai Deluxe with a variety of fresh seafood. It all tasted great. After dinner I came home and watched the Avalanche beat the New York Islanders in overtime. They had been on a losing streak lately with key injuries to Sakic, Smyth, Arnason, and Sauer. Some of the other guys are starting to step up more, which is good since they have a long five game road trip that starts tomorrow night in Detroit. I also saw that the Seawolves had beaten Gwinnett 1-0 on the road, which is exciting since Gwinnett is doing well this year. I then watched Death Note, which took an abrupt turn this week, and Blood Plus before reading until 3am.

Sunday morning I woke up with a throbbing headache. I had intended to go biking, but my headache killed that idea. I just stayed inside the house most of the day. I did go out to the new 'Mexi-cali Grill and Sports Pub', Marig's, in Edgewater Mall in Biloxi. It was a bit disappointing. The food is almost exactly like Moe's Southwest Grill. It's not bad, and I had a veggie burrito with beans, rice, cheese, and cilantro, but it sure isn't the Village Sports Pub that used to be in the Village. This new place has about 16 wide screen plasmas placed on either side of the restaurant interior, and they do have a full bar in the rear section of the building, but it just had a sterile atmosphere. Maybe it'll be more fun going with others. I then went to watch the Seawolves play Trenton again, and this time the game was much more exciting. The Seawolves scored first early in period one, then the Devils came back to tie it up in the second. It was pretty even, end-to-end action in the third, which at the end was still tied 1-1. Overtime had both teams playing strong, but Mississippi dominating and somehow finding a way to put the puck over the shoulder of the goaltender for the Devils and winning their fourth game in a row (and fourth game Munce has played). We're on a roll. Tomorrow night is another home game against South Carolina to try and extend the streak to 5 wins in a row. All the guys seem to really be comfortable playing together and setting up nice passes and talking to each other on the ice and gelling well. It just took awhile, and they still have some puck-handling problems, especially on power plays at times, but it's a whole different team now than from a few weeks ago. After tomorrow there will be a game next Tuesday, then I leave on Wednesday morning for my H.P.P. League Roadtrip 2008. I fly into Boston, then we're leaving that afternoon for Ottawa by car. The games we'll be attending are Carolina @ Ottawa on the 17th, Chicoutimi @ Gatineau (QJMHL) on the 18th, then a drive up to Montreal on the 19th for Pittsburgh @ Montreal, which should be crazy with Sydney Crosby in town at a sold out Belle Centre. I had to get our tickets through StubHub, but it's totally going to be worth it. I'll have plenty of pictures to post when I get back.

This weekend I'll be packing, but I plan to get some biking in before my trip. Friday night we're going to do another Night Ride since it's been a few weeks. I'm hoping to get another ride in during the day either Saturday or Sunday, whichever holds out with better weather.

Kelly says ship life is okay. Apparently the seas got rough the past day, but she had some Fisherman's Friend and did alright. She is learning how to create a podcast and was working on her top songs of 2007 when I emailed her a couple of days ago. Other than that she didn't have much news to report except that she had seen some big blobs of bioluminescence last week. Maybe she'll have an update for me to post before I go, or when I get back.

-posted by Chris

Monday, 31 Dec 07

Radiohead - '4 Minute Warning' - In Rainbows disc 2 (self-released)

The White Stripes - 'Little Cream Soda' - Icky Thump (Third Man Records)

Stars of the Lid - 'That Finger on Your Temple is the Barrel of My Raygun' - And Their Refinement of The Decline (Kranky)

It's early morning on the last day of the year, Kelly has headed out to sea (as of this past Thursday), I just put a batch of rolls in the fridge to have with my risotto this week (and maybe share with friends if we do anything for New Year's Eve after they get off work).

It was a pretty low-key weekend for me. Friday night I went to the Seawolves game alone because my co-worker bailed on me at the last minute (his wife was having 'medical issues')- whatever. If it's legit that's fine, but I think it's more she just keeps him on a short leash. Another reason that I'm happily married to Kelly- we both enjoy each other's company and doing things together (more times than with others it seems, which is fine with me), but we can also do things with other people and there aren't any restrictions (within reason). Part of it is not having kids, but still I don't know many others who have such a great relationship like ours (yeah, I'm bragging). Anyway, the game was exciting. After a good start the Seawolves got behind 4-2, then came back to tie it in the 3rd period and send the game to overtime then a shootout. Their shots were pretty lousy in the shootout and they ended up losing, but at least they got a point and made it entertaining. Saturday was damp and overcast, and slightly chilly (I say this loosely since I'll get a real taste of cold weather in a few weeks when I'm up in Boston and Canada). I hadn't slept well and stayed in bed until 9.45am instead of getting up to go biking. I did put up the pictures in our bedroom which had been sitting for a few months since we had painted the walls. Before Kelly left we had decided where to put certain pictures and art, so I decided to put them up. I then watched the Avs lose before going to watch the Seawolves play Texas, the top team in the league. I went with Matt, our PT friend who lives in Diamondhead (and a Penguins fan). We stopped for coffee at the new Starbucks in Biloxi before heading over to the game. It was Fugly with a capital F (I think fugly is a term Kelly started using that I picked up- fucking ugly). Going into the 3rd period the Seawolves were down 6-1, but scored two quick goals in a comeback attempt, which ended up in vain with both goaltenders facing a barrage of shots that turned into goals and a loss for Mississippi by the abysmal score of 10-5. Ouch. After the game Matt and I went to grab a late dinner at Beef O'Brady's in Gulfport. It was surprisingly crowded, and at first I thought that maybe people were there to watch the New England Patriots attempt to defeat the New York Giants and complete a perfect regular season of 16-0 (they did end up winning 38-35), but the main reason people were there was the UFC (Ultimate Fighting) match. I guess some 'big' names in the so-called sport were battling. Matt and I were discussing that it's surprising how popular it is, especially since it's basically street brawling. Maybe some of the futuristic visions of 'gladiator' entertainment in post-apocalypse movies from the 80's are playing out in real life. Scary.

Today I went to Gary's and we watched some different anime series he had added on his home server. Didn't complete any series this time, but viewed episodes from 'Burst Angel', 'Bamboo Blade' (torrent), 'Zipang', and 'Ah! My Goddess'. An excellent way to spend a lazy day that started off overcast and rainy, leftovers from last night's thunderstorms and front that moved through.

Tomorrow I'll probably go over to Slidell during the day and cash in our winning scratch-it lottery tickets. We won two free tickets plus $2, which I'll put back into Powerball tickets since the prize is now up to $52 million. I can also get coffee at Starbucks since our local cafe (The Jumping Bean) is closed until Wednesday morning, plus I can pick up some groceries. I'll make risotto in the afternoon and maybe go out in the evening. Wednesday morning I'll get up early and go biking, then at noon is the Winter Classic. Jason did invite me up to his parents' house to watch college bowl games and play some touch football, but I've already had enough of an experience the last time we did that, plus I'd rather watch hockey. Matt and his son Kyle may come over to watch some of the game, which will be nice, but if not I don't mind watching alone. After hockey on tv I'll be heading out to another Seawolves game (alone again). It really is a bummer Kelly is gone because she's the best person to go to a hockey game with. I try to ring the cowbell and yell like she does, but it's just not the same. A couple of the other season ticket holders around us have asked me where she is, so I've told them she's out at sea until March and I'll be flying solo.

I'm going to copy the format Kelly used to mention some of my favorite picks for 2007. It's easy and I'm lazy.

Fave Movies:
I really enjoyed 'Harry Potter- The Order of the Phoenix' (on IMAX was even more impressive), 'Paprika', 'Grindhouse (double feature in theaters that included trailers), 'The Simpsons Movie', 'Transformers', 'Juno', and a few more of the bigger movies. I really wanted to see 'Control' (biopic about Joy Division), but it was only a last minute addition to the New Orleans film festival and played late on a Thursday night. There were a few other independent films that either didn't come to New Orleans or were only there at inopportune times for a short week, so I guess I'll have to wait for those on dvd or Pay-per-View.

Best Live Show:
Of course the Pitchfork Music Festival over the summer in Chicago was great, especially Sonic Youth performing 'Daydream Nation' in it's entirety. Like Kelly said, The New Pornographers on Halloween was also great.

Fave Music:
I'm going to attempt a top fifteen, but mind you, this is based on music we purchased (whether physical cd or mp3 download), and I know there is a LOT more that we didn't listen to, but it's what I listened to most frequently or repeated times.

1) Radiohead 'In Rainbows' (yes, we paid for it and even purchased the vinyl/cd box set with 2nd cd of extra songs, and even if we HAD downloaded it for free and not paid, I'd still list it at the top)
2) Elliott Smith 'New Moon' (sure, this may be a copout since he's dead, but even songs by a dead musician were better than many by currently living musicians)
3) The White Stripes 'Icky Thump' (not their best, but they still rock)
4) The New Pornographers 'Challengers' (cover art is ugly, but the music is great)
5) !!! 'Myth Takes' (really made an impression on me last year at the Touch & Go 25 festival, latecomer to the band but great album for early in the year)
6) Air 'Pocket Symphony' (took a bit to grow on me, but still on my mp3 player)
7) Stars of the Lid 'And Their Refinement of The Decline' (double cd/triple LP of ambient, minimal bliss)
8) Spoon 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga' (still haven't seen them live, but the album is catchy and they get better each time)
9) Crippled Black Phoenix 'Love of Shared Disasters' (has a member of Mogwai and some other groups as well, but a different sound)
10) Thurston Moore 'Trees Outside the Academy' (great solo album from a most prolific musician)
11) Andrew Bird 'Armchair Apocrypha' (recent 'find' via NPR, but quickly enjoyable)
12) Bill Callahan 'Woke on a Whaleheart' (dropped the 'Smog' nickname, but still a great album, even if it took awhile to get used to)
13) Big Business 'Here Come the Waterworks' (more thick sounds from this duo)
14) Charlotte Gainsbourg '5:55' (collborator with Air, actress in 'The Science of Sleep', pretty music)
15) Deerhunter 'Cryptograms' (strange, but enjoyable)

Overall, 2007 was really a GREAT year for music. New bands with great albums, old bands getting better. There is so much that I haven't heard but want to seek out and listen to, especially the songs and albums not available on iTunes (fucking Steve Jobs and DRM bullshit). There's a great comprehensive listing of releases on the Brainwashed website, a lot of reviews can also be found on Pitchfork and NPR.

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 22 Dec 07

The New Pornographers - 'Myriad Harbor (demo version)' - Challengers (Matador)

Glenn Mercer - 'Morning Lights' - Wheels in Motion (Pravda Records)

It's been a really long time since our last update. But we've been really busy with hockey games & Christmas stuff. Hard to believe that Christmas is just a few days away and then the New Year right around the corner. I don't really feel like talking about all the things we've been doing & trying to re-cap the last month. I'm getting ready to head out to sea again...so this will be my last update for a few months, unless I send something in while I'm gone.

Chris is off biking this morning & I'm still in my PJs doing odds & ends around the house. I had the TV on E! and the Daily Soup was on. That show is pretty funny & often annoying. Today they were counting down some of the top video clips from TV. At number 21 was a hilarious clip about this new kid's show Yo Gabba Gabba - so check out this link, it's really funny.

We saw a couple of movies the last 2 days. The first one was the stylized thriller No Country for Old Men, the new film by the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Raising Arizona). It's pretty brutal, but not overly graphic like other movies. The film is set in the early 80's and does a really good job holding true to that era. The ending may not be as neatly wrapped up as films usually are nowadays, but it is still very much worthwhile to check this one out. The 2nd movie we saw was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Both Johnny Depp & Helena Bonham Carter do great jobs as the murderous, vengeful barber & not-quite-right, meat-pie making landlady. Neither can sing all that well, all the more apparent when played next to some of the other characters who actually can sing - like the kid who plays Toby. Anyway...it's a darkly entertaining film, as blood-soaked & macabre as you would imagine given the theme and that it was directed by Tim Burton.

Speaking of movies and whatnot...it is that time of the year again where I try to roll out my best of lists. I'm also going to attempt to create a podcast while out at sea on the best of albums & songs - with my new Macbook. In the meantime, here's some of my faves from the year...

Fave Movies:
There were a ton of big blockbusters over the summer & surprisingly most of them were really good. Transformers, Spider Man 3, Order of the Phoenix, Rise of the Silver Surfer...even the 3rd installment of the Pirates of the Caribean was entertaining. The Simpsons Movie was awesome, but got seriously overshadowed by all the other summer movies. My absolutely favorite movie of the year was Waitress starring Keri Russell as a pie making waitress who gets knocked up by her jerk of a husband and has a fling with her OB/GYN. It's really funny & sweet & hands down my favorite from this year. I recently saw the movie Lars & the Real Girl which was also very sweet and funny. I'd have to put that up there on my best of list too. Ryan Gosling does a great job playing this extermely introverted man who invents a girlfriend out of a sex toy doll & the whole town who cares about him so much that they go along with his delusion to help him get over it. Across the Universe was great - I know the reviews weren't all that, but I really liked it & it cemented in my mind that I love all things Beatles. Juno comes out on Christmas...so I may end up throwing that on my list too, 'cause it looks really good.

Best Live Show:
The New Pornographers on Halloween all dressed up in costume...the complete band was there. They sounded great & seemed to be having a really good time.

Of Montreal at Pitchfork Music Festival was very entertaining. If you get the chance to check them out live, do it...they always wear some funky costumes and/or have weird stage antics going on.

Fave Music:
It was a very good year for music. There were new releases from a ton of bands that I like & not one of them really disappointed me: The New Pornographers, The Shins, Radiohead, Iron & Wine, Bill Calahan (aka Smog), Spoon, Air, Nine Inch Nails, Of Montreal, Wilco, Blonde Redhead, John Doe, who am I forgetting? Anyway...all of those albums would end up being somewhere in my top 20 records from this year. Radiohead was the clear winner as the whole record is beautiful! The Shins and The New Pornographers are also way up there, even if they've been basically ignored by most of the indie/rock critics. I was listening to the best of 2007 show on All Songs Considered, and one of the reviewers was disappointed by the Wilco. The song Impossible Germany is gorgeous...and the rest of the album is really good. I like it a lot better than their last album. The Iron & Wine album is more upbeat than previous ones & has some wonderful songs on it.

New artists...at least for me...that released really good albums this year: Lily Allen, MIA, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Fujiya & Miyagi, Grizzly Bear, Flight of the Conchords, !!! (pronounced Chick Chick Chick), Glenn Mercer & Mavis Staples (both I picked up after hearing them reviewed on Sound Opinions podcast). Midlake, even though their album came out last year...I just discovered it this year & it's awesome!

There was also new music from a couple of dead, folk rock Gods - Nick Drake & Elliott Smith. Both albums were brilliant!

I've got to spend more time listening to the albums that I've gotten this year before I can decide definitively what was the best. Besides, I got an Itunes gift card for Chrismas, so I'll be adding a few to the list. By the time I get back from sea, I should definitely have it narrowed down.

In the mean time I'll link in my favorite song so far this year: The New Pornographers' Myriad Harbor is without a doubt my favorite song from this year. "Ah who cares you always end up in the city". And I'll add one you might not have heard. Glenn Mercer (ex Feelies frontman) released his first solo effort after a 5-year hiatus from recording. It's a nice album but not getting much press (other than the Sound Opinions guy).

Hope y'all have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Hopefully when I come back, I'll have more to say this time & perhaps a podcast to boot.

-posted by Kelly

Friday, 23 Nov 07

Thurston Moore - 'Fri/End' - Trees Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace!)

Man, talk about slack-o-rama. Neither of us have updated the blog in over two weeks. To our defense, we've been going to a LOT of Seawolves games. Unfortunately, they haven't won a lot of those games (2-11-0-1 right now), but we're still fans and support the team. It's kind of a 'rebuilding' year with a group of new, young players, but at least they have heart and make an effort. Unfortunately, they can become undisciplined at times taking bad penalties and leaving their goaltender, Cey, out to dry. He's usually standing on his head making saves to keep them in a game and win, but sadly it's usually been a losing effort. There are three games this weekend (Thur, Fri, and Sat nights) then next Tue and Wed, all at home, then they have a long roadtrip through the whole month of December. They won't be back on home ice until Dec. 28 and 29. We did join the Booster Club last Saturday though, and are planning to take a road trip on the bus with other fans over to Pensacola on Sunday, Dec. 16 to support the team. It's only $35 per person which covers the cost of the bus and the ticket to the game. Not a bad deal. The first event we participated in though with the Booster Club was on Sunday night. They had a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at a church in Biloxi for the players (which is kind of funny in itself since most of the players are Canadians who don't normally celebrate Thanksgiving like Americans do). It was really nice. There was plenty of food provided by the Booster Club members' families. I baked some rolls and Kelly baked two kinds of cookies. Due to the amount of food, we brought home leftovers of both, and with the large amount of cookies I took them to work the next day. My co-workers were quite happy with this, and since I was going to miss the 'snack day' organized for Wednesday (it was my 'off Friday'), I was still able to bring something for the staff early. It all worked out well.

Let's see, what else have we been doing besides going to Seawolves games? Oh, over the four-day Veteran's Day weekend we took a trip up to our friend Brent's cabin in north Georgia (near Blue Ridge, about an hour north of Atlanta). We drove up on Friday, with a stop on the way up at REI to pick up a small rolling duffel bag and at Whole Foods to pick up some groceries for the weekend. We arrived in Ellijay around 7pm where we met my sister, Katie. She was spending one month of her medical school rotations in Johnson City, TN, so we invited her to come down and spend the weekend with us at the cabin since there was an extra bed and it was close by. It worked out nicely that this is the second time this year we've been able to spend time with her in one of her many locations she's been in around the country. We arrived at the cabin and Katie started a fire in the fireplace since it was getting chilly outside (in the 30's) and heated up the dinner we had gotten at the hot deli at Whole Foods and watched 'Death Proof', our favorite of the two 'Grindhouse' films put out by Tarantino and Rodriguez earlier in the year. The chimney must have been plugged up or something because the cabin became pretty smokey from the fire. We let it die out and opened up a window to let some of the smoke out. That made the cabin colder, but at least we could breath better and weren't going to inhale excessive toxins. We went to bed after the movie and ended up using all the blankets provided. The next morning we awoke and drove up to Blue Ridge (about 15 miles up the road from the cabin). We wandered around the small shops filled with arts, crafts, and some junk. We ended up finding a couple of gifts for family members and a purple metal rooster sculpture to put in our front garden (yet another item to make our neighbors avoid us). Kelly also picked up a large bag of oiled sunflower seeds for the birds at the Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company and I found a few used 12" records (New Order, Love & Rockets, and The Mighty Lemon Drops) for $1 each at the hippy/classic rock record shop. After wandering around town and eating a good lunch at one of the local restaurants we drove up the highway north into Tennessee. They don't sell Powerball tickets in Georgia, but they do in TN, and the jackpot had gone up pretty high, so we wanted to purchase some tickets. Or I should say that I wanted to purchase tickets, but it wasn't too bad of a drive anyway. On the way back we stopped at a 'tourist trap' apple orchard store (apples are BIG in that area with a few festivals in the fall and a well known local favorite) with lots of people and all sorts of items for sale (lots of food items, but also a bunch of crap too). Kelly bought some apples for her friend Lauren (who used to live in Georgia and told her to bring some back) and some other condiment items to take with her to Michigan in early December. Our final stop was at the grocery store in Ellijay to get some last items to make pasta that evening, plus the local beverage store to pick up some of the Georgia microbrews for Jason and Ellen to sample. We got home and took a walk up the road from the cabin, then came back to prepare dinner. Kelly did most of the work, but I helped some while Katie relaxed and read. Dinner turned out really well and afterwards we played Scrabble. Kelly won, Katie was second, and I came in third, but it was still fun. It was even better because we had recently purchased the official Scrabble dictionary at Restoration Hardware, so we could see if some of our made up words were actually legit. After Scrabble we watched 'V for Vendetta' and I read. Katie fell asleep while watching, but Kelly and I enjoyed seeing the film again. It was again cold that evening, so we had to bundle up before bed. Sunday we were going to go hiking at one of the waterfalls nearby, but when we arrived we found more stairs instead of an actual hiking trail. There was one short section of trail that we hiked up after descending the stairs, but it wasn't really what we had expected. I think Katie was the most disappointed of all since she's much more active and into outdoor activity than we are. It was a really nice day though and it felt good to get outside for awhile. Afterwards we drove back into Ellijay and had lunch downtown at a pretty good Mexican restaurant. The rest of the afternoon we spent watching the most recent Wallace and Grommit movie, Kelly and I played more Scrabble (I won this time), and cleaned up the cabin so we could leave relatively early the next morning. Monday morning arrived and we did the final clean-up, said goodbye to Katie, and all hit the road in different directions. Kelly and I stopped in one of the Atlanta suburbs on the way home to get bagels at Einstein Bros. and at The Great Harvest Bread Company. Kelly and I had both heard of this 'chain' of bakeries and I really wanted to stop by one in Atlanta since we were up there anyway. We went in and had samples of some chocolate chip pumpkin bread and their signature honey whole wheat, plus I had a slice of cinnamon bread. We ended up taking home a loaf of whole wheat cinnamon, a loaf of honey whole wheat, and a multi-grain loaf (I put the last two in the freezer for now, but plan to pull them out soon). We also got sandwiches to go for our drive home. Going to this bakery was like a dream of what I hope to do in the future, in opening my own bakery with a limited number of items, but ones that taste great. Overall it was a nice weekend away from work and the coast, plus we were able to spend time with Katie again.

Yesterday for Thanksgiving I went to Jason's parents house and he, his dad, and I fried three turkeys. We all had used different marinades, and Kelly & I just used a brine instead of injecting like the others. We followed Alton Brown and his tips from a Good Eats episode we had seen on the Food Network. We used brown sugar, kosher salt, sliced oranges and lemons, and fresh rosemary and cilantro all mixed into hot water that we put our 13 lb. bird into and then poured ice over it to keep it cool overnight (we used one of those 'construction coolers' that are usually bright orange or yellow and it worked perfectly keeping our bird for about 15 hours soaking). It took about 45 minutes for mine and Jason's dad's birds because they were larger. Mine was the 'guinea turkey' going first, but it actually turned out really well. It was brown and crisp on the outside, but the interior was very moist and tasteful. We let it cool for about 10 minutes or so before I started carving it and we dropped the second one in the fryer. It was best to pick and eat as I carved it. We could taste the flavor and munch on some of the crispy skin (which is probably really unhealthy, but it tasted pretty good). Jason's dad had used a similar spice mixture, but had also injected it with a butter marinade. We decided that we could really taste the buttery flavor which was almost too much when it was finished, but it still turned out well. Jason carved most of this one, although I helped a bit since Jason cut his finger slightly. His bird was the last to go in, and in hindsight we should have left it in the oil less than the shorter time that we had. His was a smaller turkey at 10 lbs., but he had used a hot 'cajun' spicy recipe to marinade and inject his bird. It kind of cooked itself some prior to frying. When it came out of the oil it was pretty charred on the outside, but it still had a good flavor even if a bit dry inside. Not at all as hot as we had expected (or even hoped for), but still a tasteful bird. We all split up the meat so I could take home a bit of all three kinds, then I drove home because our guests were already at the house waiting where Kelly had finished preparing the rest of the food.

We had Gary and Becca (one of Kelly's friends from work) over. Kelly had made pecan and apple pies, a corn/wild rice casserole dish, garlic/cheese mashed potatoes, and cranberry dressing, plus I had made rolls on Wed. night to rise in the refrigerator overnight. It was quite a spread, and we also had spinach salad for some roughage. It was a nice meal on a cool day. We kicked Gary out around 5pm (sorry pal) because we were going to the Seawolves game and Becca came with us. Unfortunately the Seawolves lost again, being shut out 4-0 in the first of three nights at home against Augusta. They played pretty well in the first period, but couldn't get the puck in the net, then when they got behind by a couple of goals it was the same old story of undisciplined penalties and almost a sense of giving up. I don't really think that's the case, but it's sad to see a dejected team lose their energy when they fall behind. They really did look good at the start of the game and had some nice set-up plays. We came home and watched the end of the Avs game, and they finally won on the road in Edmonton after losing the previous three in their current roadtrip. At least their next couple of games are at home again where they have done much better than on the road, but that doesn't help if you're trying to stay on top in your division. Becca spent the night in the guest room so she wouldn't have to drive home to Poplarville at a late hour then have to drive back into work early this morning. Kelly got up at 8am and got dressed and went to get her haircut in Gulfport (I was off on Wednesday and got mine then). I left a little bit later and rode my bike (my road bike) with plans to meet her in Gulfport. She was finished before I was even in Pass Christian, so she went to pick up FiV vaccine at a vet in Ocean Springs for Tura since our vet doesn't carry it, then I met her on Cowan-Lorraine Rd. I think I rode between 25-30 miles. My bicycle computer is broken, so I can't tell how fast or how far I've ridden. That's one of the things I asked for a holiday gift from Katie is a gift card to Performance Bike so I can get a new one. It was a bit chilly today, but I had my spandex bike tights on along with my long sleeve 'Under Armour' imitation shirt under my jersey and I was fine. Only my toes were a bit numb. It felt really good to get out and bike after feasting yesterday, plus I hadn't gotten much of a chance to ride since Kelly and I went last Saturday. I rode down to meet her in Bay St. Louis where she had driven with her bike and rode along the boardwalk on the beach. We met up on her way back to the car and did a bit of shopping and had lunch at some of the local businesses in downtown Bay St. Louis, which was nice. We've gotten quite a bit of our holiday shopping out of the way now.

Tonight we're meeting our friend Neal who is in town visiting from Austin for the weekend. We're dragging him to the Seawolves game then planning to have a late dinner at Bonefish Grill after the game. Hopefully his being there will bring the Seawolves some luck.

I can't believe that it's only Friday and there are still two more days left in the weekend. Not much else going on besides another game tomorrow night and sleeping in. If the weather doesn't rain as the forecast says, we'll probably go biking on Sunday. Josie appears to have gotten bitten or 'stabbed' by something again, so I'll have to take her to the vet Monday morning. She had what appeared to be a bite on her front right side a couple of weeks ago and the vet put in a couple of staples and gave her antibiotics to take. It had healed up nicely, but a few days ago she came home with another strange wound on her rear right side. This one looks more circular, almost like a cigarette burn than an animal bite, although it doesn't look burned and there is again fur missing around the wound. We wonder if maybe she's tangling with the damn raccoons who have been hanging around our house and destroying our bird feeder. I guess I'll see what the vet says on Monday. When payday comes next week I am definitely getting some type of gun (probably a BB gun or something else low caliber) to take care of the raccoons and the stray cat that hangs around the neighborhood and bothers our girls.

-posted by Chris

Sunday, 4 Nov 07

Radiohead - 'Bodysnatchers' - In Rainbows (www.inrainbows.com)

Where has all the time gone? I can't believe that it's already into November, and we haven't really slowed down yet at all. So much has been going on the past few weeks, yet it doesn't seem like that much. A quick re-cap would be in order, and I will make it quick instead of drawing out boring details.

On the 14th, the season ticket holder party for the Seawolves was nice. We picked up our ticket packets and they paraded the players out on stage to be introduced. The fans were happy to have hockey back on the coast. We skipped the mostly fried appetizers being served and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in the casino.

As I was walking the streets of New Orleans to One Eyed Jacks on Monday, the 15th, I was stopped at a restaurant down the street with open air seating to a 'Hi, Chris.' And who would it be but Jared and his girlfriend having dinner. I chatted for a moment, but let them finish their dinner in peace, but it was nice to see him again. The main reason I was going to the show that night. Big Business were no disappointment, and in addition to Jared and Coady (bass and drums respectively), they had a guitarist with a row of pedals, a small casio keyboard, and some small light-activated theramin contraption (not exactly a Drum Buddy like Quintron, but a similar concept) on the small table in front of him. It was great! He really added to the sound, giving some songs a more unique element. I stood near the front of the room close to the stage for Big Business, but moved to the back of the room for The Melvins. I actually had a great spot next to the door which provided more ventilation, plus it was also next to the sound mixing board which made for an excellent listening experience. Apparently, the guitarist playing with Big Business was some kind of sound engineer and came back to listen to how The Melvins sounded and gave his approval to the sound guy at the club. They played for about an hour and ended with a really long cover of something, which seemed to be endless. I only know it was a cover because someone near me said it was awesome they ended with a (?) song (I can't remember who it was, but I think it was some metal band from the 70's).

Let's see, it's been such a long time ago, I can't exactly remember what we've done. Oh yeah, Friday the 19th our cycling group went for another ride through the streets of Gulfport and Biloxi. There were 6 of us, but a good group pedaling through the streets in the cool evening. I kind of started this ride as an organizer, and I'm really happy it's been a fun, successful event. The month of November I'm unable to participate with all the Seawolves games at home, but I look forward to riding again with the group in December. The one thing that I'm kind of out of step with the rest of the group is the desire to stop at one (or multiple) bars for beer stops. I changed the start point from Cyclist Choice bike shop on hwy 49 to Competition Sports on Courthouse Road (5 miles east of 49), which are both still in Gulfport, because there is a bar called the Cabana right next door to Competition. That way those drinking could finish with a stop at the Cabana for beer. That's no problem to me, if I want to ride further I can always pass Courthouse towards 49 then double back to add 5-10 more miles to my ride if I'm going for distance. If future rides turn out like this past week's ride (that I missed due to a Seawolves game), I may just go on my own Night Ride. I just don't see the point for multiple stops on a ride, even if it isn't a training ride, it seems to me that it slows down a flow. What's even more annoying is that Doug, the newly created president of the bike club was throwing out the idea of starting the ride at 6.30pm instead of 7pm because he had to be in bed early to get up early the next morning to deliver newspapers, yet he is one of the main riders who wants to make frequent bar stops. That makes no sense at all to me. I think I'm back to my old feelings of wanting to completely disassociate with the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club completely again, which is how I felt about 5 or 6 years ago. I'll help out and support some of the activities that they put on, and I'll go on some of the group rides, mainly because at times riding in a group is a little more fun than always alone (although I still prefer solo).

Anyway, still on the topic of bicycles but in a different direction, we went down to Competition on Saturday the 20th and Kelly purchased a new bike for herself. She had been eyeing the 'cruisers' by Electra for awhile, and she decided on the ultra stylish 'Pajama Party'. I'm really happy that she bought a new bike because now we can go riding together (well, at least at the same time). She went out to sea and earned the extra overtime pay, so she deserves a new bike. I on the other hand also obtained a road bike, after we loaded her new machine into the back of the Element and were heading home. One of the bike club members had tried to sell me his road bike previously because he was planning to get a new one, but I declined not wanting to spend $300 for a bike that was used and would require more money spent into fine tuning it. Well, this same individual had recently purchased a nicer used bicycle from a family member and was willing to take about any offer for his bike. I offered him $50, and he accepted it. He lives in Ocean Springs and I made arrangements to pick it up the following Monday on my way home from work. I got it home and took it into Competition to get pedals, bottle cages, and a tune up on that following Thursday. It's not spectacular, and definitely is used, but it's a good interim road bicycle for me to use until I get myself a new one later.

chrisbike

Chris's new yellow racing Lemond bicycle Kelly's hip and stylish Pajama Party cruiser

The next morning (Sunday) we got up and went over to the Tammany Trace in Slidell (as opposed to driving out to Abita Springs) and hit the trail for a ride. Kelly said it was a different feeling getting used to a bicycle, and she had some pain in her back, but overall she seemed to enjoy herself. I think she enjoyed the comments she got from her bike's appearance more than anything else. I actually didn't take my new bike because I needed pedals, but did a good ride on my previous road bike. I'll still use it (my Giant) for the Urban Night Rides that I actually do participate in because it's more durable plus my lighting system is more suited for a mountain bike frame than a road frame.

Wednesday night we went to see Poncho Sanchez in New Orleans. Not a large crowd, which was a bit surprising, but those there were definitely fans of the Latin Jazz. Thursday night we met Jason, Ellen, Peter, and a large group of other friends at Yuki's in Biloxi to surprise Lyndsay for her 30th birthday. We were all seated in two sections around the hibachi when Ellen arrived with Lyndsay after work, and she was very surprised, but also appeared happy. The meal at the hibachi was entertaining (if not maybe a bit cheesy), and I was surprised that I enjoyed the food (fried rice and grilled meat) as much as I did. After dinner most people went home, but Lyndsay, Ellen, Jason, Dennis, Miriam, Matt Schnake, Carrie, Kelly and I went to the Irish Pub in downtown Gulfport to have beer and chat. For a hole in the wall bar, it was actually pretty nice, despite all the cigarette smoke. They had a neat video mp3 'jukebox' that we paid for quite a few songs from, and it was fun just talking with the smaller group. Matt always has a story and Dennis is more animated and entertaining (if not slightly obnoxious) the more he drinks. Jason and I dubbed it 'Fun with Dennis', mainly because he's been banned from the poker group due to the one time he came to play he was a real jackass and pissed off a lot of people. Kelly and I weren't there, but we still hear stories about it.

Friday morning we woke up and ran an errand, then packed up and headed over to New Orleans. We were going to the first day of VoodooFest on the 26th. Kelly really wanted to see Rage Against the Machine since she never has, plus we both wanted to check out MIA and some of the other acts during the day. When we got there we parked near the old Whole Foods location to walk to City Park and the festival grounds behind the museum. There were three women walking a few feet in front of us talking to each other, and the comment that struck me the most was one of them telling the other two, 'I skipped my French class for this today, so I can't miss it Monday or I'll be too far behind...' Now I don't know if they were college or high school age, but it doesn't matter because hearing something like that really makes one feel old. We get inside the event grounds, use the portable toilets now because they'll probably be really gross later, then walk through the vendors and food booths to the one (yes, only one) main entry pathway to where the main stages are located. The two stages are set up on either end of the large field which includes part of the running track and has large oak trees located around the edges of where they have erected a plywood barrier 'wall' as the perimeter. We first sat down near one wall to the right of the stage where RATM would end the evening, but then moved to the opposite side a little further back where Kelly's friend Jason from work, his brother Justin, and their friend Chip had staked out a seat. This was under an oak tree although facing the sun, but there was a lamppost that we could use to block some sun by moving our bodies as the sun moved positioin in the sky. Most of the bands we heard early in the day really didn't do much for me. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were decent, but probably would have benefited from a smaller club setting. The Kings of Leon are decent musicians, but don't really have any outstanding songs, and the one that I've heard too often on Sirius radio and really don't like, they didn't play. As it was getting darker, we noticed that the tree we were partially sitting underneath and was located next to the wall had become the 'piss tree'. Many guys and some women had started to use the wall, standing slightly behind the tree (if at all) to relieve themselves. Really gross, although I fault the organizers for not having any portable toilets in the main field area, which made it a pain in the ass for someone drinking beer all day to have to maneuver through the crowd out past the food booths and to the long waiting lines to use the toilets. Still, it was gross and we moved to the opposite side of the field closer to the entrance so we could all leave before Rage finished their set and beat the main crowd mass. MIA was right before Rage on the opposite end, and this female rapper from Sri Lanka with big electronic beats really blew the other previous acts out of the water. On top of that she also had a video show on the big screen above her, some impressive dance moves, and a wild outfit she was wearing. I've read reviews where she doesn't put on a very good live show, but I was really getting into it and enjoying it, as was Kelly. Unfortunately, the testosterone brigade that made up the majority of the crowd weren't into it at all, except for a few right near the stage, and didn't appreciate her to the extent which she deserved. Stupid bunch of pricks. Rage finally started, about a half hour late, and they played with really no interaction with the crowd (at least while we stuck around). Tom Morello, their guitarist, is always impressive to watch/hear because he does amazing things with his guitar and no effects pedals. I think I was the only one of our group who had seen Rage previously, and they sounded about the same as they did when they opened for Public Enemy in Portland in 1992. I remember talking with Tom Morello in the balcony of La Luna before the show and between band sets and he was a really nice guy.

Ah, so we left with our drinking party in tow. We were giving them a ride back to the French Quarter because we were going to another show at One Eyed Jacks that evening. We finally made it and dropped them off to stumble back to their hotel and probably Bourbon Street, Chip still looking for drugs, and all 4 of them pretty intoxicated at this point. We parked at one of the public lots and walked to the club. We arrived to catch the end of the new Trixie and the Tree Trunks puppet show movie presented by Miss Pussycat. This was entertaining, although we'll have to try to watch the rest another time. The second act (or second one we saw) were Yip-Yip, a two piece band from Florida. They were both wearing checkerboard outfits, kind of like hooded pullovers, and had the same checkerboard screens behind their instruments. The music was all instrumental and to me was a mix of The Locust, Ornette Coleman, and Quintron because of their use of keyboards/synth, sax, drums, and guitar all mixed together (well, not all instruments in all songs) like someone playing on speed. I don't mean that negatively either, I really enjoyed the energy they had as well as the music. Too bad more people weren't into them because they were a lot of fun. Hopefully they weren't disappointed by the typical crappy, unappreciative New Orleans crowd. Quintron and Miss Pussycat were next and Quintron was showing off his new Drum Buddy. They sounded great as usual, playing new songs and old, and Miss Pussycat shakin' it.

After recovering from Friday night, we slept in late Saturday morning and cleaned the house that day before going to the Seawolves home opener. There was a large (mostly publicity as opposed to hockey fans) crowd and some special guests. The Seawolves ended up losing to Reading 5-2, but it's great to have them back on the Coast. Sunday morning Kelly went for a bike ride around Diamondhead (my old bike had a flat tire and my new one was still in the bike shop) while I did some laundry. We had another hockey game that evening after having an early dinner at Tug's Wharf, and the Seawolves ended up winning 4-3 in an overtime shootout. It was nice that veteran Travis Lisabeth scored the winner in the 6th round of the shootout.

Wednesday was Halloween and I went as a 'space pirate' with my skull & crossbones jersey over a black spandex shirt, skull & crossbone bandana and socks, and messenger shorts along with my laser pistol. That evening we were going to New Orleans to see The New Pornographers at House of Blues and Kelly was a NASA employee with the first poodle in space (her poodle purse).

We met Joe, one of Kelly's friends from ELDP training a few years ago, who was in New Orleans from San Diego for work and talked with him for a bit while having dinner at House of Blues before the show. They were fortunate to not have house damage from the recent fires in California. After dinner we went in to the show. Immaculate Machine were another Canadian act that had a few of the New Pornographers and who sounded good. Emma Pollock was second and was good, but not great. The New Pornographers came out dressed in costume (Neko was a fox, the drummer was the arch-bishop, Carl was a hooded reaper, Dan Bejar was also a reaper, the woman from Immaculate Machine was a mummy, and the others had masks on) and put on an amazing show. They sounded great, played songs from all of their albums, mostly from their latest 'Challengers', and looked like they were having a good time. It was awesome that they were wearing costumes to boot. They also played up the big rock star bit with a big, lighted 'New Pornographers' sign above them flashing on control by the light/sound board controller. Kind of like the KISS letters. They're a group of many members, and 7 on stage was a lot, but then 'secret vocalist' Dan Bejar would walk on and off stage at various times to contribute vocals to songs. Weird. Our friends Matt and Carrie showed up during the Emma Pollock set and we talked with them during the evening. I have to say though, after one and a half hours of playing, The New Pornographers are one of my favorite bands live. They were MUCH better this time than when we saw them at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this past July.

Thursday and Friday nights we watched the Seawolves lose again (both nights) to Gwinnett, who is first in their division right now. The Seawolves are a young team that is still gelling together, although not quickly. They definitely need work on defense, power play, penalty kills, and discipline (as opposed to taking stupid penalties like veteran favorite Chris Cava seems to do at inopportune times). They're 1-5 right now and it looks like it may be a long season. We'll still support them, and I'm happy I was able to get a game-worn jersey from opening night because they were special red jerseys with the anniversary logo.

I did pick up my bike on Friday and Kelly and I rode around Diamondhead yesterday. It was different riding a road bike, but I think I'll enjoy it. I have to make a few adjustments, but soon I'll be a racing machine. After biking, Kelly went to get groceries for the week while I baked some oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies. We watched some college football in the afternoon then went to Jason and Ellen's for a beer tasting party. Most of the gang was there and there was quite a selection of micro/import brews. We stayed until midnight, then Kelly was tired so we came home. Today we're leaving soon to go to the Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts festival in Ocean Springs, drive over the newly opened Biloxi/Ocean Springs bridge on hwy 90, and go cheer on the Seawolves again. And it's only the beginning of November and we're still running.

-posted by Chris