Monday, 28 FEB 05

Well, it turns out that I didn't get to write anymore yesterday. I was too busy getting my pre-Oscar party prepared and watching the Academy Awards...NOT!!! Those silly awards shows just bore me to death. 'So and so wins the award for blah blah,' and then they manage to thank everyone down to their goldfish. Give me a break. Yeah, respect is due to the industry for entertaining us, but they've already gotten millions of dollars from it, and since we (the public) for the most part, can't determine who receives the awards, isn't the money they've squeezed out of us enough? I don't even know (or really care too much) who won what. Kelly usually watches some of the award presentations and I'd just ask her, but since she wasn't here to watch I'm sure it'll be plastered all over the news later. At least NPR usually doesn't list but the top movie, actress, and actor though.

I actually got up earlier than expected yesterday because I had a kitty (Josie) curled up next to me. It was a bit damp and cool outside and I guess she just was trying to steal my warmth. She's actually been pretty affectionate lately though, which is nice. Tura (our other 'child') has at least been sleeping in the bed next to me at nights, even if she isn't as lovey. So anyway, I just kind of lay in bed for awhile before getting up. When I did, I made curry. S & B is the brand I usually use, but I mixed it with Vermont brand. These are the Japanese curry mixes where one puts vegetables and meat (option) into a pot of water and lets them simmer until the meat is cooked and the vegetables softened, then adds the blocks of curry (which is kind of like cubes of baking chocolate, only softer) and lets that melt and thicken. Then serve over hot rice. Yum! My friend Gary turned me on to making my own curry at home with the mixes and I make it frequently when Kelly is out of town because it's easy and a pot of curry will last for almost a week. I add shrimp, potatoes, carrots, and green peas to mine. It turned out well and thickened up nicely.

For the rest of the late morning/early afternoon I watched the new 'Battlestar Galactica' I had Tivo'd on the SciFi Network. We've been watching this new series since the mini-series shown in late 2003, and it's actually been pretty decent. Probably better than the original from the early 80's. I also watched two of the anime programs I recorded from adultswim (Cartoon Network) on Saturday night.

After getting dressed, I headed over to New Orleans. I stopped by Whole Foods to get a few groceries, then picked up dinner at Nirvana for some Indian food for later since I was in a bit of a hurry. The main reason for hitting New Orleans on a Sunday night was a live performance by Ira Glass from This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/) which is broadcast on public radio. An entertaining program to listen to and usually 'grabs' you to listen to the whole story, even as you're driving along in the car you just want to sit until the end even after you've arrived at your destination. Kelly and I found the show when we were driving from Las Vegas to Phoenix last December and it was one of the funniest stories about David Sedaris becoming an elf at a department store over the holidays. We were almost rolling with laughter and kept having to turn the radio dial because the reception kept going out as we drove in the mountains near Flagstaff. So, he was doing a live performance presented by WWNO, the New Orleans public radio station and there was a really good turn out. It was set up just like I imagine he does the weekly program. In the middle of the stage there was a table with a mix board in the middle, a cd player on either side, a tape player on the right next to one of the cd players, and a microphone over the mix board. Kind of reminded me of being a dj a KBVR back in college. He made it like an actual broadcast where he would play some story clips both funny and serious, then he would add his own commentary into it, all while explaining the workings and talking to the crowd, just like on the radio, but at the same time being there. At the end he had a Q/A session with the audience for about 20 minutes and ended up with a story about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston from last year 'since it was Oscar night'. It was a great evening, and now I'm encouraged to make more of an effort to listen to the program each week.

I ought to head to work, but I'll write more later. Tonight I'm headed to the Downtown Tavern to see our friend Peter (a/k/a Kitestring) perform. He plays guitar and sings. Should be fun if we get a group of friends together. Maybe Jason won't be mad at me for the poker game the other night and will come along.

-posted by Chris

Sunday, 27 FEB 05

Still in the Atlantic
 
We've managed to avoid any storm so far. It rained a little yesterday, but not too bad. The seas are rolling a bit, but nothing major. Lunch today was pretty good - I had a big Chef's salad with all sorts of fresh veggies and other goodies. Gotta get the salad while we still have fresh veggies on board. We've even had fresh strawberries for breakfast...that can't last much longer. Later it will be all frozen or canned. That's the way it goes.
 
So I watched the Director's Cut of Donnie Darko last night. I've seen the movie 4 times, but this was the first time I saw the Director's Cut. It was quite a bit different from the get go (I prefer the Echo & The Bunnymen entrance rather than INXS - I think that's who it was in the new version). I can't say that the longer version helped clarify things better...although if I had my glasses on and was able to read more of the text (from the Time Travel book), maybe I'd have more of a clue. I still can't decide whether he is a delusional boy who invents this alternate reality time travel mechanism or if he is a very smart boy who becomes whacked out because of his ability to see this alternate reality. If you check out the website (http://www.donniedarko.com) it gets even more confusing. Regardless it is a great movie and Jake Gyllenhaal does an excellent job portraying Donnie.
 
That was a pretty funny e-mail from the alternate Chris Joy. Thanks for writing!

-posted by Kelly

Sunday, 27 FEB 05

I just got home from poker (it's now 12.45am). It was a pretty big group of 15 tonight and we played at Alan and Stephanie's. I made it to the final table, but unfortunately I only placed 7th. I played about as well as I ranked. Some hands I did well and played well, but some hands I should have folded earlier or not played at all. I did outdraw Jason though and took him out with a 2-9 off suit, which I think pissed him off since he had a better hand. I was big blinds though and short stacked, so I went all in. How it goes. I also beat Richard's pocket Kings early with pocket Queens, although it was a bluff that I didn't show when he folded (and showed), but raised pre-flop and re-raised after the flop which showed ace high. I'm playing more aggressively, but sometimes stupidly still. I need to get further than chapter 4 into Phil Gordon's book for more tips.

I'm heading to bed soon, but we received a pretty random email, so I thought I'd post it and write more tomorrow morning. Here it is:

Today (26th Feb) is my birthday and I have just turned 41. Turning 40 hurts, but turning 41 is fucking agony...... At least last year, I was still in my 30s yesterday. This year, I am IN my 40s, no longer able to use that back door escape route.
Anyway, to the point. I did the usual, adult, white, middle class thing and went for a meal with friends. Enjoyable as it turned out, a nice Italian restaurant just up the coast, but hardly rock and roll. By midnight (41 and 1 day) I was back in my empty house, listening to Muddy Waters and feeling generally sorry for myself. Still not tired, I decided to "surf" for a while to find anything that may amuse me on the net until the need to sleep overtook me.
I have, until now, always resisted the urge. But tonight I found myself reading your pages, in particular your latest "rant". I too work in the service of the public, in my case for a Local Authority in the UK, and many of the frustrations you spoke of certainly struck a cord. However, I was reminded of one particular day a few months ago which may, or may not, sound familiar.
I work in Social Housing, a field not dissimilar to your own, where everybody feels that everybody else is getting preferential treatment. Well, I achieved the Holy Trinity within the space of just 2 hours. First the white guy who tells me he would have been housed by now if he was "smack head" (local term for Heroin addict), then the smack head who tells me he would be housed by now if he was an immigrant (common statement), then the immigrant who tells me he would be housed by now if he was white. Everybody believes that everybody else is getting prefferential treatment and we are left to face the flack. It doesn't matter what you say or how many times you explain that these issues are not a factor, they will never believe you. And rather than stepping away from the television set to act on any suggestions or advice you may give, yes, they pick up the phone and call either the local paper or their elected Councillor, and they ask the same questions again and get the same answers, duplicating my workload to the benefit of nobody.
However, if you have got this far, you must still be wondering why I was looking on your particular website in the small hours of a Sunday morning from the UK. Well, the main reason is another thing we share.
I, too, am cursed with the name Chris Joy!

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 26 FEB 05

Today I'm just resting at the house this afternoon. I actually have a pretty busy weekend planned, but right now I'm getting psyched up for poker tonight. Last night I was a hermit and stayed home to watch West Wing on the Tivo (a decent episode although with each season it seems that it's been more difficult for the writers to come up with a compelling story), and an anime fansub my friend Gary burned for me from one of the torrent sites. No, this hasn't been licensed domestically yet and is subtitled excellently by a fan from the t.v. program currently airing in Japan. The show I watched is called 'Mahou Sensei Negima' and here's a summary from Anime News Network: Negi Springfield, 10 years old, graduated from magic school in Wales, UK and is sent to Japan to complete his "training." He becomes an English homeroom teacher for the All-Girls Mahora Academy Middle School Campus class "2-A." (8th Grade) It's pretty funny to see the trouble he gets into. I've been reading the manga, and the anime follows it well. There were only 5 episodes on the disc so hopefully Gary will be able to get the rest of the first season (usually 13 or 26 episodes) before it gets licensed in the U.S. and is taken off the torrent sites.

After watching anime last night I went to bed around 1am and got up this morning to hit the bike trails. The weather has an 80% chance of rain tomorrow morning, so I thought that I'd hit the trails today instead. There were only a couple of other riders out, and I actually rode with one of the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club members as he was marking some of the trails for the time trial (originally tomorrow, now next Sunday) and the race the club is holding the 20th of March. He gave me some good tips and ideas about biking/racing. I'm kind of disappointed that I'll miss their race that weekend, but I'm going to be in Austin overloading on music at SXSW and checking out some of the mountain bike trails in that area. The ride today was a good 11 miles (the complete route of Briar Patch/Couch/Badlands trails) and I only fell over once when I was avoiding a puddle and ran into some bushes. Brent (from the club) mentioned that he's thinking about getting a team together for a 24 hour ride in Clear Springs, MS in a few months and asked if I was interested. I said if he plans to go out to check out the trails, then maybe I'd sign on. It's funny he mentioned it because my sister was asking me the other day if I was interested in doing the 24 Hours of Moab in October and forming a team with my dad, brother, and one other person. I said it was a big maybe when I talked with her, but doing some more research and thinking about it more, it would actually be a lot of fun (or a lot of pain). It would be a challenge, but a goal to reach and say to people that we rode in a 24 hour race and did 'x' number of laps each in that time period.

Like I said earlier, I'm resting for a bit before I go play poker tonight. Sounds like we're going to have a big group of at least 14 people, so we'll be split into two tables to start. Texas Hold 'Em is the game and I've been watching a few broadcast games (Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown and World Poker Tour) this week, as well as read some of Phil Gordon's new book, so I'm in a poker mode. Hopefully I'll get some decent cards and play them well enough to win some of my $20 buy-in cash back, if not take everyone else's money which is the ultimate goal of the evening. I'll write tomorrow to say how I did.

-posted by Chris

Saturday, 26 FEB 05

Still somewhere in the Atlantic
 
I don't have too much to talk about, since life on the ship gets pretty routine pretty fast. I wake up, get some exercise (in the dilapidated workout room), maybe eat breakfast, do some work, eat lunch, do some work, eat dinner, do some work, watch a movie or tv, go to sleep...repeat the next day. I guess it's the same thing basically at home - but at least there I get to chat with my husband, get some good kitty loving, do chores and go out on the weekends. Oh well...it's something different.
 
The captain says that we are heading into a storm. Hopefully it will not be too bad. I've been in some pretty rough seas, but nothing close to the Perfect Storm or anything like that (thank goodness). I've only been seasick once - and I was also sick from something I ate or had a bug or something which just compounded the situation. If it gets really bad, I just go lay down or watch tv while lying down. For some reason, lying down really helps. Eating crackers doesn't hurt - and chewing on peppermint gum works pretty well too (or cinnamon sticks, right Ellen?). But it won't be that bad...everyone go and find a piece of wood and knock on it for me, ok?
 
We have intermittent access to the internet. So maybe I'll dig up something that will inspire me to write. Until then...ahoy maties and all that jazz. :-)

-posted by Kelly (via Chris)

Thursday, 24 FEB 05

From somewhere in the Atlantic.
 
First day at sea is going well. No bad weather (knock on wood), a bit of a wind, but swells are only a few feet. When the ship starts rolling, like it is now, I get a little tired - it's like rocking yourself to sleep. All I need is a hammock.
 
So on Monday I heard about Hunter S. Thompson's apparent suicide as I was stuck in Atlanta waiting for a flight. I started reading Thompson's books when I was in high school. A friend of mine suggested that I pick up Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas...and what a wild ride it was. After that, I started reading some of his others (a short story about Hawaii, Hells Angels, Fear and Loathing on the Campaig Trail '72). He had a knack for cutting down into a deeper truth, while emersing it in psychedelia, paranoia and illusion. His book about the campaign trail during Clinton's run (Better Than Sex) was hilarious and left me wondering what really went down. Though disturbed, I assumed his vision wasn't completely devoid of truth. Sad to hear about his death. I'll have to go get his latest and enjoy the thrill ride which it will inevitably turn into.


-posted by Kelly (via Chris)

Wednesday, 23 FEB 05

Although they seemed to try to lose the game, the Seawolves managed to pull off a thriller last night. Sauve had a bit of an 'off' night letting by a few soft goals, although to his credit the defense didn't give him much help letting Columbia basically walk it in a few times and score. Columbia scored less than two minutes into the game while the Seawolves seemed to skate around lost in a fog. Bates Battaglia scored first for the Seawolves with a nice pass from capt. Louis Dumont. Not bad for his first time on ice as a Seawolf (and probably first time this season). As it went into the third period the Seawolves were down 3-1. They came back to make it 3-2, then Columbia scored again making it 4-2, but they fought on. It was 4-3, then at under five minutes to play Columbia made it 5-3 and some of the die-hards started to leave. Fortunately, the Seawolves didn't give up and pulled within one with about two minutes left in the game. Under a minute left and Jay Legault finished his hat trick to tie the game and send it into overtime. No scoring in OT, so we went to the thrilling shoot-out format. No-one scored until the seventh round when Austin Miller scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Seawolves the 6-5 victory. Anthony Battaglia scored the other goal for the Seawolves and made it a well worthwhile evening.

Today we had a retirement lunch for one of our administrative assistants (receptionists), and it was nice, but kind of sad. Sherry had been there since I started with Medicaid nine years ago. She really has been one of the solid foundations of our office and will be missed greatly. It's really too bad that things have gone as they have at the office because maybe she would have stayed longer. I don't have too many kind words to say about most of my co-workers, but Sherry is one that I actually care about somewhat. I made two loaves of Italian bread to go with the pasta, salad, and other items brought potluck style. We were even given permission to shut and lock the doors for an hour from 12-1pm. Not often that happens. Things are hectic and I actually come home feeling worn out, but this will make it more of a challenge. I'm just waiting until we pay off some debts and are able to move elsewhere.

Can't beat the cost of living and friends we've made down here, but when we're ready I look forward to a change. I am seriously considering going to culinary school and become a better baker. I enjoy baking, and usually do a decent job, but there is much I have to learn. At least I'll get to practice in a couple weeks when I bake my own birthday cake again for the second year in a row. At least I'll be able to share it with friends since that should be a poker weekend. I can also decide what kind of cake I want to attempt. Hmm...

-posted by Chris

Monday, 21 FEB 05

Well, Kelly got off fine early this morning. It was foggy driving over to New Orleans, but not nearly as much as last week. It seems that it was worse over here on the coast. When I came home around 11am (I had gone to Whole Foods when they opened at 8am after having a frappucino and bagel while reading manga at Starbucks after taking Kelly to the airport) the fog had started to burn off in New Orleans, but it was still hanging over our house. I didn't really do too much today besides ponder the fact that I'll be a bachelor for two months. I watched some of the anime programs I recorded over the weekend, read, took a brief nap, made bread, and tried out my new bicycle trainer. It's starting to stay light later into the evening after I get home, but still not long. I like to get some riding time in when I come home from work, but it's either too dark or warm and muggy outside. My solution was to purchase a trainer to essentially ride my bike in the house, without going anywhere. I purchased a nice model with a mini computer that attaches to the handlebars and tells mph, distance, time, energy, slope, and a few other things. Pretty cool. Perfect for watching anime while riding as opposed to just sitting on my ass.

Not much exciting to report tonight. Maybe as the week goes on. Tomorrow night is a Seawolves game which should be interesting since they just picked up Jon 'Bates' Battaglia who was with Colorado and Washington last season. His brother Anthony has already been playing for the Seawolves for a few years. Underhill also got called up to the AHL again, so Sauve should be in net and one of the asst. coaches who used to play goaltender for the Seawolves is the emergency back-up tomorrow night. Unfortunately, they had a 3-game losing streak over the weekend which puts them in 9th overall in their conference which is one spot out of playoff contention. They really need to get their act together, especially on defense. A goaltender can't save everything, nor should they be expected to if the rest of the team isn't helping out. Maybe they'll pick up a win in front of a small (Tues. night) home crowd and get back into the playoff picture.

-posted by Chris

Sunday, 20 FEB 05

Just a quick note before I head for bed. I'm flying out at 0-dark-thirty tomorrow and have to get up at an obscene hour. Poor Chris is driving me, so he has to get up early too. I've spent some of the day packing (trying to think if there is anything I forgot - how much can I fit into 1 suitcase?). I also watched some of the NASCAR race - cool ending with 2 big crashes (the real reason everyone watches, right?) and sneaky Jeff Gordon (or Jeffy-poo as we like to call him) edging out Dale Jr. I would've liked to see one of the old guys get it (Wallace or Martin) or Stewart hang on to the lead. That's the way it goes...

We just got done watching Iron Chef America. Morimoto lost to a chef Feenie from Canada. The judging was close except for originality - which to me didn't seem right, because it seemed that Morimoto was more creative. Speaking of Morimoto, if you ever find yourself in Philadelphia, check out his restaurant (Morimoto). Chris and I went out of our way to make a stop there this summer and it was by far the best Japanese food I've ever had. I had the chef sampler & everything was wonderful.

Well...that's it for me for awhile. I will e-mail Chris with stuff to post...but being stuck on a ship may or may not provide source material.

-posted by Kelly

Saturday, 19 FEB 05

More hockey in the news today. ESPN was reporting this morning that a deal was "imminent" and that the players and owners were meeting again today to save the NHL season. But by the end of the day, no deal and now the report is that the season is definitely cancelled. As if any of the fans actually believed just because Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were involved that it would make a difference. Like I said before...it'e the continual joke at our expense. I was pretty happy this morning seeing that "imminent" on the tv, only to have it yanked away. This game is getting old.

So I went to see Million Dollar Baby today. It was pretty good. I grew up watching boxing with my dad - Mohammed Ali and later Mike Tyson (the early years). I love sports movies...and in some ways this was a typical sports type movie, just with a bit of a twist at the end. The acting from Hillary Swank, Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman was superb...and I could see all of them walking away with an Oscar. The film as a whole may win Best Picture and is not undeserving of a nod.

Chris was just asking me out of the films that I've seen nominated for Best Picture, which would I choose. I would have to say that my vote is for Hotel Rwanda. Granted, I haven't seen Ray or The Aviator...but of Hotel Rwanda was pretty damn good. Though I wouldn't be disappointed with any of the nominated films that I've seen picking up an award.

-posted by Kelly

Wednesday, 16 FEB 05

(link deleted)
Sweaters -  "Hockey Sucks" off Johnny Hanson Presents: Puck Rock, Vol. 1 compilation on Wrong Records

If you're a hockey fan then you already know and if you aren't you probably don't care...but the NHL officially cancelled the season. No Lord Stanley's Cup, no Avs, no Barry Melrose or Don Cherry. It sucks...but I've already said that (2/10 post). This commentary by Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) goes ditto for me. Enough said (at least for now).

In other news...not to be outdone by the North Korea's insane clown posse of one, Kim Jong Il, who just celebrated a nice birthday while patting himself on the back for being a brave porcupine (against the evil US "tiger")...now we have even more whackiness in what Jon Stewart likes to call Mess-O-Potamia. Things are getting funky with Syria, they've been funky with Iran, and now those two nations have formed a "united front" presumably against us (even if they claim otherwise).  Not to mention some strange explosion in the region where Iran supposedly has its nuclear facility. At least now they've got a more reasonable explanation for it than an empty fuel tank falling from a plane. Does anyone else find all of this a little disconcerting or do I just read too many news sites?

The song today comes off of a great compilation from Canada... It is of course dedicated to the NHL, NHLPA, the owners and all the players that make too much money!

-posted by Kelly

Monday, 14 FEB 05

Music Link
No Matter 7" -  "Blemish" off Side A (Worse Than Yours Records)
Music Link
No Matter 7" -  "You Figure It Out" off Side A (Worse Than Yours Records)
Music Link
No Matter 7" -  "About Image" off Side A (Worse Than Yours Records)
Music Link
No Matter 7" -  "All Those Lives off Side B (Worse Than Yours Records)
Music Link
No Matter 7" -  "Godhead Policies" off Side B (Worse Than Yours Records)

We had a request to burn the No Matter 7", so here it is. No Matter was another infamous local band. They were around before our time, but Chris and I were lucky enough to catch a reunion show (Chris got them to open for The Tie That Binds at the Biloxi Jaycee Hall several years back). I think we actually found the 7" at some punk rock record store in St. Petersburg, FL. Happy listening!

-posted by Kelly

Monday, 14 FEB 05

I didn't get to write about dinner last night since we got home late, but here's the review. We met our friends Jason and Ellen, as we did last year for dinner when it was called Anna Mae. It started off with a chef's special offering of two clams per person in a buttery cream-like sauce. One of the best items of the evening, and I don't usually like clams. For appetizers I had a seaweed salad, which was quite fresh and tasted good, while Kelly had this Thai spicy clam soup. It had some cliantro and of course clams, with a zingy broth that tasted excellent. Kelly also ordered the tempura shrimp appetizer, which was standard fare of shrimp and vegetables fried in a tempura batter. The batter wasn't too heavy and I ate the carrot and sweet potato and a bite of shrimp, while Kelly ate the other veggies and shrimp. For our main course I had selected some sushi rolls. The Godzilla roll, which was a spicy tuna roll dunked lightly in tempura batter, the Seafood roll which was clam, scallop, shrimp, and another item in a wasabi mayo, and finally the Spicy Tuna Roll. The sushi was fresh, but overpriced and pretty bland. The spicy tuna roll, which claimed to have chili powder and sesame oil, was not very spicy at all. Maybe we should have asked for the extra spicy tuna roll? Now usually it's either too much or not enough with a Spicy Tuna Roll, and this one fell into the latter. The Godzilla roll was along the same line, although the light tempura batter gave it a small amount of flair, but not too much more flavor. The Seafood roll was probably my favorite, but nothing as good as other items we've had at different restaurants at lower prices. Jason and Ellen also opted for sushi and shared their rolls (Spider Roll and two others which I forget). Like ours, they were fresh, but somewhat of a disappointment. For dessert I had this chocolate/ginger mousse cake, which was more chocolate than ginger, but was still pretty good. I did like the fresh, handmade(?) chocolate sauce and 'leaf' on top of the cake added for plating aesthetic. Kelly had banana tempura with vanilla gelato which she thought tasted really good. I tried the gelato and it had a good flavor. So, overall I'd probably give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Not great, but not horrible. We can recommend some better places in New Orleans that we'd go to instead next time we're craving sushi.

Today it looks like the NHL and NHLPA finally decided to call off the season. About time jackasses! As if you haven't alienated your fans enough as it is, now you string us along with the thought of a possible, drastically shortened season, now you can't even agree to anything including what day head honcho Betteman is going to announce the season is over. I think the last I heard on the drive home on NPR is Wednesday, but then checking out the espn.com site tonight there's another 'secret' meeting today. Are they that scared that the NHL is going to be the first major sports league to have a whole season cancelled because players and owners can't come to an agreement?  Kelly threw in her two cents earlier this month (see post further below), and pretty much summed it up. I'm irritated, but I still can't decided who to be more pissed off at. The owners and the league or the players association? The league said they were losing so much money, yet I don't remember them actually releasing the figures to the public of how much was being lost. All professional athletes in any major sport probably get WAAAAY much more money than they deserve, but then again, I'm not an athlete so I really can't say. But c'mon, multiple millions of dollars does get to be pretty extreme. But, it's the owners damn faults for letting the buying sprees and bids for players get out of hand so much. As a fan it'd be a tough decision to chunk down such a large chunk of cash for season tickets if we lived anywhere near our favorite Colorado Avalanche. I'm such a cheap ass, I won't even spend the cash to get season tickets to the Seawolves games. When we've taken our yearly roadtrips in the past to go see the Avalanche in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Nashville, or Dallas, for that one game it costs us about $150 just for a pair of tickets in the lower seating bowl, and that's for the visiting team. I love hockey and will always be a fan (yes, we're keeping the subscription to the DirecTV Center Ice NHL package for when there is a next season and plan to get the HD Receiver then as well), but for those who aren't middle class 'yuppies' like us and who also have kids, there is going to have to be some sort of give by both sides to make it more appealing to a quickly fading fan base here in the states. Maybe taking a look at some of the other major sports models can produce a few ideas.

-posted by Chris

Sunday, 13 FEB 05

We're getting ready to go see the Sea Wolves play some hockey. It's amazing that the MS Gulf Coast has retained a team down here for as long as it has. There's usually a decent-sized crowd (~3-4000), but not stellar. The fans have definitely become hockey fluent over the years. When the team first made an appearance, most people were just into the fights & really didn't know much about the game. Granted...people are still into the fights, but they are definitely into the game too. We always hear rumblings about bad calls or missed calls - and the fans usually know what the heck they're talking about. Hopefully Sauve will be in net today. He  played  backup for the Colorado Avalanche - our fave NHL team - last season. He played in net at home on Friday, but we missed that game. We shall see...

After the game we are going out for some Japanese food. The Beau Rivage (one of the casinos down here) has several restaurants - and even though the name has changed frequently, a Japanese restaurant has always been in the offering. Last year we went there when it was called Animae, and it was really good. Right now it is called Mikado and we shall see if it's as good as it was last year. This is an early celebration of Chris' birthday, which I will once again miss. Last year I was out of town on his birthday too. He always gets stuck making his own b-day cake. Maybe it will coincide with a poker night this year and he can share his cake w/ our poker friends?

Speaking of poker...I did terribly last night. I was 3rd out in a field of 11. Chris stuck it out a little longer...he was 5th out. I did get my first ever 4-of a kind, which was pretty cool. Too bad it didn't come w/ a lot of chips. I s'pose that's just the way it goes. What will I do on the ship for 2 months without my poker fix? I won't even be able to watch any on tv. I'd really like to watch more of the professionals - I want to style myself after that weird Dutch guy (Gus Hanson)...making all those bizzarre faces and playing all sorts of crazy crap. I've got a long way to go.

Well...it's about time for us to head to hockey...with our usual stop for caffeine at Barnes and Noble along the way. We really need a drive-through Starbucks down here. :-)

-posted by Kelly

Thursday, 10 FEB 05

Ok...I have to start this evening with a big F*** You! To the NHL and NHLPA (see the latest on lack of progress). So it looks like the season is a loss. Congratulations to all you greedy, pig-headed mother tuckers. Do you think that we fans really care by this point that there is no season. Hell...the on-going talks have been one continual joke at our expense. I don't miss it. I can go see the MS SeaWolves play just about every week and not have to pay $50 to sit in noise bleed seats. I really have been doing fine without the NHL this year and I'll bet a lot of other fans feel the same way. To quote Bikini Kill "We Don't Need You!" So keep playing in Europe for all I care! (ok...please come back for next season, or else I really will be mad)

The other day I was listening to Fresh Air on MPB (Mississippi NPR) and heard an interview with Tommy Chong (aka half of Cheech and Chong). I had no idea that he had been arrested for selling drug paraphernalia. Did I just miss that on the news or was there no coverage? Anyway...I looked for some more info and found a free Tommy site (I think he's free now, but it's still funny). My dad used to take me to all the Cheech and Chong movies when I was a kid. I especially loved Nice Dreams - with the stoner ice cream truck. Dad also habitually played their Christmas song, "Santa Claus and His Old Lady", every holiday. I guess they're making a new movie...something like Grumpy Old Stoners. I wonder if I'll find it as funny as I did when I was a kid.

Next time...what the hell is up with North Korea anyway? Peace out...(do people really say that?!)

-posted by Kelly

Wednesday, 9 FEB 05

(Link deleted)
Jimmy Smith 'Root Down and Get It'

Today I was listening to NPR on the way home and heard that Jimmy Smith died at the age of 79. I don't have much of his material, but have enjoyed listening to his funky-ass organ. He was one of the true 'old school' jazz musicians and could tickle the keys without making the organ sound like you were at a baseball game. I'm still kicking myself to this day for not going to see him play at the House of Blues in 1998 or 1999. I think he became slightly more popular with the 'hipster' crowd after the Beastie Boys sampled his music for their version of 'Root Down'. I also read on CNN that Karl Haas died. I remember listening to him on Public Radio when I lived in Alaska. He was the host for Adventures in Good Music and had quite a dry sense of humor. Not like I have a theme of death with this post, and of course everyone dies, but it's more of a bummer when it's public figures you have some slight connection to or interest in.

I also heard on 'Day to Day' (another NPR program) some anime reviews of series that I'm actually familiar with. I've been watching 'Full Metal Alchemist' on Cartoon Network, and Gary and I are planning to start both 'Samurai Champloo' and 'Paranoia Agent' soon as some of the series backlogged for our AnimeFests. This reviewer gave excellent descriptions and hopefully the interest of some of the listeners. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4492335

-posted by Chris

(Fat) Tuesday, 8 FEB 05

Music Link
Krookid Ledder Youth 10" - Side A
Music Link
Krookid Ledder Youth 10" - Side B "Metal One"
Music Link
Krookid Ledder Youth 10" - Side B "Metal Three"

Just a quickie... Today's tracks are from local legends Krookid Ledder Youth. They were around when Chris and I first moved down here and we were able to catch a few of their shows at great venues like the Little House (RIP). Well I read on the local Gulf Coast punk page where someone was wanting the 10" record that Krookid Ledder Youth put out as MP3s. So I went ahead and did so (we've got a way to rip records to MP3s and a considerable backlog of stuff to burn). As both Chris and I would say - PFR! (Punk F***ing Rock!) Never mind the pops from the record - it's part of the ambiance.

-posted by Kelly

Monday, 7 FEB 05

This past weekend was good bike riding for me. It felt good to start getting back into a routine of weekend riding. After a few months off from road riding due to holidays, weather, and other lame excuses, I did the Tato Nut ride in Ocean Springs on Sat. morning. It's basically an 18-22 mile casual ride around the streets of Ocean Springs, MS, along the beach, and through the Gulf Islands National Seashore State Park. A nice group of riders, mainly from the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club, who vary speeds on this 'no drop' ride and end up at the local indie donut shop called the Tato Nut. It's a pretty happening place on a Saturday morning. The calories burned off by the ride can be put back on with a sweet, doughy treat (although I've been pretty good at resisting temptation). I am a solo cyclist for the most part, but do enjoy an organized ride for the motivation and slight safety in numbers from passing motorists. It was a good 18 miler this week. On Sunday I hit the trails and did eight miles. I must be getting used to my shoes/clips because I only went down twice this week. Once was to avoid a rider coming in from the opposite direction at a faster rate when I rounded a corner. I swerved to get out of his way and went down in the process. The other fall really wasn't as much a fall as it was sinking halfway up my tires into soft ground disguised as a passable puddle. I thought I could make it through, but instantly sank into the muddy bog and sloshed into the mud sideways. A minor cut on my knee and mud on my leg. Kudos to the bike club for the new bridge they built towards one end of the trail where I bruised my ass last week hitting a muddy stump and going endo. This new bridge is like a short boardwalk which was constructed well and should last long.

I've been checking out different bike trails around the region lately so I can get some training time in before I do the Hotter Than Hell 100 ride (I'm just doing the 10 mile mountain bike race) at the end of August in Wichita Falls, TX. I'm planning to take a trip out to northern Georgia or Birmingham, AL this spring, but opportunity knocked and I've decided to roadtrip out to Austin for SXSW the weekend of March 18. Big Business (who feature Jared, previously of the band Karp who played at our wedding reception in our basement) are on the bill at Emo's not one, but two nights, and since that's the furthest southeast they are playing, I decided I can't pass up the chance to see them. After Karp broke up, Jared was in Tight Bros. from Way Back When who we brought to play a show on the coast about 4 years ago. It was a lot of fun to have them as our first house guests. I was hoping we could get them to play for our 10th anniversary, but it just isn't happening, especially with Kelly out of town.

Anyway, while in Austin I'm planning to spend Saturday checking out some of the trails around the city of Austin. I've found some good links with info about the different trails. I also plan to head over to Stubb's BBQ for some of the finest barbecue that Texas has to offer. We haven't made it there in our trips to Austin, but it's gotten good reviews, and the sauce is sold in some grocery stores and is mighty spicy. Yum! Biking, barbecue, and Big Business, how could I ask for more in a weekend?

-posted by Chris

Monday, 7 FEB 05

Happy Lundi Gras! Hard to believe that Mardi Gras will be over with in a day, and I haven't done anything except eat a couple of slices of King Cake. No parades, no New Orleans, no nothing of the sort. We were thinking about going to NO tonight and checking out Orpheus (as well as Quintron and Ms Pussycat at One Eyed Jacks), but it's likely going to rain and I had insomnia last night and whine, whine, whine... OK, the truth is that we're just not the party people we ever were. That's just the way it is.

Yesterday I went to see the movie Sideways while Chris went mountain biking. (He had no interest in the movie) It was funny and irritating and overall good. The irritating part stemmed from the 2 main characters (Jack & Miles) who left me wanting to smack both of them upside the head at various times. The movie is all a-buzz with Oscar prospects...it's about Jack, an aging actor, who is getting marries and Miles, the best man (and serious wine snob - gradeschool English teacher - would-be writer), going on a week-long trip to celebrate. Jack wants to get laid, Miles wants to drink wine and play golf. They get hooked up with 2 interesting, independent women while telling lies (or leaving out the fact that Jack is getting married in less than a week) that create havoc with the various relationships. The acting is superb, the movie as a whole is good (not great, but on its way there) and it made me want to drink red wine (not merlot - which I had no idea that there was something wrong with...I guess I'm not a true connoisseur).

That's all I've got to say for today. One more thing....Philly sure was lucky the score wasn't more lopsided than it was. Neither team played spectacularly. And except for a few Pepsi Light commercials (and whatever job .com with all the monkeys) the commercials were pretty lame.

-posted by Kelly

Saturday, 5 FEB 05

(link deleted)
Neko Case ''Things That Scare Me" from Blacklisted on Bloodshot Records

Slacker me again...I've been meaning to write since the State of the Union speech. I figured President Bush would fire me up to write something, but surprisingly I didn't get too upset with the speech overall. Not until he started talking about protecting marriage and his "pro-life" values did I get a little irritated. I thought it was funny when some Dems boo'd him during the Social Security bit. Speaking of SocSec - Bush piqued my interest enough to read up a bit more on his plan. After his speech I was thinking it didn't sound that bad...I like the idea of having more of my money when I retire. Then I read an article in the Post which changed my mind. It doesn't seem worth it, especially at the risk of going trillions of dollars in the hole. I even thought maybe I was hallucinating during the State of the Union when he said we could put away up to (a whopping) 4% of our payroll into these private accounts. Well...if you don't make a lot of money, that's going to add up to a rather paltry hill of beans. I'm starting to think that once again, this is a plan that will only really benefit wealthy individuals whose 4% actually amounts to something.

Anyway...for the most part though, it was a well-delivered speech. I was surprised to hear Bush call out Saudi Arabia and Egypt and am wondering if any repercussions will follow. I also noted that he didn't make much mention of North Korea...even though I could've sworn I read an article recently (here it is) that indicated a good possibility that North Korea sold enriched plutonium to Libya. But aside from all that...the President really did look and sound presidential and impressive. And I did a double take when he kissed Lieberman on the cheek, yelling to Chris "He just kissed Joe Lieberman!" Hopefully his semi-middle of the road tone will indicate some cooperation in the upcoming years between Dems, Reps, and Indies (whoever they may be). Call me an optimist...

Chris and I went to see Hotel Rwanda today. It is a poignant film about the atrocities perpetrated by the Hutus on the Tutsis in Rwanda during the mid-90's. Don Cheadle did an excellent job portraying a Hutu hotel manager at first struggling to save his Tutsi wife and children, but then opening his hotel doors to many other Tutsis and Hutus that helped them. It definitely brought tears to my eyes a few times and made me feel pretty guilty about how the West ignores many of the problems in Africa. It also makes me wonder about the current situation in Sudan. I know the UN isn't going so far as to call it a genocide, but I wonder if that isn't really what is taking place over there. I guess I'll have to go on the internet and read more about it. Or maybe I'll just sit on my ass and watch tv and numb my brain to the outside world. Hmm...

The song for today is from Neko Case. She has a beautiful, clear voice. I generally don't like country music, and when I first heard Neko Case & Her Boyfriends, I dismissed it as too twangy. But it really grew on me and now she is one of my favorite female singers. Hope you like it.

-posted by Kelly

Tuesday, 1 FEB 05

We got home this evening around 10pm (it's 10.43pm now) after watching a disappointing loss by the Seawolves to last place Texas. Pretty sad. They put on a lackluster performance overall, and their goaltender, Matt Underhill, couldn't save their asses tonight after getting no defensive help. They did try to come back from a 3-0 hole in the third period, but the closest they came was 4-3 with a little less than 2 minutes left in the game when they pulled Underhill, but had an empty-netter scored on them. Some players on the offensive line did well though, despite the loss, most notably former 'star' player and recent re-acquisition, John 'Stumpy' Evangelista. He scored two of the three goals and assisted on the third, but it just wasn't enough. Maybe they'll fare better against first place Pensacola this Friday. Hopefully they'll at least be ready and not skating around in circles.

So, yesterday they announced the line-up for this year's Coachella festival in Indio, California at the end of April. It's a 2-day music festival that seems to be an attempt to mirror the big music festivals in Europe. Last year's line-up was more impressive, and our friends Jason and Ellen raved how much of a good time they had. This year's big acts are reformed Cocteau Twins and Bauhaus, New Order, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, and Wilco. There are plenty of others, but those are going to be some of the biggest drawing names. At first I thought it would be pretty cool to go out and see some of the acts, but thought again after a bit of pricing, and also came to the conclusion that the groups that I'd go to see the most (Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus, New Order, and Nine Inch Nails), I've already seen. Kind of silly to pay all that cash for bands I've seen already, in addition to new ones I haven't. Check out the site for the full line-up: http://www.coachella.com

Instead, the same weekend is the second weekend of Jazzfest in New Orleans. Some of the 'big' acts they've drawn this year are reason enough NOT to go, unless you enjoy really large crowds (Widespread Panic on Apr. 29 and Dave Matthews Band on Apr. 30). There are other acts to go see those days where you could probably avoid the main crowd, but it would be a challenge. What I would like to go see, and Kelly should be back by then and sounded interested, is on May 1, the tribute to John Coltrane featuring McCoy Tyner and Ravi Coltrane. John Coltrane died before I was born, so any related artist I've made an attempt to see over the years at Jazz Fest since we've lived down here. We've been most fortunate to see Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, and Ornette Coleman, some of the greats who haven't yet passed on. Here's the link to the Jazz Fest site listing all the artists playing each day. They usually list the times and stages towards the end of March:  http://www.nojazzfest.com/

Finally before I go to bed, I was checking out some news sites early this morning, and came across this funny article. I sent it to Kelly at work and she said it was a good laugh to start the morning. http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/050128_monkey_business.htm

-posted by Chris