Friday
No one wanted to go to the Orioles game with me then see George Throgood at Rams Head Live. So it worked out that Teri and I went to the O's game. I thought it would be too hot for her, but it worked out okay. The O's did end up loosing 7-4. Which made 4 in a row since they signed the manager to an extended contract.
On Sunday I am scheduled to work the mid-night shift. So to shift my sleeping, I am staying up late, and getting up late. Friday night, I made it to 3:00am (or so).
Saturday
I got up after noon (it's not that hard for me to switch this schedule). I had breakfast, and Teri and I started cleaning the house. This is a pain, but needs to be done for the party.
About 4:00pm I received a call from my supervisor at work. Apparently there were problems at work. Electrical power was lost where it wasn't suppose to be lost. I went into the office to try to work things out. I thought I got things straight, the customer seemed satisfied.
I got back home and Chris came over to plan out the menu for the party next week. He and Teri got this worked out. We hung out for a couple more hours. I also assembled my popcorn maker that Heather gave me for my birthday. This worked out well. I discovered that it doesn't need to stay on the cart, and can sit on a table. This will work out great for Poker Nights.
Teri went to bed and I got caught up on TiVo. I finally watched Californication. I like this show! Another winner from ShoTime! I'll be sure to watch it every week now.
I also watched an episode of The Office from the UK. It's kind of like I remember the office of my old company there. They say things and show things that wouldn't make it past the US censors, but that's the way the UK was. If you get in earlier then usual someone may say, "What happen? Shit the bed?" This isn't very PC here, but is fine in the UK.
I ended up going to bed around 4:00am.
Sunday
I got up a little before Noon. I wanted to be tiered enough to get some sleep before work. Kind of a slow day. I picked stuff in the garden and sat around for a little. I should have done more. I got a call from the customer who had problems Saturday. I had to go back into the office. This time I think I got everything worked out. They verified that e-mail was flowing properly.
When I got home Teri volunteered to pass out the party invites around the neighborhood and I started filling in the trench with the electrical cable. This was a pain! I finished about half of it, I'll finish the rest Monday morning. I took a nap, and made it into work. Apparently things weren't exactly setup properly as to which rooms I had access, but after a couple phone calls, it got straight.
And the Orioles...they lost the entire series to the Twins. They signed the manager, Dave Trembley, because they were 29-25 under him. Now they are 29-31 under Trembley. Way to go O's! And about today's game:
"Erik Bedard hadn't lost a start since June 10, but the reenergized Twins attack made short work of the O's ace on Sunday, scoring two runs each in the first and second innings. Baltimore battled back briefly, but the bullpen faltered in the 11-3 defeat. "
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Today's musical stuff...
Today was a preview of the 2007 Fall Tour. My day in chronologic order (mostly).
Van Halen in DC
I work about a block away from the arena in DC, the Verizon Center. So when I got work that Van Halen was playing here, I decided to go to the arena and try for tickets. i arrived about 9:40am, tickets go on sale at 10:00am. There weren't many people there and I got in line. The whole process was ver orderly and there were 3 ticket windows selling tickets. Very organized! But 5 minutes into tickets being on sale, the only seats comng up were 400 level seats. THESE SUCK!
I had Donkey on the cell phone. He had the same thing happening to him. He threw them back a few times. Finally, some 100 level seats. Donkey got them. I had similar seats at the window, but his were a little better. I go back to work.
At this point, I am wondering why the rotten tickets so shortly after going on sale? I went to the Ticket Master page. And I noticed that there is a new set of tabs (see image below).
BID ON AUCTION?! WTF?If tickets weren't expensive enough, this put them over the top. Now they charge a SUPER premium for seats in an auction.
New Springsteen! Radio Nowhere
I got over the whole VH dibacole and now I get an MP3 file with the upcoming Springsteen release, Radio Nowhere. For your listening pleasure, click on the MP3 player over on the sidebar.
My thoughts; I like it! It's no Born to Run, but it's a lot better then the Ghost of Tom Joad! Give it a listen (click in the object on the bar on the right), and leave a comment with what you think.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A pirate looks at 40...
(excuse the Jimmy Buffet song reference, but it seems appropriate)
Life at Forty
On August 16, 2007, I turned 40. If you didn't send greetings or gifts, I accept belated of both. I remember way back when I started working professionally the signs that would go up on the bulletin boards once in a while, “Lordy, Lordy, look who’s 40” and “Come and celebrate …’s big 4-0!” From that point on I guess I always thought turning 40 would be a momentous occasion. Your friends would all make a big deal about it, it would be a great time, etc. My birthday was nothing like this. I did take the day off of work (hoping for something, anything…). I harvested from the garden in the morning, updated the blog, poked around the house. I then rented a trench digging machine from Home Depot, dug a trench with my brothers assistance (running electric to the shed), picked up Teri from the airport, returned the trencher, eat a pizza, and went to bed. This basically sums up how boring my life is. But really I should reflect on a few points in my world.
Work
Last year when I was laid off, it really through me for a loop. I had become complacent and really turned into the King of the Meeting. I could run a meeting, take proper notes, follow up, plan the next meeting, and start all over again. None of these skills are particularly helpful when looking for a job. I also discovered that I probably have too much experience than anyone wants to pay me for. This happens when you have worked in the IT industry as long as I have and doing as many different things that I have done. Fortunately, I was able to find a job that paid the mortgage, and then one that allows me to pay the bills and stay close to home. But I did learn from this, and feel that going forward; I’ll have a more productive career. My brother gave me news tonight that he is starting a new job Monday. I'm really happy to hear this, I was concerned that he may have trouble finding something. We spoke about the mistakes that we made at previous jobs and how we can improve at our new jobs. I think things will work out fine.
Entertainment
I think somewhere in your 20's you find something that entertains you, and decide from that point on that this is what makes you happy. So unless it is substance abuse, or something really socially unacceptable, you will continue to do this thing to find happiness. For me, concerts, and baseball games have been a source of entertainment. And from the previous posts, you can see that I do this a lot. And will continue to. It's actually kind of a burden for a lot of events, but it's the closest thing to social enjoyment that I can find.
Relationships
Over the past year or so, I have had some close friends go through divorce and separation. It seems that happens a lot when you have been with someone a while, and now a day, you grow apart. The reasons that my friends have parted seems to be similar, the relationship was a certain way early on, but now, there doesn't seem to be anything keeping you together. The flame has burned out. Other interests have arrived. You want something new. It's grown stale.
I try to be the best friend that I can when my friends have trouble. Sometimes I don't know what to say, sometimes I say stupid things, but I try to stick with them throughout and hopefully learn something about my friends, and about myself.
I use to think that it was just selfish for people to break up when they think they found a better mate. I'm not sure anymore. It takes a lot of guts to make big changes in your life like this, and sometimes it's necessary to take a leap of faith.
Family
As time goes by I've discovered that it's not a bad thing to have family physically near by. Last weekend we had a gathering at my sister's house. As you can see from the picture, it was a decent turn out. Not everyone could make it, but those who did, seemed to enjoy their selves. I passed out a couple of invites to the party on 9/2, we'll see who shows up.
My sister Cindy is coordinating the baby shower for Teri, which should be good too. Not all sister-in-laws will do this.
So...what's your point?
I'm not sure I have a point. I make observations and find humor in the world. Life could have been better if I had made millions of dollars in the dot com era. But life could have been a lot worse too. I'm sure the new baby has surprises that I can't even image at this point, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've wondered from time to time if I shouldn't have made major relationship changes in my life. I think at this point, I am 51% happy with my life. If someone is 100% happy, they are either Hugh Heffner or an idiot and not trying.
The next year will be challenging and interesting. I hope that I can keep expanding my horizons and learn new things about the world and life.
Happy Birthday to Me!!
Life at Forty
On August 16, 2007, I turned 40. If you didn't send greetings or gifts, I accept belated of both. I remember way back when I started working professionally the signs that would go up on the bulletin boards once in a while, “Lordy, Lordy, look who’s 40” and “Come and celebrate …’s big 4-0!” From that point on I guess I always thought turning 40 would be a momentous occasion. Your friends would all make a big deal about it, it would be a great time, etc. My birthday was nothing like this. I did take the day off of work (hoping for something, anything…). I harvested from the garden in the morning, updated the blog, poked around the house. I then rented a trench digging machine from Home Depot, dug a trench with my brothers assistance (running electric to the shed), picked up Teri from the airport, returned the trencher, eat a pizza, and went to bed. This basically sums up how boring my life is. But really I should reflect on a few points in my world.
Work
Last year when I was laid off, it really through me for a loop. I had become complacent and really turned into the King of the Meeting. I could run a meeting, take proper notes, follow up, plan the next meeting, and start all over again. None of these skills are particularly helpful when looking for a job. I also discovered that I probably have too much experience than anyone wants to pay me for. This happens when you have worked in the IT industry as long as I have and doing as many different things that I have done. Fortunately, I was able to find a job that paid the mortgage, and then one that allows me to pay the bills and stay close to home. But I did learn from this, and feel that going forward; I’ll have a more productive career. My brother gave me news tonight that he is starting a new job Monday. I'm really happy to hear this, I was concerned that he may have trouble finding something. We spoke about the mistakes that we made at previous jobs and how we can improve at our new jobs. I think things will work out fine.
Entertainment
I think somewhere in your 20's you find something that entertains you, and decide from that point on that this is what makes you happy. So unless it is substance abuse, or something really socially unacceptable, you will continue to do this thing to find happiness. For me, concerts, and baseball games have been a source of entertainment. And from the previous posts, you can see that I do this a lot. And will continue to. It's actually kind of a burden for a lot of events, but it's the closest thing to social enjoyment that I can find.
Relationships
Over the past year or so, I have had some close friends go through divorce and separation. It seems that happens a lot when you have been with someone a while, and now a day, you grow apart. The reasons that my friends have parted seems to be similar, the relationship was a certain way early on, but now, there doesn't seem to be anything keeping you together. The flame has burned out. Other interests have arrived. You want something new. It's grown stale.
I try to be the best friend that I can when my friends have trouble. Sometimes I don't know what to say, sometimes I say stupid things, but I try to stick with them throughout and hopefully learn something about my friends, and about myself.
I use to think that it was just selfish for people to break up when they think they found a better mate. I'm not sure anymore. It takes a lot of guts to make big changes in your life like this, and sometimes it's necessary to take a leap of faith.
Family
As time goes by I've discovered that it's not a bad thing to have family physically near by. Last weekend we had a gathering at my sister's house. As you can see from the picture, it was a decent turn out. Not everyone could make it, but those who did, seemed to enjoy their selves. I passed out a couple of invites to the party on 9/2, we'll see who shows up.
My sister Cindy is coordinating the baby shower for Teri, which should be good too. Not all sister-in-laws will do this.
So...what's your point?
I'm not sure I have a point. I make observations and find humor in the world. Life could have been better if I had made millions of dollars in the dot com era. But life could have been a lot worse too. I'm sure the new baby has surprises that I can't even image at this point, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've wondered from time to time if I shouldn't have made major relationship changes in my life. I think at this point, I am 51% happy with my life. If someone is 100% happy, they are either Hugh Heffner or an idiot and not trying.
The next year will be challenging and interesting. I hope that I can keep expanding my horizons and learn new things about the world and life.
Happy Birthday to Me!!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Fall tour, 2007
The Fall Tour is starting to shape up. So far it looks like it will be a Van Halen show and some Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band shows! Somewhere in there, I will become a father, but in the mean time, I'll stick with the touring bands. And for reference, a picture of each act.
Bruce is touring with a new album, supposedly the last with the full E-Street band. VH is touring, well, because they need the dough! In the picture it is, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and Eddie's son Wolfgang (Wolfie) Van Halen who will be playing bass on the tour. It should be fun!
As for one of the geekier things, scoll down the side of my blog and you can see the countdown clock to the new Springsteen CD, Magic.
Bruce is touring with a new album, supposedly the last with the full E-Street band. VH is touring, well, because they need the dough! In the picture it is, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and Eddie's son Wolfgang (Wolfie) Van Halen who will be playing bass on the tour. It should be fun!
As for one of the geekier things, scoll down the side of my blog and you can see the countdown clock to the new Springsteen CD, Magic.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Crows in Frederick
The last stop on the 'summer tour' in in Frederick, MD at Harry Grove Stadium on August 15, 2007. Again tonight it is the Counting Crows, Live, and Collective Soul is back on the bill.
Transportation was more certain for this show. My brother was attending the show with me. I take the MARC train to the Frederick station, he drives to Frederick, picks me up at the station, and off we go to the show. Yes kind of boring, but after walking around Aberdeen, I'll take boring. Long and short, that is what happen. We had dinner at Pizza Hut and it took a little longer then expected, but we made it to the show.
The Show
We arrived an immediately noticed that it was a lot of people there. For the other two Crows shows, there was a nice crowd, but nothing out of the ordinary. There were cars all over the place and the personnel on hand were trying to figure out where to put everyone. Once inside (Collective Soul was already playing) we looked around for a little bit, and I suggested going to the floor (it worked for me the night before). But this was different. There was a line of people to go onto the floor. It was crazy! We ended up finding some close seating, but as you can see from the pictures, we weren't on top of the stage by any means.
Live and Collective Soul were good and stuck with the previous setlists that they had done the other times I saw them. The Counting Crows, on the other hand, really mixed things up! The first four songs were the same from Aberdeen and I was worried. But then almost the entire remainder of the set was different from the previous night, and contained a bunch of songs I hadn't heard from earlier in the tour! I was very impressed! I know my brother wasn't a huge fan of the music, but I think he enjoyed the show as well.
The Audience
As I mentioned, it was crowded and folks had to wait in line to get onto the field.
Collective Soul
As I said, Collective Soul was pretty good, and they really enjoyed playing in front of this crowd, as the crowd appreciated them. Not the best pics, but here are a couple.
Live
Set seemed the same at the previous times. This does not detract from the fact they were very high energy and really into the crowd. Songs were familiar to the audience and it worked in concert between band and audience. A couple pics of Live.
Counting Crows
Very happy with the setlist! Here it is:
Michelangelo
Have You Seen Me Lately
Recovering the Satellites
Mr. Jones
Goodnight Elisabeth (no middle alts, but ending one's I've never heard) *
Another Horsedreamer's Blues!!!!!!!
Big Yellow Taxi
Accidentally In Love
Omaha
St. Robinson
Come Around
Black & Blue
Hard Candy
A Long December
Hanginaround
***********
Time & Time Again
Insignificant
Holiday In Spain
* Towards the end of Goodnight Elisabeth, Adam stopped the song to, what seemed to me, break up a fight. He said something like, "...this is a peaceful song. I was just about to get all dramatic and shit. You're ruining it!" He picked it up and got dramatic.
As for pictures, here are a couple, but they didn't come out very well.
Transportation was more certain for this show. My brother was attending the show with me. I take the MARC train to the Frederick station, he drives to Frederick, picks me up at the station, and off we go to the show. Yes kind of boring, but after walking around Aberdeen, I'll take boring. Long and short, that is what happen. We had dinner at Pizza Hut and it took a little longer then expected, but we made it to the show.
The Show
We arrived an immediately noticed that it was a lot of people there. For the other two Crows shows, there was a nice crowd, but nothing out of the ordinary. There were cars all over the place and the personnel on hand were trying to figure out where to put everyone. Once inside (Collective Soul was already playing) we looked around for a little bit, and I suggested going to the floor (it worked for me the night before). But this was different. There was a line of people to go onto the floor. It was crazy! We ended up finding some close seating, but as you can see from the pictures, we weren't on top of the stage by any means.
Live and Collective Soul were good and stuck with the previous setlists that they had done the other times I saw them. The Counting Crows, on the other hand, really mixed things up! The first four songs were the same from Aberdeen and I was worried. But then almost the entire remainder of the set was different from the previous night, and contained a bunch of songs I hadn't heard from earlier in the tour! I was very impressed! I know my brother wasn't a huge fan of the music, but I think he enjoyed the show as well.
The Audience
As I mentioned, it was crowded and folks had to wait in line to get onto the field.
Collective Soul
As I said, Collective Soul was pretty good, and they really enjoyed playing in front of this crowd, as the crowd appreciated them. Not the best pics, but here are a couple.
Live
Set seemed the same at the previous times. This does not detract from the fact they were very high energy and really into the crowd. Songs were familiar to the audience and it worked in concert between band and audience. A couple pics of Live.
Counting Crows
Very happy with the setlist! Here it is:
Michelangelo
Have You Seen Me Lately
Recovering the Satellites
Mr. Jones
Goodnight Elisabeth (no middle alts, but ending one's I've never heard) *
Another Horsedreamer's Blues!!!!!!!
Big Yellow Taxi
Accidentally In Love
Omaha
St. Robinson
Come Around
Black & Blue
Hard Candy
A Long December
Hanginaround
***********
Time & Time Again
Insignificant
Holiday In Spain
* Towards the end of Goodnight Elisabeth, Adam stopped the song to, what seemed to me, break up a fight. He said something like, "...this is a peaceful song. I was just about to get all dramatic and shit. You're ruining it!" He picked it up and got dramatic.
As for pictures, here are a couple, but they didn't come out very well.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Like father, like son
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Small town Crows
On August 14, I took in the Counting Crows show in Aberdeen, MD. This is a continuation of their minor-league baseball park tour. Also on the bill were Live and Low Stars. Due to the circumstances that follow, I wasn't about to catch Low Stars.
I left work on the MARC train from DC as I do everyday. The only difference is that today, instead of getting off at the Odenton stop, I stayed on it to the Aberdeen stop. My plan was this:
- Take the train to Aberdeen - This worked out fine.
- Take a taxi to my cheapo, Days Inn Motel - Not so well.
- Get to Ripken Stadium a little early to make sure I see the Low Stars - Didn't happen.
Aberdeen...the walking tour
I got off the train, and looked for a taxi. I didn't see any and thought that I wasn't that far from the motel and could just walk it. My sense of direction failed me and I walked a mile in the wrong direction. I then went the right way, and it ended up taking me an hour, and walking 5 miles. I did get a couple of neat pictures while walking around though.
I got off the train, and looked for a taxi. I didn't see any and thought that I wasn't that far from the motel and could just walk it. My sense of direction failed me and I walked a mile in the wrong direction. I then went the right way, and it ended up taking me an hour, and walking 5 miles. I did get a couple of neat pictures while walking around though.
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| From 2007-08-14 Co... |
I didn't make it to the motel until 7:00pm, the show started at 6:30pm. I checked in the motel, got a TAXI and made it to the show just as Low Stars were finishing. I eat some pizza, and Live came on. I decided to get down into the crowd.
This turned out to be a good move, as I had a BLAST! It's fun to hang out with young people some times. At the Def Lep show the average age was about 43. The average age on the floor was about 23. They had had a good time over the summer, gotten tan, not afraid to party a bit. Yup, being young again... But I digress. Being a lot closer to the stage gave me the opportunity to get some really good pictures.
Live
As I mentioned earlier, I missed seeing Low Stars, that's life. Live does put on a decent show, no complaints. Here are a few pics.
Crowd..
As I mentioned, the crowd was on the younger side, I grabbed a few snaps of the people around me, everyone seemed to have a good time.
Counting Crows
I have been following the setlists of the shows. In Wilmington, DE I was disappointed that they
talked about their new CD, but didn't play from it. They corrected this oversight in Aberdeen. In Aberdeen, 5 new songs! Out of 16 songs played, nice turn around. Some I liked, others not so much, like anything. I'm not going to bore you with the setlist, I'll jump right into the pictures of the Counting Crows! It's a bunch of them, but these are some of the best concert pictures that I've taken, so I hope you like them.
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