Catching Up

Been awhile since I posted anything (what else is new?).

Let's see if I can recall a couple of highlights of the last 2 months...

Back in late December, Val and I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Meadowlands. It was pretty much what I expected based on what I had heard about them and seen on video. We probably would have appreciated the full experience more if we were sitting in front of the stage, but we were off to the side. It was a pleasant surprise seeing Alex Skolnick playing with them. I had no idea he was touring with them. Anyway, of course the show stopper was the appearance of Greg Lake to close the show.

Pretty much the only event in January was when I took Val's son Stephen to a Devils/Rangers game on the 16th (it was his Xmas gift from me). That was a lot of fun. I had never been to a pro hockey game before, and I really enjoyed it. Stephen seemed to as well.

The biggest thing to happen lately was that I sold my Subaru because it was just too small and uncomfortable for all the driving I do. I think I've developed sciatica from it. Anyway, I replaced it with what has been one of my "dream" cars for almost 20 years. I am now the delighted owner of a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder. It is so much more comfortable than the Subaru, and I love being able to see in front of most other cars because of the added height. Here's my new baby:




Finally, for Valentine's Day, Val bought us tickets to go to Medieval Times on Saturday. For those not in the know, this is a dinner theater of sorts. It's basically an etiquette-free dinner (no utensils) with a medieval show (jousting and such). I've never been there, and I'm really looking forward to it.

One year, ten months, four days, 16 hours smober.
27027 cigarettes not smoked, saving $7,095.14.

MOFO!

Got the new Zappa CD today that was ordered months and months ago. It's a 4 disc special edition available only through Barfko-Swill, and it arrived today. MOFO stands for "Making of Freak Out!", and this marks the 40th anniversary of that first Mothers of Invention album.
Anyway, haven't given the whole thing a listen yet, but thought I'd post pics of the cool packaging and the credits (of which I am included).

Here's the front of the closed package:


Here's the back:


The next four are of it opened, one disc at a time:


..>




And finally, here's the part of the credits with my name:



Anyone who preordered this early enough got their name in it. Also, notice the name in the upper left corner of the pic above.

Almost forgot!

One year, eight months, one day, 18 hours smober.
24430 cigarettes not smoked, saving $6,413.45.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish you all (what...4 of you?) a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in case this is my last blog of 2006. Considering my usual posting frequency, that's very likely!
Here's an oldie but goody to get you in the spirit. Val and I are going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra (the music behind the video) on Thursday. Should be an awesome show, and a great way to end a great year of concerts!

Happy Holidays!

Last weekend

I've been to quite a few shows this year, and I have to say that this past weekend was the most ass-kicking weekend of concerts to date. Friday night Val and I went to see Tool, whom I've never seen before. It was better than I had expected. It was little more than listening to the CDs on the ultimate sound system, but that's a good thing. Great performances and high energy.
Saturday, Val, her son Stephen, and I took a trip to Philly to visit her daughter Megan at Drexel U. After dinner with Megan's boyfriend, the 4 of us went to see Porcupine Tree at the Keswick Theatre. It was probably the best PT show I've seen (this being either my 3rd or 4th time seeing them). They played about an hour of brand new material, which was pretty good, but unfortunately it was at the expense of their older material (Buying New Soul being the oldest tune they played). Most of the second set was pulled from their latest albums, In Absentia and Deadwing.

Porcupine Tree | Keswick Theatre : Glenside, PA | 10.7.06
Photos ©2006 Joe del Tufo, Studio M Live


Another good thing was that the kids seemed to enjoy it...especially Megan.
All in all it was a great weekend of concerts...one that will likely not be topped for a while.

One year, five months, three weeks, five days
21770 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,714.84

Random Thoughts

-- Listening to Frank Zappa I notice that no matter how many times I've heard any given album, I still manage to find something interesting that I had not consciously noticed prior.

-- The older I get, the pickier I get about my coffee.

-- For some reason, rainy days make me appreciate what I have.

-- I really need to lose some serious weight.

-- The only person you can truly depend on is in the mirror. Friends and family can let you down.

-- Why did Marcia, Jan, and Cindy take on the Brady name?

-- This is currently the longest stretch of time I have ever quit smoking for (One year, five months, two weeks, three days, 15 hours. 21,425 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,624.15).

-- The Miami Dolphins suck.

-- Really looking forward to Tool on Friday and especially Porcupine Tree on Saturday (they are performing yet-to-be-released material).

-- My mom is a good egg.

Get rich quick! Ask me how!

Don't smoke cigarettes! That's how!
I was in Walmart the other day, and noticed that cigs were selling for $6.60/pack!!
Damn, am I glad I've stayed off them!

One year, four months, one week, four days, 17 hours
19949 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,236.79

Active Summer

This has quite possibly been the most socially active summer of my adulthood. I don't recall ever having a stretch of time where I had something to do almost every weekend, and I don't think I've been to as many shows/concerts in one summer as this year. Of course, I have my significant other Valerie to thank, as the following text would not exist were it not for her.

The Spring/Summer season kicked off with a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure in April or May to get our first use of our season passes that Val bought for us and her kids. It was a little chilly, so the Hurricane Harbor part of the park was not an option (not even sure it was open yet). But having season passes takes the pressure off to try and do as much as possible in one day. It's much more relaxing knowing you can come back anytime for "free".

June 12th was our first concert, which was Zappa Plays Zappa in NYC. It didn't turn Val into a Zappa groupie, but I think it pretty well exceeded her expectations.
Two weeks later I went to Nearfest. See my other unfinished blog entry for details on that.
Somewhere in late June or early July was another trip to Six Flags, with Hurricane Harbor being included this time. Also sprinkled in there were a graduation party BBQ, two birthday BBQs, a "just friends hanging out" BBQ, and even a doggie birthday BBQ (apparently they exist).
July was capped off attending Ozzfest. It was an experience, I'll say that. I enjoyed the top 4 bands, but I also realized I'm way too old to do the entire day, to be a crowd surfing wave, and be a mosh pit boundary. I believe I've been to my first and last event at Randall's Island.

That brings us to the current month of August. Already we've been to another birthday BBQ, and went to Six Flags again yesterday. We're supposed to go peach picking today....weather permitting.
This Saturday we're going to the Opie & Anthony Traveling Virus Comedy show at the PNC Arts Center. That will wrap up August.

Labor Day weekend we have a BBQ to go to, and on 9/8 we're going to see Godsmack and Rob Zombie at PNC. So far that's it for September.

We kick off October with a Tool concert on Friday the 6th. The very next day, Val, her son Stephen, and myself will make a trek to Philly to visit Val's daughter Megan at Drexel University, then the 4 of us are going to see Porcupine Tree at the Keswick. We cap off the month on Halloween for another Zappa Plays Zappa performance at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, which was formerly the Felt Forum where Frank played many legendary Halloween shows.
As a by the way, both Megan and Valerie have birthdays in that month.

November brings us Valerie's other daughter Lauren's 11th birthday on the 19th. For that, I bought tickets to see Disney on Ice on Friday the 24th. If Megan or Stephen is reading this (unlikely), this is meant to be a surprise for Lauren, so keep it zipped. ;-)

That's about it for now. A real social life....imagine that. :-)

One year, four months, six days, 5 hours
19728 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,932.11

Syd Barrett dies aged 60

SYD Barrett, the founder of Pink Floyd has died aged 60.

The wayward genius passed away from cancer last Friday in the scruffy semi-detached Cambridge home to which he retreated as a recluse more than 30 years ago.

A spokeswoman for Pink Floyd music publishers said: "I can confirm that Syd Barrett has died.

He died peacefully and there will be a private family funeral.

"We would ask that the family be left alone and be given space at this time."

The singer's funeral will be for family and no members of Pink Floyd are expected to attend.

Syd, who created, named and powered the pied pipers of the psychedelic rock movement, shunned fans and rarely ventured outside his front door following a psychedelic drug induced breakdown at the peak of his career. He was later immortalised in Pink Floyd's song Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

On his death certificate, his occupation was given as "retired musician".

Born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, he was given the nickname Syd aged 15.

During the 1960s, when Syd came of age, Cambridge played a very special part in the spiritual birth of modern pop music across Britain and American.

The local music scene was thriving with bands such as Geof Mott and the Mottoes, the Sundowners, the Swinging Vibros and the Redcaps all vying for popularity.

The Victoria Ballroom - where Marks & Spencer now stands on the Market Square - was one of the most popular hangouts. Musicians including Toni Santi, Clive Welham, Willie Wilson and Nick Barraclough
* now a BBC Radio 2 presenter - were the names on everyone's lips.

But the two Cambridge men who were to have the most lasting effect on British music were Syd, guitarist with Geof Mott and Mottoes, and Dave Gilmour, singer and guitarist with the band Jokers Wild.

Syd formed Pink Floyd in 1965.

His controversial departure was in '68 after he had penned the hit singles Arnold Layneand See Emily Play along with the songs on the first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

While the band went on to achieve worldwide fame, he lived in the basement of his mother's semi in Cambridge, where he boarded up the windows to keep out of the eyes of the press and fans. He recorded two solo albums.

Syd's withdrawal from public life led him to enjoy cult status among some Pink Floyd fans, with many websites and books dedicated to him. He was often described as the first acid casualty.

Clive Welham said: "I only knew Syd before his breakdown. He was a wonderful man - a nice guy with a lovely sense of humour. He was very likeable and had no malice in him.

"He was a very talented painter as well as a musician. How on earth he got mixed up with such awful drugs, I don't know, but he liked to try things and clearly went too far.

"I have often seen him around Cambridge but never talk to him - he was always in a world of his own.

It would have felt wrong and I think it would've been a disastrous things to do - I doubt he would've known who I was."

Last year, in the run-up to Pink Floyd's reunion for Live 8 - in which Syd did not take part - neighbours said the former rock star never answered his door to callers and remained a recluse. They said he found it hard to make eye contact.

At this point, his sister Rosemary Breen, who lived a few miles from Syd in Cambridge, told the News he had not spoken to his former band mates - Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright, or his replacement, Dave Gilmour - for nearly three decades.

She said: "That is another life for him, another world in another time.

He is not Syd anymore, he is Roger.

There is no contact (with the band members) and he does not want them to get in touch with him."

She added: "He does DIY, he listens to music and he goes out."

Mrs Breen helped care for Syd in the years following his breakdown.

She has declined to comment on his death.

Syd's brother Alan Barrett said from his home in Linton, near Cambridge: "Roger died on Friday.

There will be a small family funeral soon. We just wish to be left alone."

Syd's father died when he was still in his teens. It is believed this is one of the factors that led to his downfall.

The late Bernard Stubbings, who ran the city's main music shop with the legendary Cambridge jazz band leader Ken Stevens, remembered Syd in the early days as he played alongside him in Geof Mott and the Mottoes.

Bernard died in 2003. Before his death he recalled Syd: "Syd was a lovely bloke, pure and simple. We all loved him."

It is understood that Syd financed his modest lifestyle through royalties from his Pink Floyd and solo records.

Group's roots were laid in city's pubs and clubs

THE story of Pink Floyd is well- documented, but their roots lay firmly in the pubs, cafes and nightspots of Cambridge in the 1960s - a highpoint which the local music scene has never managed to live up to again.

Syd and Dave Gilmour dominated the Cambridge scene in the early 1960s.

Syd left Cambridge on receiving a scholarship to Camberwell Arts School in London in 1963 and joined a band with his old friend from Cambridge, Roger Waters.

Fellow Cantabrigian emigres Rick Wright and Nick Mason also joined the band and, after a succession of names including Sigma 6, The T Set, the Meggadeaths and The Screaming Abdabs, Syd eventually suggested taking the names of two Georgia bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, and combining the names to create Pink Floyd.

Syd wrote the hit singles Arnold Layneand See Emily Playalong with the songs on the first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

Two years later, his brain frazzled by drugs, he left the group, his legacy already assured.

Pink Floyd went on to achieve worldwide recognition with epic albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.

In the 1980s relationships among band members soured and Roger Waters left the band.

He started a legal battle with the remaining members for the rights to the name Pink Floyd, but he failed in his attempt and went on to record solo work instead.

The feud, one of the greatest in rock history, ended for the Live 8 concert in July 2005.

12 July 2006
First appeared in the Cambridge Evening News

R.I.P. Syd

NEARFest 2006 (Pt 1)

Attended NEARFest this past weekend, and I must say it was the best one yet of the three that I've attended. I'm thinking that having a front row orchestra seat helped my enjoyment of it. Of the three years I've been to, this was the first time I actually enjoyed every band. Some more than others obviously, but I stayed the duration for each and every performance, including the solo spotlights.
First was the Friday night "pre-show", now referred to as the "Progressive Legends Showcase".
The Tony Levin Band kicked things off with an outstanding energetic show. In addition to many tunes from his solo efforts, they performed great renditions of Genesis' 'Back In NYC', Gabriel's 'On The Air', and Crim's 'Sleepless' and 'Elephant Talk'.


Next up was Hatfield & The North.
I was only vaguely familiar with their material, but I like National Health, which is almost the same thing.
I did enjoy the set, but it tended to get boring at
times. I think part of it was that I was tired. All in all, I really enjoyed the Friday night showcase.

Saturday was kicked off with KBB, a band from Japan. I was a little apprehensive about this one because I didn't care much for Kenso last year.
I was pleasantly surprised. They are a good fusion band that played with a passion and energy that would rarely be rivaled the rest of the weekend.
I bought their 4 Corners Sky CD, as well as the exclusive to Nearfest live DVD. It was a great start to the weekend and I enjoyed them thoroughly.

Next up was Riverside. This was one of the bands I was really looking forward to. I was very disappointed last year when visa problems prevented them from making it to Nearfest 2005. I was especially disappointed at their replacement, Knight Area, which I felt was the most unoriginal band to take the Nearfest stage. Anyway, Riverside did not disappoint in the least. In fact, I think they were better live than they are on their studio albums.
I love their albums, but I enjoyed the live performance much more. I wish they could make it stateside more often...I would definitely see them again.

I'll comment on both solo spotlights together here. Both Richard Leo Johnson and Michael Manring were interesting to watch them at their craft, but I'm glad the spotlights are only 30 minutes. One individual noodling on his instrument of expertise is interesting for only so long.


I was a bit disappointed that Johnson used every one of his half-dozen or so guitars except for the electric. Manring played a very interesting "hyper-bass" which has all kinds of switches and levers on both ends of it which allows him to adjust pitch and tone while he's playing. Like I said, I like both of their playing, but I prefer seeing bands.

After RLJ came FM.
I had seen them once before back in 1981 or 1982, and I recall enjoying them enough to buy one or two of their records (yes, records... not CDs). I also recall being very disappointed in the albums. It would seem that my opinion has not changed in 24 years. I have their 'Black Noise' CD, and am unimpressed by it, but I enjoyed their live performance at Nearfest. Not my favorite band of the weekend, but not my least favorite either. Somewhere in the middle I'd say.


Finally, Ozric Tentacles closed out Day 1 of Nearfest 2006. I knew very little of this band. I have maybe a handful of live shows which I listened to once a long time ago. I enjoyed it only to the extent that I like guitar driven space rock. But I didn't feel that they were playing as a solid unit. The keyboard player was little more than a drug-induced giggling idiot for most of the performance. I don't think she did all that much on her boards. Ed Wynne (leader and guitar player) commented that he's not used to playing in front of a seated audience. "That's right Ed...we're sober and are actually listening to what you're doing." Nevertheless, I enjoyed the set, and felt it was a very entertaining first day.

I'm tired now, so I'll wrap up with part 2 later.

One year, two months, three weeks, one day
17951 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,487.97

Fun-filled weekend!

Wrapping up an event filled weekend.
Saturday, I went to see Spamalot with Val, my mom, Ed, and Donna. It was really good....pretty much what I had expected from what I'd read and heard. After the show, we went to dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
It was one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in a long time. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly & helpful (sometimes excessively so), and the prices were reasonable (especially for being located in Times Square). With the tip, it came to about $250, which included 4 alcoholic drinks ranging in price from $11 to $13 each (we got to keep the glasses).

Later that night, Val and I went to see Jim Norton at the Stress Factory. It was the most I've laughed in I don't know how long. He absolutely killed. I would highly recommend seeing him if he's performing near you. I know I'll go see him again.

Sunday was a relaxing day for the most part. I hung out with Val at her house. I helped her buy a new grill and we cooked out that evening before going for a nice walk with 3 of her 4 kids (okay, 2 kids and her dog Ozzy).
Today I got caught up with some personal stuff, and pretty much just chilled.

That's it for now I guess.

One year, one month, two weeks, one day.
16424 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,106.20.
Life saved: 8 weeks, 1 day.

Blog stays

Okay, since not everyone has or wants a myspace account, I've decided to continue to post my blog here and maybe I'll just post a blog entry or bulletin or something on myspace to let people know I've posted again. I decided to keep it here because I like this interface better, and I don't want to lose some of the very few readers I have. :-)

Blog moved

Just to let you know that in order to keep things neat and tidy, I've created a myspace page (mainly to read Mike Keneally's blog), and I've moved my blog to that location. The downside is that in order to read it you need to register on myspace. However, the only thing that's required is your name, email, age, and sex. Yes, it's free.
One advantage is that you can "subscribe" to my blog, so you will be notified via email if and when I post anything new so that you don't need to worry about checking in periodically. :-)

NJ Smoke Free Air

Finally, the NJ Smoke-Free Air Act goes into effect today. I've spoken to both current smokers, former smokers, and non-smokers that all think it's an unfair law to ban smoking in all public buildings, including bars, but the thing they don't understand is that the law is mainly aimed at protecting the waiters, waitresses, bartenders, etc., that do not smoke and should not have to inhale secondhand smoke while just trying to make a living. As a former smoker, I can say that I think the law is a good one, and certainly a motivator to quit smoking if you still do. I must admit that I agree that it is unfair that you can still smoke in casinos. I honestly believe that they would be hurt the least by the new law, because people who gamble are going to gamble no matter what.
No matter though...the law will extend to casinos eventually.
As a matter of interest, the new law takes effect pretty much on my one year anniversary of quitting myself. :-)

One year, 19 hours
14671 cigarettes not smoked, saving $3,667.94
Life saved: 7 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours

Touching on politics

I was just reading my buddy Mike's blog and thought I'd add my own counterpoint to a few of his comments.
Go check out his blog here. Interesting blogger and all around swell guy, even when he's being a left extremist. ;-)

Anyway, here's a few of his comments (in italics) with my follow up after each:

3 bloody years later, what do we have?

A military operation called operation swarm, which is just a huge photo op to make us feel better about the Iraqi "military".

Save for the separatists, I'm sure most, if not all Iraqis would say they're better off now than they were when Saddam was in power.


A Democratic party which has no solutions to even offer for this quagmire.

Exactly. Plenty of bitching with nothing to bring to the table.


The beginnings of a true Civil War in Iraq.

I seem to recall a civil war a couple of hundred years ago after a country gained independence from a power. Democracy doesn't come without growing pains.


Extremist anti-American groups "democratically" elected in Palestine and Iran.

Not sure I understand what is meant by this. A country has to be pro-American to be democratic?


Still no WMD's and documents showing there never were any.

Really? On the daily show the other day, they had the former number two man in the Iraqi Air Force who reported directly to Saddam, who says that there were in fact WMDs (and still are) that were transported to Syria just prior to the inspectors arriving.
What are we doing about it? Got me.


Nice Job Mr. President. Whats the encore??

I'm with the rest of the country in thinking that Bush is an idiot, but I'm not so sure we would have fared much better with Kerry, which is why Bush got elected. Kerry also insisted that there were WMDs, and was totally supportive of the war. Sure, now he's recanted that and says he was wrong, but of course he's going to say that if he wants to save face in his party.
I honestly believe that Kerry is just as much of a dolt as Bush.


And for the record, had I a friend who was a right-wing conservative writing a blog, I would likely comment on his diatribe as well. :-)
I believe there should be a happy medium in politics. Neither party is any good in and of itself.
In fairness, Mike does have Democrat critiques on his blog as well. :-)

Peace

Another Cameo

Not even going to bother trying to catch up on things, as it's been way too long since my last entry.
Not too much to talk about now either, but I figured 2 months was long enough, I may as well make an appearance just in case the few that read this are still checking in.

Had a real good night at bowling last night. In fact, the last few weeks have been good for me. Last week I shot a 687 series, and last night I bowled a 235, a 225, and a 266 for a 726 series. We also swept the other team in games which was an added bonus.
Next week we bowl the first place team, so hopefully I can continue my good run.
My average is up to a 202, and might go up to a 203 after last night. Not bad considering that as of my last blog entry it was a 198. :-)

In a previous post I mentioned signing up for the Nearfest patron program. I ended being number 119 in the lottery list. I snagged seat number A29, which is the first row of the orchestra, just after a 4 row "Pit" area.

I've been seeing Valerie again for the past 6 weeks or so. She's the one I was seeing last year around this same time. Both of us are in a different place emotionally this time, so things are going better now.
As for Romy....she abruptly cut all communication with me the day after Super Bowl. I have no idea why. Things seemed good. We were having fun. The last time I saw/spoke with her she was talking about future things we would be doing.
Funny thing is, we weren't really "dating", we were pretty much just friends (hence my starting to see Valerie...I'm not a polygamist, even in a casual sense). It's for that reason that I am so perplexed by her actions. You might ignore someone you don't want to "go out with" anymore (although even that is cowardly), but you don't just ignore someone you called "friend." Even if she was afraid to face me or even talk to me on the phone about whatever the issue was, I didn't even get the courtesy of an email. That would have been easier than ignoring me, because then I wouldn't have left phone messages and emails trying to get an inkling of what the hell was going on.
Whatever.

Anyway, I guess that's enough for now.

Eleven months, one week, 15 hours
13664 cigarettes not smoked, saving $3,416.65
Life saved: 6 weeks, 5 days

Thank God it's Saturday!

What a day I had yesterday!

First off, the original plan for work (a plan put in place by the guy I'm working with) was to sleep in a bit and start at a Walmart between 8 and 9. However, I got a phone call from the guy at around 7 saying that he was sick and asking if I could pack out the route by myself. That's fine...I need to see what it will be like by myself anyway.
If I learned one thing, it's that I will need to get an early start on Fridays if I want to get home at a reasonable hour. I got to my first store at 9, and finished my last one a little after 6. I didn't get home until almost 8. And no, my last store was not almost 2 hours from home. The reason it took so long to get home is because in my effort to avoid traffic, I used my StreetPilot to take the shortest way home, and on a very narrow backwoods road, at a point where another car was coming in the other direction, I hit a pothole so hard I blew a tire. So I had the wonderful task of changing a tire in pitch black darkness (note to self....get a lantern to keep in the car). Funny, my first thought was that I'm paying almost $100/year for the BP Motor Club, and I've never used it in 10 years, and I should call roadside service and use it. But then I considered two things that dismissed the thought. First, I probably would have sat there for a couple of hours waiting, and second, real men don't call roadside service to change a friggin' tire.
Anyway, now I have to get to the dealer and either get the tire fixed (maybe it just got the wind knocked out of it?) or replaced, and have them check and make sure I didn't fuck up the front end at all. It felt ok driving home...didn't even feel like it got knocked out of alignment. I have to say it's really cool having a full-sized spare, including it being the same exact tire that's on the car.

Nine months, one week, 5 hours
11289 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,822.76
Life saved: 5 weeks, 4 days, 4 hours

Quick update

Not much to report today.

Second week on the new job and so far so good. Physically, it's a breeze compared to Kraft. In 7 work days so far, I've probably only put in about 40 hours. It really is essentially a 4 day work week. Sure, I know it will have it's ups and downs just like any other job, but it's still a huge load off not having to deal with that damn truck.

Had another good night at bowling on Monday. I wasn't thrilled with the progression of the games...you're supposed to improve with each game, but I'll take it. I shot a 234, a 206, and a 197 for a 637 series. My season average will probably go up to a 199. I'd really like to finish with a 200 or above.

I signed up for the Nearfest Patron program lottery. It's a lot of money but it's something I'd like to do at least once, and the difference in cost is a tax write off.
Hopefully I'll get picked, and then be able to get decent seats. It seems that Nearfest is getting like Giants Stadium. Pretty soon all the seats will be patron seats.

I guess that's about it for now.

Nine months, three days, 23 hours
11198 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,790.03
Life saved: 5 weeks, 3 days, 21 hours

BucketStamp

Here's something cool. It's called a "BucketStamp" that's created with pics from your own photo albums on Photobucket.com

Job Update

Almost done with my first week on the new job. I think I'm gonna like this. I'm already ecstatic that I don't have to do anything dealing with a truck.
As a result, I'm not nearly as tired when I come home.
It's also nice not having to worry about back-door receiving times.
As it turns out, the District Manager likes to keep guys as close to home as possible, so I'll be taking over the route that I am training on right now. Even better, except for one cluster of stores in the Union, NJ area, it's essentially the same route I had with Kraft. Today, the first 5 stores we did were all within 15 minutes of my house. It was so nice to be able to service them without having to drive 48 miles to Perth Amboy first to pick up a truck.
I like the schedule too. You order on two days, pack out/merchandise on two days, and the fifth day is a "market day", which is the day that you either get ahead for another day, or do resets, or whatever. It's basically a free day...sort of like what study hall was in high school. I've been told that for most guys, this is a 3rd day off more often than not. :-) This past Tuesday, I was home by 11:30 AM. Sweet! ;-)
So Monday is a pack out day, Tuesday is my market day, Wed & Thurs are order days, and Friday is a pack out day.
Oh, and since the route is the same area that I already had, that means I know whether or not some stores have yet been serviced this week by the guy who took over my Kraft route, which means that I was able to "tailor" the shelf space to my benefit with the other guy being none the wiser. :-)
The thing that is the hardest to get used to is the incredible diversity of products compared to Kraft. With Kraft, I just had to worry about pizza (DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, and South Beach Diet). With this job, I'm responsible for Freschetta, Red Baron, Tony's, Red Baron Breakfast pizza, Tony's Pouches, Red Baron Stuffed Slices, Pagoda Asian Sensations snacks (egg rolls and such), and Larry's Stuffed Potatoes.

But it seems a lot more fun so far. I think I made a good decision. Time will tell.

2006 is shaping up pretty good so far. :-)

Eight months, four weeks, one day, 11 hours smober
10939 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,735.38
Life saved: 5 weeks, 2 days, 23 hours

Happy New Year!

Quite a few things to follow up on today.

First, here's a pic taken on Christmas of me holding my newest baby cousin.
Her name is Sophie, and she's the first child in my family born of my generation.
But boy do I feel old....she happens to be the child of my now former "baby cousin".
Funny, it didn't really hit me until Christmas day, but we just recently lost the last of the "elders" of the family, and it occurred to me that my mom and her generation of cousins are now the elders of the family. It was a strange thought to say the least. The timeline has definitely shifted.

The job situation.....I finally cleared all the hurdles for Schwan's, so that's done. I gave two weeks notice at Kraft and I start Schwan's on the 9th. Considering that I had originally wanted to take this week off, I expect the next 4 days to be as minimally productive as possible.

Football....the Dolphins had their best finish in 20 years. They missed the playoffs, but finished 9-7 after starting 3-7, and ended up just one game behind division winner New England. Not bad for a team that went 4-12 last year. Btw, that Monday night game I went to a couple weeks ago was a fun time. The game sucked (48-3 blowout), but still a good time. The picture at left is of a portable "tap" of beer that they bring to your table. It was in the bar in the hotel in Baltimore. I never saw one before, I thought it was pretty cool.

Christmas was very good for me this year. Got some really nice gifts, with the best being a Garmin StreetPilot 2720. This thing is so cool. Not only is it incredibly accurate, but it also tells you how fast you're going and what time you will arrive at your destination at your current pace. One thing that really comes in handy is knowing the distance until your next turn/exit. I have said to people though, that with all this technology, if "big brother" really is watching, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Finally, I've been seeing a woman for almost a month now. She's really cool, and we have a lot in common. She likes sports and more importantly, has a genuine passion for music, which is something I've found to be incredibly rare in women. Anyway, we have a lot of fun together, and I'm looking forward to some good times with her. The potential downside is that she's made it clear that she's the type that has no desire to ever "settle down" with anyone. That includes living with someone. She enjoys being self-sufficient and only wants to have someone to have fun times with and hang out with. Her long term goals are obviously different than mine when it comes to relationships, but hey, I respect that she's given me no misconceptions about it, and I figure I should at least enjoy it as long as I can. I don't think my feelings will ever change, in that I do eventually want to find someone that I can come home to, but there's no reason I should be lonely before I meet that person. :-) Besides, she's incredibly attractive, and even better, tells me how incredibly handsome I am. :-)

Happy New Year indeed!

Eight months, two weeks, five days
10528 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,632.49
Life saved: 5 weeks, 1 day

If it weren't for bad luck...

Hit a snag with the new job process yesterday. I was chosen (it's a random process) to go for a physical abilities test before I could be cleared for the new job. No big deal, I figured they just want to see if you can lift 40lbs or so, and bend down and stand up and all that. Problem is, they wouldn't even let me do any of that because they tested my blood pressure and it was too high. So now I have to go to a doctor and get clearance (and likely blood pressure medication) to be tested.
Hence the subject of this post.

On the upside, I finally broke out of my bowling slump, which had started about 4 or 5 weeks ago. I had dropped rapidly from a 202 average down to a 195. But last night I shot a 223, 222, and 225 for a 670 series.

How about my Dolphins beating the Chargers on Sunday? That's what San Diego gets for looking ahead to next week against the Colts. The Fins may very well have fucked up the Chargers playoff chances.
In the possible but unlikely department, the Dolphins still actually have a chance to win the division and make the playoffs! They just need to win their last 3, and the Patriots need to lose their last 3. It would be mighty interesting if the Fins win their next two and the Pats lose their next two, as they play each other to end the season.

Next Monday I'll be getting my first Monday Night Football experience. I'm going with my cousin to see the Ravens play the Packers in Baltimore. Both teams suck so it should be a good game. :-)

Seven months, four weeks, one day
9746 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,437.04
Life saved: 4 weeks, 5 days

The times they are a changin'...

Met with Schwan's again yesterday and signed a "conditional offer of employment", which basically means as long as my drug screen comes up negative (it will), I've got a job. The one concern is the benefits. Coverage starts 60 days after employment. That sucks. That means I have to screw around with COBRA for a month or so.
This whole thing feels wierd. I feel like I'm cheating on a wife or girlfriend...although admittedly I have no idea what that feels like. :-)

Seven months, three weeks, 22 hours, 51 minutes
9438 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,359.94
Life saved: 4 weeks, 4 days, 18 hours

Almost forgot

For those who care, I'm still off the smokes.

Seven months and two weeks smober
9124 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,281.56

Looking for a change

I've been sending my resumé around lately. Ever since my company moved my "home base" an additional 20 miles from my home (for a total of 45), I've grown increasingly estranged with Kraft. But it's not just that. It's also the fact that over the past couple of years we've had our management positions all filled with Nabisco people, resulting in a much colder and more corporate philosophy. And the straw that's breaking the camel's back is the truck. I'm so tired of loading the truck, getting it maintained, defrosting it, etc.

So I went for an interview today with Schwan's. For those not in the know, me interviewing with Schwan's is akin to an employee of Coca-Cola interviewing with Pepsi.
I think it went well. The pay would be about the same, and the job itself is the same...minus the truck. I would work out of my car and not be bound by receiving times. The big concern is that my car insurance would likely skyrocket if I'm using my car for business, but I guess that's why they pay $0.38/mile.

Anyway, I hope I get an offer. I need a change.

Happy Thanksgiving

If you're reading this, you probably thought I had given up on this blog thing. Truth is, I almost did. I was thinking that this whole blog "trend" is sort of silly and "conformist", and I was going to delete it altogether. Then I thought, "What the hell...even if no one is reading this (which is probably the case), it will serve as a diary of sorts just for myself to review where my life was at given timelines."

So, I'm back, and I'll likely continue posting sporadically as I have been.

An eye opener

Here's a site I heard about on Opie & Anthony.

It's a site by people who pose as kids in chat for the sole purpose of exposing these scumbags who prey on kids. They basically collect entire conversations, pics, phone numbers, etc., and then they expose them to wives, girlfriends, bosses, and of course, the authorities.
For those of you who don't realize how many of these pervs are out there, you need to see this (especially those of you with kids). And these are just the ones who get caught!

http://www.perverted-justice.com

Nearfest Weekend

Well, Nearfest is over, and what a great weekend it was. Following are my thoughts and opinions of the events of the past 3 days...

Let me first say it was great being able to meet more people....Steve Ispay, Thom Overstreet, and Kevin Cassidy (who brought his 13 year old daughter...little warms the heart more than to see kids that are musically open-minded...she was even wearing a Frogg Café t-shirt), Scott Montgomery, and a host of others.
Also, it was great seeing the usual suspects again....Bill K, Donna K, Robert D, Allison, Adam P, Andy K, Andres, Dave Floyd, and of course Mike H, my "roomie" for the weekend.
Sincere apologies if I've forgotten anyone.

Anyway, on to the weekend...

Friday was fantastic...a great start to the weekend.
I originally hadn't planned on going to the preshow, but after seeing Proto-Kaw in Metuchen a month ago, I wanted to see them again, so thanks to an extra ticket that Adam had, there I was.
Proto-Kaw was just as good as last month, and it was an exciting start to the weekend.
I'm really looking forward to their next CD due for release in September.
Then came PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi). I'll admit that not really caring much for Metamorfosi last year, I didn't have high expectations for PFM. IOW, I prejudged them based on their country of origin. The upshot to pre-condemning a band is that the satisfaction level can only go up. In the case of PFM, my satisfaction level skyrocketed. They were amazing. Nothing like I expected. A very exciting band full of energy. And I actually preferred the songs sung in Italian over those done in English...which had to be read by singer/drummer Franz Dicioccio.
PFM was probably my favorite unknown-to-me band of the weekend. I can't believe I reached the age of 42 without having a clue who these guys were.

Saturday...between the unintentional procrastination by Mike and I in the morning (eating breakfast and jaw-jacking) and not being able to find parking, I walked in almost 30 minutes late for Wobbler, and I didn't want to bother others by working my way to my seat, so I stood on the side steps for the remaining 30 minutes of their set. Admittedly, because of these factors, I couldn't really get myself into Wobbler. What I did observe though was that while I enjoy their music (listening to Hinterland as I type this), they seemed to drone on unnecessarily. IMO, they took 30 minutes to get a 15 minute message across. I don't feel that way listening to the CD, so maybe it was just the circumstances of my late arrival, but I heard similar opinions from others who were there on time.

Next was Frogg Cafe. I'm not gonna go into detail about bands I've already praised.
I love these guys...saw them twice before this, and they did not disappoint this time either. The highlight was seeing Frank Camiola (original guitarist and co-founding member) join the band for Waterfall Carnival (one of my favorite FC tunes). That was really cool.

I didn't watch Steve Roach. Mike and I were hungry and went for lunch. Besides, electronic ambience is not something I want to sit and watch.

Present was next. I'm not really into RIO bands, and Present is no exception. This very dark type of music is not my cup of tea. However, I did stay for the entire set mainly because I was mesmerized by the drumming of Dave Kerman. He was a marvel to observe and he single-handedly kept me interested in Present.

Saturday was capped by I.Q.
I really like these guys. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, and I am a big fan of what most seem to call "neo-prog"...a term I don't really get, because "neo" means "new", and what people call neo-prog is stuff that emulates the "classic" prog sound. Whatever...I'll leave the term coining duties to the progholes.
I do have to say this though...I only own their most recent CD, 'Dark Matter', and after seeing their set, I feel like I don't need any other CDs. IOW, there was a certain "sameness" to their music that made me feel that Dark Matter is more or less representative of them (plus the fact that the DM material was my favorite part of the performance). I discussed this with several more knowledgeable people (not IQ sycophants though), and the consensus that I got was this...most of their releases have at least a couple of unique and great tracks that make it stand out, but yes, they do have a "sameness" about them.
That being said, I liked them enough that I would most likely buy future CDs, but I don't think I'll be collecting their back catalog anytime soon.

On to Sunday...

Knight Area lived up to my preconceived expectations. I was very disappointed when we found out that Riverside could not make it and they were being replaced by Knight Area. I had purchased their CD "The Sun Also Rises" at last year's NF, and what I heard on the CD was not a derivative of Genesis, but a band about 4 bars short of being a cover band. Their performance Sunday morning was no different. I have little positive to say about them, so 'nuff said.

Next up....The Muffins....
For me, this was the surprise of Nearfest 2005. I expected a dark, RIO band like Present, but instead got a band that "wowed" me much like Hidria Spacefolk did last year. I guess "Avant-prog" is the way people describe them, or what used to be called "Acid Jazz" some 10 or 15 years ago. Again, I'll leave the proper labelling to those that it really matters to.
Now, I tend to favor guitar driven bands, but I have to say keyboard/reed player Tom Scott beautifully handles the melodies and chords that a guitar might (if there were a guitar). It was definitely the most interesting set of the weekend for me, and The Muffins have gained a new fan. Ironically, like PFM, the Muffins are another band that have been around (on and off) since the 70's that I never even heard of prior to now.

Matthew Parmenter was the solo spot for Sunday. I watched an extremely well executed introduction by Bill Knipsel (sic), then saw a guy with a mime-painted face come out, sit-down in front of a keyboard, move his hand to one key with the motion of someone about to place the top card on a house of cards, and then began a high, nasally chant while repetitively depressing a single note. That was it for me.
In my eyes, he came across as someone pretentious enough to say, "Hey, look at how profound I am."
It reminded me of Bono's stage presence after U2 became too cool for school.
Is it wrong to make a judgment like this in less than 90 seconds?
Absolutely...but that's all it took for him to turn me off.
To each his own, right?

Next up was Kenso....probably the most non-stop energy of any band all weekend.
While I will say that this is an incredibly exciting and technically proficient band, it loses it's luster with me after a few songs. Then it all tends to sound the same...much like classical music does with me. As I said, I much prefer guitar driven music, not keyboards (I was never much of an ELP fan, but I love Genesis...go figure), and Kenso is definitely a keyboard driven band, despite the most excellent guitar playing of Yoshihisa Shimizu. In fact, my favorite part of the set was when he was prominently showcased, which wasn't really until the last 30 minutes or so.
Anyway, I would have preferred them as an opener (i.e. a one hour set). Any more than that is a bit much for me.

Speaking of keyboard driven bands, Le Orme closed out the weekend.
Le Orme to me was a very ELP-ish band....similarly symphonic. While Michele Bon emulates a near perfect guitar sound on his portable organ, it wasn't enough for me.
I enjoyed them more than Metamorfosi, but nowhere near as much as PFM. While emotional Italian vocals are very beautiful and moving, they are not really my cup of tea for prog listening. The highlight for me was the sitar. I had never actually seen one played before, and it was really cool to witness.

Of course, there were people who couldn't understand how I could not fully appreciate Present, Kenso or Le Orme, but by the same token, I can't understand how people could walk out on Frogg Cafe or Proto-Kaw...but they did.
Different strokes and all that.

To sum up, this year's Nearfest was overall much better than last year's. This year I thoroughly enjoyed 6 bands (including Friday), while last year I can only say that about 1 (Hidria Spacefolk).
On top of that, being a "veteran" of the event this year, I knew more people, and met more people, and had much more fun. It really was a great weekend.

I also spent a LOT more money this year.

My purchases:
Non-music:
NF '05 T-shirt (black)
Frogg Cafe "Noodles" lt. blue shirt
Proto-Kaw white shirt
NF '05 pint glass
NF '05 official program

Music:
Little Atlas - Surface Serene & Wanderlust
(Little Atlas should be a 2nd band at next year's NF in my opinion)
PFM - Live in USA (aka Cook)
Wobbler - Hinterland
Glass Hammer - The Inconsolable Secret
DFA - Work in Progress (Live at NF 2000)
Indukti - S.U.S.A.R.
The Muffins - Loveletter #1 & Loveletter #2/Live at Orion DVD
Sonny Sharrock - Into Another Light
Nitrostar - Self-titled (free for Progression mag renewal)
Best of Baltimore's Buried Bands II (free for Progression mag renewal)

hehe...just realized that were I still married, today would be my 13th wedding anniversary.

Two months, three weeks, six days, 9 hours
3535 cigarettes not smoked, saving $795.38
Life saved: 1 week, 5 days, 6 hours

Still here

Yeah, I'm still around....just haven't gotten around to posting anything in a while.
Been focusing too much on upcoming events rather than what's already been.

I went to see Mike Keneally in PA a couple weeks ago. That was a lot of fun. Got a seat at a cabaret table right up front. I would have had to sit on the stage to be any closer. They were filming a DVD, so it was a good time. It was a great show and spirits were high. Can't wait for the DVD to come out.

The Alex Skolnick Trio opened for Keneally.
(Alex of course being formerly of the thrash metal group Testament, as well as having toured with Ozzy). They were pretty good, but I'm not big on that kind of smooth jazz fusion. Although it was interesting if nothing else to hear Kiss' Detroit Rock City and Judas Priest's Electric Eye done in that fashion. :-)


Nearfest is less than a week away! I wasn't originally planning on it, but I'm going to the Friday night pre-show. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Proto-Kaw again. :-)

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
More later.

Oh yeah....
Two months, two weeks, five days, 4 hours, 49 minutes
3208 cigarettes not smoked, saving $721.81
Life saved: 1 week, 4 days, 3 hours

Concert photos

Well, I need to become a bit more knowledgable on how to take good pictures in concert lighting conditions. The pics I took didn't come out nearly as good as I expected.

I took over 100 pics of each band, and here are the links for the ones that I didn't delete:

Frogg Café
Proto-Kaw

Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw Review

Usually when I set my expectations high, I find that the actual experience is not very satisfying.

Tonight was a huge exception.

The evening started with disappointment as I was unable to unload my extra ticket and realized that it had cost me $70 to see the show.

Ya know what? It was worth it. I'd rather spend $70 to see two great bands than $85-$100 to see one band at a place like the PNC Arts Center.

Anyway, there was a decent merchandise spread in the lobby for both bands.

Frogg Café had two T-shirts (powder blue Noodles and white 2005 Summer Tour) and all their CDs, including Noodles, and various color baseball caps. I might pick one of those up at Nearfest.

Proto-Kaw had three T-shirts (four, if you count that one was in either black or white), buttons, both CDs, as well as the "Best of" Kerry Livgren CD, and there might have been another piece of paraphernalia that I'm forgetting...something near the buttons.

All I picked up tonight was the best of Kerry Livgren CD (I have all the others available by both bands), and that was on the way out. On the way in all I bought was a $2 bottle of Poland Spring water (I believe it was a 10 oz bottle).

While buying the water, I heard a pretty cool acoustic solo cover of Jethro Tull's Wond'ring Aloud. I walked in to find that it was Karl Eisenhart from Pinnacle. It seemed to be an impromptu "solo spotlight". Pretty neat way to be seated.

On with the show...

FC opened with my favorite track from Fortunate Observer of Time, Abyss of Dissension (and they closed the show with a track from my favorite artist....more later). I was surprised they opened with this one, but it was a good kick in the ass start for a show.

Now, I'm terrible with remembering setlists, but suffice to say that they played a phenomenal set which included the aforementioned opener, You're Still Sleeping, Fortunate Observer of Time, Eternal Optimist, Kandy Korn, and All This Time from Creatures, and the closing track that I couldn't possibly forget, a smokin' cover of Zappa's 'Dog Breath'. When Suss asked if we wanted to hear a Zappa tune, I honestly expected Peaches, and was very pleasantly surprised to hear something different.

One of the highlights was seeing Steve Uh wield a violin for a duet with Bill Ayasse. That was fun to witness.

All in all a great show from a great bunch of guys.

Then it was Proto-Kaw's turn.

Now, I'm sure there were some people there mainly to see Frogg Café, and there were probably some there mainly to see Proto-Kaw.

I was one of the ones there to see both.

The one thing I worry about when seeing a great "warm-up" band is that they'll upstage the "headliner".

Let me first be very clear that I love Frogg Café, love their CDs, and loved the set they played.

That being said, as soon as Proto-Kaw came out, they immediately commanded the respect of a headliner as they broke into Alt. More Worlds Than Known. Maybe it was the louder sound mix contributing, but they just exuded professionalism and experience. I can't remember all the tracks they played, but it was a nice mix of older songs and newer material. Among the highlights (for me anyway) was my favorite track from Before Became After, Heavenly Man (which is a new recording of an old song), Gloriana, Totus Nemesis, Skont, Belexes (show closer), and an absolutely killer version of Death of Mother Nature Suite. I must say that their performance of these last two songs I mentioned left no doubt that it was the "famous" Kansas that did the "cover" versions of them.

The only change in song selection I would have liked if I had my way would be to lose the "Lawyer Song" and play Theophany (my other favorite from BBA).

Otherwise it was a nice choice of songs for a set.

Most importantly, I finally got to see Kerry Livgren perform.

I was not the least bit disappointed.

NP - Kerry Livgren - The Best of Kerry Livgren

One month, four weeks, 22 hours, 11 minutes
2356 cigarettes not smoked, saving $530.32
Life saved: 1 week, 1 day, 4 hours

Optical tricks

As Obi-Wan once said, "Don't trust your eyes, they can deceive you."
Check out some pretty neat proof of that here.

Not much else going on. Going to see Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw tonight. That should be pretty cool.

My cousin Tom asked me last week if I wanted to go to Cancun to a "Guys only" type 4-day weekend in August. I strongly considered it, but decided that $1100 was a bit much for 4 days...even though the resort was all-inclusive.

NP - Frank Zappa 3/15/88

One month, four weeks, 7 hours, 31 minutes
2332 cigarettes not smoked, saving $524.82
Life saved: 1 week, 1 day, 2 hours

They're telling us because....?

By now you've heard the latest news from the U.S. Department of Who Gives a Shit?
"Deep Throat" unmasked!

AND?!?!?

That was almost 35 years ago! Is there anyone who really cares anymore? Nixon's dead. W.M. Felt himself is 91 and senile.

Why is this news?

I guess we need something to keep us going...we've still got another 33 years or so before they release to the public the files on the Kennedy assassination. Something else that no one in 2038 will care about.

One month, two weeks, four days, 16 hours
1946 cigarettes not smoked, saving $437.90
Life saved: 6 days, 18 hours

Last day

Oh well, here it is, the last day of my first (of three) vacation of 2005. I must admit that it didn't fly by too fast. It was nice being able to relax without driving my usual 700+ miles in a week.
Had a nice little Memorial Day get together at my mom's yesterday. I took some impromptu photos when we took a walk by the lake. Those photos can be seen here. Mostly nature photos. A few with friends and family in it, but frankly the lake pics are better. :-)
In fact, one of those pics can be seen (for now) at the top of this blog page.
Now that I have a decent camera, I need to make a concerted effort to dabble a bit more into that hobby. I really enjoy capturing "moments".

I can't wait to try out my camera at a live show. The next one is Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw on June 11th, then I might go check out the Mike Keneally Band along with the Alex Skolnick Trio in Sellersville on June 18th, and of course there's Nearfest on July 9th and 10th (which also kicks off my next vacation)!

Anyway, back to the daily grind tomorrow.

NP: Van der Graaf Generator - 5/6/05

One month, two weeks, two days
1837 cigarettes not smoked, saving $413.46
Life saved: 6 days, 9 hours

Here's a great article. It's so true, and a real eye opener for those who think commercial music is "real". It also helps to show that talent and popularity rarely, if ever, go hand in hand.

Bootlegs Save the Music

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


The music industry has been in a definite slump for at least the last five years, if not more. Where at one time true artists gathered to give people beautiful songs to soothe their souls and create good vibes; now all you get are mechanical backbeats, sampled loops and trite, generic lyrics. For the assumed benefit of distracting the public from this mediocrity, you are also treated to big breasts covered by just enough clothing to sneak by the FCC’s increasingly watchful eye.


But some of us aren’t fooled for a second. We see today’s music for what it is: disposable garbage out only to make a buck for a roomful of record company executives. Speaking for myself, I’d rather have someone chuck razorblades dipped in hepatitis at me than hear one bar of Britney Spears’ latest release. But I do tend to border on the extreme from time to time.


So what do we, the masses yearning for good music, do? After all, there are only a limited number of good bands still active these days. Most of the greats hung it up years ago or moved into the province of lame and boring (Rod Stewart, anyone?), leaving behind a back catalog that while impressive in quality remains limited in quantity. When you’ve bought all the essential titles from the past, where do you go next?


The answer is simple: bootlegs. That’s right, bootlegs. The music industry hates bootlegs, as they provide free to listeners something that the suits could be lining their pockets with. I understand completely why record companies panicked over Napster and file sharing. After all, it costs money for a label to release an album; if you download that album for free, they can’t heat their swimming pool that year. But the bootlegs are a unique entity, one that remains separate from the legal repercussions of downloading commercially released music. The bootlegs belong to the people.


Many of today’s “working bands” (bands consistently on tour) allot the privilege of taping to fans attending their shows. The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, The Dead and Dave Matthews Band are just a few of the artists that hold an “open taping” policy at their performances. The bands also maintain an unwritten agreement with the tapers to use the shows for personal means and not make a profit from them. Trading between fans, however, is perfectly acceptable.


Record company disapproval has deterred many bands from instituting an “open taping” policy. But the artists that do permit performance recording see it as nothing but positive and pay little mind to the suits who frown on it. “We don’t care what the record companies think,” Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson said in a Relix magazine feature. “It’s for the people who are really into the music and who’ve supported us…If someone wants to come tape our show and take it home with them, I mean, it’s their evening too – then that’s cool.”


Indeed, Robinson’s statement mirrors the sentiment of many tapers and traders. Concertgoers have, in essence, paid for the music by purchasing a ticket to the event. If they want to take home a recording of the evening’s performance, who are they hurting? As long as no financial profit is made, where is the harm? After all, record companies will still make their cash, as loyal fans will still purchase albums no matter how many bootlegs they possess.


I personally have over 3200 hours of music on bootleg discs, either traded or given to me over the years. Of those 3200 hours, 1600 of them are Black Crowes related. Now, if you took a look at my shelves full of commercially released CDs, you’d notice I own every Black Crowes album. Why? I mean, I undoubtedly have all their songs in my vast library of bootlegs. Why purchase the albums? Well, because I, like countless other music fans, support the artists.


Supporting the artists, by the way, is something that the record companies don’t do. In fact, they do just the opposite. In the over-inflated corporate world known as the music business, you’re only as good as your last million units sold. As it stands right now, if a release doesn’t shift a million or two copies immediately upon its release, it’s considered a failure. And what do artists get in return for selling at the platinum level? Well, in most cases they get less than a dollar per sale. So, to sum up, the artists do the work and the record executives reap all the benefits. If the artist fails to line the record company’s pockets with a release, they will most likely be dropped from the label. How’s that for loyalty?


Case in point is a band called the Spin Doctors. You may remember them: back in 1993, they were riding a multi-platinum album (Pocket Full of Kryptonite) and the year’s biggest single (“Two Princes”). But when they released their second album the next year, it fell flat. To their credit, Epic Records did give the Spin Doctors a second chance (most likely based on the sheer commercial viability of their debut) and the band got to work on their third album. But since their sophomore effort was considered a dud, the new album hit the stores with virtually no marketing and zero promotion. So, when said album failed to get much further than gold status (500,000 units sold), the band was dropped from the label. Never mind that their two “flops” were huge strides for the band from an artistic standpoint or that Epic Records dropped the ball in terms of promotion – the band was sent packing. Nice, huh?


Given this information, it’s no surprise that many bands are flocking to smaller labels when their deals with the corporate pork run out. Although smaller labels can’t offer acts the same financial clout the big names are able to, they still posses many more attractive and artist-friendly features. The most notable of the aforementioned perks is that smaller labels allow bands to record the material they want to record. Big labels will often pressure a band to produce at least one “hit” track per record and will even go as far as requiring song approval during the recording process to secure a chart-topper’s inclusion. With the smaller labels, the band’s can finally give you the songs they want you to hear.


The sheer lack of understanding and loyalty on the part of record labels regarding their signed artists is a big part of the reason bootleg recordings are on the rise in terms of popularity. The added benefit of the Internet is also an essential element. With a decent Internet connection, the right software and a little bit of patience, music fans can download and share an endless number of live shows via peer-to-peer networks. In fact, for once in the history of music, the fans are winning. They’ve figured out a way to legally circumvent the corporate pigs and get what they really want: the music.


Want to join in on the bootleg trading but don't know where to start? Check out these helpful links:
Etree.org - An Online Trading Community
Bit Torrent Explained
What You'll Have Access to Once You Get Involved

NP: Porcupine Tree - On The Sunday Of Life...

One month, two weeks, 18 hours, 48 minutes
1791 cigarettes not smoked, saving $403.05
Life saved: 6 days, 5 hours

Winding down

Ever want to get a bird's-eye view of your house (or anywhere else)?
Check out Google maps.

Well, another vacation has just about flown by already. Day 8 today, with only 2 days left. Of course I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped, but this was partly due to the fact that for the last 4 days I've experienced a great deal of discomfort with my right ear being swollen (to the point of blocking my ear canal) caused by a skin condition. I finally went to a doctor yesterday. All I was told was what I already knew. A waste of time and money....I don't know how hypochondriacs don't go bankrupt. It's getting better today. I've been taking Tylenol and aspirin. A lot cheaper than a doctor visit.

One month, two weeks, 8 hours, 56 minutes
1774 cigarettes not smoked, saving $399.35
Life saved: 6 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes

NP: Frogg Café - Fortunate Observer of Time

Faster than a speeding bullet....

It's amazing how fast vacations go by...even if you're not doing anything particularly fun. It's day 4 of my vacation and I feel like it just started.

Anyway, took my mom to see Star Wars last night. Great movie.
It was by far the best of the newer trilogy, and IMO ranks right up there with the older trilogy.
I don't go to movies much (last one before this was The Day After Tomorrow...well over a year ago if I recall), but there are some movies that just have to be seen on the big screen. For me, Star Wars is one of them.
Saw a couple of previews that looked pretty cool. One was the Fantastic Four. Not so sure the story will be anything special, but the effects look pretty cool.
The other is War of the Worlds. That one looks loaded with action and special effects.

We had our "fun night" at bowling last night. It's where we get our prize money and awards and stuff. We ended up in 6th, which really sucks. We took home $217 each for that (keep in mind that we pay in $648 during the season).
I won high average with a 198 (actually low for the high avg winner). That was $50 and a patch. For all intents and purposes, I actually won most improved average as well (from a 182 to a 198), but because of a stupid rule that says you can't win more than one "money" award, it went to some guy that improved by 6 pins.
Anyway, between the prizes and the 50/50 prizes that we won, I guess I walked out of there with about $293. Kind of like a Christmas club. Someone holds your money and you get it back without interest. :-)

What else?
For the past few days I can't stop listening to the new Porcupine Tree CD "Deadwing". It is easily my favorite album of the year so far. I've seen the song "Shallow" being referred to as a "single". Is this actually getting airplay? I wouldn't know....I avoid commercial radio like the plague. Wouldn't surprise me though...Shallow is probably the "pop-iest" track on the CD. Not that it sounds like "pop" (it's much heavier than that), but it has a catchy guitar riff that anyone can wrap their mind around.
I do know they are getting a lot of airplay on XM radio.

Someone came across an interesting blog. Fair warning though...I guarantee that this will remind you of yourself or someone you know...or both. And if you have any mistrust with those close to you, then reading this won't help matters.
You can check it out here.

Trying to reformat my PC this week. What an incredibly daunting task it is. I'm still in the process of getting stuff off my drive and backing things up before I can even start. It's amazing how much of your life you can accumulate on a hard disk.

One month, one week, three days, 4 hours, 43 minutes
1607 cigarettes not smoked, saving $361.77
Life saved: 5 days, 14 hours

Sound of Muzak indeed...

Went to see Porcupine Tree last night at Irving Plaza. What an ass-kickin' show it was! These guys really shine in a live setting. It was a very cool climax to an otherwise unnerving evening. I didn't get home from work until about 5:45, and had just enough time to grab a quick shower and run out to pick up my buddy Bill in Frenchtown. I actually didn't get there till about 7. My online EZPass account indicates that we got to the city shortly after 8:30. The next hour or so was spent looking for a place to park. The good news is that when we finally found a spot, it was directly in front of the venue. Anyway, we missed all but the last song of the Rudess/Morgenstein Project. Not that big a deal, but it would have been nice to check out more of them.

PTree took the stage at roughly 10:15 and played till just about midnight.

Here's the content of this sold-out show:
Deadwing
The Sound of Muzak
Lazarus
Halo
A Smart Kid
Hatesong
Arriving Somewhere, but Not Here
Fadeaway (John Wesley on lead vox)
Shallow
Mellotron Scratch
Blackest Eyes
Even Less
=encore=
She's Moved On
Trains

Also picked up a few CDs at the show....Voyage 34, Warszawa, and the Porcupine Tree Sampler 2005.
They said they're coming back in October with possibly some *new* songs to play. I'll be looking forward to that. Great band, great show, great night.

NP: Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34

One month, one week, 7 hours, 37 minutes smober
1492 cigarettes not smoked, saving $335.86
Life saved: 5 days, 4 hours

Mobile Blogging

Here's something interesting. I can now blog from my cell phone. This might be fun...or not.

--

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

Greetings from the middle class

Interesting article in the NY Times today. A somewhat in-depth poll of how Americans view class and where we all fit in. According to this, I border between middle and upper-middle class. There are 4 factors that determine this, each holding seemingly equal weight. Occupation, Education, Income, & Wealth. Two surprises for me were that my education (Bachelor's Degree....very common I thought) puts me in the upper echelon, and my income (quite modest, IMO) puts me comfortably above average (well into the upper-middle class) in that category. My occupation is just about dead center, and my worth borders on lower-middle class.
Anyway, click here to check it out. If you can't view it, you may have to register at the site (it's free).

Yes, still smober!
One month, one day, 4 hours, 35 minutes
1247 cigarettes not smoked, saving $280.72
Life saved: 4 days, 8 hours

Get organized

For those who might not check out Pogue's Posts (Other Blog links at right), check this out here. Looks like there's a new craze sweeping the blog community. It appears to be a very handy tool/site for organizing this and that.
Check it out!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. ;-)

Yesterday was interesting. I got up and got out early to bowl in a tournament that I signed up for about 6 months ago. We get there, we're waiting, and I decide to look at the list of bowlers to see what lanes we're on. Mark Clark...Kara Cook...Mark Clark...Kara Cook....hmm....funny, I don't see either name there. There is a perfectly good explanation for this....you needed to qualify for the tournament, and WE DIDN'T! Great, so now it's either drive back home for a few hours and come back, or stay in Dover all day long. My lazy ass opted for staying. Anything but more driving. So I hung out with Donna at her mom's garage sale for the better part of the day, then we all went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The food was outstanding, but it is a pricey place. With the tip, came to about $205 for 5 of us. That included one mixed drink and one beer. Of course, we had to try some cheesecake while we were there too, no? I had the German Chocolate Cheesecake. Incredibly rich...almost to the point of nauseating. I tried a bite of the plain old cheesecake, and I must admit, it was not what I would expect from a "factory" of such. Not bad, but not the best I've ever eaten. In fact, the main food was better than the cheesecake in my opinion. I had a skirt steak...tender, tasty...mmm it was the best meal I've had in a long time.
It killed the better part of the night though. We left the house around 6 (way too late), and got home around 10. Waited about 80-90 minutes for a table.
It was nice to try something different, but too expensive to frequent.

What else....oh, if you haven't heard about them yet, you gotta check out this High School percussion band performing Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Karn Evil 9! This is pretty amazing for a bunch of kids!
http://www.poteetpirateband.org/video.htm
It's at the lower left-center of the page. You'll need RealPlayer to view it.

Still Smober!

Three weeks, three days, 15 hours
985 cigarettes not smoked, saving $221.64
Life saved: 3 days, 10 hours

Bowling for dollars

Gettin' down to crunch time in my bowling league. We dropped from 5th to 6th place, and last night we only won one point (out of a possible 7) because we tied one game. The next two weeks are "position" nights, and will decide where we end up. The best we can do is 4th.
I bowled better last night than I have the past two weeks, although still not that great. The first game I had a 198 with one ball left to throw. Just keep it on the lane and I have a 200 game right? In a perfect world maybe, but I went and threw it in the gutter. In any case, I threw a 198, a 198, and a 204, for a 600 on the nose. I had a 201 average at one point. Now I'm down to a 198. I should still win high average as well as most improved though.

Still not smoking!
Two weeks, five days
762 cigarettes not smoked, saving $171.51

Just a thought

Just a quick thought to ponder for the day....why do most wireless companies charge minutes usage when you call your voice mail? Since you're essentially calling your own cell phone, shouldn't it fall under unlimited mobile to mobile?
While calling Cingular on another matter, I asked them about this. They agreed that my theory makes the most sense, but had no answer as to why it is the way it is...it just is.
Isn't technology wonderful? ;-)

NP: Mahavishnu Orchestra - 1/26/73

One week, two days, 19 hours
391 cigarettes not smoked, saving $97.92
Life saved: 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes

Summer preview

Been an unusually warm couple of days. I think it pushed 90 at one point today.
This weather makes me tired...been going to sleep early this week.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of extreme weather. I don't like the dead of summer or winter. If it went back and forth between Spring and Fall I'd be happy. Someone said San Diego is the place to live for nice moderate weather all year round.
I had to crank up the AC when I got home today...just to cool the place down a bit. Thankfully it was breezy outside, cuz when my sliders are all open, I have the most amazing cross-breeze coming through here.

Oh, to follow up on my post from the other day. Turns out it was a false positive on my mom's blood test. Everything looks ok now. That's why I try not to worry about things unless I have concrete evidence to worry. Why worry unless you have to? Think positive...things seem to have a way of working out for the best.

NP: Jethro Tull - 8/12/03

Six days, 15 hours, 30 minutes
265 cigarettes not smoked, saving $66.46
Life saved: 22 hours, 5 minutes

Well, it WAS a nice day

Since my last post, the day took a sharp turn...albeit temporarily. First, my mom calls and tells me that the doctor called her and wanted her to immediately go for blood cultures because one of the last tests came back positive for infection. So I had to drive up there and take her to the hospital. Then, while I'm waiting for her, Valerie calls me to....well, I really don't know why she called me. I think I got told off. Not sure because she hung up before I could determine the point of the call. When it comes to relationships, perception and reality are often far apart. Or are they?

Through it all, I'm still off the smokes. That's the one positive constant today.

Three days, 16 hours, 32 minutes
147 cigarettes not smoked, saving $36.89
Life saved: 12 hours, 15 minutes

Beautiful Day

Nothing much to report today. Just enjoying this absolutely gorgeous day! Warm and sunny....spring is here!
Which means that football season is right around the corner. ;-)
For the first time since...well...ever I think, the Dolphins don't have a single primetime game. Good thing I have Sunday Ticket.

Anyway, like I said, not much to report.

NP: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - 10/14/67

Three days, 10 hours, 30 minutes
137 cigarettes not smoked, saving $34.38
Life saved: 11 hours, 25 minutes.

A fun distraction

Was just perusing my buddy Mike's blog (Musings & Meanderings...link at right), and decided to take a fun little IQ test that he came across.
I'll admit that I might not be posting about it here were I not just a tad smarter than he. :-)

Congratulations, Mark! Your IQ score is 136

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.
Your Intellectual Type is Insightful Linguist. This means you are highly intelligent and have the natural fluency of a writer and the visual and spatial strengths of an artist. Those skills contribute to your creative and expressive mind. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results.

Two days, 6 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds. 90 cigarettes not smoked, saving $22.69. Life saved: 7 hours, 30 minutes.

High Anxiety

No, I'm not reviewing the Mel Brooks movie. Just sort of anxious...on edge.
I'm still not convinced one way or the other whether the "effects" of quitting smoking are physical or psychological...or both.
A lot going on with me right now. I'm very mentally spread out. All I mean by that is that I keep turning my focus to something else every few minutes. I guess just trying to occupy myself with anything but smoking or eating (a potentially dangerous substitute for smoking).
The real test will be tonight at the Cooks'. If I can get through being around them smoking, I should be ok.
One hour at a time.

Two days, 5 hours, 28 minutes.
89 cigarettes not smoked, saving $22.28.
Life saved: 7 hours, 25 minutes.

NP: Porcupine Tree - 4/3/05

Short and simple

Ok, yet another extended absence between entries. Sue me.
I'm gonna sum up the last couple of weeks quick and easy. Maybe at a later time I'll elaborate on some, all, or none.
Anyway, here it is....Val and I got back together...then we split again...all the while I can't get an old Foreigner song out of my head.

As a side note, I'm making a concerted effort to stop smoking. Never mind one day at a time...I'm going one hour at a time.

Here's where I stand as of this writing:

One day, 19 hours, 17 minutes.
72 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18.03.

NP: Opeth - 7/18/2003

OUT!

Just checking in....

You know how the "fortune" in fortune cookies has a series of numbers on it? Obviously this is to prompt people to choose those numbers for playing the lottery.
Turns out that this method actually does pay off now and then:
http://tinyurl.com/64byy

Speaking of money...it occurs to me...if there's only so much money in circulation, then that means for every person getting richer, there's a person getting poorer. Kinda takes the fun out of it.

The Jets' bid for rights to build a stadium in NYC's West Side was approved by the MTA.
As if I care.

That's it for today. It's late...I'm tired.

Happy Easter!

I've been letting way too much time pass between posts, but I've just been too busy.
Between how busy I've been at work these past few weeks, and visiting my mom in the care facility, I've hardly been home at all lately.

Things should be slowing down a bit now though. We just closed out the first quarter of the year at work...with success I might add. We had a very lofty number to hit, and it was looking pretty bleak going into the last few days, but we all stepped things up a notch and got the job done. It came down to the wire on Saturday, but we hit our number as a district, and as a reward we'll be enjoying tomorrow (Monday) off.
Hopefully now I can get back some semblance of a social life again. I just don't have the time or energy to devote to others during the months from October to March. I've no doubt things might have turned out different between Valerie and I had we met in the Spring. I'm much more relaxed and at ease when work is slow. People in my life never seem to understand the extreme difference in stress levels for me between the winter and summer. I just wish Val had the opportunity to meet the stress-free me. :-)

My mom is doing much better. She gave me quite a scare there when she transferred to the new care facility from the hospital, but she seems to be getting back to her old self again. Now she's mostly frustrated from being a "prisoner" and just wants to go home. Although, she is wise enough to realize that she does not yet have the strength or stamina to take care of herself just yet. With any luck she'll go home by next weekend.
I took her home today for a few hours so she could visit her cats and spend a short time on her PC and just say hi to her home.

What else?
Oh yeah...got Nearfest tickets! This is going to be a good one! 8 of the 10 bands look very interesting to me. I'm really looking forward to the second weekend in July.

Had a really good night of bowling last week.
To start, I bowled a couple of practice games before the league, and I came the closest I ever have to bowling a 300 game. I had all strikes up till the first part of the 10th frame (10 in a row), but then I got the jitters (despite it not really counting) and screwed up the second ball of the 10th frame. Ended with a 288.
I did carry over the decent bowling into the league though. I bowled a 243, a 245, and a 203 for a 691 series. 9 pins short of a 700. I bowled a 695 earlier in the season too. I hate when I come so close to a 700 and fall short.
Still...a good night nevertheless. :-)

Happy Easter to all applicable readers!

Life on a downswing

Things haven't been that great lately.
First, my mom is hospitalized for a staph infection stemming from some type of arthritis (not the osteo that she knows she has...some other kind). They've got her on several antibiotics and she seems to be improving. Hopefully she'll be out of the hospital in a few days and into the therapy clinic. That would be about 3 more weeks.
The other downturn my life has taken is that Valerie and I are over after less than two months. I really thought things were going great, and love was definitely blooming, but it seems her feelings didn't mirror mine. But it takes two to tango, so what are ya gonna do right? Life goes on.