is in the works. I am changing over to Wordpress which should allow for much more flexibility, power and creativity in this website design. I plan on a full changeover once I return from vacation.
We took the plunge…
and bought Police tickets for the Dallas show at American Airlines center in June. I won't disclose how much we paid for tax purposes :), but we did get a much better deal on Ebay than the Internet scalpers were charging. It seems like most of the scalpers offer very similar ticket options and prices for individual shows, so I wonder how many of them are unique sellers or if they are all part of a international crime syndicate. You definitely feel like you're buying your tickets at gunpoint when looking at the prices. And it's hard to resist when you see they have 2nd and 3rd row center seats available. As long as you don't mind dropping a cool 3 g's for a single ticket, you shouldn't have any problems.
We got 17th row center floor, so it should work out pretty well. (and our total for two tickets came out well under 4 figures). We saw Sarah Mclachlan at the same place on the 20th row and they were good seats, especially from an audio standpoint. Usually the better the view the poorer the audio in these big arena type shows. These seats are definitely an improvement over what I had for the Synchronicity tour across the street at Reunion Arena back in 1983. Now I just have to arrange to take time off to see the show since it's on a Wednesday. We are going to wait and find out our relocation schedule before we decide on where to see Rush. I was really tempted yesterday because someone was selling 9th row center nearer Alex's side for a decent price, but I decided to wait since the Dallas show may not be our best option.
The Police and Rush are two shows I most want to see this summer, and I feel like these may be my last opportunities (especially the Police) to ever see these guys live again. I think Rush puts on one of the best shows in the current concert market as well as compared to previous shows I had seen. They used to perform about two hours with most of the material drawn from the current album they were touring on. On the last two tours, the shows have run over 3 hours (with an intermission) and they have played songs from their entire catalog, including songs like Xanadu and Natural Science. They try really hard to please their longtime fans and it's great to hear those songs from that period of their career (AFTK through MP), which is definitely my favorite.
A New Addition to the Family
we chose our newest family member a few days ago, a black & white cocker spaniel puppy that is 9 weeks old. We will pick her up after we get back from vacation, and we can't wait. She's adorable (aren't they all?) and she'll be a welcome addition to our family. We're thinking of calling her Eclipse. Aeyong thought of the name and since it's both appropriate for her coloring and the name of a cool Pink Floyd song, I thought it would work well.
My G.A.S. is cured
that's Gear Acquisition Syndrome for the unitiated. It's a phenomenon shared by most musicians, especially guitar players. It describes the seemly unquenchable thirst to obtain more equipment so you can achieve the magic "tone" that you are after from your equipment. The tone could be anything from clean to distorted or even more literal like the tone of famous player on a certain song. Although GAS isn't only about getting a tone you don't have. It could be because there's something aesthetically or functionally advantageous in a piece of equipment. In some cases it may be because you just want the same guitar that one of your heroes played.
I won't deny that I will buy more gear in the future, but for all practical purposes, any tone that I can't achieve is going to be related to my failings as a player or tweaker of my own equipment. Now that I have two Line 6 modeling guitars to go along with Guitar Rig modeling software, I have the ability to mimic a warehouse (literally) of different guitars, amps, processors, etc. I know it's going to require months if not years to get a decent handle on how to make it all work well. So, the result is that my GAS should be cured for at least two or three weeks anyway :).
Editorial Note (1 June 2010) - predicting the future was not one of my strong suits, at least in the GAS department...
I can endorse the June 2010 update by saying there will never be a cure for G.A.S. It can only be subdued temporarily...
April Showers
actually the weather is quite nice today, but we did have some serious rain this weekend, so the official mowing season has arrived. And that's just FAN-FRICKIN-TASTIC, MAN! Seriously. The annual milestone inspection has essentially passed at work and we did pretty well without any serious deficiencies. Everybody has probably breathed a big sigh of relief and returned to their functional levels of ambivalence. I know I have. (anyone from work reading this should disregard that last statement as me just trying to sound cool and get back to something more productive than reading my blog). :) Aeyoung and I are looking forward to two weeks of leave starting next week with 5 days in Vegas. We haven't traveled much since we've been married (not counting the work sponsored relocations) and since I'm going to be going on an extended leave of absence next year, we want to take advantage of the time we have. The sad part is that we probably won't be doing any gambling other than throwing a couple of coins in a hotel lobby slot machine. We're not so big on giving money away with nothing to show for it. We plan on checking out the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and whatever looks interesting in Vegas that week. We'll probably watch a few shows and just relax.
Movie Review - Apocalypto
Book Review - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - another B&N browse pickup. This novel is set in a similar time period to two recent "magical" movies (The Prestige and The Illusionists, respectively) and describes a Napoleonic war era England in which magic is a historical art/science that has fallen out of regular use by most of it's practitioners, who are called theoretical magicians since they all study and discuss it in great detail, but none of them actually can perform any magic. It follows the titular characters who both have different ways of actually practicing the magic and both have different opinions of what it's proper use will be in the service of their own priorities and those of the country. It's been called a sort of Harry Potter for adults, and I guess that's somewhat fair in that it is very English in tone and it's about magic. If you're main foray into literature has been HP, then this may not be your cup of tea, but lovers of good writing with an element of the fantastic will probably like this.
Movie Review - Casino Royale
Movie Review - Borat
I laughed nearly constantly during the whole movie. Sasha Baron Cohen is one of those rare comedians who is willing to do anything to serve the movie and the laugh. If you're not already aware, he plays a "cultural ambassador" for Kazakstan on a trip to America to promote his country. He enters into a variety of situations with apparently completely unwitting participants. It appears to be a sort of Soviet Bloc version of Jackass without all the stunts on the surface, but it's a very intelligent commentary on how perception and presumption color our behaviour much more than reality. To see how a variety of people treat Borat (from both the wealthy and social elite to the more average Americans) tells us a lot more about ourselves as a society than it does about Borat, who represents the extreme version of most Americans concept of people from his part of the world. Having spent six months in Kosovo, I can say that while his character has a ring of truth (and he is completely convicing, never breaking character the whole time) to him, it's all exaggerated for effect. The amazing thing is that no one in the film seems to realize he is an actor and take him as an actual representation of the typical man from Kazakstan. Definitely one of the most intelligent comedies I have seen in several years. Sadly, most people will just see it as like an exploitation for laughs movie, which it isn't.
Movie Review - The Queen
Movie Review - 300
A very stylized graphic novel adaptation of the story of 300 Spartan soldiers who defended their country against thousands (depending on what history you believe) of Persians who were running roughshod over much of the civilized world. It's a combination of Gladiator for context and Sin City for the look, with more archetypal characters in the lead roles as opposed to going for real accuracy. Not for the squeamish, blood and interesting ways to separate it from the human body are explored here. Still, it delivers on what it promises and it was a good movie for the style. Worth a rental if you're not inclined to pay movie theater prices, although you need to see it on a big screen to enjoy it.
Hello, I Must Be Going
don’t look now, but things have changed again. Today’s version of the story has me moving to another state later this year and then going overseas early next year. Tune in later this afternoon when I will find out that I am in fact not going anywhere but now must insist that I am King Richard III, dress appropriately for my title, and annex southern Arkansas in the name of the empire. And then, tomorrow, I will be moving to another, different state later this year, and then going underseas next year. Until it changes, again. Followed by another change. Which will be immediately followed by, another, different change.
Spring Ain’t Here (or perhaps it is)
(always good to quote Metheny, I feel). The inspection that has many at work gnashing their teeth and grimacing draws closer. I guess it’s unavoidable that people will have to be scrambling at the last minute for these things. I still hold to the opinion that if everyone was diligent towards their tasks all year long then the inspection wouldn’t be so stress inducing. I’ll allow that even if we were so lucky as to be blessed with 100% dedication and industry among all our workers, that a measure of panic would still set in before any inspection, so perhaps it’s just the nature of these things and not necessarily particular to a staff of both dedicated and indifferent.
Significant developments on the homefront (or maybe not)
The last week has been tumultuous to say the least. On the professional side I have learned that I will deploy overseas (I won’t go into details). That last part was as of 22 Feb and now on 6 Mar I can say that it is no longer valid. There was much argument and posturing between the various levels of my supervisory chain. The end result is that my name is on the lips of far more people than when this process started, so it’s more of a matter of when and not if I’ll eventually go overseas or not.
Book Review - One Train Later
Book Review - American Gods
I saw this while browsing at B&N and it caught my eye. I have seen his novels on the shelves for awhile now but never picked anything up. This won every major Fantasy/Horror award the year it was published and it looked like a nice modern fantasy with elements of Clive Barker/Stephen King set in America at the turn of the new millienium. After reading the novel I considered it a good read, although I had my doubts as to whether it was worth all the awards. I'm not sure about the other novels it was competing with, so maybe that's not fair. Gaman introduces some pretty cool concepts in the ideas that Gods of all religions and myths survive based on the faithful and their support. As people began to emigrate in great numbers from Europe to America around the time of the colonies, many of the old religions and Gods began to lose supporters in the old world. This eventually motivated many of the Gods to come to America as well, in an attempt to follow the faithful. The story focuses around an ex con and his hiring by a mysterious character with a nebulous past. Without giving the plot away, it's based on what happens when the old Gods have to compete with the new "American Gods" of television, the internet, etc. The God's avatars are all fairly normalish characters walking around in the story and interacting with each other. It's definitely a nice modern twist on the concept of religion and set in the backdrop of a very different America.
Movie Review - Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
This reminded me of how Wayne's World appeared to be written after they had started filming in that they only had about 30 minutes of plot and passably funny material and the remainder was filler. They are much better on the shorts they filmed for HBO, and at this point they don't hold up for 90 minutes. I should add that I am a big fan of the D, having their "masterworks' DVD which is a much better representation of their humor.
Book Review - Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven by Richard Cole - this is basically the diary (or at least a very subjective retelling) of life on the road with Led Zeppelin by their primary tour manager, Richard Cole. It is mostly filled with stories of life on tour, including all the crazy stories that surround the band. Yes, the shark story is there in full detail. It's a interesting read in that it does reveal some character traits of the band members that may not be as readily obvious through their music and interviews. Since he was their tour manager, there isn't much about their studio time and the development of the songs and albums, which is what I would consider the most important aspect of their legacy as a band, although their touring is probably what made them most famous. This is mostly for the real fans of the band, but it is told by someone who was truly on the inside so it gives details you won't find anywhere else. I also recently re-read "Hammer of the Gods" which treads much the same ground as Stairway to Heaven
Book Review - An Equal Music
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth - tells the story of a classical violinist in a professional touring quartet in Europe. It's equal measures of the musician's life and relationships among the various players. It also is very focused on the failed relationship between the violinist and another student and his regret at losing her. After a chance sighting of her in London he spends the next several chapters trying to track her down only to find that many things have changed and neither of them are like they were. The relational aspects of the novel border on lifetime channel material, but the life of a touring classical musician rings true and is interesting for anyone who is a player or musician or has an interest in that life. I read this after seeing it recommended by Neal Peart on his website.
Movie Review - Children of Men
a near future sci fi thriller about a time when the human race is headed towards extinction with no human births in nearly twenty years. A dark view of the future, similar in tone to Blade Runner, and reminiscent of the golden age of science fiction when writers like Asimov and Heinlein wrote stories with adult themes that provoked thought and discussion and not purely for entertaiment value.