Twisted

With all my griping and grousing yesterday, it's sometimes hard for me to remember it is not all about me!

But it really isn't, as much as I'd like to think otherwise. No worries, tomorrow I'll go back to self-delusion and ego-centric writings. Hey, you can't fight a tidal wave.

When I travel, I even amaze myself at out of touch I become. I pick up the paper that sits outside the hotel room door and toss it on the bed on my way out. When I come back, the TV rarely, if ever, goes on. Last January it was almost two days before I knew there was an earthquake in Haiti. What do you mean Sandra Bullock is single again??

So with my 'bad weather', I certainly didn't have it as bad as some folks west of Cleveland, or closer to Toledo. An F3 tornado that killed at least seven and wiped out a small town including a high school auditorium. The sad thing was, my client had to tell me about it, as I had not seen or heard a story on it. Had the twister struck hours later, that same high school would have been holding their graduation ceremonies there.

Tornadoes are weird - so destructive, yet so captivating.

Back when I was like 5 (and yes, it's right back to me! - as you knew it would), I remember living not far from where that tornado just hit, and being dragged into the basement by my mother during what she determined was a bad storm, or maybe there was some warning of which I was unaware. While I don't remember the storm/warning, what I won't forget is when we were freed from the basement.

I had never since seen air so heavy and still. I have never seen a sky so green. I thought it was just me until a neighbor-lady commented on it as well. I was a very perceptive five year old.

And I still, when I drive past Xenia, I look over thinking I'll see the town that was completely wiped from the map back in '73 or '74 by that mother of all F5 tornadoes. The reality is, you could never see Xenia from the highway in the first place - it was always rows of corn as the visual. In almost 40 years, I wonder if something has grown back there and if they've recovered. I'm sure they have and haven't.

Millbury will recover too, though I'm sure it is hard for them to see it right now.

Tornadoes are a bad thing, but you know, only Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton can make them worse.


Song by: Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham

Don't Pay the Ferryman

I'm starting this post while sitting at the Albany airport. I'm doing this on a Sunday afternoon. And I'm not a happy camper.

Let's start out that in the three weeks since I flew to Burlington last, the cheapest direct flight went up by about $700!!! Fuck you, Continental!

Second, to get to Vermont on a Sunday, I had to go through Philly, the worst airport in the world - and with an entire 25 minutes from land to boarding. Note that I said land, not deplane. Fuck you, UScare!

Then we push off on-time - but don't you always? I mean, the airlines have to keep up their faux "on-time rates". It doesn't matter we sit on the tarmac for 45 minutes. Fuck you, PHL!

I'm thinking if we took off on-time, we might have been able to land on-time at the correct airport....or even the correct state! But no, we after flying for about an hour longer than the flight was supposed to take, the pilot diverted to Albany, well because we couldn't land (allegedly) and oh yeah, we were out of fuel. Or in danger of. Yes, had we taken off on-time, we might have avoided the storm. Fuck you Mr. Texaco Man and Mother Nature!

Mind you, this is the day and age of gadgets and portable electronic devices. Maybe there was bad weather when they opted to delay, but the second I got off the plane and logged on to my laptop to weather.com, there is nothing....and I mean nothing....on the radar screen for the entire state of Vermont in the ways of precipitation. Fuck you, Mr. Wussy Pilot!

And yes David, I now am the angriest black man you know!

On the plus side.....this was sitting next to me in the Albany airport waiting for his flight to DC. I'm not saying the diversion was worth it, but....at least it's something.

...and as airports go, the Albany one doesn't suck nearly as bad as many I have been in.

So, it gets better. They decide not to fly into VT but they will get us a bus in about 90 minutes. The three hour ride will take over four hours. Fuck you again, UScare!!! I grabbed my bags and headed to the car rental.
Normally, I wouldn't get a car with a GPS in it, but I am in NY and have to get to VT - what do I care, the company is paying for it. Oh, and the extra cost for not driving the car back to its original destination. I get a Ford Flex; part Woody; part hearse. Seats 12. Yet it's only me in the car. Actually, I hate to say this about Ford, but it was a nice ride. Smooth and comfortable.

But I did use the GPS - and to a fault. I mean, I had no idea where I was to go. But it put me on the NY Throughway. I had forgotten about this road. Oh, I've been on it with Denton back in our early years - and by means of a miracle, after the fact we are still together. Remind me sometime to write that post! But after 180 miles, the GPS leads me not to a road, but to the Grand Isle Ferry.

I swear on my mother's would-be grave, I as we crossed in the grey, cold rain, with the little white caps, I saw two things: my cold watery grave or that I was enacting some scenes from Delores Claiborne.

12 hours door to door. Planes, Ferrys and Automobiles. Yeah, it just doesn't have the same ring - does it?


Song by: Chris DeBurgh

I Dreamed a Dream

I have not written about any of my dreams in long long while. It used to be an on-going, yet underlying, stream in this blog.

And here we are - another tale to tell. It's not that interesting. I mean, it's wart related. And kind of Spidermen related. Yeah - you heard me correctly.

If you really want to dig through my archives (and I don't think you do), you might remember that I've had a thumb-wart for about two years. First thought to be just a callous, I finally sought treatment. All I can say is that the doctor somehow managed to mangle it worse than the original problem. Those nine times of freezing did nothing but make matters worse - at least the looks department. I've spared you any images because you are a squeamish bunch.

However, a little stock tip: buy in Band-Aid (no, not "do they know it's xmas) or Curad. I will be wearing two to three bandages a week, probably for life.

So my dream. Friday night it was that the wart fell out. I was left with a gaping hole in my right thumb. Yes, there were little remnants of wart at the bottom of the thumb-hole, but I knew it was only a matter of time they too fell out and the wound healed from the inside-out.

The Spidermen (nah, not a typo, that's what I call him: Jewish webslinger by night, CPA by day) reference? I was showing the chick who played MJ in the movies my thumb. I was ecstatic.

Imagine my disappointment when waking up and seeing said bandage still covering my shame. Ok - not upon waking up, but when I went to the showers after working out. I think about it mostly then because the band-aid usually comes off in the shower.

{sigh}



Dream Update: I just woke up and this time I rode from a city street into a bike shoppe with Morty, which was attached to a restaurant/diner. Literally rode into it. Everything was chicken on the menu. I ordered some chicken salad with mandarin oranges and it came with waffles, which I don't even like. I wasn't going to do it, but a guy in a suit asked the owner (who looked suspiciously like the principal from Glee), if it wasn't the mayor's favourite and without looking up from the paper, the owner affirmed and said the waffles were traditional. Oh and at some point, Morty turned into Denton.


Song by: Kathy Geiss (yes, Don Geiss' daughter from '30 Rock' - I mean, you saw that episode, right?)

Dream Date

At best, Denton and I get date night like once a week. And I'm being generous.

Normally, we work long hours, or I travel, or....... yeah, you get the picture. Saturdays normally we like to hang at home and have time together, because that is all we usually have, save an hour or two at night before I haul my hairy ass up to bed.

So that leaves Friday nights usually for our date night. And as you have seen, many a-time, we like to hit our favourite wine bar for a bottle (or two) and some small plates. It's nice to sit outdoors this time of year.

Since this Sunday I have to actually travel for work, our time is even more limited.

It's fair to say I was not a happy camper when we went out last night in his "new" ride and before we got to a restaurant, when the car died! He's had it a month, and while it is a 2009 demo, it only has 7800 miles on it. And it fucking stops working.

Ruckiry (not Jon's boss), we were able to coast to a side street where he tried to get it to go again so we could make it home. He couldn't. He called AAA, I decided to hoof it home to get my car. 1.8 miles. But who is counting?

The more I walked, the more pissed I was about his "new" car - I mean it wasn't even mine. But here I was, the one walking home.

I guess there is an upside to the evening: AAA came in like 30 minutes, I went back in my car, picked up the man and we went to Clyde's Bistro for a late dinner. So it wasn't a total crappy night, just not the one we planned.


Song by: Neil Finn

Hobo's Meditation

Yesterday was my first foray back into yoga. So, maybe my "first foray" isn't actually the correct phrase.

Take Two: I have resumed my practice of yoga as of yesterday.

That's better.

Since my back injury last January, I have only ventured into yoga about two or three times. I blamed my back and physical therapy for this, but I'm not really sure that is legitimate. It's not like I stopped working out.

Part of it was definitely work-related. My travel got in the way and when it didn't, when yoga nights rolled around, grabbing a drink seemed to be the priority.

But I had a crappy day at work yesterday and about 45 minutes before class started, I decided it was time for re-entry. I shut down and hustled out of the office.

Since I had worked out early in the morning, my gym clothes were in my car. And since I was rushing to make it, I kinda sorta changed while driving, mostly at the stop lights. I'm sure I was a sight to most folks as I shimmied out of my dress slacks and into gym shorts while still working the brake (or gas). I couldn't have done this with a manual shift.

I ended up getting there with a few minutes to spare (thank you car/dressing room!).

Overall, things went ok. It had been awhile but I did just fine. My back is not sore per se, but during some twists and Setu Bandhasana sure put a strain on the lower back muscles, though only at the time of the poses. Right now I'm feelin' fine.

I think this is just what I need to get back on track. Oh - and I didn't fart, though I thought it might happen.



Song by: Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton & Emmylou Harris

My Humps

Whatcha gonna do with all the junk....all the junk inside your trunk....?

No, I'm not gonna get get get you drunk....get you love drunk off my hump.

But you should put your briefcase and electronics back there so you keep 'em save an secure. The sign says so. Do what the sign says.

Actually, for Cleveburgh, it's a pretty innovative ad campaign for the public parking lots. It's so unlike us.



Song by: Alanis Morissette (sorry, I couldn't do the Black Eye Peas)

My Shit is Fucked Up

This is a post mainly for Torn and Morty. They are the two most poop-centric folks I know.

So, I was driving back from the gym the other day and actually listening to commercial radio (shut up, I know!), when an ad for the Cleveland Zoo comes on. I don't know what captured my attention to said commercial, but I will venture it was the use of the word 'poop'. One does just not hear that word in radio ads much.....or at all.

One of the zoo's attractions this summer is a program called the Scoop on Poop. It truly is an educational program that has exhibits like 'Turd Trivia' and 'Who Dung It?'.

You can also go to Stool School where visitors can "hop on a scale to see how long it’d take an elephant to defecate their body weight." I know you've always wondered - now you can find out and finally get that full night of rest that has been plaguing you for years!

It is totally not lost on me that tSoP is being co-sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Sewer District. It is a great tie-in and I love that both the zoo and the sewer district went with it.

And while both Morty and Torn could be visiting guest lecturers at the zoo, Becca will be happy to know that this entire summer program is based on a book by one Dr. Wayne Lynch from.........wait for it....wait for it.....wait for it.........Clyde Peeling's Reptiland (no, that last word is not a typo).

At Halloween, the Metroparks does Boo at the Zoo. You'd think this year they'd do Poo at the Zoo.

I truly wish I could find the radio ad to post on-line, it is both hilarious and clever. As the copy goes, the Scoop on Poop might not the the first reason to go to the zoo, but it is Number Two.


Song by: Warren Zevon

Sunlit Room

100 year old houses - there ain't nothing easy about them. Something always needs repaired, updated or redone.

We've been stymied on our next renovation project for any number of reasons: cost is always one. which project is more important. how do we do one project that doesn't bleed into another, thus taking on two or three at once, which then goes right back to cost.

The sunroom has been lower on the list, though it is on the list. It is one of our smallest rooms, but one we spend the majority of our time in. I think it might have just gotten moved up in priority.

For the last few weeks, off and on, I got whiffs of a mildew smell. It took Denton and other week or so before he experienced it. In the two week time frame, it would set off Denton's asthma when he'd step into the room. And it got to the point I couldn't really stand it anymore, but could not figure out from where it was eminating.

The big concerns were that it was a leak in the roof and that we'd not only have to repair/replace it, but there'd be a mold problem as well. I started to shut-down. I couldn't deal with that (which also might be an issue with ever picking our next project).

Finally this last weekend, Denton did find the source: a small, but consistent, radiator leak going onto carpet, behind a piece of furniture.

We drained the radiators, since I think we're done for a few months with the need for heat, and a plumber will be needed to fix the leak.

As you can see, to get rid of the smell at this point, meant using an exacto knife on the carpet, thus probably pushing up a sunroom renovation in our house-beautification time line. But in my mind, there were better things to do, so maybe a potted plant over the big gaping parallelogram of floor will suffice for a bit.

Not pretty, that's for sure, but then I haven't seen the plant selection.


Song by: Don Dixon

King Without a Castle

I got nothing for Memorial Day, per se. Nothing.

Is there anything sadder than a collapsed bouncy castle? Probably.

Back at Edgewater park (ok, it was still the same day as the truck fire), there weren't one, but two Bouncy Castles that deflated and collapsed upon themselves and their occupants like a result of the deformation of timepace caused by a very compact mass.

We were kind of amazed that people rented these things, along with gasoline generator and electric air blower to keep the things up and running. I guess you need to do that to keep your spawn busy for a few hours while you try to eat and eat and eat in the showiness of nature.

That's it. That's all I got.

Hope you enjoy your long holiday and this unofficial kick off to summer.


Song by: Chris Isaak

Fire Walk with Me

Yesterday was a bee-you-tiful day. The car thermometer said 77, but it felt a good 10 degrees warmer than that.

It was workout, as usual and then we ran around for a bit. Some errands, lunch - because I need to eat......constantly, if the scale I stepped on is any indicator. I don't get it, I eat an inordinate amount of salads, greens and fruits - and drink very little that isn't water. I mean, beer and wine are mostly water - right????

Seriously though, I do drink about 100-120 oz of water a day. I'm not gaining gaining, but I sure ain't losing either. And we know it ain't all muscle.

Then we went up to Edgewater Park (shit, is this a crappy website, or what?). We just walked around to get our vitamin D and took in the sights of too many people with no shirts on, who had no right taking them off in the first place. Too many people with too many homemade tattoos. Too much blaring music - and none of it good. Some kite flying. And too much lighter fluid for their Weber imitations.

If you look at the above image, we had just walked past where the smoke monster plume of smoke is, but it Smokey wasn't there when we were. At first I thought it was, well too much lighter fluid on someone's imitation Weber, but it clearly was not.

Nope, it was a truck that had pulled off the highway and was massively on fire.

Years ago Morty told me that in his smaller town, whenever a fire engine was heard, folks got in their cars and followed it. I found that amusing. I'm not sure he was amused that I was amused, but it was what it was.

So it wasn't lost on me entirely that as this truck fire grew out of control that people ran toward it. ....with their toddlers and babies in tow.

We also loved the amount of car traffic that continued to pour past it as it looked ready to explode the more it seemed to rage out control. Alas it never did, and maybe that only happens in the movies, but why you'd risk it and take your kids to see it is a little beyond me.

I guess everyone likes to view destruction and other people's loss. Maybe it makes us feel better about ourselves.

It should be noted it took a cop at least 10 minutes to get on the scene - another five for a fire engine and then another five for the frickin' park police (who pretty much live there) to show up. The firemen doused the car with their hose and the black smoke turned to white. I said, "well, they've elected a new pope".....and we walked on. The show was over.


Song by: Angelo Badalamenti

Drinkin' in My Sunday Dress

Drinking? Absolutely. I mean, you have met me (or at least read me, right??)

Sunday? Well one of many days I might drink, but in truth it was only Friday.

Sunday Dress? Never. I might spill something on the taffeta.

But last night we kicked off the long weekend by going out to the Grotto, which is kind of our neighborhood hang-out. I got there a lot with my man-date, Scott. However, Denton and I like to go there, especially in the warmer months. We sit outside, order a bottle or two of wine and of course, food. I mean, I'm not only an alcoholic. I do need food.

Last night it was some white Argentinian wine and lobster gnocchi with truffle oil. Though just the two of us, it was nice conversation and we didn't even have our favourite server, but still had a nice guy who took good care of us.

Technically summer does not begin for almost a month and the unofficial kick-off is this Memorial Day weekend, but to me, summer begins with the patio at the Grotto being open. It's good to have a special place where folks know you and where you can kick back and relax.

Welcome to unofficial summer!


Song by: Maria McKee

Zero Zero Zero

It's come to this.

I have them every once in a while. It comes with the territory of blogging daily.

I. Got. Nothing.

It's been a long work week. It's been a long month. We're going into a long holiday weekend, so enjoy it. I will take to the blog over the weekend of course, so maybe I will come across a funny snippet, story, image or have some kind of adventure.

Until then - enjoy.


Song by: Sam Phillips

Smiling Islands

Yesterday after work, I walked a few blocks to Fat Fish Blue to see a friend of mine play guitar.

Colin John is his stage name. It is first name and possibly his middle name, but he does have a last name. While the URL is for the Colin John Band, there was no band - just Colin.

Colin was one of my first friends from high school. I was (and am) a complete dork. Colin seemed cool. Too cool to talk to me, but he always did. He sat next to me in English freshman year and in front of me in band for four years - he on sax, me on trumpet. He is also potentially the only person from high school that I'd go out of my way to see.

But he clearly played guitar and bass. I had seen him play bass in a band while we were in high school, but as friends we lost touch after freshman year of college. Colin stayed with me for a weekend at Ohio State, but after that - I had no clue what happened.

I blogged about him (barely) a few years ago and his wife found the entry by Goooogling him. We've kind of been in touch since.

Colin now lives in Hawai'i, but tours and thanks to FB, I knew of some local dates in NE Ohio. Since I travel a lot, this was the time I could see him.

He recognized me right away and came up to see me. I assume I've changed in the last two plus decades. I have less hair. I'm heavier.

We had a good conversation and did some catching up, but then he had to play. I had a few beers and then had to get home. But Colin played a nice set - all instrumental, mostly blues and he was great.

So, that was a little unexpected, but nice. There. That's all I got.


Song by: Robbie Patton

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!

I would say about 94% of my SwB segments have been food related. This isn't one of them.

We were on our way to Montreal when I think we heard a program on this. I'm pretty sure it went on way too long for a commercial. Of course I couldn't remember the name of the product but it didn't take long to find it once I put my mind to it.


The Better Marriage Blanket.

It is an odor absorbing blanket. Since I couldn't remember all that, I typed 'fart blanket' in Gooooogle. It came up immediately.

Is flatulence ruining your love life? My friends, look no further than the Better Marriage Blanket, a fart-absorbing wünderspread that means you'll never again have to blame it on the dog.

I didn't know passing gas was so detrimental to relationships. Clearly these folks haven't heard of Beano. It's cheaper and you don't have to wash it.

....and what kind of black hole is in this blanket that absorbs all smells? It might emit Hawking radiation, but you kind of have to figure he can't control this butt beeps.

So Morty, remember, it's just a blanket, not a miracle.

Record of the Month - Classic

Another installment of a disk I have enjoyed over the years. I'm trying to keep the Record of the Month posts to be fairly new releases. Classics are going to be ones that are at least 5 years old.
I was sooooo tempted to review another Dixie Chicks album, just to annoy a certain someone, but I didn't really have it in me. Though, I wasn't about to touch on Dio either. He was never my thing.

But I did think I'd stick with chick singers. I like 'em, ironically enough.

Forget the Prince-penned "Manic Monday" and the sappy "Eternal Flame" crap you probably know of the Bangles. Their first full-length album, All Over the Place, is where it's at, man.

Back when this was released in 1984, the press dubbed them to be more mod than they actually were, more Beatles-like than they actually ever could be and yet less talented than male counterparts.

All Over the Place is certainly more rock/pop (yes, in that order) oriented any of their subsequent efforts. Those seemed to be obvious attempts at radio airplay. Their single "Going Down to Liverpool" single might have gotten MTV airplay, but I don't remember hearing it on the radio at all. ..and I think it only got MTV airplay because Leonard Nimoy was in it.

That all being said, the girls played well on this album and no one had a more starring role than the other - which of course would somewhat change later when Susanna Hoffs seemingly had the lead vocal in most of their singles.

But this batch of songs were guitar heavy, some to the point of distortion - but don't get me wrong, it's not Neil Young type distortion. The playing is tight, the vocals are good and they show a good knack for harmony. I like(d) the G0-Go's too, but harmony wasn't their strong suit - not that they tried much.

Songs here are short and sweet, most all of them clocking in under three minutes. The longest song, "Dover Beach" should have co-songwriting credits by T.S. Eliot as they clearly steal lines from his The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

All of the songs are more than listenable, but there are some I like more than others: "Tell Me", "He's Got a Secret", "Live" (which does make obvious Beatles attempts), and "Restless". I like "Dover Beach" too, but I think it's mainly because I love Prufrock.

If there is a drawback to the album, it is that there are no songs written or sung by the almost always under-utilized bassist, Michael Steele. To me, she was always the strongest of the songwriters, but had limited exposure. Granted she had joined shortly before recording of this album, but still.....

There is nothing deep about this record and it's over in less than 30 minutes. But it's good mid-80s fun that kind of defies that era.

Site of the Month

Ok, this isn't the bestest site, but when have I ever had the bestest SotM? Well once I did, back in '04 when I was still attempting Site of the Week. The others have been kind of hit or miss. Like this one:

Dudes with Beards Eating Cupcakes.

I'm a dude. I LOVE cupcakes. So, I kind of had to grow the beard to participate. And I did opt to participate. I mean, it isn't called Dudes with Goatees Eating Cupcakes, is it?

Oh, I didn't say it would be pretty. No. No. No. (I guess you could say that last part like Amy Winehouse.). To be fair, even with this ugly pic (and can I tell you how hard it is to eat a cupcake and take a self-portrait?), I think I'm pretty-ing up their site quite a bit - and that's saying something! It's pretty tough to be the best looking one on their URL, but if you look through, even I think I'm in the upper percentile.

My friend Sal directed me towards this site on Facebook when he submitted a pic of himself eating a cupcake (duh) with sprinkles. I left a comment dubbing him Sprinkles - and much to his dismay, it has kind of stuck with a number of this FB friends. He claims not to be happy about it, but deep down I think it makes him smile.

And there are pictures on the FB group that are not on the website.....if you care that much....or at all.

I will say this of the cupcake I'm eating - it was pretty frickin' good. Someone brought in to work when I was in Philly. I've tried a number of cupcakes at these specialty stores and most all of them are fair at best. It's a great business model even for bad cupcakes: instant gratification for $3 a pop.

...of course, gratification is relative, but you don't know that until you take the first bite and find out. You can extend that sentence to a metaphor for any sort of life experiences. They just don't all have sprinkles.

Broadway

I'm being entirely lazy today. I think I've earned that right.

I thought I loved this Kids in the Hall sketch, and while it is funny, but I'm not feeling it. Truth be told, I still use a number of lines from this bit. I can almost bet you'd all figure out which ones too.

Sorry for being a little lame today. Tomorrow is another day.

Song by: Alison Krauss + Union Station

My Way Home

I'm home. For a few days. Then back on the road.

Honestly, overall, I don't mind it. I have to say, the Residence Inn has the best pillows I've come across in hotel living. Most of them suck beyond belief. I don't really need the dishwasher, cook top and full refrig. I mean, I'm only there for two to three days, not weeks. If I had to live there, it would be pretty grim.

But I'm back from another trip to Philadelphia. Outside of Philly actually. Not much to do other than work, but it was at least interesting and spent some time with my peers, whom I actually really like.

Oh, someone there brought in Conshohocken (no, not a typo) Tomato Pie. Or as you and I would call it: Pizza without Cheese. Don't call it that though, apparently the natives get all bent out of shape about this Philly "delicacy".

Once again, I also had to deal with the dreaded Philadelphia airport. It really is the pits when it comes to big town airports. Some of the terminals connect, but only if you get past security. Other than that you have to walk outside.

Terminal D is the big one, where you wait forever for your TSA screening. But if you go to a less congested one, g-d forbid, those can't accommodate my mobile boarding pass, which resides on my iPhone. So you're made to go to Terminal D for that, but since I'm not past security, they make you walk outside.

BTW, the mobile boarding pass is a cool thing, when it works. Sometimes the scanners aren't all that. And some of the smaller airports don't have the technology to accommodate them. However, the guy behind me at the gate must have repeated "that is so cool!" about eight times. And it is. I can pretend it is to be green, but the iPhone will last a lot longer in the landfill than my paper ticket. But that's ok, it is so cool!

Oh, as for my image at the title? I totally fucked with FAA rules and used a portable electronic device when I was specifically told to power them off. Suck it!!!!


Song by: Kirsty MacColl

Waiting in Canada

2 of 2 posts with travel images. Am I boring you yet? T.S.

As usual, you're not getting many shots of us, since you've never seen him. Just more random shots of our few days away. Some on this side of the border, some the other.

Here we are at the Canadian border. One stop light. One camera. Where's the security?

Here we are at the U.S. border. Multiple stop lights. Multiple MULTIPLE cameras per lane. And an agent with an attitude/complex who didn't like that we had too big of a rental for only two people and got out of his booth to search it.

Per a Kids in the Hall sketch, I wanted to be like Oscar Wilde (or Buddy Cole) answering the question: "Do you have anything to declare", and me saying "Just my genius". But the question was never asked.

Evening sky over Place Jacques Cartier

City Hall under renovation. I like how the building covering will be how the renovation will eventually look like.

With the Stanley Cup playoffs underway, the chances of you seeing a Les Habs flag flying than a Maple Leaf are pretty fuckin' good.

Labyrinthe. Alas Mort, no porc. No porc.

St. Lawrence River and downtown Montreal from the Jacques Cartier Bridge

Parc Olymique. Home of the 1976 Summer Games. Time has not been kind to the buildings.

Tulips up on Mount Royal

Wanna knock over a bank in Burlington, VT? This would have been the time to do it. Seemingly every cop was in this park waiting for a group photo.

Song by: Jann Arden

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!
Yeah, I'm a Dixie Chicks fan, and they've been kind of dormant for a few years now, so I was a bit excited regarding two-thirds of the group putting out a "side project", the Court Yard Hounds with their self-titled album.

Side project is in quotes because only part of me believes the Chicks will record again and that this is really the new full-tine gig of sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire.

While talented in their own right - both sisters are very accomplished multi-instrumentalists and songwriters - they do lack a certain spark that Natalie Maines brought to the trio as their vocalist. And overall, I'm being nice.

CYH is kind of snooze of an album. It has all the right intentions and a lot of talent, but like I said, no spark.

With all due respect to the sisters, they were wise to hire a lead singer of Maines' capabilities. There is a reason the sisters sing harmony and backing vocals. While fully capable singers, there is nothing distinctive about what they do here. There are hundreds of female vocalists already out there who sing with mediocrity ("April's Love", "Skyline", "Fear of Wasted Time", "Well Behaved", etc). Too add insult to injury, they pick the least charismatic collaborator when having Jakob Dylan duet on one song. He doesn't even compliment the lead vocal.

There are a few songs that have the right idea, but aren't quite there - like "Delight (Something New Under the Sun)", that you can't think if Maines were taking the lead vocals, it would work.

And then there are ones that are a slight notch above that where they make an attempt for something above a pulse, or a chart position: "The Coast", "I Miss You".

I do like "Ain't No Son" and not because I am a gay man (it's a song about a gay son). The CHY finally kick it up, but you can't help but wonder how out of the park it could/would have been with Maines singing this. Still, had more of the disk been like this song, it would have been a worthy purchase.

I wasn't expecting a Dixie Chicks disk, but I was expecting something more creative and not so bland.