Last night, Laura and I went to a wonderful show at SUNY New Paltz. We saw “The Pirates of Penzance.” Good thing we did, because last night was the last show.
As you may know, I have a little problem when I get frustrated. I tend to complain about it. People don’t like to hear me complain, so sometimes, they fix my problem for me. Laura is one of those people. The other night, I was complaining that we don’t do enough with the resources we live near. One of those resources in the college up in New Paltz. The college was actually one of the things we were excited to have nearby when we first came to this area. I am always thinking, “How the heck do we get away from the losers who ride out tails on the roads…the ones who just seem to be mean spirited? How do we hang out with people like us?” I guess all we had to do was to go to a show up at the college.
There were all types of people up there, from students to retired to us. I guess we were middle of the road folk. There were a lot of parents coming to see their kids put on a performance too. It felt so good to be on a campus again, feeling the buzz of excitement of all that college has to offer. I really do miss it.
Anyway, about the show…it was really good. I was so impressed by what these kids could do. I mean, it was like they were professionals. I like the casual atmosphere of the audience and the way the performers catered to them. They really seemed to connect.
I think there are two performances each semester, so from now on, we are going to go to them. How’s that for an idea to get out of the house to chill with people like us?
I just have to say…I love it. I really, really love it.
I long time ago, I saw the movie, “Dirty Dancing.” While I love certain parts of this movie, like when Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) says, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” I especially love the Eric Carmen video of Hungry Eyes at the end of the DVD.
You just have to respect Eric Carmen for managing all that hair. I can’t seem to locate the actual video that played at the end of the DVD, but this one will do. If you want to see the long hair, check out the second video.
Now mind you, the first line of the song is, “I run a comb through my hair.”
I was just telling someone at work here a very funny story from my long torrid past. This is a good, but short, one.
Back in sixth grade in Brewster, I had this girlfriend named Janet. I am not sure why I had a girlfriend at such an early time in my life…she may have seduced me. My story included how Janet and I had a massive note exchanging operation. It seemed like every time we saw each other, we passed notes to one another. I was also saying how I really never had anything to write because she was a grade above me and I really didn’t have anything in common with her. Why were we going out? I am not sure. Even though, receiving the notes was pretty fun because you just never know what you are going to get. Sadly, there wasn’t all that much good content.
I used to like to go to flea markets. The Stormville Flea Market was the best in the area. One time, when I went there (I think) with my good friend Rob (who never calls me anymore), I picked up an Iron Maiden t-shirt. I wasn’t really a metal band fan, but perhaps one day I could be. The real reason I bought one of these t-shirts was because they had the coolest graphics on them…I mean cool. The one I bought had those cool blue 3/4 sleeves with black material for the inside with a skull and chain graphic. This thing was badass.
One day, while wearing my new t-shirt and exchanging notes with Janet in middle school, I was approached by a dirtbag. You know who they are…the ones you stay away from. This dude comes up to me and fist grabs my t-shirt and pushes me against the wall. He said in a really tough voice, “Tell me one song that Iron Maiden plays.” I just stood there up against the wall looking around. How the hell would I know what Iron Maiden played? I was just wearing the damn shirt. I told him I had no idea and he said, “If I ever see you in this shirt again, I am going to kick your ass.” I thanked him for explaining the importance of knowing a little something about the band on the t-shirt you are wearing. Then, I grabbed his wrist, pulled it off my shirt and shoved him back a few feet. I stepped forward and karate kicked him in the chest. He fell on the floor and started to get up when I bent down and grabbed his hair. I gave his face two swift punches to break his nose and knock out two front teeth.
Ok, the last part didn’t happen. He let go and I walked away in shame. Janet still was my girlfriend, but we did break up a short time later. I am not sure if it had anything to do with this incident. I think we all know the lesson we should learn from this story. I’ll leave it there…
We went to the International Celtic Festival at Hunter Mountain yesterday. It was a good day and reminded my very much of the Oktoberfest at Hunter Mountain. They had kind of the same setup and the skyride was open, so we could ride up the mountain.
We took Rt.28 into the Catskill Park into Phoenicia. Then, we took Rt.214 to Rt.23a and made a left into Hunter.
It was pretty cool. We got to see the new building they made a few years ago. That’s where we paid our $12 admission fee (each) and the $8 skyride fee (each). Right after we got in, we grabbed two Guinness. That beer isn’t too fancy, since we drink it all the time, but it was the darkest one they had. Then, we (or I) ate my traditional funnel cake and Laura had her traditional Sauerkraut. The Sauerkraut was really good.
There was a long list of entertainment at the festival. Here it is -
- Black 47
- Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul
- Glengarry Bhoys
- Andy Cooney
- The Barley Boys
- Liz McNicholl
- Seamus Kennedy
- Schenectady Pipe Band
- Donny Golden Irish Dancers
- Broesler Irish Dancers
- Ceili Country
- Tim Quinn
- MC - Frankie Curran
After we ate, we went up the skyride. This is the real reason I went there. For the Oktoberfest, I went for the beer, for this one, I went for the skyride.
If you go to Hunter, you gotta go up the mountian. Believe it or not, the guys were still there carving the Rip Van Winkle thingy in the rock. I was wondering why it was taking so long, but I just learned on the web page that they only carve on festival days. This is so the public can see the progress. It’s pretty cool.
At the top of the mountain, Laura and I found the absolute best place to hang out and chill. There were a few benches in a partially shady section of grass. It was very relaxing…so relaxing that I spread myself out on the ground. Those pictures are a little weird, but I did take one of the grass while I was down there.
The weather was good yesterday. It was actually kind of chilly on the way down the mountain. The wind was going up the mountain, so it was a bit breezy, but that didn’t inhibit the view at all.
When we got to the bottom, we stood and watched the Irish pole toss, or whatever it was called. It is a good time to see people try to throw different sized wooden posts. Some make it, some don’t. After we watched for a while, we decided to leave.
On the way home, we always pass this little area near a lake. It is part of the Devil’s Tombstone Public Campground. If you decide to stop there to look at the lake, be careful. The guy is poking around to ticket whoever doesn’t pay. I almost got one, but I smiled my way out of it.
I am getting a little sick and tired of traveling through little towns that are desperate for income. You see the strangest people walking the sidewalks along with a whole row of stores on main street that are ready to close down. It’s almost like no one in the area has a good idea. Who the heck knows.
So, with that in mind, I have been on a little hunt. Where are Laura and I going to spend the next chunk of life? I think we have narrowed it down to either Woodstock, NY or Red Hook, NY. Both of those town are beautiful. We have been to Woodstock quite a bit lately and found it very relaxing. It is off the beaten path a bit though. I have been thinking of something a little closer to the middle…you know, near Massachusetts, Kingston and the Catskills. Two towns close to the middle are Red Hook and Rhinebeck, NY.
So, after thinking all these things, we decided to jump in the car yesterday to go for a ride. We drove up Rt.209 and crossed the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Our first order of business was to visit this campground that my family camped at when we were kids. It is called Interlake RV Park. After traveling through the woods for a while and getting kind of lost, I asked for directions, twice. We passed the coolest place. It is called Omega Institute. Check it out. It was nice to see something buried way back in the woods that was thriving. The parking lot was full. We kept on driving and finally found the campground. I talked to the lady in the office and she let us look around. The reason I remember this campground is because when we went on a boat ride in their lake, a snake slithered out from under the seat. We had just gotten out of the boat, so we were lucky.
I have to say, this campground was thriving too. It was a pretty nice place, very well kept and clean. The only thing that bugged me is that the individual camp sites were kind of close together. Also, there seemed to be a lot of permanent RVs. Otherwise, it was nice.
After that, we headed down Rt.19 and some other roads into Rhinebeck. I visited Rhinebeck a while ago, but really didn’t get a good look at it. We came in from the West, so I got a better look at it this time. I had no idea how nice it really is. I didn’t get any really nice pictures, but I did get a few.
The picture above is the sign of the Beekman Arms Inn. This was a really nice place. Who knows…maybe one day we will stay there. Ok, put this town on the “move to” list.
We drove North on Rt.9G out of town towards Red Hook. We drove through Red Hook and found that very nice as well. That went on the “move to” list too. It is a small town and a little more quiet, so I like it. It is also closer to the bridge and Bard College. That is good. Since it is less crowded, I think there might be more potential for that town. I can mold it into what I want.
The last thing I wanted to see was Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. I was telling Laura that I find it amazing that I have lived in this area for such a long time and have never seen this school. I have heard that it is nice and I wanted to see for myself. Soooo, yeah, Bard College is really nice. There were little tours going on for the new students. Either that or students looking at colleges. I guess this is the time of year they do this stuff. The people looked very nice, even a little hippy-ish. I like that too. We drove through campus to see the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. They have all sorts of shows there, which I will be bringing Laura to in a few months.
The end of the day was coming and we had some shopping to do on the other side of the river, so we headed out. During our drive back across the bridge, I handed the camera to Laura to see if she could get any good shots of the Catskill Mountians. That is a real perk…that view. Some of them were blurry because we were moving, but one came out the best. There was also the coolest little airport right off the highway on the Kingston side of the bridge. It’s called the Kingston-Ulster Airport and is for small aircraft.
We did our shopping and headed home to look on realtor.com. I will keep you informed. It may take a few years.
Whenever someone wants to name their new band, I am sure there is some creative process that goes on. I always think of the band sitting around in some kitchen in Yonkers with a fluorescent tube light hanging over their heads. They go back and forth until they come up with something they can agree on. Usually, the longer this conversation goes on, the dumber the name gets. I think the best names for things just pop in to people’s heads while driving or rowing a boat or something.
We have all been there. We have all tried to find a name for something. Sometimes you think of something great and run around to tell everyone, but sometimes the name you settle on is a little weird and you avoid telling people what you thought of. Personally, I have always had a problem with thinking of catchy domain names. That’s why I just name them what they are now. If I am setting up a blog, I call it something like “jaysblog.com.” On the internet, the name really doesn’t matter anymore anyway.
I am having a little issue with some of the bands today. Firstly, they are all sounding alike. Secondly, they are coming out so fast that their names are just plain silly. I really like a song by Finger Eleven, but c’mon, what the heck is with that name? It sounds like they tried too hard. Also, Pillow Face is probably the most annoying name I have heard of to date. That was almost topped by a band name I just heard of a few minuted ago…Drowning Pool.
Maybe it’s just me. It usually is. Maybe back in the day, The Police and AC/DC sounded dumb, but we got used to them. Maybe in the future I will think that Pillow Face is a great band and I will tell people proudly that Pillow Face is my favorite group ever.
If I woke up last night not knowing where I was, I would’ve thought I was on another planet and all the people around me were aliens. If you haven’t guessed, I was in Connecticut. Things are strange in Connecticut. It’s amazing how many variations of cultures we have in this country, even ones that are quite close to one another.
We pulled in to Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. Of course, the traffic was filling up the parking lots. We were guided to a nice spot in a back lot. Right after we shut the car off, most of the other cars and trucks around us started popping their trunks and setting up BBQs, tables and food. We didn’t have anything but our bodies. Since we were early, we sat in the car for a while, just to watch what was going on around us. The crowd was like a big white mass of insurance workers. I saw a lot of blond hair and I can imagine many of the guys were named, “Tom.” They all had this look about them…they kind of all looked like Pilgrims. I guess they were cool…just different. Odd crowd. I was eavesdropping on a conversation to the right of us and heard this little exchange…”Yeah, put that in an Excel spreadsheet.” “Yeah…DOUBLE UNDERLINE!!!” I just love dorky work talk among coworkers.
So, the show started off with Fiction Plane. These guys were really good. I thought the lead singer sounded strikingly like Sting. Laura kept saying that he could be a mini-Sting. She mentioned that when Sting kicks the bucket, this might have to be her replacement. Well, as it turns out, the lead singer of Fiction Plane is Joe Sumner…Gordon Sumner’s son…AKA, Sting. How cool is that? I am sure I am going to hear about this from Laura because if there was one man she would leave me for, it would be Sting. Geeesh, now there are two. I guess I gotta clamp down.
A funny little story about Joe Sumner and Laura. As we were sitting there last night waiting for The Police to set up, Laura told me a little something about Fiction Plane. She said that they had opened up for Sting during another concert. After the concert, she was out getting a t-shirt or something and someone asked if she wanted a Fiction Plane autograph. She said (out loud), “I don’t want an autograph, unless it’s Sting’s.” She told me that she thought the Fiction Plane guy heard her. Well Laura, watcha got to say now?
Fiction Plane was really good. They played for about a half hour…from 8PM to 8:30PM. It took about 45 minutes for The Police to set up, but it was worth the wait. The Police played the first song without the big video screens on. I think Laura was getting nervous. Then, after the first song and a little in to the second…WHAM, the colors from the Synchronicity albumn came up and faded to the live action. Pretty cool stuff.
Yeah, the concert was pretty cool. Nice loud sound and great visuals. They played all the good old stuff, obviously. The bad part is that I was taking pictures with my cell phone, which I would not even waste posting here. The lady next to us had a digital camera and was taking shots the whole time. I was waiting for the end, so I could hand her my business card and ask her to email the photos to me. Towards the end of the show, I looked over and they were gone. Man!!! I would’ve loved to post them up to show here.
So, if anyone has original photos and you are willing to allow me to post them here, please let me know. Thank you.
Here is what they played -
1. Message in a Bottle
2. Synchronicity II
3. Walking on the Moon
4. Voices Inside My Head
5. When the World is Running Down
6. Don’t Stand So Close to Me
7. Driven to Tears
8. Truth Hits Everybody/Regatta de Blanc
9. The Bed’s Too Big Without You
10. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
11. Wrapped Around Your Finger
12. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
13. Invisible Sun
14. Walking in Your Footsteps
15. Can’t Stand Losing You
16. Roxanne
Encore
17. King of Pain
18. So Lonely
19. Every Breath You Take
Now, I am not saying that I am a big Beethoven fan or anything, but the show was pretty good. The whole thing is that you get to lie out under the stars, while listening to the music. It’s pretty neat. Last summer, when we went up for the first time, all we brought was a blanket. We were eaten alive by the bugs and I had to buy two plastic cups of red wine and some cookies for about $20. This time was different. We made a list and everything…here is what we brought…
…all in a big cloth bag. The only thing we were missing was our sleeping bag to throw over us when it got a little chilly later on. To improvise, I just moved everything off the blanket we had and rolled ourselves up in it. I started to doze off towards the end of the show, but I was quite comfortable, so you can’t really blame me.
Here are some photos that I tried to grab…
This is right after we parked the car. We were walking up towards the gate and I realized that I forgot my camera. I had to run back and grab it…alond with this photo of the parking lot.
I took this photo of the Koussevitzky Music Shed on our way in. People are getting set up on the lawn.
Here is a great view of the lake and the Berkshires in the background.
This is the house right behind where we set up our blanket.
Laura had to run to the little girl’s room, so I decided to get fancy and set up shop.
I took this photo of the gift shop on our way out.
I think the show ended around 11PM. We drove all the way down past Stockbridge and through Great Barrington. Then, we followed Rt.23 to Rt.9H down into Red Hook, NY and then crossed the Mid-Hudson Bridge past Kingston. It was a good drive, but we were getting way tired. We stumbled in a fell right asleep. We woke up this morning at about 11:15AM. I haven’t done that since I was a teenager. I felt pretty guilty about that type of laziness. Man…
When I work at home, I usually sit at the computer in silence. The TV might be on in the other room, but generally, there is nothing going on. Every so often, I remember to click a few music files that I have on computer.
Last year some time, I ripped about 50 CDs onto my computer. When I play the music while working, it really lightens the mood. My head turns to so many other things besides just work.
Last night, Laura was watching the movie “Great Expectations” in the living room. It has a pretty good soundtrack. I was just doing some site upgrades which requires a lot of uploading and downloading, which can get boring. I decided to listen to some “Steve Perry” from his greatest hits album.
Every time I listen to this album, I start off with the song, “It Won’t Be You.” It’s pretty laid back and relaxed. Steve Perry is a very talented artist…if you are a “Journey” fan, you know what I am talking about. It’s the kind of music that you close your eyes to. It brings you somewhere else. I remember a few times while I was living in Atlanta with my friend Rob, I would lay on the floor with my headphones on listening to something good. One time, Rob came home from work and had to step over me. He told me later on that he knew I was in the zone, so he didn’t want to interrupt me.
Music changes people’s lives…it’s a wonder that I don’t listen to it more. After listening to a few songs last night, I was so inspired to write about it right then and there. I was way too tired, so I decided to wait until this morning.
One of my most memorable times ever listening to Journey was the ride from Ocean City, MD. I was around 18 years old and had finally talked my friend, Craig, into taking the trip with me. It was about 9PM when we got in thte car to drive South. We stayed in Ocean City for a day or two and then drove straight out of town North on Rt.1. This is a really nice drive by itself, but the conditions of this drive made it even better. Craig was in the passenger seat, just looking out the window at the ocean to the right. I was looking out the other window to the fields on the left. It was around 7PM. There was a huge rain cloud directly over us making things wet, but to the left, you could see the line where the clouds stopped and where the sun started. The best part of the trip was Craig’s “Journey - Greatest Hits” CD. We listened to all the greats…”Who’s Crying Now,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and everyone’s favorite, “Wheel in the Sky.” It was nice to drive with no talking while listening to the best music out there. It really made the trip.
We made it up to Lewes to take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to Cape May, NJ. This is a really cool ferry that cuts a lot of time out of your trip, if you want to stay on the coast. You get to drive your car on it. At the time, I was driving a 1985 Honda Prelude with some decent sound. Since the ride takes about an hour, I opened the doors and let everyone else listen to a little Journey as well, even if they didn’t want to. That was one of the greatest trips of my life and the music played a big part of making it so great.
Have you ever heard of the Epiphany Project? I was just sitting here and a weird thought popped in my head. It was “Epiphany Project.” I know…it’s strange.
Laura told me yesterday that she started listening to the “Chill” channel on the Sirius Satellite Radio I got for her two Christmases ago. I like that kind of music, it’s very relaxing.
If you read my previous post about Peter Kagan or Garrison Keillor, then you would know that I have many a “epiphany” while I am driving, listening to NPR. Well, one night a while ago, NPR aired an interview with the Epiphany Project. They seemed very deep and worthwhile exploring. I like some of the song titles. Here they are:
• Gone
• Lockerbie
• Jealousy
• Walkin’
• Long Gray Line
• Tubwahun
• To The Lighthouse
• Mission Bells
• Blackbird
• Chasing The Moon
• Widow’s Walk
• Goth
• Black II
• Black I
You can listen to some of the sample musichere, or purchase the CD.
I like this review found on Amazon’s site:
In a galaxy far… far… away… resides the most exquisite compilation of piano and vocals. It is a galaxy created by Bet Williams and John Hodian. I had the pleasure of seeing this duo perform it “live” and they literally transported my mind to another place… a wonderful dimension. Like another reviewer, I had this in my CD player for months on end. I return to it often. A rare and UNIQUE treasure.
