Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Turner's Bachelor Party
My friend Turner is getting married so a group of 9 of us threw him a bachelor party. The night got a little crazy when......hey, I am pretty sure everyone knows what goes on at a bachelor party so just use your imagination.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas Time
Its Christmas time which means a couple of things:
- Watching a lot of TBS' "A Christmas Story" 24 Hour Marathon
- Tons of unhealthy food
- Flying Airhog planes and helicopters with Dad as Mom laughes at us
- Trying desperatly to stay awake during Midnight Mass
- Christmas Eve Toasts with the Family
- Friends Christmas gift exchange
- Staying away from Creepy Santas
- Taking about 3 naps in one day
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Ugly Christmas Sweater PubCrawl
On Friday the 17th, a group of friends and I went on another Pub Crawl like we did in the Spring. The only difference is that we were required to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater that you could find.The point of the Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl was to raise money for a local charity. I have no clue what charity would be benefiting from a bunch of drunken buffoons wearing tacky as hell sweaters roaming from bar to bar, but apparently a lot of money was raised for them.
The pub crawl was in Downtown Fort Worth and consisted of visiting 5 different bars within walking distance of each other. The Schedule for the Pub Crawl is as follows:
- POAG MAHONE'S 6:30 - 7:15
- 7th HAVEN 7:15 - 8:00
- SHAMROCK PUB 8:00 - 8:45
- CHIMY'S 8:45 - 9:30
- DURTY CROW 9:30 - ??
The cool thing about this pub crawl was that each bar that participated had a ton of drink specials that dramatically cut the prices for beer and liquor. Beer could cost $1.50 each and wells were only $2.
I started at Poag Mahone's around 6:45 with Colin and Meredeth, who were both decked out in there most hideous Christmas Sweaters. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but toot toot, my sweater kicked ass. I bought a cheap sweater vest and a light blue turtleneck shirt that was covered in different snowflake shapes and sizes. To make the vest even more tacky, I attached 50 battery operated Christmas lights to the sweat and finished it off with an old school winter hat also with color changing lights.
Before the 3 of us went to the next bar, we played a couple of games and waited for Brittany to
show up, who was late as usual. Brittany finally showed up in time to have a drink at Poag Mahone's before we left for the 2nd bar.
On the way to the next bar, Brittany and I decided that we should eat something since the both of us came to the pub crawl straight from work and have not had any thing to eat since noon. In between Poag Mahone's and 7th Haven bar is a great taco stand called "Taco Head".
The Taco Head is just a small trailer that can barely fit 3 employees in there. One person will take the order while the other two make the food. Another employee will stand outside and clean up any messes around the tables and chairs that they put out and also bring out more condiments for the customers.
After devouring a couple of the best chicken and cheese soft tacos, it was time to rejoin the group in 7th Haven. The people who participated in the Pub Crawl grew quickly as did our own group. At the first bar, there only about 20 people who were associated with the pub crawl whether they were the organizers who were working it or customers ready to drink a heavy amount of alcohol. By the end of "Taco Time", the number of people doubled to 40 and Bohan, Mindy, Paul, Do, and An joined our group to enjoy festivities.
Since the participants in the Pub Crawl grew so quickly in the small space that is know as 7th Haven, it was time to go on to the Shamrock Pub and get a couple of seats so we could drink and sit down at the same time. Our plan did not work because even though we left the 2nd bar early, The Shamrock was overly crowded. But that really didn't matter because we found 2 seats right at the bar and we were ready to restart the fun.
Our group didn't really want to spend alot of time at the Shamrock because we all knew that Chimy's was the next stop of the Pub Crawl and everyone loves Chimy's. To be honest, I don't know what it is about Chimy's that makes it so great, but it just is. We spent the majority of our time here, mainly because we got a table that could seat our who group and also because I ran into a bunch of Zetas (a sorority) that I knew from college.
After a couple of beers and some nachos later, we relized that we were at Chimy's for about an hour and a half and we were ready to go to the last stop on the pub crawl which was The Durty Crow. I dont know how long we spent there because that place was a time vampire. At one point it was 10:20 and next thing I know, it is past midnight.
At the end of the night at The Durty Crow, there were giving away prizes for the 4 best ugliest sweaters. I, unfortnaly, did not win this prestigous award. But I did find $20 bucks on the floor, so it ended up being a pretty good night.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bar Dive T-Shirt Club
Recently I joined an online club called the Bar Dive Shirt Club. Basically, members of the club will get a shirt and information about a dive bar from somewhere in America once a month. The bar could be a well known dive or place that is pretty isolated and only a handful of people have been there. I got my first shirt today from Kirby's Beer Store in Wichita, Kansas.
With every shirt that I get, I am going to document the shirt, history and pictures of said bar on my picture website. Obviously it will be updated once a month.
With every shirt that I get, I am going to document the shirt, history and pictures of said bar on my picture website. Obviously it will be updated once a month.
Cousin Stephanie is an RN
During the 1st weekend of December, I planned to go to Kansas City in order to attend my cousin Stephanie's RN Graduation Party. I was really excited about the trip with only one exception, that damn cold weather. A high of 32 degrees is a little too cold for me. I am pretty sure that people could tell that I was from out of town because I had a ton of layers on while the locals were roaming around in shorts and a sweatshirt. F-ing showoffs.
When I arrived in Kansas, my Aunt Cathy was the unlucky one who had to pick me up. She took me to see my cousin Daniel at his work at Aristocrat Motors and then we had lunch with my other cousin Dan at a place called Fric and Frak.
What was supposed to be a nice quiet lunch quickly became "shot time" for my cousin Dan. Now, to be honest, I did participate in one shot of rumpermints (probably the most disgusting liquor ever developed by man) along with a couple of beers.
From then, my Aunt Cathy decided to part ways with Dan and I and head home. The two of us braved the rough streets of Kansas in order to meet his brother/my cousin Dirk, who was down the street at the house they live in. And by brave the streets of Kansas, I mean drive by the several antique stores and another bar.
The three of us decided to bar hop for awhile and eventually made our way to the Granfalloon Bar where I meet up with my friend Hilary and some of my cousin's friends. And this is where Sober Cousin Dan Who Enjoyed To Have A Beverage Or 5 became Who In The Hell Did Cousin Dan Become So Drunk And Its Not Even 6 Yet. Its a very scientific process on how this transformation happened. If you follow the steps below closely, this process can happen to you as well.
When I arrived in Kansas, my Aunt Cathy was the unlucky one who had to pick me up. She took me to see my cousin Daniel at his work at Aristocrat Motors and then we had lunch with my other cousin Dan at a place called Fric and Frak.
What was supposed to be a nice quiet lunch quickly became "shot time" for my cousin Dan. Now, to be honest, I did participate in one shot of rumpermints (probably the most disgusting liquor ever developed by man) along with a couple of beers.
From then, my Aunt Cathy decided to part ways with Dan and I and head home. The two of us braved the rough streets of Kansas in order to meet his brother/my cousin Dirk, who was down the street at the house they live in. And by brave the streets of Kansas, I mean drive by the several antique stores and another bar.
The three of us decided to bar hop for awhile and eventually made our way to the Granfalloon Bar where I meet up with my friend Hilary and some of my cousin's friends. And this is where Sober Cousin Dan Who Enjoyed To Have A Beverage Or 5 became Who In The Hell Did Cousin Dan Become So Drunk And Its Not Even 6 Yet. Its a very scientific process on how this transformation happened. If you follow the steps below closely, this process can happen to you as well.
- Have a beer of any sort
- Take a shot of any sort
- Resists any temptation of food of any sort
- Repeat 37 Times
And that is basically what happened to Dan. From this point, Dan didn't want to out any more and just wanted to stay at the bar with a couple of his friends. So after Hilary left, Dirk and I decided to go to Walsh's Corner Cocktail to get a drink and something to eat before we met up with his girlfriend Danielle and her friends.
A group of us decided to go to a place called the Czar Bar. I will be honest, this is where it gets kind of fuzzy for me. From what I do remember there was dancing on tables, obnoxious talking, shots, beers, and what appears to be the longest car ride home that ever existed known to man.
The next day, I don't think that I have ever felt so horrible before as I did. Not only was it a bad hangover, but it was also to 19 degree weather outside. To aide this situation, a choice had to be made, a clear choice, and it was obvious that there was only one choice. Get the greasiest slice a pizza in town.
There was a pretty cool pizza place just down the street from my cousins' house that has New York style pizza. I grabbed a couple of slices, consumed them, and quickly retired back to their house and took a nap until I had to go to my cousin Stephanie's RN Graduation Party.
The party was going to be at my Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda's House (Stephanie's parents) and almost all of the family was there to celebrate. The DeSpain Family was MIA as usual and cousin Dan was gone because we was still hungover from the night before.
There were tons of food, family, drinks, and entertainment to last the whole night. The main party of the night started inside so Paul (Stephanie's husband) could watch the OU game but quickly went into the garage where there were tons of coolers filled with tasty beverages of all kinds to warm anyone up during a cold Kansas City Winter Night. In case you don't know what I am talking about, I mean tons of alcohol.
One thing that saved us from freezing to death in Club de Garcia was the hugh propane heater that Bob (Cousin Julie's boyfriend) got from one of his friends. It definitely keep the garage warm and served as a useful lighter for all of the smokers.
It was now becoming closer to 3 am and the almost everyone had left with the exception of a hand full of cousins. With the majority of the drinks gone, it was time to quickly find a bed or place on the floor to sleep for what was left of the night.
I was woken up a couple of hours later by the sound of a trio of young hooligans known as Dominic, Anthony, and Mason (my cousin Alex's kids) whose age range from young, younger and youngest. The rest of the cousins quickly woke up and had things to do for the day with the exception of Bob. So the two of us got some breakfast at a place called Sharp's for what had to be one of the best omelette's I had in my life. Plus, it didn't hurt that they were serving a full bar by 10 am. And considering the night we just had, we may have spent too much time at this fine establishment.
The two of us finished our meal and headed over to cousin Dan's house so I could get my stuff and head over to Uncle Dan's house for Sunday Night Taco Madness at his house. After a quick visit with Uncle Dan and Aunt Denise, it was time to go over Bob and Julie's house where cousin Jackie and her boyfriend Kyle were staying as well. Since everyone was pretty much beat from the night before, everyone quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Bob took me to the airport where we had a couple of drinks and I safely made it back home to Texas alive and liver in tact.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
Its near the end of the year and the Holidays are starting. The first major Holiday celebration is Thanksgiving and I can not be more excited for the 4 day weekend to come.
I did the usual meet up with friends (some that live here and some that come home for the holiday) at a local bar and just hang out and whatnot. This year, we decided to meet up at J.R. Bentley's, a small bar near my old college. Good times were being had by all, but I couldn't stay out too late because I had to help with some family stuff the next morning. Everyone left around 1:30 am and headed home.
Its now Thursday and it is officially Thanksgiving. And that means only one thing, I am going to be lazy as all hell. The only thing that I know that I have to do today is go to dinner with the family at 2:30 at The Keg Steakhouse. This is the second year that we have gone out to eat because none of us want to cook or clean anymore.
The Keg does have a pretty cool Thanksgiving Special that usually attracts a ton or people to their establishment. The will serve you a three course meal that someone would normally eat if they cooked a Thanksgiving meal themselves. By the end of the meal, all three of us were completely full from food and a couple of cocktails and it was time to go home with all of our leftovers. By the time we got home, it was time to finish up the Cowboys game and get a quick nap in.
A couple of hours later we warmed up a ham and some small side dishes and had a quick dinner and that was it for Thanksgiving. It was now time to relax. The next day I did absolutely nothing with the exception of going to see "Unstoppable" at the Movie Tavern and that was it. It was now time for Saturday.
Usually my friends and I have a huge kick ball tournament on Saturday that ends with an all night cookout and dominoes, but times they are a changing. Since the majority of my friends are now having kids, we had to change things up a bit.
Instead of the kickball game, I did a quick one - two and decided to go to a brewery with some other friends. Nothing beats celebrating Thanksgiving like going to a local brewery and getting free beer for a couple of hours.Where do you and a group of 12 people in their twenties go after consuming free alcohol for 2 hours? A greasy hamburger joint of course!
We decided to all pack into our cars and head to a place known as Fred's. Fred's is a well know burger spot in Fort Worth that serves awesome food and some pretty good music too. After that was said and done, it was bon fire time.
My friend Darrell and his wife invited people over for a Friend's Thanksgiving Dinner and a bon fire. there were about 15 people there and everyone brought some sort of dish or drinks for the party. Everyone had a good time and this event by watching 80s movies and trying to stay warm next to the outdoor fire pit that Darrell set up.
It was a pretty good thanksgiving and now I just have to get prepared for Christmas and New Years.
I did the usual meet up with friends (some that live here and some that come home for the holiday) at a local bar and just hang out and whatnot. This year, we decided to meet up at J.R. Bentley's, a small bar near my old college. Good times were being had by all, but I couldn't stay out too late because I had to help with some family stuff the next morning. Everyone left around 1:30 am and headed home.
Its now Thursday and it is officially Thanksgiving. And that means only one thing, I am going to be lazy as all hell. The only thing that I know that I have to do today is go to dinner with the family at 2:30 at The Keg Steakhouse. This is the second year that we have gone out to eat because none of us want to cook or clean anymore.
The Keg does have a pretty cool Thanksgiving Special that usually attracts a ton or people to their establishment. The will serve you a three course meal that someone would normally eat if they cooked a Thanksgiving meal themselves. By the end of the meal, all three of us were completely full from food and a couple of cocktails and it was time to go home with all of our leftovers. By the time we got home, it was time to finish up the Cowboys game and get a quick nap in.
A couple of hours later we warmed up a ham and some small side dishes and had a quick dinner and that was it for Thanksgiving. It was now time to relax. The next day I did absolutely nothing with the exception of going to see "Unstoppable" at the Movie Tavern and that was it. It was now time for Saturday.
Usually my friends and I have a huge kick ball tournament on Saturday that ends with an all night cookout and dominoes, but times they are a changing. Since the majority of my friends are now having kids, we had to change things up a bit.
Instead of the kickball game, I did a quick one - two and decided to go to a brewery with some other friends. Nothing beats celebrating Thanksgiving like going to a local brewery and getting free beer for a couple of hours.Where do you and a group of 12 people in their twenties go after consuming free alcohol for 2 hours? A greasy hamburger joint of course!
We decided to all pack into our cars and head to a place known as Fred's. Fred's is a well know burger spot in Fort Worth that serves awesome food and some pretty good music too. After that was said and done, it was bon fire time.
My friend Darrell and his wife invited people over for a Friend's Thanksgiving Dinner and a bon fire. there were about 15 people there and everyone brought some sort of dish or drinks for the party. Everyone had a good time and this event by watching 80s movies and trying to stay warm next to the outdoor fire pit that Darrell set up.
It was a pretty good thanksgiving and now I just have to get prepared for Christmas and New Years.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Jeff Bridges and T Bone Burnett
On Saturday, Down Town Fort Worth was holding its annual International LoneStar Film Festival in Sundance Square. This event is know for showcasing independent films and honoring an actor/actress for the contribution to film. This year, they decided to honor Jeff "The Dude" Bridges".I didn't get to attended any of the film screenings or the Award Acceptance Event for The Dude, but I did get to attend something that I though I was much cooler. Earlier in the year, Bridges won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Crazy Heart. I never saw the movie, but from what everyone told me, he definitely deserved the Oscar for his performance as an aging country musician. 
To showcase his musical ability, Jeff Bridges played a 40 minute concert with the main songwriter for the Crazy Heart movie T Bone Burnett. They guys sounded great together. Jeff Bridges played guitar and song a majority of the songs along with T Bone. The both of them got a chance to sing by themselves and it was pretty interesting to watch.
I was surprised that I got there 15 minutes the show was supposed to start and had no problem at getting to the front of the stage. I was within 5 feet of the musicians and could have probably given them a high five if I had a longer reach.
The concert was supposed to start at 9:30, but they did not come out on the stage until a little after 10. And within that 45 minute time frame, the 8.0 bar with from tons of standing room left to absolutely none at all.
Everyone in the crowd seem to enjoy the show and wish that it was longer. But right after the show ended, almost everyone at the 8.0 bar left and either went home or to a different bar. It was cool to see an actor do something else like play in a band and actually be good at it. And plus I doubt I will ever get a chance to see "The Dude" play country music again.
I am Wanted By The Law
I guess the cops are looking for me because they showed up at my house. Well, they were looking for a Kevin but not me. Apparently what happened was that someone with my name was involved in a hit a run car accident. I don't know how bad the crash was or the degree to which people were hurt but I told a couple of friends who were cops and they told me that there are only two reasons why cops would go to someone's house about a hit and run incident. Either someone was seriously injured or killed.
While the officers were at my house trying to figure out which Kevin I was, they caught and arrested the Kevin who was actually involved in the accident. He didn't live to far away from me and had a car similar to mine. But the officer said that from the time the accident occurred and when the caught they guy, only 30 minutes had passed. It sure was a crazy way to end a Monday and start the week.
While the officers were at my house trying to figure out which Kevin I was, they caught and arrested the Kevin who was actually involved in the accident. He didn't live to far away from me and had a car similar to mine. But the officer said that from the time the accident occurred and when the caught they guy, only 30 minutes had passed. It sure was a crazy way to end a Monday and start the week.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tons of New Pictures Coming
Ok, so I recently bought a new scanner that is specifically designed to scan any type of photos and keep the glossy texture. So check out my photo site and you can see all types of pictures including my parents wedding and stuff from elementary. You can go to the website here.
Halloween Time
Its the time of year where normal girls have the once a year opportunity to dress like complete whores and for whores to dress in their normal day stripper attire. Thats right ladies, gentleman, and cousin Dan, its Halloween time.
Just like last Halloween, Darby and Jenny were having their annual party at their house in Austin and a group of us had to make the 3 hour journey to get their from Arlington. One of the cool things about the D&J Inn is that they own the vacant lot next to their house that they use to throw large parties.
They usually divide the lot into a couple of sections where different things are going on. One corner of the lot is known as the movie corner. Darby bought a cool old school projector that he hooks up to his playstation and screen movies on a huge white sheet. This year, he showed "Scream Blackula Scream", "The Monster Squad". and "Young Frankenstein". The movies are played through out the night and the sound wasn't overpowering at all, which was good because they were playing some good music through out the night.
And speaking of music, to the right of the Cineplex de Darby, was the infamous Sharper Image Speaker Tower. This speaker tower has been a staple any type of get together. It has traveled to Halloween parties, weddings, wedding receptions, house warming parties, bachelor parties, baby showers, and probably a couple divorce hearings in the near future as well.
Anyway, Darby loves a good selection of music to be played at any party that he is hosting. He actually spent a long time thinking of what music to be played during the party and downloading all of the said music and rock out to its full potential. And Darby being Darby, he forgot his iPod at work and we were now musicless.
With the party now being at risk of being ruined in shambles, an unlikely hero rose from the musicless ashes and prevailed with his own iPod of music. That hero was the one and only Cody Powell, of Captain C-Po. The only thing is that Cody had a bunch of Michael Jackson and ballads on his iPod that made the mood seem a little weird sometimes.
Other than those minor glitches, the party was in full swing. There were a couple of fire pits that were at full blaze since the party was outside. There were quite a few people at the party in an array of different types of costumes on. And last but not least the alcohol.
Jenny made her famous everclear punch that will knock you off your ass in a heartbeat and a keg of Shiner Blond that was just begging to be floated by the end of the night. Within no time at all, almost all of the guests had arrived and it was time to hit the keg. Beverages were being had, stories being told, and awesome times were being enjoyed by everyone.
The next morning wasn't too rough, but the brunch was. I think an English Scramble breakfast accompanied by 3 Dos Equies probably was not the best idea. I slept almost the entire way back to home only to go to Fuzzy's Taco Shop, have a couple more drinks, and then retire and start to wait for next year's Halloween Bash.
And now, some pictures for my cousin Dan.
William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd
A couple weeks ago, a convention came through town that I normally would not attend. The convention was called Fan Days and it was a Star Trek/Sci Fi Convention. The convention was host to a bunch of sci fi celebrities that I have never heard of but a couple of them did stand out to me enough that I wanted to attend. And those people were Christopher Lloyd and William Shatner.
Just to meet Shatner and Lloyd would be awesome and I knew that this chance would not come around again. I have never seen an episode of Star Trek or any of Shatner's early work, but I do know him from Miss Congeniality, Boston Legal, and Shit My Dad Says. He was obviously the main attraction of the convention and was there for only a day.
The other person I wanted to meet was Christopher Lloyd. Almost everyone knows him from the Back To The Future movies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the TV show Taxi. I grew up watching Back To The Future and it is one of my favorite movies of all time. The movie is so popular that there have been some parodies made (one of them may or may not be an adult movie).
Since there were so many people who wanted a chance to meet the one and only William Shatner, that the people in charge of the event had to let attendees go in groups at a time starting at noon. There were about 30 people in each group and it did not take long until another group was called. Whoever was in charge of this line really did have their shit together because there were no problems at all.
After waiting for only an hour for my group to be called, it was time to meet Bill Shatner. The line moved smoothly and swiftly, but unfortunately there were no hardcore die hard fans that just went crazy to meet him. Shatner did seem like your everdayman who has happy to meet everyone. I got to talk to him for a minute about nothing really and I got an autograph picture of him. He seemed pretty damn cool and relaxed and actually enjoyed meeting hundreds of his fans.
As I waited for my turn to meet Shatner, I met a couple of celebrities in order to pass the time. One of the celebrities that I got a chance to meet was Tia Carrere. She is know for playing Cassandra Wong in Wayne's World, Juno Skinner in True Lies, and now she is desperately trying to hold on to her career by playing some lady on some show on The Sci Fy Network. She was ok to meet but not too exciting to be honest.
The next person I got an autograph from, I had to do it in a shady way. The celebrity in question was Christopher Lloyd and the line to meet him was at least an hour long. So what does one do when they are in this kind of dilemma, act like a 1st grader and cut your way in that line of course.
Christopher Lloyd was in a room with several other people, one of which was the non enthusiastic Tia Carrere. Everyone got in line thinking that this was the line to get into the room and not just to meet one person. When this situation became apparent the staff, they went up and down the line to announce that if you would like to meet anyone else other than Christopher Lloyd, then you can jump the line and go right in. Cue Kevin acting like a 1st grader.
I went to the convention with my friend Jon and I told him about the classic line cutting that was about to occur. As we went into the celebrity room, Jon quickly got into the Christopher Lloyd meet and Greet Line.
The good thing about this was that the rest of the Doc Brown line had to form outside of the room. And since, we were now in the room and no one from the outside could see us cutting, we had it made. Instead of waiting at least an hour to meet the villain from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, we only had to wait about 10 minutes.
The other person I got the chance to meet was Tom Felton, the kid who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. Two great things occurred during the day that involved this guy. The first event was having a crazy, hyperactive girl next to me while waiting in line to meet him. She was jumping up and down with her eyes full of tears due to the anticipation of meeting her favorite actor of all time. And by all time, I mean right now because it you that shit is going to change pretty damn quickly.
The other occurrence, even though I know this is going to sound weird, was the fact that this kid can take a mean deuce. Now let me tell you what happened before you make up your own conclusion that may end up with me under a crystal clear glass table and Draco squatting above it.
During my wait for the William Shatner meet and greet, I had to answer nature's call and go to the bathroom. As I was trying to avoid the crowd and not run into anyone, I noticed someone behind me telling me to walk a little faster and to hurry up. I didn't think anything of it because I just thought it was some kid who was about to have an accident if he didn't to the bathroom quick enough.
As I walked into the bathroom, the sinks and mirrors are immediately to the left and Tom "I am about to shit my pants" Felton dashed by me in order to make it to the stall in time.
When he passed by, you could hear a couple of other people who were already in the restroom say some jokes about how bad he had to go to the bathroom. And then it occurred. Every guy knows the sound of someone unleashing a horrible bomb in the bathroom, but its usually in a privacy of their own throne.
Almost instantaneously, everyone in the bathroom started to crack up and make even more jokes. One guy even got on the phone to tell his friends what was going on. I left the bathroom because even though it was pretty funny, it was getting kind of weird in there. Once I left, I saw a bunch of girls waiting outside for him so they could get a picture of him. If only they knew that kid smelled like a huge pile of crap, they probably wouldn't want that picture.
Just to meet Shatner and Lloyd would be awesome and I knew that this chance would not come around again. I have never seen an episode of Star Trek or any of Shatner's early work, but I do know him from Miss Congeniality, Boston Legal, and Shit My Dad Says. He was obviously the main attraction of the convention and was there for only a day.
The other person I wanted to meet was Christopher Lloyd. Almost everyone knows him from the Back To The Future movies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the TV show Taxi. I grew up watching Back To The Future and it is one of my favorite movies of all time. The movie is so popular that there have been some parodies made (one of them may or may not be an adult movie).
Since there were so many people who wanted a chance to meet the one and only William Shatner, that the people in charge of the event had to let attendees go in groups at a time starting at noon. There were about 30 people in each group and it did not take long until another group was called. Whoever was in charge of this line really did have their shit together because there were no problems at all.
After waiting for only an hour for my group to be called, it was time to meet Bill Shatner. The line moved smoothly and swiftly, but unfortunately there were no hardcore die hard fans that just went crazy to meet him. Shatner did seem like your everdayman who has happy to meet everyone. I got to talk to him for a minute about nothing really and I got an autograph picture of him. He seemed pretty damn cool and relaxed and actually enjoyed meeting hundreds of his fans.
As I waited for my turn to meet Shatner, I met a couple of celebrities in order to pass the time. One of the celebrities that I got a chance to meet was Tia Carrere. She is know for playing Cassandra Wong in Wayne's World, Juno Skinner in True Lies, and now she is desperately trying to hold on to her career by playing some lady on some show on The Sci Fy Network. She was ok to meet but not too exciting to be honest.
The next person I got an autograph from, I had to do it in a shady way. The celebrity in question was Christopher Lloyd and the line to meet him was at least an hour long. So what does one do when they are in this kind of dilemma, act like a 1st grader and cut your way in that line of course.
Christopher Lloyd was in a room with several other people, one of which was the non enthusiastic Tia Carrere. Everyone got in line thinking that this was the line to get into the room and not just to meet one person. When this situation became apparent the staff, they went up and down the line to announce that if you would like to meet anyone else other than Christopher Lloyd, then you can jump the line and go right in. Cue Kevin acting like a 1st grader.
I went to the convention with my friend Jon and I told him about the classic line cutting that was about to occur. As we went into the celebrity room, Jon quickly got into the Christopher Lloyd meet and Greet Line.
The good thing about this was that the rest of the Doc Brown line had to form outside of the room. And since, we were now in the room and no one from the outside could see us cutting, we had it made. Instead of waiting at least an hour to meet the villain from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, we only had to wait about 10 minutes.
The other person I got the chance to meet was Tom Felton, the kid who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. Two great things occurred during the day that involved this guy. The first event was having a crazy, hyperactive girl next to me while waiting in line to meet him. She was jumping up and down with her eyes full of tears due to the anticipation of meeting her favorite actor of all time. And by all time, I mean right now because it you that shit is going to change pretty damn quickly.
The other occurrence, even though I know this is going to sound weird, was the fact that this kid can take a mean deuce. Now let me tell you what happened before you make up your own conclusion that may end up with me under a crystal clear glass table and Draco squatting above it.
During my wait for the William Shatner meet and greet, I had to answer nature's call and go to the bathroom. As I was trying to avoid the crowd and not run into anyone, I noticed someone behind me telling me to walk a little faster and to hurry up. I didn't think anything of it because I just thought it was some kid who was about to have an accident if he didn't to the bathroom quick enough.
As I walked into the bathroom, the sinks and mirrors are immediately to the left and Tom "I am about to shit my pants" Felton dashed by me in order to make it to the stall in time.
When he passed by, you could hear a couple of other people who were already in the restroom say some jokes about how bad he had to go to the bathroom. And then it occurred. Every guy knows the sound of someone unleashing a horrible bomb in the bathroom, but its usually in a privacy of their own throne.
Almost instantaneously, everyone in the bathroom started to crack up and make even more jokes. One guy even got on the phone to tell his friends what was going on. I left the bathroom because even though it was pretty funny, it was getting kind of weird in there. Once I left, I saw a bunch of girls waiting outside for him so they could get a picture of him. If only they knew that kid smelled like a huge pile of crap, they probably wouldn't want that picture.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Meet Scout
Welcome the new addition to the family, Scout. He is a 4 month old Tibetan Terrier and he kicks ass. So far, he loves to run around constantly and do crazy slides across the kitchen floor. I will try to put up tons of pictures on my photo site.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Canoe Trip 2010
Last week, Paul, Austin, John Michael and myself decided to go on a small weekend camping/canoeing trip. I haven't been camping since I was in the Boy Scouts in high school, so I thought it would be fun. But I did forget how tiring canoeing can be at times.
As you can see from the map above, we decided to do a 20 mile canoe trek in two days, which honestly isn't that bad at all. We arrived at the campsite around 10 pm and set up camp right next to the river. The four of us helped set up a camp fire and the tents, we polished off a 30 pack of Miller High Life. I know the the Miller High Life Guy would approve.
As you can see from the map above, we decided to do a 20 mile canoe trek in two days, which honestly isn't that bad at all. We arrived at the campsite around 10 pm and set up camp right next to the river. The four of us helped set up a camp fire and the tents, we polished off a 30 pack of Miller High Life. I know the the Miller High Life Guy would approve. 
One bad thing about the campsite was that a group of rednecks were on the other end and we could hear their music almost all night long. I would rather hear their crappy music instead of them making each other "squeal like a pig" Deliverance style. We stayed up until 2 that night and finally went to bed (or pass out, just depends on who is telling the tale) so we could get up early in the morning to get our canoes.
The four of us got up bright and early at 7 am in order to check into the canoe rental company and get our canoes. Once we were ready to go, all of the groups that were canoeing that day got into several trucks to head to the river. Since there were more people than seats in truck, Team Drink Too Many Beers Before Canoing decided to just ride in the back of the truck. In some cold ass weather. With a strong wind. And little alcoholic beverages. I know what you are thinking "OMG, did these people survive? What happened to the brave souls"? Well, obviously we survived because I am writing this whole thing down after the trip.
Before we even got into the Brazos River, a funny thing had happened. The loud backwards rednecks that blasted loud music the night before, were attempting to get into the river with one of their canoes when one tipped over and all three occupants got soaked. I know this sounds stupid and immature but I laughed my ass off.
Anyway since it was a 20 mile trek, we decided to do 10 miles one day and 10 miles the next. It took us way too long to do the first 10 miles the first day because we stopped a lot and checked out the wooded area around. We also brought an iPod cooler and probably spent way too much time having a couple of beers and listening to music.
We also swam alot in the freezing river but you would eventually get use to it after a couple of minutes. Realizing how much time we were wasting, we decided to go full strength on the river and make it half way before setting up camp. And when we did reach the half way point, we found the perfect spot on where to camp for the night.
There was an island that only had a couple groups setting up camp on it, but had plenty of room for more people as well. I think what made alot of people turn away from this camping spot was the fact that there a ton of people on the island, but the majority of them were just taking a break before heading down farther down the river.
There were multiple reasons why this island was the idea campsite. A). We were on an elevated land mass, so we could see anyone that was either coming or going. B). Since every campsite was secluded and surrounded by trees, you could as loud as you wanted without pissing off the people around you. C). Again, tons of trees, which means we had plenty of firewood for the night and the next morning. D). Finally, we didn't have to tie our canoes down to anything and keep them in the water. We could just bring them up near the campsite and not worry about the drifting off in the middle of the night.
We made camp around 3 that afternoon and just relaxed for the rest of the day. Hot dogs were cooked over the fire for dinner and just listened to the iPod cooler and enjoyed a couple of drinks before sleeping in our tents around 11.
The next morning was not that bad but you could tell that everyone was still kind of tired from the day before. We broke down camp and quickly got back on the river by 9. For awhile, the four of us were the only ones on the lake and it was pretty damn cool. We stopped a couple of time to jump off some cliffs or just to take a break from paddling so much.
It actually took us longer to do the first day than the second mainly because we didn't half ass as much and we were adjusting to the constant paddling. The first day it took us about 6 hours to complete 10 miles while it only took us about 4 the second day.
After finally making it to the end of our trip, everyone seemed worn out but willing to go on another trip. And remember those rednecks for the beginning, well as we made it up to shore, so did they and they tipped over again. I am just happy that nobody in my group tipped over at all.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
That Damn Kerby's Lane Waiter
Our waiter was the textbook definition of a douchbag. First of all, the waiter was just a smart ass kid who probably thinks he is the funniest guy ever and a complete badass. But after some discussion with our group, we came to the conclusion that this little biatch probably cries himself to see in a dark, dirty corner in his room while using his tears as lubricant.
Here are several and true reasons why this kid is the worst waiter and a dick. The waiter asked if we liked the ACL concert since he saw all of our wristbands, we said yes, and he replied by saying he "f**king yea you should have like it". Our table didn't really think anything of until and he came back and started to make diarrhea jokes, pig jokes (to which I told me the some plot details about the movie Babe) and how we don't need any tableware because Kerby Lane is now an ethnic restaurant. First of all, the last comment didn't even make sense and second of all the kid is a jerk off.
After 20 minutes of his comedy routine, we started to make fun of him and I am pretty sure that he heard us because he all of a sudden became very quiet around us and extremely polite. He either heard or someone else complained on him. Either way, we didn't make any comment until we got our food, because we all saw the movie Waiting... and did not want anyone to mess with our food like they did in the movie.
Anyway, the kid was a douchbag and no one left him a good tip after he kept on making more inappropriate jokes. If you see this asshole looking douchbag, punch him square in the jaw.
Here are several and true reasons why this kid is the worst waiter and a dick. The waiter asked if we liked the ACL concert since he saw all of our wristbands, we said yes, and he replied by saying he "f**king yea you should have like it". Our table didn't really think anything of until and he came back and started to make diarrhea jokes, pig jokes (to which I told me the some plot details about the movie Babe) and how we don't need any tableware because Kerby Lane is now an ethnic restaurant. First of all, the last comment didn't even make sense and second of all the kid is a jerk off.
After 20 minutes of his comedy routine, we started to make fun of him and I am pretty sure that he heard us because he all of a sudden became very quiet around us and extremely polite. He either heard or someone else complained on him. Either way, we didn't make any comment until we got our food, because we all saw the movie Waiting... and did not want anyone to mess with our food like they did in the movie.
Anyway, the kid was a douchbag and no one left him a good tip after he kept on making more inappropriate jokes. If you see this asshole looking douchbag, punch him square in the jaw.
Austin City Limits 2010 - Day 3
Its the final day at ACL and this is the day that I get see one of the bands that I mainly came to ACL to see. That band is non other than The Flaming Lips.
Today was my day of whatever I see will be fine by me as long as I get to see the Flaming Lips. We got to Zilker Park super early and saw a band called Shearwater. Since they were one of the first bands to open the show for the day, I had no problem at all getting right up to the stage and listening to a couple of their songs. Again, being one of the 1st bands of the day has its disadvantages, such as playing a shorter set compared to the other bands. And this is what happened to Shearwater. Once their 45 minutes were up, it was time to see White Rabbits.
I have heard a couple of White Rabbits songs and they seem pretty damn good to me. It was hard for me to compare them to another group but I think that the White Rabbits and Spoon should go on tour with each other quickly. After the White Rabbits, I saw a group based on Callaway's recommendation called Dawes. I was surprised about how good and how many people came out to see them since they had such a short amount of time for their set.
After Dawes, I saw a gospel group called Relatives. They reminded me of the scene in the Blues Brothers with James Brown at the Gospel Church.
It definitely felt a little bizarre walking to watch the Flaming Lips while the sun was still shining on Sunday. The sheer spectacle of their live show is unquestionably enhanced by darkness, but they made the most of their hour-long set at this year’s ACL festival.
Right before they started to play, frontman Wayne Coyne addressed the crowd to thank them for waiting and to explain that he would be coming out into the audience in his “space bubble” and he hoped everybody would “love each other and help each other” instead of rushing toward the front of the crowd.
After an introduction from local poet Thax Douglas (whose pants kept falling down and showing is 330 pound ass to the crowd), the band members slowly entered the middle of the stage one by one. But the band did come out in a very interesting way. Even before the band was introduced, an image of a naked lady was being displayed on the huge video screen on the stage. The naked lady would dance around for a couple of minutes and the she laid down like she was about to give birth. The video screen got closer and closer to her downstairs bonanza and gave "birth" to each member of the band. And by "birth", I mean each band came through a door that was right in the middle of her danger zone. Then Coyne emerged standing inside of his infamous bubble. It was slowly inflated until it rolled into the audience and he began to float above the crowd as the band played an instrumental introduction behind him. You can check out a video of the entrance here.
When they settled in to “Worm Mountain,” the first proper track of the set, the stage exploded with balloons and confetti. Keep in mind, all of these things happened before the band was done playing their first song.
You don’t really see or hear the Flaming Lips as much as you experience the Flaming Lips. By the time they had gotten halfway through “Silver Trembling Hands,” the second song of the set, Coyne was perched on the shoulders of a man wearing a bear costume and was encouraging the audience members to scream as loud as they could.
The band’s 1993 hit “She Don’t Use Jelly” was up next, after which Coyne strapped on a helmet cam, which began broadcasting on the screen behind him, and declared it to surely be “the most beautiful night that Austin has had all year.” With all of the on-stage banter and crowd interaction, the band only managed an eight-song set before their hour was up. As the daylight started to fade, Coyne said that the band “would play all night if we could” before closing down the stage with an epic rendition of their 2002 single “Do You Realize??”
It was my first time to see the Flaming Lips and I cant wait to see them again. I knew they had a great live show, but their performance definitely went beyond my expectations. Check out their set list here.
Next up was the National. I have only heard of this band through friends so I didn't know what to really expect since my friends were describing them in different ways. All I can say is that this band was awesome. To me, they reminded me of the band Interpool. The lead singer had a great voice and the band was spot on with whatever they played. It sounded like listening to a cd, they were that flawless. Here is their set list.
The final band of the night were The Eagles. I like this band alot, but they did not seem like a good fit to close ACL. Their songs were just too slow for me and not that entertaining. They did have the largest crowd but that was because no other band was playing at the time, so the concert goers only had them to listen to.
I could tell that I was not the only person who felt this way because I saw tons of shirts with the famous Big Lebowski line "I hate the fucking Eagles Man". I have seen them in concert before and they are great in their own setting, but I just dont think that they are "ACL closing" type of band good. I have never left a concert early before, but I only listened to a couple of their songs before retreating to the car and heading home. I wish they were more enthusiastic instead of cheesy and somewhat boring. Anyway, here is there setlist.
Today was my day of whatever I see will be fine by me as long as I get to see the Flaming Lips. We got to Zilker Park super early and saw a band called Shearwater. Since they were one of the first bands to open the show for the day, I had no problem at all getting right up to the stage and listening to a couple of their songs. Again, being one of the 1st bands of the day has its disadvantages, such as playing a shorter set compared to the other bands. And this is what happened to Shearwater. Once their 45 minutes were up, it was time to see White Rabbits.
I have heard a couple of White Rabbits songs and they seem pretty damn good to me. It was hard for me to compare them to another group but I think that the White Rabbits and Spoon should go on tour with each other quickly. After the White Rabbits, I saw a group based on Callaway's recommendation called Dawes. I was surprised about how good and how many people came out to see them since they had such a short amount of time for their set.
After Dawes, I saw a gospel group called Relatives. They reminded me of the scene in the Blues Brothers with James Brown at the Gospel Church.
It definitely felt a little bizarre walking to watch the Flaming Lips while the sun was still shining on Sunday. The sheer spectacle of their live show is unquestionably enhanced by darkness, but they made the most of their hour-long set at this year’s ACL festival.
Right before they started to play, frontman Wayne Coyne addressed the crowd to thank them for waiting and to explain that he would be coming out into the audience in his “space bubble” and he hoped everybody would “love each other and help each other” instead of rushing toward the front of the crowd.
After an introduction from local poet Thax Douglas (whose pants kept falling down and showing is 330 pound ass to the crowd), the band members slowly entered the middle of the stage one by one. But the band did come out in a very interesting way. Even before the band was introduced, an image of a naked lady was being displayed on the huge video screen on the stage. The naked lady would dance around for a couple of minutes and the she laid down like she was about to give birth. The video screen got closer and closer to her downstairs bonanza and gave "birth" to each member of the band. And by "birth", I mean each band came through a door that was right in the middle of her danger zone. Then Coyne emerged standing inside of his infamous bubble. It was slowly inflated until it rolled into the audience and he began to float above the crowd as the band played an instrumental introduction behind him. You can check out a video of the entrance here.
When they settled in to “Worm Mountain,” the first proper track of the set, the stage exploded with balloons and confetti. Keep in mind, all of these things happened before the band was done playing their first song.
You don’t really see or hear the Flaming Lips as much as you experience the Flaming Lips. By the time they had gotten halfway through “Silver Trembling Hands,” the second song of the set, Coyne was perched on the shoulders of a man wearing a bear costume and was encouraging the audience members to scream as loud as they could.
The band’s 1993 hit “She Don’t Use Jelly” was up next, after which Coyne strapped on a helmet cam, which began broadcasting on the screen behind him, and declared it to surely be “the most beautiful night that Austin has had all year.” With all of the on-stage banter and crowd interaction, the band only managed an eight-song set before their hour was up. As the daylight started to fade, Coyne said that the band “would play all night if we could” before closing down the stage with an epic rendition of their 2002 single “Do You Realize??”
It was my first time to see the Flaming Lips and I cant wait to see them again. I knew they had a great live show, but their performance definitely went beyond my expectations. Check out their set list here.
Next up was the National. I have only heard of this band through friends so I didn't know what to really expect since my friends were describing them in different ways. All I can say is that this band was awesome. To me, they reminded me of the band Interpool. The lead singer had a great voice and the band was spot on with whatever they played. It sounded like listening to a cd, they were that flawless. Here is their set list.
The final band of the night were The Eagles. I like this band alot, but they did not seem like a good fit to close ACL. Their songs were just too slow for me and not that entertaining. They did have the largest crowd but that was because no other band was playing at the time, so the concert goers only had them to listen to.
I could tell that I was not the only person who felt this way because I saw tons of shirts with the famous Big Lebowski line "I hate the fucking Eagles Man". I have seen them in concert before and they are great in their own setting, but I just dont think that they are "ACL closing" type of band good. I have never left a concert early before, but I only listened to a couple of their songs before retreating to the car and heading home. I wish they were more enthusiastic instead of cheesy and somewhat boring. Anyway, here is there setlist.
Austin City Limits 2010 - Day 2
Its time for day 2 of this 3 day long concert and our group is taking a different approach. Since the majority of the bands that we wanted to see were at stages right next to each other, we decided to camp out in the middle of the two stages so we could get a decent view and earshot of both of the stages. And it worked out just fine.
Due to our extremely creative thinking, I am pretty sure we were inducted into Mensa because of this, we were able to get great seats for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Pete Yorn, Lucero, Manchester Orchestra, Broken Bells, The Temper Trap, and Gogol Bordello.
The 1st band I saw was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Let me tell you, Grace Potter has a voice and set of legs on her that should make a lot of ladies nervous. The band has been described as a "modern day version of Tina Turner stroking the microphone in a spangled mini-dress while fronting the Rolling Stones circa Sticky Fingers". The quote couldn't be closer to the truth. If you don't believe me, check out her song "Paris (Ohh La La)" and "Tiny Light". I couldn't think of a better way to start the 2nd day at ACL. Grace Potter's complete set list can be found here.
For the next couple of hours, I was hearing the music but not really paying attention to it. I ran into my friend Jenny and hung out with her husband and their group for a while. Some of the groups we listen to as we talked were Pete Yorn (known for being a badass on guitar), Lucero (known for being new to me, that is not a song, I just never heard of them before), The Manchester Orchestra (known for Wolves at Night), Broken Bells (one of the members is Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse), The Temper Trap (known for Sweet Disposition), and Gogol Bodello (known for their song "Party"). They all had a couple of songs that I recognized and could sing along to. One reason that I love attending ACL is that normally, I wouldn't see these bands by themselves because I don't know much about them. From seeing their portion at the festival I would probably be more inclined to do so now. Here are the set list for The Broken Bells and The Manchester Orchestra.
I have been at the concert since noon and it is now 7:30 and its time for the big sought out bands to start playing. I am not an avid fan of techno and I really don't know much about it, but I did want to see Deadmau5 (pronounced Deadmouse). Let me tell you, this guy is the shit (from a novice point of view of course). First of all, he wears a mouse costume and second his concerts are more like shows. Here are couple of examples of what I am talking about. Example 1. Example 2.
After the Deadmou5 show, it was time for Muse to come on and take the stage. I have seen Muse before when I saw U2 a year ago, so I was anticipating how good of a show Muse would put on. And they did not disappoint at all. They started their set with the song "Uprising" with green neon lights going all over the place. This was by far the most crowded of the shows of the night. People were divided by either Muse or MIA and you could tell what their choice was. During their show, Muse did play a decent cover of The Star Spangled Banner that went right into Hysteria. The band played for 90 minutes and gained most of the fans that left the MIA show early. You could witness a sea of people singing along to almost of Muse's songs from beginning to end. This show seemed alot better than the one I saw with U2. Their complete set list is here.
Next up, The Final Day at ACL.
Due to our extremely creative thinking, I am pretty sure we were inducted into Mensa because of this, we were able to get great seats for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Pete Yorn, Lucero, Manchester Orchestra, Broken Bells, The Temper Trap, and Gogol Bordello.
The 1st band I saw was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Let me tell you, Grace Potter has a voice and set of legs on her that should make a lot of ladies nervous. The band has been described as a "modern day version of Tina Turner stroking the microphone in a spangled mini-dress while fronting the Rolling Stones circa Sticky Fingers". The quote couldn't be closer to the truth. If you don't believe me, check out her song "Paris (Ohh La La)" and "Tiny Light". I couldn't think of a better way to start the 2nd day at ACL. Grace Potter's complete set list can be found here.
For the next couple of hours, I was hearing the music but not really paying attention to it. I ran into my friend Jenny and hung out with her husband and their group for a while. Some of the groups we listen to as we talked were Pete Yorn (known for being a badass on guitar), Lucero (known for being new to me, that is not a song, I just never heard of them before), The Manchester Orchestra (known for Wolves at Night), Broken Bells (one of the members is Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse), The Temper Trap (known for Sweet Disposition), and Gogol Bodello (known for their song "Party"). They all had a couple of songs that I recognized and could sing along to. One reason that I love attending ACL is that normally, I wouldn't see these bands by themselves because I don't know much about them. From seeing their portion at the festival I would probably be more inclined to do so now. Here are the set list for The Broken Bells and The Manchester Orchestra.
I have been at the concert since noon and it is now 7:30 and its time for the big sought out bands to start playing. I am not an avid fan of techno and I really don't know much about it, but I did want to see Deadmau5 (pronounced Deadmouse). Let me tell you, this guy is the shit (from a novice point of view of course). First of all, he wears a mouse costume and second his concerts are more like shows. Here are couple of examples of what I am talking about. Example 1. Example 2.
After the Deadmou5 show, it was time for Muse to come on and take the stage. I have seen Muse before when I saw U2 a year ago, so I was anticipating how good of a show Muse would put on. And they did not disappoint at all. They started their set with the song "Uprising" with green neon lights going all over the place. This was by far the most crowded of the shows of the night. People were divided by either Muse or MIA and you could tell what their choice was. During their show, Muse did play a decent cover of The Star Spangled Banner that went right into Hysteria. The band played for 90 minutes and gained most of the fans that left the MIA show early. You could witness a sea of people singing along to almost of Muse's songs from beginning to end. This show seemed alot better than the one I saw with U2. Their complete set list is here.
Next up, The Final Day at ACL.
Austin City Limits 2010 - Day 1
The day has finally come, its time for the annual concert at Zilker Park also known as Austin City Limits! After a 3 hour drive with Callaway and Santiago, we finally arrived at Darby and Jenny's house. We were there for a total of 20 minutes until we head for the all day concert.
Before we walked in to the concert, I had some extremely good luck. As I was walking to cross the Lady Bird Lake, I found an unused 3 day ACL pass on the ground. So I did what anyone would do, I picked up the ticket, made sure it was real, and sold it to a scalper that was 8 feet away from my left for $ 100. So my weekend was pretty much covered for.
The first band that we saw was Blues Traveler. I have never seen these guys in concert before and I also haven't heard any of their songs since Junior High, but damn they put on a good show. They of course sang their songs "Run Around" and "Hook" and cover versions of Radiohead's "Creep" and Sublime's "What I Got". They played for about an hour and I didn't realize how many songs of theirs that I knew. There was a great standout moment during there set. It was when John Popper, the lead singer, invited a 15 year old Austin native to the stage and had a "music off" with her. It was basically who could amazed the crowd with the most with their musical instrument. Obviously Popper played the harmonica while the 15 year old girl played the violin and an incredible speed and procession. That definitely had to be one of the highlights of the day for me. Once they finished their 12 song set, it was time to wait an hour for the next band which are The Black Keys.
When the Black Keys came on the stage at 4, the whole crowd went crazy. Right now, The Black Keys, which consist of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney , are known for their song "Tighten Up" and the music video which is pure awesome at its finest.
One thing I loved about their set was that there was not alot of talking. They just thanked people for coming to the show, introduced themselves, and went right into playing their music. A song that alot of people knew, but didn't know they knew was "I'll Be Your Man". The song is played over the opening credits to the HBO Show "Hung". It was kind of funny hearing people say that that song was the theme to the "Dick Show" on HBO. Since almost every band had about an hour to play, they could only perform a handful of songs. After reading some of the reviews about the concert and seeing the size of the crowd first hand, the Black Keys were definitely one of the main attractions during the ACL weekend. You can find the complete set list from the concert here.
Jump to an hour later and it is now time for Spoon to take the stage. Now, I have heard of the band but I have never gotten a chance to listen to their music. Based on their ACL performance, they have a new fan for life. At first, it was kind of tough to get super pumped about their songs like the other fans because they knew them so well, but they were pretty damn catchy that by the time the 3rd song was being played that I was jumping around like crazy. Spoon did seem to go all out because the lead singer said that this was going to be there last show in America for some quite time. When he said that, the crowd started to go even crazier and then it happened. It was glorious. It was majestic. It was the first hot girl flashing her ta-tas. Pure awesome, but not as awesome as when the piano player of Spoon went all "Martin Riggs" on his piano and destroyed it on stage. It was a great way to induct a newbie into the Spoon Fan Community. The complete Spoon set list from the ACL show is here.
Less than a minute after Spoon ended, I was on my way to the Vampire Weekend stage and check out their set. Since ACL has 8 stages and bands are constantly performing all through out the day, you will have to show up early to get close seats to a band that you are dying to see. Since I didn't have to much time to spend from the end of the Spoon set to the Vampire Weekend set, I ended up missing a couple of their songs. To be honest, I am only a new fan of theirs and I only wanted to hear "Cousins" and "Giving Up The Gun", which I did. After I heard my songs, I left to take my first piss break since I got there because it was almost 8 and I may have had some beers or 5.
Another reason I left the Vampire Weekend set early was to get decent seats for Phish, which was the last show of the night. This is another band that I only knew of but never got a chance to listen to them. But I am glad that I did. I knew that they were a big jam band, but I am now convinced that they are one of the best. They played for an hour and a half and at times I didn't know when one song ended and another one began. It was a good way to end the night, because the music just seemed to set a certain tone that I don't think any other of the bands from that day could do. You can check out Phish's set list here.
Before we walked in to the concert, I had some extremely good luck. As I was walking to cross the Lady Bird Lake, I found an unused 3 day ACL pass on the ground. So I did what anyone would do, I picked up the ticket, made sure it was real, and sold it to a scalper that was 8 feet away from my left for $ 100. So my weekend was pretty much covered for.
The first band that we saw was Blues Traveler. I have never seen these guys in concert before and I also haven't heard any of their songs since Junior High, but damn they put on a good show. They of course sang their songs "Run Around" and "Hook" and cover versions of Radiohead's "Creep" and Sublime's "What I Got". They played for about an hour and I didn't realize how many songs of theirs that I knew. There was a great standout moment during there set. It was when John Popper, the lead singer, invited a 15 year old Austin native to the stage and had a "music off" with her. It was basically who could amazed the crowd with the most with their musical instrument. Obviously Popper played the harmonica while the 15 year old girl played the violin and an incredible speed and procession. That definitely had to be one of the highlights of the day for me. Once they finished their 12 song set, it was time to wait an hour for the next band which are The Black Keys.
When the Black Keys came on the stage at 4, the whole crowd went crazy. Right now, The Black Keys, which consist of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney , are known for their song "Tighten Up" and the music video which is pure awesome at its finest.
One thing I loved about their set was that there was not alot of talking. They just thanked people for coming to the show, introduced themselves, and went right into playing their music. A song that alot of people knew, but didn't know they knew was "I'll Be Your Man". The song is played over the opening credits to the HBO Show "Hung". It was kind of funny hearing people say that that song was the theme to the "Dick Show" on HBO. Since almost every band had about an hour to play, they could only perform a handful of songs. After reading some of the reviews about the concert and seeing the size of the crowd first hand, the Black Keys were definitely one of the main attractions during the ACL weekend. You can find the complete set list from the concert here.
Jump to an hour later and it is now time for Spoon to take the stage. Now, I have heard of the band but I have never gotten a chance to listen to their music. Based on their ACL performance, they have a new fan for life. At first, it was kind of tough to get super pumped about their songs like the other fans because they knew them so well, but they were pretty damn catchy that by the time the 3rd song was being played that I was jumping around like crazy. Spoon did seem to go all out because the lead singer said that this was going to be there last show in America for some quite time. When he said that, the crowd started to go even crazier and then it happened. It was glorious. It was majestic. It was the first hot girl flashing her ta-tas. Pure awesome, but not as awesome as when the piano player of Spoon went all "Martin Riggs" on his piano and destroyed it on stage. It was a great way to induct a newbie into the Spoon Fan Community. The complete Spoon set list from the ACL show is here.
Less than a minute after Spoon ended, I was on my way to the Vampire Weekend stage and check out their set. Since ACL has 8 stages and bands are constantly performing all through out the day, you will have to show up early to get close seats to a band that you are dying to see. Since I didn't have to much time to spend from the end of the Spoon set to the Vampire Weekend set, I ended up missing a couple of their songs. To be honest, I am only a new fan of theirs and I only wanted to hear "Cousins" and "Giving Up The Gun", which I did. After I heard my songs, I left to take my first piss break since I got there because it was almost 8 and I may have had some beers or 5.
Another reason I left the Vampire Weekend set early was to get decent seats for Phish, which was the last show of the night. This is another band that I only knew of but never got a chance to listen to them. But I am glad that I did. I knew that they were a big jam band, but I am now convinced that they are one of the best. They played for an hour and a half and at times I didn't know when one song ended and another one began. It was a good way to end the night, because the music just seemed to set a certain tone that I don't think any other of the bands from that day could do. You can check out Phish's set list here.
Austin City Limits 2010
ACL-goers could not have asked for a better weekend, as the weather was nothing but perfect the entire weekend, leaving only this year’s loaded lineup to surpass this beautiful October weekend in Austin. These good omens resonated throughout the Texas air from the moment my friends and I approached Zilker Park, we approach with the glorious romp of The Black Keys’ “Everlasting Light.” After finally making it into the festival, Beach House took the stage sandwiched in between highly anticipated performances by The Black Keys and Spoon. Lead singer Victoria Legrand crooned her way through the now quartet’s set, providing a despondently warm and delicate compliment to the driving rockers of that afternoon. The Baltimore group recently added two new members, and a choice that has made all the difference in their performance. Songs like “Take Care” and “10 Mile Stereo” were brought to life with the additional support of a drummer and auxiliary instrumentalist. Beach House were at their best, holding their own against the rest of the established indie-rock acts playing on late Friday afternoon.
Spoon and Vampire Weekend continued the solid string of acts on night one of ACL. Britt Daniel and Jim Eno always put on a great set, let alone in front of their hometown crowd. The Austin natives brought it all on song after song in relentless fashion, including the brass-laced “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” the vastly underrated “Trouble Comes Running” and the infectious groove of “I Turn My Camera On.” Across the park, Vampire Weekend blasted off to a quick start with a blistering version of “Cousins.” While I’m not the biggest fan of the band, there was little if any doubt about their ability to perform. Ezra Koenig and company provided the perfect transition into the first evening’s headlining acts.
While both The Strokes and Phish provided two different and compelling choices for the Friday nightcap, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see this generation’s premier jam band. Also, on a personal note, the Vermont quartet was one of my favorite bands back in the day as I made my way through my one-time jam band phase. So while I have not actively listened to them in quite some time, I finally took the opportunity to see my once beloved band in their element onstage. To put it simply—they were fantastic. As the all too familiar bass line of “Down With Disease” opened their ACL set, my once idle Phish-dom quickly reemerged. Granted, it was a short set time by Phish standards, but they managed to squeeze plenty of their classics, including “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Chalkdust Torture” and “You Enjoy Myself.” Combined with the prevalent amount of Phish fans that came to Austin just to see their band, this was hands down one of the best shows of the weekend.
Whereas Friday night ended with one of the chilliest of bands at ACL, my Saturday kicked off on an entirely different note with the Black Lips—a band largely known for their onstage antics and debauchery. A lot of this, however, was toned down given the 15 foot gap between the Lips and the crowd. They still brought the EAV-brand of garage punk in full force, getting their rambunctious crowd going despite the somewhat early set time. Guitarist Ian Saint Pé would continuously spit into the air and try to catch his own saliva while mid-song at one moment, while briefly making out with fellow Black Lip member Cole Alexander during another track. Even as their stage antics were “toned down” (as they told me later when I spoke in person with them), there was just enough taste of their almost mythical act to guess what an intimate show with them would be like.
Following the Black Lips came one of the more intriguing groups of the weekend in Broken Bells. The well-known collaboration between mega-producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and The Shins frontman James Mercer, was a top stop for many at ACL, given Burton’s penchant for short lived projects and constant sonic exploration. While their ultra-cool compositions resonate great on record, their live performance underwhelmed. After a few songs, I left to wander around, briefly checking out the Local Natives and sitting down to chat with the Black Lips, before rushing over the catch The xx. The recent Mercury prize winners led off the most logjammed portion of the weekend, as they, Monsters of Folk and LCD Soundsystem all overlapped. I caught bits and pieces of all three acts, wishing I could have heard more of each. These three acts are all at the peak of their musicianship, and in case of the latter two, questions surround the future of the respective bands. I can’t complain though. Hearing the the alt-folk supergroup exalt out on “Say Please” and “Golden,” and then running over to the majestic 10+ minutes of “I Can Change” and “All My Friends” played back to back—these are the moments that define live music in all its magnificence.
While early Sunday afternoon was one of the hotter points of Austin City Limits, Blind Pilot helped eased the crowd into the festival’s final day with their mellow and laidback folk. Pleasant would probably be the most appropriate description for the Portland natives, as songs like “Oviedo” and “Go on Say It” were both equal parts plain and beautiful. The mellower acts continued throughout the early part of the day as both Devendra Banhart and The Morning Benders serenaded their respective crowds with lovely and mild-mannered performances. In particular, Morning Benders frontman Chris Chu led the San Francisco rockers through a soaring, layered set including the dynamic “Promises” and the swaggering “All Day Daylight.” Indeed, all three of the bands laid the foundation for what would be the best musical stretch of the entire weekend.
What came next was a back to back to back to back series of four artists that not only are among the best that indie-rock has to offer today, but all that flat out nailed their sets on late Sunday afternoon and early evening. Yeasayer kicked this period off with a bang, exhibiting their yearlong transformation from indie-breakouts to mainstays. Sure, the band showed their promise with their 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals. But as soon as the band released “Ambling Alp” about this time last year, everyone could sense something special with the direction they were taking. Fast forward a year and Yeasayer have truly come into their own. Playing much of their sophomore record Odd Blood during their one hour show, Chris Keating, Anand Wilder and Ira Wolf Tuton have expanded their act into one standing among the finer electronic acts today. Everything in their set, from “2080” to “Grizelda” and everything in between showed what they’re all about these days.
As good as Yeasayer was in the 4:00pm slot, they stood as no match to the entrance Edward Sharpe and the Magenetic Zeros made an hour later. Despite the fact that I have seen the group three times in the past three months, and each time have seen their show open with “40 Day Dream,” that moment never ceases to inspire and amaze me. Frontman Alex Ebert (aka Edward Sharpe) has something going here—his energy and delivery are unparalleled by anyone I have seen in recent memory. Whether or not you enjoy the band’s music, or disagree with their penchant for commercial licensing (most notably with the NFL), their shows possess an unequivocal power that is both transcendent and representative of everything good within live music today.
Just when I thought that no one could surpass the show put on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, enter the Flaming Lips. Of course, I had heard of the psychedelic, legendary shows that Wayne Coyne and company put on, but I honestly could not have expected the sights that soon came. After making a public service announcement about being orderly and being mindful of others, the craziness soon ensued in what apparently was in typical Flaming Lips fashion. Besides getting rolled over by Coyne’s human hamster ball, this show blew away the crowd both on a visual and aural level. From bright pink chalk dust spewing out of his megaphone to riding atop a man dressed in a black bear costume, Coyne not only upstaged anyone else at Zilker Park this past weekend, but put created an ethereal performance that words can only fall short of capturing (good thing I took plenty of pictures!).
After the Flaming Lips came The National—one of the few bands I could see over and over again without fail. It was a complete one-eighty from the euphoric sounds preceding them, but equally compelling nonetheless. Where the Lips push the bounds of the experimental, The National continue to stand among the most awe-inspiring bands over the past decade. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them twice in the past week, leaving me taken aback both times. Now with the festival approaching its end, Matt Berninger and the pair of brothers flanking him, the group once again astounded those who opted to stick around for their set. I left a few minutes early to see The Eagles, walking away to the uplifting buildup of “England.”
Last but not least, The Eagles took the main stage with everyone’s undivided attention as the final show of Austin City Limits began. Admittedly, I have never had a close affinity with The Eagles’ music, but after the musical blessing the previous four hours had bestowed, I was more than willing to stick around and catch a glimpse of the legendary classic rock band showcasing their hit-ridden performance. From greatest hits like “Take It To The Limit” and “Hotel California” to solo songs like Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” and “Dirty Laundry,” The Eagles provided fans and onlookers alike with a flashback through the band’s catalog. It was a great way to finish an amazing weekend in Austin.
Here are all of the bands schedule to perfom this year.
Spoon and Vampire Weekend continued the solid string of acts on night one of ACL. Britt Daniel and Jim Eno always put on a great set, let alone in front of their hometown crowd. The Austin natives brought it all on song after song in relentless fashion, including the brass-laced “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” the vastly underrated “Trouble Comes Running” and the infectious groove of “I Turn My Camera On.” Across the park, Vampire Weekend blasted off to a quick start with a blistering version of “Cousins.” While I’m not the biggest fan of the band, there was little if any doubt about their ability to perform. Ezra Koenig and company provided the perfect transition into the first evening’s headlining acts.
While both The Strokes and Phish provided two different and compelling choices for the Friday nightcap, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see this generation’s premier jam band. Also, on a personal note, the Vermont quartet was one of my favorite bands back in the day as I made my way through my one-time jam band phase. So while I have not actively listened to them in quite some time, I finally took the opportunity to see my once beloved band in their element onstage. To put it simply—they were fantastic. As the all too familiar bass line of “Down With Disease” opened their ACL set, my once idle Phish-dom quickly reemerged. Granted, it was a short set time by Phish standards, but they managed to squeeze plenty of their classics, including “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Chalkdust Torture” and “You Enjoy Myself.” Combined with the prevalent amount of Phish fans that came to Austin just to see their band, this was hands down one of the best shows of the weekend.
Whereas Friday night ended with one of the chilliest of bands at ACL, my Saturday kicked off on an entirely different note with the Black Lips—a band largely known for their onstage antics and debauchery. A lot of this, however, was toned down given the 15 foot gap between the Lips and the crowd. They still brought the EAV-brand of garage punk in full force, getting their rambunctious crowd going despite the somewhat early set time. Guitarist Ian Saint Pé would continuously spit into the air and try to catch his own saliva while mid-song at one moment, while briefly making out with fellow Black Lip member Cole Alexander during another track. Even as their stage antics were “toned down” (as they told me later when I spoke in person with them), there was just enough taste of their almost mythical act to guess what an intimate show with them would be like.
Following the Black Lips came one of the more intriguing groups of the weekend in Broken Bells. The well-known collaboration between mega-producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and The Shins frontman James Mercer, was a top stop for many at ACL, given Burton’s penchant for short lived projects and constant sonic exploration. While their ultra-cool compositions resonate great on record, their live performance underwhelmed. After a few songs, I left to wander around, briefly checking out the Local Natives and sitting down to chat with the Black Lips, before rushing over the catch The xx. The recent Mercury prize winners led off the most logjammed portion of the weekend, as they, Monsters of Folk and LCD Soundsystem all overlapped. I caught bits and pieces of all three acts, wishing I could have heard more of each. These three acts are all at the peak of their musicianship, and in case of the latter two, questions surround the future of the respective bands. I can’t complain though. Hearing the the alt-folk supergroup exalt out on “Say Please” and “Golden,” and then running over to the majestic 10+ minutes of “I Can Change” and “All My Friends” played back to back—these are the moments that define live music in all its magnificence.
While early Sunday afternoon was one of the hotter points of Austin City Limits, Blind Pilot helped eased the crowd into the festival’s final day with their mellow and laidback folk. Pleasant would probably be the most appropriate description for the Portland natives, as songs like “Oviedo” and “Go on Say It” were both equal parts plain and beautiful. The mellower acts continued throughout the early part of the day as both Devendra Banhart and The Morning Benders serenaded their respective crowds with lovely and mild-mannered performances. In particular, Morning Benders frontman Chris Chu led the San Francisco rockers through a soaring, layered set including the dynamic “Promises” and the swaggering “All Day Daylight.” Indeed, all three of the bands laid the foundation for what would be the best musical stretch of the entire weekend.
What came next was a back to back to back to back series of four artists that not only are among the best that indie-rock has to offer today, but all that flat out nailed their sets on late Sunday afternoon and early evening. Yeasayer kicked this period off with a bang, exhibiting their yearlong transformation from indie-breakouts to mainstays. Sure, the band showed their promise with their 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals. But as soon as the band released “Ambling Alp” about this time last year, everyone could sense something special with the direction they were taking. Fast forward a year and Yeasayer have truly come into their own. Playing much of their sophomore record Odd Blood during their one hour show, Chris Keating, Anand Wilder and Ira Wolf Tuton have expanded their act into one standing among the finer electronic acts today. Everything in their set, from “2080” to “Grizelda” and everything in between showed what they’re all about these days.
As good as Yeasayer was in the 4:00pm slot, they stood as no match to the entrance Edward Sharpe and the Magenetic Zeros made an hour later. Despite the fact that I have seen the group three times in the past three months, and each time have seen their show open with “40 Day Dream,” that moment never ceases to inspire and amaze me. Frontman Alex Ebert (aka Edward Sharpe) has something going here—his energy and delivery are unparalleled by anyone I have seen in recent memory. Whether or not you enjoy the band’s music, or disagree with their penchant for commercial licensing (most notably with the NFL), their shows possess an unequivocal power that is both transcendent and representative of everything good within live music today.
Just when I thought that no one could surpass the show put on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, enter the Flaming Lips. Of course, I had heard of the psychedelic, legendary shows that Wayne Coyne and company put on, but I honestly could not have expected the sights that soon came. After making a public service announcement about being orderly and being mindful of others, the craziness soon ensued in what apparently was in typical Flaming Lips fashion. Besides getting rolled over by Coyne’s human hamster ball, this show blew away the crowd both on a visual and aural level. From bright pink chalk dust spewing out of his megaphone to riding atop a man dressed in a black bear costume, Coyne not only upstaged anyone else at Zilker Park this past weekend, but put created an ethereal performance that words can only fall short of capturing (good thing I took plenty of pictures!).
After the Flaming Lips came The National—one of the few bands I could see over and over again without fail. It was a complete one-eighty from the euphoric sounds preceding them, but equally compelling nonetheless. Where the Lips push the bounds of the experimental, The National continue to stand among the most awe-inspiring bands over the past decade. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them twice in the past week, leaving me taken aback both times. Now with the festival approaching its end, Matt Berninger and the pair of brothers flanking him, the group once again astounded those who opted to stick around for their set. I left a few minutes early to see The Eagles, walking away to the uplifting buildup of “England.”
Last but not least, The Eagles took the main stage with everyone’s undivided attention as the final show of Austin City Limits began. Admittedly, I have never had a close affinity with The Eagles’ music, but after the musical blessing the previous four hours had bestowed, I was more than willing to stick around and catch a glimpse of the legendary classic rock band showcasing their hit-ridden performance. From greatest hits like “Take It To The Limit” and “Hotel California” to solo songs like Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” and “Dirty Laundry,” The Eagles provided fans and onlookers alike with a flashback through the band’s catalog. It was a great way to finish an amazing weekend in Austin.
Here are all of the bands schedule to perfom this year.
Lizzie is Old, I mean a young 30
Thats right, you read the title correctly, my friend Lizzie is getting too damn old for me to hang out with her. Not really, but she is turning 30 and it is time to celebrate.
Lizzy wanted to celebrate her 3rd decade by throwing a masquerade in her honor of course at the Texas and Pacific Lofts. But, in order to get into the party, every guest obviously had to wear some sort of mask.
I have never been to a masquerade party before but the only masquerade party I have seen was in the movie Eyes Wide Shut and that turned out to be just a huge orgy. Sometime was telling me that this was not that kind of party at all.
So with all of the orgy nonsense/wishful thinking out of the way, it was time to get to the closest Halloween City store and get a non orgy mask. And let me tell you, those damn things are expensive as hell. I saw a mask at Kroger for 6 bucks and the Halloween City stores had the exact same mask for 14 dollars. I didn't realize how much they markup the shit out of everything.
It is now time for the party and Lizzie reserved the banquet room at the Texas and Pacific Lofts and decorated it with pictures from her youth to present. It was very cool how she did this. You could see all of her interests and activities that she participated in as a kid that I didn't know she was in to.
Other than masquerade parties, Lizzie also has a secret love passion for trivia and you can bet your ass that she Incorporated her two of her favorite things together. Once you enter the party, there was a row of pictures of celebrities with masks over their faces and people had to figure out of that mystery celebrity was. It may sound easy, but it was actually hard because some of the celebrities only had their eyes or hair visible. Pretty tough, but I got 7 out of 10 correct. Since I tied for 2ND place, I won a couple of bottles of wine. And people say "Cheaters never prosper".
After checking out everyone's mask and eating some heavy hors d'oeuvres (which was chicken express chicken tenders, biscuits, and vegetables), it was now time for another trivia game. This game was much more intense and difficult than the first game. There were 30 questions and every question had to do something with a mask. I failed miserably and felt dumb, I am more than sure that that was Lizzie's plan the whole time.
While Lizzie was her party, there was a wedding reception going on next door. We tried to complete with which party had the loudest music. The wedding reception obviously won. And since they were next door, we could see into their party through the windows that separated our parties from each other. I am pretty sure that they thought it was kind of weird for a group of people in their mid 20s to early 30 to be constantly standing around wearing masks the whole time.
But before the night could end, it was toast time. This is a tradition that she picked up from her year in Australia and wanted to bring it to the US of A. In Australia, friends and family members will toast the guest of honor in order to celebrate certain birthdays and milestones in life. Quite a few people made a toast to Lizzie and everyone could tell that Lizzie enjoyed all of them.
With the keg starting to float and the party coming to an end, it was time to call it a night. Lizzie had a great time and seemed to enjoy the fact that she is not longer in her 20s but still wants to drink like she is.
Lizzy wanted to celebrate her 3rd decade by throwing a masquerade in her honor of course at the Texas and Pacific Lofts. But, in order to get into the party, every guest obviously had to wear some sort of mask.
I have never been to a masquerade party before but the only masquerade party I have seen was in the movie Eyes Wide Shut and that turned out to be just a huge orgy. Sometime was telling me that this was not that kind of party at all.
So with all of the orgy nonsense/wishful thinking out of the way, it was time to get to the closest Halloween City store and get a non orgy mask. And let me tell you, those damn things are expensive as hell. I saw a mask at Kroger for 6 bucks and the Halloween City stores had the exact same mask for 14 dollars. I didn't realize how much they markup the shit out of everything.
It is now time for the party and Lizzie reserved the banquet room at the Texas and Pacific Lofts and decorated it with pictures from her youth to present. It was very cool how she did this. You could see all of her interests and activities that she participated in as a kid that I didn't know she was in to.
Other than masquerade parties, Lizzie also has a secret love passion for trivia and you can bet your ass that she Incorporated her two of her favorite things together. Once you enter the party, there was a row of pictures of celebrities with masks over their faces and people had to figure out of that mystery celebrity was. It may sound easy, but it was actually hard because some of the celebrities only had their eyes or hair visible. Pretty tough, but I got 7 out of 10 correct. Since I tied for 2ND place, I won a couple of bottles of wine. And people say "Cheaters never prosper".
After checking out everyone's mask and eating some heavy hors d'oeuvres (which was chicken express chicken tenders, biscuits, and vegetables), it was now time for another trivia game. This game was much more intense and difficult than the first game. There were 30 questions and every question had to do something with a mask. I failed miserably and felt dumb, I am more than sure that that was Lizzie's plan the whole time.
While Lizzie was her party, there was a wedding reception going on next door. We tried to complete with which party had the loudest music. The wedding reception obviously won. And since they were next door, we could see into their party through the windows that separated our parties from each other. I am pretty sure that they thought it was kind of weird for a group of people in their mid 20s to early 30 to be constantly standing around wearing masks the whole time.
But before the night could end, it was toast time. This is a tradition that she picked up from her year in Australia and wanted to bring it to the US of A. In Australia, friends and family members will toast the guest of honor in order to celebrate certain birthdays and milestones in life. Quite a few people made a toast to Lizzie and everyone could tell that Lizzie enjoyed all of them.
With the keg starting to float and the party coming to an end, it was time to call it a night. Lizzie had a great time and seemed to enjoy the fact that she is not longer in her 20s but still wants to drink like she is.
Sianara Billy Minor's
A staple of Fort Worth has been shut down for good. The place was called Billy Minor's and they had some of the best hamburgers, bacon wrapped hot dogs, and happy hours that I have ever had. The best the about the place was that all kinds of people went to Billy Minor's on a regular basis. In one area, you could see college kids having a good time and in another area could be judges, lawyers or government officials hammer out last minute deals.
Billy Miner's Saloon -- the 27-year-old downtown burger institution where a lawsuit once famously put the kibosh on customers' venerable tradition of throwing empty peanut shells on the floor -- will close at the end of September when its owner retires.
The restaurant, Third and Houston streets in Sundance Square, will serve its last burgers and longnecks Sept. 30, Sundance Square and the restaurant said Tuesday.
Owner Peggy McMullin, whose husband, Dick, died four years ago, said in a statement that she is ready to retire.
"My husband Dick and I poured ourselves into Billy Miner's and we have been so thankful for the support of Fort Worth and Sundance Square," said McMullin, who could not be reached for an interview. "Since my husband passed away, I have been considering the right time to retire. I am ready to leave the restaurant business and slow down."
McMullin's decision surprised Sundance Square. McMullin had about three years left on the lease for her 7,730-square-foot space, said Johnny Campbell, chief executive of Sundance Square.
McMullin told him last week that she is "tired ... ready to retire from the restaurant business," Campbell said.
The restaurant, as Peggy McMullin related to Campbell, was profitable from its first year and "every year thereafter," a highly unusual streak, said Campbell, who joined long lines of customers for a burger at lunch Tuesday after word got out.
Dick McMullin, a longtime restaurateur, quickly turned Billy Miner's into a local watering hole and meeting spot even before the 40-block Sundance Square development revitalized downtown. He offered free Wi-Fi access years before it became popular at coffee bars and bookstores, and he hosted Xbox tournaments.
The baskets of peanuts -- and Fort Worth tradition of tossing shells -- went by the wayside in the early 1990s after a customer sued, saying she hurt her back after slipping on a shell.
The McMullins also expanded the restaurant twice, taking in sections running along Houston between Second and Third streets.
"We are proud that Billy Miner's Saloon has been an anchor in Sundance Square for nearly three decades," Campbell said. "Dick and Peggy McMullin opened the restaurant at a time when downtown Fort Worth was being revitalized, and they helped build a base for people to gather."
What happens next for the space?
Campbell said he'd already fielded as many as four calls Tuesday after the news was released.
Sundance Square will probably look to use the space to expand its soft-goods retail -- apparel, accessories and gifts -- before it considers another restaurant, Campbell said.
In that case, Sundance Square would most likely divide the space into units of about 2,500 square feet apiece, with entryways on Houston between Second and Third, Campbell said.
With the Billy Miner's entrance at Third and Houston and its long west wall along Houston, breaking up the space would help create more activity on the street, Campbell said.
It would also better connect the east and west sides of Houston, Campbell said. The Reata restaurant sits on the west side of the street.
"In today's retail leasing wisdom, [the space] breaks up," Campbell said.
But "I'm not foolish enough to tell you it's not going to be a restaurant. The market tells you what you can and can't do. It's really not very magical."
Sundance Square would also look to relocate Western murals by painter Richard Haas that it commissioned in the mid-1980s and that now adorn the Houston windows of Billy Miner's, Campbell said. Haas also painted the Chisholm Trail mural in Sundance Square.
Campbell said Sundance Square retail sales will likely finish the year down 3-4 percent but have been buoyed by visitor traffic downtown. The city's convention and visitor traffic has been boosted by the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, renovations to other hotels and even business from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Article taken from The Fort Worth Star Telegram
Billy Miner's Saloon -- the 27-year-old downtown burger institution where a lawsuit once famously put the kibosh on customers' venerable tradition of throwing empty peanut shells on the floor -- will close at the end of September when its owner retires.
The restaurant, Third and Houston streets in Sundance Square, will serve its last burgers and longnecks Sept. 30, Sundance Square and the restaurant said Tuesday.
Owner Peggy McMullin, whose husband, Dick, died four years ago, said in a statement that she is ready to retire.
"My husband Dick and I poured ourselves into Billy Miner's and we have been so thankful for the support of Fort Worth and Sundance Square," said McMullin, who could not be reached for an interview. "Since my husband passed away, I have been considering the right time to retire. I am ready to leave the restaurant business and slow down."
McMullin's decision surprised Sundance Square. McMullin had about three years left on the lease for her 7,730-square-foot space, said Johnny Campbell, chief executive of Sundance Square.
McMullin told him last week that she is "tired ... ready to retire from the restaurant business," Campbell said.
The restaurant, as Peggy McMullin related to Campbell, was profitable from its first year and "every year thereafter," a highly unusual streak, said Campbell, who joined long lines of customers for a burger at lunch Tuesday after word got out.
Dick McMullin, a longtime restaurateur, quickly turned Billy Miner's into a local watering hole and meeting spot even before the 40-block Sundance Square development revitalized downtown. He offered free Wi-Fi access years before it became popular at coffee bars and bookstores, and he hosted Xbox tournaments.
The baskets of peanuts -- and Fort Worth tradition of tossing shells -- went by the wayside in the early 1990s after a customer sued, saying she hurt her back after slipping on a shell.
The McMullins also expanded the restaurant twice, taking in sections running along Houston between Second and Third streets.
"We are proud that Billy Miner's Saloon has been an anchor in Sundance Square for nearly three decades," Campbell said. "Dick and Peggy McMullin opened the restaurant at a time when downtown Fort Worth was being revitalized, and they helped build a base for people to gather."
What happens next for the space?
Campbell said he'd already fielded as many as four calls Tuesday after the news was released.
Sundance Square will probably look to use the space to expand its soft-goods retail -- apparel, accessories and gifts -- before it considers another restaurant, Campbell said.
In that case, Sundance Square would most likely divide the space into units of about 2,500 square feet apiece, with entryways on Houston between Second and Third, Campbell said.
With the Billy Miner's entrance at Third and Houston and its long west wall along Houston, breaking up the space would help create more activity on the street, Campbell said.
It would also better connect the east and west sides of Houston, Campbell said. The Reata restaurant sits on the west side of the street.
"In today's retail leasing wisdom, [the space] breaks up," Campbell said.
But "I'm not foolish enough to tell you it's not going to be a restaurant. The market tells you what you can and can't do. It's really not very magical."
Sundance Square would also look to relocate Western murals by painter Richard Haas that it commissioned in the mid-1980s and that now adorn the Houston windows of Billy Miner's, Campbell said. Haas also painted the Chisholm Trail mural in Sundance Square.
Campbell said Sundance Square retail sales will likely finish the year down 3-4 percent but have been buoyed by visitor traffic downtown. The city's convention and visitor traffic has been boosted by the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, renovations to other hotels and even business from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Article taken from The Fort Worth Star Telegram
Birthday Lake Madness
Its time to pack up the car with a keg of beer and head to Lake Corsicana. There could only be one reason why to make a two day trip to this waterwold location, Eric Cumming's 30 Birthday Party.
To celebrate this milestone, Eric and his wife Kristen invited a group of fun loving individuals to spend two days at her parents lake house in Corsicana. Since Kristen loves themed parties and the fact that this particular party was on the lake, she proclaimed that this years theme would be a "Pirate Party".
The weekend had all of the ingredients of making a great weekend. We had two 3-man jet skis at our disposal, a cool pontoon boat to lounge in, and a huge grill waiting to be used. Another great feature of this past weekend was the fact that nobody was on the lake, so we could mess around on the jet skis as much as we wanted to without hurting anybody around us.
I spent about 75% of the trip in the lake and the rest of the time I was either coming in 2nd in a poker tournament or sleeping on the couch.
Even though the trip was on a Saturday - Sunday type of trip, it was tons of fun. Everybody seemed to have fun by messing around on the jet skis and swimming in the lake all day. One of the best parts of the trip was when a small group of us put some beer in a sippie cup, grabbed a bottle of champagne, and headed out to the middle of the lake on the jet skis. It was a damn good time until we got back and somebody got into trouble for going on this excursion without his wife.
Although I came back slightly sunburned, it was a great time.
To celebrate this milestone, Eric and his wife Kristen invited a group of fun loving individuals to spend two days at her parents lake house in Corsicana. Since Kristen loves themed parties and the fact that this particular party was on the lake, she proclaimed that this years theme would be a "Pirate Party".
The weekend had all of the ingredients of making a great weekend. We had two 3-man jet skis at our disposal, a cool pontoon boat to lounge in, and a huge grill waiting to be used. Another great feature of this past weekend was the fact that nobody was on the lake, so we could mess around on the jet skis as much as we wanted to without hurting anybody around us.
I spent about 75% of the trip in the lake and the rest of the time I was either coming in 2nd in a poker tournament or sleeping on the couch.
Even though the trip was on a Saturday - Sunday type of trip, it was tons of fun. Everybody seemed to have fun by messing around on the jet skis and swimming in the lake all day. One of the best parts of the trip was when a small group of us put some beer in a sippie cup, grabbed a bottle of champagne, and headed out to the middle of the lake on the jet skis. It was a damn good time until we got back and somebody got into trouble for going on this excursion without his wife.
Although I came back slightly sunburned, it was a great time.
Cristina's Bday
It's time for Cristina's annual birthday celebration which means a couple of things
- Awesome Mexican food at Uncle Julio's
- Tons of beer
- The occasional shot of tequila
- More awesome Mexican food
- Singing Happy Birthday to Cristina
- Enjoy some Sopapillas
- Go to a bar
- Make bets on when Cristina will pass out
- Laught at Cristina when shes passes out
- Draw on Crinstina while passed out
- Take pictures of this immature, yet hillarious ritual
- Drop her off at her apartment
- Go out some more because it is only 10:00 pm
But before any of that begins, its time to hit a happy hour and pre-game this event.
I am In a Movie
Yes, you read the title correctly, I am in a movie and no, it is not a cheap snuff film made in some creepy dude's basement that has blackout curtains all over the place so the "guest of honor" wont know what time it is.
During the first weekend of September, a couple of friends of mine were making a zombie movie near Frisco, Texas called "Homecoming".
They asked some of my friends and I to be in it for the final scene of the movie and a ton of people showed up for it. There was close to about 30 extras there and then add the crew members and it should have been up to 40 people.
Basically, the movie is about a American who goes to Paris to help fight some weird Zombie outbreak that is occurring only in that area of the world. The guy, I am pretty sure his name was Johnny, comes back home to his parents farm and finds out that the outbreak is occurring in America too. His family is pissed at Johnny because he didn't try to communicate with his family at all when he was away and everyone thought he was dead. Then a bunch of stuff happens that I am not really to sure about because nobody really explained it to me but then a bunch of zombies come to Johnny's family farm to kill everyone. Now this is where I come in.
I am on the right side of the outrageous zombie attack. You will be able to tell that its me due to my dashing good looks, suave smile, and extremely short shorts that I still have from the 3rd grade. They may have been short, but damn did those shorts my my thighs look b-e-a-utiful.
The thing I liked most about being in the movie was seeing how much goes into one scene. It was crazy to watch people get latex put on their face with even crazier make up in order to make a person actually look dead. The professional mark up artiest did a great job at making people either look dead and all kinds of bloody.
The last scene in the movie is only about 5 minutes long but it took the whole day to complete it. I think the best part of it was going to Taco Bell for dinner with all the crap still on our faces and scaring the shit out of all of the customers and employees there. We got your food very quickly mainly because they wanted us out of there so we wouldn't scare the kids and plus some of us just looked plain homeless.
During the first weekend of September, a couple of friends of mine were making a zombie movie near Frisco, Texas called "Homecoming".
They asked some of my friends and I to be in it for the final scene of the movie and a ton of people showed up for it. There was close to about 30 extras there and then add the crew members and it should have been up to 40 people.
Basically, the movie is about a American who goes to Paris to help fight some weird Zombie outbreak that is occurring only in that area of the world. The guy, I am pretty sure his name was Johnny, comes back home to his parents farm and finds out that the outbreak is occurring in America too. His family is pissed at Johnny because he didn't try to communicate with his family at all when he was away and everyone thought he was dead. Then a bunch of stuff happens that I am not really to sure about because nobody really explained it to me but then a bunch of zombies come to Johnny's family farm to kill everyone. Now this is where I come in.
I am on the right side of the outrageous zombie attack. You will be able to tell that its me due to my dashing good looks, suave smile, and extremely short shorts that I still have from the 3rd grade. They may have been short, but damn did those shorts my my thighs look b-e-a-utiful.
The thing I liked most about being in the movie was seeing how much goes into one scene. It was crazy to watch people get latex put on their face with even crazier make up in order to make a person actually look dead. The professional mark up artiest did a great job at making people either look dead and all kinds of bloody.
The last scene in the movie is only about 5 minutes long but it took the whole day to complete it. I think the best part of it was going to Taco Bell for dinner with all the crap still on our faces and scaring the shit out of all of the customers and employees there. We got your food very quickly mainly because they wanted us out of there so we wouldn't scare the kids and plus some of us just looked plain homeless.
Monday, August 30, 2010
P90X
Ok, so I am going to do the P90X workout. Here is the schedule that I have to follow. I will give updates every 30 days.
The classic P90x workout plan looks like this:
Weeks 1, 2, and 3
Day 1 – Chest and Back, plus Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
The p90x workout schedule for week 4 is supposed to be a recovery week after hitting it hard six days a week for three weeks.
P90x Workout Plan Week 4
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
For week 5 the P90x workout schedule changes yet again.
P90X Workout Plan Weeks 5, 6, 7
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Time to kick back to another recovery phase week for week 8
P90x Calendar Week 8 (Recovery Phase)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
The following workout program appears in Weeks 9 and then again in Week 11
Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 Rest or X Stretch
Here’s the P90X Calendar for Weeks 10 and 12
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2- Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
P90X Workout Schedule Week 13 (Final Week)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
As you can see, the P90X workout schedule has you working out six days a week for 13 weeks, for about an hour to an hour and a half each workout.
The classic P90x workout plan looks like this:
Weeks 1, 2, and 3
Day 1 – Chest and Back, plus Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
The p90x workout schedule for week 4 is supposed to be a recovery week after hitting it hard six days a week for three weeks.
P90x Workout Plan Week 4
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
For week 5 the P90x workout schedule changes yet again.
P90X Workout Plan Weeks 5, 6, 7
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Time to kick back to another recovery phase week for week 8
P90x Calendar Week 8 (Recovery Phase)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
The following workout program appears in Weeks 9 and then again in Week 11
Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 Rest or X Stretch
Here’s the P90X Calendar for Weeks 10 and 12
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2- Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
P90X Workout Schedule Week 13 (Final Week)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
As you can see, the P90X workout schedule has you working out six days a week for 13 weeks, for about an hour to an hour and a half each workout.
The Master Pancake Theatre
Have you ever wanted to see one of your favorite movies while some comedians put their own commentary on speakers? Then you need to get your ass to the Alamo Draft House in Austin, Texas and enjoy The Master Pancake Theatre.
The Master Pancake Theatre is part of the Alamo tradition of pairing bad movies with live comedy (and beer)! It's smart, fast, and bust-a-gut funny.
I have never been to a Master Pancake Theatre show before, but from what all of my friends were telling me, it makes the movie even better. The basic theme of the whole experience is just to have fun at and get the crowd involved in the jokes as well.
The best way that I can describe it is it operates the same way that a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show does. People get to yell things and drink when a character says or does a certain thing. Also, there is a bunch of crowd participation before and during the film.
Before this particular showing of The Breakfast Club, teams of 2 were invited to come up to the stage and toss a pancake from one skillet to the other without dropping it. The team who could do it the most won. Cody and I went up there as Bullet/Proof. All of teams before us messed up quickly and we seemed like we had a chance to win until the team before us went up.
Apparently this team majored in tossing pancakes to each other because they were unstoppable. They were tossing pancakes like it was an art form or a really shitty ballet that girls would love to watch for 2 and a half hours with their boyfriends because it will be something different to do that we bring them close together but the boyfriend is just going so he can do something "special" that night with her WINK WINK.
Bullet and I knew that had to bring our A game in front of a crowd of several hundred people. That is exactly what he did, at least to our own standards, that is what he did. Team Bullet/Proof did very well until toss #5. That is when I dropped the pancake and was stuck in 2ND place.
The teams after us only reached to 3 flips and it we were officially in 2ND place or, depending how you are looking at it, 1st place in losing. The Master Pancake Theatre group was originally only going to give awards to the 1st place team and to whoever made the most craziest catch. But then something miraculous happened. Something that you would only see at the end of a feel good Disney movie, people started to chant "Bullet/Proof".
At first we thought it was only our friends that were cheering us on, but it was also some of the drunken members of the crowd. Because of our drunk comrades, the Master Pancake Theatre Group gave us our own prize, a $10 gift card to Kerby Lane, one of the best breakfasts places on earth.
Once the opening skit was done, it was time for the movie to begin. The show started with trailers and commercials from the year The Breakfast Club was released. The comedians were awesome to say the least. They made jokes and observations that never noticed in the movie before.
About halfway through the movie, they comedians stopped the show and had a Dating Game parody with people dressed up as the male characters from the movie. You can catch that video here. That lasted about 15 minutes and it was back to the movie time.
Oh, one quick thing to mention, if you have ever seen the movie, then you know that the Principal gives the Horns sign with his hand alot. Every time he does that , the crowd was supposed to yell Fisted Sister and take a drink. It was a great game but make sure you something to drink because the Principal goes nuts with the Horns gesture from time to time. There was also a contest on who could hold their breath underwater the longest during the film's longest pan scene, which you can watch here.
Overall, it was one hell of a good time and I hope they bring something like that to my neck of the woods.
The Master Pancake Theatre is part of the Alamo tradition of pairing bad movies with live comedy (and beer)! It's smart, fast, and bust-a-gut funny.
I have never been to a Master Pancake Theatre show before, but from what all of my friends were telling me, it makes the movie even better. The basic theme of the whole experience is just to have fun at and get the crowd involved in the jokes as well.
The best way that I can describe it is it operates the same way that a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show does. People get to yell things and drink when a character says or does a certain thing. Also, there is a bunch of crowd participation before and during the film.
Before this particular showing of The Breakfast Club, teams of 2 were invited to come up to the stage and toss a pancake from one skillet to the other without dropping it. The team who could do it the most won. Cody and I went up there as Bullet/Proof. All of teams before us messed up quickly and we seemed like we had a chance to win until the team before us went up.
Apparently this team majored in tossing pancakes to each other because they were unstoppable. They were tossing pancakes like it was an art form or a really shitty ballet that girls would love to watch for 2 and a half hours with their boyfriends because it will be something different to do that we bring them close together but the boyfriend is just going so he can do something "special" that night with her WINK WINK.
Bullet and I knew that had to bring our A game in front of a crowd of several hundred people. That is exactly what he did, at least to our own standards, that is what he did. Team Bullet/Proof did very well until toss #5. That is when I dropped the pancake and was stuck in 2ND place.
The teams after us only reached to 3 flips and it we were officially in 2ND place or, depending how you are looking at it, 1st place in losing. The Master Pancake Theatre group was originally only going to give awards to the 1st place team and to whoever made the most craziest catch. But then something miraculous happened. Something that you would only see at the end of a feel good Disney movie, people started to chant "Bullet/Proof".
At first we thought it was only our friends that were cheering us on, but it was also some of the drunken members of the crowd. Because of our drunk comrades, the Master Pancake Theatre Group gave us our own prize, a $10 gift card to Kerby Lane, one of the best breakfasts places on earth.
Once the opening skit was done, it was time for the movie to begin. The show started with trailers and commercials from the year The Breakfast Club was released. The comedians were awesome to say the least. They made jokes and observations that never noticed in the movie before.
About halfway through the movie, they comedians stopped the show and had a Dating Game parody with people dressed up as the male characters from the movie. You can catch that video here. That lasted about 15 minutes and it was back to the movie time.
Oh, one quick thing to mention, if you have ever seen the movie, then you know that the Principal gives the Horns sign with his hand alot. Every time he does that , the crowd was supposed to yell Fisted Sister and take a drink. It was a great game but make sure you something to drink because the Principal goes nuts with the Horns gesture from time to time. There was also a contest on who could hold their breath underwater the longest during the film's longest pan scene, which you can watch here.
Overall, it was one hell of a good time and I hope they bring something like that to my neck of the woods.
Dallas Uptown Pub Crawl
A few weeks ago, a group of friends and I participated in one of the greatest American Traditions people in their 20s can do: the pub crawl!On Saturday, August 14, a team of 7 set out to dominate 4 bars on the streets of Uptown Dallas. Our group, appropriately named "Pulling Out Is Only For Couches", were made up of the finest drinkers that AA would reject because of the bad name we would give them.
Colin, Meredith, Jon, Damon, Bryce, and myself met up at Cristina's apartment at 11 am so we could get ready to start drinking at noon. We prepared by eating a ton of bagels and betting on who will quit, get sick, or give up first. People pegged me for everything.
At noon, the seven us grabbed our pub crawl map and started to go to the first bar on our drunken adventure: Christie's.
Originally, we were only supposed to receive 3 pitchers of beer at each bar, but since we had 7 members in our group instead of 5, we were now drinking 4 pitchers of beer per bar. We paced ourselves at first, but the crowd quickly made us change our tune. Within 45 minutes at Christie's, we finished all of our beer and decided to go to the next bar on the list.
Some quick info that I should have mentioned at the beginning of this blog entry is that the initial pub crawl goes from noon until 4pm and it will be a shotgun start. Each group will go 4 bars and spend an hour at each of those bars. At four, all of the groups will go to the M.A.T. for the after party and the after party will last until all of kegs have been emptied.
Ok, back to the story. We left our first stop and quickly headed our way to the next stop on our magical quest: The Londoner.
The Londoner was only a block away from our first stop, so we got there fairly quickly. Obviously by the name of The Londoner, the place has a Costa Rica Theme to its bar. Not really, but I feel sorry for you if you believed that stupid lie.
The Londoner is actually a cool place to drink at. It does have a London theme to and it was just relaxing to go to. At this particular bar, we got a 4 pitchers of beer and started drinking. Again, since there were seven of us, we went through the pitchers at the first bar fairly quickly and we slowed down a little bit just because we didn't want to drink everything we had so quickly and then just wait around until it was time to the next bar. Well, we thought we slowed down.
We quickly went through the 4 pitchers of Coors Light and Damon had the bright idea to buy everyone a tall boy of Guinness. That was a bad idea since we were drinking light beer the whole time. After several games of darts, almost stabbing Colin with a dart in the hand, and slowly drinking a dark poison called Guinness, it was time to head to our third stop on our Saturday afternoon journey. And that place was called McKinney Avenue Tavern, or simply known as the M.A.T.
I like to think that the M.A.T. is where we started to feel the affects of the pub crawl. We are now into hour 3 and it is definitely time for some food of any kind. Everyone shared a couple of bowls of chips and queso and also other types of bar food version of appetizers.
Somehow, The M.A.T. decided to give us an extra pitcher so we are now working on pitchers 9 to 13. And this is when we started to get loud and crazy. From the time we arrived until the time we left, our group became friends with another group that was participating in the pub crawl. Drinks were being exchanged, along with dirty jokes and some picture taking as well.
I could tell that Colin and Jon were getting we bit tipsy because every time one of them would get from their seat, they would always back up into a mirror and break a section of it. The first couple of times were an accident but it quickly became a competition of who could do the most amount of damage with each quick toss of the chair. By the time we left, the mirror was shattered on both sides, so the team had to declare a draw and get the hell out of there before the management noticed and made us pay for it.
It is now 3 in the afternoon and it is time to head to the final bar on our epic journey known as the Dallas Uptown Pub Crawl. The final destination is the Uptown Bar and Grill. Everyone could tell that this was the last bar because we some people from other groups could not handle all of the drinking and heat. It was about 98 degrees out that day and it was effecting everyone. When we first started, there about 9 other groups with and then there were only 4.
After slowly finishing up not only our drinks at the bar, but also our last drinks of the day. We had successfully completed the pub crawl and decided to head back to Cristina's house. Or so we thought.
On our way back to Cristina's, we had to pass the M.A.T., the third bar that we went to, and completely forgot about the after party. Due to time restraints and schedules, only a couple of could attend this event. So Bryce, Jon, Cristina and myself but our livers on the line and decided to see if we had a "bonus" round in us. And we did, kind of.
We only had a couple of drinks at the after party at the M.A.T. until we decided to quit because it has been a long time since any of us had something to eat. Somehow from moving from the M.A.T. to Christie's across the street, we lost Bryce. Because of our hunger, Jon, Cristina, and I chose not to send out a searching party for Bryce and just something to eat instead. It was a wise decision.
After a quick late afternoon lunch, it was finally time to retire from the pub crawl for the day. It was a good time and it only cost $56 dollars a person which was tax deductible because all of the money from the pub crawl went to towards a charity that would benefit the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
So if anyone every tells you that drinking doesn't pay off, other than the random one night stands and awesome things that you dare your friends to do, tell them do a pub crawl and drink for a cure. You could be actually drinking for a cure that would solve the epidemic you may have going on in your pants from one of the one night stands that you had. Just ask Jon.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Birthday Parties, Going Away Parties, and Bachelor Parties
It seems that ever since the last week of July, I have had some sort party to go to. So far, I have gone to 3 birthday parties, a going away party, a bachelor party and more to attend in the next couple of weeks.
2 out 3 of the birthday parties that I have attended have been fuel by alcohol at either a karaoke bar or the time vampire known as Caves. We call Caves a time vampire because you can show up there at 8 and before you know it, it is 2 am and it is closing time.
The first birthday party that I attended was actually for my mom. My old man and I took my mom to a brunch at a great place called Joe's. They make the best pies and omelets that I have ever had, although I have never had them at the same time.
After breakfast, my mom wanted to see Salt at the Movie Tavern. So that is exactly what we did. The movie was actually pretty good and my mom enjoyed it a lot. When we got home, we showered my mom with flowers, dinner, and gifts. I know what you are thinking and you are right, I am the best son ever.
The 2ND birthday party I went to was also a Going Away party for my friend Jarrod. He is moving to Korea for a year and teach Korean kids English. He decided to have his party at a Karaoke party called Bogart's.
I was actually surprised to see how many people could fit in such a small bar. Usually, Bogart's is just one of those bars where they have a pool table, a couple of chairs and tables, a bar top, and a cigarette machine. There had to be at least 25 of Jarrod's friends that showed up and that doesn't include the regular customers that were at the bar.
Since Bogart's is a karaoke bar, there was a lot of drunken singing. At one point of the night, all of the guys got a couple of the mics and belted out the best version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that has ever been sung at a bar at 1 a.m.
After several drinks and even more horrible renditions of songs have been raped by retarded people in their mid 20s, it was time to go. The majority of the people were going home while the Man of The Hour invited a group of people to go to a house party with him. So my carload and I went to what we were told was going to be an awesome time. When we got to the place, it was a completely different story.
When I walked in to the house, it seemed like I was in a stereotypical Frat movie. Some guy is throwing up outside while his girlfriend is trying to take of him and some random girl is passed out in a lawn chair near the front door. As I walked inside, almost everyone was passed out or just about to. The inside kind of reminded me of the scene in "The Salton Sea" where everyone is doing drugs and passing out. But instead of drugs, it was only a large amount of alcohol. And if you have not seen the movie, then you need to because it is beyond awesome.
After being at the so called house party for 20 minutes, it was time to leave and head home and prepare for the next weekend full of debauchery.
Birthday party #3 is now upon us. This party was actually for Jarrod's brother Jon, who turned 27. The party was held at a bar called Caves or otherwise known as the Time Vampire. We call it the Time Vampire because that place will just suck the time right out of you and in a good way. You may walk in at 6 pm and then all of a sudden it is 2 am and its closing time.
This time there was about 20 people there and the Guest of Honor and his Lady Friend were almost an hour late to their own party, which meant they had to catch up on an hour of drinking very quickly. One thing I like about Caves is that around 10 or 11, a lady will come in a sell some of her homemade tacos and burritos. The food is good at first but you will regret it the next morning.The party was great, tons of shots were be taken, memories were being erased, and tabs were being paid. And the good part was that Jon didn't throw up at the bar and pass out by the shed again like last year.
The next night, Saturday, August 7th was the final party of this crazy 2 week journey. This was the mother of all parties because it was a bachelor party. We all know what may or may not occur at this parties so I will just let you imagination do all the work for you on this portion of the entry.
2 out 3 of the birthday parties that I have attended have been fuel by alcohol at either a karaoke bar or the time vampire known as Caves. We call Caves a time vampire because you can show up there at 8 and before you know it, it is 2 am and it is closing time.
The first birthday party that I attended was actually for my mom. My old man and I took my mom to a brunch at a great place called Joe's. They make the best pies and omelets that I have ever had, although I have never had them at the same time.
After breakfast, my mom wanted to see Salt at the Movie Tavern. So that is exactly what we did. The movie was actually pretty good and my mom enjoyed it a lot. When we got home, we showered my mom with flowers, dinner, and gifts. I know what you are thinking and you are right, I am the best son ever.
The 2ND birthday party I went to was also a Going Away party for my friend Jarrod. He is moving to Korea for a year and teach Korean kids English. He decided to have his party at a Karaoke party called Bogart's.
I was actually surprised to see how many people could fit in such a small bar. Usually, Bogart's is just one of those bars where they have a pool table, a couple of chairs and tables, a bar top, and a cigarette machine. There had to be at least 25 of Jarrod's friends that showed up and that doesn't include the regular customers that were at the bar.
Since Bogart's is a karaoke bar, there was a lot of drunken singing. At one point of the night, all of the guys got a couple of the mics and belted out the best version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that has ever been sung at a bar at 1 a.m.
After several drinks and even more horrible renditions of songs have been raped by retarded people in their mid 20s, it was time to go. The majority of the people were going home while the Man of The Hour invited a group of people to go to a house party with him. So my carload and I went to what we were told was going to be an awesome time. When we got to the place, it was a completely different story.
When I walked in to the house, it seemed like I was in a stereotypical Frat movie. Some guy is throwing up outside while his girlfriend is trying to take of him and some random girl is passed out in a lawn chair near the front door. As I walked inside, almost everyone was passed out or just about to. The inside kind of reminded me of the scene in "The Salton Sea" where everyone is doing drugs and passing out. But instead of drugs, it was only a large amount of alcohol. And if you have not seen the movie, then you need to because it is beyond awesome.
After being at the so called house party for 20 minutes, it was time to leave and head home and prepare for the next weekend full of debauchery.
Birthday party #3 is now upon us. This party was actually for Jarrod's brother Jon, who turned 27. The party was held at a bar called Caves or otherwise known as the Time Vampire. We call it the Time Vampire because that place will just suck the time right out of you and in a good way. You may walk in at 6 pm and then all of a sudden it is 2 am and its closing time.
This time there was about 20 people there and the Guest of Honor and his Lady Friend were almost an hour late to their own party, which meant they had to catch up on an hour of drinking very quickly. One thing I like about Caves is that around 10 or 11, a lady will come in a sell some of her homemade tacos and burritos. The food is good at first but you will regret it the next morning.The party was great, tons of shots were be taken, memories were being erased, and tabs were being paid. And the good part was that Jon didn't throw up at the bar and pass out by the shed again like last year.
The next night, Saturday, August 7th was the final party of this crazy 2 week journey. This was the mother of all parties because it was a bachelor party. We all know what may or may not occur at this parties so I will just let you imagination do all the work for you on this portion of the entry.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
SmodCast with Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier
A sold out Granada Theater greeted screenwriter, author and director, Kevin Smith last night, Wednesday July 28th in Dallas, Texas.
Kevin Smith is most widely known for the Jay and Silent Bob characters he created. They've appeared in comic books and in several of his films (Clerks, Mall Rats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II and more).
While the success of most of these films rely on the immaturity of the audience, Smith’s more sensitive side is subtly present. Smith's screenwriting style tends to attract mostly a mostly younger, male audience. Several other films demonstrate a more grown up perspective on life, love and story telling. In Chasing Amy, for example Smith tells the story of best friends and new love. In a way that is very uniquely his own, he engages raunchy humor with genuine laugh out loud moments before wrapping the whole thing together with the nakedness of unnatural and unrequited love, leaving you teary eyed for Ben Affleck’s character, Holden and equally conflicted for his love interest, Alyssa, played by Joey Lauren Adams.
Smith’s films are smart. When you watch them, you don’t feel like you’re being told a story or watching a movie. You feel like the characters are real people, probably people you’ve known at some point in your life. And as they live out their day, or week or year on the screen, you snuggle in and listen, as if they were on the other end of a long distance telephone call telling you the whole thing themselves, in their very own words.
Smith’s films are smart. When you watch them, you don’t feel like you’re being told a story or watching a movie. You feel like the characters are real people, probably people you’ve known at some point in your life. And as they live out their day, or week or year on the screen, you snuggle in and listen, as if they were on the other end of a long distance telephone call telling you the whole thing themselves, in their very own words.
Each week, Smith and Mosier host a one hour podcast that they’ve coined, SModcast. (S for Smith and M for Mosier replacing the P from Podcast). The tour and the event in Dallas on Wednesday was a live SModcast, or Live Nude SModcast, as the advertisements would have it.
Although the event was sponsored by Fleshlight (an adult product), the show did not contain any nudity. However, the ratings agencies would have surely restricted access to the content based on the subject matter.
Smith shared a local story about being hit with a couple of eggs during a visit to Dallas last year. After leaving a Chili’s restaurant with his mom and some friends, some Dallasites drove up on the group tossing a few eggs at Smith. Several months later, a video surfaced of the attackers planning the egging. They claimed to be seeking retaliation against Smith for “selling out”. Smith mimicked the Seinfeld television show reenactment of the Kennedy assassination as he relayed the egging story, remarking that during the attack a certain meatier part of his body had gone back and to the left.
He also managed to get in a Southwest Airlines jab during the bit as he explained that his size had protected him from being harmed in the egging. (See: Kevin Smith at Southwest Airlines)
Smith also reminisced about his childhood and watching the television show Dallas with his mother. He remembered that his mother had suggested that maybe one day he "could have a ranch like Southfork". He recalled that the show seemed to have a lot of sexual encounters on it and remarked that made him belived that "Dallas [chicks] like to f**ck."
SModcasts routinely involve discussions about news events and Wednesday’s was no exception. Smith relayed a local story about a WT White High School student who was arrested for masturbating in class. Mosier and Smith spent the better part of half an hour on this subject which led into the most awkward and worst places the two of them had done it, along with a dare for Mosier to use the Granada’s stage in front of the crowd to top his most awkward place. The two finished up their set after about an hour and a half, by giving away five fleshlights to random fans.
Following Smith and Mosier’s performance, the Tell ‘em Live team (Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson) took the stage with Brian Quinn. The Tell ‘em Live team had a similar presence with a conversational vibe, sharing stories and interacting with the audience.
Kevin Smith is most widely known for the Jay and Silent Bob characters he created. They've appeared in comic books and in several of his films (Clerks, Mall Rats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II and more).
While the success of most of these films rely on the immaturity of the audience, Smith’s more sensitive side is subtly present. Smith's screenwriting style tends to attract mostly a mostly younger, male audience. Several other films demonstrate a more grown up perspective on life, love and story telling. In Chasing Amy, for example Smith tells the story of best friends and new love. In a way that is very uniquely his own, he engages raunchy humor with genuine laugh out loud moments before wrapping the whole thing together with the nakedness of unnatural and unrequited love, leaving you teary eyed for Ben Affleck’s character, Holden and equally conflicted for his love interest, Alyssa, played by Joey Lauren Adams.
Smith’s films are smart. When you watch them, you don’t feel like you’re being told a story or watching a movie. You feel like the characters are real people, probably people you’ve known at some point in your life. And as they live out their day, or week or year on the screen, you snuggle in and listen, as if they were on the other end of a long distance telephone call telling you the whole thing themselves, in their very own words.
Smith’s films are smart. When you watch them, you don’t feel like you’re being told a story or watching a movie. You feel like the characters are real people, probably people you’ve known at some point in your life. And as they live out their day, or week or year on the screen, you snuggle in and listen, as if they were on the other end of a long distance telephone call telling you the whole thing themselves, in their very own words.
Each week, Smith and Mosier host a one hour podcast that they’ve coined, SModcast. (S for Smith and M for Mosier replacing the P from Podcast). The tour and the event in Dallas on Wednesday was a live SModcast, or Live Nude SModcast, as the advertisements would have it.
Although the event was sponsored by Fleshlight (an adult product), the show did not contain any nudity. However, the ratings agencies would have surely restricted access to the content based on the subject matter.
Smith shared a local story about being hit with a couple of eggs during a visit to Dallas last year. After leaving a Chili’s restaurant with his mom and some friends, some Dallasites drove up on the group tossing a few eggs at Smith. Several months later, a video surfaced of the attackers planning the egging. They claimed to be seeking retaliation against Smith for “selling out”. Smith mimicked the Seinfeld television show reenactment of the Kennedy assassination as he relayed the egging story, remarking that during the attack a certain meatier part of his body had gone back and to the left.
He also managed to get in a Southwest Airlines jab during the bit as he explained that his size had protected him from being harmed in the egging. (See: Kevin Smith at Southwest Airlines)
Smith also reminisced about his childhood and watching the television show Dallas with his mother. He remembered that his mother had suggested that maybe one day he "could have a ranch like Southfork". He recalled that the show seemed to have a lot of sexual encounters on it and remarked that made him belived that "Dallas [chicks] like to f**ck."
SModcasts routinely involve discussions about news events and Wednesday’s was no exception. Smith relayed a local story about a WT White High School student who was arrested for masturbating in class. Mosier and Smith spent the better part of half an hour on this subject which led into the most awkward and worst places the two of them had done it, along with a dare for Mosier to use the Granada’s stage in front of the crowd to top his most awkward place. The two finished up their set after about an hour and a half, by giving away five fleshlights to random fans.
Following Smith and Mosier’s performance, the Tell ‘em Live team (Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson) took the stage with Brian Quinn. The Tell ‘em Live team had a similar presence with a conversational vibe, sharing stories and interacting with the audience.
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