I can't believe I forgot to mention these two shows, but there you go...
Star Trek:TNG - I loved watching the reruns of Star Trek when I was younger (I saw most of them on a black-and-white tv set, so I didn't get to appreciate the fantastic lighting and psychedelic colors of the set, but I still loved them), so I eagerly anticipated the new series. I watched the first few eps but soon gave up. I just didn't think the show was up to the high expectations I had for it. However, I came back to it now and then through the rest of that first season and then more through season two. By the time season three was on, I was hooked and watching it every week. An excellent successor to the original, and what a great choice in Patrick Stewart! I was given the dvd sets of seasons four and six as gifts, although some of the best eps were from seasons three and five (and some fun experimental ones in season seven).
Arrested Development - I saw most of the eps from season one when they were first on but, although I enjoyed it immensely, for some reason was not able to see the show every week. When the dvd's were released, I bought season one and loved it, but I hesitated in buying seasons two and three (see previous post). Recently Partner and I were able to watch all of those eps in order on tv, and we loved them. Now, I can't believe I never invested in the dvd's. If I find them cheap, I still might. This is a show that definitely rewards multiple viewings. Can't wait for the movie!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
DVD Buying
On my friend's blog (Messages from Atlantis - the link is in my profile), he mentioned Amazon's gold box special for the dvd set of "Babylon 5." Now that I've looked, the price has gone back up. Chuck/Maethe didn't buy the set because he said that "Netflix ruined the impulse buy." Even though I'm not a member of Netflix, I've had a similar dilemma for at least a year now.
The dilemma: do I invest in a dvd or not. For years I never thought about it because my dvd buying habits were generally limited to single movies. I'd spend anywhere from $10-25 for a movie and figure it was worth it because a) I'd probably watch it multiple times, and b) I like the idea of showing my support with my wallet. If I did have a question about buying a dvd, it was usually because the dvd didn't come with any special features, which is something that I really enjoy.
More recently, almost any and all tv series have been released on dvd, which raises the dilemma to a new level because the price for these sets is significantly higher. I still like the idea of supporting the shows I like, but usually tv shows don't reward multiple viewings the way good movies do. (The clear exception is any Joss Whedon show, which is why I bought the set for "Buffy" and "Firefly.") So, do I invest in a set, watch the eps once with Partner, and then put the dvd's away? That hardly seems worth the high price.
Obvious solutions are to join Netflix or rent the dvd's from a video rental store. Another solution I've come up with is to let friends borrow the dvd's. In that way, the more people who watch the dvd, the more it was worth buying it. (To this end, I keep a running list of my dvd's and can email it to any friend who's interested.) Otherwise, I don't buy the set and hope the eps are rerun on tv ( thanks to the dvr).
Back to "Babylon 5." Since the price went back up, I had to seriously consider the investment. I've always heard it was a well-written sci-fi show (my cousin thinks it is the best-written show on tv), but will Partner and I watch it more than once? Do I have any friends who would borrow the set? We thought about it and decided against buying the set. Instead, I'll look for it at my video store (when I rent "Lost" season 4) and possibly rent the discs.
I looked at the gold box special today, and it was for "Angel." The price is really cheap, so I decided it was worth the investment and ordered it. I assume that, even though I've seen all the eps on tv, Partner and I will still want to see the show again. Also, it's a show that more of my friends are more likely to want to borrow.
For anyone keeping score, yes - I ordered it from Amazon. I did this despite my earlier assertion that Amazon sucked. What can I say? Hence the title, "Truth and Contradictions."
The dilemma: do I invest in a dvd or not. For years I never thought about it because my dvd buying habits were generally limited to single movies. I'd spend anywhere from $10-25 for a movie and figure it was worth it because a) I'd probably watch it multiple times, and b) I like the idea of showing my support with my wallet. If I did have a question about buying a dvd, it was usually because the dvd didn't come with any special features, which is something that I really enjoy.
More recently, almost any and all tv series have been released on dvd, which raises the dilemma to a new level because the price for these sets is significantly higher. I still like the idea of supporting the shows I like, but usually tv shows don't reward multiple viewings the way good movies do. (The clear exception is any Joss Whedon show, which is why I bought the set for "Buffy" and "Firefly.") So, do I invest in a set, watch the eps once with Partner, and then put the dvd's away? That hardly seems worth the high price.
Obvious solutions are to join Netflix or rent the dvd's from a video rental store. Another solution I've come up with is to let friends borrow the dvd's. In that way, the more people who watch the dvd, the more it was worth buying it. (To this end, I keep a running list of my dvd's and can email it to any friend who's interested.) Otherwise, I don't buy the set and hope the eps are rerun on tv ( thanks to the dvr).
Back to "Babylon 5." Since the price went back up, I had to seriously consider the investment. I've always heard it was a well-written sci-fi show (my cousin thinks it is the best-written show on tv), but will Partner and I watch it more than once? Do I have any friends who would borrow the set? We thought about it and decided against buying the set. Instead, I'll look for it at my video store (when I rent "Lost" season 4) and possibly rent the discs.
I looked at the gold box special today, and it was for "Angel." The price is really cheap, so I decided it was worth the investment and ordered it. I assume that, even though I've seen all the eps on tv, Partner and I will still want to see the show again. Also, it's a show that more of my friends are more likely to want to borrow.
For anyone keeping score, yes - I ordered it from Amazon. I did this despite my earlier assertion that Amazon sucked. What can I say? Hence the title, "Truth and Contradictions."
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
One Reason I Don't Trust Politicians
Senator Arlen Specter from PA yesterday announced that he was switching parties from Republican to Democrat. Apparently the man has been a republican for 30+ years in the Senate, but he's only now realized that the democrats are closer to his personal philosophy. Actually, he said that the republican party has recently moved further to the right and away from his own beliefs.
I know it's now an over-used expression, but "Really?" After eight years of being in the republican party under Bush, during which time the religious right took over leadership of the party and the Constitution was practically ignored ("Free Speech Zone" anyone?), only NOW he feels like the party moved too far to the right. Let's also not forget that the republican party during Clinton's administration practically hunted the President from the day he got in office, spending years and millions of dollars to find some crime to accuse him of. At the end, what did they get to impeach him? A lie about a blow job. And THAT's the party that Specter thinks wasn't too far to the right for him.
What do those years have in common? The right ruled the Senate. So, no matter how conservative the party was, Specter was ok with it as long as it was in power. Now that the republicans have practically destroyed the country and people (voters) have moved to the center/left, and now that the dems are in power, NOW Specter has decided that the republicans are too far to the right. What it comes down to is this: Specter has decided that he can't win a primary race in PA next year against a conservative candidate, so in order for him to stay in power he's got to change parties, beliefs be damned. He'll do anything to stay in the country's most powerful men's club, and he'll change his own philosophy to be on the winning team.
Is it any wonder that the average citizen doesn't trust politicians?
I know it's now an over-used expression, but "Really?" After eight years of being in the republican party under Bush, during which time the religious right took over leadership of the party and the Constitution was practically ignored ("Free Speech Zone" anyone?), only NOW he feels like the party moved too far to the right. Let's also not forget that the republican party during Clinton's administration practically hunted the President from the day he got in office, spending years and millions of dollars to find some crime to accuse him of. At the end, what did they get to impeach him? A lie about a blow job. And THAT's the party that Specter thinks wasn't too far to the right for him.
What do those years have in common? The right ruled the Senate. So, no matter how conservative the party was, Specter was ok with it as long as it was in power. Now that the republicans have practically destroyed the country and people (voters) have moved to the center/left, and now that the dems are in power, NOW Specter has decided that the republicans are too far to the right. What it comes down to is this: Specter has decided that he can't win a primary race in PA next year against a conservative candidate, so in order for him to stay in power he's got to change parties, beliefs be damned. He'll do anything to stay in the country's most powerful men's club, and he'll change his own philosophy to be on the winning team.
Is it any wonder that the average citizen doesn't trust politicians?
Monday, April 27, 2009
TV Faves contd.
Spin City - I never saw this when it was first on, but when I caught it in reruns, I loved it. Brilliant writing and enough characters to keep it always interesting. I'm sure I haven't seen all the eps, but I've seen enough to know that the show went downhill after they trimmed down the ensemble cast and added Charlie Sheen/Heather Lockleer. Something about Michael J Fox on tv...?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I think I saw the movie before the show came out, but I'm not positive. In any case, I started watching it from the very first episode and never looked back. This is one of the shows that I would literally run home to catch. Sure, seasons six and seven aren't as good (with a few exceptions: "Once More With Feeling" is an amazing Joss Whedon musical), but eps from seasons two through five rank among the best eps ever to appear on tv. I own the full dvd set.
Angel & Firefly - I'm lumping these two Joss Whedon shows together - even though they are radically different - because I don't think they are as good as Buffy, and because I didn't see either one when they were first run. In the case of Angel, I saw some eps here and there (and then most of season 5) but never enough to get hooked. In the last few months I caught all of the reruns in order on tv, and I realized just how good the show was. In the case of Firefly, I borrowed a friend's dvd set, watched the eps in order and fell in love. I have since bought the dvd's for myself and even bought the film Serenity.
Dollhouse - The latest Joss Whedon show is still on the air in season one - and it might not be renewed for a season two - but so far we are totally enjoying it. It's a shame that the writers may try to wrap up loose ends too quickly in order to "finish" the story this season, but I guess that's always a problem for serial dramas.
Breaking Bad - Great new drama still in its second season. Great acting and writing, and interesting twists that keep the show fun to watch, even when you're cringing.
Lost - Partner and I borrowed a friend's dvd set for season one, then we were hooked. We've since watched all of seasons two and three but have yet to watch season four. Maybe it's too soon to accurately judge how this show will hold up over time (after three seasons, we have no idea about the mystery of the island), but so far it's unique and compelling.
Mad Men - We didn't watch it from the beginning, but after seeing the reruns from season one, we watched all of season two as it aired. Wonderful period piece about a NY advertising agency in the late 50's/early 60's. Cool to see actors from Angel & Firefly in new roles.
Reno911! - Lately I've been into watching improvised or limited-scripted shows. This is probably my favorite. It isn't always laugh-out-loud hilarious, but knowing it is all improvised makes me appreciate it all the more. I have the movie on dvd, and I bought the set for season three. So far I'm not sure I like the change of cast for season five, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
The Sopranos - Some episodes and seasons were better than others, but overall it was one of the best shows on tv while it was on. I'm Italian-American from the northeast, but was more amused than insulted by its portrayal of mafia life in New Jersey. Incredibly well-written and well-acted.
That's it for now. Like I said, I watch more tv than I want to, so I'm constantly fighting the urge to watch more. They don't call it an opiate for nothing!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I think I saw the movie before the show came out, but I'm not positive. In any case, I started watching it from the very first episode and never looked back. This is one of the shows that I would literally run home to catch. Sure, seasons six and seven aren't as good (with a few exceptions: "Once More With Feeling" is an amazing Joss Whedon musical), but eps from seasons two through five rank among the best eps ever to appear on tv. I own the full dvd set.
Angel & Firefly - I'm lumping these two Joss Whedon shows together - even though they are radically different - because I don't think they are as good as Buffy, and because I didn't see either one when they were first run. In the case of Angel, I saw some eps here and there (and then most of season 5) but never enough to get hooked. In the last few months I caught all of the reruns in order on tv, and I realized just how good the show was. In the case of Firefly, I borrowed a friend's dvd set, watched the eps in order and fell in love. I have since bought the dvd's for myself and even bought the film Serenity.
Dollhouse - The latest Joss Whedon show is still on the air in season one - and it might not be renewed for a season two - but so far we are totally enjoying it. It's a shame that the writers may try to wrap up loose ends too quickly in order to "finish" the story this season, but I guess that's always a problem for serial dramas.
Breaking Bad - Great new drama still in its second season. Great acting and writing, and interesting twists that keep the show fun to watch, even when you're cringing.
Lost - Partner and I borrowed a friend's dvd set for season one, then we were hooked. We've since watched all of seasons two and three but have yet to watch season four. Maybe it's too soon to accurately judge how this show will hold up over time (after three seasons, we have no idea about the mystery of the island), but so far it's unique and compelling.
Mad Men - We didn't watch it from the beginning, but after seeing the reruns from season one, we watched all of season two as it aired. Wonderful period piece about a NY advertising agency in the late 50's/early 60's. Cool to see actors from Angel & Firefly in new roles.
Reno911! - Lately I've been into watching improvised or limited-scripted shows. This is probably my favorite. It isn't always laugh-out-loud hilarious, but knowing it is all improvised makes me appreciate it all the more. I have the movie on dvd, and I bought the set for season three. So far I'm not sure I like the change of cast for season five, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
The Sopranos - Some episodes and seasons were better than others, but overall it was one of the best shows on tv while it was on. I'm Italian-American from the northeast, but was more amused than insulted by its portrayal of mafia life in New Jersey. Incredibly well-written and well-acted.
That's it for now. Like I said, I watch more tv than I want to, so I'm constantly fighting the urge to watch more. They don't call it an opiate for nothing!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
TV Faves
...But first, a side bar for Partner and a bit of background. In college, some friends of mine started a quote board, a place they could write down and display the funniest quotes from their friends and roommates. Partner and I come up with some winners, so I'll try to keep a record of them here. Latest one from Partner: when a miserable couple adds a third person to their relationship in hopes that the third will add new life to the relationship, and it works, you can call it a trifecta. When it doesn't work and then all three people are miserable, it is a "train-wrecka."
In an earlier post I wrote that I'd try to write about some of my favorite tv shows. I'd like to start with a few older ones (when I was watching as a younger person) and then bring it up to the present.
Saturday Night Live - I was seven when the show first aired, so needless to say I couldn't watch it a lot, nor could I understand all the humor when I did. However, when we did manage to catch the shows from those first early years, we loved 'em. I now own the dvd's for the first four seasons.
Family Ties - Before this show jumped the shark by adding a fourth child and by making Nick a regular character, I loved watching this family comedy on Thursday nights. To me it was better than the Cosby Show which preceded it, predominantly because of the acting and the interplay between Alex and Malorie. I bought the dvd set of season 1.
Cheers - This came after Family Ties on Thursday nights, and was clearly the anchor for must-see TV. Maybe because it took place in Boston, our hometown, but my family started watching it from the first episode. I stopped watching regularly when Diane left, but every episode I caught after that, I totally enjoyed. I kept kicking myself for not watching more, but I think I was already on my downward slide of watching less TV.
The Simpsons - Actually, this is a more difficult choice precisely because I haven't watched the show regularly for years. When it first came on, though, I watched it religiously with my college roommates. (I had previously seen the shorts during an animation festival in Boston. Those few-minute sketches had me crying with laughter.) When I do catch it these days, I'm amazed at what a great satire it's remained. (I'm tempted to delete this selection. I really haven't seen it enough lately. More often than not, I'll catch Family Guy instead.)
The Young Ones - This British show about four university students (who never actually went to school) was first aired for only two seasons in the early 80's. I caught them when MTV aired them late on Sunday nights during the mid-80's when I was in high school. I managed to tape all but one of the eps and then proceeded to watch them over and over (similar to my "Spinal Tap" obsession). So many good quotes, I'm sure I annoyed all my friends. I now own the dvd set.
Absolutely Fabulous - The title says it all. Jennifer Saunders got her start on "The Young Ones" (and even married one of the actors), but this is completely her work of sheer genius. Bitchy, drunken, sex-crazed women who appear in other movies or shows are just pale imitations to Patsy and Edina. Again, we tend to quote from this show almost every week. I own all five seasons and the specials on dvd.
More (and more recent) shows tomorrow...
In an earlier post I wrote that I'd try to write about some of my favorite tv shows. I'd like to start with a few older ones (when I was watching as a younger person) and then bring it up to the present.
Saturday Night Live - I was seven when the show first aired, so needless to say I couldn't watch it a lot, nor could I understand all the humor when I did. However, when we did manage to catch the shows from those first early years, we loved 'em. I now own the dvd's for the first four seasons.
Family Ties - Before this show jumped the shark by adding a fourth child and by making Nick a regular character, I loved watching this family comedy on Thursday nights. To me it was better than the Cosby Show which preceded it, predominantly because of the acting and the interplay between Alex and Malorie. I bought the dvd set of season 1.
Cheers - This came after Family Ties on Thursday nights, and was clearly the anchor for must-see TV. Maybe because it took place in Boston, our hometown, but my family started watching it from the first episode. I stopped watching regularly when Diane left, but every episode I caught after that, I totally enjoyed. I kept kicking myself for not watching more, but I think I was already on my downward slide of watching less TV.
The Simpsons - Actually, this is a more difficult choice precisely because I haven't watched the show regularly for years. When it first came on, though, I watched it religiously with my college roommates. (I had previously seen the shorts during an animation festival in Boston. Those few-minute sketches had me crying with laughter.) When I do catch it these days, I'm amazed at what a great satire it's remained. (I'm tempted to delete this selection. I really haven't seen it enough lately. More often than not, I'll catch Family Guy instead.)
The Young Ones - This British show about four university students (who never actually went to school) was first aired for only two seasons in the early 80's. I caught them when MTV aired them late on Sunday nights during the mid-80's when I was in high school. I managed to tape all but one of the eps and then proceeded to watch them over and over (similar to my "Spinal Tap" obsession). So many good quotes, I'm sure I annoyed all my friends. I now own the dvd set.
Absolutely Fabulous - The title says it all. Jennifer Saunders got her start on "The Young Ones" (and even married one of the actors), but this is completely her work of sheer genius. Bitchy, drunken, sex-crazed women who appear in other movies or shows are just pale imitations to Patsy and Edina. Again, we tend to quote from this show almost every week. I own all five seasons and the specials on dvd.
More (and more recent) shows tomorrow...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
When an Apology is Not an Apology
* This is a postscript from the previous blog.
Before boarding the plane, we were told about and then handed two "apology" cards from Alaska Airlines, each good for 1000 frequent flyer miles. While I like Alaska (especially their direct flight to Boston), while I appreciate the apology, and while I know on some level that what happened with the plane was not their fault (I'd blame Boeing before Alaska Air), I have several problems with this solution.
1) The only way to benefit from the apology is to be a frequent flyer of and use Alaska Air. This is similar to when a restaurant gives you food poisoning then apologizes by giving you a coupon to their restaurant. Do you really want to use that service again after they hurt you the first time? And for those people who aren't frequent flyers, they virtually got nothing for all their trouble.
2) Printed on the card it says that you can hand it to an "airport employee" or mail it in for the miles. However, because we were given the cards as we were boarding (and not during the 6 hours we were waiting at the gate), we had no chance to hand it to that employee. Therefore, in order to benefit, we have to spend our own money on stamps, not to mention the fact that there will be a significant percentage of people who will lose the cards or just plain not mail them in (I haven't mailed mine yet - and I was pissed off!). I believe this was done on purpose so that Alaska would have to give the miles to as few people as possible. That doesn't seem like a sincere apology to me.
3) Assuming that Alaska will accept both cards from the same person, this means that at most I'll be getting 2000 miles added to my frequent flyer miles. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty insignificant. This also reminds me that Alska has a system for gaining gold members: those who fly 20 (or is it 25?) thousand miles a year automatically become gold members. Unfortunately, this is a calendar year, so no matter when you start, you only have to Dec 31 to get those miles. At the end of the year, your total is erased and you have to start over again. Last year I was one trip away from reaching the goal, but because I didn't know my miles would be erased, I never took a trip and never made it to gold member status. Ugh.
While on the plane, the male flight attendant (almost certainly Family) whispered to me that there were a ton of extra cheeseburgers and did I want one for free. Since I don't eat beef, I declined. That got me thinking, however, about how much food might be wasted because of our huge delay. Why didn't they just announce that they'd give them away on a first-come first-served basis?
While waiting for my luggage in Portland after the flight (I loaded my small bag with books from my parents' house, so I decided to check it rather than carry it on - that was a good decision considering I would've had to lug it around the gate area for the 9 hours I was there), a fellow passenger started to make small talk. He said that he was ultimately pleased with the way that Alaska treated us. Huh?! When I asked him for clarification, he said that his wife got free drinks (ie. alcoholic beverages) on the flight. This made me even more upset.
1) I had been on a plane before that did the same thing, but this time I forgot to ask the attendants. Now I was kicking myself for not requesting wine.
2) They specifically made announcements on the flight that alcohol could be purchased = a deliberate deception to not give out free drinks. Why was this so bad? Most people were sleeping, so they would've gotten more good will if they announced the free drinks without having to give out too many. Besides, how much would it really have cost them to give out some free booze?
All of these cost-saving methods of apology - handing out the cards just before boarding, only giving out 1000 miles to return customers, saving on food and booze - are more upsetting in light of the fact that Alaska is now in the middle of a huge PR campaign. Everywhere I turn I see advertisements for their "north of expected" campaign. Their attempt at an apology was definitely SOUTH of expected.
Ultimately, I have to say that despite this negative experience at Logan and despite this lame attempt at an apology, I still like Alaska. I only wish they were actually as sincere and friendly as they try to appear.
Before boarding the plane, we were told about and then handed two "apology" cards from Alaska Airlines, each good for 1000 frequent flyer miles. While I like Alaska (especially their direct flight to Boston), while I appreciate the apology, and while I know on some level that what happened with the plane was not their fault (I'd blame Boeing before Alaska Air), I have several problems with this solution.
1) The only way to benefit from the apology is to be a frequent flyer of and use Alaska Air. This is similar to when a restaurant gives you food poisoning then apologizes by giving you a coupon to their restaurant. Do you really want to use that service again after they hurt you the first time? And for those people who aren't frequent flyers, they virtually got nothing for all their trouble.
2) Printed on the card it says that you can hand it to an "airport employee" or mail it in for the miles. However, because we were given the cards as we were boarding (and not during the 6 hours we were waiting at the gate), we had no chance to hand it to that employee. Therefore, in order to benefit, we have to spend our own money on stamps, not to mention the fact that there will be a significant percentage of people who will lose the cards or just plain not mail them in (I haven't mailed mine yet - and I was pissed off!). I believe this was done on purpose so that Alaska would have to give the miles to as few people as possible. That doesn't seem like a sincere apology to me.
3) Assuming that Alaska will accept both cards from the same person, this means that at most I'll be getting 2000 miles added to my frequent flyer miles. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty insignificant. This also reminds me that Alska has a system for gaining gold members: those who fly 20 (or is it 25?) thousand miles a year automatically become gold members. Unfortunately, this is a calendar year, so no matter when you start, you only have to Dec 31 to get those miles. At the end of the year, your total is erased and you have to start over again. Last year I was one trip away from reaching the goal, but because I didn't know my miles would be erased, I never took a trip and never made it to gold member status. Ugh.
While on the plane, the male flight attendant (almost certainly Family) whispered to me that there were a ton of extra cheeseburgers and did I want one for free. Since I don't eat beef, I declined. That got me thinking, however, about how much food might be wasted because of our huge delay. Why didn't they just announce that they'd give them away on a first-come first-served basis?
While waiting for my luggage in Portland after the flight (I loaded my small bag with books from my parents' house, so I decided to check it rather than carry it on - that was a good decision considering I would've had to lug it around the gate area for the 9 hours I was there), a fellow passenger started to make small talk. He said that he was ultimately pleased with the way that Alaska treated us. Huh?! When I asked him for clarification, he said that his wife got free drinks (ie. alcoholic beverages) on the flight. This made me even more upset.
1) I had been on a plane before that did the same thing, but this time I forgot to ask the attendants. Now I was kicking myself for not requesting wine.
2) They specifically made announcements on the flight that alcohol could be purchased = a deliberate deception to not give out free drinks. Why was this so bad? Most people were sleeping, so they would've gotten more good will if they announced the free drinks without having to give out too many. Besides, how much would it really have cost them to give out some free booze?
All of these cost-saving methods of apology - handing out the cards just before boarding, only giving out 1000 miles to return customers, saving on food and booze - are more upsetting in light of the fact that Alaska is now in the middle of a huge PR campaign. Everywhere I turn I see advertisements for their "north of expected" campaign. Their attempt at an apology was definitely SOUTH of expected.
Ultimately, I have to say that despite this negative experience at Logan and despite this lame attempt at an apology, I still like Alaska. I only wish they were actually as sincere and friendly as they try to appear.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
A couple months back I found out that my older sister from upstate NY would be visiting my folks on the Cape the week after Easter. Because I like seeing her at least once a year, because I probably won't get to see her when I visit in the summer, and because I have no idea what our plans are for the holidays, I decided to fly back there for a short visit. I then decided that it would be a fun idea to not tell my folks and surprise them when I got there. Finally, I figured that, since we were going to be all together, it'd be a great idea to take my folks out to a nice dinner in celebration of their belated 50th anniversary (it was Sept 14, 2008, but they couldn't celebrate because of my dad's illness; now, it's just too expensive).
Regrettably, flights cost a lot more during Easter weekend, so I decided to fly in on Monday. The problem was that Partner and I already had plans to visit Seattle the next weekend, which meant that I had to return on Thursday. It would have to be a short visit of two days and three nights. Hardly seems worth it, when you think of it like that.
The non-stop flight from Portland to Boston on Alaska Airlines always leaves at 7am, so I went to bed early Sunday night...only to toss and turn for hours. I think I got less than five hours of sleep, but even that was interrupted by the sound of two cats wailing in our backyard at 2:30. Anyway, the trip to Boston was tiring but uneventful, and because I didn't have to wait for my checked luggage, I was able to catch the 3:45 bus down to the Cape.
The problem: that bus would have me in Hyannis at 5:45, which meant my sister would have to make up an excuse for leaving the house and pick me up right around dinner time. It wasn't going to be easy. To make matters worse, her cell phone was off when I called from the bus, so I had to call the house to reach her. Wouldn't you know it, my dad answered and told me that my mom and sister were out in Hyannis. That meant that my sister would have to drive my mom home, drop her off, then immediately turn around and drive back to Hyannis to get me. I made it sound as if I were in Portland then made an excuse and hung up. I decided to call a friend of my folks and ask him if he would pick me up. It was awkward, not only because I was asking for a favor from someone I normally shouldn't be calling, but then I had to justify it to my family later.
The good news was that I did manage to pull off the surprise without causing any cardiac arrests (although there were some tears...of joy, I hope). We had a good dinner of easter left-overs (yum!), and I went to bed fairly early. The next day we drove up to Canton to select and order photographs from our pre-Christmas photo shoot. (Why the delay? My folks were in Florida for about 10 weeks during the winter.) After that we all went to Waban/Newton to visit my cousin whose husband just died a few weeks ago. Neither my sister nor I could make the funeral, so we were looking forward to seeing our cousin and sharing our condolences. Finally, we drove over to our younger sister's house in Kingston.
We decided to take my parents to a nice restaurant there (instead of the original plan of taking them out on the Cape), so we packed up everybody and went to dinner. It was a nice restaurant and had good food, except there were two potential "spoilers" of the evening: 1) my parents insisted on paying for the meal, which defeated the purpose of us taking them out; and 2) the restaurant brought a dessert for my parents in celebration of their anniversary, but then they charged us for it. When my dad asked the waiter about it, he said that someone in the group (maybe my younger sister?) asked for the dessert, so it technically wasn't coming from the restaurant. However, my thoughts are, why wouldn't the restaurant offer one free dessert to their patrons on such a special occasion? After all, we did bring 10 people to their establishment, and we did order desserts of our own. It wasn't as if we all ordered water to drink and the cheapest meals to eat. It was a rookie mistake for that waiter/restaurant, and given the choice of places, I don't think we'll choose there again.
The following day I stuck close to home and helped out with yardwork. Unfortunately, the big task that my dad wanted done was raking, but it was a very windy day. On top of that, I'm sorry to say that I was getting very annoyed by my niece. I say 'sorry' because I only get to see her a couple of times a year at most, and I know that she's only 9, but still I couldn't help getting upset when all she had to do was hold a bag and she wouldn't do it. I guess my excuse is that I hate raking and I'm a task-oriented person, but the wind and her antics were conspiring to keep me from finishing. Anyway, that night we had delicious Chinese food for dinner, and we watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding from the dvd that my sister had bought. We had all seen it before, but we still found it highly amusing, I think because we're Italian and can relate.
The next day was Thursday and the day I had to leave. The thing about the Alaska flight direct from Boston to Portland is that it leaves at approxiamtely 4:30 in the afternoon, but I had to get a bus from the Cape to Logan. So, I could get the 11:45 bus from Hyannis and get to Logan around 1:45, or I could catch the 12:45 bus and get there at 2:45. The last time I caught that later bus, it broke down on the highway and I was sweating bullets about catching my flight. Therefore, I usually get the earlier bus, which means I then have time to change my seat to an exit row and relax in the terminal. This is what I did.
In the terminal, my first indication of trouble (although probably not related to what was going to happen next) was that no one from Alaska showed up to the little desk at the gate. I kept waiting for someone to show up so I could change my seat (after all, I was the first person there), but no one did as more and more passengers arrived. Finally someone from US Air showed up, but by that time there was a crowd of people waiting, and a line quickly formed to talk with him. Since I knew I had an aisle seat, I decided not to worry about it. Instead, I left the gate for a slice of pizza and a bottle of soda. I mention that because I don't usually like to pay the exorbitant fees in the airport, but I figured the pizza might tie me over until the snacks on the plane, and I could fill the bottle from the bubbler (water fountain) for free water. I did so, and eventually it became time for us to board the plane - although another bad sign was that we were boarding late. I thought about keeping my soda bottle for the plane and then made the conscious decision to throw it out. Boy did I regret that!
After we boarded the plane, we sat there for a few minutes until eventually an announcement was made. They were having electrical problems with the plane and had to shut down the entire system - in effect, they had to "reboot" the airplane. They did, but the power wasn't coming back on. Finally they made another announcement saying that they were trying to fix the problem, but in the meantime we would all have to deboard. In retrospect, that was the best decision they made.
Since I would take too long to accurately describe the hell we went through that afternoon/night, I'll do it in a shortened format:
1. They made announcments every half hour to an hour saying that they were working on the problem, and it would be just a little while. Which meant we were in a constant state of anticipation, and we couldn't go anywhere.
2. I was too cheap to pay for food/drinks, so I kept getting hungrier and thirstier.
3. I was alone, so I had no one to talk with, and no one to wake me up if I managed to fall asleep.
3A. I wanted to drink at the bar, but SEE #2 and 3 above.
4. There was a flight to Seattle that was scheduled to leave an hour after ours. I wished I'd gotten on that flight, but I think it was full.
5. I had no way to charge my iPod, so I didn't want to listen to it continuously for fear I wouldn't have it on the plane. Besides, the earbuds began to hurt my ears after awhile.
6. Terminal B at Logan is small, so there's not much to see or do.
7. Besides Partner and my folks, I had no one to chat with on the phone.
5+6+7 = I was bored!
8. We didn't leave until 10:15 that night!
9. Most people slept on the plane, but I could only doze off for 30 minutes or so.
10. Because everyone slept, a lot of the food was never used. We could've used it while waiting for 6 hours (although I was personally there for 9) at the gate.
11. On the plane, the flight attendant spilled tomato juice on me. I was upset but too tired to even say anything about it.
12. Partner had to stay up and wait for the plane in order to pick me up, which meant he wouldn't get much sleep either.
13. We didn't get home until 2am, but for me it felt like 5am.
Ultimately, I paid a heavy price for wanting to do a good thing and surprise my parents. Typical!
Regrettably, flights cost a lot more during Easter weekend, so I decided to fly in on Monday. The problem was that Partner and I already had plans to visit Seattle the next weekend, which meant that I had to return on Thursday. It would have to be a short visit of two days and three nights. Hardly seems worth it, when you think of it like that.
The non-stop flight from Portland to Boston on Alaska Airlines always leaves at 7am, so I went to bed early Sunday night...only to toss and turn for hours. I think I got less than five hours of sleep, but even that was interrupted by the sound of two cats wailing in our backyard at 2:30. Anyway, the trip to Boston was tiring but uneventful, and because I didn't have to wait for my checked luggage, I was able to catch the 3:45 bus down to the Cape.
The problem: that bus would have me in Hyannis at 5:45, which meant my sister would have to make up an excuse for leaving the house and pick me up right around dinner time. It wasn't going to be easy. To make matters worse, her cell phone was off when I called from the bus, so I had to call the house to reach her. Wouldn't you know it, my dad answered and told me that my mom and sister were out in Hyannis. That meant that my sister would have to drive my mom home, drop her off, then immediately turn around and drive back to Hyannis to get me. I made it sound as if I were in Portland then made an excuse and hung up. I decided to call a friend of my folks and ask him if he would pick me up. It was awkward, not only because I was asking for a favor from someone I normally shouldn't be calling, but then I had to justify it to my family later.
The good news was that I did manage to pull off the surprise without causing any cardiac arrests (although there were some tears...of joy, I hope). We had a good dinner of easter left-overs (yum!), and I went to bed fairly early. The next day we drove up to Canton to select and order photographs from our pre-Christmas photo shoot. (Why the delay? My folks were in Florida for about 10 weeks during the winter.) After that we all went to Waban/Newton to visit my cousin whose husband just died a few weeks ago. Neither my sister nor I could make the funeral, so we were looking forward to seeing our cousin and sharing our condolences. Finally, we drove over to our younger sister's house in Kingston.
We decided to take my parents to a nice restaurant there (instead of the original plan of taking them out on the Cape), so we packed up everybody and went to dinner. It was a nice restaurant and had good food, except there were two potential "spoilers" of the evening: 1) my parents insisted on paying for the meal, which defeated the purpose of us taking them out; and 2) the restaurant brought a dessert for my parents in celebration of their anniversary, but then they charged us for it. When my dad asked the waiter about it, he said that someone in the group (maybe my younger sister?) asked for the dessert, so it technically wasn't coming from the restaurant. However, my thoughts are, why wouldn't the restaurant offer one free dessert to their patrons on such a special occasion? After all, we did bring 10 people to their establishment, and we did order desserts of our own. It wasn't as if we all ordered water to drink and the cheapest meals to eat. It was a rookie mistake for that waiter/restaurant, and given the choice of places, I don't think we'll choose there again.
The following day I stuck close to home and helped out with yardwork. Unfortunately, the big task that my dad wanted done was raking, but it was a very windy day. On top of that, I'm sorry to say that I was getting very annoyed by my niece. I say 'sorry' because I only get to see her a couple of times a year at most, and I know that she's only 9, but still I couldn't help getting upset when all she had to do was hold a bag and she wouldn't do it. I guess my excuse is that I hate raking and I'm a task-oriented person, but the wind and her antics were conspiring to keep me from finishing. Anyway, that night we had delicious Chinese food for dinner, and we watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding from the dvd that my sister had bought. We had all seen it before, but we still found it highly amusing, I think because we're Italian and can relate.
The next day was Thursday and the day I had to leave. The thing about the Alaska flight direct from Boston to Portland is that it leaves at approxiamtely 4:30 in the afternoon, but I had to get a bus from the Cape to Logan. So, I could get the 11:45 bus from Hyannis and get to Logan around 1:45, or I could catch the 12:45 bus and get there at 2:45. The last time I caught that later bus, it broke down on the highway and I was sweating bullets about catching my flight. Therefore, I usually get the earlier bus, which means I then have time to change my seat to an exit row and relax in the terminal. This is what I did.
In the terminal, my first indication of trouble (although probably not related to what was going to happen next) was that no one from Alaska showed up to the little desk at the gate. I kept waiting for someone to show up so I could change my seat (after all, I was the first person there), but no one did as more and more passengers arrived. Finally someone from US Air showed up, but by that time there was a crowd of people waiting, and a line quickly formed to talk with him. Since I knew I had an aisle seat, I decided not to worry about it. Instead, I left the gate for a slice of pizza and a bottle of soda. I mention that because I don't usually like to pay the exorbitant fees in the airport, but I figured the pizza might tie me over until the snacks on the plane, and I could fill the bottle from the bubbler (water fountain) for free water. I did so, and eventually it became time for us to board the plane - although another bad sign was that we were boarding late. I thought about keeping my soda bottle for the plane and then made the conscious decision to throw it out. Boy did I regret that!
After we boarded the plane, we sat there for a few minutes until eventually an announcement was made. They were having electrical problems with the plane and had to shut down the entire system - in effect, they had to "reboot" the airplane. They did, but the power wasn't coming back on. Finally they made another announcement saying that they were trying to fix the problem, but in the meantime we would all have to deboard. In retrospect, that was the best decision they made.
Since I would take too long to accurately describe the hell we went through that afternoon/night, I'll do it in a shortened format:
1. They made announcments every half hour to an hour saying that they were working on the problem, and it would be just a little while. Which meant we were in a constant state of anticipation, and we couldn't go anywhere.
2. I was too cheap to pay for food/drinks, so I kept getting hungrier and thirstier.
3. I was alone, so I had no one to talk with, and no one to wake me up if I managed to fall asleep.
3A. I wanted to drink at the bar, but SEE #2 and 3 above.
4. There was a flight to Seattle that was scheduled to leave an hour after ours. I wished I'd gotten on that flight, but I think it was full.
5. I had no way to charge my iPod, so I didn't want to listen to it continuously for fear I wouldn't have it on the plane. Besides, the earbuds began to hurt my ears after awhile.
6. Terminal B at Logan is small, so there's not much to see or do.
7. Besides Partner and my folks, I had no one to chat with on the phone.
5+6+7 = I was bored!
8. We didn't leave until 10:15 that night!
9. Most people slept on the plane, but I could only doze off for 30 minutes or so.
10. Because everyone slept, a lot of the food was never used. We could've used it while waiting for 6 hours (although I was personally there for 9) at the gate.
11. On the plane, the flight attendant spilled tomato juice on me. I was upset but too tired to even say anything about it.
12. Partner had to stay up and wait for the plane in order to pick me up, which meant he wouldn't get much sleep either.
13. We didn't get home until 2am, but for me it felt like 5am.
Ultimately, I paid a heavy price for wanting to do a good thing and surprise my parents. Typical!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
None More Black
Twenty-five years ago I went to the Burlington Mall theater to see a movie. I don't remember what movie it was, but I do remember that before it started, Rob Reiner appeared on the screen sporting a beard and a baseball cap (having watched a ton of tv in the 70's, I recognized him right away - I probably shouted, "It's Meathead!"). He claimed to be the director of the new movie This is Spinal Tap, but since they hadn't finished it yet and didn't have any footage available for the trailer, they had to show a portion of a different film. What followed were scenes from a documentary about the Dutch festival of cheese day, with one of the activities being the rolling of large wheels of cheese down a hill. I remember laughing a lot because I knew it was fake. I'm not sure why or how I knew, except that I do remember seeing Ed Begley Jr (who I knew from St. Elsewhere) dressed up in a Dutch costume. I vowed that I would see the movie - no matter what it was actually about - when it was released.
Unfortunately, the film was rated R, so it wasn't easy for me to see it without someone older buying the ticket. It was especially difficult because the subject matter - a 'mockumentary' about a heavy metal band - did not appeal to my parents or older sister. Weeks after the film was in the theater, I finally got to see it when my next-door neighbors, the K's, agreed to take me, a neighborhood friend, and their own two young sons (who I actually baby-sat for). The theater was practically empty, but we ended up sitting in front of two guys probably in their 20's. I mention that only because, during the song "Big Bottom," one of the guys told the other that Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) was playing the lowest possible bass notes on his double bass guitar. I didn't know what that meant, but I thought it was some cool trivia to know. I also remember that song because I seemed to be the only one in the theater who laughed at the phrase "mud flaps" in the second chorus.
It's hard for me to describe just how much I loved that film. Again, I knew it was fake (I recognized the lead singer as the actor who played Lenny in Laverne & Shirley), but it was the funniest film I had seen, and I totally enjoyed the music. I ended up buying the soundtrack album (I was disappointed that the title was actually printed in white on the spine - the cover wasn't totally black!) and two t-shirts from Newbury Comics in Cambridge (I still have one of them as a t-shirt and one in a frame). I also got a movie poster, I think as a gift, but I'm not sure where that is any more.
My most prized possession however, was that I got a copy of the film on VHS as soon as it was released. The K's had two VCR's (long before my family even had one), so they were able to rent and copy the movie for me. (They had a huge video library of their own, and they were very liberal with the titles that they let their sons watch; when I baby-sat for the boys, we could watch Flash Gordon, Fame, The Stunt Man, and 10, among many others.) After I got my own copy of the movie, which also included extras like the video for "Hell Hole" and a fake commercial for "Heavy Metal Memories," I was able to watch it over and over. What was amazing was not that I saw it more times than I can count or that I memorized the complete audio track, but that I was still able to pick up new things even after dozens of viewings. To me, the film is frame-by-frame the most perfect movie produced. In the last couple of years I learned that the film was almost entirely improvised, and to me that makes it even better.
My story with Spinal Tap does not end there, however. A few months after the release of the film, the band decided to do a real tour. I seem to recall reading at the time that the band was only playing a couple of cities, but since they skipped Boston during the movie ("It's not a big college town"), Boston would be one of the places. They played two shows at the Channel club - an all-ages matinee show and an over-21 show that night - and I got four tickets for the afternoon show. Luckily, the K's agreed to drive us to the show, so I attended the concert with the same friend and the same small boys (although now that I think about it, we may have only attended with the older of the two boys because I can't picture the younger one being there at all; also, it may have just been Mrs. K who drove us).
We got there early and made our way to the front left of the stage: front row! In fact, the boy I was with was so short, he ended up sitting on the stage for the entire show, which got smiles from the musicians when they saw him. I don't remember much about the show except that I think the opening band was a local hard rock outfit named Donny and the Rock, and that Spinal Tap was excellent. I also recall a pushy, fat older kid who made his way to the front of the stage and "banged" his head in typical heavy-metal fashion. Didn't he know they were a parody? I guess the music was just that good. I think I even got a guitar pick from that show, but if I did, it didn't have the band's logo on it, and I have no idea where it is now.
After the concert, we stood outside the club and waited for our ride. My neighbors were late, however, so we ended up being the last ones there. Inside we could hear the sounds of instruments being moved, but there was still an intimidating bouncer at the door, so we couldn't peek in and see what was happening. When the parents (mother?) showed up, we realized that we left something inside (maybe the boy's jacket?). Mrs K walked up to the bouncer, told him she was going in and...did! That seemed like such a big deal at the time. Anyway, she came out after a few minutes and told us that she met the band while in there, then asked if we wanted to go in and meet them too. One of the MANY regrets I have in my life is that I didn't take her up on it; instead, we chickened out, got in the car and left. To this day I wonder what, if anything, would've happened if I'd met them. (Since I was only 15 at the time, probably not a hell of a lot, but it's good to dream...)
Fast forward 25 years, and I'm living in Portland, OR. The actors from Spinal Tap announce they're going to do an "Unwigged & Unplugged" tour, with Portland being one of the stops. I vowed to drive into town the morning the tickets went on sale and buy them from the box office (thus saving all the extra fees that Ticket Master charges). Unfortunately, I had an early dentist appointment that morning, and I would be late if I drove from there to the theater. Instead, I decided to drive home and call; I would be charged the fees, but at least I'd get to call right at 10. I drove home, called, and got right through to order tickets. I didn't ask where the seats were located, I think because I was just relieved to have gotten them at all. When the tix arrived in the mail, the row was P1, which seemed unusual, but I didn't think too much about it.
The day of the show, Partner and I drove back from Seattle. We arrived with a couple hours to spare, so I put on the dvd of This is Spinal Tap to refresh the music in our minds. I then found my old Spinal Tap t-shirt, which was tight, but I was determined to wear for the show. (Does everyone have this thought before going to a show? You try to pick the best possible shirt that will draw attention to yourself as well as possibly make an impact on the artists. I've been going to concerts/events for over 26 years, and to this day no artist has ever said anything to me about what I'm wearing. In fact, I can't recall anyone ever complimenting me on my choice of clothes. Sure enough, as we stood in the lobby drinking our g&t's (no Capt Morgan), no one said anything about my unique, 25-year-old shirt.)
When we finished our drinks and went inside, the usher led us to the right and down...to the front row! Talk about a pleasant surprise! And, talk about symmetry. Twenty-five years later, and I'm once again in the front row for a Spinal Tap show! The concert was great: those guys are still very funny and are still great musicians. Partner didn't really know any of their music, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself nonetheless. What was also funny was that, before the concert started, I told him the story about the Dutch cheese festival trailer that I'd seen before the movie originally came out. Wouldn't you know: during the concert, they showed that same film clip and essentially validated everything I had just related. Awesome. It's great to watch a fabulous show, sit 10 feet from some of your heroes, AND receive validation all at the same time.
Unfortunately, the film was rated R, so it wasn't easy for me to see it without someone older buying the ticket. It was especially difficult because the subject matter - a 'mockumentary' about a heavy metal band - did not appeal to my parents or older sister. Weeks after the film was in the theater, I finally got to see it when my next-door neighbors, the K's, agreed to take me, a neighborhood friend, and their own two young sons (who I actually baby-sat for). The theater was practically empty, but we ended up sitting in front of two guys probably in their 20's. I mention that only because, during the song "Big Bottom," one of the guys told the other that Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) was playing the lowest possible bass notes on his double bass guitar. I didn't know what that meant, but I thought it was some cool trivia to know. I also remember that song because I seemed to be the only one in the theater who laughed at the phrase "mud flaps" in the second chorus.
It's hard for me to describe just how much I loved that film. Again, I knew it was fake (I recognized the lead singer as the actor who played Lenny in Laverne & Shirley), but it was the funniest film I had seen, and I totally enjoyed the music. I ended up buying the soundtrack album (I was disappointed that the title was actually printed in white on the spine - the cover wasn't totally black!) and two t-shirts from Newbury Comics in Cambridge (I still have one of them as a t-shirt and one in a frame). I also got a movie poster, I think as a gift, but I'm not sure where that is any more.
My most prized possession however, was that I got a copy of the film on VHS as soon as it was released. The K's had two VCR's (long before my family even had one), so they were able to rent and copy the movie for me. (They had a huge video library of their own, and they were very liberal with the titles that they let their sons watch; when I baby-sat for the boys, we could watch Flash Gordon, Fame, The Stunt Man, and 10, among many others.) After I got my own copy of the movie, which also included extras like the video for "Hell Hole" and a fake commercial for "Heavy Metal Memories," I was able to watch it over and over. What was amazing was not that I saw it more times than I can count or that I memorized the complete audio track, but that I was still able to pick up new things even after dozens of viewings. To me, the film is frame-by-frame the most perfect movie produced. In the last couple of years I learned that the film was almost entirely improvised, and to me that makes it even better.
My story with Spinal Tap does not end there, however. A few months after the release of the film, the band decided to do a real tour. I seem to recall reading at the time that the band was only playing a couple of cities, but since they skipped Boston during the movie ("It's not a big college town"), Boston would be one of the places. They played two shows at the Channel club - an all-ages matinee show and an over-21 show that night - and I got four tickets for the afternoon show. Luckily, the K's agreed to drive us to the show, so I attended the concert with the same friend and the same small boys (although now that I think about it, we may have only attended with the older of the two boys because I can't picture the younger one being there at all; also, it may have just been Mrs. K who drove us).
We got there early and made our way to the front left of the stage: front row! In fact, the boy I was with was so short, he ended up sitting on the stage for the entire show, which got smiles from the musicians when they saw him. I don't remember much about the show except that I think the opening band was a local hard rock outfit named Donny and the Rock, and that Spinal Tap was excellent. I also recall a pushy, fat older kid who made his way to the front of the stage and "banged" his head in typical heavy-metal fashion. Didn't he know they were a parody? I guess the music was just that good. I think I even got a guitar pick from that show, but if I did, it didn't have the band's logo on it, and I have no idea where it is now.
After the concert, we stood outside the club and waited for our ride. My neighbors were late, however, so we ended up being the last ones there. Inside we could hear the sounds of instruments being moved, but there was still an intimidating bouncer at the door, so we couldn't peek in and see what was happening. When the parents (mother?) showed up, we realized that we left something inside (maybe the boy's jacket?). Mrs K walked up to the bouncer, told him she was going in and...did! That seemed like such a big deal at the time. Anyway, she came out after a few minutes and told us that she met the band while in there, then asked if we wanted to go in and meet them too. One of the MANY regrets I have in my life is that I didn't take her up on it; instead, we chickened out, got in the car and left. To this day I wonder what, if anything, would've happened if I'd met them. (Since I was only 15 at the time, probably not a hell of a lot, but it's good to dream...)
Fast forward 25 years, and I'm living in Portland, OR. The actors from Spinal Tap announce they're going to do an "Unwigged & Unplugged" tour, with Portland being one of the stops. I vowed to drive into town the morning the tickets went on sale and buy them from the box office (thus saving all the extra fees that Ticket Master charges). Unfortunately, I had an early dentist appointment that morning, and I would be late if I drove from there to the theater. Instead, I decided to drive home and call; I would be charged the fees, but at least I'd get to call right at 10. I drove home, called, and got right through to order tickets. I didn't ask where the seats were located, I think because I was just relieved to have gotten them at all. When the tix arrived in the mail, the row was P1, which seemed unusual, but I didn't think too much about it.
The day of the show, Partner and I drove back from Seattle. We arrived with a couple hours to spare, so I put on the dvd of This is Spinal Tap to refresh the music in our minds. I then found my old Spinal Tap t-shirt, which was tight, but I was determined to wear for the show. (Does everyone have this thought before going to a show? You try to pick the best possible shirt that will draw attention to yourself as well as possibly make an impact on the artists. I've been going to concerts/events for over 26 years, and to this day no artist has ever said anything to me about what I'm wearing. In fact, I can't recall anyone ever complimenting me on my choice of clothes. Sure enough, as we stood in the lobby drinking our g&t's (no Capt Morgan), no one said anything about my unique, 25-year-old shirt.)
When we finished our drinks and went inside, the usher led us to the right and down...to the front row! Talk about a pleasant surprise! And, talk about symmetry. Twenty-five years later, and I'm once again in the front row for a Spinal Tap show! The concert was great: those guys are still very funny and are still great musicians. Partner didn't really know any of their music, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself nonetheless. What was also funny was that, before the concert started, I told him the story about the Dutch cheese festival trailer that I'd seen before the movie originally came out. Wouldn't you know: during the concert, they showed that same film clip and essentially validated everything I had just related. Awesome. It's great to watch a fabulous show, sit 10 feet from some of your heroes, AND receive validation all at the same time.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Testing 1 - 2 - 3
It's been months since I was last on, so I thought I'd test to see if I could remember my password to log on. I did, but I forgot which email address I used. Duh. Anyway, I have things to write about my week in Massachusetts, my weekend in Seattle, and my night(s) at the Spinal Tap concert, but it's late now, so I PROMISE to write tomorrow...
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