Dear, good time: I had you. Again.

This past weekend was full of activity, primarily due to The String Cheese Incident run on March 10th, 11th, and 12th.

I can’t possibly recap or review; there was just too much, and I could never do it justice. It’s one of those things you have to experience first-hand to appreciate, understand, or even begin to grasp.

But, it would be uncharacteristic of me to give up so easily. Instead, I offer you my (then) real-time updates from the @WrkspcWrtngs Twitter account (follow now if you haven’t already). And no, there’s no “I’m going to get a beer right at this moment” or “I’m currently eating a hot dog” or “I’m standing in line and am cold” or anything insignificant like that. I do my best to shy away from such annoyances.

So, without further ado, behold:

Thursday, March 10th, 2011:
-So far this evening I have seen buzz lightyear and a giant penguin. I suppose that’s a win. Right?
-And also a man wearing a black onesy(sp?) with a bunch of eyes all over it. That move.

Friday, March 11th, 2011
-Already: 2 cow costumes and a Who.
-And one of those giant furry fetish cat costumes.
-This can mean only one thing: I’m buying a costume before tomorrow’s show.
-And one of those Chinese dragons, but small enough to wrap around a neck.
-Men with lighted hula hoops shouldn’t happen. Imho.
-And now a juggler rolling through the crowd on a glowing ball.
-Wait. What is that! A man in a penis costume, complete with testicles? Yup. Sure is.
-And of course more people on stilts.
-And a guy next to me was just tackled by security.
-I may or may not die by hula hoop.
-I turn around, find a circle of ppl, 1 guy in the middle, puking all over. Lovely.

Saturday, March 12th, 2011:
-Sold out show tonight. How will I ever have room for my interpretive dancing?!
-Maybe don’t bring a wallet the size of Africa. Just sayin.
-I found the Burger King. Let the night begin.
-That cat I mentioned last night? Standing next to me.
-Not sure, but I think that was an interpretive dancing mosh pit.
-No joke: some dude just put ketchup on his soft pretzel.
-Well this is a logistical nightmare: apparently they’re trying to get a parade together to go around the venue.
-But I just had a grilled cheese, so it’ll be ok.
-{picture taken and shared}
-{picture taken and shared}
-{picture taken and shared}
-You have to be here.
-{picture taken and shared}
-Giant beach balls {picture taken and shared}
-And just like that it’s over.


Oh, and for those counting at home: no water bottle cap issues this time around.

And for your continued interest in my String Cheese experience, read about my first go-round with the band last year: Dear, good time: I had you.

My apologies to Russia – I never meant to ignore you

I would like to take this time to offer Russia the same open letter that I wrote to Ukraine yesterday, because apparently I’m kind of a big deal there as well: aside from the US, Russia is my largest fan. GO VODKA!


Dear, Russia –

I’m sorry. I never meant to ignore you. Can you ever forgive me?

I would also enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to your land for the purpose of (again) speaking English, and drinking your national drink – vodka (also a la Anthony Bourdain) – and traversing your vast land all while live-blogging the journey.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Sorry again.

Sincerely,
JRM

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An Open Letter to Ukraine

(and also chess – but not “An Open Letter to Chess” also – that would be weird)

---

I have 14 active chess games on my Android chess app. Why 14? Because the first 13 are entirely too slow (minus Con Lee’s games, and sometimes JRG’s, too). Sure, the rules say you have 3 days to move, but really… come on. If you need to take 3 days to make one move you probably shouldn’t join the game in the first place.

On another note, I’m kind of a big deal in Ukraine, which is kind of exciting.

Maybe they’ll send for me and provide an all-expenses paid trip to their country for the purpose of speaking English and live-blogging my travels through their countryside a la Anthony Bourdain, which sounds like a good time to me.

In fact, so much so that I’ll do this:

Dear, Ukraine –

Please send for me and provide an all-expenses paid trip to visit your land so I can show off your wonderful country. Maybe we can also play some chess while I’m there, so long as it’s much faster than one-move-every-three-days.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
JRM

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FaceMan’s First Waltz

Four hours of music, plenty of note-taking, a few drinks, and overall a good time: that’s what my Friday night looked like.

(Note: The following is not meant to be an all-encompassing review of all musicians who graced the stage; it is but a highlight of the music that hit me.)

FaceMan’s First Waltz: an eclectic showcase of local talent; a true compilation of the variety in Denver’s local music scene. It was a welcomed change from the norm of one-band/one-stage/one-type of music for an hour or two. If you weren’t familiar with Denver’s music, this was the event to see. 30+ local musicians sharing one stage. Not all at once, of course; they mixed and mingled throughout the evening on each other’s songs, creating an event that is now difficult to portray to those who were not there.

The first song hit with true emotion in FaceMan’s voice. It was clear that the music Steve sings is true to his heart and something he really feels. Poppy? No. Real? Yes.

Martin Gilmore, previously unknown to me (much like all others on stage) surely impressed the crowd with an absolutely awesome voice and great storytelling lyrics. Why he’s not touring nationally, I have no idea. But that’s the kind of voice he has.

Players from The Outfit and The Knew rocked the house and livened the crowd a bit, while the Boulder Acoustic Society leveled the field as they offered grace and added soul to the stage.

Chadzilla from Slim Cessna’s Auto Club added a some vocals and a few drum tracks, and Bonnie and The Beard brought the female vocals to the stage with lively, swinging guitar sounds.

Medicine Man… what can I say. Dare I offer: “the greatest harmonica in Denver”? I said it once before and I’ll say it again: FaceMan and Medicine Man should play more music together. If not formally, then Medicine Man should at least make a cameo during FaceMan’s future shows.

Panal S.A de C.V hit the stage late in the night, brining a touch of instrumental rock of the heavier nature to the gig which was unlike any other on the stage that night – a nice addition to the folk/classic rock/indie sound of the event.

A duo from Bop Skizzum brought along a definite surprise of funk to the show, playing some of the best funk I’ve heard in the area. My notes say, ‘funk act that was pretty darn good!’, which sums up their time on the stage accurately.

I wish I had a playlist to call out specific tunes of the evening, but it was either the third- or fourth-to-last song that had me saying “wow”. And there were plenty of catchy lyrics throughout the night that still repeat today.

Of course, I can’t forget a few words about FaceMan: their music was well-received by the crowd, and at times the audience joined in by singing along and often cheered when a favorite song began to play. Their folk-rock sound and sincere lyrics seem to resonate with listeners; perhaps FaceMan sings something that we all tend to feel from time to time.

Even though it was not a true FaceMan show where the audience was surrounded by their music only, the playlist allowed for FaceMan to become the underlying bond of the night’s varying music. Playing that role in an event like this brought with it the potential for disaster. Rest assured, FaceMan, disaster averted: the format went well. Bravo!


It was clear there had been a lot of energy and time put into the event. I appreciated it… we appreciated it.

FaceMan set out to put on a party, a CD release event much like no other seen in the area. It was clear the members of FaceMan enjoyed it, along with all the other musicians who appeared on stage.

So did we.


‘Great job’ to all, congratulations on the new CD, and ‘thank you’ from the crowd.

Now let’s hear some more music!

_

*Follow me on Twitter @WrkspcWrtngs

*Here’s Westword’s review of the night.
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Chicken-sittin'

Over the holidays, I went with Xtina to her sister’s house for an evening. Her niece, rather young, thought it fun to tell us some jokes, which just so happen to be the same joke told over and over again, but in differing volume. My favorite happened to be a knock-knock joke. Here it is:


“Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Chicken.

Chicken who?

CHICKEN SITTIN’ ON YOUR FACE!”

_

Yeah, no. Go back to sleep.

aka: "Dreams and Night Terrors: What we do when we sleep"


Xtina: i had a dream that you and i were living together at my mom's house
my mom wasn't there though, i guess she was in florida
but my dad stopped by periodically, which was weird
and we had dogs
lots of dogs
big ones
no foofie dogs
and we had about 8 or 9 of them

Me: weird
i woke up screaming and about to fight the creepy girl standing in the corner by the window.

Xtina: shut. up.

Me: yeah
that was a blast

**End copy/paste function**

So over the past, say, 8 months or so, maybe a year, every now and then I’ll see something in my sleep that startles the hell out of me, freaks me out, wakes me up, and forces me to scream a bit, only to find that nothing’s there.

One time I woke up to a guy standing next to the bed who was wearing welding goggles and a dark work suit. I actually jumped out of bed, ran across the bedroom to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, all while screaming “WHO THE F*@% ARE YOU!!! WHO THE F*@% ARE YOU!!! WHO THE F*@% ARE YOU!!!” I then turned the bathroom light on and quickly opened the door, only to find no one standing there.

Yup. That actually happened.

What did my dog do? She stayed in her bed, looking at me like ‘wtf, mate’.

What did she do the other night? I heard a thump-thump-thump-thump from her direction… her tail was wagging under the blanket all excited like, probably thinking something fun was going on. Yeah, no. Go back to sleep.

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Take your shoes off at work!

I just took my shoes off at work for the first time this month. Yes, I know it’s September 1st. Yes, I understand. No, no this is not a joke. Yes, my shoes are really off.

You’d be surprised by how much of a difference such a little move like that can have while at work. Taking off your shoes when you’re sitting at a desk can help you relax, cool down, and might even keep your temper in-check. In fact, you may stop being so easily annoyed at those pesky coworkers!*

Go ahead – try it! Right now! Let me know how it works out for you!

And pass the word!!!


*Note: these statements have not been reviewed by the Surgeon General and are completely speculative. YMMV.

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Multiple-card-giving

There’s a growing tradition within my family around each gift-giving occasion. I’m not sure where or when it started, but it’s something that my parents and I partake in (me, whenever I remember the occasion). Like most people, we buy and send cards for birthdays, holidays, etc… but we send multiple to each person. I think I may have started this tradition, but I’m not too sure. We like to send a funny one or two, and then maybe a serious one… and I’ll even get one from my own dog that lives with me, sent by one or both of my parents.

I rather enjoy doing the multiple-card-giving thing because I never feel one card is enough; it never fully encompasses who I am. So, last night I walked out of the store with five birthday cards… three for one person, and two for another. The people at checkout probably think I’m crazy, or I have a lot of people to celebrate, when in fact I only have one or two…

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Dear, good time: I had you. (aka: The String Cheese Incident)

Welcome back!

It’s Tuesday and I’m back as well; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights were spent at Red Rocks Amphitheatre at The String Cheese Incident shows. Knowing ahead of time I’d need a day to recover, I took Monday (yesterday) off, and last Friday for good measure as well.

I hadn’t seen SCI before but had a good idea of what to expect going into the weekend: good people, good music, and a good experience. Everyone I met was friendly, fun, and downright cool. I can’t complain about anyone or anything from the weekend.

Here are some highlights from the weekend:

- Skydivers TWICE on Saturday (once with smoke trails during daylight, and again late into the night with sparkler trails)
- THE best chicken burrito I’ve ever had (RR now has both a burrito station AND a nacho station!!!)
- Sore calves and back
- A pseudo-broken toe (post-Saturday show back-at-home-door-jam-slamming event)
- Sailor Jerry’s spiced rum (beats Captain Morgan any day of the week)
- A slew of beer and water
- The guy with a hat similar to mine (2 nights), the girl who offered me whiskey (2 nights), Simon & Kris (Simon was from England and has been here since ’91, namely due to the availability of skydiving in America), and the guy with the birthday Sunday night
- The best light show I’ve seen
- Great music
- Nonstop dancing, boogying, and grooving all night long (all nights)

Now that I’ve been indoctrinated, I can’t wait to see SCI again. I also wonder why I haven’t given them any attention until now… clearly I’ve been missing out!

All in all, this should sum things up nicely: after last weekend’s “Incidents”, I’m adding The String Cheese Incident near the top of my favorite live bands list. I look forward to seeing them again, and to downloading (legally) as many of their shows as I possibly can.

Well done, good time… well done.

_

Like a warm shot of Jager… or is it deer-flavored alcohol?

This morning on the drive to work, Cane came on the radio (Sirius Octane 20 to be exact) and started on about how a band commented in December that they were done with their hiatus and going in the studio, but turned around in January and said “not quite yet.” He went on to compare the feeling he got from that news to an instance of when you order a shot of Jager, only to find it’s warm as you drink it.

That’s a serious kind of disappointment I hadn’t recognized previously.

I never thought of it before, but he has a good point: ordering a shot of Jager, drinking it, and realizing it’s warm when it’s too late is probably one of the worst feelings you can have at a bar. I can’t say it’s on par with losing a bar fight, but it’s definitely up there.


Segueing to another subject while staying on topic: it’s best to have too much fun. Or at least aim to have too much fun; if you aim for that, you’re bound to have just enough. I can’t say that I have ever had too much fun in my life. I’ve done some pretty stupid things that were a lot of fun, done some things that were supposed to be fun but turned out pretty stupid, and I’ve done plenty of things that were legitimately fun. I don’t think there was ever a time, though, when I had too much fun. Sure, I’ve wanted more fun, but never any less fun. I think it’s best to aim for too much fun – at least you’re trying!

It’s interesting how Jager can be a catalyst to having either too much fun, or no fun at all depending on your perspective of the evening. It’s also interesting how a lot of people despise the drink while others flock to it with open arms.

My father told me on Sunday that he enjoys a shot or two of Schnapps now and then. He probably told me what kind of Schnapps, but I immediately dismissed his taste, verbally scolded him, and urged him to purchase a bottle of Jager. I even spelled it out for him, told him the color of the bottle, and informed him that there is a deer on the label.

What’s up with that deer anyway? I don’t think Jager tastes like deer. Do you?


…According to Snopes, Jagermeister does not contain deer blood, thankfully. But apparently there has been some concern.

www.snopes.com/business/secret/jagermeister.asp addresses the blood question

Regarding the significance of the Jager logo: wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Jagermeister_logo

And also http://www.jagermeister.com/ for additional history regarding the US phenomenon of Jager and its official website


Cheers!

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