WOOHOO! TREES ARE GOOD!!!

Ooof, I've Been Hit

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:48:15 -0400

I was tagged by Jak with some good questions, via Emily Sears.

1. What is a physical feature you admire in both men and women, that you find yourself noticing or comparing when out and about?

Heads. I love heads. I love hair, I love no hair, I love eyes and glasses. I love cheekbones. I love noses and lips and dimples of all kinds. I just cannot help but love people's heads.

2. Who is someone we've heard of who possesses this admirable feature?

Most people I know have heads, so it's tough to narrow it down.

3. If you could "safely" explore an addictive or otherwise unhealthful or unsafe vice, which one would you choose and why?

Heroin. It's a deep mystery to me. I've seen it destroy many artists that I've loved and I wonder what it is that draws people to it. Although, I guess my curiosity stems from the addictive nature, and if I could explore it without the addictive properties it might defeat the purpose. I have no desire to ever actually use any sort of hard drugs, but again, it's influence in art and it's destruction of life is interesting to me.

4. In which TV show currently airing would you like to be a regular character? Describe the character a bit.

Simpsons avatar

It would have to be the Simpsons. I only watch one television show right now that's NOT animated and that's My Name is Earl. I'm afraid I'd have to take a survey to be on set with Jason Lee. So yeah, back to the Simpson's. To become a regular character I'd have to be in one episode as say, I don't know, Comic Book Guy's Internet girlfriend. After that, I'd be a background character whenever the town needs a mob. I'd be happy with that.

5. If you could be a member of the opposite sex for a day, what you would try out?

I would probably just drink gallons of water so I could pee standing up all day. Or maybe I would just work all day and make 23% more than my female counterparts.

If you feel like playing, tag it with "playgroup".

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Happy Birthday Mom!

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:21 -0400

Hope you have a wonderful birthday Mama, I love you so much!!

Mama

Hey look - her teeth eventually came in so she can eat some birfday cake:

Having her cake

I always catch her off-guard in pictures but she still looks fabulous!

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QotD: Happy Mother's Day

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:51:05 -0400

What's the best thing about your mom?

She's beautiful inside and out...and she's mine. Love you Mama!!

Good morning sunshine

We went to North Carolina for my cousin's graduation in 2005 and our condo was right on the beach. We woke with the sun each morning and took the most amazing walks in the sand. I turned around and snapped this shot, catching her completely off guard, but I love it 'cause she's cute. :-)

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The Genuine Article

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:08:22 -0400

Tulips are better than one

Saturday was the perfect day for a concert in the park. The crowd was a record breaker. Early reports are saying over 60,000 Upstaters had converged on the 2008 Tulip Festival in Washington Park for fair food, crafts and live entertainment just on Saturday. In prior years it's been hot, muggy and impossible to escape the sun. This year was certainly an exception. Temperatures in the 60's and overcast skies ended up being the perfect combination for a comfortable afternoon.

Still better than stem fest (that's just harsh)

Mr. Val and I parked on our usual, out-of-the-way side street. We didn't arrive early enough to eat anything deep-fried pre-concert so we wandered around to find a good place to watch the show. We wended our way around, through and over the mob of people and found ourselves standing right next to the stage. Center stage along the gates was already packed, so we were happy to stand at the side. We didn't have a great view of the front of the stage, but we got to watch Mark (bass) and Aaron (drums) really clearly which was just fine with us!

Ebola City

Too many people got up to read thank you's before they brought out the Spin Doctors. A dude from Toyota bragged about planting trees and a nearby woman screamed "trees are good!!". (I think I've just found a new blog title.) The sad thing about a show like this is that the idiot who introduces them has no idea who they are, he's just a guy who probably donated a bunch of money to the festival. He stupidly announces how they're working on a *new* album called Nice Talking to Me. Silly rich man, that record is three years old. We could see the docs hanging out back stage laughing about this. Chris (singer) later announces that one of the songs he's about to sing is off their new record that they just released that morning. Not sure how many in the crowd caught on, but being the snob that I am, I thought it was funny. :-)

Mark and Aaron

The good Doctors were finally brought out on stage at 4:30 so what the hell other song would they open with but What Time is It? I had pen and paper but was having too much fun to write down all the song titles. Later, Mr. Val and I tried to recreate a set list (that man has a killer memory), but we never could agree on the order. They mostly did stuff off of Pocketful of Kryptonite and Nice Talking to Me. I've been listening to Nice Talking to Me a lot lately so was really happy to hear my favorites from that: Sugar (best song on the album), Genuine (Eric's awesome rocker), Can't Kick the Habit (the one I can't get enough of) and Margarita (so damn catchy). Of course they did their big hits, Jimmy Olsen's Blues, Little Miss Can't Be Wrong and Two Princes. They also did Big Fat Funky Booty, How Could You Want Him and Off My Line. The encore started off with Refrigerator Car and ended with Yo Mama's a Pajama (probably in honor of Mother's Day! Haha!). Some

Eric's Solo

of this stuff was melded together in a long jam that started with Booty and ended with Genuine. That was really cool. I think that's probably a pretty close set list (again, not in order and only from memory).

The band was so *on*. They played together with a level of comfort that can only come with maturity. They were incredibly tight and in tune with each other in every sense of the word. It was an electrifying show and just plain fun. Aaron (drums), Mark (bass) and Eric (guitar) were phenomenal, they're really amazing musicians. Chris (vocals) was the master who linked the audience and the band. His pipes sounded terrific and he seemed to love playing with the crowd.

Chris works the crowd

I really hope they are working on a new album, it would be great fun to see them on the road again, supporting new music. They are really great on the stage, I'm so happy I finally had the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Following the tunes we decided to enjoy fair food. Sadly, many vendors were already shutting down for the day(!) so our choices were becoming limited by the minute. We trudged through the crowd looking for something that wouldn't cause buttpee and after some arguing with Captain Indecision we opted to hit up our favorite pizza place on the way to the car. (JG's on Lark, best pizza in Albany, don't miss it!)

After tons of walking and dancing this girl was a tired bear and went to bed very early on a Saturday night. But lucky for you folks you get the 5 AM review! :-) Happy Sunday people.

You can see more of my pics by clicking here, but here are a few of my favorites:

This guy was having so much fun

Extreme Pickle Closeup

Meat on a Stick..

Moar Meat on a Stick

Lucky! sweet ride, kiddo!

Lark at JG's

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The Magic Behind NPR

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:15:19 -0400

Last night was Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR News Quiz live from ~~the Chase Auditorium~~ Proctor's Theater in beautiful downtown Schenectady, New York!

First, the dinner review:

My guests were my married friends, B and A. We stopped into Bangkok Bistro for a bit of dinner before heading to the show. Bangkok was hopping. It's a small location that obviously used to be something else back in the day. There were painted tin ceilings and beautiful scenes of Germany on the wall (I can't remember if it was a mural or paper, but it was old). The overly loud music was a constant stream of female country singers (this is an incredibly weird thing for Upstate NY). To say the place lacked a Thai influence in the ambiance and decor would be the understatement of the year. It was an interesting blend of historical Schenectady, the Old World and maybe that $3 Chinese Lantern gave it a bit of Asian flavor. It took over ten minutes for our waiter to come by and another twenty before he brought us water. Our food took another half hour after that. Our waiter barely looked at us. Luckily the theater is a block away because we weren't finished until fifteen minutes before show time. The food was ok, but nothing to write home about. I mentioned that the place was hopping, and it was, but there couldn't have been more than 15 tables in the place and there were plenty of waiters. The prices were outrageous for the portions. Most of the Thai in this area is a bit more expensive, but my favorite restaurant, Capital Thai in Albany, charges much less for a lot more food. On a scale of 10 I'd give the food a 4 and the service a 2.

Let's go on with the show:

We made our way over to Proctor's, it was my first show there. The theater was jam packed with NPR junkies and everyone seemed to be in good spirits despite the fact that we felt like a herd of cattle as we made our way to our seats. Apparently the theater has recently undergone extensive renovations and it showed. The theater was spectacular!! Dozens of chandeliers, intricate designs in the ceiling and beautiful walls and seating were looking new and and really gave you the feeling of stepping back in time.

Proctors-stage

The stage was simple (but opposite what I had imagined), two podiums on stage-right, one with the name Carl Kasell (squee!), and the other, Peter Sagal. Stage-right held two tables, the one in front had three seats for our panelists and another in back held five or so of the people listed at the end of the show who make the magic happen (Doug Berman, Emily Ecton, etc.).

After a brief introduction by local NPR super star, Alan Chartock (who reminded us that the fund drive begins in June and that we should call 1-800-323-9262 to become a member of WAMC!)* the lights finally went down. A rotating ball with spinning, colorful lights swept across the stage and theater as Sirius (by the Alan Parson's Project...you know, the song from the beginning of the Bull's games!) played overhead, sending the audience into fits of laughter. Our panelists, Mo Rocca, Amy Dickenson and Charlie Pierce were greeted by the enthusiastic crowd. When Carl was called out on stage, everyone went nuts (at least I did!)! Peter Sagal was next and I was struck by his lack of hair. Don't get me wrong, ain't nuthin' wrong with a bald man, in fact it can be quite sexy, but in my mind Peter had these wavy, thick locks of golden hair. The rest of him was just as handsome as I'd imagined.

Carl and Peter

Peter gave us the rundown of how it all works. The main difference between what you hear on the radio and what I saw last night was that on the radio you don't hear the flubs or the dirty answers that are sadly edited for broadcast. Peter also informed us that when they go on the road they like to have a local celebrity join them on stage. Of course this was hot discussion over dinner. Who's going to play Not My Job? B had suggested Eliot Spitzer, I told him NO WAY after the way Wait Wait had roasted him in the last month. A suggested that it might be our new governor, funny man, David Paterson. That, I would've loved! So when Peter prefaced telling us about our guest, he said that this was no joke...I leaned over to B and said, you MUST be right! Peter did confirm that several months ago the show was approached by Mr. Spitzer's staff who informed them that the governor was a fan of Wait Wait and would love to do the Not My Job segment. Whoops!! Instead, we were visited via phone by Adam Savage of Mythbusters. B and A were thrilled, being huge fans of Mythbusters. I've never seen it (no cable), but Adam was clever, charming and armed the panel with many jokes that would continue throughout the evening (although we'll see if the ones about elephant dung will make it to air!). Adam also informed us that we were the largest audience he'd ever addressed while not wearing pants.

Wwdtm_lineup_final

The panelists were delightful. It was so cool getting to hear Charlie Pierce laugh in person. Amy, Mo and Charlie played off of each other throughout the evening and truly looked like they were having a ball. Much of the comedy was visual: Amy stroking an imaginary beard, Mo discouraging the audience from hinting at answers, all three of them crossing their arms at poignant moments (something you'll understand when you hear this week's show). It was great to see them really having fun with the live audience.

The show was followed by a short bit of housekeeping (this is where the magic comes in!). Peter, Carl and the panel were each instructed what lines they had to redo (either for sound purposes, flubs or cleanliness). After about five minutes of that Peter and Carl wandered into the audience for a bit of Q & A.

Peter and carl

Carl informed us that in the old days, when it came time to record the message for an answering machine he would get on the NPR jet and fly to the winner's house and crash for a week. ;-) Another person, who today I'm sure is thinking to herself, oh my gosh, I can't believe I asked that, asked Carl why she knew his voice. She said she obviously knew him from the show, but had heard his voice elsewhere but couldn't place it. After a stunned silence from Peter and the crowd everyone roared with laughter. Peter told Carl to go ahead and tell her about his day job. "From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell" gave rise to massive applause from the audience.

It was great fun. I'd love to see another taping (although Peter did remind us that we were nuts for paying for tickets when we could've listened in our pajamas for free on Saturday morning). These folks seem to love what they do and it was very cool to be a part of that NPR magic.

*The fund drive is crazy out here. Alan spends a ton of time on the air trying to generate donations. He once sang the phone number to Camptown Races so that's how I hear it in my head. But I've heard him read the number in a hoarse voice so many times over the years I think I'd remember it even with Alzheimer's.

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You Don't Wash Your Feet With a Bidet

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:25:37 -0400

I saw this commercial yesterday morning at Faux Real and spent the entire day singing the Loo Loo song and wishing I had a bidet. Watch it, it's the best thing ever. Enjoy!

LooLoo 4

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For it is a Human Number

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:25:09 -0400

Last night we cranked Iron Maiden as we went about our business. That early stuff just kicks so much ass! One thing I didn't do with my earlier reviews was post much in the way of music. BUT we have these really cool old releases that include a second cd with live material and B-sides. These go out to Davey and Tony, if you haven't already heard these, enjoy. If you have heard them, listen again cuz it's damn good.

Iron Maiden Bonus Disc

First up, Burning Ambition (Harris), the B side of the UK Running Free single from 2/8/1980 (I wasn't born yet, but I was at least in the womb!! Were you yet Davey??).

01 Burning Ambition

Next we have Drifter (Harris) (live), the B side of the UK Sanctuary single from 5/23/1980.

02 Drifter

Finally, I've Got the Fire (Montrose) (live) was another B side of Sanctuary.

03 I've Got The Fire

Killers Bonus Disc (w/Maiden Japan!!)

The first three tracks were released on single 5105 on October 27, 1980 (yay I was born!). We've Women in Uniform (Macainish), Invasion (Harris) and Phantom of the Opera (Harris) (live).

From the Maiden Japan single released September 14,1981: Running Free, Remember Tomorrow, Wrathchild (best!), Killers and Innocent Exile. Note that Wrathchild wasn't released on the original UK single, but was only available in 'Merica (usually it's the opposite!).

Number of the Beast Bonus Disc

First up, Total Eclipse (Harris, Di'Anno, Burr), the B side to the UK single Run to the Hills - 2/12/82:

01 Total Eclipse

Sadly, only two tracks on this bonus disc. The second is Remember Tomorrow (Harris, Di'Anno) (live), the B side of the UK Number of the Beast single, released April 26, 1982.

02 Remember Tomorrow (Live)

Happy listening! \m/

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It is I, The Master of Unlocking

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:15:40 -0400

X-files

I haven't posted much lately, been busy with real life and feeling uninspired to write. We're still rounding out our X-Files project. We finished The X-Files: The Game for the PC over the weekend. It totally rawked. I'm a little sad that full-motion video games never took off. This was my third. The first I ever played was Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria. It was a pretty mild game and the acting was terrible but it was also one of the first. My second, and favorite, was Jane Jensen's Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within (Gabriel Knight is still one of the best series of all time AND has the best video game music I've ever heard).

The X-Files The Game

The X-Files: The Game was a lot of fun, the acting was really good (for a video game), the puzzles were intuitive and it felt very much like being right in the middle of an X-File. If you can get a hold of a copy and have the system requirements to play it (as in, if your system is OLD enough to play it!) grab it on half.com.

Tonight we're starting The X-Files: Resist or Serve for the Playstation (which we've borrowed from a friend). It's supposed to be a survival horror along the lines of Resident Evil so I'm very excited about that!

We're also listening to all of our Maiden again in preparation for the concert. We now have every record and dvd that they've released, so expect me to finish my Maiden reviews (you know, the ones that I abandoned a year and a half ago!).

Other than that, tomorrow night is Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady (it will be my first show there, I'm excited) and Saturday is the Spin Doctor's at Tulip Fest. Should be a good rest of the week!

Happy Wednesday folks!

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Today We Ask An Important Question

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:18:15 -0400

And get some answers.

What is Life?

George Harrison - What Is Life

Life's a Long Song.

Jethro Tull - Life's A Long Song

It's The Song We Were Singing.

Paul McCartney - The Song We Were Singing

This would've been cooler with album art. It was there in my files when I loaded this. Growl.

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Vox Hunt: In Honor of Cinco de Mayo...

nobody@vox.com(Valerae) — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:22:09 -0400

Show us something you love about Mexico.

The food.

So groovy

Happy Diners

I drank Dad's tequila. It wasn't even noon. T'was a good day.

PS: I know I've shared before, so some of you know - but DON"T pour your bottled water over Mexican ice. It defeats the purpose entirely.

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