Two Gallants

Two Gallants playing Reflections of the Marionette on Jimmy Kimmel live. I really like the lyrics of this song and in this video the drummer plays the hell out of the drums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue1LrjDGhEg

Interesting Captain Beefheart documentary by BBC

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5YE_a4B1U

2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soNg-RSv6nY

3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxH8shHd9I

4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msDItyYvxo

5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LunCzAf6Z5o

6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Prs_W5ffs

Out

So I have been out of it for awhile. The swine flu forced me into hiding. I developed a special anti-swine compound that involves hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, raw chicken, hair grease and steel.

I just have been busy. I went back to Crossville, TN for a week and then to Plano, TX. Nothing too exciting. I got to see some friends in Plano and Crossville was just all about surviving another week.

Hilo

OK, I got back from Hilo yesterday morning. The flights were exhausting; an all night red eye. Redundancy. I also managed to piss off the tattooed white trash face sucking couple in front of me by apparently pushing my bag into their feet. I awoke to the turned around evil eye of the classless sunburned fake blond. I felt nothing.

Hilo was awesome. It was just beautiful. I got to see many great sites; volcanoes, waterfalls and beaches. Everything went smooth and I discovered an amazing candy store off of the bay where our hotel was located. There is talks of doing another job in Hawaii and I can only hope that I am able to make that adventure too.

The food was great. I ate a lot of fish at a nice little tourist trap of a restaurant named Pestos. We also ate at a little Mexican food place, the food was horrible but one particular waitress left me breathless.

One afternoon there was a young lady practicing yoga on the little peninsula that jutted out into the blue water in the bay behind the hotel. She flexed, bent and stretched in the patch of green grass surrounded by black lava rocks. I went and asked her if I could join the following day but due to rain and work I was unable to partake in the meditation. The sound of the ocean crashing into the rock and the soothing coolness of the ocean on my feet while trying to peer out into the water to catch the curvature of the earth ended up being the only meditation I needed.

Cohen

Lat night I had the privilege of seeing Leonard Cohen in concert. I was one of the most special and sincere shows I have ever experienced. Backed by an incredibly talented band Cohen, 74, crooned through some of his biggest hits and some of my favorites: Take this Waltz, Tower of Song, I'm Your Man, So Long Marianne, First We Take Manhattan, Everybody Knows, In My Secret Life, Hallelujah and a chilling spoken word rendition of A Thousand Kisses Deep. Despite his age, Cohen was very spiritedly jogging and skipping on and off stage during five encore performances. He also joked with the crowd discussing how it was the first time he had been on stage in 14 or 15 years "...I was 60. Just a young boy filled with dreams." He performed close to three hours and was at the top of his game at all times. It was such a beautiful night and I consider myself very lucky to be able to see him on what has to be his last tour.

I consider myself very blessed to have seen these to incredible song writers in the last year

Just More Stuff:

I leave for Hilo, Hawaii on Sunday so I will have some more travel type stuff to report.



But until then:



House Republicans roll out alternative budget

I love this video. Adam Sandberg has proven to be pretty funny and that's something unusual for the newer age of Saturday Night Live.

Serial Killer: Mugshots of the "Killer Clown." The story John Wayne Gacy.

I recently rented and watched the movie Synecdoche, New York. It is an incredible movie but very disturbing; classic Charlie Kaufman. After receiving the MacArthur grant a director finds himself trying to create a play about his life and throughout the process of creating this play it becomes his life.

"The use of synecdoche is a common way to emphasize an important aspect of a fictional character; for example, a character might be consistently described by a single body part, such as the eyes, which come to represent the character. This is often used when the main character does not know or care about the names of the characters that he/she is referring to."

More:

I'm at home this week so more of the ridiculous stuff that occuppies my time:


This guy is incredible... Ronald Jenkees...make sure you have a hat on or else he may just make you lose yo' mind.

Whats does shamwow, mugshots, bloody tongues and 3 easy payment of $19.95 all have in common?


I don't have cable and instead of watching TV I listen to talk radio and podcasts while I'm at home. Unfortunately, very little of it is educational and a vast majority of it probably doesn't benefit me at all; it may even make me dumber. Regardless its all fun and entertaining


Jim Rome - His Web site has better information but you have to pay a membership fee to stream the show...here its free.

Adam Corolla -I'm new to his show although a buddy has been telling me to get hooked for a long time. One listen was all it took before I was addicted. Corolla and all his immaturity, racism, feminism, homophobia and strangely brilliant ability to listen and council the sick comedians and hollywood b, and sometimes C, listers is uncanny and hilarious.

Bored?

Just to kill a few minutes:

a favorite commercial- the faces he makes are priceless.

awesome art prints

a favorite poem read by a favorite poet

Go see this guy in concert. It could be his last tour. I bought my tickets for Long Center in Austin on April 2nd. I'm really excited...now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that work doesn't randomly send me somewhere.

Crossville, Tenn.

I spent last week in Crossville, Tennessee. It's a small town about two hours away from Nashville; an hour and a half from Knoxville; 30 minutes from Cookeville; 45 minutes from Smithville and McMinville. Its lodged back in the Smokey mountains tucked away with small town mentality and a Wal-mart.

The people were really nice and the weather was horrible but the mountains were beautiful and the meth busts were plentiful and everywhere. Fortunately we had to drive to Knoxville twice in two days and I was able to stare out of the window and observe the beautiful mountains. It was fascinating how in the rain the fog rolling across the mountain side resembled smoke billowing from the mountains.

It was a good week and I'm looking forward to next.

Headlines:

Stay informed and develop your opinions:

Bill would allow Texans to take guns to work

Barack Obama’s $1 trillion ‘detox’

NCAA

Basketball all day. Memphis gave me a scare. I have them playing North Carolina in my final game and the Tar Heels as the champs. My bracket here.

Back Home and the Weather is Dead

Dead Weather - Jack White's third band. The man is incredible. His guitar playing is far superior to almost anyone else out there right now. No one, other than maybe Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, have been as prolific and unique as White. Not only does he release new music with a different band almost every year, it all kicks ass. Dead Weather is a supergroup comprised of some of the dirtiest grittiest rockers out there. Alison Mosshert (the Kills), Jack Lawerence (The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and the guitar lick master himself, Jack White. The new single is fantastic and better than anything else out there so far in 2009. At times Mossheart can sound eerily similar to White. The music is layered with White's influence and distinct guitar playing. Do yourself a favor and go for a listen!

One Last Time

I assumed yesterdays post would be my last from DC but I couldn't help but make the trip to the metro and towards the Smithsonians for one last try and...success!! I got to the museum early and I was able to spend a good four hours in the Natural History Museum. I was like a giddy ten year old boy oohing and aahing at the Dinosaur fossils and giant replica of an elephant. I was in full tourist mode snapping photographs at every opportunity. It was fascinating. One of the coolest places I have ever been. The ocean exhibit was beyond amazing as was the fossil and western civilization exhibits. I didn't have much use for the soil exhibit. Pretty boring. Also I only dropped in the mineral section to say I saw the Hope Diamond, which I am sure for some women is like the second coming of Christ. It was all very exciting. After wandering aimlessly for hours I finally decided to go to the American History Museum again to see if I could get a look at Kermit the Frog and the Rudy Slippers from the Wizard of Oz but unfortunately by that time the crowds were back.

While in the museum there was a huge St. Patrick's Day Parade going on outside for a moment I felt like I should go outside and take place but because I was just in New Orleans for Mardi Gras I decided I could do without another parade. After I left the museum though the parade was still going on and so I was able to sit and watch the end of it. It was nice. The weather was still horrible, even colder and wetter than the day before. It was impossible not to smile at the young little river dancers Celtic hopping down the wet street and for some reason there were these Bolivian dancers that were absolutely amazing, and I have no idea how they weren't freezing in there barely there skirts. They looked more like something that would be at the Fiesta Celebration in San Antonio that is taking place in a couple of weeks, which I will also be at. I'm a pretty lucky guy right now. I am able to see and experience a lot of the amazing culture this country has to offer. Unfortunately I am missing SXSW and the Kerrville Folk Music Festival but between Hawaii, DC, Mardi Gras and Fiesta in the last month and the month coming up; I think I can handle it.

Still in DC

Today was another day in DC. The weather is awful; cold and rainy, but that did not stop me from trying to experience some of the museums the town has to offer.

I had my first experience with the DC subway system, in fact it was my first experience ever with any subway system. Nothing worth mentioning other than it was my first time and I wish I had the option of the subway where I live.

The day started at the Newsuem which is completely dedicated to journalism. I loved this museum. There was a lot of very interesting exhibits. Especially one on the FBI. There was also a chronicle of papers ranging as far back as the 1700s. There was also a chunk of the Berlin Wall and a guard tower. I found it fascinating just to touch the wall and try to imagine what it must have been like to be trapped on the East side while the West was thriving with culture.

I wanted to go the the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History but because this week is Spring Break for the younger society the line was ridiculous. Instead I substituted the visit for a Pompeii exhibit at the National Gallery. This was awesome, there was a lot of interesting sculptures and ancient paintings. I can't even imagine being one of the people that uncovered this world hidden by a volcano eruption. The excitement a person must feel when they start uncovering an entire civilization has to be exhilarating. I went to another Smithsonian to see the flag that was flying when Frances Scott Keyes wrote the star spangled banner. There were many more exhibits I wanted to see but the crowds made being inside the museum unbearable. The noise was intense and the lines for the exhibits did not allow for the proper amount of time to obsess over what I was seeing. The last stop before making it back to the Metro was the National Portrait Gallery. It was another very interesting museum but I feel like by this point my fatigue was sinking in and I hurried the visit. Most memorable was some of the paintings by Georgia O' Keefe. It was the first time I had ever seen any of her work and I was really impressed. Most of the portraits were of boring old white men who had a lot of money; although, some very interesting photographs of modern people were sprinkled in.

Yesterday I went to the Washington National Cathedral. It left me breathless. The giant medieval looking structure left me breathless. Its Gothic spikes raised high into the sky chasing the very God it was created to worship. It's unreal the things and places people will create in the name of religion. I also visited all the memorials again. I walked the entire circle from the Jefferson to the Lincoln and back. The Vietnam Memorial was gut-wrenching. Very sad the number of deaths involved in that war. The FDR Memorial would have been far more fascinating had the weather allowed for the water to flow. Unfortunately the Reflecting Pool was drained but it was fun to run in it and act as if I was Jenny screaming for Forrest's attention.

Also, incredibly, I saw a woman get hit by a car yesterday. I only say incredibly because she wasn't hurt. The jackass ran a red light, and was cutting me off in the process, and he struck this woman and then rolled his window down to yell at her as if she was at fault. It was unbelievable.

So...Washington DC is well worth a visit. In fact, I will most likely plan another visit just to go back to the museums. The city has so much to offer, and unlike many other cities in the Northeast people seem to be friendly. A friend of mine insists its because it's a melting pot of people from all over.

Washington D.C.

My job requires me to travel a lot. I figured starting a blog would be a great way to chronicle my adventures and experiences in the cities I work. I am new to the business world and I am still training for the niche in which I have ventured. I prefer not to get into great detail of what I do for personal reasons and business security; however, I will admit that I work in hospitals and that I am not a pharmaceutical vendor!

This week I am working in Washington D.C. for the first time. I have never been to DC and it truely is far more fascinating than I could have ever imagined. I will be in town through the weekend and I intend to do all the tourist type of sight-seeing that is completely justified for a first timer in the nation's capitol.

Last night I scratched the surface of the city. We started the night off with a very nice but expensive dinner at Bobby Van's Grill. The food was slightly above average but the atmosphere and the micro-brew made the experience great. Service was nice. I had a gorgonzola smothered sirloin with sauteed mushrooms and two Bobby Van's Amber drafts. The beer was good, I prefer an amber to have more flavor but it complimented the steak well so I was content and left miserably full.

After the gorging I went to stand outside the White House and stare. It was interesting and I am happy that I was able to see it. Nothing exciting happened in the breif moments I stared at the building where our 44th now resides. In fact, nothing really exciting happened all night,  but this blog is more of a way for me to recall memories than it is to entertain any mass public. I also saw the Washington Monument, The Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Everything was so beautiful and fascinating. I love history and it was surreal to actually be seeing, in person, images I have seen since I was a child. The Lincoln statue is gigantic. 

The Holiday Inn I'm staying at has terriably uncomfortable beds and about 100 kids run and scream throughout the halls all night. I guess I'm a geezer but when I'm working I appreciate good sleep especially when I'm struggling because of a stomach full of red meat. 

Tomorrow I will do more memorial and Saturday I have reserved for one of the Smithsonian Museums. I would also like to find a bar or club to get ridiculous.

Throughout this blog I'm also going to post random and adventurous stories wether its because of being on the road for work or a crazy weekend at home in San Antonio.