Angry Chair on Halloween!

if the title didn't make much sense, then this picture will:

yes, finally another part of the musical dream comes true.. tonight i go to watch Alice In Chains!! this is such a momentous occasion for me that i do not have many words to describe how elated i feel right now.. and it also does not hurt at all that the opening band is Hurt, who i really like too!

happy Halloween everyone, scare yourselves up some fun!

The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg

fans of Iron Maiden - stand up and rejoice, for they are back, and how! the album is on constant rotation on Winamp now.. and the single 'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' flavor of the month in my head! listen to it and judge for yourself. a more indepth review is on the rock blog..

just in case you are wondering who Benjamin Breeg is, then this page from Wiki will suck you into the mystery that they have created. it's a masterpiece of viral marketing, and it's gonna leave us all guessing as to who he really is.. a metaphor for the band itself? a reincarnation of WWIII? band mascot Eddie? bassist Steve Harris? the enigmatic artist who created Eddie? read on..

the birds & the bees!

here's a funny thought - you know how you always hear about the 'birds and bees' story with regards to sex ed and all that? well, one day it hit me.. that i'll be 28 in a few months, and not only did i never get that talk from my parents, but i still don't know what the birds and bees are a reference to!!! now put your hands up all of you who are with me on that!

so with that in mind i went to the all knowing oracle and purveyor of free information aka the internet, and it's representative Google. putting 'birds and bees' as the search string is quite useless.. because most sites here seem to assume that everyone knows what that enigmatic term refers to! so i started thinking, and as you all know, that has not been much help in the past!

the birds i assume refer to the girls of course.. as in "check out that hot bird!" or "did you see that chick?!" so are the guys bees then? umm.. buzzing around, stinging unsuspecting girls?! then again, isn't that bizarre? are you sure you wanna teach children about sex by telling them stories of inter-species erotica? is that really the right way to do it?!

then i read somewhere that the full story is actually 'the birds and the bees and the butterflies'.. and then i was really lost! wouldn't it really just be easier to tell the kids the truth, the whole truth and nuthin but the truth once they hit pre-teens?

Last..

flicked this off Sassy's blog.. yes i'm lazy, deal with it! :-P

Last Place I Was: a very warm and comfy bed! will be off to work in a bit..
Last Drink I Had: two cans of 211 Steel Reserve - yes it's cheap-ass beer, but helps me get asleep!
Last Movie I Saw: 'Thank You For Smoking' - excellent excellent movie
Last Person I Talked To On The Phone: checked my Voicemail actually
Last Song I Listened to: 'Pain' - Three Days Grace
Last Bubble Bath I Took: LOL.. how about 20-something years ago?!
Last Time I Cried:see above! nahh i lie.. probably 3-4 years ago..
Last T.V. Show I Watched: am watching the Buffalo Sabres thrash the Habs now
Last Book I Read: heck, y'all know i don't read.. but this month's Playboy is a great issue!
Last Time I Laughed: watching DC Benny on Comedy Central in the morning today

camouflaged

the shadows they dance everywhere
stares at children and they scare
an evil lurking beyond the corner
all hidden in a genial demeanor

he lost his mind and did not mind
found something else to go find
soul sold and then he knew anew
he was not to speak just to do

so dreams were to be suspended
instead false hopes were vended
masks and shells further acquired
and now a new future required

stalking ground never yet trodden
growing roots in mud wet sodden
no escape red tape desolate cape
so breathless mouth stays agape

some ate of the apple so young
he left and left nothing unsung
died glad as only glad can be glad
no regrets.. or maybe just a tad

often we forget what we had started out as
and what we really wanted to be
this is for you, Layne Staley
and anyone who lost what we are

in the desperate struggle to find who we are

so what happened last weekend..

for all of you who are absolutely dying to hear about our bachelor party shenanigans.. there will be no details leaked here. leave if you must but if you keep reading you might be able to glean some info about what we really got up to! hey, i might let a thing or two slip as well! as i write this, the groom-to-be is probably very jetlagged and landing up at home, ready for the engagement, about to be besieged by the family and relatives that descend in hordes from the hills and everywhere around everytime a wedding comes around. nats started working on a little site.. drop by and leave some best wishes!

anyways, going back to the weekend. i landed up in Buffalo and it was a great autumn day. just a slight nip in the air, and nice and warm too. it had been a while since we'd all gone on a hike, so we went to the Devil's Hole State Park (minds out of the gutter folks!).. this is located just downriver from the Niagara Falls, which we've all seen so many times by now that any further mention of them could lead to instant upchucking of swallowed food-type material. a pic from the hike..

after we got home, we laid back and chilled out for a bit.. it was time for.... hmm, we did some stuff. then some more stuff. then we were hungry, so went to a fancy-pants place.. the groom's choice, and definitely very awesome. Shogun is one of Buffalo's best hibachis, and a really good experience, with the food and warm sake playing a huge part - check out chef Tom's stunts!

after dinner we were all really full and kinda whacked out.. but this being the last night before we all dispersed our own ways, we had to make the most of it! so let me get some things clear - there was intoxication involved, much hilarity and fun too.. women were present in various states of dress and undress at different stages.. pounding trance music and flashing laser lights too.. sweat-soaked shirts clinging to backs and very happy smiles lighting up faces ended the night. make what you can of all that info!

we woke up really spazzed (whoever taught me that word knows herself only too well!).. somehow dragged ourselves to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings and planted rear ends on the first available table in front of the wide screen tv. the wing sauces we had were super hot, and really tasty too - Mango Habanero and Caribbean Jerk. unfortunately while the wings sizzled, the Buffalo Bills fizzled and we were disgusted enough by halftime to head home.

and thus ended the bachelor party weekend.. fare thee well sank as you head into the hitherto uncharted marital waters. luckily we know nats well enough to not have to send you off with a lifeboat! (i know, my jokes suck today.. deal with it!) congrats again buddy!

of course, i absolutely do not believe in paraskevidekatriaphobia, hence my writing this post today.. when you work at the job i am at, every day you go in is the worst day, and every day you leave the day becomes the best!

for whom the (wedding) bells toll!

off to buffalo for the long weekend.. this time to celebrate a momentous occasion. nats and sank are to be married very soon, so this weekend we have sank's bachelor party, wait, lemme correct that.. parties! the brownie boys shall gather once again from the different corners of the Northeast they are in to eat, drink, make merry and indulge in various forms of hedonism just like the good old times..

i've been trawling through all our old pics, looking for that one pic that embodies the happy couple as we have always known them.. but there are so many that i'll just leave you with one. i think they'll forgive me for putting this pic up!

congratulations you two, here's best wishes for the future, all the happiness in the world, and many many bright and bonnie children! heheh! ;-)

weekend recap

this was a pretty good weekend.. there were some lows, not just in the temperature.. and there were some highs, not just the kind that involves intoxication!

the Tool concert was a bit of a letdown, a whole combination of factors worked against it - some idiots in the crowd, extremely cold weather, too much expectation, an indifferent performance by the band and pure exhaustion all came together to make it a huge letdown. that's life.

went off to Bristol, Rhode Island after that for the weekend. the weather continued to suck, but got some good company, met lots of new people, had some awesome food and generally had a great time despite the rain and cold. i love visiting new places, and the sea has always held a lot of fascination for me.

coming back home to go to work on sunday night in the dreary weather was really difficult, but that again is life. this week better zip by fast.