Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
This cow was one of the few willing to smile for the camera. She probably thought I was one those crazy yankees who had never seen a live animal before.
The bride and her mom putting centerpieces together at Texas A&M
It was a group project.
The Bride and Groom leaving the Houston Temple. I think Callie was the only one of the two who realized that I was taking a picture at that moment.
My Texas relatives
Dancing to their song...some country number. It was hard for my brit-rock/indie ears.
Doing the motions for the Texas A&M fight song.
City Mouse, Country Mouse
The first week in June I decided to get out of the city and head to College Station, Texas to have some fun in the country, and also to attend my cousin Callie's wedding. It was so nice to get away from the yellow taxi cabs, smelly subways, and uninteresting work. Plus I kinda have a crush on Texas. I'm not fond of the Lubbock area, but for the most part I really have a crush on the state. If it wasn't so blazing hot, Austin would be ranked higher on my places to live list. That is why I only have a crush on Texas. We tend to only crush on things we don't get to have. Who knows, maybe someday this crush will turn into full blown love.
My aunt and uncle live outside of College Station in a new development that helped me live the true meaning of vacation. I had no cell phone coverage, and due to the dial-up internet connection I couldn't check my email without wanting to hurt something...so I was unplugged from the world and didn't think about work at all. (The last time I took a "vacation" I worked during the majority of it.) Instead of monitoring the hundreds of google alerts that come into my inbox, I walked one of my aunt's dogs (Samantha, who became my best friend until I wouldn't let her share my bed. She totally hogged the bed), visited my grandma, baked goodies, and helped as much as I could with the wedding. I didn't do anything touristy, but I had a really great time.
College Station does not have that many tourist attractions. It has Texas A&M and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. The library was closed, but I did get to see part of the campus. My uncle is the head of the horticulture department, and we used one of the flower labs to put the flower arrangements together. I also saw a lot of cows. One of my cousins, Trevor, is a rancher of sorts. He is studying something to do with feeding cows at A&M (I am sure there is a more technical way of stating what he studies, however I don't recall asking what it was.) For some hands on experience, and reduced rent, he and his wife live in a 100 year old farm house while he looks after some cattle. One evening we took a trip out to see the cows (which weren't very friendly; they didn't let me touch them). I was pretty impressed with my cousin--he ropes cows and has a garden and eats the produce. That shouldn't be an amazing concept; it's just that I don't know that many people from my generation that has a garden and eats the produce.
The wedding was a lot of fun. The ceremony took place in Houston, and it was so hot and humid I thought I was going to melt away. I was wearing light clothes, and I really felt sorry for everyone in the tuxes and wedding dress. If I ever get married in Houston in the summer, I will probably have as few layers as possible. And I think a knee-lengthed dress will be an option. it would definitely be a draftier option. The reception was at the College Station Hilton with good food (i.e. steak--this is Texas), dancing and the Texas A&M fight song. Oh yes, I was told that the song is played at all Aggie functions...including weddings. My cousin, Lance, also informed me that the song is played on the radio as well. This a town that loves their university and its traditions.
I caught the bouquet. My relatives were pretty clear that I had to catch it, and despite my protesting, they enticed me to try to catch the bouquet. Part of the prize for winning was a gift card to Target. At first Callie just wanted to put a $5 Target gift card, but I said that $5 would not get me to the Bronx for my closest Target (the only Target in the world that I dislike as much as Wal-Mart). I did say that with a $5 iTunes card, I would probably give a few people a black eye. Then I had to explain the beauty of iTunes. I guess in a world of cars with radios, the genius of the MP3 player is not as important. My Uncle Tim put in a $20 Target card (and would not tell me how much), and I was dragged out to try my luck. I stood in the back, and Callie totally chucked the thing, and it landed on the floor a few steps away from me. So I got the Target card and a wishful promise of being the next bride. Either way it's a win-win situation.
The best part of the trip was seeing all of my cousin's on my dad's side of the family and meeting their spouses. I only have three cousins (Lance, Trevor and Callie), but since we haven't always lived near each other we have not been able to bond with them like we have with the cousins on my mom's side of the family. I particularly enjoyed noticing the family resemblances. Many people have thought that Callie and I looked like each other with our freckles and fair skin. Callie has always had red hair, and mine just gets red highlights. (We always liked it when people thought that we were sisters.) However, I noticed that from her engaglement photos that Callie looks a lot like our Grandma--they have the same eyes. I was surprised to see how much Trevor looks like my dad...except for the hairline and the nose. I think Lance takes after the other side of his family.
I was a little sad to leave Texas and my family down there. If I had only known that I was going to lose my job upon my return to New York, I would have stayed longer.
The first week in June I decided to get out of the city and head to College Station, Texas to have some fun in the country, and also to attend my cousin Callie's wedding. It was so nice to get away from the yellow taxi cabs, smelly subways, and uninteresting work. Plus I kinda have a crush on Texas. I'm not fond of the Lubbock area, but for the most part I really have a crush on the state. If it wasn't so blazing hot, Austin would be ranked higher on my places to live list. That is why I only have a crush on Texas. We tend to only crush on things we don't get to have. Who knows, maybe someday this crush will turn into full blown love.
My aunt and uncle live outside of College Station in a new development that helped me live the true meaning of vacation. I had no cell phone coverage, and due to the dial-up internet connection I couldn't check my email without wanting to hurt something...so I was unplugged from the world and didn't think about work at all. (The last time I took a "vacation" I worked during the majority of it.) Instead of monitoring the hundreds of google alerts that come into my inbox, I walked one of my aunt's dogs (Samantha, who became my best friend until I wouldn't let her share my bed. She totally hogged the bed), visited my grandma, baked goodies, and helped as much as I could with the wedding. I didn't do anything touristy, but I had a really great time.
College Station does not have that many tourist attractions. It has Texas A&M and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. The library was closed, but I did get to see part of the campus. My uncle is the head of the horticulture department, and we used one of the flower labs to put the flower arrangements together. I also saw a lot of cows. One of my cousins, Trevor, is a rancher of sorts. He is studying something to do with feeding cows at A&M (I am sure there is a more technical way of stating what he studies, however I don't recall asking what it was.) For some hands on experience, and reduced rent, he and his wife live in a 100 year old farm house while he looks after some cattle. One evening we took a trip out to see the cows (which weren't very friendly; they didn't let me touch them). I was pretty impressed with my cousin--he ropes cows and has a garden and eats the produce. That shouldn't be an amazing concept; it's just that I don't know that many people from my generation that has a garden and eats the produce.
The wedding was a lot of fun. The ceremony took place in Houston, and it was so hot and humid I thought I was going to melt away. I was wearing light clothes, and I really felt sorry for everyone in the tuxes and wedding dress. If I ever get married in Houston in the summer, I will probably have as few layers as possible. And I think a knee-lengthed dress will be an option. it would definitely be a draftier option. The reception was at the College Station Hilton with good food (i.e. steak--this is Texas), dancing and the Texas A&M fight song. Oh yes, I was told that the song is played at all Aggie functions...including weddings. My cousin, Lance, also informed me that the song is played on the radio as well. This a town that loves their university and its traditions.
I caught the bouquet. My relatives were pretty clear that I had to catch it, and despite my protesting, they enticed me to try to catch the bouquet. Part of the prize for winning was a gift card to Target. At first Callie just wanted to put a $5 Target gift card, but I said that $5 would not get me to the Bronx for my closest Target (the only Target in the world that I dislike as much as Wal-Mart). I did say that with a $5 iTunes card, I would probably give a few people a black eye. Then I had to explain the beauty of iTunes. I guess in a world of cars with radios, the genius of the MP3 player is not as important. My Uncle Tim put in a $20 Target card (and would not tell me how much), and I was dragged out to try my luck. I stood in the back, and Callie totally chucked the thing, and it landed on the floor a few steps away from me. So I got the Target card and a wishful promise of being the next bride. Either way it's a win-win situation.
The best part of the trip was seeing all of my cousin's on my dad's side of the family and meeting their spouses. I only have three cousins (Lance, Trevor and Callie), but since we haven't always lived near each other we have not been able to bond with them like we have with the cousins on my mom's side of the family. I particularly enjoyed noticing the family resemblances. Many people have thought that Callie and I looked like each other with our freckles and fair skin. Callie has always had red hair, and mine just gets red highlights. (We always liked it when people thought that we were sisters.) However, I noticed that from her engaglement photos that Callie looks a lot like our Grandma--they have the same eyes. I was surprised to see how much Trevor looks like my dad...except for the hairline and the nose. I think Lance takes after the other side of his family.
I was a little sad to leave Texas and my family down there. If I had only known that I was going to lose my job upon my return to New York, I would have stayed longer.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A Glorious Keane and an Evil Usurper
May 30th was the day of the long-awaited Keane concert. Since I am a huge fan, I was pretty impatient with the band, and their concert delay nearly caused them to lose their Favorite Band For Life status. (Especially since Travis was such a nice show, and will be again on July 14th in NYC!) But the concert once again reminded me of how much I enjoy Keane's music.
First of all, I like them because not a lot of people are familiar with their tunes; they don't get huge amounts of airtime. This means that I will not spend extraordinary amounts of money to sit in the back row of a large arena just to see them. I like more intimate concerts where I can get close to the stage and actually feel like I am watching them live and not on TV. This particular concert was at Rumsey Field in Central Park. Since I was not sure if that was a large or small venue, I decided to take a day off work so I could scope out the park and get good seats for my friends that would be showing up later.
I was at the park by three o'clock in order to find the field. I have not been a frequent visitor to Central Park. Lame, huh? Prior to the concert I had been there once, maybe twice, but obviously hadn't seen anything of interest. (FYI, I was there today, and saw a little bit more, but there is still a lot of park to cover.) I found the venue rather quickly and noticed that there was already a line fifty people deep of concert-goers. That ruined my park exploration plans; instead I plopped my stuff down as concert-goer fifty-one, grabbed my book and waited the 2.5 hours for the doors to open. That sounds like a waste of a couple of good hours for a good place to stand at a show, but I was able to listen to Keane's sound check.
Finally, the doors open, and I found a place for my friends to watch the show. We were about five people from the stage. That's a good distance. Soon my friends arrived, and we waited and waited for the show to begin. The opening band was Rocco DeLuca and the Burden. I must say that the band was very good for an opener. I thought it interesting that they were chosen because the music was very bluesy, a stark contrast to Keane's more pop-sounding introspective anthems. Nonetheless Mr. DeLuca played his heart out. During their set, I was hoping for a Keifer Sutherland sighting. Apparently, Keifer helped produce their CD, so I thought it would be fitting if he were hanging out in the sidelines. Alas, no such luck. However the audience did get a celebrity sighting--one that nearly ruined my concert experience.
Richard mentioned that he saw Blake Lewis, of American Idol, buying a hot dog near the venue. Big freaking deal...although he had his fans surrounding him. After eating his hot dog Blake decided to show up at the Keane concert during Rocco DeLuca's last song. Rocco was playing his little fingers off when multitudes of heads and cameras were turned to the right of the stage where Blake Lewis was shaking hands and having his picture taken with fans...during someone else's performance. It was really obnoxious and interruptive. A real celebrity with any class would have snuck around back and not stolen anyone's thunder. We all wondered why he had shown up, and Alejandro reminded us that Blake sang a Keane song on the show. He suggested that perhaps Blake was going to sing with the band. Digusting. I vowed that I would Boo very loudly if that usurper took the stage. Fortunately, he didn't. It was all Keane.
Keane concerts are five hundred times better than listening to them on CD and the radio. Recorded music has not yet been able to capture the energy and passion that goes into a live show. I remember seeing Keane in September of 2004 at the Showbox in Seattle. They had some lights, but no special effects or audio/visual enhancements, but it was the best concert I had ever attended. I was smitten with the band ever since. My fourth Keane concert did not disappoint either. By this time, I expected that the art-loving musicians would add artsy a/v effects, and I was correct in that assumption. In some songs they used the incredible graphics from their album covers, and an interesting ballroom dance video for "A Bad Dream" that added an eeriness to the song. Brilliant.
Tom Chaplin's voice and performance ability was not lacking. He is in much better shape than he had been in past shows. It looks like rehab treated him well, and he is continuing to take care of himself. He showed off more of his talents by picking up an accoustic guitar for "Your Eyes Open." The other members, Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes did not disappoint. Tim moves around so much when he plays, I am always amazed that the songs still sound right. During the audience-interaction moments the band was very honest with the issues they have struggled through recently: near break-up, rehab...but they seem to be very focused on remaining friends, and remaining a band. yeah! According to the blog, they are starting to work on album number three. double yeah! Plus, as usual, the band showed immense appreciation for the fans. That always helps.
It was great, and they better darn well not take too long coming back to the city!!!
May 30th was the day of the long-awaited Keane concert. Since I am a huge fan, I was pretty impatient with the band, and their concert delay nearly caused them to lose their Favorite Band For Life status. (Especially since Travis was such a nice show, and will be again on July 14th in NYC!) But the concert once again reminded me of how much I enjoy Keane's music.
First of all, I like them because not a lot of people are familiar with their tunes; they don't get huge amounts of airtime. This means that I will not spend extraordinary amounts of money to sit in the back row of a large arena just to see them. I like more intimate concerts where I can get close to the stage and actually feel like I am watching them live and not on TV. This particular concert was at Rumsey Field in Central Park. Since I was not sure if that was a large or small venue, I decided to take a day off work so I could scope out the park and get good seats for my friends that would be showing up later.
I was at the park by three o'clock in order to find the field. I have not been a frequent visitor to Central Park. Lame, huh? Prior to the concert I had been there once, maybe twice, but obviously hadn't seen anything of interest. (FYI, I was there today, and saw a little bit more, but there is still a lot of park to cover.) I found the venue rather quickly and noticed that there was already a line fifty people deep of concert-goers. That ruined my park exploration plans; instead I plopped my stuff down as concert-goer fifty-one, grabbed my book and waited the 2.5 hours for the doors to open. That sounds like a waste of a couple of good hours for a good place to stand at a show, but I was able to listen to Keane's sound check.
Finally, the doors open, and I found a place for my friends to watch the show. We were about five people from the stage. That's a good distance. Soon my friends arrived, and we waited and waited for the show to begin. The opening band was Rocco DeLuca and the Burden. I must say that the band was very good for an opener. I thought it interesting that they were chosen because the music was very bluesy, a stark contrast to Keane's more pop-sounding introspective anthems. Nonetheless Mr. DeLuca played his heart out. During their set, I was hoping for a Keifer Sutherland sighting. Apparently, Keifer helped produce their CD, so I thought it would be fitting if he were hanging out in the sidelines. Alas, no such luck. However the audience did get a celebrity sighting--one that nearly ruined my concert experience.
Richard mentioned that he saw Blake Lewis, of American Idol, buying a hot dog near the venue. Big freaking deal...although he had his fans surrounding him. After eating his hot dog Blake decided to show up at the Keane concert during Rocco DeLuca's last song. Rocco was playing his little fingers off when multitudes of heads and cameras were turned to the right of the stage where Blake Lewis was shaking hands and having his picture taken with fans...during someone else's performance. It was really obnoxious and interruptive. A real celebrity with any class would have snuck around back and not stolen anyone's thunder. We all wondered why he had shown up, and Alejandro reminded us that Blake sang a Keane song on the show. He suggested that perhaps Blake was going to sing with the band. Digusting. I vowed that I would Boo very loudly if that usurper took the stage. Fortunately, he didn't. It was all Keane.
Keane concerts are five hundred times better than listening to them on CD and the radio. Recorded music has not yet been able to capture the energy and passion that goes into a live show. I remember seeing Keane in September of 2004 at the Showbox in Seattle. They had some lights, but no special effects or audio/visual enhancements, but it was the best concert I had ever attended. I was smitten with the band ever since. My fourth Keane concert did not disappoint either. By this time, I expected that the art-loving musicians would add artsy a/v effects, and I was correct in that assumption. In some songs they used the incredible graphics from their album covers, and an interesting ballroom dance video for "A Bad Dream" that added an eeriness to the song. Brilliant.
Tom Chaplin's voice and performance ability was not lacking. He is in much better shape than he had been in past shows. It looks like rehab treated him well, and he is continuing to take care of himself. He showed off more of his talents by picking up an accoustic guitar for "Your Eyes Open." The other members, Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes did not disappoint. Tim moves around so much when he plays, I am always amazed that the songs still sound right. During the audience-interaction moments the band was very honest with the issues they have struggled through recently: near break-up, rehab...but they seem to be very focused on remaining friends, and remaining a band. yeah! According to the blog, they are starting to work on album number three. double yeah! Plus, as usual, the band showed immense appreciation for the fans. That always helps.
It was great, and they better darn well not take too long coming back to the city!!!
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