A few thoughts on this past weekend:
The good (in no order):
Family.
Lots of cousins, lots of fun, lots of laughter (very little crying/yelling/screaming).
Hearing my cousin screaming/laughing while tubing... while we were on the other side of the lake.
Being shown up by my 4 year old niece (two times no less).
Waterskiing, twice.
Swimming in the lake.
Home cooking (breakfast, fish fry, bbq).
Quality time with Grandma.
Sleeping in the neighbor's place and getting to sleep in a bit (thus avoiding the early risers in the family).
Spending time outside.
Laughing with the family til midnight Friday and Saturday on the deck.
Not making my back any worse from waterskiing.
Watching my cousins fish (and watching them catch a lot of fish).
Top down in the covertible the entire trip.
Catching the Cardinals game on the drive up, but not on KMOX.
My cousin telling his son to get his Walkman, his son asking what a Walkman was.
Classic Country 95.7 in Paducah.
Murray State's radio station playing Dr. Demento Sunday night.
Hearing the song "I Got Crabs From Darth Vader" to the tune of "Friends In Low Places" on Dr. Demento.
Finding out Naked Dave is back from Knoxville.
.
The not so good (in no order):
Lots of bug bites on my legs (I took it like a man though, no repellent).
Soreness from waterskiing.
Nashville traffic at 4pm on a Friday.
No iPod on the trip (need to get something working in my car).
Trying to swim at the pool on Monday while sore. Not fun.
Missing the Plowhaus Value Menu show (though I saw some of it while it was being hung).
No stations at the lake house that can pickup the stations that broadcast the Cardinals game.
Finding out the milk went bad while I was gone. Thankfully I realized this before I drank it.
I figure it's about time I got around to updating. I've thrown up a couple links here and there, but nothing of substance since my letter to Nashville. Toronto was overall a good trip. After New Zealand, anything is going to have a hard time measuring up. It took a trip to Toronto to get the above quote though. Unfortunately no camera to document the drawing though... the Lord looking over a low riding car. The same bar also had a picture of Junior Brown hanging. Too bad the Monday night no cover lineup was just as crappy as I expected it to be. In that regard it definately felt like Nashville.
Steve's wedding was great. Getting invited to a full on Jewish wedding (my first) while there was a bonus. I had a great time at both. I got to talk with Steve's brothers and former roommates, got to talk Lessig at the other wedding. Other highlights included getting some sun on the Boardwalk in Toronto and a pretty decent breakfast / brunch in a punk bar. Also nice to ride a public transportation system that seems to work, when the workers are not striking (it sounds like the strike was justified). An outsider would seem to think that they like their marches in Toronto as well... I saw a huge parade for the Falun Gong and a smaller but equally interesting parade called the "March For Schizophrenia". Been awhile since I've seen a marching bagpipe corps. Stopped in a few record stores and purchased a Maynard Ferguson album at "Sam the Record Man"... an impressive store complete with a picture of Sam with Johnny and June Carter. My kinda place. Sampled many beers. Canadian beers don't have much of an aftertaste which was disappointing in some cases (at least the ones I tried). Blue Jays games are like some of the Sounds games I've been to, but with 30,000 people. The Skydome is massive. Seats are cheap and where we sat was pretty good. Three words: Smoke free bars.
I can't say that my experience on Delta Express was bad, but it was definately no Southwest. The plane was pretty small and easily tossed when the pilot turned North out of Nashville and into/thru the thunderstorm. Worst turbulance I've experienced on a flight... the stuff I experienced flying into LAX on the way to NZ was more of a headwind. This was a lot of drafts. Nothing to make me sick... I thankfully did not eat much before getting on the plane. The rest of the flights were smoother, albiet a bit warm and cramped. On another note, I had an easier time getting cash with my debit card in New Zealand than I did in Canada.
Highlights of late since my return to Nashville:
Some of lowlights since my return to Nashville:
On the heels of checking out the new symphony hall, of which the subject of hearing loss was discussed, comes this article. I read several months ago about high pitched sounds that adults supposedly cannot hear being used to keep teens that can hear it from loitering. Well, either I'm still a teen (and some would claim that) or my hearing is better than I thought. The sample mp3 along with another mp3 I found online both were audible to my ears. The articles claim that many lose those frequencies in their 20's. Given the volumes of rock concerts and iPod's, I can see that. I try to wear hearing protection at shows but the few times I've forgotten were pretty painful. Two incidents stand out: A show at the now named something else "Main Street" in Murfreesboro and when Son Volt played City Hall last fall. The City Hall show was particularly painful, my ears were still ringing most of the next day. Many know that I worked at Service Merchandise. Why I stayed on at a job where they made me stand in front of a conveyor belt for hours on end is beyond me. Often my ears would be sore at the end of the day... a sure sign damage was probably done. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised to find I could hear those frequencies. I should really check into a hearing test though.
That wraps it up for now. It's mid June already?
Made up Band Name of the Day: The Wet Spots