Field Day 2007 (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Morse Code)

This year for Field Day, we hit the road - literally! We drove the BRDM* out to Marble Falls, and drove around the Lake Buchannan area, operating 1C (single-operator, mobile) as usual. We got to see a lot of the Hill Country, and we made 255 contacts for over a thousand points - more than double our effort last year! Even though the bands were supposed to be dead (since this is the bottom of the 11-year sunspot cycle) we found plenty of people to talk to... we had a mix of voice and CW (Morse Code) contacts, and a lot of fun! We got to witness the awesome sport of WalMart Parking Lot Truck Racing - apparently it gets very boring in Marble Falls at 10pm... breakfast at The Blue Bonnet Cafe was just as good as advertised... by the time Chris dropped me off at my house around 9am, I'd been up for 25 hours (!) and the Sandman was beating me senseless. Chris's new radio really made the difference - we heard more signals than ever, and if you can't hear them, you can't work them!

Sunday after I got home, I promptly crashed for 8 hours... then got up and stayed up until almost 3am :) I had taken Monday off to allow my sleep schedule some time to re-synchronize; a good thing, too - it took that long! Kudos go to Bob and Jessica Logan, operating NZ5A in the 2B-2Op (battery) category, with almost 400 contacts, over half on CW! We did not get to work them this year, but we did work the same contact right after they did :) Great job, guys!

* BRDM: Big Red Dodge Machine - you thought we had Soviet-era infantry vehicles in our garages? Hmmm... not a bad idea :)

It's raining and I have coffee... why am I at work, exactly?

Good question... I'm digging through the hundreds of emails I got while on vacation, trying to catch up on all the projects... when really, I'd much rather be leaping from tree to tree as they float down the mighty rivers of British Columbia! The Fir! The Larch! The Redwood! The mighty Scots Pine! Wait - that's not right...

Oh well... I'm working on the big weekend blog, so it should be up soon - lots of stuff happened over the weekend, and I'm trying to remember it all :) Check back later today!

The envelope, please...

Here are the answers to last post's quiz:

1. "One day, lad, all this will be yours." "What, the curtains?"

Who Said It: The King of Swamp Castle (Michael Palin)
To Whom: Prince Herbert (Terry Jones)
The Movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Year: 1975

Okay, so I took a little liberties with this one, but close enough. Collin gets points for immediately sending the King's response, "No, not the curtains..."


2. "We're off on the road to Judea..."

Who Said It: Comicus (Mel Brooks), Swiftus (Ron Carey), Josephus (Gregory Hines), Miriam (Mary-Margaret Humes)
To Whom: Musical Number, near the end of the Roman Empire section
The Movie: Mel Brooks' The History of the World, Part I
The Year: 1981

A great spoof on the old Bob Hope - Bing Crosby "Road" movies; it was a rare road trip in college that didn't start out with this ditty. Points go to Todd for sending in the correct answer.


3. "Sir, does this mean that Ann-Margaret's not coming?"

Who Said It: Private Joker (Matthew Modine)
To Whom: Lieutenant Lockhart (John Terry)
The Movie: Full Metal Jacket
The Year: 1987

I cannot believe that this didn't trigger Collin's FMJ archives... I guess he's saving it for the Red Eyed Fly... no points for anyone....


4. "No, Mr. Bond - I expect you to die!"

Who Said It: Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe)
To Whom: James Bond (Sean Connery)
The Movie: Goldfinger
The Year: 1964

Shirley Bassey's full-throttle theme song, girls in gold paint, a solid gold Rolls Royce, Oddjob and his killer bowler, and Pussy Galore... how can you go wrong? Plus, Connery's Bond set the gold standard... pun intended :) Points given to Todd for identifying the movie, but deducted for even mentioning Roger Moore in the same breath.

5. "Put... the candle.... back."

Who Said It: Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder)
To Whom: Inga (Terri Garr)
The Movie: Young Frankenstein
The Year: 1974

The revolving bookcase scene... One of Mel Brooks' best movies, right alongside "Blazing Saddles" and "History of the World"... no points for anyone on this one...


6. "Contemplate this on the tree of woe."

Who Said It: Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones)
To Whom: Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
The Movie: Conan the Barbarian
The Year: 1982

Part of what is arguably the best line of dialog in the entire movie, delivered by the incomparable James Earl Jones, whose Thulsa Doom exuded calm, quiet evil. Points to Kay for posting the correct answer in the comments...


7. "It's such an interesting concept, mixing mime and food."

Who Said It: Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner)
To Whom: Morty the Mime (Billy Crystal)
The Movie: This Is Spinal Tap
The Year: 1984

This was such a wacky quote, from such a wacky movie, I thought "why not?" No points for anyone here...


That's all for this time... keep an eye out for my Top 20 Favorite Movie Quotes - coming to a blog near you! Thanks for playing, and see Johnny as you leave for your lovely parting gifts!

One day, lad, this will all be yours... (what, the curtains?)

Ah, summertime! Warm, breezy days; little fluffy clouds floating across an azure sky; having an ice cold beer at the ballpark, listening to the crack of the bat and watching the ballet that is baseball... except, this is Texas - only one of those actually described this weekend's activities :) Let's start with the weather - fairly average temperatures for this time of year, but the humidity was through the roof, and the torrential rains reminded me of Miami - oh, did I forget to mention that I went to Houston this weekend? Ah, yes... that explains it!

Chris found out some time back that I had never been to a Major League Baseball game before - plenty of Minor League, but never the "bigs" - and decided to correct this glaring omission in my sports resume. We chose the Astros - Mariners series that played this weekend in Houston, since Houston is close and Chris is a die-hard Seattle Mariners fan... plus, Collin's sister Jessica lives in Houston, and she and a friend were coming to the game with us. Tickets were purchased and on Saturday we loaded into the mighty Dodge and hit the road... of course, it couldn't be that simple :)

We're off on the road to Judea....

The trip went rather well for the most part - most of the rain was waiting for us in Houston, so we just had the occasional sprinkle to deal with, and the number of Amateurs out driving was fairly normal. Once we hit Houston, however, everything got stupid. For one thing, you'd think that as much as it had been raining that people would have gotten used to it; nope. We spend a long time on I-10 creeping along, which gave the Amateurs time to get bored and start their favorite games: - Random Speed / Lane Changes. Oy. We almost made the move to the access road, but they weren't going any faster than we were. Just before we hit Loop 610, we found the cause of the traffic tie-up that had mired us for miles - there was a low spot in the road, and a 3 inch deep puddle had managed to terrify everyone with its awesome depths... that's the only explanation I could find, for once the brave souls had crossed the murky depths, each driver would pour on the speed in their desire to escape Charybdis. Within seconds, we were cruising at highway speeds again... go figure. We soon reached our destination (Jessica's apartment complex), and here's where the real fun started :)

Sir, does this mean Ann-Margaret's not coming?

As we pulled up to the gate, the security guard came out to meet us. Not a problem... until Chris cheerfully informs him, "Hi, I'm a burglar and my buddy here is an encyclopedia salesman!" Great fun, and I certainly appreciated the humor - our uniformed friend, not so much. Rather nonplussed, he simply chose to ignore the statement, and asked who we were there to visit. I'm sure he's heard it all before, and we're probably lucky he didn't consider us terrorists and call the cops :) Once the information exchange was completed, the gate swung open and in we went.

The sign on the gate said that we were supposed to park on the top level of the parking garage, but one look at the garage and one look at the Dodge was all you needed to see that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon - remember, the Dodge is mighty! Jessica gave us all the clearance we needed to flaunt the rules and park anywhere we wanted; of course the parking spaces were tiny, but that's just something you get used to when driving a Behemoth. Once parked, we grabbed our bags and went upstairs to the apartment.

No, Mr. Bond - I expect you to die!

Jessica has a number of pet rabbits, all doing pretty much what bunnies do: converting food into heat and bunny poo. They took a huge liking to Chris, and pretty much ignored me :) After we had killed a bit of time and had a chance to unwind a bit, Jessica's friend Bridget came by, so we all piled into Jessica's car and off to the ballpark we went.

We got to the park with minimal fuss, and found a pretty good parking spot, only a few blocks away. Once parked, we headed over to a sports bar directly across from the stadium - where we found out their power was out... bummer! Fortunately, the establishment next door had paid their electric bill (heh) and we were able to quench our thirst with some barleypop before walking over to the stadium.

Put. The Candle. Back.

I was duly impressed with Minute Maid Park, and we had great seats on the fourth level, on the first base side, even with first base; the view of the action was fantastic! Chris had gotten us seats in the first row of our section, so we had plenty of legroom and an unobstructed view. We were early enough to catch batting practice, so we found our seats and chilled out for a while; then we wandered about the stadium for a bit, grabbed some hotdogs & beer and headed back for the seats.

We got back in plenty of time for the National Anthem, which was preceded by a group of Marine recruits being sworn in - it gave me goosebumps as the oath was read, recalling my own induction into the Army in 1985. After the anthem, it was time to "play ball!"

The Astros had beaten the Mariners on Friday night, and it was no different on Saturday night - Houston hammered the Seattle pitching staff, and though they scored runs and Ichiro gave a brilliant display of base-stealing, it was not enough. It was never really close enough for the game to be very exciting, but it was still a great night at the ballpark, especially since it was my first.

Afterwards, we headed out for some dinner, drinks and conversation until the wee hours, then headed back to the apartment & crashed on the couch until 1oam. Jessica took us to Le Peep for breakfast - good chow and our waiter, Mike, was the best :) but the torrential rains continued all morning, so I wasn't really sure why I'd bothered to pack anything but swim trunks :) After breakfast (lunch?) we loaded the Dodge up and headed back to Austin, this time via US290 - but unfortunately, the Amateurs found us and made things pretty crappy until we got out of Houston.

Contemplate this on the tree of woe.

Once we got back to Austin, Chris dropped me off at my house and I spent some time unpacking and unwinding, checking email, that sort of thing - then I went over at 7p to do the next phase of brewing my batch of brown ale... we transferred it from primary to secondary fermentation, where it will stay for another week; at which point it will be time to bottle. It looks like it's going to be a good batch, if the intermediate taste test is any indication :)

Once that was done, it was time for a beer or two then off to the rack for some needed shuteye... except that I couldn't get to sleep after sleeping till 10a - my sleep schedule was all whacked out. So I stayed up till 0245 doing email and watching old movies... I still made it to work by 0915 :)

This weekend is the ARRL Field Day activity for Amateur Radio operators across the country - this will be the fourth year that Chris and I have teamed up in the Mobile category, and Jessica and her dad will be running their low-power station as usual... it's always fun, and maybe this year we will be able to put them in the log!

It's such an interesting concept, mixing mime and food.

Don't forget - Godzilla's Favorite Rock Band, The Humiliators, will be playing Saturday, 30 June 2007 at The Red Eyed Fly! We will be reuniting with the Killer Crocs of Uganda for the first time in months - don't miss this show! The fun starts at 10pm, but you will miss out on a lot of fun if you wait until then to show up... you have been warned!


Bonus Section (50 points)

For each of the movie quotes given, provide the following:

1. Who said it
2. To whom it was said
3. In what movie
4. The year of the movie's release

This post has been delayed by my boss

Don't worry - it's on the way... Here's some nice music while you wait:

Click here

Todd 2 - Jeff 0... WTF??

Last night, The Humiliators played at Room 710... before the show, Todd and I played a game of Galaga (only the most awesome video game ever); Todd kicked my ass.

This wouldn't be so bad, except I have Galaga at home and he doesn't... hmm. So when, after the show was over and the gear was loaded in the truck, Todd suggested we go for another game, I thought "cool, I'll smoke his ass this time!" and so we headed for the machine.

After the dude occupying the machine was finished, we dropped quarters and started the game... and, in a blinding display of double pwnage, he kicked my ass. Again. My only (feeble) excuse is that I'd had a few beers and 2 rounds of Jack OTR*... damn. Guess it's time to go into training mode - after work I'm gonna pick up a bottle of Jack and fire up the Galaga machine; I'm not stopping till I can hit 200k, or I can't stand up, whichever comes first... victory will be mine!

The Whoremoans Tonight @ The Troubador Saloon - 11pm

Don't forget to go to The Troubador Saloon (Sixth Street between The Dirty Dog and Coyote Ugly) and catch The Whoremoans' brand of ass-kicking ROCK! We will be out showing our support, so come join us! You can sleep at your desk tomorrow!


*OTR = on the rocks (duh)

Of Bikes, Beer and Rock

I think it's safe to say that I am hooked on bicycling - in the seven weeks since I started riding regularly, I have come to look forward to every ride, whether it is around the neighborhood or out on the trails... it doesn't seem like there was ever a time when I didn't ride, and it is difficult to imagine not riding. This week's mileage was 18 miles over three days; Chris rode to my house and we did an urban run through downtown Round Rock on Friday; on Saturday, I rode to his place to start the next batch of beer brewing, then on Sunday we went to a Beginner Ride at Walnut Creek Park with the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club that logged about 4 miles. I have pretty much decided that if the destination is close enough and I don't need to haul anything that won't fit in a pack, I am going to ride my bike - not only because of the health/financial/environmental benefits, but it's pretty damn fun!

Saturday Nights are for Rock

The Humiliators played at The Troubador Saloon on Saturday night - our brothers-in-rock, SuperCrash played an hour before us next door at The Dirty Dog, so we got to see the first part of their show before we had to go onstage... those guys were on fire! Jamie and Jim were all over the place, and Steve was thunderous on drums - you really need to go see these guys if you haven't yet! We had a great crowd for our show - thanks to all our loyal fans, plus the guys from SuperCrash and The Whoremoans for coming out and supporting us! We couldn't do it without you!

Sunday Mornings come far too early

So, after I made it back from the gig (around 0130) I was totally beat... I left it all onstage, and it was freakin' hot up there! I crashed until 0700... when the alarm rudely reminded me that I had to be ready for Chris to pick me up at 0830 for the ride at Walnut Creek... I was ready, if a bit grumpy, when I saw the Jeep turn onto my street. Once I'd had a chance to wake up a bit, I was okay, but I'm not 20 anymore, so it's harder for me to burn the candle at both ends - not that I'm going to stop trying, mind you - they can make me have birthdays, but they'll never make me grow up! The ride was really fun and I learned some things about riding trails (which is the whole point), and by the time we got back to the parking lot, I was ready for some chow! This week we headed to Moe's Southwest Grill for burritos, then after a couple of stops it was back to the house... where, after unloading gear and grabbing a shower, it was time to crash out on the sofa for a while!


Coming Attractions

The Humiliators will be at Room 710 on Wednesday, 13 Jun 07 at 9.30p - come out and get rid of the humpday blues! I'll be in Houston this weekend to catch the Mariners @ Astros; it will be the first time I have been to an MLB game... it should be fun!

We remember...

The Battle of Normandy

"D-Day"
06 June 1944

Thank you.

The Genesis of Clan Caribou

Someone recently asked me, "Dude, what's up with this 'Elder Caribou' stuff?"... I directed him to this blog for an answer, whereupon I was informed that he had already searched the blog and all he found was this post, promising an answer that was never provided. Hmm... let me see... guess he's right. Crud. Well, I suppose there's nothing for it but to relate the Tale of the Caribou...

A long time ago, when I was growing up in the rural wilderness of southwest Oklahoma, my brothers and I would go hiking and camping in the nearby Wichita Mountains whenever the opportunity presented itself (and the farm chores were done). Our parents let us go into the mountains pretty much on our own once we had reached a certain level of maturity and woodcraft, as long as we left a plan of where we were headed and how long we expected to be gone; this is one of my fondest memories of my childhood. To be able to walk half a mile to the base of the mountains and lose yourself in the wilderness for anywhere from an afternoon to a week, depending on the time of year and the farm schedule, was such an awesome thing! We learned many things on those excursions that are not taught in a classroom, and it shaped much of my character.

We would set up camp, then go exploring the nooks and crannies of the mountains for hours, then come back to the camp and start a fire for chow and sit around listening to the wind in the trees, the coyotes in the pastures, and stare at the sky filled with more stars than you can imagine... we would also talk about many things - one of our recurring discussions was how the land must have been before the plow, railroads, and other aspects of "civilization" tamed it; when the Commanche, Kiowa, Apache, and other Native American people roamed the land freely, living off of and with the land, relying on it to provide everything they needed to live.

Mind you, we weren't considering burning our tents and food and chasing a deer or hog down for our dinner (not that we were averse to cooking our own game), but this was more of a thought-experiment than anything else; something to while away the time. We'd look at some piece of gear (say, a tent) and say, "You know, the Native Americans wouldn't have needed this - they'd have just killed a deer or buffalo, or a caribou (if they were far enough north) and made a tent from the hide, used the bones for tools and decorations, the antlers for tools, etc. etc." After a while, it became a running gag among the siblings - say you were broken down on the side of the road with a burst waterhose; "Ya know, I bet we could fix this with the esophagus of a Caribou..." Anything and everything could be repaired, built, or improved with the many different parts of the mighty Caribou...

Fast forward a few years to 1992; my brother Jacob had moved to Miami, FL after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew to do construction work and be near his wife's family. We had just started to explore the beginnings of the Internet; I had been a BBS addict for years, and my favorite board had just installed a FidoNet - Internet email gateway. Jacob was a member of AOL (back when they sent out 3.5" floppies, not CDs), and they were allowing access to Internet email... I remember sending emails and then calling him to see how fast they took to get from Oklahoma City to Miami - less than 30 seconds from sent to received - and we were hooked. During this time, I began to refer to Jacob and his family as the Southeastern Branch of the Caribou Clan, and he and the rest of the siblings named me The Elder Caribou (being the oldest of five). When I started working at my first IT job with a small ISP, I was looking for a nickname that would be distinctive and unique - and Elder Caribou fit the bill nicely. In 15 years of net use, I have not found anyone else using that handle... which is pretty unbelievable :)

And now you have heard the Tale of the Caribou - if you are still awake, that is. :D

The Elder Caribou's Pizza Recipe

Back in the wild country where the Caribou roam, the closest Pizza Hut was about 30 minutes away... not much chance of getting a delivery, and take-out was a bit impractical... so Mom used to make pizza for those times when we weren't able to drive to town just for dinner. She started with those Chef-Boyardee Pizza-In-A-Box kits, but then started making them from scratch when the family got too big for one box. I learned the recipe, and in the last 25 years or so have tweaked the recipe and cooking times until I have come up with a pretty good pizza - at least, that's my opinion, and I haven't killed anyone yet :)

Anyone who has watched me cook will know that for me, cooking is a messy, imprecise art that is best approached an open mind and willingness to let things go where they will, within certain general limits... so the following is as close as I can come to putting in writing a process that, for me, involves a good bit of "winging it"... feel free to modify / correct / steal anything you see here - and I'm always open for suggestions :)


This usually makes a large pizza, with a thicker or thinner crust depending on how much flour you use for the dough.

Approximate start-to-finish time - 1 hour

Preheat your oven to 425 deg. F

Dough:
~ 2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup warm water
1 pkg dry yeast (or your favorite equivalent)
Sugar
1 T oil

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a large (preferably glass) bowl; in a glass bowl or measuring cup, draw one cup of fairly warm water (but not hot enough to kill the yeastie-beasties); add the yeast and sugar - I use about one tablespoon to give the yeast something to chow on. Let the yeast sit for a bit, until a head forms. Stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and add the oil as you mix the whole thing. Here's where karma steps in: you are aiming for a slightly sticky dough, just a bit wetter than bread dough... but not *too* wet. ( This is the part that is so hard to describe in print, but when you see it, you will understand... Feel free to substitute your own tastes / knowledge in this department.) Add flour or water to reach the desired consistency, and then cover the bowl with a cloth and put in a warm place to let it rise (but not too hot - I cooked my dough in the bowl once...)

While the dough is rising you can start the sauce - again, if your Granny gave you the Ultimate Secret Pizza Sauce recipe from The Old Country, substitute at will - this is *your* pizza, not mine :)

Sauce:
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
Garlic
Onion
Oregano
Fennel
Other spices to taste

Personally, I just dump the whole list into a bowl and stir... why complicate things?

Also at this time, if I am adding meat that needs to be cooked such as ground beef, Italian Sausage or such, this is when I cook it - but you can do that before you prepare the dough if you like... and don't forget to check the dough occasionally.

Toppings (as desired):
*2-3 cups mozzarella/provolone/whatever cheese you like
*Pepperoni
Italian Sausage
Canadian Bacon
Ground Beef
Black Olives
Green Olives
Mushrooms
Bell Peppers
Onions
Tomatoes
Chicken
Whatever your heart (and stomach) may desire...

* With apologies to those who are vegetarian, lactose intolerant or do not consume pork, I personally feel that it is impossible to have a pizza without cheese and pepperoni - kinda like having a pizza without crust, in my book... again, my opinion, and we all know about opinions :) I won't complain if you put anchovies on your pizza, but I probably won't have a slice.

Putting it all together

Once the dough has risen almost double, you need to have a place to roll it out... I use a flour cloth (or bread cloth) that Mom gave me; you can use a high-threadcount clean pillowcase if you want... or just put some flour down on a clean counter - it's your kitchen :) Once you have a suitable workspace with plenty of flour, dump the dough out of the bowl onto the cloth (put some hot water in the bowl so it will be easier to clean later). Start kneading the dough, working some of the flour on the cloth into the dough - this is why you wanted the dough to be slightly wet - until it is a nice consistency... somewhat stiff, but not too much so... this is another point that it took a while to learn the proper point for the crust I was trying to make - just play with it till you get it right :)

If you are coordinated, you can spin and toss the dough to get the round, flat dough that goes on the pan... I tried once and that was enough - I roll it out by hand, using a rolling pin. A good indicator that your dough is at a good consistency is if, as you roll, it *almost* wants to stick to a floured rolling pin; if it sticks, it is too wet.

Once the dough is of the proper size to put on the pan - hmm, didn't talk about the pan yet, did I? I use a stainless steel pizza pan with airholes - it makes a nice brown crust on the bottom. You'll want to lightly coat it with your favorite non-stick agent, and sometimes I even give a *very* light dusting of cornmeal mixed with oregano, fennel seed and garlic...

Now that your pan is ready, place the dough on the pan, and make sure that it's evenly distributed on the pan. Gently crimp around the edges of the pan to make the edge of the crust. Now, take a fork and tap the tines all over the dough, putting lots of small holes in the crust - the pizza places have a roller that does this. It will help the crust to not balloon on you :)

If you have too much dough, you can either redistribute it or cut off the excess, roll it flat, place on a cookie sheet and cover with a light brushing of butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar - mmm-mmm!

At this point, let the crust sit in the pan for a few min - this allows the dough to proof a bit, which helps the consistency. I usually just clean the workspaces and put things where they belong, and when I am done, that's usually enough time :)

When you are ready, pour the sauce on the crust and spread evenly; pour the cheese on the crust, then the toppings - pop into the oven and wait till it looks like pizza :) Honestly, cooking times vary depending on ovens, time of year, how many toppings you have added, phase of the moon, etc... you will know when your pizza is ready, trust me. Bubbling cheese / toppings and a nice golden brown color on the crust are some clues.

Once it's looking all done and delicious, pull it out of the oven, turn the oven off, and let cool. I don't think I have to tell you what to do next, do I? Didn't think so... :)

In homebrew circles, there is a saying: "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew!" It basically means don't worry, you are not going to screw this up if you just relax and have a good time with it. It is a good thing to apply to all forms of cooking - unless you totally incinerate your pizza, it will probably be one of the best pizzas you have *ever* tasted, because you created it! There's not a lot that can go wrong... so relax, don't worry, have a pizza (and a homebrew, if you have one)!
Bon Appetit!

We now resume our regularly scheduled blog...

I finally have some time to post updates... a lot has happened in the last ten days! Let's start with:

The Humiliators Inaugural Road Show and Booze Cruise

Last Friday (the 25th of May) The Humiliators had our first road gig; we went to San Antonio to play at Jiggers, where they serve a heaping plate of punk and beer comes in "half-pitchers" for your drinking convenience. Everyone met at Todd's house and we loaded in the 15-passenger rental van for the trip down - except for Collin & Tierney, who drove down in the PT Cruiser. Our photographer (and budding movie mogul) Mark and Jaime from SuperCrash came out to support the band - those guys rock! Once the rear seat was removed, all our gear fit in the back of the van, leaving room for eleven:

- Driver:"Captain Dave" - Dave graciously volunteered for the Designated Driver position so that we could all focus on getting sloshed - thanks, Dave!
- Copilot: Todd - Todd busted his ass getting this gig and the rental van squared away, making sure that Godzilla 2.0 was ready, plus making sure that the cooler was full of beer for the trip - dude, you rock!
- First class: Michelle / Linde / Jeff
- Business class: John / Jenene / Teresa
- Coach: Jaime / Kay / Mark

A cooler was installed between the front seats and filled with brews, and once we were all aboard we hit the road. We had a good trip down, and a pretty good dent was put in the beer supply :) We arrived at the bar around 9p and were met by Collin, Tierney and Chris. Then, we found out that instead of going onstage at 11p as we had originally heard and planned for, we were scheduled for 1am! So, with a few hours to kill, we loaded up and went to Cha Cha's for some chow; good stuff, Maynerd!

After chow we went back to the bar and checked out the 2 bands preceding us - and discovered that Ben from The Whoremoans and his brother were there to support the band - awesome! Street Light Suzie was first, followed by... hmm, *knew I shoulda done this before I slept... Anyway, the cool thing was that the drummer did 2 sets in a row; if that doesn't seem too bad, you haven't seen this guy play! Think "hyperactve 9-year old hopped up on too many Pixie Stix" and you'll have a vague idea of this guy's energy level... I probably would have had a stroke or something :)

We had a pretty good set, and no beer bottles (or worse) were thrown, so we considered the trip a success - plus we got paid, which helped with the van rental. For a viewpoint from the fan's perspective, check out Michelle's blog and Kay's blog. By the time we got our pay and hit the road, it was 2.30a and we were all kinda dragging... but that didn't keep folks from hitting the brew on the way back :) By the time I made it back to the house it was 5a and I quickly stowed gear and racked out, because at 9p that night (Saturday) we had to be back on South Congress for:

Freebird FU! at Trophy's

When an event is organized by a guy called Grub Dog, you know it's gonna be interesting! The premise for the show: how many times have you been at a show, and some genius thinks it's cool to yell "FREEBIRD!!!", knowing full well that that particular song has been run smooth into the dirt... but some folks apparantly just can't get enough Skynrd. Anyone who's been playing music for very long, especially in the South, has had this happen; so, for all the Freebird fanatics, The Freebird FU! was put together. The rules were simple - each band had a 30 minute set, everyone used the same backline (amps, drums, etc) and only 5 minutes between bands. Each band could play anything they wanted, but one of the songs *had* to be Freebird, in its entirety; however, you could add your own creative touches if you wanted. There were six bands that night, so you had SIX chances to hear Freebird... enough to satisfy even the most die-hard fan (we hoped).

The Humiliators kicked off the evening's festivities, fueled by our passion for Rock, and the community bottle of Jack Daniels that Grub Dog brought... our version of Freebird was probably the most standard, musically, but the lyrics... Todd and Collin collaborated to produce entirely new lyrics, and the new work was titled "FreeTurd"... just use your imagination (heh). It was a hit with the crowd, and we left the stage for the next band. There were as many different takes on Freebird as there were bands, and as the Jack Daniels flowed, the more things got lively... until, at last, it was time to close the bar and send everyone home... not much more to report, mostly due to too much Jack Daniels; if you need to know more, you can try cornering a band member and asking, but I won't promise anyone remembers anything :)

The Trail Gods are Unhappy

Sunday came way too early... but I did not want to miss a week of biking, so Chris and I headed out to Georgetown Lake to ride a trail that Chris had the info on... except, when we got there, the trail was super muddy... so we decided to save the trail and not ride there. The short distance we'd gone totally caked our bikes in thick clay mud - I'm not sure why the trail was even open, it was that bad. We stopped by a car wash to remove the mud, and then went to ride the concrete trails along the river in Georgetown... then Chris's shifter lever broke, and we decided then and there that there would be no riding that day; instead we picked up some beer and spent the rest of the evening drinking and chilling. Some days you just can't win.

Trophy's, Part II

Thursday found The Humiliators back at Trophys, ready to rock the house... where we discovered that we were the *only* band scheduled that night... so we played a 90 minute set of almost every song we have ever done - "Sabado" even made an appearance, by request from Michelle and Kay; the only songs we left out were some covers that we dropped out of the set a while back. It was a great time; we could take our time, play around with the set list a bit, and knock back lots and lots of Lone Star... Crazy Al even made it to the show! It was an awesome night - the only regret was that I had to go to work on Friday morning (ugh). Somehow I managed to drag myself to work though, and that Friday was, I believe, the *longest* Friday ever... but well worth it, for sure :)

Weekend Update

This weekend was busy - I picked up a couch / loveseat for the house early Saturday morning; then I did the yardwork that had been postponed by rain for almost two weeks. Then, Chris and I went to pick up supplies for our next homebrew; I am going to brew a Northern Brown Ale, and Chris has a recipe for Alaskan Amber. There were some folks handing out free homebrew outside the store, in honor of Austin Homebrew Supply's 16th anniversary, and there was a band cranking out the rock; after a couple of brews, we headed off in search of some chow. On the way, we drove by Music City Cycles and decided to stop in, since we had never been there before. The owner, David "Tequila Dave" Hartley, is a really cool guy and you can see the passion he has for bicycles - we spent almost an hour there, and if you have any biking needs in North Austin, definitely give David a visit - support your local bike shops!

Once we left, we grabbed some chow and headed home to brew... unfortunately, we were both tired - Chris from traveling all day, and I was still recuperating from Friday - so we decided to brew next weekend instead, and rest up for the Sunday edition of our weekly bike ride.

Any Given Sunday

This morning, Chris came by shortly after 9am and we set out for Downtown Austin; our goal was to ride the Town Lake trailsystem, and this weekend Todd would be joining us. Once we got to our parking spot and located Todd, we hit the trail. I was testing out a new bike - readers of previous entries will understand when I say that my old bike and I had what could be considered an "adversarial" relationship. Chris had gotten a new bike, a Kona Blast, and was letting me evaluate his K2 Zed 2.0 to see if it fit; we had consulted with David the day before, and he felt like the bike should fit, based on my measurements and the size of the bike. Once I got used to the front shocks and the click shift triggers, I noticed that I was riding faster and harder than I was ever able to on my old "Titanium Boron Steel" bike - I was climbing hills that I had had to walk before, I was able to maintain a faster pace, and the only reason I needed to stop occasionally was that the seat was gradually turning my butt into the most unhappy part of my anatomy... I think that seat was designed by Torquemada himself! We rode approximately 15 miles according to Todd - he runs that route, so he should know. :) It was a great ride, and we got back to the Jeep in plenty of time to hit Dairy Queen on the way back... then Chris dropped me at my place, I cleaned up and hit the road for band rehearsal - our next gig is Saturday, 9 Jun at 11p at The Troubador Saloon on Sixth Street - Saturday night on Sixth Street, what a deal! We are working on nailing some new tunes down, so if you wanna see what we've been working on, come out to Troubador's!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

That's all the updates I have for now; more will be posted as it occurs - and I'll be updating this entry as details become more clear :)

Don't get your knickers in a twist...

Due to the amazing amount of stuff that happened over the Memorial Day weekend, and the need to recuperate from said stuff, this week's blog will be a bit behind schedule... not that I ever had a schedule... anyway, you'll see it when I post it... watch this space for more news as it happens!

I don't wanna work.....

Today is Friday (for me) before a 4-day weekend - I have zero motivation to do anything useful today... wait; how is that different from yesterday, or the day before??? Hmmm...

Oh, look, Arthur, it's a completely rehabilitated villain. She's comfortable with herself. Comfort, commitment, marriage, what do these things have in common? The letter 'C' except for marriage, and if people get all British whenever they get knocked on the head, what do British people get? I know... comatose. Another 'C'. --- The Tick

Rudyard Kipling

I have had a number of people ask me about the "Best Beloved" bit in the Bike Week V post... no, I've not gone off my rocker (not much anyway) LOL - one of the books that I read as a young boy was Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling; a charming collection of children's fables, told in Kipling's distinctive style - and very politically incorrect by today's standards. Kipling was very much a product of the British Empire, and a product of his times, when the White Man was thought to be supreme... so you have to take a lot of things with a large block of salt. The first of these tales is called "How The Whale Got His Throat", and if you click here, you can read this and all of the "Just So Stories" online - and then, Best Beloved, you will understand. :)

The Humiliators are on the road!

If you haven't gotten your seat on the Booze Cruise to San Antonio for The Humiliators Inaugural Road Show this Friday the 25th, 11pm at Jiggers (1639 Babcock Rd, San Antonio TX 78229), time is running out! Contact a member of the band NOW! DO IT! Witness the return of Godzilla!!!

Then, after you recover, come to Trophys Bar & Grill (2008 S. Congress, Austin TX) on Saturday night, as we kick off the Freebird FU! event, where the night will be filled with the Greatest. Rock. Song. Evar! Show starts at 9p - come support your local Humiliators!!!

Tonight's Movie of the Week: Bike Week V - Now it's personal!

This weekend found Chris and myself in beautiful Pedernales Falls State Park, where we planned to bike in to the primitive camping area, set up camp and then do some biking around the park. If you have never been to the park, I definitely recommend it - nestled into the Texas Hill Country east of Johnson City, the drive out was awesome in itself, especially at this time of year when everything is still green! The park is a popular weekend destination, so if you are planning a trip, it's a good idea to call ahead and get a reservation if you want a campsite or find out how crowded the primitive camping area is going to be.

Overture

The weekend actually started on Thursday at Headhunters, with The Humiliators followed by SuperCrash - lots of good ass-kickin' rock, Godzilla 1.1b made an appearance, Kay learned elementary beer physics, and much fun was had by all! I had so much fun, in fact, that it was 3am before I got home... then had to be at work by 9am (ugh - the things I put myself through for rock!). After I got done with the Friday Grind, I went home and started assembling my gear for the camping trip, when Chris called me on the 2m rig and wanted to know if I would like to go to REI... like he had to ask :) He picked me up and we went to pick up an intermediate pack for him to use this weekend... I was good and didn't buy anything, but don't think it was easy :) Once he found his pack, it was back to the house to finish packing, have some chow and hit the sack.

Act I

Chris picked me up at 093o and we were on our way to the park. We took the scenic drive, not going anywhere in a hurry but enjoying the drive - and looking for a Whataburger for Chris to grab some breakfast :) Oddly, we must have been in the only part of Texas that has almost no Whataburgers - we only saw one the entire time, and it was on the wrong side of the road for our purposes... so we did the next best thing, found a Dairy Queen in one of the small towns along the way and grabbed some early lunch. Small town Dairy Queen's are the best - they still remember that the food is the reason you are there! Dairy Queen's in Austin / Round Rock are too genericized... they end up just like McDonalds, Burger King and the rest... ugh. Once back on the road, we soon enough found ourselves at the entrance to the park - and we also noticed that the 2007 Austin stop of the Muddy Buddy was being held just down the road - cool! We had been told about this by Michelle, but it was sold out by the time we learned of it - but you can bet that next year we are gonna give it a crack!

Once we arrived at the park office and took care of the entry/usage fees, we drove over to the parking area for primitive camping, parked and started unloading the gear. I was somewhat anxious about biking a trail with my new pack, since it is much bigger than the hydration pack I normally carry while riding, and my pack + food/water + gear weighed in just under 30 pounds - and that was after I spent 2 days trimming the load down to just the necessities! That's a pretty middlin' load, but I have never tried to bike while wearing it :) Fortunately, the trails were fairly wide, mostly gravel and occasional rocky stretches... and hills (you must not forget the hills, Best Beloved). We shouldered our loads, and started the 2 mile ride to the campsite.

After about a quarter-mile, I found that the pack had settled into a comfy position and my only care became to make sure that I didn't overbalance since I was fairly top-heavy in this configuration. We started to make pretty good time, and in short order we came to a small stream... after which we started to climb the hill on the other side (have you forgotten the hills, Best Beloved?). This was a bit harder since I was burdened with about 30 extra pounds, but no pain, no gain, right? I pedaled as far as I could and then walked the rest of the way up the hill. Of course, Chris climbed the hill with relative ease and was waiting for me at the top. Once I was at the top, back on the bike I went and onward! Chris gave me some hill-climbing pointers, the best one being gather speed on the downhill and use the momentum to carry you up the far side... duh! This is one of many reasons I hang out with Chris :)

We biked on for another half-mile or so, and then a long downhill run to the second creek, and then on the other side, a hairy climb with a switchback-left halfway up (Have you forgotten the hills?). I did my best to climb it, but had to walk just before the turn... Now, I am sure that most people in any kind of real physical fitness would just laugh at these hills and climb them without slowing down much at all. However, I am not there just yet - but I am getting there, slowly but surely. I am happy with my progress, and that is all that really matters. I am not one to blame the hammer for the carpenter's mistake, but I am rather limited by a bike that is too small for me - it's more like trying to use a pair of vise-grips to remove a lug-nut: it can be done, but not very well, and there's usually much pain and cursing involved :) Suffice to say, these hills were kicking my butt.

Act II

Once we got to the primitive camping area, we found a suitable campsite and set up camp - Chris found a primo spot for his tent, and after a bit of measuring, I found two trees to tie my Hennessy Hammock to - if you have never seen one, these are the Cadillacs of the hammock world - roomy, fully enclosed, and you enter from the bottom via a self-closing Velcro entryway... slick! They are also built so that your back is not forced into a banana-shape, but you lay flat, and can even toss and turn as you would in a normal bed! (end commercial :) )

After camp was set, we rode back to the Jeep for our hydration packs, and were about to set off for parts unknown, when we decided that it would be best to go back and get some energy bars to keep me from crashing like I had last weekend at Barton Creek - so, after that trip to / from the camp, we had already logged 8 miles - and had gone no farther than from the parking lot to the campsite! Our next destination at this point was the swimming area on the Pedernales River. A quick look at the map gave us the trail and off we went...

The road to the swimming area (yes, road - asphalt and cars) went down the biggest hill I have ever ridden (now you know why you were not to forget the hills!), up again, and then down in a winding manner to the parking lot for the swimming area. According to my GPS on my bike, I hit 23.8 mi/hr at the bottom of the first hill - dangerously close to the 25 mi/hr posted speed limit! Not wanting a ticket (heh), I gently touched the brakes for a second and then started pedaling to the top... which I did not make, unfortunately - that hill was mighty! Once at the top, the next part was fairly easy as we wound our way down to the parking lot. At one point, Chris blew by me but I had almost caught up by the time we got to the car park... all the while trying not to think about all that uphill riding on the way back. Ugh.

We walked our bikes down the trail to the top of the stairs that led to the river, chained them to the fence, and started down a set of stairs that would have been at home in the Mines of Moria... but once we made it down, the water was cool and refreshing, the current was strong, and we spent a couple of hours just chilling. Some sort of river shoes are almost mandatory due to the nature of the rocks, and there were many times that I thought I was going to break an ankle, but I'm just clumsy that way :) It's a really beautiful area, and there are lots of fantastic views... I'd love to go back once I have a camera worth using.

Once we had refilled our water supply, courtesy of Chris' water filter, we climbed back to the bikes, and thence to the parking lot. After pausing to wash the sand out of our shoes, it was back on the road... I had eaten a Clif Bar and some beef jerky while at the river, and it was a good thing because the climb out was a bit harder and I was already feeling a bit fatigued (ok, more than a bit)... but again Chris was a great motivator and made sure I pushed myself. By the time we made it back to the camp for the evening we were both worn out, but I felt pretty good because my stamina and climbing kept getting better as we went, and my recovery times are getting shorter and shorter... by the time I can afford a bike that fits me, I should be much more able to ride it!

After we cooled down a bit, it was chow time! Cooking gear was assembled, water boiled, and the menu was Beef Stew for me, and for Chris it was Kung Pao Chicken :) I have to admit - the stew was tasty, but the Kung Pao was really good - then to top it off, we split an ice-cream sandwich - dehydrated, of course - hey, don't laugh, it was good! After dinner it was time to kick back and recap the day, swap stories, etc. One bad thing about bike camping is that it's very difficult to justify bringing a cooler full of beer! Maybe if you had one of those bike trailers... hmmm.... :) It wasn't long before we both decided it was time to rack out, especially since the bugs were starting to develop defenses against the bug spray we were using... but before we went to bed, we got to see a really cool sight - a waxing crescent moon, and not more than a few degrees away, Venus shining brightly against a deep blue sky! You' will probably be able to see the same view over the next few evenings... if the sky clears off :)

Act III

Once in our racks, it was crash and burn till the morning... then it was up with the sun, fix coffee and breakfast, and pack for the trip out. The good thing was that we were a few pounds lighter in food/water :) So after suitable morning routines were performed, we found ourselves back on the trail for the final leg to the parking lot. On the way out, we stopped by the trash bin that was placed near the campsites and dropped off our trash - plus some that we found from previous occupants. This is one of my sore spots - please, people, don't put your trash under a rock, don't tie a sack to a tree and leave it, and please don't just walk out... take your trash with you! It's not that hard!

The trip out went much like the other trips on that trail had, except my quads were really unhappy and were letting me know... so I had to walk a bit more than I would have liked to do. But, we made it back to the Jeep without mishap, loaded our gear and bikes, and headed back to Round Rock... on the way, it rained on us - which was fun since we had the top down on the Jeep - but hey, it's just water, right? It didn't last very long, and we enjoyed a nice drive through the Hill Country to cap the trip. We both agreed that there were some good points and bad points to bike camping - on the plus side, it combines two of our favorite outdoor activites; as long as the trails agree, it is a good way to cover lots of ground; and it's just plain fun :) On the downside, by the time we got into camp and set up, we were kinda tired and that cut into our trail riding... of course, the extra trips we took because I forgot my powerbars probably didn't help at all :) The consensus was that we probably would do it again, but not anytime really soon. There are plenty of other camping options to explore, and Field Day is not that far away!

Epilogue

Once Chris dropped me at my house, I spread all my gear out to air, threw the grubbies in the washer and then hit the showers... since I had to be at rehearsal by 3pm for The Humiliators' Inaugural Road Show and Booze Cruise! We have new material we are unveiling at Jiggers in San Antonio this Friday the 25th of May, so we crammed one more rehearsal in before the day... and don't forget that we are playing at Trophy's on Saturday night at 9p for the Freebird FU - we have lovingly rehearsed the most awesome rock song ever, and Todd's come up with some updated lyrics to make the evening's performance the best!

fin

...for the puppies!!!

Yesterday, Chris and I went on our weekly trail ride. On the surface, this is a very easy thing to say; but then, it is also easy to say "the bomb exploded" or "the car went over the cliff" - simple phrases that, beneath their simplicity, conceal chaos, energy, confusion, and the certainty that someone is gonna shed some blood somewhere along the way...

We started out in high spirits. This was our fourth ride, and we were feeling confident in our knowledge of the trail and our growing capability on our bikes. I was wearing aquasox this time out; no blown sandals for me, and no hours of squishing in soggy shoes after fording Barton Creek. An unorthodox strategy to be sure, but it worked well. Our plan was to bike all the way to the Hill of Life, about 7 miles from the Spyglass trailhead, and then head back, stopping to cool off in the creek at one of the many spots that are available on the trail. A good plan, with concrete goals that would stretch us enough to let us know that we had been working.

The first kink in the plan showed up about 100m down the trail: part of my portside pedal fell off after hitting a rock. Now, I have probably one of the oldest and cheapest bikes on the trail, but it's doing the job until I can afford a new one... however, I have been fighting this crappy pedal problem since we started riding something other than asphalt. I really think that the people that designed this bike had no intention of it ever seeing a rock bigger than the end of your little finger. However, I was determined to press on and not let my crappy ride screw up the day... so, after testing the pedal to ensure I could ride with one piece missing, we pressed on.

From that point, the ride went pretty smoothly; the decision to wear the aquasox (Chris was wearing his also) proved to be fairly sound after we had forded the creek a couple of times, and we made record time to Loop 360, where we had had to turn back last week due to a blown sandal. We also met some cool people on the trail that gave us pointers on which trails to take, since we had never been that far before. There is one point along the trail that, if you take one branch, you are required to walk along a cliff face, carrying your bike in one hand while holding a chain in the other... which didn't sound like a lot of fun to us, but hey, that's why they call it "mountain" biking, right? Heh.

Fortunately for us, before we came to that point, we encountered Dennis, who has been biking these trails for years. He showed us where to cross the creek and avoid the cliffs, plus giving a couple of neophyte riders plenty of tips... then, he led us on the trail to Twin Falls, showing us that there are some really skillful and helpful people out on the trails - in fact, I have not found anyone on the trails, hiking or riding, that was not friendly and helpful - if only everyone could catch on to that vibe :) Dennis continued on from there to Twin Falls, while we pressed on to Sculpture Falls and the Hill of Life beyond.

It was about here that the second kink in the plan showed up: I had planned to bring some energy bars to give me a boost on the trail, and keep me from becoming fatigued too soon. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to write a note to that effect... with me, if it's not written down, it doesn't exist. I realized the error when I started thinking it would be a good time for some energy... and then I remembered that we hadn't stopped to pick anything up on the way. Oh, fun. I was still feeling ok, starting to get a bit tired, but nothing bad. Yet. Onward and upward!

In fairly short order, we reached the intersection at which, had we been feeling brave and macho, would have led us right up the Hill of Life - a long climb that will test the endurance and will of any who would venture onto her slope... but not, for us, today. We turned back and started making plans for our victory lunch... a bit prematurely, as it turned out. I started really feeling the burn, and was finding it hard to focus on the trail. Parts of the trail that were taken easily on the outbound leg were causing me some problems now. All signs were pointing to system failure before we could make it back to the Jeep.

This is where having a buddy is essential to any endeavour such as this. Chris was a great source of encouragement, giving me the will to push farther than I ever would have alone. He also kept tabs on how I was doing physically, whether I was gonna fall or not... we rested often, and I'm very glad he was so patient :) Every time I had to carry my bike over rocks (some that I had confidently ridden over on the outbound leg) was harder than the last. At one point, I was going downhill and a rock diverted my front wheel - and I found that I could no longer control the bike. A few seconds later, I found myself upside down (literally) on the side of the trail, with my bike somewhere behind me (it's all kind of fuzzy) and my right hand and knee hurting like hell. Fortunately, Chris was behind me and helped me up, got my bike, and after a brief rest we were on our way again. We made it to a place where we could get in the creek, and we jumped in to cool off; I cleaned up the best I could and just let the cool water restore some energy to me. It also helped with some of the soreness from the fall. Once we were out of the water, we got back on the trail and I was actually able to ride some rough spots without carrying the bike - but this didn't last very long, and then we came to a fork in the trail - left to continue the trail, right to the Loop 360 trailhead.

At this point, I was really feeling the fatigue, and to top it all off, my camelbak was empty... so, we made the decision that I would climb out at the Loop 360 trailhead, Chris would continue on to Spyglass and recover the Jeep, and then he would come pick me up. I was very bummed that I wasn't going to make it back to the trailhead, but I knew that if I continued down the trail, then I would more than likely have another spill... and possibly a broken bone. I had reached my limit. But at the same time, I had ridden farther than I had ever done on the trails, and I knew that I had given my total effort, and left it all on the trail... so I felt good about that. As Chris took off down the trail, I rode the entire way up the trail to the trailhead... one last effort to cap the day :) Once at the top, I found a picnic table, unloaded my gear and parked my bike, then got comfy and took a cat nap... some time later, Chris called me to find out where I was located; in short order he found me and we started to load my stuff.

Once we got my bike and gear loaded, it was off to Pluckers for a well-earned victory dinner! Let me tell you, beer and buffalo chicken sandwiches have never tasted so good! After dinner, we hit Dairy Queen for a bit of ice cream and then Chris dropped me off at my place... no Saturday night beer drinking for us that night! After a shower, I went in to the bedroom and crashed around 7pm... and woke up Sunday morning at 0730, some 12 hours later! I can't remember the last time I slept that long.

It was the hardest ride I have ever done in my life, I had two pretty hairy spills, and I know Chris was wondering if I would ever come out for another ride - but I had more fun yesterday than I showed; I just had no energy to express it :) I'm an outdoors kinda guy and I have been spending too much time inside (and it shows) but I am determined to get my lazy ass in gear and get in shape -even if it kills me (or not)!

Weekend Report

This weekend, Chris and I tried the right-hand side of the Barton Creek Greenbelt trail (as you come from Spyglass/Barton Skyway)... you remember, the one we had all the problems with when we started this whole biking thing? Well, we are a bit more experienced now, a bit more in shape, and with some trail intel gathered from various sources, we had a much better time! We made it all the way to Loop 360 before we had to turn back due to a blowout... not a tire, unfortunately; we were both prepared for that - I blew out my hiking sandal on my right foot! They were pretty old and well used, so it was not really a surprise, just damned inconvenient (to say the least). I did a quick wrap job with my trusty bandanna and back we went... once we got back to the trailhead, we went past it and headed for the creek, to cool off and relax a bit. Then it was back to the Jeep and off to chow - this time we hit Brooklyn Heights Pizza at Parmer / Avery Ranch Road... it's run by a couple of friends of ours, and they really make an awesome pie! It's a slick little place that has a bar, indoor dining, patio, and takeout window, so no matter what, you can find a way to get your fill - they even have pizza by the slice for the lunch crowd!

After lunch, we got cleaned up and went out to Ted and Tisa's new place for the housewarming party, with a case of our Pale Ale in the back of the Jeep... we had a great time out there! Ted can cook like nobody's business, and there was plenty of beer - the Pale Ale was a great hit, and I got to talk homebrew shoptalk with Ted's parents... there was a Cinco de Mayo pinata, horseshoes, and lots of time to just chill. They have 5 beautiful acres near Wimberly, out where it's quiet and if the clouds weren't so thick, you could see millions of stars... reminded me of growing up :)

Today was yardwork day, first one in about a week since it's been raining so much - my yard looked like a jungle... I just can't afford to pay someone to do it for me, or believe me I would - I believe that my character is probably just about set in stone now, so there's no real benefit for me to do the lawn myself, right?

Sixth Street has been Humiliated!

We had a great show at the Troubador Saloon last night - thanks to all our loyal fans for coming out and making it a great time! The stage seemed a bit empty since 'Zilla is in rehab right now, but we still turned out one of our best shows ever... and, to the unknown person that gave us a $5 tip, rest assured that your donation will go to the most noble of causes; 'Zilla 2.0

And, if you didn't stick around for The Whoremoans, you missed one helluva show - kick ass wall-shaking rock and roll, culminated by The Humiliators' Todd and Kozy joining Ben and crew onstage for Seek and Destroy to close the set - these guys have the Godzilla Seal of Approval!

Before the show, we stopped by the Flamingo Cantina to catch Red Line Riot... Kevin, Brandon and Dug were serving up plenty of Rock Goodness (TM) in the Hendrix tradition - the perfect way to get ready for a night of rock! Then, after they were done at the Flamingo, they came by the Troubador to catch part of our show - those guys rule...

Keep your eye on the website for upcoming gigs!

Storms are cool!

As the thunderstorms moved through the area tonight, I was over at Chris's house... we were knocking back some homebrew, chatting and watching the concert of light and sound - freakin' awesome! Thunderstorms, for some goofy reason, are so relaxing for me... of course, so are three of the beers that Chris and I made - they've got a bit o' kick to them :) rack time....