new goodies for my car

I have had the car for little over a month and I have added some little goodies via my trusty friend the internet!





Here is the list.....with some pics

1. new floor mats ( thanks Walmart)


2. Elvis TCB rearview mirror medalian ( check out the pic baby)


3. Honda Fit running board plates ( ebay! baby!) pic above

4. Window louvers ( $30! makes it look niiiiiiiiiiiiice) pic above

5. Decals ( temple of Vtech....and Fitfreak.com) Add a nice touch! pic above




Still to come....





Bumper pad......( will uh protect the bumper!) :-)


Magnetic mount for my Sirius radio. ( $4 solution!)





Yeah....this has become my Mid life Crisis mobile. Only Mike can pick out a car that get 40 mpg and make it his tiny hot rod! :-)

Memphis

After a week back, and many many attempts at starting to write about the trip and not completing....I will finish! Promise!



We loaded up the new car ( hey got about 37 mpg for the trip!) and headed down to Stl bright and early. As we made our way south ( Minn, Iowa.......) I spotted a site that my wife would enjoy...Swedesburgh Iowa! Yep, it was a museum about Swedes! My wife said we could pass it by....but I thought " This trip is gonna be heavy on Mikes Music weirdness, so I better find some stuff that would make her happy!" So I made a swift U-turn and pulled into the mecca for fair skinned people :-)


It was a very nice little place with a very enthusiastic elderly lady showing us around, we had a nice break looking at the history of the swedish people and its early immigrants to the region.


Here is a pic from the stop















We made our way through Missouri and into STL. We spent the night in a town on the outskirts of STL , right by Six Flags Amusement Park. We spent the next day battling the heat, the rough looking fellow park goers ( more tattoos and missing bicuspids in one location than I have EVER seen) and a water park that had no room to move around. That being said, we had a good time. My son and I battled the rollercoaster "Mr. Freeze" and won! He was so proud of himself that he actually rode this very scary coaster, and told about everyone within earshot!

We departed for Memphis the next day.

Yep, down at the end of Lonely St. Thats Heartbreak Hotel! And that is where we stayed for 3 days. The hotel itself isnt really anything that wonderful, but it does provide 24 hour Elvis and a Heartshaped Pool. We were just across the street from Graceland and surrounded by gift shoppes.



I have been a Elvis fan since I was 12 and know more about him than about any other musical figure, but I have never been a huge fan of all the cheesy marketing crap that goes with him. Its always been about the music for me, and I wanted to make this trip more about that than just buying souvenirs.



Day One: We went down to Beale St. Memphis Blues central. Its where Elvis learned some of music influences and bought his clothes from Lanskys. We hung out there and looked at all of the interesting shoppes,clubs, live music and soaked in the atmosphere while we waiting for this thing called "The Memphis Haunted Walking Tour". I really cant do this tour justice with the printed word. Lets just say we were led on this 90 minute tour by a guy that admitted he was just making it up as he went. It was hilarious to me as I made a mental bet with myself when I thought my Wife would finally pop her cork and we would be outta there. ( 64 minutes!). We "disappeared " like one of the imaginary ghosts and headed back to Heartbreak Hotel. A fun first



Day Two: We had Tickets for Graceland in hand as we were the 2nd tour through the music gates and up the driveway. I have had a mental image of this place for many years, and of course it was much smaller than I ever expected it to be.

I found the place to be quite a humble place for a man that was on the top of the music world . Sure, it was a timecapsule back to 1977 and was not ever gonna make Better Homes and Gardens best list for taste. But it was very interesting to me.








What I enjoyed the most was all the costumes and stage clothes that they had on exhibit. Besides the usual ( 68 black leather, and 73 Aloha jumpsuit), they had a exhibit of over 100 of his other jump suits. Most of those suits I had seen in pictures at one time or another, but to see them all lined up...was curiously interesting to me!

After touring the airplanes, cars, etc.....and more gift shoppes. We headed down into the down and dirty non tourist area of Memphis and took a tour of Stax .

So much musical history was created at Stax. Otis Redding, Staple Singers, Booker T and The MGS, Isaac Hayes etc (Elvis even did some recording here. Its a shame that they tore down the original Stax in the 80's. They rebuilt it and recreated what it really was like. I was like a kid in a candy store as I thumbed through CDs of great soul music that I couldnt get my hands on in the upper midwest. ( I purchased the 1971 Isaac Hayes gem "Black Moses" to the irritation to the rest of my traveling companions, who had to listen to it most of the trip back home!) . I loved seeing all of the history of this building and also liked that we were looking at something that many seem to bypass when being in Memphis.





I caught the fever of this "off the beaten path" type of touring and decided to find Royal Studios. This place was not on ANY brochures and I know hardly anyone knew about it. But I knew the street and I knew it wasnt far from Stax. So, I loaded my terrified family into the little white bullet and found my way to the place where Al Green and Willie Mitchell created some of the best soul music ever made. It was located in a very rough part of town and surrounded by very run down housing and people. But it sat there all spruced up as I hopped out of car and took some snaps. Another cool moment for me , but I am sure to most it would have been a head scratcher! :-)





We then headed back down Elvis Presley Blvd. I then began my search for Al Green's Church. Again, rough part of Memphis and nothing to get crazy about, but I was loving it!

Day Three: We toured Sun Records! The place where Elvis recorded his first sounds. So, what do you think I was gonna do? Yep. Record a song! I have from time to time recorded a Elvis song at a state fair recording booth. But, this....was different. I got to record in the same place that Elvis sang! I picked one of the first songs he ever cut " I love you ( because). ( look it up on I-Tunes). I think I did a pretty good job, but it really didnt matter because I loved the moment!



We also toured the Rock and Soul Museum and the Gibson Guitar factory. Both were also very fun in its own way! Very cool to watch a guitar get made and then get rejected and cut apart on a band saw because of a slight inperfection!

We had a great trip. It will never win any awards for stunning beauty and scenery. But, as all good trips provide.....lots of memories and stories!



Ps- thanks to my understanding Wife and Son for letting me go on this journey. I wont forget it!

Pss. Did I tell you that Steven went on Mr. Freeze????? :-)

The White Stripes-Icky Thump

Tuesday the Cd came out for this band of 2. Jack and Meg White have created perhaps their best work to date.

Although I wouldn't call their music commercial or mainstream , it does have a sense of melody that most hard rock music today is sadly missing. What I love about this band is its sense of history ( delta blues,country,psychedelic) and its influences blend into a sound that totally unique and their own.

Early faves for me are

You don't know what love is ( you just do what your told)- A great lyric about settling into something safe and convincing yourself that its "love". Plus the guitar hook is great!


Icky Thump- great weird little song!!!!! Click below for great little weird video



The rest of the Cd is full of surprises, even a cover of a 1950's Patti Page song called "Conquest" That features a great guitar/trumpet duel! I mean, how many CD's of this era can feature stuff like that!!!!


Check out this CD....its a strong contender for my fave of the year!

Stay tuned, I have Memphis stories!!! And tacky pictures! :-0

An unexpected addition to the family!

No, I am not announcing that I will be a proud new papa. But, I am a new car owner.

As the decieving title splains, it was not planned.

The above vehicle is a 2007 Honda Fit. It is replacing my long loyal a very rarely problematic 1996 Honda Accord. We had planned on replacing it about a year from now when we paid off our other car. Well, plans dont always seem to go as planned.

In the last month, my flawless Accord was pelted by hail and yesterday blew a transmission. It had close to 200,000 miles on it, so it had a good life ( play taps here).

I began my car search about 2 months ago, I am one of those kind of people that like to REALLY know alot about what I am gonna buy. Yeah it seems kinda unlike me, but it is a little known fact ( see, isnt it worth it to come here and read this valuable kind of crap!). I bought my copy of consumer reports and studied all of the most reliable cars and of course in the time of $3.00 gas, what got the best gas mileage. The Honda Fit was exactly what I wanted!

So, I decided to get a test drive. I was told that there is a waiting list for this car and that there would be no chance for a test drive. I walked away a bit irked! I wasnt gonna ever buy a car without test driving it. So, what did I do? I happened to see one that day and went up to the lady that was driving it, and asked if I could see her car! Good thing she didnt have mace or a good knee to the groin because I know I must have freaked her out! :-) Not really, she was very nice and understanding. In fact she said that she had lucked out herself when finding her FIT. They just happened to find one the day they stopped at the dealer. So, she let me sit in the driver seat and get comfy. I knew I liked this car....but was concerned that I might not get a shot at one when the time came.

Well the time came alot sooner than I expected. After this mornings news that it would take about $2100 to fix my Accord. The time was now. I was a bit freaked out by the thought of having to find a car in such short notice. I really dont like to rush these things. So, I decided to call my local dealer that I have used since I was 18. ( no jokes about that being in the kennedy administration....make sure it was Reagan that you refer to!) and check if they had any Fits ( yeah....I am having a hard time with that name also...) thinking it was a total stab in the dark. Well, my stab came up with one. I was forced to take white ( I am a black car guy by nature) for a color but everything else on the car had what I wanted!

I got to take my test drive, and it confirmed that I loved it. 3 hours later, and cramped hands from signing so many documents....it was ours.

Now, I know that it looks like a glorified asprin and that I wont have many motorheads wanting me to pop the hood!!!! ( I included a pic for all of you Booogity Boogity types!) But its a cool little car!

Finally. We are heading off for our Summer Vacation in a few days. We are heading to Memphis Tennesee by way of St. Louis . I am excited to soak in all of the music culture ( Elvis, BB, Al Green, Stax Records, Sun Records etc) and Steven is excited to go to Six Flags in St Louis!

But what should be really exciting will be the looks I get from the southern folk with my lil rice burner! Yep....yeeeee haw! :-)

Minnesota State Fair Concerts

Every single year we go the "The Great Minnesota Get-Together". We see the cows and the pigs and the food that takes years off your life and have a great time. Personally I enjoy people watching, how many "Im with stupid" t-shirts I can count and how many people I can count that have a mouth full of teeefers. Its always fun!

:-)

This year, in addition to my little people watching games...I have a couple of great concerts to go to.

AUGUST 28th- Allman Brothers- w/robert randolph band .

I commented to some of my music buddies that this would be one show that I would have to see if they came to the Twin Cities. You all know about my Gov't Mule thing...and Warren Haynes does double duty for the Mule and the Allmans...so its the best of both worlds for me. Also, Derek Trucks is one of my fave. young guitarists. He is also in this band. They put on great shows at this stage in their career and they will have my rapt attention!

UPDATE: Purchased tickets this past weeked row 26 in front of Mr. Haynes!

AUGUST 30TH- B.B King, Al Green, Etta James

I love Al Green and have seen him once before in the late 80's and have yet to have the pleasure of seeing Etta and BB live. How can you go wrong with this lineup! 3 legends that can still deliver and not make you cringe. I am in the 15th row center for this one! Cant wait!

Agility Video. ( this one is less clinical)

Last video on syncronized dog chasing. I have to admit, this video makes this sport look kinda cool. It must be the White Stripes song Orchid ( one of my faves) and of course the sheltie. They do look like they love doing this.....that is why I enjoy it so much also.

Agility Video

For all of you that have wondered what I was talking about when I referred to my Agility Training with Reggie. Here is a video of a Sheltie doing it the right way, Reggie and I are not quite as smooth as this pair...but we are getting there!

MEMORIAL DAY

This photo was taken at the Vietnam War Memorial last year. Lets hope this war ends soon and all of the people that are putting their lives on the line for us return home.

The Jackson 5 - Who's Loving You

michael as I like to remember him.

Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green

One of my favorite Al songs...check out the suit!

Alice Cooper Elected

Alice at his peak!

alice eighteen- 1972

love this video. Alice is drunk ( duh) but captures the angst of the song very well! A classic... kiddies!

TOM JONES- WITH THESE HANDS 1965

I am a sap for a good love song. ( dont tell anyone!)

I have been listening to this song since I was a wee lad! Enjoy!

MORE COWBELL!

Love this! Yeah its been played to death, but still funny!

1st video post

Black Crowes Cursed Diamond

I posted lyrics to this a few months back. Removed them because they seemed a bit too heavy :-). Now you get the pleasure of getting to hear and see the song!

I am going to be posting more of my musical faves!

Hope you enjoy!

To All Mothers:

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

A retraction

Please note:

In my last post I reported that Kyle Petty had not finished in the top 20 all year. After many phone calls and angry emails, I must print this retraction. Jeff, I am sorry. I was waaaaaaay out of line and must extend my most heartfelt apology.

Kyle Petty finished in the top 20 earlier this month. Today he finished 25th. But that is beside the point. :-)

Mike The Painter

Ok, I am not that kind of painter, ( Remember this guy from PBS???? ) but I did have a semi fro back in the day.

This weekend the weather was great, and I had a opportunity to get some much needed house improvements done. ( Hey, I am not just the talented writer and very entertaining guy that lures you here for stunning entertainment!) please laugh at that last statement!

I was able to ( with the handy help of my Wife) paint our faded front door and finish the majority of our weathered deck.

Its funny how these little projects make me feel "valuable". I am not one of those guys that you will see constantly building stuff. I can hold my own when it comes to fixing the usual stuff....but you wont see me building a 5 room treehouse for the kids to roam in. ( geez I can only imagine the carnage that would result from my handiwork!). It makes me feel good to improve my house feel like king caveman and sit back and enjoy the result.

I just love this time of the year. I feel like the dark cloud of winter ( Have I told you that I dont like winter!) is finally gone, and the sun is shining again in my little part of the universe.

Ps. Dropped cable tv over the weekend. I am now a Dish Network guy. More HD channels and DVR ( digital recording! more commonly known as TIVO) and cheaper than my cable bill. Love it so far....will write more about it soon!

Pss......I promise Maggie that I will post more often ( I have been spotty lately in my posts) I dont want you to stoop to American Idol websites for your entertainment!

Psss- Gopman....Will Kyle Petty ever finish in the top 20???? comeon maaaan....I am actually watching NASCAR and kinda rooting for the guy for ya! It brutal when he never close to the pack! ( but I am sure you get enough of this from others!) . Also....Moss traded to the Pats for a 4th rounder!!! Told ya he would break your heart! :-)

Pssss- That is all!

Its spring....its baseball!

http://www.ootpbaseball.net/index.php

I need to oil that door, because its creaking from the opening of the closet with the skeletons. I am about to share with you loyal readers one of my most geeky passions ( besides this blog thing). I like to play simulation baseball games. Ok I have admitted it to the public, its a good first step. The following paragraphs will expose the story behind the nerdyness ( is that a word?).

I have always loved baseball and the history behind the game. The statistical history going back to the late 1800's is fascinating to me. To compare a Ty Cobb with a Rickey Henderson, a Babe Ruth with a Hank Aaron, a Walter "Big Train" Johnson with a Tom Seaver, or even a Scooty Babbitt with a Mario Mendoza, occupied many a afternoon for me. One of the first gifts I received that was related to this passion was the 1977 Baseball Almanac. Yes, keeeeds this was pre-internet and you actually had to have reference books around to get this kind of info. I loved this book and wore the pages out thumbing through the long history of the game.

My first step into simulation baseball began with Strat-o-matic baseball when I was about 14. It was a game that had a card for each player in a certain season ( my first season was 1977) a board that had 3 dice and a stack of split cards. You would roll the dice, look at the white die for the collumn, and add the 2 red dice together to get your result on the card. If your result required a split card ( ie 1-15 hr 16-20 2b) you would draw a card. ARE YOU STILL WITH ME???

I loved this game. I spent hours and hours with pencil and paper and calculator keeping my own stats and running a solo league. It was great fun for me and made me a expert on players from that era of baseball. I played strat for about 8 years and used to mark my calendar for when each new season of cards would come out! It was geek heaven!

As the years passed and technology has evolved, I migrated to computer simulation baseball. Gone were the pencil and paper and the board and cards. Now there was stats kept on your hard drive and even the ability to run the financial part of baseball. Much more involved of a process. Its amazing how in depth these games have become, it has got to the point that I have to turn off some of the features because it gets so involved and intricate, that I dont have the time to do 45 adjustments to just play a game. That doesnt mean that I dont love the depth....but hey...I have a job to do and a kid to raise!!!

If you look at the link above...you will get a taste for what baseball sims have become....I love it...but I do miss the days spent waiting for the mail to get my geeky x-mas present of Strat cards!

New features, movie reviews, and old pics!

The above pics are of the 22 inch snow storm we recieved a couple of weeks ago. The creative measuring stick pic shows the 15 inches we recieved the first 6 hours of the storm.....and the other pic shows what my driveway looked like when I opened the garage door. ( I got to snow blow!!!! very fun !)

Blades of glory was very funny! Didnt let me down in the least! Check it out!

If you look to your right....you will see a new feature! A video bar! The videos are random....but the artists are not....I have chosen the artists! Hit refresh and be entertained or repulsed!!! :-)

Enjoy!

You gotta see this!!!!!!

I am a closet TOM JONES fan. Loved his show when I was a wee lad

Click on the link and see some wacky manic Tom Dance moves!!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mVIJFptl0sg

Gotta love it! Maybe Will Ferrell can spoof this! :-)

Blades of Glory!

Ok.....I am exictied about this movie coming out. Yeah I know that Will Ferrel movies are not everyones cup of tea, but he always makes me laugh. What can I say, I like over the top humor ( Steve Martin, Jim Carrey) and movies that spoof topics that are ripe to be skewered!

This latest movie will be taking on Ice Skating. As a guy that appreciates the skill involved with a quality skater, I am also a guy that watches because he likes to see a good fall!!! In the past, Ferrel has messed with TV ( Anchorman) and Nascar ( sorry Jeff, Talladega Nights was hilarious!) and even Santa ( Elf!). I cant wait to see the results!

In other news, the sun has finally peeked out in Minnesota. We hit a balmy 60+ degrees today! You will never see a happier guy in the world than yours truly sweeping his dirty garage out on a bright sunny day!

Yeah, Minnesota will drive you insane like that! :-)

Till the next post!

Still out there!

Sorry for the break in writing. Just havent had the bug to write anything of late. Well, errrr thats not entirely true....plenty to write about....just lack of motivation.

The weekend is just about here....I plan on sitting down and crafting a "proper" blog entry.

Like I know what that is! :-)

For your enjoyment....here is a pic from Dog agilty! ( not reggie...but a stunning re-creation!)

Overated.

Last night can really be summed up by the word "Overated". Even the snow storm that was supposed to put my life into peril was overated. Now onto the review.

Icarus band/Wolfmother-

Lets start with the opening act. The Icarus Band was impressive for about 2 minutes. Very visual and barely musical, the lead singer had all the Steven Tyler moves and the lead guitarist had Keeef Richards down to a tee. Sadly, they had none of the music or personality of both of these rock legends. After the 2nd song....there were moments where I was actually laughing at some of the stuff I was watching on stage. And I know this was not supposed to be a comedy act.

After 35 minutes of the above act....it was time for the headliner Wolfmother. Although much better than the opening act, they suffer from similar problems. This band has raw talent and knows how to play to its core crowd ( male 18-to 30 somethings), it does not have a catalog of songs that can effectively change gears and show depth. I truly was getting bored by about the 4Th song. They really all sounded the same. The energy was there in excess, but the connection was not. This band needs to show it can play a song that isn't the same structure over and over and over. Maybe after a second CD and some seasoning....more depth will surface.

The night wasn't a total washout....I got to see the lead singer from wolfmother dodge a wayward cell phone bearing down at his head and see it smash into about 40 pieces!. Also, watch the meathead 18 year olds throwing elbows and drawing blood down in the first rows....( I avoided this section for some reason).

2 stars out of 5
(WHEN DID I ADOPT A STAR SYSTEM?????) :-)

TONIGHT.

With a snowstorm on the horizon...I will be venturing off to a rock show. Tune in tomorrow for a review.

Today its your birthday!

Its my sons birthday!

Like all parents, its a bittersweet day when your child has a birthday. You look at your child and see how much they have changed and matured, and also you are reminded how fast time passes by. You reflect on those early times when he or she was just a infant and they looked at you as the center of thier world. Witnessing first words,steps and other milestones. It all seems like yesterday as you look at your growing child.

This past weekend we took Steven and 5 of his friends to the Target Center to see the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Washington Wizards. We were able to get his name on the scoreboard and get down on the floor and snag some autographs. For most of the kids it was the first professional basketball game they had ever been to. I know they had a good time ( and yeah...Dad had a blast) and Steven was all smiles.

My Son gives me a very different perspective on my world. He is a very kind and gentle soul, who never seems to be angry or cynical. I look at him and love him for his uniqueness, and want to protect that in him. But I know that I have to let him take his own path and experience the world. Its the challenge all parents face, to want to cushion and protect and yet let your child grow and experience hardships so they are prepared for what "real" life will deal them.

Happy Birthday Steven!
Your Dad loves you more than anything and is so proud of you!

Godfather Of Soul, Mr. Dynamite, Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness!

I know James has been gone for almost 2 months ( and they still haven't buried him! You think Anna Nicolle Smith has a messed up final resting place battle!) but lately I have been really digging into his back catalog of music. Its amazing to explore the road he traveled musically and also what a impact he had on so many styles of music.

Funk, Soul, R&B, Rap/Hiphop would have been drastically different without his influence.

Its a shame that so many have the memory of him in his later years. His life was often turbulent and he had a ego the size of Texas......but his drive for perfection and success took him to heights that few have ever approached.

If you look to the right. I made comment about 2 songs that have really dug into me. If you can find them on I-Tunes or whatever look them up. It might surprise you how literate and biting the lyrics are in these songs.

James was always about the groove first, but the man truly could sing and the showmanship has influenced Prince and Michael (when he was cool) greatly, and they both acknowledge it.

tagged!

A loyal reader ( sometimes) of mine tagged me with a interesting topic.

Drumroll!!!!!!!

6 strange facts about me!

1. I am left handed, but do many things right handed.
2. I am my own worst critic and too hard on myself.
3. Even though I am considered very talkative by many, I feel anti-social at times.
4. I was born with a pointed head! ( this really should be #1)
5. I am a hopeless romantic.
6. Sometimes wish I was born in a different era.

I am sure I can think of some other weirdness!!!! But hey! Weird is all in the eye of the perciever! :-)

READERS! Share with me your weirdness! I wont include them in my Christmas letter. PROMISE!

A MESSAGE FROM MR. T!!!!

HAPPY BALINTINES DAY FOOL!

WOLFMOTHER 2/28

I have tickets to see this band! I thought their debut CD was one of the best of 2006. A nice cross between early Zep/Black Sabbath and The White Stripes, these 3 Aussies know how to deliver it live. As you can tell by the pic....they are high energy and the guitarist does a pretty good "Pete" leap! :-)

One nice thing about seeing "young" bands like this.....tickets are cheap...and they usually play like they have something to prove. Should be a fun night.

http://www.wolfmother.com

Prince! Family Entertainer!!!!!

As a self professed Prince freak, it was a bit weird to see "The Artist"being chosen as entertainment for the Superbowl halftime show. I cringed at the thought of a "neutered" Prince brought out to play the obligitory "Purple Rain, Lets Go Crazy" thing, with perma smiled leotarded models flitting around. But what really disturbed me was the fact that he has become so safe that they would even consider him for this! You would never had seen the Prince of the 80's-late 90's EVER being on such a commercial show. (uhh...see pic to the right.....DIRTY MIND 1980...his best in my opinion)

That being said. Yes my nightmare of hits came true, as did the spandex dancers....but. I thought it was cool to see him out there, in the pouring rain...letting his guitar rip. I was amazed the little feller didnt get electrocuted!!! :-) My wife commented "what is with that thing on his head ( he wore a lucy like do-rag) and that baby blue suit?" I could only comment " He is Prince, and he can get away with that!"

Prince still has "it", its just a little more mainstream.

Movies....Superbowl.....global warming

Wow....what a catchy title!!!

Well after all of this talk about HDTV and home theatre, I am sure you get the idea that I like to watch a movie or two. Between my Netflix 2 at a time program ( those of you that dont know of Netflix yet....check it out http://www.netflix.com ) and the occasional traditional go to the theatre thing.....I see a fair amount of movies. Good and BAAAAAAD.

Here is a quick little list of some recent films that I liked.

1. Little Miss Sunshine- Quirky, funny, sad and about dysfuntional familes!!!! What else could you ask for!!!!

2. Dreamgirls- I like a musical once in a while. Even though I love to sing...I dont usually break out into song whenever something important occurs (maybe I shoud!) , so if you get past that little "weirdness" and get into the strong performances ( yep, Eddie Murphy will actually remind you that he is talented!!!) and the parallel between the Motown story.....you will love it!

3. The Illusionist- Interesting story about a ( yeah you guessed it!) and his love for a girl he loved in childhood that was royalty and was shunned from because he was of a lower class. The movie moves past that well worn plot and gives some surprises that make this movie a good one to catch.

Ok....movie corner closed. The Superbowl.....Bears vs. Colts..... I am rooting for the Colts....only because I happen to like Tony Dungy as a coach and as a person. But, in reality.....I will be happy whoever wins.

BECAUSE??????

I AM WATCHING IT IN HIGH DEF!!!!! :-)

And last but not least, its -3 degress here today.......GLOBAL WARMING IS A SHAM!!!!! Please, people around the world....use your spraycans and open a bigger hole over Minnesota!!!! I am beggin ya!!! :-)

The Beginning of a new era

As you can see, I have my new Samsung television in place in my home theatre! The bottom pic is of my Sony that is now freshly mounted in our bedroom.

I decided to make the switch with the Samsung from its original intended location ( the bedroom) to the home theatre because it is a High Definition Television. I have been slowly building my home theatre for years and years. I absolutely love being able to sit down after a day at work and watch a movie or a game and make the house rattle! :-) HDTV is just the next step in moving with technology. Its kinda scary how lifelike the images are in HI-DEF, you can see every little blemish or imperfection.Plus it transmits in digital sound ( 5.1 on some stations!!) In 2 years all television stations will be forced to send all of thier signals out in digital instead of analog. So, its coming people.....even if you really don't want it! Fortunately, even if you have a "old" analog tv...the cost for a converter box will be cheap, and the signal is free! This made my decision to buy a HDTV a easy one. Rather than paying even more to the cable company($10 a month extra) to provide me HDTV programming...I found a indoor antenna after some research(TERK HDTVI $39.00) that I just sat on top of my home entertainment center and pointed at the local towers, and bingo!!! I have 10 channels of HDTV( just missing 1 channel that the cable would have provided me). Yep, Mike will be watching the Superbowl in style and saving $$$$$!

Hope that didn't bore ya too much....but I am like this. When I get into something....I get into it big and learn as much about it as much as possible. So if any of you have questions.....I am full babble mode.....so fire away! :-)

My old TV ..see the post below.....met a ugly end. The Circuit city dudes that came to deliver ( hey they had free delivery!!! I am usually not a wimp!) the new one and take away the old one....dropped the old one on my front step and it broke in about 5 pieces right in front of me. Kinda bummed me out to see 24 years of care get smashed in front of me. Well, bummed out until I plugged in the new one. :-)

The Sony that I mounted in the bedroom is a great TV. I actually like the picture on that one better that the Samsung, when playing regular cable. I will probably have to get Digital cable for the sammy.......but that will have to wait.... When came to mounting the SONY....I had to buy a new bracket that could support a 107 lb TV. Not a easy task...most are rated for 90. Good ol Menard's had one for 130 lbs....and cheaply priced....$45. So I mounted that bracket...and in a fit of "incredible hulk" like strength...hulked the tv up on the bracket myself!!!

I hope this wasn't too boring! I know I am excited by it....but when I talk about it...I see the glaze on peoples eyes start to form quickly!!!!!! I know....I do the same thing when I hear about Oprah! :-) Little joke there!

The end of a era.

The era I speak of is the good old non cable ready tube television.

Today I purchased a new televison to replace the one you see above. I have to admit, I feel a little sad about having to replace it. Its like seeing a old friend go away.

Now why would Mike get all misty eyed over a Tv???? (no tears...but it makes for entertaining writing) Well, I have had this TV since 1983. It was my first major electronics purchase and I remember how proud I was when I first plugged it in! Yeah I remember dopey stuff like that, and I also remember thinking I was so cool to have my own TV.

I bought it at Sound of Music on 12/13/83 ( sound of music was the original name of Best Buy....trivia for ya kiddies!!!) for $449.00. A Sony Trinitron 17' model.

24 years later....its lost its crisp picture and has a long crack in the cabinet. I have had to use my VCR as a tuner for years and years to get cable ( remember this was a non cable ready model) and its taken a backseat to several other TV's over the years.....but its always been my favorite.

Friday it will be taken away....but it will always be in my heart.....

Thanks for the memories ! :-)

( Ps....I bought a new samsung for about the exact same price as the old tv....tons of features and about half the weight.....I can only hope that I get 1/3 of the life I got out of the relic!)

24/American Idol

So, tonight is the first night of American Idol. While I am not a fan of the robots that show churns out season after season. I LOVE to watch the first week or two. The bad singers ( ala william hung and the classic 'She Baaaaaaaaaaaang' renditon) are the best part of this show. My wife thinks its mean that I take such glee in a persons failure, but I tend to beleive that most of these people come into this sort of thing with eyes open. Anyway, its probably the best comedy show of the year.....check it out!!!!

Tonights show focuses on the Minnesota Auditions that were here in town last Sept. ( yeah, I know I will be hooked after week two and ride this show out to the end.) So, how many of you out there watch this show??? How many of you watch paula abdul and think...."how in the world can this woman judge what a good singer would be?" and "how many adult beverages has she consumed before wobbling on camera??" I think Simon is the only one that actually knows what talent is, Randy on the other hand........too many "DAWG YOU NAILED IT" and " It was aaaaaaaaigh....but a little pitchy in the middle" to have me believe that he even cares.

24 is back on the air. I love this show. Great writing and it never bores me. Jack Bauer can get out of any situation!!! How many of you out there watch it????

lyrics removed

well, after a few days....I decided to remove the lyrics. They seemed a bit "DOWNBEAT", and they bummed out my Mom. :-)

Time to pull out my Lawrence Welks greatest jams mix cd. :-)

annnn a onea and a tooooowa.......

Video games

Before I get too far into this, I have a side of me that is immature. I have come to grips with it, embraced it and accepted it. Dont you all feel better???? Good, now read on. :-)

This year I received $$$ for Christmas. I usually ask for $$ to buy one big item gift. This year I purchased a XBOX 360 video game system. As a old school gamer from waaaaaaay back into the Pong days ( remember that huge console and the wires hooking up to your parents TV ???) being facinated by the pa- plink sounds and blips??? Then becoming a instant friend of any kid that happened to have a Intellevision gaming system??? Maaaaan have things changed.

Let me track the systems I have owned. ( bless you for putting up with this topic!)
1.pong-great basic fun
2. Commadore 64- My first PC (uh sorta)...blew my eggshell mind :-)
3. Sega Genesis- Loved this system...very fun and affordabe
4. Playstation- liked it...wasnt as great as Sega
5. Xbox- was first in line for it...didnt sleep out...live in a sleepy town...was lucky!!
6. Xbox 360- read below

What I really love about the 360 is that they ( Microsoft) have finally made a system that takes the best part of PC gaming ( online downloadable content) and gaming consoles ( great graphics and dependable performance) and put it into one box. As stated above, I have owned the xbox for years and (gasp!) really had got to the point where it was starting to gather dust. This new system has reignited my enjoyment of playing games again. I bought a VGA cable that enables me to hook this up to my computer monitor ( High def graphics!!!) and my speakers with subwolfer!! I have actually played some NBA 2k7, online with other xbox360 users and its a blast to be playing with someone other than the computer. ( I dont know if I am being beat by a15 year old....but I dont need this info!) :-) There is a option where you can plug in a headset and talk to the person that you are playing......sorry, I still am not that geeky!!!

The controllers are wireless.....its great to not have to worry about the dog or whatever tripping over wires and getting the wrath of kahn from me! Steven and I have enjoyed the system quite alot....I dont let Steven use the online gaming....its a bit rough out there....and he doesnt need that ! Do I???? OF COURSE! :-)

2007....the return of Mike the gamer???? maaaaaaaaybe :-)

pics of snow!

We received about 3 inches of snow right before we headed out to church on New Years Eve. Very nice! I took some pics today....enjoy!

Christmas Love!

Ah yes. Steven is happy after opening his gifts!!! I am smiling, and Reggie is cleaning my ears out! What more can a guy ask for!

Sprucing up the blog!/ Christmas recap

If you look to the right.....you can see that I have added a counter to see how many people actually look at this thing we call "the blog"! I have also added a list of music ( called "music of my mind") that I am currently listening to. Yes, you can either look into it and see if you might like it....or do as most.....shake your head and say...."why doesnt this guy listen to anything that I have heard of!" :-) Last but not least.....I have updated my list of links....I will be adding more to this at a later time. The new version of blogspot is very easy to use and customize. (Otherwise I wouldnt be doing all of this spucing!) Ok....enough spruce talk!

Christmas was very nice. We spent Christmas Eve at my Moms, along with My brother and his family. Most of us were "under the weather" and not 100%, but had a great time laughing and EATING! Christmas Day was pretty low key, Cherols brother and his girlfriend were there and we had a fun time watching Steven play with his new gifts! ( I had a stiff neck and walked around like Frankenstein all day!!! very attractive!)

We received snow about 3 days before Christmas. Not much, but enough to pass as a grey Christmas. So we have got that goin for us! :-)

On Christmas Eve, the priest had a very interesting sermon. The main point was to NOT try and strive to make Christmas perfect. In fact, realize that like everyday, the day will be filled with imperfections. Enjoy the day, love the moment. I loved the message. I hope that many were able to just relax and let the blessing of the day wash over them.

Just a few days left in 2006!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MAY ALL OF YOU HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS!

BEST WISHES

MIKE

A very special gift from Mike

Click on the link.......http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=031a29c6ebdc026f8ccf19fG06122006

Now go to therapy to erase the thought!

Steven does great at his piano recitial!

Seated next to Steven is his piano teacher Ms. Larson. Today Steven played a very nice version of "What child is this?" He is so fun to watch, mostly because he seems to love playing. He tells me that he doesnt get nervous at all, ahh he must have some of the old mans performing blood in em! :-)

*UPDATE* received this email this AM, from his teacher. Makes a parent proud

"Just wanted to again say that Steven played so well yesterday. One minor little glitch, but who cares! I was so impressed that he was able to play such a hard piece, but then again, he is Steven! I hope you noticed the difficulty of his piece and the others his age. He is playing well over his age level and I am proud of him."

Ok....enough bragging for now. :-)

Photo Mania!!!!

The top photo is in memory of my inflatable Santa with Reindeer and sleigh. It lasted all of one night in my front yard. It met its untimely demise because of a freak thunderstorm/overnight freeze....that fried its blower motor and created a 8 inch gash in the sleigh. But for the lucky few that witnessed this inflatable spectacle....it will be a night they wont forget soon! :-)

The Bottom photo is of Steven and I. We are sporting our fashionable WHO tee shirts. Yep. we look so ready for pg 15 of the Wal-Mart flyer! :-)

News from bloggerville!

I received a email from my good ol pal Jeff informing me that he has decided to dip his toe into the world of blogging!

I feel like Yoda. He cites me as his inspiration to try this goofy thing called blogging.

Here is the link to his new blog! http://jefybal.blogspot.com/

I have also provided a nifty link to the right (SEE!)

Also, if you long time readers (YES THAT IS YOU, MAGGIE!) notice a change in the format on this blog...its because we have had a update!!! Yes, more creativity!

Who is illin?

I had a great time Friday night ( 12/8) in St.Paul, seeing The Who! To be at the feet ( literally) of my rock hero Pete Townshend was truly a "am I really here" moment. To add to this, having my son next to me and dancing and singing right along with me...made it a night I wont forget.

The show started off with The Pretenders. As they walked out..Chrissie Hynde looked me right in the eye and smiled at Steven and I. I gave her the thumbs up and she shot it right back at me. Wow! I couldnt believe it....later on she commented to the crowd...."its great to see dads here with their sons'! Talk about personalizing the experience!

The Who show was something to remember. Roger Daltrey was sick with bronchitis and sounded pretty rough. He was coughing and spitting up between songs and looked weak. Pete also was blowing his nose between songs. They still put on a solid show, but cut it short by about 30 minutes. Pete came out without Roger for the encore and led the crowd in a rousing and unique version of My Generation and a very rarely played Naked Eye.

I was able to listen to the replay of the show on my Sirius radio the next evening. ( on the WHO channel #10). It still was a powerfull and unique show. To add to it.....I was right in front of the audience mics....and you can hear me yelling between songs!!!!!!

"Mr. Spotlight" received the ultimate spotlight! :-)

1. I Can't Explain
2. The Seeker
3. Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow
4. Fragments
5. Who Are You
6. Behind Blue Eyes
7. Sound Round
8. Pick Up The Peace
9. Endless Wire
10. We Got A Hit
11. They Made My Dreams Come True
12. Mirror Door
13. Baba O' Riley
14. Eminence Front
15. Man In The Purple Dress Black Widows Eyes
16. Mike Post Theme
17. You Better You Bet
18. Won't Get Fooled Again
    Encore: (no Roger)My Generation / Cry If You WantNaked Eye

Gov't Mule

12/06/06 O'SHAUGHNESSY AUDITORIUM

I settled my head on my pillow at a late 2 am this morning. It was a late night, but not a long night. It was a great concert, full of music that kept me on my feet and electric feeling that only powerful music brings.

The show was opened by Donavon Frankenriter http://www.donavonf.com/ . I was very surprised at how much I liked this guy. His set was very bluesy and had a throwback 70's synth sound. His singing is pretty laid back and most of his songs are along that line. I will be checking out his 2 cd's that he has released in the last couple of years.

Best crowd line of the night " Nice Hat #$#%$^%!" credit goes to the drunk biker behind me that didn't like Donavon's floppy leather hat. I thought it looked cool, but it would look lame on me. :-) I didn't feel it was needed for me to argue with the fashion conscious biker lad.

A quick note on the venue. The O'shaughnessy is located on the Campus of St. Catherines. Its usually a place that has concerts like Joan Baez or poets like Mya Angelo. Who knows why the Mule was playing in such a nice place??? Not a stain on the carpets or seats.....ushers that looked like they were running security for a Don Ho concert....just seemed a bit weird.....but a great venue to see the show. Sound was tight and not a bad seat in the house. Sad to say...but they will have to clean the carpets..... ( I kept my area nice and tidy!)

At 9:15, Gov't Mule hit the stage.

I will post the setlist below and give some nifty comments!

Set 1
Thorazine Shuffle- A great song that went from a slow burn to an all out screamer.
Banks of the deep end-
32/20 blues-
Child of the earth- Off the new cd- love this song..
Gameface-Mountain Jam-Gameface- epic version of the song...with ABB middle
Unring the bell- another new song....was hoping they would play this....Funky with a capital F!
Endless Parade- The run of great songs continues....
Reggae Soulshine- They play the original alot....this version ( regagae) was a treat!

Set 2

Bad Man Walking-
About to Rage-
Brighter Days- another song I was hoping to hear......loved it
Like Flies-
The End-Drums- The End- Yep, the Beatles Abbey Road classic....10 minute middle solo!
So Weak So Strong- This song really hit me...love the lyric...have played this alot at home
Bad Little Doggie- I had the opening guitar riff in my head for a couple days before the concert
Mr. High and Mighty
Brand New Angel- Another great song with a very emotional solo in the middle/end

Encore:
All Along The Watchtower- with Donavon Frankenreiter and Eric Brigmond

After almost 3 hours of music and the clock nearing 12:30 am....this late nite Jazz/Blues verson of the Bob Dylan/Jimi Hendrix classic...was the perfect way to cap off a great night. It lasted about 12 minutes and seemed to go by waaaaaay to fast.

Words on a page really never capture the whole feeling of a concert. Trust me....this was a keeper!

Off to the WHO on Friday!

Thanksgiving

Ok....so I like Pumpkin Pie.... so I went a little nutty with the pic!

I love Thanksgiving. Its the one holiday that you don't have to go out and buy a gift and yet you feel close to your family. The smells of the food and the sounds of talking and laughter are what I remember about past Thanksgivings.

Of course, its a day to remember. To be thankful of what is in your life. To reflect on what has preceded and to what might be ahead.

Remember, its not what you buy or wear that makes you a success...its the people that you touch and show love that will make you a winner in this life.

Enjoy the day!
Mike