Party Time!

So, the birthday seems like a good excuse to go out and have some fun. Tonight at The Hideout there are going to be 2 bands and an awesome DJ set. I'd love it if you joined me. I'm guessing we'll get there around 9 or 10 and stay until late. It's January. It's cold and I think it's time to warm it up a bit with a little drinking and some dancing.

44

I'm thinking that 44 is a lucky number. Look what it got us last week!

And now for your listening and viewing enjoyment...

Mr. Blue Sky

The sun is shining and a new day has dawned. The swearing in is over and we now begin down the road once again. Hopefully, the wind will be at our back for a change.

That's a Spicy Meatball!

For Christmas, Mr. Ten S gave me an Indian cookbook. I've been experimenting with it the past couple of weekends. Last weekend we had a lovely chicken curry with a side of zucchini and yellow squash cooked in mustard seeds and some other fun spices. This weekend we had a lamb curry with a side of green beans that were spiced with dried red peppers, cumin and mustard seed. Both, although somewhat time consuming to cook, turned out really lovely.

Bink has been a picky eater for years. Recently he has been becoming more adventurous. Yesterday I employed him in my kitchen as we made the lamb curry. He was amazed at the array of spices, some that he had never heard of before, that we used in the recipes. Bink peeled and chopped and stirred for me as we cooked our dinner. Although he is not typically a fan of spicy food, he was so curious, that he tried and ate quite a bit of everything that we had prepared. About halfway into the meal, he sort of paused and looked up and said, "It's not so spicy for Sweetness, but I'm like Papa. It's so spicy!"

My father, who is from a Norwegian family that thought pepper was an exotic spice, has never done well with spicy food. He literally will have to wipe down his forehead if even a small amount of pepper is present in a dish. There was no eating of tacos at our house, we owned no hot sauce and we certainly would never have gone to an Indian restaurant. All this to say that I think I have managed to escape the curse of my Scandanavian upbringing and must have dodged the genetic bullet that makes you sweat profusely at the first sign of a spice other than salt. Not so sure Bink escaped though.

My Friends

I know, I know. Another Naked Raygun post. Hey, if Miss Coffey can pontificate about her homies, so can I. This is so much more than just Naked Raygun though. They played two shows this weekend at House of Blues. Of course, I was at both. The first night, it was me and Lulu. We were beer fueled and ready to mosh. And we did. Lu and I have been going to Raygun shows since we were about 18 or 19. It was fun to hoist a beer again with her as we fell back into the crowd and were bumped around as we sang at the top of our lungs.

Second night, it was me, Mr. Ten S, my old friend Matt and his friend Sue. We again basked in the greatness of the Raygun. While poor Matt and Sue were massively jet-lagged and had to high tail it home, Mr. Ten S and I joined the band after the show for more fun. All I can say is that I treasure the friends that have shared the Naked Raygun road with me and the band and the new friends I have met along the way. You see, it's more than just a band to me. These are my friends. The ones beside me in the crowd and the ones that I share sweaty hugs with after the show. These are honest people. Real people. People that make me feel alive.



NAKED RAYGUN-Treason