Weak Gardening

Work around my house has come to a screeching halt due to my spinal surgery this summer.

In a half-hearted attempt to at least feel some acclomplishments and add some color to my back yard, I purchased a box of mixed flower seed that you just 'shake out' where you want the flowers to grow. The box lists some latin names for the 2 dozen or so types types of flowers that are supposed to be included in the seed but there are no reference pictures ... so I really don't know what's what. (plus, about only 4 types of flowers have actually bloomed from my efforts)

Below are pics of some of the results where I 'planted' near my retaining wall.

The orange flowers that are flourishing the most are really nice. I like how they are vine-like and have grown over the wall ... I only wish I knew what kind they were. Anybody?

Euro 2008

Today was the last day of the Semi Finals. Spain beat down Russia today 3-0. Germany squeaked past Turkey yesterday 3-2 scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute. I worked only half days both days so I could be home to watch the games live at 14:45 Eastern Time. C'mon, You have to have your priorities. Plus I'm an Engineering Consultant for German company. I get bonus points for liking soccer.

The final is on Sunday and I just made plans to watch it with a friend visiting from Seattle. He called to see if I would be around while he was in town and got very excited when I mentioned wanting to watch the game since he's very much into it himself. Synchronicity indeed.

Awesome Dream ...

I had a dream last night that I went to visit my orthopedic surgeon for a check up and he had bad news for me. Looking at my xray, he showed me that he missed a herniated disc and stated that I would have to be operated on again. He then went on to say, 'But this one is on me since it was my mistake. You won't have to pay a dime.' I remember feeling a little bit a dread but then my (bio)Dad showed up and we went to Kennywood. I told him about the 'mistake' and we both laughed. Funny how dreams work.


Incidentally, I did just get my bill for the surgery*. The total came in somewhere a little over $40K not counting all of the doctors visits, xrays and MRIs I took previously. Of course, I don't have to pay a dime since my health insurance rocks (even if they did desecrate our steel building and ruin our skyline).


*I'm guessing getting the bill is partly why I was dreaming about it all. That and the fact that last night I was feeling really 'achy' before going to bed.

I'm Free

Yesterday was the last day of me wearing the soft collar around my neck. I am so relieved to be done with it. To celebrate, 'Litl' and I went to Kelly's Bar for a few pints of Franziskaner and a shot of Jameson (or as 'Meg F' refers to it now, 'my medicine'). At midnight, the Shadow Lounge's owner also turned dirty thirty so more shots of Jameson were poured to celebrate his birthday. We were in good company as usual; 'Schell', 'Torque Smackey', 'Jack Wilson', 'Taracalypse', 'Pipecock' and many more joined us.

It's good to be back out in the social scene.

BTW, the Kokolo show I was helping promote last week was phenomenal. Attendance exceeded everyone's expectations and the band played an energetic, close to 2 hour set. I know we were violating fire code capacity at the venue because at one point the front door to the place could barely open because of the standing room only crowd pushed up against it. The place was sweaty, jammed and jumping. The band made money and I made money and everyone was happy.

There was a little scare though ... the band called me from the road before the show as they were driving in from NYC. They called at 6pm to tell me they were still at least 2 hours away from Pgh and that they were in stand still traffic on the turnpike due to a major accident. Doors to the show were listed to open at 10pm and the band still needed to get there, unpack, sound check, get dinner and relax before going on. It ended up being pretty tight ... the band arrived around 9pm. Sound check went well and then they were off to a friend's house who had prepared dinner for the band. It was 10pm, people were already arriving and the band was just off to have supper. I was supposed to have a DJ occupy the time until the band went on but there was some miscommunication with the club and they had lent their turntables to be used by another DJ in another room for the night. I had to play a CD while people got restless waiting for the band to go on. Finally the band got back to the club around 11:30pm and after a quick meet and greet with some friends in a back room (and a quick 'break a leg' shot of Jameson by all of us) they took the stage.

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon boat races are believed to have originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, contemporaneous with the Greeks beginning their games at Olympia. Beyond a sporting event, the races and water festivals serve as a veneration to the dragons, hoping for health through the dangerously warm and humid summer months.

Last night I ventured off to Soba Restaurant with 'Clover', 'Schaf' and 'C.A.' to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with a special tasting menu inspired by the cuisines of south-central China.

1st Course:

Dim Sum

Scallop shu mai, spicy dipping sauce
Shrimp potsticker, citrus-soy sauce
Lobster bun, orange-scallion dipping sauce

2nd Course:

Little neck clam bowl, lo mein noodles, choy, chili and fermented black bean broth

3rd Course:

Flash cooked rare tuna, ginger, garlic, asparagus and scallion salad

4th Course:

Almond custard bao, szechwan-berry sauce, ginger poached apricot*

We also had wine pairings with each course; two Rieslings, a Pinot Noir and a Sherry for dessert.

Overall, the meal was quite good with the rare tuna being my favorite. The tuna was prepared perfectly; barely, barely seared with an oil and citrus sauce over it, sort fo like a seviche style. The 1st course 'appetizers' were all good but very small and the citrus sauce on them kind of over powered the flavor of the main ingredients. The clam bowl was nice and hearty, the most filling of the three dishes. I would have liked less noddles and more clams and choy though.

*Since I'm allergic to almonds, the restaurant let me switch to a Lemongrass creme brulee with coconut tuile and fresh tropical fruit salad as my 4th course. Excellent.

Getting back to normal

So I've been going to work 3 days a week now. Driving myself. Running errands. Getting back to my normal life.

I stopped by the Shadow Lounge last night to drop off posters and flyers for the next show I'm promoting on June 20th. I ended up sitting in front of the lounge talking with 'Jmall$' for a while. It's good to start getting back out into the social, public atmospshere.

I then decided to go over to Kelly's Bar to see 'Meg F' but there was a sign on the door saying 'Closed for Private Party'. Figures ... I haven't been to Kelly's in well over a month and the night I decide to stop by, I'm not allowed in. I texted 'Meg F' only to find out that the AC was out and it was pretty miserable inside anyway.

I also stopped by to see a musician friend of mine to pick up some new music to work on. My friend is an internationally published artist on various record labels; Record Kicks, Freestyle Records, Vampisoul . He is leaving PGH tomorrow to go to NYC and then on to Europe to tour until September of this year. He has a new album he's been working on and he wanted to give it to me to listen to while he's gone and possibly add my musical touch to it. When he returns in the fall, he plans on recording and producing the album here in PGH and he has asked me to help out. Pretty freakin' cool. I had to pick up all of the individual music tracks last night for the 10 unfinished songs. Over the next few months I'll dissect the album, assemble and mix the songs, learn them inside and out to see what I can come up with. Hopefully, when he returns in September, I'll have come up with something he'll like and we can get moving on finishing the project.

The New Brace

I had my first post surgery doctor's visit today. Everything is going well; my insides are fine and my outsides are fine. My spinal fusion is healing nicely and my incisions are looking healthy. I dig my throat scar. Today was the first day I got to see it since it was covered with surgically tape before. It's small and the doctors did a great job of keeping it compact and slim ... but it is still there. I'll have to come up with a great story to go along with it ... you know, like in the movie 'Jaws' when they all start comparing scars and stories. Anterior cervical spinal fusion sounds too wussy and technical ... back alley knife fight in the outskirts of Shanghai sounds much more interesting ... or something like that.

I get to start wearing this 'soft collar' instead of the hard plastic brace I was previously sporting. Damn, this new 'collar' is bulkier and more in my face than the hard brace ... it's like a wrapped a small pillow around my neck. What the heck? I'm a little disappointed about this. I thought I was going to get something smaller, more comfortable and easier to conceal.

Anyway ... I have to wear the collar for at least 3 more weeks (ugh) 24 hours a day (minus the showers) but I am allowed to drive now. Huh? ... I don't see how that is recommended since this collar is more obtrusive than the last one.

oh well ... I see the doctor again in 2 months and then I'll start physical therapy.

I'm still supposed to take it easy, no lifting more than 20 lbs, so my summer is going to be pretty laid back.

Below is a pic I took of my xray today. Nice shot of my hardware, huh?

Recovering

I've left my house 3 times in the last 15 days.

Yup ... going a little stir crazy.

I've had a handfull of visitors, read one book, played a lot of piano, taken plenty of oxycontin, watched 8 good netflix films, watched too much bad tv and played a ton of xbox to help pass the time.

I also designed the flyer for the next show I'm promoting and arranged promotions in all of the local papers:

oh ... and I also did a little bit of work work.

I have an appointment with my doctor next week (5 days from now). Hopefully I will be told that I'm allowed to start driving again.

The Brace

Visiting hours have now begun

Today I had my first visitors over since my surgery last week. 'Clover', 'Schaf' and 'Litl' stopped by for a few hours. They brought me a case of Heineken, a beautiful bouquet of 'Get Well Soon' flowers and a 'Freedom is not Free' lap blanket from the Vets. Awesome! Thanks for thinking of me!

Post Surgery

My anterior cervical spinal fusion surgery was on Wednesday. I passed with flying colors. The surgery was a success; the two herniated discs that were touching my spinal cord were removed and I no longer have pain in my left arm. I was out of the hospital and back home by Thursday evening, a day earlier than expected ... of course, I'm in a huge amount of pain, all over my body, but that is expected. I'm also a bit loopy as I write this since I'm on a pretty steady dose of Oxicotin.

There was a little problem during my 'coming to' after surgery though. As the doctors were removing the breathing tube from my lungs and bringing me off of the anesthetic, my lungs filled up with fluid. I was told that this doesn't happen too often but basically as I was waking I felt like I was drowning. Every time I took a breath my lungs would just fill up. I would choke the fluid out but then gasp for another breath and again, lungs full of water. It was pretty intense since I was just coming to and didn't have any idea what was happening. The doctors had to hold me down as I panicked ... I remember blood gushing from my nose from where the breathing tube was pulled out ... I was injected with something to calm me down as the doctors just kept shouting at me to cough up the fluid or swallow it or spit it out ... they also shoved a suction hose down my throat to help remove the fluid. This went on for about 10 to 15 minutes; me just coughing and coughing ... like I was just dunked in a pool and choking on water. It took most for the day before my lungs were finally cleared. I had to wear an oxygen mask for close to 24 hours.

Anyway, now I am at home, 3 days since my surgery ... bruised, swollen and sore all over. I have to wear neck brace for 6 to 8 weeks to protect the spinal fusion and I am not allowed to drive for at least 3 weeks. Not much is going to be happening on this end for a while but that's cool with me. I'm tired and beat up and I need some rest.

Lobotomy Scars or Alien Abduction markings?

"The Force is strong in this one ..."

Detroit DJs

I also went and saw Rick Wilhite perform at the AVA Lounge this weekend. Iwas joined by 'Mr. Jones', 'C.A.' and countless other friends.


Rick Wilhite is a veteran in the Detroit electronic music scene. His collaboration with the group 3 Chairs (with Kenny Dixon Jr aka Moodyman, Theo Parrish & Malik Pittman) along with his stunning, but too rare, releases makes him one of the most sought after Detroit DJs.
Rick, along with 3 Chairs, has played at countless venues around the world, mostly at the most prestigious clubs and festivals. Rick also owns and operatea the legendary Vibes New And Rare Music record store in Detroit. Additionally, Wilhite has worked alongside many electronic music pioneers, such as Juan Atkins and Derrick May. Rick Wilhite’s sets are simply unforgettable; his skills paired with his amazing sense of music are a journey into the deep sounds of Detroit house.


The place was packed and there was a great vibe with people dancing and getting into the groove ...

... dispite the fact that 'Brotha Mike' fell asleep during Rick's set.

2 days and counting ...

... until my surgery. The idea of it all is finally just setting in. I really haven't had time to think about it over the last few weeks because I've been so busy.

All last week I hosted two coworkers of mine from Germany here in Pgh. We had to attend a Steel Makers Technology Conference that my company was a part of. Every waking minute was spent with them either eating, drinking, working at the Convention Center, driving them around, shopping, site seeing, etc. It was nice having them here because it kept my mind off of what was happening to me this week but it sure was exhausting.

I also had a friend from college stay with me over this last weekend who was in town on business. We got to go out to eat with friends and do some catching up.

I really haven't had any time to myself in the last few weeks. Probably a good thing.

Now I'm sitting here thinking about what I have to pack for my stay in the hospital. Thinking about what I may need at my house during my 3 week, no driving, recovery time. Of course, I know I'll have friends and family that will be able to take care of me and go out and get things I may need ... I'm just thinking too much trying to prepare myself. I'm also going a hundred different directions trying to prepare my company for a temporary hiatus; making sure I can leave the office unmanned for a few days or weeks, etc.

I've also been very busy playing and recording new music with friend; something that is very new to me. The playing of music is not new ... but the recording for a professional album is. My friend, who is currently signed to a UK record label, is working on a few new albums and he needs keyboard/piano on a few songs. He has enlisted me to drop some keyboard riffs on a few of his songs. Pretty amazing stuff and very interesting on how we are recording between his home studio and at my house through my laptop ... but that will be saved for another post all together.

Van Halen, Pittsburgh (Finally)

The curtain rose as the band jumped right into 'Pretty Woman' while Dave screamed to the crowd 'Better late than never. Right, you motherfxckers?!?' alluding to the fact that the show was postponed since March. From that point on I had chills for most of the night; It brought back so many memories hearing and watching those guys. Dave was super cheesy but I got used to it ... I started to see some of his 80's antics, that I remembered and loved, still creeping out from behind his shaved chest, short hair and marching band costumes that he's into today. Eddie and Alex were spot on ... no complaints there. It was great to see them so happy, laughing and smiling and getting along. Dave yelled at Eddie once for jumping into a song too early saying, 'Damn, are you in a hurry tonight?' but they all just had a chuckle. Dave forgot lyrics but Eddie didn't mind ... and there were some feedback issues that Dave kept complaining about, getting testy with the sound guys, 'They paid for a show, not for feedback ... fxckin' fix it.' Yeah, Diamond Dave was dropping F bombs the whole night; it kind of felt like the aging rockstar was trying to still seem so cool complete with his continuous sexually promiscuous jabbering during and between songs all night long. But the vibe on stage seemed very light, super fun and super tight; it genuinely looked like they were having fun performing together ... and that's all I could ask for.

Overall I loved it. I had seats in the upper section, center stage, and the crowd around me was a 'sit down' crowd but I didn't mind. I was able to fully watch everything on stage with no distractions.

Setlist:

01. You Really Got Me (from Van Halen, 1978)

02. I'm the One (from Van Halen, 1978)

03. Runnin' With the Devil (from Van Halen, 1978)

04. Romeo Delight (from Women and Children First, 1980)

05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor (from Van Halen II, 1979) w/ a bit of The Who "Magic Bus' Jam

06. Beautiful Girls (from Van Halen II, 1979)

07. Dance the Night Away (from Van Halen II, 1979)

08. Atomic Punk (from Van Halen, 1978)

09. Everybody Wants Some (from Women and Children First, 1980) w/ a bit of Eric Clapton "Crossroads" Jam

10. So This Is Love? (from Fair Warning, 1981)

11. Mean Street (from Fair Warning, 1981)

12. Pretty Woman (from Diver Down, 1982)

13. Alex Van Halen Drum Solo

14. Unchained (from Fair Warning, 1981)

15. I'll Wait (from 1984, 1984)

16. And the Cradle Will Rock (from Women and Children First, 1980)

17. Hot for Teacher (from 1984, 1984)

18. Little Dreamer (from Van Halen, 1978)

19. Little Guitars (from Diver Down, 1982)

20. Jamie's Cryin' (from Van Halen, 1978)

21. Ice Cream Man (from Van Halen, 1978) w/ acoustic Diamond Dave Intro

22. Panama (from 1984, 1984)

23. Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption")

24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (from Van Halen, 1978) w/ a bit of Deep Purple "Smoke on the Water" Jam
Encore
25. 1984 (from 1984, 1984)

26. Jump (from 1984, 1984)

The difference a year makes ...

My backyard spring of 2007

My backyard today

Aren't there cartoons on to keep you busy?

Spring is here, the windows are open and my 13 year old neighbor has a new hobby ... 'skateboarding' at 8:30am on a Saturday morning ... and by 'skateboarding' I mean attempting numerous failed ollies then kicking his board around the street in frustration.

I usually don't sleep in too late but being woken up by this racket isn't the way to start off the weekend. I could have used another hour. And now that I am awake I am reminded of how much tequila (and wine and Jameson) I drank at the club where I promote and at 'MJ's' birthday party over at the 'Firehouse' last night ...

Tequila

It makes me happy

Con Tequila it feels fine

Con Tequila when the doors are opened

And con Tequila when they're calling time

Con Tequila, Con Tequila, Con Tequila,

Con Tequila when they're calling time.

Ode to Jose the curse of Cuervo

So hard to say no though it gives one the fever

(Con Tequila) Oh con Tequila

(Con Tequila) Oh con Tequila

That's the curse of Sierra sunrise and Margarita

They'll break your heart in the desert heat

(Con Tequila) Oh con tequila

(Con Tequila) They make me feel ...

They'll tell you you're sober

(And tell you you're thirsty)

Over...

(They'll tell you you're fine)

That you're sober

(Pretends to be friendly)

Over...

Then the curse of Tequila

It makes me happy

Con Tequila it feels fine

Con Tequila when the doors are opened

And con Tequila when they're calling time

That's the curse of Tequila

It makes me happy

Con Tequila it feels fine

Con Tequila when the doors are opened

And con Tequila when they're calling time

That's the curse of Tequila

If there's a lot on your mind it's there to help you forget

To relax and rewind and leave behind the regret

First sip makes you well before you know it's time

And you're saying to hell with the salt, lemon and lime

Salt, lemon and lime, time

Tequila

It makes me happy

Con Tequila it feels fine

Con Tequila when the doors are opened

And con Tequila when they're calling time

That's the curse of Tequila

Yeah, I just posted a song about tequila.

I used to play this song all of the time when I DJed back in the late 90's.

The Roots

I just got in from seeing The Roots live, a free show that was a part of Carnegie Mellon University's Spring Carnival. I was practically the oldest one there but it didn't matter. This is the second time I've seen The Roots here in Pgh and the experience was just about the same as the last; THEY KILLED IT! rocking a 2 hour show that spanned Hip Hop, Jazz Fusion, Heavy Metal and even some Bob Dylan.

I don't own a single Roots album, yet I'll always go see them live because of the kind of show they put on. You can't top the energy, talent and skill these guys have. They are not just a hip hop band. Heck, they even have a tuba player in the line up this time.

Tonight, along with their usual set of Roots songs, they played their medley of old hip hop songs that I've heard them do before. But this time it started off with Iron Butterfly (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida) that went into Incredible Bongo Band (Apache), then there was Talib Kwali (Get By) into Biz Markie (You got what I need) into Old Dirty Bastard (Shimmy Shimmy Ya) into Tribe Called Quest (Award Tour), some Snoop Dogg (Who Am I, What's my name) into Mims (This is Why I'm Hot), Afrika Bambaataa (Planet Rock) into Salt and Peppa (Push It) plus many more that I can't name but surely recognized.

The Roots also completely surprised and amazed me with a their own version of the Mars Volta 'Con Safro' which included them shouting Jame's Brown-like phrases back and forth like 'Get on up', 'Get in to it', 'Soul Power', etc.

Of course, their own songs were awesome too ... but what was most interesting was their 'break' between sets when Captain Kirk the guitarist, Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson the tuba player and ?uestlove, the drummer, performed an epic 10+ minute version of Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' that started off with the National Anthem and included some riffs from Led Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused', The Gap Band's 'You Dropped a Bomb on Me' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Machine Gun'.

Here it is performed at Bonnaroo in three parts:
Part 1 (Gap Band riff towards the end)
Part 2 (?uestlove drum solo with crazy effects)
Part 3 (Captain Kirk guitar solo with 'Machine Gun')

The Roots came back on and did a few more tunes, finishing with, of course, 'The Seed' but what made my night, and what threw the crowd into a frenzy was their short cover of Curtis Mayfield's 'Move on Up' at the end. Whooo!

A great night for a free concert (free parking too), beautiful weather and a decent crowd.

Note: BOOOO! to my friends 'The Jones'' and 'Clover' who bailed out on going with me at the last minute.

Last night was a movie night for me ...

but not in the sense that I watched movies. Well, I did actually start watching Sweeny Todd before I left the house but anyway ...

Last night around 9pm, as I was heading out for my usual Tuesday night rounds (bar crawling) in East Liberty, I ran into some filming of the new Julianne Moore thriller 'Shelter' outside of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. The whole street, and the front of the church, was lit up like it was daylight. There were a bunch of huge spotlights perched on top of the surrounding buildings lighting the area. To give an idea, this church is pretty big, taking up a whole block. I checked it out for a bit since there was no security blocking the area. The place was buzzing with crew doing various things but nothing exciting really happened. I assumed it was mostly second unit filming since no actors were present while I was there. After thinking about it for awhile, I also thought that maybe they were filming in the church and were using the spotlights to simulate daylight through the windows. Bah ... anyway ...

After that, I proceeded across the street to my hangout to meet a friend of mine who I haven't seen in awhile for a drink. I told her about the filming going on outside and she starts telling me that she is actually involved in another movie being filmed right now called 'She's Out of My League'. Weird coincidence. I had heard about this movie being filmed; it's been in the news and I know they did some filming with the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team down at the arena. Anyway, my friend ended up inviting me to a cast and crew party for the film next Wednesday down in the Strip District. Nice ... except after IMDB-ing the movie I noticed that I do not recognize any of the 'stars' in the film. Oh well ... free party.

I drove me friend home and then went back to the bar (it was only 10:45pm) only to run into another friend who just got done working on the film 'The Road' starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron. We sat at the bar for a good time and chatted about it all. He mentioned he'll be a part of the crew for a new 3-d horror film 'My Bloody Valentine' that starts filming in May. This is getting good.

Very interesting how Pittsburgh has been all a buzz these last 6 months with all of the movies being filmed here ... celebrity sitings at local spots such as Whole Foods and dive bars.

In fact, I ran into another friend about a month ago while I was out shopping for shoes. I knew this woman was a local designer who owned her own boutique but I was confused when I saw her at the store shuffling through 4 or 5 boxes of shoes, clipboard in hand, looking like she was restocking and not shopping. After we said hello, I almost made the mistake of asking her if she was working there (you never know) but luckily she noticed my confusion and told me she was shopping for the production of Kevin Smith's new movie 'Zac and Miri make a Porno'.

It's awesome to see that many of my friends are getting involved in this movie action; local talent being employed to work on these big Hollywood films. Great opportunities for them and our city.

Straight and to the point ...

Found this unique advertisement crammed through the handle of my screen door when I got home from work yesterday. Awesome.

Recent Parties of Mine Pt. 2

Last night was the fundraiser dance party for the non profit group Just Harvest that I helped coordinate. Just Harvest is a lcoal grass roots group that works to influence public policy and to educate, empower, and mobilize the citizens of the community toward the elimination of hunger and poverty. The evening was a success, the place was crowded, people were shakin' it and a good amount of money, and more importantly awareness, was raised for the organization.

Here are some pics:

All pics were taken by Brea Jay who donated her time and camera skills to the cause. The rest of the 197 pics she took that night can be seen in her album over at Picasa. I also need to thank the DJs 'Steve', 'Buscrates' and 'SMI' for donating their time and crates of records and also the Shadow Lounge and all of their staff for their donation of the venue and flyers.