Blackened Sun

Progressive Nation Tour!

My reviews of concerts are never that impressive (in my opinion) as I don’t know song names for most of the bands I check out in concert. I just know I love the music.

It was a last minute concert this time. I was supposed to go see Aerosmith last week (postponed), and I’m leaving for a week-long vacation this week, so I originally said no to Dream Theater in an bid to not spend too much money prior to the trip. However, I was on my way home from visiting family as my friend messaged me telling me he got the “green light” (from his wife) to go see Dream Theater, and he already bought a ticket. I was anxious to go to a concert since I didn’t get to go to Aerosmith, so I decided to run along.

I didn’t get there until after both the openers played, so I don’t know how they sound, and I can’t make any comment on them. BigElf and Scale the Summit were the openers. Only slightly disappointed I missed them, as I like checking out new bands.

We had amazing seats, about halfway up the theater – Ruth Eckerd Hall – and literally dead center (there was even a line on the floor right in front of me that represented the center of the theater). My only disappointment is that it was a theater, as I prefer general admission shows. Assigned seating just doesn’t have the same vibe as being in a packed group of people on the floor.

We did talk amusingly to some of the ushers in the theater. The place really seemed to be more “upscale” than it should for a band like Dream Theater to play in. Most of the ushers were old (I’d put them at 60+), and they really looked like they were a little out of place among all of the prog rock fans.

Zappa Plays Zappa came up next. I honestly can’t think of a single Zappa song as it is, and I don’t know if I EVER listened to his music, so I didn’t know what to expect. It started poorly and I just really didn’t have a high opinion of the group. It was just very slow, and the first song they played all I could think of was “is the song going to pick up?? come on… more beat! MORE SPEED!”

Thankfully they read my mind, and they certainly kept improving with each song, and I did enjoy them by the end of their set (atleast, the first half). We ended up going downstairs for a couple more beers, picked up the Dream Theater tour shirt, and talked to some random fellow concertgoers. I picked up the black tour shirt with brown “Dream Theater” written going up the left side, with of course all of their Tour information on the back. Apparently Florida is the first stage of the US tour (they just came from touring in Europe).

After Zappa Plays Zappa ended, we went back to our seats to get ready for Dream Theater.

Dream Theater played an awesome set, and the crowd was going almost the entire time. During a couple slower songs the majority of the audience actually sat down… I was a little surprised at that. I honestly only have their Train of Thought album, so I didn’t know a lot of songs, and I wasn’t expecting to figure out any of the songs. My friend said earlier today, after listening to one of the songs on Pandora, that he DID recognize, possibly “Endless Sacrifice”. Beyond that, we don’t know what songs they played. It was all very good, though, of course. I’ll definitely try to see them again next time they come around. Also, I definitely need to pick up more of their CDs.

They had a very short break (not even 5 minutes…) between their main set and their encore.

One of the coolest parts was that I noticed that the keyboardist had an iPhone/iPod Touch on his keyboard, and during one of the songs, he started doing a “solo” using the iPhone. I was completely blown away and thought that was so cool that he used it in that way. The guy in front of me actually heard me say “what app is that??” and he showed me on his phone. So if you want to spend 1.99, check out “Bebot” app for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It’s basically just robot (synth) sounds depending on where your fingers are on the screen. Very fun to play with. The default sounds that I used didn’t sound like what he played, so I’m sure he fidgeted with the settings quite a bit! Jordan Rudess actually has a video demo of him using it.

A great show overall, that I’m glad was “early” (ended at midnight)… as it WAS on a Sunday and I had work in the morning. I’m certainly glad I sucked it up and went!

I certainly hope a friend will update this blog entry in the comments section with a setlist when he sees the band this coming weekend, to fill that missing bit of my review! Though I’m jealous of him because Queensryche is on the bill for that show, as special guests. I saw them once a couple years ago and I’d love to see them again.

UPDATE 2:15 pm -

Here’s the setlist!

[source] – Thanks to John Z for the link

Fashion, Politics, and Absurdity

Wow… honestly? How does Fashion fit into politics? I always figured that the changes Obama was doing with the country, with his recent attempts at health reform, energy reform, the closing of Guantanamo Bay, Iran, etc etc, would be far more important than what he wore to dinner with Michelle the other night.

Don’t they have anything better to do with their time than bitch and moan when they see Obama wearing “mom jeans” while throwing the first pitch at the 2009 All Star game? [source]

The president also offered some insights into his self-admitted lack of sartorial expertise.

“Up until a few years ago, I only had four suits,” the commander-in-chief said.

“I hate to shop. Those jeans are comfortable. And for those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry. I’m not the guy,” Obama added.

Obama’s jeans choice for his all-start game appearance were widely panned by fashion critics and even dubbed “mom jeans.”

I’m glad he can make fun of himself for it though, or at least defend himself and say “I don’t give a shit about what people think when it comes to what I wear”… but in much nicer verbiage. He SHOULD wear what’s comfortable. He is in THE toughest job in the nation, and should be capable of the small things that relieve him in the slightest of the stress that is the Presidency.

I can’t believe that people actually complain about what the President of the United States is wearing. I’m actually rather curious, does this happen elsewhere in the world as badly as it does in America? I’ll have to bug some of my international friends to answer this for me.

I don’t tend to notice the fashion police in politics, usually, as I just don’t follow politics enough. However, I was very into the last election, and I’m anxious to see how Obama does his first term in office. I really don’t want him to fail because that would mean devastation to the United States. But when I try to load the news to find out about his latest actions, and I see articles left and right bashing (or praising) the clothes that Obama and the First Lady wear, or the fact that he bowed for the Saudi king was “bad” (unlike respectful as I perceived him as being)… that is just absurd.

I must add this – out of everything PETA may have to complain about, and try to fight for, they decide to call Obama out on killing a FLY?? [source] I know that little bit is old news, but I still find myself shaking my head and going “wtf?” when I think about it or talk about it. I mean, PETA goes to extraordinary lengths ALL the time.

Slightly off topic, I honestly think that PETA should give up their extreme stance to a point. Take “everyone should be a vegetarian,” for an example. Sure, I can understand them arguing for it, but obviously it’s not going to be an easy thing to change. So why not try eliminating the treatment of cows that is currently happening for those massive caged farms for milk and beef? Why not advocate “if you can’t stop eating meat, at the LEAST treat the animals right, and only buy organic, grass fed [etc etc]“… I mean, that would appeal to a larger audience, and they would be able to make (a certain percentage of) their goal (of achieving global vegetarianism) a bit easier to accomplish.

So… Fashion: Stay the hell out of politics and start paying attention to what matters when it comes to politics, alright? What the President or First Lady (or anyone really) wear has NOTHING to do with how they perform their job!

Learning Something New: Jocularity

I just thought this was amusing. I honestly didn’t know the definition of jocularity before today. My program manager was using it in a conversation to the bulk of us in the office. And he used the word multiple times, so I was honest and said “what’s Jocularity?” and thankfully I wasn’t the only one that didn’t know, hahahaha…

So, another one of those “learn something new” days.

For those that don’t know:

jocularity – a feeling facetious merriment [source]

Now go out and use the word! I’ll probably forget it in a week. hah.

Lebowski Barber Salon

Home of the Well-Groomed Dude

My time here in Tampa has been a learning experience for barbershops. I need haircuts (wow, really?) and my first haircut was done in my neighborhood (a majorly black one), and the place I went to clearly didn’t get many white customers, and they didn’t seem to have a pair of scissors anywhere. After that, I ended up getting haircuts down near my parent’s house, but that required planning and timing, as they’re a little far away. I ended up sucking it up and going to a hair salon at the International Plaza, but I wasn’t a big fan that I had to pay 25 bucks just for a trim (which is usually as complex as my haircuts get), when I used to pay 10-15 in MA at an old-school barbershop in my hometown (which has since closed down… sad)

So, about 4 months ago I was driving my usual commute home and I notice that a building had a giant “Now Open!” barbershop sign on it. No information about what barbershop it was or anything like that. So I kept an eye out for it. Eventually I discover that the name of the place is Lebowski Barbershop… immediately making The Big Lebowski connection.

I checked out their website (it’s changed since then), and I was hooked. I mean, I didn’t even realize some of the stuff they had to offer. I basically saw that the “typical” haircut offered at 25 dollars, included:

• 1 Drink (white russians were the first thing that came to my mind)
• Hair Wash/Shampoo
• Robo Rub
• Haircut
• “MAN”-icure
• Shoe Shine

I said to myself “I can finally feel like I’m not wasting money for my haircut,” and I finally went there on Friday. I was so nervous actually with the rate that places have been opening and closing down here due to the economy, that I wasn’t even going to get a chance to check it out. Now that I’ve been there… I don’t think there’s anywhere else I’m ever going to go after this, and that they’ll do pretty well for themselves.

You walk in and there is plenty of seating, and they have pool tables, computers, and an area to practice your golf swing. They serve you your drink (I ended up getting a beer), and chose to just sit around and wait. The hair wash actually involves you standing up, leaning into the “shower” stall, with a gorgeous girl wearing short shorts washing your hair. Your head is right near her, and you’re just looking down at her legs the entire time. After that, you sit in a massage chair for a few minutes with a hot towel on your face (massage chairs sadly don’t do much for me, but it was still relaxing).

You step up onto the “stage” where the barber chairs are, which are soft, large, and comfortable. Towards the end you get your MANicure. I opted against the shoe shine as I had absolutely no reason to get one (with 20 dollar “dress” shoes from Walmart, lol)…

I ended up talking to the owner, who was working at the front desk (assuming he’s the owner, atleast) and I mentioned that I was surprised I didn’t see any White Russians as an option among the drinks, and apparently I just missed it, and he gave me a bottle of it. As I was taking it home “as a souvenir” as he worded it, I told him to sign it, haha. He wrote “dude” on it

Only thing I’m shocked about (how did the DUDE not think of this?!) was that there were no cupholders on the barber chair. I was surprised, but it didn’t faze my opinion of the place.

I am definitely going there again. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend it

Lebowski Barbershop – http://lebowskicuts.com/
813-221-DUDE
1254 Channelside Drive, Tampa FL

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Please Recycle

I have been trying more and more at being more responsible about waste and the size of my carbon footprint. It is rather appalling how little Florida has any decent recycling system in place. Quite a long time ago, I got my parents into the habit of recycling when we lived in Massachusetts, due to the curbside pickup of recyclables. We were one of the first ones in our city to jump into it as soon as they offered it in our neighborhood. Now we simply can’t imagine not being able to recycle and do our part to help the environment through it. Their neighborhood in Florida offers the same service as in MA, with pickups… However, the neighborhood that I lived in, here in Tampa, or neighborhoods that I have looked at to move to, don’t seem to have the option. Not even a place I can walk and drop stuff off in.

Therefore I find myself “forced” to throw away recyclables (primarily plastic bottles and cardboard boxes), as I have no known option. I winced every time I put a bottle in the trash.

It really was my own fault. It shows my laziness when it comes to recycling. I really only seemed to truly want  to do it when it was a convenience for me. Storing all of the bottles and other recyclables in containers I’d have to buy myself, and have to research for a place to deliver the recyclables to, seemed to never come to my mind.

I keep all my plastic bags, and try to bring them to Publix (who have receptacles ONLY for plastic bags), but it’s hard to remember to grab the bags to put in the car before heading out to the store. I have kept all the brown paper bags that I have gotten from Whole Foods since I started shopping there. I have a few cardboard boxes still from deliveries to my house, that I would love to be able to recycle if possible rather than toss them into the trash. Perhaps even just using them as storage boxes for around my house.

I am trying to find some decent aluminum water bottles to use (such as SIGG, but it’s a bit expensive), instead of buying bottled water, as much as I despise FL tap water. I got a lunch box (well, it was a giveaway from one of the SXSW events) for my lunches instead of using paper lunch bags. I’m going to start using aluminum foil for my sandwiches instead of the plastic bags that I currently use.

I don’t even know where to begin if I wanted to get back into my recycling groove, however. I need (and will) to sit down and plan out what my options are, and also look into my new (well, not quite yet) neighborhood has any recycling capabilities built into it.

I have made the first steps of getting my work to be more eco-friendly by working with a coworker on our own recycling enforcement. We’ll purchase the bins, and bring the recyclables to a facility ourselves, just to make sure people are recycling. Currently at work, we throw away a LOT of soda cans and shredded paper, every day. We really want to change this.

I hope you’re taking care of your environment, and perhaps my initiative and post will convince you to take more actions to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle more aspects of your lives.