And The Winner Is...

The results are in, and the winner of the What Is This contest is ..........

LAUREN!!

Lauren said "I think it looks like the band of a really wide watch or chainmail" which has been officially delcared by the judges to be close enough. This is actually a covering wrapped around a support pole at the Mall of America. (The camera is looking up the pole to the ceiling.) It appears to be constructed in a chainmail-like manner, very much like a watch band, but on a larger scale. Each of those metal segments is about 2 inches long.

Congratulations Lauren, you win ... nothing really.

Contest: What is This?

I took this picture over the weekend. Can anybody guess what it is?
If you guess correctly, you will win a priceless prize:

The admiration of all my countless readers around the globe.

Adding Tracks to Rock Box

I apologize for not adding anything to the Rock Box for 4 months. I'm sure Apocalyptica is getting pretty stale by now.

Here’s a batch of songs from CDs I’ve bought since then. I’ll get around to telling about them later.

1. “Insurgentes” by Steven Wilson (see also Porcupine Tree) from his solo album Insurgentes
2. “A Rite of Passage” by Dream Theater, from their newest album Black Clouds & Silver Linings
3. “Goshen’s Remains” by Pure Reason Revolution, from ­The Dark Third
4. "Burden" by Opeth, from Watershed
5. “Money, It’s Pure Evil” by Bigelf, from Cheat the Gallows
6. “Fragile” by Lacuna Coil, from Karmacode

Enjoy!

Snow Pix. Finally!

Hey, remember when I said I took pictures while snow biking with J-9? Well I finally got them developed.

My wheels were in an artistic mood that day.

J-9 rockin' teeter-totter #2.

Me on teeter-totter #2.

With scenery this beautiful, you can understand why snow biking is so awesome.

(The snow is pretty, too!) ;-)

Ready to go home.

After the thaw, J-9 takes on teeter-totter #1.

A park bench in Omaha.

Special Delivery!

Look what arrived over the weekend!



In August Big Rig, Jeep, Princess Flip Flop and I will be going to see Dream Theater's Progressive Nation 2009 Tour in Minneapolis.

Featured bands:
Dream Theater (YAAAAAY!!!!)
Zappa Plays Zappa (Not my cup of tea.)
Pain of Salvation (YAAAY!!)
Beardfish (A modern prog band that sounds like older prog. I'm not too familiar with them. At least the opening act is not Into Eternity. YAAY!)

Manawa Pics

Good news, folk. I finally joined the 21st century and got a digital camera! (It was free with the renewal of my apartment lease.) So now you don't have to wait 6 months for me to put pictures up here. I still need to develope the pictures of snow biking with J-9.

This weekend my little brother Mr. Pibb was finally able to meet some of my best friends: Jeep and Midge (previously known as "Seashells"). We went out to Lake Manawa for some adventure.
Mr. Pibb on his first teeter totter!


Mr. Pibb on Teeter Totter #2

Midge (aka Seashells) on Teeter Totter #2

Me coming down Teeter Totter #1

Me on a small log ride

Mr. Pibb, Midge, and Jeep

A very colorful train on the interstate

1st Dirt!

The weather was awesome on Saturday so Jeep, J-9, and I went to Swanson Park. The trail was in great condition and we had a blast. Well I had a blast.

This is the first time I've been able to take my New Hotness out on the dirt it was made for. All my previous outings with it have either been in the snow or on pavement. She did quite well.

Apocalyptica, Worlds Collide

Album: Worlds Collide
Artist: Apocalyptica
Year: 2007
Great, but could be better.

Turn your speakers on. Of course you should already be in the habit of turning your speakers on when you come to my blog because you have come to expect some high quality musical awesomeness when you visit.

So take a moment and listen closely. Let me tell you what you are NOT hearing. You are NOT hearing a down-tuned electric guitar. You don’t hear any guitars at all. You don’t even hear any bass guitar. You don’t hear any synthesizers either.

All you hear are drums and cellos. That’s all. Sure these are cellos on steroids – occasionally electrified, amplified, and distorted – but they are all cellos and not guitars. (To be completely honest, there is also a short piano part in this song.)

Apocalyptica started out as four cellists from Finland playing Metallica songs on their first two albums. Now they are three cellists and a drummer with the occasional guest musician and/or singer.

Featured singers on this album include Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Till Lindermann of Rammstein, Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace, and Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil.

I love what this band does. They force you to admit that the most seemingly unmetal instrument can in fact belong in a metal environment – and can do very well at it. They push the boundaries of the instruments that they have worked hard to master. They blur the lines of what belongs where.

There are a few things about this album that I’m not too fond of. It seems to be geared more toward metal, than to prog. Only one song is longer than 4.5 minutes (5:49). And they mostly follow a typical hard rock song structure, even the instrumentals, which makes them a bit simple and predictable for my taste.

The mastering level seems to be a bit hot, too. I don’t have the fancy software to prove it by graphing the waveform; I’m just relying on my ears, but it seems to lack some dynamics that I’m sure where there with the original performance, and there could be a little more clarity to allow the beautiful texture of their instruments to shine through. It’s not bad at all; but it might be able to be better. But then I’ve been a bit spoiled by listening to a lot of Steven Wilson recordings lately.

In a nutshell, Apocalyptica causes the metal heads and the classical prudes to take a look at each other and realize that they aren’t so different after all. And that is exactly what I’ve always believed. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of their albums.

(Added Worlds Collide by Apocalyptica to rock box)

Snow Biking!

J-9 and I went snow biking at Lake Manawa on Saturday. I don't have those pictures developed yet, but I do have my pictures from my previous snow biking expedition a few weeks ago.


Yes, I rode that snow covered teeter-totter. So did J-9 when she was with me last time. More pictures to follow. ... Eventually.

Winter Wonderland! My bike is playing Where's Waldo.

I can hear them now: "Don't worry; I'm not going too fast. I have 4-wheel drive!"

I had a great day, but I don't think this guy did.

Tagged byAmy

This is at the YSA New Years Eve party (2009). When I arrived they were having a robot building contest. Each team would cover a person with cardboard boxes and miles of aluminum foil. In this picture the completed robots are dancing to “Mr. Roboto” by Styx (Random border-line Prog moment).

After the robot contest they started the dance, so of course I left. I have a very strict No Dance policy.

Now it’s your turn…
The Rules:
Go to your documents/pictures.
Go to your 6th file.
Go to your 6th picture.
Blog about it.
Tag 6 people to do the same.

I Tag:
Nobody. This is where I break the rules. If somebody sees this and would like to do it, then they are free to do so. Sorry, Amy.

Muzak Files for Bankruptcy

Read the whole article here.

NEW YORK -- Muzak Holdings LLC, the maker of elevator music, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday.

The company had heavy debt load, and it filed to try to refinance some of its debt. Its total debt is between $100 million and $500 million and it has assets of less than $50,000, Muzak said in a court filing.

Fort Mill, S.C.-based Muzak filed for court protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware in Wilmington. The company expects to continue to operate as is. A statement said it has "sufficient means" to support itself through a bankruptcy reorganization.

Let them go under! And pray they don't get a government bail-out.
My issue with Muzak: They remove all emotions from a song by systematically changing the instrumentation, altering the tempo, removing dynamics, etc. Essentially neutering it by removing its very soul, all in the name of keeping the listeners complacent.

Porcupine Tree summed it up pretty well when comparing modern music to Muzak:
“... It’s only meant to repress and neutralize your brain.
Soul gets squeezed out
Edges get blunt
Demographic gives what you want.”

Hear for yourself.
(added The Sound of Muzak to the Rock Box.)

Happy Valentine's

Valentine’s Day is coming up and I’m single, so let me just tell you that being without a significant other on Valentine’s Day … absolutely ROCKS!

Really, it’s awesome! I don’t have to do squat for ANYBODY!

I don’t have to buy any jewelry, or gifts, or take anybody to a ridiculously priced restaurant. I don’t have to buy a sappy card and then think of more sappy stuff to write in it because apparently it wasn’t sappy enough to begin with. I don’t have to come up with any romantic surprises. I don’t have to feel pressured to empty the already meager bank account for a single day of splurging, because apparently being unable to pay the rent is romantic.

I don’t have to fret about what her mysterious expectations might be so I can at least meet them in order to pacify her. I don’t feel pressured to advance a relationship to the next level because it would be expected for me to do so on this particular day.

And let’s face it; it’s a one-sided “holiday.” Sure women will give their guys a token gift like a card or some stupid little teddy bear, but honestly he does not want any of those things. Instead of Valentine’s Day being about celebrating your love for each other, it seems as if it is about men having to prove their love for a woman against a ridiculous standard set by soap operas and romantic comedies. Then she gets all upset because you didn’t propose to her in a hot air balloon over Paris – even if you are already married!

First of all, ladies, don’t expect real men to act like the leading men in the movies unless you want us to expect you to look like the leading ladies. We know you are a real woman without a team of personal trainers, dietitians, hair and makeup artists, controlled lighting, and digital airbrushing to make you look perfect from every angle at every moment. We love you for what you really are, and we only expect the same in return.

Second, do you realize that somebody else wrote the lines the guy says in the movies? Really, it’s true; watch the credits at the end. How romantic would it be if your man pulled out a piece of paper to read a romantic monologue that his sister-in-law wrote about how you complete him by filling the eternal void that has engulfed his soul until the very instant he set eyes upon you?

A real man – the best you can ask for – will think as hard as he can for something that is both romantic and truthful without sounding completely retarded. Then he’ll look deep into your eyes, gather his courage, and from the bottom of his heart he'll say, “You’re cool.”

Then he’ll realize from the look on your face that that was the wrong thing to say – either because it wasn’t sappy enough or maybe it was TOO sappy; he won’t know which – so he’ll laugh and say “Just kiddin’.” and slug you in the shoulder.

And third, you and your significant other should both be showing your love by the things you do the other 364 days a year. If the health of your relationship rests on a "holiday" printed on the calendar then maybe you have some issues to work on together.

Ok that's enough. This post started out as celebration of singlehood and ended up as a long winded rant. Sorry about that.

My point is that on this February 14th I'll be doing the same thing I do every day. Whatever the heck I want!

I know my Valentine's Day will be good; I hope yours is too.

In Loving Memory

"The B-2"

2005 Diamondback Sorrento

My 1st post-mission bike.

The fork crown was originally black, but in the sun it faded into a really cool copper.

Merry Christmas!

My new ride.

2004 Trek 4300

Tentatively called "The New Hotness"

Good Hiding Spot

This is how the delivery man concealed a package under my door mat. Very inconspicuous. It's so well hidden it may have even gone unnoticed for days before I found it. My door mat always stands up on it's own like that, so naturally it would be a good place to hide a box behind it. Good thinking, delivery man.

Clydesdale

A couple years ago my coworker/biking buddy “Hoppy McJumpsalot” was encouraging me to join the mountain bike racing team he was on. At the time I mostly rode on paved trails and had managed to lose 30 pounds in the process. I had only started mountain biking a couple months earlier, so I knew I wasn’t skilled enough to enter a race without humiliating myself.

I went online to check the race results from the previous weekend and compared them to my own lap times for the same course. I told Hoppy that in order for me to be competitive I would have to enter the children’s division, or at the very least, gain back 15 pounds in order to race as a Clydesdale - the division for racers who are over 200 pounds.

Well, I’m very sad to say that due to laziness and my love for yummy food, I once again qualify as a Clydesdale. :-(

Like my toenails?

Keep Tahoe Blue

Last night I saw a truck with this bumper sticker. The truck had Nebraska license plates and an emblem for a dealership in Blair.

I spent the first 6 months of my mission in South Lake Tahoe, and these stickers are everywhere. I'm kicking myself for not bringing a stack of them home with me.

.

My favorites were the people that would modify their bumper stickers to say something else, i.e. "KEEP A HO TRUE" or "I PEED IN TAHOE."

I had almost forgotten about these bumper stickers that brought so much simple joy into my life. I jumped up and down with excitement and nostalgia in the driver's seat as I followed the truck down the road.

Blog Maintenance

I've done a little maintenance as you may have noticed. Or maybe you haven’t.

- I changed the settings so anybody can leave a comment now, even if you do not have an account with Blogger or Google. So now you don't have any excuses.

- I made the links to other blogs all fancy so they display the title of their most recent post.

- And I added a new song to my Rock Box. “One Day All This Could Be Yours” by Oceansize. I didn’t really feel like writing a review of the entire album (Effloresce), so I just added this song here, which is by far my favorite song on the album. I don’t think the Rock Box really does the song justice. It’s severely lacking all the movement from the bass line, causing the song to seem slower and less active, but the vocal harmonies come through very nicely. It’s so nice to hear a song with 6 beats per measure that does not sound like a waltz. That's right folks, there is no rule that says the accents have to be on beats 1 and 4!

Yes, And...

Yes, I was able to go see Robin’s act in Ft. Dodge and it was great. Very funny. I had forgotten how sweet her voice is. It doesn’t matter what she says, just as long as it’s in her distinct voice. If you’ve ever heard her speak you would know what I mean. There was quite a long line of people waiting to talk to her after the show, so I was only able to see her long enough to give her a quick hug and slip her my email address. (Robin … I’m waiting …)

I meant to shake hands with her stage partner too, but I think I was kind of flustered about not being able to say more than two words to Robin because I don’t even remember seeing him after I left the crowd around her, but I’m sure he was only 10 feet away. Sorry I missed you, Matt. You were great too. Consider your hand eShaked.

I wish them both the greatest of success.

This Might Explain Why I'm Going Crazy

Go to a party to cut dementia risk, study says

LONDON - Keeping a full social calendar may help protect you from dementia, researchers said on Monday.

Socially active people who were not easily stressed had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with men and women who were isolated and prone to distress, they reported in the journal Neurology.

"... Our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further."

Click on the link above to read the whole article.

Go See Robin!

Back in high school I knew this wonderful redhead, Robin Corsberg. (Yes, I’m using her real name. Google it. She won’t mind; this is free advertisement.) Robin was born with the gift to make people smile and laugh. She was hilarious, and she would share her humor with the rest of us through Drama and Speech. I think she loved the stage almost as much as the stage loved her. I didn’t know her as well as I would have liked to, but I was one of her many fans.

I do remember one time when she gave me a hug up in the light booth of the auditorium. (Just a hug. Don’t read more into that.) I don’t remember why either one of us was up there, but it must have been before a performance because she apologized for getting makeup on my shirt. She had no way of knowing, but at that particular time I really appreciated every hug I could get. (I still do.)

When we graduated I figured the next time I saw Robin she would be on a movie screen. It turns out she is currently going around the country doing what she does best: improv comedy. She has been a member of Ryan Stiles’ improv troupe and has warmed up the audience for Whose Line Is It Anyway?

This Friday (1/16/2009) I’ll be skipping out of work early to go up to Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa to watch her perform with Matt Slater. I encourage you all to go too, or see her when she comes to a city near you.

For more info, go here: http://underpressureandready.com/bio.php

Sacrament Kiss

(Listen closely. This one's juicy.)
I was in church yesterday and sitting in front of me, slightly to my left, was an amazingly beautiful girl. I don't mean "girl-next-door pretty." I mean "super-model-movie-star gorgeous." Occasionally I would glance away from the speaker to momentarily admire the beautiful scenery the Lord had blessed me with.

At one point I noticed she had a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. Then just like in the movies, she lifted the peanut butter cup to her mouth in slow motion. Or maybe it only seemed like slow motion to me as my brain focused on savoring every detail of this delightful moment.

The surroundings seemed to blur away until nothing else existed except for her, with her long luxurious hair blowing gently in the breeze that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. The speaker's voice disappeared and was replaced by the sound of harps.

The peanut butter cup was poised between her slender, perfectly manicured fingers. Elegant fingers that must have turned away hundreds of offers to star in moisturizer commercials. She raised the decadent treat to her mouth with a gracefulness that would make Aphrodite jealous. Her luscious lips began to part and puckered ever so slightly in anticipation.

Then her anxious lips knocked the peanut butter cup out of her hand, causing it to roll down her arm and plop onto the pew.

The harps stopped, the chapel reappeared, and I couldn't keep myself from letting out a playful chortle. She blushed a bit and looked behind to see who had witnessed her private blunder, as I gave a playfully exaggerated look to indicate "I didn't seen anything." She looked forward for a second and then turned around to face me again. As a peace offering, or perhaps to bribe my silence, right there in the middle of the chapel with everybody watching, to my great surprise SHE GAVE ME A KISS!

I'm An Uncle!

Again!
Briahna Lee ______ was born to Dave & Kasey this morning.
9 lbs, 7 oz
That's one hefty girl, but she's still not as big as I was.
I'm going to stop by the hospital to see them after work.
Have a (chocolate)cigar, everybody!

Rock Box!

Hey, check out my new rock box on the right! There are enough music related posts on here that I really needed to be able to let you hear a bit of what I'm talking about. Right now there is just a small sample of songs/bands I have mentioned, and it's currently about half heavy, half light.

Enjoy!