The Raygun show recap...

My friend Joel and I got to see the Naked Raygun show on Saturday, December 22nd at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago.

The show was a DVD release party, and we were one of the first 100 through the door, so we got free signed copies of the DVD. How cool is that?!?!?

The evening started out kinda slow, the doors opened more than an hour before the DVD was played, and the DVD was pretty long when you're waiting for a concert. Don't get me wrong, the DVD was cool, but I was there to see the band play. I had not seen the band play in about 13 or 14 years, so I was really looking forward to it.

After the initial wait was over and the DVD was played, it was time for the show to begin. The 33 year old in me wanted to stand in the back of the club back and watch the show from a safe distance, so that was where I started. Halfway through the first song, the 17 year old in me took over and I made my way into the crowd. I pushed and shoved my way up to the stage and stayed there for the entire show. It was a blast. I was in the front row, just a little to the right of center, directly in front of the Michael Stephens, playing the guitar. The band played all of my favorite songs, and the sound was tight and pretty polished. They played stuff off of all of their albums, and even played a cover of "Suspect Device", originally written by Stiff Little Fingers. It was a really good show, if you ask me.

Highlights for the night:
1. The show was insane, it was just way too much fun.
2. The club was nice enough and the sound was excellent.
3. We got free DVDs and I got to talk to the band, as well as shake hands after the show was over.
4. They played "Suspect Device" which I have never heard them play live.

Not so good:
1. Joel's glasses got accidentally knocked off and smashed right at the end of the show. That sucked. He also lost his ticket for his free DVD, but I begged the bouncer for another ticket and explained the whole situation. She took me over to the club manager, and he gave me another ticket, so Joel at least got his DVD. Thank you, Val Capone and thank you to the manager of Reggie's Rock Club.
2. I got mashed against the stage pretty hard for several hours. The pit was pretty intense, approaching "meat grinder" during some of the songs. My ribs are banged up and sore today. I have had bruised ribs many times, but they seem to heal slower as I get older, and it hurts to breathe a little today. I am sore, but it was completely worth it.

Naked Raygun!!!

After about 15 years, my favorite band from high school is back together and making music again. They have a DVD release party and a concert scheduled for Saturday night, and I AM GOING! I can't wait to see it. I wonder what all the punks and skinheads will look like 15 years later.

Thanks, Chris, for letting me know that the tickets were on sale!

The ice storm from last week

I took a really nice picture of the ice storm last week. This was made without a flash, late at night, with a 1.5sec exposure time, and no tripod. I got it all right, except the darn focus. I let it do the focusing, which was a mistake.

Row, row, row your bum...

Gently across the room...

Tonight I made my second purchase from Craigslist. I got a used rowing machine for $50. It is strictly manual, no electrics to speak of, but it is a durable model. I wanted something that I can do on nights when I either can't or don't feel like running, and this should fit the bill.

Other news: Karen and James and I drove to the southern end of town to watch the meteor shower tonight. Unfortunately, James was upset about sitting still in the van, so we did not get to see the meteor shower at all. Bummer. Maybe Karen and I will get to see it a little later this evening from the window.

Monthly update?

I have the best intentions about updating this blog often, I just never seem to do it. Here's the latest:

Craigslist: What can I say, it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you have the time to wait for what you want, you can find really great stuff for almost nothing. I am going to go look at a rowing machine in a few days that I found on the list. It was originally a pretty expensive model, but it is now a relic - just like I like them.

Craigslist does have its down side. You can accidentally find things you really don't need to have, like a 1972 Triumph Bonneville 750. The engine needs work, but it ran when it was parked fifteen years ago. I thought it was perfect! How cool would that be! An old bike that I can get for almost nothing, it needs work that I (and James) love to do, and it would be a really sweet bike once it gets rehabbed! I almost jumped on it until Karen reminded me that I actually need a spot to park my car. Maybe getting a motorcycle is a bad idea anyway, I might shoot my eye out. (If this makes no sense to you, it may be because it is a line from the movie "A Christmas Story".)

Next on the list of updates: I crashed my car into another car. I got cut off, and lane changed without looking. I bumped into a pickup truck in the next lane and it creased my car a little. There was no damage to the truck, but there was obvious damage to my poor civic. Oh well, life goes on. I can hardly justify getting my car fixed when it is eight years old and has almost 90K on it. Now my car has more character, or herpes, or something...