Blasphemy

Go ahead. . . try NOT to laugh!

Back at Pixie Sticks

This past weekend I found myself back at Camp Gaea with several friends in our favorite little camping area, Pixie Sticks.   Once we finally arrived at camp and set up our equipment we spent the day relaxing down by the “sandy beach” (rolls eyes) having a few beers and a lot of laughs.   The camp was very busy due to the Summer Solstice rituals that were going on and a private event up on the ridge.  Even though there were a lot of people around we pretty much stayed to ourselves which is really not like us.  Guess we weren’t in the mood to be social.

Once the sun set M built a perfect campfire and we grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob.  I think this was the first time that the food actually turned out good, I was pleasantly surprised.  After dinner we hung around the campfire and then walked through the darken woods up to the Ridge to see what was going on.  We didn’t get very close but could see the large bonfire burning and could hear the drums.  I think I finally turned in around midnight which is really early for me.  I was totally exhausted for some reason so I had no trouble sleeping. . . that is until I heard the thunder around 4:00am.  I quickly grabbed a couple items to bring inside the tent and then got back under the covers to listen to the rain outside the tent.  I had no trouble going back to sleep.

We all got up around 9:00am and ate some muffins and drank some juice before we started to strike camp.  All in all it was a good time and I’m glad we could spend the time together.  I look forward to doing it again later this summer.

Godfather of Goth

This past Sunday I once again found myself at a concert seeing a performer that I wished I had seen 20 years ago.  Peter Murphy came into town to play the Beaumont Club during his current Retrospective Tour 2008.  I’ve seen plenty of shows at the hole in the wall that is the Beaumont including Dead or Alive, Psychedelic Furs, and David Kersh.  But this one was different, this one seemed important.  Standing just 20 feet in front of me was the man who most everyone considers the Godfather of Goth.  How appropriate I was here considering I had seen The Cure only last month.

Gone were the costumes and fog machines.  Left was just the man, a few musicians, some incredible music, and Peter’s haunting voice.  Peter performed elegantly but methodically.  Almost like he really didn’t want to be there.  Bad night?  Not feeling well?  Mad because the crowd was fairly light?  Who knows.

Irregardless, I enjoyed listening to some of my favorite Murphy songs including Sweetest Drop, Marlene Dietrich’s Favourite Poem, and of course the timeless Cuts You Up.  A fairly tame and quiet evening compared to some of the other shows I’ve seen recently but I really enjoyed this.  On a much deeper level than the others.  This was the show to see. . . and unfortunately, much of Kansas City missed out.

Thanks for an enjoyable evening Peter.

Below is a short video I took of Cuts You Up.

Top Chef Season 4 Ends

Congrats  to Stephanie for winning Top Chef Chicago and being the first female to win.   She was probably one of the last persons I thought would win when the season began. A and I were hoping that Dale would win but he really messed up a couple weeks ago and got kicked off. (Sorry A, no Top Chef Pinoy this year!)

Next up, a new season of Project Runway in July.