Hooray For Saturday!

Happy Halloween

Have a safe time trick or treating.

If you stop by our house for treats, this is one of the carved pumpkins you will see in our yard.

Trick Or Treat

Trick Or Treat time is very near and the kids are excited, especially Doodlebug. 

She now knows the program.  Knock on door, scream trick or treat and get some good stuff.  However, she has yet to decide what is her favorite treat.  She still refers to everything in the bag as candy, without being a snob about it.

To me, there is a big difference between getting a full size candy bar and some chewy peanut butter thing wrapped in orange or black wax paper.

For all my walking and knocking on doors, dressed up in a costume on a crisp night, it doesn't get any better than an Almond Joy.  Yum!

What's your favorite?

Always Rings Twice

Seeing that Halloween is now the entire month of October, we've been making the rounds at various places for trick or treating.

We are loving it, because the children get to get out and sport their costumes around and to be honest, at the rate we are going, we won't have to buy candy to give out to trick or treaters that ring our bell on Halloween night.

I guess that's considered re-treating.

I have to admit, and sound like a proud dad, that The Little Man is getting the most compliments I've ever heard for a costume.

He's a babe magnet!  The ladies love him!

The gals were going crazy over him at Crestview Hills Town Center today.

Spooky Times

So did you hear about these goblins and their little "error in judgment"?

Good grief, spooky.

Once again, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Spooky Tunes

Here is a good list of classical tunes that aren't your average Monster Mash, but are sure to set a spooky scene for this time of year.

The list of classics was put together by Mark Perzel from WGUC, which is Cincinnati's classical public radio station and can be found at 90.9 FM, on the radio dial when in the tri-state area, or streamed online from their site.

On Halloween night they will be playing music, Tunes From The Crypt, to set the scene for ghosts & goblins out gathering treats.  I'll have a speaker in the window to add sounds to our front door welcome.

10 Years

It was 10 years ago today. 

A bunch of people got together at a big church, in the big city and watched me and The Lady get married.  Before the event started, I was out front paying people five bucks to come in and sit on my side of the church, seeing that the people on that side were few and far between and her side had her enormous extended family.

After the fancy ceremony, which for me there was sweating involved, people then proceeded on to the reception hall to have a big reception.  We were introduced to the crowd, cocktails were consumed, there was a meal (which for some reason I didn't eat a bite of), there was a big wedding cake, there was a vocalist that sang some opera tune (which I think was more for the senior crowd of Grandpa Rocco & friends) and then there was dancing.  Oh, there was dancing.

We saved the top of the big cake, since we were going along with wedding handbook, but it didn't make it past the next day.  It fell into the ally, while being brought inside our apartment from the father-in-law's car.

What!!!  We didn't freeze the top of the cake!

No.  The few bites that were able to be salvaged were consumed right there on the spot and here we are 10 years later, married with two goofy kids and driving each other nuts.

It seems like everything is going along just fine without that cake.

I love you.

Learning From Mistakes

Who's going to want to evacuate after reading this?  Whoo-hoo, when does hurricane season start!?

I want to clarify that I'm not a fan of anyone being in a natural disaster, but those that are should be treated the same way from this point on.  San Diego, you have raised the bar. 

I know, enough already.  I'll get back to talking about my kids pooping.

Mother Nature Has Been A Harsh Mistress Lately

It's been raining for 24 hours here at our house, I'm thrilled.  This could be the longest period of steady rain I can remember since we moved here to the northern Kentucky area.

I heard on NPR the other day that drought is the Rodney Dangerfield of natural disasters, it gets no respect.

Well, at least it doesn't get much media coverage.

I just tuned into three different news channels and they are all covering the wildfires in southern California.  Two of the three of them listed on their screens something to the notion that, celebrity mansions are having to battle the blazes as well or although celebrity homes are in line of fire, none of the celebrities are in harms way.

Then I get to listen to some guy from FEMA pour salt in the wound of New Orleans, saying they are doing so much better in response to the fires, as opposed to the hurricane, in such a matter of fact way. 

Take that you crazy, cajun, poor people! 

When the fires are put out that guy should maybe go have a looksy at NOLA, stuff still needs fixin' down there.  Yes, that was matter of fact speaking.

Hello Sting, Jennifer Anniston, Tom Hanks, Barbara Streisand, and the rest of you rich folks that like the coastline of Malibu, CA, go buy a house and live on the coastline of Louisiana.  Go get more land for your money, well that is until it erodes with the rest of the state.  You can't beat the food!  Perhaps you can get some media coverage to focus on things down there or at least a crawl on the screen about how your house is better than everyone else's.

I apologize for the rant, you know I love celebrities....they are just like me and there are tons of lame magazines to prove it.

For instance, look at me and Britney Spears. 

She's originally from Louisiana, I'm from Louisiana.  She has two kids, I have two kids.  She can lip-sync, I can lip-sync.  She can dance, sorry, I've got far more moves than her.  She doesn't wear underwear, I've got far too much respect for my fellow human beings. 

Live Music

I love live music.

Not necessarily the live band at the Bourbon House on Saturday night in Burlington, KY covering Deep Purple and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but if you are someone or a group performing some original tunes, chances are I would love to give a listen.

I was discussing concerts that I have been to in the past, with friends of mine the other day and realized I've seen some really great live shows.  I figured I might list some of them here and perhaps you will be inclined to tell me about some of your favorite shows.

My first concert ever was Donnie & Marie On Ice, because of course, when you are a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, you must ice skate.  My mom took me to that, but she also took me to see Van Halen, the real deal with Diamond Dave, circa Diver Down.

On with the artist/venue list of shows that come to memory as being very good.

• Sugar / New Orleans Music Hall, New Orleans, LA
• Living Colour / The Varsity Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA Halloween Night '93
• Warren Zevon / The Varsity Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA
• Public Enemy & No Doubt / The Varsity Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA
• Dwight Yoakam / The Varsity Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA
• U2 / LSU Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, LA Thanksgiving Night, The Joshua Tree Tour
• Paul Simon / Mulate's Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, LA
• The Cure / McAlister Auditorium, New Orleans, LA
• The Smiths / Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA
• Elvis Costello / Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA
• Nine Inch Nails / Anne Rice's Halloween Party '91
• De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest, Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA
• Bob Dylan, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA
• Radiohead, Metro, Chicago, IL '96
• Pavement, Metro, Chicago, IL
• Cheap Trick, Metro, Chicago, IL
• Allison Krause & Union Station, Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
• Sleater-Kinney & White Stripes, Metro, Chicago, IL
• The Roots / House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
• Joe Strummer, Metro, Chicago, IL
• Ani DiFranco, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
• June Of 44 & Dianogah, Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL
• Superchunk, Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, LA, Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL & Metro, Chicago, IL
• The Rebirth Brass Band / Numerous Times at The Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans, LA
• many, many more.  I will continue this list again in the future.

The last arena show I went to was R.E.M. at LSU Assembly Center circa Monster. I never was a fan of going to see live music in a giant place where basketball usually takes place and I've been very lucky to see live music in some really good rooms, such as the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, LA.  They don't book bands like they used to there and it's not very well known, but it's one of the best sounding rooms I been in.

The best part about a lot of those shows...free.  The music industry pay sucked when I worked in it, but I was always on the guest list or I would know someone and talk my way in the door.

There was the time I worked up the nerve to ask this girl out, we went to see Suzanne Vega (she was a big fan) & Kitchens Of Distinction at McAlister Auditorium.  The concert wouldn't go down as one of the best shows I've seen, but I did end up marrying that gal.

Been to any good shows?

Very Rare

Rain in Northern Kentucky.

Look at that finished deck, wow!