Ohio Trip (part 2 of 3): The Renuion Day

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Mike

We got up and relaxed for a bit and eventually got ready to leave.  We had to don our yellow shirts… (there were 9 brothers and sisters including my fiancee’s late grandfather… so, each brother/sister and their respective families wore a uniform color.

7 of the 9 brothers and sisters

5 of the 9 brothers and sisters and spouces

There was pink, purple, yellow, red, blue, orange, green, etc. and we drew yellow…).  Those of you who know me… know that I am not really fond of yellow shirts.  (Turns out, most of us “yellow shirts” didn’t care for them, either…).

We got to the hall a bit earlier than most folks.  In fact we were like only the 2nd and 3rd yellow shirt there… (Dana’s Aunt Diane was the other and she was an organizer…).  Soon enough, people started coming and coming and coming… there were upwards of like 80 to 90 people at this gathering.  Pretty impressive to me.  Some came from AZ, WA, GA, OH… pretty spread out, I’d say.

It was well organized.  There was a list of acitivities and times on a card in front of each table…

First was meet and greet… well, did quite a bit of greeting.  It was a little overwhelming for me.  But they all welcomed me with open arms, so that is a good feeling.

Then, we had a prayer (both in German and English.  The Ellings are of German heritage.  The Molendas are Polish.  What a match! ;))

Mike gives us a welcome and family history

Mike gives us a welcome and family history

Next, some family history and happy birhday to Aunt Alma who will turn 90 soon…

Danas Aunt Alma - 90 years old

Dana's Aunt Alma - 90 years old

then a little family trivia for bragging rights and the right to eat first, which was quickly revoked to go in order by the tables… either way, we were going to eat.  It was a big “pot luck” style buffet.  It was highlighted by some “beef barbeque” minus any barbeque sauce!  Anyway, I had plenty to eat including many deserts.  Can you say, “sugar high?”  I knew you could.

After lunch, we headed outside for some family group pics.  Lots of people in similar colored shirts… 🙂

The Yellow Shirts... Family of Danas Grandfather, Rudy

The Yellow Shirts... Family of Dana's Grandfather, Rudy

Then, more socializing and games for the kids… we probably spent about 2 hours just chit-chatting.  Until it really was time to go.

Chit-Chat

Chit-Chat

We went back to Dana’s Aunt Jill’s house (where we stayed) and got ready to go visiting… we went to visit her Uncle Dennis, who is pretty funny.  Then to visit her great Aunt Wilma, who I liked very much.

After going to visit her family (and one day, my extended family, too), we went to Pizza Hut and ate before heading home.

All of the pictures that I took are on my MobileMe Gallery.

This was a day late, so part 3 will be a day late as well.

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Ohio Trip (Part 1 of 3): The Drive Up

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Mike

Well, we got up at just after 4AM… and hit the road just after 5AM… yes, that is early… much too early for me, but with a 10+ hour ride ahead, it was necessary.

The rid through north Georgia and through Tennessee was very smooth.  We did not hit any sort of rush hour in any of the major cities (Chattanooga and Knoxville), so that was very fortunate…

After getting into Kentucky, I came upon what appeared to be a wreck.  There was a pickup truck that looked to have been spun out into the median and a semi-truck parked in the emergency lane.  Dana thought that we should call 911, so I called but let her talk to the 911 operator (since she used to be one, she’d know exactly what to say…).  We were passed it and didn’t witness it, so, we carried on our journey…

We had decided to head to Cumberland Falls since it was not far off of the interstate and we love waterfalls, so it seemed to be a good place to get out and stretch the legs, etc… We exited the interstate and drive about 10 miles to the falls.  Well… the falls are pretty cool but the river water was dirt brown and thus took away much of the beauty of the falls… there was a really beautiful rainbow in the mist of the falls (their best feature).  The rest of the park is very nice and well maintained.

Here are the dirt brown Cumberland Falls

Here are the dirt brown Cumberland Falls

After about 30 minutes of enjoying the falls, the sunshine, and each other… we decided it was time to hit the road…

Us with the falls in the background

Us with the falls in the background

We had another good smooth ride through Kentucky and into Cincinatti… well, that’s where the troubles began.  Although, Cincy was not too bad, we did hit some construction traffic and then it opened up until DAYTON… oh, my goodness… we hit some major construction delays… and when I say delays, I mean DELAYS.  We saw a sign that said that there was construction ahead and to expect delays around exit 54C… little did we know, after an hour of inching up (about 3 miles an hour)… the interstate was closed at exit 54C and everybody had to exit with NO DETOUR SIGNS… yeah, send people through the city with no detour signs…

The DAYTON construction... cause of frustration...

The DAYTON construction... cause of frustration...

Luckily, Dana has her handy-dandy GPS.  I decided to just follow the traffic and exit where they exited off of the highway (exit 54C) and after Dana got the GPS up and running… it led us back to the interstate… without it, we might have been aimlessly roaming around Dayton.  Not really a good way to increase tourism, Dayton… so, to you, Dayton, I say “go eff yourself.”  🙂

After we got through the Dayton fiasco… the rest of the trip was uneventful and that was just fine with us… we got to her aunt’s house a little after 6pm… So, a little under 13 hours after we left, we arrived at our destination.  Which wasn’t too bad considering the 1 hour we spent off the interstate at Cumberland Falls and the 1 and a half hour fiasco we had in Dayton… and with other stops for gas and food, we probably made it in 10 hours + stops.  Sweet.

Is this thing really legal?

Is this thing really legal?

Saw lots and lots of corn...

Saw lots and lots of corn...

Tomorrow, Part 2: The Reunion.  Then, on Thursday, Part 3: The ride back.

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Getting Engaged (the rest of the story)

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Mike

I suppose that almost everybody that Dana and I know  have been told the entire story… but I didn’t really write about it… so, here it is… “the rest of the story.”  (the original post is here.)

We arrived in Mentone on a Saturday morning… the entire weekend seemed to be a rain-fest.  That just would not suffice!  We had previously decided to see the town on Saturday afternoon and then go to the falls on Sunday (so, the ring was there but not on her hand!)

[I had the ring for a week in my laptop backpack.  Both my Mom and my neice, Amber, had seen it the weekend before while we were visiting Huntsville… Dana was there but had no idea… I am so sneaky!]

So, for a day and a night, I had a lot of anxiety about what I was about to do.  I did enjoy the weekend, but I knew the reason that we were there had not been revealed to Dana, yet.  And after waking up to rain on Sunday morning, I was getting really bummed out because my whole plan… my whole vision was proposing by the falls (I had never been there nor did I even look at them on the internet prior to the trip… trying to be spontaneous.).  We ate breakfast and even watched a little t.v. that morning as the rain came down.  Normally, rain is very calming, but I was so ready to get down on my knee… but I would have to wait.

It eventually let up and quit around lunch time.  We had decided to head out to the falls and then to the park for a picnic lunch.  (and after finding a brochure for Sequoyah Caverns at the cabin… we had decided to check them out…)  We got to the falls and they were beautiful.  Almost the very picturesque setting that I had in mind.  [I had envisioned a picnic lunch there, but the picnic area is in the park.]  I brought my entire camera bag though I had no plans to use both cameras… the ring was in the bag.  [I told you, “sneaky.” Also, a bit protective.  I would not let Dana hold the bag as she might look inside and see what I came there to give her.]

We viewed the upper falls and then descended down the steps to view the lower falls… I took some pictures and waited for the other couple to go back up the steps so that we would be alone at the lower falls.  I got the ring out of the bag and put it behind my back.  I started a small conversation with Dana and then I got down on one knee and I presented Dana the ring and uttered words I thought I might ever say to any woman… “will you marry me?”  Of course, she said “yes.”  Not only that, but that she’d “marry me a million times.”  And then and there, at DeSoto Falls in Mentone, AL, we were officially engaged.

The rest of the trip went well… visiting Sequoyah Caverns and driving down to Ft. Payne for dinner at a Ruby Tuesdays… I tried to make the proposal as romantic and memorable as possible… and the fact that Dana still talks about it, I believe that succeeded.

There you have it… the rest of the story.  Hope that you enjoyed it and made you smile.  I know that I smiled while writing it.

Check out the picture gallery from the Mentone trip on my MobileMe Gallery.

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My Progressive Nation 2009 Review (Tabernacle, Atlanta)

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Mike

I should start off by saying that I went because I am a big fan (probably a notch below “hardcore”) of the headliner, Dream Theater… so maybe, this will seem somewhat “fanboyish.”

Show starts at 6:00PM, so I was late due to having this silly thing called “a job” that I had to do during the day.  I missed Scale the Summit, but I heard some pretty cool stuff on their MySpace page.  They are an instrumental band, so I could listen to them, but only a bit at a time.  I love instramentals, but vocals are nice, too. 😉  So, I can’t review their set.

Taken between sets. Missed the set.

Taken between sets. Missed the set.

I did get there in time to see BigElf.  They are an interesting band.  In some ways, they felt like a heavy version of a Pink Floyd, at least the keys very Floyd like.  I enjoyed their set.  The songs they played (none of which I remember their names) were better than what I had heard on their MySpace page.  I will have to give them a second look when I have time to visit their MySpace page and listen.  Perhaps, I will be buying one of their cd’s in the future….

BigElf on stage

BigElf on stage

Then, Zappa Plays Zappa.  Interesting concept.  Dweezil is a very talented guitarist and there are still legions of Frank Zappa fans.  I, however, never listened to his music before this show.  I did enjoy the set.  I might end up checking out some of Zappa’s music.  The band he brought into back him was amazingly talented… just as talented as Dweezil, himself.  They are great to watch, Zappa fan or not.  Check out their MySpace page.

Zappa Plays Zappa on stage

Zappa Plays Zappa on stage

Finally… the main event… the 800lb gorilla in the room… Dream Theater… let’s start with the setlist:

1.) A Nightmare To Remember
2.) Prophets Of War
3.) Sacrificed Sons
4.) A Rite Of Passage
5.) The Dance Of Eternity
6.) One Last Time
7.) Solitary Shell [extended]
8.) Take The Time [the end was extended, too]
———-
9.) The Count Of Tuscany

DT on stage... A Nightmare to Remember

DT on stage... A Nightmare to Remember

All I can saw is “WOW.”  Dream Theater [MySpace link] really wowed me for having such a short set (around 1 hour 45 minutes).  The show started with a song on their latest release, Black Clouds & Silver Linings called, “A Nightmare to Remember.”

Still ... A Nightmare to Remember

Still ... A Nightmare to Remember

They played songs from almost all of their studio releases.  “Prophets of War” is not my favorite DT song, in fact, one of my least favorites, but was actally pretty cool live.  “Sacrificed Sons” is really cool song that has a very mellow opening but finishes pretty heavy.  “A Rite of Passage” is their first single from BC&SL and a heavy song with an interesting instrumental section featuring a section using the iPhone as an instrument.

Seeing “The Dance of Eternity” and “One Last Time” from Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory [still my favorite DT release] was a real treat for me.  “Take the Time” from Images & Words is a fan favorite and awesome song… the extended version of “Solitary Shell” was nothing short of amazing.

Jordan on the keytar

Jordan on the 'keytar'

DT really does amazing extended versions… and to end it with “The Count of Tuscany” (from BC&SL) was a great way to end it.  That song has a great ending to it and makes a great encore song.

James sining the end of The Count of Tuscany

James sining the end of The Count of Tuscany

I have to give the setlist a 9.5/10.  I am just not a big fan of “Prophets of War” but I only knocked .5 off because POW was okay live… The rest of the setlist was amazing to me.  Just when you think they can’t top themselves… they do!

Mike Portnoy acknowledging the crowd....

Mike Portnoy acknowledging the crowd....

Take a bow, guys... job well done.

Take a bow, guys... job well done.

NOTE: These shots were taken with my cell phone, so not good quality… security didn’t seem to mind cameras as I saw plenty of people with them… oh, well… I won’t be making money off of these shots…

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My Tool Concert Review (Arena at Gwinnet Center)

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Mike

I should preface this with: “I am not a hardcore Tool fan.”  I am a casual fan who wanted to see the band in concert… I have all of their cd’s save for the EP and the live disc… so, here we go:

Before the show...

Before the show...

This was my first Tool show and hopefully, it is not an idication of how they all are.  At least, when it comes to Maynard.  The atmosphere was right and the lighting/video/laser show was pretty nice (though, I’d argue Roger Waters last tour was better…).

Nice laser show

Nice laser show

The band was tight and from my vantage point (in secion 216), I could see Danny clearly and he is the fastest drummer I have ever seen live… Do I like him better than say, Mike Portnoy, no, but I have much more respect for him now than I did before.

Sweet light and video show

Sweet light and video show

Here is the setlist:
Jambi
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Schism
Lost Keys *new audio*
Rosetta Stoned
Flood
Aenema
Lateralus
Vicarious

I am a big fan of the “heavier” Tool material like what is on Undertow and even 10,000 Days… so, Flood was a treat. Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned is my favorites on 10,000 Days, so sweet… I really did enjoy the setlist.  (I understand from reading the Tool Navy site that the setlist hasn’t changed much for a while… so, for people who continually see them, it might get old.   For me, it was fine…)

Maynard, however, didn’t really seem to be in the show, but at the show.  The vocals were too muffled into the music (not his fualt) but he sat behind some speakers behind his riser (which was right next to the drum riser) during just about all instramental parts and then at the end of the show, left before the last song was done.  He didn’t come back and left the remaining three members to wave to the fans… Maybe he was pissed or not feeling well, but he is a PROFESSIONAL, he should have at least came out for one bow and then leave.  Throw the crowd a bone, please.

The accoustics at the venue, Gwinnett Arena, may be at fault for the muffled vocals.  The instraments were loud and clear most of the time.  This was only my second time at Gwinnett Arean (The original Gigantour was the first…)… and I don’t remember the accoustics of that show.

So, in the end… yes, I am glad that I got to see Tool live but came away a bit disappointed in the accoustics, Maynard’s non-pressence, and relatively high ticket price… I don’t have any complaints about the crowd or the setlist (maybe because I was in a section of nice people…).

Tune in tomorrow for my review of the Progressive Nation 2009 show… (HINT: It is going to be a glowing review.)

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