Dec 12, 2013

It was a long day at work at Memorial. The art class pretty much worked on their own after I gave them the assignment so I was just sitting. I couldn't connect to much online so I wasn't even able to work that much. I organized some files on my hard drive and read some as I slowly passed the time.

After work Kate and I headed to Baltimore, stopping at DuClaw on the way for a beer and some food. I had a glass of the Sweet Baby Jesus since I didn't get to last time. We made it to Rams Head with plenty of time to spare since the guy at the box office told me Jimmy Eat World was playing at 8:30 and he was a little wrong. We went and got a beer across the plaza while we waited.

When the did come out they played a lot of the same songs from the last time I saw them, adding some in that I was happy to hear. They did play a lot off of Damage, but they played a really long set so they were able to do so without cutting others. They played 23 during the encore, which made me extremely happy. It made up for the shitty crowd. Nobody was getting into any of the songs at all. They still played an amazing set, but it just made me want to go see them tomorrow even more.

Nov 6, 2013

I got an early start heading up to Roseland, NJ for a photo shoot at a law firm. On the way I stopped at the post office to ship my old telephoto lens. I don't know if it was worth selling for what I got, but I don't have the patience to keep trying to sell it for more. I got to the firm and met up with my contact there then got right to shooting. The office was in the process of being packed up so I had to get creative and was limited to certain rooms. I put the lawyers and some aides in the conference room and shot a "meeting" for the marketing firm that hired me to put up on the new website. Everyone I met there was very nice and accommodating. I had a good time.

(Not my photo ^) Once done I headed straight back down the Parkway and Turnpike. I was home for long enough to eat and change before I had to get right back in the car, pick up Kate and head south. Well, north, then west, then south. Damn south Jersey. We got to DuClaw in pretty good time and got right to picking out our flight of 8 beers we hadn't ever had before. I was surprised at the amount. It has been a while though. The X6 Winter Warmer Wit was amazing. Totally my favorite of the night. There was also an imperial pilsner called Snake Oil that was fantastic and a black IPA called The Dark Side of Oz that was roasty, lightly hopped, and delicious. They always manage to have some of the best beer I've had. I still wish they were closer. I only had a sip of Kate's Sweet Baby Jesus because I didn't want to get a second full beer before finishing our drive.

After our tasty dinner of spicy appetizer and beer we headed to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and parked near the venue before walking a half mile to Pratt Street Ale House which houses one of the Oliver Breweries locations. We did a full menu flight because, as always, we can't choose. There were a few good beers in there, but a few I didn't care for much. I enjoyed most of the Solo Album series, but my favorite was the EVOL #2: Fast & Loose pale ale. Fantastically smooth and full of hop flavor, this is the one I got a pint of.

Once we finished our beers we headed back to Ram's Head for the show. After a short wait, Taking Back Sunday took the stage, playing through an awesome set. They played songs I haven't heard in a while that I always want to hear including My Blue Heaven and Call Me in the Morning. The latter was a little odd live, but that might have been the performance. They played a few new songs that all sounded good and have me excited for the new album. I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't bother to take out my phone or my camera to take a single picture. It seemed like they played for a long time, and that's always nice. After the show we found a Wal*Mart about five miles away and made camp for the night. I fell asleep almost immediately upon lying my head on the pillow.