Dec 30, 2016

We slept in and got up to make a tofu scramble eventually. It was really tasty, but the sweet potatoes are always the best part.

We sat around being lazy for a while, which was quite nice. The cats joined in.

We decided we should go for a run so we went to South Vineland Park to do a couple of laps. I did a little over two miles but it felt nice to be outside. We tried playing disc golf, but after being sweaty we both felt cold and not really in the mood for it.

Later Omarey met me at my house and we drove up to Starland for Thursday night two. We had a great chat on the way up about a lot of things in life and travel and inspiration. It's great to be able to have deep conversations with friends I don't see too often. Thursday was amazing just as last night, but I prefer the other setlist. Tonight's was themed towards more hopeful songs and they did a great job with the theme. The crowd was a little more crazy too so that played a part. Along with everyone in the crowd being excited it was apparent that Geoff was having the time of his life. It's great to see the band back together like no time has passed. Definitely worth the long wait.

Dec 29, 2016

I went to Ryan's in the morning for the second two games in our Koopa Bowl showdown. We played Super Mario 1 first and Ryan won as I struggled in the last world. In the event of a tie, we play Super Mario World and if that doesn't provide a clear winner there's a round-robin All-Stars match. But really we just played Mario World for the win. We were again very close but I got to the last castle faster and won. It was a lot of fun playing it that way.

I went home for a little while before going to Becca's where she surprised me with an amazing vegan chocolate cake with ice cream in the middle. It was so good. I had a little slice before we got ready to leave for the night.

We picked up Tracy and went to Starland where we sat in the car for a little bit to have a couple beers before the show. Diana sent me this wonderful little graphic to say happy birthday that made me smile.

We went inside and the show was running late, which is predictable for Starland, but we got settled on the side of the crowd and Nathan and Chanel came in and found us for a little bit before the lights went out. Thursday came out to For the Workforce, Drowning, which is one of my favorite songs and my favorite opener of theirs. The set was dark and incredible and it was so great to see them back on stage like they never left.

After the show I saw Omarey and he came to chat with us while those of us without jackets shivered outside. It was great to be with so many friends for my birthday and see one of my favorite bands. We had a nice long ride left home, but it didn't seem so bad.

Sep 10, 2013

I didn't get a job for the day, even though I wasn't really expecting one. I went to the Vineland Board of Ed to pick up my paperwork for employment. I called their suggested doctor's office to make an appointment for a physical to find out that I'd have to wait a full month before I could get in. That was after reminding the receptionist that I couldn't get a TB test done on a Friday if it needed to be checked two days later. So I came home and decided I'd make something out of all the vegetable I had in my fridge. I used asparagus, peppers, onions, and then whatever else I could find to make a very spicy stir-fry something. It was quite good.

Later I picked up Dave and then Tyler and headed up to Starland for the Blink show. We waited at the car and had a few beers before going in. When we did go in I noticed Eddie Reyes from Taking Back Sunday in the crowd and casually pointed him out, exciting Tyler enough to ask him for a picture.

Blink came out and played through a great set of old and new songs. The crowd was into it the whole time, and it was surprisingly not bad for a smaller venue. It was great that during the renovation they moved that annoying soundboard back to give the crowd more room in front of the stage and get rid of the exit bottleneck.

One of the best things was that when they were talking about this show being charity for NJ after Hurricane Sandy, Mark said, "Hurricane Sandy can suck our dicks... actually, wait. I don't know if that's such a good idea, having a hurricane suck your dick. Scratch that." I was dying. They were funny and played really well. It was great hearing some new songs that they hadn't played before including "Wishing Well" and "Dogs Eating Dogs." We were all very sweaty and happy after the show. Dave and Tyler passed out in the car shortly after leaving so I was driving home alone.

Dec 26, 2011

Ryan and I did the gym early. There were more people there than we were used to later in the afternoon. We did back and arm exercises mostly. I went to Chili's with Kate to have lunch with her dad and brother later before he headed back to Florida.

Shannon and I headed up to Starland Ballroom and sat in the parking lot having our Golden Monkeys while we waited for the show to progress. We got up there earlier than we planned. Shannon was very emotional about this being her last Thursday show.

We went in and caught the end of mewithoutYou and then waited for Thursday to come on. They started with a new song, but the second was "For the Workforce, Drowning." I always love hearing that song live. It's so powerful.

They played a long, amazing set. The new songs were great and there was a great mix of older stuff. They were very thankful to everyone for coming out all these years to the holiday shows and everything else. They played "War All the Time," which made me very happy. They ended with a heartfelt message before playing "Stay True" (I cried a little) then their closing pair of "Jet Black New Year" and "Turnpike Divides."

The show was amazing and a nice ending, even though I have another show this week. Shannon really enjoyed their last show through tears though. I don't blame her. All good things must end.

Oct 29, 2011

Ryan and I went to the gym to do pull-ups and other arm exercises since we missed Thursday. We did the assisted pull-ups that help me do them slightly but I'm not very good.

Chuck and I headed up to the Flying Fish Brewery in Cherry Hill for a tour of the facility and some samples. The guy giving the tour was one of the founders of the company and gave an amazing tour. He talked about very complex processes and made them understandable for the lamen. He also described why cheap beer companies want you to drink their beer VERY cold: because it inhibits the taste and you won't notice how bad it really is.

We got some samples of all of these beers. There were some really delicious ones in there, including the Belgian Dubbel and the Exit 4 Trippel, the two that Chuck and I got six packs of. It was a really interesting tour and a lot of nice people work there.

Next stop was Blue Monkey for paninis and a glass of something new. I wasn't too fond of the beer I got. Its name implied much more hops than I got. The panini was delicious though. After eating we returned to the snowy October weather and drove north.

The drive really wasn't bad at all despite it snowing the whole time. Parking was a little tricky and walking to the venue from the VFW lot got my feet wet. We hung out in the bar area as The Wonder Years were just finishing. Too bad we missed them. Set Your Goals played next. I'm not really fond of them. New Found Glory came out and played basically the same set as last week.

Chad talked a lot and they added a couple different songs and got rid of "Radiosurgery" which made us happy. The set was good and the crowd was not too bad besides a few people. It was fun but felt somehow lacking. Maybe I just wasn't as into it this time.

The drive home was also not bad though I thought it might be. Chuck went to sleep.

Mar 23, 2011

When I went up to school I had to do a bunch of stuff all at once. Leighanne asked me to help group in Sculpture film something. They were melting a pile of gummy bears. They're going to speed up the video. Not sure of the concept. It was cool though.

We acquired our final jewelry piece to shoot for the publication and spent some time in the little studio shooting it. We got a couple of other things done and then gathered in the computer lab before it was time to go.

Me, Alex, Jackie and Steph headed up to Starland Ballroom in the rain for the show. We watched The Summer Set. I was not a fan and I went to the bar area with Alex while Hey Monday played and we watched on the screen.

The beer tasted like salt water to me. I think there is some residual sickness in me. It wasn't very good.

This was Alex's first show ever so she was getting excited for the bands she knew.

We went up front for Yellowcard. They played a great mix of new and old stuff. I wish they had a longer set, but they did a great job with the time they had. They're still the same great band and it will be nice to see them headline next time.

All Time Low played last to a jumping crowd of energetic kids. They played a nice, fast-paced set of songs that I mostly knew. I only know the one album mainly, but I knew most of what they played. Even the stuff I didn't know was enjoyable though.

Alex enjoyed her first show, though she's not sure about going up front again. It's not for everyone. It was a good time for me.

Jan 7, 2011

Shannon came up to have lunch with me at Saigon. They have good lunch specials; I think I'll be going there more often. We finally got a chance to talk and hang out. It seems like it's been a while. We went to Target after eating to look for some things and kill some time. I didn't find what I wanted and she had to go pack for her upcoming week in Florida.

Not long after coming home I left again to pick up Chuck and Tracy to go to Starland Ballroom. We got up there early and I couldn't sell my extra ticket so I went inside to see Such Gold, who I thought were really good. It didn't seem like anyone else shared my opinion. Hit the Lights were up next and I knew more of their songs than I expected to. They were pretty good as well.

The Starting Line came out to a packed, swaying crowd playing "Somebody's Gonna Miss Us." They played a bunch of older and newer songs, though it seemed a lot of people weren't getting into the new songs.

They were great and Kenny was having a good time. They played most of my favorite songs and closed with an encore of a new song and "This Ride." Great show.

We got bagels from Dunkin' Donuts and listened to Jonah most of the way home. The drive wasn't bad, but even though I was tired driving I couldn't sleep when I got home.

Dec 30, 2010

I picked up Jenny in the early afternoon to walk around at Parvin's Lake and takes some photos in the snow. It looked pretty nice all around there. I was actually surprised at how packed down some of the paths were.

Once we had our fill of snow walking we went to Saigon for lunch. I got tofu curry which was delicious. This is the first time I've had Vietnamese curry and I like it. Mixing in all of the different spicy sauces makes it even better. We stayed there for a while drinking jasmine tea and talking for a while before we both had to get going.

I met Shannon at her house and we headed north to Starland Ballroom for the holiday show. We got there as the first band, We Were Skeletons, were playing. They were pretty good but I'd like to hear some recorded stuff. We found a spot in the elevated bar area to see better and get some pizza while we watched Acid Tiger. I liked their music but it's not really for me.

I went down front for Four Year Strong. They played an amazing, energetic set as they always do. A lot of people were really into it.

There really wasn't anything I wanted them to play that they didn't. I'm not as familiar with some of their newer songs but I knew most of the ones they played.. and the show wasn't even over after that.

A little wait later and Thursday came on to play Full Collapse in its entirety. Most of the songs on that album are amazing so it's nice to hear them all. I made my way up front slowly through the first four songs and then it was much easier going.

The crowd was actually great so no complaints there. They came back to only play six songs after Full Collapse. It's a little disappointing because there are so many more songs that I wanted to hear, but they played "Asleep in the Chapel," "Tomorrow I'll Be You" and "Jet Black New Year" of course. The best song of the night was "How Long is the Night?" It was really powerful and amazing. I love seeing them live.

The ride home wasn't too bad. I put on some low music as we followed the Turnpike back to Shannon's and then I headed home listening to a podcast. It was a good night.

Apr 25, 2009

We started the official recording of Argyle Gargoyle's yet-to-be-titled cd today. We began with the drums. I played along while Steve laid down the tracks.

We took a break for lunch and then Nathan got us back into the groove and we finished up. We got about five tracks finished with another three to go.

I took Jeff and gave him his "surprise" which was tickets to the Alkaline Trio/Saves the Day show at Starland Ballroom. He is officially a teacher now.. well he's certified. No more student teaching for him.

After sitting in a lot of traffic, we got to the show and had a few beers before going in. We sat and made words from letters in license plates to amuse ourselves.

We saw Saves the Day do a few songs and then Alkaline Trio came on and played a slew of songs. They have way too many cds so it's hard to hear the songs your really want to. They put on a good show though.

We were all really hungry after the show so we made our way to Maoz in Philly where it was insanely crowded. We got our falafel (Tracy's first) and I made a mess of myself while eating. It was really good.

I had a fun time and Jeff was surprised by the show so that's what I was going for. I have had enough driving for a while. Happy birthday, Jimmy.