Joel is a friend of mine and a hell of a balloon pilot, he and his brother Jeff made the world's largest drum
Who is this nut?
- kired
- "You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?" T. Pratchett
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
9.5.09
File Under: We got forked last night.
A couple of E's art students did an installation piece on our lawn last night.
26.2.09
File Under: Of Monkeys, Chuck Norris and Scrotums
So Mr. Bryan Dondero has been doing some writing in his not so abundant free time, this post will enlighten you to his opinions on monkey ownership.
22.2.09
File Under: Pre-Purchase the Leaves "Saving Your Side"
Here is your chance to support truly independent music.
17.2.09
File Under: Facebook's '25 Things'
It seems that the '25 Random Things' notes that many of us have been posting, may have more value than we think. Check out this piece at the Chicago Tribune.
For those of you who don't have Facebook and would like to have more insight into your author, here is my note:
Unlike some other tagging type people, there are no obligations attached to this thing, just read it and whatever. Anyone who wasn't tagged, but reads this, sorry the system is clunky.
1. Ellyn is my reason and my life.
2. Even though they drive me nuts, I love my children so much, my heart hurts to think of the future they may face.
3. I have a bad temper, mostly toward those I love, this is my greatest shame and my greatest failure.
4. I love to curse. I use all kinds of offensive, horrible words and string them together in new and interesting ways.
5. I have a wicked bad stomach. For years I took drugs so I could continue to eat and drink whatever I like. Since I don't like pills, I'm trying to regulate it with diet. I really miss those foods (coffee, chocolate, speecy spicy hotsie totsie), but I've read that I will eventually get to eat them again, in small doses.
6. I'm a cheap bastard. I'm not saying I won't spend money to have something nice. I'm saying, I won't even buy a movie with out thinking it over for a week.
7. I love the process of buying cars. I love test driving and dickering. I love moving my stuff into them, and those drives you take in a new (well new to me) car. You know, the ones to nowhere. Also, I've always wanted a Jeep. Not one of those Grand Cherokee things, a real Jeep. I'll probably never buy one though (see #6).
8. I was never a sports guy, but I love the NFL. To me, football is the king of sports.
9. A few days before my 35th birthday I bought a guitar starter kit. I'm ashamed to admit that Guitar Hero had something to do with it.
10. That guitar kit from #9 is gone. It was crap. I've replaced it with a Hagstrom Super Swede and a Fender G-Dec. I also bought a Fender acoustic and a Fender Jazz Bass.
11. I really want a Fender Telecaster. I think I may have an addiction. All those guitars and I still suck. Oh well, it makes me happy.
12. I'm glad that music has made a resurgence in my life. Along the way it seemed to have lost it luster. Now, thanks to some of you, it's assumed it's proper place in my life. It may be that I was just listening to the wrong music.
13. I didn't really want to go on my first balloon ride, now I love it so much I run the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest and am working on my pilot's license. At this rate, I'll be a pilot in about another decade.
14. According to friends and family, I was oblivious to the girls that were interested in me. Instead, I walked around feeling miserable and unwanted. I now argue that it was fate saving me for my wife.
15. I decided a long time ago that my friends and family were more important than a career in entertainment. My acting professor told me I had to choose, because to be as good as I wanted to be, I had to let it all go. I very seldom regret this decision. I do however miss the process.
16. I am very picky about what shows I will see live. I have an unfortunate affliction which causes me to see how things could be done better. I am kind of an asshole in that respect.
17. I was born in Connecticut and lived there as an infant for several months, before my parents moved back to Maine. Which means I'm not a 'real' Mainer, a point that is often made to me. It's kind of funny considering how many of the 'real' Mainer's, I grew up with, don't live here any more.
18. I believe that if every able body volunteered just a little, the world would be better, and I wouldn't be so damned tired.
19. I'm apparently, a wicked flirt. Lucky for me, my wife is not the jealous type. In fact she laughs at me.
20. I'm not as self-assured as I sometimes appear. In fact, I'm more of a dancing monkey, begging for your approval. Therefore, when I say, that I don't care what people think, I'm lying.
21. I have no known enemies, although I do have a special hatred for greed and stupidity.
22. I have friends who are fundamental opposites of me. Just cause I don't agree with them, doesn't mean I don't care for them.
23. I feel responsible for making my young employees into better people. When they fail, I feel as though I have failed as well.
24. I cry during sad movies and TV shows. I'm just a big wuss, what can I say.
25. I've lost two childhood friends in recent years. I deeply regret that I lost track of both of them until hearing of their passing. For this reason, I'm glad for this silly site.
For those of you who don't have Facebook and would like to have more insight into your author, here is my note:
Unlike some other tagging type people, there are no obligations attached to this thing, just read it and whatever. Anyone who wasn't tagged, but reads this, sorry the system is clunky.
1. Ellyn is my reason and my life.
2. Even though they drive me nuts, I love my children so much, my heart hurts to think of the future they may face.
3. I have a bad temper, mostly toward those I love, this is my greatest shame and my greatest failure.
4. I love to curse. I use all kinds of offensive, horrible words and string them together in new and interesting ways.
5. I have a wicked bad stomach. For years I took drugs so I could continue to eat and drink whatever I like. Since I don't like pills, I'm trying to regulate it with diet. I really miss those foods (coffee, chocolate, speecy spicy hotsie totsie), but I've read that I will eventually get to eat them again, in small doses.
6. I'm a cheap bastard. I'm not saying I won't spend money to have something nice. I'm saying, I won't even buy a movie with out thinking it over for a week.
7. I love the process of buying cars. I love test driving and dickering. I love moving my stuff into them, and those drives you take in a new (well new to me) car. You know, the ones to nowhere. Also, I've always wanted a Jeep. Not one of those Grand Cherokee things, a real Jeep. I'll probably never buy one though (see #6).
8. I was never a sports guy, but I love the NFL. To me, football is the king of sports.
9. A few days before my 35th birthday I bought a guitar starter kit. I'm ashamed to admit that Guitar Hero had something to do with it.
10. That guitar kit from #9 is gone. It was crap. I've replaced it with a Hagstrom Super Swede and a Fender G-Dec. I also bought a Fender acoustic and a Fender Jazz Bass.
11. I really want a Fender Telecaster. I think I may have an addiction. All those guitars and I still suck. Oh well, it makes me happy.
12. I'm glad that music has made a resurgence in my life. Along the way it seemed to have lost it luster. Now, thanks to some of you, it's assumed it's proper place in my life. It may be that I was just listening to the wrong music.
13. I didn't really want to go on my first balloon ride, now I love it so much I run the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest and am working on my pilot's license. At this rate, I'll be a pilot in about another decade.
14. According to friends and family, I was oblivious to the girls that were interested in me. Instead, I walked around feeling miserable and unwanted. I now argue that it was fate saving me for my wife.
15. I decided a long time ago that my friends and family were more important than a career in entertainment. My acting professor told me I had to choose, because to be as good as I wanted to be, I had to let it all go. I very seldom regret this decision. I do however miss the process.
16. I am very picky about what shows I will see live. I have an unfortunate affliction which causes me to see how things could be done better. I am kind of an asshole in that respect.
17. I was born in Connecticut and lived there as an infant for several months, before my parents moved back to Maine. Which means I'm not a 'real' Mainer, a point that is often made to me. It's kind of funny considering how many of the 'real' Mainer's, I grew up with, don't live here any more.
18. I believe that if every able body volunteered just a little, the world would be better, and I wouldn't be so damned tired.
19. I'm apparently, a wicked flirt. Lucky for me, my wife is not the jealous type. In fact she laughs at me.
20. I'm not as self-assured as I sometimes appear. In fact, I'm more of a dancing monkey, begging for your approval. Therefore, when I say, that I don't care what people think, I'm lying.
21. I have no known enemies, although I do have a special hatred for greed and stupidity.
22. I have friends who are fundamental opposites of me. Just cause I don't agree with them, doesn't mean I don't care for them.
23. I feel responsible for making my young employees into better people. When they fail, I feel as though I have failed as well.
24. I cry during sad movies and TV shows. I'm just a big wuss, what can I say.
25. I've lost two childhood friends in recent years. I deeply regret that I lost track of both of them until hearing of their passing. For this reason, I'm glad for this silly site.
25.12.08
30.11.08
File Under: I'm apparently a pissant
I just bought Guitar Hero World Tour. I needed a new guitar, as the RB1 and the GH Explorer were both acting up and causing problems. Since it was only $30 more the GHWT guitart with the game than just the Rock Band 2 guitar, it seemed an easy decision. It's quite fun, especially in a group.
I must say, that just because Yahtzee's friends don't want to sing, doesn't make me a lush or a pissant. Although, I am sure some of you will argue that point.
I must say, that just because Yahtzee's friends don't want to sing, doesn't make me a lush or a pissant. Although, I am sure some of you will argue that point.
2.10.08
14.9.08
File Under: GPN-Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
After a good night's sleep, September 13 arrived and it was time to 
hit the road for another Grace Potter and the Nocturnals show. We packed up the kids and headed back home, where we would drop them off with a babysitter, grab Matt and Tom (2nd show). The trip to Fredericton was uneventful, though we did listen to Blues and Lasers, Jen Crowell and the Woods Vehicle and of course GPN.
A quick stop at the hotel to drop off the bags and then to downtown Fredericton for some din-din and music. We had dinner at "Mojo's Pub," which some of you may see as humorous. The food was very good, the house beer was tasty, and I recommend it to anyone going to Freddy.
It was time to head for the Bud Light Blues Tent for the "State of Grace" sets. Upon arrival we found, my mother and her friends already enjoying themselves. The first act was Shirley Jackson & Her Good Rockin Daddys. They were a 7 piece band, 2 tenor saxs, barri sax, trumpet, guitarist, upright bass and drums. Their concise playing was a thrill. Especially amazing, was that fact that Shirely was playing with a broken arm. A fact that none of us noticed until she mentioned it, she was that good. (Tom later chatted with her and found out how she broke her arm, she tripped on an instrument on stage, she finished that show).
The next act was Charlie A'Court (please ignore the back up singers). He was in a trio with a bassist and a drummer. This left Charlie playing his own rhythm and lead, and play it he did. Holy shit that guy is good. I highly recommend you take any chance to see him live.
What can I say about the Grace Potter set? Hmm, let me think. Oh yeah, it was fuckin awesome! They were in the rockin zone. Bryan was definitely feeling it, to the point where Ellyn was commenting on it (a later conversation with Scott would confirm Bryan's groove). Between snapping pics and noting the set list, I enjoyed a hell of a show. Oh yeah, the setlist:
Treat Me Right
Ain’t No Time
Mystery Train
Sweet Hands
Stop the Bus
Here’s to the Meantime
Ah Mary
Pain in My Heart
Joey
Sugar
Paint it Black
If I Was From Paris
Watchin You
Angel Band
Big White Gate
———
Down by the River
The place went ape shit when they did Paint it Black and Down by the River.
Some of my impressions of the event are as follows:
1. Canadian, drunk, frat boys are just as annoying as American, drunk, frat boys.
2.That many people in a tent, talking all at once, sounds like a brooding shed.
3. Women who carry overly large bags into a festival environment should be beaten with them.
Other than that, a good time was had by all.
For more pics, visit my flickr page.
hit the road for another Grace Potter and the Nocturnals show. We packed up the kids and headed back home, where we would drop them off with a babysitter, grab Matt and Tom (2nd show). The trip to Fredericton was uneventful, though we did listen to Blues and Lasers, Jen Crowell and the Woods Vehicle and of course GPN.
A quick stop at the hotel to drop off the bags and then to downtown Fredericton for some din-din and music. We had dinner at "Mojo's Pub," which some of you may see as humorous. The food was very good, the house beer was tasty, and I recommend it to anyone going to Freddy.
It was time to head for the Bud Light Blues Tent for the "State of Grace" sets. Upon arrival we found, my mother and her friends already enjoying themselves. The first act was Shirley Jackson & Her Good Rockin Daddys. They were a 7 piece band, 2 tenor saxs, barri sax, trumpet, guitarist, upright bass and drums. Their concise playing was a thrill. Especially amazing, was that fact that Shirely was playing with a broken arm. A fact that none of us noticed until she mentioned it, she was that good. (Tom later chatted with her and found out how she broke her arm, she tripped on an instrument on stage, she finished that show).
The next act was Charlie A'Court (please ignore the back up singers). He was in a trio with a bassist and a drummer. This left Charlie playing his own rhythm and lead, and play it he did. Holy shit that guy is good. I highly recommend you take any chance to see him live.
What can I say about the Grace Potter set? Hmm, let me think. Oh yeah, it was fuckin awesome! They were in the rockin zone. Bryan was definitely feeling it, to the point where Ellyn was commenting on it (a later conversation with Scott would confirm Bryan's groove). Between snapping pics and noting the set list, I enjoyed a hell of a show. Oh yeah, the setlist:
Treat Me Right
Ain’t No Time
Mystery Train
Sweet Hands
Stop the Bus
Here’s to the Meantime
Ah Mary
Pain in My Heart
Joey
Sugar
Paint it Black
If I Was From Paris
Watchin You
Angel Band
Big White Gate
———
Down by the River
The place went ape shit when they did Paint it Black and Down by the River.
Some of my impressions of the event are as follows:
1. Canadian, drunk, frat boys are just as annoying as American, drunk, frat boys.
2.That many people in a tent, talking all at once, sounds like a brooding shed.
3. Women who carry overly large bags into a festival environment should be beaten with them.
Other than that, a good time was had by all.
For more pics, visit my flickr page.
File Under: GPN at Unity College
The trip started off late, as usual, so our caravan was hauling down the interstate. As we neared the exit for my sis-in-laws (our bed for the night), "Ah Mary" came on Sirius, from the back we here a little girls voice, "Can you turn that up?" I turn it up, "a little more?" Up it goes, "A little more!" What a great start to my Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Weekend.After a quick drop off of the kids, Ellyn (3rd show), Matt (2nd), Curtis (virgin), and I (5th); made our way to Unity as quickly as possible. Once inside the venue, we see Potterville Posse member Todd doing he email gathering thing. The usual greetings are exchanged, excitement was palpable. I introduce myself to Nicole, the new Merch person. I must say, she is a sweetheart comparable to our Jen. It turns out she got the job by answering a Craig's List ad. She didn't even know which band it was for. While chatting with her, I finally laid my hands on the Blues and Lasers CD. Woot!
When we enter the venue, we can't find seats together. Turns out the 200 seat venue had sold around 300 tickets. Mom heads down to sit with Van, Matt and Curtis end up in the back and Ellyn finds us seat next to Shawn Mercer's family. Shawn Mercer would be the opening act for the night.
Shawn's set was damn good. He definitely has some interesting songs, including topics such as Sweetbread, climbing trees, and taking out compost. The gentleman who was playing lead for Shawn that night (he has a rotating crew) was damn good. During one of his solos, he performed a pitch perfect scat to match his playing. Super cool.
The thing that made the set so sweet, Mr. Scott Tournet came out and sat in. He would later confess that he didn't know the songs at all. I'll tell you, with out noticing the concentration on his face, you would never know. It is my humble opinion, that Scott is just getting better and better; and this author can't wait to see just how good he gets.
During the break, I made my way up to the front to talk to Todd, Van and Mom. I just happened to be standing in front of Graces monitors (when on guitar), when the band walks on stage. SERENDIPITY! I stayed there too, for one damn rocking, floor bouncing, ass kicking show. I could do that every f'n night of my life. I was hearing the guitars off of their amps, Grace's voice from her monitors, and the drum nice and clear. It was so damn good I tell ya!
The drum jam, or "orgy" as I call it, was interesting as the stage was so small. I'll tell you it may have been a pain for them to get around the kit, but they rocked it anyway.
Unfortunately, I was "stuck" up there without my camera, so I tried to get the best shots I could out of my phone. So the pics are a little dodgy. The set list that appears here, does not tell the correct story. Paris was moved to the encore, I assume due to a broken E1 string (see pic of Scott, it's the weird line) on the flying V and the encore ended up being "Ah Mary" followed by "Pain in My Heart" and "If I was from Paris"As the boys left the stage, Grace pushed the merchandise and assured us that anyone who bought a Frisbee would receive some play time.After the show, we chatted while the crowd filed out. Eventually we ended up in the lobby, where we got to chat with Scott, Bryan and Grace. I got to talk about my new Jazz Bass with Bryan, which was neat. I even understood what he was saying, most of the time. The best part, Matty finally got to meet Grace, they had a nice conversation about his name, car dealerships, and Matt Burr's not being anything but Matt. After assurances about seeing them the next night, we departed for the evening. A Good time was had by all.
Listen to the show over at This is Somewhere.
28.8.08
File Under: Erik is now an Aeronaut
Last Friday night Erik took his first balloon flight. Some of these pics a
re from my dad.
19.7.08
13.6.08
File Under: Not a Lonely Loser
The old school minds set that is often applied to video gamers, is that we are all social misfits and lonely losers. I would argue against that assessment at any point in gaming history, it's always been a social thing. However, it is most definitely not true now. One of the games that is most often accused of causing anti-social, World of Warcraft, is addictive because of the social interaction. You make friends, you hang out with them, you play and have fun. Sounds social to me. Anyway, this Channel Web entry is about a study that seems to support the idea that gamers are not lonely losers, not to say we aren't social losers though.
3.6.08
File Under: Special Oil
Hello boys and girls in CMP land. Your Uncle Kired just received his budget plan for heating oil this coming year. $313.00 per month. Isn't that special? Last year it was $185 per month. That was special too. I feel so special right now, I just want to tell our President how special he is. I would also like to tell all those folks at those big oil companies how special I think they are. Oh and those special people who play the commodities market, aren't they just the most special people?
I would like to hear from all you boys and girls about how special it's going to be to heat your home this year.
I would like to hear from all you boys and girls about how special it's going to be to heat your home this year.
7.5.08
File Under: First paddle of the year
This afternoon, Matt and I took the kayaks up the Presque Isle Stream to Arnold Brook and made it up to this beaver dam. We saw geese, ducks and beavers.
There is some concern as to if either of us will be able to move tomorrow.
28.2.08
File Under: The Braden will finally reopen
Well I was there till 10 last night, but we got the register system up and running. The projection systems are almost done. Now comes the cleaning, tons and tons of cleaning. I just know I won't be able to not help clean. Stupid urge to help, making me tired.
Side note: Had a good if convoluted experience with Microsoft Tech support. It seems when you call in for their Office product, they don't assume you're a dirt bag (Xbox).
Side note: Had a good if convoluted experience with Microsoft Tech support. It seems when you call in for their Office product, they don't assume you're a dirt bag (Xbox).
28.12.07
File Under: Penguin Monkey threatens Cursed Monkey Paw
It would seem that getting Phil addicted to Guitar Hero and Rock Band in the same week has caused some threats to be flung my way. Apparently I will find black tar heroin in my stocking next year (in case you live under a rock, this is one of the most addictive substances known to man). I claim this is just retribution for World of Warcraft. Besides, we all know he would have bought them eventually.
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