No Use For A Livejournal Title

Stolen Stuff Alert

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:17:04 GMT

This is purely an announcement...hoping this shows up on Google soon..
My iPod and digital camera got stolen July 31, 20008 in Chicago. Probably very little chance of recovering it, but I'll post some serial numbers in case someone Googles it. Email me at info[at]shenny[dot]net . As an incentive if you return the iPod to me, I'll donate what you paid for the iPod to a charity. I just want the iPod back!!

iPod video 30GB MA444LL/A
Model # A1136
Serial Number S/N # 8K706FTFV9K
Part No. # MA444LL/A
Was called "Shenny's iPod" (not sure if it's been formatted since). It's a white video iPod but I had a black iSkin over it. If you took off the iSkin, you'll see the iPod lasered with the Edison International logo and probably says Edison International (or Int'l) next to the logo. It means a lot to me since I earned it through achievement points at work.

Casio Exilim EX-S600 BE digital camera
Serial # 9531341a-v
Bar Code # 0-79767-68444-0
Color: light blue
It had a 2GB memory card inside it along with two 1-GB memory cards inside a green-gray-ish pouch with a rabbit (called Mashimaro) on it. I don't care much for the camera since the photo quality wasn't all that great, but I'd really like to have the memory cards and pouch back. Those can be mailed to me no questions asked and you can keep the camera as reward. Please email me if you have any information. Thanks!!

The Puppy Olympics are coming!!!!

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:35:11 GMT

Damn you Time Warner for moving Animal Planet to digital cable!

Puppies gear up for own Games

The Games begin Aug. 8 -- the Puppy Games, that is.

After scoring big with "Puppy Bowl," which aired concurrently with the Super Bowl, Animal Planet on Thursday announced that it was expanding the franchise with "Puppy Games 2008," a three-hour special that will air the same night as the Olympics opening ceremony.

More than 30 puppies representing different countries -- most of them hailing from Washington, D.C., shelters -- will "compete" in sports such as dog paddling, soccer and gymnastics. A modified version of the special will air Aug. 23, the same weekend as the Olympics closing ceremony.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:20:20 GMT

So sad...as soon as I heard on the Kevin & Bean show about the Rodney on the Roq ULTRA limited t-shirt, I had to buy a couple right away. Good thing, though, cuz it sold out really fast.

Add The Avalon to the list of venues that doesn't like video recording...

James @ Spaceland June 6-7, 2008 videos

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 07:39:22 GMT

Super thrilled when I saw that the legendary James was playing an impromptu gig at Spaceland! One of those bands you always liked, but never got around to seeing (thanks to not touring the U.S. in 7 years). Their latest album Hey Ma has already been released in the UK but won't get released officially in the U.S. until September 16 (!).

Anyway, here are my videos from the show. Unfortunately low lighting yet again! Sorry for the multiple video services!

Waterfall from The Evil Rabbit on Vimeo.

Whiteboy from The Evil Rabbit on Vimeo.

Laid

Say Something from The Evil Rabbit on Vimeo.

I rely on recorded tv too much...

Fri, 23 May 2008 17:23:06 GMT

OH no! My DVR died after two years!!! According to the LG LRM-519 Yahoo Group, these units seem to die after 2 years and may be revived by replacing the capacitors. But what to do in the meantime as I get around to ordering the capacitors and figure out how install them?!?!?! *cries*

*edit* several months later...despite my horrible soldering skills, was able to replace the capacitors and unit worked. Unfortunately one year later, Nov 28, 2009, a wire hit somewhere close to the power supply and caused a very brief electric fire. Now, the unit is dead again. *sigh* need a replacement ASAP!!

Videos of Bryan Adams @ The Roxy - 05/19/2008

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:29:13 GMT

Being this was a solo acoustic show, the lighting was on the dark side thus hard to see videos...

Summer of '69...apparently not about that time period but the "position" :D

Please Forgive Me

Heaven

Heaven...the story behind the song. Written for a movie about a male stripper :D I actually saw the movie when I was a kid but it was the "edited for tv" version.

*sigh* really wanna see him again :(

2008 Weenie Roast Plans

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:34:28 GMT

Set times are posted! Here's how ideally it'll go. Get there in time to see Psycho Mike do "Hey There Vagina," "Firecrotch" and "Brow-Down." Skip Ludo, hopefully free drinks and food "backstage." Get to Flobots in time to hear "Handlebars." Check out MGMT. Get the hell out before The Bravery!! Hopefully more free drinks and food during Atreyu. Check out Flogging Molly. Get hopefully free food and drink during Seether and Scars on Broadway. Pray Foo Fighters or Weezer are secret guests. See the rest of the show with possible break during Rise Against.

Saturday, 17 May
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Doors open at noon.

Bud Light Stage Dos
Psycho Mike 12:40-1:00pm
Ludo 1:00-1:30pm
Flobots 1:30-2:00pm
MGMT 2:00-2:30pm
The Bravery 2:30-3:00pm

Main Stage
Atreyu 3:30-4:00pm
Flogging Molly 4:00-4:30pm
Seether 4:30-5:00pm
Scars On Broadway 5:00-5:30pm
Pennywise 5:30-6:10pm
Bad Religion 6:10-6:50pm
Rise Against 6:50-7:35
The Raconteurs 7:35-8:20
The Offspring 8:20-9:20
Metallica 9:20-10:50

Dave Grohl's speech coming out for an encore...

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:42:27 GMT

This video is from the second night of the Foo Fighters two-night stand at the "fabulous" Forum. My favorite part is when he mentions adding some color to Against Me!'s wardrobe. In their defense, from my crappy Lollapalooza photos, Tom is wearing a white shirt.

Dave Grohl Foo Fighters March 6, 2008 @ The Forum b4 Big Me
Uploaded by TheEvilRabbit

Foo Fighters/Serj Tankian/Against Me! @ Cox Arena, March 3, 2008

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:05:04 GMT

Show #1 of the Foo Fighters/Serj Tankian/Against Me! SoCal tour. We arrived at Cox *snicker* Arena around 3pm and NO ONE in line. We walked around a bit, hung around the bridge where you look down at the numerous trucks and tour busses. Saw Tom, the lead singer of Against Me! with his wife (dude, she has her own section on the Alkaline Trio wikipedia page!) and then he sorta rode around on a bike. Later we saw a tour bus arriving with a buncha Foo Fighters members (Dave, Pat Smear, Drew etc). Cox Arena is on the campus of San Diego State so students kept coming up and asking what we were in line for.

Doors open. With the exception of the lame metal detectors which kept sounding off with no reason, got in without a hitch. Unlike most arenas, there's only one level of seats at Cox (versus say Colonade and Loge at the Forum). But man, going down those longass set of stairway as fast as you can was like a death drop! Got to the closest baricade stage right next to "runway" at the rail (i.e. best spot in the house).

Hardly anyone inside the arena for Against Me! Dude, I seriously love New Wave and totally rocked out. Sorta surprised they did Borne since Tegan of Tegan and Sara sings on it. During the little intro to Stop!, Tom the lead singer cracked a smile when he saw me and my friend totaling bouncing around (we were right in front of him). Then they do that disco intro to Don't Lose Touch. Unfortunately I hear the opening chords to Ocean and know it's the end of the set. I asked one of the stagehands for the setlist in his hand and got that. Not too long after, I see another setlist floating in the air and managed to catch it (it helped no one really cared to grab it). Since the sticky side of the tape was still exposed, my friend taped it on the rail in front of her so they'd be kept flat. Luckily a pick--surprisingly a customized one!---was stuck to the tape. Yay! Gotta love the green tape with pink paper look!

Serj Tankian was painful to stand through. A lot of talking that didn't make any sense if you never listened to the whole album. Thankfully the crowd was just as apathetic as I.

All personal space was gone when the Foos got on stage. A couple jabroni's behind us were getting a bit rough--even one of the Foos security guys warned them. I stuck my elbows out towards them just in case. The pit wasn't too bad though. I've been to a LOT worse. The girl next to my friend was puking! So thankfully, she got fished out of the pit. We couldn't see anything when the band moved to the "acoustic" stage so we resorted to using mirrors just to see what was going on behind us. It would have been nice if they would have fed video to the screens on stage. Show seemed pretty short with being blacked out for 5.5 "acoustic" songs and all the solos and jams. Guess there's more of the latter two in big arena shows. But in general not a big fan of them since they take away from the momentum/flow of the show. Had a similar complaint with Green Day arena shows too with all the interruptions (whereas their American Idiot in its entirety shows were friggin' awesome!), but loved the Paris Hilton sex tape nightcam video with Dave and the setlist before the encore. My friend managed to get a Foos setlist, I caught one of Dave's picks. Afterward we drove to a nearby bar. Didja know hard liquor can't be served within a certain radius of SDSU? WTF? I thought this was a party school!

It's a beautiful day...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:10:37 GMT

Anyone interested in seeing U2 3D at an IMAX theatre? I hear it really is like being at one of their shows! Probably better than my nosebleed seat at Staples Center :P

Shows in OC >> Shows in LA

Found on The Wiltern Myspace....

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:39:38 GMT

2 FEMALE PROFESSIONAL DANCERS WANTED FOR MIKA
We are looking for 2 FEMALE PROFESSIONAL DANCERS (Size 16- US) to dance during the MIKA Concert, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH. The dancers will be onstage and possibly walk through the audience during the concert. $200 for each dancer. Please reply to this bulletin with your contact information

The greatest news ever!!!

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:06:05 GMT

The Puppy Bowl is back!!!! Plus Kitty Halftime show!!!

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 06:01:36 GMT

JIMMY EAT WORLD AND PARAMORE CONFIRM U.S. CO-HEADLINE TOUR

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:13:58 GMT

Foo Fighters - Ballad Of The Beaconsfield Miners at the Troubadour Jan 14, 2008
Uploaded by TheEvilRabbit

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:36:20 GMT

YES!!! Finally won tix to see The Foo Fighters at The Troubadour!!! Kevin & Bean Breakfast with the Foos!! Bar opens 6am :D

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:34:39 GMT

Yay my YouTube account has been suspended.

I think I'm required to go to these....

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:15:01 GMT

Jimmy Eat World Announce Tour Dates with Foo Fighters!

Jimmy Eat World will support Foo Fighters on a run of 2008 US tour dates! Details are as follows. All shows are on sale now:
January 16th – Miami, FL – Bank Atlantic Arena
January 17th – Orlando, FL – Amway Arena
January 19th – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Arena
January 20th – Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Civic Center
January 22nd – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
January 23rd – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
January 25th – Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum

And added bonus is Against Me! opening the Foos North American dates!!!

KROQ Almost Acoustic Night 2 @ Gibson Amphitheatre - 12/09/2007

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:54:04 GMT

Literally I got a free last minute pit ticket from a nice Muse fan in exchange for a ride to/from Pasadena which unfortunately meant giving up a first row orchestra seat and the chance to meet Joel McHale of The Soup! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend took a photo with him. Supposedly the lead singer of the Vines and Jim Adkins were there too.

Spoon and Feist were OK...not the best situation to be seeing them though (KROQ radio festival). Most annoyingly were all the people talking around me! aaagghhh!!! And the lameasses who start shoving their way to the front.

Loved Silversun Pickups. Hah, Brian did a Dave Grohl during Lazy Eye! went out into the crowd and rocked out! Thankfully being louder than the aforementioned bands, I wasn't able to hear all the annoying chatter.

Loved The Shins. Yay they didn't do New Slang!. And they did Sea Legs which they didn't do last time I saw them. I don't think I've seen Marty Crandall clean-shaven!

The Killers were a nice surprise. Their cover of Shadowplay didn't sound too shabby live. And their Don't Shoot Me Santa song was a lot of fun.

When Modest Mouse appeared, a couple a-hole tall guys start pushing their way. I pushed back and next thing you know beer got poured over me from behind. In a gut reaction, I pulled the hair of the guy who was walking away (I assumed he was the guy who poured the beer). Thankfully he and his friend got kicked out and everyone cheered. Turned out I didn't miss much since Modest Mouse bored. Even if they had played Ocean Breathes Salty and Float On (which they didn't), I'd still be bored. Too bad their live show hasn't changed much since last time I saw them.

A nice girl and her friend let me be at the rail for Jimmy Eat World. I was the only one rocking out to them. In other words, another typical LA J.E.W. show! I loved they weren't afraid to go with mellower stuff (Disintegration and Hear You Me) since at these radio festivals bands usually stick to their more rockin' stuff. In a pleasant surprise, Zach came down, grabbed my hand (amongst all the others) and handed me his drumsticks! Score! This is actually the third time he's personally handed me stix at the end of a set. Sadly it's made me spoiled for more! LOLz.

Was probably a bit too tired to enjoy Muse and the sound didn't sound too good up front. Could barely hear Matt's vocals especially when he was at the piano. And a couple more big guys began shoving their way to the front *sigh* Not wanting to cause any more drama, I simply moved to the left. When the Muse crew setup a platform into the pit a foot away from me, I thought Matt would be rocking out there a bunch. But he only came their once. Crotch shots! I loved that they didn't start off with Knights of Cydonia cuz they always do in LA!!!

Afterward, it was nice seeing a lot of my peeps! starbright31, eu_splinched, Alex and her sister, and Keith! Too bad Citywalk had nothing opened on a Sunday night and I had to drop dude who gave me his extra pit ticket back to Pasadena. We did stop by an am/pm on the way since we were super super thirsty!

How Many Times I've Seen These Bands....

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:37:14 GMT

I was trying to figure out how many times I've seen Jimmy Eat World which lead to updating this previous entry. After tonight, +1 should be added to QOTSA. Unfortunately realized I hadn't listened to their latest album or any of their other stuff in ages. I dunno if I'll get around to writing about all the Jimmy Eat World shows I attended a couple weeks ago, but overall I found myself longing for the summer shows I saw in Texas. Those shows were just so much more intimate and I loved hearing a lot of the mellower songs not normally played. It's funny that I wasn't into the Foo Fighters acoustic shows much and soo preferred their rock shows; but for Jimmy Eat World it's vice versa. Maybe I'm just tired of hearing The Middle, Sweetness, Bleed American, A Praise Chrorus a billion times. I'll still catch them at Almost Acoustic Christmas if they do it this year. But I suspect next year they'll be co-headlining with a Taking Back Sunday-like band and play arenas--which I may skip out on cuz getting hit in the nose by a crowd surfer is no fun :(

Jimmy Eat World - 38
Foo Fighters - 23
Weezer - 14
The Special Goodness - 14
Hot Hot Heat - 11
Interpol - 10
QOTSA - 7
SNMNMNM - 6
Snow Patrol - 6
Muse - 5
Arcade Fire - 5
The Bravery - 5 (wtf?!)
Garbage - 4
Green Day - 4
Audioslave - 4
Franz Ferdinand - 4
Taking Back Sunday - 4 (not by choice all those times!!)
Tenacious D - 4 (not really by choice either)
Art Brut - 4
Dramarama - 4
Against Me! - 4
The Killers - 4
Maritime - 3
Cold War Kids - 3
Editors - 3
Ash - 3
She Wants Revenge - 3
HARD-Fi - 3
Jesus and Mary Chain - 3
Silversun Pickups - 3
Autolux - 3
The Fratellis - 3
Arctic Monkeys - 3

KROQ LA Invasion

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:16:17 GMT

KROQ LA Invasion was fun. Not as mindblowing as the other two Inland Invasions I've been to but that's because this year's lineup wasn't as strong. I didn't take too many photos (click here) and what few I did take were the craptastic cell phone variety. Favorite performances: Foo Fighters, Against Me!, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party. Smashing Pumpkins were disappointing and actually bored me. But here are some shots of Billy Corgan engulfed or shot up by the lights! Also a crappy video of Dave Grohl who did a lil something in front of us during the Stacked Actors bit! Now need to find all the web cast videos (already have the Foos).

Yeah, that's Billy.

These are Billy's legs as he acknowledges us minions in his own way.

Yet again, acknowledging us, sorta.

This one for elscorchie *droool*

Dave performing a lil something for us up front!

2007 Summer Trip Day #7 - Lollapalooza Day #3

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:52:06 GMT

Billboard at Harrison Red Line
station near Grant Park
Originally uploaded by forsberg

The Cribs. Miraculously we arrived in time to see the first band we wanted see. This was actually our first time seeing anyone play the Bud Light stage, which is one of the main stages. Passed by Juilette and the Licks. Gah, can't believe they're gonna open up for Muse who seem to always have crappy bands open for them in LA. We watched The Cribs from near the soundboard on a hill. I don't recall much except a band member saying they were gonna play a song off their first album. I thought, how many albums do they have?? I'll get around to finding out.

Rodrigo y Gabriela. Watched from another elevated spot. I was a bit concerned--I could hear the band on a nearby stage and they were loud. How were two acoustic guitars gonna counteract?? Turns out, they sounded fine. I heard a little bit of Metallica's One and then all of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and Stairway to Heaven. It was all OK and I stayed for the whole thing. I'll need to check them out in a smaller setting without the sun burning my hat and skin.

Amy Winehouse. Back to the Bud Light stage. Alex spotted Brian from Silversun Pickups walking around us with the drummer. Watched a few songs but wasn't feeling it so we walked to the Adidas Stage to check out...

Paolo Nutini. Alex actually spotted eu_splinched! We were second row but if I tried I could have squeezed on to the rail. This was actually the closest we got to any stage during all of Lollapalooza! Alex and I weren't feeling him too much (maybe I shouldn't have told her he never looks at the crowd!). So we left 45 minutes into the set to catch Kings of Leon on the AT&T stage. On our way, we grabbed a couple pads of Lollapalooza VIP Lounge entry forms to fill out during Kings of Leon. Yes...in the great tradition of All-Star ballotting, we stuffed the ballots! But alas, we never won.

Kings of Leon. When we arrive, we see this young looking guy on the big screen. WTF?! Turns out lead singer cut his hair!! Dude looked younger and cuter! It's been a while since I've seen a full set from KOL. We caught a couple songs at Coachella but the last real time we saw them was 2003 Inland Invasion. Though, I did come close to seeing them open up for The Strokes at The Palladium three years ago. I was pleased they evolved from the Black Crowes/Lynyrd Skynyrd sound of 2003, but it was still great hearing Molly's Chambers! Funny moment: the big screen shows a close-up of a Pearl Jam fan's whiteboard which says, "2 hours 45 minutes and counting." Actually it should have said, "3 hours 45 minutes and counting" to be more accurate but maybe he wasn't counting soundcheck. Anyway, that fan must have experienced temporary euphoria when Eddie Vedder came out on KOL's last song to play tamborine and do some singing. I'd like to see KOL with BRMC at the Greek this Friday but the $45 face value not including fees is a bit much for that venue. Too bad I can't see them at the 930 Club where Alex works.

Peter Bjorn and John. We heard the power went out on them two songs in. Poor PB&J! I saw some of their set since they were playing across the food booths while we ate. Bleh, the fries were nowhere as good as Coachella. I heard them doing Amsterdam, Young Folks (not sure who the guest female singer was) and some other song off their latest album. Before the last song, Bjorn said in his Swedish accent, "I think we have enough power to do one more song."

My Morning Jacket. I really wanted to see Modest Mouse with Johnny Marr but (1) the stage was all the way on the other end and wasn't in the mood to do the walking, (2) MMJ has the big sound necessary to fill up big spaces plus they would be playing with The Chicago Youth Symphony, and (3) we wanted a good spot for Pearl Jam. We were in the same spot as we were for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hoping that people would leave after MMJ (they didn't). Perry Farrell came out and said something about taking out your cameras and cell phones, then uploading your videos to a website. We were surprised to see Jim James had his hair cut! What's with all the haircuts and rockstars cutting off their trademark hair?!?! MMJ sounded quite good with the orchestra. Kinda surprised Eddie Vedder didn't come out and sing but I guess that would have taken away from the The Chicago Youth Symphony.

~~TV on the Radio~~. Oops, almost forgot they were playing. Didn't wanna lose our spot!!

Pearl Jam. I don't think anyone around us left after My Morning Jacket. Bummer. We still had a good spot--elevated with clear line of sight of the stage and above people's heads. We and the people next to me were super annoyed with all the people walking through us so we blocked any possible pathways. Yet a-holes would still continue to walk through instead of simply walking around us. Based on the setlist, they did a lot of their hits. I was impressed with Mike McCready doing the solo to umm..don't remember the song..with his hands and guitar behind his back. The fireworks were nice but badly timed. I really could have done without all the political stuff though. Maybe if we weren't continually subjected to it, I wouldn't have mind. I will say, though, Eddie Vedder seems really good to the fans. He mentioned talking to the other bands (playing previous to PJ) and how well behaved they were (as opposed to RATM fans at Coachella?). He passed his bottle of wine--which along with a composition book, I heard, was part of his on-stage "thing." Anyway, he passed that bottle of wine to fans who took turns drinking from the bottle. He also invited and helped a lot of fans climb over the barrier and get on stage for the last song. Must have been a thrill for them after standing in the humid heat all day. Eddie also danced with the sign language interpreter near the stage which was pretty funny. During the final encore, they brought a disabled Iraqi War vet who said some stuff about the war and introduced Ben Harper and did "No War." For the last song Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World," somehow everyone ended up on stage. And that everyone included Dennis Rodman. WTF?! Lance Armstrong was there but I didn't see him.

As we were leaving Grant Park, I think we passed by Muse Bus #2 for the second or third night in a row.

2007 Summer Trip Day #6 - Lollapalooza Day #2

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:12:11 GMT

Muse @ Lollapalooza
Originally uploaded by forsberg

~~Tokyo Police Club~~. ~~Pete Yorn~~. ~~Silverchair~~. Crap! We way overslept! We got some iced lattes at a nearby Intelligentsia but unfortunately this made us wanna pee all the time due to its diuretic effect. We also had Red Bull which seemed to make things worse.

Cold War Kids. I wonder how much sleep these guys got. Alex saw her boss whom she knew would be at Lollapalooza as he goes to a lot of out-of-state shows/festivals. He went to another after-fest show at the House of Blues last night. He said the House of Blues was just another House of Blues, meaning it SUCKS! He was cool and helped us in our evil plan to get passes to the Lollapalooza VIP Lounge. It was really hard to enjoy Cold War Kids. People kept walking in front of us--which is normal in festivals--but this was happening constantly. I don't even remember much due to this :(

~~CSS~~. Crap! They missed their flight and cancelled. Guess I'll just have to be content with the one time I've seen them. Matt and Kim took their place. I heard some of the goofy in-between song banter.

~~The Hold Steady~~. Bumped into eu_splinched (!) who had seen a lot more bands than me. Didn't watch much of The Hold Steady since we were working on our plan to get into the VIP Lounge.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs. So we give up on the Lolla Lounge and head out for the YYYs. We come across this really nice elevated spot where we could see above the heads of people with a clear line of sight of the stage. It was sprinkling on and off but was fairly harmless. I've seen YYY before. And while it's amusing that Karen O wears the craziest outfits and makeup and acts crazy on-stage, it just doesn't work for me. It was nice, though, hearing old favorites from Fever to Tell like Date with the Night, Y Control, and Maps. Karen O loves to deep throat the mics!

Surprisingly a lot of people start leaving which I didn't mind since we simply moved to an even better spot.

Muse. It starts to rain. Hard and harder. We were already sitting on one poncho and cut up another poncho to cover ourselves. I could feel a sore throat coming on too :( Plus TOM had arrived. And there was an hour wait in between sets. So wasn't feeling good. But as soon as Muse came on after the JFK speech, I was in!! I was going quite crazy during Hysteria--which along with Our Time is Running Out, I'm sure hardcore fans could do without--but I love hearing them live!! And it gets the crowds going. All the hands in the air clapping in unison during Starlight was a sight to behold and makes you realize why you go to festivals...and I wouldn't have caught that if I were up front! It was funny to hear a couple guys in front of me say they were gonna check out Interpol in the middle of Muse. I love Interpol and all....but no way could their show compare with Muse's spectacular light show. And they brought out the big white baloons!! The only negative thing I noticed was the wait in between songs was a bit longer than I'm used to. There's hardly any talk in between songs anyway so it was weird. I heard later they were having technical issues which is common at festivals. And finally! I hear Knights of Cydonia as the closing song. For some reason they open up with that song at their last two headlining shows in LA!! And I must say even though I was at the rail front row for my last two Muse shows, I much preferred watching from a far and enjoying the whole show--performance, lights, visuals, crowd reaction.

I was planning on eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I got back to my lodging. Instead after we got off our train stop, we walked by the nearby Vic Theatre, the place of the not-so secret fan club Pearl Jam show two days ago. We were so upset that we were so nearby yet didn't try to get in. UGH!!! Afterward we decided to stop by this place advertising Killer Margaritas since we were always intrigued by this the previous times we passed by. We each ordered the smallest frozen margaritas they offered (16 oz); wow, was it good!! Refreshing and strong! Nothing like those cheapie ones you get at Vegas. So good!! We also ordered lotsa chips, salsa, guacamole, rice, beans. Oh man, we were in heaven. Everything was sooo good!! And we talked about how we always have an awesome time in ChiTown and how we must find a way to move here.

Unfortunately in the middle of the night, I fully understood the meaning of killer margaritas as I was praying to the porcelain gods. I tried passing out and sleeping but couldn't!!! So took a couple NyQuil gel caps and eventually was able to rightfully pass out.

Epi-Lasik: 5 Months After - August 10, 2007

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:44:41 GMT

I'm listening to KROQ's Top 500 of the 90s and these songs are reminding me of times I'd rather wait another 10 years so I can recall them fondly like the 80s. Heroine Girl, Mother Mother (lame Tracy Bonham song), Shakespeare Sisters (!), I'm wondering when the Alanis Morissette songs are coming. I voted for Wonderwall, El Scorcho and damnit...can't think of the third song.

Been a while since I've written one of these. I had a 5 month appointment. Unfortunately since my last appointment, the hazing in my eyes hasn't gone away. My eyes are pretty dry due to the hot weather and I probably should go back to using Restasis regularly. My right eye is at 20/20 but my left eye vision hasn't improved. In fact, it's at -1 (was -11 pre-LASIK). Dr. Moore said if there's enough tissue left, she could do a correction on the left eye. WHAT?!?!?!?! I dunno if I wanna go through another procedure!! She said if I'm OK with my vision, we don't have to do anything. Being my procrastinating self, I elected to wait 3 months and see if the left eye vision improves. Since the appointment, I've come to terms that the left eye vision probably won't improve so I'm OK with doing a correction.

**Edit** Looks like Tiger Woods needs a corrective LASIK as well.

To read the other LASIK/Epi-LASIK entries, click here or click on one of the entries below.

Epi-Lasik: Day of Procedure - March 7, 2007
Epi-Lasik: The Day After - March 8, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Two Days After - March 9, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Three Days After - March 10, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Four Days After - March 11, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Eight Days After - March 15, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Fifteen Days After - March 22, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Almost One Month After - April 5, 2007
Epi-Lasik: Almost Two Months After - May 4, 2007

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Cold War Kids, Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ The Metro - August 3, 2007

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:41:02 GMT

Great to be back at the Metro! Last time I was there was November 2005 to see Jimmy Eat World, then the next day went bowling with the band and their wives and girlfriend! So many happy memories!! The show was sold-out but we were able to buy tickets at face value (yay no facility and service fees) from people hanging outside. I wanted to buy a Red Bull (to keep awake) from the liquor store across the street but I didn't wanna miss the start of Elvis Perkins in Dearland who were about to go on.

Back when I saw JEW, there was an old man poet who would read a self-penned poem to introduce each band. I was surprised to see him again! Reading a poem before each band. Guess he's a local radio legend?

Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Last time I saw them was back in January opening up for My Morning Jacket. I didn't care about him back then. But soon after I came across his backstory and took a closer listen to Ash Wednesday which I really like now. Everyone on the bill, it turns out, are good friends and have toured with each other at one time or another. This set the tone for a very happy, niiiice show. We found a nice elevated (!) spot near the bar so we could see above people's heads. Unfortunately the lighting was quite dark so my photos look really bad. I quite enjoyed Elvis and company and so did the audience. Not bad for the opening band! On their last song, everyone (I think) from Cold War Kids and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were on stage playing whatever instrument was around.

Cold War Kids. Super fun. Lead singer asked the crowd if we were either anti-festivals or couldn't get enough. I guess we were somewhere in between...the anti-Daft Punk. On their last song, Elvis Perkins in Dearland came out and played. I realize I suck for not seeing Cold War Kids again after their Avalon show with Editors. Undecided if I wanna see them at The Wiltern.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! This is where the story gets sad. I was really looking forward to seeing CYHSY! But I was way pooped and CYHSY!'s soundcheck was taking way too long. I noticed that the crowd was starting to thin out as well and people's patience was getting low. We left after five songs or so :( And Alec Ounsworth looks so cute with his newsboy hat :( Thankfully, I will be making up for this tragedy by seeing CYHSY! and Elvis Perkins in Dearland at the Troubadour on Sept 18 & 19. Woulda tried for the 20th but I have Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem that day.

2007 Summer Trip Day #4 & 5 - St. Louis, Amtrak, Chicago, Lollapalooza Day #1

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:59:51 GMT

Chicago beauty salon. They also give great blow jobs!
Originally uploaded by forsberg

Not much to report on Day #4 which was a rest day since I would be taking the 6 hour Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago. I took 4 NyQuil LiquidGels so I could pass out but ugh, I couldn't! The train was full but thankfully they put us in business class seats. Due to waiting for a freight train going 0.000000000001 mph to pass, I didn't get into Chicago until 1.5 hours later than scheduled. BLAH. Met up with billy_ and Alex. We ate at some nearby 24 hour diner that serves a banana with every meal. For some reason I was the only one who got the banana. Also got stuff from Walgreens.

Why Lollapalooza Kicks Coachella's Ass
* Better viewing spots. Lotsa elevated spots where you can see the stage above people's head.
* One hour sets vs. 45 minute sets
* Set in a real city with a great public transit system (i.e. no parking nightmares)
* In-and-out privileges
* Free crap!!! A lot of it helpful like the free knapsacks with breath drops, sunscreen, ponchos, Kleenex. Yay to corporate sponsorships!

Why It Doesn't
* Humidity!! But wanting to take a shower is normal at festivals
* Muse vs. Interpol, My Morning Jacket vs. Modest Mouse, walking to other end vs. staying put. But conflicts are a part of festivals.
* No 10-for-1 recycling :(

2007 Lollapalooza Day 1

~~The Fratellis~~. We took the bus to downtown Chicago which turned out to be a baaad idea. Due to the frequent stops to load up too many passengers and heavy traffic, we got to Grant Park way later than scheduled. Wish we took the Red Line train instead!! It took us forever to pick up our passes because they were at the Media Check-In Tent which was ALL THE WAY on the southend of Grant Park. On our way, we did hear The Fratellis do what I suspect was their last song Chelsea's Dagger. Not too heartbroken I missed them. Already seen them three times this year and I'm pretty maxed out. Next album?

~~Ted Leo and the Pharmacists~~. ~~The Polyphonic Spree~~. We walked around picking up free crap along the way. Decided what the heck, we'll check out Ted Leo. Poor dude fell on his ass on the first or second song! After he finished, he said "Thanks guys!" We were getting hungry so we decided to utilize the in-and-out privileges to eat at a nearby Thai place knowing we'd miss The Polyphonic Spree. Stopped by the nearby hostel to buy a visitors CTA pass, which they were out of. Walked to the Chicago Cultural Center, enjoyed the A/C and exhibits (sadly no photos allowed) and bought a visitor's pass. Stopped by Walgreens to pick up more stuff.

Against Me! Don't even dare talk shit about this band. Or else! I was listening to New Wave on my iPod and gosh darnit I really liked it. The crowd wasn't as spirited as Coachella. Surprisingly hardly any moshing or crowd surfing. Alex conjectured being on concrete maybe had something to do with it--which is strange since this is Grant Park. Looking forward to seeing them again at LA Invasion at Home Depot Center where I saw them two years ago!

The Rapture. While waiting for the The Rapture underneath some trees on some elevated spot (woot!), we could hear M.I.A. on the Bud Stage. It didn't sound too good where we were. Unfortunately don't recall too much about The Rapture's set. It didn't seem as fun as their Coachella set to me but maybe daylight had something to do with it. There was a green crane behind us. Some stupid kids thought it'd be cool to get on it and jump up and down shaking the whole thing.

~~Blonde Redhead~~. ~~The Black Keys~~. We decided to utilize our in-and-out privileges for dinner. Unfortunately so did a lot of the people at the place we ended up. The chicken ceasar salad wasn't very good and service was slow. Line at the bathroom was way long. There were two girls there who changed into their robot-inspired get-ups for Daft Punk.

~~LCD Soundsystem~~. Came back and caught, I guess, two songs. At the end, James Murphy says "go over there" pointing to the Daft Punk stage. So we did.

~~Daft Punk~~. Decided to break from routine and tried to get closer to the stage. Bad mistake, bad mistake! It got super crowded not too far from the soundboard so we backtracked and ended way in the back somewhere. Seems like everyone has raved about Daft Punk at Coachella and the LA Sports Arena; but me...meh, wasn't feeling it. Neither was Alex. I really wanted to see a real band that singed and played instruments. So we decided to catch the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!/Cold War Kids/Elvis Perkins in Dearland after-fest show at the Metro. Off to the Red Line station...