Moar Ghosts n Whatever

The best house dj right now is Deadmau5, his music is cutting edge, exciting, and more creative then a lot of djs out there. One of my favorites is his Ghosts n Stuff off of the 2009 release It Sounds like. I think this song has one of the more original beats I've ever heard. Whenever it comes on everything starts to move around me or I start moving and everything else remains in place.

Many non fans of EDM may claim it sounds all the same, but really each genre is very different. They are determined based on criteria such as time signature and beats per minute. Within each genre all djs have a signature style. Deadmau5 is one who covers very many different styles but most stick him in house because his beats are do do dat do do dat as a opposed to dat dat dat dat...

When it comes to originality this is it...Listen carefully the main "lick" of this (begining at 0:16)



Regardless, at work today and I keep viewing this ad for an MTV show called America's Best Dance Crew. I guess the 5th season of the show is begining soon. From what I understand the show isn't all that wonderful, but at least the promo is. It features the "sequal" (if you will) to Ghosts n Stuff called Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff.

While it is kinda stinky that such an epic dj is being used in such a bad promo on a bad cable network, at least there is the possiblility of people being turned on to quality dance music. Perhaps in the future we'll hear more of Deadmau5 and less Lady Gaga.

Check it out.


Hope you liked it!

Hoooo R U?

A few weeks back Dee and I went to see Alice in Wonderland and one of the movie trailers was for an animated film set to be released in September: Legend of the Guardians. I immediately knew that this movie was going to consume much of my summer and I, along with a theatre of 13 year olds, would be wiggling in my seat on opening night come the fall.

The first (and major) thing that sucked me in was it’s an adventure story about owls. I’m really into owls. I think the owl is by far the most interesting animal. Not only is it nocturnal, but it flies completely silent. Their head has a 280 degree turn radius and their eyes are fixed in their socket. These things have a satellite around their face which allows them super hearing. I’ve never seen too many owls outside of a sanctuary or zoo, but I always hear them. And when I’m hiking, the cooing owl sounds help me forget that there’s a big, nasty bear thinking about having me for dinner.

There seems to be an aura of wisdom and calmness about the owl that fascinates me. The mystery of the animal makes me feel like a curious kid again which is probably why I’m all about this movie.

Legend of the Guardians is actually based on the first 3 books in a series titled The Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathy Lasky. I’ve never read these books as a kid so the first thing I did after seeing the trailer was acquire copies of them. The books are very visual and the story line is actually intense. I got sucked into the first book in the series, The Capture, right away.

When I was in elementary school I remember seeing other students completely obsessed with series like Goosebumps and Hardy Boys. I’d watch their eyes dart across the pages during our “free reading” time. Meanwhile, I would stand the biggest book I could find on my desk so the teacher wouldn’t notice me trying to make my bully’s desk levitate. Needless to say, I never developed into a very strong reader (and I still can’t make things levitate!). Recently, I have been backtracking with my reading and picking up the classics I was supposed to have read in school but never did. So when I found out that these books are classified under “independent reader,” I thought that sounds about right.

As it gets closer to the movie’s release date I’m sure it will get more attention, but I doubt it’s going to be much of a big deal. I read movie snob’s opinions on message boards and many of them say it’s a rip off of Happy Feet and the flying sequences are, “a bit emulative of Avatar,” both of which I haven’t seen. I’ve also read that it’s just a kid’s movie with a silly plot. There is a bunch of criticism of the director Zack Snyder (300 and Watchmen) for doing a “kids” movie they claim he can’t so it’s going to be “a sure flop.”

All the downing of Legend of the Guardians doesn’t really mean shit though cause in the end, it’s going to be a few hours of some dope animated owls with some epic adventure storyline. I’ll be there and if I’m alone in the theatre, I’ll just stay and see it again…for FREE!

Check it out…

The Stellar

So last night I was working on a new cheese, but it turned out my Hummus went bad so I had to think fast! I was just about to go with the classic tomato when my hand grazed the lid of an unlikely hero of the condiment world. Tapenade! Why has this taken so long to develop? Out of what could have been a snack-time disaster came the most tasty grilled cheese experience of my life. The creation is deserving only of a name as: The Stellar. Here's how to do it:

-2 Slices multi-grain bread. I used Trader Joe's because it's not too soft and not too firm.
-1.5 slices Munster cheese
-Margarine.
-2 Tsp Tapenade. Again, I used a Trader Joe's jarred type, but homemade would be even better.
-2 Slices tomato
-1 Dash red pepper flakes.

You know what to do... Spread a little bit of that margarine on the bread side that will contact the pan. Lay down the cheese and spread the Tapenade. Put those slices down and top with a dash of pepper flakes. Cook then up nice and crispy as it will be the perfect texture to complement the Tapenade. There you go....Stellar. You're welcome.

The Boathouse and the Outhouse.

2 weekends ago Dee and I took a long weekend to spend some time in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks. I visited the area many times as a kid and was anxious to see and feel the town 15 years later. Dee has never been to Lake George, so I thought it would be nice for her to get a sneak peak of the area as she will be taking on her first overnight hike there in July.

We stayed at the Boat House Bed in Breakfast in Bolton Landing about 9 miles north of Lake George Village. Before even exiting the interstate the deepest part of my memory was wide awake in the backseat. It was pressing its nose against the window wide eyed with amazement by the beauty of the landscape.

We sailed up route 9N, weaving through towering pines which guarded the lake on all sides. The forest was speckled with lodges and cabins all of which were still rocking their original 1960’s style no vacancy signs.

I knew we were lucky because this would probably be the last weekend the lake’s frozen surface would sparkle as if it was sleeping underneath a sheet of diamonds. As soon as we got out of the car the power of its cool clean breath displaced ours and we were alive again. Vacation!

The Boathouse was a perfect place to stay. It was literally on the lake. Isolated but also close to anywhere we needed to be. 80% of the house was build over the water. The house used to serve as a boat garage for a famous speed boat racer George Reis. After a few owners it ended up as Patti & Joe’s summer home and now their Bed & Breakfast.

Aside from shopping for some hiking gear for Dee, we spent most of the weekend just hanging around the house. Breakfast each morning was much less awkward than I expected. Usually at these types of places the conversations are shallow and forced making the morning feel like a bore. Perhaps because the weather and lake were perfect everyone was feeling relaxed. Or maybe it was just me who was more relaxed and so I single handedly commanded the mood of the morning banquet. Either way it was nice.

Each morning I was anxious to get to the Great Room early so I could sit outside and drink some tea. But really, I just couldn’t wait for another dose of the cool mountain air. I think Dee had the same feeling. One morning she commented on the large size of the mountain ridge in front of us…I thought, I can’t wait to see her reaction in summer when she sees what she is about to climb!

One afternoon we made our way into the village and I was pleasantly surprised to see that nothing has changed about this place. Well, nothing other than my perspective of it. For one, there was always a cool little store that sold rock and roll paraphernalia right on the lake. I must have run through that store 20 times between ages 4-10 and had no idea it was called Shakedown Street, Ha!

Another thing was the obscene amount of mini-golf courses. I never realized how many there actually were. There must be 10 at least within 2 miles. That wasn’t as strange to me as recalling that I’ve played at every one of them!

We walked all along the street and the park along the lake and I must have told Dee 100 stories from being a kid at the lake. I pointed out restaurants, museums, and tours that I’ve been to as a kid. I told her how we used to walk by the steam boats for what seemed like hours, drained of energy and bored out of our minds. I even impressed myself with how much knowledge I retained about Fort William Henry and Lake George’s role in the French and Indian War.

Most of the businesses were closed for the season, so when Dee had to use the bathroom we didn’t have the option of just stopping in a gift shop. Without hesitation I redirected our route down a muddy, park hill toward the tiniest, crappiest building she had ever seen. At this point, she was getting very frustrated with my lack of effort to find her a bathroom. Sure enough, there by a dingy little dock was a public bathroom. I couldn’t even believe I remembered where it was. I do recall waiting outside that bathroom with my grandmother while my mother was inside with my little sister.

It was then that I had one of those moments when so many of the questions we never bother to ask ourselves, about our personal development, are answered all at once. I thought of my parents and how different my interests are from theirs. I thought about how little they prepared me for the future and how they saved almost nothing to pass along to me to help me in my adult life. Then I thought about this place. I began to make connections to all my passions, interests, and desires in the life. I thought about my curiosity in American History, my passion for the outdoors, my desire to push my body countless miles, and my amazement for being awestruck by something so beautiful you can only share it with someone by showing it to them.

I felt as calm as the surface of the water. I will forever be grateful of my parents because although individually they are both crazy, in a way, they gave me calmness. To me, there is no better way to prepare someone and no greater gift.

Beats So Fresh You Need to Keep Them On Ice

A few weekends ago my band, Parachute Stage, recorded our first demo. We recorded at In the Woods Recording Studio in Wallingford, CT and had a great experience. When we arrived at the house, which is literally in the woods, I learned that I had a doppelganger. His name was Gregg and coincidently one of the owners of the studio. He made us feel very welcome and gave us a tour of the house and studio.

The house is beautiful and the studio is set up very well. There is a large room with a cool paint job and within it a smaller isolation booth for vocals and whatnots. Down the hall is the control booth and mixing board.

Gregg was very helpful and professional about the recording process. He took his time making sure we were set up properly and everyone was comfortable. After a few takes he became very much invested in our music and at time expected even more from us than we expected from ourselves. This was great because it gave us all confidence that we had a quality product to offer.
The recording went really well and we laid the music to four tracks in just about 2 hours. Green Tea was finished in 1 take and Protest Song in only 2. After that it was just listening to Dee add in the lead vocals which as you can hear came out great!

We highly recommend In the Woods Recording to any band who wants a quality recording in a very relaxed atmosphere. We will be back in the future for a full length album, but for now check out our demo at myspace.com/coldseasonstudio

Sorry It took so long for the post I was hoping to have photos.

Soothes the Soul.

I've been sick so I haven't been able to catch up on all the wonderful things that have been going on. Be patient. In the mean time.....this is for Grey.....


.....Dire Straits is one of my favorite bands, but come on....

Weekend Warm up

I swore I wasn’t going to get outside until late March, but my good friend John got me out ahead of schedule. John is also training for the upcoming road race and strung together a week of outdoor running last week in the ice and snow. Friday night out for drinks and he convinced me to get out for an easy 5 mile run the following morning. Well, I gave in on the condition we start after noon.

2:00 P.M. we began at the Orange Community Center and headed Northbound on Orange Center Road. We took a left at Meeting House Ln, Ridge Road, Treat Ln, Old Tavern Rd, Peck Ln, a right at Pine Tree Dr, and a left at Orange Center. At the community center there is a walking track and we finished with 1 lap around the track.


We finished at 2:40 P.M. so it wasn’t a great time, but we weren’t really pushing it. It was a really refreshing run and worth the cold. It was also all residential back roads too, so there wasn’t a danger of traffic. I would highly recommend the run.

I didn’t feel winded after the jog so my confidence is way up. I think with a race mentality I could have run this particular 5 mile closer to 31 minutes. It was mostly flat with one slight incline toward the end of the run.

I’m looking forward to my next outdoor run. Maybe I can convince Dee to join me on a jog next weekend in Lake George? ….We’ll see.