I've been keeping extremely busy with my new job and just hanging out with friends.  Enjoying the benefits of working M-F with the LWP Group.  Last weekend I went home for my godmother and brother's birthday party and on the way up I stopped off in Redondo Beach to see Casey Lamm.  I wasn't going to because I had my dog and Erin with me, but i am really glad I did.  I hadn't seen him in over a year. 

I'm excited for the next couple of weeks here.  My brother John flies in tonight and we'll head to my favorite beer spot..Hamilton's.  Then my brother Tim comes home from Iraq tomorrow!  I cannot wait.  I get so happy thinking about it.  We're all going to meet him at Camp Pendleton, then we'll go out to dinner and head back to the hotels in Carlsbad.  Then Sunday we will surprise Tim and show him his house that we've all been working on for the past seven months while he was deployed. 

Then next weekend we are having a huge party at our other brother's house in Simi Valley.  And also, I forget when..but I am seeing The Black Kids at The Belly Up.  Yay.  Here's some pics from Street Scene and a video from The Black Kids.  Enjoy.  Until next time..

Love,

Lady

After, I met up with a friend at Hamilton's Tavern in South Park.  It's starting to scare me how often I go there.  Last week I was there four nights...five if you include the time I had to go in to pick up my debit card.  By the way, they have free pool on Sundays...so who wants to go?  Anyways, I stole a coaster from there because it's Lindemans Lambic.  Seeing it brought back memories reminiscent of the past.  I enjoyed thinking about them and a friend whom I miss dearly. 

All in all, it was a good night.  Ran into old friends, enjoyed the good company.  I'm thinking tonight will be just as good.

The good news is that on Saturday, they're going to be running a free shuttle between the Liars' Club and Hamilton's in South Park. There will be a van that goes between the two bars continuously, starting at the Liars' Club at 2 p.m. and going until around 8 p.m.

My advice: Don't be surprised if the shuttle isn't as punctual as you'd like. The good news is that whichever way you're heading, you'll have plenty of good beers to drink while you wait on it.

Formula 1

Šobrīd vēl notiek sacencības (vēl palikuši 13 apļi) un izskatās, ka priekšā interesanti pēdējie apļi, kur par otro pjedestāla vietu cīnās abi šī sporta veida favorīti - Hamiltons ar Raikonenu. Es pats fanoju par Raikonenu, taču vēl vairāk es fanoju par konkurenci un patiešām sportisko konkurenci. Sacencības jau ir izdevušās... lai arī kāds būz rezultāts šķērsojot finiša līniju... lai gan ceru, ka Raikonenam izdosies apsteigt Hamiltonu trasē!

Joprojām atmiņā iepriekšējās sezonas pēdējā sacīkste, kad Alonso aiz savas egoistiskās uzvedības liedza Hamiltonam iegūt pirmo vietu sezonā. Kopš tās sacīkstes Alonso ir smagi nokrities manās acīs kā sportists un atzīšos, ka iekšā kaut kur neliels prieks, ka šogad Alonso nav starp favorītiem.

Papildināts: Raikonens tomēr palika 3šais.

Hokejs Latvija - Norvēģija (šodien, 11. maijā 18:30 pēc Latvijas laika)

Pēc nelielas pauzes (pāris stundas) sāksies arī ļoti izšķirošs mačss Latvija pret Norvēģiju... izšķirošs tādēļ, ka mums der tikai uzvara, ja vēlamies saglabāt cerības iekļūt ceturdaļfinālā (un rezultātā būt starp 8 labākajām komandām). Šajā sporta veidā bez jautājumiem es fanoju par mūsu komandu. Ceru, ka mums izdosies uzvarēt ar paliecinošu vismaz 2 vārtu pārākumu. Ja mūsējie rādīs tādu pašu spēli kā pret Somiem, tad man jau šķiet, ka tas ir ļoti reāli.

Apsveicu abas savas māmiņas kā arī sievu māmiņdienā! :) Lai Jums daudz pacietības un veselības!

I meet Fifty on their Heels guitarist/vocalist Junior Metro and drummer Justin at Hamilton's, a relatively new beer bar in South Park. Hunkered over pint glasses and chatting softly under the din of a Padres-cheering crowd, the two exude a calmness and modesty that's immediately at odds with the frenetic swagger of their debut self-titled EP. With reverential nods to Brits like Wire, Stiff Little Fingers and Roxy Music (a consensus pick for Fifty's favorite band), the record took home the 2006 San Diego Music Award for Best Punk Album.

Bassist Nicky Shingles emerges from the john moments later. An anomaly for bassists--he's easily the band's most talkative and excitable member--Shingles is getting over something fierce. Trying his best to be heard, his vocal chords emit noises that make it sound like they were recently used to mine coal. Junior and Justin chide him about his coarse delivery with the kind of caddish familiarity that suggests the if the three weren't a band, they'd nevertheless be fast friends.

"We all played together as teenagers in a band called the First Wave Boys. I've known (Junior) all my life since he's my cousin, and I've known (Nicky) since we were sixteen," says Justin.

"Then we stopped playing--why did we stop?" asks Nicky. Consensus comes quickly, but comes in the form of the three not recalling. This is a recurring theme--many questions about their origins leave the band stroking their chins and scouring the mental archives only to find a dead letter. Names of former band members, lost to marriage, financial hardship and/or the sands of time, are collectively forgotten. Perhaps it was the inability to recall potential vocalists' phone numbers that finally led Junior to take over vocal duties, solidifying Fifty on their Heels as a trio.

It's nice to have a big supporter: a benefactor, a cheerleader, a Rasputin-like character who works behind the scenes to ensure your fame and popularity before being stabbed, poisoned, shot, hung, and left for dead in a Russian river--I may digress, but it's nice to have a big supporter. For San Diego's Fifty on their Heels, that supporter is Scott Pactor.

Pactor writes cat dirt sez (http://catdirtsez.blogspot.com) and co-owns cat dirt records, the imprint that's releases Fifty's music. cat dirt sez is without a doubt San Diego's most influential music blog, with Pactor breaking the story that Scarlet Johannsen would be performing with a reunited Jesus and Mary Chain and some Lindsay Lohan-related hilarity (enough to nearly crash his server on a couple occasions). He's a big fan--and principal engine--behind many of Fifty's moves. The musical relationship developed out of a long friendship.

"We had been friends for a while," says Nicky. "This was before we had a singer or anything, and I had a tape of our recordings. This was before he knew anything about my musical background. I gave him the tape, and he was like, 'OK, I'll listen to it.' He really liked it, and really got excited about it. I even have some lyrics that he wrote down--"

"They didn't make it," Junior adds through a good-natured grin.

Accessing the archives again produces a dead end. "They weren't bad," counters Nicky, "I just can't remember what I did with them. I think they're on an envelope somewhere."

Despite not making the cut as Bernie Taupin to Junior's Elton John, Pactor was excited to help. "I was at a point in my life where I could do some of the stuff I'd always wanted to do--start a record label, work with a band. I felt like I could help them. I wanted them to be an example of the DIY ethic in action."

Help he has. cat dirt sez receives thousands of hits per day (6000 today, as I write), and he's been instrumental in helping Fifty to secure some high profile gigs, including the main stage at UCSD's Sun God festival. The band is promoted constantly on the site, which is read by journalists and music industry types in the United States and Great Britain.

Still, Fifty on their Heels has yet to tour nationally, but they've been plenty busy grinding it out in the San Diego-Los Angeles-Las Vegas triangle--so much so that many mistake Fifty for locals in the City of Angels. "People have written that we're an LA band. We just like it--it's fun, and more bands have a sound that's similar to ours," says Justin. Their frequent trips north have earned the band some fast friend's in Los Angeles' infamously difficult-to-crack scene. "The bands we've played with we've become very good friends with: the New Collapse, New Motherfuckers, Teenage Talking Cars," lists Nicky, searching for other names.

Turning to their hometown, the band see a somewhat more mixed bag. When asked to identify the best and worst aspects of the San Diego scene, the order in which they do is telling. "The worst thing I've found is that I always hear talk about the community, and how bands look out for each other...I've never really felt that. I've felt cold shoulders, weird vibes sometimes. But when you find those bands that you really get along with, that's the best thing, because you really have each other's back. Of course it's competitive--"

"Which is alright," Nicky interjects. "There's a large concentration of good bands that may not be the type of music I'm in to, but there are quite a few really good bands playing, and lots of opportunity."

Junior concedes. "For me, the Muslims are great. The Prayers EP was very good--I love that CD."

Seeing the band for the first time a week later at the Beauty Bar, Junior's words ring true. Outgoing, dancing unabashedly to The New Motherfuckers set, Junior half tackles/half hugs the New Motherfuckers vocalist. Fifty on their Heels may make "cool" music but are not too "cool" to enjoy the fruits of their (and others) labor. Though their sound is steeped in art rock, Fifty's charm lies in their eminent approachability and sense of fun. "We like it, and we enjoy what we play."

This might be my favorite news story ever. Talk about David and Goliath (even if this particular Goliath is pretentiously affected):

Two Buck Chuck wins Prestigious Tasting

On the winning side: cheapskates, pensioners, graduate students, winos.

On the losing side: people who bring bottles of wine to parties with the price tag still on them, wine connoisseurs, most vineyards and their owners, lit majors.

People who are really, really into fine wines and beers annoy the shit out of me. Perhaps that makes me a philistine. Or just makes me the kind of person that thinks there's nothing more annoying than hanging out at Hamilton's and hearing some loudmouth go on and on about the relative qualities of the different beers like he's leading some sort of field biology class on hops and barley. I'm glad you enjoy your beer. I'm glad (for you) that you can differentiate between the ten identical Continental pilseners they have on draft. I'd be more glad if you'd shut the hell up about it and enjoy it in silence. Write a magazine. Do a podcast. I'm trying to watch the Padres here!