Bada boom, bada b

And that was that.

I was blown away by the Soprano's ending last night. It was a perfect way to do it. After all, this show has always been about the "normal" life as a Mob boss, not Goodfellas inspired shootouts. Well done.

I'm Internet Famous!

The newest edition of Rudy Panucci's fantastic videoblog, Radio Free Charleston, is now online! After the end credits roll, The Feast of Stephen, my old band, is featured in an Easter Egg doing a blistering version of "No Vaccination." It takes a minute to download the whole thing, due to the general crapitude of the Charleston Gazette's servers, but it is worth the wait, let me tell you!

This was the second take of the song with no prior rehearsals whatsoever. It's amazing to me that we could be so tight as a band after so long apart from each other. Fun stuff.

Here's what some comments on Rudy's blog had to say:

I’d only heard of The Feast Of Stephen. Never got a chance to see them. The name is spoken in hushed tones, as though holy relics are being discussed. That was awesome beyond belief. I can’t wait until episode 23. --Mexican Romeo

Jesus Christ, man. That extra song after the end credits is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen from the local music scene. Kudos all around. When do we get to read the notes on that? --Longtime Listener

...But the surprise song. I didn’t even know Bob Miller was still in the area. Melted my aging heart to see The Feast Of Stephen perform together. I can’t wait for episode 23! --Mountain Woman PhD

You hit us with Whistlepunk 2.0, which is amazing, and then you BLAST OUR BUTTS OFF with Feast Of Stephen!!! How are you gonna top this? --Fred Martin

Thanks for the compliments, folks! I can't wait for episode 23 either!

Cupcakes for the Cure

The Komen Race for the Cure is June 2nd, here in Washington DC.
To raise money for this organization and the disease that has affected many of my family members and friends of our family, I am baking pink cupcakes and selling them on June 2nd at our neighborhood yard sale.
I will post again with photos of the cupcakes and let you know how we did.

Save the Date: Spring 2010

My floral photography portfolio was accepted to Brookside Gardens for their art show!
Now I just have to wait THREE YEARS before I can show my work!

Sylvia and I went to Brookside Gardens today for their butterfly exhibit. We met another mom from the 'hood there, with her daughter.

Huge blue and brown butterflies were everywhere and would land on you!
There were butterflies of all colors and sizes but the large ones were breathtaking.
Sylvia had a good time and did not get scared of the flying "bugs!" Though she covered her eyes if they flew too close...

Feast of Stephen Reunion

What a weekend!!!

On Friday, I went down to West Virginia for a 2-day media extravaganza consisting of the U.S. premiere of the AsturianUS documentary (I'm interviewed on the big screen!) and the 15-year reunion of my college band, The Feast of Stephen.

The movie was fantastic and very moving, and I hope it gets a DVD release here in the states so more people can see how the Asturian zinc workers came to West Virginia to begin a new life. It's a bittersweet story and one well worth telling. Kudos to the filmmaker, Luis Argeo, an Asturian himself who now lives and works in Madrid and is a hell of a nice guy.

But the real magic of the weekend for me was the FOS reunion. I really did not know what to expect after so many years. For one, I was really skeptical that all of the guys (there were 5 of us) would be able to clear their schedules to make it, but they all did. A minor miracle, to be sure.

It was a testament to these guys' wealth of talent that in less than three hours of practice -- after not playing together in the same room for fifteen years, mind you -- we had a list of seven songs that we could play as solidly as any band out there.

I think my friend Dave T. said it best when he said the whole evening was like being "in the best effing way-back machine ever." The memories came pouring back after the first notes we played. Honestly, it was like we had never been apart, with Rad and I locking in to weave guitar parts underpinned by Tommy and Dan's solid, popping grooves. As always, the icing was Bob's gritty vocals and lyrics, which give our songs the power to really move people. Even the enigmatic Fred showed up on the second night to bring his trademark percussion magic....

Granted, due to the short amount of rehearsal time we had, some of the more complicated numbers had to be left in the past (Forbidden Dance and Watch Me Plow were both a little too out there, alas), but the final set list was nothing to sneeze at:Gomec, Blue Turbin, Ward 7, Escape the Man, Tired of Sinking, Bankrobber, and Mystery Hole all made their appearances.

The highlight of the sessions for me was a totally unrehearsed, BLAZING rendition of No Vaccination on the second night when we were taping for an upcoming edition of Rudy Panucci's Radio Free Charleston podcast. It was simply crushing.

Throughout the weekend other long-lost faces from the past filtered through: the aforementioned Dave T., my childhood friend and great percussionist; Dave M., singer of the Mad Scientist Club and the engineer who produced the FOS recordings; Sean R., lead singer of StrawFyssh and my favorite songwriter; Spencer E., lead singer for Mother Nang and now in a WhistlePunk with Dan; it was a veritable who's who of musical giants from Charleston.

A special thanks goes out to Jerry F., who came both nights and to the movie too, and took some killer footage for us. I'll post that up as soon as I can this week.

All in all, a fantastic weekend. I won't soon forget it.

Snow!

We woke up this morning to snow! Last week we had some awesome days where it was in the 70's and 80's and now this...was not ready to go back to Winter.

Since we thought the weather was finally getting warm, Sylvia and I have been going on many adventures together:
-we did a drive-by of the Cherry Blossom trees
-went to the National Aquarium,
-walked in the Smithsonian Castle's garden
-walked on the Mall,
-walked around and looked at the artwork at the Hirshorn
this was all in one morning!!!! PHEW.

We also have been going to Brookside Gardens a lot, so Sylvia can run free.

She's been able to wear her Spring hat as well as ride around in her wagon.

This week she was a "lady who lunches" as we went to lunch at Cafe Deluxe with mama's friend from work, Meg.

She also helped mama pick out some new hedges for the house; Dada had to pull out four dead azaleas last weekend and now we have to find replacement plants.

How we spent our Sunday afternoon

Two two GO! We “run” beside the girl with the bright blue eyes and golden hair.
Two two GO! Around the block we venture out. Up and down the street.
Peals of laughter.
Two two GO! Oh wait, we pause and look at the sky, “Aiwrplane!” And yes, the white speck far, far away is indeed, an airplane.
Ok, people gotta focus.
Two two go! We continue to “race” our 20 month old home.
Everyone STOP! What is that? LEAF!!!! STICK!!!! SQUIRREL!!!!!
The girl asks for “hand, hand” and we each give her one of ours.

Video of My Life on Hold

Hi all! Here's a video of my band's first gig at the Velvet Lounge in DC.... Enjoy!

The inconvenient security that wasn't

I thought I would share with you my experience with Secret Service security procedures this morning, as I found them to be troubling on several levels. When I arrived to work, the entrance to my building (on 17th and L Sts. NW) was behind a police line. Even though my building's main entrance was a mere 50 feet away, the DC Police officer told me that he could not escort me to my building due to Secret Service orders. Apparently, Dick Cheney was in the Mayflower hotel next door and the block had been secured.

While this was a major inconvenience, it was not the disturbing part of the story. What's disturbing is that to enter my supposedly secured building, all I had to do was walk through the bar/restaurant in the basement (their entrance is on L St.) to the elevator, and then off I went into the building.

How can the Secret Service consider a building secure from terrorists when they don't even bother to find and secure all entrances to the building? This is just yet another example of the bogus "security" we purport to have in this country. As with the asinine procedures at the airport, this was simply an empty show of force with no real efficacy. If a lowly office worker can slip into a secured building unnoticed, how hard would it be for someone determined to cause real harm?

God doesn't care about the AFC Championship Game

I don't know about you, but it really bugs me when people in sporting events act like god helped them win.

Last night, the Colts' owner and their coach both had to thank god for letting them win. Does that mean that god hates Tom Brady? I guess god was taking a snooze when the Pats kicked the Colts out of the playoffs for a few years there? WTF?

If you believe in god, wouldn't you think he'd have better things to worry about (Darfur, Iraq, homelessness, Afghanistan, Somalia, kids being murdered in wars all over the world, etc.) than whether or not some millionaires won in a child's game?

Get over yourselves, people. You're not that important.

Go Bears.

Lazy = brain sucker

This product freaked me out.
It's a motorized snot sucker for your infant's nose.
They should have a warning: "could suck your child's brain, right out of it's head."
Yes, it's a bummer to have to use a manual nasal aspirator but seems alot safer to use the one that the hospital uses, yes?


Nasal Clear

The only aspirator that really works! You told us that when it comes to your sick baby, manual nasal aspirators don't measure up. They're invasive, inefficient — and they make already stuffy babies even more uncomfortable. That's why this ingenious electronic aspirator is worth its weight in gold. It suctions so effectively, you barely touch it to baby's nostrils, and before he can squirm, you're done! It even plays distracting songs. You'll congratulate yourself for buying it every time you use it...and you'll use it for years. With see-thru collection cup and two soft tips. Requires 2 "AA" batteries (sold separately). Newborns and up. Note: Due to health reasons, we are unable to accept returns on any opened packages.

My Life on Hold

Well, the band (My Life on Hold...or MyLOH, for short) is really coming together. We've recorded four demos that we're using to (we hope) get some gigs around town...stay tuned on that front.

Ken's addition as singer was the final piece of the puzzle, and we are writing new songs like crazy now. I think it's sounding really good. I can't wait to get out there and play for folks!

Time to gloat

I hate to be a sore winner but...oh what the hell....

EAT IT YOU REPUBLICAN LOSERS!!!! We control the Congress as of RIGHT NOW!!!

Feels damn good, I must admit. :-)

Photo from www.washingtonpost.com

Happy New Year!`

Wow. 2007? WTH? Where did 2006 go?

Anyway, here's hoping all of you had a great Xmas and New Year's Day! Ours was spent at home in MD with my folks (well, Xmas at least). The baby had a blast, and we were even presented with the first of I'm sure what will be many insane temper tantrums... :-)

Sylvia for Quesident 2008

Please vote for her.

It's time for a change.

Chicago pix -- FINALLY!

Long overdue posting this photo, but I just got around to downloading photos from my fabulous trip to Chicago in October.

Here I am with my good friend Mari and her ex-roommate, Chris. We went to a jazz club to see some KILLER live music. Mari's old neighborhood was a touch gritty (in a very cool way) and it really set the atmosphere for live jazz in Chicago.

It was great to see her again and catch up. Jenny and I are very lucky to have such good friends all over the country, and the world, for that matter. We hope all of you have a fantastic holiday season!

Dear Metro driver: SHUT IT!

Metro here in DC is well-known for its low-hassle, clean transit experience (at least it's well-know to me for those things). But occasionally I'll get on a train with a frustrated DJ as driver. This is the kind of driver that WILL NOT STOP TALKING OVER THE INTERCOM THE ENTIRE WAY IN TO WORK AND HAS TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE STOPS, THE ELEVATORS, THE TIME OF DAY, THE...oh, were the all caps getting on your nerves? Well that's what the unrelenting chatter does to me.

Life's damn good, otherwise, though. And that's saying something! Have a great Tuesday!

She is no longer a baby

Though, I still call her my baby.
Here's some random facts about Syl:

No more baby food...
Her latest fave food is Trader Joe's "Pizza Rustico" which has kalamata olives and goat cheese on it. She also loves whole wheat waffles, with Fage yogurt on top.
Luxe life. She eats better than I do.

She is amazing at spotting "aiwr-pwane" and "woof woofs" and asks to watch "Hi-Fibe!?" while holding up 4 fingers.

She LOVES to wear hats. I have about five that my mom knitted her available at all times to let her put on and take off a million times in a row. She also likes to wear her pink pilot hat.

She greets Dada at the door each night when he comes home from work with a very loud, "hi-EYE-iii!!!"

She loves when we video tape her or take her picture. She also does a fake laugh, so she's known as "Hollywood" when she hams it up.

She finds squirrels and birds the MOST fascinating creatures EVER and greets them with her Pterodactyl yell. Also, Christmas lights on houses are VERY exciting and she screams and points at every one!

I will end this post with this thought:
I think she is a very cool kid because she is especially nice to older people and people in wheelchairs. She always says hi to them and I have been told by many a stranger that Sylvia saying "HI!" to them, made their day.

Have we overmilitarized our police forces?

There seems to be a trend in this country whereby the police are becoming less and less civilian protectors of the people and more and more of a military-type shock force, willing to use unjustified force to subdue suspects or borderline illegal coersion to trick people into giving up their civil rights.

More often than ever you see police officers in military-style clothing, with military-style weapons and tactics (for example, my home town of Oak Hill, with a population of a scant 7,000 people, has a K-9 unit—why?). It's only natural, then, for the officers to begin to think of themselves as a military unit, not a part of the population in general.

You see an example of the first problem cited above in this video of a recent tasering incident at UCLA. The police there taser a student multiple times instead of simply handcuffing and arresting him. More troubling is that his charge was not being in possession of his student ID. Hardly a major offense.

The second problem, that of coersion of suspects by trickery or intimidation, can be seen simply by watching the show "Cops." Time and again, suspects stopped for a minor infraction are told that the cops will go easy on them if they consent to a search of their vehicle. This is not true. The cops cannot "go harder" on you if you do not cooperate, and you are under NO OBLIGATION to grant a search of your vehicle, which is why the police ask for permission. Check out this great instructional video by the ACLU advising Americans of their rights when confronted by the police. It should be required viewing in civics classes (as if they still taught civics nowadays).

Also troubling is the habit of police officers to refer to the general populace as "civilians," as if they somehow have a lower status. In fact, the police officers are civilians as well.

I fully understand that being a police officer is a demanding, dangerous, and many times, thankless job. That's why I'm very grateful to the citizens of this country who choose the calling to protect and serve us. But having a dangerous, important job does not give a police organization or individual officers free reign to trample over the rights of the populace.

First A_nimal Board meeting!

Okay, I'm back to the underline code for this post, so break out your Enigma machines. Had my first meeting as an official, County-Executive-affirmed A_nimal Ma_tters Hea_ring B_oard member last night. The case involved whether or not to affirm the decision to declare a dog dangerous. The debate was not contentious, and my side won. This should be interesting. The next meeting is Wednesday night, and involves a barking complaint. We'll have to suss out whether or not this is a real complaint or just some neighbors looking for leverage against one another.