They’re FINE

Because you can’t possibly be tired of me talking about music and concerts yet…

Yes, I Went There (Again).

If you need to rest after a long morning…

There’s a nap for that.

Sorry guys, but I had to pass this one along.  Thanks Texan New Yorker!!

- J

Guy Fawkes was a Mets Fan

Remember, remember the fifth of November
The Yankees, a World Series they bought
A-Rod is the reason, the Mets fans this season
Will forever, be distraught

I’m not a particularly avid baseball fan or anything (though I am a Mets fan by association).  I just wanted an excuse to use The Fifth of November poem today.

Have a good one!

- J

Joe Perry Project

And now I have added General Admission tickets to The Joe Perry Project to the remainder of my 2009 live musical list.

For those that don’t rock know, Joe Perry is the lead guitarist for Aerosmith.  In his down time he plays gigs with his band, The Joe Perry Project.  Getting within 10 feet of any member of Aerosmith is kind of an ongoing dream of mine, so this is what some might refer to as A Big Deal.

If you reside in the New York, Tri-State area and wish to see your local J squealing like a little girl during every solo, tickets are 40 bucks if you buy now.  I’ll be the guy down front having a conniption fit during Mercy.

- J

jTunes

October has been pretty crazy (hence the lack of posting), but we are officially in the homestretch of Countdown.  That being the case, let’s talk about something else!

I had a very musical weekend.  Friday night, I saw my friend Jessica play an unplugged set with her band Walking Upright at Waltz, a hip little coffee shop in my neighborhood.  They put on a great show, as always.  They play regularly all over NYC, so check them out if you get a chance.

Saturday night I saw Zac Brown Band at Terminal 5.  It’s a great venue and we were right on the rail about 10 feet from the stage.  They’re touring with 3 other artists and I gained a lot of respect ZBB because they played with their opening acts, really supporting their music.  One of the them was from Tyler, Tx where I lived for a few years.  The show was about 3 1/2 hours and one of the best I’ve seen in a while. 

And on Sunday, I went to Video Games Live at the Beacon Theatre with the one and only Jon Decker.  VGL is kind of like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, only they play music from video games instead of classical music.  Aside from the full orchestra, the show also featured Youtube favorites Martin Leung (I’m pretty sure he’s a robot) and Flute Link. 

It made for a full weekend, but it was all great.  Music has always been very important to me and seeing it live just blows my mind.  Coming up in the next 2 months is Metallica, Luke Bryan and Cross Canadian Ragweed.  When no one was looking, country artists started playing in NYC!!  Woot!

We now return you to your semi-regular, not quite bi-weekly posting schedule.

- J

Lost in Translation

What my roommate says to me:

“Hey J, I’m going out of town this weekend.”

What I hear:

“Hey J, you don’t have to wear pants for 2 days!”

Happy Friday everyone!

The Times (Square), They are a Changin’

The Virgin Megastore on Times Square is being replaced by a Forever 21.

Oh, and an American Eagle is opening up right across the street from it.  Times Square is supposed to be energy, traffic and excitement.  It should live up to its image as ”the crossroads of the world”.  Instead, in just a few months it’s become a popular lounge area with all the spunk of a well-lit outlet mall.

Why do I have the sudden urge to watch Empire Records?

- J

A Three For All

So today marks 3 years back in NYC. 

That’s about 1,577,846 New York minutes and about 1,500 country miles away from Texas. 

Eventually I guess I’ll reach a point where I stop counting.  For now I still enjoy looking back every year and thinking about what’s happened.  And I have no idea how to put this past year into words.

A funny thing happens to me every three years or so.  I usually look around and say to myself, “Well, this has been fun. But now I’ve seen this and it’s time to move on.”  Then I uproot my entire life and take off in another direction.  This pattern has gone on the last 10 years or so.  The odd thing about this 3 year block of time though, is that I have no desire to change anything.  I’m happy with my life, I feel like God is using me here, and I’m having way too much fun.

Again, thanks to everyone who reads these little scribbles and also to anyone who has befriended me here in NYC.  Y’all are truly blessings from God and the reason I’m still here. 

- J

PS3

About a month ago Sony announced the long awaited price drop on the Playstation 3.  Along with the price drop on the original model, they also released the PS3 Slim which is smaller, just as fast and 120G.  A vast improvement over the bulkier 80G.  So, once again, I did my part to help stimulate the economy by purchasing expensive electronics.  Seriously, the things I do for my country.  I deserve a medal or something.

From the perspective of someone who’s only been playing the Wii for the last few years, this machine is amazing.  Aside from playing games and Blu-Ray movies, you can download older PS games similar to the Wii’s Virtual Console.  The PS3 takes it a step farther and also allows you to download movies, TV shows and music.

I started playing Resident Evil 5 the same day I got the system.  Two weeks ago Batman: Arkham Asylum came out.  This game was one of the main reasons I got the PS3 when I did.  I traded my PS2, controller, DVD remote and a few games toward the purchase of Batman.  To give an idea about trade in rates these days, the console and all still only covered about half the price of the game.

I won’t bore you with more details, but I’m having a blast.  It’s a totally different gaming experience from the Wii.  It’s a more hardcore system, best suited for immersive, one player games as opposed to the Wii which is geared more toward groups and families.

Well, y’all take care.  I’ve got zombies to kill.

- J

Funny Because it’s True?

Long standing quote:

“Why is there a hole in the roof of Texas Stadium?  So God can watch his favorite football team.”

Quote explaining last night’s loss in the new stadium:

“God must be pissed because of that big screen blocking his view.”
 - My roommate

You know, he might be on to something there…

- J