Public Service Announcement...

For those of you who are not aware, many concert/sports venues in Pittsburgh, inlcuding Mellon Arena, Heinz Field, and Post Gazette Pavillion, host a Designated Driver's booth where you can pick up a wristband at any event. All you do is sign a form at the booth saying you will not consume alcohol, they check your ID, slap a wrist band on you, and they give you 2 coupons for free soft drinks. We have found it to be a great way to save a few bucks at events. Especially since drinks (even pop) can run you $3-$5. Consider yourself informed :)

"Go or Don't Go"- Concert Edition

Brad Paisley is one of a dwindling number of country artists creating music that can be identified as "country" by the casual music listener. Most current country acts are so watered down that they are practically unrecognizable as country. Maybe that's why the genre is in a bit of a slump right now. Paisley's Sunday concert at the Post Gazette Pavillion is an excellent example of this phenomenon.

The first opening act of the evening was Julianne Hough, better known for her unfortunate pairing with Adam Carolla on the most recent "Dancing with the Stars." She really should stick with dancing. I supposed that she's no worse than, say, Kellie Pickler, but then we're really lowering the bar, aren't we?

Next up was some guy named Chuck Wicks. I restrained myself from uttering my usual opening-act comment, "Who's this loser?" As expected, Chuck also failed to impress me. There was not the slightest shred of evidence of "country" in this guy. He didn't even wear a cowboy hat. His greatest hit seemed to be a poor man's "Butterfly Kisses" (again, I'm lowering the bar.) Most of his other material seemed to very reminiscent of the 1980s Top 40 rock. I swear one of his songs sounded like it could have been a Knight Ranger power ballad. As a side note, Carrie also questioned the masculinity of his choice of pants.

Then came the biggest of the opening acts - Jewel. For whatever reason, she has decided to "go country." Not that this is a bad thing, but it seemed like an usual fit for her. None of her new material was very memorable to me. She did make an attempt an an old-fashion ballad reminiscent of Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette, however her vocal style seemed out of place on the song. Speaking of vocal style, she seems to have a strange annunciation problem. I found it difficult to understand her lyrics most of the time. And in case you didn't hear the first time that she was popular, she's from Alaska and she grew up very poor. And her dad writes cowboy songs. And she yodels. Putting all this aside, it's undeniable that she has a very unique, powerful voice. I was pleasantly surprised that she she sang her non-country hits, and they were certainly nice to hear again.

On to the headliner - Brad Paisley. Although Brad is a contemporary country artist, it's clear that he's grounded is classic county. His amazing guitar skills are closely matched by his clever songwriting talent. Of the many notes that he effortlessly played Sunday night, I didn't hear a missed one... and I was listening for them. He also seems to a have a great sense of humor about himself and his fame; always giving a nod to his influences and heroes during his shows. Having said all this, it's puzzling to me that the acts that were chosen to open for him were quite the opposite this philosophy. Hopefully the next time around, his tour will be a bit more cohesive and authentic for true country fans.

Happy Campers...

We had a great weekend of camping. We headed out on Friday after work to Keystone State Park in Derry, PA to meet up with our fellow YMCers for the weekend.

Here is our set up...

Jim posing by our tent...

And a group shot of some of those in attendance...

We celebrated Chris & Michael's birthdays on Saturday. Here they are hanging up their own birthday banner :)

And here are the birthday boys...

Here is a shot of the ampitheater (in the background) where they held the church service on Sunday. It is right on the edge of the lake.

We were happy to have Nate and Heather join us for the day on Saturday. Heather is a professional photographer and captured some great shots. Please visit her website at http://www.heathermorrisonphoto.com/

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - 21

For most of this review, it may sound like I didn't like this movie, but I did. It's just when I can see what's coming in a movie, it's not the most inventive of scripts.

21 is supposedly based on a true story. I'm not sure how close to a "true story" it is - it's hard to imagine that real life could be as predictable as this movie. Hollywood likes to dress up real-life with cliches and predictable plot lines that they think will keep us entertained. Maybe the actual true story wasn't interesting enough for a 2 hour movie, but it seems to me that a group of MIT students and their professor figuring out a way to beat the system in Vegas would be interesting enough.

Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, an MIT student struggling to keep his head above water. He works at a boring, low-paying job to help pay his bills and aspires to set himself apart to obtain a prestigious Harvard Medical School scholarship. Academically, he's a prodigy, but of course, he's nerdy and awkward. One of his professors, Kevin Spacey, takes notice of Ben's genius and recruits for his team of card-counting student savants. At first, Ben resists on ethical grounds, but with a little persuasion from a pretty girl that's part of the team (Kate Bosworth), Ben decides that he will join just long enough to pay for his education.

I won't bore you with all the details of how they figure out how to beat the system playing 21 (mostly because I'm not good with numbers and I really didn't understand it). Not to worry - you don't have to understand how they count cards to enjoy the movie. But if you're like me, you'll see it all coming... Ben gets swept up and gets in over his head... he usurps the team's leader and professor-favorite... he loses it all and gets it back... and you guessed it, he breaks the one rule stated earlier in the movie that you should never break.

Throughout the movie I never doubted that things would work out for Ben. Aside from a clever twist at the end, I knew what would happen along most of the way. I guess just because a movie is predictable, that doesn't mean that it's bad. A good cast doesn't hurt either, and in this case, everyone is, as Paula Abdul would so eloquently say, "on point." 21 does a great job of capturing the fast pace of the table games well - there are even cool, slow motion super-close-up shots of dice and cards.

21 won't surprise you, but odds are (ha, ha) that it will keep you entertained - I say "go."

I'm still here, really...

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the blog. Unfortunately, I just haven't had anything interesting enough to post this week. That could be because I am in Olympics mode, so that's pretty much been occupying my evenings. So other than commenting on the scam that is the women's Chinese gymnastics team (they are so not 16!) or the phenomenon that is Michael Phelps, I don't have much else to offer.

I guess the only house related things going on this week were the Gutter Helmets, which we still don't have. They have come out twice and both times they did not bring the right parts for the job so they are supposed to come back next week. They are not off to a good start. Also, Jim has been painting the basement floor this week. It is looking great so far. The other thing we are considering right now is installing a farmhouse sink, something like this...

We have to go out to a specialty kitchen store, because you can't get these at Lowe's/Home Depot. So that is the latest. This weekend coming up is YMC camping, so I'm sure I'll have more to post about soon.

Go USA!

Redneck Fun...

What an evening we had. Let me start by saying how psyched I was to take photos at this event, only to get there, pull out my camera, and see "No Memory Card" on the screen. D'oh!! So ladies and gentlemen, you will have to form some mental pictures.

Chris S. met us at 7 and we drove up to the Butler Farm Show to visit Drew and Lindsay before they leave for Africa. There, we attended my first ever demolition derby. This is where I really wish I had the camera. I had no idea cars could still maneuver with so little of their body/frame/etc intact. It was quite a spectacle... you just don't get that kind of entertainment in Seattle (not sure if that is a good or bad thing:)

After that, we went to visit the livestock. First we saw the bunnies (awwwww). Then, I got to hold a baby chick and an adult chicken. I didn't even ask to hold the chicken, but someone handed it to me so I juggled it semi-awkwardly for a few minutes. Those of you who are familiar with my germaphobia can imagine how not thrilled I was to be covered with chicken germs. I held my hands away from my body and didn't touch anything (can we say 'biohazard'?) until I could locate a Purell pump in the next barn. Yes, everyone laughed at my paranoia, but I am not comfortable with strange chicken bacteria on my person. Hello, Avian Flu?

All in all, it was an interesting night... so good to see friends and catch up, and the demo derby was a sight not to be soon forgotten.

More small details...

Sorry it's been a slow posting week. Everything is finally calming down now that the open house is over. Here is a shot of the new treads we got this week for the stairs from the 1st to the 2nd floor. This is taken from the top of the stairs, looking down. My mom actually found these for us on SkyMall of all places. Thanks Mom! Now my feet won't slide out from under me as I run down the stairs in my socks.


And here are the new photos of Bear that just arrived from the photographer. We hung them over our bed and I think they look great.

What's in a name?...

So, one interesting thing we learned this weekend at the open house was that our neighbor's house has a name. They call it Oakhaven (because of the oak trees, of course). Not that I think we would really put it to use, but I started thinking about what we would choose. Here are the options I came up with so far. Notice a theme?

Bearcroft
Bearhaven
Bear View
Bear Hill
Bear Hollow

Jim likes Bear Lodge, but I say, it is not really a lodge. Not that it is neccessarily a croft, haven, or hollow either. What is a croft anyway?

Bear Sighting...

Be on the lookout... A black Bear has been spotted recently hiding in clothes dryers in the 500 block of Bevington Road. Animal should be considered unarmed and completely cute. See photo of suspected culprit below...

Weekend Update...

Well, the open house appears to have been a success. We had a good turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There was food aplenty (is that a word?), and we had visits from new and former neighbors, church friends, work friends, and many other friends old and new. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, and to those who weren't able to make it, you were missed!

Count Down to the Open House...

The Open House is tomorrow! We hope to see you all there. We will have plenty of food and drinks for adults and kids alike. You can stop by anytime between 12-5 for a tour and stimulating conversation. :)

The parkway situation is a little tricky (down to 1 lane in the inbound direction with some ramp closures) so be sure to check www.penndot11.com for the full scoop. Go to the 376 section and click on weekly updates. Please don't let the constuction keep you away.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!!