Pretty Ice Sculpture/Dynamic Art on display in Chicago
.…I traveled to Chicago, Tahoe, and Denver, shopped for apartments in Oakland, voted for Obama, went snowboarding a few times and even broke out a sled for some old school fun.
Hot Water Music
On the first of the month, I flew to Chicago a few days after a blizzard. Friday night, my aunt Ritz met me at O’hare and we took the train into the city to grab some dinner. Afterwards I walked a few blocks to the Metro, near Wrigley Field, to catch my favorite band from high school, Hot Water Music. After a 4+ year break-up, they were doing 2 nights of “reunion” shows in Chicago as a part of a 3-stop tour: Florida, Dirty Jersey, and Chicago. (And I’m not too bitter about the lack of a west coast stop – Chuck Ragan lives in CA now, and I’ve seen his solo act twice already).
Years ago, I was completely infatuated with these guys: the musicianship, the comraderie found at shows, the energy of the crowds, the lyrical prowess of the songs. I traveled all over to see them with my friend Dave. I would get giddy like a school girl upon seeing the band unloading their tour van or doing the sound check. Despite a feeling of hesitation about flying out to Chicago to see them play, I decided it was for the best. It would provide some closure from the band that, cheesy as it sounds, may have shaped who I am today. Besides, the last time I saw them was 2002, when they opened for Sparta, played to a crowd who didn’t appreciate them, who told them to “go back to Florida”. That was not how I wanted the “last” show to be.
My favorite bassist, Jason Black
Overall, the show was really exciting. They played a bunch of newer songs off A Flight and a Crash and The New What Next sprinkled with oldies from their previous (and in my opinion, better) albums. The crowd sung along, pushed and pulled, swayed back and forth and I got kicked in the glasses by several crowd surfers. Just like old times!
The following night the “all ages” crowd came out, but it wasn’t a drastically different atmosphere. More of the same – with a substantially better setlist. I have a horrible memory for setlists, so here’s what I gathered from someone on youtube:
The setlist, in order:
Alachua
Remedy
Wayfarer
Trusty Chords
Better Sense
Rooftops
End Of A Gun
Giver
Free Radio Gainesville
All Heads Down
Moonpies For Misfits
A Flight And A Crash
God Deciding
Poison
Swinger
Our Own Way
Kill The Night
Choked And Separated
Turnstile
Manual
220 Years
ENCORE: Paper Thin Position It's Hard To Know
followed by a long, endearing hug between Wallard and Ragan.
Yeah, it was that good. Nostalgic, sweaty, crowded, loud, and off the hook. Worth the trip.
Apologies to Chris Wollard, the other guitarist, who didn't make it into these pics!
Snowboarding:
This month had some great powder dumps. I didn’t get to snowboard last year because of the knee surgery, so I’ve been addicted to it this season. We’ve been up to Squaw, Alpine, and Kirkwood a few times thus far. Eric and I are planning a trip to Mammoth for the end of March during his Spring Break. I bought a new(er) board this season – basically I just upgraded my very old feelgood 152 to a new feelgood. Same board, same feel, just in better condition. I’m so happy with the toe-strap bindings, and if you haven’t tried them, you really should. They make a huge difference. I finally got a helmet, too, to protect the noggin. It’s come in handy a few times – I’ve definitely slammed my head on the hill hard enough to warrant some extra protection.
Valentine’s Snowboarding:
I rented a cabin south of South Lake for Valentine’s. We had a crew of 10 people the first night, and then 6 of us the second night. ‘Twas fun. We went sledding on Sunday instead of boarding. At first I was really disappointed that we didn’t go to Heavenly as planned, but Eric was sick and sledding turned out to be really enjoyable. And even though I was supposed to be at work on Pres’s Day, I called out sick and sat around on my bum all day.
Snowboarding in Colorado:
Oh yeah, and I got to go to Vail, Colorado. My job sent me to Boulder for training, and my boss and I squeezed in a day at Vail. We flew into Denver, rented a car, and hit a stray cat on the way to the hotel. Then, on the 60 mile drive to the mountain in the morning, in the midst of slightly heavy snow, we nearly spun out….fish-tailing left and right, heading straight towards a giant snow plow truck that would have doomed our Camry rental. Luckily the car stopped like 10 feet in front of the truck. Craig (my boss) was shaken up, but he was quite a trooper – he kept on driving. Since he’s a SoCal kinda guy, and I practially learned to drive in the snow, I had to give him a few lessons in snowy driving, ie. Put it in 2nd when braking/going downhill in the snow. He took my advice and I’m happy to report that we made it to the mountain in one piece. I didn’t bring my gear, so I demo’ed the latest and greatest from Burton. By the way, Vail lift tickets are $91 and they don’t sell discounted tickets ANYWHERE! The locals that I talked to said they don’t go up much because they can’t afford it.
Overall, I really enjoyed the mountain. It’s just like Heavenly in that it’s so freaking ginormous (to put it in Stacy’s words) that you can’t cover it in a day. Their online trail map is like 3 pages long! The snow was fluffy but a bit sticky. And not to whine, but the board I demo’ed wasn’t all that great. The boots were fantastic around the ankle, but they came up too far and therefore dug into my shin a bit. Burton’s new toe strap is really stretchy and flexible (unlike my own which are shapely, sturdy leather) so it took me a while to get used to that, too.
OK Sorry, I’m rambling about boarding. It’s just that I love it. There’s nothing like it on earth.
Noise Pop:
I’ve lived in SF for 2 and half years, and 3 times Noise Pop has come around. Still, I haven’t gone to any of the 87+ shows the festival hosts. Blitzen Trapper, Helio Sequence, Cursive, Delta Spirit, and Tilly and the Wall are a few of the bands that I probably should have seen this weekend. I partially blame Eric for going to L.A. for the weekend – his friend from high school got married, which to me is essentially equivalent to attending someone else’s high school reunion. Therefore, I opted out. Can you blame me?
Friday night was “Girls Night”, the most drunk a girls night has been so far. Shots of tequila ensued, and we went to the Rickshaw stop to go dancing.
Medical School:
I got my rejection letter from Berkeley. I sort of knew it was coming….but still I am slightly disappointed. However, OHSU is on the horizon, and Portland is the promiseland in my mind. I’m super stoked to be moving on in my life story. I am a nomad. I’ve had over 13 addresses in the last 6 years, 18 since I was born. The roller coaster of applying to med school is coming to an end: Please keep your hands and feet in the cart at all times with your seat belts fastened until the ride comes to a complete stop.
This ride ain’t over, who am I kidding? There’s residency…then applying for jobs….then…then….whatever else life throws at you. Take it as it comes. Life is like a bacterial chromosome: tightly wound, unzipping, replicating, reproducing, overcoming obstacles (antibiotics!)…it’s all pre-programmed.
There’s my scientific metaphor for the week. And with that, have a lovely evening.
Hot Water Music
On the first of the month, I flew to Chicago a few days after a blizzard. Friday night, my aunt Ritz met me at O’hare and we took the train into the city to grab some dinner. Afterwards I walked a few blocks to the Metro, near Wrigley Field, to catch my favorite band from high school, Hot Water Music. After a 4+ year break-up, they were doing 2 nights of “reunion” shows in Chicago as a part of a 3-stop tour: Florida, Dirty Jersey, and Chicago. (And I’m not too bitter about the lack of a west coast stop – Chuck Ragan lives in CA now, and I’ve seen his solo act twice already).
Years ago, I was completely infatuated with these guys: the musicianship, the comraderie found at shows, the energy of the crowds, the lyrical prowess of the songs. I traveled all over to see them with my friend Dave. I would get giddy like a school girl upon seeing the band unloading their tour van or doing the sound check. Despite a feeling of hesitation about flying out to Chicago to see them play, I decided it was for the best. It would provide some closure from the band that, cheesy as it sounds, may have shaped who I am today. Besides, the last time I saw them was 2002, when they opened for Sparta, played to a crowd who didn’t appreciate them, who told them to “go back to Florida”. That was not how I wanted the “last” show to be.
My favorite bassist, Jason Black
The Metro is actually a really cool venue. It’s pretty small, with a capacity maxing out at 1,100. I met up with Dave right before the show started – he lives in Boston now but flew out to visit a friend in the city and to see Hot Water. About a foot taller and with a little more meat on his body, Dave looked approximately the same as he did 6 years ago He had already been to the NJ show, in typical Dave fashion. . He said “Andrew and Heather say hi” – I guess he unexpectedly ran into some old friends from high school at the show. He was stoked about the smaller Chicago venue.
I guess the venue “lost” some of the will-call tickets, as some of the people in the line were turned away – one girl, from California, right in front of me in line. I got a little nervous that they wouldn’t have our tickets! The fine folks at the Metro came through for me, though.
The night began with a few beers passing for the meager selection of microbrews at the venue. The mediocre punk band HiFi Hand Grenades opened, and the alt-country-soft-punk band Lucero paved the way for HWM. Lucero typified a sort of drunk/mellow sing-along alt-country, with lyrics like “I kissed the bottle, but I shoulda been kissing you”. I’m glad the first half of the show was sub-par, though, because excitement for Hot Water built up rather quickly. Dave and I got right into the pit for the main event.
I guess the venue “lost” some of the will-call tickets, as some of the people in the line were turned away – one girl, from California, right in front of me in line. I got a little nervous that they wouldn’t have our tickets! The fine folks at the Metro came through for me, though.
The night began with a few beers passing for the meager selection of microbrews at the venue. The mediocre punk band HiFi Hand Grenades opened, and the alt-country-soft-punk band Lucero paved the way for HWM. Lucero typified a sort of drunk/mellow sing-along alt-country, with lyrics like “I kissed the bottle, but I shoulda been kissing you”. I’m glad the first half of the show was sub-par, though, because excitement for Hot Water built up rather quickly. Dave and I got right into the pit for the main event.
The one and only, Mr. Chuck Ragan
Overall, the show was really exciting. They played a bunch of newer songs off A Flight and a Crash and The New What Next sprinkled with oldies from their previous (and in my opinion, better) albums. The crowd sung along, pushed and pulled, swayed back and forth and I got kicked in the glasses by several crowd surfers. Just like old times!
The following night the “all ages” crowd came out, but it wasn’t a drastically different atmosphere. More of the same – with a substantially better setlist. I have a horrible memory for setlists, so here’s what I gathered from someone on youtube:
The setlist, in order:
Alachua
Remedy
Wayfarer
Trusty Chords
Better Sense
Rooftops
End Of A Gun
Giver
Free Radio Gainesville
All Heads Down
Moonpies For Misfits
A Flight And A Crash
God Deciding
Poison
Swinger
Our Own Way
Kill The Night
Choked And Separated
Turnstile
Manual
220 Years
ENCORE: Paper Thin Position It's Hard To Know
followed by a long, endearing hug between Wallard and Ragan.
Yeah, it was that good. Nostalgic, sweaty, crowded, loud, and off the hook. Worth the trip.
Apologies to Chris Wollard, the other guitarist, who didn't make it into these pics!
Snowboarding:
This month had some great powder dumps. I didn’t get to snowboard last year because of the knee surgery, so I’ve been addicted to it this season. We’ve been up to Squaw, Alpine, and Kirkwood a few times thus far. Eric and I are planning a trip to Mammoth for the end of March during his Spring Break. I bought a new(er) board this season – basically I just upgraded my very old feelgood 152 to a new feelgood. Same board, same feel, just in better condition. I’m so happy with the toe-strap bindings, and if you haven’t tried them, you really should. They make a huge difference. I finally got a helmet, too, to protect the noggin. It’s come in handy a few times – I’ve definitely slammed my head on the hill hard enough to warrant some extra protection.
Valentine’s Snowboarding:
I rented a cabin south of South Lake for Valentine’s. We had a crew of 10 people the first night, and then 6 of us the second night. ‘Twas fun. We went sledding on Sunday instead of boarding. At first I was really disappointed that we didn’t go to Heavenly as planned, but Eric was sick and sledding turned out to be really enjoyable. And even though I was supposed to be at work on Pres’s Day, I called out sick and sat around on my bum all day.
Snowboarding in Colorado:
Oh yeah, and I got to go to Vail, Colorado. My job sent me to Boulder for training, and my boss and I squeezed in a day at Vail. We flew into Denver, rented a car, and hit a stray cat on the way to the hotel. Then, on the 60 mile drive to the mountain in the morning, in the midst of slightly heavy snow, we nearly spun out….fish-tailing left and right, heading straight towards a giant snow plow truck that would have doomed our Camry rental. Luckily the car stopped like 10 feet in front of the truck. Craig (my boss) was shaken up, but he was quite a trooper – he kept on driving. Since he’s a SoCal kinda guy, and I practially learned to drive in the snow, I had to give him a few lessons in snowy driving, ie. Put it in 2nd when braking/going downhill in the snow. He took my advice and I’m happy to report that we made it to the mountain in one piece. I didn’t bring my gear, so I demo’ed the latest and greatest from Burton. By the way, Vail lift tickets are $91 and they don’t sell discounted tickets ANYWHERE! The locals that I talked to said they don’t go up much because they can’t afford it.
Overall, I really enjoyed the mountain. It’s just like Heavenly in that it’s so freaking ginormous (to put it in Stacy’s words) that you can’t cover it in a day. Their online trail map is like 3 pages long! The snow was fluffy but a bit sticky. And not to whine, but the board I demo’ed wasn’t all that great. The boots were fantastic around the ankle, but they came up too far and therefore dug into my shin a bit. Burton’s new toe strap is really stretchy and flexible (unlike my own which are shapely, sturdy leather) so it took me a while to get used to that, too.
OK Sorry, I’m rambling about boarding. It’s just that I love it. There’s nothing like it on earth.
Noise Pop:
I’ve lived in SF for 2 and half years, and 3 times Noise Pop has come around. Still, I haven’t gone to any of the 87+ shows the festival hosts. Blitzen Trapper, Helio Sequence, Cursive, Delta Spirit, and Tilly and the Wall are a few of the bands that I probably should have seen this weekend. I partially blame Eric for going to L.A. for the weekend – his friend from high school got married, which to me is essentially equivalent to attending someone else’s high school reunion. Therefore, I opted out. Can you blame me?
Friday night was “Girls Night”, the most drunk a girls night has been so far. Shots of tequila ensued, and we went to the Rickshaw stop to go dancing.
Medical School:
I got my rejection letter from Berkeley. I sort of knew it was coming….but still I am slightly disappointed. However, OHSU is on the horizon, and Portland is the promiseland in my mind. I’m super stoked to be moving on in my life story. I am a nomad. I’ve had over 13 addresses in the last 6 years, 18 since I was born. The roller coaster of applying to med school is coming to an end: Please keep your hands and feet in the cart at all times with your seat belts fastened until the ride comes to a complete stop.
This ride ain’t over, who am I kidding? There’s residency…then applying for jobs….then…then….whatever else life throws at you. Take it as it comes. Life is like a bacterial chromosome: tightly wound, unzipping, replicating, reproducing, overcoming obstacles (antibiotics!)…it’s all pre-programmed.
There’s my scientific metaphor for the week. And with that, have a lovely evening.
