Summer

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Blogging is…

30 August 2009 in Music, Nonspecific, Summer, Trips, Vacation, warm | No comments

Blogging is… such a winter sport. [For me at least!]

There is much I want to write about in this blog, but the summer weather and activities come first. Stay tuned, when the weather changes so will the frequency of updates. The exception seems to be twitter, see top left widget, which is (sometimes too) frequently updated.

In the mean time...

Here are some summer 2009 photos courtesy of the iPhone cam:

And here is the Summer Tunes playlist from the July 8th show:
3:57am: Weezer vs. Mary J. Blidge – So Fine In The Sun (Winkar Lopez)
3:55am: System S.F. ft. Anna – Look To The Sky
3:51am: Robert Miles – Children
3:48am: LMC vs. U2 – Take Me To The Cloud Above
3:46am: O.D.B. – Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Logan De Gaulle Remix)
3:40am: Benga – Music Box
3:36am: Richard Buckner – Gauzy Dress In The Sun
3:31am: Janis Joplin – Summertime (From “Porgy & Bess”) [Live]
3:27am: Troubled Hubble – I Love My Canoe
3:23am: Kinky – Those Girls
3:20am: Bob Marley – Jamming
3:17am: Fiona – Oops… I Did It Again
3:12am: Steel Pulse – Brown Eyed Girl
3:07am: Paul Simon – Kodachrome
3:04am: Paul Simon – Mrs. Robinson
3:01am: The Drifters – Under The Boardwalk
2:57am: Elton John – Island Girl
2:52am: Lil’ Rob – Summer Nights
2:49am: The Beach Boys – California Girls
2:44am: Bloc Party – I Still Remember
2:41am: Reef – Place Your Hands
2:37am: Michael Franti and Spearhead – Yes I Will
2:34am: Lily Allen – LDN
2:30am: The Fratellis – Flathead
2:26am: The B-52’s – Funplex
2:23am: Blink 182 – Feeling This
2:19am: Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly
2:14am: Lady Bug vs. Lady Day – Spreadin’ Rhythm Around
2:10am: DJ Shepdog – Skankin’ in the Way of Control
2:06am: Nina Simone – Gimme Some (Verve Remixed)
2:04am: Four Seasons – Oh What A Night (Remix)
1:59am: The Underdog Project – Summer Jam
1:57am: The Beach Boys – Your Summer Dream
1:53am: Ace Of Base – Cruel Summer
1:48am: Bruce Springsteen – Girls In Their Summer Clothes
1:44am: Kenny Chesney – Summertime
1:40am: Y&T – Summertime Girls
1:36am: David Tavare ft. Eivissa – Hot Summer Nights
1:33am: The Danleers – One Summer Night
1:28am: Another Level ft. TQ – Summertime
1:25am: Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
1:21am: LFO – Summer Girls
1:18am: The Lovin’s Spoonful – Summer In the City
1:13am: U2 – Summer Rain
1:09am: The Ataris – The Boys Of Summer
1:05am: Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
1:02am: Fountains Of Wayne – It Must Be Summer
12:57am: The Prodigy – Out of Space
12:54am: Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
12:51am: Wilco – Heavy Metal Drummer
12:47am: Good Night, States – Killer of the One
12:45am: The Cynics – Me Wanting Her
12:40am: The Hold Steady – Party Pit
12:37am: Alkaline Trio – Help Me
12:34am: Phoenix – Lisztomania
12:28am: Sam Cooke – Twistin’ The Night Away
12:25am: Three Dog Night – Joy To The World
12:23am: Sly & The Family Stone – Hot Fun In The Summertime
12:20am: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Who’ll Stop the Rain
12:17am: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary
12:13am: The Wallflowers – Laughing Out Loud
12:08am: G. Love & Special Sauce – City Livin’
12:05am: Coheed & Cambria – Blood Red Summer
12:02am: Atlantic Ocean – Waterfall

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Goodbye Summer 2008 pt.2

14 November 2008 in Fall, Nonspecific, Summer, Winter | No comments

Forget summer nights turning into fall days; summer may have well overstayed past it’s farewell date on the calendar, but it looks like old man winter wants to finally move in.

It’s 65 degrees today in the ‘burgh and you know what!? It’s freakin’ November! We are suppose to be freezing our arses off at football games, huddling around bonfires and kegs, wrapping ourselves up with flannel at night and putting the wind breakers away for the year.

Instead, I’ve been alternating between no coat, a wind breaker and a slightly heavy coat – not freezing my arse off at football games and instead of huddling I’m finding myself sweating next to the bonfires.

Look, I’m not complaining too much… because I have enjoyed going out in the evenings with just a long sleeve shirt – especially on Halloween – and enjoying lunches outside in the sun. But you know what? It doesn’t really feel like Fall! Normally I think of fall as the mid 40’s to mid 50’s… not 60’s and 70’s! If this was music we were talking about at a party, I’d say we were a decade off.

So as the weather forecast is starting to show winter unpacking, I’d like to say goodbye to Summer 2008, again; and if Summer happens to see Fall in the off-season, I’d hope there would be mention of Autumn returning next year.

BTW: Winter… don’t get too comfy like Summer. I’d like the April showers and May flowers to feel welcome in 2009.

Here are some pics from the “calendar” Fall season, to send off Summer / Fall? and welcome winter with scarfs n’ coats.

Rock the Block 1a Rock The Block 2a

Fall Football 2008 Halloween 2008 

                 October 2008 In Pittsburgh

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Good Bye Summer 2008

22 September 2008 in Fall, Memories, Nature, Nonspecific, Summer | No comments

Today the summer of 2008 officially drew to a close with autumnal equinox. Rightfully so, the weather is a little bit more cloudy after weeks of sunshine. I can say it is pretty cool that the summer went out with a blast of sunshine.

Summer of 2008 yielded some great moments, which kicked off with my extended family and ended with seeing some old friends. It was a good summer of memories from the parties, late evenings in good company, summer festivities, outdoor concerts, trips to Chicago and Stone Harbor, acquiring a personal conservatory and moving into an apartment.

It’s sad in away to feel the summer end, but it’s nice having them to look forward to. Besides, fall isn’t too bad from the oktoberfests, costume parties, Thanksgiving and ofcourse football! So I think I’m not going to dwell on the end of summer but look forward to the apple and pumpkin pies with the fall garden vegetables. (After all, I like food – including dry ramen noodles.)

So with that, I bid Summer ado till 2009 and welcome Fall 2008 with one of my many favorite photos which remind me of “Fall” in America. Here is one of those that still has a slight summer feel. (I can’t take credit for this photo, it was just a random find – thank someone over at Kitchenography.)

The start of Fall in America

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Labor Day 2008

1 September 2008 in Nonspecific, Pittsburgh, Radio, Summer | 2 comments

As we celebrate the summer winding down, it’s a great time to fire up the grill and tune the radio or computer to the top 100 songs of the 90’s courtesy of loyal listeners and WYEP on this beautiful Labor Day weekend!

In addition, this Labor Day included a trip to Ikea to pick out a sofa bed for the apartment. I was debating between a sofa bed or a futon. In the past, just about every futon I have slept on has been uncomfortable, so I was leaning towards a sofa bed. Luckily, Ikea had numerous units to try out. In the end I chose the sofa bed because it was more comfortable and cozy to sit and lay on.

Now I’m ready for all those house guests:

sofa-bed

Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day. Any fun festivities going on?

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Exhibits

5 July 2008 in Nature, Summer, environment, mystery | 1 comment

So mowing the lawn every week I have become quite familiar with what is suppose to be in the yard. None the less, today’s venture with the lawnmower yielded some interesting exhibits. I’m thinking that all the recent storms and rain have churned these up. But what ever the reason, it was a great excuse to break out the new camera.

Exhibit 1:
I have no idea what this is…. I found it while trimming and was quite disgusted, but apparently not disgusted enough to take some pictures of it? Any ideas on what this is would be great.

Exhibit 2: This was found about 150 yards away from Exhibit 1… similar in composition, but smaller.
 Exhibit 2b

Exhibit 3: This looks kinda sci-fi, but I think this is the start of some mushrooms in a cluster. Thoughts?         

Exhibit 4: Who was watching who while I was out with the camera? 

 

I think I’ve had enough of disgusting discoveries for the day.

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4 July 2008

4 July 2008 in Family, Friends, Holiday, Pittsburgh, Politics, Summer | 2 comments

As we celebrate today with good friends, family, food and fireworks it is important to not forget why we observe this historic day. Too often I feel we loose sight of why we fought for our independence over 232 years ago… and with current politics, we could easily loose everything that we fought for.

As Ben Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little tempory safety, Deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

 

Here are some flags from around the yard with my new purchase.

 

Sit back, relax and turn on live independence. Most of all, have a fun, safe and happy Forth of July!

 

This is as American as it gets.

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24 years as of 9:31AM on the 2nd of July 2008

2 July 2008 in Family, Friends, Summer | 4 comments

At 9:31AM this morning, twenty-four years after I emerged into this world, I was sitting infront of my computer at work – my first “real-life” job – and I said, “So this is the day.” I looked around my office some and realized, this is the day that I had to finally “work” on my birthday. Never before had I worked on my birthday… in-fact, for my entire life I’ve only ever been three places on the big day. Pittsburgh (Home), Stone Harbor, and Boy Scout camp. Now that “Pittsburgh (Work)” is being added to the list, the feeling of “old” has started seeping in.

Although, my uncle graciously reminded me on the phone tonight that this is the last year I can answer the question about my age as, “Oh, I’m in my early twenties.” Next year it’s, “the mid-twenties” and the year after that it’s, “the late-twenties.” So looking at it in his view, I’m still plenty young!

Tonight I went and had dinner with the family at the CheeseCake Factory. I feasted on some avocado egg rolls and a giant grilled portobello mushroom treated like a burger. Afterwards we came home for a relaxing evening which included a double-decker cookie cake. All in all a fairly mild Wednesday evening.

September of 1985, I was 1 year old and hanging out with smokey the cat

Drew - Sept 1985

Drew - June 2008

In June of this year I was checking out a summer music festival in the park next to work. In between one and twenty-four? Well thats a story, I can direct you to several photo albums or meet you for a drink.

So I made it twenty-four years before having to work on my birthday, I guess that’s not to shabby…

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, emails, phone calls and fb posts; I enjoyed hearing and talking to everyone! It’s because of people like you that I forward look to at-least sixty more years in this life game.

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A smoothie for winter 2008

22 February 2008 in Expectations, Smoothie, Snow, Summer, Winter | No comments



When life gives you coldness and expectations lost… make it feel like summer with a freezing cold smoothie.