What did you do today?

[Craig Sawyers]

well fuck, Al, that is a lot better than my evening, that consisted of seeing an outdoor Bach concert, by one of the regional orchestras (i.e. not very good), and then eating dinner at Ihop.

Sorry 'bout the poor Bach 'reks. We had a much more successful classical outing - Die Meistersinger with Bryn Terfel singing Hans Sachs. Absolutely awesome production, and Terfel was stunning. One of Wagner's easier to get to grips with operas - ie there are real tunes. Booked that one in January!

Rather than Tristan und Isolde which is hours of unresolved musical tension (on purpose, to match the continual tension in the stage situation) leading up to a final marvellous aria called the Leibes Tod (love-death). T und I is a tough opera to watch and get under the musical skin of. But whichever Wagner you see you are in for at least 4 1/2 hours. Or for the full Ring cycle 17 hours. Awesome. In two weeks we're up for the second Ring opera, Die Walkure, at Longborough. Pretty much an all day affair.

[Craig Sawyers]

i love the ring, but i can only take it in small doses. the whole thing has been performed in full a few times. i can't imagine.

one of the nice things about Cincinnati is that both our Sym. Orch and our opera are top tier. small productions opera wise this year, though.

Last time in the UK was 5 years ago at Covent Garden. Tickets sold out in five minutes flat. Watched it televised - Terfel as Wotan. Actually he only survived Das Rheingold and Die Walkure and then keeled over. So John Tomlinson stepped in to the breach without rehearsal for Siegfried and Gotterdamerung - but Wotan plays a much smaller role in those operas. 17 hours of opera, and *everybody* dies apart from the Rheinmaidens. I love the damned thing - murder, incest, corruption, lust - every deadly sin on a grand scale bolted together into a single epic. Based on the same Anglo-Saxon and Germanic legends as Lord of the Rings - but with adult content, and no Samwise Gamgee (thank heavens).

Oh and and every year at Beyreuth. But you have to apply for tickets each and every year until your name comes up. Miss a single year - back to the start of the queue. Currently 7 years wait.

[Craig Sawyers]

i'd love to go to Bayreuth. we'll see if it ever happens.

yesterday was the fourth anniversary of my father hanging himself (the fourth anniversary of him dying is a few days away, as my mother found him a little bit before he actually died, and our neighbor is an EMT). this is the first time that both my mother and i were pretty okay. i've been okay for a couple years, but it has been a bit harder for her. wearing this watch every day has been a reminder, and has perhaps helped me, every morning when i've put it on.

calvados and music isn't a bad way to commemorate, i think.

'Reks - I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like going through that. Must be one of the toughest things going. Good that you and your mother are getting over the worst.

[grawk]

I went to a party thrown by a family from our unitarian church. Outside, cover band, kids running around. I brought a growler of wit, a bottle of Woop Woop, and a growler of root beer. The wit was wiped out within 5 minutes (the band discovered it, they liked). Talked to a czech immigrant former punk most of the time, his wife talked to mine, while our kids went crazy. Was a good time. They're coming over for dinner next weekend.

[boomana]

Sounds like folks had some nice weekend activities. Im jealous of Al. I actually paid someone to help me move my furniture around and do some serious cleaning. I had no idea there were so many cat toys in my house. More of same today. It's not fun at all, but it feels good.

[mrarroyo]

Crappy good luck with the surgery. 'Reks one day at a time even if so many years have gone by.

[boomana]

Talked to a czech immigrant former punk

Ask him about The Plastic People of the Universe. Allen turned me on to them in the early 80s, and I met Vratislav Brabenec. Not exactly punk music, but more punk in every way than 99% of "punk" bands. Check them out, though your new friend might be too young to know them.

[grawk]

I will. Tho I think he found punk when he got to hanover pa and was an outsider. I'd bet he'll like them tho, I'm about to go looking for what I can find of them.

[Aimless1]

Sorry to hear that Crappy. Hoping this is the last recurrence of chondrosarcoma.

Reks, wishing you and your mother peace.

[Dusty Chalk]

Al: :drool:

[mypasswordis]

Seeing pictures of firearms is not a good thing for me right now.

Good time to listen to metal.

[tyrion]

Before pic of the pork shoulder I'm smo king for pulled pork:

The first two loaves of bread I've baked, one whole wheat and the other white:

Al, that looks like a fun time. Well make you into a gun toting liberal in no time.

Edited July 11, 2010 by tyrion

[Grahame]

Al,

looks like you had a fun time. Seems like rather a lot of euro-socialist import firepower.

Must be Berkeley SWAT then

or

[Voltron]

Turns out I could have used one of those shotguns this morning. Took the dog out first thing and was greeted by a disturbing sight:

All of the trees around our back door and patio were filled with vultures. They spread their wings to look tough and to ward off other scavengers. Either, I look worse than I thought or there was something dead lying around the yard. Two days ago our dog was rolling around in something and then brought back a hoofed leg bone. That was a fawn's carcass. Turns out another one bit the dust just over the deer fence in the next door neighbor's yard.

There is a grey fox living behind our house somewhere close by. When I got home last night, it was in the exact spot where the fawn is. Could be taking down these little deer or is it just opportunistic?

Edited July 11, 2010 by Voltron

[shellylh]

That is a scary site.

[Craig Sawyers]

There is a grey fox living behind our house somewhere close by. When I got home last night, it was in the exact spot where the fawn is. Could be taking down these little deer or is it just opportunistic?

We've a real problem with urban foxes in the UK - you can sight them most nights foraging around garbage. But it was brought home how dangerous that is - an urban fox got access to a house, and savaged the children as they slept. Parents woke to the sound of screaming to find a confused looking fox on the landing wondering what the fuss was about.

Baby twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis seriously injured in 'fox attack' | Mail Online

[naamanf]

Before pic of the pork shoulder I'm smo king for pulled pork:

How do you do yours?

So far the best method I have found that makes super moist fall apart shoulder is to cook it in the smoker at 225 basting with a spice vinegar mix till the meats 140. Pull it out and double foil wrap adding some of the vingear spice mixture. Put it into the oven at 225 and let it sit till it's 210. Let cool and then pull. Can't wait to make some while I'm home.

Enjoy.

Hold on a tick, I though you were Jewish?

[tyrion]

This is my firtst shoulder so I didn't do much to it. I usually make a rub and a mop when I smoke but I eas lazy and baking some bread for the first time so I kept it simple. I'm using hickory smoke and a cider vinega and stout mop that I made just to baste every so often. I decided to do the mop at the last minute. It's so hot here that I'm having trouble keeping the temp below 250 so it's not as low and slow as I usual.

[mrarroyo]

Was my mother in law birthday so we took them out to dinner at a local mexican restaurant on the beach. Nice time was had by all.

[boomana]

Mexican food sounds really good right about now.

[Aimless1]

Arrived at our trailer. Temps in the mid 80s but with high humidity. I've now retreated inside the trailer to avoid the weather. Looking forward to a week away from home and office.

Brought up some Adirondack chairs with seat cushions. We've left roughing it far behind us Far cry from the 20+ years we spend in backpacking tents. Hard to call what we do now camping, but I'm enjoying it any way.

[n_maher]

Had a busy but great weekend. The only noteworthy accomplishments were finally installing the counter top onto the cabinets that I built in our laundry room and installing a certain shielded trafo in a previously humming beta22.

A couple months ago our laundry room wall looked like this (and did when we moved in, minus the section of carpet you see removed).

Now it looks like this.

I'm either going to buy or build a matching set of uppers to go along with the base but it's already a huge improvement in my book.

[shellylh]

Nate is the man!

[swt61]

Nice work Nate!

[justin]

looks good but why didn't you use the original wood counter?