I bring you Roma....a bit late.
Current mood: high

I arrived in Rome on Monday 9/3/07 and left for Levanto on 9/7/07.

Check back later for some other cities such as Venice, Florence & Levanto...maybe even some Amsterdam. ;)

Shot of the ruins from atop Palatine Hill.

Temple of Saturn

Me and the coliseum

The big foot.  This sucker was HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

One of my favorite shots

The Pantheon...stupid church people took all the "false" gods out of it and put "proper" church things inside.

Artsy shot of the Pope's crib a.k.a St. Peters Basilica

Piazza Navona

Ciao Bella Roma!!!

11:09 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Popping out of the bubble that is the USA.
Current mood: contemplative

Let's see, started out my trip by flying into Frankfurt.  I thought this was a good idea but turned out to be bad planning on my part as you will find out at the end of my little "story".  Frankfurt is a major city but I managed to find a small section of it that was filled with old historical buildings.  Boggles the mind that the street I was walking on is older then my country.

My hotel

Old area of Frankfurt

Just spent a day there checking the sites, eating some food and getting lost, haha.  Woke up the next day and couldn't resist going straight to Amsterdam so I packed my bags and went to the train station.  Something to note, if you have a Eurorail pass you have to get it validated before you start travelling.  Well I thought they would check your ticket before you got on the train.  Nope.  Not until it's well down the road do the conductors check.  When the conductor got to me he was like, "your ticket is not vaildated.  You either have to get off at the next station or give me 50 Euro's"  WTF?!?  I hadn't a clue where I was and most of the stops were little tiny parts of Germany.  I freaked out and gave him the 50 Euro's which he put in his pocket and then stamped my ticket.  Bastard totally screwed me.  In retrospect I would of gotten off the train but it was like what, my second day in Europe.

About 3 hours...maybe 4 and the train pulled into Amsterdam.  I slept most of the trip but met a friendly fellow named Charles and his dog Cocoa that both resided in Amsterdam.  He tried to give me directions to my hotel but of course I got lost...again.

Amsterdam is such an amazing place.  More people ride bicycles then drive cars.  They have bike only lanes and bike traffic lights.  Not only that but the place is like Venice.  There are canals throughout the entire city which just add to the charm of the beautiful architecture.  I took more pictures of this place then anywhere else.  Another amazing fact is that their government is one of the most liberal in the world.  They have tons of different parties that are in their parlament (*le gasp* they have more then two parties...lots more.  In fact this year there is a new party trying to gain a seat, the Feminist party)

Typical sight

Of course during the day I mostly just rode my bike around taking pictures.  I rented one (see profile pic), I suggest anyone that ever goes here do the same.  Funny story...my friend Ilja that lives in Amsterdam told me that bike's are stolen all the time.  So much in fact that when she bought a new bike she spray painted it with rust coloured paint.  Very funny stuff.

At night when the picture taking wasn't so effective I went coffee shop hunting.  Well fine, I did that during the day too but at night I spent a heck of alot of time in them.  Just a great feeling picking out some of nature's finest produce, sitting down at a bar with a bunch of strangers from all over the world and twisting away without a worry in the world.

My favorite coffeeshop was was the Rokeru (see my profile pics), it had a wonderful atmosphere and beer on tap.  Two things to mention, one, most coffeeshops don't serve alchohol.  Second, the beer in Amsterdam, yummy.  Normally I don't drink Heineken but it tastes so much better over there.  I mean sooooooooo much better.  At first I thought it was because it is brewed there but then I found out that they pasturize (cook) the beer that is sent here.  Why?  Who the heck knows. 

Another of my favorite coffee shops was Rookies

(see profile for their "menu")

I spent about three days here then it was off to Sweden to see my friend Gaby.  I had to take a train to Germany then catch the nightline (see profile pics) to Kopenhaven, Denmark (we say it wrong).  The night train was pretty neat, rented a bed in a cabin with six beds.  Luckly only one other person shared the room with me (he snored a bit but got off at some random stop before mine).  From Kopenhaven I had to catch another train to Malmo, Sweden and then finally to Lund, Sweden where I would meet my friend.  Lund is the second oldest city Sweden and also home to a very large college.  We were actually staying in a cabin built out in the country side which was quite beautiful.  This was the most relaxing part of my vacation.  Home cooked meals, short museum trips, some guitar playing, a wee bit of Uno and long walks with the dogs up some big hills (well coming from Florida any hill is big, haha)

Very old church in Lund

After a few days it was time to go.  It was also my birthday...hurray me!  I woke to my friend making me a wonderful breakfast.  Then I took a train back to Kopenhaven.  I was on a mission to find a place called Christiana (see profile pics).  This is a "hippie" commune of sorts but with much more history.  Originally Christiana was founded by a group of squatters that took over an area of abandoned military barracks.  Now they are self-governing, self sustaining neighbourhood which the Danish government allows to exist as a "social experiment".  Lots of beautiful graffiti and of course Hash is available.  Hard drugs are strictly kept out by the populace.  After about 3 hours I had no choice but to leave as the last train back to Amsterdam (night train through Germany) was about to leave.  It was a shame too as I had just met a beautiful woman from the Czech Republic.

Random spray painting (it's everywhere)

Pretty girl

I had worries about the night train ride home as all the beds were booked.  All I could get was a seat with five other people.  Well luck was good so far, all woman.  Hehe.  Ended up spending most of the night chatting with one of them, a beautiful blonde from Germany.  We had some beers and ciggy's in the dining car then it was time for sleep.  Hurray, our room was empty so we both could lay down and nap. 

Back in Amsterdam, oh how I love this place.  First things first, off to the bike rental place.  Once I had secured my ride it was time to go see things I hadn't seen.  Van Gogh & Rembrandt museums were great (got in trouble for taking pictures, hehe)  Wanted to see Ann Frank's museum but it had a huge line and I don't like lines so didn't see that.  Did see a few silly ones like the museum of Sex, of Torture and of Marijuana.  I rode around Vondel Park (pronounced with an F) stopping of course to smoke a bit since you DON'T GO TO JAIL for smoking God's/Nature's creation.  Many drinks of course with my friend Ilja when she got off work at night.  Yes, yes, I went to the red light district.  Yes, yes, lots of half nekkid woman in windows ready to take your money and get fully nekkid.  For some I suppose it might be considered the best window shopping ever.  I however don't like to pay for my lov'n. 

More of Amsterdam's beauty

Now it was time for London, to see my friend Beth.  Took a train to Brussels then got on the Eurostar.  This is a train that goes under the English Channel.  Think it was about 22 minutes under water.  Just a black tunnel...they should of made it like the shark encounter at Sea World, haha. 

Well London...this is one big freaking city.  My friend told me to take the tube to Highgate then a bus to Muswell Hill.  After a bit of head scratching I managed to figure out their public transportation.  It's really quite easy and puts everything in America to shame traffic wise.  Of course there were times I felt like a sardine on the tube but for the most part it's easy enough to find a seat.  Anyways, my friend Beth is an up and coming rock star (http://www.myspace.com/bdariti) and I was quite excited to be meeting her in person.  During the day I was to explore the city myself then hang out with her after work.  Guess that's the one thing that is the same everywhere..work.

Granted I really didn't see much of London but most of what I saw in London seemed centered around shopping, haha.  The Soho district was a strange place, in one place area they had a very crowded "name brand" shopping area (tons of locals and tourists) I think it was Oxford street.  I hated that place.  Other areas were less crowded and had more interesting things, music shops, sex shops, clubs.

Camdan town was pretty cool..  This is a very neat market area where just about anything can be bought.  Huge mix of people from punks to hippies to tourists and everything in between.  I'm not the biggest shopper in the world but I still enjoyed walking around looking at all the strange people and items to buy.  My favorite place was an art gallery I stumbled apon, on the roof they had a bar and beds.  Yes, beds, just what I needed after many hours of walking.  Kicked back, sipped on my drink and gazed at the clouds.  It was actually sunny the whole time I was in London...must of brought something from Florida with me.  No, I got rained on most of the time in Amsterdam so it was just luck. 

Camden Lock

In reality I didn't see much of the "touristy" sights in London.   Caught a few things along the river Thames but for the most part I was content with drinks, guitars and a bit of the Sheesha with Beth, Hellen and all her other friends.  The Sheesha is another name for a Hookah.  Beth is pretty good at pool btw, haha.  My last night was quite interesting.  Beth had a wedding to go to and I knew of a party that was going to have a very special performer play.  Lydia, aka Rosered.  http://www.myspace.com/rosered  Well somehow I found my way to this random neighborhood and knocked on the door.  Sure enough this was the party place.  Birthday party for some guy named Fazz.  Well as soon as I opened my mouth they were like "You must be the American" Haha, what gave it away :)  Anyways it was a great joy to see Rosered play guitar.  Her friend Roxi was quite good too.  Did some crazy thing with her fiddle and a pen.  It was a good evening, she has some nice friends.

River pic

Well it was now Sunday, 15 days had gone by.  Time to make my way back towards Frankfurt.  Took the train to under the water again to Brussels.  Now where?  Crap, I can't go back to Amsterdam because there are no trains to get me to the airport in time for my flight.  Guess I go play in Germany for my last night.  Well the train rides look short on paper but in reality it does take a bit more time.  Finally arrived back in Frankfurt around 21:00 (that's 9 p.m. for all you Americans out there) 

haha, funny story

Ilja: What time is it?

Me: It's 21:00

Ilja: HAHAHAHAHAHA

Me: What?

Ilja: You don't say 21:00, you say 9 p.m.

Me: Glad I found this out now before I made a fool of myself.

Anyways, it was 9 pm, I had no hotel and I was in Frankfurt.  What do I decide to do, spend the night in the airport.  Worst decision ever.  Stupid German airport guys kept waking us up (yes I wasn't the only one with this idea) They wanted to make sure we had planes to catch and weren't just bumbs.  Go away you bastards, I'm sure I could find someplace else to sleep if I was a bumb.

Well, I'm home now and I can't wait to go back.  Gotta start saving for next summer.

5:55 AM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Is this really my life?
Current mood: pessimistic

Oh man, I swear I cringe every morning just before I walk into my cubical.

12:32 PM - 5 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment

Save NPR and PBS (again)

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS -- unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting.  The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks!

3:01 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Thomas....gator hunter

This past weekend I went down south to a place called Myakka, its a little town in the middle of Florida...also in the middle of nowhere. Anyways, my friend's dad lives down there and he owns an airboat. We went out Friday night driving around in it. Bunch of my friends, cooler full of beer and lots of alligators. Everywhere we shined the light we say red eyes looking back at us. That is when the fun began.

Turns out that if you pull up slowly to one of these gators and direct a light into its eyes they become effectively blinded (yes common sense if you think about it) Well once this happens then its time to catch them. Its scary at first, we were only playing with ones about 4 feet in length but their mouths are still bigger then your hand. After watching more experienced people go it was my turn.

I reached down to grab the gator, right behind the head and around the neck is the sweet spot. I got him and lifted him out of the water but was not ready for the strength of this thing when it started thrashing. I dropped it. We circled the air boat around and I went for another grab. Once again I pulled him up and dropped him. Realizing that Im looking like a fool and probably too drunk to react fast enough on my next attempt as soon as I grabbed him I pulled him over the boat. Sure enough, he squirmed out of my hands and into the floor of the boat. All the woman started screaming, haha, so much fun. Well he was easy to get after that, just dragged him by his tail until he was close enough and picked him up. Held him close for a pic then let him go. They hiss like snakes, never knew that.

8:35 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Recording my music
Current mood: curious

So I've been pondering buying a nice laptop so that I can record some of my home made jams. 

That being said, would anyone be interested in hearing some of that stuff on myspace?

It would be mostly instrumental stuff because you really don't want to hear me try and sing, however I am sure I can get a guest or two to fill in some vocals.

9:45 AM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

My adventures at the Langerado Music Festival.
Current mood: accomplished

Arrived in Sunny Ft. Lauderdale on Sat, around 1 pm. and got inside just in time to catch the last half of a band called Lake Trout. They were pretty good, lots of guitars and a little flute thrown in. From there we wandered around mostly getting beers and checking out the layout of the place. Heard a bit of the Drive by Truckers but I don't like them so we moved on.

Finally, at 3:00 my main reason for coming to this thing walked on Stage. Mr. Michael Franti. Him and his band Spearhead proceeded to fill the place with his uplifting spirit and good vibrations. I swear this man radiates love.

After that was Umprhey's McGee, a very good band, tight and technical. I did not care for them much when I saw them for the first time last year but they made me a believer this time around. The lead singer was giving directions to the band during some of their long extended jams. Pointing at his head, the ground or the air to signal what direction to take the jam, I was very impressed.

By now my crew is quite tipsy and started splitting up. I think I watched half the flaming lips set and half the Disco Biscuits. Neither was very thrilling to me but 1000's of others would disagree.

Finally Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals ended things this day. While I love Ben to death his set was a bit too mellow for a head liner. One song sticks out in my mind however. A new one called Black Rain, emotionally very powerful.

Sunday morning we dragged ourselves out of the hotel room (yes we passed on camping as they were charging $60 a person and thats like crazy)

Caught a few early bands but didn't hear anything spectacular enough to warrant watching the whole thing (or heck, remembering who they were)

At 2:00, a Florida favorite, Mofro came on stage. Great funk filled swamp water infected booty moving music with great story telling.

After that G. Love and Special Sauce came on stage. They are always fun, sorta like hip hop blues music. I tried to leave their set twice to go see different bands but really good songs kept coming on so I never left.

Following G. Love was Robert Randolph & the Family Band. For those of you that don't know about Robert, he plays the sickest slide guitar ever. And he plays it so fast your feet can barely keep up with it.

Then around 5:30 it was off to see Keller Williams, the legendary one man band. Master of the loop pedal. He was in fine form, started out with Freak Show (Ani Difranco cover) and just got crazy from there. Once again I tried twice to leave and go see Wilco as I had never heard any of their music. Finally, my friend and I managed to sneak out before Keller got into another song. Made it to Wilco's stage in time to hear their last song. Meh, wasn't too thrilled but then again it wasn't fair to them as I still had Keller in my mind.

Ending the show was the Black Crowes. I wasn't to happy to have them as a head liner but man, was I ever surprised. They freaking tore up the stage. I had forgotten how many songs of theirs I knew. I certainly could tell why the Dead used to have them open for them.

All in all a GREAT time.

10:33 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

I finally got my car
Current mood: chipper

Holy crap was the wait worth it.  It is sooooooo damn pretty.  I'm trying to be really patient and break it in proper like before I start going fast but its hard.

My new car, a Honda Civic SI

8:18 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Sad songs rock your face
Current mood: contemplative

So I'm listening to my community radio station last night (WMNF 88.5) and the Dj says he just got a request to play this song called Echo Mountain by Cedar Hill because this girl wants to make her mom cry.

I'm smugly thinking, okay, lets hear this tear jerker song.

It starts out talking about a couple that wants a family but starts out with a dog. The dog becomes like part of the family. Then they get married and have a kid. The dog and the child seem to bond strongly.

Then one day the child is missing, as they are looking for their son they find the dog covered in blood. Freaking rough stuff right. The man does what needs to be done and shoots his dog right where its standing, in his living room.

Well next thing you know they find the child, hiding in his room...unharmed. Yeah, I know, pretty F'd up right.

The song goes on to say that they found the back door open and a wolf slain on the ground by the child's play things. Turns out the dog was a hero.

Well lets just say I got a bit choked up during this song...no tears but yeah, my smugginess was gone for sure.

I wish I could find the lyrics, my description probably didn't do the song justice.

8:18 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

America
Current mood: happy

America, FUCK YEAH!
Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah,
America, FUCK YEAH!
Freedom is the only way yeah,
Terrorist your game is through cause now you have to answer too,
America, FUCK YEAH!
So lick my butt, and suck on my balls,
America, FUCK YEAH!
What you going to do when we come for you now,
it’s the dream that we all share; it’s the hope for tomorrow

FUCK YEAH!

Tell me you have watched Team America, World Police.  If you haven't, go rent it now.

10:35 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment