It's Over, Summer! Not so Warm Greetings, Fall

Fall's here!





It's time for all bits of summer to go away - the fireflies have retreated from dusk, and the bubbles no longer flit away and gleam under the sunlight.

The leaves are turning and falling, the air's cold (and not as crisp as it should be but really terribly cold) and probably signalling an early winter.

It's time to say goodbye to the raspberries on the bush, as they cling to a season past.

A lone brown leaf begins the passage to the earth, the first to go amongst his brothers among the raspberries that will no longer turn red.

U2: Rockin' the Bad Juju, Part II

After everything, one could only hope that the concert would be at least greatness. Well, it never could be without Sons there but why were there other issues as well?

She's the only reason we were going to see U2 this tour because as we have expressed before, "No Line on the Horizon" is the worst album all year.

Sons eventually did make it, in time to hear 7 songs (and at least they played "Sunday Bloody Sunday" for her) but not before getting into a cab and being told by those idiots at LaGuardia that they had no idea how to get to Giants Stadium.

First, the highlights:

1. The partial truth is that we stuck out getting a refund for the concert tix because of Sons. I truly wanted to go in the first place because MUSE were supporting U2. So, the number 1 highlight OF COURSE, are my boys.





They killed it!





2. The new songs sounded amazing as expected and apparently Matt has a new song for me that he plays during concert.

The Black Holes and Revelations song for Suga'Face was "Map of the Problematique".

The Resistance song for Suga'Face is "Undisclosed Desires".

I'm not sure if I should be flattered or highly embarrassed.



3. Dom was very cute, with his new haircut and all. And he really tore it up this time around. He was all smiles and loving every minute of it.



4. H1 even managed to clap correctly through "Starlight"!

I cannot wait to see them for their US Tour which happens next year and TD5 is coming!

5. U2's Claw. I was not really feeling that claw for months and most of the night until it lit up during a certain song (forgotten which one) and then like a disco ball during "Ultraviolet". I may not like that song but when Bono was swinging from the microphone/wii wheel and the light just went all 'round the stadium, that was some impressive shart right there.







6. Their remix of "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was funny. The vids that went with just made it ever more ridiculous. Loved it!

7. That one sista' who was there LOVING every minute of U2. Kudos to her, man.

8. U2's intro being Bowie's "Space Oddity". Bowie's the best and probably the only really great thing U2 pulled that night. Har har.

9. Oh yeah, knowing MUSE's set list was all the more fantastic on our night than on the 24th? Good times, that.

The Lowlamps:

1. WTF, MUSE! No "Unnatural Selection"?! Guess I'll have to wait until your own US Tour to hear it. If I see that you play it on any of these dates, I will be verrrry unhappy...especially if TD5 gets it! Psh.

2. The crowd energy at MUSE. I mean, the crowd period. What crowd? No one really turned up and only a handful of us were going nuts up in there. ::sigh:: Ah well. At least when they roll back the footage from Giants Stadium, they'll see me going crazy.

3. Kids. Those kids in front of us. What the hell were they doing there for U2. How dull they were - they didn't dance, they barely moved. Sticks, that's what they were. Sticks. Not that I think they could have danced not being blessed with dancing genes and all but honestly? A little emotion for your parents-bought $98.00 tickets would have been appreciated.

4. U2's set list. This should be number one, truthfully. U2's set list was god awful. We were originally supposed to be night 2 and would have gotten the better set list that was instantly made cooler by the inclusion of "Until the End of the World" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" but alas, as discussed before we were just assed out of everything.

5. MUSE's sad barely-45 minutes-appeal-to-US-mainstream-bastards set list. It's not their fault...they had to play what they released but it was a downer.

6. Turns out I didn't get to even see MUSE/the boys' assbacks but more the back of their heads. Blessed or unlucky? Not really sure...

7. Okay U2. How old are you guys now? Bono sounded...odd. And sometimes, which was noticeable to me, they were not in sync with each other. Was I the only one picking up on that? It really threw me off.

8. H1's scream for Larry when he first came on stage. We made a pact that we were so disgruntled by their shenanigans that we would not support the band much in protest. As soon as Larry walked on to the stage though, H1 started screaming. She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry...I just kind of forgot myself. Sorry."

Hm. I was unimpressed by you, H1.

9. No good pics. Again. Really need to invest in a better camera for shows...

10. Gyrating girls. Oh. My. Eyes. H1 may have very well vomited right then and there but I caught a glimpse and she would not have been in the wrong. It was quite the worst thing I've seen in a long time. S-c-a-r-y. Thank goodness I didn't get a picture. That would have burnt a hole in the blog.

11. Being in NJ for the 2nd time that week. Yeesh.

12. Having to give up Yeah Yeah Yeahs tickets to attend this hellified trash of an evening (MUSE never are but you know... we just had a rotten time overall). ::sniff:: These used to be The HOchieS' tickets:



At least they didn't go to waste...

MUSE @ Giants Stadium on 9/23/2009 Set List:

1. Intro (same one at Wembley Stadium! Nice!)
2. America (Aww, that was just really classic of them - playing their rock version of "West Side Story")
3. Hysteria
4. Supermassive Black Hole
5. Resistance
6. United States of Eurasia
7. Starlight
8. Undisclosed Desires
9. "The Fly" (U2 riff cover) + Time is Running Out
10. Uprising
11. Knights of Cydonia

U2 360 Tour @ Giants Stadium on 9/23/2009:

1. Breathe
2. Magnificent
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Mysterious Ways
5. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
6. She's The One / Desire (Medley featuring partial cover of Bruce Springsteen's "She's The One")
7. Elevation
8. Your Blue Room
9. Beautiful Day "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" snippet
10. No Line on the Horizon
11. New Year's Day
12. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
13. The Unforgettable Fire
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo
16. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On
20. "Amazing Grace" (Snippet)/One
21. Where The Streets Have No Name / "All You Need Is Love" (snippet)

Encore:

22. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender

More pics of the claw:





Best Performances by U2 of the evening:

Or 2's pick - "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of" (Did Bono really dedicate it to Ernie Anastos of Fox News for his ' "Effin'" a chicken ' slip?

H1's pick - "Ultraviolet"

Best Performances by MUSE of the evening:

Or 2's picks: "America" It was fun.

H1's pick: Probably "Starlight". She loves that one. I don't know why.

Currently listening to: "Doubt & Trust" by Access, from the "D. Gray-man" Original Soundtrack, and "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.

U2: Rockin' The Bad Juju, Part I

It may not happen often but sometimes, even though the signs are very clear, I choose to ignore warnings of ill.

From the start, I probably should have known nothing good would come of the U2 September 25th Giants Stadium gig, when purchasing those 6 tickets compromised one of my credit cards - the good one that used to give me Amazon Gift Certificates.

Being treated as a criminal and accused of being someone else is not enough of an omen for me, I suppose.

Then one month before the concert, the date of the show was changed from Friday to Wednesday.

Wha'?

So, just to keep track of it all, our friend Sons along with others all over the world flying out to this show, were SCREWED air fare, hotel fare, work hours etc etc to facilitate a changed date schedule for a religious holiday two days later, that required the NY Jets to re-schedule their game.

Wha'?

Yes. Due to the fact that a particular religious denomination cannot possibly adhere to their chosen faith AND miss a Jets game (honestly, priorities of your choosing, anyone?), U2 fans from all over had to re-book flights, lose money and curse just to go to this effin' show two days earlier.

Please note that U2's excuse was that it was infeasible for them to pull down their stage setting in the three hours less time they were allotted.

Never mind they are stinking filthy wealthy bastards who can hire the extra hands to assist in a moving; and never mind they played a show in MA on the 21st which ended at 11:10 PM or so - had to dismantle the set, pack it up, drive it to NJ only to set it up again for the 23d.

My math may be awful but I'm fairly certain that I am coming to the same conclusion to the equation set forth herein.

Result: We were assed out for no really good reason.

Things do not end there.

Finally deciding to buy tickets for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Radio City Music Hall concert on the 23RD for H1's birthday present, suddenly became a problem.

Equation: YYY + 23 / U2 + 23
Result: whYYYU2...?!?!?! (x23)

Amazing acoustics, great seats and a chance to sing "Zero" with H1 on a nice, relaxing evening just went out the window because Sons changed her flight to come see U2 on the 23rd.

Things, as they say, can ALWAYS be worse.

Here's another for you -

Equation: $170 dollars changing fee + 10 hours of work for 10 days straight just to get 2 days off to come to NYC to see U2 and then having your flight cancelled 3 hours before the concert due to equipment failure = ?
Result: Nightmare. Absolute friggin' nightmare.

We bought a cake of the chocolate double temptation kind - a cake for H1's and Sons' Birthday, and a reminder of why we should be drowing our sorrows from this horrible experience in a chocolatey overload of chocolate mousse, cheese cake, fudge and chocolate ganache:



Currenlty listening to: "Fell in Love with a Girl" - by The White Stripes.

Crazy

It has been cold lately - a reminder that Fall is just around the corner (or is today the official start?!) but you know what else is coming?

October.

I love October!

I love Halloween.

H1 should not take me out to the stores during this time because I go a little bit crazy.

It's much the same situation when Alex takes me outside during the work day. She has come to the conclusion that the reason I never go out is that my brain stops functioning after that. It's true.

H1 says the sun addles my brain.

I am already planning my Halloween projects and there are so many cool things out in the stores, just reminding me I should start preppin' a crappily put together costume, and that the ghouls will be out in full force very soon.

Even the pumpkins are beginning to be possessed some!



Boo to you too, little Ghost Pumpkin!

Stuck in the Kids' Room at S'mac

What would you do if you saw a bunch of 10 misfits roll up into your pizza/mac & cheese joint?

Why...stick them all in the Kids Party Room, of course.

Complete with Dora and Ni Hao Kailan running on TV!

Pinch and S'Mac was not bad.

We wanted to try S'Mac for sometime but only finally got around to it Friday night. After all that waiting though, I have to say that it was just 'alright'.
Some dishes were decent - H1 loved the Cajun the most, I loved the Buffalo Chicken (and I didn't think I would), and the Alpine.
Some dishes were disappointing - The Mediterrean was really not good and I was so looking foward to it, and the Cheeseburger was meh. I supposed I was expecting more of a burger taste but I guess I should have known it would turn out bland.

I maintain that hot dogs on pizza is the best.

Overall, there's no need to go back to S'Mac. We've done it, we're over it.



This was though, a good night. It's always great seeing the frenemies but when we just take over a place, it's even better.

I was very happy to see everyone walking in pairs along 82nd st., all having different conversations but all together and having fun.

Those Who Went With the HOchieS: Aims, Alex, Beetchie, Frass, Luuuiiiisssss, MC, Sop, X

Memorable Conversations of the evening:

Beetchie on Ni Hao Kailan: What the hell is this?! I feel offended!
Or 2: AND...they are speaking Mandarin, not even Canto!
Beetchie: Oh HELLS No! Koalas are not indigenous to China!!!! Stupid Mainlanders.

Or 2: Oh yeah, Beetchie...TD5's trying to bring 3 new people to the house for Thanksgiving this year.
Beetchie: WHAT?! What about the stuffing?! You know, I feel like I already have to contend with X and I haven't been by you guys in a few years now. What the hell?!
Or 2: Oh, I don't think X is coming this year. Hey X, are you coming to Thanksgiving this year?
X: Yes.
Or 2: Uh oh.
Beetchie: ...!
Or 2: Welllll...MC won't be here, right MC?
MC: No.
X: Hey Frass, where will you be for Thanksgiving? Are you going by The HOChies?
Frass: No. I HAVE a family.
All in unison: OOOOOooooooo...!
Beetchie: PSH! What'eva! I go where the food is! And that's not with my family!
Or 2: Yeah, they go to Atlantic City and starve her.
Frass: Ooh, Atlantic City sounds good too.

The HOchieS Visit NC

Last weekend, we went to NC and it was everything I expected - dull.

Granted, I did not mind it much other than the poorly constructed highway system. I also did not loathe the place like Arizona.

Bunji insists on leaving us and going to the oddest places sometimes.

So, the trip was fairly uneventful but it just reminded us even more that we really miss our Bunji, Angelo, A'Face and Chunky Boo (and she forgot us which made us really sad).

I would also like to say that I know he's currently unemployed but why did I go to NC to be taken to Qdoba?!

::pfftt::

Surprises

Momma HOchie is the best.

Today, H1 and I came home and were greeted with a pot of...

salt-fish and okra rice.

O.
M.
G.

We have not seen the likes of that in the HOchie household in maybe 10 years.

How could we forget such damned greatness?!

And how could X not try to put THIS into her mouth?!





Currently listening to: "MK Ultra" by MUSE.

Nightmares Return!

I listened to the "Exogensis Symphony Parts I - III".

It's very "OoS" in nature and amazing. It's not as 'HUGE' as I thought it would be but it's very, very good.

Except...

Part III's beginning has a familiar sound, much like that piece of music I can't listen to anymore for fear of zombies.

Curse you, Resident Evil!

I'm really waiting for the day zombies rise from the earth.

It's going to happen, you know.

H1 and I must practice our scenarios daily!

Currently listening to: "Resistance" by MUSE. If only this song didn't have a terrible chorus, it'd be almost awesome.

So Far

So Good.

Of course, I've only really listened to one song so things can change.

But damn it, is it a great song!

And now I'm listening to another and it's different...Origin of Symmetry Different?

OoS is my favourite.

I think I'm going to be just fine with this album...

And if nothing else, the LE boxset is beautiful.

Currently listening to: The Resistance by MUSE.

Count so far:

"Unnatural Selection" - great. Love it lots!!!!!!

"MK Ultra" - Better than okay but not greater than that on first listen.

"The Resistance" - This albums KoC. I hate that song. I might be inclined to say I hate this one too. Or maybe just the beginning and the chorus. The verses are fantastic. Chorus...ignore, ignore, ignore the line about "love".

"Guiding Light" - Can't get any more 80's-put-up-your-lighters than this. Fail! Oh, H1. This is number 5 too. Epic Fail.

"I Belong to You (+Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix)" - hilarious and kind of a wtf moment. Then followed by more hilarious. Ahahahahaha. They plugged their own band name in there. That's classic right there. Followed by...French? Actual French? And not cool like "Psycho Killer"? Meh, in Matt's defense, no French will ever be as cool as "Psycho Killer" but way to butcher the language there, Bells. Way to butcher. Matt? Stop going to the opera.

"USoE" - Queen all the way and they know it. I like it because they made it a joke. But will my face be red at the concert when they play it? Yes. Embarrassment awaits.

"Undisclosed Desires" - Guilty pleasure song of the year. It's so bad! Muse does R&B. That alone is greatness but they have no business doing things they have no clue about. Awww, I like this stupid ass song. And stupid ass it is. With a touch of Depeche Mode.

"Uprising" - has really grown on me. I'll sing it proudly next Wednesday and salute bears and all.

"Exogenesis" - ...I have to really listen to the three part symphony that my boy composed on his own. I'm not ready to take in a symphony, so I'll rant about it when I do. I'm expecting pure greatness though. Um, minus...the slap bass I keep reading about?

Make-Shift

An amusing but slightly horrible thing happened to me today.

For some reason, my pants decided it did not want to stay on me and threatened to expose my assback to the streets of NYC.

Mortified, H1 tried to hold up said pants from the back.

But who was even more mortified? I was. I was the one whose ass was handled.

We were incredibly busy today at work so the plan to go to the Gap to get a belt was foiled (Gap...psh, if not for Oceana's hatefulness, we'd still have a Strawberrys Downstairs and I wouldn't have to think about defiling myself).

So, how would I make it home without another threat of assback exposure?

Make a make-shift belt of course!

Many years of MacGuyver have taught Bunji and I to make incredible things out of supplies provided to you.

What better to make a belt in an office than rubber bands?



Memorable Quotes of the Evening:

H1: What can you use? Do we have any string? Maybe you should get some bulldog clips and hook it to your panties and...
Or 2: And what? Um. No. How about some rubber bands.
H1: Oh yeah.

Or 2 to Alex: What is this looking like to you? A large? Hmm, no, not yet.

Or 2 to H1: ::trying on belt:: Crap. I made a medium; I need a large - hand me another rubber band, will ya?

H1: How many more rubber bands did you use to make your belt?
Or 2: Just one.
H1: Oh, okay.
Or 2: Extra Medium.
H1: Medium Plus Plus!

Currently listening to: "Senjin Hitsujitou no High Jump" by Suga Shikao

09/09/09

I have never been a 'huge' The Beatles fan or rather, I never claimed to be a hardcore fan or know lots about them - that's very far from the truth (but it's also not to say that I dislike them - I like them lots from the songs I do know although I could be more 'educated' when it comes to them) but I feel a little caught up in the importance of this day in the world of The Beatles as well.

I'm listening to my collection of songs, as small as it may be and wishing I had the newly released re-mastered stereo box set collection of their albums.

I'll get it eventually but in the meanwhile...

Let me continue my little quiz of who sang which song and be appalled that there are lots of 'Paul' songs that I like.

Paul: Our least favourite Beatle.

I don't think I can listen to "Eleanor Rigby" the same way ever again.

P.S. I wouldn't post a whole bunch of nonsense four posts ahead of just because I realised we were approaching our 909th Blog post, just so I could post this on that number. Noooo.

Currently listening to: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles. This song is brilliant.

Funny

Now for another nerd rant by Or 2.

I do not know if I said this before but "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads is Zarnyx's theme song in Rock Band 2.

Being the lead singer for The Oxtails (yes, it's really supposed to be Sariel, I know), and on solo tour with Zarnyx means it is not often I put him on any other instrument.

This weekend with Sexual Chocolate (MC is delusional and quite skeevy with his 'well-placed' shark - ::shudder::) and Sports Bra (hilarious!) filling in as guest artists in Zarnyx's band, I relegated Zarnyx to guitarist.

I would just like to say that

1. Zarnyx looks incredibly great holding a guitar.

2. I'm debating whether or not to spend a good chunk of my $85,000 on a really expensive guitar for him (MC, I did not steal your gig money. I maintain that I have been touring solo for quite the while and I am rich for my awesomeness - hahahaha. Beetchie? Don't judge me and don't hate because I gots cash for hideous goat head guitars)

3. I am convinced that the Rock Band characters have 'personalities' and that each one has a song they go extra nuts on. I discovered that not only does Zarnyx go insane when singing "Psycho Killer" but he goes crazy while on guitar on that song too. It's seriously funny and seriously scary at the same time.

We're still trying to figure out what G.'s theme song is. I hope it's a Maiden song. That just seems right.

Currently: burnt out from September and not even half the month has gone by yet. Yeesh. I'd say it's my own fault but that wouldn't really be true, would it?

Disgusting

Not only did The HOchieS have to suffer through Miley Cyrus' disgusting 'vocals' and a near miss of seeing her disgustingly not-cute face (she's not cute, alright? Let us just tell it like it is!), but we had to suffer through her legions of tweens and 6 year olds who have NO business liking that shart for 'music' as they left their disgusting mess on the streets of NYC.



Gamers versus privileged wannabe jerk children - we're much cleaner.

After Beetchie and I camped out on the street waiting for the Master amongst other gamers, we left 5th Ave. spotless! And not just because the folks at Nintendo made us clean it up, either!

Currently listening to: "Lost...Broken Shards" by Yasunori Mitsuda, from the Xenogears Original Soundtrack.

War With the Mushrooms

The mushrooms became fearful of me some time in the past.

The fairies cowered at the sight of my foot, as carnage approached their homes (although H1, there's no such things as fairies!).

A favourite pastime of mine is waking early in the morning, walking out into the yard and causing devastation to the little off-white monstrosities that dot our lawn in October.

It's one more reason to love Fall.

This summer I got a little lucky.

The white caps poked out from the grass and I began my rampage.

Every morning for about 3 weeks, I have been having a kicking fest in the yard.

I have also passed the tradition down to BooHead, so that he too may find great joy in the simple things.

Then I got word that the mushrooms have decided to fight back.

With hardly a mushroom in sight for the past few days, I became disheartened but today I found out that there's something brewing in a tree at the side of H1's house.

A giant something that's sprouting a mini-army, surely to challenge my authority.

It's high up where I cannot reach it but I know it's waiting to attack me somehow. Soon.







Currently listening to: "Don't Be Afraid" by Nobuo Uematsu, from the Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack.

Well...

This will be an ongoing thing until 9/14 but I have only a few days left to hopefully eat my words but I heard two more tracks from MUSE's new album and this is not sounding good for me.

Love is our resistance?

Oh Matt.

Why so lyrically challenged? More so than usual?

Currently: worried.

Slightly Worse?

Being attacked by a mosquito and being bitten on the mouth both upper and lower lips? It's quite possibly even worse than being attacked under the foot.

I hate friggin' mosquitos!

We Write Well

An "A" in GP but not so much in Geography.

"F" is reserved for that.

If you're MC.

He also got an "O" in A Levels.

An "O" is an "O Level" grade but not "A Level".

Who knew?

You learn new things every day when MC's around, apparently.

Memorable Quotes of the Day:

"An 'F' and an 'O'. Wow." - MC.

"MC got an "OF"!!" - H1.

"I've never heard of anyone getting an "F" before!" - H1.

Happy Birthday, H1!

I'm sorry your birthday present has been rendered useless thanks to the assness that is U2 but we'll try to see the YYY at some point again...hopefully they'll still be touring.

Not Feeling So Bad

I went on to the message boards and forums on the official site and other blogs and such and now that I know that just about everyone got it, I don't feel so bad that I too am a victim of NiNfluenza.

I mean, things are rough when Trent comes down with it too and has to cancel a gig.

That's what you call a nasty strain.

Observation

I just started playing Final Fantasy: Dissidia.

The voice acting is horrendous as it usually is in these English voiced dubbed games but is it just me or does Cosmos look like Cate Blanchett?





I smell shenanigans!

Currently listening to: "If You're Into It" by Flight of the Conchords.

Avatar

Just last week, Beetchie and I were discussing that we may be nerds on some level but at least we do not have avatars.

Thanks to her, I've had that accursed "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar" song stuck in my head.

And now, I take one step close to complete nerdom.

Kind of.

I do not really consider this a serious avatar and I suppose it does not really make me much nerdier than say...building Rock Band characters, however, I created a Square Enix avatar.

So I have a red coif and wield a purple sword...what's it to you?



I also have red devil eyes. Perhaps a throw back to 3 weeks ago from my bout of conjunctivitis? Ew! Or maybe a tribute to Beetchie Gourami? Or maybe they're just evil devil eyes.



I seem like a "turn around" kind of person. Like..."what's that noise?! ::head turn:: always watching my back, I am except on rare occasions that involve stampeding elephants. That's very Square Enix of me, I feel.



Though, I did really enjoy the "sleeping" character mode.



And the surprised look at being caught.



H1, please notice that although not true, I placed my avatar in a cave since you are always talking about how I'm constantly in a dungeon. I do not know of what you speak - this dungeon crawling.

Currently listening to: What the... "Surprise Attack V.2" by Masaki Iluza, from the Dynasty Warriors 2 Original Soundtrack. Oh no! I'm having a traumatic flashback!

3 Rabbits and 3 Hares

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit.

Hare, Hare, Hare.

Pleading for a good month over here for all.