The Urban Pantheist

Have I mentioned lately how excited I am that Rock Band is coming back? Not that we ever stopped playing.

On Saturday we played Beatles Rock Band.

I guess we're concentrating, but it really doesn't look like we're enjoying ourselves. We are, I swear!

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Alex and I got in some Rock Band on Saturday. Normally we don't play during daylight hours but hoo boy it was just too cold to be outside.



But it was just the right temperature to quickly cool down some beers!

I keep leaving my goldurned camera at work so no new pics are ready, but I do have a ton of them. Highlights are gorilla portraits and animal tracks in the snow. Speaking of snow, the prognosticators have opened up their sacrificial animals and the guts are in the shape of eighteen to twenty-four inches for our area. Friday will be a total mess--most likely I'll fight my way into work only to be sent home at noon, but then I can spam this journal with my pictures.

There are a ton of things happening this weekend for some reason, but it doesn't look like I'll even do the unglamorous tax date, never mind the owl prowl and afterparty, or least likely of all seeing Marc Maron on his latest tour. I foresee lots of shoveling, and perhaps playing some Rocksmith--yes I decided that while I love Rock Band, it is a little silly that I have nearly mastered several fake instruments but can't do anything with real ones. I borrowed an electric guitar and bought myself a cheap bass, so I'll give each the old college try.

Midwinter has passed, so while the weather promises to continue being wintery, there is more sunlight--we actually walked the dogs in the light this evening. So then, ever forward: Spring Equinox is only a few weeks away!

The basement is the Rock Band den. Alex was sitting on the floor to give more room on the couch to the dogs. Earlier that day we hiked along Mother Brook.

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This is our laundry pile and Rock Band den.

I love May. It's pretty pleasant, weather-wise, especially at work (where I like it cooler than I do at home, because I have to wear long sleeves and pants there), and life is exploding everywhere. The obnoxious insects aren't out in full force, but there are a lot of bugs for me to enjoy, and the first agaric-type mushrooms are popping up. But I'm kind of insanely busy this month.

I have a very brief movie review I want to finish up for soylent_screen and a book review (for a two book series) to write for the zookeeper newsletter. A week from tomorrow I have a mushroom class to teach, and I need to completely redo my powerpoint to feel good about it. Got some fun social things coming up, like two friends visiting this weekend, and a party on Memorial day weekend. I'm working on the Saturday of Memorial day weekend, but I have two of the Mondays off. Lots of projects out in the yard to work on, too.

I'm not complaining, but hoo boy, things are ramping up.

Alexis and I celebrated New Years Day by rolling out of bed whenever we felt like it, which turned out to be around 8--almost insanely late by our standards. (I won't mention that it was the sound of a dog vomiting that woke us both up.) We are dogsitting for Alex, who is in LA with her family, and it was nice to wake up with Jim (the Boston terrier you often see in my photos) by my head. Alexis made perfect silver dollar pancakes, which we devoured with pure maple syrup--a gift from my sister in law. I posted a funny Facebook status about it, because I've given up sweets.

Once we had our act together, we took all three dogs to Lost Pond Reservation. It was so warm out today (in the 50s) that I ended up stripping down to my t-shirt, despite the fact we were hiking through deep snow. There were lots of deer tracks there, of different sizes, some very fresh. I was relishing that I was done with my photo project, so even though I brought my camera, I took no pictures at all. I tried to take a picture of a winter crane fly but punted when I they kept moving around and I got frustrated. There were tons of snowfleas, but I didn't slow to look at them close. There were also some fresh Stereum mushrooms on dead wood. The hiking was relatively strenuous, and I lost my temper for a bit. But then I got into the hike, and the warmth--with occasional cool breezes across the snow--and wasn't too rage-y at the end.

I made us "second breakfast" of eggs with spicy chicken sausage, and we played some rock band (seen above). We're gearing up now to take the car back (our nightly walk to put Alexis' car in the town lot since we only have space for one car) and then we are going to do something we have never done since I've moved in here: cook fish. We'll have some salmon and asparagus. I went to the supermarket and bought a bunch of vegetables and berries (trying to have food around so I won't eat sweets) and was horrified by the prices. It really costs money to ship edible plants up from Mexico.

The main thing on our mind is the move, put on temporary hold while lawyers work out lawyery things (one lawyer is on vacation, so we're stuck for at least a week). It's infuriating, but there is absolutely nothing to do but go on living with our stuff in boxes all around us, dreams of big change JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN, but not happening yet.

I bought a bottle of champagne-like substance yesterday, and we failed to drink it at the appropriate time, so we're drinking it tonight.

Oh, and as always, Hail Satan.

The Velocirocker sessions, Labor Day 2010.

There are only 3000 wild tigers left, and possibly as few as 35 Amur Leopards.
Please help AAZK New England and the Tigris Foundation conserve and protect them, while having a rocking good time. Will your band get to see a training session with tigers?

Can't be there in person? Donate any amount now and be there in spirit!
And you can mail donations to: AAZK New England, 1 Franklin Park Road, Boston MA 02121
THANK YOU!