’nuff said

I saw my first show at the Gorge in George a few weeks ago, awesome that it was one of my favorite bands.  I drove over with my dad and met up with friends  just before the show.  The venue was pretty amazing with the rocky cliffs and hills and the setting sun in the background.  Our seats were not the best.  We were all the way to the right and 39 rows back, making the angle to the main stage rather extreme.  Additionally, there was an auxiliary stage and equipment right in front of us which, while not blocking our view of the main stage, was a bit of an annoyance.  That was all forgotten when Martin and co. ran out and performed 3 songs on that stage.  It was pretty cool being mere inches away from the band.  I really liked the setlist they chose and they gave an awesome performance.  My dad and I spent the night at a campground after the show which, despite being stuffed in like sardines, wasn’t too bad.  At least they had soft grass and loud, all-night partying by other guests was not an issue.  There are a few other pics of the Columbia on our trip back and a petrified Ginko log and some petroglyphs removed from walls along the river. It was a quick trip but a great experience.  Looking forward to seeing another show there someday.

Well, after the snow coming down (and sticking!) for a bit last Wednesday, we were really surprised to see the sunny, 70 degree weather we’ve had for the past 4 days.  The kids were happy to see it as well and spent much of the weekend playing outside.  This is Ella’s first year of really exploring the outdoors and she loves it.  Yesterday they had a blast digging and “making mountains” in our backyard flower bed. Ella has a tom-boyish side to her, thoroughly enjoying playing in the dirt with no fear of getting dirty.  Its funny because she also really loves playing dress-up and pretending to put on makeup.  Also, she has to run and grab her tiny little purse whenever we’re going somewhere.

Today is our little Ella-Bean’s 2nd birthday!  It’s funny we’ve been telling her about it for the past couple weeks and I don’t think she thought much of it.  She must know something is special about today because she’s extra happy and smiley.  Unfortunately, she has a Dr. vistit today and I believe she has to get a shot.  What kinda timing is that??!  We have had her present in our closet since before Christmas.  We saw a great deal on the Rose Petal Cottage so we bought it while Christmas shopping. Jenn was putting it together last night while I was doing homework and,  apparently, it was quite challenging as it took her a while. It is very cute but surprisingly small and comes with a little stove/oven.  She will love to play in it with her baby dolls.

We’re just going to do a little party tomorrow as we don’t want to overwhelm her.  Jenn is going to make cupcakes and a few friends, including her friend Charity, might be stopping by. I’ll try to upload a couple of pictures of her later today.

Happy Birthday Ella-Bean!!

Update: Here are some pics of Ella playing with her new cottage and a table and chair set she got from her grandparents.

I’m pretty excited with U2’s new album, No Line On the Horizon, coming out next week.  It’s been over 4 years since “Atomic Bomb” so us U2 fans are starved.  Being a U2.com subscriber, I’ve been able to listen to the entire album this week.  I’ve already listened to it twice and streaming it a third time as I type this.  It’s characteristic U2 stuff but with new and different sounds. My current favorite song on the album is called “Magnificent”.  The pulsing bassline reminds me of Joshua Tree tracks.  The title track is also quite good. Another awesome track is Breathe, which the band premiered live in Paris last night. The song is a real rock track that opens with Edge’s charged guitar and a piano and leads into Bono’s frantic lyrics.  Very cool sound!!  11 tracks and 53 minutes of awesome!

…that’s what the Times said this morning in big, bold letters. I have to admit I was elated to hear the news. While the M’s have had many great players leave over the years, when Griffey left it felt like he took a piece of me with him. Ever since, it’s been quite a roller-coaster of emotions with the repeated rumors and speculation of his return always resulting in disappointment.  Griffey has always been a player that I had a lot of respect for and is really the reason I was so interested in baseball and baseball card collecting as a kid. He has always kept things very simple, play hard and have fun. The skill he has been blessed with combined with his undeniable love for the game has always made him my favorite player to watch.  I am thrilled at the opportunity to watch him as a Mariner one more time.

I was thrilled to find out that Coldplay was coming back this summer after they skipped us during their last US tour.  In fact, when I first heard a local DJ mention they were coming to the Gorge several weeks back, I thought I was crazy as there was no news on their site or the venue’s for a couple weeks.  While I have been to a Coldplay show, I’ve never seen a show at the Gorge, so this will be pretty cool.  I saw them back in ‘05 at the new White River Ampitheater.  They were touring on their X & Y album which I pretty much played non-stop for months.  It was an excellent show.  While Viva la Vida is probably their biggest commercial hit, it’s not my favorite album but I’m still hyped to see them again.  The Gorge is supposed to be pretty nice.  It’ll be cool to see them with my dad and some friends, though we’re not all sitting together.

My response to Jonspach’s post.

What is this?
Well, you’re supposed to bold the things you’ve done so readers can find out how you’ve led an awesome life so far.

Here’s what I have done:
1. Started your own blog Ummm, yeah
2. Slept under the stars camping when I was a kid
3. Played in a band (Rock Band: start a band, rock the world)
4. Visited Hawaii(honeymoon 2000)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland(twice)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (Rockband again)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (7-eleven, egg-salad sandwich)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables every year
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort It was quite impressive…or so I remember.
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (To Victoria)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language HTML?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (more…)

Well, Nick and I were playing Wii Sports on Saturday and I started losing to him at baseball. I started joking that they would have to invoke the mercy rule and that’s just what happened! In fact, I started throwing some real nasty stuff at the end, 93MPH (my max on the Wii so far), screwballs, etc. and he responded by hitting back-to-back-to-back homeruns to win. He also beats me regularly in bowling but I usually still come out on top in golf. Also, I never realized how important it was to stretch before playing video games. You get a workout throwing those heaters. The boxing game is a real workout though.

The first single from the new album, “No Line On The Horizon” is streaming online today.  The album comes out March 3rd. Hard to believe it’s been more than 4 years since U2’s last album.  I remember trying to buy tickets to see them for the Vertigo tour and being unsuccessful, due to website issues.  I also remember they had a huge problem with scalpers then and a lot of people were upset.  U2’s been my favorite band since my dad bought me the Joshua Tree album when I was a kid…but I’ve never seen them live!!!  If they come anywhere near here this time, I plan to see them.  I think it would be awesome to see them at the Gorge.

I like the track. The guitars have somewhat of an Achtung Baby feel to them. 

Here’s the link if you want to give a listen:  http://goyb.u2.com/