a concert with keane

i can be quite the concert snob. have found pure joy when i attend shows that are in smaller venues which is one of the reasons i pretty much boycott concerts at madison square garden because it is just too large and too many people.

last night i made an exception by going to see keane play at radio city music hall. they did a fantastic job and the british boys were smart to use ceiling-to-floor banners to cut off the stage. made it feel smaller and more intimate somehow.

thanks keane for the joy of "bend and break", "everybody's changing", "spiralling" and "this is the last time".

a "wicked" lottery UPDATE

a quick update on a previous post where i mentioned my burning desire to beat the wicked ticket lottery...not because i really want to see the show, but because i wanted to prove that i'm a "winner"

so here comes the update - last night my good friend claire came to the city for a quick evening. i mentioned that we should try the lottery because i haven't been in the last couple of weeks. we walked over there with enough time to write our names on the green index cards and hand them over to the constantly wearing sunglasses man and then stepped outside to await our fate. on the walk to the theater i told claire she should come up with a plan B for our evening activity since i had yet to win the lottery. she said and i quote "no, we're going to win this time."

apparently having faith in your luck and acknowledging it out loud proves to be a lucky combination. claire's name was called FIRST as a winner! congrats claire! thanks for letting me be your +1 to see the show.

claire's win does not mean that my lottery quest is over. i still have yet to hear my name called as one who has earned the right to wear the "winner" button with pride. i think that after my win occurs that i should get the backstage tour for free. i mean i've always wondered how exactly they are able to pull this off:

after the idol

i don't watch american idol (except for that moment of weakness while i was broken last year - thanks much netter). however i had heard such amazing things about a show called "glee" that was showing a pilot preview after american idol that made the decision to support a show on fox other than SYTYCD (that's "so you think you can dance" for you not in the know). the show was fabulous except for the fact that i got 3 minutes of carrie underwood rather than the ending of the show because i didn't set the DVR to record longer than the scheduled time.

i must say that the clip below hooked me on this show. i will be a fall watcher of "glee" especially because it follows my beloved SYTYCD.

a love/hate relationship

this time of year always forces me into a love/hate relationship. i LOVE the flowers blooming, birds singing, trees blossoming and sun finally shining. i HATE the sneezing, itchy throat, watery eyes, running nose and overall congestion and annoyance brought about because of allergies.

i still think enjoying the "loving" part of the relationship is worth enduring the "hating" part of the relationship.

Park Avenue with flowering trees and blooming tulips

big lug in the big apple

big lug came to the big apple and took a serious bite. we had a great time at Top of the Rock, Wicked and Grimaldi's pizza in Brooklyn.

i also had the extreme pleasure of introducing him to my Wii and the joy that comes from Rock Band, tennis, bowling and golf. we watched "The Mummy Returns" on my Blu-ray and i must say the picture quality was stunning.

come back same time next year big lug and i promise you won't have to climb 4 flights of stairs. :)

dear utah...

quick question...how does one pack for 13" of snow and 70 degree temperatures all within 4 days?




it ain't easy.  trust me.  thanks a lot utah.

a prague story, the finale

we made a few discoveries on this trip to Prague.  while on our boat cruise we sailed by this beautiful church on a hill.  netter wisely suggested a 'get out of the city' plan to view that church up close.  took a tram a little ways out of the city, climbed a hill and spent a blissful time in enjoying the gorgeousness that is Prague.  we saw the first Christian church and heard some beautiful church chimes.  loved our little trip within a trip.

church had an amazing graveyard

great view from church hill overlooking bridges and Castle

first Christian church in Prague

another fabulous discovery was gelato.  i know nothing can ever compare to the goodness found in Florence but "cream & dream" at least transported me back to italy.  must confess that netter and i indulged a couple of times.  (we were on vacation and did lots of walking)  

our final day in prague started out with a walking tour of the jewish history.  there are some amazing synagogues in the city and a very strong heritage.  it was very cool to see the history of the people through their architecture.  

we always seem to save the best for last on our european trips - shopping!   both netter and i increased our jewelry and prague crystal vase collections.  good thing i had the extra over the shoulder bag to fit all of my new goodies.

flight back to the usa was quite uneventful when compared to the flight from the usa.  one thing that was somewhat annoying was not obtaining a stamp in my passport from prague.  i got three from amsterdam (don't ask), one from france and the usa.  but not one from czech republic.  shoot.  guess i'll have to go back yet again.

all together it was a great experience to go back to prague and stay in a nice hotel while enjoying a chillax atmosphere.  i look forward to flying my way back to the other cities visited on central europe vacation 2006 - budapest and salzburg.

because i just can't stop myself from hugging a tree

view from Charles Bridge towards Castle - one word "stunning"