Rude awakening

At 4am this morning I was awakened by a crash. Specifically the crash of glass breaking. As I lay there, I heard another crash. Now, Monday is trash day, so my first thought was "what s.o.b. is throwing out glass at 4am!?". So I got up to take a look and possibly yell at them (it's 4am!). But I was wrong. It was nothing so benign as trash being tossed out, rather, it was drama.

Apparently one of my neighbors across the street and his girlfriend(?) had a fight. As I looked out my window, I watched her, in a black coat with the hood up, carrying two white plastic bags, pace briefly in front of his house, muttering about how he's wrong and she'll get him back. She then put down her bags, walked up onto the porch, kicked the front door, and smashed in the front window! She then left the porch, picked up her bags, and walked up the street, all the while muttering to herself about how he'll be sorry and how she'll be back and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't hear. Well then. I think it's safe to assume that she's quite pissed off.

Now, given that it was 4am, I honestly thought I had dreamed the entire thing. I did manage to fall back asleep until my alarm went off a little over an hour later. It wasn't until I left the house this morning to go to work and saw that instead of a front window my neighbor now had a piece of plywood that I realized it really happened.

This is the most drama my neighborhood has seen in a good long while. Why the drama always has to happen in the middle of the night when I have to get up early for work is anyone's guess. Next time, do you think we can schedule it for the afternoon?

w00t!!!

Nine Inch Nails is coming to Philly!!

Friday, August 29th. At the Wachovia Center. I'm not-so-patiently waiting for the date tickets go on sale.

I AM SO THERE.

LOLcat goodness

The combination of two of my favorite TV channels...from a cat's perspective.


see more crazy cat pics

Restless

The universe has a twisted sense of humor. I haven't had a severe cold in over a year and a half (since I moved to Philly). Seriously. My asthma inhaler had been floating around in my bag and had to be cleaned before I could even use it. Normally, my asthma is non-medicated. When I get a cold or respiratory infection, however, it hits me hard and my lungs don't handle it well and I'm extremely susceptible to complications. Colds often require what is considered asthma maintenance medication for extra support and/or my emergency inhaler for a few days so I can breathe comfortably and not wheeze or whistle and to keep things from getting worse. What's more, when I pulled my inhaler out to use it, I discovered it was set to expire soon and I needed a new prescription. Not good. But, on the other hand, it's bloody fantastic that it had been so long since I used it that I hadn't noticed it was about to expire. Fortunately, I was able to get in to see a doctor on Monday afternoon and now have a nice shiny new emergency inhaler and an additional maintenance medication inhaler to use for the next month while I get over this vicious cold. And I'm breathing easier again, even with all the coughing and nose blowing. Phew.

At any rate, last Friday was my birthday. And I was home sick with the horrific cold and using my emergency inhaler. This does not qualify as a good birthday, to say the least. I'm trying to convince myself that I really celebrated my birthday a week early in St. Louis, MO by consuming way too many cupcakes and spending time with friends. Basically calling the mini-vacation a birthday gift to myself. It's kind of working, I think I'm starting to believe it.

But my actual birthday was last Friday. And for some reason, this birthday is just not sitting well with me. Normally birthdays don't bother me. Yes, in general birthdays are very important to me, both mine and those of my friends and family. A day to celebrate that the people I love were born and are in my life, and an excuse to get all sappy and remind them they are important to me. That's the purpose of birthdays in my opinion. As I said last year: "Physical gift or card or not, reminding someone that you're happy they were born is a gift in itself."

I've never had a birthday freak-out or dreaded becoming another year older. I've never had the OMG-I'm-turning-X reaction to a birthday. Frankly, the only time I actually felt a bit old is when my younger sister turned 25, and that was a few years ago now. Turning 25 or even 30 didn't faze me in the slightest.

This year my feelings towards my birthday are different. While certainly not a significant number, it is not sitting well. I feel restless and frustrated. And kind of incomplete/unfulfilled. I wasn't entirely sure why. So I took stock of the past year. And it was rough for me personally: dealing with my identity theft, having several fallings out with people I thought were friends (which makes me sad) and losing their support when I really needed it, settling into a new city/job, my dog having health issues related to getting old (I'm not dealing well with my dog getting old...she's supposed to live forever), battles with my former phone company AT&T (just to get what I was paying them for), issues with my rental house (leaking roofs, etc.), and all that along side other things that constitute the daily challenges of life. And looking at that list I started to understand why I feel so tired.

And then I looked back at where I thought I'd be in my life by now. Everyone has an idea of where they expect to be 5, 10, 15 years down the road. It may not be set in stone, but there are general things you expect and want out of life. I always thought by this point in my life I'd be settled somewhere, possibly owning my own home. Hopefully with a partner and at least thinking about children. Instead I feel restless, unsettled. And quite frustrated with my life in general. Don't get me wrong, I love my job (frustrations and all) and my career. That's about the only thing that I feel has really grown and moved forward for me in positive ways recently.

But I know I need balance between my work/career and my life, and it's that life half of the balance that's giving me issues right now. My life isn't where I want or expected it to be. And I've tried to move forward, but things just haven't been going my way and I truly feel like most of my life the past year has been one battle after another. And I'm tired. Tired of feeling like I'm having to work hard at everything, even to get the simplest things done. I don't know if it's something I'm doing (or not doing), or if it's something else. Maybe I'm trying/working too hard or trying to force things. Maybe I'm not trying/working hard enough or trying the wrong things. I don't know. And I also don't know where to go from here or what happens next.

Still, I'm restless and frustrated. That much I do know.

Mental note

Do NOT attempt to floss or do any task that requires fine motor skills after using the asthma inhaler that gives me the shakes.

Trying to floss while your hands are shaking uncontrollable is not fun. Really. Trust me. Not. Fun. At. All.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Sunday

Part 3: Sunday

After our late night, KM and I slept in a bit. PM, on the other hand, was responsible and got up to do some of his work. Color me impressed. Once KM and I got up and got moving, we decided to head out for brunch. KM and PM had been looking for a good brunch spot, and I think they've now found it.

MoKaBe's does a great Sunday buffet brunch. I had been several times, but it had been many years, and I hadn't been since their renovation/expansion. With the added space, they have expanded the buffet to add more delicious goodies. KM and PM are vegans, and MoKaBe's menu and brunch buffet includes multiple vegan options, including vegan French toast on request! They both gave the French toast enthusiastic thumbs up. I had the stuffed French toast, filled with cream cheese and candied walnuts and topped with real maple syrup. After stuffing ourselves on juice, coffee (me), tofu scrambles, eggs (me), potatoes, fruit, biscuits and the aforementioned French toast, we headed home.

PM needed to do work, so getting out of the house so he could focus was necessary. KM and I took a long walk. After all that food in our yummy brunch, the long walk was just what we needed. KM and I walked to the Central West End for coffee and lots of talking and catching up. Again, this was the whole point of the weekend for me, to spend quality time with friends I don't get to see nearly often enough. KM and I usually see each other at library conferences, but we're both very busy so we don't have time for anything beyond a quick dinner or to hug each other in passing between meetings. Ultimately we talked until we were hoarse!

When we got back, CC and JH stopped by to share their wedding plans (wedding in September) and catch up on all the happenings in their lives and mine.

The plan for dinner on Sunday was Schlafly Bottleworks. My only request for the weekend was a meal there. Such good food, and they have this dessert called Sticky Toffee Pudding that is just to die for. Bottleworks makes a point to use as many local products as possible, and with a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options like vegetarian meatballs for their pasta and pizzas (wood fired and oh so tasty!). They also have things like yummy Bison burgers (yes, I've had them) and pulled pork sandwiches that are huge and delicious. I've never been disappointed by anything I've eaten there, which is quite the achievement for any restaurant. Schlafly actually has two restaurants, the original Tap Room which has lots of pub-style food, and Bottleworks which is more of a family style atmosphere and a completely different menu. But they serve the Sticky Toffee Pudding at both locations because they're known for it and it's that good. So to honor my request, a bunch of friends gathered at Bottleworks for food and dessert.

I started with a field greens salad (to balance the dessert, otherwise known as the "food negation theory" courtesy of the Amateur Gourmet). The house salad at Bottleworks has this fantastic vanilla vinaigrette and is topped with goat cheese, toasted almonds, and garlic croutons. I asked for a half salad, which is still HUGE, so LC and I split it (see? we share!). The vanilla vinaigrette is just fantastic...I must figure out how to make my own. I followed the delicious salad with the Bottleworks mac and cheese. This is not mac and cheese from a box, this is the real deal. Creamy and cheesy with Monterey Jack, Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses. I paired my delicious dinner with one of their beers, the Winter Extra Special Bitter. I have a weakness for ESBs and bitter beers in general, and Schlafly makes great beer. I'm never disappointed by their brews. I just wish they shipped beyond Missouri and Southern Illinois (they limit to something like a 6 hour radius by truck!).

I saved plenty of room for the dessert, the entire purpose of the trip to Bottleworks, the Sticky Toffee Pudding. This is a British style pudding, a dense cake that is very moist. And rich. I've never been able to eat a serving of it all on my own, it has to be shared. And I don't usually say that with dessert. I'll share just about any meal, but I tend to be protective of my desserts. The pudding is topped with a warm caramel sauce, and served with fresh whipped cream on the side. Whipped cream so well made and creamy that it has been mistaken for a scoop of ice cream. This dessert is a weakness of mine. Just thinking about it makes me drool. It is so tasty. A friend, J, had never had it before. We forced him to try a bite and he was briefly speechless before remarking it "almost" reminded him what sex was like (I almost peed my pants laughing at that one!). But the Sticky Toffee Pudding is THAT good. I promise.

Sticky Toffee Pudding deliciousness
Look at that pool of caramel and mound of whipped cream goodness...

After some tearful goodbyes, we left Bottleworks. My flight left at 7:20 on Monday morning, meaning I had to be up at the horrific hour of 4:30am. So KM and I didn't stay up too late chatting in the interest of getting some sleep. It was a fantastic visit. Everything I wanted it to be and more. I ate lots of really delicious food, and spent the entire time being with friends that I love dearly.

To all my friends in St. Louis: lots of love and hugs and I miss you all!

Slow Saturday

Part 2: Saturday

LC and I decided to take it easy on Saturday. We slept in (again). We had a leisurely morning. There were a couple of things "scheduled" later in the day, but nothing pressing. So we had a late breakfast (LC enjoyed her Shangri-La Diner leftovers!). We bummed around the house for a bit, hanging out and talking and giving the cats some love. Eventually we got ourselves moving. After a snack on Jilly's Bee Sting cupcake to fortify ourselves (yummy!), we ventured into the world.

LC needed to stop by and feed her mom's cats, and we decided to go wander around the mall near there. Now, this is not a typical activity for either one of us. I, however, was on the lookout for a new scarf. I have one, but it's a thick knit and just not useful for anything other than really cold days. So we had a plan: wander and look for a scarf, which LC wanted to get me for my birthday (we're all about the practical gifts). Lo and behold we were successful! I am now the proud owner of a beautiful scarf woven from fibers made from bamboo. And it's a gorgeous burgundy color. So thank you LC for my beautiful and soft scarf birthday gift!

My visit happened to correspond with the St. Louis LGBTQ Film Festival. Saturday afternoon was a panel on marginalized groups in LGBT films, specifically bisexuals, people of color, and trans people. There are lots of gay and lesbian films out there, but much less representation for the marginalized and smaller groups within the LGBTQ community. LC and I knew several of the panelists, as well as the awesome woman organizing it, so we decided to go and support them. It was a wonderful discussion, and the only thing that cut it short was the imposed time limit.

After the panel, we met up with a group of people at MoKaBe's Coffeehouse for the monthly BASL social. MoKaBe's is this great place with excellent coffee, desserts and a wide selection of very tasty food. It has about equal options for both vegetarian/vegans and omnivores alike. KM met up with us there, having just gotten back into town that afternoon. I had a delicious Greek salad (after all the cupcakes I felt the need for greens), and sneaked a few of LC's fries from her plate. LC and I have an "open plate" policy when we go out, unless it's dessert, sampling from each other's plate is more than welcome. It works well for us.

After a few hours of good conversation with friends old and new over coffee and tasty food, LC and I headed back to her place to pick up my stuff so I could "move" to KM's for the rest of the weekend. Lucky for me, I had two friends more than willing to have me impose myself on them for a few nights, so I split it up to share the wealth.

KM arranged to have several friends (and former colleagues) over for some snacks and beer to hang out and visit for the rest of the evening. PM (KM's partner) procrastinated on his work and decided to join us (how could he resist snacks and beer and good company?). It was so nice to just sit and chat with everyone. I hadn't seen MK, CP or SP since Oct. 2007! Needless to say, we stayed up way too late catching up on all the news and gossip and the chaos happening at my former place of work. They recently underwent some major organizational and leadership changes, and the transition has not exactly been smooth. [I made the right decision to leave when I did!] Eventually KM just couldn't sit upright any longer and stretched out on the floor, and we all decided that maybe sleep would be a good plan.

Friday full of cupcakes

My mini-vacation was all about two things this past weekend: friends and food. We didn't really "do" anything besides spend lots of time together and eat lots of good food. Which is exactly what I needed and wanted the weekend to be. It was so nice to see people and just visit with no pressure, no schedule, no plan. Anyway, onto the food reports!

Part 1: Friday

So I arrived in St. Louis, MO on Thursday night, after a long day of travel. LC met me at the airport, and we picked up food on the way back to her place. Needless to say, my friend LC and I didn't do much besides stay up way way too late talking!

Friday was all about the cupcakes. Seriously. We slept in a bit to make up for the late night before heading out to meet up with MM for a yummy Indian lunch buffet at House of India. I've been to their buffet before, and it's awesome. LC is a vegetarian, so we always go places that have lots of options for vegetarians and omnivores alike. House of India never disappoints. The food is consistently good, and they keep the buffet well stocked. I love buffets like this because you get to sample a little bit of everything. Usually I end up stuffing myself silly. But I resisted this time, because I knew what was coming for dessert: cupcakes.

Literally within the same little strip on Delmar is Jilly's Cupcake Bar. It's still fairly new, opening sometime in the last year and a half. So after lunch, we walked about 20 feet for dessert.

OMG. Cupcake heaven. Y'all know my love of cupcakes. I've blogged about how they are individual little packages of delicious perfection. Cupcakes are serious business. Serious. Business. I've sampled cupcakes from all over the place. Jilly's definitely makes the top three. No question.

You could smell the sweetness of baked goods wafting through the door before you even opened it. Inside, we were greeted to a case containing a plethora of delicious options, each one beautifully decorated and distinctive. No cookie-cutter cupcakes here. And in the center was a GIANT cupcake. The display alone was intense. The hard part came when we had to choose. MM, LC and I each decided to select a different flavor, and then share. This sharing thing is not easy when it comes to desserts (thanks, Mom), but in the interest of sampling as many of the delicious options as possible in the limited amount of time I had, I agreed to share. We selected two of their seasonal cupcakes and one of their regular flavors. MM chose the Irish Hopper made with chocolate cake filled with Andes' mint cream, LC chose the Bailey's made with chocolate cake and filled with a Bailey's dosed pastry cream, and I opted for the Chocolate Thunder, a veritable chocoholics wet dream with devil's food cake topped with chocolate butter cream and filled with chocolate ganache. Yes, all three were chocolate, but seriously, is chocolate ever a bad thing? All three were moist and rich and yummy. The Chocolate Thunder was almost too much it was so dense with rich chocolate flavor.

Cupcakes!

The verdict? I highly recommended Jilly's!

Once we had demolished the three chocolate cupcakes (OK, we did take about 1/4 of each one home), LC and I decided we needed to take a few more with us for later. We decided to branch out and get four, two chocolate and two vanilla. We enjoyed the Irish Hopper and the Bailey's so much, we decided we needed to get those again. In addition we decided to try the Bee Sting (vanilla cake filled with lemon and honey curd and a lemon cream cheese icing) and the Missy-licious (vanilla cake filled with vanilla cream and buttercream icing). The Missy-licious was tasty, but definitely all vanilla.

And holy moley. The Bee Sting was fantastic. LC and I split that one for a snack on Saturday. The combination of the lemon with the honey and vanilla made it super moist and the lemon kept it from being overly sweet. I could have eaten more than one of those. It was refreshing and the flavors blended beautifully. Mmm.

After the buffet lunch and all that sugar, we made a quick stop by LC's partner's embroidery/silk-screen shop. MT proudly showed off the new place, and drooled over the two cupcakes we brought him. By that point, LC and I decided we needed a nap. So we headed back to the house for some snuggle time with the cats.

After a nice rest, we woke up hungry. Next up: dinner at Shangri-La Diner, an all vegetarian/vegan diner. LC and MT go there frequently, so the owner Patrice knows them by name. She's a talker, and is as eccentric and fun as her place. I had been warned to save room for dessert as Patrice makes this amazing cupcake (the theme of the day!).

I opted for the Decadent Grilled Cheese. Six kinds of cheese all baked up and melty on whole wheat bread, served with a small bowl of freshly made homemade tomato soup. The soup tasted of tomatoes and had lots of garlic. And the cheese...mmm...melty and yummy. LC went for one of the breakfast options, the St. Louis Slinger: eggs and potatoes and cheese and vegan chili. Usually MT eats the other half, but this time LC was able to take it home and eat the leftovers. The leftovers verdict? Just as delicious the second time!

Then dessert: the Hostess with the Mostess cupcake. It's a homemade version of a Hostess chocolate cupcake only twice as big! Moist chocolate, yummy buttercream filling, and a delicious chocolate ganache icing. We ate a good chunk of it, but decided to be nice and take a good chunk of it home to MT.

A Hostess cupcake on steroids! Look at the sheen on that ganache.

After dinner we headed out to one of my favorite St. Louis bars: Absolutli Goosed. It's a martini bar with a 15 page menu that changes regularly! It was really an opportunity for LC and I to talk and catch up on all the stuff going on in our lives. And vent about how boys are dumb and some like to live with their heads up their butts. You know, "girl talk"! Over good martinis. In an awesome friendly environment. I love the variety of olives they have, my favorite being the chipotle stuffed ones. They add a nice after bite to the martini.

The day was filled with all good stuff: good food, good dessert, good drinks and lots of good talk with amazing friends. And awesome day. And I still had two more days of mini-vacation left!

Time off

I'm taking a mini-vacation this coming weekend (complete with days off work!) and heading to my previous-city-of-residence to visit friends and relax.

True to form, only the truly important stuff is planned: where I'm staying, and the food. We know where we're eating for which meal on which day. It's all mapped out. We have our priorities, you know. On the menu is an Indian lunch buffet, cupcakes, good martinis, sticky toffee pudding, coffee, a vegetarian/vegan diner, and possibly Mexican food. I'm going to gain 10 pounds by the end of the weekend, I swear.

I'll be splitting my time and staying with two awesome women. Part of the weekend I'll be at my friend LC's place (she visited Philly about this time last year), and then I'll be at my friend KM's (and her partner PM's) place. LC and I have our birthdays to celebrate together again (hence the cupcakes), and my visit falls conveniently between her birthday in Feb. and mine next week. We might have to make this seeing each other in March an annual tradition...maybe next year we'll meet somewhere fun and terrorize a new city. And there are tons of people to catch up with that I haven't seen since I moved out to Philly a little over year and a half ago (has it been that long? OMG it has!). I can't wait to see everyone!

Currently I'm frantically trying to clear as much as possible off my desk, make sure my intern has plenty to keep her busy, and prepare for travel (laundry, what's the latest restrictions for my carry on, etc.). And counting down the hours until I leave...which is now at just about 48 hours...

Observation

While I understand the purpose of Daylight Savings Time, this back to having to get up when it's still dark out stuff sucks.

A little beer, and a LOT of rain

We had another happy hour for work last night. Despite the horrible rainy weather, we had a decent turn out. And we tried a new bar and pub: Slainte (pronounced Slawn-cha). The name means "cheers" in Gaelic. It's a new bar in West Philly, owned by the same people as the New Deck Tavern. It's a modern yet classic bar, lots of rich dark hardwood, and very comfortable barstools (I tested them thoroughly). They have a great selection of European beers on tap, including Guiness and my favorite Smithwicks, and a few American beers like Sam Adams as well. The even have hard cider on tap and decent happy hour specials. We sampled the cheddar and beer dip (similar to a Welsh rarebit), which came with toasts and veggies for dipping. The toasts were delicious, and dusted with black pepper. And surprisingly, the vegetables worked well with the cheddar beer dip, even the cucumber! We also sampled the chicken and cheese quesadillas, which were very tasty. I do believe we'll be having another happy hour there sometime next month. And I'm interested in going back and trying the rest of their menu for lunch or dinner.

Today the sky really opened up and we've been under a flood warning here in Philly. It poured, and I do mean poured, rain all day. We even had some thunder and lightening. It would have been great, except for one small detail: I had to go out in it. I needed dog food. Needed as in Aussie wouldn't get dinner if I didn't go to the pet store. So off I went. I was a bit crazy and took the dog with me, and by the time we went for our morning walk, and went in and out of the store, Aussie looked like she had enjoyed several baths and I felt a bit like a drowned rat. Five hours later my coat is still drying out and my shoes will probably be damp for a few days. I am very glad that I learned to drive in the rain of Portland, OR. The other crazies on the road, however, could use a few lessons on driving in heavy rain with water on the roadway.

A measure I can get behind

Currently in Pennsylvania, unless you go to a deli/restaurant or a bar (where it's marked up), you can't buy less than a case (24 cans or bottles) of beer at a time from a beer distributor (i.e. a beer store, wine/liquor stores are separate). For a single person that doesn't drink much, that's a LOT of beer. Sometimes I don't get all the way through a case before it starts to go skunky on me. So I waste money. It also means I have to buy a LOT of only one kind. This is fine for a party, but frankly, I get sick of drinking the same thing for weeks on end and inevitably end up with a few bottles that have gone bad before I get around to wanting it again. I like variety in my beer diet just like I like variety in my food diet. Sure, you can purchase mixed cases, but they always include 6 bottles of something I don't like, so I waste money yet again. I'm on a budget. I can't waste money on beer I'm not going to drink or that's going to go bad before I can drink it. Beer is too precious for that, thankyouverymuch.

So I haven't been buying beer very often unless I'm taking it to a pot luck or open house. I've been buying wine instead since I can buy less at a time.

There's a measure right now in the legislature to allow for the sale of smaller quantities of beer from beer distribution stores. This makes me happy. In fact, I'd probably buy more beer on a more regular basis because I'd have that variety I crave. Ironically, some local beer brewers are trying to block it, out of fear that the sale of packs containing 12 or 18 bottles/cans would hurt their business because they're not equipped to package beer in quantities other than 6 or 24 packs. The brewers that do distribute 18 packs are the big named national companies like Anheuser-Busch, not the local microbreweries. Many microbreweries are afraid that because they can't offer those sizes to consumers it means they'll lose business and people will be buying those 18 packs of Budweiser and Miller as opposed to their microbrews.

Frankly, I think the objecting microbreweries are being shortsighted and just a little bit idiotic.

See, I'm a beer snob. I'm not interested in the big national beers like Budweiser. I want good microbrews. That's what I like. That's what I drink. Most of my friends are the same way. And right now the fact that I can't get a variety of good microbrews without paying mark-up or getting stuck with stuff I don't want means I'm actually NOT BUYING BEER very often.

If they want me to buy more beer, then let me buy it in quantities that are reasonable and that give me a variety of tastes and styles. As a beer drinker, I'm all for supporting this beer-sale reform proposal.

A six-pack of controversy to go | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/03/2008

Complicated things

I sent an email to a colleague on Friday right before I ate lunch. It was a rather convoluted email involving changing the URL of one internal webpage, adjusting the page's CSS template, and then creating a second page with a different CSS template that was actually the "parent" for the first page. And then adding the "link back" from the first page to the second because the second page is actually the one we want people to access first.

Got all that?

Yeah, neither did the person I sent the message to. Lucky for me, she checked in and clarified before she took any action so all is well now.

Mental note, don't e-mail complicated things when operating on low blood sugar. Lunch first, then email.

New NIN album!!

EEEEE!!!!! NEW NIN ALBUM!!!!!!!!

WANT!

Titled Ghosts I-IV, it's an entirely instrumental album of 36 tracks on 2 CDs.

It gets better. How can it get better, you ask? The first 9 tracks (disc 1) are available for download for FREE from nin.com, complete with a 40 page booklet and other fun stuff. FREE, people! [Of course, the NIN Ghosts site is so clogged tonight I can't download it at the moment...]

It even gets one step even better than free...DRM-free as well. All downloads, free or purchased, are being made available DRM-free.

And you people wonder why I would have Trent Reznor's baby in a heartbeat if he asked me to...

Other editions, including a deluxe edition with the 2 CDs, a hardback book, DVD, and Blu-ray disc with a slide show, will be available soon. The basic 2 CD set (DRM-free download included!) should be available April 8th.

OMG OMG OMG OMG...yes, I'm freaking out. Deal with it.

News about Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor at The NIN Hotline

Weekend activities

This weekend was full of food and a play. Not a bad weekend. Unfortunately, now it's Sunday, aka "chore day."

Friday night I met a friend down in the Rittenhouse Square area for some food and beers. We started at Bard's Irish Bar for dinner. Good solid Irish food. And they have Guiness on tap (naturally), but they also have Smithwick's, which is one of my favorites. We eventually migrated down to Barristers Bar and Grille to catch the end of the Detroit Red Wings game (they lost...GROWL). Not a bad selection of beers on tap. They purchased the NHL Center Ice package, so now I know where to go to watch the hockey playoffs!

Saturday night I went to dinner and a play. A coworker was the assistant stage manager and ran the sound cues for a university production of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening (not the musical version currently on Broadway). I met AH and her husband DS for dinner at White Dog Cafe for dinner before the show. The White Dog is rapidly becoming one of my favorite restaurants. All their food is made with local, sustainably grown products, and is delicious. Since they focus on local products and produce, their menu does change slightly from season to season. I love the chicken sandwiches. Their burgers are incredible. Of course they always have at least one vegetarian, and usually a vegan option as well. I have yet to eat anything there that wasn't yummy and satisfying. Lately they've had this delicious lemon vinaigrette for salads that's fresh and tart and even has chunks of lemon peel in it! Drool...

Anyway, after a delicious dinner, we headed over to campus for the play. Spring Awakening is not exactly an uplifting play. It's quite intense. This production was done in a black box setting, so everyone was close to the actors and the scene. It made it hard to distance yourself, and I found myself sucked in to the intensity. The play is about young adults, adolescents, experiencing a coming of age and sexual awakening in Imperial Germany. The overall play is tragic, with one character committing suicide and another dying, and yet another consumed by self-hatred. Like I said, it's quite intense. But it was very well done. The students did an outstanding job playing their characters. The set and lighting was minimal but worked well with the intense emotions played out by the actors. For all the intensity, the production itself was well done and enjoyable. And of course my coworker did a fabulous job with the sound cues!