Out The Door

A few pics from the morning as we headed out the door at 7:15am for the bus stop. He was pretty excited and sure of himself on the way over. Got on the bus right way and barely said goodbye. But, then, as the bus pulled away as I waved to him, he pressed his face to the glass and started to cry. He told me tonite that he stopped crying right away because he didn't want the other kids to see him but that he cried because "I knew I was going to miss you mama."

Number One

First grade. Shocking. Today was the Mill Run Elementary School's Open House where Connor got to meet his teacher, put away his supplies, get his lunch money card loaded, buy Mill Run Mountain Lion clothes. Nice. Its a really good school and I am confident he will do well.

Oh Canada!

We had a great end-of-summer vacation this year and visited our neighbors to the north. We started out by driving to Buffalo, NY on Saturday. Thanks to the Garmin, we had an enjoyable trip right up the middle of Pennsylvania where Connor got to see "the boondocks" first hand. We had planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere on the way, but made it almost all the way there and grabbed a cheap room for the night. On Sunday morning we headed over to Ontario and got checked in at the Sheraton On The Falls. And they're not kidding with that name. This is a shot from our room:


And here' s a shot of the falls at night under illumination. They also have really fantastic fireworks that go off right over the falls and which we were able to watch from our room.




We had a great few days in Niagara and did all the requisite tourist stuff. Along with the falls, there is a street called Clifton Hill that is basically a "boardwalk" with tons of arcades, rides, and honky-tonk museums like Guinness and Ripley's. Of course, that was a huge hit. There is also a SkyWheel that affords some fantastic views.

This is a shot on the Aero Car that crosses over from Canada to NY over the downriver whirlpool. Check out the color of the water. Beautiful. I will say, though, that the high wire cable car was a little freaky!

And here's a requisite shot of C and me with the Canadian falls in the background. For the first two days C told everyone he met on the street that he was "going over the falls". The reactions ran the gamut--some people just chuckled but a handful of them borderline freaked out. "Oh no, little boy. You would die." Duh.

And here we are in our Maid of The Mist gear. Nice. Can't beat the all around functionality of a translucent trash bag!

There's no pic here, but I would be remiss if I forgot to mention a little side trip we took for a day to Niagara-On-The-Lake. What a beautiful town. Kind of like Middleburg on steroids. There are 700 homes in the village, 400 of which are bed and breakfasts. Lovely shops. Restaurants and spas. Flowers--spectacular flowers--everywhere. We took a carriage ride/tour and really enjoyed it.

After Niagara we weren't really sure where we were headed, but decided to go to Toronto which is only about 90 minutes away. After all, who knew when we'd be in the area again? Its a city that we'd never visited and had heard fantastic things about. We scored a great room at the Westin Harbour Castle overlooking the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario (thanks Starwood Preferred Guest!)

Toronto has the largest population of native Chinese outside of China. There are SIX Chinatowns. So, call us lemming, we decided that some Dim Sum would be a requirement. I got some recommendations on-line and ran them past the concierge. We ended up at The Pearl on the harbour. I was pretty skeptical because when we got there it was basically in a shopping mall, but boy was I wrong. It was so good. Really. And to support that assertion I will share with you that we---the Tate family---were the only white folks in the joint. Everyone else was Chinese and no one was speaking any english. That's a rave.

Of course, we had to visit the CN Tower, which was the tallest structure in the world until a a year or so ago when it was surpassed by something in Dubai. The whole observation deck has a glass floor, but they had to cover most of it in carpeting because so many people were freaked out. There is a section where the glass is uncovered and people jump on it, lay down on it, dance on it, etc. It made me sick to my stomach. The boys had a great time trying to pull me out onto it but I got pretty pissed off. Finally, I stepped on board and this is the best shot I got where you can see to the Earth below. Sickening.

And here are the boys in a peaceful little garden. Its the only time they both held still.

Following Anthony Bourdain's advice that once you see a town's marketplace, you know the place better, on Thursday we went to the city's downtown market--the St.Lawrence. We had seen it briefly the day before on a city tour, but spent more time there checking it out. And, luckly we happened upon the city's annual Busker Fest which was right out front. We got to see some Russian gymnasts and a two man band from Australia with a didgeridoo. And boy did we see some food. The market's massive footprint and diverse offerings were mind boggling. The seafood, types of which I could not even identify, was crazy. They had ribeyes the likes of which I've never seen in the U.S. And the cheese. My God, the cheese. It was so crazy that we cancelled our lunch plans, bought cheese and figs, and had an impromptu picnic at the harbour instead. Three artisanal Quebecqouis cheeses and one fine, creamy French imported brie. Yum.

That afternoon we took a sail on board the Kajama and had a great time seeing the city from the lake. Bob and C hoisted sails and took the helm for awhile. What a beautiful day.

It was a great trip. Different, fun, educational, and relaxing. That's alot to accomplish in one trip. Viva La Canada! We'll be back soon.

Late To The Party

I have always been a fan of vampires. The first nightmares remember were about them. In third grade I read a cartoon version of the classic novel and didn't sleep well for months. I remember asking my mother to buy me a garlic braid at the local Shop Rite. She looked at me as if I had lost my little mind.

I was a devotee of the Anne Rice vampire novels. Read them all. Loved them all. The complexity, the paralells with human challenges, the love stories. The downright tragedy of being undead.

Of late, there has been a resurgence of the blood thirsty in popular culture, largely driven by the teen novel series Twilight. Many of my grown woman friends and colleagues have read the series and been absolutely rapt by it. As a fan of the bloodsuckers, I was anxious to join them in a new vampire world. But it just didn't bite. I read the first one on vacation this spring and didn't really enjoy it. Too tame for me. Kind of like "Sweet Valley High" for the undead. Chaste. Gentle. Romantic. Throw in a bit of danger that seemed gratuitous for the story arc, girl is saved, etc. Nice enough, but not my cup of....tea. I actually was kind of sad and disappointed by the whole thing. I so wanted to be caught up in the tide of hemoglobin happiness.

But I've found it now. The HBO television series True Blood which is now in Season 2 and which I have gladly paid good money to download on iTunes.

This is spectaular vampirism. This is brilliant, creative, different, and loaded with such fantastic acting that its almost ridiculous. HBO produces such spectacular television drama, I don't know why I am surprised.

There's romance, of course. But it is most certainly not neat. Its bloody, its dirty, is complicated, its intense. And most remarkably, its funny. I've laughed out loud at so many clever and disgusting things on this show.

The conceit of the show is that vampires are "out of the closet". They have finally admitted that they have existed among us and are lobbying for equal rights. Some of them are trying to "mainstream" and live kind of normal lives. The japanese have invented a synthetic blood substitute called "Tru Blood" that allows them to live without feeding on us. But like any social group, there are fringe elements. And that "Tru Blood" tastes kind of lousy--so sometimes you just can resist a snack.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. I feel utterly transfused by the story and I'm thirsty for more.

Math

Overheard this morning in the car.

C: Mom, when we drive to Niagara Falls will there be alot of Thirteen Wheelers on the road?

D: I think you mean Eighteen Wheelers--the big trucks?

C: Yes. That would be more.

Music City

I had a great three days visiting Nashville for a customer conference this week. Here's the countdown:


10. My flight to Nashville was on-time and uneventful. Uncommon!
9. Gaylord Hotels-sure, its big and hard to navigate and expensive. But you never have to worry that your room will suck or that you'll get bad service.
8. Room location about 150 feet from the convention center.
7. Fine cappuccino
6. Got to see my former colleague from my AML days with whom I shared many challenging work years. He works for the enemy now, but I'll let that slide.
5. No PC connectivity for some reason. Whoo hoo!
4. A comfortable bed--another uncommon travel experience.
3. Had nothing to do all day Monday so got to spend hours at the pool.
2. Got to work with one of my favorite people on the planet.
1. Music!


On Monday night they had a private concert event at the Grand Old Opry. I had never been before and really didn't know what to expect. As Jeff said later, its always good to go into anything in life with litte or no expectations and have them exceeded.


I love all types of music and unlike many of my yankee brethren, have no baggage about country music. My dad loved country music and I grew up listening to just as much Charley Pride and Dolly Parton as I did Elvis or the Pointer Sisters. Though I didn't listen to it much as a teenager or young adult, over the past 5-10 years I've listened to more and more of it. I think that some of the best songwriting and musical talent today is in country music and if you like to sing in the car (don't make fun of me at the traffic lights), contemporary country music is spectacular.


I was only really previously familiar with two of the acts-Little Big Town and Josh Turner. I had one Josh Turner album. The whole show ran like a real Grand Old Opry radio show with "commercial" breaks and multiple performers. First up was Emily West followed by The Infamous Stringdusters. Emily has a great voice but she's kind of way too much like Faith Hill. There already is a Faith Hill. She's charming and energetic but will probably suffer career wise due to her similarity. It's kind of like being a great golfer at the same time Tiger Woods exists. The Stringdusters-a bluegrass group were musically excellent. I'm not a huge bluegrass fan, but they were very good and clearly love what they do. They were followed by Jimmy Wayne. I have to admit that I missed his name on the lineup, but damn it if I didn't know one of his songs by heart!


After that warmup Little Big Town took the stage. I knew two or three of their songs and really enjoyed them. One song they sang I had never heard but I really loved it. Then the headliner, Josh Turner came on and was totally awesome. He's way way cuter in person than he looks on his album cover. Charming, talented, funny, and a great performer with tons of great songs.


Here are links to my Top 5 songs of the night. And they're in no particular order because they are all spectacular:


Bring It On Home Little Big Town


A sweet ballad with great harmonies. I swear if you took out the bits of slide guitar you'd never know this was a country song. Open up your freaking minds, people!


Do You Believe Me Now Jimmy Wayne


Nice build up to the chorus. Great song to sing.


Would You Go With Me Josh Turner


More traditional upbeat country sound from an incredibly adorable man. Nice fiddle and banjo on this one.


Me and God Josh Turner


I know, I know. Shocking choice for me. Its just a great song. Maybe its a hint from the big man. It just reminds me of a song I would have loved to have sung in Sunday School at the First Baptist Church in Toms River (in between memorizing-for Lord knows what reason-the books, chapters, and verses of hundreds of Bible passages. Thanks, Mom, for moving us to the reasonable Lutherans!)


And okay--they are in in some order. This is my favorite of the night. Love this song. Beautiful. Heartbreaking.


Another Try Josh Turner



So, Monday night was fantastic. Then, on Tuesday, I noticed a poster in the lobby for the Wildhorse Saloon downtown. Sugar Ray. That night. Not kidding. Poor Jeff had no idea what he was in for. I bought the incredibly cheap tickets and pretty much strong armed him into it--to the extent that is possible. But, really, how could you pass up Mark McGrath in a small venue for $26 bucks? They were fun, engergetic, and clearly having a good time playing together again. He walked through the audience and was charming and cute. Great time.

Now, the only downside is that I'm bitten by the live music bug. This will not be good because Mr. Tate is not a fan of the live music event. Oh well. We'll work it out. They'll have to be some kind of remuneration. Isn't there always?

Never Seen This Before

Those are two little doggies in that black leather box on the back of that bike. Seen on the Garden State Parkway this past Monday. The driver was constantly looking back, checking on the pups. And I was constantly digging for my camera because I couldn't believe it.