Let me start by saying that I love Garbage. I have been a fan since the beginning with Stupid Girl and up to the current album. My favorite album is Beautiful Garbage and my favorite song is Bleed Like Me. To my surprise they were going to be at The Fillmore Silver Spring which is closer than the 9:30 Club where I went to go see them last year. This was also going to give me the opportunity to check out The Fillmore as it would be my first time. I must say that it was a nice place. It is alot more intimate than the 9:30 Club but with that there are some rules.
There are seats at this venue but they come with a cost. The seats on the side are $20/seat and are on a first come, first serve basis. I guess this is not bad but after you have spent $$$$ for tickets you don't want to have to spend more $$$$. Now here is where it gets crazy......for "premium" seating which is in the middle you are going to pay anywhere from $65/seat to $100/seat. When I was told this I was about to explode....
Now onto the show. The opening act was Io ECHO. They were okay and reminded me of an early Garbage. It was dark so I couldn't see any faces. They have just released their album so I will be reviewing that, stay tuned.
Then it was Garbage's turn to rock the stage. What I appreciated about this show was the background graphics they had this time. I think they performed the same setlist from last year but it was just good to see them. I think they are going back into the studio for a new album, so I'll be looking out for that.
Now I was on the second floor and I saw that there was a shaky monitor.....
It kinda scared and made me think of this.....
All around it was a good night and makes me want to go back to The Fillmore, now that I know the rules!!!!!!
At a certain point in the music business everyone has to change their image and reinvent themselves. This time JT has decided to go the jazz & R/B route. The set starts out strong with Pusher Love Girl, Suit & Tie (which will be high in his overall catalogue) and Don't Hold the Wall (reminding me of Marvin Gaye & Micheal Jackson). We take a dive down into the ocean with Strawberry Bubblegum, Tunnel Vision, Spaceship Coupe and That Girl. The set picks up with Let the Groove Get In (still reminding me of MJ!!!!), Mirrors, and Blue Ocean Floor. The strength in the album is the transitions between all of the tracks, it makes you think you're going left and all of the sudden there is a right which keeps things interesting and keeps you in the game. If there is one keyword that is talked about in the album, it is most certainly butts, like Sir Mix A Lot but JT is clever and sly with language and wording. It also helps to have Timbaland on the team. It is a good chemistry which contributes hugely to the album. So all in all it is a thumbs up!!!
Pusher Love Girl- 9/10
Suit & Tie -10/10
Don't Hold the Wall- 8.5/10
Strawberry Bubblegum- 7/10
Tunnel Vision- 7/10
Spaceship Coupe- 7/10
That Girl- 7/10
Let the Groove Get In- 7.5/10
Mirrors- 8/10
Blue Ocean Floor- 8/10
Dress On- 8/10
Body Count- 8/10
95/120 = 79%
C+
We will see how the album translates onto the live stage in Baltimore on 8/8/2013!!!
I recently participated in my first marathon (1/2!!!) and here is my timeline. I stayed at The Georgetown Suites (http://www.georgetownsuites.com/) at the rate of $129/nt all thanks to Travelzoo (http://www.travelzoo.com/), the best place to get hotel deals.
I would recommend this hotel as it is right in Georgetown and Metro accessible (closest stations are Foggy Bottom & Rosslyn). But back to the 1/2 marathon.
The weatherman said it was going to rain that day so I had two outfits:
#1
#2
Can anyone say Superman/Spiderman!!!! Definitely not intentional.
No onto the race. Everything started out well and good up until Mile 4. I started to feel my left foot tighten a little, then at the next mile it was the right. Towards Mile 8 it was my lower legs and just went up from there until the end of the race. I have to say I am proud of myself as this was my first marathon. My finishing time was 3:21:00.
Now after this experience I know I am a me, myself and I runner. Encouragement from the crowd is great but at a certain point it can be a little overwhelming and too much. I also realize that races bring the freak out of people. You had a guy dressed up as an Incredible, a guy riding a bike with a camera attached to it and many more!!!!!!!
This one is dedicated to them:
Here is some photo fails, the medal and my shoe game used to complete the mission:
Getting back on the Metro was also a mission as there were 3 events in the same area (ShamRockFest, DC Fitness Expo, and The Marathon), take a look:
I am transitioning to a new job and decided that I would have a challenge with some of my coworkers. I had been taking wraps and told them it was better than some of the stuff you got on the streets eating out. I made wraps for them and made potato chips.
So that morning I woke up early and had a assembly line ready to go:
What you see there is the following: Mixed Berries, Cherries, Spinach, Bacon Bits, Pastrami, Pepperoni, Roast Beef, Salami, Colby Jack Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Ginger Paste, Garlic Paste and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Wraps.
They came out okay but realize that they must be razor thin so they are chips and not fried potatoes (not a bad thing necessarily!!!)
So this is the end result:
Here are the comments from the peanut gallery AKA my coworkers:
Coworker #1:
"The homemade
wrap was very well thought out. It had a lot of flavors ingredients were fresh,
and most of all it was not a dry wrap. When I purchase a wrap from restaurant
or sub shop I get the opposite results. I basically get a dry, no flavor, no
meat, overpriced wrap."
Coworker #2:
"Hmmmm.......what to
say about the home made potato chips and wrap.......First the home made potato
chips - they tasted good but needs improving. Less grease and thinner chips. The
wrap was on point. All the flavors of the roast beef, Monetary jack cheese,
spinach, fruit, vinaigrette dressing along with the garlic and ginger wrapped in
a tomato flavored shell made a delicious and satisfying lunch. Definitely worth
it compared what I've had to pay $9 for in the downtown DC area."
Coworker # 3:
"The review for the wrap you
provided for me is as follows:
The presentation was a
triangular wrap which was broken at the top from wrapping it shut. The wrap had
a whole wheat wrap shell with spinach, cherries (mixed berries), Monterey and
coby jack cheese with pepperoni, roast beef, pastrami . There was some garlic
spread a little too much, my wife will hate me tonight. The wrap was something I
would pay for if it stayed together. The ingredients melded very well and it was
a good portion for a normal person but being that I am protein heavy person I
felt it could’ve used a little more meat. Overall ,I would eat this again and if
I was one of those people that steals food from co-workers refrigerators this
might end up missing ;-)"
We have a consensus: The Wrap was a flat out success!!!! I would like to thank my coworkers for giving their reviews.
I have finished my eating out portion of the experiment and it is now time to see if I have learned anything. I think I came out of this with a clearer understanding of what is needed throughout the week: Variety. I ate at all the places in the area and found I could get alot of what I wanted but it came with a price $$$$$. Throughout the month I was spending anywhere from $10 to $20 a day and this was from low end to high. When added all together that was anywhere from $200 to $400 a month (a bill could be paid for all that food!!!!). I will include the exact price later on when I get it but this is crazy. I might have a different opinion if it was a home run every day but sadly there were some duds along the way. When you eat out you want an experience that you cannot get from the comfort of your home. Sometimes I could have got more comfort at home but I understand convenience. At the same time don't let me feel like I got jacked AKA ripped off in the process. As the saying goes quality is not always quantity and vice versa.
I think I will eat out from now on but not everyday. I think it will be once to twice a week and it will be a mixture of some of my favorites (Basil Thyme and Mojo) and also being on the lookout for the next best thing, which I will post. Hopefully this has inspired you to think about the food you eat and what you are spending. Money doesn't grow on trees and has to be used efficiently. The same goes for the the food you eat.
If you find any new spots that deserve a try, let me know. Also let me know what to avoid at all cost.
Now here's a song for how much money I spent and how much money I hope to save taking my lunch for a month!!!!!!
Today is extra special. I am out of town and they had a restaurant week. This is the first time I've known Atlantic City (A.C) to have a restaurant week and was interested in what they were offering. I went to Whiskey Bar for lunch. As you are going to see from this post and others coming up, everything was darkly lit.
My choices were:
Deviled Eggs
Cobb Salad
Cheesecake
and I also tried the French Fries fried in duck fat
Everything was good and decent to a degree but not something you do everyday. I spent $34.68 for the day . This concludes my eating out experiment. Look for the taking lunch portion of the experiment to start on the 25th of March.
Today's stop for lunch was Qdoba. I got the Pork Tacos with all the extras plus a drink. I like Qdoba but what makes them unlikeable is that they charge extra for what you get free at Chipotle's. The bill was $12.54 for today.
Today it was time to end the battle of all battles. I had been to White Apron on Tuesday and told you guys I would be going to Au Bon Pain today. Well to my surprise they now offer hot sandwiches and I was eager to try them out. I got the Steak & Cheese with a Large Corn Chowder and a drink for $16.25. I always knew this was the winner but I can now confirm that Au Bon Pain, YOU'RE HIRED!!!!
