Monday, August 30, 2010

Boston

Click on pix for slideshow & on the videos to play in youtube. I took all the photos & videos with my iPhone 4.

July 15th. Took my first trip to Boston Mass. It was an easy flight, with an empty seat next to me, to Manchester NH, of course there was a connector in Detroit. Detroit Metro has some really peculiar art. There's a light show/installation art between concourse B & C and concourse A. Plus there's a jumping fountain.

IMG_3095Kevin picked me up and though it was an hour to his place he said it was closer, by time, than going into Boston airport. We took a long walk along the Charles River, there were lots of sailboats out, past some beautiful boathouses for the college rowing teams, MIT, and then to Harvard Square for food and drink at John Harvard's Brew House. The Bad News Brown & World Cup Wheat were not bad. Afterwards we walked thought Harvard Yard, stopped by beautiful Memorial Hall, then watch some street performers in the square. Now I can honestly say, 'Yeah, I went to Harvard.'

Kevin is big into music, so I trust his instincts on where to hear some good sounds. We ended up at Toad (not The Toad , just Toad ) in Porter Square and really enjoyed Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones.  They had a large box electric guitar, an upright bass, a simple set of drums and Melvern on a ukulele. In the middle of one of their songs I heard a trumpet. We looked around and the club is so small that she was at a table, at the front of the bar, blowing her horn. Fun and funny.

IMG_3164 On Friday we took in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. An incredibly spectacular building inside and out. So much art work and artifacts: Rembrandt, Singer Sargent, Van Gough, but my favorite piece was J.M.W. Turner’s - Slaveship.  At first look, gorgeous, on closer examination grotesque. Then we walked to Fenway Park to go see the Bosox play. We stopped at Lansdowne Restaurant. This is where I found my new favorite beer. Sam Adams Boston Brick Red. Unfortunately, of course, it's only available in Boston.

The area around Fenway Park has restaurants, bars, gift shops, street performers, umpa bands, vendors and crowds of fans.  It was amazing to walk into Fenway Park. Built in 1912 it’s the oldest park in the MLB. It's been refurbished a few times, but luckily they didn't take away the charm. Our seats were about 20 rows from the top straight up from third base. When I sat down one of the nefarious post blocked home plate. About 15 minutes later a kid said I think you're in the wrong seat. Turned out our seats were one row down. With the post removed I had a great line of sight. Even though my knees were a little tight to the row in front of me. There was rain delay and a grand slam home run by the Rangers, but what a fun night.

IMG_3249 Saturday was busy. We walked the Freedom Trail and just happened on to a moving service in remembrance of the 54th Massachusetts, the regiment from the movie Glory, and the anniversary of it's attack on Fort Wagner in the Civil War. We also stopped at The Old North Church, the site of the Boston massacre, the state capitol, Nathaniel Hall, but most interesting was going on the USS Constitution. Old Ironsides. I don't know how 400 sailors could live on such a small ship. Nearby was the WWII destroyer USS Cassin Young.  It was hot day in Boston and while I was on the ship I put my hand on one of the steel beams on the officers mess and it was like touching the the top of a grill. A whole new appreciation for being stationed on this ship, in the heat of the Pacific, in WWII.

We took the ferry over to downtown Boston and we stopped by The Black Rose Pub. Where a buxom blond 'talked' us into Stella Artios draft competition. Didn't win anything, but we got to keep the glass. IMG_3420That night we were back down in the Fenway Park neighborhood to see Crowded House at the House of Blues. Kevin had some how got free tickets off craigslist from a guy who just wanted someone who would appreciate the show. I remember them from college and I was a very good show.

 

IMG_3429Sunday, before my flight, we took a trip to Portsmouth, NH. A quaint little town just across from Maine. We mostly walked around town to see the architecture and some famous buildings like the John Paul Jones house.  Had nice lunch and brew at the Portsmouth Brewery and then on to see the USS Albacore. A Navy research submarine from the 50s. Very cramped. An interesting comparison to the USS Constitution was both ships restricted sailors to about one gallon of water a day. Then it was off to Manchester to catch my flight.

IMG_3495 My Flight(s) out of Manchester were delayed/cancelled (see my rant below). So, I got a free night’s stay. Manchester is a nice city to spend a couple of hours. I took a long walk around town to look at some of the refurbished old cotton mills along the river, the ornate buildings downtown and, of course, have a beer. The Strange Brew tavern is unique and the Trout River Red was not bad.

Before flying Delta a new rule for the check list . Always pack extra underwear ‘cause you never know how many nights you’ll have to stay.

Here’s my little rant I tweeted to Delta. Returning from Manchester NH to CVG, on 7/18, I self checked in at the kiosk. I get to the gate to find the flight, DL 2213, was delayed because of mechanical problems and DET connection canceled. After standing in line at the gate for two hours Delta got me room & food vouchers for overnight stay. But why did kiosk issue the ticket when there was a delay? I was at front check in and they could have rebooked my flight instead of waiting in line at the gate. The next day, 7/19, DL 5403 was 1hr delay because of mechanical problems with the door. Then there was a 20 minute delay waiting for the gate in DET to clear before we could offload. I barely made my connection in DET. I am self employed and missed work Monday and lost money because of Delta. Why do I keep flying Delta? I want some kind of reciprocal.

An update. I did get an email from Delta and I got a $125 flying voucher?! But that only means I will have to fly Delta again.

Some extra videos

Portsmouth, NH
Metro, 54th Mass Reg.& DT Boston

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Brew Ha Ha

IMG_3792August 18, 2010. I went down to Sawyer Point to catch some comedians and try some new brew at Brew Ha Ha Festival. Saw some of the guys that I did shows with back-in-the-day and some of the newer ones. It was fun. I only found one decent beer. The Dark Horse Boffo Brown. Most of the beers popular beers that I’ve had before.

It wasn’t all good. There was an idiot that interrupted my friend Jeremy’s set. He was trying to get in the audience to dance in an attempt be on the Ellen. Even when four Cincinnati Police and two security came to escort him away he refused to leave. I hate people that are incapable of an original thought especially if they show no respect for someone whose job is all about original thought.

One stage had shut down, the main stage was on a break, and the third stage had one of the worst comics of the night. He did a 30 second impression of a fart. I was going to give him a tag for one of his first jokes, but after that he didn’t deserve my expertise.

click on pix for slideshow

Marengo Caves

August 6, 2010. IMG_2186 When the weather gets too hot above ground, go underground. Marengo Cave was a  good choice. It's just a short scenic drive just across the river from Louisville and northwest of New Albany IN. Discovered in 1883 by siblings Orris and Blanche Hiestand. (Why don't those old names come back in fashion?) Marengo is a wondrous, small, system that offers two short easy tours; the Dripstone and Crystal Palace.  For the more adventurous there are also exploring tours.

I took the trip one week before school started. When I got there I thought, “why did I take this trip one week before school started?” The kids weren't bad, there just would have been less people on the already small tour. Although, there was one kid who moaned and whined (you know, that just-short-of-crying sound) on part of the Palace tour. One kid has a bad day, we all have a bad day.

Both tours were just over 90 minutes and the formations were beautiful. You get to weave through stalactites, stalagmites, columns and around flowstone formations. Not look at them from a distance. And cavers must get hungry, because of some semi-official names of formations are: bacon, soda straws and taco shells. That could explain why on the Marengo tours the guides talked less about the science of the cave and more about what formations and shadows look like. “Doesn't this shadow look like George Washington? This formation looks like a volcano so we call it Vesuvius. And this looks like the Great Wall of China. So we call it...” You get the idea.
What I wanted to see was the Crystal Palace. So many types of formations in one place. It's suppose to be one of the most beautiful cave rooms in the US. We walked into the dimly lit room, sat on some benches and they begin a video presentation. It was projected onto a wall and was hard to see and, because of the room, almost inaudible. When it's done, the the the lights come up full and TA DA the Crystal Palace! 10 seconds later the lights go down and it's “This way please.” What? Huh? I got less than 30 seconds to see the room fully lit. They spent 10 minutes, later in the tour, trying to throw pennies into the ceiling of the cave and we only go 30 seconds to see the Crystal Palace? That was really the only disappointment. I would have liked to see the room in all it's glory and a little more science, but certainly a trip worth taking. I'm sorry I waited so long to see Marengo Caves. I won't wait so long to get back.

Interesting Marengo facts. Well, according to Wiki anyway.     

On the way back to mom's I stopped in New Albany to grab a bite and hit the New Albanian Brewery. I had some pineapple chicken wings which weren't bad. The beer was a little on the bland side.

Work out the Wazoo

IMG_3723 Aug 21, 2010.  I should have known. I SHOULD HAVE KNOW!!!  I got a call to work a game at South Oldham. I didn’t question once why it was a 6pm start for a Saturday game. When I got there I found out why. It’s was a bowl game, which means TWO GAMES!! For the price of one dayrate from me. I was, and still am, pretty pissed. 50/50 blame though. I shoulda asked and they shoulda told me. If I wasn’t getting paid at the end of the night I would have walked and I only had a 30 minute drive to mom’s not a two hour drive to Richmond.

The first game was close, Conner over Oldham 22-20. The second, Moore vs North Oldham, was a nightmare. It started late because one of the light poles went out, then the passing games began. Moore would incomplete pass, incomplete pass, complete pass then run out of bounds. North got almost all of their yard on the ground. Despite that the first quarter was ONE HOUR LONG! In the third there was an injury that delayed the game 30 miinutes. Even at the end of the game went it was truly over, North won 56-18, Moore insisted on passing. All in all it was six hours of football.

Tuesday was tear-out for tennis. Getting rid of cable that been in the elements for ten years. Luckily it wasn’t too hot of a day

Wednesday, I was back with Wazoo help tape an interview with UK women’s coach Matthew Mitchell. I talked about traveling to Spain to watch basketball and while there they saw some of the Tour de France. Plus they were in Spain when they won the World Cup. He’s the kind of guy if you ask a question he can go on for minutes. A great interview. Afterwards Rick took me to Fayette Mall to look for a new EKU cap. My last one is somewhere in California. Dick’s didn’t have any EKU apparel. There were three stores, in only one section of the mall, that sold only UK stuff. We went to Around Sports and when I walked up I saw Tennesse and, of all things, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES clothing. But did have two, count ‘em two, EKU caps. I felt good.

Thursday it was Doss High School vs somebody-I-can’t-remember. They all run together after awhile. I do remember that I was a sloppy game. Lots of turnovers and interceptions. The setup went so fast that we had about three hours to kill. I would have sent to Iroquois Woods, but the conversation was too good.

Friday night it was Lexington Christian Academy vs Christian Presbyterian Academy from Nashville. They week before CPA had beaten 2009 KY AA champ Ft Campbell. After Friday they added the 2009 KY single A champ to the win column. It was my first time to LCA and it is a huge campus with all the playing fields in one location. The stadium is huge, with molded seat for VIPS, a nice press box and a track surrounding the football field. Can ya smell the money. And I must say, some of the best looking moms of any HS sporting event I’ve been to.

I worked almost 38 hours and 25 hours in drive time drive time. It was a pretty busy week. That doesn’t happen often. And I’ll make sure it doesn’t too often.

Tennis 2010

IMG_3602August 5, 2010. I knew they were remodeling the tennis center, but when I went to the facility, to help set-up for this years tournament, I couldn’t believe that the huge building in the distance was part of the new complex. It looked massive compared to the old building. It is an incredible structure. Instead of being in the dank basement, the interview room is now on the forth floor. So I got a little more exercise climbing up the steps multiple times a day. The crew, at the tourny and on the video side, are fun to work with and it’s a pretty easy gig. Plus on Friday there was a happy-hour in the press box. Sweeeeet!

a maria Now, I’m not a what you call a huge sports fan. I’ve met plenty players and coaches  over the years, but not once have asked to have my picture taken with them. I don’t lose money or sleep over any team. I hate to see my favs lose and sometimes get a little ill because of it. Having said that, I was ‘this-close’ to…Maria Sarapova. A six foot two athletic goddess. After an interview in the press room, as she was leaving, I said, “Good luck.” and she LOOKED ME IN THE EYE and said, “Thanks.”  Try not to be too jealous. In her first match I got some decent pix of her.

During the finals of the men’s side, I went up to see a friend Phyllis. The finals was an exciting match between Marty Fish and Roger Federer. They split the first two sets, stayed on serve and both sets went to tiebreak. After Roger won the second tiebreak 7-1 I thought he’d roll in the third. But again neither player lost server until 4-4 when Roger broke Fish and then served to win the match.

It’s the last year for two separate weeks for the tennis touney in Cincy. Next year the men and women’s will be combined. The complex will be completely redone and bigger. I’m just hoping to be apart of it.

Thanks for checking out my blog.
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www.charlesegerton.com