Happy Thursday

Happy Thursday to everyone! One more day til the weekend. We have almost made it through another week. Yippee! Just a quick reminder for all of you that are in the RDU area. Hercules Mulligan will be playing tomorrow night at Tir Na Nog. Come on over for a pint and enjoy the music. It is a great way to start the weekend!

Sorry for the delay

Sorry for the delay folks, but I've been busy at work and under the weather. I've had a cold for about 2 weeks now and it is getting really annoying. Every time I think I'm just about over it, it migrates somewhere else and starts all over again. So far it has gone from my chest to my head and is now stuck somewhere in between!

But, here are the updates from my Celtoberfest celebration.

The My Three Kilts extravaganza weekend was great. They were at Tir Na Nog on Friday night. There was an unusually large crowd that night. Usually the place is about 1/4 full on Fridays, but, the place was easily 1/2 to 3/4 full. Not only were there a lot of folks, but everyone was in a good mood and quite a few were aware of the appropriate crowd responses! It always makes things so much more fun when the crowd gets into it. The boys did a good job entertaining everyone. There was one song there where I'm pretty sure they were all playing at different speeds. It was quite humorous.
The following night, Saturday, the Marquise and I went out to the great metropolis that is Elroy, NC to see the Kilts on there home turf, The Nutless Hound. The Nutless Hound is a private establishment (actually, it's Shane's converted garage) that has all the facilities of some of the best bars around. There is a flat screen TV, a really nice bar, beer taps, a liquor shelf to die for, I believe I saw a dart board somewhere and a stage for the Kilts to play on. I have heard quite a bit about the place, but didn't quite imagine it correctly. The place is phenomenal. There was food, alcohol and friends (new and old) everywhere. The Guys did a great job on their show that night, especially considering how much some of them had to drink before the show! I was impressed.

(I hope I get this right) I was told I had to give a shout out to the best Godfather around, Nick (Nicky? I was tired and it was loud when this discussion occurred). Will has got it made.

Two Down

A great time was had by all over at Tir Na Nog last night. They had one of their kilt nights and a banner line-up of entertainers. The evening started off with My Three Kilts, a Goldsboro NC based (OK, Elroy based) band. They did a fantastic job. Since they knew they'd only have about an hour to perform, the picked all their top notch, up tempo numbers. There were a couple of times when they were actually going to fast. Rob (lead singer) must have been an auctioneer in a previous life. All three of them played great and Rob's vocals we some of his best I've heard. the next group up was the Wake and District Public Safety Pipe and Drums. They have improved dramatically since I last heard them. The last time I had heard them was shortly after they had formed. The difference between then and now is dramatic. If I remember right, they did 4 tunes; not a very long set but it certainly fit right in with the evening. The last band was Albannach. I saw them last weekend up in Virginia and was looking forward to seeing them again. Especially since they did so well up there. They performed superbly. I am still debating whether I like them more at outdoor venues or inside. When they are inside, it definitely gets a tad loud. When they are outside, the "quieter" tunes/songs get lost easily. The crowd grew dramatically throughout the night and the bar was packed for Albannach. Not a whole lotta room for dancing, but I kinda cleared a space for myself.

I have to give Tir Na Nog some time here. The staff did a great job last night. It is difficult for the waitstaff to be at the top of their game when the bar gets extremely crowded like last night, but the staff did a great job none-the-less. There was the expected wait to get drinks, but it was a lot shorter than I was actually prepared for. I also need to mention that the new sound equipment out there is much, much better than the old stuff. I know they have had it for several weeks now, but I think it took a little while for the sound guys to fine tune it. Last night sounded great.

(I think I got all the bands right in this post, unlike the previous post where I mixed up the Kildairs with Rathkeltair!)

Houston, we have a commute.

Well, I don't think Houston really cares, but I was able to successfully use public transportation to get to work today. All in all, it went pretty well. The connection out was quick and easy. The return, however, needs a little fine tuning. I misjudged the bus time for my particular stop (all right, I got it all wrong) and ended up standing outside for about 1/2 an hour. Normally that would not be bad, but it was about 100 here in Raleigh today! Of course, since it is a new office park, there are no mature trees anywhere close by the bus stop. I did however, have my trusty umbrella, which works quite well as a sun shade.

The time involved is a lot more than it would be driving (not unusual) so I have some more "lifestyle readjusting" to work out so that I'm not wasting all that time on a bus. I already started packing my breakfast to eat once I get to work since I get there early. I may start packing my dinner also since I have about 1/2 hour after work before my bus leaves. I'm thinking about doing the once a week cooking thing and having the meals already packaged and ready to go. I've almost always got some crochet (and hopefully knit) project going that I can do on the bus. I already know from today's experience that I'm gonna have to keep the projects simple on the bus. There is a lot of shake, rattling and rolling going on with those buses.

My goal this week is to use the bus thru Thursday (I can't take it Friday, because Hercules Mulligan is playing Friday night at Tir Na Nog.) and then re-evaluate over the weekend to see what I wanna do in the future.

Just so that everyone knows, I am still not particularly happy with CAT, but I have to work with what I'm given. At least I'm using more of our tax money.

Pictures!

After a short stay with the Marquise, the camera is back home safe and sound. I can now show some of the truly amazing pictures I have recently taken.


A Rainbow after a HUGE thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago.

Diane the Brit and me at Tir Na Nog

The Marquise and the Brit

Super Carbonated beer. Not quite a "beer bomb" yet, but pretty close.

Do NOT try this unless you are a trained professional or an inexperienced homebrewer.

Shane from My Three Kilts at their home pub, The Flying Shamrock in Goldsboro, NC

Rob and Shane

Rob and ... Oh no! Brain Fart, I forgot his name. It'll come to me.... SCOTT!!!!!

Scot(t) (what's the correct spelling?)

Rob and Shane

My first crocheted sweater!

A Busy Weekend.

The Marquise and I had a full schedule this past weekend. We went to Kilt night out at Tir Na Nog downtown on Friday night. They had two bands there, Old Blind Dog and Seven Nations. The original plan was to meet there early enough to get some dinner and then catch the shows. Things got a little off schedule, which is not that uncommon when dealing with the Marquise. Bless her little heart, but she's gonna be late for her own funeral. I decided to order some wings to get started. I should have known better. After wings and a couple of Guinnesses, I was no longer hungry (mostly because of the Guinness). The Marquise ordered a loaded potato. Actually, considering neither of us particularly care for the food at Tir Na Nog, I guess it worked out OK.

The first band was Old Blind Dog. They are a Scottish band that has a full touring schedule this winter here in the States. I guess it is better touring here in January and February that in Scotland. This was the first time I have had the opportunity to see them. I am very impressed. Usually, the first time you hear a band (especially one with a thick Scottish accent) it can be a little difficult to understand the lyrics. I had very little problems hearing (and understanding) the lyrics. The Marquise and I bought on of their CDs and I had a chance to listen to it today. I am even more impressed with their CD. I certainly hope I get a chance to see this band again.

Old Blind Dog

Old Blind Dog and some local dancers


The second band up was Seven Nations. They are a rock/celtic/Scottish band. They are a bit to rock for my taste (ears). At least in a relatively closed space like Tir Na Nog. I am listening to their website while I'm typing this and while the recording is not the best quality, it is much better than what I heard Friday night. The lead vocals were muffled, the volume was up so loud that it was hard to concentrate on the individual musicians. You know there is something wrong when the bagpipes get drowned out. They sounded like they were trying to outplay each other. The Marquise and I left during their break. They do, however, seem to have quite a local following around here. Maybe it was just a bad night for them.


Seven nations and audience participation.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year everyone. I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Mine was really good. I spent Christmas with the Marquise. We had an impromptu lunch (we planned it the day before), went to see Beowulf at the IMAX 3D theater downtown at Exploris. Beowulf would have been a great movie at a regular theater, however, in 3D and on a screen that's about 2 stories tall, it was phenomenal. After the movie, we noticed that Tir Na Nog was open around the corner so we stopped by for a quick drink. I had a Guinness (as usual) and the Marquise had an Irish Coffee. According to her, you should not use flavored coffee in an Irish Coffee. It just doesn't work.

I was at the piano bar in CC for New Year's. Greg and Kevin did a wonderful job. They were even more entertaining last night than usual because of the variety of people that kept showing up, (Lots of people only show up there on New Year's Eve.) and the number of previous parties they had attended. Depending on who was counting, they were at either 3 or 4 earlier parties. It was good low-key way of bringing in the new year.

I kinda, sort of, made some resolutions for this year. I really don't like the term and idea of New Year's resolutions because most people never keep them and the whole idea is almost a cliche nowadays. However, as I said, I kinda, sort of made some. The main one is to start practicing Yoga. Either with a DVD or if I can find an inexpensive class, with an instructor. The other ones are pretty simple, visit a winery (scheduled for later this month) and try my hand at home brewing. I always have the rest of my list of 43 things to work on, I just moved these three up to the top.

See y'all later on throughout the year!

Busy Weekend

I had a busy weekend, well actually, it was a busy Saturday. I already mentioned the Halfway celebration at Tir Na Nog. Unfortunately, the Marquise was under the weather, so she could not make it. The guys from Hercules Mulligan sounded great. I did, however, miss the bass. Zack was out visiting with family. We (the Marquise and I) had mentioned to them previously that we really wanted to hear them play on a weekend again. Don't get me wrong, they have a great set up at the Cary Hibernian, but there is a big difference between playing on a Wednesday and playing on a Saturday. Everyone is a little more relaxed on a weekend, since most won't have to be at work the next day. There was a good crowd at Tir Na Nog and everyone was in a festive mood (slightly drunk). We even got the band to perform "Alice". As good a participatory song as you are going to get. At least as far as a bar full of drunk people go.

I was, of course, the only one in kilt, which draws as much attention in a straight bar as it does in a gay bar. It's a little disconcerting for me to be hit on by a couple of women. I am definitely NOT used to it. Actually, it was disconcerting that I realized I was being hit on. Usually I am blissfully unaware of such things. But this time, the women were not particularly subtle.

Let me back up just a little and tell y'all what I did in the morning. I attended the Responsible Dog Ownership Day event that was sponsored by the American Kennel Club. It was held out at the Fairgrounds this year. It started at 10a and ended at 2p. I helped the dog rescue groups set up and did "crowd control"; I walked around and answered questions, greeted dogs and picked up poop. It was a really good crowd. Lots and lots of dogs. Just about everyone brought at least one dog. Surprisingly, there were very few problems with the dogs. A couple of them obviously did not like each other, but most were very well behaved. I found it interesting to note that dogs seem to make immediate decisions about other dogs. Sometimes dogs would pass each other without ever taking any notice, other times they would decide that they just had to meet this other dog. I tried to see if there was a male/female thing going on, thinking that might be the cause of the sudden attraction. I really couldn't tell if that was the case. It seemed like some dogs just immediately liked other dogs.

There were several demonstrations that went on throughout the day. The flyball and agility demos were amazing. Flyball looks exactly like it does on TV. The dogs are going crazy and barking and running like mad to get the tennis ball and then get back to their owners. The agility demos were fun. It was very evident that the competitions on TV are the very best of the sport. The folks on TV make it look so much easier than it is. Several of the dogs were just beginning their training and did not quite make it through the entire course. We all cheered any way. If you ever get a chance to see a flyball or an agility contest, you REALLY need to go. They are a lot of fun.