Still Alive

We’re settling in here in Germany.  We’ve got a house, some of our belongings and our car.  Now we’re just waiting for the rest of our stuff to get here.

In the meantime, we’ve yet to arrange for cable or internet.  It’s actually quite nice.  I’ve managed to read a few books that I’ve been carrying around for years, relax and spend lots of quality time with Goddess.  The downside is that since we don’t have internet or TV at the house, we do feel a bit isolated and out of touch.  Although that’s not that bad, now is it?

Luckily I have access at work so I can catch up on news.

As far as a house goes, we’ve got native.  We picked a town that isn’t too far from work, nor is it too close.  It’s about 20km, which is a nice cycling commute.  Within a five minute walk we’ve got three beer gardens, a butcher, a baker (nope, no candlestick maker) and several other stores.  If we expand our walk out to ten minutes, the number of beer gardens skyrockets.  As far as neighbors, there aren’t any other Americans that we’re aware of.

Just 15 minutes away on foot is the Hockenheim Ring.  A neat place with events going on constantly.  The neighbors tell us that when the Formula 1 is in town, a few hundred thousand folks show up and it gets quite loud.  We’re looking forward to it.

Speaking of loud, Goddess and I spent the 4th of July with a lot of noise and some fireworks.  At the ring was a festival called Sonisphere, where some 40,000 showed up to see this lineup:

20:45 – 22:45 METALLICA

18:35 – 20:05 DIE TOTEN HOSEN

16:55 – 18:05 THE PRODIGY

15:40 – 16:35 IN EXTREMO

14:30 – 15:15 DOWN

13:30 – 14:10 LAMB OF GOD

12:30 – 13:10 MASTODON

11:45 – 12:15 ANTHRAX

11:00 – 11:30 FIVE AND THE RED ONE

As you can see, that was 12 hours of standing on asphalt in the hot sun.  But overall the show was quite good.  It was my first time seeing Anthrax, who I’ve listened to for 20+ years.  This was the second time for Lamb of God, who does alright.  The second time for both Goddess and I to see The Prodigy – the last time was in Tokyo.  And this makes Metallica show number five for me.  They always do well and never disappoint.

The biggest surprises for us were In Extremo and Die Toten Hosen.  What Great Bands!!!!  I cannot recommend either highly enough.  It was great to see all 40,000 fans (well,  minus us two Americans) singing along to each and every song that Die Toten Hosen played.  Go buy some now.

But now a word for Phil Anselmo, singer for the band Down.  Even though you’ve were the frontman for a great band (Pantera), the fans owe you and the other members of your group nothing. 

Not a damn thing. 

By the time you guys took the stage after 3pm, many of us had been standing out in the hot sun for hours.  Most hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for hours either for fear of losing their spot in front of the stage.  All that any of the folks in audience wanted was a good show. 

You didn’t bring it.

At best, you and your band were lackluster, offering nothing more or better than any other generic American band that throws a few heavy riffs together behind a growling singer.  Meh.  The reason the crowd wasn’t responding to you was because you guys didn’t entertain.

Instead, you stood on stage and whined, even telling the paying crowd at one point that we sucked.  Classy move, telling paying customers and potential fans that they suck.  But it wasn’t the fans.  It was you.

So next time, stay home and pout, leaving that 45 minutes available to a band that really matters.

Like Anthrax.

Who played a woefully short 30-minute set.

Anyway, Goddess and I continue our adventure, sampling as much food, beer and wine as Germany can offer.

Warning

“Warning: This concert will be extremely loud and consist of continuous strobing lights”.

Ummm, as if there’s any other way for a concert to be?  And posting an 8.5×11″ sheet of printed paper on the door of the arena as you enter is ample warning?

Hehe, as if the people that bought tix to last night’s show didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

And it was a completely different crowd from Thursday night’s B.B. King concert that Goddess and I enjoyed.  Completely different.  And that’s why Goddess stayed home.

Did I mention it would be loud and out of control?  Check.  It was.

My ears are still ringing.

The body is tired.  As it should be after two hours in the crowd and flailing around in the pit.  I wonder how I can track that in my journal.  Perhaps it would count as an interval workout.

First up was Trivium.  Meh.  Technically a good band, musically pretty soulless.  The guitarist could throw down some decent chords, but it was all about trying to impress, not build a good song.  One of Son’s friends that accompanied us loves this band and took quite a bit of offense when we told him that they just weren’t good.

Next up was Coheed and Cambria.  We saw them last year when they were warm-up for Linkin Park.  They did not impress then, they did not impress now.  Next.

Now for the loud and out of control.

Slipknot!

Photo by David Shaw

These guys know how to put on a show.  They lived up to expectations.  Their 100-minute show was a non-stop visual and aural assault.  Hands down one of the best concerts I’ve been to (and I’ve been to quite a few over the past 30 years).

The real surprise was the crowd.  I fully expected an out-of-control, violent explosion of bodies from the get-go.  Not so much.  The crowd was definitely excited and fully in to the band, but we had to work our way completely through the crowd to find the pit.  Once we got there, I was surprised to find out how well-mannered it was.  They were actually abiding by proper pit etiquette, making sure no fists went above chest level and no kicking.  Everyone was looking out for each other and if anyone went down, ten sets of hands instantaneously went down to pick the guy up off the floor.

For those who have never experienced it, I know that from the outside a pit sure looks violent.  Sometimes it is.  And those are the ones I stay out of, mainly because I have a very short fuse.  I grew up in the pits of the SoCal punk scene during the ’80s, where we all looked out for each other.  It’s not about getting hurt or hurting someone else, it’s about enjoying the music and letting off some steam.  If an outsider showed up and wanted to get violent, he usually got his wish and the pit returned to normal.  In these big shows, there typically isn’t that sense of brotherhood.  Last night was different.

A good introduction for a friend, who had never experienced anything like that before.

Anyway, back to the show.

Y’all likely have been to concerts where the performer works the crowd.  Slipknot worked the crowd, but I guarantee it was like none other.  Several times some of the guys (there are nine in the band) left the stage and walked through the crowd.  No barriers.  One even walked up between a couple of sections in the arena, then wend his way through the aisles, actually having to step over shocked concert-goers to make it to the next section.  Even on the floor we got to high-five one of the percussionists, Shawn “Clown” Crahan, as he worked through the floor crowd.

If they’re your cup of tea, you’ll go.  If not, watch the videos below (volume down if you prefer) and watch the entertainment factor.

Although this video is a few years old, it’s still a pretty darn good representation of what last night was like.

And a cell-phone video from a couple of weeks ago that shows some of the energy of this year’s tour:

Definitely a good time.

Wrap Up

Well, the miles are really cranking by.

As of yesterday, I have 231 miles for the year, consisting of 41 runs in the 45 days.  I do take one rest day per week, no matter what.  And that day is always Sunday.

The consistency is really starting to show the benefits.  Even after a very hilly 16-miler on Friday, I was still able to crank out a sub 60-minute 7.5-miler on a very hilly course on Saturday.  Today the legs are twitching, ready to run.  But they won’t get it.  It’s rest day.

I covered 54 miles this week.  I have not been in this territory for weekly running mileage since high school some 23-24 years ago.  Back then it was all about collecting miles.  Volume was king.  Nothing else mattered.  And I was doing a fine, fine job of driving myself to consistent over-training and serious injury.  How I didn’t I still don’t know.

But now it’s completely different.

I am really amazed at how well I’m able to handle it now.  I’m pretty confident that the periodization helps, not only during the yearly schedule, but weekly and daily.  Rest, not volume, is king.  Smart training leads to bigger gains.

Now I just need to hold it together the next couple of weeks as I push to 65 miles per week and then start my taper for next month’s 60K.

Off to Nashville again tonight for another concert.  This time with Son while Goddess holds down the fort.  That means it’s loud and likely to get out of control.

Whooo hooooo!!!

The Thrill Is Gone

Ummm.  Yeah, no it’s not.  Not even close.

But what a great tune.

One we got to see played live Thursday night.

First off, for those of you who are fretting over the silliness known as Valentine’s Day – I’m sorry.  Goddess let me off the hook regarding that day while we were dating.  Simply put, the day doesn’t make her feel special, so what’s the point?

Instead we celebrate (Goddess’) Day.  I inserted (Goddess) to save you all from the pain of my syrupy pet name for Goddess.  Besides, it’s just between me and her.

Anyway, (Goddess’) Day happens to fall on February 16th, which is the day that I proposed to her in the middle of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.  Right at sunset.  That day makes her feel special.  And no, the thrill is definitely not gone.  And if you ever get a chance to visit WSNM, I highly recommend it.

Picture by kds4850

So last week, I happened to browse across the link for the B.B. King concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, which sold out in minutes back in December (so I thought).  Much to my surprise, I found that there were actually a few seats available.  We’re both big fans, so I snatched up two and decided to make a night of it to celebrate (Goddess’) Day.

What a great show!

The warm-up act was Buddy Guy, who was just amazing.  His set was unfortunately only one hour long, which he filled with ten minute songs and jams.  Seriously.  Thirty minutes into his show and he was just finishing up his third song.  And he’s quite a showman, playing tricks with his guitar while playing, even leaving the stage and strolling through the audience while playing.  He had the whole place rocking, which takes on a new dimension in the Ryman, which is an old church with a wooden floor and wooden pews for seats.

Which makes for amazing acoustics.

After a 45-minute intermission, which proved once again that the Ryman is the only place I’ve ever been where the line for the men’s room is huge and the women walk straight on in, B.B.’s band took the stage.

The next two hours were incredible.  B.B. even apologized for keeping us so late, ending the show after 11pm.  But he was clearly having a great time.  And that’s what impressed me the most.  Here’s an 83-year-old guy who’s been playing for over sixty years (he even mentioned that he was playing clubs before most of our parents were born), but he clearly loves what he’s doing.

And the two thousand people in attendance definitely loved what he was doing too.  The entire show pulled hoots and hollers from the crowd, lots of clapping in time and plenty of toe tapping.  Again, on the wooden floors and pews, the toe tapping takes on a whole new feel.  During quiet portions of songs, the crowd kept time, which sounded pretty good.  Except there are quite a few in the audience that didn’t have any rhythm.  Some so bad that it’s a wonder that they could even procreate.

Here’s Buddy and B.B. playing together (in what appears to be a video from the 80’s).  No video or pics from last night’s performance.  The camera nazi’s were in full force, swooping down on people as soon as they lifted a camera.  A few were even escorted out after repeated warnings.

After the show, we were starving.  We were hoping to grab a late-night breakfast at IHOP, but the one that we knew about was closed.  Since when does IHOP close?  So once again, the romantic side of me comes out and there I was, at 1:30 am, treating Goddess to Waffle House.  Reminds me of the romantic birthday dinner we had for her at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

But we won’t go into the reasons for that one.  This is a family show.

Is the thrill gone?  Not for B.B. King.  Not for Buddy Guy.

And certainly not for Goddess and I.

Ice

We really dodged the bullet with the ice last week.  We got about 1/2-inch, then it warmed up just enough that while the next three inches of rain fell, we sat at 0.3C, which was too warm for any additional ice but cold enough that the ice that had fallen didn’t melt off.  We lost a fair bit of trees in the area, but nowhere near as bad as folks just 10-20 miles to our west and north.

But there was beauty to be found wherever you looked:

Speaking of ice, we went to Nashville Saturday night to see AC/DC, who are in the midst of their “Black Ice” tour.  It was a hell of a show, easily one of the best I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been to quite a few).  I had never had a chance to catch one of their concerts and was quick to snatch up tickets while I was in Iraq.  We were lucky to, since the show sold out quickly.

While it was pretty funny to see 53-year-old Angus Young still strutting around in his trademark school boy uniform, it was pretty clear from the onset that they were still a bunch of guys who love doing what they do.  I can only imagine that recording and touring for 35 years would really get to be a grind, but that wasn’t evident in the guys.  Angus and singer Brian Johnson were all over the stage the entire time, soaked with sweat from their efforts.

And what was really impressive was the wide range of ages at the show, from the young teenagers to the grandmothers who dressed as if they were teenagers (really, did you really think that you looked hot when you looked in the mirror?).  But there was no doubt that, regardless of age, they were all fans.  And with ticket prices starting at $90 per seat (and going astronomical from there), I guess you’d better be.  If you get a chance to see them, I’d recommend it.  Click on the pic above to go to The Tennesseean’s review of the concert, including the set list.

Finally, training is going swimmingly.   Except there isn’t any swimming.  Just running.  Hell, even if I wanted to swim, I couldn’t, since the local brain trust decided to wait until late fall to start an overhaul of the only local indoor pool, instead of doing it over the summer when all of the outdoor pools were open.

Anyway, I’m ramping up the mileage, slowly and steadily.  The ice storm threw a wrench in the works early on, so I had to reshuffle to load up my weekend, including pulling a couple of two-a-days.  All went well.  I’m pushing right up on 50-miles a week, which isn’t a huge, huge amount, but is the tipping point of having to consistently do two-a-day’s in order to increase and maintain the mileage.  Otherwise, I’m looking at starting to take a significant amount of time away from family every evening.  That’s not something I’m willing to do.  It was easy to do in Iraq, but it’s not a sacrifice I’m willing to make here at home.

So I’m at just under 40 days until the 60K and a few 60-mile weeks are scheduled.  The beauty of having done my 40-miler last September is that I’m really not concerned about the distance.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a healthy respect for it, but there certainly isn’t the pit-of-the-stomach feeling that I had a month out from that run, or a month out from my IM-distance race.  Perhaps that moment will come, but I am confident that each run is building towards a successful run.

And every run lately has been a huge boost in confidence for several reasons.  The biggest is that I am consistently negative-splitting my runs, whether they be 5 miles or 15 miles.  And not at pedestrian paces either.  I’m beginning to wonder if it’s the switch in my training plan.  Since I started using Training Peaks in mid-2003 to track my workouts and build training schedules, I’ve been on a 4-week cycle, with every fourth week as recovery.  Once I turned 40, TP switched to a 3-week cycle, with every third week as recovery.  Although I’m only a few cycles into it, I am definitely seeing the benefits of more frequent recovery weeks.  Gotta love the recovery!

Speaking of recovery, that’s what this week is all about.  And I’m already relaxed.

‘Tis the Season…

…for Bill to say “Bah Humbug”.

Yep, that’s right.

I don’t get the “holiday spirit”, at least the “spirit” that is perpetrated by the masses. I just don’t get it. For many reasons, most of which are better discussed over a beer.

As someone without faith, which takes a lot of faith in and of itself, I shake my head at the rampant commercialism of what should be a season of reflection , service and togetherness. Instead, it’s become more about someone crying on the local news that times are so hard that their six year old is going to suffer because they won’t get the laptop that they deserve. Or trampling a guy trying to make $5.50 an hour just so they could get to the half-price DVDs.

Anyway, my frustration with the season does cause a bit of disparity in the house. Goddess is very in touch with her faith, which I admire and support. And Goddess, with her long background of singing in choir, etc., really enjoys the music of the season. Me? Not so much.

But there are two songs of the season that I look forward to hearing. The first:

This one is all about textures and rhythm for me. Absolutely mesmerizing. Although I can do without the Garmin commercial every 20 minutes.

And the second has always been amazing to me. Bing really had a voice.

Those are the two. That’s really it, although I will watch Bing sing with David Bowie. Again, Bing’s got an amazing voice for these songs.

But one Christmas special has been announced that’s really got me excited:

Click the pic for details.

I. Cannot. Wait.

But until then, Goddess, Son and I will just have to enjoy the concert tomorrow night, headlined by Disturbed, with Taproot, Hollywood Undead and Egypt Central.

We are all looking forward to it.

So in case I don’t get around to it in the following weeks, I do wish each and every one of you a relaxing and safe holiday season, surrounded by those that mean the most to you.

Because isn’t that what it’s all about?

Headphones

I had to laugh at this one.  I get this question a lot, especially by the folks at work that try to wrap their brains around running for three hours, riding for six, or swimming for two (not that I’ve done the last two this year, but it’s happened).

I don’t wear headphones.  I don’t listen to music.

Except what’s playing on mental radio.

I agree with Frazz.  I’ve got to hear what’s going on around me.  And music is too much of a distraction.

Every time I run a race, I am reminded of why it’s a good idea to not wear headphones.  Little islands unto themselves, runners with headphones take hard right turns with no warning so they can get a cup of water or get to the curb to tie their shoe.  They cross center lines on the (open) road, not hearing the car on the other side, just so they can jog with a bit more space (even loud screams couldn’t get this guy’s attention).

I understand the desire to distract oneself from the discomfort and pain.  I do wear them when I’m on a dreadmill or trainer.  But never outside.

I must be one of the old diehards that this NY Times article is referring to.

Life, or something like it

Been a crazy week.

After last weekend’s long run and some other stuff, it was a week out on the east coast.  It was nice to run with the ocean breeze in my face as it warmed up through the week.  It’s taper time, so the runs were short (5-7 miles), but the pace was brisk.  Especially one evening when I was 3 miles from the hotel and realized that I had to get back to the room, shower and drive across town to meet folks for dinner – in 30 minutes.

I made it.

Midway through the week, Goddess got ahold of me.  Horrible news.  The husband of her bridesmaid, who just turned 31, didn’t wake up Wednesday morning, passing sometime overnight.  Apparently it was a congenital heart issue, although you’d never know it.  He was a healthy man.  Left behind a wife and two daughters, aged 5 and 3.  A bit of scrambling and we worked out travel arrangments for Goddess to get out to Colorado.

Unfortunately she landed less than two hours after the funeral.

But we got her out there.

A bit of shuffling to get Skinny a sitter for the weekend, since we had already made plans to be out of town.  So after dropping Goddess off at the airport, I drove Son and two of his friends north to Louisville.  We were off to see Gigantour, which we had been looking forward to since January.  The lineup was High on Fire (meh) Job For a Cowboy (meh), Children of Bodom (excellent), In Flames (good) and Megadeth (great).

I  didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping, mainly because I was worried about Goddess traveling (although she has traveled halfway across the world by herself), about her friend, her friend’s girls and the emotional trauma that I could only imagine that they were all going through (or about to in Goddess’ case).

But the show went on for six hours, which is about 30 minutes past the limit my ears (as well as Son and his friends) can take.  Even with earplugs.  Shame too, since that happened during Megadeth, who I’ve followed since the mid-80’s.  I was jazzed since this was the first time I’ve been able to catch them live.

And what was a first in the hundreds of concerts that I’ve been to over the past 25 years – the concert was paused for safety.  During Children of Bodom’s set, the crowd surged forward hard enough to break the barrier.  They cut the power to the stage and Bodom left for 30 minutes, giving the crew enough time to fix the barrier.  I was sitting up in the stands at that point so I had a pretty good view of everything.  Son was down in the crowd and immediately texted “WTF?”, so I talked him through it.

We got back to the hotel at 1230am.  Much to their chagrin, I woke them up at 700am.  Nothing like trying to wake three 16 year old’s up after only six hours of sleep.  But we had to get on the road so I could get back and spend the rest of the day writing a paper for school.

Joy.

Marathon in 5.5 days.

Da Dip

So hawt!

If you’ll browse through the left column, you’ll see that I’m a Maker’s Mark Ambassador. I am a big fan of the Mark.  A very fine, very smooth Kentucky bourbon. I prefer it with just a splash of clean water to mix up the essence and then an ice cube or two, depending on how many fingers deep the pour is.  But if you prefer mixing, it stands up quite well to that use as well.

Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)

“I’d tell you the name of this next song, but if you don’t figure it out by the end of the song, you’re too stupid to talk to“.

That’s how Jeff Tweedy introduced the song that just happens to be the title of this blog. But that’s for later in this blog. First things first.

But before that, here’s another music entry. If it doesn’t interest you, then there’s nothing to see here. I’ll be back to regular training/racing entries soon enough, since this was the last concert for a little while.

Sunday night saw us driving to Nashville for our third concert in six days. In case you missed the others, it was Linkin Park on Tuesday and Kid Rock on Friday. Sunday’s concert was decidedly mellower since it was Wilco playing at the gorgeous Ryman Auditorium.

Sunday was another warm day, so after doing homework and turning in my exams, I was able to get a quick 12-mile MTB ride through the nearby park, checking out some trails and looking at the seams in the creek, anticipating them stocking it with trout in a couple of weeks. Time to get some new tippets and flies ready. Whoo hoo! A quick shower and a bite on the go and we were on our way to Nashville. We’ve been down there so much lately that Goddess and I discussed living there, if only gas wasn’t getting so expensive.

Anyway, after getting our tickets and poking around the Ryman, we made our way to the t-shirt tables. Looking to see what they had, I almost let out a yelp. I knew that Wilco was having a warm-up act, but I had no idea who. But up there on the wall were John Doe t-shirts. For those of you not aware of John Doe, follow the link and read how he was the guitarist and vocalist for THE seminal LA punk band X. For me, that makes connections to two great acts from my youth in one week. John played a mix of his solo stuff as well as a few songs from X, appropriately slowed down for the crowd. He was amazed that he was playing in the Ryman, an old church, mentioning that he would have to call Exene and gloat that he got to play “White Girl” at the Ryman.

After a short break, Wilco took the stage, fresh from their SNL appearance the night before. As soon as they took the stage, everyone stood up, which is understandable. But everyone remained standing the entire time. The Ryman’s way too small for that and Goddess and the Son had a difficult time seeing the show. Especially since the dude in the front of us was at least 8 feet tall (give or take a foot). It didn’t help that the folks way up front were standing, which didn’t make sense, since they couldn’t leave their seats and they had to crane their necks to see up on the stage anyway. I suspect it would’ve been more comfortable sitting. Anyway, since they stood, everyone behind had too as well, making it not nearly as enjoyable as it should have been.

Kluso, here’s the setlist:

1. Via Chicago
2. Blood Of The Lamb
3. Pieholden Suite
4. California Stars
5. Company In My Back
6. You Are My Face
7. Side With The Seeds
8. Pot Kettle Black
9. A Shot In The Arm
10. She’s A Jar
11. Handshake Drugs
12. Impossible Germany
13. It’s Just That Simple
14. Pick Up The Change
15. Too Far Apart
16. Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)
17. Jesus, Etc.
18. Hate It Here
19. Walken
20. I’m The Man Who Loves You

Encore 1:
21. Someone Else’s Song (Jeff Solo w/o PA)
22. Misunderstood
23. The Thanks I Get
24. Red-Eyed And Blue
25. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
26. Monday

Encore 2:
27. The Late Greats

While you’re at it, take a browse over at Kluso’s site. He’s an excellent musician, living in Okinawa and playing the local club circuit. You can buy some of his music on his site. And if you poke around the photo page, you might find one or two shots from yours truly. Kluso is the one who introduced Goddess and I to Wilco as he covered several of his songs while playing bars and other venues in and around Tokyo. We were his groupies for quite a while, tagging along and following him to some very interesting bars. Thank you so much, Kluso!

Also, if you look through his site, you’ll notice other artists. Kluso was very instrumental in introducing local Tokyo bands to the western expatriate community. Hands down, one of the best was Megababe, a trio of hot Japanese babes that would rock your (bleep) off while playing the hardest metal and punk they could find. Truly a hot show! BTW, one of my photos of them is in there as well.

Anyway, time for Bill to swing way back from his tangent. But in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bright shiny object kind of guy. But I refuse Ritalin since I enjoy every second of the ADD.

The Wilco set was excellent. As you can surmise from the setlist, they played quite a while. Over two hours and it was quite a good show (other than the standing). If they swing by your area, I definitely recommend giving them a couple hours of your time.

From now on, less entertainment-themed posts…