Sunday, April 29, 2007

Chester After 24 Hours

Like many great things, vacations don't last forever. Mine came to an end yesterday morning as I packed up my car and drove back to Chester.

Now, as far as cities go, I like Fredericton. It's not too big and it's not too small. And I think I managed to take advantage of just about everything the city had to offer while I was there. I saw just about everyone I was hoping to see, I bought some cool records, I visited nearly every pawn shop on the city's south side, and I even caught a rock show before I left.

I've been back home for about twenty-four hours now and I feel like crap. Not because I have to go to work tomorrow, but because I caught a cold or something towards the end of my vacation. So, as good as Fredericton and its people were to me, they still managed to give me the plague.

So that's all for now kiddies.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Fredericton After 24 Hours

I got into Fredericton yesterday around three. The sun was shining and I saw plenty of hippies in the streets, so I knew I was back in a University town.

After meeting up with my gracious hosts, I went to one of my favorite spots in Fredericton, Backstreet Records. I picked up a David Byrne album, the new Spaceblood CD, and a copy of Roger Corman's The Man with X-Ray Eyes.

Later on, my hosts hosted a birthday party for one of their friends (and yes, I know, that's a lot of simultaneous hosting). In the midst of all the conversation and dollar store decorations, I was introduced to a drink called "the spirit of America." The tasty beverage involves a deceptive amount of gin, so I have to suspect that it could easily lead to one's undoing.

In order to somewhat remedy my hangover this morning, I took my hosts out for breakfast at Fred's Pancake House. Fred's is a truck stop style restaurant on the outer edge of the city. You can always count on two things at Fred's: surly waitresses and bottomless coffee. Even now, some two hours after the fact, I can still feel my breakfast working its magic on me.

So that's pretty much what I've done with the last 24 hours. I hope this week will conintue to provide good food, good friends and good times. And while I'd like to say that I'm going to post regular updates as the week unfolds, the fact remains, I am on vacation. So I'm not going to promise anything.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

I'm Starting To Hate This Whole Blog Thing


Whenever I boot up Internet Explorer this page comes up. So each and every time I go on the net, I'm reminded that I haven't updated my blog in forever. And frankly, I'm getting sick of it. I had a lot more enthusiasm for blogging when I started. These days, when I think of something to write about, I'm pained by the thought of putting the time into posting something I can be relatively happy with. So here's the deal cats and kittens, don't expect much. I'm abandoning a few of my favorite parts of the blog, though I doubt anyone will notice/care. I'm going to keep posting, but all future posts are likely to be half-assed.

And now for something relatively different:

- The White Stripes will be putting out a new album this summer. Icky Thump will be released on June 19th. For more information, consult any music blog.

- Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. The author died yesterday as a result of brain injuries he suffered from a recent fall. While I haven't read many of Vonnegut's works, I have to say that Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the greatest books I have ever read.

- This past weekend was April 6th, a day that has a lot of meaning for me. Not only was it a good friend's birthday (for which he had a kick ass party) but it was also a day of celebration for anyone who has ever lived in Harrington Hall. Harrington, one of the residence buildings on campus at St. Thomas University, has maintained the tradition of April 6th Day celebrations for a number of years. While the origins of the occasion are somewhat unknown, the celebration of the day remains an annual fixture on campus. Though I have not lived in Harrington since 2001, I cannot help but think back to those days every April 6th. So, in the midst of a friend's birthday celebration this past weekend, I pulled another former Harrington resident aside and toasted the house. A tradition that I expect I will observe for many years to come.

And that's about all I can think of for now.