On Saturday, Tanya and I attended the Philadelphia Orchestra's Annual Christmas Concert.
I wish I had some pictures, but they do not allow cameras inside the Kimmel Center.
She has gone every year for quite some time. I have been to events similar to this, but nothing as prestigious as the Philly Orchestra. They're generally 5th on the list of American Orchestras, but they also have a lot of their own claims to fame. Check out their history: http://www.philorch.org/about.html
The concert itself was very impressive. Tanya got us incredible seats, and we had a great view of the stage. The conductor was the typical, animated guy that really put his heart into the whole performance. At the end, he wished us a Merry Christmas, and the chorus actually sang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." We found this to be very refreshing. Refreshing, as opposed to the ridiculous, politically correct "Happy Holidays" for fear of offending anyone. Side note: anyone who is offended by "Merry Christmas" can head straight to Pakistan and join up with the Taliban. Weirdos.
Anyway, the orchestra was absolutely incredible and we had a lot of fun. The two hours went by so fast, I was surprised when it was over!
This was the program:
Program:
Mendelssohn - Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Redner - O Little Town of Bethlehem
Murray - Away in a Manger
TRADITIONAL - Angels We Have Heard on High
TRADITIONAL - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on "Greensleeves"
TRADITIONAL - Good King Wenceslas
Tchaikovsky - Excerpts from The Nutcracker
Mason - Joy to the World
Wade - O Come, All Ye Faithful
Gruber - Silent Night
TRADITIONAL - The First Nowell
Schubert - Ave Maria
Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Handel - Pastoral Symphony, from Messiah
Handel - Hallelujah Chorus, from Messiah
There was also some interesting facts about a lot of these songs in the program. For instance, did you know that O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by a rector at the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia? Here are some more tidbits: http://www.philorch.org/pdfs/prognotes/0809_web21.pdf
It was an AMAZING show and an amazing night. Afterwards, we enjoyed a couple drinks at the Four Seasons.
22 December 2008
04 December 2008
The Auto Bailout
I do not want this to be another diatribe into why I believe the "Big 3" should fail. Suffice to say that at some point, leaders need to be held accountable for their failures, just as much as they should be rewarded for their successes. In this case, I believe it was lack of strength to stand up to the UAW for years and years that put the auto industry where it is today.
Now, people like this:
...are trying to save the Big 3 by giving (yes, giving - call it what you want, but if this succeeds, they'll just be handed billions) them a huge sum of money. The biggest proponents of this are, no surprise, the senators and congressmen from Michigan. Do a quick Google search to see how much the UAW and auto industry have paid Senator Levin, for example, via lobbying. It will make you sick to your stomach.
So, politicians like him, and Pelosi, and Reid; are all in favor of bailing out the auto industry.
I hope that they fail, the Big 3, and with any luck - this will be the beginning of the end for a unionized labor force across America. Unions breed inefficiency, laziness, and an attitude of, "...you can't touch me, I'm Union..."
I know. I live and work with them everyday.
But, back to the politicians. I think this is an appropriate time for a little more Carlin.
His thoughts on politicians... Kind of scary when you really think about this...
[Warning: some harsh language follows...]
"Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. Fuck Hope.'"
28 November 2008
Thanksgiving 2008
There is something liberating about smoking an Ashton and having a dram of Bruichladdich.
It also make this stupid blogger formatting wizard somewhat less frustrating. Such are the benefits of good cigars and great whisky.
Anyway, on to the point of this post!
Tanya invited me to her relatives' house for Thanksgiving this year. She warned me that they are crazy people and I should be prepared to be surprised and possibly shocked at dinner. Luckily, I've experienced 32 years of Craig (and our associated extensions) family dinners, so I'm pretty sure that nothing would surprise me.
However.
Tanya's family IS crazy! But, they're incredible as well. Very genuine and very funny. I had an absolute blast at dinner.
We showed up and the wine had already been flowing. Quite a bit of it! The best part was that is was homemade. The origins are somewhat shady, but after talking to Jim...I found out that it was made somewhere in South Philly. Not exactly wine country or the Napa Valley, but it was good. Granted, it was twice as strong as regular wine, but tasted great. There was also some homemade lemoncello that Tanya's Uncle's (Anthony) Mother made. Linda was her name. Not only did she make the lemoncello, but she made cookies, cranberries and cranberry mold (both from fresh cranberries by the way!) that were to die for. Tanya has already professed that she would like to be that woman someday. Hey, I would like to be that woman someday. If I could prepare food like this...I'd consider it!
The entire dinner was absolutely amazing. I tried a small amount of everything. I took what I would normally consider about half a portion of each dish and I still had literally mound of food on my plate. By the end of the dinner, I wished I had worn sweat pants instead of slacks. I needed the extra room!
I was the DD, so I could only sample the aforementioned drinks, but Tanya had no such inhibitions. Let's just say she'll fit right in with the Craig's at any family function;)
We actually forgot that we brought the camera until well into the meal. We managed one quick shot of the table, put the camera down, and it didn't surface again for several hours. Tanya decided to take a lot of candid shots of her family, which came out great. Unfortunately, we didn't get any shots of the two of us, but we'll solve that at the next family outing.
This was a great Thanksgiving! Her family is awesome. Can't wait to introduce her to ours!
Here are the pics:
Tanya's cousin, Phil, helping prepare the table. On the right is the aftermath of the first round of eating. We are all trying to mentally prepare for dessert.
The Matriarch. This is her Uncle Anthony's mother, Linda (on the right).
The two primary cooks. On the left is Tanya's Aunt Gabriella. Her Aunt Lee is on the right.
Tanya and her Uncle Anthony. And then again after a couple lemoncellos....
Yes, she was blowing kisses. On the right is her other Uncle, Chris.
Though not alcohol induced, I was getting pretty tired. That's what eating your bodyweight in awesome food will do to you!
What a great Thanksgiving! I can't wait until the next one - probably Christmas.
Great times with great people! Thanks Tanya!
It also make this stupid blogger formatting wizard somewhat less frustrating. Such are the benefits of good cigars and great whisky.
Anyway, on to the point of this post!
Tanya invited me to her relatives' house for Thanksgiving this year. She warned me that they are crazy people and I should be prepared to be surprised and possibly shocked at dinner. Luckily, I've experienced 32 years of Craig (and our associated extensions) family dinners, so I'm pretty sure that nothing would surprise me.
However.
Tanya's family IS crazy! But, they're incredible as well. Very genuine and very funny. I had an absolute blast at dinner.
We showed up and the wine had already been flowing. Quite a bit of it! The best part was that is was homemade. The origins are somewhat shady, but after talking to Jim...I found out that it was made somewhere in South Philly. Not exactly wine country or the Napa Valley, but it was good. Granted, it was twice as strong as regular wine, but tasted great. There was also some homemade lemoncello that Tanya's Uncle's (Anthony) Mother made. Linda was her name. Not only did she make the lemoncello, but she made cookies, cranberries and cranberry mold (both from fresh cranberries by the way!) that were to die for. Tanya has already professed that she would like to be that woman someday. Hey, I would like to be that woman someday. If I could prepare food like this...I'd consider it!
The entire dinner was absolutely amazing. I tried a small amount of everything. I took what I would normally consider about half a portion of each dish and I still had literally mound of food on my plate. By the end of the dinner, I wished I had worn sweat pants instead of slacks. I needed the extra room!
I was the DD, so I could only sample the aforementioned drinks, but Tanya had no such inhibitions. Let's just say she'll fit right in with the Craig's at any family function;)
We actually forgot that we brought the camera until well into the meal. We managed one quick shot of the table, put the camera down, and it didn't surface again for several hours. Tanya decided to take a lot of candid shots of her family, which came out great. Unfortunately, we didn't get any shots of the two of us, but we'll solve that at the next family outing.
This was a great Thanksgiving! Her family is awesome. Can't wait to introduce her to ours!
Here are the pics:
Tanya's cousin, Phil, helping prepare the table. On the right is the aftermath of the first round of eating. We are all trying to mentally prepare for dessert.
The Matriarch. This is her Uncle Anthony's mother, Linda (on the right).
The two primary cooks. On the left is Tanya's Aunt Gabriella. Her Aunt Lee is on the right.
Tanya and her Uncle Anthony. And then again after a couple lemoncellos....
Yes, she was blowing kisses. On the right is her other Uncle, Chris.
Though not alcohol induced, I was getting pretty tired. That's what eating your bodyweight in awesome food will do to you!
What a great Thanksgiving! I can't wait until the next one - probably Christmas.
Great times with great people! Thanks Tanya!
Renegade
Sometimes this cat does some funny stuff. Weird, but funny.
I wouldn't have thought the bathroom sink was comfortable, but apparently he did.
Hey - at least I didn't find him curled up in the toilet!
This picture was actually a while ago. Now, most cats could do this no problem. You know, most cats are good jumpers, graceful, good balance, etc. Not Renegade. He has all the grace of a drunk offensive lineman on ice-skates. How he managed to balance on the back of this chair I'll never know....
Formatting...
By the by...I hate the way this blogger formats what I'm typing in here. So, in the post below, when I say "bottom", "top" it's probably displayed on the left or right. I think you'll figure it out. You're all smart people.
This thing's "preview" function doesn't preview what you're seeing here, so it's anyone's best guess as to how these show up....
This thing's "preview" function doesn't preview what you're seeing here, so it's anyone's best guess as to how these show up....
I'm Way Behind! I'll start with the Dog Show, then move on...
Last Saturday, Tanya, her friend Taylor, Taylor's daughters, and two of Tanya's cousins and I went to the National Dog Show, in Reading, PA. The Philadelphia Kennel Club usually has these in downtown Philly, but this year they opted for Reading.
These are two of Tanya's cousins. Diana is on the left and Ava is on the right. They are with a Black Russian Terrier. They are getting one of these in about a week, so we snapped a picture of them with their future dog (well, the same breed anyway). They're great dogs, very nice, but very big!
This was another funny one. The picture on the top is a close up of what you see on the bottom. It's a giant poodle, and if you're having trouble understanding what you're looking at (I know I did...and I was standing two feet from this thing) - imagine that the dog is sitting like the Sphinx and facing the groomer. The little puffs you see on the top are on its hips. The gray is the dog's skin. After talking to some of the poodle owners, apparently these puffs are functional. They keep the dogs' joints warm while it's hunting, but clip the rest of the fur to keep it from catching on stuff. Whatever.
A big Schnauzer! And Ava with her favorite of the show - some kind of Sheep Dog. I forgot the name, but this particular dog's name was Toby. Somehow...that just fits.
Finally, this guy on the top didn't look too happy to be there. Beautiful dog though. And on the bottom - Tanya's favorite. Basically, these dogs are one walking wrinkle...
That was the show! If you ever have a chance to go to a dog show, I highly recommend going. It's cheap entertainment and if you're an animal lover, you can't go wrong!
In any case, it was a blast! We didn't even go into the big ring for the judging because, well, who cares. The fun part was walking around outside the big ring and looking at all of the varieties of dogs. It was very interesting. We saw dogs that you would normally only read about or....see at a dog show!
One of the things Tanya noticed was that the dogs were so well behaved inside the ring when they're being judged, but when you get them outside the ring, they turn into lovable, fun pets like any other dog you've ever met. The vast majority of the owners and handlers were very nice and more than happy to talk about the dogs and let us pet them.
I also think I've decided on my future dog. I didn't get a picture at the show, but I found this one online:
It's a Rhodesian Ridgeback! They're supposed to be a handful, but they're great for runners. These dogs were originally bred for lion hunts in Africa! Very cool dogs. I met one at the dog show and they're very beautiful. That ridge on their back is actually just hair that grows in the opposite direction. Strange, but kind of cool!
So, on to the show. Here are some pics and a little bit of commentary!
Here is a pug (funny little dogs), and some kind of terrier.
I thought this was hysterical! The poodles (even the mini ones) are trained to sit like this when they rest so that they don't mess up their groomers' efforts. This guy looked like he'd had quite enough. If he was a Craig dog.....he'd be thinking it's high time for a drink!
I thought this was hysterical! The poodles (even the mini ones) are trained to sit like this when they rest so that they don't mess up their groomers' efforts. This guy looked like he'd had quite enough. If he was a Craig dog.....he'd be thinking it's high time for a drink!
These are two of Tanya's cousins. Diana is on the left and Ava is on the right. They are with a Black Russian Terrier. They are getting one of these in about a week, so we snapped a picture of them with their future dog (well, the same breed anyway). They're great dogs, very nice, but very big!
This was another funny one. The picture on the top is a close up of what you see on the bottom. It's a giant poodle, and if you're having trouble understanding what you're looking at (I know I did...and I was standing two feet from this thing) - imagine that the dog is sitting like the Sphinx and facing the groomer. The little puffs you see on the top are on its hips. The gray is the dog's skin. After talking to some of the poodle owners, apparently these puffs are functional. They keep the dogs' joints warm while it's hunting, but clip the rest of the fur to keep it from catching on stuff. Whatever.
This little Bijon was funny. Then, there's the dog below. Ava nicknamed him "George Washington." This is a male dog by the way. I'm guessing they don't let this dog play with the Rottweilers and Pinschers, lest it's ego be irretrievably shaken...
A big Schnauzer! And Ava with her favorite of the show - some kind of Sheep Dog. I forgot the name, but this particular dog's name was Toby. Somehow...that just fits.
The Irish Wolfhound. Very cool dog, and HUGE. And of course, a Bulldog. Love these guys. He didn't look too happy to be in this cage though!
Finally, this guy on the top didn't look too happy to be there. Beautiful dog though. And on the bottom - Tanya's favorite. Basically, these dogs are one walking wrinkle...
That was the show! If you ever have a chance to go to a dog show, I highly recommend going. It's cheap entertainment and if you're an animal lover, you can't go wrong!
19 November 2008
Okay, Hol. I'll try it!
I don't usually do these things, but Hol did one. I figured, what the hell...
Your hair color? Brownish
Your mother? Funny
Your father? Professional
Your favorite thing? Triathlon
Your dream last night? ?
Your dream goal? Family
The room you're in? Office
Your hobby? Guitar
Your fear? Spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years? NSC
Where were you last night? Home
What you're not? Naive
Wish-list item? MONEY!
Grew up? Uninhibited
Last thing you did? Typed (ah, ah, ah...)
You're wearing? Nomex
Your TV? Movie
Your computer? Work
Can't live without? Family
Your mood? Apathetic
Missing someone? Yep
Your car? Useful
You're not wearing? Suit
Favorite shop? Williams-Sonoma
Your summer? Racing
Love someone? Yes
Love/Hate Relationship? Swimming
Current addiction? TopChef
Your favorite colour? Red
Last time you laughed? Yesterday
Last time you cried? Dunno
So that's my list!
Your hair color? Brownish
Your mother? Funny
Your father? Professional
Your favorite thing? Triathlon
Your dream last night? ?
Your dream goal? Family
The room you're in? Office
Your hobby? Guitar
Your fear? Spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years? NSC
Where were you last night? Home
What you're not? Naive
Wish-list item? MONEY!
Grew up? Uninhibited
Last thing you did? Typed (ah, ah, ah...)
You're wearing? Nomex
Your TV? Movie
Your computer? Work
Can't live without? Family
Your mood? Apathetic
Missing someone? Yep
Your car? Useful
You're not wearing? Suit
Favorite shop? Williams-Sonoma
Your summer? Racing
Love someone? Yes
Love/Hate Relationship? Swimming
Current addiction? TopChef
Your favorite colour? Red
Last time you laughed? Yesterday
Last time you cried? Dunno
So that's my list!
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