Ed & Julie’s Blog!

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Post season softball wrap-up

Jul 28

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Well, it was an anticlimactic end to my regular softball season.

Every year, I swear I won’t play, but every year I do. This season was no different…with the exception that we actually won a few games!

Last night was the final game of the regular season. We needed to win to go into the play-offs. When game time rolled around, only 6 players on my team showed up, so we had a big forfeit…eliminating us from the play-offs. What the hell??! Nothing like leaving your team high-and-dry.

So, after it was all said and done, we ended the season with 6 wins and 6 losses for an even .500 season. Not great, but better than our team normally finishes (and we very well could have made it into the play-offs if we had fielded a team).

Will I play next year? Who knows? My wife has standing orders to kick me in the nuts if I say I’m gonna play, but I have a feeling that if I’m asked, I will say ‘yes’. Guess I have to keep my athletic cup close when Julie reads this.

I do have a week without softball then the last tournament of the season is here…maybe my team can end on a high note (if they actually show up). We will see…

Aerosmith and Sammy Hagar 7-23-10

Jul 24

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Last week on Friday, I got a voicemail from a DJ from my local radio station (Thunder 10.7) that went something like this:

“Hey Ed, this is Lisa Kelly from Thunder 100.7 with some fantastic news; you won two tickets to see Aerosmith and Sammy Hagar in Oakland next Friday. Come by the station to get your tickets”.

Monday morning, I drove over and picked the tickets…nice! The were for the upper level, but you can complain for free tickets!

Yesterday, Julie and I left for Oakland after some appointments (thanks again Mom for watching the animals and house!).  We drove a few hours to Fairfield and got a motel room at the same place we stayed at when we saw Iron Maiden 3 weeks ago. It’s about 30 minutes out of the Bay Area and less than 3 hours from home, so it’s a good place to stay.

From there, we drove into Oakland for dinner before the concert. I have bad memories of Oakland from the last concert I saw there in 1986 (Iron maiden with my friend Dean…we got lost in the ghetto looking for the arena) and today was a full repeat. Julie and I tried to find a Chinese place to eat and the GPS took us into the crackhead, grafitti, ghetto-ist  part of town. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough, and we ended up finding a Denny’s just down the street from the arena.

After dinner we went to the arena and got a parking spot. Unlike other concerts, there was little tom-foolery in the parking lot. We had an hour to kill before the doors opened so we people watched on the tailgate. Everyone form 12 year old kids to 50+ year old groupies were waiting for the doors to open. I did notice that there wasn’t a big line. In fact, the parking lot was mostly empty.

Once inside, we got Julie a tour shirt and found our seats. We was on the 2nd deck, but still had a pretty good view of the stage.The arena was only three-quarters full when Sammy Hagar hit the stage (on time) at 7:30pm.

I won’t apologize to say I am a bigger Sammy Hagar fan than an Aerosmith fan I have like Sammy since I was 12 years old. He hit the stage and frickin’ owned it! He played a ton of hits spanning his entire career, from Montrose (Rock Candy), Solo (I can’t drive 55), Van Halen (Why Can’t This Be Love?) Wabos (Mas Tequila), and even brought out Joe Satraini for a Chickenfoot song. He put on a hell of a show!!

Aerosmith took about 30 minutes to prep their stage and rolled out just after 9pm. They also played songs covering their entire career: Sweet Emotion, Janie’s Got a Gun,Pink, Walk This Way, Ragdoll, Love in an Elevator Toys  in the Attic etc, etc, etc). It was a hit fest! Steven Tyler impressed me so much. I have seen a lot of concerts, and I have to say Steven Tyler is the 1st true rock star I have seen. He sang, danced, played harmonica, and put on a hellova show! It was a long set (they a so many hits to play!), I didn’t think it was ever going to end. It was pushing 11:30pm before we left the arena and got back to the truck.

The only negatived for the entire night was sometimes the music got super bass heavy to the point that the band was mudded. I don’t know if it was the arena or the sound guy, but occasionally the bassists (mostly Aerosmith, but Hagars bassist also) would just overpower the rest of the band.

One thing that happened that has never happened before was we got in my truck, made a right turn, then a left turn out of the lot and was on the freeway in literally 4-5 minutes. Usually getting out of the parking lot at a concert takes an hour.

Driving back to the motel that late was rough. It took about 40 minutes with late night Bay Area traffic and a toll bridge slow down. Once we got out of the bay, it only too 20-30 minutes to get back to Fairfield to the motel.

The next morning, we got up, and a quick bite at the motel and drove back to the bay area ad spend the morning at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. We shopped around a bit and ate lunch at Hooters (I hate to say it, but I think I am over Hooters…they eye candy doesn’t make up for the crappy, expensive food). We finally rolled into our driveway just before 4pm. Loooooong couple of days, but totally worth it. 2 fantastic shows that blew me away!

Next up is Megadeth, Slayer, and Testament on September 1st…that is gonna rock my face off for sure!!

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Masquerade At The Moulin Rouge

Jun 27

Posted by Ed Nelson in Chico Cabaret, Date Nights | No Comments

Hurray for date night!

Last night, Julie and I went to Chico to see the show “Masquerade at the Moulin Rouge” at the Chico Cabaret. We met Julie’s cousin Ashley and her boyfriend Michael at Panama’s for drinks, then all four of us went over to the Cabaret.

We have been looking forward to this show for a while since it looked like a fun production, and it was highly recommended by a few people. The lights dimmed, and we was not disappointed. What a blast! Flashy, sexy costumes, crazy-fun song and dance numbers, and it was all accompanied by a house band (many of the productions are). Did I mention the sexy costumes?? You can tell the actors were having a ball and put everything they had into the show.

Ash and Michael had never been to the Chico Cabaret, and had a great time. Pretty much everyone we have taken with us have told us they have fallen in love with the shows. Ash said she absolutely wants to come back for the next shows with us. Great stuff!!

Today was a bit rough…I stayed up way to late, and drank just a bit too much, but it was worth it!

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Iron Maiden 6-20-10

Jun 21

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

A couple of months ago, I won tickets to see Iron Maiden (with opening act Dream Theater) in Concord, Ca. Iron Maiden was the 1st real heavy metal concert I saw back in 1986 with my friend Dean. Back then, we drove to Oakland and was blown away…it spoiled me to all other concerts. No concert had lived up to that Maiden show (and i have seen a lot of concerts).

Needless to say, I was excited to see them. A few days ago, I found the set list and found out that they were playing 95% new stuff and almost no classics. That out a damper on my excitement, since musically, I am stuck between 1982 and 1994 and am a giant fan of there older stuff.

The morning of the concert, Julie and I drove the 2 hours to the Bay Area and got a room in Fairfield (my Mom was house/pet sitting for us). We stopped in Vacaville at the Outlet stores and Julie picked up a Coach wallet (Happy Father’s Day to her).  We hung out and got dinner, when drove the 45 minutes to the outdoor amphitheater. One thing that hasn’t changed at Iron Maiden concerts was the loooong line of cars waiting to get into the venue. The last mile easily took us 30 minutes.

We had lawn seats (that means waaaay in the back…hey, they were free) and got in about 20 minutes before the  opening band, Dream Theater, hit the stage. Dream Theater was good. I’m got a fan, and know only 1 song. They played well for an hour and was well-received by the crowd.

Iron maiden hit the stage and was awesome (from what I could see from my space shuttle-distant view). Yes, most of the set was new stuff that I had never heard, and honestly, ain’t a fan of. The did play some classic songs at he end of the set, and judging by the crowd reaction, the classics (Iron maiden, Number of the beast, Run to the Hills) were more loved than the new songs too. It was a two and a half hour set.

After the concert, we finally got out of the venue after waiting nearly as long as we did to get in. It was smooth sailing until we got to the I-680 toll bridge, then hit another 20-minute traffic jam of concert fans trying to get out o the Bay Area.

We got back to the motel room about midnight, and the next morning we was home just after 11am.

Here is a short, crappy clip from Number of the Beast to give you an idea of where out seats were:

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More softball stuff

Jun 3

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Tuesday afternoon, I got a call from my softball team’s Manager, asking me to pitch the game that night (the late 9:30pm game…ewww), something I haven’t done before. I said yes, since it was his anniversary, and felt good about saying yes  until I started talking to some co-workers and teammates. “You are crazy for pitching” and “I would never stand out there like a big target” were comments that kept coming up. What did I agree to??

The night of the game, I was really nervous. My team is actually playing well this season, and I was worried I would blow the game single-handedly from the mound.

I got though the 1st inning, and didn’t walk or hit anyone, and started to breathe easier. We played really well defensively, which helped me out, and we was hitting the ball like a pro team. I went 5 for 5, and didn’t walk a single player from the other team. My team gave me the game ball for pitching so well. Pitching was fun, but my wrist, arm and shoulder are sooooo sore. Different muscles tan I usually use in my regular spot on 1st base.

We are in a 3-way tie for 1st place in my league, which is a first for us. Now I remember why I like to play ball…it’s actually fun when you win :)

Hannya Mask, part two

May 8

Posted by Ed Nelson in tattoo | No Comments

I mentioned in a previous post about a tattoo of a Hannya mask I got on my chest (Triangle Tattoo in Fort Bragg, Ca.).

It didn’t heal well (to put it mildly), and I lost a lot of color when it broke open in places.

Today, I went to Kip at Victory Tattoo in Chico, California and he finished it. He fixed the non-color areas and completed the coloring. Thanks Kip!!

Yeah, it’s a big, scary tattoo…pure intimidation! It’s my Don’t-F***-With-Me tattoo!

Next up? A different style Noh mask on the left side. There are dozens to choose from…plus I need time to psych myself  for another round of ink.

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Hannya Mask Tattoos – The most well-known of the Oni demon masks in Japanese theatre, the Hannya mask has two sharp horns protruding from the temples, and bulging eyes staring from beneath a glowering forehead. The mouth is a gaping hole with grotesquely exaggerated canine teeth protruding from the mouth like the fangs of a wild animal. With its range of fierce emotions and expressions, the Hannya mask is a favourite tattoo image with enthusiasts of traditional Japanese tattooing.

The Hannya mask first appeared in the Japanese Noh and Bunraku plays around the 14th century, when theatrical masks – carved of wood — were used to depict the character’s state of mind or temperament. The Hannya mask represents a woman who has been betrayed by love and is filled with rage, jealousy and hatred. She has become a demon. In fact, she bears little resemblance to a woman at all. In the 14th century, all women characters were played by men and the masks were a favored prop.

One legend of the Hannya tells of a beautiful woman who falls in love with a priest. Some folk tales say she was rejected outright, while others have the priest returning her love, yet he was forbidden by his vows to touch her. Her longing and desperation, the tragedy and pain of her unrequited love turns her into a monster consumed with rage, jealousy, anger and revenge.

The social rank of the demon-woman is indicated by the colours of the mask. The lighter tones identify her as a member of the aristocracy, while a red lower half places her in the lower classes, and a completely red visage declares her a true demon. The darker the tones of the complexion, the more violent the portrayal of the emotions of the character who wears the mask.

Although the woman depicted by the Hannya Mask is a woman so hideously jealous that she has become a monster, the suffering and passion of this ‘victim of unrequited love’ is revealed in the details of the mask decoration, especially around the eyes. An artful tattooist will pay attention to this human aspect of the demon-woman.

In Japan, the Hannya mask is a popular good luck motif, and, like other terrifying icons, is believed to ward off evil spirits from the home.

(description from http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_hannya_mask.htm)

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Weird lip poses (aka: Duck Face)

Apr 19

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Okay, I’m gonna let you in on a pet peeve of mine…it’s girls who hold their mouths funny when posing for their Facebook or MySpace profiles.

Do they think it’s sexy to hold your mouth in a fish-lips or sideways pout? Who knows? I think it’s just weird.

Thank you to my friend’s daughter and her goofy facebook friends for providing the goofy photos

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Play Ball!

Apr 5

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

My police department has two softball teams…one is better and more competitive, the second more laid back and fun.

I have played on the second team for several years, and every year I swear that it’s my last. Every year I keep coming back, full of optimism. We lose…a lot. Losing sucks (several of the players lack fundamental ball skills), the the late games in the summer heat can really wear on ya. I made my wife Julie promise to kick me in the nuts if I signed up again this year.  Unfortunately, all it took was “wanna play ball?” from the manager, and I was on the roster again. I was afraid to tell Julie…she would love to keep her promise.

I have solved all the troubles this season, though. I bought a new bat and it’s broke in and ready to play. I’m adopting a new “let it go” attitude on losing. If we lose (and I fear we will), I will now dwell on it (much). Let it go….Yeah, we suck, but at least I’m living. Play ball!

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Vancouver Washington, or bust!

Feb 17

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Last weekend was a 4-day weekend for me, and Julie and I decided last minute to drive up to Vancouver Washington to visit her Sister and family.

We had a plan…

1) Visit the In-Laws

2) Visit some tourist traps on the trip to break up the drive

3) Visit 2 places in Portland Oregon featured on Man Vs. Food on TV

We left early in the morning and tried to enjoy the 10+ hour drive. I have an application on my iPhone that tells me where all the fun tourist traps are, so we stopped a couple of times and took our photos. I love these goofy tourist spots!

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/10926

  • Yreka, California – Metal Dragon

    • Just north of Yreka on the east side of I-5 (by the northbound lanes when you are starting your ascent of the Siskiyous) stands a large metal dragon. The dragon is about as far north of Yreka as the large metal cow is south. Fearsome looking creature!

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/search/tip

Once in Vancouver, the family all went to Portland to visit Voodoo Donuts. Voodoo Donuts is a wacky place with voodoo doll-shaped donuts, x-rated donuts, and every wacky, weird flavor you can think of (like a maple bar with bacon on top).

Check out a video clip from “man vs Food”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnVK3fdPkuo

That night, we went to Salvador Molly’s, a place we saw on TV that had a “Great Balls of Fire” challenge. Of you can eat 5 super-hot habanero fritters and salsa, you get your picture taken and posted to their “Wall of Flame”. This weekend was special because of valentine’s day…the “Love Stinks and Burns” promo was going on, so in addition to being hot, garlic and Blue cheese was cooking in the fritters to stink them up in addition to being massively hot.

1st fritter with salsa: no problem

2nd fritter: Piece of cake

3rd one: Getting hot

4th ball of fire: Crap…my mouth is on fire!

5th one: AHHHHH HOTHOTHOTHOT!!!

I ate all 5 of the habanero fritters and salsa, so the waitress took my photo and printed it out for me to sign. It’s on the wall with all the other fools who did the challenge too :)

Check out a video from the TV clip “Man vs Food:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA1nAwwwAHE

I found out that I also have relatives in the Portland area (apparently close to Salvador Molly’s, I found out later), but just couldn’t fit everything into this short trip….next time for sure! Heck, I might even do the challenge again :P

The next day was time to leave (I think my mouth had finally stopped burning by that point) and we left at 5am to beat the Portland commute traffic that we got stuck in driving up. We made it out of the area with no problems and stopped at some more tourist traps:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1054

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2194

It was a fun trip, but we fit so much into a short time that it’s gonna take a week to recover.

Worth it!!

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iPhones rock!

Jan 29

Posted by Ed Nelson in Misc stuff | No Comments

Julie and I splurged, and upgraded our phones from smartphones (Blackjack IIs) to iPhones…all I can say is “WOW!”

Our phone contracts were within a month of expiring, and I had been itching for a while to get iPhones. Several coworkers have them, and I was always impressed at what they could do. The only thing holding me back was the initial cost, and the price of the calling plans, which is higher for the iPhones.

With a nice tax rebate right around the corner, we bit the bullet and got the phones. Yes, the price was a tad high ($199 plus tax, plus upgrade feels, plus accessories, etc), but the plans turned out to only be $5 more a month that I was currently paying for both phones. Now we both have unlimited texting and unlimited data plans.

Clearly, the coolest thing about iPhones are the applications (apps).  These small programs can be purchased (from free to less than $10…most are 99 cents). There are literally tens of thousands of apps to get. Here are a few that I have and REALLY like:

Facebook: Lets me get on Facebook anywhere at any time to check in with my FB friends. Send notifications right to my phone.

Flashlight: Turns your screen bright for finding the keyhole on your car door at night.

Darts: Fun little pub game for the phone.

Bejewled 2: My favorite Facebook game. I can play, and post my score to my Facebook profile.

Shazam: Hear a song and wonder who it is? Open Shazam and it will tell you the name of the song, who sings it, give you a ling to download it, read the lyrics, read the band profile, etc…The free version only lets you use it 5 times a month, so I’m upgrading soon.

Geocaching: A hobby of mine. Now I always have the info in my pocket 24/7

AppBox Lite: Contains programs such as a currency converter, calculator, countdown timer, holidays calander, tip calculator, unit converter, etc…very handy!

Koi Pond: A relaxing and super realistic Koi pond in the palm of your hand.

IMDB: The internet Movie Database has info on millions of movies. Know who starred in what movie any time you need it.

Topple: Fun little stacking game.

Blackjack: 21 for when I think I need to gamble. Cheapewr than the indian casinos.

World Tour: A game throwing paper balls into a basket. Very fun!

Yelp: resturant reviews by real people. Finds resturants around you with a click of a button.

Rotten Tomatoes: Fun MOvie reviews

Roadside: I’m a sucker for tourist traps. Click the button, and it will tell you all of the places around you. World’s Biggest Snot Ball? I’m there!

Planets: Go outside, open the program, and it will show and name the  the constillations in the sky.

Handy Level: The picture frames in my house are all straight with this bubble-leveling program

Line up free: A ‘click-3′ game. Easy and fun

Dice: Shake your phone to roll the dice. Dozens of diferent dice and games to choose from.

Sheep…free!: A game blasting a sheep into space and trying to keep him there by clicking on it when it falls.

Rope’n’ lite: A game where you swing building to building like spiderman.

DoodleJump: My favorite game at the moment. Hard to explain, fun to play.

WordPress: Lets me update this blog from my phone.

Google: More than just a mobile web search tool. Just speak what you want to search for, and it will find it. It’s amazing.

I also want to plug the Otter Box Defender protective case we keep our phones in. It’s tough and gets great reviews. I couldn’t be happier with them.

Sooooo…that’s what’s on my phone after only 4 days or so. What apps do you have that you can’t live without? Let me know!

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