The Road Less Traveled

Route 3 was its typical cluster fv¢# today, so instead of driving up onto it for my commute home, I bypassed it and went via Route 62 West instead. What a great drive! It was rainy and grey, but I had my window down with the amazing WZBC playing (among other things, songs by My Bloody Valentine and Thievery Corporation), and there was NO traffic all the way to Route 2 West. And by the time I got onto that familar highway, there was no traffic to speak of there either. The rush hour drive home was fantastic.

I foodshopped when I got to my neighborhood, and I also grabbed a half gallon growler of Opa-Opa IPA and a four-pack of a new (to me) beer called Double-Wide IPA from the Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO. Dinner was four fried chicken wings that Ma dropped off on Sunday, with corn bread and a glass of birch beer soda. Add all that to a decent work day, and this rainy Tuesday wasn't half bad...

The Avengers Film

I finally went to see "The Avengers" tonight on a whim, on the way back from work.

• Pros: It had great action, lots of humor, amazing fight scenes, and good pacing.
• Cons: The Chitauri (the alien race who invaded) were soulless, and did not provide a foe that could truly be hated or despised for their motivation. It was basically a mindless invasion (like a swarm of insects) that had to be endured.

Overall I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I am sure the sequel with Thanos (fantastic scene at the very end!) as 'The Big Bad' will be even better.

The Cranberries @ HoB

I worked 9 - 4 today (Friday, May 11th), and left soon after for Alewife. erik was running late, so I hopped the Red Line solo to Harvard Square, and was the first to arrive at John Harvard's for a pre-concert dinner with Jay & Erik.

I waited at the bar and had a Houblon IPA, which was probably even better than my cold-affected senses could determine properly. Jay arrived a few minutes later, and Erik wandered in around an hour later. We got a table, I had a different pale ale from their taps, and then I ordered a round of Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka shots for us, to annoint the evening's Cranberries concert later on. I had fried calamari for an appetizer and then the fish & chips for my dinner. Jay got another round of shots at one point, and we left full, and ready to listen to one of the greatest bands on Earth.

After uneventful trips down the Red and Green Lines, and a short walk past Fenway Park, we decided to get one last beer before the show at The Lansdowne Pub. I had a Harpoon IPA, we watched a bit of the Red Sox game, and then we headed over to The House of Blues to see The Cranberries.

Long story short: the show was amazing. The band threw "Linger" in right away (instead of saving it for the end). And the power block of "Schizophrenic Playboy", "Zombie" and "Salvation" was driving, hard and intense in the best way possible! What an amazing show...

Howth's About Music

I just got the Kickstarter package from a band whose project I supported.

Howth has a fantastic 'beyond folk' sound that just couldn't be passed up when I was scanning through the various music projects. So I gladly plunked down my twenty-five bucks for their latest release, "Newkirk", plus a limited-edition t-shirt and a hand-written thank-you note. The music is amazing (it will most definitely be a big part of this summer's soundtrack), the note is cool, and the t-shirt is a great bonus. Supporting local music (whether it is local to me or not) is always a good idea...