We're like living in the 90s, or something

It's been a slow month for blogging. I apologize for that. I've probably had some increased readership after our Christmas letter pointed its recipients to this site, but I'm not taking advantage of it like I should. Things have been hectic at work and at home. The fast pace of life unfortunately leaves little time to reflect on it. Etc.

We went to an Ani DiFranco concert on Saturday night in Philly. She's not an artist that I particularly connect with, but she put on a good show at The Electric Factory nevertheless. This is the third concert we've seen at that venue, and each one has been a great experience. The sound quality is excellent and we always manage to get up close and personal with the performance. It's the kind of venue that puts stadiums to shame.

Ani is probably to my wife what The Smashing Pumpkins are to me: one of those bands/artists that you listen to as a teenager that captures feelings and emotions from the time and sticks with you throughout life. If I ever want to revisit those memories -- good and bad -- through the music's close association, all I need to do it take a listen and it all comes flooding back. It's not something I want to do very often, but when it happens it can be a powerful, inspiring experience. I've been listening the Pumpkins again lately, as a matter of fact. I've been sticking to their newer stuff and their more obscure stuff because putting the big albums in (i.e. Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie, Adore) takes too much of my attention and is, frankly, too overwhelming to listen to very often. When I get around to writing my screenplay, I will play these preserved, aural memories back and I'm sure I will find plenty of material from my past to harvest. That's not something I want to take on while I'm configuring insurance software during the day at work.

Ani, Pumpkins, My So-Called Life, Twin Peaks -- R and I are definitely going through a 90s phase right now. Maybe we like remembering a time that was a little less hectic, a little less complicated... when the world seemed fresh and ready for us to conquer. But, really, did that time ever exist? Why do I have a feeling that 10 years from now I'll be looking back at the 00s with the same bittersweet fondness and wonder what I did with all of my free time?

On Sunday we attended a chili cook-off in New Hope, PA with the group pictured above. It was all the chili you could eat from 10 different participants and all the beer you could drink from Triumph Brewery, and let me tell you I ate and drank all that I could. Can you believe I did not get the hiccups? It's true.

Last night we attended our first book club meeting. I'd like to start out by saying that I love the idea of this book club. Finding a group of people that enjoy reading and discussing books has been a goal of mine. That said, I didn't even attempt to read the book for this month. There was no way I was going to get through 560 pages in 20 days or whatever I had. R was able to finish, however. They read a book called Freddy and Fredericka. I still attended the discussion (although I had to bring an extra bottle of wine for not finishing the book), and threw in an occasional comparison to television shows and movies (my expertise). I'm going to try to my hardest to read the February book, which is The Kite Runner. Our upcoming plane rides to and from New Zealand should provide me with the necessary time to read it.

The premiere of the fourth season of Lost is on this Thursday, and I have to miss it! I'm going to a celebration dinner for work, and the chances of me being home by 9:00 are very slim. After waiting this long, I guess I can make it one more day to see how last season's cliffhanger is resolved (or how it is continued, as the case will likely be).

Have you seen the new "street view" option that has been added to Google Maps? It's rather stunning. Now you can walk through a city without leaving your house. And this, I'm sure, is just the beginning. 90s, eat your heart out.