I am greatly looking forward to the end of this week. Well, more specifically, the end of the workday tomorrow. After many long months of waiting, Chicago Powerfest 2008 is finally upon us. A group of friends and I will be driving out to Mokena, IL Thursday morning to indulge in a 3-night metal feast! For those of you who don’t know about Chicago Powerfest, it’s an annual multi-night concert that has featured some of the best local Chicago metal acts as well as a number of amazing national (and international) acts. The 2008 edition is no exception… 17 bands and nearly 20 hours of brain-splitting metal. In fact, this year features some of the most badass bands that I’m excited to get my very first live taste of…

Watch the Cellonator (aka Sachino Tsinadze) rip through Joe Satriani’ classic “Surfing With the Alien” on an electric cello (which, I have to say, is one crazy looking instrument). I never thought a cello could rock so hard:

So how can I justify sitting here on my computer and updating my website on such an amazingly beautiful Thursday evening? Easy. By bringing my laptop out to my patio table, throwing back a few Oberon, and enjoying my great view of pines, wildlife (numerous geese, ducks, and other birds) and the pond with bonus water-spewing fountain action. This has to be the nicest day of Spring yet… I’m so glad I got out of work early enough tonight to take some time to enjoy it.

I have to say that my apartment features one of the best views in this entire complex. I’m fortunate to not have to stare at the side of another building, or more specifically, directly into the opposite apartment (as I know I couldn’t help myself from doing). Look out through my slider and what do I see, you ask? Water, grass, trees, and an abundance of pine needles. Yes, once and a while my peaceful little scene is broken by a passing car on the far road or someone walking their dog / riding their bike past my building, but overall I’m very happy with the aesthetics of my apartment’s surroundings.

I’m so glad Spring is finally here. I feel like I’ve been waiting years for it to get warm enough out to open up the sunroof, roll down the windows and enjoy a nice cruise in my new car as the warm wind whips by my extended elbow. I’m in a good mood tonight… the simple fact that I can smell someone grilling nearby probably helps improve my prospective quite a bit.

Ah, Spring…

While surfing the YouTubes, I stumbled across a video that I felt I just had to share (with the 2 people that come to my site). It’s a video of Jake Shimabukuro performing an amazing live cover of George Harrison’s classic tune, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”… on the ukulele. A great listen and amazing to watch. I highly recommend you take a look.

Tonight, after a much-anticipated and overly-delayed return, I was excited and overjoyed to finally watch what I can easily say was once of the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of television I’ve seen in a long, long time. I’m of course talking about The Office. Few things can make me squirm in my seat, laugh out loud to myself, and feel an overwhelming sense of embarrassment at the situations that unfold before me quite like Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin crew.

Honestly, not many shows can have the effect on people that this one is somehow able to deliver episode to episode. As we held our weekly Office-watching sessions, it wasn’t a rare sight to see my friends hiding their faces behind their hands or shirts as Michael Scott (perfectly portrayed by Steve Carell) made a complete and utter fool of himself to his paper-pushing minions.

Oh Comcast, you rascals, you. I know times are tough, what with the huge amounts of dough you’re raking in from the thousands upon thousands of unlucky souls you fiscally rape every month for cable and Internet service such as myself, but come on… cut me a little slack here. At least get out the Vaseline before you try to forcibly penetrate my wallet.

My lease was up at the end of December this past year, so I decided to move to a new apartment. It was a nice, cozy place and I was looking forward to having someplace new to call home. I wanted to make sure that my new place was all set and I’d have everything I needed once I moved in on the weekend of the 1st. I called the electric company and got my service scheduled for the change of address. I went to the post office and had my address changed. I even went through all of my online accounts and updated the mailing addresses. But silly, silly me… I thought bringing my Comcast equipment from my old place to my new place was going to be as easy a process as all of those upbeat, happy people on the Comcast commercials make it out to be. WRONG.