Friday, July 13, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Images from St. Croix, USVI
These are some images of my last trip to the US Virgin Island of St. Croix, the largest of the three belonging to the US. It is the midpoint developmentally, between St. Thomas, the 2nd largest and most developped and St. John, the smallest and almost completely undevelopped. I've fallen in love with St. Croix and have visited it twice within a year. My first visit was back in October of 2006, while my second, which these pics are from was back in March-April 2007. I had the luxury of staying with my brother who is working out there temporarily at the oil refinery on the island. I hope to go again and continue to visit this lovely gem, because it is the closest thing to paradise that I can afford to visit and enjoy for as long as I did.
Davis Bay. This is the scene on the way to Carambola, a contemporary resort that is the cream of the crop on the island. It goes head to head with The Buccaneer, a more classic take on the resort lifestyle. I prefer the Buccaneer, personally, but I guess the scenery is the focus here.
My favorite spot in the entire world is right where I am sitting in this picture. It is on the boardwalk in Christiansted. Christiansted is a gorgeous place to spend the day shopping and dining. It is also the main place where most boat rides start, and most of the life on St. Croix takes place. In the distance behind me is the Hotel on the Cay. You obviously have to take a boat to get to the hotel, and the beach is small, yet gorgeous. I went snorkeling there, and found it to be the best snorkeling experience, though there's not much for the true snorkeler looking for more exotic stuff than just schools of fish, or the occassional starfish. I just enjoyed swimming and being close to my favorite place, Christiansted.
This picture was taken at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade is a very big deal for the island, as it attracts a slew of tourists, particularly young spring breakers. It was fun, but a little too juvenile for my taste. The donkey was cute, so a picture was imperative.
This is again in Christiansted. I am on the phone with my sister, whom I joined during my first trip to the island. The second time it was just me and my mother.
This is my mother following a lovely Sunday breakfast at the Buccaneer. The scenery is beautiful, and the water is even more gorgeous upclose.
This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. It was taken at Divi Carina Bay, the only resort on the island, I believe with a casino. Obviously I'm snorkeling. The water wasn't too inviting, as it had a lot of drifting sea weeds and stuff and very little to see. However, with the convenience of a pier into the water, it was great to take pictures like this one.
There are a lot more pics... hundreds and hundreds from this trip. These are just the ones that are still on my harddrive, the rest are on a backup CD. I plan to put up all the photos, because my brother and I are working on a digital scrapbook of sorts, so there will be more pics in the future.
Davis Bay. This is the scene on the way to Carambola, a contemporary resort that is the cream of the crop on the island. It goes head to head with The Buccaneer, a more classic take on the resort lifestyle. I prefer the Buccaneer, personally, but I guess the scenery is the focus here.
My favorite spot in the entire world is right where I am sitting in this picture. It is on the boardwalk in Christiansted. Christiansted is a gorgeous place to spend the day shopping and dining. It is also the main place where most boat rides start, and most of the life on St. Croix takes place. In the distance behind me is the Hotel on the Cay. You obviously have to take a boat to get to the hotel, and the beach is small, yet gorgeous. I went snorkeling there, and found it to be the best snorkeling experience, though there's not much for the true snorkeler looking for more exotic stuff than just schools of fish, or the occassional starfish. I just enjoyed swimming and being close to my favorite place, Christiansted.
This picture was taken at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade is a very big deal for the island, as it attracts a slew of tourists, particularly young spring breakers. It was fun, but a little too juvenile for my taste. The donkey was cute, so a picture was imperative.
This is again in Christiansted. I am on the phone with my sister, whom I joined during my first trip to the island. The second time it was just me and my mother.
This is my mother following a lovely Sunday breakfast at the Buccaneer. The scenery is beautiful, and the water is even more gorgeous upclose.
This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. It was taken at Divi Carina Bay, the only resort on the island, I believe with a casino. Obviously I'm snorkeling. The water wasn't too inviting, as it had a lot of drifting sea weeds and stuff and very little to see. However, with the convenience of a pier into the water, it was great to take pictures like this one.
There are a lot more pics... hundreds and hundreds from this trip. These are just the ones that are still on my harddrive, the rest are on a backup CD. I plan to put up all the photos, because my brother and I are working on a digital scrapbook of sorts, so there will be more pics in the future.
I went to the The Police!
I wrote this a while ago, posted it elsewhere and thought it was good material for a blog about my "uneventful life"...
For about half my life I've wished and wished I could find some way to travel back in time and see Sting (aka Gordon Sumner and the Milkman's son), Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers; as The Police. Together again.
I always felt like I was gypped out of ever hearing the greatest songs and the greatest band live, because they broke up before I knew their greatness. All I had to comfort me and assure me that I've heard their genius form-- live-- was their two-disc live album... appropriately called LIVE!
Sunday, June 10, 2007, became the day I would right the wrong; the injustice.
I traveled back in time, and a gold Ford Freestyle was the time machine. We drove the time machine past the ticket scalpers and desperate fans holding up signs, and into the already almost full parking lot. An old man wearing a staff vest greeted us and we showed him our VIP parking pass.
"It's gonna be a great show... it sure was last night!" he told us.
We thanked him and found tailgaters all over the parking lot. Stepping out of the time machine, sounds of The Police permeated the downtown air.
We walked the walk of people about to see something revolutionary; past a few grills, lawn chairs and endless radio station booths.
The reunion of The Police. Sting (aka Gordon Summoner), Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. Together. Again.
When I heard the news of these musical geniuses' summer reunion tour, I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. The Police. In Denver. The Police were coming to Denver. And after much trouble and depression, I used my connections and acquired a free ticket.
The day had finally come.
People in summer attire were walking toward the same destination as us. Once inside, synchronicity colors were blinking on tiny buttons, and were being flashed in my face, for $5/each. A guy with a vendor box tied around his Police-clad torso showed us keychains and other things that would take away from my t-shirt budget. We declined and went up the escalators.
All I wanted was to get my hands on a t-shirt to prove to myself later that this wasn't just a dream; that the ticket I held in my hand was for a realistic event, and not just some replica of one past. That I hadn't died, but that I had in fact, gone to heaven, if only for a few hours.
There were so many t-shirts, and I wanted them all. I made my decision fairly quickly and it was the blue Regatta de Blanc t-shirt. When the guy behind the counter spread it out on the glass, and I felt its blue cotton and its white screen print of The Police, I knew that this was it. This t-shirt was going to be the reality check-point when this colossal experience was over. I paid the man an insane amount of money for a t-shirt and walked away, feeling like a kid with candy.
We took our seats, and they were perfect enough. I waited impatiently for what in my opinion is the greatest band since the Beatles. A small-time band called Fictionplane opened, and they were good... good enough to open for The Police, but I just wanted them to finish and start the real show.
When the lights finally came on to signify the entrance of The Police on the stage, I was on cloud nine.
Message in a Bottle was the first song, and it rocked even more than on the recorded live versions I'd heard. Synchronicity, So Lonely, Driven to Tears, Don't Stand So Close to me, I can't stand losing you, The bed's too big without you, Roxanne, Truth hits everybody, Invisible Sun (with a montage of the war in Iraq), King of Pain, Every Breath you Take, Every little thing she does... I heard all these live and very very well.
Sting looked great and sounded great. His guitar looked more worn than he was, and his lean muscled arms bulged as he played and wowed the audience. Not that I was close enough to see such details, but thanks to large screens at concert venues, it was possible.
Andy Summers was completely engrossed with his guitar and he too, rocked.
Stewart Copeland blew everybody away with his awesome drums and percussion. This man is a genius when it comes to sound. Kudos to the guy I saw with a t-shirt that read "Stewart Copeland for President".
Throughout the night, I didn't forget for a moment that this was a colossal event. The Police, reunited and together again after many years. Sting's solo voice mixed with the early days of punk rock. It was fresh, yet classic and familiar. I felt like I had traveled back in time, yet witnessed something new... to a time when music rocked, and The Police were still intact, only this time they knew what a good thing they had.
As we neared the end of the night, whenever the lights would go out and they would go offstage, I'd panic. But I would soon be comforted by it being a false alarm.
They tried to end the evening several times-- four to be exact-- but the crowd wouldn't let them. When it was actually over, the audience just stood there, amazed at what they had just witnessed; this colossal event.
The Police came to Denver. They came and they conquered the top of concert charts. This is the reunion of the century, and if it comes to your town, make sure you go if you know what's good for you-- musically.
It is the greatest show on earth.
For about half my life I've wished and wished I could find some way to travel back in time and see Sting (aka Gordon Sumner and the Milkman's son), Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers; as The Police. Together again.
I always felt like I was gypped out of ever hearing the greatest songs and the greatest band live, because they broke up before I knew their greatness. All I had to comfort me and assure me that I've heard their genius form-- live-- was their two-disc live album... appropriately called LIVE!
Sunday, June 10, 2007, became the day I would right the wrong; the injustice.
I traveled back in time, and a gold Ford Freestyle was the time machine. We drove the time machine past the ticket scalpers and desperate fans holding up signs, and into the already almost full parking lot. An old man wearing a staff vest greeted us and we showed him our VIP parking pass.
"It's gonna be a great show... it sure was last night!" he told us.
We thanked him and found tailgaters all over the parking lot. Stepping out of the time machine, sounds of The Police permeated the downtown air.
We walked the walk of people about to see something revolutionary; past a few grills, lawn chairs and endless radio station booths.
The reunion of The Police. Sting (aka Gordon Summoner), Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. Together. Again.
When I heard the news of these musical geniuses' summer reunion tour, I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. The Police. In Denver. The Police were coming to Denver. And after much trouble and depression, I used my connections and acquired a free ticket.
The day had finally come.
People in summer attire were walking toward the same destination as us. Once inside, synchronicity colors were blinking on tiny buttons, and were being flashed in my face, for $5/each. A guy with a vendor box tied around his Police-clad torso showed us keychains and other things that would take away from my t-shirt budget. We declined and went up the escalators.
All I wanted was to get my hands on a t-shirt to prove to myself later that this wasn't just a dream; that the ticket I held in my hand was for a realistic event, and not just some replica of one past. That I hadn't died, but that I had in fact, gone to heaven, if only for a few hours.
There were so many t-shirts, and I wanted them all. I made my decision fairly quickly and it was the blue Regatta de Blanc t-shirt. When the guy behind the counter spread it out on the glass, and I felt its blue cotton and its white screen print of The Police, I knew that this was it. This t-shirt was going to be the reality check-point when this colossal experience was over. I paid the man an insane amount of money for a t-shirt and walked away, feeling like a kid with candy.
We took our seats, and they were perfect enough. I waited impatiently for what in my opinion is the greatest band since the Beatles. A small-time band called Fictionplane opened, and they were good... good enough to open for The Police, but I just wanted them to finish and start the real show.
When the lights finally came on to signify the entrance of The Police on the stage, I was on cloud nine.
Message in a Bottle was the first song, and it rocked even more than on the recorded live versions I'd heard. Synchronicity, So Lonely, Driven to Tears, Don't Stand So Close to me, I can't stand losing you, The bed's too big without you, Roxanne, Truth hits everybody, Invisible Sun (with a montage of the war in Iraq), King of Pain, Every Breath you Take, Every little thing she does... I heard all these live and very very well.
Sting looked great and sounded great. His guitar looked more worn than he was, and his lean muscled arms bulged as he played and wowed the audience. Not that I was close enough to see such details, but thanks to large screens at concert venues, it was possible.
Andy Summers was completely engrossed with his guitar and he too, rocked.
Stewart Copeland blew everybody away with his awesome drums and percussion. This man is a genius when it comes to sound. Kudos to the guy I saw with a t-shirt that read "Stewart Copeland for President".
Throughout the night, I didn't forget for a moment that this was a colossal event. The Police, reunited and together again after many years. Sting's solo voice mixed with the early days of punk rock. It was fresh, yet classic and familiar. I felt like I had traveled back in time, yet witnessed something new... to a time when music rocked, and The Police were still intact, only this time they knew what a good thing they had.
As we neared the end of the night, whenever the lights would go out and they would go offstage, I'd panic. But I would soon be comforted by it being a false alarm.
They tried to end the evening several times-- four to be exact-- but the crowd wouldn't let them. When it was actually over, the audience just stood there, amazed at what they had just witnessed; this colossal event.
The Police came to Denver. They came and they conquered the top of concert charts. This is the reunion of the century, and if it comes to your town, make sure you go if you know what's good for you-- musically.
It is the greatest show on earth.
My Latest Obssession
My latest obssession is with Marlon Brando.
The obsession started with watching A Streetcar Named Desire, and lead to my reading Brando's autobiography; Songs My Mother Taught Me. I got a lot out of the read, and thought it was great-- could not put it down. My Netflix queue is riddled with Brando's work.
I've watched two movies from that list (aside from Streetcar) so far, and they are Mutiny on the Bounty and Last Tango in Paris.
I liked Mutiny and thought it was good. I now understand the fascination of men with this film, as it portrays gorgeous Tahiti, with gorgeous topless Tahitian women, who find it an insult to not sleep with them. Doesn't get any better than this for a man, right? I personally had my own reason for enjoying the film other than it's a well-made film in a lot of ways-- I enjoyed Brando as Lt. Fletcher Christian, a down-to-earth and tongue-in-cheek kind of guy who is dashing, as well as endearing.
Last Tango in Paris wasn't quite so simple a viewing. The film was strange and with its NC-17 rating, it involves a lot of nudity and quite disturbing sex scenes between a 47-year-old Brando and the 20-year-old heroine (played by Maria Schneider). Both characters seem to be equally cryptic in carrying a relationship with each other based on sex. They don't know each other's names or anything else about each other. One scene involves butter and perhaps the strangest sex scene in the history of cinema in my world. Brando himself wrote that he didn't know what Tango was really about, and I guess that should make me as a viewer feel better. The film has very little dialogue that makes any kind of logical sense and even less action. The story hardly moves along, it just gets shoved into the next gear, and leaves you scratching your head and wondering "what was that all about?"
Aside from movies Brando has starred in, I also became interested in films and books Brando saw and read. I am going to see The Battle of Algiers, a film Brando enjoyed for its presentation of the plight of a people to gain freedom, a theme he always enjoyed. I've also started reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, because Brando mentioned he read that and he was also in a film, Apocalypse Now, based on the book.
I've got plenty of Brando-related stuff to keep me busy for a while.
The obsession started with watching A Streetcar Named Desire, and lead to my reading Brando's autobiography; Songs My Mother Taught Me. I got a lot out of the read, and thought it was great-- could not put it down. My Netflix queue is riddled with Brando's work.
I've watched two movies from that list (aside from Streetcar) so far, and they are Mutiny on the Bounty and Last Tango in Paris.
I liked Mutiny and thought it was good. I now understand the fascination of men with this film, as it portrays gorgeous Tahiti, with gorgeous topless Tahitian women, who find it an insult to not sleep with them. Doesn't get any better than this for a man, right? I personally had my own reason for enjoying the film other than it's a well-made film in a lot of ways-- I enjoyed Brando as Lt. Fletcher Christian, a down-to-earth and tongue-in-cheek kind of guy who is dashing, as well as endearing.
Last Tango in Paris wasn't quite so simple a viewing. The film was strange and with its NC-17 rating, it involves a lot of nudity and quite disturbing sex scenes between a 47-year-old Brando and the 20-year-old heroine (played by Maria Schneider). Both characters seem to be equally cryptic in carrying a relationship with each other based on sex. They don't know each other's names or anything else about each other. One scene involves butter and perhaps the strangest sex scene in the history of cinema in my world. Brando himself wrote that he didn't know what Tango was really about, and I guess that should make me as a viewer feel better. The film has very little dialogue that makes any kind of logical sense and even less action. The story hardly moves along, it just gets shoved into the next gear, and leaves you scratching your head and wondering "what was that all about?"
Aside from movies Brando has starred in, I also became interested in films and books Brando saw and read. I am going to see The Battle of Algiers, a film Brando enjoyed for its presentation of the plight of a people to gain freedom, a theme he always enjoyed. I've also started reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, because Brando mentioned he read that and he was also in a film, Apocalypse Now, based on the book.
I've got plenty of Brando-related stuff to keep me busy for a while.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Rocky Mountain National Park
Sunday we all went to the Rocky Mountain National Park, and it was a blast. It is so beautiful up there, and I can never get over it. I've been up there a bazillion times and every single time it blows me away. We saw a bunch of elk with the big horns and everything. I actually remembered to bring my binoculars, so I got to watch them magnified and it was awesome.
Images like these make me glad I live in Colorado, even though I spend a lot of time wishing I didn't live here.
An elk was cooling off on some unmelted snow with his buddies.
Images like these make me glad I live in Colorado, even though I spend a lot of time wishing I didn't live here.
This is the tundra. It is a point where trees cease to grow, and all you get is what you see infront of you. It is beautiful.
An elk was cooling off on some unmelted snow with his buddies.
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