Jack's Mannequin

Last night Brooke and I went to a Jack's Mannequin concert. We had a really good time and it was fun to see such a great band. You may have heard of the band Something Corporate, well this is the side project of Something Corporate front man Andrew Mcmahon. Both bands are great and I would recommend any CD from either band. The music is unique with a blend of piano and guitar. Truly both are outstanding bands in a time when everyone tends to sound the same. Of course both bands center around Andrew, he seems to be the main talent and drive behind the music. There is also a great story of Andrew and his fight with cancer last year. I have to give credit to Josh for discovering Something Corporate and getting Brooke and I to listen to them.
So if you are into the whole punk/emo thing but want something a little more unique. Check out Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate.

Plethora of Hailee

Here is a whole bunch of pictures that we have taken with Hailee. It has been a while since I have posted pictures of her so there is a lot. We had quite an eventful weekend, at least Brooke and Hailee did. She had a trip to the dinosaur park where she went on her first slide and took a ride in a swing for the first time. She also went swimming for the first time, so check out the pictures.

Hailee is very strong and can now stand up, leaning against furniture. She is rolling over, both ways and can almost sit up by herself. Seems that she will walk before she crawls.

The reason she is strong is probably because of her saucer toy. She loves this toy and has grown so much that it's not even on the lowest setting anymore.

She is eating baby food and cereal now, so she is grown rather fast. It seems like all she does anymore is eat.

As you can see, she is extremely excited for her first trip to Ogden's Dinosaur Park. She loves to be outdoors (despite her allergies) and loves to ride in her stroller.

Hailee and her cousin Adelyn (SP?) love to goof around together. Their mothers thought this picture would be pretty funny.

Here it is, documented for everyone to see, Hailee's first trip down a slide. Supervised, of course, by her mother.

Another first, her first ride in a swing, again supervised by Mom. From what I hear, because I wasn't present, is that she really enjoyed the swing and laughed the whole time.

It was so much fun that the cousin's decided to share the swing. It also helped each of them be able to sit up and not fall over in the seat.

Hailee is ready and excited for her first trip to the swimming pool. Complete with a new swimming suit, bow and swim diaper. Fun.

She didn't take to swimming right off the bat. In fact it wasn't really the water she didn't like. It was rather loud at the pool with a lot of commotion. Of course Dad wanted to be the one to take her in the water first, before she settled down. You can see how happy she was about that.

Once she was calmed down, she seemed to really enjoy being in the water and playing around. She loves her baths, so we knew that she would take to swimming well. We all had a good time playing and splashing in the water, until she got cold.

She thought something was really funny for some reason. Maybe it was what I was wearing or the fact that she thought she could put some stains on that nice white shirt before I made it to church. But I made it with no problem.

The Da Vinci Code

Well The Da Vinci Code is officially out in theaters today. Anyone who sees it this weekend feel free to post comments and let me know what you thought. I think I will wait until the crowds die down a little bit. Although with recent criticism and bad reviews from the critics, it's possible (however unlikely) that the film may not actually do well at the box office. I happen to think it's going to be huge. I will try to see it soon and post a review of the movie.
I have been excited to see this movie ever since it was rumored to be in development. I am a fan of the book and am hopeful that the movie is a good adaptation. Initially I was worried about it being in the hands of Ron Howard, but after viewing the trailer I gained more confidence.
There have been a lot of negative reviews, but I think critics are sometimes, well, too critical of movies. It's the fan's reactions to the film that will make the most difference in the long run.
There has also been a lot of controversy surrounding the movie, and the book itself for that matter. I think it's pretty ridiculous of everyone to be protesting this film or demanding a disclaimer at the beginning. The book is found in the "fiction" section of the bookstore and how often are movies truthful or historically correct? Not very often, even those "based on true events" aren't always very accurate. A disclaimer that the movie is a work of fiction is just insane.
So if you happen to get out to see it this weekend, I hope it's good. If you haven't read it yet, you are probably 1 of 2 people in the world, go read it this weekend. The book is now on paperback, so it's cheap, and it's a quick read.

The Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Considered one of the best albums of all time by many sources, in fact listed as #1 by Rolling Stone Magazine. Sgt. Peppers really is a great album that has withstood the test of time. I don't think it would be my #1 favorite album of all time, but it's high on the list.
The Beatles can't be denied as one of the most influential rock bands of all time and Sgt. Peppers is the culmination of their diversity, talent and technology (Click the link above for more Sgt. Peppers info, including the technology of how it was recorded).
The album artwork is even been highly commended for it's artistic value and creativity. Many artists have attempted to recreate the album cover in various ways using all kinds of characters.
But what makes Sgt. Peppers so great is the music, and how the album is put together. This is not an album that can be listened to on "shuffle". Each song is placed in order for a reason and each track seems to integrate with the one preceding and following.
My favorite track on the album is the first track and the title track, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It just reminds me of being in high school and hearing this album for the first time with my friends. I just won't be able to forget that opening guitar riff and the barrage of sound and music that hits you when you listen to it.
Of course most, if not all of the songs that follow are also excellent. Here is a list of my tops from the album. (I am sure that anyone reading this post will recognize at least one song from this album.)
With a Little Help from My Friends
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
When I'm Sixty Four
Lovely Rita

Post a comment and let me know what you think of the album and your favorite tracks. Any other relevant info is welcomed.

Albums, Movies etc...

Lately I have had a lot of discussion through email about music. Specifically I have had a discussion with Dayton and his brother Derek about favorite albums and songs of all time. Josh and I have also been emailing back and forth about the new Tool album. This got me thinking that it might be fun to include some of this discussion online and see if anyone else has something to add. I thought it might be fun to do it with movies as well.
So what I am going to do is pick what is considered by some as a "great album" or "great movie", these could be favorites of mine or favorites of friends and family. I will give my take on it and anyone who wants can make comments and let everyone know what they think. I also thought it would be fun if we could post our favorite lyrics and/or movie quotes from these albums or movies.
So to start I wanted to talk about two albums, Dayton and I listed both of these on our top twenty. (Click on the Band: Album title for a link to Wikipedia and more information about each album)

Pearl Jam: Ten









This was one of the first albums that I really loved and played over and over again. In fact it's one of the only CD's I have ever worn out. It was part of the big Seattle Grunge Movement, I think Pearl Jam, Ten stands the test of time from a genre that didn't.
Some of the my favorite songs of the album include:
Evenflow
Alive
Black
Oceans
and of course Jeremy

Pearl Jam: Vs.









Another great album from Pearl Jam, the first CD I went to a midnight release for. I remember being at Hastings in Riverdale and they played the album while we were all waiting in line to buy it. Released at midnight they also had a bunch of posters and things to give away. Midnight releases are standard practice now for a lot of bands, but it was the first time I was that excited to listen to new music from one of my favorite bands.
Some of my favorites on the album:
Animal
Daughter
Rearviewmirror
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
And Go

Let me know what you think.

Robbie and Roberta are back

Well spring is in the air and so are our friends the robin's. It seems that the robin's who built a nest under our deck last year thought it was a good home. Although I think only 1, maybe 2 of the babies survived. We have a new nest complete with 3 little robin eggs in it, and it's in the exact same place as last years nest. This year we have decided not to let the birds rule the area, last year they dive bombed us every time we went out there. Our idea is to show them who is in charge, but it will probably end up being them. The nest happens to be perched right above Brooke's garden, so it makes accessing the garden difficult as the birds are very protective of their eggs and babies.
The new Tool album 10,000 Days was released yesterday. It's excellent and by far the coolest CD case ever. It comes with a bunch of stereoscopic images as well as stereoscopic glasses to view the images. Check it out if you are interested.