The Long Road

photo courtesy of Backstreets.com

Well I finally got Mich to a Springsteen concert. He’s touring with the E Street Band right now and did not disappoint! We flew into Seattle Saturday afternoon from Seoul, S. Korea and caught the show at the Key Arena that night. We did have to shake off some jet lag cobwebs, but it was worth it. I knew the show was gonna be awesome when he started with Trapped, a rarely played little gem that has only been available on the No Nukes Album from about 1980 or so. Total surprise, and it set the stage for a great night. I’m not really going to review the show here as basically I loved it, and it’s well reviewed on backstreets.com. Click here to see more pics of the show, their review (which is as positive as my quick assessment), and the set list. Our show was on March 29th at the Key Arena in Seattle.

It was only my fourth time seeing the man, but it was probably the best show so far. Mich certainly enjoyed herself, commenting that he “puts on a great show, full of passion” and that the crowd was totally into it, but couldn’t really get passed the fact that this ain’t her music. That’s okay, at least she’s seen him now.

On the banks of the Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Laos

Yes, it’s over. The holiday that is. It was a good run while it lasted though, and over the coming days I’m hoping to post frequently about some of the highlights of our trip. Jet lag may hinder my efforts however. Hopefully we can shake it quickly. Anyway, I’ll start with a light topic that I mentioned already at the beginning of our holiday; the phenomenon of couples with the cute matching outfits! As promised, here are some pics. And no, Sue and Doug, we did not eventually join the trend though yes, there were cheap T’s to be found! Michelle REALLY wanted to, but I resisted!

As seen in Incheon International Airport, Seoul, S. Korea

Well the last several days have seen us soaking up the sun, eating (even more!) and touring the island of Phuket. We are now in Phuket Town for our last night; Bangkok tomorrow to fly back out. Then Springsteen in Seattle before heading back to the Loops and work.

…but the internet connection here isn’t. So I’m not gonna fight with this thing to upload any pics right now. We are having tons of fun. Food, people, sights and yes, a few awesome surprises that I’ll discuss in a later post. Today is our last day here, off to Phuket, Thailand tomorrow for some beach time!! Until later…

OK, we are still in the internet cafe in the airport in Seoul. As I whipped off a few emails, Mich has been sitting here doing something that we both kinda love to do on occasion - people watching. She has quickly noticed an interesting trend with young Korean couples on the people mover in front of us - they love to have matching outfits. And I mean the SAME shirt, or hoodie. Identical. There have been a few with the same gear, but different colors. In the 15 minutes we’ve been sitting here she has counted 16 couples dressed in this fashion. And that is only after she noticed! We will try to get some pics. Or maybe we’ll hit the Duty Free shops and join the trend! Hellooooooo Kitty!

***Updated*** Sunday March 17 7:20 pm Seoul S. Korea Incheon International Airport.

We’ve crossed the international dateline and are now on Asia time! The 12 hour flight was I think, the longest I’ve ever been on. But we are now cooling our heels getting ready for the final blast into Bangkok. Might have to find out if airport Bibimbap is any good. We are getting excited. As excited as we can be considering it is 3:30 am as far as our bodies are concerned. Oh well. My Uncle Bill gave us some homeopathic anti-jet lag stuff and we’ve been chewing them like tic-tacs so we should be right as rain when we wake up in Bangkok tomorrow! We’ll update when we can…

Well Spring Break is here and this year it finds Mich and I happily returning to SE Asia, a place we have been very much missing. It won’t be the 5-6 week tour that it’s been in the past, but we miss the travel so much that 2 weeks is gonna have to do. In a nutshell, we are driving to Seattle, flying to Bangkok, meeting Jamie there and then getting our butts out to Luang Probang in Laos. Damn fine. We will likely return to Thailand for a few days of beachtime before returning stateside. We will then catch Springsteen’s Seattle show before heading back home.

Not sure what the web access is in Laos, but we’ll update this blog while there if at all possible, though perhaps with text only. We’ll see I guess. Anyway, that’s it for now… our flip flops, shorts and sunscreen are awaiting!

Well, considering our Spring Break plans (more on that later) we may have had our last day skiing for the season on Sunday. It was a pretty good day, though we took it easy. The freeze/thaw cycle that Sun Peaks has been seeing led to some kinda icy runs. We do know a few snow “stashes” though and still found pockets of soft pow in easily accessed spots. Probably the best way to end it was a quick trip into the Gills where the powder was still plentiful, as were the whoops and chortles emitting out from under our buckets. There is is slim possibility of another day or two when we get back, but baring that, it’s been a great season.

We at The Long Road would love to welcome old man Potter back to the blogosphere with his newest venture, NetworkEffects. Good to have you back man.

Recently Mich and I were lucky enough to score tix to Josh Ritter at the Commodore in Vancouver. I can’t really think of a better way to spend a Saturday night, especially since our old friends Jacqui and Glenn were able to join us as well. I’ve really been taken with Ritter’s music in the last year. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is easily my favorite album from last year and a must have in your collection as far as I’m concerned. The Animal Years is also a stunning album that you should hear.

When I heard that he was playing Vancouver, and the Commodore no less, AND that it was a Sat. night and thus we could attend, I was excited to say the least. Tix were obtained, friends contacted and everything fell into place. The show was everything I’d hoped. The band was tight, the songs rocked, or rolled (which ever fits the song) and Josh was funny and engaging. In every clip I’ve seen or heard of the guy performing he looks and sounds, more than any other musician I can remember, like he is truly having the time of his life. I wondered if that would come across this time. It did.

Below are a few clips from that night to give you a taste, though of course it’s tough for the “feel” of the night to come across. Above is the set list that the sound guy gave me, signed by members of the band. It was a night to remember.

OK, as a bonus so you can see why this guy has been called by many as the greatest singer songwriter to come along since guys like Dylan, Springsteen, Cohen and perhaps Waits, here is a clip of the song The Temptation of Adam. If I could write a song like this just once in my life, I could be satisfied. I get the feeling though that Josh’s farts are better than any song I’ll ever pen. Oh well.

It was great to have a three day weekend with my family out at Sun Peaks. The resort lived up to its name - we had some great bluebird days. Sadly my brother couldn’t make it due to work, but everyone else did and we tried not to let his absence dampen our spirits. Turns were had, food was eaten, hot tubs were enjoyed. It was a great third annual Sun Peaks Family Weekend!