Bringing the Drama

I left work early today so I could tackle the cake I am bringing to Thanksgiving tomorrow. After last year’s late night baking, I didn’t want a repeat. I was able to pick up some things I was missing on my way home, but it took a while. There was so much traffic. Maybe the world is over populated. Anyway, I made it home about 3 pm, and set about making the cake at a blinding speed. I don’t have pictures of the process, because I didn’t really have time to take pictures. Things happened really fast. Besides, you don’t want to see pictures of the coffee boiling over when being added to the boiling water and the butter melting in the pot. Next time though. The cake really wasn’t too difficult to make. The only thing I think I can do better is to let the cakes sit in the oven a bit longer. They were a bit mushy in the middle, but I was afraid I’d burn them or dry them out.

The icing came together PERFECTLY! I had gotten some tips from blog friend Mandy and my friend Mel on how to make frosting without a stand mixer and avoid the fiasco of last Christmas with runny frosting. I followed PW’s instructions and started with 2 tbsp of cream. I added a 3rd and then VOILA, frosting. It was amazing.

The icing spread really easy and it didn’t take long at all. I stuck it in the fridge to sit until tomorrow. I deem this foray back into baking (first time since the Baklava that I still have not properly documented) a success.

I was on a time schedule because of the Hornets game tonight. I was able to get the cake iced and in the fridge to set proper and make it to the game with a few minutes to spare. Then the Hornets rewarded me by gritting out a win in OT.

The whole ‘post every day of the month’ was in trouble tonight. I couldn’t come up with anything during the day, then I went to see the Hornets actually play with effort and toughness and upset the Suns. My favorite player, Peja, had a HUGE night. He had one 3 (of his SEVEN) that initially hit the rim, bounced straight up, and then went in. Awesome. I have not figured this team out, but I definitely think the coaching change has helped. I got home about 10:45.

So I mentioned that after the Pete Yorn show was over, Jacob and I got a picture with the tambourine player/merch guy/stage dancer guy after. The picture is below, Jacob used it on his Whiskerino page. This was the ‘casual’ pose, which mostly for me means “stare off into space as if something is going on off camera”. I call it ‘Beard Trifecta’.

And maybe he doesn’t look like David Bazan as much as we thought, but it was dark in there.

So last night I met up with my mom to go to the Hornets game, and then right after that, Jacob to go see Pete Yorn. I ended up being able to go as Jacob’s +1 (ie FREE) since our other friend Jacob had to bail. After the game, which the Hornets WON, I made my way down to Republic. I hadn’t been there since seeing Death Cab 3 years ago. I was able to find a parking spot a block away, it was a snap. I walked up about 9:45 and didn’t see Jacob. I did see the tour bus and stood on the sidewalk with the smokers. Some people really should look in the mirror when they smoke to make sure they don’t look completely awkward. This one guy looked very awkward with a cig in his mouth. Not only is he slowly killing himself but he looks like a dumbass doing it.

As I was standing there waiting for Jacob, Pete Yorn got off his tour bus and was talking to a couple of people. I texted Jacob to coax him to hurry up, and luckily we met up a few minutes before PY started. We obviously had missed the opener, who happened to be GIVING AWAY his EP at the merch table. If you’re giving away your EP, it probably sucks. The fact that they were being given away played a factor later in the evening.

The way Republic is set up now, is they have couches near the back, about ¾ of the way back between the stage and the merch table area. People had been sitting in them, so when the show started they stood up. Of course people stood up right in front of where we were standing, so we booed them. One of the guys turned around and Jacob then noticed the guy’s friend had an Iggy Pop shirt, and said we were just kidding, which we were, for the most part. The dude in the Iggy Pop shirt apparently is dating a rather tall girl, so of course she came over to stand with him. Then they started dancing and making out, which was weird. They were standing in front of the couches though, so it wasn’t a big deal view wise. PY must have this crazy dancing/PDA vibe, because there were a few people doing this. Later on in the show all of those people were standing in front of the couch, with Jacob and I standing behind it. During a song a few minutes later, the guy in the black shirt who had turned around, reaches over to his friend in the IP shirt, who is dancing with his chick, and tickles his underarm. Jacob and I looked at each other and telepathically exclaimed WTF? We laughed at what had just happened. I would never tickle a male friend’s underarm and don’t understand the logic behind doing it in a public setting.

We weren’t really paying attention to the songs that were not on musicforthemorningafter, so when PY was playing a new song, we went in search for High Life. There were plenty of people drinking it, and as connoisseurs of the HL, we figured there must be a special. There was a special, it was $2, but when we went to the bar they were out! OUT OF HIGH LIFE! I wanted to give the bartender $3 for a HL and they were out. It was a complete travesty, esp when we were offered Bud Light instead for $4 (not including tip). We declined and went back to standing behind the couch. Then I realized that the other bar on the other side of the room may still have HL. We walked over, because PY was playing another new song, and the other bar did have HL. We toasted on our way back to our spot. The night was going so well!

Upon returning to our spot, some idiot decided he wanted to get a better view of the stage, so he’s standing on the back of the couch, above everyone. I think he was intrigued with the drummer doing something in front of the drum kit. Problem was, he kept standing on the back of the couch and blocking our view. We yelled at him to get off, but he probably didn’t hear us. The next thing I know one of the opener’s free EP’s hits the dude in the back, causing him to turn around, and get off the couch. He looked around as if he didn’t know who threw it, and seemed to ask his friend “what just hit me?” Jacob and I laughed as we judged them, and clinked our bottles of High Life.

The show itself was alright, but like the time I saw PY in 2003, it just wasn’t GREAT. I mean, he comes out and plays his songs, but they’re not that much different than the album really, and he doesn’t talk a lot. The band was good though, and there was a guy whose job it was to only play tambourine. He had a majestic beard, and we both thought he reminded us of David Bazan. When the band came out for the encore, I yelled for Burrito. It got a reaction from some of the people in the crowd, and a group behind me got really excited, but they didn’t yell Burrito too. I yelled it again but then PY started Crystal Village or something. It’s a fine song, but not Burrito. PY did play my favorite song, On Your Side, and played seven songs off musicforthemorningafter, which was fine by Jacob and I.

At the end of the night, we got a picture with the DB look-a-like. I’ll post the picture when I get it emailed to me. We stayed around to try to get a picture with Pete Yorn, but after 15 or 20 minutes, it didn’t seem worth it anymore with it being almost midnight on a Tuesday, so we left. I got home about 12:35. It was surely a late night, but a great night. Word.

Today ESPN has a 24 hour block of college basketball that they started last night with a game in California. I found it cool at first, but then the closer it got I thought it was a little insane. There was game in New Jersey tipping off at 6 am this morning. SIX IN THE MORNING! Why? So some network fat cats could sell advertising? As much as the NCAA says they are protecting student athletes, they allow this kind of thing to happen, but then suspend a WR for an entire season, effectively ending his college career, for lying.

Anyway, my beloved Clemson Tigers were playing Liberty at 10 am. A ridiculous time for everyone involved. I saw on the Liberty webpage last night, that each student was going to be able to get a stamp on their way out of the arena and be excused from class. Unfortunately for them, Clemson rolled Liberty by 40 points and according to their rules, they had to sit through the entire thing. It was 42-19 at halftime. Not only did the teams miss class and have their schedules thrown off, but the students attending the game too. I thought about it last night if I was still at Clemson, and they had a game tipoff at 6 am would I go. I probably would, just like I went to that Hornets game that started at 8:30. Still though, I thought it was crazy to make players and fans go through that.

I know, more sports stuff, but really, this was cool. And after reading Brandi’s entry on blogging every day this month, I figure I’ll give it a shot too. So last night I went to my first Hornets game of the season. I had renewed my season tickets last year, and changed my seat location. I didn’t go to the home opener on Friday because I was running the HALF MARATHON the next morning, so my parents sat in my seats. My friend Brandon and I left work and got down to the Arena about 7 pm. The game didn’t start until 8:30 central time because the NBA and ESPN like to make money. If they wanted to show a doubleheader, then why couldn’t they get a game that was being played in CALIFORNIA for the late game?

Back to my new seats….they are way better than last year. I almost had words with a lady two rows in front of me last year when I’d yell about how terrible David West was playing. She turned around a couple of times like she was going to say something, but never did. I kind of yell a lot at games. This year some guy on the front row of my section yells about EVERYTHING, so I’m not the only one. More people seemed in tune with the game, and I didn’t have my neighbor leave during the 3rd quarter no matter what is happening. Plus it’s a snap to get to the seats and to leave, no more walking around half the arena. They also shoot tshirts up to my section and film a lot of the in game video near me. So hopefully I’ll get in the background of some promotion thing and be ‘that guy’. It should be a good location for this year.

After last week’s debacles against the Spurs, Celtics, and Knicks, I wasn’t expecting much. The Hornets really haven’t shown they have learned from that 58 point embarrassment during the playoffs last year. They still play weak defense up front. However, they were playing the Mavericks. The Hornets have kind of owned the Mavs the past couple of years IMO. Even the laziest PF I’ve ever seen in my life, David West, gets up for a game against Dirk. So despite the recent results, I had hope the Hornets would play the Mavs well.

The game was back and forth, and the Hornets jumped out to an early lead, that was eventually whittled away. It was tight at the half, and the third quarter the Hornets opened up another lead. I thought Chris Paul was shooting really well, but they weren’t pulling away like I thought they should. Then they blew it in the 4th quarter. Their defense had multiple breakdowns and then at the end, they were having to hope for a miracle.

The Mavs were ahead 94-92 and the Hornets had the ball. Chris Paul misses a shot, but there was still going to be time on the play clock if they could get a stop. They didn’t. Nobody boxed out 58 year old Erick Dampier who tipped in a shot with 16 seconds to play. Four point lead with 16 seconds, NOT GOOD. The Hornets inbounded and got a quick score. They started intentional fouling which ended up giving the Hornets the ball with 13 seconds left down 3. Instead of passing to an open shooter, Chris Paul tried to show off to Dallas’ back up PG. The refs called an offensive foul. The backup PG was going to the line for 2 shots, then David West gets a tech for whining to the refs about the call. Three foul shots with 9 seconds left. Then the miracle began. Dallas missed ALL THREE FREE THROWS. If you heard a choking sound around 11 pm last night, that was the Mavericks. So 9 seconds left Hornets get the ball and I kept thinking they should pass it to Peja, my favorite Hornet, because even though he had missed all of his shots in the game, he was due to make one. They inbound the ball, Peja catches, shoots and SCORES! GO CRAZY! It was awesome!

Look at Jason Kidd, it’s like he knows what’s going to happen!

The Hornets were able to pull away in OT since Dirk had fouled out and they had all the momentum. Peja didn’t score another basket in OT, so he ended up with 3 points off the game saving 3 with six seconds to play. Thanks to the game starting so late, and then having to go drop Brandon off at his car, I didn’t get home until after midnight. Not cool NBA, not cool.