Jónsi

Last blog, I said there was lots of good stuff coming up this week. Well, I had one specific event in mind when I said that, and it happened last night. Jónsi came to the Pabst. First off, what a tremendous venue! Deserving of an artist like Jónsi. Second, I've seen Sigur Ros twice, but it's been about 7 years since I last saw them. Those two concerts still stick out in my mind as two of the best concerts I have ever seen. After last night, you can add Jónsi's concert to that list. (For those of you with poor memories, Jónsi is the frontman of Sigur Ros)

Everything about the concert was perfect. The lighting and staging were unique and complimented the music. The other members of the band were fantastic. Each of them played a couple of different instruments. There was even an appearance by this instrument, which I have never seen my life. But that is what I love about Jónsi. He mixes straightforward acoustic guitar and piano with innovative, cutting edge instruments like the monome. It is really something that words cannot describe.

I should also mention the most incredible part of Jónsi, his voice. It's something special that needs to be heard in person. Hearing him sing almost brings tears to my eyes. When the band came out at the end to thank the crowd, Jónsi and I had a fleeting moment of eye contact...I promise, we did.

Overall, just a life-altering performance that will be incredibly hard to top. To see pictures and begin to understand the greatness of last night, click below

Jonsi

I urge everyone to give Jónsi/Sigur Ros a listen. If you need help, let me know. Until next time, be good.

-Jon

Amos Lee

Lots of good stuff going on, and none of it school related. Perfect.

Last night, C and I saw Amos Lee at the Turner Ballroom. We didn't take many pictures, but the ones we did take can be seen below.

Amos Lee

I was really impressed with Amos. His voice sounded great live, and the other two band members were fantastic musicians. He also played probably 5 or 6 new songs that will be on a future album. Actually, I liked some of those new songs more than his old stuff. When you throw in some Riverwest with good music and Christina, it's tough to top that.

Also, right across the street, the Bucks were winning game 3 to keep hope alive. A good night.

I will definitely have more good stuff to blog about this upcoming week. Hope you all are doing well.

Fresh

Hello Folks,

On a personal note, my last set of exams ever starts this week and goes through next week. So, yeah, I should maybe be doing some work...but, that just wouldn't be very fun would it?

The real reason I am blogging on this fine Saturday morning is because I saw a great movie on Wednesday night. The movie is called Fresh. It is a documentary that basically examines the food system in the United States. The film shows how our industrialized food model has really damaged the environment and our health. It is also unsustainable, and we owe it to ourselves to make some changes. I don't see how the movie couldn't, at a minimum, make you think about what you are putting in your body. I could try to keep explaining the film, but I'm not sure I could do it justice. If you want more information go here.

That's all I've got for now. The Bucks will hopefully get their first playoff win tonight. Keep hope alive. I am going to see Amos Lee tonight with C. Maybe I will blog about that at some point, which gives you all something to look forward to.

Until next time, best wishes to everyone.

P.S. I went to the Brewers game last night. Will we move Suppan to the bullpen or to his couch already? You aren't going to win many games when you are down 2-0 before your team has even picked up a bat. You also aren't going to win many games when you are giving up bombs to Fukudome. (Just for reference, he hit 10 homers in 2008 and 11 in 2009. But, for some reason he looks like Hank Aaron against Suppan....just ridiculous.)

BWBB

Hey world,

So today is time for the latest installment of the Bi-Weekly Beer Blog. I've been trying to keep blogging with some regularity, and now that my mock trial is over, I should be able to meet all of your extremely high expectations.

For this beer blog, we are going all the way across the pond to Suffolk, England. There is a pretty neat brewery there called "St. Peter's" which has some really tasty ales. The ones that are easy to find are the English Ale and the IPA. For purposes of this blog, I'll focus on the IPA. The first thing you will notice when you go buy the IPA is the cool bottle; it comes in this unique 500ml bottle. (my quick google search tells me that's about 17 oz) But that is besides the point. You should really buy the beer because it's so good to drink.

The St. Peter's IPA pours a light gold/orange color. It is relatively hoppy, but infused with a decent malt flavor. It also has a distinct sweetness for an IPA. I actually think it is one of the easier drinking IPAs that I have had in my life. (It is about 5.5% ABV) I have read in some places, that American IPAs tend to be big and bold, whereas the British ones are a tad more subtle. I definitely think St. Pete's fits in that typical British mold. Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from the those intense IPAs. I could also see this beer being a good starting place for people who aren't quite as enthusiastic about IPAs. Surprisingly, you can find St. Peter's ales in a decent amount of liquor stores and bars. I would say that the English Ale is probably a bit more prevalent, but it isn't too difficult to the IPA. Additionally, both ales are moderately priced, usually $4-$5 per bottle. Go buy it.

I'll be back blogging about other stuff in the near future. In the meantime, go try a beer you've never had and let me know how it is.

Until next time, keep living life.

Best wishes.

Easter Weekend and Jónsi

Hey Everyone,
Yep, it's Jon...again. Lots of cool stuff going on in the past week. On Friday, we went to Michigan for the weekend. Friday night we stayed in Ann Arbor, and the next two nights were spent in Grosse Pointe. Ann Arbor was fantastic, as always. Christina and I gave Alex the grand tour. To see photos and salivate over the sangria at Dominick's, view the slideshow below. Alex is approaching honorary Ann Arborite status...but not quite there yet. I even stopped by my old employer, Noodles and Company. We ate dinner at Seva, which is this great vegetarian restaurant downtown. Saturday morning, we woke up, perused the farmer's market and had lunch at Zingerman's. It was really nice to go back Ann Arbor, even if it was just for one day.

I should also mention that Saturday night, Alex and Christina made dinner at C's parents' house. Above is the shrimp that eventually turned into mandarin shrimp pasta and a whole tray of mouth-watering veggies. Dang, that food was great.

Ann Arbor and Easter

On an equally important note, Christina's Duke Blue Devils took down Egel's Mountaineers to hand her the bracket challenge championship. And yes, she won a "date night" not a beer sampling. I'm not that cruel.

A couple of other quick sports thoughts:

1) Did anyone see Bogut injure his elbow/hand on Saturday night? Wow, that really just completely kills any chance the Bucks had of making the playoffs interesting. I would love to see Kurt Thomas step in for Bogut, but I just don't see it happening.

2) I watched a good amount of opening day yesterday. Man, I was disappointed with the Crew's showing. It was like a repeat of last season with nobody able to get a hit in the clutch. Brewers left 11 runners on base. That just won't cut it. Hopefully, Wolf has a nice debut tonight, and we get our first win of the season. On a positive note, the Cubbies gave up 16 runs on opening day...FIBs.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, there is a new album out today that everyone needs to buy. For those of you who have known me for awhile, you should know that I have been talking about the band Sigur Rós since like 8th grade. They are an amazing group from Iceland that has changed the way I listen to music and what I expect from music. Well, their frontman, Jónsi Birgisson, just put out "Go," which is already improving my life with its beauty, innovation and complexity. Go buy this album. If you are hesitant (which you shouldn't be because you know that I would never steer you wrong) go to his website, where you can listen to the entire album. I hope you enjoy it. Also, he is coming to Milwaukee on Monday April 26. Obviously, I already have tickets, but the rest of you should strongly consider purchasing some. For those of you not in our great state, Jónsi is touring all over the country; go see him.

That's all I have for today. I welcome your comments, thoughts, criticisms etc. I am going to listen to "Go" now....have a great night.

Jon