After all this recording, it was great to get out and play our first show since Halloween. Last night’s was interesting because we played in the middle of an outdoor mall in Irvine, CA. What was great about it is that it was an opportunity to play for a bunch of random people who have never heard us before.

Overall I think the show went really well, despite the fact that there were no monitors on stage so it was really our best guess if we were playing anything together for most of the songs. The thing that really stuck out to me was the temperature; the guy who was organizing the show asked us if we wanted cups of hot water to warm our hands in between songs because it was going to get cold. “Nah,” I said, “my fingers will move so fast it will create enough friction to keep my hands warm and probably even risk setting my fretboard on fire.”

Hilariously clever as that was, it turned out that I’m an idiot (not the first time that’s happened). The temperature was only in the 50s, but as soon as I launched into my first solo of the night (in “All Of This”) I came to the unpleasant realization that I could not feel my fingertips. Whoops. As it turns out, that makes it really hard to play a competent-sounding guitar solo. So hard, in fact, that I didn’t. It sounded far from competent in fact. It was sort of embarrassing.

Luckily I got warmed up pretty soon after and the rest of my solos sounded just fine. But I learned my lesson. Oh and my nose was running the whole night. The lessons we learn from playing outside are abundant and lifelong.

We need to get this guy to be the third guitarist in our band:

After I stopped laughing while remembering this childhood gem, I began wondering why they describe Denver as more than just a friend. Then my jubilation turned to horror.

The biggest upset in NFL history happened to be a product of the only Superbowl to date in which I was truly invested.

After a perfect 18-0, 655 point season and with a 4 point lead in the last minutes of the game, the New England Patriots looked like the best football team ever. The Sox had already done it, the Celtics’ numbers are looking good, even the Bruins are having a good season. I was happy to be a part of the winning side of history…

Kevin Boss runs the ball 35 yards up the field.

Thats when the Frank’s red hot sauce and bleu cheese-covered chicken wings started doing it’s greased lightning dance in my bowels. In my heart I knew that the Pats were just getting NY’s hopes up. I knew that New England’s lumberjack defense wouldn’t just let their balls un-drop back into their stomachs and hand that Lombardi trophy over to Payton Manning’s little brother. In my heart, I knew that the Giants would get close, but in the end, lose with a knowledge that you JUST CAN’T BEAT THE PATRIOTS.

David Tyree obviously didn’t get that message.
I hated to acknowledge the fact that the helmet catch he made was amazing.
Now my knuckles were white. Just stop them here. Stomp the shit out of them like the bullies you are. Don’t be the guys who have a perfect season just to lose it to the Giants.
The next few minutes of the game were painful to watch for any NE fan, or even anyone who wanted to see A team make it all the way undefeated.
Stupid Eli Manning and his excellent ability to stay on his feet. Why didn’t Brady think to do that too? He got sacked like 156 times. rrrrrr. Eli passed, Windex, no, Plaxico Burress caught.
The Giants won the game. There would be no parade in Boston.

Just give me a minute.

There’s something to be said about the pain that is felt when your team works all the way to the top, just to get pissed on by some kid with an ugly uniform. It’s one thing to never win, like any of the teams from Philly, so that your expectations are always tepidly luke-warm (sorry Ev, Kev totally rubbed it in at the end), but when it looks like the favor of the Greek gods are on your side, it stings like a mother to be shut down. I guess thats what we had coming. Maybe it’s even what New England deserves. But I’ll tell you that after decades of being the underdogs, I was starting to believe that Boston was getting a pardon from losing. Philly fans will have their day too. Oh well.

Back to work.