Dick Prall at the Fat Bean

myspace.com/dickprall

snow, polar bears, and dylan mcdermott

We spent Christmas and New Years in Albuquerque this year. Wouldn't it figure that Albuquerque received record-breaking snowfall while we were there, and we didn't pack snow gear? Anyways, here's a photographic review of my trip.

They say the sky is bluer in Albuquerque than other places. Something to do with lack of moisture in the air and light refraction. Judge for yourself.



The morning we got in town, the clouds were just sitting on top of the mountains.


Snow + cacti = awesome.


I love the Flying Star Cafe. They had matzoh ball soup when I was sick. (Or is it matzo?)


We got 22" of snow in a 48 hour time period.


We went to the zoo to watch polar bears wrestle.


And mountain lions lick themselves.


Even the orangutans were in a festive mood.


My favorites from the aquarium:
Puffer


Jellies


And the Slippery Dick.


I found a dragon


and a dinosaur biker


This was the runway at the airport the day we left:



We left on New Years Day. Flights hadn't entered or exited the airport for days due to the snow and dense fog from the evaporating snow. Luckily, my flight was neither cancelled nor delayed. Unluckily, it meant that there were lots of people stranded in the airport, so we got stuck sitting on the floor. I'm a people watcher, and I saw a man walk by who looked just like Dylan McDermott. Since I was with two kids under the age of 8, I couldn't exactly nudge one and ask their opinion, so I checked the NM Film Office site, and guess who is filming in NM? That's right. McDermott. Sadly, no photo, as I was unprepared for a celebrity sighting at the Albuquerque Sunport. He was looking pretty raggedy though. Maybe he was amongst the stranded.

auld lang syne - my best of 2006

2006 is creaking to an end. It's been an interesting year for me, music-wise. I've probably been more involved in music this year than ever before. I attended SXSW in March, which was quite an adventure. It was a bit overwhelming for me, as a first time attendee. I hope to schedule myself better for it in the future. Did I say the future? Oh yes, I will be going back. Not in 2007. Maybe 2008.

I got to meet quite a few of my favorite singers this year, discovered some new music, increased my back catalogue of cds, designed promotional material for my favorite singer, gained some fantastic new concert buddies, and attended shows in five different states.

total new cds: 42. (19 new releases, 23 back catalogue)
total shows: 30+ (i can't recall all the sxsw shows.)
total artists i went fangirl on and took pictures with: 7

And because no year end wrap-up is complete without lists....my top 6 of 2006!!!!

Favorite songs:
1. Thin Blue Flame - Josh Ritter. This song is epic. Full of sweeping vistas, rumbling crescendos, and some of the most well-written lyrics I've ever heard. You can almost smell the fields and hay as he sings about them.
2. The Hole - Glen Phillips
3. Song for You - Alexi Murdoch
4. The Believer - Rhett Miller
5. Don't Want You to Wake Up - Teitur
6. Vampires in Blue Dresses - Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Favorite lyrics:
1. "I got a girl in the war, Paul, her eyes are like champagne. They sparkle, bubble over, and in the morning all you got is the rain." Josh Ritter, Girl in the War.
2. "Her jaw aches from wanting and she's sick from chlorine" Neko Case, Margaret vs. Pauline
3. "Talking to you girl, is like long division." Rhett Miller, Singular Girl
4. "I'm trapped in the orbit of your rolling eyes." David Mead, Hard to Remember.
5. "I close my eyes to see if I can feel you in the air. I want to breathe you in me, it makes me dizzy, but there's nobody there." Glen Phillips, Marigolds
6. "Time is contagious, everybody's getting old." Damien Rice, Coconut Skins

Favorite concerts:
1. Glen Phillips - SXSW party bus, Austin. There's something incredible about hearing an artist sing without amplification, without a stage. Less than 20 people sat on a bus and just listened to him sing.
2. Dick Prall/David Berkeley house concert, Chicago.
3. Duran Duran - Sears Centre, Chicago.
4. Over the Rhine/Josh Ritter/Jamie Cullum - Paste Magazine SXSW Party, Austin.
5. Autumn Defense - Schubas, Chicago.
6. Tobias Froberg/Teitur - Double Door, Chicago.

Favorite new finds (artists I started listening to this year):<
1. Josh Ritter
2. Patty Hurst Shifter
3. Autumn Defense
4. David Mead
5. Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
6. David Ford

Favorite back catalogue pick-ups. (Okay. I admit it. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. But these are the cds I picked up this year that came out pre-2006 that I'm kicking myself for not buying sooner.)
1. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans. What a genius album.
2. Dick Prall - fizzlebuzzie
3. Leona Naess
4. Josh Rouse - Nashville
5. David Ford - I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I've Caused
6. Josh Ritter - Hello Starling


Favorite New Releases:
1. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years. I knew within days of first hearing this album that it would be difficult for any other album to surpass it as my favorite of the year. It is not only the best album of this year, but one of the best albums I've heard this decade. The songs are lush and rich. Josh Ritter courts you gently at first, then pulls you in for a long slow dance. The music is masterful, and the lyrics are like a painter's vision inviting you into his world. Simply gorgeous.
2. Glen Phillips - Mr. Lemons
3. Teitur - Stay Under the Stars
4. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
5. Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence
6. David Mead - Tangerine

Music highlights:
1. Glen Phillips @ Schubas 5/21/06.
2. SXSW - Live Music all damn week. The dust bowl. Leaky vitamin water. Meeting dozens of amazing people.
3. Awesome new concert buddy James. He drives and brings the snacks.
4. Josh Ritter - so many memories linked to da Ritter. SXSW, Julie spitting on James, plus he was soooo cool to my kids. A special thank you to Erica for educating me on the importance of da Ritter.
5. David Berkeley & Dick Prall singing "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" while we all sang along.
6. Schubas in general. Sansone's socks, Julie being a cat, Autumn Defense, an explanation of Chodaboy, and the photo booth.

Here's to 2007 being just as random and amazing.

it's flu season again. time for my yearly rant regarding the flu, flu shots, and "the stomach flu."

flu shots help prevent whatever strain of influenza virus they predict may be floating around this year. the flu is caused by the influenza virus and is a respiratory illness. symptoms of the flu are as follows:

• Fever (usually high)
  
• Severe aches and pains in the joints and muscles and around the eyes
  
• Generalized weakness
  
• Ill appearance with warm, flushed skin and red, watery eyes
• Headache
  
• Dry cough
• Sore throat and watery discharge from the nose

i know what you're thinking. where's the stomach pains, the diarrhea?? you got a flu shot last year and you still got sick! you were throwing up and had diarrhea for two days. it was horrible! that darn stomach flu. dianne, why didn't you list the vomiting and diarrhea?

well, because you had gastroenteritis. it's caused by any variety of stomach bugs, be they viral or bacterial. there is no flu involved in the so-called "stomach flu." no flu shot in the world will keep you from getting gastroenteritis. washing your hands might help, though.

remember: flu = lungs, nose, throat. if your stomach is involved, don't blame your flu shot.

nerd.

i make no attempt to hide the fact that i'm a total nerd. and in my nerddom, i admit that i love the following things: star trek, sci-fi, books about germs and forensic science, and fantasy novels. yes, fantasy novels. the more magicians and dragons involved, the better.

some of my favorite books as a teen were from a series called dragonlance. these books had it all. elves, magic, dragons, war, romance, death. and an evil mysterious master wizard.

turns out they are making an animated movie out of said dragonlance series. and to play the evil mysterious master wizard? only the man with the coolest voice of our generation.



seriously. i wet myself just a little.

dick prall, park west chicago

went to see my boy, dick prall, play last night at park west. we got there a wee bit late (oops!) due to total ass weather. it was like a monsoon was rolling through chicago. every dip in the sidewalk had become a lake, and traffic sucked nut.

dick rocks.


got dick?


went to dublins with my best friend lynn and my buddy robb. this is where you will find lynn and i after any show.we put $5 in the jukebox. the selection was crap, but we got some random stuff out of there. barenaked ladies, duran duran, foo fighters, johnny cash, michael jackson, tom petty, even some old school funk that made us break out our rollerskating moves. in all, the night was a big thumbs up.

she's crafty

having two little girls is like owning life-size baby dolls. i get to play dress up whenever i want. halloween is one of those times when i go a little crazy, but they like to play along.



scary.





yes. in fact she is missing her two front teeth.







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