Photos Down

The Photo Album is down until I complete the upgrade to Gallery 2. Hopefully, it will be back in a few days.

Netflix: A Parent's Best Friend

The baby has prevented us from going to movies as much as we used to. Fortunately, there is always Netflix. Our recent viewing: Borat (wickedly funny), Casino Royale (best Bond is a *long* time), and Children of Men. Children of Men may be my favorite movie of 2006 and I wish I actually saw it at the theaters. It was brilliant. The movie was technically amazing (long-take chase scenes!) and emotionally riveting. As new and expecting parents, we were on the edge of our seats for the entire second half of the movie. If you've seen the film then you know why.

Passion For Music

Last week my wife and I were able to attend our first concert since the fall. This time, it was Lisa Gerard at the Birchmere. My wife had never seen her perform, whereas I has seen her once on her own (at a fantastically atmospheric show in an ancient Georgetown lecture hall) and once with Dead Can Dance. We missed the chance to catch the Dead Can Dance reunion tour in 2005, due to the birth of our first child. But both of us are big fans of their music (though, perhaps I am a bigger fan). Lisa Gerard and Dead Can Dance have been off my radar for a while, mostly because of a lack of new material. But perhaps it is also because I just haven't had as much time of late to really sit down and listen to their music like I used to. In the 90's, I fondly recall how often I'd turn down the lights and let the music of Dead Can Dance (and similar artists) transport me to other worlds. It's sad that I don't do that as much these days. I blame time pressures and sharing a house with others.

The concert was fantastic, though I have mixed feeling about the Birchmere as a venue for this particular show. On the plus side: my pregnant wife could keep off her feet during the show, the view was great, and there was no smoking. On the minus side: the road-house atmosphere detracted (slightly) from Lisa's otherworldly appeal. As as for Lisa herself... wow, fantastic as always. Though I must say I was surprised how meek her speaking voice is (especially when compared to the power of her singing voice).