Speaking of Nine Inch Nails concerts...

The previous post mentioned something about an upcoming NIN tour. Well whaddaya know, the House of Gordon is not missing a beat and is seeing Trent in concert yet again. Haven't missed a year yet since we've been dating/married.

As members of the fan club "The Spiral", we get opportunities to purchase tickets days before the general public. This has enabled us to be in the front row, the mosh pit, and just having all around GREAT seats for his shows. This year follows along that vein.

Sadly, Trent is not coming anywhere really close to us in Greensboro for an arena tour; Duluth, GA being the closest. BUT, he is playing in Cleveland on one of Chris's 3-day weekends! Sold! Granted, it's not flying from Greensboro to Chicago as we did a few years ago to catch him on his tiny club tour, but it's still a bit of travel for us.

Thank you for your order. Please find your order details and pickup instructions below.
8/22/2008
Nine Inch Nails, Quicken Loans Arena
Number of tickets: 2, Seat Locations: Section 110, Row 1, Seats (9, 10)
Lower Reserved
All Ages
Ticket Delivery: Will Call

Didja read that? Row 1. Granted they are not center stage but rather stage right, but still....Row 1. Tickets went on sale at 5:00pm Wednesday for fan club members, and Chris had to work 12p-8p. So, the laptop came to work, Chris took his lunch at 4:45, went across the street from Walgreens to Starbucks, logged on and ordered up some sweet concert tickets. So no scalpers can get their hands on them, Chris's name will appear on the tickets and he has to show ID at Will Call. Kimberly better hope he takes her!

General public tickets go on sale this coming Saturday the 10th if you want to join us.

Drive up Friday morning, concert Friday night, then drive back home to Greensboro sometime later that weekend. Another whirlwind House of Gordon trip, but WELL worth it.

The Slip

Now that NC Primary preparation is over, here's a tidbit from the beginning of the week:

Nine Inch Nails Gives Fans The Slip
By Eliot Van Buskirk
May 05, 2008

Trent Reznor introduces his latest album, The Slip, with a note that reads, "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years -- this one's on me."

He means it. The album is available for free in what could be the perfect array of digital formats: MP3, lossless (FLAC or Apple) or 24-bit, 96-kHz WAV files that sound better than the CD would have, if Reznor had bothered to release one yet. Vinyl and CD versions will go on sale in July, according to the Nine Inch Nails site.

You can stream all of The Slip starting Monday on iLike or download it for free with a valid e-mail address. The album is more song-oriented than the instrumental abstraction of the band's recently released Ghosts I-IV, with full vocal tracks and the sort of dark, grimy loops that helped Reznor make his name.

Not only is The Slip available for free, but it was released under the Creative Commons "attribution noncommercial share-alike" license. A note on the NIN site says: "We encourage you to remix it, share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc."

The MP3 version of the album is available as a direct download from a server, while the larger files (lossless and high-resolution) are available as torrent downloads. All versions come with a printable PDF with the album cover, the track listing and artwork for each track. The liner notes list the release date as January 2008, but aside from "Discipline" and "Echoplex" (.mp3) none of the songs have been previously released.

The Slip is worth a listen. On my second way through, it's sounding better and better, especially the sinister dub aesthetic of "The Four of Us Are Dying."

Reznor's direct-to-fans approach extends to his upcoming tour. Tickets will be available through the NIN website in the 72 hours leading up to the show (updated). Each ticket will have the name of the buyer printed on it, so they will not available through scalpers.

Needless to say, The House of Gordon is quite giddy. That Trent, always keeping us on our toes.

From the Mississippi Delta.

Our usual Triad Stage season passes are the "2nd Saturday" shows, however on May 10th Chris is working 2p-10p. So instead we switched our performance to Sunday May 4th: From the Mississippi Delta.

These are the tales of home and of family, of courage and of adversity. These are the memories of a courageous woman in turbulent times. Civil rights activist and Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright, Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland takes us on the journey through her life. Phelia, a girl born into the depths of poverty in the heart of the segregated South, finds her painful childhood and reckless adolescence are transformed by opportunity and courage as the Civil Rights movement sweeps through the Delta. Three actresses play all the characters- black and white, young and old, men and women who make this world come alive in an eloquent and impassioned journey filled with story and song.

We entered the theater with subtle reservations, as we were fully expecting a "downer" and a sad tale. However, even with some sorrowful particulars, it was all in all a celebration of one's interesting life and the successes of overcoming struggles and adversity. Three actresses portrayed all comers: from male field workers to doctors to carnival-goers to everything in between. A well-acted play with some talented actresses showing off their range. A treat.

Symphony night.

Saturday night was our final performance in the 2007-08 season for our Greensboro Symphony Orchestra tickets. After both picking up a little bit of sweet, sweet overtime Saturday morning we hit Gordon favorite Taste of Thai for delicious massamun (to our surprise the menu changed, so after a quick strike of epinephrine and worry, the usual Gordon item '306' was now found as a 'C6'; at least it's still there). Then it was downtown for Cheesecakes by Alex and decadent dessert. Finally, on to War Memorial Auditorium for the symphony.

For Greensboro's bicentennial celebration, tonight's performance was dedicated to the ongoing event. A Beethoven piece composed in 1808 (the year of our town's birth), plus a premiere performance of a work specifically for the bicentennial were performed.

First,

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra Op. 80
Pedja Muzijevic as guest artist on piano
(The obviously non-Greensboro YouTube performance:)


Second, the world premiere:
Jakov Jakoulov (b. 1958)
The Gifts of the Magi
Character actor and oftentimes History Channel documentary voiceover Peter Coyote, narrator
City of Greensboro Bicentennial Celebration Commission
Jakulov took a short story by Greensboro-born William Sydney Porter, The Gift of the Magi, and composed a frankly odd modern score to accompany it. Who is William Sydney Porter, you ask? You may otherwise know him as O. Henry. An odd piece, as the story takes place on Christmas Eve and it is currently May. Disjointed musical interjections, car horns, off-key shrills, just...odd. But it's art, and as art it had Kimberly and Chris lying in bed afterward still discussing and trying to figure it out.

Finally,
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante moderato
III. Allegro giocoso
IV. Allegro energico e passionato
(Again, another non-Greensboro video performance:)


Another fun date night.

Mission Accomplished (for these sailors on this ship on their mission)

Terrible how that not-specific-enough banner on the aircraft carrier FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY has resulted in the administration paying such a steep price, huh?

Far too often than should be legally allowed, sometimes we're just SICK to our stomachs. Sick. Infuriating.



"Sleep well, Mr. President."

We have rooms for our weary heads.

This September, a stellar anniversary trip shall commence: Belgium and Germany for 11 days. Flights were booked previously, and now it's official: we have rooms!

In Brussels, it'll be the Hotel Queen Anne.

And in Munich, it's the über-modern (and all lower case) angelo hotel munich. Ja, vee vill feel like Deiter vrom da Sprockets programme.Sweet!!!

A 3-week old video finally opens to the public

Michelle Obama was in Raleigh at NCState on April 8th, and Chris took a video with his digital camera. It was a stirring speech relating the uphill climb versus the "establishment" concerning Barack's legitimacy as a candidate. Alas, it was too large of a file to download directly into the blog.

Then 3 weeks later it finally hit...YouTube! Download it onto YouTube and then embed it in the blog! Brilliant!

Enjoy The House of Gordon premier on YouTube:

And enjoy the couple of bitter "Come on" statements that our fearless blogger utters under his breath to the folks two rows down. Apparently the microphone was close...

Greensboro: 1808 - 2008

2008 marks the bicentennial year of Greensboro incorporated as a city. Named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, the town began as an entity way back in the year 1808. Guilford County's seat had been previously located at Guilford Courthouse, site of the Revolutionary War battle from which General Greene made his indelible mark in our nation's history. Later surveying of the county moved the seat to the precise center: today's Greensboro.

As part of the 200th year celebration, a new statue depicting our town's namesake has been unveiled. It stands in the middle of a roundabout downtown close to Natty Greene's Brewing Co., suffice to say the Gordons pass it often.

In addition to the mammoth horseback statue of General Greene located at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,

We now have the good General standing proud in a roundabout downtown:


And of course, a brisk one block walk from the new Nathanael Greene statue could not be more satiated then with a fresh cold pint of the "official beer of the Greensboro bicentennial celebration", Natty Greene's Patriot Extra Pale Ale. Mmm mmm good.


And of course, driving to and fro would not be complete without a proper license plate on the Cherokee:

"Ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they work together."

Barack Obama had a Town Hall meeting today in Winston-Salem, NC. Tickets became available this past weekend at the Forsyth County Board of Elections, and as our friends the Gallers live closer, they happily volunteered to nab tickets.

It began as a rather chilly morning lining up at the Joel Coliseum (or "Coliseu" as the photo suggests) Annex at 7:30am for the 9:30am door opening. Easily the BEST starting spot in line for our Obama sightings.


Our seats were pretty good on the floor in the 7th rows to the left of the podium:

The 7th row seats lended themselves to some good photos of the senator as he entered the auditorium:

It was yet another vigorous and inspiring speech (preaching to the choir with us, we know). The major soundbites were Obama's poo-pooing of the so-called "gas tax holiday" this summer and deflection of any Rev. Wright comments until a press conference scheduled immediately after the Town Hall meeting.

Yet another inspiring speech and moment to see live and in-person the (hopefully) next president of the United States.

This campaign is not about John McCain, Hillary Clinton, or even myself Barack Obama. This campaign and election is about YOU, the American people. Consequently, I cannot do this without you. So I will need your help in these next 8 days, these next 8 months, and these next 8 years to bring this country together.

Wow.

Wine tasting fundraiser

Last night the Gordons had a date over at Revolution Mill Studios in Greensboro for a wine tasting benefit entitled Corks for Kids Path sponsored by Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro.

Revolution Mill is an enormous complex of offices, studios, and event spaces that have filled the vast interior of an old textile mill. Huge. Tall, tall ceilings; rough wood supports; wide windows; an open airy environment. The studio where the event was held was absolutely gorgeous:

Kids Path is a hospice-type program where children with terminal diseases or have witnessed the suffering of a sibling with terminal disease can receive care and grief counseling.

There was a silent auction with all sorts of items, from the frou-frou to the elegant to the gawdy. Hors d'ouerves were served via tux and silver tray. The event was from 7p-10p, but we had made it through all 12 wine tables plus the 1 Natty Greene's beer bar by 9:00. So then we headed out to Liberty Oak for an appetizer, more wine, plus dessert for a nightcap. It was a lot of fun and for a good cause.

We mainly went towards the red wine angle, with winners on our palate including:
L'Angevin 2006 Sonoma Stage Pinot Noir
Woodenhead 2006 Humboldt County Pinot Noir
Cotes du Roussillon 2003 Saturne (great with pizza they say!)
Markowitsch 2006 Carnuntum Cuvee

Tasty wares, and a donation to a good cause.

The Gordons have press passes.

To the Newseum in Washington, DC:
Kimberly was in DC for the AANA Midyear Convention last week in her element with nursing and politics melded together. Sadly, the bloggishness from the week in question is diminishing with each passing day as Kimberly doesn't blog as much as Chris does. Suffice to say, she got us yearly passes for the way cool Newseum, so visits will occur in earnest whenever we make it up to DC.

Safe money is on "Gordons plummeting to their deaths."

Stumbled across this one the interwebs. Insane.
Take dramamine, press play.

John Adams 7-part HBO miniseries

Well, thanks to the magic of TiVo and our DVR, all 7 episodes of the HBO minsieries have been viewed. The opening theme always made Chris blare the speakers:


Chris didn't agree with the "piling on" of Paul Giamatti in his lead role. Adams was a cantankerous man at times driven by what he felt his place in history should be. He often mumbled; his voice barely carried; he was concerned with himself; and Giamatti in this humbler blogger's opinion pulled it off.


Granted there was quite a bit of dramatic license with the miniseries. I'm sure there are blogs out there purposefully exposing such "mistakes", but here are what Chris observed:

1) the line of militia filing past the Adams home at Braintree surely would have known that they fought on Breed's Hill and not Bunker Hill.

2) General Henry Knox and his artillery relocation from captured Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York to Boston would NOT have bypassed Boston to wheel past the Adams home 7 miles south.

3) George Washington sitting in on the 2nd Continental Congress (not the first as the miniseries suggests) would not wear his Continental Army uniform, but rather his Virginia militia uniform he wore during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War).

4) Adams did not swing the tiebreaking vote on the Jay Treaty, as 2/3 majority is required to ratify any treaties.

5) Adams and Jefferson rekindled their relationship before Abigail passed away, not afterward.



Five little tidbits to nitpick, but all in all it was an entertaining miniseries for history dorks like Chris. Non-history fans (and how in the world could you be one of THOSE?) would probably have enjoyed it also, albeit without the edge-of-your-seat wide eyes that Chris had. In fact, if you want, all 7 episodes are saved on our DVR for viewing at any time. You're always welcome. Colonial tri-cornered hat not provided.



Kimberly, eyes closed; Braintree, MA; June 2005:

Happy Earth Day tree-huggers!

We wish there was a way to embed the following video into our blog, but there isn't; so you'll just have to click on this link from NPR on a story from May 2007 to see fascinating photographs of the Earth.

Sky Visions: Michael Collier's Aerial Photography

Meet the House of Gordon for brandy and robustos in the drawing room.

Foothills wins more hardware!

Jamie at Foothills Brewing has brought home some more brewing awards! Announced just yesterday, Foothills won medals at the 2008 World Beer Cup in San Diego, CA. Foothills won a GOLD medal (out of 49 entries) in the "Robust Porter" category for their People's Porter, and a SILVER medal (out of 20 entries) in the "American Style Stout" category for their Total Eclipse Stout. Both have filled Chris's mug repeatedly in the past and he concurs with the winnings.

The full list:
http://www.beertown.org/events/wbc/PDF/2008_winners_list.pdf

They brew really quality beers there. So much so that Foothills will be the only North Carolina brewer present at the Savor event in Washington, DC that the House of Gordon is going to next month.

Foothills Mug Club member #17 hailing from Greensboro sure is proud! Congrats (again) Jamie!

*****

In other news, Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland took a BRONZE medal (out of 16 entries) in the "British-Style Imperial Stout" category for their yummy Blackout Stout. Congrats to them.

The Onion, the man on the street, and barley

I curse you Hans Weinburger.

The Onion makes us laugh yet again.

Guilford County Democratic Convention

Sadly, no brimmed straw hats were involved, but in any event, the 2008 Guilford County Democratic Convention (as did conventions in all 100 North Carolina counties) occurred Saturday morning. The main lecture hall on Guilford Tech's campus was the site for Guilford County's: 3 & 1/2 hours of candidates, resolutions, and voting.

All sorts of elected (and hoping-to-be) officials made an appearance at our convention. This took up a good portion of our time. Everyone from Congress to Governor to State Senator to County Commissioner to Auditors to Judges made their case and/or plea for support. 40+ people were given one minute to speak, but as politicans go they generally do not understand the meaning of speaking for only one minute. The Parliamentarian basically threw up his hands and allowed 3 minutes each.

The House of Gordon's Congressman Mel Watt made an appearance from Washington, as did another Greensboro congressional representative Brad Miller.

Our current Lt. Governor running for Governor, Bev Perdue, stopped by. This in itself was a feat in that again, all 100 counties had their conventions today, so an actual appearance by the candidate and not a surrogate was an honored touch.

Chris's "girlfriend" from way back from his Pop the Cap grassroots law-changing campaigning sadly could not appear, but her surrogate read a touching letter in her stead. Kay Hagan is not running for a NC Senate re-election this year so that she can run against the ever-so-worthless Elizabeth Dole (R) for the U.S. Senate seat. Kay all the way!

Resolutions were then read and voted on, ranging from the party's approval of two school bonds on our upcoming ballot, to the children of undocumented immigrants receiving in-state college tuition breaks, all the way up to the Michigan/Florida primary mess.

All in all, it was an interesting view into the inner-workings of politics and moving one step closer to the National Convention in Denver.

Bill Maher's final New Rule tonight on HBO

Classic. In its entirety:

And finally, New Rule: referring to voters who America has left behind economically as "bitter" isn't an insult; in fact, it's a compliment, acknowledging that they're smart enough to understand what's happening to them. The hopeful, now those are some idiots.

So let's separate the bitter (my people) from the idiots.
- If you think the Democrats are going to take away your bible, you're an idiot.
- If you think they're going to take away your gun, you're an armed idiot.
- And if you think they're going to take away your gun and give it to a Mexican to kill your god, you're Bill O'Reilly.

Now, at the end of last week when Barack Obama ignited the "Bittergate" scandal, you would have thought that he had scaled Mount Rushmore, dick-slapped Jefferson in the face, and spray-painted "God damn America" over Lincoln. But he wasn't lying. The truth is that religion and guns and hating gays and immigrants ARE crutches that people lean on; so are fast food, crystal meth, and child beauty pageants, but we don't have time to tackle all of America's addictions in one night.

So let's focus on the big thing: that the people who claim to be the non-elitists are the ones who constantly shift tax burdens from the people who fire you, to you. John McCain voted to repeal the estate tax; voted against raising the minimum wage; has no healthcare plan; and is fine with keeping the working class in Iraq for one hundred years. But he's a "real man of the people". And the president went to Harvard and Yale and inherited your country from his dad, but he's not an elitist because he can neither read nor write.

What does it take to label someone "elitist" these days anyway, they wear shoes? They don't buy their groceries at the gas station? Their dog has a name and their truck doesn't? You know who's bitter in America? I am. Because shit-kickers voted twice for a retarded guy they want to have a beer with and everybody else had to suffer the consequences!

9,860

Kimberly has been a huge proponent of registering new voters in Guilford County. She has set up tables on Saturdays around town via the Greensboro Obama office and has a pack of registration forms in her car at all times. The deadline to register in order to vote in North Carolina's May 6 primary was this past April 11. Today, the Greensboro Fish-Wrap had a story concerning the new registrants.

Adding to the rolls of the approximately 310,000 registered voters in Guilford County were an astounding 9,860 newly registered voters.

9,860!

Wow.

Now we're not saying that Kimberly registered all 9,860 of them, but she did have a marked effect on the lives of many a citizen within our fair city. So much so that "Bernard" from a particularly downtrodden neighborhood remembered her as he visited Obama HQ downtown: "That redhead girl with the spikey hair?"

9,860. There is an electricity in the air.