Video Games Live

We went to the Symphony on Friday: Video Games Live. It's it's show that uses the local symphonies to recreate music for video games. There was a wide range of old classic songs like Super Mario, Punch Out and more that game geeks (not me) would know as well as new stuff like Halo, Final Fantasy 7 (which was beautiful musically) and The Legend of Zelda Twilight princess (which Daniel has devoted many many hours to). Over all it was fun, I think for the nerdier gamer kids (like the two ummm 12/14 year olds sitting in front of us who jumped out of their seats multiple times in excitement) it would have been cooler (just because I didn't know many of the newer songs). But it was definitely great fun. They played some interactive games with a twist with the orchestra playing the music as audience members tried to beat classic games on a huge screen. Oh and they had the video game pianist there: awesome (that will take a whole blog post of it's own). It was definitely a different scene than normal for the symphony and but it was lots of fun and really made you realize how intricate the compositional work in these video games now-a-days.

Here's a sneak peek. Someone filmed their intro medley piece. Between the laughing (yes it was like that for us too) you can hear the music. When we first got there I was afraid that it would be like trying to hear the music at a dashboard confessional concert but after the medley things calmed down and it was only the occasional outburst.

Happy Birthday Wah Wah

 

Happy 1st birthday Tira, special for your birthday a chicken dance!

Fun Times With Kyle

 


We've had some fun with Cristy, Sergio and Kyle this week. I've got lots of pictures from their visit and the rotten musicians band practice but no time right now. I felt like I should update this so here. Hopefully next week I'll take the time and post some of the fun pictures and videos we taken over the last week.

How cool was that?

 

So the Daniel and I are 100% convinced that Once was made as a huge music video i.e. to get their name out in the music world. I think the magical process of music creation was a little lost on us. While we liked the film there was too much of a sense that we were watching our own boring lives. I kept on thinking, I see this every day, that's what my Daniel does with almost every free moment. To top it off we had just been in the studio the week we watched it so it was a little too close to home (minus the weird vacuum cleaner stuff and foreign husband). Sad enough the cynic in me naturally thinks, so what you made an awesome song in the studio, now you've got to get the right people to hear it, let's see you do that. Well of course you know how the story ends they got many to see/hear it and now have an Oscar winning song! I'm so happy for them. I think the song is awesome and they are way to cute. And by the way I loved her dress.

My Jamba Juice Commercial

 

I've been so so sick.

What's going on...

 

Today...
-Daniel is in the studio mastering the new Rotten Musicians' album. I will try and still a track to share with you all when it comes home.
-I had a big store update and sheesh got a ton of sales. Very cool but it's a lot.

Yesterday and before...
-If finally defended (successfully) my dissertation prospectus (proposal) so I'm done with administrative hoops and just have to write the dissertation (well to my committee's liking)
-we had a lovely weekend in the forties, can you believe I think that's warm. I wore skirts and dresses the last 5 days. But I am staring into yet another blizzard.
-I was really sick for a day (sleeping all day long, sent a movie for my students to watch)
-I'm teaching but my kids are REALLY immature, today I actually had to tell about 10 of them (two groups of friends) that they need to not sit by each other next time. How junior high is that? Oh well I guess I could have asked them to leave but I actually like them. They just can't stop talking to each other, but somehow they still manage to be apart of the classroom discussion).
-we've developed a liking for Craig Ferguson, especially his theme song and intro medley. Daniel likes the seen when Craig is going up and down wiggling his arms (okay I know that makes no sense if you haven't seen it).

Tomorrow and the foreseeable future...
-Daniel is bitter because he signed up to go to a conference in Ogden (40ish minutes away?) today through Friday, but this means that he has to leave the house at 7:30am. Yup not a happy camper.


See even though I've been a huge flake about calling and emailing people back you really haven't missed anything.

 

Today's show is brought to us by the word "change"



I'm not so much a fan of change for change's sake. After Pelosi won, a very smart women after realizing I wasn't as filled with joy as she was said "well change is always good right?", but I think we both saw the clear fallacy in that statement. Hopefully whoever wins will bring good change. But you gotta admit that this is pretty funny.

Welcome to Our Winter Wonderland



It's been falling non-stop since I got up a couple hours ago and I'm sure it started while I was asleep. That looks like a foot of snow around my car (Daniel is now saying he thinks it's 10" but still that's a lot!). It was freezing cold and dry for a week or so but it's warmer now, yes weird I know, but it's true. I'm just glad that the chilling wind is gone.

What's going on

 

Baby wah wah lives in my kitchen so I say hi to her and kiss her many times a day. School has started, I'm so excited to have real people (not online monster jerks) for students, and I love teaching philosophy of religion. Daniel has been making his music in full swing. He's juggling I think 4 projects and is constantly telling me new ideas, and I have to ask or figure out which project it's for. My advisor wants me to defend my prospectus (dissertation proposal) on the 28th or 30th of this month, so I'm freaking out. Daniel in his fascination of the natural cures book has been taking a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar before each meal. I'm not sure if it's doing anything. hmmm he just spilled salsa on the couch. I've got a stack of orders to fill for my little dresses (I think it's up to 8) so I should get started on that or my prospectus stuff.

 

It's been snowing off and on since Christmas. Luckily it warms enough after each storm that the roads haven't once been scary while we've been on them. This icicle was threatening us for most of the last month, slowly growing each day. One day Daniel and I toyed with the idea of using it as a josting, dueling tool. But sadly, one day I came home and they had cleaned all the icicles around the condo. I was going to document the growth but I only got around to this picture. So exciting I know.

Happy Birthday to Me

 

The Nutcracker

 

Daniel and I went to the Nutcracker the other night. He had in his head that he didn't like the Nutcracker but after being there realized he hadn't ever seen it. It turns out that he actually loved it. So this picture above is from 2002, I wonder how many changes happen every year. It looks just like what we saw the other night. I'd love to see different versions every year but I want to see good ones, hmmm where to find them? I loved it but I wasn't totally impressed by Ballet West. The Sugar Plum Fairy was awesome but the Russian Dancers were seriously lacking. I always remember them being so so amazing. But this time they just looked like they were trying really hard. I think it's fun having memories of the different ways different choreographers put together the same ballet and the different costume choices. We still both had loads of fun and I think it will be a little tradition. On our way out into the crazy snow I scurried to the souvenir table behind a slue of 8 year old girls and Daniel said, "These little girls must be loving this. Hey, you were one of them." Yup.

Chaing Mai

So here's the last set of pictures. These were taken up in Chaing Mai at my family's resort and our little day trips. We've got a lot of video as well but that will have to wait for a different day. Some of it is pretty cool and some is just plain funny.

Krabi

Thailand pictures round 2. Daniel and I went down to the beach by ourselves for a couple days. I think if you put the cursor over the picturs some will have captions.

Bangkok Pictures

Here's the first set of Thailand pictures.

A stranger wrote this very flattering piece on one of daniel's projects. Feel free to read it. There are a couple downloads available.

I know I promised Thailand pictures.... I've been playing with my new sewing machine. Soon though, soon.

Happy Halloween

 

Here's the little email I got from my favorite wah wah

So I know I've been way way slacky with updating but hopefully this will change (do I say that in every post?) I will do installments of Thailand pictures so you're guaranteed at least a little updating but here's a list for now.

-we had a dandy time in Thailand
-we're exicited about the cheesecake factory opening this week
-we're both not so thrilled about being back at work
-daniel's been working on his music as usual but no new recordings to share yet
-RaeGun is doing well I just finished all my orders from while we were gone and I have 2 wholesale orders
-teaching has been awful and since that was pretty much the only part of school I liked I pretty much hate school

Well most of the stuff I can think of is Thailand stuff but I'll wait for that so they can be joined with pictures

A little update

 


Well this has been life lately...fabric everywhere, on the couch, on the floor, in the dryer, on the table and hidden in every space imaginable. Daniel has two wii games he loves (Metroid and Zelda) so when we aren't playing or eating or working this is what the house looks like -him waving his arms wildly at the TV and me behind him at the sewing machines. Life has been busy it seems like I only update this when I get new baby pictures but here's a little list of what's been going on or coming up for us.

-I've been sick all last week and it's just lagging
-we bought a new couch woohoo, but it won't be delivered until November, I promise pictures will come
-Ava turned one we went to her b-day party with the yummiest donuts in the world and soon after she started walking
-Rae Gun is taking off business is going well and so fun
-school started
-we're finalizing our plans for our trip to Thailand coming up
-Daniel's been in the studio recording 3 new songs. They are so so good, I'll let you know when he puts them on the web
-we went on a church retreat where the trees looked just like those from House of Flying Daggers
-we've watched a lot of movies...some that I remember...The Last Nimzy is that what it's called...it's good you should watch it, Waitress, That Fantastic Four Movie (worse that you can imagine), Hot Fuzz, Harry Potter (2 times) okay more...
-Played with people

I have some pictures so hopefully I'll get a little slide show made and post it up.