Life as a Grup

So what’s a Grup? According to New York Magazine

“Also known as yupster (yuppie + hipster), yindie (yuppie + indie), and alterna-yuppie. Our preferred term, grup, is taken from an episode of Star Trek (keep reading) in which Captain Kirk et al. land on a planet of children who rule the world, with no adults in sight. The kids call Kirk and the crew “grups,” which they eventually figure out is a contraction of “grown-ups.” It turns out that all the grown-ups had died from a virus that greatly slows the aging process and kills anybody who grows up.”

More specifically, Adam Sternbergh writes,

“Let’s start with a question. A few questions, actually: When did it become normal for your average 35-year-old New Yorker to (a) walk around with an iPod plugged into his ears at all times, listening to the latest from Bloc Party; (b) regularly buy his clothes at Urban Outfitters; (c) take her toddler to a Mommy’s Happy Hour at a Brooklyn bar; (d) stay out till 4 A.M. because he just can’t miss the latest New Pornographers show, because who knows when Neko Case will decide to stop touring with them, and everyone knows she’s the heart of the band........”

If any of this strikes a chord with you, then I suggest that you (as I did) check out the full article. Now, I gotta run cause Death Cab for Cutie is in town tonight at the Verizon Wireless Theater. I’m not kidding!

Thanks to Courtney P. for the article. "Opal Jelly"

A SUPER Sonoman

I had an awesome bottle of wine tonight. It is the Waugh Cellars new wine called Super Sonoman (2003). Super Sonoman is a new wine from Waugh but you won’t find it there. It is done by Waugh and a friend of the vineyard under a different label. Super Sonoman is 100% Cabernet and it is truly a big boy. The nose was bit hot at first but smoothed off after being chilled down a bit. The nose of the wine had a lot of dark fruits (blackberry, currant) and some woody over tones. Maybe a bit of dark soils as well. You know you are in for a ride when you sample the nose. The nose is confirmed on the pallet with the same dark fruits but it is almost jammy like a syrah as well. Not all the way there but going that way. Certainly a big cabernet but more finessed than the big fruity cabs. Look for this one retail at about $85 or so. Here are a couple pictures of the bottle. Yummy! Nothing like sitting down to a good bottle of wine by yourself and enjoying it. Looking forward to finishing this one tomorrow.

On Turning 36

Easter Sunday March 29^th 1970 – George Alvin Dickinson III

Although my memories don’t go back that far, it seems like just yesterday I was a child in Mobile Alabama. But wow, 36, I am now 36. How did that happen? Hell, when did that happen? The last few years I have certainly been feeling my age not necessarily physically but mentally. Life weighs on me now. I feel my mortality. My years are slipping away. I am driven to accomplish. Every day has a meaning and time can’t be wasted. Our time is too short here in this life and I want to be sure I am remembered for something. But, honestly, I can really look around and see that I am very blessed. There is not much at all that I would change in my life and I am grateful for every experience.

I need to get over this only child thing that keeps me from wanting to celebrate. I simply have never felt comfortable allowing people to throw parties or surprises for me. This has been to my detriment in some cases (long story for another post) but I want to change it. Again I have a birthday, and I seem to just want it to pass by without attention. Am I too modest about this?

Forget about the reasons and
The treasons we are seeking
Forget about the notion that
Our emotions can be swept away
Forget about being guilty,
We are innocent instead
For soon we will all find our lives swept away

George < Uber Nerd

I could not resist taking this test. Somehow I think my friends would beg to differ with my score.

He Said, She Said, Or Did They?

Sunday November 16^th 2003

She said: Just talk to me. If there is something that you need to say you can tell me.

He said: I don’t know, I don’t know what to say……

Communication. If there is one thing that I have learned about relationships is that communication is key. I learned that lesson the hard way that morning sitting on my bed with her. All I had to do was take the chance. Open up. Let her in. Give it a chance. I had the words in my mouth, and on my tongue, yet they would not come out. I literally could not speak and I have no idea why, words simply would not come to me.

I have seen this play out over and over again, and yet again this past weekend which has prompted my memory on this subject. The learning in the lesson is that if relationships do not have a basis of open and honest communication, the relationship is doomed to fail. Granted we do not walk in day one, walls down and hearts open, but finding that common ground is key. Looking back, I can now see how so many things with me that I “thought” were the problem were not the problem but simply artifacts and symptoms of the elephant in the room. The elephant’s name was “Communication”.

I really hope these guys can work it out.

Plastination!

Gunther von Hagens & Body Worlds 3 is showing at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and I had a chance to check it out yesterday. Absolutely amazing. I think the thing that struck me the most was the technical skill that it takes to do a dissection this clean. I am in no way a biology nut but looking at these bodies you have to remind yourself that you are looking at a person that had a name, parents, children maybe, and now they are right here before you. True they are dead, but somehow still alive.

Von Hagens was able to perfect his technique of preserving bodies through a process called plastination and then dissecting them with incredible skill. Many of the bodies have different perspectives be it circulatory, muscular, reproductive, or nervous system. You just have to see it to have an full appreciation no matter how much you read about it. Completely worth the time.

Talent + Fender Strat = Patrice Pike

Patrice Pike rocks. Every note that comes from her guitar is from her soul. Every word from her voice begs you to listen. When her voice cries you feel it. Her love songs plead with you for your sympathy. You feel every word and every emotion as you listen to her. This is the beautiful thing about music.

If you remember a band called Sister Seven then you remember Patrice. She did some rhythm guitar and sang lead for those guys. She got a ton of critical acclaim during the the mid 90’s and was brought to the forefront with a lot of big bands – Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler etc. The band even got billing on the Lilith Fair tour. Fast forward about ten years.

I went to the Mucky Duck tonight to check her out with her new band and it was awesome. This joint seats maybe 80 tops and it is as intimate as it gets. I was fortunate to get a table stage center right up front to soak up all the goodness. Her set began with a few acoustic tunes that had the crowd leaning forward in their chairs. She then brought out the band and began to rock the house. Rock, she does it. Blues, she does it. A little country, yeah, you can hear that too. Funk and attitude by the bucket!

Check out her website if you get a sec. There are some samples of her music and a short video on the multimedia tab.

What an amazingly talented woman. Hell yeah, Patrice Pike rocks.

Liftoff Confirmed!

And so it begins. This has certainly been a work in progress for a while now and I am glad that it has come to be. Although I am joining a legion of Bloggers out there in the world now, hopefully I will have something different to offer. Well, then again, probably not.

I suppose the goal here is for me to offer my commentary on the world that I live in, or plan to live in for the next TBD years. Life, my travels, experiences and the stuff that I am passionate about are all fair game for discussion. So what is George, or Booster his alter ego passionate about you might ask. Plenty of cool stuff I like to think - my family, my faith, friends, music, gaming, great food experiences and laughing at life are a few of these things. I am sure that many other topics will come up along the way and hopefully some recurring topics and series that I will dream up along the way.

If you have found your way here by chance or by invitation, welcome. Make yourself at home. Beer is in the fridge and pizza is on the way. Take off your shoes. Make yourself at home. Feel free to leave a comment if it strikes you. WARNING: The content here will be a fairly graphic discussion of my life. If it is on my mind, I will more than likely say it. If something is bothering me, then you will get that too. After all, this is my corner of the world.

So there you have it, and now off onto the adventure of life. Special thanks to Jay and the fellas at Hitcatcher for helping me out. Oh, I gotta get back to our countdown.......

Ignition
Throttle up
Three at 100
Mainstage

Liftoff Confirmed!