Sunset in Key West

Watching the Sunset in Key West, FL (sorry about my finger blocking the top of the photo!, just pretent it is the nighttime).

Loading the Johnson

At the Boondocks in Big Pine Key listening to Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band.

Doc Ford's Laboratory

Doc Ford's Laboratory in Big Pine Key.

Basketball in Miami

One of the days I was visiting my brother in South Florida we were invited to eat lunch with my brother's boss in Miami. He told us to meet him at the Miami Heat arena. We went there and finally after waiting outside for him for an hour, he took us inside to play on the Miami Heat court, and then he left us there for 2 hours. It was fun to play there, but we were starving. When he came back, he gave us tickets to that night's game and gave me a tshirt to cover my Boston Celtics shirt. There was only 2 hours until the game, so it didn't make sense to drive back to Ft. Lauderdale (even though we didn't have a car), so my brother and I stuck around and had lunch and walked around Miami. (BTW, in the picture above, I actually made that shot!)

Warm Thanksgiving

Over Thanksgiving I visited my brother in South Florida. (BTW, 2 Thanksgivings ago I visited my brother in Bermuda when he was going to school. He goes to school in nice places, except RI). The picture to the right was taken from a watering hole right on the Beach. The people on the Beach are probably Canadiens. My brother just moved to Ft. Lauderdale for Grad School in Marine Biology, so I look forward to visiting him much more.

Lucky Ben

24 hours of luck ... The picture to the left was taken during the 23rd hour.

It all started the previous night while I was running to catch a Red Line train in Harvard Square. The train had just closed its doors and was about to take off, and I was about 50 yards away. I decided to run for the train, and when I got there the doors opened for me (the conductors let this happen).

I got off at Porter Square and noticed that the parking lot I had parked in was unusually empty. Then, I noticed that there was a bunch of tow trucks near where I parked, and my car was not where I thought I had parked it. I walked to one of the tow trucks and noticed that it was blocking my car in. I immediately got in my car and turned it on. The tow truck operator got out and tapped on my window. "I drove all the way out here to tow this car" he said. "I live here" muttered Ben. He laughed. "Get out of here" he said. "You are blocking me in" Ben said.

The next afternoon I went to Mohegan Sun with two of three of my friends. They started gambling, and losing money, so they pushed me to start gambling. Being the cheap guy I am, I reluctantly took a $20 bill out of my wallet and set that as my limit. After 30 min of BlackJack I had brought my investment up to $85. To be safe, I put a $25 chip in my pocket, so that I could at least walk out of the casino up $5. My friends wanted to continue gambling, so I decided to gamble the remaining $60 on BlackJack again. I brought this up to $125 and then decided to quit ahead.

On the ride home, we almost hit a deer that was standing in the middle of the highway. I saw the deer when it was 100 feet away, but the driver was spacing out and he didn't see it until it was brushing against the side of his window. I am glad I still had luck in me.

Joe Satriani at The Orpheum

Last Tuesday (14 Oct 2008) I went to see Joe Satriani and special guest Mountain at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA.  Jack Bruce (the bassist from Cream) was playing with Mountain.  Leslie West was on guitar, Corky Laing was on drums, and Jack Bruce was on bass.  Jack looked and played young, but at one point Leslie mentioned that he used to watch Jack play in Cream when he was young.  After checking on Wiki during the show I learned that Jack Bruce was born in 1943.  His head was shaved except for a few long braids directly on the top of his head, which he swung in circles while he played bass.  It should also be noted that Corky would not stop knocking over his symbols, which caused his helper to get annoyed (at one point he kicked them over right after his helper picked them up and his helper left them on the ground until the end of the song).  

Joe Satriani and his band started out with their single "I Just Wanna Rock" and the show just got better from there.  They played for a good two hours before finally ending the show.  Obviously Joe Satriani dominated the band, but it was nice to see his drummer, bassist, and rythym guitarist (who are all very telented) all contribute.   

VaTech vs. BC football game

Last night I went to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University vs. Boston College Football game at BC Alumni Stadium.   I went with two of my friends, one of them a Vatech alumni.  Who do you think would win in a fight: an Eagle or a Turkey?  The Hokies were ranked higher but somehow the Eagles pulled out a win, even after throwing 3 interceptions (2 of them returned for touchdowns by Vatech) and fumbling away a few turnovers.  The key stat of the game was the Hokies were limited to a season-low 240 yards of offense.

Pepper Pot

This week for wednesday night dinner we went to Pepper Pot in Roxbury.   It was Paul's turn to pick a restaurant, so he decided to steal an argument from Sarah Palin: He insisted that since he is from Florida, he can practically see Cuba from his house, and since Cuba is in the Carribean, we should sample Carribean food.  He wanted to choose a place related to his heritage, and since he is from Florida, that makes him Carribean, or at least a "jerk".  So that led us to the Pepper Pot ...

Travelling there:  My friend and I knew it was located in Dudley Square (but not sure where Dudley Square was) so we hopped on the number 1 bus which dropped us off at Dudley Street. From there it was a sketchy 5 minute walk down Dudley Street to the Pepper Pot.  One of my friends said the walk would be "gangsta" and they were right.  

The Atmosphere:   The restaurant is one room that is very plain with almost nothing except ads for Jamaican events on the walls.  It took about 10 or 15 minutes before we saw anybody that worked there.   The waitress came over to our table to tell us that we have to walk up to the counter to order, then she came back and took our orders.

The Food:  was excellent.  I tried the BBQ chicken, which pulled off the bone easily, which I like.  Each meal comes with a side of rice and beans, fried plantains, and a white vegetable that I didn't touch.   They have an authentic Jamaican menu including:  curried goat, jerk chicken, liver, cow foot, saltfish, etc.  Their desert menu is even better, in fact they have an ice cream shop connected to the restaurant.   One thing I just remembered:  many of the things on the menu they don't have.   When we left she told us to stay safe and watch ourselves out there.

Brookline Family Restaurant

Last Wednesday (October 1st 2008) I went to Brookline Family Restaurant with my Wednesday Night Dinner group.  I went with my best friend Matt (who played with his iPhone the whole time).  I thought the waitress was good, but the food was even better.  It turns out they had just finished belly dancing right before we arrived. For food, I had a Turkish attempt at pizza.  The "pizza" tasted good but I could taste the animal.  The Turkish people were very accommodating and I think I would go back.  Even though I have eaten with my WND group many times, I usually don't converse with them and I usually proceed to play with my iPhone when I am done with my dinner.  I like the idea of WND but I would like to eat with a more diverse crowd.  It is usually the same 8 of us and most of the people are married couples around my age.  After dinner I watched the Red Sox game 1 of the ALDS at Game On! in Fenway.