Different World

Long weekends...gotta love 'em! Just hanging out in the house with Lily; Deb and Hannah went out to lunch. It's a pretty nice day out, sunny with temps in the mid-70s. No big plans today. I just ran a few errands this morning and went to the gym. I'm going to grill up some chicken in a little while and enjoy some Sam Adams Octoberfest.

Yesterday, I got out on the road early and did 15 miles. It was 40 degrees when I started; nice running weather. I felt good. The back's not bothering me at all, so that's a good sign two weeks from race day.

Friday night, I went to the Iron Maiden show at BU's Agganis Arena. I met my buddy Gary and my coworker Paul and his girlfriend there. We fell into the contingent of old-school Maiden fans who thought it'd be fun to see them live again. I saw them back in '88 and '91, so it has definitely been a while. Maiden was one of my favorite bands in high school during my teenage metalhead years. By the time I had graduated from college, I didn't listen to much metal. I had grown more interested in so-called alternative rock. I guess in the last few years I've embraced some of that old stuff I used to listen to, so Paul and I thought it'd be fun to see Maiden when they came around again. They actually came through the Tweeter Center last year with the Ozzfest, playing songs from their first four albums to promote their DVD Early Days, which is excellent. I would have loved to have seen that show, except for the Ozzfest thing, which I had no interest in. So we waited until they released their new album A Matter of Life and Death last month; it debuted at number 9 on the Billboard album charts, the best position of their career. It's a great album, examining war-related themes, and it really kicks butt. The show Friday was the second on Maiden's new tour and was a little different because they played the entire album from start to finish before playing five other classics. We actually found out the setlist the day before and it was a bit disappointing because they have so many great songs we would have liked to hear. But I understand that they played that oldies-only show last year and will be touring to support a DVD based on albums five through eight next year or the year after, so they wanted to highlight the new stuff. The crowd was pretty receptive, but when they started playing the older stuff, the place really went nuts. The audience itself was pretty interesting--a lot of older guys in their 30s, 40s, and 50s; some guys with their kids; younger fans; and the crazier, costume-wearing ones like the guy with a giant, papier-mache Eddie head. Gary noted that singer Bruce Dickinson, who now has short hair, was wearing a jacket that kinda made him look like Simon LeBon, but he still belted out the songs and ran around like a madman. I would have liked to see a couple more old songs, but it was a great time nonetheless.

Run to the hills:

• I recorded my latest podcast last night, so check it out. Figured out what was causing the mix problems, so it should sound a lot better now. UPDATE: Apparently, there's a problem with the file and folks, including me, haven't been able to download it. I am consulting with the good folks at Podshow to find out what the dealio, so I will let you know when I find out anything. UPDATE OF UPDATE: Apparently there was an eff-up with Podshow's domain name being allowed to expire, so all Podshow podcasts were unavailable Sunday and Monday. But all is working now. The end.
• Some folks have been printing up t-shirts hyping a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert presidential ticket in 2008. Stewart downplayed it, and really, who would make fun of the White House if he was in there?
• CBGB's is closing after 33 years as a historic punk venue in NYC. Patti Smith is playing the final show next Sunday night. Owner Hilly Kristal may be moving the club to Vegas, of all places.
• I was shocked to see the Detroit Tigers upset the Yankees over the weekend. Never saw that coming. Damn. So...go Tigers!