Burning Man Tickets!

Tickets went on sale at 10am today. Out of my way dust hippies! I already got my tickets for Burning Man 2008. Muahhahahahahahhahahahhahahahahha!

This moment of dusty evil was brought to you by the letters BRC and the number 3.

Social Distortion!

Social D...how I love thee!

I got to see Social D at The Fillmore on Tuesday night. For those of you who have never seen a show there, it's one of the best venues around. There is so much history in that place, you can walk in and feel all the greats that have played there.

Let me preface this by saying I've wanted to see Social D for YEARS! I heart these guys and always have, but somehow have never managed to catch a show. They played Friday night and were supposed to play on Saturday and Sunday as well. However, Mike got sick and canceled the Sat and Sun shows. I was really nervous about them having to cancel ours on Tuesday as well, but he pulled through.

After a fabulous dinner of Ethiopian Food at the Sheba Lounge with Jason, Jules and Rick, we headed on over to The Fillmore. The opening band, Tumble Down, was pretty good. They have a good sound and are a somewhat appropriate band to open. It seemed like a long break between the opening act and when Social D came out. We had made our way toward the front so we could have a great view. Plus, Rick secretly wanted to hit the mosh pit. Once that was discussed, Jason went and checked out coats so we wouldn't have anything hindering our moves.

What an entrance! Mike Ness rolls out in his black pants, black t-shirt with a black leather jacket, holding a bunch of red roses. He casually strolled along the front of the stage throwing handfuls of them into the audience. Fucking rock star! They started with a couple acoustic, slight slower versions of Story of My Life and Ball and Chain. It only got better from there. They went through all the decades, starting with the most recent, to the 90s, the 80s and then even a few from the 70s. I heard songs I hadn't heard in years and some that were probably older than most of the people in the audience. Watching Mike rock was awesome. He'd move up front, be playing his guitar and head banging and other than a slightly larger neck, it would have been the same as watching him 20 years ago.

The mosh pit was in full swing. After getting hit on my already tweaked shoulder, I had to tap out. At one point they played a "Social Distortion Country Song" as Mike so eloquently stated. I looked at both my buddies and asked which one of them knew how to two-step. Unfortunately, neither of them did. How cool would it have been to two-step in the middle of a (now quiet) mosh pit? Yes, I really am that sick and wrong. Alas, an unfulfilled dream.

After a solid set, they came back for an encore. They ended with a fabulous rendition of Ring of Fire. It blows me away how these guys have been rocking for 30 years and are still amazing live. They are coming back the end of Jan/beg of Feb and I may just go see them again.

I've been singing Ball and Chain ever since. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to take a swing dance lesson when Ball and Chain is in your head? Muahahhahahahhaha.

This moment of Social D joy was brought to you by the letters M and N and the number 30.

Write to save the Hill of Tara

Some of the most sacred ground in Ireland has become the focus of an intense controversy. The Hill of Tara, northwest of Dublin, has been a prehistoric burial place, a pagan sanctuary, and a seat of power for the Irish kings. This narrow valley is one of the most culturally and archaeologically significant places in the world. Many monuments predate the Egyptian pyramids. The Hill of Tara has been a sanctuary for every generation since. It is precisely because it has remained intact, unlike many comparable Continental sites, that it holds a special key to understanding the continuous progression of European civilization.


Now the Irish government is planning to build a four-lane highway through an adjacent valley. Early last year, archaeologists working on the route of the controversial highway near the village of Lismullin, stumbled across a vast Iron Age ceremonial enclosure, or henge, surrounded by two concentric walls. The 2,000-year-old site is just over a mile from the Hill of Tara, traditional seat of the ancient Irish kings and site of St. Patrick’s conversion of the Irish to Christianity in the fifth century A.D. The discovery of the massive henge, measuring more than 260 feet in diameter, confirms the long-held belief that the area around the hill contains a rich complex of monuments.

The extraordinary amount of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara – burial mounds, religious enclosures, stone structures, and rock art dating from the third millennium B.C. to the twelfth century A.D.– makes it Ireland’s most spiritually and archaeologically significant site. Construction of the new M3 highway, meant to ease traffic congestion around Dublin, threatens not only the Hill of Tara’s timeless quality, but also newly discovered archaeological sites in the surrounding valley.

Lismullin and other sites that stand in the way of the new road are now approved for destruction. Although archaeologists and concerned Irish politicians are rallying support worldwide for the protection of the Hill of Tara, the iconic site remains in great peril. The European Commission has initiated legal action against the Irish government over the M3, charging Ireland with failing to protect its own heritage.


Tomorrow, Tuesday. January 11, 2008, there is a National Day of Action in Ireland, but it is important that protests are made internationally also. Many of you have asked how you can help.



We are asking that people write to important decision makers in the Irish government expressing your deep concern. You can either write your own letter of concern to Emer Deane, the Consul-General of Ireland in San Francisco, (address below) or cut and paste the following letter:



Dear Madam,

I am writing to you with deep and urgent concern regarding the freeway that is being constructed through the valley of the Hill of Tara, Lismullin and the Skyrne Valley in Ireland.



The Hill of Tara and its environs is famous worldwide and being a National and a World Monument sit, is one of the most culturally, spiritually and archaeologically significant places in the world . People from all over the world, come to Ireland because of its beauty, its heritage, and its history. Ireland is now in danger of losing a vital part of all three for the sake of a new road and a massive interchange by the hill of Tara.


We urge the Irish government to reconsider this decision and choose one of the many intelligent options that are still available : to improve the existing N3 motorway as per the original advertised scheme; to re-open the Navan-Dublin railway line, or just simply to move the M3 motorway from this delicate landscape, where it is currently environmentally unsound.


Every effort should be made to preserve this national/world monument and to halt this motorway, and stop what is ultimately the destruction of Ireland's heritage.


Yours sincerely,
etc...

The letter should be emailed to:

The Consul General of Ireland, SF. Her email address: Emer.deane@dfa.ie



Also, cc it to :
the Environment Minister, Minister Gormley : minister@environ.ie
The Taoiseach, Prime Minister of Ireland: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie

Plus BCC it to Tarawatch: info@tarawatch.org (so that they have a copy, for safety).


Please write this email over the next 24 hours and forward it to interested people on your own list. Please BCC it so that everyone’s address does not become world property.

This moment of concern was brought to you by the letter I and the number 3000.