There are days when I am very happy without knowing why. Days when I am happy to be alive and breathing, when my whole being seems to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect sunny day. I live for these days, and on these days I like to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

falling leaves, hide the path, so quietly

haiku by John Bailey

I'm hesitant to say it, but I think Autumn is here! It's about time. I don't know about anyone else, but the 90 degree days were getting old!


Some consider fall to be a season of endings, where foliage dies and begins to decay in piles on the street. Where wind rustles the bare branches and frost pinches the edges of the leaves each morning. But I look at fall as the season of new beginnings, or of rejuvenation and a chance to start over.

It's a time of sensory delights: both smell and taste. There's something about morning air in the fall that refreshes and relaxes me in one breath. The chill makes me feel alive and want to run around and enjoy life. It's also a time of delicious food (enter all things pumpkin!).

Introducing...

Here we have an assortment of mini cheesecakes (with a delightful red velvet cupcake in the center). There's a chocolate lobotomy cheesecake, an Oreo cheesecake, a pumpkin cheesecake, and a chocolate cake cheesecake. Based on my incredibly fine-tuned taste-buds, I dub the Oreo cheesecake the best. It was creamy and super light. The red velvet cupcake was quite good as well: both dense and rich.

Stay tuned for a taste test between Cheesecake Therapy, Tee & Cakes, and Boulder Baked. I think a red velvet, pumpkin, and chocolate cupcake variety would be the best test group.
I did take a cooking leap and made potato soup...tasted just like Outback's soup (and for those of you who don't know...that's the ultimate potato soup in my book). I even attempted to make it look fancy.

I am sad that seasonal fruit will soon be out of reach...goodbye delicious cantaloupes and watermelons and strawberries and plums. Farewell kiwis and blueberries and plums and nectarines. I'll miss you.

I think I'll attempt to make a savory pumpkin soup next. This is a great season for experimentation!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Passion Pit and Muse concert

Last Saturday I went to the Muse concert at the Pepsi Center. This concert was supposed to happen back in April, but the snow kept their buses from getting over Vail Pass. I was excited to hear that they rescheduled, bummed that it was moved to the Pepsi Center, and stoked to find out that Passion Pit would open instead of the Silversun Pickups. I've recently become a Passion Pit fan, so this was just a bonus.


I started the evening with some Cheeky Monk and the company of another awesome Erin. I had a Lucifer to start, and I think it's replaced my other favorite, the Tripel Karmeliet. 
Then we set off for the show. Since the show was supposed to be at the 1st Bank Center originally, my seats got moved around and we ended up on the top level at the Pepsi Center, but we could see pretty well and the acoustics were still good. I'm glad we were out of the floor area though. Passion Pit came on at 7:30 to kick things off.


     Passion Pit Set List 

1. Moth's Wings
2. The Reeling
3. Make Light
4. Let Your Love Grow Tall
5. Folds in Your Hands
6. Live to Tell the Tale
7. Better Things
8. Little Secrets
9. Sleepyhead


I didn't know what to expect from Passion Pit, but I warmed right up to them onstage. They were very upbeat and fun. I think I actually prefer them live over their cds, which is pretty cool. In other words, they were awesome! I'd see them again for sure.

Then there was about a twenty minute break before Muse hit the stage. For those who saw other parts of this tour, you know about the towers and such. I think everyone there knew that the band was going to appear in the towers, but it was still really cool to watch. The lighting and use of the platforms on the stage was really well done. The last time I saw Muse was on the Black Holes and Revelations tour at Red Rocks Amphitheater. I wish they would have come back to Red Rocks, but the show at the Pepsi Center was still fantastic to watch. I always forget how good they are live until I see them again. Concerts aren't really my scene since people get rowdy and it's loud and crowded, etc...but if it's a band I love, it's worth it. The Muse crowd was more or less pretty mellow, except for a small group on the floor who felt the need to mosh and crowd surf...yeah...


It was also really nice to be at a concert with someone who was equally exuberant in a quiet fashion (yay!). 


    Muse Set List

1. & 2. Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture and Map of the Problematique
3. Knights of Cydonia
4. Uprising
5. Supermassive Black Hole
6. Hysteria
7. Nishe
8. United States of Eurasia
9. Feeling Good
10. MK Jam
11. Undisclosed Desires
12. Resistance
13. Starlight
14. Time is Running Out
15. Unnatural Selection

    Encore

16. Plug In Baby
17. Stockholm Syndrome

    Encore 2

18. Take A Bow

Overall...what a wonderful show. I can't believe I considered not going. Any time I can see Muse live, it's worth it.