I really wanted to update my blog on what I did this past weekend, but as it required me to wake up at 6:30am after 3 hours of sleep, I proceeded to forget to bring my digital camera, so all I have are film photos which have yet to be developed. So this update shall come at another time. I am almost done with photos from Sweden and Norway as well.
Remember how I said I couldn’t mention my trip earlier than I did? The reason behind that was that someone was stalking me. But while I was being stalked, I was doing the same to someone else! I was participating in Street Wars, an annual water gun assassination tournament. You like like an assassin (since you receive your target’s full name, home and work address and phone number, along with two photos and an email address), but if you end up getting shot yourself, it’s only with water.
This is the second year I’ve played, and what I think is fun about it is that Street Wars’ tagline, Live In Fear, is completely true. You become completely paranoid and overly cautious. You have no idea who is coming after you, whether it’s one person or a team, male or female. That guy smoking across the street who glances at you? Could be an assassin. The girl walking down the street with her hand in her purse? Could be an assassin about to pull out her gun. The guy delivering your mail? Could be an assassin!
Last year I worked as part of a team, but unfortunately my partner got shot early on, which meant I was out of the game as well. This year I decided I would play solo, and I met my personal goal – to kill at least one person. Once you kill someone you must submit a Kill Story to the Street Wars mainframe. Read below to see my Kill Story…
I’m starting to become really excited for this summer, even though this random hot then cold New York weather has made me forget that June is only one week away! I’ve got big plans for summer activities, big plans! The following is only a short list of events I’m looking forward to doing this summer that should make for some good times.
Crowd at Warped Tour, 2004
✦ Free summer concerts
New York can’t be beat in the summer, especially with all of the free events that happen all over every borough. There’s so many good free outdoor concerts I look forward to every year, such as Siren Festival, the Williamsburg Waterfront “Pool Parties,” shows at Pier 54 and South Street Seaport, Celebrate Brooklyn, shows at The Yard in Gowanus (usually not free, but I love that lil’ outdoor venue), etc! And I just read that the Virgin Mobile Festival is going to be free again this year, which means driving down to Maryland! I went last year and saw some big names like Weezer, Blink 182 (throwback!), Franz Ferdinand and Girl Talk, so I’m excited to see who plays this year.
Last week, Peelander-Z played in Brooklyn again at the always fun Brooklyn Bowl (for those not from NY, it’s a bowling alley that doubles as a concert venue. You can bowl and watch the bands at the same time!). I hope by now you’re all familiar with this band, as I wrote about them the first time I ever saw them (which was ridiculous fun!), and when I saw them at SXSW last year. I brought my friend Krystalynne with me and it was the first time she’d seen them, or even heard of them, but I knew after the show she’d become a fan. I strongly urge everyone to see this band if they tour near you, because you don’t need to know any of their music to have a good time. Plus, they’re from Japan, so how can they not be fun? I also ended up playing bass onstage with them, again!
If you’ve been a casual reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I enjoy going to shows to see my favorite bands live. In fact, my new years resolution for 2006 was to attend 100 shows, which I barely made by going to 101! So you can imagine that seeing such a high amount of shows can get somewhat monotonous; always surrounded by a crowd, looking up at the handful of people onstage, with nobody really paying attention to you. So I always enjoy something different, like when the band interacts with the crowd, or when people from the crowd get to interact with the band! I experienced the latter last night, mixed with one of my favorite things – karaoke!
Hopefully you are all familiar with the band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I actually booked them to play at my university in Boston in 2008, and I can confidently say that Ted Leo is a super nice, intelligent, and funny guy, and same with his band as well. Coinciding with the release of their latest album, The Brutalist Bricks, the Rx played a majority of the songs from the new record at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn last week, and after about an hour or so of new music they opened it up to karaoke!
This week has been lots of craziness as the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon has descended upon New York City! This year seems to be mostly about finding new bands and talent, since I haven’t heard of a majority of the bands that are playing this year. While it makes enthusiasm ahead of time a little low because you never know what you’re going to get with any new band, it makes new discoveries that much better when you see an act that put on a good show and has some good tunes that make you dance around!
Let’s start with Tuesday. I had to cover a showcase at the Cake Shop, and while I wrote down little snippets about each band I saw, the only band that really impressed me was the Hospital Bombers, who were much poppier than the other bands that played after. They are definitely a soundtrack to a breezy summer day laying out in a field somewhere, and I like the occasional female vocals and the violin is a cute touch as well.
On a non-rainy day earlier this summer, I braved the annoying crowds of tourists in Times Square to attend a mostly New Yorker filled event: the annual Bubble Battle!
This past weekend was the 4th of July, which in the US brings thoughts of fireworks, parks, BBQs, beaches, and to us this Saturday morning, a HOT DOG EATING CONTEST!!! Yes, the world famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition takes place at Coney Island in front of Nathan’s flagship store each yeah on the 4th of July. It’s been a tradition since 1916 to have the contest at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, making this year the 94th annual hot dog eating contest.
A permanent tribute to the hot dog eating contest in Coney Island with a countdown to the next competition as well as the number of hot dogs eaten for the male and female world records
This is my space to write about my antics & adventures in New York, along with updates about my other interests such as photography, travel, karaoke, dodgeball, & more!
