Banff 2009

I took a long weekend trip up to Banff to get out of the Houston heat, it's been over 100° F (38° C) for the last week or so. I couldn't afford to stay at the Banff Springs Hotel but I went up for a cocktail on the back terrace, and next time I'm going to plunk down the $400/night to stay there. That's in Canadian dollars, so it's really not that expensive in real money. Here's the view off the back terrace:

Banff National Park is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I've been to Banff and Lake Louise in both the summer and winter, and both are fantastic.

See posts from my other trips:
Ridin' the Storm Out
Hurricane Rita update
Skiing 2007

Joke of the Day

The Dalai Lama walks up to a hot dog vendor and says, "Make me one with everything."

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Tony J. and I went to see the movie Anvil! The Story of Anvil this afternoon. It's a documentary about the Canadian heavy metal band that influenced (some say started) the speed metal movement carried on by Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica, and other huge names. Anvil did not get the commercial success that these other bands enjoyed, but are continuing to work to fulfill their dreams of becoming rock stars. It was directed by Sacha Gervasi, his directorial debut, but who co-wrote The Big Tease with Craig Ferguson and wrote The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Tom Hanks.

The film premièred at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008 to a standing ovation, and won awards at a number of film festivals. The band is experiencing a resurgence of interest, and is currently working on a new album (their 14th) titled Juggernaut of Justice and will open for AC/DC at their first two summer Black Ice World Tour shows at Gillette Stadium and Giants Stadium.

2009 Indy 500

Tony and I went to the Indy 500 again this year, it's our third time (here's last year's race). We stayed in a sketchy hotel, but it's reasonably priced and it's close enough to walk to the race, about three miles.

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The weather was great, it was sunny in the morning, about 85 degrees, and slightly overcast during the race. No rain this year, we sat for hours in the rain in 2007. We changed seats this year, we were on the infield near the start/finish line, and we moved outside closer to turn 1, you can see the difference from the pictures from last year and this picture:

Check out the crowds, there are about 400,000 in attendance:

Stories of Ships and the Sea by Jack London

Stories of Ships and the Sea by Jack London. Our topic is The Sea. Our next meeting is 5/28/2009.

Video of the day: Cannonball floating

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn.

View From my Room at the Driskill

Looks very Austin.

The Losers by Michael Lewis

The Losers by Michael Lewis.

The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland.

The Caryatids by Bruce Sterling

The Caryatids by Bruce Sterling.

A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston

A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston.