Steve's Notebook Blog

by 2 feet of snow!

We had a break in tradition this Thanksgiving.  Instead of making the 3-hour drive down to my parents’ home, we stayed close to home and went out to a restaurant.  We figured it would be better for the baby that way.

Honestly, none of us really like roasted turkey, so for our Thanksgiving celebration venue we decided on the non-stop Brazilian-style meat-fest that is called Chima.  They did a good job at making Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant still feel special (they even had turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce).  While we didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving with all the family this year, I’m at least thankful that we got to spend a first Thanksgiving with our healthy, beautiful, and clever baby girl.  As you can see, she was the guest of honor tonight sitting at the head of the table.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Let the Christmas shopping madness begin

I’m feeling especially psychic today.  In the spirit of the Super Bowl (last Sunday) and Super Tuesday (today), here are my predictions for the next president of the United States:

1. The presidential candidates will narrow down to Obama, Clinton, Romney, and McCain.
2. Obama will win the Democratic nomination by a slim margin.
3. Romney will win the Republican nomination (most likely because McCain will say something that doesn’t sit well with the public).
4. Obama will beat Romney to the presidency.

There you have it, I think Obama will be our next president (and I challenge voters to prove my prediction wrong).

People seem to be asking, “is America ready for a black president?”.  But then I wonder, “is America ready for a female president?”.  I think maybe not right at the moment.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Hillary gets to be president in 2012 though (remember folks, you heard it here first).

I went to the Kamelot concert at Jaxx mainly to see Leaves’ Eyes. One word describes it all: WOW! I had never been to a metal concert before and I was kind of disappointed with how small the venue was, but actually it kind of creates an up-close-and-personal feel. I mean, if you’re standing in the front with all the head-bangers, the band is literally performing a couple feet in front of your face.

Five bands in all played. The first three opening bands were local bands. They were Eternal Winter (website) (myspace), Scarz Within (website) (myspace), and Division (website) (myspace). Eternal Winter was, let’s just say, interesting… sort of reminds me of the Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody. Then Scarz Within really rocked with their heavy grinding guitar playing and powerful vocals. I didn’t see much of Division because I was recuperating in the lounge before Leaves’ Eyes and Kamelot came on, but I heard they were great.

It’s too bad Leaves’ Eyes had equipment problems and for half of their performance we couldn’t really hear the singing. Apparently they had just arrived in the States and had trouble with customs and had half their equipment lost by the airlines as well. But still, they rocked and we will definitely try to see them again, maybe when they come back next spring with King Diamond. The best part was at the end when Mimi and I got to meet Liv Kristine as you can see! Liv has been my favorite vocalist ever since the Theatre of Tragedy days, and it just made my whole weekend to see her perform and meet her! Check out their website and myspace page. By the way, their guitarist Mathias Röderer helped us take that picture, which I think is pretty cool in itself

Then of course came the main event: Kamelot. Honestly, I wasn’t a Kamelot fan until a few months ago after I already purchased the tickets to the show (to see Leaves’ Eyes). As I mentioned before, I really went to the concert to see Leaves’ Eyes, but after listening to the music and seeing them live, I’m now also a Kamelot fan! There’s a certain larger-than-life power about Roy Khan that just energizes the whole place. You could just feel the whole place shaking with energy while when he got on stage. Wow. I’ll have to see them again as well. Check out their website and myspace page too.

Riverdance is the show that popularized Irish step dancing. If you haven’t seen an Irish step dancing show yet, it’s one of those experiences that everyone needs to see at least once. I went to the last one of their shows in Newport News and it was well worth the money. Compared to Magic of the Dance, Riverdance is more cultural and Broadway-like, with singing, ballet dancing, and flamenco.

I went to a performance of Flutar last weekend in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was definitely an older crowd and I was really tired that day, but they kept it interesting enough that I didn’t fall asleep. It’s really neat if you’re into classical music.