The Gaslight Anthem rock Effenaar

This was originally posted on June 10, 2009.


Late last year I heard "The 59 sound" and "Old white Lincoln" on Dutch alternative rock station Kink FM, and it immediately grabbed my attention: The Gaslight Anthem sounded like the boys are heavily influenced by Bruce Springsteen AND 80s New Wave band The Cure. They're more punk than both of them, without sounding like neither The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Black Flag nor The Clash.
(I've read that The Gaslight Anthem's toured with Springsteen and Dave Matthews.)
Lyrically, singer Brian Fallon seems to have a similar approach to writing songs to fellow New Jersian Springsteen: they are about avarage Joes and Janes (with names like Joe, Jimmy and Mary). Easy to relate to.
In the break between opening act and headliners Petra and I enjoyed people watching. There were preppy boys, punk girls, skinny dudes, and full figured ladies. Age wise anything between high schoolers to young parents. And tattoos. Many people with tattoos.

When the foursome from New Jersey take to the stage the venue is positively buzzing: The Gaslight Anthem recently played Pinkpop and apparently made a good impression - despite the early hour (noon).
The boys were looking energetic and ready to convince more people to join their growing fanbase. The Effenaar was packed, and the emergency exits were opened in order to let fresh air in.
Despite the bad mixing the band sounded alright. Brian Fallon took several moments to talk to the audience, to thank them for seeing them on a rainy Tuesday night.
Petra and I had fun recognizing the two covers The Gaslight Anthem played as intro to two of their own songs: "Stand by me" and "What becomes of the broken hearted". (I'm not sure the younger folks in the audience got it, though.)

The only downside to the concert: they played a little over an hour (too short) but Petra and I had a good time and we both enjoyed the music. By the time we got outside it was raining. By the time I reached the city limits it was pouring. The longer I was driving south, the harder it seemed to be raining. I was definitely driving much slower than normal (as did most others). Halfway home it was raining down so hard all I could see was water streaming down, water in front of me (instead of road surface) and tail lights some 100 meters in front of me. By then I was driving the speed of a snail - with almost a dozen cars following me.

I was glad I drove instead of taking a train: a short walk from the venue to the train station would have soaked me to the bone. And I'm not sure a 30-minute-trainride and a second soak (10-minute-walk home) would have done to me... Anyhoo, all in all The Gaslight Anthem delivered.

More tattoos for me...

This was originally posted on March 30th, 2008.





I completely missed this years Algarve Cup, since it wasn't aired on Dutch tv (not even the highlights). BUT I caught a few snippets here and there online. By snippets I mean "written reports" and I know the US team eventually lost to Germany (4-3 in penalties) ending the USA's string of consecutive Algarve crowns at three.
One of the newer additions to the US national team is Natasha Kai (she actually made her debut at the team at the 2006 Algarve Cup). Initially, I didn't really pay attention to her. Until she started showing some serious ink. (Yes, I can be that shallow.) And the pic below is of the one I really, really like. I now have to think where I want it. I've already been thinking my back...

 

Cut, inked, and wet.

This was originally posted on September 21st, 2007.


Warning: before you start reading, make sure you're comfy and have a cup of your favorite brew at hand - whether it's tea or coffee or juice. Or something else... Enjoy!
On Monday I mail the postcards I got when Kelly and I were strolling through Chinatown and onwards to the library on Friday; several years ago I started a little tradition by sending my grandfather postcards from every holiday destination. He loves it very much and when I visited him in 2004 he proudly showed me every single card I'd sent him up to that point. I decided then that I would continue doing that.
It's a 30-minute walk from my hotel to Commercial Drive, but the sun is shining and it's really nice out. I go out in search of Electro Ladylux Tattoos (I remember reading something about it and it being on The Drive). I walk North past lots of eateries with vegetarian and vegan options galore, and my gaydar's suddenly working overtime ;) Plenty of eye candy, too.
At the end of the strip that has all the shops (lots of organic food to buy here), eateries (they even have a joint that sells real Belgian Fries!) and whatnots I frown: I haven't seen the aforementioned tattoo parlor. Where is it? Up ahead I see a store called Womyn's Ware and I go there to ask for directions. The tattoo place turns out to be next door, practically. But, the cute dark haired sales lady tells me, a lot of people come in and ask for directions since Electro Ladylux apparently is a place that's easy to miss... Unfortunately, when I get there the sign in the door tells me the place is closed on Mondays. That's just my luck :p I sit down on the steps debating on what to do next: get some food in my body (apart from a bottle of water, I hadn't had anything to eat or drink) and come back on Thursday to ask if they do walk-ins.
Having skipped breakfast I settle at Juicy Lucy's for a yummie lunch: a sun burger (vegetarian, of course) and a ginseng power (a non-dairy smoothie containing oranges, banana and ginseng). I take my time enjoying lunch and update my travel journal. On my way back to the hotel I pass a few hair dressers/barbershops on The Drive. Most of 'em are busy, but then I almost pass a small one with a rainbow sticker in the window and prices that aren't discriminatory (price differences between hair cuts for men and women were small - and let me assure you I have seen huge differences).
This guy does walk ins and so I wait my turn as he is almost done cutting the hair of a customer. When it's my turn I ask him to cut my hair into a faux hawk :) We talk: he fled from Vietnam because there was no democracy and saying "the wrong things" meant you'd have to pay for it dearly. There's a picture of a dark haired baby and I ask if it's his. It is. He ask me about my country and I'm pleasantly surprised when he sums up a few Dutch football players (soccer players, to the Americans). He ask me about life in my country. And he tells me not to use any hair gel anymore, but wax, because I have such fine hair. FINE hair?! That's the first time anyone has said that to me. Kelly has fine hair; I can't remember what happened that made me pet her hair (she said it was fine and leaned in a bit, so maybe that was why). Anyhoo, I was petting a slightly tipsy Kelly when she said: "Don't expect me to start purring now." That cracked me up.
The cut costs me CAN$15 - which is dirt cheap. (I later wonder if he didn't charge me for a men's hair cut.) I meet up with Kelly after her shift has finished around 8pm to go to her friend's place for another bubble tea.
I start Tuesday with an early lunch at SushiYama; the veggie box is yummie, too! (And Sarah McLachlan's "Ice cream" was on the radio.) Kelly and I agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at 2pm to go to Stanley Park and the Aquarium :)

Stanley Park is nice, but it started raining in the evening Kelly and I didn't go for a walk after visiting the Aquarium. Kelly points out the better seats at the Beluga show (we didn't get wet), and we also see the dolphin show. The sea otters are definitely my faves (they're Kelly's already) and so we spend most of our time watching and enjoying them. They're cute and funny. And one of the older ones (Nyac or Milo, I don't know) is definitely watching me - as Kelly notices *lol* I think you all have seen that cute video on YouTube of Nyac and Milo holding paws. Kelly even gets me a fridge magnet of Milo and Nyac. Isn't that sweet?

We go to Japanese fusion restaurant The Eatery on 3431 W Broadway (and actually pass the Lotus Land tattoo parlor - even by taking the bus I realize it indeed was a long way out - very close to UBC) where we meet up with Alison; she's a friend of Kelly and I befriended her through Facebook. They both go for sushi, while I have a gigantic pancake that has noodles, veggies and chicken in it. It's very good!
Then it's on to Commodore Ballroom on Granville to see Hot Hot Heat. The venue indeed looks like a ballroom, and it's definitely a place I would like to play at with "my" band.
Hot Hot Heat have two opening acts, one of which is a band called The Dudes. I enjoy their performance a lot: with a red bandana tied around his head the singer reminds me of like Springsteen in his "Born in the USA" video. He also has a pleasant singing voice. And a nice sense of humor.
Then came Hot Hot Heat. Even though I only know "Bandages" and their current single "Let me in" I enjoyed it very much :) Musically, The Dudes appealed to me the most. Even Kelly admitted they were good. Too bad there was no representatives at the merchandise stand, so I couldn't buy a cd. Talking about missed opportunities. Dudes.

The next day Kelly and I go to Granville Island (oh, the delicious looking food) and the weather is fabulous! We both have a cream cheese bagel with tomato and sprouts at the waterside. Just heavenly :) After strolling around for a bit more we take the ferry to Lonsdale Quay where I meet her friend Mike, who works at his mom's stand selling yummie pies. Every Wednesday.

Kelly and I share a BeaverTail (never had those). I settle for a classic one: with a cinnamon and sugar topping. It's good, but I don't want to think about the calories intake... Then we take the bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

My heart was racing as I approached it - since I'm afraid of heights - but since I like to challenge myself from time to time I stepped on that bridge and walked to the middle. Then I looked down, concentrated on my breathing till I relaxed and felt calm enough to cross to the other side. There we did an eco tour and the "treetops adventure" (really a piece of cake after crossing the Capilano Suspension bridge!).
We meet up with Mike back at Lonsdale Quay Market & Shops. After closing up we head out to pick up his friend (Ken, I think his name is - I forgot) and drive to Coquitlam to have dinner with Ken's friends. Mike, who's from Peru (not Cuba) is a nice guy. I like him. I tell him about my plans to go to San Francisco with my friend AJ in June next year, and he's all for it :) Kelly told me that he and Mike have been talking about traveling together, and San Francisco is not as far away as Beijing, China. So, who knows we meet up in San Francisco next year, eh?
Ken's also nice and his friends, too. The greatest thing at the restaurant (it's a family restaurant) is that they have paper and crayons on the tables. Needless to say that Kelly and I were drawing in no time :)
Kelly had a yummie looking veggie burger, while I settled for a grilled chicken burger. Very tasty as well.
Kelly and I sleep in before heading for The Drive. Owner Teresa at Electro Ladylux does walk ins (thankgawd) and after I explain I'm flying out the next day (Friday) she fits me in at 6pm. Kelly seizes the opportunity and asks if she can be inked as well. Apparently, the 6 pm appointment of fellow tattooist Steve has been cancelled, so Teresa books that slot for Kelly. Talking about killing two birds with one stone :)
We then visit the Vancouver Art Gallery. Unfortunately, the Monet/Dali exhibition had been closed down the previous Sunday. So we check out the rest of the exhibits. In the meantime, outside it stops raining and the sun is fighting its way to the forefront.
After the Art Gallery we go back to the tattoo parlor. Steve is putting the finishing touches to a sleeve. The result is stunning. Even more stunning is when I see her elbow completely inked up and Steve telling us that the women never even so much as cringed. Blimey!
It takes Teresa about an hour to tattoo that tiger, but I don't have time to get bored in the meantime. There's a classic rock station playing and we all find ourselves either singing along to the songs or talking about "the good old days". Teresa is surprised I know all that stuff (musical trivia). I explain that I'm a total music dork, and Kelly thinks Magnus (from the SiP forum) and I should sit down with a beer or something and talk music. Frankly, that sounds exciting :)
I like the friendly atmosphere, and Kelly told me she's heard good things about the place. Teresa is crazy in a good way and she cracks me up by making up lyrics and singing them to the actual classic rock songs. I like that.
It takes Steve almost the same amount of time to tattoo the sunflower, that Kelly originally desgned herself, on her hipbone; he has to stop a couple of time because it hurts. I can only imagine... In the end we're both happy with the results :)

Freshly inked we take the bus to the Kits to have dinner at The Naam. (The funny thing is that the history of that place tells us that Naam stands for "name", so I tell Kelly that naam is name in Dutch, too.) The Naam has been winning awards for years and it doesn't surprise me: the food is very good, and it indeed is a place you can take your non-vegetarian friends to as well!
I have an entree that's called "Buddha's feast", and the dish is yummie but big. So in order to save some room for dessert (Hot Apple Crisp) I don't finish that huge plate. 
One of the waitresses notices my taped arm and asks if I got a boo-boo. Huh? She repeats her question and Kelly is actually the first one to catch on and answers that I indeed have a new tattoo *lol*
Not to sound dramatic, but while enjoying our dinners I realize it's our last night together. I tell Kelly I had a great time visiting Vancouver, and I might come back. I like Vancouver for its vast diversity in people :)
Back at the hotel I pack my stuff (check out is at 11am in the morning) and watch an episode of L-Word (season 4) in which Shane first meet Paige...
UPDATE 10/6: the tattoo costs CAN$100, but since I didn't know about the tipping policy I didn't tip. I felt silly when Kelly asked me how much I tipped. I E-mailed Teresa to say that I was going to sent her a little prezzie instead. She was fine with it. And now a pack of mini stroopwafels is on its way :)
The check out next morning goes quick, and after getting my backpack (I still don't have a "regular" suitcase to the boiler room (there's no cloak room to store luggage in) I set off to a restaurant on 12th called Friendly Banners. Kelly buys me breakfast and tells me she sometimes goes here for a bite and to nurse her hangovers :)
I finally meet her kitties Hathor and Demeter I've heard so much about. Hathor is the smaller and youngest one, and is usually very cuddly. Demeter is usually the shy one. Today they've decided to switch roles: Demeter checks me out and sniffs my hand and decides I'm ok, while Hathor sticks close to Kelly. Funny kitties... I get online while Kelly takes a shower, and Hathor then decides I'm alright as well *lol*
Kelly really doesn't want to go in for work but has to; she used me (I approved) to get a family day yesterday... So we quickly say goodbye (I hate doing that).
It's raining in Vancouver and I go back to Our Town for a cup of yummie cranberry tea and to update my travel journal.
My last dinner in that town is at a place called Zocalo. It serves contemporary mexican food, and while locals my find it expensive it's actually more like what I'm used to in my country.
I can't remember exactly what I had, but the blonde waitress with the nice tattoo was very attentive.
Back at the hotel I get my backpack from the boiler room and kill some time by reading one of the magazines I bought. Apparently, Friday night is karaoke night at the Howard Johnson on Kingsway, but after a few songs I can't take it anymore and I put on the headphones of my MP3 player; there's a man and a woman singing, but they're really bad.
I feel a little melancholic, like I always do when I leave a place and people I like/enjoyed. The good thing is I have another friend waiting for me in Halifax :)

Inked (again) and what about that heat?!

This was originally posted on July 18th, 2006.


Have a seat and get ready for another update from Chi-town aka The Windy City (and I'm not talking gas).

... When I got home from my little get together with Mark & Dave took me to Indie Cafe on 5951 N Broadway St. It's a little Japanese/Thai restaurant (BYOB)that has the potential to become really big, but is now a little undiscovered gem.

I had yummie chicken gyoza and veggie sushi :) We had brought a bottle of wine (Indie Cafe is BYO) which reminded me of Lambrusco. That pleasantly surprised Marcella and Dan, two friends who had come along; Marcella's family lives in the region where that kind of wine is made. It soon became clear that Lambrusco is virtualy unknown in the US...

Now yesterday.. I didn't do as much as I wanted to. Just walking three blocks to the grocery store and back took a lot of energy - the heat and humidity was worse than during my visit to Beijing, China. Whoda thunk it possible? I was literally soaked by the time I got home - and I'm not one to break into a sweat easily. I heard on the news that one man had died from a heat stroke a couple of days ago. And really, yesterday's wind? Hair dryer would have been more appropriate.

I watched "Hoodwinked" which I found very entertaining. I liked the squirrel :)

By the time I went to bed it was pouring outside and there was a heavy thunderstorm as well.

Today's decidedly cooler - compared to yesterday. Woo-hoo!

I started with brunch at Urban Tea Lounge on 838 W. Montrose Ave. I had a Jackie Chan Chai and a yummie (I do use that word a lot, don't I?) Honey Smoked Turkey sandwich. It's a small place, but inexpensive and very tasty. And it is possible to have high teas there, too.

The owners, Cece and Ryan, may not look conventional (they're both pierced and tattooed) but they totally rock! I somehow found myself talking to Ryan about 80s music and he asked me where I was from etc. I actually got a lunch special, which in my case meant I only had to pay for the sandwich - dang, I hope I can come back to this place before I fly back next Monday ;p

On my way back to the El (anyone who's seen ER or Blues Bros. know about the elevated metros) I walked into Chicago's Tattoo Factory. And before I knew it I was getting tat no. 4. I have to add that getting the inside of my arm tatooed does hurt a great deal more. DANG! I still feel it... It turned out a little larger than I initially wanted, but it turned out great and I am content.

I visited Boys Town (Wrigleyville, near the Cubs stadium) where Mark used to live and, boy, has it changed! There were a lot of stores I couldn't recall being the five years ago. Anyway, it was only to visit a certain bookstore - after a little while I needed to go home to tend to my new tattoo. I'm hoping to go back and walk through Halsted St (which is the gayest street here).

Anyhoo, Mark's got a night off and wants to spend some quality time with me, so I postponed dinner with Stef. I called her yesterday evening and, luckily, she was alright with it. Mark is happy I am meeting up all these women; I think he's kinda dating through me - ha ha ha.

Well, ttyl!