Open Road Rennaissance - Humble Manifest Destiny

My wife wants to travel the world, she wants to go to exotic locations... I suppose maybe that's what happens when you're born and raised in Las Vegas? I was born here, but I didn't really grow up here. My parents were concerned about "sixth-grade centers" and metal detectors at the entrance of the schools. They packed us up and we headed for the middle of nowhere in central New York. Lived there for a long while. Moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Lived there for a short while. We then moved to Long Beach, California. Lived there for an even longer while. Finally made my way back to Vegas--my mother sort of forced my Dad's hand, but that's a story for another time--and I've been here ever since.

Spring Tasting Notes Courtesy of Tenaya Creek

We're going on an adventure! I honestly was only planning on just buying a couple of rounds and calling it a night.

Hmmm... I just bought a pack of Tenaya's "The Dutch" last night... But might have to convince my wife to go to The Creek after my niece and nephew's soccer game. https://t.co/0XXEd7EQUB

— Mathew (@berkough) April 2, 2022

March '22 Progress Update

I've been on Twitter for a long time now... I never expected to get called out by the lead singer of band Eve6. I was legitimately surprised when it happened. I didn't tag anyone, it was just a response to a random tweet from someone I follow, a silly question about the music we used to listen to.

you’re insane all these artists are incredible https://t.co/pQE3oJ1QMg

— naive 6 (@Eve6) March 24, 2022

The Twilight of Mortality

 

Big Scenic Nowhere is a band that I learned about last year... At least, from what I recall, I don't think that I knew about them before then, and they only just formed as a band in 2019. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon them, I think I was looking specifically for new vinyl records after my wife and I purchased our record player. So, it probably would have been about this time last year even. Hard to imagine that it has been two years since covid. 

Feburary '22 Progress Report

 

Not sure if I want to just write about my projects or if I also want to delve into some libertarian thought as well... Recent events have me re-thinking certain things and re-prioritizing projects.

February has been a pretty dismal month for me in terms of progress and personal productivity. I haven't been very prolific in my writing at all. I have, however, analyzed why I think that may be in my personal/private journal. Which, I imagine will eventually make it's way on to published or printed page in some form or fashion. Really, this post here is going to take some of what I've already written and refine it a little bit. I may have already talked about this before, but I feel like when I talk about things that I'm working on, they lose power, or I somehow give up some of the enthusiasm I had for the project. As if talking about them dispels some of the magical creative energy that was pushing me forward.

January '22 Progress Report

(Photo taken by my amazing Wife.)

 

These are all the areas in which I've been focusing on for my writing.

Now That We're Old

Holy shit! I didn’t expect all of the tickets to get sold out so quickly. My wife pointed out though, that they did have an option for a down payment and layaway. Twenty bucks up front instead of $250. I’m sure the scalpers have taken advantage of the situation. I really do want to see some of the artists on the list, but I know that the songs that they would play would not be the songs that I would be excited for. I’m too old. I’m nitpicking and thinking back to their most popular releases. The top hits and the hidden gems. Honestly though, My Chemical Romance and The Used only have one REALLY GOOD album… Three Cheers and In Love and Death are top tier. The rest of their music is not all that appealing to me, and to see them nearly 20 years later, I don’t know that it’ll be a good show. I can appreciate the music they put out after 2004, but those aren’t the albums that I listen to. Paramore is the other major headliner with MCR. They have a couple of good albums, but I have no idea if they’re any good live. I know that Hayley Williams has a great voice, well, she HAD an amazing voice but Paramore haven’t released an album in nearly a decade at this point. So I don't know what they sound like anymore. 

Oh, so, if you aren’t following along, or you have been living under a rock, and haven’t had someone on social media tell you about this show happening in Vegas in October: Live Nation is putting on a show called When We Were Young. It’s effectively a who's who of emo bands from the mid-2000s. In fact, the list of bands reads a bit like some of the mix CDs I burned when I was in high school, which is exactly why I’ve put together a Spotify playlist to share with everyone that has my favorite tracks.