Updates ARE Coming!

No, really they are! With vacation last week I didn't have computer access and surprisingly enjoyed that fact. I am trying to get caught up but I'm having some formatting issues with Blogger from this daytime computer so I will do it this weekend. One hint of things to come: mileage is back up!

A New Arrival

Not THAT kind of arrival! Sheesh! A new BLOGGING arrival! I've created a new blog called Through-The-Lens which will be my photography specific blog. I thought the 2011-365 project was beginning to clutter up Theoretical Endurance. Now I will be able to focus on training and racing, or more likely this year, INJURY, here and go all artsy-fartsy picture posting on the other site. Regular visitors will see that I've already transferred my photo-a-day project over to the new site. Boy, did that take a while!

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So, look for me to stay more on topic now. I hope you all enjoy both blogs, will visit them often and tell all your friends about them! Happy St. Patrick's day! I'm going to go enjoy my Conway's Irish Ale now. Cheers!

How to Make Rum Balls

1. Find someone to make the Rum Balls. (Heather)

2. Find a taste-tester who will also double as a photographer. (Me)

3. Acquire a Rum Ball Recipe. This particular recipe is short on details, but it works!

4. Ingredients: Vanilla wafers.

5. Cocoa powder

6. Pecans (Note: We didn't have pecans, so we used walnuts)
(Don't worry. People won't care they're not pecans. People would care if there wasn't any rum!)

7. Confectioners sugar

8. RUM!

9. Chop the vanilla wafers

Make sure they're good and chopped!

10. Deposit the wafer bits into a large mixing bowl.

11. Measure the nuts of choice.

12. Chop the nuts.

13. Add the chopped nuts to the chopped wafers.

14. Add the cocoa powder to the mix.

15. Add the powdered sugar.

16. Mix the dry ingredients together.

Time for the rum!

Have you ever noticed how rum rhymes with yum?

17. Start with 1/2 cup and see how well that works.

18. Pour the rum into the dry ingredients and mix well.

19. Not enough rum? Try another 1/4 cup!

20. After the consistency is perfect, form the balls one at a time and then roll in a small bowl of powdered sugar.

21. Don't forget to smile. There's RUM in there!

22. Place the completed balls in an air tight container for storage.

23. Ponder the fact that there is still rum left!

24. Taste test!

Me too! Note: What looks like powdered sugar all over the front of my shirt is actually sugar caught mid-fall by the flash. After I took the photo I noticed a large area of powdered sugar on the floor in front of me, but it wasn't until going back through the images on the computer that I saw they were captured in time!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

11/28/10

Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, Ohio

The TSO concert was Sunday night and absolutely spectacular! Bigger, brighter, and more amazing! After dinner at Chocolate Bar (review coming in another post) we made our way to The Q and found our seats in the SECOND ROW!!! I had my small Pentax with me and captured the night the best I could in the difficult lighting conditions. So now, if you will, please enjoy a review of the concert through photographs.

Suspended above the stage during the opening song!

Derek Wieland, Keyboards

Joel Hoekstra, Guitar and Dave Z, Bass

Bryan Hicks, Narrator

Chris Caffery, Guitar, Joel, and Roddy Chong, Violin

Bryan Hicks

Chris Caffery

Chris introducing the Vocalists

Two catwalks descended from the ceiling directly over us.

One of the singers, turned dancer!

I wasn't able to get enough light to freeze the action, but I think the blurs add a sense of how energetic the concert was.

Dave Z. The girls sitting to my right kept going nuts for him.

Paul O'Neil playing a duet with a 17 year old who will be starring in their new Broadway musical.

She was born in 1993 and she ROCKED it!

Tim Hockenberry performing his solo.

According to Paul, this was the ONLY show on the tour where he would be singing the 2010 re-make of Dream Child, which was just released the day before.

Looking toward the back of the arena, Chris and I'm not sure who else made their way to a small stage and were playing for everyone on that end.

Jeff Plate drum solo.

They finished with the traditional last song for Cleveland, Cleveland Rocks!

And they did! They played straight thru without an intermission and the concert seemed to end too soon. We almost decided to stick around for an autograph signing, but being a work and school night, we thought that would make for a very rough Monday morning. Maybe next year!

Thank you TSO for putting on yet another top notch concert! I think we've already agreed to come celebrate Christmas with you again next year. After five concerts, it's kind of a tradition at this point!