The Clinch? A Cinch!

Praise be to the Arizona Cardinals! Today, they handedly defeated the St. Louis Rams to claim number one in the NFC West division. The Cards can go ahead and lose both of their next three games and all of their division rivals can win their next three games and it wouldn't matter. This is a special day for AZ football fans. With Kurt Warner being a former Ram and the Cardinals once hailing from St Louis, today's clinch was all the more special. Here's to their victory in the playoffs (I am hoping they get at least one)!

In other news, Mike's now a published (his work with the state aside) writer. Last night, I went over to his house for Steph's 26th birthday party. Mike put a book in my hands asking, "so Whaddya think?" It took me a second to realize what it was. The author's name was not his. I will not post the pen name here for the reasons Mike outlines on his blog (linked at right). I won't get into too much of what the book is about other than it has to do with Magic cards. This is a non-fiction reference book. He even mentioned me in the acknoweldgements, which I think is pretty cool. At any rate, please join me in a heartfelt congratulations and a hearty slap on the behind for Mike!

The rest of the night last night was mostly eating and playing Rock Band 2.

My Christmas party will be held on the 13th - next Saturday. It is sure to be a wing-dinger of a box social as most of my invites said they would be able to make it.

Oh, I should also mention that root canals are not at all painful before, during, or after the procedure. Once again, TV has lied to us. I get my temporary crown on Wednesday, and then my permanent the day or two before Christmas (with any luck).

More stream of conciousness...I was talking to Jeff last night and he advised me that the TSO concert here on the west coast also featured a Savatage tune. In fact, it was one I posted as an anthem some time ago. The song was "Hall of the Mountain King". So now I am a little depressed I didn't get to see them this year.

Since I am talking about music, I may as well put a song up here. There was a time when Def Leppard was very much as metal as any metal band of their time. So let's go there. You may notice the drummer has all limbs accounted for. This song is one of those tunes you want to be driving on an unpoliced Indian Reservation (as most are) because you will speed. Do enjoy "Rock, Rock Till You Drop".

Gimme an "R"! Gimme a "C"! Gimme a "T"!

What's that for? Root canal therapy!

Ick. I get my first root canal on Wednesday morning. This will be my first dental procedure in well over a decade. On one hand, I am nervous. On the other hand, I will be completely numb, and then there won't be a nerve to feel pain after the numbness is over. Objectively speaking, I have nothing to worry about. It is the concept of root canals that freaks me out. The best part is they call it therapy - a word one does not normally associate with invasive procedures. Maybe they will start calling a stint placed in the aorta as aortic therapy. Might make it easier for the patient to digest.

So I missed TSO this year. I was actually very upset because I saw the setlist and saw a song I never thought I would hear live. Then I found out the east coast company of the band are the only ones playing it. Anyway, though it is not really a "rock anthem", it is definitely worth posting. As some of the people who frequent this blog know, Trans-Siberian Orchestra evolved from the band Savatage. In fact, some of the TSO songs are actually songs from Savatage's catalog. Most notably, "Christmas Eve Sarajevo" and "Back to a Reason". At any rate, only Savatage fans know that the band was started by the Oliva brothers. 15 years ago, lead guitarist Criss Oliva was killed by a drunk drunk driver effectively signaling the beginning of the end of Savatage. Criss' brother, Jon, is one of the brains behind the company that is TSO. This year, no doubt as a memorium to Criss, TSO has chosen the song, "Believe" as this year's "cover". I put that in quotes because a lot of the people in the east coast TSO group were in Savatage at one point or another.

Anyway, I was talking to Mike (Seppy), and in two weeks he will get to see this performed. Good times.

"Believe" is one of the great power ballads of its time. I will post the song as it was originally recorded and also a performance by TSO themselves. Bear in mind, the latter is a bootleg and as such has inferior sound quality. Inferior the sound may be, but there is an emotional charge that the original doesn't have - then again, the song means more to the friends and former band members of Criss Oliva now than it did back when he was alive.