International Day!!

Here are a few photos from this years ECC International Day "featuring" (IMHO) Javier Mendoza and friends.

ECC Art Gallery

20070202_0168 - Javier Mendoza
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lacubrious Jonez making all the right contacts, Javi and Carl were hired to play the ECC art gallery re-location event. The show was AMAZING!!!! My guess at total attendance would be at least one hundred.

Preview of Javier Mendoza's New Album

Preview of Javier Mendoza's New Album

 

So last night, Javi was gracious enough to drive out to FrCoMidAmerica.  His agenda was as follows:

 

#1 Check out the ECC venue(s)

#2 Grab some grub with the Lacubrious Crew

#3 Check out LacubriousToo’s Dad’s house, also known as the potential site for the next “It’s Good To Be Live” recording.

#4 Kick our butts at bowling.

#5 Share a sneak preview at the new studio album!!!!

 

Well, 4 outta 5 ain’t bad.  Way to go MrsLacubriousJonez, for kickin’ butt at bowling! She’s one cool customer when it comes to the pins.  The boys thought they had a chance. Javi even upped the ante by betting he could get 3 strikes and then we would have to bring 4 extra people to the CD Release Party….alas instead we get to pick the set list for Erato Wine Bar on Feb 8^th!!!

 

Although, we will probably still bring in a few extra people to the CD Release….mark your calendars for March 30^th!!!!!!

Brandt's on Saturday

A great time was had by all!!!! And Lacubriousone got to add five more corks to her collection...

New Years Eve

IMG_5081f
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

I must say that this was the best New Years yet for the Lacubrious Crew! We had an excellent five course dinner at Brandt's Cafe and also got to hear Javi with a full band including David Karns. It was great to hear them play some of the older tunes.

I will expand on this post as time permits.

As usual there are more pictures on our Flickr.

Digital Photography Resources

I happened upon the Digital Photography School web site the other day and found it to be a great resource. Regardless if you use a point and shoot camera or a DSLR the tips, forums, and Flickr group are great places to find answers to any questions you might have. The current posting is titled 16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas.

Two other resources I have found recently are DPReview and FredMiranda.com. DPReview is is one of the primary sources on the web for extensive reviews of all digital cameras ranging from point and shoot to high end DSLRs. They also have great forums with info. on cameras, lenses and almost any other accessories for digital photography. FredMiranda.com is a site that collects reviews on digital photography hardware from a vast number of members, many of whom are ether professional photographers or long time amateurs.

The New Guy! - (UPDATED)

IMG_4507f
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present one of the latest additions to the “Friends” part of “Javier Mendoza and Friends”. This new bass player’s name is Eric Grossman. You might know him from the band “K’s Choice”. Eric played for them from 1999 until 2003 when the band parted ways. Their most popular song was “Not an Addict”. Eric's current day job is recording and touring with Sarah Bettens, formerly the lead singer of K's Choice. Sarah has just finished a new album and will be touring to promote it this summer.

You can see more pictures from both the Finale and Brandt’s shows that we attended over the weekend on our Flickr.

FYI. Most of the pictures that you see from these two shows were taken using my new 50mm f/1.4 lens. What do you think?

Holly gets to prove herself in a new arena!!!

My cousin Holly (of Owensville High School Fame) recently tried out for the East Central College Theatre production of Beauty and The Beast. She earned a part on the adult choir! You can bet we will be there to see her performance. Wooo hoooo! Way to go girl!





Performances:
March 10, 11, and 18 at 2 pm
March 15, 16, 17 at 8 pm

The Ubiquitous Drip Picture

Surface Tension
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

It seems that there is a law that states:

"Every camera enthusiast must attempt a picture of a falling drip of water."

So here is my first attempt. I like that it is so dark. It makes the picture look like it was taken in the middle of the night. It's amazing how the water forms such a perfect sphere. If I would have had more light, I could have taken it at a higher ISO to eliminate some of the sensor noise. Maybe I will try it again some time.

What would be a good title for this picture?

Great Evening at Brandt's

IMG_3754f
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

The Lacubrious Crew had yet another great evening at Brandt's Cafe.

Check out the rest of the pictures on our Flickr page.

Winter is Here!!!

Winter
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

Well the storm closed down I70 near Columbia, and there are more than 500,000 people in Missouri and Illinois without power.

On the bright side, I got to take my first winter pics with the Rebel XT. I am thinking about having this printed for Christmas cards.

What do you think?

This one was hand held with my Sigma 55-200mm lens. Here is the EXIF data on the shot:

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Aperture priority

Antarctica...

Those of you who know me, are aware of my fascination with all things Antarctic. I have been on the mailing list for Quark Expeditions, a leading Antarctic travel company for many years. I always pour over their catalog and marvel at the photographs. I am so intrigued, that I have even been known to base my reading selections on whether or not the story includes anything about this frozen continent! In fact, I recently discovered that the author (Kim Stanley Robinson) of a fiction book I read called "Antarctica" had applied for a special "grant" from the National Science Foundation's Artists & Writers Program. You can read more about this program here.

Basically, the program provides paid travel to and from Antarctica, room and board at the science station, and a loaner on cold weather clothing. Cool!

I stumbled across the blog of one of the latest grant recipients, David Ruth. He is a glass artist from California and he is studying the natural ice formations in Antarctica in anticipation of recreating the structures in glass. Check out his
Antarctica Blog.

What's on your Ipod? Version 1.0

After finally redeeming that Ipod anniversary gift card given to us by our friend Bill, I got to thinking. What does everyone else who reads the blog have on their Ipods (or other mp3 players)! So here's your chance folks! Post a comment about what is on your digital music device this month. Should be interesting!

Here's what I'm listening to:

The Fray - How To Save A Life

I've heard two currently released songs, the title track; How to Save a Life and Over My Head (aka Cable Car). Liked them both then ran across the videos on Google Video and realized just how good they were.














Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope

I happened upon her video for Fidelity on Google Video and it was unique in a Toris Amos / Bjork kind of way...

Wanted, One Groom.

Another great evening provided by Holly and the OHS thespians!

Troubadour Dinner!

On Friday night, we had the privilege of attending my cousin Hollster’s Troubadour Recital. It was a pretty cool evening with 50’s themed food, music, and trivia. Although I may be a bit biased, I think she was the best singer there! Her rendition of Crazy was awesome! I heard many in the crowd whispering to each other about how good she is. They rightly introduced her as Owensville’s own American Idol…awwwww!

Not to be left out, the fabulous milk shake cut-outs were courtesy of cardboard provided by my Uncle Ed. Also….Thanks to Aunt Jo for picking up our tickets and saving a table for us! I think I can speak for everyone…Mom, Darrin, Ryan, Holly, Ed, and Joanne, and say we all enjoyed ourselves!

Ham & Jam & Spamalot!!!

Saturday November the 4th, the Lacubrious Crew attended the afternoon show of "Spamalot". The show was GREAT, a real "Must See" for any Monty Python fan. It's got some new twists and characters that make it different from the movie “Monty Python and The Holy Grail” but it still contains a lot of the same or similar scenes. The “Lady of the Lake” was hilarious.

After the show we headed to the Schlafly tap room for some dinner and then off to the Erato Wine Bar to catch Javi.


Javi and Carl were in top form, and with Javi’s cousin David De Las Heras adding some extra percussion and backup vocals, it was definitely a show to remember.



To see more pictures check out our Flickr.

Paella!!!!

Paella
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

"The" Lacubriousone made her first authentic Paella! The ingredients included Valencia Rice, Valencia Peppers, Saffron, tomatoes, onion, and bell peppers, all cooked and served in her new Paella pan.

The result was "AMAZING" !!! Just like back in Madrid.

Birthday Weekend for Mr. Jonez!!

We started the evening with a trip to Growlers for a bite to eat and a great beer. From there we headed over to Lucas School House to catch a Javier show with a full band, including Moises!

The show was great and the venue was one of the best we have been to in STL!

Happy Birthday Mr. Jonez!!!

To see more pictures from the show check out our Flickr.

Birthday Weekend!!!

Mrs. Lacubrious Jonez
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

First to Blumenhof to see Steve Leslie, then to Brandt's to see Javier Mendoza.

Another Birthday at Brandt's
Originally uploaded by dehmystic.

More pictures are available at our Flickr site. Want to know what Steve's songs are like? Check out his MySpace. Javier also has a MySpace.

Steve Leslie Cicero's Halloween Headliner!!!

Yes Headliner!!! And here is a picture of the poster that I took at Cicero's to prove it!!!

Yea, Cicero's is not the greatest venue, and the sound guy keeps the volume on "11" all the time, but the people that show up are there to here the music, and he doesn't have to worry about playing all danceable songs. The other good thing is that he will NOT have to play "Sweet Home Alabama"!!!

Seriously... This could be a good stepping stone to much bigger and better things.

If you are free on Halloween, please join us and support Steve.

See Steve's website for more info.