Me and the little lady decided to get away for Presidents Day weekend by heading to what is referred to as the 'Redneck Riviera', Gatlinburg, TN!
We left out early Saturday morning because I was judging a Battle of the Bands at Chapman High School on Friday night. We checked into our hotel just before one then hit some outlet stores in Pigeon Forge (which is where we were staying since everyone and their grandmothers decided to go that weekend) then went into Gatlinburg. We grabbed some dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and we would have had to wait over an hour for a table but Tessa has a Hard Rock All Access card so we only waited for about FIVE MINUTES! Needless to say, being a cardholder certainly has its perks! We picked up the card about a year ago down in Orlando.
After dinner, we walked the strip and then viewed it from the observation deck on the Space Needle. This didn't set too well with me as the tower swayed a bit in the wind and I found the gate surrounding the deck to be a bit minimal for my taste! However, it did provide a fantastic view of the strip and a great photo opp!
By the time we got down, we were getting tired and decided to head back to the car and to the room. However, we got up all the earlier the next morning and hit a Flapjack's Pancake Cabin for some breakfast then went back into Gatlinburg.
The first place we hit was the Nantahala Outdoor Center so Tessa could finally get herself a North Face jacket. We then went on the Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway and scoped Ober out a bit. It was a bit too cold and wet to take the scenic chair lift (the Sky Lift back on the strip was closed entirely) so we went back down the tram and got some tickets for 3 Ripley's attractions and started with the Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium. We then stopped by Dick's Last Resort for some late lunch. I had always wanted to go to a Dick's since it's always sounded interesting to intentionally get rude service. Our waitress was fun but there was another waitress who was a ginger like me who was a real pistol and even told me that we should have got her as our waitress because of that common fair skin trait! And, of course, I got a hat!
After lunch, we hit Ripley's Guinness World Record Museum then Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. By this time, the rain had started mixing with snow so we started working our way back to the car stopping by the Village on the way to grab a doughnut and some hot chocolate at the Donut Friar.
We had made reservations that afternoon to take in the 8:30 dinner showing at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Tessa had been before and loved it and wanted me to experience it. This was my first time at any sort of dinner show although I've always wanted to do a Medieval Times or Pirate Adventure however Dixie Stampede was not a bad start! Even though it wasn't really my type of show, it was a heckuva show nonetheless!
After the Stampede, we called it a night so we could checkout and make our way home the next day. On our way home, we made several stops throughout the day including the Bush's Family Cafe at the Bush's Beans Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, TN. The food was a great Southern style meal and the visitor center was pretty neat. A very unique out-of-the-way place to stop!
We even took a couple of pieces of pie on the road with us - one of which to give her grandfather in the nursing home where we made our last stop before heading home. Now if only I can survive a few more days, I can make it to the beach with Tessa's grandmother this weekend!
Friday night after work, Tessa and I grabbed some dinner then made our way to the BI-LO Center for Winter Jam where we had backstage passes to meet SKILLET before their set at the end of the night. When we got to the venue, we had to wait for the band's tour manager to come get us to give us our passes and take us backstage. While we were back there, we ran into Sonny Haight from Haight Family Chiropractic who was working on random members from all the bands on the bill.
When SKILLET came out, they were pleasant as always (this was the FOURTH time I've met them!) especially their ever so charismatic frontman John Cooper. We talked and hung out for a few minutes then got our pictures taken with the band.
The band put on another great show as this was my sixth time watching them perform and Tessa's third. They had a few new tricks in their stage show especially Jen Jedger's drum riser that rolled to the front of the stage then began rotating while elevating!
The next day I met up with the guys in the band to pack up our gear and head to Boiling Springs to record the first SLAVEDRIVER tune with Mike Huskey from GHOST IN THE MACHINE!
Once we got there, Ray was up first to record his drum tracks while Moon played guitar for a scratch track for Ray to play along with.
It took several takes especially for the last half of the song but Ray got it! Then, it was MY turn! I was nervously tense because I hate recording as it puts me on the spot. I do great when playing live but, then again, I'm not giving a bass recital as I have all the other guys playing along! So my playing was terribly sloppy at first and we even had to rewrite some of the basslines to better fit the other instrument parts in the song so I was having to unlearn the way I was playing it before!
Once I finally finished my parts, Al got to lay down vocals.
At this point it was getting late so Moon had to wait for another session to record his final guitar tracks and mix the song. Hopefully he will get to do so soon so we can release "Push Me Down" upon the Earth and let the enslavement of the Universe begin!
Well the weekend started with Tessa and I having a date night as we went to check out Sakura Japanese Steakhouse since I had just purchased $30 worth of food for $15 at getmyperks.com. When we got there, we waited for a few minutes for a table. While we were waiting, a busload of rambunctious kids arrived so we decided to avoid the chaos and hit Mojo's for a quick burger. We then hit Bath and Body Works for some plug-in refills then made our way to Hollywood 20 to see The Woman in Black. I have to admit, the film was pretty damn scary and you tend to forget that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe plays the main character. Definitely worth a trip to the movies!
Tessa had to work the next morning so I spent the day watching Monk and other TV shows. When she got home, she complained about her sinuses and said she hoped she wasn't getting sick. Sure enough, the next day she wasn't feeling well so we stayed in with the exception of grabbing some junk food for Super Bowl XLVI. Poor thing even got sent home from her new job at North Greenville Hospital yesterday because she was running a fever and she even had to call in today and is currently at home resting, watching Grey's Anatomy and playing with her new Sony laptop I just picked up for her on my lunch break.
And, no, it's not MY birthday! Friday was Moon's 40th birthday (the guitarist from my new band SLAVEDRIVER which, btw, is up for a Real Rock Grammy here on the website!) so Tessa and I took him out to eat after I got off work and then we went to check out the new Ground Zero and support SIX AND TWENTY, RED SERIPH and BEITTHEMEANS. I have to say I was impressed with the new building! No, it's not as big as the upstairs of the old building but it is bigger and nicer than the old downstairs area! Can't wait to get SLAVEDRIVER out there! Did I mention we're up for a Real Rock Grammy?!
The next day it was back to Spartanburg to meet up with Tessa's mom so we could have an early birthday lunch for Tessa's 28th birthday which, coincidentally, is TODAY (Tuesday, January 31st)! We then did some shopping then headed back to Greenville.
On Sunday, we met up with my mom, her fiance Mark, Aunt Pat, my brother Anthony and his friend Michael to have yet another early birthday lunch for Tessa. No sooner had we finished eating then it was time to head back to Spartanburg for the third day straight to meet her grandmother and Aunt Cheryl and go out to eat for her birthday....AGAIN! Needless to say, we ate good this past weekend! Now back to trying to lose weight!
This weekend was the kind of weekend I long for: lazy and unproductive! Okay, okay, I DID hit the polls and the gym on Saturday but that was about it! It's really good to have a weekend like that every once in a while so I don't get burned out! Tessa and I spent the remainder of the weekend plopped in front of the TV and watched various crap including The Human Centipede and The Help (ironically we watched those two back-to-back in that order!).
Surprisingly, we didn't find Centipede nearly as disturbing as we had thought although I have heard that the second film is far worse! The Help, on the other hand, we enjoyed very much and I was pleased to hear of all the Oscar nominations it has received: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Viola Davis) and TWO Best Actresses in a Supporting Role (Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain)!
The bad part about a weekend such as that is having to go back to work on Monday but, thankfully, band practice is on Tuesday nights so I have something to look forward to during the first part of the week! So last night me and the guys met up after I got off work and I was extra excited about this week because my new Gallien-Krueger amp had just come in. Our guitarist Moon got there early to set up my new amp for me so it would be ready to rock when I got there. However, my hopes were dashed upon arrival as Moon quickly informed me that the amp wasn't working properly. The sound was all distorted leading us to believe that there is a short in the wiring around the control knobs. As it stands, I am waiting to hear back from the guy that sold me the amp on eBay....
Last Friday was quite possibly the craziest time I have ever had in Clemson! Granted, I have never partied with any of the students there! EVANESCENCE was in town kicking off their tour in support of their new self-titled album and Tessa and I got there before 4 since they were doing their meet and greet with listeners and fan club members at that time.
While we were waiting to go down to the main floor of the auditorium, Merckle was playing with his camera and caught me in my natural state. Let me be clear: THIS IS NOT A POSE!!!!
The meet and greet was held in front of the stage while the band ran through several songs for that night's soundcheck. After they were done, they came out to sign autographs and to take photos. Amy was very nice which goes to her credit since she has a reputation for being a bit of a diva and is allegedly difficult to work with. But being courteous to fans speaks volumes about a musician or any other sort of celebrity!
After the meet and greet, we had a few hours to kill so we drove around Clemson and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for some, go figure, coffee and doughnuts! When we got back, we stood by the Planet table with Merckle and gave the poor guy our last doughnut since he hadn't had a chance to eat all day. Mike Burton, one of our other event photographers joined us as well as other folks we knew including Amanda from TATTERMASK.
When the doors opened, I wanted to wait for the line to go down before getting in line since we had assigned seating. So we sat in my car to thaw out for a few which ended up being a bad idea since we already had to pee and melting the ice in our bladders only made it worse. So we went around to the south entrance to see if we could gain media access but my name wasn't on the list but they were kind enough to let Tessa use the restroom. I stayed at the table to serve as collateral then went back to the car when she was done. By this time I had to pee so bad that I decided to use one of the empty Dunkin Donuts cups to give my bladder much needed relief! The downside to this method was that I was unable to properly adjust my gear afterwards so I ended up with a bit of a trail if you catch my drift! Thankfully we had time to sit in my warm car and let things air out!
When we got into the coliseum, we met up with my ex-girlfriend Rebecca who happens to live in Clemson and does student housing there (the irony is that she's a HUGE Gamecock fan). She was there with her current boyfriend Jonathan and friend JD. We talked through all of the opening bands (sorry guys) then went our separate ways as we took our seats for EVANESCENCE's set.
The band sounded great but no one really had much stage presence except for Amy Lee. I wonder if that is how she wants it to keep the focus on her. Not criticizing because she IS the main attraction of EVANESCENCE. As a matter of fact, when they came out on stage, there was a young girl just a few seats to my right whose head was about to explode from excitement as she screamed nearly the whole show. Tessa and I were quite amused with the young avid fan!
After the show, we went over to Rebecca's place since she had invited us earlier. Jonathan fixed us some apple pie moonshine (the legal kind, mind you!) mixed with whipped cream vodka and man it was tasty! Then we spent the remainder of the night sharing our favorite tunes and comedic bits on the internet. Ok, so it's not as crazy as some but it twas a good night!
SNUBBED!!!! by Twisted Todd, posted Jan 10 2012 1:57PM
Okay boys and girls, it's been a while since your old pal Twisted Todd has sounded off on a nice little tirade but, after last Friday night, here goes!
Tessa and I decided to have dinner at my favorite Asian spot, Oriental House right across the road from the station. We sat down and merely glanced at the menu since we already know what we're going to order almost every time. We then put down the menus, started playing with our phones and waited for our server. While we were waiting, the table next to us cleared out, was cleaned off and a new round of customers were seated and being waited on without as much as a word spoken to us as if we did not even exist. Incredibly insulted, we stormed out of the place and went to Red Bowl on Pleasantburg.
Being Friday night, even Red Bowl was busy so we waited for a table. While we were waiting, an older couple came in and were waiting as well. Lo and behold, they were seated before we were. Thankfully we were seated within the next couple of minutes because I was about to raise some hell.
On our way back from Red Bowl, we decided to stop in and get a half dozen doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. While in line, we decided to speed up the process by stepping out of line just long enough to peer over the other side of the customers in front of us to see what doughnuts we wanted so that we wouldn't have to take forever deciding when placing our order. As we did this, the group of hoity toity bitches behind us quickly moved up in the line despite the fact that we clearly just perusing the selection. When we returned to our spots, they just stood there but so did we unflinchingly. However, when the lady came to take the next order, the leader of the douche troop wasted no time spewing out her order. Needless to say I was pissed! So I stood there audibly complaining to Tessa and swearing them with every other breath. I even remember saying aloud that I hoped they choked on their doughnuts and, God forgive me, I hope they did!
Believe it or not, it actually takes a lot to wind me up when it comes to the food industry. I have the utmost respect for servers and waitstaff because I know I could not do that line of work and I am soooo thankful they are willing to put up with all the crap they have to deal with from serving the public. I rarely even say anything if my order is wrong as long as it is edible! And if I do say something, I am as polite as I know how to be. And I understand being busy on nights and weekends but damn! If a customer is obviously being overlooked, that's just downright insulting and no one wants to be treated in such a manner if they are there to pay you for a service. And being snubbed three times in one night at three different places is just absurd!
Well, it is now the year of impending doom according to many interpreters of the Mayan calendar. No matter what happens between now and then (December 21st, of course), it is sure to be the topic of much speculation.
I'd be lying if I claimed to not be the slightest bit worried because I tend to get a little antsy at the subject of doomsday scenarios and specific dates of such events. Do I really believe them? No, but the 'what if' voice in my head is always talking! To silence him, or at least drown him out, I always turn to my beliefs as a Christian and allow the Lord to work out the rest!
To ring in the infamous 2012, I got to emcee a New Year's Eve party at Greenville's Wild Wing Cafe. My job was very simple: to introduce the band RETRO VERTIGO and let them take care of the rest! The band did an amazing job covering the hits of the 80s with a few hits from the 70s and I think even the 90s. I'm not normally too impressed with cover bands but I do love me some 80s tunes and RV had 'em down much like DOGFIGHT brings the metal covers!
On New Year's Day, Tessa and I went to my Aunt Pat's for some traditional collard greens and black-eyed peas with the fam. Afterwards, we watched my Bucs end their disappointing season with their 10th straight loss as they faced the Falcons in Atlanta. With their final record being 4-12, their general manager gave head coach Raheem Morris the boot. I am thoroughly distraught at this because I honestly do not believe Raheem was the weak link and I do not believe this will solve the problem but rather further complicate the situation down in Tampa.
I read about Raheem's dismissal while visiting Tessa's family up in Rutherford County on Monday. Being there is NOTHING to do in Rutherford Co., Tessa had the bright idea of going into Hendersonville. So we went to the Outback Steakhouse in Hendersonville and, when we left, Tessa noticed that it was snowing. Not knowing the forecast and thinking nothing of what we assumed would just be a few flurries, we drove deeper into Henderson County and went to World Market. When we got there, I saw that there was a Best Buy nearby and wanted to go there afterwards and Tessa wanted to go to Target. However, as we left World Market, we noticed that the snow was picking up and actually starting to cover the ground so we decided to head back to Rutherford County.
On the way back, visibilty was poor as it was dark with pretty heavy flurries and an already snow covered I-26. To make matters worse, the windshield wipers on Tessa's mom's car had frozen so we had to pull over as best as Tessa could since she was unable to see the road. Needless to say, we were all quite nervous! As I was getting ready to get out and scrape the windshield, the defroster managed to thaw the wipers and we were back on the road. As we got into Saluda, the snow started to taper off and we managed to get back to Rutherford County in one piece!
Thankfully Rutherford County was unaffected by the mild snowstorm 'raging' in Henderson County but we wasted little time making our way back to Greenville! And that's enough driving ventures in the snow for the year for me!
Well, if everyone's interpretation of the Mayan calendar is accurate, then we just celebrated our last Christmas soon to be followed by our last New Year and so on and so forth. Whether or not this was our last (which I, of course, don't believe it was), I enjoyed it as I do love the holidays!
On the morning of Christmas Eve, I got up before Tessa (as I usually do) and got out her present and placed it under the tree on top of my present from her. When she got up, she quickly noticed the addition and I had her open it to reveal the I Am Loved bracelet from Helzberg Diamonds. She then reluctantly had me open my gift because it was a popcorn popper. I quickly reassured her that I couldn't have asked for a better gift since I love poporn and have been wanting to pop my own for some time now. And, trust me, that thing has been used numerous times already just in the past several days!
Later that afternoon, we went to my Aunt Tina's house to exchange gifts with my family. We both got some neat stuff including a really nice crocheted bag from Aunt Tina that Tessa has been gushing over and the 'crime scene' shirt I am wearing as I type this. Mom got me some comic book movies on Blu-ray I had been wanting for some time now as well as some Star Wars pajamas and a South Carolina Gamecocks hoodie. The only problem with the digs was that they were a size too big so I went to Kohl's on Monday to try to exchange them for a different size only to find that they were completely wiped out. I then decided to take store credit but now I'm worried that some items won't be restocked while others I may not get for the same price after the holiday sales are over.
Anyways, after my Aunt Tina's, we made our way to Spartanburg to visit Tessa's grandmother. While there, we got more goodies than we knew what to do with on top of what we had already gotten at my aunt's! We stayed well after all the guests left enjoying the conversation of her Mimi and Cheryl.
The next morning we made our way to my Aunt Pat's for even more food and goodies (I added one of my mom's sweet potato pies to the growing collection)! Tessa had to leave shortly thereafter to go to work while I stayed and watched Captain America and Thor with the fam.
On Monday, we went to the visitation for Niki Waddell, who had tragically passed in a car accident just days before Christmas. Her brother Michael is close friends with my ex-girlfriend Rebecca and was always a cool guy to hang with so I wanted to make it out before going shopping with Tessa's bestie Krista.
The latter was certainly an adventure being the day after Christmas but we managed to make it through and I picked up a replacement for the shirt that my cat had ripped the night before. When I had gotten home on Christmas night, I was on the phone with Tessa as she was making her way home from work. Our cat Bones, being the attention whore that he is, did not appreciate being ignored when I walked in so he decided to make his presence known by leaping onto my chest and tearing my shirt (one of my faves, mind you) in the process. Once I noticed the rip in my shirt, I quickly got off the phone and carried out my mission to kill our cat! I am pleased to report that Bones is still with us but he is recovering from a slight limp! Just kidding! Or am I....?! Lol!
As it turned out, the incident was a blessing in disguise as Toys 'R' Us not only had the replacement shirt but another Pac-Man shirt which I got collectively for less than eight bucks! We then hit the mall, grabbed some dinner at Cracker Barrel then rode through the Roper Mountain Holiday Lights. Yeah, it was a good holiday!
Since my cousin who lives in Myrtle Beach has to work on Christmas, she was in town this past weekend. When we all drew names back on Thanksgiving, Tessa drew her name so we met up with her and the fam to go ahead and get her gift to her. My mom drew her husband's name but she hasn't been feeling well so I took her gift to him. Tonya drew my name so she gave me my gift.
All this early gift giving has made me realize how close Christmas really is not to mention the fact that we are about to wrap up our 12 Days of Axemas and Tessa and I are 99% finished with our Christmas shopping as I have only to get a gift for the name I drew at Thanksgiving! It's amazing how quickly the holidays fly!
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