Some things I've seen

Snow Ball 2012

As I walked home from work last night, I passed the large and modern Omni Movie Theatre. It has a few steps in front of it, and at the base of the steps is a metal strip, that is about 3 or 4 inches wide and 15 or 20 feet long. It has holes in it, so I figure it functions as some sort of drain. Fascinating, right? I promise, I have a point. Anyway, as I am walking home last night, during a break in the snow/rain that had fallen off-and-on throughout the day, I pass the theatre and notice that a man is purposefully sliding on this metal strip just for kicks, like a outdoor and icy version of Tom Cruise's famous move in Risky Business. I can't help but watch this guy and I see that he is well into his 50s. He is nicely dress, in fact part of the reason he's getting so much distance on his slides is because he is wearing fancy dress shoes-- probably some slick-soled thing made in Italy and deliberately not intended for such Northernly activities as walking in slush and ice. I watch him the whole time it takes me to walk past the theatre, which is about a minute, and I'm smiling the whole time, because without knowing anything else about him I know that I like his style. He's not too old to have a silly good time.

And neither are we!

So, because we are not too old to be silly (and enjoy things that might be intended for a younger demographic) and because Matt is Best Husband of the Year... we attended Snow Ball, 2012. What is Snow Ball 2012, you ask? It's an amazing night of music, dancing, eating, drinking, giving, laughing, singing, and general rocking out. Oh, and it's all about Harry Potter. Everything. The decor, the food, the music-- especially the music! 

The Ball was held at Teviot Row House (which I have mentioned on this blog before) and the room was festive with tartan, lights and all sorts of house banners...

We drank bubbly drinks and ate cake... sugary goodness in the form of Hogwarts, Hagrid's hut and the the Black Lake (complete with Giant Squid tentacles).

One of the opening acts, Siriusly Hazza P, was cute and girly and rock-a-riffic... (OK, I apologize for that word). their last song was for Fawks, and the MC of the night, the man who put the whole thing together, donned phoenix feathers (and a kilt) and pantomimed the great bird.


And in case you're wondering, that in the background, is the Scottish flag, with the Hogwarts crest in the middle...

And a secret guest graced the stage before the main act... half of Draco and the Malfoys (and The Remus Lupins). He was totally geeky-cute-to-the-max. And he played "My Dad is Rich, You're Dad is Dead", which we all know is a modern-day classic. (and yes, that is the Elder Wand waving about in the foreground!)

Wands at the ready...

...for Harry and the Potters! Brothers, Potter aficionados, and  founders of Wizard Rock!

And they really do rock out. I didn't take much video (too busy dancing about) but I had to capture this one... Wizard's Chess is a little on the tame side compared to some of their other tunes, but its super cute  and it's about Christmas!
(Watch here, or if you want a bigger screen, choose to view it on YouTube. For some reason, Blogger won't let me show it any larger.)

Paul DeGeorge, Harry from Harry and the Potters, took some time before (and after) the show to have a little chat with me and Matt. I told him that we saw them play in Los Angeles years ago...twice.

Here's younger brother Joe DeGeorge (also Harry, from Harry and the Potters) rocking out (*note the metal fingers in the foreground. yeah.)

The guy from Draco and the Malfoys played drums for Harry and the Potters (I think he has also toured with the Violent Femmes... )

Blurry pictures of over-the-head and behind-the-back rocking.

And toward the end of the night, in some impromptu show of togetherness, everyone in the audience held hands and swayed back and forth to the music. That's the thing about Potter fans... there is always a ton of love at these things ( I know... it sounds cheesy) but overall, I think the Potter books attract a kind of person who believes in the main theme of the book: That love is the greatest magic of all.

awwww.

You go, Glasgow!

One has a lot of options when choosing how to spend a day in Glasgow. There are museums, pubs, parks, galleries, clubs... all this things you'd expect to find in a good-sized European city. But, being a touch macabre, Matt and I opted to spend the majority of our Glaswegian day in the Necropolis, or The City of the Dead. It is the final resting place to over 50,000 buried persons, so it has earned it's name! (It is neither here nor there, but this cemetery's population is about 5 times of that of my hometown.)

The Necropolis is on top of a hill dotted with old gnarled trees (of course) and the tombs in some places seem stacked on top of each other. 

It is not a particularly hefty climb up, but once you reach the top, the views stretch out over the whole city.

Some of the tombs are elaborate, some of them are cracked or tumbled to the ground. All of them have seem a lot of weather.

We saw a tomb for a Tennant, and we saw the brewery for Tennant's beer that borders the lower section of the cemetery. Not sure if it's the man responsible for the brand, but if it is, he sure didn't get too far away from work.

The headstones went on and on. Row after row...

Predating the majority of the cemetery is the monument to John Knox, supporter of the Protestant Reformation and father of Scottish Presbyterianism. I don't know too much about the man, but he does seem to be a bit... what's a good way of saying it... dour.  Below, I am inappropriately dancing about and waving flags on his monument, which I am certain he would not appreciate. Although I think it's pretty safe to say he did not appreciate the activities of most women, considering he wrote a book titled The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women. Lest you find my dancing too disrespectful, let me tell you that this is not the grave of the late reverend. He is buried in Edinburgh, outside of St. Giles Kirk, beneath a perfectly ordinary parking spot.  And you can blame Matt, not me, for his decapitated state in this photo!

So, what is the tallest monument in the Necropolis, the monument of John Knox, anti-Catholic and champion to Presbyterianism, looking out upon?!

This huge Cathedral. The Glasgow Cathedral was built in 1197. (I repeat, 1197.) And it has never been burned down or sacked or blown apart or anything in all those years. It is in remarkable shape...  

... even though it was heavily covered by scaffolding! Maintenance aside, it was very cool to roam about a Cathedral that has the same roof, even some of the same doors, as it did nearly 1000 years ago.

And whether or not you agree with any of the ideology, you've got to admit that when it comes to building impressive structures, the Catholics knew what was what!

The Glasgow Cathedral (Called St. Mungo's to the parishioners) has an extensive series of underground  chapels, altars and tombs. Matthew posed me for this photo in the Blacader's Aisle (seriously, he told me right where to stand and this is what I get!)

And deeper down below the nave, is the tomb of St. Mungo (or St. Kentigern, but his friends all called him Mungo) who was believed to be buried on this exact location in 603.

We didn't hang out in cemeteries and underneath cathedrals all day. We also took in Glasgow's beautiful architecture...

I'm kidding with this picture! Really, this picture aside, Glasgow is beautiful. I am just teasing since I've heard there is a competition between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Rumor has it that it goes something like this: Glaswegians think that Edinburgh is snooty (enlightened), pretentious (artsy) and expensive (expensive). Edinburghians (although no one really calls them that) find Glasgow to be gritty (edgy), plebeian (working class) and rowdy (rowdy).

But back to our lovely day in Glasgow...

It's where I found the TARDIS!

And my first clootie tree! Clootie, in Scots, means cloth. And there are little bits of cloth tied around this tree's branches. I did a little asking around and I found out that clootie trees have been around since the ancient Celts. Usually, they were trees that grew beside some sacred waters, a spring or a well with some significance. These waters and clootie trees attracted pilgrimages and were part of a healing ritual.  A  person would bring along a scrap of cloth, dip it in the waters, and tie it on the tree. If you made the pilgrimage to rid yourself of an ailment, you  might use a bit of cloth that was grotesque as representation. If you were making an offering to the spirit of the well, or making a hope or prayer, you would use a bit of beautiful fabric.

Most of the clooties on this clootie tree were brightly colored ribbons and even a few bits of silk. It was growing beside a iron a fountain.

We also saw another kind of special tree. A Christmas tree! The workers were setting it up in George Square, along with thousands of fairy lights and other decorations. We may have to take another trip to Glasgow in December to see it all lit up!

Matthew and his trusty iPhone led us to the banks of the River Clyde. Where we got to do some birdwatching and then stomped across the pedestrian's suspension bridge (trying to see if we could make it sway).

We grabbed some nourishment at a little pub in the city centre. After spending most of the day walking around town, around graves, over rivers and around trees, I was pretty darn drookit (drenched) and for the first time in my life, I used a hand dryer in the loo to warm up and blow dry my hair. I am getting to be pretty hardcore.

The day ended at Barrowland-- where Matt and I danced the night away in the second row of the totally wonderful Alabama Shakes show. Man, I knew that girl could sing- but I had no idea she was such a rocker!