"Cigars, Cigarettes, Tiperillos"

Ahhhh... truth in 1960's era Mad Men advertising

KISS ~ "Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver All Nite!"

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November 14, 2009: "KISS ALIVE 35" Rock Show

What could be a better way to spend a Saturday night in Vancouver, than to take the family out to a KISS concert?

As for the stage show... try and imagine a 70's-era glam-rock show chock full of rock anthems with all the stops pulled out. Multiple explosions, sonic booms, flash pots, fire columns, giant videos of the band playing live superimposed over fire, flashing lights, all three guitarists head banging in unison, lead guitar grimace face, glittery high-heeled boots, Gene’s tongue flicking & blood-spewing, cannons, fire, sparks, a hail of confetti and several super-tall pneumatic platforms that elevated the band above the stage. All performed in front of Gene's wife, Shannon Tweed, who was in the audience along with many fans, young & old, dressed to kill in improvised kabuki makeup & the costumes of a Star child, Demon, Spaceman and Pussycat.

This ain’t rock ‘n’ roll… this is KISS blowing the roof off GM Place! And a good time was had by one and all…

KISS Vancouver set list.

1.Deuce
2.Strutter
3.Let Me Go Rock & Roll
4.Hotter Than Hell
5.Shock Me
6.Calling Dr. Love
7.Modern Day Delilah
8.Cold Gin
9.Do You Love Me
10.Say Yeah
11.100,000 Years
12.I Love it Loud
13.Black Diamond
14.Rock And Roll All Nite

Encore:

15.Shout It Out Loud
16.Lick It Up (Won’t Get Fooled Again snippet)
17.Love Gun
18.Detroit Rock City

A Time For Remembrance...

Wherever you may be on November 11th at 11am, take a moment to pause and reflect upon the men and women, past and present ,that have helped to preserve our way of life as well as freedoms of allies throughout the world.

A Salute to Heroes...
"If you are able, save them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."

Major Micheal Davis O'Donnell
Date of Loss: 24 March 1970

Philippines' Civet Coffee - This shit tastes good!

My wife and I enjoyed Dim Sum last week with some dear friends who later introduced us to our first cup of Civet Coffee, “one of the world’s most expensive and coveted coffees”.

It is not widely known that the Philippines produces one of the world's most expensive and coveted brands of coffee. Natives go into mountain forests to hunt for undigested coffee beans that are excreted as sausage-like clumps onto the forest floor by the Philippine Civet cat, a nocturnal jungle animal. Yes, that’s right… the droppings are coffee beans that have passed through the civet cat whole after fermenting in their stomachs. Apparently, that's what gives this coffee its unique taste and aroma.

The Philippine Civet cat belongs to the mongoose family and uses its nose to choose the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries to feast upon during coffee season. Gathered very early in the morning usually before the sun rises, local forest dwellers climb the mountains to pick the civet droppings off the jungle floors. On a good day, a coffee gatherer can collect one kilo of civet droppings. the coffee beans are washed and dried out in the sun and roasted, until the strong aroma comes out.

Literally worth its weight in gold, Civet coffee, which some coffee aficionados consider among the world's best, sells in the United States for as much as $660 a kilogram or $300 a pound. Only 250 kg are produced worldwide each year, says Antonio Reyes, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency. Reyes says the civet's digestive process, particularly enzymes in its stomach, probably gives the brew its distinctive flavor and aroma.

At The End Of The World ~ Wakatobi Dive Resort

Depth Magazine, an online internet scuba publication, has published my story, "At The End Of The World ~ Wakatobi Dive Resort" in their November/December 2009 issue. I was also awarded the magazine's cover shot.

This issue also marks the first time that my own full page advert was published.