Movie Night

Last night Derek and I went to see Young Frankenstein. We didn't take a camera since I didn't think it would be particularly memorable, however now I am blogging about it and wish I had taken it. We were invited last month by Derek's friend Kurt's sister. She lives up near Venice Beach and she and her husband were planning to come down to San Diego county to watch this movie and so we decided to join them.

We went to the Stone Brewery in Escondido and sat in their beer garden where they had a screen set up. Here is the image they have on their website so you can get an idea:So you bring your own blankets or chairs and sit under the stars watching a different movie every Wednesday. As the sun started to set there were bats flying over head and everything was decorated with plants and stone so it is a really pretty atmosphere. We watched the movie and had a fun time sitting outside with everyone laughing at Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Next week they are show Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. What makes the showing so special is the guys who did Mystery Science Theatre 3000 will be there with microphones cracking jokes throughout the movie. We are going to try and make it back there for that one.

Betting on the Ponies

Last Saturday Derek and I went to the Del Mar race track. We have been talking about going for a while now and finally had the perfect opportunity. After the last race they were having a free Flaming Lips concert.We have been to both Laurel race track and Pimlico, and aside from Preakness those two places are like ghost towns. Del Mar on a normal Saturday was thriving. It was packed with people and many of them dressed as if it was Preakness or the Derby. I was surprised by the number of women wearing high heels and their best dresses wanting to stand around smelling horse poop all day. There were also many men who thought they were hot stuff, but we kindly disagree with them. Example:Here is the general admission:The start for the mile and a quarter race:Here I am really making an effort to place a bet. Of course, I didn't win a single bet, I am going back to picking based on names and odds. So after the races we went to the infield for the concert. The Flaming Lips are known for their stage show so we were a little excited to experience it.
As he is known for the lead singer came out in his huge plastic bubble and went crowd surfing. The microphone had a camera attached so during some parts you got images up the lead singers nose. I added this picture not for his boogers, but for the people on the sides. They had people come out in costumes and dance to the music. They were a lot of fun to watch.
We had some computer problems and are now running Linux now instead of Windows. This means I am still getting used to the differences and the pictures may be smaller than normal. I will keep playing with it.