So here’s my R.E.M. story…

In 2003 I got a call from my brother one afternoon.  He’s friends with Mike Mill’s guitar technician (Bob) who scored us tickets to the show.  We met Bob at the loading dock, where he proceeded to give us back stage passes.  We hung out on stage, had some beers from his private stash, gawked at the guitars, and reviewed the set lists taped to the stage floor.  Bob gave us the chance to watch the show from the side stage (next to him) or 3rd row center. We took the 3rd row seats, so we could see straight on.  Michael Stipe was electric and the show was amazing.

Afterwards we went to the after party. My brother and I weren’t quite sure what was going on, but we were escorted to a room with about 30 other people (including Jim Courier of tennis fame — totally random).  The room was totally bare, no music, and a few bottles of wine in a bin on a table.  Bob also works for Jimmy Buffet, who invited us backstage in Vegas to Jimmy’s party, that consisted of lots of people, tons of food, barrels of Corona beer, and backup dancers/singers walking around in grass skirts and cocnuts.  So yes, R.E.M was not quite living up to my rock and roll expectations.  After waiting around for 20 minutes, we decided to leave since this party was going nowhere fast.  Just then in comes R.E.M. Wow – holy shit!

After watching Michael Stipe walk for half an hour around completely low-key mopey and sullen, I got the nerve to say hi. The conversation went almost exactly like this…

I said, “Micheal, great to meet you.  Can you sign my ticket?  My wife couldn’t come, could you sign it ‘Susan, wish you were here, best Michael.'”  Michael responds, “how about I sign it Michael and you tell her the rest.”  Hmmm, that didn’t go to well.  So, he signs the ticket.  Then, trying to have a conversation, I say, “I’ve been a big fan since you opened for The Police in 1983.”  Yes, I’m sucking up a bit here, but it’s R.E.M.!  Michael responds, “wow, you’re bringing back some bad memories.” Well now I feel like a total dick.  I got my autograph (see below) and walked away total bummed.

I ended up talking to Mike Mills for about 15 minutes. He was awesome and gave me one of his guitar picks (see below).  I said hi to Peter Buck who was chilling on a coach, but decided it was time to leave.  It was late and I felt enough like a fool, and there was no alcohol to drown my pride (except for a F$#@ warm Merlot).

Thanks R.E.M. for the years of music and the memories…

Signed REM Concert ticket - Stipe and Mills

Never forget.

1. Playing craps old school with my brother -in-law at Binions casino in the old part of Las Vegas.  The old crotchety dealers and low ceilings are awesome.
2. A late afternoon helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, champagne on the banks of the Colorado River, and night flight over Vegas for the return trip.
3. Any time I get to hang at the House of Blues Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay – my favorite bar anywhere.
4. Slots A Fun Casino – cheap drinks, $1 minimum bets on craps and hobos.  Do you still want to gamble at Bellagio now?
5. Watching my buddies lose their ass at the ____ Casino Sports Book.  (enter any casino name, they still lose).
6. Lobster mashed potatoes at Mastro Ocean Club.  Seriously, don’t order anything else, these are the best mashed potatoes anywhere.
7. KÁ at MGM.  I’ve seen a lot of shows in Vegas, but KÁ is the best.  Blue Man Group is long time favorite.

The Ferrari California is the first Ferrari Gran Turismo with a mid-front 8-cylinder engine: a vehicle that uncompromisingly combines sportiness with versatility, guaranteeing the maximum driving pleasure characteristic of cars from Maranello

Well, it’s that time again and you are invited to join the PickHoops bracket group – McDermott 2011 NCAA Pool.  This is a non-gambling pool, but the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive a prize!  What what do you have to lose!?!  Online bracket entry closes Thursday, March 17th at 12:00 pm EST.

• 1st: $50 AMEX Gift Card
• 2nd: $35 AMEX Gift Card
• 3rd: $25 AMEX Gift Card

More important than the prizes are the bragging rights!

Like last year, I am opening this up to anyone who wants to join – the more the merrier. This tournament is not affiliated with any company or corporation and is strictly for fun. There is no entrance fee. Feel free to invite other friends, family, and alumni; however, you may only enter two entries per person. Below are some rules:

To join, click here: http://www.pickhoops.com/mcdermott

• You’ll be asked for your name and email address and to create a user password for your login.
• Use your real name, not aliases. All entries with name aliases will be deleted.
• Then you’ll be asked for the group password. This group’s password is: Wildcats
• Only two (2) entries per person
• Bracket entry starts Monday, March 12th at 8:00am EST
• Online bracket entry closes Thursday, March 17th at 12:00pm EST
• The web site may become slow just before the deadline so be sure to get your brackets in early to avoid problems.

Questions? Email me.

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind.  We saw so many things and met so many great people.  Hats off again to Adventures by Disney, which did not disappoint.  Our Italy guides, Cinzia and Vinnie, and our Alpine guides, Maddie and Marc, made the tours so much fun.  We have so many wonderful memories!

It’s no wonder that Italy is so popular with tourists – the weather is beautiful, the ancient ruins of Rome are amazing, the abundance of art in Florence is staggering, and the food is delicious (can you believe that the girls actually got tired of pizza and pasta though??).  Venice is magical and like no other place on earth.  The lakes of Northern Italy are beautiful and crystal clear.  And of course, Italy has THE best ice cream!  Our only debate is in which city did we have our favorite (Sirmione or Rome)?  One of our favorite places was a small stop between Rome and Florence – Orvieto, a hilltop village in Tuscany.  A place to visit again for sure. The crowds and the heat were a bit much sometimes, but Italy really is about slowing down and taking it all in.

Switzerland is beautiful and truly like a fairy tale.  Some of the towns really do look like movie sets.  The Alps create deep valleys with picturesque views and snow covered mountains in the middle of August.  We’ll never forget the quaintness of Zermatt with it’s looming Matterhorn, and the lakeside Lucerne, with it’s covered bridges, flower covered windowsills, delicious chocolate and rows of Swiss watch stores.

The Old World charm of Prague is enchanting, with its’ gothic churches, love for science, and medieval castles.  There are few places like Prague – a city with architecture over a 1000 years old everywhere you look.  There was much more to see and we wish we could have stayed longer.

In the end, it’s certainly good to be coming home.  While we have loved our adventures, there really is no place like home.  We can’t wait to sleep in our own beds, to see our friends, to start school, and to add one more “person” to our family – yup, it’s time to get a dog!  That will certainly be a new adventure!

After some chocolate and marmalade croissants, we headed out to Prague Castle. Sean decided that he had cracked the code on the trams and subway, so we ambitiously headed out via public transportation. While only a few blocks away, finding the subway station proved a bit elusive. By the way, there are no turnstiles on public transportation. The honor system prevails, while passengers validate their own tickets. Spot checkers are compensated on the fines they collect, so everyone seems to abide by the rules.

We transferred from the subway to a tram and made it to the Castle. The entrance to the Castle is guarded by two very stoic guards, which seemed like a perfect picture opportunity (they’re probably used to it). We bought some tickets, rented a few handheld audio guides, and headed in.

The focal point of Prague Castle is the Basilica of Saint Vitus. The foundation of the castle started in the 9th century, but construction accelerated under the reign on Charles IV who wanted Prague to be the center of the Holy Roman Empire. The Basilica has undergone centuries of construction and repairs, even up to the 20th century. The Basilica houses many chapels and the tombs of four Bohemian saints. The most important chapel is built over the tomb of Saint Wencelslas (the patron saint of the Czech Republic), which includes a vault that contains the Czech Crown Jewels. Another notable tomb is that of Saint Nepomuk, which is made out of two tons of silver.

We then toured the Old Royal Palace, had lunch at the Lobkowicz Palace, and walked through the Church of Saint George (which dates back over 1000 years!). We tried to walk down the famous Golden Lane, but it’s closed for two years for renovation. Boo!

After the palace we checked our trustily Frommers book and found the best Gelato cafe in Prague. After being out of Italy for more than a week, we needed our fix. On the way we ran into a flash mob of dancers dressed line zombies dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in the middle of Wenceslas Square. It was unexpected surprise!

We metro’ed over to the Jewish Quarter to see the four Synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery. The Jewish Cemetery is a small plot of land that was the only place Jews could be buried. The Cemetery is estimated to be 500-1000 years old and contain 12,000 tombstones and 100,000 graves. Since Jews are not allowed to remove graves or tombstones, and expanding land was impossible, new graves were added in layers with new dirt. If we were Jewish we might have realized that Saturday is the Jewish sabbath and all attractions were closed. So, best we could do was scale a wall and peek through holes to see the Cemetery. Back to the hotel, and more pool time.

We had our farewell dinner at the swanky rooftop restaurant at our hotel. The food was expensive, the menu was tough to figure out, and the food was not quite what we expected. The girls steak was rare, Lauren had some lobster mousse, and Sean’s pork was boiled.

All in all, we decided that Prague is a wonderful city, but that we only scratched the surface. Our cabbie (from Detroit ) said that visitors are down about 25% over the years. He thinks the mystic has worn off a bit since Prague as done such a good job assimilating into the rest of Europe post the fall of communism. As for food, what Prague has in culture doesn’t seem to transcend to their cuisine. Dumplings and potatoes are bland and they like to boil their meat (beef and pork). On the good side, their beer is excellent and cheap!

Farewell Prague!