Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Decanter


The Decanter
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

One of my favorite wedding gifts. I usually keep it filled with
Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Twitter Week In Review 2009-03-24 To 2009-03-28



Posted this week's JW/Electronica Classic: Junior Jack & Kid Creme's 2004 Essential Mix; summertime house grooves. http://tinyurl.com/cnttts
10:50 PM Mar 24th from TweetDeck


Man, Tuesdays are ALWAYS my most productive day of the wk; got tons done w/work/school/life today; haircut @ lunch + caught up on new music.
11:40 PM Mar 24th from TweetDeck


RT @google: Love video games? iGoogle now has themes from Mario, Mega Man, Guitar Hero and more. http://bit.ly/v7Ar5
10:40 PM Mar 25th from TweetDeck


Library run early in day; blazed thru some outstanding tasks @ work; spent early evening w/Puggles, then e-mail catchup/class reading in PM.
10:42 PM Mar 25th from TweetDeck

Flickr having problems w/their upload via e-mail (and to Blog) functionality; mine's been flaky for 24 hrs now: http://tinyurl.com/d35fzx
11:27 PM Mar 25th from TweetDeck


I still find it novel when DJs play full sets from genres they're not known for; i.e., Matt Darey playing house & Paul Oakenfold drum & bass
11:30 PM Mar 25th from TweetDeck


Redownloading all of my Virtual Console games on the Wii now that you can store/run games off an SD card; hello 2GB of extra space!
7:14 PM Mar 26th from Tweetie


Decided to hop on the 200 Situps/100 Pushups workout iPhone apps today since it was too wet to run; hopeful I'll be as loyal as to Weightbot
10:49 PM Mar 26th from TweetDeck


@mintyone Your Seinfeld quotes make me smile. :-)
11:10 PM Mar 27th from TweetDeck in reply to mintyone


Busy day @ work, but a breakfast taco provided adequate fuel; 6 mile run in PM, then a dinner date w/Ash @ Pappadeaux for crawfish/oysters.
11:13 PM Mar 27th from TweetDeck


Out @ the Rockets vs Clippers game.
about 18 hours ago from Tweetie


Got my home office in order in AM; Rockets game w/Ash in PM, then drinks w/Brian & Claude at a wine bar just off Westheimer...good times!
about 14 hours ago from Tweetie

JW / Electronica Classics 008: The Delta Heavy Tour Essential Mix


Since the Winter Music Conference is drawing to a close in Miami as I type this post, I thought it only appropriate to bring out one of the classic WMC gems.

Today's choice might be the pinnacle of progressive house. This set from Sasha & John Digweed was recorded in the now defunct Miami Arena during the Winter Music Conference on March 23, 2002, and represented the first stop on their bus tour across America. The recording was originally scheduled to air the following weekend, but got preempted by news coverage on Radio 1 of Queen Elizabeth's death and ultimately ended up airing on April 7, 2002.

Reportedly, the shows organizers brought in a Phazon sound system to the arena for the event, the same kind used in the New York City club where Sasha & John Digweed gained much of their North American fame: the legendary club Twilo in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

I managed to catch two shows on this tour: the Houston, TX date at the Verizon Wireless Theater, and then the New Orleans, LA date at the French Quarter House of Blues. That New Orleans show wasn't even part of the original tour schedule, but was negotiated after the fact, and ended the tour with an oft-referenced "shoes in the air salute".

Nearly 4 years later, a documentary was released chronicling their tour across America. It's really a fascinating look inside the logistics of a music tour and has some great footage both from the Miami show and other stops along the way.

Sasha & John Digweed - Delta Heavy Tour Essential Mix 2002-04-07
Recorded Live During The Winter Music Conference In Miami, FL On 2002-03-23

Megaupload Link / No Rapidshare Link This Week....sorry, the file is too big.

John Digweed

TiJuana - Groove Is In The Air (Moonface Unreleased Mix)
The Low End Specialists - Smoked Piece
Tom Mengen - Chutney (Bedrock Edit)
Moby - We Are All Made Of Stars (Timo Maas Dub Mix)
Yunus - Lullaby
Samuel Flash - Chilling Moments
Samuel Flash - Chilling Moments (Bedrock Dub)
Yunus - Red Pilot

Sasha

Adam Dived - Headfirst
Solid Sessions - Janeiro (James Holden Mix)
James Holden - Nothing
Deceptions - Eastern Promise
Chimera - Just Wanna Do My Thing (Original Mix)
Moby - We Are All Made Of Stars (Timo Maas Dub Mix)
Nosmo Vs Krispy - One For The Road
Flash - Hazy March

Rockets vs Clippers


Rockets vs Clippers
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Watching the game in the Toyota Center thanks to Ash scoring us a pair of tickets.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Crawfish Dinner At Pappadeaux


Crawfish Dinner At Pappadeaux
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Complete with ice cold Abita Amber & oysters on the half shell with
Tabasco. A fun Cajun-themed Friday night.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Growth At Market Street


Growth At Market Street
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Construction continues on the Avia luxury boutique hotel at Market Street in The Woodlands. It's apparently still on track for a July 2009 opening.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Pepper Pants!


Pepper Pants!
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

The second generation of Tabasco-themed lounge pants given to me as a gift by my in-laws.

Twitter Week In Review 2009-03-15 To 2009-03-23


Posted this week's JW / Electronica Classic: Pendulum's 2005 Essential Mix; relentless drum & bass! http://tinyurl.com/ab8lae
10:11 AM Mar 15th from web


Vote for your favorite southern brewery; pulling for Abita & St Arnold's: http://tinyurl.com/bfsf8f
3:34 PM Mar 15th from web


Most of day spent in digital pursuits w/music downloading/tagging & blogging, reading; watched "Bottle Shock" & brewing documentary in PM.
8:29 PM Mar 15th from Tweetie


@googlevoice Awesome! My GC name is JustonWestern if you can squeeze me into this wave.
3:01 PM Mar 16th from Tweetie in reply to googlevoice


Decent Mon; made progress on testing projects @ work; shopping run in PM for new headphones & Tour De Houston equipment, then 5 mile run.
9:55 PM Mar 16th from web


Looking forward to tomorrow's iPhone OS 3.0 announcements @ lunch; also hoping I can FINALLY get my MacBook Pro back after a wk in the shop.
10:21 PM Mar 16th from web


Still no luck with having my Grand Central account switched over to Google Voice. Hoping to get the green light this week.
6:37 AM Mar 17th from web


8:16 PM Mar 17th from twitterrific in reply to RyanDurham


Happy St Patricks Day! Back on my Mac, stoked about iPhone 3.0, and spending the evening video editing for work w/some Guinness inspiration
8:17 PM Mar 17th from twitterrific


@dudesy916 Abita Strawberry or Purple Haze?
12:08 AM Mar 18th from twitterrific in reply to dudesy916


Just finished my video project for the evening; the 5 hr investment yielded a pretty good product; I'll post the YouTube link soon.
12:09 AM Mar 18th from twitterrific


Got to screen my video @ work today; home in PM for TiVo'd House, then watched the iPhone 3.0 keynote...unreal; also setup Nike+ WatchRemote
10:56 PM Mar 18th from TweetDeck


Yes! Just got upgraded to Google Voice! Thanks @googlevoice!
2:07 PM Mar 19th from TweetDeck


@dudesy916 Enjoy!
2:40 PM Mar 19th from TweetDeck in reply to dudesy916


Early trip to Apple Store to have AirPort on MBP fixed; fun lunch @ work w/Pizza Hut/BW3 takeout; 6 mile run in PM, then Google Voice tests
10:53 PM Mar 19th from TweetDeck


Today's big JW/Technology moments: switching over full-time to TweetDeck (on the laptop) & taking the plunge into Google Voice. Both = win!
11:06 PM Mar 19th from TweetDeck


Big weekend plans; Pete Tong + Deadmau5 show tonight downtown; Tour De Houston 20 mile bike race Sun morning, then Pendulum @ HOB Sun PM.
8:05 AM Mar 20th from TweetDeck


Just got done w/a 3 mi bike ride w/ @dudesy916 in prep for Sun's Tour De Houston; shower, then headed downtown for Pete Tong/Deadmau5 show.
7:35 PM Mar 20th from TweetDeck


Fri spent catching up @ work; 3 mile ride w/Evan in PM, then met Brian/Claude for drinks @ Poison Girl before Pete Tong & Deadmau5 show.
7:55 AM Mar 21st from TweetDeck


Tired morning after 2 hrs of sleep; took PTR to vet @ 8AM, downtown for Tour De Houston packet pickup, midday nap, then NCAA Tourney in PM.
8:21 PM Mar 21st from Tweetie


Tour De Houston was awesome. Thanks again to @dudesy916 for the bike & ride downtown. I'll definitely have to do the race again next year.
12:55 PM Mar 22nd from TweetDeck


A really drained Mon after staying out until 1AM last night for the Pendulum show @ the HOB; still managed to knock out a few things @ work.
7:49 PM Mar 23rd from TweetDeck

JW / Electronica Classics 007: Junior Jack & Kid Creme's 2004 Essential Mix

I randomly stumbled across Junior Jack's "Trust It" album during the summer of 2004, and it turned out to be kind of the soundtrack to my last semester at Tulane in New Orleans. It was jazzy, upbeat, and generally captured my optimistic outlook on life.

Wanting to hear more of Junior Jack's works, I discovered this Essential Mix he did with Kid Creme just a few months prior to the "Trust It" release. Over the past 4 years I inevitably put this mix in rotation as the weather turns warmer and I'm looking for a summer frame of mind.

Junior Jack & Kid Creme - Essential Mix 2004-05-23
Megaupload Link / Rapidshare Link

Ritmo Da Rua - “Universal Love”
Unknown - “It’s All About House Music”
Copyright - “Bulo”
Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto - “3AM”
Sebastian Leger - “Swing Ya Hips”
Junior Jack - “Trust It”
Hott 22 - “4 Da Love”
Martin Solveig - “I’m A Good Man”
Junior Jack - “Da Hype”
DJ Gregory - “Jo Burg Theme”
Lee Cabrera - “Voodoo Love”
Axwell - “Wait A Minute”
Kid Crème - “Doin Our Own Thing”
Intralazzi & Fratti - “The Love”
C2R - “Bringing In The Funk”
Mister O - “I Can Feel The Love”
Hardsoul Feat. Ron Carroll - “Back Together”
Martin Solveig - “Rocking Music”
Jamie Lewis & M. Watford - “For You”
DJ Gregory - “Solaris”
Junior Jack - “Hola”
Havana Funk - “Bakiri Ban”
Junior Jack - “Stupidisco”

Monday, March 23, 2009

Pendulum At The House Of Blues


Pendulum At The House Of Blues
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

These guys completely destroyed an up for it crowd with insane drum & bass. The Sunday night show made for a VERY tired Monday, but it was so worth it.

Sitting At The Bar At The Grove


Sitting At The Bar At The Grove
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Took Ash out for drinks on Discovery Green prior to the Pendulum show at the House of Blues.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009

Puggles On His Throne


Puggles On His Throne
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Standard fare for Thursday night lounging.

SMS Via Google Voice


SMS Via Google Voice
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

This was from my brother, but incorrectly labeled as Google Voice since I added the 406 number as a master Google Voice contact prior to learning each contact is assigned their own 406 number when texting your Google Voice number. This allows you to respond from your cell phone (instead of from the website) and still appear to your contact as if it's coming from your Google Voice number instead of just your cell phone number.

Fog In The Woodlands


Fog In The Woodlands
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

As seen from the parking lot of The Woodlands Mall prior to my Genius Bar appointment at the Apple Store.