World Cup Pics

Here are some photos from the biggest event on earth, and some of my most memorable experiences too.

Australia vs Japan, 3-1

The Aussies paint Kaiserslautern green and gold

Warm up

The National anthems

Kick Off!!!

Victory Celebration!!! What a moment!

Australia vs Brazil, 0-2

Me and the Allianz Arena

The Teams

Me and Pete

The Brazilian crowd

Australia vs Croatia, 2-2

The Croatian fans, the one match we were matched for noise in the streets, before the game obviously. haha

The lineups. Why is Kalac keeping? Why? Why???

Kissing the badge, we're through!!

The boys, celebrating with the crowd!

Australia vs Italy, 0-1(ish)

Pete and Payten

The prized tickets, with our names on them!

Here's a spoon, so you can...

The lineups, it's getting so bloody tense!

Everyone knows how it goes from here. I still wake up in the night and think that it was all a dream, but no it I really did go to the World Cup. Jealous much...

Teenage Mutant Nathan Turtles

ACL

What a great weekend!

Having never gone to a music festival I was interested as to what it would be like. Who would I get to see? Would the bands sound as good live? Would the other children like me? just like kindergarten really.

First up on Friday I saw Guster(above), a band that Kristen really wanted to go see and I was interested too as I had quite liked what I had heard from rides in my brother's car. They didn't dissapoint, in fact they were really good and played all my favourites(of which I had heard none). Honestly they were a real surprise and I'm glad I got to see them.

On Saturday afternoon it was 3 pretty big acts that I got to go see. The Shins(above), The Raconteurs and Massive Attack. The Shins ruled, yes, very much so, and even played a song titled Australia, which I cheered for a little more than everyone else. Highlight of the set was probably Kissing the Lipless, much more rocky live than on the album.
The Raconteurs were pretty good and had me rocking along through most of their set.
Massive Attack on the other hand were fairly chilled out and were well worth sticking around for.
Me and Kris before The Shins

On Sunday I was able to see Ween(OK), The new Pornographers(kinda crap), Ben Harper(fanbloodytastic) and Muse(AWESOME).
I was really only there for Ben Harper and Muse and both acts lived up to my expectations. Ben Harper went absolutely ballistic on his guitar as did the rest of his band on there respective instruments. And Lance Armstrong(above) introduced them. Cool.
Muse were a great way to end the festival. They played a fair bit of new stuff which I didn't know but even so they kicked arse. Stockholm Syndrome was so, so ,so good and Hysteria was what really got the party started.
So the Festival was good times for all, and being totally unrelated I thought I would show you the fantastic sandal tan I managed to acquire while in Europe. It's gone now but I'll always have the evidence. Enjoy.

Now some of you may be wondering "did Nathan take photo's of himself rocking out to Rise Against just to put on his weblog?". To that I say it's my blog and I can do what I want, even if it is moronic and selfindulgent.




A Nathican Paradox

Two Tickets...with Club Sauce

...To the Gun Show

Howdy,

Since last roll call I have been quite the busy(ish) bee. I spent last weekend down in Houston with Lennie, saw Callie and met Daniel, Lennie's boyfriend, Colby and Alex. I went to a dinner at Callie's house on the friday and met some of Lennie and Callie's running team, in fact I was the only person not on the team, or of the male gender, there. I was in my element, kinda. On Saturday we watched college football, University of Texas versus Ohio State, which is sort of a big deal over here as they are the best two teams in the nation. After the match I went to an 80's party at Rice(lennie's uni) and looked about as 80's as a traffic cone...feel free to use that analogy. Good time was had by all, except the guy who we passed on the way out who had apparently passed out. Ouch.

Sunday was exactly like a Sunday at home, I sat on the couch for extended periods and then had Greek food for dinner, exactly like a Sunday at home...

On Monday I said goodbye to Lennie, the guy's and the couch that had been my home for three nights(so very comfy) and travelled back to Austin by bus. That night I also managed to extend my trip, so I am now staying in the US until November 5th. Woohoo!!

Tuesday, and the Tool concert was on the horizon, or so I thought!
Turns out the singer got sick and they have postponed the concert so hopefully I will be able to go to the rescheduled one, whenever that maybe. fingers crossed. On the positive side at least I didn't drive all the way to San Antonio before I found out the news.

So, this weekend is ACL, Austin City Limits, which should be absolutely fantastic. The Shins are playing on Saturday which I am very much looking forward too.

I hope everyone is well, sorry about the lack of pictures but I forgot to take my camera to Houston so I don't really have any recent photos. byebye,

Nathan "cannons" Gilson

PS. sorry Ev

Babysitting Rosie

What can I say, most days I have spent here I have spent at least some of my time entertaining my brother's dog. Isn't she cute.
But what else have I done you may ask...

Well, The first friday I was here my brother took me to a movie theatre where food is served to everyone during the screening. Little Miss Sunshine was the movie and it was hilarious.
The next day(saturday for those of you a little slow on the uptake) we went shopping and I purchased the new Rise Against CD. Finally. It's good, really good.
That night I met some friends of Mark's, John and Sarah and went to a burger place for dinner. mmmmm.
On Sunday I went with Mark to his Church and somehow got talked into helping set up at 7 in the morning. I'm so selfless. Then that night I ate one of the biggest steaks I've ever seen(two actually) at Barry and Tina's house.
Which brings me to my next point. The Waite's have jetski's, which rule. You can go about 60 miles an hour on them. It is so much fun, almost criminally so. As is watching Premier League in the middle of the day, I just can't get over it.
Last week on wednesday night Kristen, Mark's wife, arrived home from a 2 week work stint in Asia and it was fantastic to see her again. However, I seem to be having an undesirable effect on Mark as he acts rather childish around me, something in which I will have no part. Kristen doesn't exactly approve of Mark's...well lets just call it boyish charm. an example: We were having lunch on Saturday, and Mark and I were trying to blow each others straw papers at one another. A perfectly civil way of lightening the mood. Kristen's response was to turn to me and enquire "How long are you staying?" because apparently she had worked so hard to mould Mark into the fine upstanding adult that he had supposedly become. Needless to say, I don't believe I have had anything to do with his moronic, yet quite amusing, behaviour.
Anyway, yesterday me and my brother(yes mum, ME and MY brother) went to San Antonio and saw the Alamo and went down the river walk, which is pretty much a man made lake in San Antonio which is lined with resaurants, cafes and touristy places. Then on the way back we stopped at some outlet malls where we bought a football and I got some new headphones.
Other than that my time has been spent lazing around, checking out Austin and listening to Rise Against. I've also spent quite a bit of time with Katie, another of Kristen's sisters as she has been at the house this week.
This weekend I am going to Houston to visit Lennie and Callie and maybe see the city a little bit.
Also I may be able to go and see Tool play next week in San Antonio if all pans out. Fingers crossed.

Nathdog

PS. you'd have thought Mark would grow out of hitting fruit out of people's hands but apparently not. Jerk.

Nath dog