A Mighty Heart

Good Movie. Terrific Performances. Highly refined screenplay. As always absolutely natural Irrfan. Good Sober Angelina. Awesome Camera shots. Beautiful Archie. Nice Editing. Good Film making.

Go for It!

The Long Road to Eden

That is the name of Eagles latest album planned to be relased somewhere around June - July in 2007. They are playing few of the brand new songs in their current concerts including the one we had in Fayetteville for Wal-Mart. The name of the new album is The Long Road to Eden and this would the first new album after 1979.

Wal-Mart also released a Wal-Mart Bonus Cd and the songs are included in that Album

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Road_to_Eden
http://www.therockradio.com/2006/06/eagles-say-new-cd-out-next-year.html
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002949536

The Eagles at Fayetteville

Yeah, thats right. They Came and Hell Freezed Over. The Bud Walton Area packed with approx. 13,000 Eagles crazy Wal-Mart people. If not all Wal-Mart, they were somehow assciated with the fortune 500 number one company. The Eagles' live performance was one of the many live in concerts organized by Wal-Mart during their Annual Shareholders Meet which happened during the memorial day week from 27th May to 1st June.

Watching The Eagles live was always a dream since college time. I had a DVD of Hell Freezes Over which i got from my Nepali friends in college, the Eagle came back for that concert. Watching them live was indeed a dream. Who knew that time how that will come true, and that too in such a manner.

I was talking to a freind of mine few days back when Amjad Ali Khan performed at nearby Tulsa, he wanted to go to some big concert. But we laughed on the possibilty of that. He said, the probability of watching some big band live is more in Bangalore than in Bentonville, Arkansas. I simply agreed. BUT then came the mail from Wal-Mart internal about the schedule of events for the Shareholders Meet, and the second day says 'The Eagles'. Oh my god, awesome, The Eagles coming here to Arkansas for the Wal-Mart annual event, mind-blowing. The second thing I read was that this event will be held in the Bud Walton Arena in U of A. fayetteville. U of A is University of Arkansas, and Bud Walton Arena is university's basketball arean with a massice capacity of 18,000 people. The mail also mentioned that the event is not Open to public and only Wal-Mart associates are allowed but they can take two guests. Ah ha, so the search started, who can take us. we were three people who found them crazy and jumping around with the news of Eagles. After 5 days of search we finally got nod from Raghu, a Wal-Mart associate and part of our project from Wal-Mart side. And 30th May evening, we scooted out of office at 4:30 and reached Bud Walton Arena, initial parking seemes to be a big problem but that was handled esily although the traffic was jammed towards U of A. Huge lines outside the gates,people in Wal-Mart T-shirts, crazy electrifying atmosphere with a Band playing in nearby open air parking lot.

They let us enter much ahead of time because of showers, and inside the whole almosphere was nothing less than a soccer game. I didnt even remember whan I started participating in mexican waves flowing across the stands. There were Wal-Mart shareholders teams from all part of the world and they were giving tempo shouts and dancing. The one hour wait in the auditorium because we entered early didnt seem ages because of so much activity happening. The stage looked awesome, with picture is the Indian Head projected in the back.

At 7, lights dimmed, we notice some activity on the stage in dark and when the lights came back with a staring of guitar, few more guitar joined in with drumns and piano and everybody was on their feets, shouting , cheering for Eagles and singng "Take It Easy" along with them..... awesome that was real awesome. They finished Take It Easy and started with "Witchy Women". After Witchy Women they stopped for a breather and they said hello people. few talks, they introduced two new members and the Trumpet and Sax player and they started again. Wow, every time they start with a new song, people cheering, dancing, everyone on their feets. They anounced that their new album will be out soon with brand new songs.
the played few of their brand new singles like - "One Day At A Time"

That was going as one heck of an event, they went back stage after about half an hour, few people seems disappointed and few were still in shock of what they have just seen. I was thinking , no they can't end it like this, how come no Hotel California. And I was right in 10 mins they were back, and the guy with trumpet started playing the starting music piece. I remember when thay perfom live the start of Hotel California is very different most of the time and that what is not captured in the Original. Be it the Hell Freeze Over concert. Today it was a good impressive music piese on Trumpet and then the leads started for Hotel California. Don Henley is his husky voice on drums....

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
’this could be heaven or this could be hell’
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the hotel california
Any time of year, you can find it here

People singing along, mesmerized by the same husky voice on Don. Soon after Hotel California, we found Don again at the centerstage with lights on him crying Desperado....Desperado, why dont you come to your senses?

Desperado, why dont you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin, but theres a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before its too late

I guess that was the best song to end the lovely evening, the only song we missed a lot was Tequila Sunrise, but we cannot ask for more after this wonderful evening. Each and every song was well supported by terrfic stage lightings and effects with video projected in the back groung on stage. No one wanted to go but the show has to end. They have to go home. But thanks for those wonderful songs and thanks for the awesome performance.

Viva the Eagles!


It’s another tequila sunrise
Starin’ slowly ’cross the sky, said goodbye
He was just a hired hand
Workin’ on the dreams he planned to try
The days go by

Ev’ry night when the sun goes down
Just another lonely boy in town
And she’s out runnin’ ’round

She wasn’t just another woman
And I couldn’t keep from comin’ on
It’s been so long
Oh, and it’s a hollow feelin’ when
It comes down to dealin’ friends
It never ends

Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb
It’s another tequila sunrise,this old world
Still looks the same,
Another frame, mm...

Arkansas Route 7

This year's memorial day weekend actually became quite memorial for me. After quick day before planning for memorial day weekend, we settled for a lake side condo at Hot Springs area which will be home for us for the next three days of the weekend. Our day before planning included temper rising high and cooling down, some reservatons and cancellations, late night shoppings and decision changes but finally when the weekend started, we ended at the right note at every step. Thanks to all the guys who were part of that trip. And those guys are my collegues and their respective family members. [Thank you note ends here]

I am dying to cut this blog short and stress more on the important stuff, but actually everything was important and worth mentioning and I dont know why I have named this blog as Arkansas Route 7, so just let me list out the best things during that trip which hapened with an average guy me [:P]

- Nissan Pathfinder
- Using Nissan at 90 MPH speed
- Condo on one of the many coves of Lake Hamilton
- 40,000 acres man-made Lake Catherine
- Grilled Shrimps and Aluminium Foil wrapped Potatoes
- First time Kayaking at the lake
- Captain with Coke
- ROUTE 7

I loved the route 7 drive back home, on 28th, the memorial day, that was time to head back for Bentonville and after spending good 3 hours at Hot Springs downtown we were left with two options - Go again to Lake Catherine and try out some trails or search for some Jet Skies at Lake Hamilton or Lake Catherine. Well we decided to take the third option and decided to start for home, but by not following the I-540 route, instead we decided to follow the Route 7 towards north to Harrison. And all credits goes to me for that [:D] for just having a cursory look at my map atlas and figuring out that this route should be scenic. So plan is final,

- take the scenic route 7 to Harrison,
- from there take route 62 E towards Eureka Springs
- Eureka Springs downtown is awesome, and has the only Indian food restaurant in NWA
- Have Indian buffet their
- Head back for Bentonville following Route 62 E

Here we start, as soon as we left Hot Spring downtown area, Route 7 showed its colors and Arkansas government made it very clear that the road ahead is going to be scenic. And it indeed was. First we were welcomed by the huge and thick Ouachita State Forest area, and Route 7 was zig-zaging through the ups and downs of forest area. The curves getting crooked and steep, air so fresh with smell of timber, wet earth and wilderness. Windows of our Pathfinder down, cruising along the curvy trails of route 7 was such an excitement filled moments and being a passionate driver I was enjoying my stint to the full extent. Beautifully supporting me was the Nissan Pathfinder which is one hell lot of an SUV, i loved that and that bugger gave good 24 miles per gallon.

Trees after trees, curvy roads and crooked turns, sometime we gaining height and sometime going down. An ATV trail on the right and a deep valley on left. Lake Catherine showing its giagantic figure, spreading around 30-40 miles with a number of coves and creeks, many islands (50 in total). After about 2 hours of cruising along Route 7 through Ouachita State Forest on the Ouachita Mountains we started going down and soon our single lane road become 2 lane and we reached a small town Russleville, we quickly crossed that pumping the gas pedal because the Ozarks were waiting for us.

As soon as we crossed Russleville, we entered Ozark State Forest. And this time they made me happier with the sign board saying Highly Steep and Crooked next 63 miles. Awesome, I love crooked miles. And Damn! I really have to slow down from 60 moh to 45 mph at many turns but I was loving maneuvering Pathfinder. Oh baby I love that. Crooked road, Steep up and down, thick forest, fresh air, everything was awesome. But I did felt jealous at one stage, when a group of 9 boys and girls were driving ATV on the dirt by the road side, drenched with water and mud. Must be coming down from the hill through the thick forest with no concrete road to drive, just muddy trails. That would have been awesome -- another thing to do before I die.

We did stopped at one point, that ws some Vista point in the Ozarks, we spent some time there relaxing and started again for Harrison. It was still long way to go and I was secretly happy about. I was not at all in mood of going home and start wrecking my brains in from of my thinkpad. But what to do. Anyways.

By the time we reached Harrison, it started raining, another thing which I love and its best when it rains in a forest (ofcourse when you are on well defined state highway). We reached Eureka Springs at 8 but the restaurant was closed and we decided to continue our drive back towards Bentoville. There were still good odd 50 crooked miles left n 62 E along the Beaver lake.

Reached home by 9, well spent 3 days of memorial day ended. Indeed will be well documented in good memories book. ANd I was thrilled to have discovered and drove on Route 7. Arkansas is indeed a Natural State. We are stull to discover public diamond mines and other state parks here. hopefully that will happen soon.

Here is the route 7 on the map (courtesy google maps)