Deck The Hall Ball 2009

I have been slacking on posting this blog… I am sorry for it coming so late.

Deck The Hall Ball 2009

On December 15, 2009 Sophia and I went to 1077 the end Deck The Hall Ball concert at the WaMu Theater in Seattle. I have to admit over the past years I have sort of tuned out traditional FM radio stations due to either my iPod or XM satellite radio. When I was in the high school The End was my radio station. Over the past few years The End has gone through some restructuring and they sort of went off my radar with their music selection. They went so far off my radar that they were not one of the pre-set 6 in my car. The End is making a comeback for me and I love every second of it. They are playing my style of music again, finally. Deck the Hall Ball was really what brought me back to 1077 and put them back on my top 6 in my car.

The concert lineup for Deck the Hall Ball when it was announced all I cared about was Muse.  Muse was going to be in town!  I love Muse. I do not buy too many CD’s a year but the new Muse CD’s was one of the few that I went out and bought for 2009. While I was so excited to see Muse I sort of passed over the other bands. Here are some of the other bands that were in attendance for the show Vampire Weekend, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Metric and 30 Seconds to Mars.

We got tickets to go to the show as Andrew Gamblin and his girlfriend Stephanie bought his ticket for his birthday. It was a surprise for him so I had to keep it on the down low for a couple of weeks that we were all going. So I had the rough job of chaperoning my high school brother and girlfriend. Sophia had to work so we missed Vampire Weekend but got to see Phoenix. Phoenix was awesome!  Little did I know that they are French (I will not hold that against them). Phoenix was so much fun live that I had to get there CD (got it for Christmas). Following Phoenix was Metric and to be honest I had only heard a few Metric songs but I am a sucker for a girl in a rock band. Following Metric’s stellar performance was 30 Seconds to Mars. I have never been a huge 30 Seconds to Mars fan as I feel like they are the screamer rock band that wants to have a boy band N’Sync cult following. I would not mind 30 Seconds to Mars if it were not Jared Letto’s ego. While he is on stage I am surprised he does not have a mirror for himself so he can give himself an occasional wink.

Sophia with cousins Otto and Jasper

After 30 Seconds to Mars departed the stage it was time for the band of the night. Most of the bands only played 30 minutes sets which sucked. Muse on the other hand played for a solid hour, a mix of old stuff and their new stuff from their most recent album “The Resistance.” They played there most recent hit Uprising which was expected along with a couple of other songs from their new CD. Other greats included Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia and stuff that was on there Absolutions CD.  For a 3 person band Muse rocks live is one of the best bands I have seen live. I was ecstatic to hear that they were planning on coming to Seattle in April in 2010! Tickets that I have already bought!

Thank you The End for finally reaching out to me and bringing me back to the great station of 1077

Here are some videos of the night the audio sucks and so does the clarity but still whatever!

It is a Christmas Miracle

Sophia and Zolie

It has only been a little over a month since the passing of our beloved yellow lab Tinkerbell before we got another dog in the Gamblin home.  We had always wanted another dog but Tinkerbell being the way she is would have not done well with giving attention to someone else (Tink was a jealous dog).

This puppy started 5 years ago when our family made the quest to Eastern Europe to pick my sister Rebekah up from her LDS mission in Hungary.  That is where we were first introduced to Hungarian Vizsla’s.  The best way I can describe a vizsla is a chocolate lab and weimaraner mix.

My dad over the past couple of years has dragged my mom along to dog shows.  Yes my dad has gone to dog shows just to look at Hungarian Vizsla’s.  This Christmas with all us kids home it was Rebekah that put in my mom’s head that getting a puppy for my dad would be a great Christmas present.  We had done this before, getting an animal for my dad for Christmas.  We got my dad a beautiful blue point Siamese cat that we named FU (pronounced Foo and yes, spelt F.U.).  He was excited but quickly said, “I wish you would have talked to me first.”

Jeri holding Zolie before Alan comes home

So just before Christmas my family made a trip up to Blaine, Washington to get our Hungarian Vizsla puppy.  We brought him back to his new home.  We surprised my dad and this time he did not say I wish you talked to me first it was, “these dogs are a lot of work.”  Vizsla’s love attention and they have a lot of energy.  They demand a lot of human contact and are very smart dogs that like to be challenged.   With Andrew leaving for college within the next year my parents will be empty nesters not quite because Zolie will keep them company.

Best Christmas Present Ever

This is considered a Christmas miracle because Vizsla are considered indoor dogs and this is a big step for my parents as Zolie is going to be an inside dog.  With his short hair he only sheds 2 times a year and also he does not stink up a whole house like a long hair dog can.

Click Here to go the breeders website where we got Zolie

Ugly Sweater Party

Who has the ugliest sweater finalist?

The Levels hosted the first Christmas party at their home.  Sophia was too sick to go.  For some my sweater may look familiar as it is from my moms closet.  In efforts to have my mom stop wearing ridiculous sweaters I decided to steal this one and wear to an ugly sweater party.  I however did not win but Mike Martinez did.  I think the giant sombrero gave him the advantage.  You may ask where did the giant sombrero come from.  It was part of the white elephant gift exchange I think specifically put there for Mike.

the winner for the best sweater

Mustache Final Phase

Tyson Gamblin Mustache

This is the final installment of operation Tyson Gamblin Mustache.  Sophia has put her foot down… Well I would not say she put her foot down I think I did something wrong and out of impulse promised to shave off my mustache to make amends of whatever my transgression was.  Big mistake!

I was just starting to enjoy the great things of having a mustache like getting things caught in the haris like when I drank some hot chocolate the other day and the whip cream got caught in my mustache (Sophia was laughing so she had to take a picture).

I am going to miss the growth on my upper lip we have got along very well and I have been proud to rock the stache the month of December.  I think the biggest mistake I made when growing my mustache was not giving it a name.  I needed something like Eleanor or Gabe to add a little more flavor for my mustache.

The mustache came off just in time for Christmas an easy Christmas present for Sophia.

Here is a look back on the growth of the Mustache

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Seattle Nutcracker 2009

The Gamblin Family at the Nutcracker

Some of my earliest Christmas memories are going to the Nutcracker.  I remember I had to dress up along with being painfully bored in clothes that were so uncomfortable.  The worse part as a little demon child was watching people dance, ugh so boring!

The only parts of the Nutcracker that remained with me was when the cannons went off and the big creature came out dancing in the second act.  Now at age 25 the whole Gamblin family went to the Nutcracker.  It was Hillary and Andrew’s first Nutcracker I somewhat feel like I am to blame for my families absence at the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker.

It has been quite some time since I was last at the Nutcracker and of course the things I looked forward to again where the cannons going off and the dancing monster in the second half.  As a kid the Nutcracker painfully went slow but as an adult it was not that long at all.  YES for being a grown up!

For Christmas all of the Gamblin kids and their significant others are home for the holidays.  It was a lot of fun to have the whole Gamblin crew together in Seattle and go to the Nutcracker together.  Of course there was some drama where my mom thought the Nutcracker was at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall instead of McCaw Hall on Mercer Street by the Space Needle. So we had 15 minutes to get our car out of the parking garage and across downtown Seattle to McCaw hall, someone we made it.

A day in Seattle would not be complete without shopping but since Sophia and I already had our shopping done it was fun to walk around Seattle at night to see all the Christmas decorations.

At the Nutcracker

Mustaches are sexy

Mustache Phase 2

Since growing my mustache Sophia has not been very supportive.  Let me tell you what the mustache has done for me it has given me super human like powers.  I am able to run farther, jump higher and win stare downs.  It has also given me instant street credit, what credit that is I am not sure but I am sure people get jealous of my mad mustache growing skills.

Just a few notes out there for some of the folks the mustache has not grown long enough where it touches my lower lip which causes me to lick my upper lip.  Also, I was at the Enumclaw High School and I was not asked to leave I guess the mustche is not thick enough yet.  I do not get food stuck in it…. yet, haha.

Here are some other mustaches that I aspire to be like

Brad Pitt Mustache

Borat "I like very much"

Tom Selleck Mustache

Some of you may wondering how does Tyson grow such an amazing mustache.  Well it has taken years of practice.  Here is a little video I found of a guy on youtube growing his mustache.  Pretty cool.  Can’t wait for to show you all phase 3 of the mustache.

Manual Buick Regal! Say What?

I can proudly say since the GM Bankruptcy that Buick is not your grandpa’s Buick anymore.  Since the restructuring of General Motors Buick has transformed into a competitive luxury car maker here in the United States.  Buick has been a huge success in China for GM one of the major reasons why leaders in Detroit decided to keep Buick as one of its key brands.

With the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and the recent announcement of the 2011 Buick Regal (aka Opel Insignia) the future looks bright for Buick.  One of the down falls of Buick has been its buyers average age.   Buick has not built cars geared for younger generations.  Now welcome to a more hip and edgy Buick brand.  The LaCrosse is a great car and definitely will compete great head to head with Lexus and many other luxury car makers throughout the world.  The car that will bring younger buyers in the showroom is the Buick Regal.  With the hope of getting a Regal GS with over 335-hp turbocharged V6.  The Regal is going to come with a 6-speed manual transmission.  A manual transmission in a Buick, yes you just read that correctly.

The Regal will come with 2 official engine choices of right now.  The 2.4L 4 cylinder will only be offered in an Automatic Transmission.  This is the same engine found in the Chevrolet Equinox along with the Buick LaCrosse.  The 2.4L will produce 182-hp and 172 lb-ft of torque.  The 2.0L turbocharged engine will be offered in the automatic and 6-speed manual transmission.  The 2.0L is going to have 220-hp.

I am so excited for the Buick Regal if you have not noticed as I have written about it for weeks.  This is definitely one of the cars I am looking forward to the most for the upcoming year.  Art Gamblin Motors Buick.

Article on 2011 Buick Regal Autoblog

Article on 2011 Buick Regal Insideline

2010 Buick LaCrosse and Recycled Cardboard

It’s one thing to think outside the box, another to shred the box altogether.

That’s what General Motors is doing, though – using recycled cardboard from shredded boxes  to cut down road noise in the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Buick will use ground-up cardboard to make a substrate for the LaCrosse’s headliner. The cardboard will be recycled from shipping material received at GM’s “zero landfill” metal stamping plant in Marion, Ind., and will be ground up and processed into the headliner insulation material by after-market parts supplier Federal-Mogul.

The recycled cardboard insulation makes the car “a smidge quieter,” said Lora Herron, a materials engineer for the LaCrosse.

The Marion plant is one of a growing number of auto plants in the U.S. that recycle, divert or eliminate waste so that nothing is sent to a landfill.

The new LaCrosse is the latest example of a U.S. car using either recycled or easily-grown materials, as opposed to petroleum-based plastic, to improve performance or quality.

article provided by edmunds.com green car advisor

Mustache Phase 1

My Awesome Mustache!

So I have decided that I am going to grow a mustache.  I have been working in the Internet Department at Art Gamblin Motors for the past 2 years.  I have been sitting behind a desk working and in front of a computer.  So in efforts to prepare myself to go on the sales floor at the Gamblin Motors Truck Center in Enumclaw I thought I would grow a mustache to look the part.  I will continue to blog about curent GM news as well sell vehicles.  I have gotten many complaints already of the mustache but I just think people are jealous because I can grow a mean mustache!  I will be giving weekly updates of the mustache over the next month so stay tuned!

All Great Men Have A Mustache

Camaro Convertible a Launch For 2011

Great news coming out of Detroit as Chevrolet announced that they will be putting the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible into production.  The muscle car is going topless starting Quarter 1 of 2011.  The Camaro Convertible will be built in Oshawa, Canada.  This is also the site where the new Buick Regal will be also be built.

Click Here for Leftlane.com – GM to build Regal in Oshawa, Confirms Camaro Convertible for Q1 2011

Click Here for EgmCartech.com – Chevrolet Camaro Convertible production confirmed for Q1 2011

Click Here for Autoblog.com – GM Confirms Chevy Camaro Convertible for Oshawa production alongside 2011 Buick Regal

Click Here for Camaro5.com – Convertible Confirmed to Enter Production in 1st Quarter 2011

Click Here for Camaro5.com – 2011 Camaro Convertible production version spotted testing on US soil for first time

Click Here for Leftlane.com – 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Spied