My email address: pellaz1 -at- comcast -dot- net.
Right-click here and download my 30-minute guest deejay appearance as the "Ultimate Sinner" on Sirius/XM satellite radio "Ozzy's Boneyard" channel!
Right-click here and download my 47-minute guest deejay "Listener Domination" appearance on Sirius/XM satellite radio's Liquid Metal channel!
Upcoming Event | Date(s) | Comments |
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Visits to Six Flags Over Georgia and Whitewater Park (in-season) | 2024 season |
I have a legacy Diamond membership for all Six Flags parks, as well as free parking, so this has been a good,
relatively inexpensive way to have some fun, get out of the house and get some exercise, and get wet during the summer months! If you're interested in coming along or meeting up, whether on your own pass or as a guest of mine (I can get anyone in for a discount), email me or contact me on Facebook! |
Roadtrips up to Blue Hole Ocoee swimming hole, just upriver from the site of the now-destroyed Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, TN | The Blue Hole portion of the river is accessible past the ruins of the OWC. |
The annual tradition dating back to c. 1994 will continue, with roughly biweekly, two-day trips up to this most-excellent
swimming hole in the Tennessee mountains. Fresh mountain water that's usually clear and reasonably warm, underwater
tunnels you can swim through, sections that are up to 14 feet deep, lots of snorkeling and fish to see...it's a great place for a summertime escape.
(But don't go on weekends thru mid-September, since the Tennessee Valley Authority flows the river high for rafting and kayaking.) The destruction by fire of the Ocoee Whitewater Center means fewer amenities (like, no nearby bathrooms with running water), but the swimming hole has been accessible past the Center ruins. |
Dragon*Con, in downtown Atlanta | Labor Day Weekend, 2024 | 37 years of DragonCon, and I've been there every year from before the very beginning...until the 2020 COVID cancellation, anyway. I'll be staying at the Sheraton again in 2024 for the event. |
ProgPower USA, at Center Stage Atlanta | September, 2024 | I've sponsored bands for this festival since ProgPower USA III, including Devin Townsend's first-ever solo performance, Nightwish's first U.S. performance, Tyr, Orphaned Land, Green Carnation, and amazingly, Therion twice. I'm the longest-running band sponsor at the fest and, along with the mighty Tim Hurd, we originally helped procure the venue for Glenn H. and the festival. |
"Regular, cheap" cruise to the Caribbean | On Carnival Celebration, October 2024 | We really enjoyed our cruise on the Mardi Gras, which is the same class, so this should be great as well. |
70,000 Tons of Metal cruise aboard Independence of the Seas | Late January, 2025 |
I'm booked on this again, my 9th time as a "Survivor"! I first went on this cruise in Jan. 2015....and it was awesome, so I went again from 2016 thru 2020, then 2023 and 2024...and I'm going again in 2025! 60 bands, 4 stages, 5 days and 4 nights on one of the larger cruise ships afloat. It's expensive -- compared to a "regular" cruise, anyway -- but it's a lot of fun! And for what we're getting, it's not too outlandishly priced compared to other themed cruises. |
ChattaCon, in Chattanooga TN | mid-January 2025 | An annual tradition for me now since c. 1990. Oriented toward traditional literary (written-word) SF and fantasy, it's a great SF convention of the old school, with an excellent consuite, art show, etc. After the madding crowds at DragonCon, it's nice to go to something a lot smaller, friendlier and more intimate. I've only missed two in-person Chattacons since c. 1990. |
Updated | Past happenings, news, and updated pages |
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September 21, 2024 | Blue Hole Page updated with revised schedule, a potential rare Sunday visit. |
September 21, 2024 | Reading list updated! |
September 21, 2024 | WREK 91.1 FM weekly WREKage radio broadcast playlists updated. You can listen to the archive for up to two weeks by going to www.wrek.org. For older shows and in-studio band interviews, contact me and I can make nearly any show from the last nine years available. |
September 10, 2024 | Photos added from ProgPower USA 2024: General photos Dark Tranquillity Amorphis Damian Wilson |
September 6, 2024 | Photos and a few videos posted from DragonCon 2024 in this Facebook album. |
July 30, 2024 | La Plata Rail Days index page updated! |
February 18, 2024 | Photos and videos posted in Facebook albums from 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise Jan. 29-Feb. 2nd: |
November 19, 2023 | Photos and videos posted in Facebook albums from my trip to Atlantis Bahamas, while staying at the adjacent Comfort Suites: |
November 19, 2023 |
(snorkeling videos added) Photos and a video or two posted in Facebook albums from our cruise on Carnival Horizon to Aruba, Bonaire, La Romana and Amber Cove:
|
September 18, 2023 | Photos and a couple of videos posted from the ProgPower USA Festival here in Atlanta: |
September 14, 2023 | DragonCon 2023 photos posted to a Facebook public gallery! |
September 14, 2023 |
Blue Hole Ocoee page (www.BlueHoleOcoee.com) finalized for Summer 2023 roadtrips up to "my" swimming hole in Tennessee!
Despite the destruction of the Ocoee Whitewater Center by fire in April 2022, the swimming hole is accessible, but you must enter the
day parking area via the lower (western) gate; then walk up the driveway next to US 64 across the old short-term lot in front of the Center. You can then descend to river level via the stairs or ramp east of the OWC ruins. According to Forest Rangers onsite, the usual $3 day-use fee still applies. You can obtain day passes or $30 12-month Forest passes online at Recreation.Gov.
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June 30 or so, 2023 |
YouTube playlist from "unofficial" La Plata Rail Days 2023 added!
The official Rail Days event had to be cancelled -- the railpark property had been put up for sale -- but, being stubborn, many of us decided to come anyway between June 22-26. Besides, we had hotel reservations at the nearby, and awesome, Depot Inn, and didn't want those going to waste! |
February 7, 2023 |
Photos and snorkeling videos from the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise added as albums on Facebook!
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November 6, 2022 | Snorkeling videos from Grand Cayman -- cruise excursion from our Carnival Horizon cruise -- are now posted to YouTube in this playlist. |
October 20, 2022 | Photos and one video posted on Facebook from Oct. 9th cruise on Carnival Horizon! See also a later update with snorkeling videos posted to YouTube. |
July 5, 2022 | La Plata Rail Days 2022 combined photos/videos page created! I had a great time with awesome online friends and a LOT of trains. |
June 8, 2022 | Photos and one video from ProgPower USA 2022 posted! |
Feb. 28th, 2022 | Photos and one video from my cheap ($35/pp) cruise on Carnival Sunrise Feb. 17th are now posted here in this FB album! |
November 16, 2021 | Atlantis Bahamas trip Youtube playlist added!
Photos as well as vids are in this public album on Facebook. |
October 20, 2021 |
Pics and vid posted from Carnival Mardi Gras cruise, 10/09 - 10/16, in FB albums:
|
July 2, 2021 | Photos and videos from my trip to La Plata Rail Days posted! I had a great time and almost got swept away by a severe thunderstorm! Facebook seems to have removed the ability to create a media album, so this is a FB post with the vids and photos in it. Here is a YouTube video playlist. |
February 15, 2021 | My favorite books and series updated -- for the first time since 2004! |
March 7th, 2020 | Photos from Devin Townsend's March 6th performance posted on Facebook. As usual, you never know what to expect from Devy! This was the last performance I was able to witness before the pandemic shut things down (the tour was cancelled just a few dates later)...but what a great show to end things on! |
February 23, 2020 | Photos from Blue Oyster Cult Feb. 23 uploaded to Facebook. This was a remarkable performance from B.O.C. since co-headliner UFO had to cancel, and B.O.C. performed two sets with an intermission. My only regret was not getting to chat with my friend Eric B. afterwards, but after THAT performance I could hardly mind too much. (It was nice chatting with Buck Dharma and his wife, though.) |
February 21, 2020 | Photos from AnachroCon uploaded to Facebook. |
January 16, 2020 | Facebook galleries added from the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise in early January, 2020: It was pretty awesome...very late announcements and bookings not withstanding. In retrospect we were very lucky indeed to have gone on this sailing, with COVID-19 shutdowns only a short time later! |
November 14, 2019 | Photos and videos added on Facebook from trip to Atlantis Bahamas, whilst staying at the Comfort Suites hotel next door because it's better and cheaper, and guests there enjoy full access to the Atlantis resort: Photos and video from Atlantis' aquascape. Videos from Predators Lagoon and The Dig (aquarium), including a full walk-through of the latter (a $40 value! :) ). "Outside" photos from Atlantis and the marina Videos from the River Rapids. It is NOT a "lazy" river. POV videos from the water-park's slides. Videos from the snorkeling portion of my excursion with Stuart's Cove. Videos from the snuba portion of my excursion. Note that the colors in the videos are a lot less vibrant than they were in person. Overall it was a pretty awesome visit, but not much has changed at Atlantis in the last six years. I was glad I booked one extra day this year, as the weather on Saturday was rainy and also VERY windy. |
November 4, 2019 | Photos and videos added from Mass Destruction Metal Fest 2019 in Atlanta, Day 2, featuring Sigh (Japan).
Click here. This was actually Sigh's first performance in the US in 9 years, AND this was a one-off performance. It was even better than I had expected! |
October 26, 2019 | Photos and videos added from cruise on Carnival Magic: General cruising pics Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk Aruba Curacao It was overall a fun trip, but VERY long. |
September 17, 2019 | Photos posted from trip to the Netherlands to see Ayreon perform one of my favorite concept albums, Into the Electric Castle, live. What an amazing, transcendent experience! Worth every overpriced-airfare penny! |
February 7, 2019 | "General" photos from the 2019 sailing of the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise are now posted here! |
November 23, 2018 | Videos from trip to Atlantis Bahamas posted on YouTube! |
October 21, 2018 | Index to photos and videos from cruise on Carnival Magic posted! |
September 13, 2018 | Photo galleries posted to Facebook: ProgPower USA XIX photos and photos from our visit to the Center For Puppetry Arts and its current Dark Crystal special exhibit. |
March 17, 2018 | Pics from Sabaton/Kreator at the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta added to Facebook as an album. |
February 18, 2018 | Photos from AnachroCon 2018 are now posted in this public photo gallery on Facebook. |
February 9, 2018 | Index to 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise 2018 photo albums posted on Facebook: |
December 8, 2017 | Index to recent photo albums posted on Facebook:
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October 10, 2017 | Photos and a video posted from Carnival Vista cruise October 1st! |
February 10, 2017 | 70,000 Tons of Metal Photo Albums posted:
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November 17, 2016 | Pics posted from snuba excursion during trip to the Bahamas, Nov. 14th 2016 |
November 17, 2016 | I took two videos during the snuba excursion I took during my trip to the Bahamas: here's Part 1 and Part 2. |
October 18, 2016 | Pics posted from cruise on Carnival Conquest, Oct 9th-15th |
September 25, 2016 | Pics posted from SlaughterQue 2016 at the Masquerade |
Feb. 11th, 2016 | 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise pics posted! They're on my Facebook profile, public, in three parts. Enjoy! |
November 26th, 2015 | I hosted Listener Domination on Sirius XM satellite radio's Liquid Metal channel, 5 songs of my choosing, and I chose some long ones! Here is an edited video I took of the segment, and you can right-click and download here for the mp3 sent to me by Sirius XM of my appearance. It's about 47 minutes long and includes songs from Dimmu Borgir, Keep of Kalessin, Fear Factory, Opeth, and an epic 16-minute instrumental masterpiece from the band Equilibrium. :) |
April 28th, 2015 | I just received a "true" mp3 copy of my appearance on Sirius/XM satellite radio from the people at Ozzy's Boneyard. Here it is! (Right-click, download and play.) |
April 2nd, 2015 | I was featured as a guest deejay (the "Ultimate Sinner") on Sirius XM satellite radio's channel 38, Ozzy's Boneyard,
after sending in 5 of my fave songs and being selected as the winner. :)
I recorded an edited video of the first airing (of three total) and it is posted on YouTube here. Right-click here and download the official mp3 from Sirius/XM. The five bands were Billy Thorpe, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche and Iron Maiden. |
February 3rd, 2015 | Photos from 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise added. Click here for a two-page format, or click here for a single-page format. |
November 18th, 2014 | Videos from my trip to Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas are now posted in
this playlist on YouTube!
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November 14th, 2014 | Part 2 of my pics from Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is now posted
here!
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November 13th, 2014 | Part 1 of my pics from Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is now posted
here!
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October 20th, 2014 | Pics uploaded from Oct. 2014 cruise aboard Carnival Freedom! |
September 22, 2014 | CD list updated! |
September 22, 2014 | DVD and Blu-Ray list updated! |
November 11th, 2013 |
R.I.P. Squeakers the Cat, c. 2006-2013. I will always miss you, and so will your brother.
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October 22nd, 2013 | Pics uploaded from recent cruise aboard Carnival Victory! |
October 26th, 2012 |
Pics from our 7-day cruise on Carnival Liberty are now posted
here (phone camera), here and here. The last two galleries were taken with my Pentax Optio W30 underwater digital camera. Videos are in this playlist. I posted my review of the cruise (in stages) in this thread on CruiseCritic.com. |
December 13th, 2011 | SeismicRadio page updated, sadly for the last time. The Realserver is now out of action forever, so this is the end of SeismicRadio as we've known it. |
April 26th, 2011 | Autobiographical info updated! |
November 5th, 2010 | Pics from my first-ever cruise, aboard Royal Caribbean International's Majesty of the Seas from October 25-29, are now posted on my Facebook profile. Click here! |
At the old WREK-FM studios, deejaying at WREKage |
Mickey Mouse, Mike Miller of Godhead and me :) |
At ProgPower USA III in Atlanta, with Devin Townsend, who I co-sponsored for the event |
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Paul W. Cashman <pellaz1@comcast.net>
All text contents of this site are Copyright © Paul W. Cashman 1994-2021, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.