Can you name the artist? It's a classic in my opinion, a little sad, but I can't go through a New Year's Eve without hearing it. I was kinda bitter that I couldn't find Barry - yes that's Barry Manilow - actually performing the song, but you can at least hear the song in this video.
Of course another classic New Year's Eve tune is Prince's 1999...but now it just seems old.
I'm home on New Year's Eve, and am enjoying it immensely. I just finished watching the Sharks win in a shootout - yay! - and had a great Outback dinner with a good friend.
I'm pretty sure I get Outback Curbside Takeaway too often considering three of the servers that work the Takeaway area stopped at our table to chat with me. On the other hand, because they know me, I sometimes get free tea. It's not all bad, right?
I have no interest in making New Year's resolutions, do you? I found a cool Resolution Generator site that helps you if you do want to make them though. The first one I generated said: "This Year, I Will...Try Harder." Really? Okay. I'll try harder at something. It might be lounging, but whatever. I'll try harder at it. The second one I generated said: "This Year, I Will...Touch My Toes." Ummm...okay...I didn't try a third one.
I'm not sure I'll be staying up 'till midnight; we'll see. It's after midnight in New York now...doesn't that count? I have another 3 hours before the hour hits here and at this moment, it's doubtful that I'll see it roll in.
I hope you all enjoy ringing in Twenty-Ten. See you next year!
...and there's no need to be afraid. At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade. And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy. Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time.
This is quite possibly my all-time favorite modern Christmas song, not because it's a great song, which it is, but because of the message it provides. Whenever I hear it during the Christmas season, I get chills and sometimes even tears in my eyes. It saddens me that our world still struggles with poverty and starvation more than 20 years after this was put together. It reminds me that I personally need to do more to feed the world...whether that's the other side of the planet, or the other side of my neighborhood.
I realize this is a very mellow blog for Christmas Eve, well, now Christmas Day, but it was on my mind and I wanted to share.
I started reading some of the subject lines for the email that ends up in my spam folder and while too many to count are about enhancing a body part I don't actually possess, I recently found some to be highly entertaining.
Blow the bacterial infections away from you. OH! Is that all it takes to be healthy? Just blow things away from me? I'm so glad I know this now. My life will be much better.
Have you brushed your hair this morning Note, there was no punctuation, but I find it interesting that an email spammer would care whether or not I brushed my hair. For the record, I did, in fact, brush my hair this morning.
rushed over to the door and desperately shook the handle Really? And I would read an email with this subject line why exactly?
8 I'm serious. That was the subject line. Just the number 8.
GOOD BUSINESS CONTRACT/REPLY Since they put this uber attractive subject in all caps it's clearly the most important things for me to read, right? I mean, doesn't everyone need a good business contract? Good thing they emailed me this or I would have been lost.
Bessie started to give me dusting and tidying jobs to do Well you go Bessie. Make other people do your dirty work.
I am glad you are not my true relation This email came from someone called "queen bettie". While I'm certain the queen of some country IS my true relation, I'm pretty sure she'd capitalize Queen...and Bettie...
Seminar on "Team Building & Development" Oh yeah. The quotes were in there. I can only guess what this seminar is really about since it's clearly only pretending to be about team building and development.
Give us a call to get a diploma. What the heck did I spend all those years in college for if all I had to do was make a phone call? Geez, if only email spam had existed in the late 80s...
In church this weekend, our pastor challenged us to write down five things we were thankful for before we went to bed each night. He told us we couldn't say the same five things every night either. I wrote mine down last night, but just now, as I was thinking about what I was thankful for today, I thought it might be fun to actually blog about it. So, without further ado...
For November 22, 2009 I'm thankful for...
My mom
Tasha
Music
Creativity
Time to rest
And for today, November 23, 2009, I'm thankful for...
Friends who pray
My dad's humor
Being able to wear flip-flops in winter
How easy technology makes it to communicate with friends across the miles
Instead of blogging about my normal nonsense, I'd like to refer you to the following blog post...written by friends of mine in Tennessee...that's them in the photo...
I've been commuting for almost a year now. Over a year ago I wrote about my feelings toward Toyotas on the road. I still feel the same, but the Toyotas now have a rival for my anti-affection. They still taunt me on the road, but the vehicle that annoys me now as much, if not more, is the large white truck.
You've all seen them. And if you haven't, take a look at the photo on the left. Large. White. Truck.
These trucks are big. They are work trucks. And apparently, they are 100 times more important than the rest of us on the road. And to prove their importance, they are forced to pull within inches of my bumper when I'm driving to work. With their lights on. Which of course light up my whole car since they are four times as tall as my Honda. And then, when they can't take it anymore, because me going 71 mph in a 65 zone is just not fast enough, they whip around me and glare as they speed by.
Just go then, you freaking large white trucks of annoyance.
This trend seems to be increasing, and I'm seeing more and more of these trucks on the road. It doesn't seem to matter what time I go to work. If it's dark, they're there. Every now and then the large white truck is replaced with a large white van. They're like the younger brother of the large white truck. The one sent when the older brother is just too lazy to get up and go. They're go-getters. And sometimes even more annoying than the trucks themselves.
And oh yeah, they almost all only have one driver yet they are fully entitled to drive in the carpool lane by themselves. Oh that I could have that much entitlement in my life. That must be spectacular.
If any of you drive one of these trucks, please take note. While I'm sure you're a lovely person, you actually aren't more important than the rest of us on the road. We aren't impressed with your, ahem, size.
As I write this, I'm sitting in the San Jose airport waiting to get on my flight to Vegas for the U2 concert. I don't think I need to tell you that the plane is delayed. By 30 minutes. Neat. The bonus is that I'm sitting at the gate and an uber-important and ultra-cranky woman is talking so loud on the phone that I now know that she worked in a room with machines all day and didn't even have time to call his mother. I assume this is the mother of the person on the other end of the phone. The person who she continues to tell not to get mad, and not to be mad, and that she just doesn't have time. Oh yeah, she's busy. She told him. Multiple times.
As unbelievably exciting as this woman's continued sob story/crank fest is, I had to get the headphones out. It had to be done. I continue to turn the volume up. She is loud. LOUD.
Oh good. Now she's standing up. Wait...wait...this wasn't even her gate!!! Oh my lanta. Get out.
Last weekend my friend Jill and I went to see the new musical, American Idiot, based on the Green Day album of the same name. It's currently premiering in Berkeley, and I am thrilled we were able to get tickets during its short run there. It was AWESOME!!
I loved the album the first time I heard it, and now can't stop listening to it the second time around. When the album came out several years ago, I was intrigued by the story woven through the songs and how it made the most sense when it was listened to from start to finish, in the order Green Day wanted us to hear it. On their own, the songs are great. When they're put together in the right order, they can simultaneously excite me and bring me to tears. Seeing them attached to an actual storyline made them even more powerful. I cried three times during the performance.
The lyrics of so many of these songs are incredibly powerful, as the lyrics to many of the band's songs are. Here's a quick sample:
American Idiot - Chorus
Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alien nation Where everything isn't meant to be okay Television dreams of tomorrow We're not the ones who're meant to follow But that's enough to argue
Are We The Waiting - Second Verse and Chorus
Forget me nots and second thoughts live in isolation Heads or tails and fairytales in my mind Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown The rage and love, the story of my life The Jesus of suburbia is a lie
And screaming Are we we are, are we we are the waiting
21 Guns - First Verse
Do you know what's worth fighting for When it's not worth dying for Does it take your breath away And you feel yourself suffocating Does the pain weigh out the pride And you look for a place to hide Did someone break your heart inside You're in ruins
It was sort of funny to see the crowd at the theater, especially since we just recently saw Green Day in concert (video below from our concert - click the link to see photos).
I would venture a guess that at least 75% of those in attendance last Saturday had never seen Green Day in concert and likely didn't own a single Green Day CD. Jill and I were among the youngest in attendance, and we figured most of the folks there were there for the theatrics of it all. It was quite interesting to observe. They actually handed out earplugs as we made our way to our seats - we passed.
I really hope this makes it to Broadway. It's been selling out pretty much every show in Berkeley, and it would be so great if more people could experience it. If you have the chance, SEE THIS SHOW!!
As a side note to our Berkeley adventure, we found a YUMMY Louisiana restaurant - Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen. I highly recommend it! Authentic hush puppies, po' boys and beignets. Not to mention good service! Check it out.
All in all, a fabulous day in Berkeley! Now the journey to and from on BART? Well, that's always an adventure unto itself...
I'm tired today. Tired of people writing and saying nasty things. Tired of people spewing their bitter diatribes for the world to see and hear. There is no redemption in the nasty.
Earlier today I was about to tweet about how the Giants bullpen was letting me down again, but then I thought about the friends and families of those players and how even my seemingly innocent statement could be considered nasty and mean. I made a personal vow to make every effort not to do it anymore. It doesn't help me to make a comment like that. It doesn't serve any purpose except to give me a venue to vent my frustration. Not that we don't all have the constitutional right to express our opinions, and certainly I'm allowed to be frustrated when my team is losing, but I have no right to call out a specific player.
My thoughts on this started earlier today when I was reading a particularly bitter and mean-spirited book review written about a friend's book. This person had every right to not like the book, but the comments directed to my friend had nothing to do with the book, and they were just mean. It really irritated me, and it really upset her. It was just not okay.
I was perusing cnn.com today, and I started reading these things about President Obama's education speech, and how people are trying to ban it from being shown to kids. Seriously? I skimmed the speech, reading more than half of it word for word. Any of you that know me personally know I'm not about politics. I just don't play. If someone asks my opinion I'll tell them, but I really don't dig into any of it. I don't agree with a lot of Mr. Obama's politics, but I fully respect that he's the president.
For the record, I didn't agree with a lot of Mr. Bush's politics either. I'm certainly more conservative than I am liberal, but really, I'm just trying to live my life like Jesus, and frankly, I don't think he signed a voter registration card picking one party over the other - just my opinion. This speech? Oh my goodness, it's so NOT controversial. I loved that Laura Bush came out in support of the speech. She gets it. She always has. Really people. Heaven forbid we try to encourage our kids to stay in school. Yeah.
The thing that just sent me over the edge today though was a video I saw of a pastor (a pastor!!) in Arizona saying from his pulpit that he hated President Obama and asked God, again, from his pulpit, to break his teeth or something. I was appalled. I'm still appalled. Certainly this man has the right to his opinion, but to say something like that as a spiritual leader really made me ill. I hope Mr. Obama knows that this is not representative of Christians.
Okay, I'm tired again. I have to go watch something on TV that will make me happy. I believe it will be David Boreanz as FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth.
Since when did those kiosk mall people become so brazen?
I barely got out with my face and nails in tact last night.
I've never appreciated those kiosks in the mall. I mean, you're in a mall...get a store already. They're in the way, make the traffic flow worse, and, mostly what they sell is cheap and lame. Especially the cart people. They are clearly all on commission because they will follow you down the mall to try to suck you in. Why is this allowed?
Yesterday, I was in Valley Fair, the nice, giant mall in San Jose, and I just went to buy a few things. As usual, I had a very specific plan about the stores I wanted to visit. And as usual, I wanted to get in, and get out. And I was doing well. I was on my way out. But I went out a different exit because I was meeting a friend for dinner. Now I know why I park on the top floor and go out on the upper level typically.
I was accosted by not one, not two, but THREE brazen mall people. And two of them were pedaling the exact same thing! The first, a man, not American, who I could barely understand, came toward me holding some sort of green leaf thing which I could only assume was some sort of soap. "Try our..." I tuned him out. He kept coming.
"What you clean your face with?"
"Excuse me?"
"What do you use to clean your face?"
"Um, I don't remember the name."
"You try this!"
"Uh, no thanks," I said with a smile. I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't want to play either.
Finally. Free.
Literally 27 steps later...a young woman came toward me from a completely different kiosk with the same soapy looking green leaf. Asking me the exact same thing!
"No thanks."
She followed.
"Thanks!"
I moved faster.
Goodness. The turn to the door was in my site, and I was focused.
"Do you always wear your nails natural?" she asked as she GRABBED MY HAND!!!!
"Um, yes?" I said pulling my hand back to safety.
"Come with me for just a second."
And she pulled me around to the other side of her cart...and started to pump a bottle of polish remover to remove the clear polish on my nail. I was clearly weak from having fended off the first two pushers.
"Oh," I said. "I don't want you to remove the polish."
"But see," she replied, pointing at her nail. "It look just the same."
"I see, but I don't want you to remove the polish."
She was preparing the cotton ball and readying her attack on my nail.
"But it will look the same."
"Yeah, I just don't want you to remove the polish."
This continued for another 15 or 20 seconds when finally, I was able to free my hand from her grip.
She was defeated.
I was the winner.
And I fled the mall like my life depended on it. No wonder I don't go very often these days. Geez.
I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
(thank you, Frank Sinatra)
I truly have very few regrets in my life, but every now and then, I'm reminded of one of my biggest. And it happened in 1987. And every time Rattle & Hum is on TV, like it is right now, I feel that twinge again. And get a little bitter that I wasn't grown enough to make a decision and change a plane ticket. When you're in college, and your parents are paying, you don't really have a lot of options. This is definitely one thing I would go back and have a do-over for.
U2 had been touring the US in support of their Joshua Tree album. The tour began at ASU in April of 1987, and I'm not sure what happened, but I was not able to see either of the two shows...right there on my campus. So wrong. So so wrong. Later that year, after the tour had officially ended, the boys showed up in Tempe again, offering $5 tickets to fill Sun Devil Stadium on two different nights. These nights started the day AFTER I was scheduled to fly home for Christmas break. Bitter, party of one.
Seriously. $5. To see U2. And I couldn't go. I still can't believe it.
The night before I flew home, a few friends and I strolled over to the stadium from our dorm rooms in PV East (oh, the memories that just came flooding back!). It was raining, and we listened to the band rehearse for an hour or so. We couldn't see them as we were standing outside, but we definitely heard them. That was pretty cool, but all very bittersweet.
I'll never forget the feeling I had seeing Rattle & Hum on the big screen at Cine Capri in Phoenix. When the Sun Devil Stadium section started, and it was the first part in color, I thought the theater might lose its collective mind. It was as loud as being at a concert as we all went a little crazy seeing our school in living color on the big screen. Oh yeah, the U2 concert part was cool too. It still gives me chills when that part of the documentary starts...whether I'm watching on DVD or on TV. And every time, I feel that regret all over again.
When the album came out shortly after, and I opened the cover, I actually knew the guy holding one half of the giant U2 cutouts. If you have the vinyl, you know what I'm talking about. I couldn't believe it. I've always wondered what happened to that guy...no idea what his name was now. Bill? Bob? I don't think the photo was in the CD art, just the vinyl. Crazy.
It's one of my favorite U2 albums, and I watch the documentary every time I happen to catch it on TV...and sometimes, on purpose, when I put in the DVD.
I've seen U2 three times since then, and plan to see them again in the fall. They are amazing live, but nothing will ever make up for me missing them that year.
Oh Switchfoot. How I love thee. You never cease to bring the rock. I could have used about two more hours of you tonight.
This was the 9th time for me to see Switchfoot in concert. There's no one I've seen more, and I can't wait to see them again!!
What was different about tonight was that they were the opening band, and when they were done? We left. I think that's the first time I've ever done that. But the fact is, we were only there for the 'foot. Blue October? Yeah. Just not that interested. It's weird to be home this early from a concert. But I'm okay with it. Extra sleep? Yes. I will take that.
Two more concerts this month...one band I've seen before - Daughtry...saw them open for Bon Jovi on their last tour. It will be my first time seeing Green Day, and I'm pretty excited about that. Small venue for Daughtry, big one for Green Day. And, they're two days apart. Should be quite the week!
Until then, I'm going to rest up...and go see the Giants play tomorrow.
Enjoy this little video from the Switchfoot concert tonight...first time using the video function on my camera...not bad! I have one more video which I'll try to post tomorrow...it was taking too long and my body needs sleep. Until then...
As I mentioned in my last post, I began my concert fiesta last week when Matt Nathanson stopped by San Jose's Music in the Park (photos above are from his sound check). My friend Jill and I got downtown early...we got a spot center stage, about 10 people back from the edge. We had our blankets, had our sunscreen...we were ready to go.
We didn't realize San Jose Idol was going to start the show...could have done without that, but the opening band wasn't bad. MIGGS. Ever heard of them? I thought I had, but couldn't place why...then, upon doing a little Internet surfing, I discovered that they also opened for Mandy Moore at Music in the Park a couple of years ago. Weird. They weren't bad...until their lead singer invited everyone to get closer and basically rush the stage.
Jill and I, along with our friend Veronnica, almost got trampled as people literally started pushing forward. We quickly packed up our blankets and got ourselves up off the ground. It was so uncool. Then someone threw a beer, and that was a treat. Security anyone?
We stood there in the middle for a bit, waiting for Matt to get on stage. When he came out, the pushing forward only got worse. In fact, somebody pushed someone behind us, she fell, we almost fell, and well, that's when I decided I hated Music in the Park and free concerts in general.
The idea is nice...free music for the people. I get it. But there just HAS to be better control over the crowd, and really, shouldn't they check to see if people even know who the artists are before they let them in the park? And is it really necessary for me to see drug paraphernalia all over the place? Seriously, SECURITY????
I'm pretty sure I have a bruise in the middle of my back from the couple that was standing behind me while we were still in the middle. They kept having "moments" and the girl kept turning around and whacking me with her back each time. And when she was facing forward, his hands were around her and they kept pushing me forward. I kept trying to push back a little, but to no avail.
After about 4 songs, I'd had enough. I moved out of the scene to the edge of the park. Jill and Veronnica followed. We could still hear of course, but couldn't see much. And there were still annoying drunk/druggie people everywhere. They couldn't have cared any less about the music.
It's not that I'm a concert snob...maybe it is, but I really don't think so. I really don't mind standing to hear a band/artist...I've done it multiple times at The Fillmore in San Francisco. But I also know that everyone there PAID to be there and actually know who they're coming to see. They're not pushing and shoving and puffing on illegal drug pipes. Plus, at The Fillmore, there are apples...but that's a separate story...
Bottom line: Free concerts? Buh-bye. Done. Finito. The end. Evicted.
Lots of love for Matt as always...but one other negative of these sorts of events, there is just not enough music from the artist. I needed much, much more!!!
My name is Carrie, and I'm addicted to music...all kinds of music, but especially live music. As many of you know, I'm a concert junkie...an addict, if you will. When each new year begins, I wonder which of my favorite bands will tour and how many will come to the Bay Area so I can see them in person. So many bypass us that I typically start the year as a skeptic thinking that this will be the year I don't get to see anyone in concert. But then...I'm surprised...and excited...and full of concert tickets!! Oh yes. I feed my addiction. And it is JOY!
Here we are in July, and so far, I've seen only 2 concerts. But oh. They were joyous. They were both the same tour...Third Day, with Revive & Brandon Heath. One in Modesto and one in Fresno. But now, the real fun begins...
July - Matt Nathanson (that's tomorrow!)
August - Switchfoot, Green Day, Daughtry
September - Pink
October - Rob Thomas, U2
November - Billy Joel/Elton John, Kelly Clarkson
Crazy, right? Yes. I'm completely addicted to concerts!! That's nine concerts in five months. NINE!! But I don't care. There is nothing like live music. Nothing.
So, I totally cheated and stole this idea from Facebook...and it's an old one too...I don't care. My blog. My decisions. Anyway...the game is this...using only song names from ONE ARTIST, respond to the questions...so, because again, my blog/my decisions, I've done it twice. The first is my original set of answers from the Facebook note...the second, my updated version with a different artist...because you know, I can. Let's see how it goes!
Artist 1 - Matt Nathanson
1. Are you male or female? Princess 2. Describe yourself: Clean 3. How do you feel about yourself? Amazing Again 4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: Gone 5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Suspended 6. Describe your current location: Curve of the Earth 7. Describe where you want to be: Parade 8. Your best friend is: King of the Mountain 9. Your favorite color is: Bare 10. You know that: Then I'll Be Smiling 11. What’s the weather like? New Coats and New Hats 12. If your life was a television show what would it be called? To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts 13. What is life to you? Little Victories 14. What is the best advice you have to give? Don't Worship Me 15. If you could change your name what would you change it to? Angel
Artist 2 - Rob Thomas
1. Are you male or female? Problem Girl 2. Describe yourself: I Am an Illusion 3. How do you feel about yourself? Natural 4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: Still Ain't Over You 5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Something To Be 6. Describe your current location: Real World '09 7. Describe where you want to be: Merry New York Christmas 8. Your best friend is: Lonely No More 9. Your favorite color is: Her Diamonds 10. You know that: Believe 11. What’s the weather like? Fire on the Mountain 12. If your life was a television show what would it be called? Ever the Same 13. What is life to you? Streetcorner Symphony 14. What is the best advice you have to give? Sleep Til the War is Over 15. If you could change your name what would you change it to? Dear Joan
As the news of Steve McNair's death unfolded today, I couldn't believe what I was reading. And I couldn't help but think of all the other celebrity deaths I'd read/heard about over the last few weeks. Too many I was thinking.
Then, I thought of my friend who lost her grandmother this week. And how that is so much more personal, but nothing you would have read about in your local paper or on CNN. I wondered how frustrating it must be for everyone who loses someone in this world to watch all the hoopla on the news about Michael Jackson or Farrah or Steve McNair. What about the other 149,999 people who died today (per WikiAnswers, an average of 150,000 people die in our world each day)? Where are their stories? Or should we even know?
How much should we really know about people when they die? Is it really important for us, the public, to know about a celebrity's will? I soooo do not care! It has nothing to do with any of us. Why does our media push it on us? And why do I keep reading/listening? I'm contributing to the problem I just threw out there for you. I hate that.
I do get that celebrity is a part of our society, and I get that people want to know about them in both life and death. I just hope that as we're reading/watching about the 1.5 million who are trying to claw their way into Michael's memorial next week, we think about the 2 million others who have died since he did.
Frankly, at the end of the day, I'm just tired of all the dying. Celebrities, grandparents, soldiers, sons, daughters...enough already!
This was a weird week. I'm happy to have made it through without going completely crazy.
Monday - woke up so dizzy that I took some Meclizine and went right back to bed for the rest of the day. Totally wasted day. And wow. Meclizine is STRONG. No wonder they tell you not to drive or operate machinery when you take it. (And I was so hoping to operate my jackhammer that day too!). I could barely get off the couch.
Tuesday - much better, although still slightly dizzy. Just said no to the drugs and took myself to work...where I proceeded to feel fuzzy all day and almost completely lost my voice. No idea what that was about, but I was irritated...meetings were a treat, but the fuzziness did seem to dull the annoyance of not having a voice. Checked mail when I got home (hadn't checked since Saturday), and had no mail. Odd, but not completely abnormal. I mean, there's usually fliers and dentists trying to get me to come in for their fabulous services. Sometimes, someone even tries to sell my house...which I don't even own. Mainly weird because I was expecting a check which a friend told me she sent a week before. Didn't really think much more of it...just figured things were moving slow...maybe the postal service had a dizzying first two days of the week too.
Wednesday - voice completely back, no more dizziness, started off on the right foot. Was very excited to go to the Shark Tank and select my seats for next season...after already deciding to upgrade to season tickets with a few friends. I had never done this before so had no idea what to expect. I did not expect to walk out of the doors with NO TICKETS. That's right. None. When I got to the area where I wanted to get to the tickets, there were zero available. I couldn't afford to buy the next level of tickets, so I just stood there. Hoping maybe the Meclizine from two days earlier was having an effect on my brain and I just couldn't see the papers telling me seats were available. No such luck. Wow. I was not happy. I emailed my account rep to see if there was anything she could do. Then I went to Chipotle to drown my sorrows in a tasty chicken burrito.
Thursday - well, when I woke up, I had no idea what was going to happen as the day progressed. First the news that Farrah had finally succumbed to her long battle with cancer, then the shock of losing Michael Jackson. When death slaps you in the face like that, either from celebrities passing, acquaintances or the tragedies in Iran, you have to step back and think about what's really important. And I'll tell you, what became completely unimportant was my whining about being dizzy, losing my voice and not getting Shark tickets. Life is precious, and no matter how it's lost, it makes you think.
I was never a huge Farrah fan. I loved Charlie's Angels. I had the dolls. My friends and I played it at recess. But it was always about Kelly for me (hello, brunette). So I can't say that I was that sad about her passing, but, it was sad how she struggled, and I did feel that she had tried to get her life back together after a few pretty awful years.
On the other hand, I was a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. I own Thriller on vinyl. Maybe the best album of my generation. No question that he was a musical genius who was troubled most of his life. I hadn't listed to MJ's music regularly for years...just phased it out for some reason. However, when I got home Thursday night, I got on iTunes and began making a playlist of the MJ tunes I owned. And then I bought some that I didn't own. I have loved rediscovering his music over the last few days...both through my playlist and all the videos that have been playing all over the music channels. I really forgot how great he was. Now, Michael definitely had some issues...no doubt about that. We'll never really understand all of it. I'm choosing to focus on the good...the music. Genius.
By the way, checked my mail again today - and still nothing!!! I looked in the back of the mail box, and apparently, the post office thought I was on vacation. Um, what??? I reached into the little plastic thing that said vacation and took it out. Good grief.
Friday - FINALLY. End of the week. I wondered if the post office would actually bring me my mail...and hey, they did! A big pile of it. Awesome. I did get the check that I was waiting on, as well as, oh joy, my U2 tickets! Mail is good!!! And what else happened on Friday? My account rep from the Sharks emailed me with the good news that she found me seats!! Can I just say that Friday rocked???
Now it's Saturday, and I need to leave in about 15 minutes to go meet a friend for breakfast at Stacks. Let's hope next week doesn't have so many ups and downs. And let's hope that the next time the post office decides to hold my mail that I'm actually ON VACATION!
After four mornings of Waking up in Vegas (no, I'm not Katy Perry in my other life), I look forward to waking up in my own bedroom tomorrow morning. Vegas wasn't awful...it's just not my favorite place to be. It was fun to catch up with friends though and take a swim in my gigantic jacuzzi tub.
While in Vegas, I came to realize that most days, I live in My Own Personal Crazy. Things that go on in my world don't typically happen to others. Like what you ask? Read on...
One ~ Where I sit on Southwest planes I've known for a while that I can only sit in certain seats when I fly Southwest, but I didn't realize how big my crazy was until this weekend when I was explaining my seating options to a friend. See, I can only sit in either the A seat (left side window) or the D seat (right side aisle). Why? Seriously, why? It's all to do with the seat belt. Yes, you read that right. The seat belt. For whatever reason, and I absolutely can NOT explain this to you, I can only sit in a seat where the long side of the seat belt is on the right, and the short side is on the left. That's the only way I can make it clasp. The other way? Nope. Can't do it. Yeah. I don't get it either, but it is what it is. Uh huh. My Own Personal Crazy.
Two ~ I can't kill things that come uninvited into my hotel room (or any other room for that matter!)
It's a well-known fact that I don't do things with 8 legs. It's just not an option. Don't come into my house. You are absolutely not invited. Now, because I live by myself, sometimes, I have to suck it up and evict said 8-legged things. But I do not enjoy it. Not at all. And if I can just leave a room and pretend I never saw it? All the better. Anything else, I can usually take care of (praise God I do not get those nuclear war survivor cockroaches). Ants? Done. Gnat or Fly? Evicted. Small moths? Ousted. So, when a large moth...and I mean LARGE...appeared in my hotel room last night, I wasn't freaked out, but I also couldn't kill it. First of all, when it finally stopped dive bombing and making itself dizzy, it landed so high that there was no way I could get it. But I knew I'd never be able to have a relaxing swim in my tub or a restful night's sleep with it lounging in the room. Not an option. So, I called housekeeping/maintenance. I really wish I had video of what happened next. This gentleman (so nice btw!) came in with a bottle of some sort of Windex-like cleaning fluid and a towel. The strategy? Snap the towel in the moth's general direction, then when it moved, chase it and hope to slap it and knock it down. Seriously. This was one of the funniest things I've ever seen happen. I was trying so hard not to laugh, and he knew it was nuts, but he persevered and finally got the ginormo cousin-of-mothra moth. Done. Evicted. Now, when I posted a note about said moth on Facebook, my so-called friends started to mock me about the fact that I had to call someone to get it...that it was ridiculous that I couldn't catch it myself. I really wish I had taken a photo of this thing. I don't think any of them understood how BIG this thing was. Seriously. It was easily 1" x 2" without its wings spread, and it was flying all over the room all crazy...like it had eaten a power bar or was hopped up on one of those energy drinks. Seriously. Psychotic moth. I have no qualms about the fact that I called someone to help. Isn't that part of what I pay for? Yes. Yes it is. It was much worse a few years ago in Cambria when one of those evil 8-legged creatures made its way into my room. I made that call much more quickly. I know. My Own Personal Crazy.
Three ~ There can never be enough ice or enough lemon
As anyone who has ever eaten dinner with me knows, I love my iced tea, but I am pretty particular about how it's served to me. My standard order is: iced tea with lots of ice and lots of lemons. It seems simple enough, but time and time again I am forced to ask for more ice and more lemon when they bring me the first glass. Is it really that hard? Really? What I usually get is a glass of iced tea with about 1/3 of the glass containing ice. No. Not enough. Fill the glass with ice, then put the tea in. And when you refill my glass? Make sure there's more ice. Refilling on top of the original ice doesn't do me any good. If the original glass comes with one lemon, what do you think lots of lemons means? More than two? Yes. It's more than two. A normal size glass needs two lemons. One of those giant glasses needs three...sometimes four. And guess what? EVERY glass needs the same number of lemons. I don't just want them for the first glass. Seriously, that's hard why? That's right. My Own Personal Crazy.
Well, I think that's just about enough of My Own Personal Crazy for one day. Another day, maybe I'll share more. Because this is just really a tiny thread that I started to pull for you. I probably could start a whole separate blog with this title (oooo, interesting idea) and just share something new every day. Because in my world? Every day brings me a whole sort of crazy to get involved with.Ciao!
Or as my friend Shawn calls them, ben-it-is-yays. I think I like that better. Because the beignet is, in fact, YAY.
I first had a real beignet at the best place in the world to get them, Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. The order was handed to us in a paper bag loaded with about 3 1/2 pounds of powdered sugar...most of which ended up on my face and clothes and the floor. I actually think there is someone employed full time just to continually sweep. The experience was, in a word, awesome.
While at this fine, powdery establishment, I bought a box of the beignet mix for myself...thinking, "Oh yes. I'm good. I can deep fry dough with the best of them." Yeah. I so can't. But I can sure make a big fat mess.
Distraught with my total failure of being able to reproduce the beignet, I began my quest to find a place that served them so I could experience the joy again. "How hard could that be?" I said...foolishly.
Okay, a lot of nice Cajun/New Orleans style restaurants serve beignets as a dessert. With toppings. On a plate. This is so very wrong. They're too snooty. Too fancy. Too devoid of powdered sugar. Beignets were intended to be a breakfast food. They are, at their most basic, a fried donut. DONUT. That means breakfast. Not dessert.
I soldiered on.
And then...I found them. At the most unlikeliest of places. Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. That's right. Disney. Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen Express to be exact. They do it right. All the way down to the paper bag and powdered sugar. Oh. They are JOY. My sole purpose in ever going to Downtown Disney is to savor, let's face it, one of the world's most perfect foods.
Tonight, my friend Amy and I decided to have the ben-it-is-yays for our appetizer prior to dining at the Rainforest Cafe. It was a fantastic move, and the folks at the Jazz Kitchen Express gave us 2 bonus beignets (see photo above)! Could it get any better? When I grabbed the bag from the cashier, I could feel the warmth of the fried dough penetrating through. I barely made it to the table before diving in. I shook the bag, and stuck my hand in to retrieve the tasty goodness. There was powdered sugar everywhere, and it was heaven.
So kids, let this be a lesson. Beignets are best served warm, out of a paper bag, with tons and tons of powdered sugar. If someone tries to serve them to you on a plate with dipping sauces, run the other way...tell them you've got Disneyitis and need to make a run to Anaheim (or Florida...they have them there too). It's for the best.
One of my favorite Billy Joel songs fully expresses how I feel about the playoff loss by the Nuggets earlier tonight. Right now, this song exactly expresses how I feel about them losing...to my least favorite team in the league. We had a great love affair this playoffs Nuggets...I held you close and gave you my heart...and once again, you broke it. Come to think of it, this is STILL how I feel about the Sharks losing in the playoffs.
<-- Click the photo to watch Billy perform the song live!!
And So It Goes by Billy Joel [with my comments]
In every heart there is a room A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along
[at the beginning of the season, you drew me in...I forgot about our failed affair last year...started anew...felt safe, felt strong...]
I spoke to you in cautious tones You answered me with no pretense And still I feel I said too much My silence is my self defense
[I tried not to brag...I kept saying it was early in the season...was it too much?]
And every time I've held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon I suppose
[ah yes...the rose that is the playoffs...so quickly turns thorny...and, as the song states...you go too soon]
But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break
[should I have bragged more? cheered more? I went to every home Shark playoff game...was right there in the room with you...did not attend any Nuggets playoff games...was that my mistake?]
And this is why my eyes are closed It's just as well for all I've seen And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows
[that's all I can do...close my eyes...read nothing more about the playoff debacles...and you're the only one who knows why it happened...]
So I would choose to be with you That's if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break
[and yet, I still pine for you and the joy you bring with victory...I would always choose to cheer for you...but you break my heart, over and over...]
And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows
Nuggets, Sharks...you're the only ones who know why it didn't all come together...again. I can only close my eyes, shake my head, and try to mend my broken playoff heart.
And so it goes...and so it goes...and so will you soon I suppose...and so it goes...and so it goes...and you're the only one who knows.
Hey, how 'bout those Yankees? Giants? When does college football start? Oh, I'm just hosed aren't I?
Twilight - the books, not the time of day...I've almost finished book four...and I know I'll be bummed when there is nothing left to read...well, except the 60 other books sitting on my shelves that have yet to be cracked open. Yes. I'm a book-buying fool. I can't help myself. I've already pre-ordered several more that come out this summer and fall. I just love buying books! They look so fabulous on my shelves, and compared to a lot of things, they are relatively inexpensive. I've always been a book buyer, but I think I'm even more compelled to buy them now that I have friends who are authors. It really is their livelihood. Books must be bought!
Every now and then I'm terribly sorry that I bought a book and spent my time reading it. Sometimes, unknown books are unknown for a reason...they're just not good. Sometimes books on the bestseller list aren't good. I hate that. And it's rare that I can just stop reading...I need to know how it ends...to prove once and for all that yes, it's not a good book. Or maybe it's just a book I don't particularly care for. Who defines good anyway? I always feel guilty when I can't finish a book or just don't like what I'm reading. Having friends that are authors...I guess novelists is a better word, I know what goes into writing a book. It's not like someone didn't put their heart and soul into the book (well, most of the time anyway). But not every book is for everyone. I'm trying to get past it.
Hope you're enjoying a good book this weekend...if you're searching for one, here's a glance at some of my recent reading...enjoy!
EVEN by Andrew Grant - read this book! and not just because I'm friends with the author...it's a great book!
Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer - as previously stated, loving these books!
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson - nice easygoing story...predictable, but enjoyable.
Second Chance by Jane Green - good...except for the end...a little disappointing. I read all of Jane's stuff though...really enjoy her writing.
Cancer is a Bitch by Gail Konop Baker - great book! semi-autobiographical and very real.
What's next on the list? Not sure...but here's what I've recently pre-ordered on Amazon:
Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander (you should read all of her books...do it now...she has 3 others in this series, and one outside of it...seriously...buy multiple copies...I might be slightly biased since she's one of my closest friends on the planet, but she's truly a fantastic writer!)
One I'm excited to read but isn't ready for pre-order quite yet:
Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan (read all of her books too! she is fabulous!)
And here are a few things sitting on my shelf...in the running for what I'll read next:
Four books by Patti Callahan Henry (another new author friend...met her earlier this year...)
Three books by Mary Kay Andrews (lovely woman...met her earlier this year...)
What will actually happen, of course, is that I'll be wandering through Target or Barnes & Noble or Borders at some point this weekend and I'll buy something brand new to read. I'm a tragic tale.
Until next time...oh, and if you have any reading suggestions, please leave them in the comments...a girl can't have too many books on her shelves...
I'll Facebook you...friend me...follow me...send me a tweet...check out my latest blog...IM me...email me...call me...meet me for dinner...
What does it all mean?
We all communicate in different ways, and many of us are now using new technology to communicate with each other and reach out to communicate with those we don't even know.
As most of you know, I Twitter, I Facebook, I obviously blog...but hey, I also might send a friend an email. I might even call some of them. And yes, I might actually meet with some in person. Crazy, right?
Is one way right or wrong? Is one way superior to another? I think not. And I think most of you would agree with me. And frankly, whether you do or don't is really of no consequence to me. I think the way you communicate varies depending on the person and the reason you need to communicate.
There are some friends I literally never talk to on the phone...it's just not something we do. But they are no less my friends than those I do talk to on the phone. And it's impossible to get together in person with some friends because they have the nerve to live in other towns and/or states. However, because of all the technology available to us, I don't feel any less close to them either. We're able to keep in touch in a variety of ways.
Finally, there are new friends I've met, at least virtually, through Twitter and Facebook. I may never meet some of these folks in person, and that's okay. Our friendship may never require that. I do wonder though, if we were to ever meet in person, if we would be able to sustain the conversation we have started online.
The dynamic of conversation does seem to depend on how the relationship started. For people we meet in person, conversing online in some fashion is fairly simple...it's a continuation of what we started in the real world. However, for those we met online, and have possibly never met in person, we may hold back in our conversation. We may choose to only share certain aspects of ourselves. There's also the opportunity to be someone we're not...maybe someone we'd like to be...someone we wish we were.
I read various tweets and am amazed at the level of depth some people aspire to. Then I wonder...are they kidding me? Are they really that deep? Or are they just searching for attention? Wondering how far they can take something?
My tweets and status updates are pretty basic...although sometimes I do go on a lyric frenzy. Some say it's boring to share where you are throughout your day...that they don't really care that you are on your way to lunch/just had lunch/having a nap/heading to bed. I don't know if it's boring, but I know that 100+ people follow me on Twitter and almost 400 are my friends on Facebook, and there's no way I know that many people in real life...so there must be something interesting about what I say.
Anyhow...I guess that's enough conversing about conversing for one night. I'd be curious to hear what you think about some of this stuff.
Anyone out there that follows sports knows these feelings all too well. I'm sure they could also be translated to other life events, but they do seem to resonate the most for sports.
There is nothing quite like winning...whether you're playing or just watching...whether you're at home on your couch or in a stadium with 17,495 other people. Winning just plain rocks! Losing? Not so much. It truly is agony, but it seems there are varying levels of agony when you lose.
Winning is always good, no matter what. It always energizes and brings joy to all associated with the victory. But losing gets worse when the game is bigger...when the season depends on NOT losing...when you lose to a big rival...all that combined can make you feel like an anvil fell on your head and flattened you on the sidewalk, waiting for one of those cartoon characters to come and scrape you off.
That's sort of how I feel right now. Flattened by an anvil. This is all thanks to the debacle that has been the first round of the NHL playoffs for the Sharks. Actually, I felt the anvil starting to fall a couple of weeks prior to the start of the playoffs, but hoped I'd be able to get out of the way when it hit the ground...hoped that when it finally got close enough to hit me I'd be able to hold up a shiny cup to catch it. Alas, I fear that is not to be.
While there is always hope of a miraculous comeback, the Sharks have not shown me the skill and energy they showed during most of the season, and I can't really envision it happening.
I'm glad I have a ticket to Game 5 tomorrow...it may, after all, be the last home game of the season. I'm glad the home crowd will get to see Torrey Mitchell skate for the first time this season. I'm glad I'm not alone in trying to get out of the way of the anvil. Maybe if it hits multiple people at the same time it won't hurt as much...or maybe it will hurt more because it will bounce off one person's head to another to another to another...
A quick mini-blog to post the answers to my last blog...only received one response to my lyric questions, and that responder had 3 of 5 correct. So, thanks Ethan, and for the rest of you, here's the 4-1-1..
Song #1 - Eminem/Lose Yourself
Song #2 - U2/Kite
Song #3 - Pearl Jam/Better Man
Song #4 - Mandy Moore/Gardenia
Song #5 - Third Day/Revelation
So, wanna play again? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Song #1: I miss the sound of your voice Loudest thing in my head And I ache to remember All the violent, sweet perfect words that you said
Song #2: When you find me in the morning Hanging on a warning...oh... The joke is on you
Song #3: He's a stranger to some and a vision to none He can never get enough, get enough of the one For a fortune he'd quit but it's hard to admit How it ends and begins on his face is a map of the world
Song #4: Oh sweetheart put the bottle down You've got too much talent I see you through those bloodshot eyes There's a cure, you've found it
Song #5: Well you thought you let go, but you’re still hanging on Mother earth’s slowing down, she’s still spinning around And we, are getting dizzy
Apparently my life is either too boring or too busy to write anything of substance...so for now, we'll just play...
I'm a bit of a lyric junkie...not that I can always sing along to every song, but I love to figure out the lyrics of songs...think about them...wonder what the writer was thinking about when they wrote it...assuming many times that it was something deeply profound only to find out later it was written about a crazy cat around the corner from their cousin's house...but whatever...it's still fun!
I'm always amazed at people who love a song but really have no clue what the lyrics are or what the song's about. I get liking a song for the music...there are certainly some that fall into that category for me...but sometimes, once I know the lyrics, I can't listen anymore...sometimes the lyrics ruin a song.
Anyway, just for fun...let's play a game...can you guess the song these lyrics are from? What about the artist? Have fun!
Song #1: His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
Song #2: Did I waste it? Not so much I couldn't taste it Life should be fragrant Rooftop to the basement
Song #3: Waitin', watchin' the clock, it's four o'clock, it's got to stop Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech As he opens the door, she rolls over... Pretends to sleep as he looks her over
Song #4: Well, I put so much thought into getting ready Now I know that was the best part It's so easy to get caught up in what I'm regretting Forget what I got from a wounded heart
Song #5: Give me a revelation Show me what to do 'Cause I've been trying to find my way I haven't got a clue
Okay. No need to answer that. I just love that there's a song on the radio called "My Life Would Suck Without You". I mean, how great is that? It's what we want to say, and not some flowery romanticized sentiment. It's real life. Real.
I've always loved Kelly Clarkson because she's so real. As the first American Idol, she has obviously had more time than anyone else to become a star, and she's done it...without going crazy and going down the road of Britney or other silly pop stars. She's pop - pure and simple. She's what AI was always intended to be. Many will argue that Carrie Underwood is the most successful Idol, but I disagree. She is COUNTRY. American Idol was supposed to be a pop show. She should NOT have won. But I'm not bitter...
So Kelly's latest album dropped this week...yes, I said album and I said dropped. That's how I roll. The first single (referenced above) is pure, unadulterated pop, and I LOVE IT!!! The album is great, and I highly recommend it. Her last album was, well, an "experiment". I just recently downloaded it, and it's certainly not awful, but it is fairly useless compared to the new one and the one prior to it.
I've read a couple of semi-snotty reviews of her new album...commercialized, remake of her last popular album...blah-blah-blah. And? So? Why is it bad to be commercialized and revisit the formulas that work for you? Obviously there are people who like it, so what's the big deal? I've never understood this. Why must everything be new and on the edge and whatever? Her experiment clearly didn't work well, so she stepped back and said, okay, I'm going back to my bread and butter of pop. Good for her I say! I know I've been listening to the album pretty much non-stop since I downloaded it Tuesday night...and there are not many artists I do that with.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure my life would suck without you...so thanks for taking some time to read this silly little anti-blog. Hope you enjoyed!
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