If only every Tuesday could be Todd Carey Tuesday...

Tonight I got to meet an amazing musician who I've been dying to see live for about two years. This was his first time playing San Francisco, and I am SO glad I was able to go. Believe me when I say, Todd Carey completely and totally ROCKS. If you have not heard his music, go listen now!!

I first met Todd via Facebook about two years ago. He saw that I was a fan of Matt Nathanson (no surprise to regular readers of this blog!) and thought I might like his music so he sent me a friend request...and after listening to about 8 seconds of one song, I accepted his request and bought his first album - Watching Waiting. I fell in love with his voice, his lyrics, his music...all of it. And I wore those songs out! And then I watched. And I waited. Hoping he would come to the Bay Area to share his music in person. But alas, my hopes were never realized.

Earlier this spring, Todd put out an EP, and started promoting a lot of live shows. I bought the EP as soon as it was available and fell in love once again. The new stuff was just as good, if not better, than the first, and I was really getting cranky that I hadn't yet seen him live. When he started posting shows online, I got excited...thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd make an appearance in the Bay Area. And once again I watched...and I waited...

And I had a moment of excitement when he posted a show in Chicago, only to realize it was the day BEFORE I was scheduled to arrive for a friend's wedding festivities. I posted a note on his Facebook page saying how bummed I was to miss it and he kindly suggested I just change my ticket. Funny. But, I did look into it...too much money. Foiled. Then, I missed him by just a few days when I was in New York earlier this year. Not pleased.

BUT...

After I lamented via Facebook and Twitter about missing him in Chicago and New York (and about missing out on the super secret summer single, which, omg, I just realized I STILL didn't get!!), he messaged me that he would inDEED be coming to San Francisco later in the year, so I checked his list of dates and made a plan.

Cafe du Nord - August 31. YES.

I was kinda bummed when I realized he was the opener for two other artists because I knew that meant he wouldn't be playing a long set, but I didn't care. I was going to go no matter what. So, I asked a good friend to go with me, he agreed and off we went.

It's always nice for me to have an event in San Francisco after work because I get to leave early. That's just never a bad thing. I faced the evil San Mateo bridge, picked up my friend, and we made our way north where we began our evening with an excellent dinner at Chow. YUM-MY!! We then headed to the venue and waited for the doors to open. We were a little disappointed that the doorman didn't even look at our IDs and just slapped on the over 21 bracelet things, but we moved on, found a place to sit while we waited, watched and got ready for the event. At 8pm, pretty much on the nose, Todd came on stage and wow. He did not disappoint! I wanted more-more-MORE! Seriously.

So Stinking Good.

He played about six songs and had a great stage presence and good interaction with the audience. Cafe du Nord is one of the coolest places to see a live show because it's a very small venue and no matter where you stand you can see the stage - even if you're short like me! The only other time I was there I saw Train, and it really does spoil you from seeing shows in bigger venues. I really think every one I like should play there at least once so I can have the up close and personal experience with all of them too. Just a suggestion...

Anyway...my friend and I made our way to the merchandise table after Todd finished his set and waited for him to come back to greet fans. I'd read over and over how nice he was and didn't ever doubt that based on our online chatting. Let me just say that Todd scored HUGE points for recognizing me and knowing my name. Wow. I mean, the man has thousands of Facebook friends and thousands of people following him on Twitter. I was very impressed. We had a lovely chat and I can honestly say he is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

I truly hope he makes it back out this way soon for a headlining tour so we can see and hear more of him because he was absolutely outstanding. And as you all know, I do get to my fair share of of concerts, so I know of which I speak. We listened to the second act for a bit, but honestly, it was a bit of a letdown after Todd's set so we headed home after saying a final goodbye and wishing him well on the rest of his California tour.

Hands down one of the best nights I've had in a while: dinner with a great friend, a great evening of music and great conversation with a rising star. Todd Carey...so happy to finally see you play live and meet you in person. You were, in a word, AWESOME. Please come back soon!!!

PS: Videos being posted...find them on YouTube soon...

And then the drunk girl fell on me...

You just never know what you're going to find at a concert. Hopefully you'll find some great music and maybe a cute guy to sit next to who didn't happen to come with a cute girl - yeah, that's never actually happened to me. I'm just saying it might be something you HOPE happens. Maybe you'll find yourself shaking hands with the lead singer of your favorite band - yes, that did happen to me - or capturing a fun moment with film. What you hope you don't find is Drunky McDrunkerson suddenly appearing and attempting to sing and dance before falling on you. No. You hope to never find that.

I took in the Green River Ordinance / Switchfoot / Goo Goo Dolls show last night in Concord at the Sleep Train Pavilion. I'd never been there before and wow, it's WAY the heck out there. I thought the CSU East Bay Concord campus was far, but this is beyond that! FAR!

So things gets started and Green River Ordinance was great - my first time seeing them - and Switchfoot rocked our faces off like they always do - my 10th time seeing them. Seriously. Full on ROCK SHOW!!! No one was sitting next to me during GRO, but then a couple of teenage boys showed up for the 'foot, and they were perfectly nice - good, clean cut Switchfoot fans. And we watched. And we rocked. And then they left but returned for Goo Goo Dolls. And the Goo rocked - 3rd time seeing them - as they always do, and everything was going great. 

And then the drunk girl fell on me...

I'm not exactly sure where she came from, but my seat was on the end of the aisle in the front row of the section, and next to me, was a fairly big open space that led up the stairs. That's where she materialized, and at first, she was just taking some pictures or video and sort of swaying to the music. It seemed rather normal. 

And then...she fell...right into me, stepping on my foot in the process, dropping her camera, her big giant bag and whatever she was drinking - thankfully nothing spilled...probably because she already drank it all. So she crawled around on the ground trying to collect the crap that fell out of her bag and the kid next to me asked if he wanted me to get someone, and I told him we probably should, but then she popped back up like nothing happened and we both asked her if she's okay and she just smiles. And wow. She is DRUNK.

So we watched her as she took video of the stage and then, sort of leaned back and pointed the camera toward the sky and then the ground and back to the stage and wow. I can just imagine what her videos of the night must look like. And all along she's singing along - BADLY, and the teenagers and I are trying not to laugh because while it was totally sad that someone would let themselves get that drunk, it was also a little bit funny.

Between songs Drunky started whispering to me...something about being in love with someone for 11 years - maybe Johnny, the lead singer of the Goo, not sure - and how she'd been waiting forever for that night. And then she thrust her camera into my hands and leaned back against the rail like she wants me to take her picture. Yeah. I couldn't even figure out how to turn it on, but amazingly, she figured that out and so, I took a couple of pictures. She says, "I trust you. You're my girl." Oooookay. Sure. Why not? 

And then, I'm pretty sure she took some pictures of us sitting in the front row. That'll be fun for her later.

Her drunken videography, singing and swaying continued and more than once she dropped the camera. And oh yeah, she fell again too. Right into me. Again. At one point she just sat down, and I honestly couldn't believe no security folks came by during this whole episode. They'd been everywhere earlier in the night, but no. They were nowhere to be found.

When the concert ended, she dropped the bottles that probably contained her drinks of choice and wandered away. The kid sitting next to me was actually really nice, asking me if I was okay, and then I saw them pick up her containers and take them to her- and I think he actually took some video of Drunky, which I thought was hilarious. Before I left, I saw her in the bathroom and was thankful that she'd found her friends and that they didn't seem to be in the same shape she was. This girl could barely stand up, and while she did provide some entertainment, in the end, I just felt sad for her. 

I don't drink. I've never had anything alcoholic to drink. I'm not opposed to it, but I don't understand the excess of it. It seems perfectly fine to have a glass of wine or two, or maybe some sort of mixed drink or a beer, but I just don't get why you'd want to get so drunk that you don't even remember what you did. Or so drunk that you actually hurt yourself or someone else. I've seen numerous people in this state in my life and it's never made any sense. I get that people make stupid decisions, especially when they're young and think they're invincible, and maybe that's all this was. Maybe she woke up this morning with a wicked hangover and looked at her pictures and video and realized how bad off she was and vowed to never do it again. Maybe her friends told her what an idiot she was and how dangerous what she was doing was. Maybe she woke up thinking, "Hey. I wonder if that girl I fell on is okay?"

Maybe...

Sometimes, you just need a little Firefly...

Seriously...how was this only on for one season? And yet, we have 27 seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette and a myriad of other reality crap. Stupid.

In my own personal Saturday/Sunday Firefly marathon this weekend, I was reminded of some of the great lines these characters got to say. Did I miss any of your favorites? And what of your favorite episodes? I think my favorite is Jaynestown, followed closely by Trash. I should really watch more often...

From Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Mal), played by the oh-so-fantabulous Nathan Fillion - clearly, he got the bulk of the good lines:

"We have done the impossible and that makes us mighty."

"It's a real burden being right so often."

"You can't open the book of my life and jump in the middle."

"You're all kinds a pleasin'."

"The next time you decide to stab me in the back, have the guts to do it to my face."

"I must say, you're my kind a stupid."

"Life's just too damn short for ifs and maybes."

From Jayne Cobb, played by the excellent Adam Baldwin - he gets the second best lines to be sure:

"Time for some thrilling heroics."

"See Vera? Dress yourself up and you get taken out somewhere fun." (Vera, of course, being Jayne's gun)

"Not as deceiving as a low down dirty deceiver."

"I'm smellin' a lot of if comin' off this plan."

"If wishes were horses we'd all be eatin' steak."

Alan Tudyk's highly entertaining Wash (Hoban Washburne) - okay, maybe he gets the second best lines:

"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal."

"Sleepiness is weakness of character."

"When do we get to go to the crappy town where I'm a hero?"

"You'd be planning and plotting and possibly scheming."

"We all know I'm the funny one."

Random quotes from random extra cast people:

"I cannot abide useless people."

"I shaved off my beard for you devil woman."

"I've been waiting for you to kiss me since I showed you my guns."

Shepherd Book, played by Ron Glass and his long gray hair:

"If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theatre."

"They'll be poems and songs. Just you wait."

Simon Tam, played by Sean Maher (and played as a kid by Zac Efron, just in case you were wondering...):

"You're like a trained ape. Without the training."








 

 
Inara, played by Morena Baccarin - whose hair looked MUCH better in this than on V:

"It's not embarrassing to be a virgin. It's simply a state of being."

"One can not always be one's self in the company of men."

Kaylee, the ship's mechanic, played by Jewel Staite:

"What's so damn important about being proper?"

"Sometimes a thing gets broke it can't be fixed."

River Tam, crazy freaky smart girl, played by Summer Glau:

"He looks better in red."

"No power in the 'verse can stop me."

"Also, I can kill you with my brain."

Zoe, played by Gina Torres, a Joss Whedon favorite - yeah, she didn't get many good/funny lines; very serious and really, just very awesome:

"Clear."

3 Trips in 14 Days + 10 Days and 2 Concerts

That's right. 3 trips. 14 days. And if you make it 24 days, it also included 2 concerts. So yeah, let's go with that. 24 days. 3 trips. 2 concerts.

Trip One - Denver

I think I was out of town for a total of 36 hours for this trip - yeah, it was fast. I flew in to surprise my stepfather for his 75th birthday, and also got to see my mom, a good friend, 2 stepsisters and their significant others and Chick-fil-A. Yes. Chick-fil-A was definitely part of the agenda. It was fast and furious, but all good. 

Trip Two - Chicago

This trip was just slightly longer than my trip to Denver. I actually stayed two whole nights to celebrate the marriage of two very dear friends. The weekend started with an hour and a half trip from O'Hare to the W Hotel where, after I finally arrived, I got a lovely 75 minute massage at Bliss. I met my friend there and we were able to catch up a bit before all the festivities really got started. Celebrating their marriage was fantastic in itself, but I also got to meet several friends I'd only had via Facebook before that weekend. That was incredibly fun, and my circle of people and places has expanded greatly. I seriously love Chicago and enjoyed roaming about the city in cabs, and even a little on foot. Although, I did curse Bon Jovi when I was attempting to check into my hotel because their 8 million fans were also checking in at the same time. I love Bon Jovi, but I did not enjoy them having a concert at Soldier Field the night I arrived. They hindered my progress at every turn. But I'm over it now and managed to refrain from singing Have a Nice Day to all of them as I walked past all the cabs they were hogging. The wedding celebration was fantastic and included a healthy dose of Rick Bayless' guacamole. The weekend was topped off by a celebration of meat served at the newlywed's apartment. Two words: bacon explosion. Two more words: 14-pound briskit. Yum and yummier. All in all a fantastic and beautiful weekend, celebrating two of my favorite people!

Trip Three - Boise

Yes. Boise. That's in Idaho. Where they grow the taters. It's like my mother ship. I'd never actually been to Idaho despite living in a neighboring state for a good portion of my life. This was another two night trip to celebrate the wedding of some crazy kids about to embark on their senior year at Boise State. And oh yeah, it was HOT!!! It's like the desert there, but I enjoyed seeing the Boise State campus and catching up with a former CSU colleague. I toured around town in a ginormous Jeep Commander, apparently that's what they consider a compact car in Boise. Anyway...the wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun and I had a great Idahoan adventure, a final highlight of which was seeing one of my oldest and dearest friends who just happened to be in town at the same time. So Idaho? Thanks for rounding out my three trips with joy.

Concert One - Adam Lambert

Oh yes. The Glam Nation Tour. This was hands down the hardest I've ever had to work to get concert tickets. When they first went on sale, my friend and I went online right on time and got nothing. NOTHING. I've never had that happen before, and needless to say, we were less than pleased. But my friend would not be defeated. She started searching on Craigslist and StubHub and OMG! The prices people were asking for $30-35 seats was inSANE!! Seriously. Like $150. We laughed and scoffed and got further irritated. But we would not be defeated and finally, about 10 days before the concert, the prices started to dive. But, the only option was two seats not together - and $17 in FedEx fees. Her ticket came from Seattle and mine from New Mexico. Really? Anyway...the concert was totally worth it, and in the end we were able to sit by each other. If you have the chance, see this kid in concert, because he totally delivers!!

Concert Two - Rob Thomas

The Mountain Winery in Saratoga has to be one of the most beautiful concert venues I've ever been to. Seeing Rob there on Sunday night was my second time visiting this summer, and I now feel that all musicians I love should play there...at least once each summer. Are you listening Matt Nathanson? Before Rob took the stage we were exposed to a, um, comedienne?, from Mix 106.5. Wow. We were embarrassed for her and were so very thankful when she finished. But it was all forgotten once Rob took the stage. He's such a phenomenal musician that all he'd really need to do is play and sing, but he's also freaking hilarious! And even though he throws a few F-bombs down, he's just entertaining. I can't wait to see him again - although, I hope the next time he's standing in front of the MB20 guys. It's time!!

So there it is. 24 days. 3 trips. 2 concerts. 1 tired Carrie! What's next?

1 musical

4 concerts

1 conference

1 visit by the mother

And that's all before November! Guess I'd better get some rest...

Sunday Morning at the Movies

Oh where to start...all I wanted to do this morning was go see a nice little movie to relax; eat some popcorn, shed a few tears, the usual. And so, I made my way to the AMC Saratoga 14 for the 9:45am showing of Charlie St. Cloud. Moment of sigh-lence please for Zac Efron...

**sigh**

Moving on...got my ticket, got my popcorn and my bottle of water. Made my way into the theater and started watching the commercials and other things they thought I was interested in. That's when I decided to blog about my morning.

So, you may have read in the news this week that Wyclef Jean is going to run for President of Haiti. Okay. Sure. Why not? It's not like we in the US have never had a celebrity in office (see: Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jessie Ventura, etc.). And so sure. You go Wyclef. I really don't care one way or the other. If you can help the people of Haiti? More power to you. Here's the problem...I can't really imagine you running a country when I see you touting Ritz Crackers and talking seriously about how they take you back to a place when you were young. And I can't really watch you playing a drum major in the commercial about said crackers and telling me how great the song is that you wrote/remixed for it. Do I like the song? Sure. It's good. But really? Ritz crackers take you back? Really? 

I'll tell you where they take me back to...it's to my friend's pantry where I found a box of Ritz infested with maggots. Yeah. I don't eat those crackers anymore. To be fair, the maggots weren't the fault of the crackers or Wyclef, but the whole experience is tainted. I haven't eaten a Ritz since.

So okay Wyclef. Run for President. Eat some Ritz. Whatevs.

After this ad and its weirdness went away, I continued waiting, and until approximately 9:44, I was the only one in the place. I was kind of excited about just watching the movie by myself, but then three people came in to join me. I was seated in the back row and they took the front, so basically, I was still by myself.

And so the movie starts, well, I should say the pre-movie entertainment starts...you know, the 437 previews you get to see before your movie? Yeah. That. And those go until about 10 at which point, two more people enter the theatre. Really? Do you know you're 15 minutes late? So I watch them walk up the stairs, and it's dark, and they're still walking and seriously, they sit down one seat away from me. ONE SEAT! Come on. The whole theatre is EMPTY.

BOTHERED!!!

But then, oh then it just got annoying. They brought their own food and proceeded to get it out of its very noisy plastic bags and talk about it while doing it. And then they proceeded to talk off and on through the movie - asking each other questions about it, commenting when they didn't understand, and so on. I'm honestly not sure they even knew I was there. I could have moved, but you know what? I was there first, and I was settled, and frankly, I just didn't want to.

I enjoyed the movie despite them...I mean, it was Zac Efron on the big screen, how bad could it have been? And yes, I realize he's like 25 and I'm, well, not...but whatever. The movie's storyline differed quite a bit from the book, but it was still good. I do think I liked the book better, but it didn't make me enjoy the movie any less.

Anyway...that's what you get when you go to the movies on Sunday morning. Wyclef, Ritz Crackers and other people. I really need my own theatre...