U2: Tainted by Oakland, BART and Potheads

If you read my last blog you know that I saw U2 in concert earlier this week. It was my fifth time seeing them and I knew they'd put on a good show. In fact, I'd seen this very tour - 360 - in Las Vegas about a year and a half ago. I knew it was going to be great. What I didn't know is how great everything else was NOT going to be. Where to begin...well, I guess at the beginning...

I bought the tickets for this concert (held June 7, 2011) in November of 2009. That's right. 2009. I bought them about a month after seeing the show in Vegas (since the first round of the tour came nowhere in California, much less somewhere near me...but I digress...sort of...). Anyway...the concert was originally scheduled for June 2010 but then Bono hurt his back and the whole tour was postponed. I should have known right then and there that it was tainted, that the whole night would somehow turn into a fiasco.

Because I'm a member of the fan club I actually bought extra tickets and had a total of 5...my thoughts being that I could easily sell the extras, maybe make a little cash, whatever. A friend had planned to go with me when it was still in 2010, but I didn't try selling the extra tickets right away thinking that the demand would go up as the concert date approached. And then, of course, there was no concert date, so I had all these tickets. Again, I should have known...

Sometime last fall I decided to donate one pair of tickets to an auction because the idea of selling them was just more than I cared to deal with and it seemed like a good thing to do. So I did. And I figured I'd sell the single ticket as it got much closer to the event date. But then the friend who was going to go with me had to back out (and I don't blame her...she'd agreed to go over a year earlier...life happens...). Anyway, I was back to three tickets. I asked some other friends if they wanted to go but came up empty and decided to just go by myself and sell the other pair...which I did, just about two weeks prior to the show.

I have to admit, I was not as excited about the show as I have been about past U2 shows...partially because of everything listed above and partially because I was just tired and kinda bummed that no one was going with me...not that I don't go to concerts by myself all the time, but for some reason it seemed strange. Anyway...when I woke up Tuesday morning I actually was excited and listened to U2 tunes all day.

I changed clothes at work and loved putting on my 'boys play rock and roll' t-shirt from the Vertigo tour a number of years ago. Yes. I'm a real fan. I own all the albums, some on vinyl; I own the t-shirts; I own the concert poster and have it professionally framed. At that point, I was ready.

I will admit that I wasn't terribly excited about getting to Oakland to see the show, but I told myself I'd take BART and it would be simple. I even checked the BART schedule to make sure the trains ran late enough - not being a seasoned BART rider. It all looked good. Of course, since I live in San Jose I had to first drive to Fremont to get to BART because apparently all those years ago when it was originally built no one had the foresight to bring the lines all the way down here. To be fair, this was pre-Silicon Valley explosion, but still. It's lame. Anyway...

I drove to Fremont and ate an early dinner before heading to BART. I knew I had zero interest in the food at the Oakland Coliseum - especially since they don't have Coke. I also knew I didn't care about the opening acts for the show and that I didn't have to rush to get there. I figured I'd get on a train around 6:30 and take my time to walk from BART to the stadium without being crushed by a sea of humanity.

I pulled into the Fremont BART station around 6 thinking I'd have plenty of time to park, get my ticket and wait for the train. HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! The lot was PACKED! I parked in the farthest spot in the farthest lot and even debated screwing the whole thing and driving but couldn't bear the thought of sitting in 880 traffic or paying $30-40 for parking.

I got into the station and stood in a line of about 20 people buying tickets, which is apparently really hard for a lot of people. Wow. Got my ticket, went through the gates and got to the platform just in time to squeeze into the train about to leave. And I mean squeeze. Because not only was there the U2 concert, but there was also a Giants game meaning the trains were just stupidly filled with people. And it seemed to me that BART probably knew these events were both going on, in addition to the normal daily commute, and should have increased the length of trains or added trains or both. But it didn't seem like they really cared enough to do anything. Whatever. I stood between people for the 25 or so minute ride and was never so happy to see the Coliseum station in my life.

I got off the train and, along with thousands of other U2 fans, made my way into the station slowly...inching along hoping I wouldn't get trampled, happy I had no interest in seeing the opening act. As I came through the gate I started seeing signs that didn't make sense, signs telling me the Coliseum station was closing at midnight and that the last train was at 12:20. What? That's not what the online BART schedule told me, but sure enough, that was the story. "It's okay," I said to myself. "U2 will probably start at 9, play until about 11:30, and there will be plenty of time to get back." HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

More on this later.

I made my way, along with the rest of the Bay Area, to the stadium and after taking every single item out of my tiny purse for the security guy, I got inside and found my seat, and it was actually good. 

The opening act (the first of two) was still playing and I had absolutely zero interest. Neither did anyone else from what I could see. They played too long and then we waited for almost 30 minutes before the actual opening act, Lenny Kravitz, came on. I'm not a Lenny Kravitz fan. At all. And he played way too long. He's a headliner, not an opener, so of course he has a lot of songs. He finished around 8:30 I think and I still had hope that U2 would be starting at 9. In fact, I think they were supposed to based on other things I read, but they didn't start until 9:30 and by that time, I knew I was going to be hosed with the whole BART station closing earlier thing. Still, as soon as The Edge hit that first chord, I was lost in the music.

Because the fact is, U2 puts on a show like no one else. They are fantastic musicians and they know how to entertain. And until 11:25, when I decided I'd better make my way to the station so I didn't miss the midnight closing, they rocked.

Here's what didn't rock: the numerous pot smokers all around me. It's not like I was surprised people were smoking pot. People always do it at an outdoor concert, but this was the absolute worst I'd ever seen. It's as if all of the Bay Area was just saying, "Screw you," to the law about legalizing it that was NOT passed. Criminals, all of them. And look, if you want to smoke that crap and mess up your head, knock yourself out, just don't involve me. But you don't care about me do you? It's all about you.

You.Are.Awesome.

I can honestly say that I had a scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth for most of the show to avoid the smoke and at one point thought about leaving altogether. That's how bad it was. It was the first time I ever wished it would rain at an outdoor show.

And really Coliseum security? You can't do anything about this? Really???

When the band was about to start their second encore, I knew I should just go because I was already getting stressed about missing the last BART train back to Fremont. For about five minutes I debated just paying a wad of cash to a cab driver to drive me back but realized that was beyond ridiculous. I even thought about who I might know in the vicinity that I could convince to come pick me up but knew that there was no one. So, I started walking out of the stadium as Bono swung on his glowing red microphone and started singing Kiss Me, Kill Me. If I'd never seen the band before, I would have been even more angry that I had to leave early. And as I wandered back to the station, along with thousands of others, it was clear that no one was happy about the situation. As I started up the ramp toward the bridge they started playing With or Without You. It's just wrong that I was outside when this was playing. I couldn't even recognize the next song as I was about halfway across the bridge when it started. Ridiculous. By the time I got inside the station and put my ticket in the gate, it was 11:55. Seriously. Thirty minutes.

I got to the platform and one train was just leaving. We waited several minutes for the next train and saw on the board that there were two coming so I decided to wait for the second one...maybe BART did add an extra train. When I looked across to the stadium where the concert had clearly ended I felt bad for all those people that were going to miss the midnight station closure. I wondered what in the world they were going to do. And then I wondered why people ever bother with public transportation when it turns into the nightmare that it was that night.

By the time I got home it was about 1:15, and I was exhausted - otherwise this blog would have been written then, in the heat of my anger. I was still too tired to think about it yesterday, but I told anyone that asked that I was not happy about what had happened. I read this morning that the traffic and parking situation was even worse...tons of people didn't even get in? Some sat in traffic for hours and then there was no parking? What the heck is up Oakland? It's not like you don't have big events all the time. What was wrong with this one? Where was the planning? I also read that BART extended it's service until 3:30 in the morning. Well that's nice. So I could have stayed for the whole show? Really? BITE ME.

This whole experience was a nightmare and I have zero interest in ever going to Oakland again. For anything. I don't even want to go see my Yankees the next time they come to town. A concert, especially one from one of your favorite bands, should make you excited and energized. Unfortunately, this left me quite the opposite. The music? Yes. That was great. But everything else has made that part fade quickly and now I have a bad U2 concert memory. And that is the worst part of all.

Top 15 Concert Memories

I've been reading Todd Carey's Ping playlists over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed seeing what he's listening to and why, finding some great new music along the way, and I thought for a moment that I might want to do my own list. And so, thanks to TC's challenge, here we go...

I decided my list needed a theme or I'd just be listing hundreds of songs I think are awesome, and I started thinking about concerts I'd been to and decided to create a playlist of my top 10 (okay 15 because I couldn't narrow it down!) concert memories. They are in order by when I saw the concert...I found the best videos I could...some mine, some the official videos, some from other people...enjoy!

1 - Al Jarreau - Roof Garden - Saw him live at Red Rocks in 1984. It really doesn't get much more awesome than Red Rocks, and his voice...so pure, so perfect. Hearing this song now takes me right back to that moment.

2 - Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - Saw them in Pittsburgh in 1992 open for Jodeci who were the opener for MC Hammer. Yeah. They were brand new. And all kinds of awesome! Their harmonies were spot on and I love that I saw them when they were first starting out.

3 - Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home - Saw him in Pittsburgh in 1992 also and he did not disappoint. We lost a great voice when Luther died, and this song live was simply amazing. It can bring me to tears even today.

4 - Public Enemy - Fight the Power - They opened for U2 on the ZooTV tour, and I saw it in Chicago in 1993 (I think...maybe 1992). I probably wouldn't have gone to see them on their own but wow. They could perform! Great lyrics, great presence...still love this song.

5 - Burlap to Cashmere - Basic Instructions - This band only recently came back on the scene, and I am so glad! I saw them tour off their first album in 2000 in San Francisco (The Warfield) and I honestly don't think I've ever seen anyone play guitar like them. Their hands moved so unbelievably fast that I really thought I was seeing things. This song always reminds me of that night, and I've still never seen anyone else play like that.

6 - Third Day - Agnus Dei - I first saw Third Day in 2000 at Marine World in California, and this is the song they ended their show with. It was quite possibly the most moving experience I've ever had at a concert and thinking about it now just gave me chills. One of my all-time favorite bands who I have actually seen more than ten times now, but I will certainly never forget that first show.

7 - Train - When I Look to the Sky - In 2004 Train played 4 or 5 shows at this tiny little club in San Francisco called Cafe du Nord. It might hold 200 people. We were lucky enough to get tix for the Friday night show and wow. It was AMAZING! I could have honestly picked any song from that night, but this is one of my favorites and seeing them perform it live and being so close to them was truly great. However, the best part of the night was being handed a cd of the first two-thirds of the show when we walked out. Yeah. Very few people have that cd. So very cool.

8 - Switchfoot - On Fire - Another band that I have seen more than 10 times, and they play this at every show, but I remember the first time I saw them at The Warfield in San Francisco. Truly amazing showmen and phenomenal musicians. So much energy! This song moves me so deeply...I couldn't even describe it in words if I tried. Switchfoot live is something everyone should experience at least once.

9 - U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name - My memory of this song at a U2 concert is actually from the second time I saw them, which was in San Jose in 2005 on their Vertigo tour. I always loved this song before that show, but something about the way the stage lights moved and the swell of the crowd noise when The Edge starts playing the very famous opening riff...wow. It was spine tingling and it is now one of my absolute favorite U2 songs and the thing I remember most about that show.

10 - Matt Nathanson - Still - If you've never seen Matt in concert, make plans to do so immediately. It's so much more than just a concert. The man is hilarious and can, in one night, make me laugh until my sides hurt and bring me near tears. The performance of Still I'm remembering is from a radio show he played on Halloween at a tiny place in San Francisco called The Slide Lounge. It was about as close to perfect as a person can get. Watching his emotion as he sang the words that I knew by heart made it so much more special for me. Of course, the fact that in the middle of the show we had a 1-2 minute exchange about my phone made the night fairly memorable too...

11 - JJ Heller - Love Me - I've seen JJ perform this many times, and while I can't pinpoint a specific date, I just know that it never ceases to move me. She has since re-recorded this and renamed it What Love Really Means, but I will always know it as Love Me. The words are so pure and so real, and I can't help but think part of it was written just for me. JJ and her husband Dave are longtime friends and I can only smile when I hear their music now...could not be more happy for them.

12 - Kelly Clarkson - Sober - I saw Kelly sing this live in San Jose in late 2009 and wow. The song hadn't done a lot for me on the record but hearing it live changed my attitude completely. Simply amazing. The woman can just flat out sing.

13 - Billy Joel - Scenes from An Italian Restaurant - Hands down my favorite Billy song, and while I've seen him sing it live several times I'm remembering the last time, in San Jose in 2010. Billy is pure rock and roll and this song embodies all of it. Absolutely awesome.

14 - Elton John - Levon - I've seen Elton several times too, but I don't ever remember him performing Levon until the last time I saw him, which was in San Jose in 2010. I only need to hear the introductory notes and I'm completely lost in the song. It's always been a very moving song to me, and I will never forget him doing it live that night.

15 - Todd Carey - Photograph - Since my list was inspired by Todd I certainly couldn't leave him off of it, but believe me, he would have made it either way. In a little less than 6 months in 2010/2011 I saw TC in concert 3 times, but there is nothing I will ever remember more than him playing Photograph - my absolute favorite of his songs - in the green room in this tiny little club in DC called The Red Palace. Truly a night I will never forget.

So, there you have it...maybe I'll do another one of these some day...we'll see...

Why I have headphones...

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.

But now, she and her loudness are gone. Buh bye.

Happy.

Still delayed, but happy in the semi-silence.

Regrets...

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.


Singing ha-la-la-la-de-day...ha-la-la-la-de-day...ha-la-la-de-day...

The first step is admitting your addiction...

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.

I wonder who might be on tour in December...

So, what concerts are YOU attending this year?

Friday, can you hear me?

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!

Until then...

Of albums, iTunes, iPods, concerts and U2

In case you missed it, the new U2 album, No Line on the Horizon, came out this week. IT IS YAY!!! It only took 2 or 3 years...I've lost track. But, it was worth the wait. While I'm not sure it's quite as good as the prior album (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), I really like it's theme and the sound is vintage U2. I can't wait for the tour!

Buying this album got me thinking about the whole art of buying cds vs. downloading music. When it's U2, there's no question I'll buy the cd. I have every other album on actual cd (some on vinyl!)...I can't break the chain now, and I love to have the liner notes/booklet thing. When a friend asked if I was going to download it or buy a hard copy, it really wasn't a question for me.

There are a few other artists I feel this way about (Third Day, Switchfoot, Coldplay...I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I am thinking of right now...). However, there are many others I have no problem downloading...not because I think any less of the album, but because I started collecting their music via iTunes, and now, it just seems like the right thing to do.

What about you? Are there some artists whose album you actually need to touch, to hold, to feel?

One great thing about the real cd is that when you play it, it plays in order...in the order the artist wished for it to be played in. In this day of digital music, we really lose that concept and many times we lose the theme an artist was going for with their whole album...not just a particular song.

The shuffle in iTunes and on iPods is great...I absolutely LOVE it! But whenever I download/load a new album, I have to turn it off and listen to the album in its delivered order. To me, it really makes a difference in what the songs say and how I feel about them. Once I've listened to the album in this way a number of times, I go back to the shuffle and let the songs show up however the Pod thinks they should. I usually don't think about it again...except this week, after I loaded the new U2 album, I actually listened to the last album in its delivered order too, and it was more awesome than I remembered. I may have to be unshuffled for a while and go old school with my music listening. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else out there feel the same way I do?

One more thing before I go...thinking about the possibility of U2 coming in concert got me thinking about concerts in general and how far I'd travel to see someone...since no one ever comes to play in San Jose - ANNOYING!!! What's the limit on how far you'd travel to see your favorite band? Are some bands worth a longer distance than others?

For me, the list is U2, Third Day and Matt Nathanson - I would drive multiple hours for all of them. I'd go see them on any night, no matter what was happening the next day. Some close seconds would be Switchfoot and Bon Jovi. As luck would have it, those of us in San Jose get to make these kinds of decsions on a regular basis since so few bands come to our land. If i haven't mentioned it before, I'll mention it now...ANNOYING!!!

Well, that's it for now. Happy listening!!

And one more thing: Happy Birthday Robyn-O!

Happy New Year...the sequel

H - Here's to...

A - Arizona State's men's basketball team...may it make us forget the football season.

P - People making new starts.

P - Pucks that go in the net for the Sharks!

Y - YOU!


N - New albums (and hopefully tours!) from U2, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and others.

E - Everyone reaching whatever goals they've set.

W - Wii!


Y - (Cy) Young award winner Timmeh!

E - Enjoying time with friends and family.

A - (Tasha) Alexander's next book, Tears of Pearl.

R - Revelation...Third Day's spring tour!


Hope your new year is going well so far. I'd love to tell you that I'll be blogging more frequently in the new year, but that's just an empty promise that I have no need to make. All the best...Happy 2009!