Concerts and Weddings and Travel...oh my...

Apparently this has become a once-a-month thing...me posting an update on my life. I've been watching the blogs of a few friends lately and noticed that they are MUCH better about this than I am. Am I mad? Nah. Good for them I say. You go girls!

As usual, I have a variety of concerts on my calendar...just saw Augustana last Friday night at The Fillmore in San Francisco and am really excited to see George Michael in San Jose tomorrow. Next month it's Coldplay and in the fall, I'm going to an excellent show on the Music Builds tour...featuring Jars of Clay, the Robert Randolph Band, Switchfoot and Third Day. Seriously! Could that BE any better? The answer is NO. No it could not.

In between all of that, I'll be singing at a wedding (second one this summer) and heading to Vegas for a conference. Next month, I'm off to Boston for a meeting, and am hoping to make a quick journey to Chicago as well...that one's for fun.

Nothing else of interest to share...lots of work going on, lots of lounging too...just not much sleeping. Maybe I'll be more interesting in July...

OH! Go Celtics!! Kiss it Kobe.

Vacationing in Tennessee

Well, it's been over a month since I posted so I guess it's time. Do I have anything interesting to say? I'm not sure, but since I'm on vacation, I do have more time to think about it. Let's see...no, I really have nothing interesting to say, but let me just update you on my current state of relaxing.

I'm here in Franklin, Tennessee visiting my lovely friend Tasha whose fourth novel, A Fatal Waltz, (third in a series) comes out tomorrow. I think you must all run right out and get it! Check it out!

Mostly we've been relaxing, although we have had a few events and have a few more scheduled. On Friday morning, we journeyed to Nashville Public Television as Tasha was interviewed on A Word on Words by a very well-known journalist, John Seigenthaler. He was incredibly nice and the interview was fabulous! It was quite fun to watch the whole thing unfold.

On Friday evening, we went to a Guitar Pull and Covered Dish Dinner (pictures above) which I'd never heard of before the invitation was forwarded to me (Google it!). It was quite the event, and I would go again tomorrow if invited. Musicians showed up with their guitars (and covered dishes)...those of us that don't play things just showed up with food. Everyone meets and eats then the guitarists (and in one case a keyboard player) play/sing tunes for everyone...and in this instance, it was around a giant bonfire...very cool. Some of these musicians were quite well known, and everyone was just very nice. Great food and engaging conversations were had throughout the night.

Tasha gave a talk on Saturday about writing and her new book at a local library, and it was just great to see her in action. She charmed the crowd, answered their questions and signed books. More book signings will come throughout the week, and I really look forward to sharing the fun.

I'm also looking forward to seeing some other friends while here...the Short Family and the Hellers.

Tasha was very evil this weekend and sucked me into Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Like I needed more TV addictions? Grrr. However, I was also treated to a lovely showing of Pride and Prejudice and bowls full of popcorn and cans of Coke. Oh Mr. Darcy...

I am a little concerned about my late nights and sleeping in. It will be quite difficult to get back into the swing of things upon my return next week. Thankfully I will still have two days off when I get home. And thankfully, it's two hours earlier in California...in theory that should help me, right?

Okay, I'm getting distracted by Firefly and must return...we'll chat again soon.

Good Girls Kill for Money

Hey, check it out...I'm a guest blogger on the Good Girls Kill for Money blog.

Games people play and the music they listen to

The past few weeks have been a blur. My calendar was full of events. Games and concerts, outings with friends. Where does the time go? Since we last spoke, I've been to two more concerts and several sporting events. I've also procured tickets to a variety of other concerts. Oh yes, I'm a junkie. So, let's get it to it, shall we?

Matchbox Twenty (that's lead singer Rob Thomas in the photo). This was my first time seeing them in concert and they did not disappoint...neither did Alanis Morissette who opened for them. Great show and great seats!

Bon Jovi. This was my third time seeing them, and with the exception of their misguided tour of the country scene, they just rock! And I just really don't think it's legal to look as good as Jon Bon Jovi looks. Goodness. I wish I would have been closer so my pictures would have been worth sharing. Yum. It was great to see their opener too...Daughtry. He was a fave on American Idol a few years back, and I think it was great he didn't win that show, because his music is great...and he didn't have to record anything cheezy like the winners always do.

Sharks. Sun Devils. More Sharks. That's been my March and April and will hopefully continue into May with the Sharks...provided we make it deep into the playoffs. They'll start this week...against the hated Calgary Flames. I've got tickets for one game per round, and have vowed to put a teal streak in my hair should we make it to the final round. My Sun Devils didn't fare too well this weekend at Stanford, winning only 1 of 3. But the sun was good, and my tan is much improved.

Tomorrow, the Giants. Their season has not started well, and we don't expect much from them this year. But it's baseball, and skipping work to go to the home opener is always a good idea.

Coming soon...Mamma Mia, Alicia Keys and George Michael.

Anyway, better go to bed and rest up for the big day. We'll chat again soon...

Meeting Matt Nathanson...

Earlier this week, I got to meet one of my favorite artists...Matt Nathanson. If you haven't heard his music, I highly recommend that you check it out! He's a great singer songwriter, and so gracious with his fans. He signed and took photos with so many people after his show at The Warfield in San Francisco this week. This was my third time seeing him, and he did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I completely lost my voice and now have some version of a cold lingering on. I'm not as young as I used to be. Dangit!

As most of you know, I'm a bit of a concert junkie, and this was my 2nd concert of 2008...two more on the books. In February, I saw Barry Manilow. That's right. Barry Manilow. I like him. And it was fabulous and cheezy...just as I expected it to be. Matt was actually the opener for Lifehouse when I saw him last week. Lifehouse was great too. Coming soon: Matchbox Twenty and Bon Jovi...and as a bonus, Daughtry is opening for Bon Jovi! I can't wait! I'm on the lookout for more great shows later this year...four just won't be enough.

In other news, I'm heading to Vegas on Monday (ugh) to present at a conference. That should be fun without a voice. I really hope it returns by then. I'm doing my best not to talk this weekend in order to let it rest. Do you know how hard it is to NOT talk? You can't talk to your friends, you can't talk to your family, you can't make snarky comments at your favorite TV characters. It's really quite maddening. I don't recommend it. It's probably a good thing the Sharks game wasn't on TV last night because I think I would have been frustrated to not yell/cheer. Thankfully they won without my input. :-)

Okay, total non-sequitor here, but have you tried the Orange Chicken from Trader Joe's? It is seriously YUM! This was my first try, and I'm hooked. Maybe it's the cold talking, but I really don't think so. Go get some today!

Alright. That's it for now. We'll chat again soon.