i'm trying to take your advice...

i am. it's not going very well at the moment, i'm afraid. but i'll keep trying...

 

(that was such a fun night, too...)

So Much Awesome In Only 52 (or so) Hours

i believe i'll bullet-point the weekend for convenience's sake, so here we go. all this for $10 and a tank of gas...

• friday i found out i won tickets to the incredible burt wonderstone through a friend's website. (if you don't know drew, and are a fan of magic and/or theatricality, go here.) this meant i got to get out of my house (for free!) and catch up with some old friends. the movie was actually much better than i expected, i met some cool new people, and i may have made a tutoring connection. excellent all-around evening.

• saturday morning i worked, as usual. but because one of my students cancelled, i got out an hour early and had time to take a nap.  i picked up c around 6 and we headed out to melbourne for a st. patrick's day street party. we scored rock star parking (for only $5 - which is seriously impressive if you're used to living in orlando) and headed over. it was a typical small-town street party: not terribly exciting, but rife with outstanding people-watching opportunities. and people with monumental mustaches. 

• the whole point of traveling to melbourne, of course, was to see cowboy mouth. if you don't know my love for this band, well, clearly we've not met. and you don't read this blog. they put on one of the best live shows you'll ever see. and they delivered, as usual. which is extra amazing when you consider that they just played d.c. 10 hours earlier to kick off the rock and roll marathon. so they were clearly tired and road-weary and all the rest, and still kicked ass. i wasn't sure what to expect crowd-wise, but there were several fans there, so that was cool. also, because the stage was tiny and we were up front (because where else would i be?), we were thisclose to the band - which made for even more interaction than usual. so much awesome. cm shows are such a catharsis, and since the past month or so has been one big ball of stress, i was overdue for a good release. 

• sometime saturday i learned via twitter that neil gaiman and amanda palmer were trying to do a ninja gig somewhere in sarasota on sunday. this is just over 2 hours away from me, and i waffled back and forth for hours sunday morning. do i go? can i really justify two road trips in one weekend? i mean, my little car is the most awesome piece of vehicular machinery ever (no hyperbole; just truth), but it is getting older and i hate adding to its stress. finally, i decided that if i didn't go, i'd probably regret it. and i was right. the show was at 2 at ringling college, and i figured i should probably leave at 11. after all the back-and-forthing with myself, i ended up leaving around 11:30. traffic was going well and i was feeling confident i'd arrive with enough time to figure out where on the campus i was going, when i4 came to a dead stop. absolute parking lot. for about 45 minutes. eventually it cleared, and i hurried on, afraid i'd miss the show. i arrived about 35 minutes late, just as neil began reading a selection. there's something innately magical about listening to an author read his own work to a spell-bound crowd. i'm sure the fact that it was neil gaiman reading only intensified the effect. afterward, he and amanda took questions from the crowd, which ranged from, "can you help me repair a friendship i messed up?" to "do you guys have to deal with carpel tunnel?" the conversation between them and the crowd went from inspirational to silly to philosophical and was lovely. i was interested (and pleased) to note that when amanda asked the audience, "who feels like they are doing what they are meant to do?", i found my self raising my hand and (more importantly) believing it. i may barely be making ends meet, and i may not be doing ALL of what i'm meant to, but i'm certainly doing some good. q & a ended, amanda sang a fantastic song about the power of the ukulele and, much too soon, it was all over. afterward, there was a group photo - with ukuleles, clearly - and i even got a selfie with neil. i totally had a (mostly internal) fangirl-like moment, which is SO not me, but it happened. his works have had a great impact on my life, from the first Death comic a friend gave me when i was a teenager, to his novels that make me think and question, to the short stories i once taught my 9th graders at CHS. and so i squee'd inside for a good hour afterward (and out loud in my car once for good measure). 

• one of the most unexpected and excellent things that came of this gig happened at the book table. amanda encouraged a book swap, so i found 6 books - mostly from my old classroom library - to go on to better lives. one of these books was dealing with dragons by patricia c. wrede. as the books tumbled out of my bag to join the others on the table, the girl next to me let out a gasp and touched dealing with dragons reverently. "i haven't read this since i was a kid! oh, cimorene..." "it's yours," i said. "done. take it." i could tell by the look on her face that she had just been reunited with a childhood best friend. it was heartwarming to see her reaction, to know that others are just as deeply affected by a stranger's words as i am. i loved seeing someone react to a book the way i would react to seeing a ramona quimby, age 8 or so you want to be a wizard. and i'm so glad i was able to give that reunion to her, because i know what it would've meant to me. (and now i've got to go find another copy of that book; truth be told, i don't think i'd ever actually read it, and seeing the reaction it garnered? definitely deserves a perusal.)

• after all that, i decided to head to a beach. i was right on the coast, after all, and shorelines are my grounding places. so i went and i walked and i breathed; and then i shook the sand off my feet and put my chucks back on and went home. 

so that was my weekend. random and joyous and unexpected, and so very much what i needed. i did end up with a narrow - but very angry - strip of sunburn on my neck from the i4 incident. it's not pretty, and i'm just hoping it doesn't blister. but that's insignificant. (at least to the weekend, if not to my skin.) my pile of good stuff far outweighed my pile of bad stuff, and i am very, very grateful for it.

Days Don't Get Much Better

so this friday? pretty much a perfect day.  not even the random fallout of small, bitey crustaceans hitching a ride in my car and ravaging my legs and any other uncovered skin for a few days ruined the awesomeness.

sometimes i have questionable ideas, and i thought (as i drove east-bound at quarter-to-5 in the morning) that getting up WAY before the crack of dawn to drive to the beach for sunrise was one of them.  turns out, it was an excellent idea. this was my view as i arrived:

i went to playalinda beach on the space coast. there was NO ONE. anywhere. at all. sometime around 9 am, i finally had some neighbors, waaaaaaaaaaaaay down the beach. it was blissful. after watching the sunrise and eating a cupcake for breakfast, i read for a little while. 

afterwards, i drove through a wildlife preserve, and admired the local flora and fauna. i actually saw a baby bobcat on the way to the preserve, but wasn't quick enough to catch it with my camera.

then i headed home, but not before discovering an adorable little gluten-free bakery in cocoa.

home, shower, nap. i got up, all refreshed-like, and got ready to go out. agr was playing at the hard rock hotel, out by the pool. so i threw on a sundress, actually did my hair and put on make up, and met up with charissa and ivana. turns out, there was some rum-sponsored party happening out there by the pool, and as such we got two free drinks for the evening, just for showing up. excellent. i got to hang out, listen to some of my favorite musicians, hang out with eric for a bit, and just generally relax and chill. at some point, c decided she wanted to jump in the pool, but she was wearing jeans. we reasoned that if she jumped in with a tank top and underwear, she'd be perfectly acceptable. but she still hemmed and hawed. so i offered to jump in, too. i mean, why not? i had a dress on, so it didn't seem like that big a deal. so we did. because we're ridiculous.

and spent the rest of the time listening to the band whilst in the pool. thoroughly enjoyable day.

This Song Makes Me Feel Better About Life

also, my friends rock. literally.





(go check them out here. and go buy a cd!)

A Little Musical Wisdom

You remember there's more than this
There always was and always is
Tend the artist in your charges, you are full invested

Rise up your dead

There's life in the old girl yet

-indigo girls

p.s. do yourself a favor and create a "cowboy mouth" station on pandora. even if you don't know who they are. especially if you don't know. it is a most awesome station... trust me.

FMF FTW!

the past thursday, friday, and saturday nights found me in downtown orlando bouncing from venue to venue for the florida music festival. great live music, bad band names (arnon armoth, anyone?), good friends, fantastic people-watching opportunities... all in all an amazing 3 days.

we all know i'm a live-music junkie as it is, so what better way to spend some time than watching some old favorites and discovering awesome new (well, new to me) bands?

people who don't suck:

(click on the name, and it will take you to a video...)

minus the bear

easy star all-stars

thomas wynn and the believers

tayler buono (not bad for a 17-year-old...)

the lighter exchange (featuring a friend who is also frontman for agr)

big 10-4

and of course, better than ezra. because you just gotta love kevin and the band. they're big fat dorks who happen to be excellent musicians. and they like getting up on a stage and playing with the audience. for example, as seen below: "if you have any troubles with fast-moving stuff, like flashing lights or strobes, and it makes you dizzy or you fall down... you might want to avert your eyes from my fretboard, because what you're about to see might just blow your mind!" (you may want to turn the sound down a bit - it's not the best quality. but still entertaining to watch...)

What Would Happen If Ray Bradbury, David Bowie, Ayn Rand, and Metallica Got Together and Made a Book

i have started reading radio freefall by matthew jarpe, and really, the title of this blog is the best way i can think to describe it. it's intriguing and interesting, a rock 'n roll take on the future of the human race. it's smart, clever, and funny; it doesn't spoon-feed you, but allows you to connect the dots from our current state of affairs to the book's setting in 2031, giving you enough info to understand what's going on without spelling out everything in tedious exposition. i'm about 100 pages in, and i'm hooked. i'm not entirely sure where everything is going, and that's hard to find - something i love in a story, as long as the ending doesn't suck. if you like any and/or all of the things in the title, i suggest you give a try...

Well, Apparently The Answer Is "You Don't" When It Involves Me...

went and saw cowboy mouth this weekend with kristin and her sister... and i promise to detail the as-per-usual kick-ass-iness of the show at a later date, but i just needed to share some of these lyrics as they keep going 'round my head.

how do you tell someone (you don't love them)

Michael says don't shout at me like I was born a fool
You speak of love and scream of love now dare to treat me cruel
Nothings fair in love and war, so please lets make some rules,
There's a little boy who's cryin' over here

Did you ever know me, I swear that I have tried
did you ever need me, I feel like I just died
Did you ever want me, I swear that I have tried
How do you tell someone you don't love them
How do you tell someone you don't care anymore
How do you tell someone you don't love them anymore

Tina says I wish that I had never seen you smile
your name is written on my soul in alphabetic file
all I've got's my dignity, so I will leave in style
there's a million of us crying over here

everytime I talk to you there's no one listening
everytime I reach for you there's no one there
everywhere I look for you there's no one to be found

if you'd like to listen to the song (it's a great song) click here.

Drowned

tim minchin is my new current obsession... he's brilliant and funny and talented - not a combination you find very often anymore. i've been listening and watching and downloading everything i can find; i stumbled across this and the beauty (and the fact that it cuts close) brought tears to my eyes. (this is just the audio - and a random still... but worth listening to.)

What, What, WHAT??

c has just informed me - and i went to the website to confirm it - that steven page is "parting company" with the rest of the barenaked ladies. i don't know how to feel about this. i mean, obviously i'm kinda upset about it; but the rest of them are going back into the studio in a few months to record some new stuff, so that's good, right? but is steve going to be in orlando with everyone else when i see them next weekend? i hope so... and i'd like to think he'd like to do one more show with them before bowing out. eeks...

and is it wrong of me to be glad that if it's anyone, it's steve and not ed?

NYE in D.C. - A Photo Essay (Part 2 - The Freaks Come Out at Night)

the evening was in full swing. most of the party-goers had arrived, and if their behavior was any indication, i'd say most of them had drunk themselves into oblivion before setting foot downstairs. c and i wandered into the comedy room because i needed to sit for a while, and seating was extremely limited. we watched a couple of sets; the first comic we saw was quite funny (and i'm totally stealing two of his bits), but the second one just wasn't funny. we left the room and took the cheesy "official" photo - complete with bad cruise ship staircase background. we also took one with (a cardboard cutout of) obama, but unfortunately it didn't come out well. sad... ah, well. then we went back into the main ballroom, snagged another drink, and decided to people watch. we both love people-watching, and trust me when i say that this was one the best opportunities to do so, possibly ever.

typical non-creative heavy drinkers
the official website - as well as dc 101, the radio station that sponsored it - claimed that the event drew a "mid-to-late-twenties to mid-thirties" crowd. however, i think they lied. there were an awful lot of college kids and newly 21-year-olds there, and while that is fine and all, it just drastically changes the atmosphere; hence, all the drunken fools who couldn't walk straight even though it was only 10 pm. fun to watch, not as fun to interact with. ah, well. there were some seriously interesting people to watch, so it wasn't a total loss. because drunk college students? yeah, they do all sorts of ridiculous, embarrasing, and stupid things. like drink so much that you puke all over the floor in the middle of the hallway. (luckily i didn't witness this - unfortunately, c got that honor.) or being so oblitterated that you (a guy) try to use the women's restroom, can't understand why you're being yelled at to leave, and then fall over and can't get up so that a host of police officers and security have to go in and drag your ass out. (at least he was very cooperative and amiable. and he was hot, which was unfortunate, because the drunken stupidity totally cancelled it out.) or getting your long gown caught on the escalator and having several security and maintenance workers trying to free you without ruining your dress or making you naked. (hi, common sense: if you have a full-length skirt, you have to lift it up while on an escalator. not hard and plus they had people reminding girls of that on all floors.) there were lots of girls who clearly had not attempted moving, sitting, or even breathing in their dress before purchasing and wearing in public. either boobs were popping out while dancing, asses were hanging out, or things simply did not fit well. just... eeks. did no one teach these girls to twist, move, jump, and dance around in a dress before purchasing? because there were also the girls that clearly weren't comfortable - oh, they looked amazing, but they spent the evening standing stoically, carful not to wrinkle, bend, or take deep breaths, because they couldn't. i promise, ladies, it's possible to look awesome AND be comfortable. you should try it next time.

midnight balloon drop - we weren't here

meanwhile, it was coming up to midnight. c and i made the executive decision to stay outside the main ballroom instead of rushing in to be squished next a couple thousand drunken strangers just to watch a bunch of balloons drop. like i said, new year's is just not that big a deal for me, and besides, we were sitting down in a prime-people-watching spot. plus c's killer black and gold stillettos were starting to, well, kill her. it should be mentioned at this point that no matter how much pain c was in, she did not take her shoes off. i mean, we've all been guilty of it at one time or another, but you just don't walk barefoot around a hotel when there are open bars and people puking. you just don't take that risk. by midnight, i'd estimate that about a third of all the girls attending had taken off their shoes and were now lurching about with them in one hand and a drink in the other. there was a plethora of snagged tights and pantyhose, and these girls just didn't care anymore. some took them off and tossed them in the garbage, some continued to wear the tattered garments; one girl (and c witnessed this) had her shoes off, stepped in the puke from the previously-mentioned yakker, then - instead of immediately taking them off and scrubbing the first layer of skin from her feet - she simply ripped the bottom of the hose and rolled them up so that she had dipped-in-puke flesh-colored leggings. EW.

last thing in this installment, courtesy of c: the last-chance hook-up bathroom trolling. i swear i'm not making this up. aparently, this is the thing to do if you are a guy who, by the end of the night, has not found a girl drunk enough to sleep with you:

step one: hang out outside the women's restroom.
step two: evaluate each emerging female based on drunkeness.

step three: when you find one sufficiently intoxicated (stumbling is a good indicator) approach her casually, making it look as though you just happen to be passing by. if she's appropriated schnockered, i'm sure she won't remember seeing you on her way in.

step four: proceed to hit on her, making sure to lean on her so you can remain upright.

step five: if she is willing, lead her back to your hotel room upstairs. (and let's hope you have a hotel room, because you should really not be driving)

step six: if she is unwilling, walk away from her, mutter some choice expletives, and resume with step one.

seriously. c saw it happening while i was still rocking out with cowboy mouth, and once she pointed it out, i saw it for myself. yikes.

hopefully, most people stayed at the hotel...

NYE in D.C. - A Photo Essay (Part 1 - It Starts)

i usually don’t make a big deal out of new year’s eve; mostly, this is because new year’s (much like my birthday) seems destined to suck. also, I have found that my personal new year’s eve seems to be Oct. 31 – for whatever reason, that’s when my year-long cycle seems to end, ready to start again on Nov. 1. but this year was different, and thank heavens for that. my friend c came up to visit me and we decided to go to d.c.’s official “downtown celebration” event. It was a little pricey, but it included open bars, food, a chance to dress in a theme, and – most importantly – cowboy mouth.

first up: costume design. the official dress code was “creative black tie”; they equated this to what you might wear to the mtv music awards – formal, but funkiness was encouraged. no problem. c and I headed out to the malls and such in search of appropriately fabulous attire. We weren’t exactly sure what we were looking for… we figured maybe an ethnic theme, like Chinese or Indian, or a period theme, like 20’s or 50’s. after combing potomic mills (the nation’s largest outlet mall), we found ourselves at a loss. we really didn’t want to spend a lot, and we also didn’t want cookie-cutter formal wear. then we stumbled across a random kiosk in the middle of the mall. a lovely woman of indeterminate asian decent was selling a mix of Chinese and middle eastern clothing and accessories. c found a lovely read Chinese dress, and I found a fantastical black scarf-like thingie with bright pink embroidery and sequins. and so we had our themes: c’s was “asian” and mine became “bollywood.” c found a pair of kick-ass black and gold heels, gold jewelry, and a sparkly red flower to wear in her hair. oh, and a fan (hey, we're all about props). i found a pink corset, long black skirt, and silver jewelry. we were set.

c, the asian princess me in my bollywood finery

a creative jacket choice (the only)

of course, we were two of only four people (out of a few thousand) who new how to interpret "creative black tie." everyone else was wearing general mall-bought cocktail-wear. i mean, there were a few really fabulous formal dresses and some equally fantabulous shoes, but for the most part, it was a sea of unimaginative party-goers. (sidebar: while there were several amazing shoe choices, not one of the girls who chose them could walk in them. they all walked around like truck drivers, or like first-time stilt-walkers, or 5-year-olds playing dress up in their mother's shoes. just disgraceful. it's not that hard, people. and if you can't walk in them, don't wear them, the end.) so we stuck out, but it's not like we're not used to that. it was a good kind of sticking-out, anyway, because people came up to us all night, telling us how awesome we looked and how hot we were. always good for the ego...

a pre-party starbucks (note the wristband)

apparently - and we've noticed this before - when c and i are out in public together, we seem to attract the freaks. seriously, it's like we both have one-half of a neon sign that says "come talk to us, freaky people!" that combines and lights up when we're together. it's like the bad wonder-twin power. it started in line. when we arrived downtown and parked, we found ourselves almost two (nyc) blocks away. seeing as it was below freezing, and we were wearing skirts and heels, we took a cab to the hyatt. yes, my friends, we were those people. we entered the hotel, picked up our event tickets, went through the registration - where they proceeded to brand us with a florescent orange wristband (really? it's black tie and you're just going to ruin the effect with day-glo jewelry?) - and had a pre-party starbucks before we were let in. as 8:30 approached, we went to stand in (a ridiculously long) line to head down the escalator to the main party areas. enter becky.

becky was a pert little 23-year-old who had obviously been to a very generous pre-party. she started by telling us how hot we looked and how no one else was as creative as us (well, duh), and insinuated herself in line with us. of course, she hadn't gotten her wristband yet, so she needed to be in another line altogether, but it took a while to convince her of that. becky had apparently come with some neighbors of hers, and although she was technically there with a guy, she had somehow found him lacking and had ditched him. before they had even gotten in to the party. we lost her as we went downstairs and she had to get her

wristband, but she appeared behind us in line for the coat check. she then - rambling drunkenly - proceeded to follow us around while we were checking out the venues. there was a sports bar/karaoke bar, a ballroom set up to be a club, a comedy room, and the stage venue where cowboy mouth and two other bands would perform. set up in both the stage and club areas were buffets of nibbly things, and bars were set up throughout the three (yes, three) levels of the hotel that were being used. halfway through the club area, and heading into our second drinks, we somehow lost becky, and i can't say that i was that sad about it. i mean, she was completely entertaining at first, but after a while, it kinda felt like my annoying little sister had decided to tag along. anyway, with that presence gone, we decided to hit the food tables and chow down.

to be continued....

c and becky, in line

I Am A Lousy Groupie

you know i love my music, and especially my live music. i also love my ridiculously talented friends who make music for us and for themselves. i go to shows when I can, dragging others with me, and i’m constantly sharing their music with others who I think might enjoy it. and i suppose i can blame it on being poor, and being a little stressed with the moving stuff, but the truth is I’ve missed the last couple of afterglow and junkie rush shows, as well as those of other assorted local bands. also – and this is the big reason that i’m a sucky groupie – i have yet to buy the new agr cd. after harassing (in good fun, of course) jeremy and eric because the cd was delayed for a few months, i find myself without it even though it’s been out for a while now. i need to get back on the ball. and what with the possible move, i need to get in as much local band time as possible. of course, maybe that just means they need to go on tour to northern Virginia…

Summer of Music

if you know me, you know that music is a constant in my life. i can't make it (well, i probably could, but i'll leave that to people who have actual talent there), but i can dance to it, sing along to it in the car, and just generally rock out to it. i do this as often as possible. and yes, i own hundreds of cds, and thousands of tracks, but my favorite way to listen to music is live and in person. i love it - i love the energy of the band, and the energy of the crowd, and how those energies flow back and forth. anyone can sound good on a studio recording after production wizards have done their stuff, but it takes true talent to create your own music and make it sound awesome on a stage in the middle of hundreds of people.

it has been an excellent summer for live music. well, for me anyway. i don't know what you've been doing, but i have been delighting in a smorgasbord of melodious pastiche. (okay, yes, that metaphor was completely ridiculous, but whatever.)

just after school let out - the day after, actually - john and i went out to tampa to see the cure. his sister denise joined us and we rocked out to a blissfully made-up robert smith and his current bandmates. rob and kristin joined me for some cowboy mouth shenanigans in july. (and, yes, i remembered the red spoons this time!) liberally sprinkled throughout the summer were shows by afterglow radio and junkierush. (incidentally, agr just released their first full-length cd, and you should definitely pick it up - awesome stuff!) but the best of the summer music extravaganza was at the (formerly star-lake) amphitheatre just outside of pittsburgh.

the police with elvis costello and the imposters.

i don't even think i have to mention how awesome this show was. i'm not sure i even have the words to describe its awesomeness, and i'm the girl who just used the phrase "delighting in a smorgasbord of melodious pastiche" earlier in this blog. it was my first time witnessing both these bands, and it was totally worth the ridiculous ticket price. (well worth the ticket i bought for dad as his birthday present, too) elvis costello is, of course, a musical

genius and he and the imposters are just plain fun on stage. the police, suffice it to say, were brilliant. it was so relaxed on stage - it was obvious they were having fun and enjoying themselves. i'm going to go out on a limb here and say it was probably better than the last tour they went on before they split. there were no egos, no tension... and since they've already stated that they have no plans to reform or recordany new music, there was no pressure of longevity. just three amazingly gifted musicians out there doing what they love. sting sounded better than ever - and the fact that i find a man old enough to be my father sexy is just a testament to his talent as a performer. he owns the stage and the audience. andy summers occasionally broke into mind-bending guitar solos, and steward copeland is simply amazing. he (with his nine-gazillion piece percussion kit) was as fun to watch as listen to.

so, yay, live music! may there be more on the horizon!

Never a Dull Moment

it's summer. i have a LOT of free time on my hands. so it was with this in mind that i decided to go to clearwater on friday, then swing up to new port richie for an afterglow show. of course, my body being tempramental and all, i was not motivated at all to head to clearwater early in the afternoon. i was, however, easily persuaded to go see wall-e, which is a whole 'nuther story involving a cute movie, a broken air conditioner, and a packed house. suffice it to say that i needed to go back to my house and shower before heading out.

at this point, it's 6:00. i call a friend who lives out in that general area who i haven't seen in forever, and procede to talk to him for a half-hour. 6:30. he had to work at 5 the next morning, so no show for him. everyone else was out due to visiting relatives and other plans, and at that moment the sloths decided to attack. (if i haven't explained that yet, i'll do so in another blog.) nearly 7. obviously, i'm not getting to clearwater first. new port richie is about an hour and 45 minutes away from me. i was debating not going at all, but i already bought tickets and - let's be honest here - what else was i going to do, sleep some more? i needed to get out of the house, so i threw on some make-up (full kabuki since i'd be in public) and headed out.

It was an interesting evening to say the least. i'm pretty sure my hair did not meet the height requirement and my jeans weren't tight enough, but they let me in anyway. the space was pretty decent (bourbon street nightclub, if i didn't mention it); two full bar areas, darts, several pool tables, a "cafe" area, plenty of seating, and a decent stage area. and it was chock full of interesting characters.

let me preface this by saying that i having nothing against hanging out on my own. i have no problems going to a movie, out to eat, or to show by myself. i'm an observer - i'm perfectly happy to people watch and file away the senarios playing out around me. i generally tuck myself into a corner or along the bar and hang out. however, on friday night, unbeknownst to me, i apparently had a large neon flashing light above my head that said, "all wierdos come by and talk to me!" i don't know who plugged this sign in for me (or where, thank you eric) but i kinda wish they'd talked to me first. or warned me at least.

first up was the obligatory foreign i'm-here-to-hit-on-any-and-every-woman-here guy. i don't know where these guys come from (this one sounded eastern european) or whether thy're aware that they're a trite cliche, but nothing seems to phase them. after being shot down by me (really? your second question is "you're here with just friends, no husband?" apparently a boyfriend wouldn't have slowed him down...), he moved on to other targets. next up was a guy - harmless, obviously not trying to pick me up, and possibly high - who was talking to me, but didn't really seem to need my input in the conversation. he would bring up things and then answer them, watching me but really just having a conversation with himself. it was... odd.

the most random conversation of the night came after the older guy next to me asked me to watch his (pitcher of) beer while he ran to the bathroom. no problem. i was unaware, however, that watching someone's beer for 2 minutes instantly made you a close personal friend. i learned all sorts of educational things: how much money you can make off of selling scrap copper (a lot, apparently), the mechanics of a drill bit, and that you can pull in $75 an hour doing landscaping - and that's just doing the trees. i waited till he was distracted by ordering another pitcher (because clearly he hadn't had enough) and made my escape to the other bar.

most of the rest of the night passed relatively routinely. the main band - 12 stones - took the stage and i found them to be quite enjoyable. the lead singer made me giggle. alot. i know most of you have not seen cowboy mouth in concert (and really, fix that would you? they're amazing and p.s. they're playing at bb king's at point orlando the 25th. just saying...) but this guy was fred leblanc on crack. fred - lead singer and drummer for cowboy mouth - is probably the most upbeat and positive guy you will ever meet. but don't let that fool you. if you are not having fun, if you are not standing up and clapping and having a good time, he will call your ass out on it, and likely stand over you with a microphone until you do. (please see past blog from january to clarify.) 12 stone's lead singer? a tad crazier and more vocal, if that's possible. my favorite crowd admonition was, "okay, so who out there is at their very first rock show tonight? yeah? one guy? alright, what the HELL is the problem with the rest of you? act like you're at a rock show, would ya?"

best part of the night came when i was heading home. there's a 24-hour drive-through starbucks in new port richie, so i stopped for an iced caramel machiato (soy and decaf) for my ride home. and sidebar, why does new port ritchie have a 24-hour drive-through starbucks when there is no such thing anywhere near me in orlando, one of the largest tourist destinations in the world? anyway, i waited at the pick-up window for a while. when the barrista (is it a barristo if it's a guy?) opened the window to give me my drink, he refused to let me pay for it because apparently he kept messing it up and kept having to start over. really? i wasn't waiting that long, but whatever... yay, free starbucks!

see the shenanigans you miss out on when you don't hang out with me?

Eat Your Heart Out, Kevin Hearn

my hands hurt. it hurts to type this a little. my arms hurt too. i feel as though i just did 6 back-to-back track a shows. (for those of you non-disney/non-puppeteer types, this means my shoulders are a little tense and the muscles of my forearms and right hand are starting to cramp up.) i have actually bruised the pads of my index, middle, and ring fingers on my right hand; they scream something fierce if i push down on them.

what, you may be asking, did she do to herself this time? is it a bad fibro day (please see past blogs for clarification)? did she find some sort of steep staircase to throw herself down? was she hanging on for dear life off a precipice with just her upper body strength to save her? (okay, i know that if my life depended on my upper body strength, i'd be a gonner in 20 seconds) no, it was much more strenuous than any of that.

rob and i discovered guitar hero III for the wii.

yes, we are dorks. yes, we spent the better part of 8 hours testing our shredding skills (that's what it's called, right?) to the tune of weezer, guns n roses, and social distortion. and yes, i'm now finding it hard to type because of this. but my band (eurema's cinnamon) just finished it's tour of tokyo. and rob's band (the burning retinas) completed the whole set list on easy.

by the way, have you played this game? granted, i play left-handed because for some odd reason the wiring between the musical section of my brain and my hands is mixed up, but this stuff is hard. the songs on medium are too difficult for me, and it's proving challenging to rob. there's still hard and expert. i'll wager even brian may would have difficulties with the hard or expert settings. i wonder if it's harder or easier for people who already know how to play a guitar. i mean, on one hand, you're used to strumming with one hand and chording with the other, but it's not like you're actually playing real chords - you're just pushing colored buttons. anyone got an answer for that one?

so i need to take a few days off from band rehearsal so my hands can heal. ah, the things we musicians suffer through for our art....

I Haven't Had This Much Fun in Such a Long, Long Time...

i admit it. feeling so crappy for so long has made me a bit of a wallower. i'm so tired and fatigued that i can't imagine making any extra effort in my life. this includes going out with friends. (not to mention the monumental effort it takes to get ready to go out...) often, i'll make plans but end up sleeping through them, or just not feel like doing anything. i almost did this tonight.

thank god i didn't.

my friend kristin sent me a text yesterday saying that cowboy mouth would be playing at point orlando. i love me some cowboy mouth, but unfortunately the one other person who knows who they are currently resides on the wrong coast. luckily, kristin is from louisianna and therefore knows and likes the nola band. we met up and then headed over to point orlando. the show was at the new b.b. king blues club; we had "reserved seating", and i had no idea what this meant. surely we wouldn't be sitting down to watch cowboy mouth? i've never been to a cm show where you were allowed to sit down even if you could. fred would simply not let that happen. happily, there was a small "dance floor" area in front of the stage, so i crowded in with other fans who knew what to expect. the rest stayed in their seats. (and some complained that they paid for seats and then couldn't see because we were in their way. really? stand up then and act like you came to see a rock show and not a lounge act at the four seasons.) they later regretted this mistake.

if you've never seen cowboy mouth live - or maybe you've never even heard of them - there are a few things that you should know.
1. a cowboy mouth show is quite possibly one of the most positive, most freeing, and most fun experiences you will ever have. seriously. it's like a religious experience, without any of the preachy stuff.
2. it is all about being glad to be alive and enjoying life and not taking crap from anyone and believing in yourself and being happy.
3. if you sit down or look at your watch or fail to clap - and fred catches you - you will be made fun of until you fix your attitude. (as several people found out tonight...)
4. being at the show is a workout in and of itself.
5. you will never ever leave feeling upset or sad, no matter what problems you have or what mood you came in with.

it was exactly what i needed.

i clapped, i bounced, i sang, i jumped, i waved my arms in the air, i danced, i screamed, and i most definitely let it all go. i'm sure i'll pay tomorrow for over-exerting myself, but it was well worth it. for about 2 hours i was able to feed off the energy of the band and the crowd, and i almost felt normal again. what a great way to spend the night. (even if i did forget to bring red spoons...)