Tag Archives: music

Getting.it.together.

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Hello folks! This week is about cleaning up my act, getting back in the swing of life, and unpacking my suitcase for long enough that I actually put it away and have to pull it back out. Some random things to tell you:

1. Last night Jeff and I made mozzarella sticks from scratch. Pictures to come, obviously.

2. There are a lot of birthdays coming up: Mary’s, Katie’s, Brittany’s, Liz’s, Jeff’s…you get the idea. Looks like I have some gifts to find.

3. My dad is graduating this weekend, which is why I went home last weekend in the first place! It was nice to celebrate with him and the rest of my family when I was home, and I am ever so proud of him.

4. When I was home, I went through a lot of my old stuff in an effort to help my parents downsize. Things I got rid of? Middle school notes, high school notes, books from classes, and random bottles of sand…

5. I saw a friend this past weekend I haven’t seen since 1999. We had a lovely breakfast in Chicago and chatted all the live long day (or for two hours, I’m not sure which.) Mary, as always, it was delightful to see you.

6. Also discovered? My CD collection, which means I have new jams on my computer, including but not limited to: TLC (Fanmail), Sheryl Crow (C’mon, C’mon), Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory), and Barenaked Ladies (Stunt.)

Looks like I have some listening to do.

As the week comes down off this Wednesday high, I have the following things to look forward to: laundry to clean, recipes to make, cakes to bake, parties to attend, children to coach. Here’s to the week being half-way done.

 

Friday morning (afternoon) things.

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I can’t seem to keep my shoes on at work (or home for that matter) for more than ten minutes.

This often results in the following conversation:

“Incoming!” (Liz says from her seat behind my desk.)

“But I’m not wearing any shoes!” I rush to find my shoes under/around my desk. Usually I am at least wearing socks, if nothing else.

Inevitably about 80% of the time I don’t find my shoes in time, and I end up having to talk to people in my socks or bare feet. This doesn’t, however, make me wear my shoes any more often.

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This weekend I went to the Songkran Festival with Cricket. It is the Thai new year celebration. Here are some photographs.

 

Our delicious lunch. We also shared a bag of fried bananas.

There was live music everywhere!

Some of the girls that danced for a large audience. They were so lovely.

This is my Buddha pose. In Thailand, you pray to your Buddha pose that is the day of the week you were born on, and also give donation to that Buddha. I was born on Monday. Here are the rest.

This is a radish carved into a flower. Vegetable and fruit carving is very traditional to Thailand, and history points its origins to this country.

This is a fish carved out of fruit. Amazing!

More music!

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After the festival, I walked home. I had the camera with me, and four miles to kill, so here’s what I found.

 

This is a bee for Melissa. Real flower. Real bee. He was funny.

There he goes. Pollinators are so cool!

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This is why I love living in California. Fruit baskets straight from a citrus tree.

 

 

Gotta keep this beat alive…

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[Alternative Title: Why I Love LA.]

Tonight I got home. I washed the dishes in the sink. I ate some leftovers with Corelyn, divvied up our CSA. Then we moved to the bathroom, put on some makeup, waited for Megan, and…walked to a Hanson concert. An outdoor Hanson concert, given the 75 degree weather tonight.

Hanson was the musical guest for Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Fun fact – they don’t always do the music “live” — they film it live and that guest is the guest another night. So the “inside” part is truly live, and the musical guest is not. Questions I have for them: do they keep track of the tie that Jimmy wears and make sure he wears it again the night that he films the inside stuff for the Hanson show? can I be the person who keeps track of that?)

Jimmy Kimmel Live happens to shoot one block from my apartment. So we walked up, where our friend P got us in (no lines, no waiting, no nothing!) and we just strolled to the waiting area for the show (parking lot by day.) Hanson eventually came on, but not before we made friends with some of the Jimmy Kimmel crew. They laughed as I spewed off facts about the Hanson brothers — one, Matt, even suggested I get a pick, a drumstick, and maybe hang out with them later. I, of course, planned on doing all of the above.

Then we were informed by P that Jimmy Kimmel would be standing on “that platform over there” so we meandered over. I, of course, pushed my way to the front of the velvet ropes around the small platform, so as to be in prime location for the moment that Jimmy introduced the boys. As the PA or whoever he was kept bringing people over to be front and center, I held my ground behind Jimmy. When the camera turned on, I was smiling and looked straight into the eyes of America (look out for me next week, I’ll let you know when!)

Then of course, Taylor, Isaac, and Zac came out. They played:

*Give a Little
*Waiting for This
*Thinkin’ Bout Somethin’
*And I Waited

There was dancing, and after the second song the pressure of keeping the cheers was off (this was, after all, just the part for the web) and we could let loose and dance!

Afterward, the guys came out to high five and shake hands, but Phil offered to take us backstage, where PA boy who tried to move me outta camera’s way asked us where we were going before realizing we were with P. “Don’t worry, we’re just wondering around, it’s fine,” I told him. We stood backstage, where Matt asked how the day was.

“Everything I wanted. More,” I stated. Matt smiled, and laughed, and walked off to do some cool job I didn’t even know existed. But then, a few minutes, Matt came back. With picks. From Hanson. “I didn’t have much luck with the drumstick,” he laughed as he walked away…

Needless to say, the rest of the night was mostly a blur, as I clutched my pick. I was worried it might fling out of my pocket. “Let me hold it,” Corelyn said. “NO!” I shouted, walking backwards away from her, two hands to my chest with the pick safe inside my fist.

P walked us out the Jimmy Kimmel Live set through the front door. Through the green room. No Hanson in sight, but we tried.

We walked home. I put my pick in my wallet. Next week, I’ll be on TV. No big deal. Just a Tuesday night in Hollywood…

i would never lie to you, no, i would never lie to you, no.

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This weekend holds a lot of High Adventure in 2011 for us. Tomorrow is our annual Dockweiler Christmas Tree Burning trip, and then Sunday or Monday Jeff and I are going skiing. In the meantime, 5gts, and 5 song from the beach mix I made:

1. I have a new dress headed my way this week, thanks to Steep and Cheap.

* You’re So Vain, Carly Simon

2. It’s a three-day weekend, which means one extra day for excitement and/or rest and/or organization of my house.

* Bootylicious, Destiny’s Child

3. I am in the middle of three books right now, and I plan on spending some of my bonus-day finishing at least two of them. (Probably Tortilla Flat and The Birth of Venus.)

* Little Black Angels, Jonah Smith

4. I am finally not sick, which means my return to yoga is imminent. Sunday or Monday, I’m back in the saddle, ready to roll (or twist, or s t r e t c h)

* Goodnight L.A., Counting Crows

5. Tomorrow is my first day meeting my 4-5 Basketball team.

* Layla (Acoustic), Eric Clapton