I had the pleasure recently of checking out both Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend when they performed in my area. My friends and I had lawn seats, which made us bundle up and whip out our umbrellas on a moment's notice. Luckily, it didn't do much raining, just a little drizzle here and there.
Anyway, we were late to the concert because a girl's gotta eat. And who knew the friggin' thing would start on time? In all my life, this is the only concert I've attended that actually started at the time mentioned on the ticket stub. I assume that because Corinne isn't American, she doesn't know about our custom of being a tad bit late. Because of this, I only saw her do three songs. But I was happy when John Legend pulled her on stage for his set to sing Roberta Flack's "Where is the Love?" Overall, great show.
But it seems that drunken foolery and concerts go hand in hand, not that I was complaining. All the beer-toting spectators gave me plenty of laughs. There was the girl who tripped over her feet and tumbled down a hill, which caused her to knock another girl off her boyfriend's lap. The second girl pulled herself together and then yelled at her boyfriend for not catching her. A heavyset woman stood so close to her girlfriend that I was afraid she would slip her tongue in her ear. Then she yelled, "what do I want with him? he's only 18 years old!" Then there were the group of people in front of us who had serious come to Jesus moments when John Legend sang 'So High.' I like the song and all, but it never made me want to join hands with strangers and shriek. Apparently, that's just me.
The best part of the night was before the show. We went to eat at a pizzeria when four girls came in decked out in prom dresses. Yes, prom dresses. At a pizza joint. When they learned there would be a half hour wait, they tried to think of other elegant establishments where they could eat dinner. "Oh no," one girl screamed. "We are not going to Chick- fil-a!" I'm glad somebody had some standards. They decided to stay at the pizza joint. Come to think of it, they were seated before us. Grrrr ...
Later this week, I'm off to see Meshell Ndegeocello. I can't wait. I no longer have to work this weekend, which I originally thought. So that means I would be able to go see Idris Elba -- aka DJ Driis -- when he comes to town. I'm madly in love with that man, but I don't know if I'm willing to risk my hard earned money on music I haven't heard before. Hmmm. I'll have to think about that one.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n roll
| You Are Austin |
 A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You're totally weird and very proud of it. Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way. Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick |
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Giving In
I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, since many of you have heard me mention this several dozen times. But I'm going to make another confession here, so deal with it.
For the past year and a half, I've been surviving without cable.
Yes, it sounds shocking that in 2007 there is someone on the face of this earth without cable. It all started when I realized that I was paying money for all these channels that I didn't watch. Sure, I got to see movies occasionally, but I had a netflix membership for that. There were also music videos and some cable shows that I watched, but I could easily wait and get it on DVD. Plus, I was trying to cut down on the amount of TV I watched.
I knew it would be a struggle since I once dated a guy who didn't have cable. At the time, I thought, amazing! How avant garde! Of course, I never took into the account that he was always at my place, mesmerized by the clear picture on my television.
At first, it was easy. I got some rabbit ears from Wal-Mart and put them on my TV. I found myself watching channels I wouldn't ordinarily watch because of my limited channel selection. I watched lots of educational stuff on public television instead of letting my brain rot by watching MTV, BET or my personal favorite, the Style network. I could almost feel my brain growing each time I tuned in for quality program.
But one day recently, I had enough. It was a Wednesday night -- I'll never forget because 'Lost' was on. Now 'Lost' is a show where you really have to pay attention, you have to see everything in order to know what the hell is going on. Well, that was the day both my TVs turned completely to snow. I raced from room to room raising the rabbit ears above my head, moving them from side to side, but nothing worked. In the end, I was a sweaty, frustrated mess. My annoyance continued the next day when I got to work and my colleagues wanted to discuss the show, along with their hypthosesis. I had to tune them out and wait till I could watch the show online.
I say all this to say that I've decided to give in to the pressures of society and am getting cable. Basic cable, that is. That'll be enough to give me my fix of Battlestar Galactica (Don't hate, Tha L -- it's the best show on TV!), Nip Tuck, The Look for Less, How Do I Look and Nigella Bites. Of course, I'll still have to wait for DVD for shows like The Wire, but I think I can handle that, even though it's taking them forever to put the most recent season on DVD.
Anyway, as soon as I can find a good date for the cable man, I'll will join normal society again. I think once I get it installed, I'll just stay on my couch for a full 24 hours just to see what I've missed in the last year and a half. Can't wait!
For the past year and a half, I've been surviving without cable.
Yes, it sounds shocking that in 2007 there is someone on the face of this earth without cable. It all started when I realized that I was paying money for all these channels that I didn't watch. Sure, I got to see movies occasionally, but I had a netflix membership for that. There were also music videos and some cable shows that I watched, but I could easily wait and get it on DVD. Plus, I was trying to cut down on the amount of TV I watched.
I knew it would be a struggle since I once dated a guy who didn't have cable. At the time, I thought, amazing! How avant garde! Of course, I never took into the account that he was always at my place, mesmerized by the clear picture on my television.
At first, it was easy. I got some rabbit ears from Wal-Mart and put them on my TV. I found myself watching channels I wouldn't ordinarily watch because of my limited channel selection. I watched lots of educational stuff on public television instead of letting my brain rot by watching MTV, BET or my personal favorite, the Style network. I could almost feel my brain growing each time I tuned in for quality program.
But one day recently, I had enough. It was a Wednesday night -- I'll never forget because 'Lost' was on. Now 'Lost' is a show where you really have to pay attention, you have to see everything in order to know what the hell is going on. Well, that was the day both my TVs turned completely to snow. I raced from room to room raising the rabbit ears above my head, moving them from side to side, but nothing worked. In the end, I was a sweaty, frustrated mess. My annoyance continued the next day when I got to work and my colleagues wanted to discuss the show, along with their hypthosesis. I had to tune them out and wait till I could watch the show online.
I say all this to say that I've decided to give in to the pressures of society and am getting cable. Basic cable, that is. That'll be enough to give me my fix of Battlestar Galactica (Don't hate, Tha L -- it's the best show on TV!), Nip Tuck, The Look for Less, How Do I Look and Nigella Bites. Of course, I'll still have to wait for DVD for shows like The Wire, but I think I can handle that, even though it's taking them forever to put the most recent season on DVD.
Anyway, as soon as I can find a good date for the cable man, I'll will join normal society again. I think once I get it installed, I'll just stay on my couch for a full 24 hours just to see what I've missed in the last year and a half. Can't wait!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Back at It
I'd apologize for my absence, but I know ya'll are about as tired of hearing my excuses as I am about writing them. The truth is, I couldn't get inspired to write about anything lately. I was going to write about the nuptials of The Extremes, which I attended a week ago, but then I had a death in the family. Plus, the drama at Virginia Tech also saddened me. But I've dusted myself off and I'm back at the blog.
It occurred to me the other day that since November, I've been to three funerals and one wedding. It sounds like an awful twist on a Hugh Grant movie, but it's true. Most recently, my grandmother -- my stepfather's mother -- passed away. The doctors told us to prepare ourselves for her death months ago, but we were all hoping for the best. And even though we talked to her about death and dying several times, all of us were shocked when we learned about her passing.
I don't want to get too emotional here -- cuz Lord knows I've cried too much in the last couple of weeks -- but Mrs C was the last grandmother I'll ever have. When my Mom first met her son 14 years ago, she welcomed us both into the family with open arms. Being the stubborn teenager that I was, I tried my best to keep her, my stepdad, and the rest of his family at arm's length. But she wouldn't give up on me and always called just to see how I was doing, sending me money whether I needed it or not and feeding me until I was ready to explode.
It occurred to me the other day that since November, I've been to three funerals and one wedding. It sounds like an awful twist on a Hugh Grant movie, but it's true. Most recently, my grandmother -- my stepfather's mother -- passed away. The doctors told us to prepare ourselves for her death months ago, but we were all hoping for the best. And even though we talked to her about death and dying several times, all of us were shocked when we learned about her passing.
I don't want to get too emotional here -- cuz Lord knows I've cried too much in the last couple of weeks -- but Mrs C was the last grandmother I'll ever have. When my Mom first met her son 14 years ago, she welcomed us both into the family with open arms. Being the stubborn teenager that I was, I tried my best to keep her, my stepdad, and the rest of his family at arm's length. But she wouldn't give up on me and always called just to see how I was doing, sending me money whether I needed it or not and feeding me until I was ready to explode.
In my top drawer, I still have a letter that she sent me in 2000 when I moved away from home and started my first job. "I have so much love in my heart for you. I feel you are also a part of me," she wrote. "... As you start out (in life) be careful whom you choose and trust no one." And as usual, there was a check inside.
Anyway, she's gone now and we traveled down south for the funeral, which was over the weekend. Because I am who I am, I needed to find something to laugh about to get me through this marathon of funerals that I've experienced in the last few months. In two of them -- Mrs. C's included -- they had choirs where all the singers were 80 or older. Not that there's anything wrong with having an elderly choir -- if they can sing. On both occasions, the choirs sounded eerily similar to the way I do when I'm singing "The Sound of Music" in the shower. Note: It ain't pretty. Mom agreed with me and together we devised a list of people who would be banned from singing at our own funerals. It was a bit of a morbid conversation, but it got us through.
Anyway, she's gone now and we traveled down south for the funeral, which was over the weekend. Because I am who I am, I needed to find something to laugh about to get me through this marathon of funerals that I've experienced in the last few months. In two of them -- Mrs. C's included -- they had choirs where all the singers were 80 or older. Not that there's anything wrong with having an elderly choir -- if they can sing. On both occasions, the choirs sounded eerily similar to the way I do when I'm singing "The Sound of Music" in the shower. Note: It ain't pretty. Mom agreed with me and together we devised a list of people who would be banned from singing at our own funerals. It was a bit of a morbid conversation, but it got us through.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Saturday, April 07, 2007
"I'm So In Love with my Music"
I'm back!
My AC Adapter arrived sooner than I expected, so my computer is up and running again. Yay!! It was hard going there for a bit. Somehow I survived without cable, the Internet, or my iPod. It was scary -- I don't want to go down that road again. Luckily, my coworker loaned me her iPod charger so I wasn't totally in the dark. I don't know how I survived before modern technology.
Anyway, my iPod is turning me into more of a music fiend than I was before. There is so much new stuff coming out that I had to write all the music I want to get from iTunes on a little sticky note and the note is filling very quickly. Amel's coming out with something new in May, so I have to get that, and I also have to get the new Macy Gray, K-OS and some others. I'm also going to go a bit old school and get the greatest hits of Tony! Toni! Tone! and an old Terence Trent D'arby cd. While I was in NYC, I practically lost my mind with the new music I bought. I added Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone and Stephen Marley to my collection. (This headline was taken from a new Joss song)
For old time's sake, I had to buy 'Beat Street' on dvd. I can't remember much about that flick, other than crying when the Puerto Rican kid fought with Spit and got killed. And of course the dancing.
I've got a few concerts coming up that I'm pretty excited about. I'm going to see John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae later this month and Meshell Ndegeocello in May. Whenever I tell people I'm going to see Meshell, who is a lesbian, I always get the same confused expression. "Whoa! Is there something you're trying to tell us, Strength?" "First you cut your hair and now this!" And my favorite response: "Be careful! I watch 'The L Word.' Those chicks are pretty aggressive." Folks are crazy. Good thing I'm over my issue.
I also found out that one of my future husbands, Idris Elba (in the pic), will be in town soon as well. He played Stringer Bell on The Wire and is now in a bunch of movies, most recently "Daddy's Little Girls." He's also a DJ in his spare time, so that's why he'll be coming to town. His upcoming performance hasn't been publicized much, so I hope I'll be able to get tickets. Oh Idris....if he only knew how much I loved him. Sigh.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Hiatus
My beloved computer is acting up on me. And that leaves me with two options. I can either blog from work (which I’m doing now) or wait to get this nonsense straightened out before I blog again.
After careful deliberation, I chose the latter option. Until I’m able to take my laptop to the doctor, I’ll be a bit quiet. Please bear with me! I promise to have more exciting stuff to share, now that I’ve reached Dirty Flirty Thirty.
Until next time ….
After careful deliberation, I chose the latter option. Until I’m able to take my laptop to the doctor, I’ll be a bit quiet. Please bear with me! I promise to have more exciting stuff to share, now that I’ve reached Dirty Flirty Thirty.
Until next time ….
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