Oklahoma!

I went to Oklahoma this weekend, where I literally saw the wind come 'sweeping down the plain'. I was scared I'd get stuck in a bad storm, but the fog lifted just a little after I passed over the state line. No threat of a storm in sight.

The trip was too short. We had a lazy Saturday and Sunday, the weather was absolutely beautiful. We wasted away several hours Saturday in Jamie's backyard by the swimming pool and down the street at the local pizza place. We didn't make it to the Motorcars' show...that ship sailed around four o'clock when we started drinking.

Apparently, I missed a phenomenal performance from Jet. I got plenty of calls, though, and the crowd sounded insane. I was told that if I ever got the chance to see another show...GO!

I've been listening to Todd Snider's Peace, Love and Anarchy all day. I love it and wish I got the chance to see his shows more often.

I think I'll catch a Reckless Kelly show this weekend. From what I hear, they were fantastic at LJT. I don't even remember the last time I saw them...that's too long.

This American Life...

I did a lot of driving today. It gave me time to listen to a few podcasts on the drive to and from hearings. I finally listened to last week's This American Life, Nice Work if You Can Get It. I think it was Act 4 that hit me. It was the story of a girl in California that excelled at UCLA, but in the end it doesn't really matter because she's an undocumented alien. The worse part of her story though was that she's let the fact that she'll be unable to practice medicine affect her feelings of her own self-worth. That's stuck with me all day... My mom and dad always taught us differently and for that, I am grateful. The endnote to her story was much more optimistic thank goodness.

I've grown tired of the news. Tired is not the right word, weary is probably more fitting. Therefore, I'm not aware of all the new developments. I absolutely have opinions about the occurrence, but spouting opinions right now doesn't change a thing that happened earlier in the week.

Today marked the eleventh year of the Day of Silence, instituted in 1996 at the University of Virginia. It's a cruel twist of fate that the national attention has been focused on Virginia Tech and the massacre that occurred there Monday morning. Like everyone else, shock and sadness followed upon hearing about the shooting, but then also the inevitable questions of "why?" that will never be sufficiently answered for the family and friends of those killed and injured.

I came upon the news accidentally. I was checking out BBC while waiting for an election page to load in another tab. I continued refreshing the page in the half-hour that followed (which subsequently became the remainder of the day) and the unreal details emerged.

Wishes for a safe weekend for everyone...

The NHL is ruling my life....

Last week was the least productive I've had in a while. I was sleep-deprived, and it looks to be the same this week. Currently, I'm watching my favorite, Peter Forsberg, and the Nashville Predators play the San Jose Sharks. The game didn't start until 9 so it will go until 11:30, at least. That's dismissing the very real possibility of overtime. Thank goodness I don't have an early appointment tomorrow.

I've tried to tailor my schedule this week so that it allows me to go see Jet in Amarillo tomorrow. I'm still not sure if that's going to happen. The only reason going is still an option is that there was no pre-sale for the show. I'm curious as to what kind of crowd they'll draw up there.

Based on Sara's recommendation, I bought some Miller Chill Saturday afternoon. Yum... I loved it and immediately called Bill and told him it would be his new favorite summertime beer. We would take over his apartment pool or his parent's pool and enjoy Tecates and lime. Now, I'm sure Travis will love having him invite himself over to enjoy their pool. HA! I was told at the party we went to Saturday that in order to fully enjoy the beer as a chelada, I needed to salt the rim of a glass and make certain it was ice cold. I'll make sure I remember that next time. I needed no more alcohol that night following the margaritas, beer, shots of patron and more margaritas.

I'm taking a short trip to Oklahoma this weekend...likely staying in Oklahoma City with side trips to Okarche and Norman. I hope to see some friends I missed the last time. If you find yourself near Okarche, do yourself a favor and stop in for some fried chicken and okra at Eischen's. We would take a group trips a few times each school year for chicken & beer. You may have to wait for a table or booth to open up, but you won't be disappointed, the old jukebox and people-watching are fantastic.

GRRR...Patrick Marleau just scored for the Sharks, pretty much icing the game.

My procrastination caught up with me tonight, and I missed Charlie's show at the Blue Light due to an overwhelming pile of laundry.

What I thought would turn into a quiet weekend, is shaping up to be full of events I'd somehow let slip my mind. I have several pre-wedding events to attend this weekend, none of which I'm looking forward to more than the stock the bar party. I think I'll treat Jennifer & Kerry to some Frangelico & vodka. Who doesn't like a chocolate cake shot? Yum.

Good Friday

Last night, I went to see Earl Greyhound at Jake's. John told me last week they'd be in town. I am glad I went. I had a great time at the show, and got to see some people I haven't seen in quite some time. The Hartin family was out at the show. When trying to explain how I knew the family, Chet said it best when he said we've never not known each other.

Back to the show itself, the band was full of energy and rocked. I told Chet it was ridiculous how tight they were on "Monkey." The show itself was outside of my usual alt-country/Texas music realm, but that's a good thing.

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Here's to hoping my 2 o'clock shows early, so that I might sneak out of the office to catch a matinée of Blades of Glory.

It's Tuesday morning, so that means I'm getting over the lack of sleep from staying at the Blue Light longer than I promised myself I would. Very light crowd last night, probably due to the game, a few more people showed later in the night. We had a good time and Charlie sang some new ones and some Disney classics. HAHA Apparently, he watched or was reminded of the classic, animated Robin Hood. We were treated to a few songs from the Disney catalog, Bush, Radiohead, Coldplay, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and tons more. Lots of covers last night...

The drive home Sunday was pretty exhausting, but I had a good time in Ft. Worth and Austin. It was good to see everyone. Lunch was a good time...although, I don't know if the couple that had the pleasure of sitting on the opposite side of the glass felt the same. The walk from my hotel to Antone's was interesting. Apparently, there was some show going on that had people lined up early. Later in the evening, Kristin and I ran back to the hotel and passed by, and the line was down the entire block. I have no idea who was in town, but they sure had a huge crowd awaiting them. As for Greenfest, I really loved the acoustic song swap from Drew Kennedy/Peter Dawson/Josh Grider. Bonus, I got to hear D Kennedy, Grider and Adam Hood on both the Ranch and Wolf for a few hours on the drive home.

Sunday came too fast, at least the drive home was boring and not intense like Friday's. Friday, I attempted to stay behind the storm the entire drive. I finally caught up with it about 30 miles outside of Weatherford. I encountered an amazing display of lightning and driving rains. Then to cap off the night, I park (unknowingly) in oh, about 2 feet of water. That was fun. The Motorcars' show was worth it though, as was seeing Sara, Cori, Lori and Maureen.

I have no idea what I'm doing this weekend. Ryan Turner's in town, so that's a pretty good possibility, but I've also been thinking about going to see RRB and Wade in Waco. I'll see how the rest of the week plays out and how Monday shapes up for next week.