Urgent Prayer Request

My sister just posted this:"Hello to all and this is just a quick update on my life right now. My dad has taken a sudden turn this morning and his body is shutting down. The only thing we can do for him now is to keep oxygen in him to make him comfortable and be there for him when he passes. I was at the home all day, but unfortunately I had to come to my moms house to take care of the animals and make sure the homefronts are taken care of too.Please put your prayers out there that God will take him soon so that he won't have to suffer any longer. And I need them for my mom too for being not only the most awesome mother around, but the wonderful loving, dedicated wife and partner for my dad. She needs special prayers to help her get through this."Actually, he is our step dad, but that doesn't make the prayer request any less urgent. :( My mom definitely needs lots of prayer. So does my sister who is there with her.)

Thanks,Melanie

My Hubby & Me

I was going through some things left behind when my daughter moved. There were a lot of binders and unused school materials and tucked in that pile were her poems from the 11th grade. I ran across this one and I had to "giggle." I just asked her permission to post it so here it is:

Off in the distance,
Melanie saw his bald head,
Shining like the sun,
Attracting her attention
For reasons unknown.
He looks to her,
Wondering why she stares.
Then he realizes it's from his lack of hair.
They approach each other,
A little embarassed
As she asks him
If he "knows where his hair is?"
He shakes his head "no"
And they share a giggle,
As they walk away talking
Little by little.

She said her teacher really liked it. I know she's written better things, but this will probably still be a favorite of mine. LOL

---Melanie

Creation West or bust?

Where has July gone?
I really can't believe that July is nearly over already. There are good things happening at the end of July, and many things that need to be done. For one thing, I'm heading off to Creation West on July 24 in hopes of being to the Gorge bright and early on July 25. I'm not ready. It doesn't really help matters too much when you think you have 2 weeks left to prepare and suddenly realize it's only 6 days, then 5, now 4..... and the time just keeps slipping away. But my prayer is always that things will work out in God's perfect timing, and that is one prayer that has always been answered, no matter how much I worry or stress. God is faithful. I wish I were that dependable. :)
I have much to do, that's why I'm on here trying to pscyh myself up to start. Procrastinating is so much easier, and I need to wake up a bit or that's what I tell myself. I suppose the shower I need to take would do the same thing? LOL
Today I need to empty my trunk of all the magazines I put there yesterday from my daughter's salon, and a few things from my home in the recycle bin in the local store parking lot, finish packing, check out storage for my daughter's salon stations, find a rental truck, make a trek to Salt Lake City & Toole, and maybe clean around here a bit.
As you may have gathered, we are closing my daughter's salon. In some ways, it's rather hard on me as I so wanted it to succeed, but it is undercapitalized and while she did really rather well building clientele who are quite loyal, the business could not succeed with out booth rentals, and none of us knew how to go about advertising booth availability nor did we have the resources. People left, no one took their place. The last day is the end of July. It's a long way from being moved, and my daughter set the date for Tuesday... the day I'm leaving.
It's the end of July, and I'm not quite ready.
But I'm excited for new adventures just the same.
Pray for me -- I need it. :) I can think of a million other people who need the prayer more than I do, but if you happen to give me a thought during your busy day and say a prayer, I'd be grateful just the same.
God's blessings,Melanie

Growing older...

Back in 2003 I took a trip with my husband to Pueblo, Colorado. We saw some amazing scenery on that trip. We saw the Royal Gorge, wandered through the Garden of the Gods, took a little side trip to Dinosaur National Monument and stayed in the biggest hotel room we'd ever seen in Vernal, UT. Along the the way we stopped at a convenience store. I don't even remember why we stopped, but two memorable things happened. My husband looked out the car window and saw this guy lose his pants. Now I've always been afraid that some of those guys with the sagging jeans would lose thier britches, but I guess I always kind of hoped I wouldn't be a spectator. Fortunately, by the time I looked up they guy had his pants up and was busy pulling himself back together. We laughed a lot, my husband and I. The second memorable event at that convenience store was that I noticed in earnest that he was getting older. It's not that I didn't know, but I had never really taken the time to look closely, I suppose.

You might think, when I made this discovery, that I noticed my husband's greying, balding head, or the wrinkles around his eyes, but what I first noticed was his skin. Have you ever noticed that as you age your skin develops these little lines that resemble the outline of cells? It's almost as if you can see a line around every cell in your skin. That's what I noticed. I told him he had "old people's skin" and proceeded to show him. Lest you think I was picking on him, I showed him the skin on the back of my hands as an example. He thanked me a lot for reminding him that he was getting old. ;)

I have never minded getting older, nor have I ever cared much if anyone wanted to know my age even if it has long been considered a social taboo to ask a woman how many birthdays she has survived. I have always looked young for my age. When I was a teen it was a source of much frustration. My mom would just smile and remind me that looking young would be a good thing when I was older. As I did get older, I came to love the look of shock on someone's face when they would discover my age. My husband told me the first time he saw me without make-up he was a bit concerned that I was too young. Even now, when I tell people I have a son that will be 30 in August they seem surprised.

The last few months, however, I have begun to notice changes. There are more lines around my eyes. When I smile I can see the lines around the side of my face and I noticed that I do look a bit closer to my age. I do not lament that I am getting older, but I do think I'll grieve the loss of the days when I surprise people with my age. I think it's become part of who I am, if that makes sense.

Likewise, I miss my mind. I used to memorize things easily. I've always been a little forgetful with things, but I would learn and remember rather quickly. If I dialed a phone number twice, I knew it. If I drove somewhere, I never had to ask directions again. If I wrote down the lyrics to a song, I knew them and I rarely forgot a name. Now I only seem to recall partial phone numbers unless I dial them quite often, I only remember partial song lyrics, and I mix up and forget names, not to mention whether or not I paid a bill or pre-ordered a cd. I think that is the hardest thing for me.. to lose attributes and abilities that I have so long associated with who I am. But I am determined to muddle through this aging thing as best I can.

Anyway, I haven't really figured out how to grow up, much less how to grow old. I still love doing the things I did when I was much younger. My wrists have been bad for sometime. I remember playing a game of volleyball and it being painful just to hit the ball, but I still played. I once showed my daughter and a friend how to do a dive roll and forgot that you have to use your wrists. I grimaced, but at least I didn't land on my head. I remember what it feels like to do a cartwheel, and I miss the days when I could just do one. My knees aren't what they used to be. I defintely notice when I act like a teenager at a show. But I love some of those things, like going to concerts, and I suppose I'll give them up when I have no other alternative. And I keep hoping that I will someday figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I guess growing old was never on the list.

Peace out,
Melanie

I was given the opportunity to volunteer to furlough or to stay on probably another 2 weeks to month or so at work. I had so much to take care of in my personal life, and plans for concerts later in the month and at the beginning of August, so I decided to volunteer. My last day was to be Friday the 13th. Instead, I was able to use annual leave and take Friday off. That meant that the concert I thought I'd have to miss was not out of the question at all. I bought my will call ticket for The Rocket Summer. I've seen Bryce on 4 occasions in the past, and he always gives 100%. He loves Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake City loves him back.
So, I found myself leaving for Salt Lake City a few minutes after 2 p.m. in hopes of arriving by 2:30. I knew it would be a long day. I also was sure I wouldn't be quite the first in line. As it turned out, I took a different street off the exit than I should have, so it took me a bit longer to arrive. But, I made it.
Outside In the Venue (Club Sound), there isn't much shade. Some of us were fortunate to be able to wait near the entrance where there was a little shade. A lot of the day I was half in and half out of the sun. But now and again a small breeze from inside the building would blow out at us and it was very welcome. At one point one of the guys at the venue brought out cups with pitchers of ice water. I'm pretty sure at that point he was our hero. I've seen him around lots before, and he's always a pleasant sort of person. One young man who came a little later than me was spray painting arms with "Do You Feel" (check out The Rocket Summer's myspace to get this one) in your choice of hot lime green or hot pink. A lot of people went along. I wasn't particularly interested. I think I must just be too old for that sort of thing after all. At one point the guy with the stencil told me that I needed to get my arm decorated with Do You Feel or I couldn't go into the show. I declined, said I'd been waiting since 2:45 and I had a ticket so I think I'd get in just fine. LOL
After a trip to the bathroom at the Greyhound station, lots of chatter, getting my digital SLR approved and lots of heat, 6 p.m. finally did arrive and we were let into the venue. Lauralee was able to find a spot near the left side of the stage, but not directly in the front, so I motioned that I was going to the other side. I was able to get a spot along the stage, but about as far to the right as you can get. The window light was the worst I'd seen it. The sun was so bright that I wished I'd have had a hood for the lens with me. But you do what you can do.
Echo Screen played first, and I really enjoyed their set quite a lot. I was pretty sure I was going to like them since I could hear most of their sound check. After they finished playing, Anthony gave away all of his pics, and then some. It made some fans very, very happy and it was pretty cool, really.
Daphne Loves Derby played next, and started out with an acoustic song. It was a good start and another great set. I had seen Daphne Loves Derby a long while ago, and there was one change in personnel since that time. David replaced Jason. As it turns out, another favorite band of mine used to be in a band with David which was kind of cool, imo. I think I was able to get some good shots of David. I don't think I was able to get any of the lead singer because at that time he was standing primarily in really bright sunlight. I could barely even see him through the view finder. I was disappointed in not being able to get much in that regard, but the set made up for it. Another missed opportunity was David's game of paper, rock, scissors with the entire audience. I couldn't get it with the 100mm lens, but he only did it once, so when I swapped lenses, I basically missed it. But it was fun and funny. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Finally Daphne Loves Derby's set came to a close and The Rocket Summer aka Bryce Avery (and band) took to the stage. The whole show, Bryce was wearing this black hoodie and it was making me hot just looking at him. One thing about Bryce is that he puts 110% into his show and has a wonderful stage presence. He usually crowd surfs at least once during the show, and the show in Salt Lake was no exception. It was over too soon, as these things usually are.
After the show, I went over and purchased the cd from Echo Screen, and had my photo taken with them. Then I took Lauralee's photo with them as well. Then I tried to preorder Bryce's cd, but had to go outside to do that, so I purchased a tee and went to see Daphne Loves Derby and more photos and another cd purchase. Then I headed outside and found out I had to have cash for the cd. I was looking for my debit/credit card to no avail, so I had to go back in to look for it. Fortunately, I had it all along, but it was just hiding. LOL I was able to get cash for the cd and preorder, which gave me the great privilege of getting to wait in the autograph line. In the meantime Lauralee and I chatted long with David of Daphne Loves Derby, and nearly missed the line for Bryce. LOL We each had photos take with Bryce, although I almost didn't because the camera had shut off and it took a few tries. Bryce was O.K., but I don't think the security guy loved me much. ;)
Well, the night would have been over, but Lauralee and I were both very thirsty (and I was hungry as well) so we decided to walk over to The Gateway. When we arrived, Ryan Milligan was singing... another mini-concert. The truth is I really like his voice, so I plan to see him again sometime. Laura and I spent forever trying to think of a song he might know and were just thinking of indie bands he probably wouldn't. One gal came up and asked for him to play something from Dashboard Confessionial. He wasn't sure he was ready to play it without messing up. I think the song was called, "Stolen" and I loved it. he didn't mess it up that I could tell. :) I finally requested, "How to Save a Life" by the Fray, and he did know that one, and sang it quite well. So, he impressed me.
We finally found somewhere open, which happened to be Barne's & Nobles and bought some Fiji Water, and a Jones drink. I took a bottle of water back to Ryan and he was just wrapping things up. We chatted a bit, and I asked if he had any original songs and said I'd like to hear them sometime. He plays at the Gateway on Friday nights, so the next time I will be there on a Friday is Aug. 3 for Eisley. Hopefully he'll be there then.
I have lots of pics I'm in the process of uploading, so photos to follow soon.
In the really super strange things category, I just took my camera out of the bag to take out the last storage card to upload pics, and the top of the lens was completely missing. Now I"m puzzled. It's just gone. I didn't smack it on anything, and it's not even there. At least I know what the inside looks like now. The Canon 50mm 1.8 is my favorite concert lens, and this is the second one I've owned. The first one bit the dust just short of it's 1 year anniversary. I dropped it back in October at the House of Blues, and since I saw what looked like a piece broken inside, I figure it was probably my fault so I ordered another. The lens is only about $80 new, which compared to my other lenses is quite inexpensive, but it's not exactly chump change either. Not sure how I will explain this one. LOL I wonder if that is covered under warranty?
At any rate, that's my strange and wonderful Friday the 13th.
On to the next adventure. ;)
--Melanie

More Warped Tour Pics

2007 Warped Tour, Salt Lake City Fairgrounds, July 7, 2007

Warped Tour 2007

Reposted from my myspace yesterday:

Technically I got off work last night at 1 a.m., although it took me a bit to actually get out the door. I was already tired, but I had miles to go before I slept. I went to Wal Mart. I came home. I got on the computer for a bit and caught up with e-mail, etc., and I got ready for bed and for my Saturday. It was 4 a.m. when I finally hit the pillow - not literally of course. I'm not a pillow abuser. LOL My alarm was set for 8:12 a.m. It was close enough.
Today Warped Tour happened in Salt Lake City. I intended to make it to the venue, also known as the Salt Lake Fairgrouds, at 9 a.m., and made it about 9:15 a.m. At least it was close. The line was already getting a bit long, but at least wasn't completely out of the Fairgrounds parking when I arrived. The first thing I saw, other than the line, were people with signs that said, "Free Hugs." I remember seeing this on YouTube, so of course, I hugged them all. The gals all gave rather tentative hugs, but the last guy (who was obviously into this whole thing) gave me a long, bear hug. I said, "Whoa, you don't mess around, you mean business." LOL Then it was just a long wait as they slowly processed everyone and sent us to a "holding pen" as I like to call it. Bascially, it's a large area covered with asphalt and bleachers. Then we waited until 11 a.m. as the temps began to climb. 11 a.m. did finally arrive, believe it or not, and we were let into the gate. Nearly everyone made a beeline for the schedule board (or large balloon, or whatever that thing is called), including me. I made a list of the bands I intended to see for the day. The first was Anberlin at 12:30, so I decided just to watch Play Radio Play since it was at the same stage. Somewhere along the way, I saw Brittany from work, and we were together for the first few bands. We kept losing and finding each other during the day.
Since I am extraordinarily exhausted, I will skip much of what happened and just go straight to the bands I saw during the day. After Anberlin, I wandered around with Brittany until we lost each other,and then went to see Circa Survive then Coheed & Cambria.. Afterwards I made a pit stop at one of the "smoothie" stands and had a Wildberry Smoothie. It was pretty good, but did I get a "brain freeze." Next, I found Brittany again at the Hurley Stage where we watched Meg and Dia. The were pretty good actually, and cute. :) I made my way over to the Lucky stage to see Yellowcard... 4 minutes into their set. New Found Glory played after Yellowcard, and I had decided I'd like to see them. Overall, they were pretty good, and used the stage well. I got a kick out of the fact that they sang Kiss Me. It was the only song they did I knew all the words to. LOL After a pit stop for some Gatorade, I found my way to the 13 Stage where Killswitch Engage was playing. Nice guitar work, but a little on the screamy side for me and a little vulgar at times, but Paramore was up next and if I had any hope of being anywhere near the front, I would have to get there while Killswitch was playing. I was able to move a little forward, but still was mor to the side than I had hoped for Paramore, but overall, it was a good place to be. Paramore pretty much rocked the place, and just get better every time I see them. Today was no exception. They did a lot of songs from the new cd, and they played Emergency. It was a great set. And finally, I stayed at the same stage once again to watch Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. There was a gal there with her daughter who was probably a little shorter than I am -- which means she was definitely short. She had a long sleeved shirt on, and I thought she must be dying from heat. She was able to move up front next to me. She seemed to enjoy Red Jumpsuit's set quite a bit. I know her daughter did. :)
It was time to leave the place, so I stopped to take a few pics of the "trash" as I find it so unbelieveable, and headed for my car. I was glad I was parked close to the exit because my feet were killling me....
And, I noticed that I don't smell so wonderful either. :)
So, I'm really tired, really sore, but content just the same.

Peace out,
Melanie

Note: I should have more pics up here soon:
http://woman4life.smugmug.com/
But keep checking. It may take a bit. The pics are with my Canon S3 IS since I couldn't take the 20D into Warped Tour.

Happy Anniversary

I intended to post this blog sooner, but as is often the case, I am miles behind where I want to be. The 4th of July was my anniversary. Ed and I have now officially been married for 31 years. And for those who are counting back in time, that was the bicentennial. It makes remembering the date a bit easier. When it came time for Ed and I to set a day for our marriage, we both thought of the 4th at the same time. We both thought he'd never forget it that way. I also could never remember it raining in Sacramento on the 4th of July, and we were to be wed in Ancil Hoffman Park outdoors near the American River. It was a beautiful setting. The weather was, indeed very nice and we never forget the date. :) The downside to having an anniversary on the 4th was that we always took the kids to fireworks on the 4th, and finding a baby sitter on the 4th of July was akin to witnessing a miracle. But it's fun to think that they set off a light show every year in honor of our marriage. ;)

It isn't always easy... marriage is a lot of work. Things don't always go according to plan, and it takes some real committment. We are two very different people. Ed prefers solitude, I prefer a crowd. Ed can figure out how just about anything works. I'm lucky to tie my shoes. He is up at 4 a.m. I sleep until 2 p.m. I go to concerts and he shoots paintball. He hates conflict, but give me a knockdown dragged out fight over silence. He is my balance, and I hope that I am his.
At any rate, it works. I can't imagine else really putting up with me. :)

--Melanie

Family, Life and Love

It's been a long week and at times very bitter sweet. I have had the opportunity to see my family and all of my siblings together at the same time, which is a rare occurence. There are 6 of us altogether, and I am the oldest of the whole crazy bunch. I saw my son, who I don't get to see to terribly often, either. My mom and dad (who have been divorced since I was 19) were there as well. So, I was so grateful to get to see everyone.
I'm not really sure how much to share on a myspace blog. Suffice it to say that my step dad is not doing well, and is home with hospice care. He and my mom renewed their vows because it was something he wanted. It was supposed to happen at the end of August, but there were concerns that it would be too late, so it was moved to July 1. My mom flew everyone who lived further away out to be there, and that included me. I left Saturday morning after working until 1 a.m. and then came back Monday with plans to work at 4:30 p.m. as usual. I was pretty tired to say the least.
I tried to work, but it wasn't going well. I kept falling asleep while trying to type, then I'd have to recheck the document because I couldn't even recall what I had typed. It wasn't good. Then I was having intestinal problems as well. I came home about halfway through the night, and tried to sleep. At about 12:30 a.m., I woke up sick. So now I'm trying to figure out if I've recovered enough to go back to work, but I know it isn't going to look good if I stay home just before the holiday. :( I'll probably go in.
Anyway, it was an interesting weekend. All but a few of my nieces and nephews are pretty much grown up now and some have thier own families. I was able to see some of the kids I haven't seen in a while, or have never seen. It's something I really hate missing. Kids grow up so very fast.
My family is a bit of a microcosm of the whole of mankind, I think. We have every sort of person, trial, and joy all balled into one. I think it's because there are so many of us. We are having to watch someone die, my niece wasn't able to be there because she had a baby girl, two babies are growing and waiting to make their appearance - life and death, liberals, conservatives, people celebrating 30 plus years together, some divorced, single moms, single with no children, and married with kids. And we all love each other. As my step dad said in one of his more lucid moments... loving each other is what's important.
Tell someone you love them today. The day goes by too quickly.
--Melanie

Static

This is a repost from my myspace blog:

This has been my mind today...Let's get to the point.... static...I could never grow old, fantasy is just too fun....more static...Breathe in , Breathe out and know that you're alive. Now, I want to see you dance....change stations...Right where he wants you......You were the song in my head...Now I know how to save a life...I had all of these songs going through my head today... first a part of one song, then another. They seemed so unrelated, like when someone turns on the radio and is constantly changing the channels...Holding onto thoughts is sometimes hard... one of the joys of growing older, I suppose.

--Melanie

P.S. lyrical content provided by Eisley, The Fold, Sherwood, and The Fray.

This Providence

If you haven't already figured it out, this is one in a long line of stories in the memoirs of Melanie's concert adventures. As usual, the toughest place is knowing where to start, so perhaps the best place after all is the very beginning. (How's that for a corny intro?) LOL
Tuesday the plan was to go to work sometime between 10-10:30 a.m. On the way I was going to stop at Smith's and quickly pick up some vitamin water for the band and then work for 4 hours before heading out to Salt Lake City to see This Providence. That was the plan, anyway. As is frequently the case, plans get waylaid. What actually happened was that I did stop at Smith's. They were almost out of the vitamin water I planned to purchase, and it was on the top shelf, and I'm not so tall, so it took a bit longer to take care of my "short" errand on the way to work, but that was accomplished and I headed for work. I wanted to be there by 10 a.m., but 10:15 worked out just fine. Traffic was pretty good for the most part, and I indeed did arrive at 10:15. The parking lot was pretty full so it took forever to find a spot, but I found one. I grabbed some things that shouldn't get hot out of the car, and headed in the door in a bit of a hurry. Now, I have to scan my badge to get in the door, and my badge is no where to be found. I know I had it because I also had to scan it to get into the parking lot. I traced my route, checked my car, emptied my purse twice, walked to the parking lot entrance, and finally to the guard shack. As it turned out, someone found it by the door and turned it in. I have no idea how they missed frantic me looking for it, but I can almost picture someone picking it up as I drop it and gleefully heading off to turn it in. But, I was relieved that it had been found. An hour later, very hot and sweaty, I make it into work and managed to put in 3 (rather than 4) hours. I hopped in the car and headed for Salt Lake City and Studio 600.
I arrived at the venue somewhere between 3 and 3:15, and I was following a white van and trailer. I figured it was one of the bands. It had New Jersey plates, and as it turned out, the band Paulson was from New Jersey. I saw them in the left lane and was afraid they were going to make the mistake I did the first time I went to the Club. It's on the far right, but they changed lanes at the last, turned right at the light and went around the back. I found a great spot right in front of the venue. I was, of course, the only one there for the concert that wasn't working or in one of the bands, or a dancer or something. So, I waited with all my "goodies" by the door. I held the door so someone could carry things out, and waited for Lauralee to arrive.
While I was waiting, I was asked if I wanted to wait inside, and I definitely didn't turn that offer down. It was rather warm out there. LOL It was, however, very nice inside. I was able to see Sean and give him the things I brought, and told him that Lauralee was bringing more. Sean said, "Oh yea, I forgot this was Utah." LOL When Lauralee arrived I asked if she could come in and wait, and she was let in as well. We had a good time chatting, watching the bands set up and talking to Sean and David and a little bit to Dan. I always feel like such a loafer watching everyone else and wishing I could help, though. LOL We found out that This Providence was supposed to alternate headlining and we'd get to hear them as the headliners. It didn't end up working out that way, but we were excited about it for a little bit. LOL
It didn't really seem all that long before it was time for the show to start. I didn't even notice at first that the doors had opened and people were starting to come in until Lauralee pointed it out. Oops! :) So, we took our spots by the stage and waited. The band Paulson played first, and I really enjoyed their set quite a lot. I decided to buy their cd. I took photos as I usually do. Paulson ended their set (all good things must come to an end?) and June set up to play next. I was able to take pics of the drummers during set up, so I think I have some good drummer shots this time around. I'm still going through pics. June also put out a good set, and I took quite a few photos of them. It went by quickly and the next band set up to play. Lauralee said, "This Providence" is playing now - so they weren't headlining after all. I had to empty one of my cf cards for photos, so while they set up, that's what I did. I think it finished just before This Providence started to play, so the timing was good. They played two of their older songs and songs from their more recent cd. I went to the far side of the stage to take a photo and as I was heading back to my original place someone asked me if I knew if they were going to play "Beautiful Rescue" so I told her that I really didn't, but the video was coming out soon. LOL Just as I got back to the other side, they played Beautiful Rescue, right on cue. ;) AT one point in the show, this guy got on stage and was going a little crazy. Then he jumped into the crowd. I took a pic, but it happened kinda quick and I don't think I had it on autofocus, so the pics turned out rather fuzzy. Then we all were pretty much singing along to "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" - at least I was. It was over too soon. :( LOL Then it was time for A Change of Pace to set up. I decided to take pics for a couple of songs and then just go to the back and get a tee or something. I had a difficult time getting pics as the lighting changed and the crowd got a little crazy. I do think I got a few, though.
Anyway, I bought a This Providence tee, the Paulson CD and a June ep. June had a few really cute tees, and I asked about writing a check, but then chickened out because I spent a little much. I felt bad about having the merch guy check into it and then changing my mind.
O.K. This novel is getting rather lengthy... suffice it to say that Lauralee and I took turns taking pics with Dan, and then Sean and later the whole band and talking to them as we could. I pretty much chatted everyone's ear off. I'm really bad about that after shows. I think it's adrenaline or something. ... that and the feeling that you have to say it now because who knows when next time will be? Something...
Some highlights of the after concert are David's Michael Jackson imitation, talking to Sean about just about everything, hugs, and the after concert "acrobatics." I have absolutely no idea what to call it or even how to adequately describe it, so there are a few pics in my photo album (and more on my smugmug.com site) if you want to see. When This Providence comes, I always end up laughing lots after the show, and as they say, "laughter is the best medicine". I am still tired after working days, and being up late, as usual, but it was worth it.