Saturday, September 29, 2007

Potatoes anyone?

Well, tomorrow I am working hospitality/catering and I am bringing brownies and potato salad. I bought the ingredients earlier in the week (except for a few last minute items I picked up today.) Of course, one of those ingredients was potatoes. The plan was to get a 10 lb. bag. I kept smelling a sort of moldy smell with the 10 lb bags, and there weren't any 5 pounder's in sight, so for a buck more, I picked up a whopping 20 pounds. I made enough potato salad for a small army and kept some out for my husband to eat at home. It took me what seemed an eternity. I'm going to make some home-made potato soup. I bet I still have potatoes left over.

I will have to become the George Washington Carver of potatoes. LOL

Oh... and the paprika I have is centuries old. It tastes a little like cardboard. Guess I'll have to make a pit stop on the way out.

Tomorrow should be fun. I just have to stay awake.

Peace out,
Melanie

Friday, September 28, 2007

Spare Change - Respect & Relationships

This is my response to AJ regarding Respecting husbands. I thought I'd go ahead and share it here.

The title is my feeble attempt at humor. LOL

BTW, Ed hasn't come up with his response yet.

"I've been giving a little bit of thought to what you said about respect. First of all I don't think you can or should divorce the concept of a woman respecting her husband from the verses that come before it and follow it. We are all (Christians) to submit to one another in a previous passage.
The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. In that context, submitting, allowing the husband authority and looking up to them is not really such a difficult task. It's not that I can't make it difficult sometimes, I most certainly do. The way it should work is that the husband has the final say, and the wife honors that BUT, the husband is going to fully consider (while submitting to God) how it will affect her, what is in her best interest (not his own) and what she wants. If not, how would he be loving her as commanded as well. If any part of this is not right, the apple cart is rather upset, so to speak. It basically boils down to doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit and considering the other better than yourself.

I do think we are still to look up to our husbands and appreciate them. We should recognize what they do. We should not belittle them.
I can't say I've never been guilty of violating this, but I strive to improve. I know that I had allowed myself to get so thoroughly stressed before we moved up here, that I probably wasn't such a nice person for my husband to be around. I appreciate so much that he didn't quit on me.

But what I loved about your comment to me is that I had never thought to ask my husband what I could do to respect him. He has said he will think about it. That was my reaction as well.. to think about it.

Anyway, I can tell you that I was out last night promoting Mute Math's upcoming concert here. I know that sometimes it seems bothers my husband if he is at home and ends up eating a can of soup, and then I go out to fast food and have a burger. It doesn't seem right to him, and it probably isn't. He wouldn't necessarily think I shouldn't go, however. So, last night I got home late and I called to see if he had eaten and if he wanted me to pick something up. He said he'd had some soup, and nothing sounded good. In the end, I opted not to stop and get anything for myself since he had to eat what was here that should be good enough for me. So I told him that I came home and had soup for dinner and why. He seemed to appreciate it. It isn't that he wanted to deny me, but he appreciated that I was concerned and acted out of respect. It's the closest story I can think of. I hope it makes sense.

I will let you know what Ed has to say about respect when he comes up with a response.

God's blessings,
Melanie"

P.S. I think the reason this can be such an issue for me is that it is so discouraging to see Christian marriages dissolve when I can stay married to a non-Christian (and yes, I love him dearly.) Shouldn't it be easier to commit when you both know Christ? I know being a Christian doesn't mean we become perfect all of a sudden - at least in practice, but why so many Christian divorces? It shouldn't be! Anyway, I was making scrapbook pages for Sanctus Real, and their song "Don't Give Up on Love" came to my mind. I so appreciated it. It's completely spot on.
This isn't to beat up on someone who is a Christian because their marriage has already failed. It's water under the bridge so to speak. Something to think about for those struggling now, I hope, or who plan to marry later.

I think my next rant will be about happiness. LOL

Saturday, September 22, 2007

My Two Cents on Relationships for what it's worth

The Most important thing in a relationship isn't love. At least not in the sense that we are used to seeing love in this day and age. That's not to say that love isn't important. It's very important. Of course, it matters what you mean by love. Real love is not something you feel, it is something you demonstrate. The way you demonstrate real love is with committment. If you are not committed to someone and to your relationship with them, then the first time you don't "feel" a certain way anymore, the relationship becomes expendable.

The most important thing isn't physical intimacy. In fact, unless there is committment, getting too close physically can mostly hamper one's judgment. Now that isn't to say that physical intimacy isn't important in a relationship nor is it a bad thing. It most certainly is not only necessary at some point, but important. However, you can have a good and close relationship with someone without it. If intimacy is lacking, you can work on it. But first, you have to be still in the relationship. You have to have committed to it to want to do the work. There's that word again, committment.

In current times it seems that committment is the word that strikes fear into the heart of every man. (Well, maybe not every man, but a large number of men, anyway.)It seems that women are quite often similarly afflicted. Committment means that you stand firm through everything. It is what God requires of us in our relationship to him. It is the only thing that will work in other relationships as well.

As for current times, when the question comes up, "What is the most important thing in a relationship" the response frequently heard is communication. But is it really? Please do not misunderstand, communication is extremely important in a relationship. However, you can always WORK on communication and sometimes it is a real effort, but if you are not committed to the relationship and if you are not committed to communication within that relationship, it will fall by the wayside.

Trust is exceedingly important. It's really difficult to maintain a good relationship with someone you do not trust. On the other hand, unless there is some sort of committment, it's difficult to trust. The most important thing in a relationship (except for having Christ at it's center) is committment. The rest can be worked on. It is the one thing that can allow someone to be patient and wait when communication fails, when we aren't happy or "in love" and when the physical side of things goes by the wayside. Committment gets you through times of separation, through times of depression, through times where you don't like each other at the moment to the other side when things are looking up, you are talking and sharing and while emotions wax and wane.

Life goes in cycles. We have ups and downs. Stand firm in your committment to each other and to God and you inevitably come out stronger, and with a renewed understanding of what it really means to Love.

--Melanie

"Don't give up on love
Don't give it all away"

--Sanctus Real

NOTE: I'm not referring here to standing firm when the other party is sleeping with everyone in town or beating the living daylights out of you. Just for the record, Someone sleeping around has violated that committment. Someone who is beating you needs to be stopped.

My 100 things post

A little while back Mark Lee of Third Day posted his list of 100 Things People Might Not Know About Me.. or something to that effect. So, I thought it was cool and started my own list. I got to 73 and quit for a while. Today, Jon Schneck posted his list, so I felt a little motivated to finish mine. It is now completed.

Jon's list inspired one more memory so I suppose I could add one more thing to the list and make it 101 Things? LOL I think the first thing I learned how to spell was Mickey Mouse when I was two. My sister learned how to spell encyclopedia from Jimeny Cricket. So did I. I was 8 and it was a bonus word on my spelling test. I loved Jimeny Cricket for that one. Sometimes I still sing the song in my head when I type the word. LOL

Anyway, here's my list.

100 Things About Me

1. I love God, but cannot for the life of me figure out why He loves me.
2. I was married on the bicentennial - July 4, 1976 and I'm still married to the
same guy.
3. I have three grown children, and 2 live out of state.
4. I love concerts especially if I can take pictures and be in the front.
5. Some of my favorite bands are Third Day, Relient K, Mute Math, Mae, Copeland,
The Fold, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Melee, This Providence, Sherwood, or any band
with great harmonies -- today, but my top bands list changes daily.
6. I'm not good at picking favorites.
7. My desk is exceedingly messy. So is the room it sits in.
8. I am an extrovert, meaning I am energized by people and not drained by them,
although there are a few people that can drain even me.
9. I have two dogs that I inherited from my daughter, Daisy Mae and Rocky.
10. I plan to scrapbook all the concerts I've been to. I've scrapbooked about 6
now. I'm a little behind.
11. I procrastinate. I operate best in emergency status sometimes.
12. I wear bifocals and hate it.
13. I prefer to read non-fiction over fiction, but I've gotten more into fiction
again thanks to Mark Lee.
14. Some of my favorite movies are Shadowlands, Lord of the Rings, The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe, Miracle at Moreaux, The Truman Show and The Majestic. Funny
thing is two of my favorite movies have Jim Carey, and I'm not that big a fan of
his.
15. I like the heat better than the cold. I hate being cold.
16. I work seasonally as a data transcriber.
17. The very first concert I ever went to was The Who. My mom made my dad take me.
18. When I was in Jr. High I had magazine photos of the Monkees all over my wall.
19. I missed seeing Davy Jones at Morro Bay once because I ran ahead of everyone to
use the bathroom.
20. When I was 10 I tried to get my mom to let me buy a ticket and bus ticket to see
the Beatles at Candlestick Park. She said I had to have enough to pay for us both.
IT took me a long time to forgive her. LOL So, I found a poster for the event in
Las Vegas and bought it last October.
21. I've lived in Northern UT for 8 years now.
22. I was born at an Air Force Base Hospital
23. I have tickets at my desk for 8 concerts. They are one of the few things that
are organized.
24. I would much rather have a photograph with my favorite artist than an autograph.
I mostly get autographs to talk to people.
25. I love the church I attend and miss it when I'm away.
26. I own over 300 cd's. I can't even listen to them all.
27. I still have dvd's that I purchased months ago that I haven't watched. Radio is
one of them.
28. I have mild rosacea and my face always looks red in photos.
29. I am the oldest of 6.
30. I'm a TK, meaning that I am the daughter of two teachers.
31. I have 22 college units and 19 of them are in early childhood education. I
never graduated from college.
32. I have been arrested for civil disobedience 2 or 3 times.
33. I can't draw.
34. I love Jamba Juice
35. All you can eat soup or salad on Sunday at Olive Garden is the best!
36. I'm lactose intolerant.
37. My daughter is a cosmetologist and cuts my hair for me.
38. I spend too much time reading blogs and checking out myspace.
39. I sometimes fall asleep at my desk.
40 I like crossword puzzles.
41. I don't like root beer, fried eggs, hot dogs or bologna
42. I don't drink coffee
43. I saw The Who on their last tour from row 6. The ticket cost me $232. That is
the most I've ever spent on a concert ticket.
44. I did drive to Colorado once to see Clay Aiken and play hostess for a fan
preconcert party.
45. I used to get 50 cents a week for my allowance, and I nearly always spent it on
a 45 rpm record (single with flip side.)
46. When I was two years old my favorite song was "Wake Up Little Suzy" and I still
like the Everly Brothers.
47. I can type really fast, but I also make lots of mistakes.
48. I like long denim skirts
49. My least favorite chore is putting dishes away.
50. I love Bath and Body Works.
51. I'm not a good long distance driver.
52. I got my driver's license when I was 18
53. My first car was an MG (not a sports car) and it was about as big as a roller

skate.
54. I graduated high school within a day of the Roe vs. Wade decision
55. I am prolife
56. I've taken so many photos that my hard drive is almost full
57. My son just started taking helicopter lessons and I'm proud of him
58. I'm not a good disciplinarian
59. I have a strong interest in all things legal
60. I love the biology sciences, but find the physical sciences to be a challenge
61. I rarely get 8 hours of sleep, so I'm tired a lot
62. My favorite color is blue, especially corn silk blue
63. I like to collect concert set lists
64. I tend to lose things and I'm forgetful
65. I have my days and nights turned around. I usually go to bed from 4-6 a.m. give

or take an hour.
66. I hate clutter, but the more I hate it the more of it I seem to have.
67. I hardly ever watch tv
68. I don't have any piercings or tatoos
69. I never thought I'd get a chance to see New York, but I've been a few times. I

love to visit, but I don't think I'd actually want to live there.
70. I've only been out of the country (U.S.) one time and that was to Ensenada on

the K-Love cruise, Jan. 2006.
71. I was born on Good Friday.
72. I'm 5 feet tall exactly.
73. I don't want to pressure my kids, but it makes me sad that I have no

grandchildren to spoil. Yea, Dee skip this one. LOL
74. I used to own one of the very first Chatty Kathy model
75. When I was 10 I was through with dolls except I wanted a Charm 'n Chatty because

shes looked like me and you could change her sayings. She used to say, "I like

pickle ice cream" which was my favorite saying
76. I used to hate raisins because I choked on a stem on one once, and it took me

about 20 years to start loving them again.
77. My first job other than babysitting (which I did lots) was selling vegetables at

the flea market. My first steady job was a part-time maid in Reno.
78. When I was in kindergarden, I was "terrorized" by a old guy telling me he was
going to get me if I didn't put black shoe polish on my hair because I was a
redhead. He was probably joking, but I was never sure. My mom had to take me to
school for a while.
79. I am too argumentative sometimes
80. I value a good sense of humor, especially if someone can be funny without being
vulgar.
81. Of all the photos I've taken, I think my favorite is of a butterfly.
82. I am not good at good-byes.
83. I love peach sorbet, especially Dreyer's. I can eat a whole container in one
sitting quite easily.
84. I don't eat chocolate except on rare occasions because it makes heartburn worse.
85. I don't like to watch sports on tv, except the pretty ones like gymnastics or
ice skating
86. I did gymnastics in high school, but I wasn't all that good. My favorite was
balance beam.
87. I was on a swim team in high school, but the only thing I ever placed other than
last in was the butterfly. The gal I beat was my medley team mate who swam
butterfly.
88. I wish I could have gotten into synchronized swimming before I was a senior in
high school. I loved it.
89. One of my most memorable events in high school was teaching someone to swim.
90. I used to want to be a veterinarian or a nurse
91. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up
92. I love and hate change at the same time
93. I drive a Sebring convertible. I didn't want a convertible. My husband got it as a compromise vehicle since we couldn't afford a Corvette. He bought a 1990
corvette... I got the Sebring. :) I like it.
94. I have lots of family in Northern CA
95. I like giving gifts to people, especially if I can find something I think would
fit them
96. I used to be incredibly shy, and sometimes I still am
97. My next major frivolous purchase will probably be a Canon wide angle zoom with
IS.
98. My favorite book of the Bible is the book of Romans.
99. I absolutely love my church. I fit there.
100.I like having company, but rarely do.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

I Love ...

I love words....

And why not? I love people and if one loves people, it helps to be able to communicate does it not? I've always been reasonably good with vocabulary, and for a long time it was something that came quite naturally.

Lately, however, I've noticed myself in a bit of a rut. When I go to see a band and I am really impressed with their show, I am most apt to say it was "amazing" or "awesome". Now, I'm not alone in this. It seems to be rather common, or so it appears to me. It's so common in fact that when I used a different term to describe a recent concert someone commented that there was a whole thread without the two "a" words. The surprising thing is that I knew exactly which two words the post was referring to. This set of a chain reaction in me. Everytime I use the "a" words now, I am keenly aware of it; and I have to admit that I was using them quite a lot.

So, how to change? I went to www.dictionary.com and then to the Thesarus. The Thesarus is really a cool tool. (Hey, that rhymes.) :) First I looked up "awesome" and I pulled from it the synonyms that seemed to fit with a description of an "awesome concert". There were so many good words to choose from: astonishing, impressive, magnificent, mind-blowing, moving, wonderful, stupefying, wondrous.

Directly underneath that entry is the adjective, "amazing" (the other "a" word, of course) and again, some magnificent and "amazing" synonyms such as unbelievable, incredible, wonderful, stunning ...

followed by:

breathtaking OR astonishing, exciting, spine-tingling, thrilling, heart-stirring

then there is marvelou OR incomprehensible, extraordinary, incredible, stupendous.

SO, if you ever see a particularly incredible show from now on, there is no shortage of words to relay the experience to others. Have fun. I know I will.

Oh, and if you really want to see something truly amazing (oh well, old habits die hard), check out Mute Math tonight on Jimmy Kimmel. I don't think it's on most places yet. It will be breathtaking, astonishing and stupendous, all rolled into one. You won't be disappointed. :)

Back to watching the Time Machine. LOL

Peace Out,
Melanie

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Catching Up and Other Things














Well, I just thought I'd post a thread that's a little bit about everything to sort of play catch up. I'll start with the most recent events.

Tonight I went to In the Venue (aka Club Sound) to the Editors concert. Now one might thing that I actually went to the concert, but that is not exactly what happened. What I did do was stand outside at the concert and hand out postcards and tell people about Mute Math's show here on October 2. It was a really interesting evening. The show as supposed to start at 8:30 with doors opening at 8 p.m. I arrived about 6 p.m. and I was the only one there. After waiting a short bit, I decided to go across the street where there was a Mexican Independence Day celebration going on. There was a stage with Latin American music, a few gals scattered about wearing colorful costumes, some food vendor stands, bounce houses for kids, and tables and chairs. There was also a table to buy tickets for beer and/or soda. I decided to try one of the tacos for $1.50. Then at the stand next door, I purchased a fruit cup (watermelon, cantalope, cucumbers, pineapple) with a little lime. I'd never seen red pepper on fruit before, and wasn't sure I was brave enough to gry that one. Anyway, the food was good. I ate and headed back across the street.

One guy showed up shortly after I arrived back at the venue. I talked to him a while. Then as more people stopped in line I asked each if they had heard of Mute Math. If so, I gave them a card and told them they would be here on Oct. 2. If they hadn't heard them, I offered to let them listen on my cd player. Some took me up on it. Those who listened were impressed, as I knew they would be. Anyway, I stayed until the Editors were about finished with their second song. I talked to security, to the sound person, to the drummer (I think the drummer) from a band called Biffy Crylo and asked him about the band name. He had a very thick British accent, and he made me chuckle. Anyway, I headed for home, stopped at Smith's, had something to eat and sat down at the computer.

Wednesday night, I was at the same venue to see Sherwood, The Rocket Summer, Armor for Sleep and The Academy Is. Even though Sherwood and Bryce recognize me by now, I had no idea now to contact them for photo passes, so I was stuck with a point and shoot camera. I was a tad bummed about that since I'm rather spoiled of late. I was able to talk to Nate (of Sherwood) a good bit before the show and I always do enjoy talking with him. I gave Mikey a tee that I had come up with, and my daughter did the graphics for me. She's good at them, I definitely am not. After a long, hot wait in the sun, it was finally time for the show. Sherwood was up first and Nate's mike wasn't hooked up. He stopped the song, made sure it was taken care of and started the song over. Then they proceeded to play the entire set and pretty much had everyone jumping and clapping. Mikey was energetic and entertaining as he always is. He does 360+ spins, claps, dances, etc. as he plays the keyboards. He's so much fun to watch. Sherwood finished their set and The Rocket Summer began setting up for their show. Bryce (TRS) is pretty popular here, especially among teen girls. I always enjoy his show. I tried to take photos, and didn't get much as it's pretty hard to keep the camera steady when everyone around you is moving themselves, and consequently me with them. Armor for Sleep played a little longer set and then finally it was time for The Academy Is (TAI). I really enjoyed their set actually. William Beckett was all over the stage, and very interactive with the crowd. After the show I had photos taken with everyone in Sherwood except Nate and chatted some more. Then I had a pic taken with Bryce. TAI was MIA. ;) AS the crowd began to disperse, there were about 10-20 people who were waiting to see TAI in the back. I stayed around to talk to a few of them. Finally, there were only three of us left. I was mainly staying with the others, so I just said that they should talk to the guy on the cell when he got off the phone and just ask if they could autograph their things. As I started to drive off, I saw them talk to the guy and then run towards the gate. Later I found out that they did get to meet William. They waited two hours, so I know they were ecstatic. It was cool.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Mae Photos







Set list minus the encores

They were singing about Baby Back Ribs, fingers snapping, harmony and all. I guess they were hungry.



I'm so very far behind, I may never catch up. I can't get as many photos up as I would like just yet since I managed to completely fill up my 160 gig hard drive, so no editing or even saving most files until I make space. LOL Anyway, I have a few close-ups of Dave Elkins, a pic or two of Mark and Jacob. I couldn't even see Rob. LOL

NOTE: I apparently haven't uploaded the pic of Mark yet, so one more thing to look forward to, huh? LOL

Friday, September 07, 2007

Mae concert recap

The Mae concert in Salt Lake City has come and gone, but not without making a lasting mark!

I got to the venue about 3 p.m., waited for a friend and tried to decide if I was going to go to the instore or not. I saw Dave and he asked me if I was going, and I told him I was waiting for a friend and we'd try to decide. I also saw Zach briefly, and he asked me if it was going to rain.

My friend and I decided about 4 or so that we would leave to go to the instore and come back before the meet/autograph part. We got back to the venue and there were probably about 15 people or so in line. We were lucky in that a group of guys let my friend and I in front of them and I was able to get in front of the stage. Unfortunately, I probably didn't pick the best part of the front of the stage to stand. Really, I never saw Rob before or after the show, and the way things were set up, I was too short to see him, so I have no evidence that he was even there. JK I could hear him, but I really couldn't see him.

Just before the venue opened the doors, the wind really kicked up and there was lightening. You could hear crackle/pop on stage and it sounded rather ominous. The last time things popped, all of the power went out. There was no electricity!! After about 45 mins. or more, they finally had power run through the bus and Deer and the Headlights played an acoustic set to candlelight. There were glowsticks hung from the mikes. It was quite a sight! About halfway through their set the power came back on, but they had to play acoustic for the whole set or cut it shorter. They did an excellent job!!!

As Tall As Lions came out and set up. I think setup took a bit longer as things had to be a bit rearranged after the power outage. I was impressed with them as well. I was actually surprised at how long their set was, but I enjoyed it a lot. The bass player is really animated. LOL

Then it was time for the stage to be set for Mae. The lighting was really very nice for Mae's set. I am impressed with just how much better Mae's stage show has become. Each time I've seen them it just gets better. I enjoyed everything about the concert. There was a good mix of older and newer songs. The crowd was really into everything. Everyone sang at the end of Ocean, which is always memorable. Afterwards I was able to talk to Jacob for a bit, Dave briefly and Zach for a short while.
Scott said that Rob wasn't feeling well, so I was disappointed not to see him, but hope mostly that he's soon feeling better.

As for the instore, I am very glad I went. It was pretty amazing! At the end Dave said there'd be one more song and asked the crowed. I piped up with Ocean. Someone in the back echoed it. Then another person shouted, "Countdown" and there was a little "contest" to see which song would win. In the end, the performed both. Dave's vocals sounded really good.

I have pics I will upload soon. Not sure how good the instore pics are, but I know some did turn out o.k. Me, being the "good" photographer that I am, forgot to check the ISO and I think it was only on 200. I was wondering why I couldn't get enough light and the shutter speeds were so slow. LOL I didn't realize it until about halfway through Mae's set. Then when I changed it the camera wasn't working properly. Finally, I was able to get a few shots. I hope they turned out.

Anyway, it was a very different show, and a very memorable one. And, of course, the music was incredible!

--Melanie

NOTE: Just don't give the lead singer from As Tall As Lions too much to drink. There's no telling what would happen. LOL

Oh, I will add pics soon.

The hurrieder I go the behinder I get




I think I used to hear that saying from my mom long ago. I'm not sure where she got it, but it tends to suit me too well. LOL

At any rate, I am going to see Weird Al tonight at the fair. I haven't had enough sleep. I need to do a lot of things, and here I am online. I'm a glutton for punishment. LOL

And, I am now the street team co-ordinator for Mute Math in Salt Lake City! The tour just started with a sold out show in Boston. It shouldn't be any surprise that Mute Math would sell out. Not only is the music outstanding, but they probably have one of the best live stage shows out there. They set the standard for stage presentation!! Not only that, but they are touring with Eisley. It's an interesting combo. Eisley is just pretty. Mute Math rocks! But both bands are absolutely incredible live. If it comes near you, DO NOT miss it!!!!! I can't emphasize that enough. I've had my ticket since the day they went on sale.

http://www.mutemath.com/tickets