Staying awake

I am sitting at my computer desk trying with all my might to stay awake; and wondering if I should just give it up and take a nap at 7:30 p.m. A song runs through my head... ah ah ah ah staying awake, staying awake, complete with the Bee Gees harmony. But first things, first. Translated, that means bloggin before sleeping.

In the last episode, I was hoping to be furloughed on Friday August 20. I had hoped to take annual and leave a little early so I could be well-rested for Candlelight Serenade. I did almost get my wish. I was furloughed on August 20, but at the close of business which means I was not given an option to leave early. SO, it almost worked. Instead I worked late, stayed up even later and had about 3-1/2 hrs. of sleep. When driving in the morning for an hour or more, it isn't the best of ideas. Still, I made it up (slightly later than planned) and was at the venue bright and early. I was, in fact, the first in line even though I was only there an hour before door times. It was not too long before a few people showed up, but even when the doors opened things were pretty laid back which was rather nice actually. I had a vip ticket (not the one with the tent and food, just first entry and best location) and did not have any camera problems even without stopping to get my photo pass first. I never did collect it. In hindsight perhaps I should have, but things worked out well. The only stipulation was no flash and I was definitely okay with that policy.

The first part of the day, I was front and center at the barricade and had no idea where the vip people were supposed to be. Neither did anyone else from what I could tell. Someone suggested by the sound booth which didn't seem likely as that would have been a downgrade from where I was. LOL After the first few bands played, they did finally divide the grassy area into thirds, and the middle section was for VIP.
I was really impressed with ALL of the music on the main stage and enjoyed every artist. Making April and The Fictionist were really good. I had never heard either band perform before and I was definitely impressed with them both.


Some of my favorites performed (though not in this order at all), Sherwood, Relient K, Vedera are bands I have seen a number of times, and I am always impressed with them. Kristen's (Vedera) vocals were so good.









I enjoyed Priscilla Ahn's set. Prior to Candlelight, I'd only seen a video clip on Candlelight's facebook. Her song about "boobs" made me literally laugh out loud, and I looked it up online and shared it with my darling husband the day after.

Third Eye Blind was really good, and they are rather a guilty pleasure of mine. Stephan Jenkins made a comment about all of his lyrics being dirty. It wasn't literally 100% true, but not that far off. But I have to admit to loving it anyway, just not 100%? LOL



I really loved Steel Train's set, especially Bullet. It's a great song!!


Neon Trees really gave the crowd their monies worth for the day.



John Allred was amazing as always (even though he was pretty sunburned. LOL) Next time he plays outdoors, I'm bringing sunscreen (which reminds me, thanks to the girls who let me borrow their's when I walked out the door and left mine sitting on my desk!)

I was holding up rather well, for most of the day, but started to falter a little during Relient K's set. It figures, with Relient K being my favorite band and all.
About 2/3 of the way into their set, I started feeling queasy and had to sit down. for a song, then back up, then back down, etc. Everyone around me was very nice, and helpful!! The people around me offered to hold my spot so I could eat and go to the bathroom. I hadn't had food in a long time, or moved from my spot, and I guess that was a bad idea. I managed to find some cinnamon almonds, purchased them, and ingested a few (not normally on my diet) before finding some more "dinnerlike" sustenance. It was chicken, couscous, and spinach. It was really very good, but there was enough for 3 people! There was a little bit of a language barrier, and I ended up with a full meal when I was just asking for chicken and rice. I paid her a dollar more than I thought I was supposed to and there was no offer of change, and I didn't care but thought it odd. It was a lot of food. Later when I looked at the photo, I realized what happened, and I probably paid her a dollar too little, which made me feel bad. She didn't say anything, just that I would like the food. I did.

I ate as I walked back to the barricade. I managed to make it back just as Chris of Dashboard Confessional started his set. He was fun, funny, engaging and the music was good. I felt much better, although it took a little bit before I was back to feeling somewhat normal. I was relieved.


After Chris played, the 311 brothers performed, and they were amazing. I'm not a huge 311 fan, but I left rethinking that since their music was incredible performed live. Come to think of it, I should go back and take a complete relisten to their tunes! :)


Throughout the day, during set up times, there were a few speakers that spoke about child slavery and prostitution. It was such a heartbreaker. It never ceases to amaze me the depravity that some people get into, and how much it hurts people.

At the end of the evening, everyone was given a small candle (the flameless variety) and the artists came back on stage to sing John Allred's song that was written especially for the event.

I picked up my trash, walked back to the merch tables and had a nice, long chat with Scott Cannon. It's been a while since we could talk very much, and it was good to finally be able to chat. I did feel a little helpless when he was getting the merch straightened. I offered to help, but then he seemed to have his system down and I didn't want to mess him up by interrupting. It was awkward, a little, but he didn't seem to mind. Somewhere in the process I bought a candlelight tee, although there were no small's, so it's a bit on the large side.

Finally, I headed out to my car and braced myself for the drive home. It was a long day, I was exhausted, but it was a good day.

August 2010 was nearing a close, but it wasn't over yet. There was still Avalyn's first birthday to look forward to!!! It was definitely a busy time. I'm still playing catch-up, but I'm getting there. :)

Peace out,
Melanie

Winter Wonder Slam

Winter Wonder Slam (hereinafter referred to as WWS) wasn't coming to Salt Lake City. That is nothing new, and not particularly surprising. However, WWS was coming to Nampa, Idaho (and for those unfamiliar with Idaho, that is just a bit outside of Boise.) Also, for those that may not know, Relient K is the main opener for WWS, and if you read my blog at all, you know that Relient K is my favorite band.
Now, it's not really all that unusual for me to drive to 5 or so hours to Boise for a concert once in a while. However, I have a rule: No Boise concerts after Halloween. The weather isn't usually to bad before Halloween, but after that date, one just never knows. I broke the rule one time before. You'll never guess who I went to see in Boise in February. LOL But it was Relient K, so I broke the rule. I bought a ticket for WWS on December 8. Then I hoped and prayed for decent weather. When the weather-types were predicting snow the day of the show, I wasn't surprised. I think my exact response was: "That figures."

Originally, the plan was to stay at the Nampa Hampton Inn the night before, and drive home after the show. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at things, Metallica was playing the night before and the hotel was booked up on December 7. I got on the waiting list for a room.

Oh, to make things even more interesting, I decided to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Haile Theater in West Valley on the 7th. The show started at 5 p.m., so I hoped to be out early enough. After some thinking, I decided that I should be able to sleep about 7 hrs. or so and then head for Boise about 3 in the morning on the 8th, and then just stay the night. So I got back online and booked a room at the Hampton for Dec. 8. I think that was the better plan in reality.

On December 7, I actually slept decent. I had everything ready to go, except I needed a few personal items. I made a trip to the mall to take care of that business and dressed up in my new top and new green satin skirt. I thought I might be a tad overdressed, but dressing up is fun and I wanted to look festive. I think it worked out.

The play was remarkable. I went with a group of friends from church. A group of us went for a couple of years running, but then stopped. I was really happy to be able to go again. A Christmas Carol is done with lots of music, smoke, things that move and go bump in the night. Scrooge was very animated. In the end when he was happy, you felt like dancing with the guy. It was really a lot of fun. Afterwards, the group of us went to a Chinese restaurant nearby. It was a challenge trying to moderate the fat content there, though. Hopefully I did okay. The food was pretty good and so was the fellowship. I arrived at home somewhere around 10:30ish, and made sure I had everything together. I decided to set my alarm for 3:30 a.m. I woke up before it went off.



I got up and tried to get everything by the door, dressed, and ate breakfast. I unburied my car from the snow, and decided to shovel the sidewalk, since the snow was not too heavily stuck, and I figured it would be later. It was bitter cold out (somewhere between 3-6 deg. F) and my fingers really began to hurt badly by the time I was finished. I went inside and warmed them up with cold water! Then I finished loading up the car and headed out at exactly 4:06 a.m. It's a good thing I had plenty of time to get there. Even on the freeway the top speed was 45 for the first hour or so. Then 45-50 for quite a ways. Still, I arrived in Nampa I think a little after 10:30 a.m. I parked my car at the hotel, and went inside. The staff was wonderful, and let me hang about, watch tv, make some tea (I had cup and teabags, I used their hot water. LOL) and kill time until about noon, where they got me into my room early. I took pics of my room and the view from my window. I went downstairs and used the computer in the business center (very slow, but hey, it was available and free.) I killed time until a little after 1 p.m., and then went to check out the venue. I came back to the hotel and warmed up until about 2:15 or so when I decided just to wait it out at the venue until show time. Yes, I am certifiable!
IT was another hour and a half or so before anyone else showed up. It was too cold... definitely too cold. I did okay except the last hour or so when my toes pretty much began to ache, much like my hands did after shoveling the snow earlier in the day. A family showed up early and took turns in line. Then a couple of gals showed up and we chatted a lot. They watched my place in line while I bugged people at the will call window about my photo pass, and stressed over it a lot (I should really quit doing that, it's not an endearing quality.) IT was close, but I got my pass in time. One of the gals kinda freaked me saying it might get there before doors, and it might not. (This was gen. adm. entry I waited hours for? And they wouldn't let me in with camera without it, even though the security and one of the in charge gals both knew it was coming. And it had gotten to late to take it back to my room. Sigh. Hence, the stress.) Anyway, I was relieved when the pass showed up.

In spite of me freaking myself out, I made it to the floor in front with no problems. It's not that I wasn't slower than molasses, because I was. There were also a few hitches, but no one was running, and the dance floor really wasn't at all crowded. It was kind of nice, actually. NO pushing, no being squished within an inch of my life. I could really get used to that. LOL My right foot hurt extremely badly as it began to warm up, but it eventually quit. I played around with my camera, chatted, checked out the merch table, came back and waited. Finally it was time for the show to start.
B Reith was the first one to perform. I really am not a huge hip hop fan, but he actually had more singing than rap, and he was just a lot of fun! He had I "heart" Boise on the bottom of his shoes. His set was very short, but enjoyable.


After B. Reith was Stephanie Smith. Stephanie absolutely rocked. The girl can sing and I loved her music. Later I would go up and buy both of her cd's. I was impressed. I was able to get some decent photos of her as well.



After Stephanie it was time for Relient K. Hoopes was still out for a family emergency, and there was another guy filling in on the first song. All but of a couple of the songs played were acoustic. Ethan played drums on the first song, and guitar on the others. Hoopes was definitely missed, but it was still a great set, and it was especially awesome to hear, "I Celebrate the Day" live for the first time. A good bit of Relient K's set were Christmas songs. Someone shouted out "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas" at one point. That made me laugh. I have the same complaint everytime (although probably more truth to it this time than most) which is that it was just too short.





I had some gift cards for Relient K, and I tried to get Jon's attention, but without much luck. Then I went up to the merch tables, and one of B. Reith's guys said he would get the gift cards to them for me. (And he did, so that was pretty awesome.)
I met B Reith briefly and had a photo taken with him.

Toby Mac's set was starting, so I headed back down to the barricade. Onstage, Toby has an amazing amount of energy, and he surrounds himself with very talented people. I've seen him a few times before, and he always has a great show. I was surprised that I knew and/or recognized as many of the songs as I did. I did laugh at one point when he did a medly of songs, most of them I recall from when I was younger. I definitely knew those songs. LOL


After the concert was over, I headed back upstairs. I met Stephanie and her band and had a photo taken, and bought her cd's. Stephanie seemed really sweet. I talked to Travis Culver or KTSY - he actually spotted me first, and I had a photo taken with him before I left. I figured I'd better leave before they kicked me out, so I headed back to the hotel.

When I arrived back at the hotel, I was tired and hungry. I went to my 4th floor room, and got ready to take a dip in the pool before I went to bed. I figured it would help me sleep to swim a few laps. So, I swam about 8 laps of the pool and then sat in the jacuzzi for a bit. It was hard to leave just because it was so toasty warm. :) I dried off as best I could and went back to my room and changed again. I went to use the business center and to ask for a wakeup call. A gal came into the hotel lobby to leave flyers for their Deli. Their food was all organic and home made, and they were open and delivered until midnight. OF course, I ordered right there. Then I stayed in the lobby and chatted until my food arrived. I ate, got ready to sleep, and slept well.

The next day it was time to head for home. First I stopped at Calvary Chapel to drop off some gifts for Luke and bandmates, and then I stopped to visit a friend who was working at a nearby mall. She bought me a late lunch, even. I did a small bit of shopping and headed for home. By then it was nearly 4 p.m.

I drove probably less than an hour before I started to feel sleepy. Now, that is an issue with me on long drives sometimes, but not usually only an hour after heading out. I did't think that was a good sign, but at least the roads were clear. I ended up stopping twice at rest stops to take naps along the way, but I finally made it home around midnight.

I'm not sure I'm anxious to do this again too soon, but I am very glad I made the trek. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Kudos, to any "novella" readers who made it through this whole post. :)

Peace out,
Melanie

Merry Thanksgiving and Happy Christmas?

You know, it's really tough to come up with catchy blog titles. I remember in school and the emphasis in Creative Writing on finding a title to grab the reader's attention. I'm not sure I ever mastered that one.

I never really finished blogging about my October, but it was one very full month!
In addition to the Snow Patrol concert, and my trips Vegas and Colorado, I started back to work, started watching my granddaughter when her mom was at work, went to see Eisley (with Say Anything, Bayside, Moneen, et al.),






worked during the day in hospitality and catering for Remedy Drive, and that same evening saw Mae in concert and collected a carful of things for The Road Home (homeless shelter and services) and took photos for a Harvest Party at my church, October was insane, but good. November has still been very full, but gratefully a little slower.



Tomorrow I will have the great pleasure of seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra from
Row 8, Floor 1 at the Energy Solutions arena (which used to be called The Delta Center for any former SLC residents that haven't kept up. LOL) I'm not a huge fan of this venue, and not so crazy about floor 1, but I'll def. take row 8! LOL This will be the 4th year of me seeing them and it is always a highlight of my year. Unfortunately, they don't allow any photography, so not fantastic pics will follow, but that's o.k. After the show, they always do a meet/greet or as the line by the table autograph sessions are sometimes dubbed, a "greet and leave." LOL I still always manage to get a few words in. LOL

Thursday, I will be at my church for a Thanksgiving meal. I am bringing a turkey. In a stroke of fantastic and fortuitous timing, I was able to get a 24.62 lb. turkey for only $.40 a lb. at Wal Mart.

There was a limit of 2, at the time, so I picked up a smaller second turkey for around Christmas time. I won't be home on Christmas day, so I may have to fix it just a little late. :) I will be in Arizona, visiting my daughter, and her baby (which is due on Dec. 5.) So it will be a warmer Christmas this year.

For those who keep up with me and my crazy concert schedule (all one or two? maybe...) I will be at the Winter Wonder Slam in Boise, on Dec. 8 to see Relient K, primarily; I have a ticket to see Brand New/Manchester Orchestra in Jan., and a ticket for Jack's Mannequin in Feb. I am trying to behave myself and slow down, but it's tough! LOL I do really want to see Dashboard's acoustic show on Dec. 4, but not sure if I will go now. I had a ticket for the same show (non-acoustic) in November, but they cancelled and automatically refunded which I didn't totally understand, but now I'm not sure if I want to tackle it. I know John Allred has a show coming up, so if I have to choose, I may just catch his who instead. I have to see how the timing works out this time around.

I am off work now probably until next season which for me will most likely start somewhere between the end of January and the middle of February. The last two years, I have been called back the middle of February. Things seem less predictable every year, however, so I have no idea what to expect.

In the meantime, I am trying, albeit very slowly, to accomplish a few things. I've been going through my clothes and getting rid of things that are just too big for me to wear now. I have quite a growing pile. Hopefully between Thanksgiving and Christmas I can catch up on a little rest and get a lot more accomplished.

My granddaughter is growing like crazy now, and it's fun to see. She smiles more, and has even laughed for me (or was that at me.) ;) Today I took some snapshots of her smiling for her grandpa.



We also watched Star Trek. I liked it. The ending was different, so I'm not quite sure what to think of it yet.

I hope everyone has a very blessed Thanksgiving, and a truly Merry Christmas this year.

Peace out,
Melanie