Yes! Yes! Yes!

Tickets for Receipt #******* are being shipped as follows: Fri Aug 8 2008 01:00 PM EDT Warped Tour Idaho Center US Priority Mail

Woo Hoo! :) I was wondering when the ticket was going to ship. Now I just have to wait for my Coldplay and Third Day/Switchfoot/Jars of Clay tickets. I wonder if I should get a ticket for Kelly Clarkson. I said I was going to try and slow down a little and the arenas are so costly with ticketmonster (oh, did I say that) handling ticketing. I think she is best up close, so I might get up in the morning and see what I pull up and how much it will set me back.

I keep hoping/praying Relient K will come here with This Providence. Yea, I know it's a huge long shot -- improbable, but not necessarily impossible. I remember telling Jon that This Providence and The Fold would love to open for Relient K when I was at Creation last year. Now This Providence has at least a few shows opening for them. I will so totally miss Sean (of TP), though. I was supposed to bring him (well, the whole band, but it was most appealing to Sean) a spaghetti dinner or potroast or something next time This Providence came here. Of course, when we made these plans Sean was hungry. LOL They haven't been here since. :( Sean is an extremely nice guy. We talked about books, CC music that his mom and I like, food, music and other things. And he always makes me laugh. When This Providence comes here, I usually laugh so hard it hurts. Sean was a big part of that. I hope our paths will definitely cross again, band or no band!!

Anyway, I am procrastinating, which is what I do best. Hey, if one could get a job procrastinating, I would have finally found a job I can do really well. LOL

Speaking of jobs, I just turned in my badge and left work at 11:30 p.m. I had some time awards amounting to an hour and a half that I was able to use to leave early.
They were supposed to furlough on Wed., but I'm heading for Idaho to see The Fold, and to Creation NW on Monday, so I am on leave until they furlough, and then I'm off until the next time they call (sometimes for a few weeks in Nov., and then for the next season in Jan/Feb.) As for Creation, one of the people I was supposed to meet there (the main person actually) is not going to be there after all. She got a new job that won't let her off work to go. I guess if a place hires you to work, it's kinda nice if you show up. I was looking forward to meeting up with Bri and her mom again. We had a blast at Jimmy Eat World and Paramore in Pocatello. We WILL meet again. LOL

Anyway, next week, The Fold and Creation, followed by Switchfoot in Rock Springs, WY on the 30th, working at the Fernando Ortega concert at Wolf Mountain on Aug. 2; James Taylor on Aug. 4, Warped Tour on Aug 8 (leaving on Aug. 7 around 2 p.m. or earlier if possible) and then Bob Dylan on August 31. There have been a lot of shows this month, and I had to miss a few (like Dear and the Headlights.) I will have to miss two more while I am at Creation, and two that I love dearly - Ernie Halter and We Shot the Moon. The real killer is that WSTM is going to be 15 mins or so from my place and I'll be out of state. C'est la vie. Jonathan - I WILL see you next time somehow (not that he reads my blogs.) LOL

So, I'm going to be keeping busy, and hopefully have some time to catch up on my house when I get back.

Peace out,
Melanie

P.S. I have to write a book review before I leave, and I just started reading a book called Emergence by Steven Johnson. Just barely started, though.

P.S.S. DON'T FORGET!! (Caps for emphasis) World Wide Moment, August 8, 2008 8:08 a.m. Beijing time. Everyone taking a snapshot at exactly the same moment in time!!! It will be really fun and interesting. In mountain time the moment is August 7, 2008 at 6:08 p.m. For info. go here: http://www.worldwidemoment.org

The Amazing Wandering MInd

Just to prove that I have not yet lost all of my hearing completely, I was at the computer terminal responding to someone's blog when I heard the familiar boom.. then a pause, then a "boom, boom, boom crackle." I recognize that noise! (I still have a little memory left as well..) It was the sound of fireworks.

My adult onset ADD was screaming, "oooo... shiny things" and I headed out to the front porch to see what I could see. The last year the trees across the street had become tall enough to block a lot of the view, but tonight I could see most of the colorful sparkles and "oooh and aahhhhh" as one should when viewing fireworks. I called to my semi-comatose husband on the couch and asked if he wanted to see them. He joined me for a short while then had enough and went back inside. Shortly after, the trees became a barrier and I made a short walk down the street where I could once again see the sparkling display.

July is fireworks month in Utah. First there is the 4th of July, followed by a state holiday on July 24. When I first moved here, folks would tell me that the 24th was the bigger event. I'd have to say that it was clearly a toss up. Since first relocating to UT, things have changed, though. I don't think they last quite as long as a few years ago, although UT really does know how to put on a fireworks show. However, when I first arrived here in 1999, most of the cities had impressive displays on both of the holidays. Now they tend to alternate weekends with their celebrations. Still there are plenty of fireworks to go around.

At any rate, I thought about a lot of things while watching the fireworks. Who would have thought that watching fireworks would set off a regular chain-reaction of thoughts in my mind. Of course my first thought was, "Ooooo.. pretty." From that my mind wandered over to circuses - you know the Roman circuses -- entertainment for the masses to keep them from focusing on peripheral things and not real life issues. Keep people happy by entertaining them and how I was happily enjoying them regardless of their "value."

Then I inevitably compared it to previous years, and started wondering if shrinking budgets and price increases would force the displays to be ever smaller. I thought about how much we take things for granted, even fireworks after noticing cars going up and down my street seeming to take no notice whatsoever. What if we were to become a third world country and there were no fireworks anymore?

Then for no explanable reason I thought about being old and losing brain cells. I wanted to remember some of these ideas and let's face it, I don't remember things like I used to. It struck me that when you are young you learn so much, so fast, but you have no life experience. Then when you have the actual experience, you start to forget. I think God does that to keep us older folks humble?

And interspersed with all of those thoughts, I thought it would be nice if I had some good photos of fireworks. I read an article on taking fireworks photos. Maybe next year I will set up my tripod and see what I can capture. One can get some pretty cool shots just with a point and shoot and a little luck and timing. I didn't get my camera, though. I would have probably missed them all.

So this is how my mind wanders, and why I have decided, that I probably have adult onset ADD (is there such a thing?)

So tonight, I didn't stop to smell the roses, but I did stop and marvel at fireworks and the ramblings of the human mind. And... don't neglect the important things.

Hope you had a great day!

--Mealnie

Book Review

I've discovered that it can be really difficult to review a book when you've met the author and love the person and love the book just a little less.

Push My Life into a Duffle Bag has a good storyline, especially for those who have a heart for people from a less than wonderful environment. John Roger Schofield does a great job of developing the characters in the story written from the viewpoint of abused child who grows up to be an angry young man and his struggle with and through that anger. In fact, one thing the book does extremely well is give you the sense that this is indeed someone's personal memoirs.

The first few chapters of the book were extremely hard for me to get through primarily because of the graphic sexual descriptions. For the most part, they really were unnecessary to the story. It is possible to get the same points across without being quite so graphic and the human part of the interplay took so much of a backseat that it almost got lost. If one shies away from such things and dislike profanity, then this is probably not the best book to read. For a good example of something that can be a little "steamy" and still not be quite as graphic, the Song of Solomon might work. I am not suggesting that the story excise the less than pretty parts, but perhaps it could have relayed them in such a way as to not to cause young men to want a cold shower afterwards. LOL

The best and worst characteristics (outside of the nearly pornographic descriptions) are actually the same. John is quite good at adjectives and descriptiveness in the scenes he portrays through a lot of the book, but at times it is almost too much, as though he picked up the dictionary just to toss a few words in there. I found the use of the word "Forsooth" throughout the book to be both endearing and a bit of a distraction. It was endearing because I know John seems to love the word, and it made me think of him: however, as far as the story goes, it really didn't make sense. Most people really don't talk that way, and John is unique. ;) I also found that he used the word, "myriad" a lot. It is hard to know whether or not it really stuck out to me because I know the name of his band is "The Myriad" or if I would have noticed it anyway. I do tend to try not to overuse the same word when writing, so that sort of thing will jump out at me sometimes.

The other downside to the book is that the time line seemed a little confusing in some parts of the book. Maybe a chart would have helped. He does backtrack a bit in parts of the story.

Overall, the book is interesting, and I'd really love to see it rewritten a little less graphically, and perhaps with a little more editing on finer points. And if "forsooth" stays in the story, perhaps an explanation of why the character keeps using it since it isn't a word most people use routinely.

To it's credit, Push My Life into a Duffle Bag has a good message in the end, but I am not sure it makes up for it's graphic nature, and in fact, it seems somewhat a contradiction.

Peace out,
Melanie

(oh... peace out I stole from Mac Powell of Third Day, just because I like the way it sounds, and peace is good.) :)

Sharing is a Good Thing

I hope you enjoy this. I do. :)

32 Years

I was working on photos so that I could add a few to my last blog, and it hit me that it is after midnight, and officially the 4th of July. For some it is a very patriotic time, a time to enjoy the fireworks, and celebrate all things American. For some, it is just a day off work: a time for fishing, camping, kicking back at home or doing whatever one does on their time off work. For others it's just another day because they don't live here anyway. LOL

But for me, it is my wedding anniversary. I was married on the "bicentennial", July 4, 1976.

Where has the time gone?

Today it has been 32 years since my husband and I said our vows at Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael next to the American River with a small group of family and friends. My sister, Valerie, made my dress - yellow with white and pink flowers and my veil. The reception was at my dad's place. (I will insert photos here, as I am able, and if I am able.)

It was before the world of all things digital. The internet wasn't even a concept in my mind back then and wouldn't be something I actually had access to for another 13 years. Cell phones were nonexistent. Gasoline was well under a dollar a gallon. Oh, we did have color television - no HDTV, though. I remember laughing at the concept of paying for television broadcasts even if it was commercial free. The commercial free thing didn't last too long. LOL

But I have been married 32 years. It has gone by so quickly, in the blink of an eye. Moments may drag, but the years have flown. We have survived job losses, my husband going back to college, auto accidents, raising three children, buying and owning our first home, moving to another state and buying our second home, my daughter's wedding, and all of the challenges life has tossed our way.

I have endured his sometimes reclusiveness, he has survived my outbursts (and I don't mean of energy.) I love people, he likes to be alone sometimes. I like digital photography, he likes film. LOL On occasion we have been worst enemies, but more often we are best friends... when we get to talk. LOL

Relationships are like that. They aren't neat and tidy. We are two sinful individuals who have somehow also been molded into one entity. He knows me and puts up with me, and vice versa. We are committed (in more ways than one.) ;)

I can't imagine being without him.

Happy Anniversary.

My Warped and Wacky Weekend

The problem with long, fun-filled days is trying to remember and recount every detail and not bore everyone to tears. :) The other is trying to decide where to begin. This tale begins on a Friday night, the night before Warped Tour, or more accurately, extremely early on Saturday morning when I finally got off work at 1 a.m. I still had to head for my daughter's place to feed her dogs and check up on them, finish getting my camera gear ready, run to Wal Mart and pick up a memory card to replace the one that went bad the night before. All those goals were accomplished, but by then it was close to 4 a.m. I finally was able to hit the sack and try to catch some zzzzzzz's. It took a while for me to drift off. At 6:30 a.m. my daughter and husband returned from Phoenix and I was awake, sort of. I took care of some business with my daughter, and went back to sleep for a couple of hours as best I could. So much for my plan to actually get enough rest first.

My intent was to set out by 8:30 am. By the time I actually got out the door, it was past 9:30. I also wanted to get a Coldplay ticket which went on sale at 10 a.m. and a ticket to see Bob Dylan, which also went on sale at 10 a.m. When it rains, it pours. I had convinced my beloved mother to take care of the Coldplay ticket for me. She was to call me if the seat wasn't in the first 10 rows so I could decide what to do. I had pulled up row 21 in the presale, and had hoped to do better with this one. So, the natural thing for me to do was to forget my cell phone. I turned around and went back to get it and got out the door at about 10 mins. to 10. I figured the line would be huge. I was worried about missing someone I really wanted to see. As it turned out, I ended up with Row 24. My mom pulled up row 21, and I decided just to get a cheap seat. They were out. We tried again, Row 24 came up. I took it. At that time, I was already well on the road to the Salt Lake Fairgrounds for some hot summer fun. Through the graciousness of friends, I was able to get a photo pass for Warped Tour, so I was pretty excited about it and definitely happy to finally be there.

I don't recall exactly what time I finally arrived at my destination, but it was probably around 10:30 a.m. The line was getting longer by the minute -- no, make that by the second. I ran into someone I always see at concerts right away, and he told me he was considering paying $5 to bump the line. It sounded good to me. I was ready for it. We chatted and I headed up to the press table to get my photo pass. It all went really smoothly. I was supposed to have a photo only band, but they forgot to cross of the "press" part, so I had a photo/press pass. I was told that I didn't have to go through the line. As it turned out, I wasn't even searched, so it went really quickly. In the end that was a huge blessing and relief as Relient K was playing first. I was really surprised that they were playing so early, but apparently this year at Warped the play order was determined by drawing and RK drew early.

My first stop, of course, was to the big red balloon to find out the schedule. I discovered that on too little sleep, remembering any of it was more than a challenge. I took a photo to help me remember, but then it was too bright to read it most of the time. LOL Then I headed for the Main Stage to see my favorite band, Relient K. When I arrived I went up to security so I could try and find out what I was supposed to do. She looked up what was on my wristband and said I could go backstage if I wanted to, so I did. I'm trying to remember who I saw first, but I think it was Warne. Eventually I was able to have a nice conversation with everyone. I probably seem kinda weird and chatty, but to me it's like running into someone you know that you only see once every 6 months or so and trying to fit everything you want to say in 30 seconds or less and you can't remember half of it. LOL

Finally it was time for the show to start and I went around to the barricade. I was nervous about getting anything good in the bright sun, and shade combo that is Warped. At the end of the three songs I went back to the front of the barricade. I asked security if I could still use the camera from the pit, or if I had to use a different one, and was basically told, "I don't know." So I just said if there's a problem let me know and I'll stop and swap cameras, so I was able to keep taking pics with my DSLR. I had a secured a spot in the front before the show and told someone I was there and I would try to get back which I did. My friend, Lauralee, was pretty much dead center, but I couldn't make it that far and was situated to the right of the stage near the piano. At one point Thiessen seemed to notice me in the crowd, and he said later that he did see me there. I guess I am like most people and it's nice to be recognized. LOL It's also nice when you are told that you weren't imagining things. ;)





Relient K's set was longer than I expected, but as always, it just seemed too short. They played Sadie Hawkins Dance, which I wasn't expecting and it was very well received indeed. I headed off to find something to drink and another show. If I remember correctly the next show I wanted to see was "We the Kings". I stopped at a few merch booths first, purchased a Relient K tee, preordered a cd from The Maine (which reminds me, I need to take care of that online with a code), etc. and hunted for the stage. I cannot recall the exact order of things at this point, but I saw, "The Maine", couldn't find the stage for We The Kings and missed half of their set. I was looking for the stage for the Color Fred and found it just as they started, and took pics from the barricade for the first three songs, and then stood to the side and watched the rest. I really enjoyed Fred's set a lot, and the sound for that set was probably the best for some reason.


After seeing The Maine, We the Kings and The Color Fred, I did a major search for the Kia tent to see RK again. I was pretty much next to the last person in line, and I squeaked in. I wanted to get something autographed and send it to April. (Now I need to write her!!!) All I could get was this huge, weird poster, but I got it signed. I stuck around for a photo. The gal wanted me to go outside, and I thought she meant without a photo, so I said something to her and ended up staying and she didn't make me leave. When I left, there was a photo line, and I felt bad because I kinda bumped it. That wasn't my intent. LOL I hated leaving the Kia tent, though, because it was cool in there.

After bugging RK some more, I headed back out into the hot sun, bought a smoothie and started looking for the stage with Between the Trees. Along the way I discovered a band called 1997 on the Friday Says stage and loved them. I stayed for their set. I finished my smoothie and headed out again. Along the way I took pics of a band on the Smart Punk stage because the gal with the painted stand up bass was just way too interesting not to take a few snaps. And somewhere in that stretch of time I believe I saw the Aggrolites, and took a few photos. They were a bit of fun and talented. At some point in time I ran into my friend Lauralee, and she was getting ready to go to the Myspace Tent for an acoustic set with Between the Trees. I definitely wanted to see that, so I joined her. I took quite a few photos during the set, and really enjoyed it quite a lot. I had a pic taken with two of the guys after the set (only the lead singer really played, though) and went to their merch booth to meet the whole band. At 6:35, I went to see Between the Trees again, but the sequence of the day's events escapes me completely. Somewhere in the rest of the day, I managed to watch a good part of Cobra Starship's set and take pics behind the barricade, and some other bands here and there. I talked to one guy quite a while about music. He loved RK and missed their show, but we liked a lot of the same things. Now, I know the order is completely jumbled, because he headed off to see Gym Class Heroes which was one of the last bands to play. I stopped to inquire about a hat. I ended up at Family Force 5 instead of GCH, but they looked like just to much fun not to photograph them. At that point no one really seemed to care about any photo time limits and I just took pics. I didn't get anything spectacular that I know of, but a few passable shots. Afterwards I went back to the "hat" venue and played "Let's Make a Deal" on the hat because I couldn't find which pocket the rest of my money was in. I paid $13 instead of $15 and promised I would give the guy $2 if I saw him in Boise. He's like, yea (just go away so I can leave.) LOL

Then I headed for my car, which looked rather lonely out there in the dirt, the gas station and 44 ozs. of heavenly Sprite; and finally home sweet home.

Now I just have to sort through the pics and see if I have anything. I did get a few good pics of Ethan Luck and Jon Schneck, but the rest I have yet to determine.

Now I'm just waiting to see what August has in store.

Peace out,

--Melanie

My new favorite concert photo

Most of the pics I took of Relient K are passable, a few good, most passe. However this one turned out exactly like I wanted. I didn't even have to edit it at all.
I am so rarely happy with the pics I take, that this is exciting to me. LOL Plus, it's kinda nice that it's someone I actually like. :)

This is incredible... I had to share

Nothing earthshattering to report, I just thought this took amazing skill and patience. :) With the exception of a couple of the accessories, it is all done with legos.

The Smyrna Band

Sunday, I was blessed to hear The Smyrna Band at church. I think some of their engagements fell through and we were lucky enough to pick up some of the slack. They played a little during the worship Sunday morning and came back for a show on Sunday night. I'm not good at genres (there are too many and some barely distinguishable from others anymore), so I guess I would describe their music as sort of a countryish southern acoustic rock? ;) At any rate, they had great, tight, harmonies which I always love no matter what the genre. If you know what genre that is, let me know. LOL

http://www.thesmyrnaband.com/

After the service, I had a lot of fun visiting with Ron's wife/Tim's mom. I was pretty chatty Sunday. That's not so unusual, either. I waited around to talk to Dallas because he was having a little bit of a problem with the lack of humidity around here and had a bit of a dry cough as a result. I had meant to bring him some Throat Coat tea, and walked off without it. ;( So, I figured I'd at least tell him about it. I didn't want to interrupt, but as it turned out, the band, my pastor, his wife, myself and a few others stayed for a long conversation involving corny jokes, strange but true tales, ridiculous commercials, and Motown and other music.

I'm just starting to work on pics. I didn't want to take away from worship, and I didn't have a lot of memory card space left, so I didn't take all that many photos which is definitely unusual for me. I just started to go through them and edit as needed.

Reading slowly, but surely, new books, etc.

O.K. So I went to Barnes & Noble on Saturday and picked up a book I'd ordered called, "God's Debris." I was suprised that it wasn't really huge. LOL While I was there an author had his book, "Circle of Doors" at the table. That author is Ranse Parker. We chatted a bit and he rather convinced me to give the book a try, so now I have an autographed copy. It's supposed to be somewhat of a mystery-type storyline. It will be something different.

So, that can be added to my list of books to read this summer. I have my work cut out for me.

In the meantime, I am in the midst of reading "Push My Life Into a Duffle Bag" by John Roger Schofield. I'm curious to see where it goes also. There is really a lot more vulgarity and sexual content than I am really comfortable with, but I want to give the book a fair review when I'm finished, so I'm plugging away.

In other things, I am working, taking care of dogs (not just my own at the moment which is going to be a real challenge), going to church, preparing for Warped Tour on Saturday (and The Spill Canvas concert on Monday.)

Church was a lot of fun yesterday even though I was operating on about 3 hours of sleep. When I arrived there was a band, "The Smyrna Band" (and no, they are not from Georgia.) LOL The had some great vocal harmonies, and I came back later in the evening to hear them play a whole set. I took pics, and just basically enjoyed it, and the fact that worship was involved made it that much better. Afterwards, I hung around to tell one of the guys something (about throat coat tea because it's really dry here and it was causing him to cough a little) and got sucked into this huge joke telling/story telling fest. Laughter does the heart good like medicine. (I think that is a bad paraphrase of a proverb.)

Anyway, I will post a little more with some pics later.

Hope all are well, and have a great day!!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

It's funny, but I was thinking it was a beautiful day today (albeit a tad on the warm side) and Mr Roger's theme song popped into my head. That happens to me sometimes. A phrase will come to mind, and it's been in a song somewhere. I looked at the clouds earlier today, and started singing Both Sides Now: the verse about clouds. Hopefully I sang it well, but I rather doubt it. My husband was silent. He's used to me singing everything. I used to embarass my girls singing in Wal Mart.

I had the thought to take a few flower pics this afternoon, but I wanted the lighting to tone down a bit first. Then I waited a little longer than I anticipated and thought perhaps I'd waited a bit to long, but still got a few decent shots. I hope you enjoy the results :)






Oh, this guy was extraordinarily noisy, as jays often are:



And this is the neighbor cat, Ricky, although I'm quite sure for many years he has been certain that we are really the intruders, and the place is his.



P.S. Keep looking up at the clouds, but don't forget to stop and smell the roses once in a while. :)

Adding Canine Cuteness to the Blogosphere

I've already had this up on my myspace blog for a bit, but thought I'd add it here. Besides, my blog could use a little photo cuteness about now. Molly & Baxter belong to my daughter. Molly is a bassett/cocker mix. She does well with people and loves attention, but she is not always great with other dogs. She is crate trained and house-trained, and in fact she actually LOVES her crate.

Baxter is a lover and gets along well with people and other dogs. He is house trained.

Why am I telling you this? Because Molly and Baxter need new homes. (And because they are cute.) :) My daughter has 4 dogs and the City only allows two. She has been cited and would like to find new homes for them asap. It's not that she wouldn't just love to keep them, but that isn't an option at this point. So, if you know anyone in or near Northern UT that would love to have a new friend at their place, let me know.

Current Events

So much has happened lately, and yet not much of anything. I'm really not sure where to begin relating current events in my life (or maybe it would put you to sleep anyway), but I will give it my best effort.

I'm going to start with the most recent event which happened probably less than an hour ago on my way home from work. I was navigating my way through the usual construction mess in the dark as I do every evening after work. I noticed a car on the right that was about to "overtake" me and then saw something in the road, probably slightly illuminated by his lights. He was difficult to see, and at first it almost looked a bit unreal, but there in the road, was a deer - a mere fawn by the looks of it. He stood there for a sec. and for a minute I thought the UHP officer to my right would make contact in a most unfortunate way. Fortunately the deer turned and ran. Now I've lived here for nearly 9 years, and I have worked at my current job for 5 years, and this is the first time I've seen a deer on the road here. I would have more expected it just a little further north on the freeway, and I'm not at all surprised that there are deer about, but it isn't really the usual thing to see them so close to the general population. :) If it were only daylight and I didn't have to drive. But the photo is still etched in my mind.

Shortly after the deer incident, the UHP put on his yellow lights, and crossed over in front of me, eventually turning all his lights on and pulling into the left lane. I thought the way the road looked, I should probably do the same, but then quickly realized I had it backwards. He was stopping for an accident. I could see past the emergency vehicles and flairs to a car almost turned completely sideways, and I could see a young lady in the driver's seat sitting and writing (probably filling out paperwork for the police report.) I hope everyone was o.k. It brought back memories - and not necessarily all of my favorite ones. LOL

I started physical therapy last Wednesday, and my third visit will be tomorrow. I was told that I could do some therapy in the pool if I wanted, so I'm looking forward to that. I love the water. I have this stuff called theraband that I use for a couple of exercises. It is comprised of a strip of stretchy material that looks and smells much like a thick ballon and is about 4-5 inches wide with a knot tied at each end. The smell caught my attention as I was typing.

Work is coming along well, for the most part. I am working on a different document now (I am a data transcriber) and it is one of the longer, slower documents. At the end of the night, my rates amounted to about 11.2 docs per hour. I thought I was going along at a pretty good clip, too. LOL Not long ago we met an important deadline and the entire section was being rewarded with a nacho dinner. We bring the food, we get no extra time. I'm still trying to figure out how this was a reward. LOL By the time I heated up the beans I brought in the microwave, got my food and ate, I used up my lunch break and 2nd break, so it made for a very long night. My last thoughts before leaving were, "Is it Friday yet?"

And for those who are wondering what my concert plans might be for the near future, I do have them. The next show I have plans for is the Warped Tour in Boise. I know for certain that I am not missing Relient K for anything. I am still trying to sort through what bands I want to see, but other than RK, the two I most want to see are probably Between the Trees and The Color Fred. Fingers crossed (and prayer to be said) that they will not be playing on opposite sides of the venue at the same time, as is often the luck of the draw with Warped. LOL It's a week from Saturday, so I'm getting a little excitedd about it. :) Two days later I am going to see The Spill Canvas. They are having a bowling party before the show for Aids awareness, so I've signed up to attend. I have'nt been bowling in years, and I wonder with my wrists as they are (too much keyboarding) if I can pick up the ball. LOL Please.. no video. LOL On July 19, I am seriously mulling over the idea of driving to Henderson, NV to see The Fold. I haven't seen them in about a year, and that's just waayyy too long! Although, there is some possibility they may come closer before then, and if that happens I will be a happy gas saver. At the end of July, my travels will take me near George, WA to the Gorge and Creation NW. Usually when I go I have a plan. This year, there are so many bands I want to see on both stages that it will be tricky. I'm especially looking forward to The Myriad, Esterlyn, Switchfoot and Ruth among others. On July 30, I am most likely going to head for Rock Springs, WY to see Switchfoot. The show is free with the entry to the fair. Free is good, since gasoline is far from it. I hadn't really thought about going until I decided to look up the distance and discovered it was only 2-1/2 hrs. from my place. In August, I have a ticket for row 6 for James Taylor, and will be at the Warped Tour in Boise. Unfortunately, I have had to cut back on a few shows simply can't afford all that benzene. Still, I have plans to visit my daughter in Sept. and catch Third Day, Jars of Clay, and Switchfoot all at the same concert. I have a meet/greet for Switchfoot, so I'm pretty excited about it. I met Jon in CA and was quite impressed.

In other news, I am trying to help promote The Worldwide Moment and will probably blog about that in the next day or two. If you haven't checked it out, I urge you to check it out and get involved. http://worldwidemoment.org

On myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/worldwidemoment

On facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22582875002&ref=mf

And just I promised here is the link to hear my lyrics put to music by the lovely J.S. James. If you would like to hear the song Jennifer created out of my lyrics (with a few small alterations), check it out here:
http://www.myspace.com/jenniferscottjames
Doesn't she have a pretty voice?

And so another novella is brought to a close.

Peace out,

--Melanie

Updating My Blogspot

I spent the last couple of hours or so catching up on blog reading and adding
a blog roll to my blogspot. I may get a chance this evening to post a new blog.
Lots of things coming up soon.

I have had almost no comments anywhere as of late, and I'm rather missing them.
People must be out enjoying the sunshine. That's a good thing, really, but I do get a little lonely here at times. LOL ;)

Love, peace, and up-to-date blogs,
Melanie

Summer Book Club

O.K., so it's not the most creative and interesting blog title ever, but I'm still in p.j.'s and I have to leave for work in 25 minutes. LOL

This summer Mark Lee is orchestrating a summer book club which should be a lot of fun. I had pretty much fallen out of the habit of reading whole books, and Mark pretty much inspired me to start reading again. It's not that I didn't want to, but I had no real direction. At any rate (I've noticed I use that phrase a lot), I get "credit" for the last two books I've read if I post them in a blog.

The last book I have read (or should I say am reading as I have about a chapter less and will be finished at work tonight) is the C.S. Lewis book The Pilgrim's Regress. The first few chapters and parts of the book can be tricky to follow, but I love it just the same. The other major challenge is that there are Latin phrases woven through parts of the story, and not speaking Latin, it didn't make for easy reading.* There are numerous times when the path that the main character takes sounded so familiar to me that I had to laugh out loud. The main character, John, who is a figment of the narrator's dream, is searching, and what he finds is a pretty good summary of a lot of the thinking that is out there. It is still relevant. :) I am particularly enjoying the end of the book where John's quest is finally being explained. I don't want to give away any of the ending, as I really do recommend the book. :)

The book I read just prior was The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. For those who are expecting a theological treatis on heaven, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, it is a The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a great fictional work with a great message. I laughed and cried as I read it and was moved. I highly recommend reading Mr. Albom's book. It's not difficult to read at all and I pretty much finished it in 2 halves of an afternoon... so that adds up to about an afternoon's read. LOL

If you want to get in little more reading, check out Mark Lee's summer book reading club on his blog here:

http://marklee.typepad.com/this_guy_falls_down/2008/06/summer-readin-2.html

Here are some of the books on my "to read" list:

Push My Life Into a Duffle Bag by John Roger Schofield (bass player for The Myriad),
I just received this one in the mail! :)

Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to bElieve the Bible is Supernatural in Origin (it was inexpensive, it interested me and it looks like it will be a quick read)

Three by Ted Dekker

God's Debris by Scott Adams

Emergence

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

I'd like to find a few easier to read fiction books to toss in there as well. I several of the books already, so mainly I want to read some things I've had for a while but haven't read first. I have not read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, so I would love to do that. I have lots to keep me going. :)

Love, Peace, and summer reading fun! :)

--Melanie

* I found this website and it will be helpful for anyone choosing to read, "The Pilgrim's Regress." :) http://www.solcon.nl/arendsmilde/cslewis/reflections/e-regressquotes.htm

Sometimes I am Not So Smart OR A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Mall?

Yesterday I went to my daughter's so that she could cut my hair. We also planned to go to the mall so I could try to find some decent PJ's to wear for Pajama Day at work.

I was trying to get some pics of the mountains and a few clouds and I could not find an uncluttered place to take one of the shots I had hoped for. I said something to my daughter and the next thing I know we are headed up Ogden Canyon to take some photos. We stopped at Pine View Reservoir and headed up past Wolf Creek. There was some gorgeous scenery along the way. We also passed a waterfall that is usually just a small thing only it was really not so small yesterday. What a sight that was!

Anyway, I got a few O.K. shots, but only tonight realized why I was having such a difficult time with exposure. It really helps if you check the ISO. I bet if I were to check the ISO right now it would be set to 1600. You would think after making this error in the reverse several times, I would learn my lesson, but alas, I haven't apparently. LOL I was shooting at some really ridiculously high shutter speeds. For some shots it worked well. For water shots it wasn't the best scenario.




(This photo is for Jacob & Brett - Keep looking up) :)


Also, we stopped at the waterfall on the return trip, but the lighting was nearly impossible - shady at the bottom with the sunlight hitting right at the top. By the time we reached the waterfall we were running short on time so I just took a bunch of wild guesses on the exposure, which didn't work so great, either. I hope the waterfall downpour continues until next weekend, so I can try to get out at a little different time of day to give it another try. I guess that is how one learns. I've gotten so used to low light shots, I need to come out into the daylight. LOL

We made it to the mall about 1/2 hr. before closing. Sears was the first place we found that actually had anything much of a pajama section. The prices were a little steep, but I finally found a skull top and black bottoms on sale. They still weren't cheap, but they weren't horribly expensive. I had hoped for something more cutesy.
Cutesy ones weren't in my size. At any rate, trying them on was out of the question, as we were getting the store closes in 10 minutes warnings, and neither of us was enamored with the idea of taking the long way around the mall to my car. We went to Mervyn's and they had a pair of shoes that are more like slippers than shoes that matched the top so I purchased them. I tried them on at the store, and they fit well.

So in a brilliant stroke of genius I decided it really would be a good idea to try these things on before I planned my attire for work. The top fits o.k., but for some reason it was designed for someone with really skinny arms that I do not have. It fits, but pretty snugly. The pants are on the verge of being high waters, but they work if they never shrink. I guess I will have to hang them to dry. I really would take them back, but then I don't know what I will wear today. My daughter really wants the top and she may get it eventually.

But for today, I will look as close as an old lady gets to wearing Goth in her pajamas at work. No make up, not really Goth at all, just as close as this old lady gets. (I only mention this because there was talk of people dressing Goth for Friday the 13th.) At any rate, skulls seem to be en vogue, and I will be trendy. ;) Hahahaha I will be a trendy old lady in her pajamas who pretends to be a photographer sometimes. LOL

Peace out,
Melanie

Random Thoughts That May Grow Up Someday

As the title states - random musings:

The nature of my center meets the nature of His will
The love I have has fallen short
I guess it always will

My obsession will cost the one I love His very life
His devotion will cause Him to willingly lay it down

(perhaps that should be past tense? Or is it ever present tense?)

*****

Every analogy has already been given
Every metaphoer has long become trite
What can I say that hasn't been said
Words alone fail me
I need insight

O.K. not so great at rhymes sometimes. LOL

NOTE: I was going to edit my typo on metaphor, but then it made me laugh so I changed my mind. ;)

Oh, one more thing -- I wrote some lyrics and someone else reworked it some and made it into an actual song. I will blog about this later. I should have posted it already, but I'm hopelessly and forever distracted. I have 5 million things to do and I'm still here. LOL

The view of the mountains,the clouds and the lighting were all simply breathtaking today when I pulled into the parking lot at work. I didn't have a "real" camera handy so I took a few cell phone snaps. The darker shot was taken across the street form work at a Chevron Station at about 8:45 p.m. It was a gorgeous day out today.

So now I'm a Thief? LOL

I stole this from Daniel Kirkley's myspace blog.

Yea, it's a comercial, but a really good one. Check it out!



While you're at it, you can check out Daniel's music sometime. He has a nice voice.

Have a great day!

God's blessings,
Melanie

Meeting Ernie

Somehow my boss took pity on me and when I asked to be able to work 1/2 a dayshift on Friday, May 9, and take half the night off to see Ernie Halter in Orem. I'd been trying to figure out a way to connect with Ernie and see him play since probably 2003, especially the last 3 years. I managed to find Ernie through 2 different paths. The first was through Clay Aiken. I was watching Clay on several of the late night shows not long after American Idol and Ernie was part of the back up band. I loved the fact that he not only did a good job on the back up, but he always had a huge smile and looked so happy. It's hard to miss that. :) Then either slightly before or after that time on some sort of internet search that I really don't think had much to do with Clay, I ran across Ernie on a radio station contest. I think he was in the top two of a talent contest of some sort and he performed a cover. The guy who ended up winning was good enough and quite good on the keyboards, but he wasn't very current musically. I thought Ernie was and would have wanted him to win. As I recall, I didn't realize they were the same person right away, but figured it out soon enough. LOL The next time I saw Ernie was on myspace. I always marvelled at his creativity and knowledge on the intricacies of promoting his music on myspace.
I was on Ernie's message board for a while, and then his myspace. I watched a few of his shows broadcast live on the net and enjoyed them. Later we e-mailed a few times. He was using knock knock jokes in his shows, so I sent him a few links. He said he used a few. Ernie had booked shows in Salt Lake City only to have them fall through, or he would book a show and the dates would not be possible for me. So finally, May 9, I was going.

May 8, I crashed my car on the way to see Eisley, et al. Now I had no car. I certainly was not able to work the 1/2 day shift or any of it for that matter. Orem was and hour and a half away. There was no way I could expect my husband to kill several hours there and keep him up past his bedtime. ;) So, I pretty much begged my daughter to take me. I had a Dr.'s appt. at 3 p.m., so instead of my husband taking me, she just picked me up and took me to the doc. Afterwards we went to Barnes and Noble and I found a book of Knock Knock jokes for Ernie (I just had to do it!) LOL Then we picked up my daughter's date and we headed for Orem by way of fast food. Good stuff. :) ;) We found the place without too much trouble, and my daughter came in with me for a short bit, we made arrangements as to picking me up, etc., and she headed off to the local mall to kill a few hours.

The venue was a Comedy Club called Wiseguys, and a small place. It was perfect since there were tables with chairs so I didn't have to stand. I was able to bring my camera, so anyone that knows me can guess I was thrilled with that. :) While I was waiting for the show to start I met Benton Paul, a local artist that I really like and who just happened to be one of the openers. I bought his cd and talked to him a bit. Then I met up with Ernie and was able to talk a little and give him the joke book.

As for the show, it was very laid back and very enjoyable. The first opener was a gal named Mindy. I didn't catch her last name, but I enjoyed her singing. Benton played next and did an amazing job. I highly recommend giving him a listen sometime. :) Then it was time for Ernie to play. The crowd wasn't huge, but there were definitely Ernie fans in the crowd. Ernie was in a vote to see who would play "Rock the Boat" with some other artists and promised to play his song "Whisper" (my favorite) in his "tighty whities" in L.A. if he won. He won, and he did. Someone asked for a repeat in Orem, and he declined. I said, "Thank you." LOL There was some banter back and forth as it was so casual and intimate. It was great. At one point Ernie did a song with audience participation and I have to say that was probably one of the most participatory, on-key audiences I've heard in a while. It really did sound good. LOL

Ernie was the main opener for Josh Hoge, and Josh played next. Josh was pretty good as well. He was also very engaging on stage and I enjoyed listening to him.

After the concert was over the club was having an "Italian Soda" party, and so I had two free Peach Italian Sodas, visited a little with Benton and had a photo taken with Benton and Mindy, then I finally caught up with Ernie again and got a photo and hugs, and I was able to get a pic with Josh as well. I bought a tee from Ernie and about that time my daughter called (her timing was impeccable) and she headed over to pick me up.

I had a great time and I'm so glad I was finally able to meet Ernie and hear him play live.

So there ya have it!!!