Wanna carry my life in a bag...

WOW!!!! what a weekend. Well the huge hassle that i wasn't looking forward to worked out perfectly. A friend knew someone that works the VIP entrance this season at Red Rocks, so we didn't have to wait in line at all. That was the biggest help out. By the time we get in the door, i have usually had a full day in the sun, with beers and whiskey, so my attitude reflects that. And by the time all my "friends" come in, they push me off my space that I have saved all day.
So, that didn't happen this year. We didn't have to do the line, nothing. My friends went in at door, though the VIP entrance, got our space, and didn't have a lot of trouble. Jeff and i entered the venue AFTER doors and wandered to our spot, waiting for us. PERFECT!! no stress, nothing...

The shows were spectacular, mainly because i was so relaxed. The boy were hot!!!!
I saw a few new stickers that i liked...
1) Bye George... the band's back. (it even gives me chills typing it)
2) I like what I'm Herring..
for the Widespread Panic-ly challenged.. here is the brief history.
Michael Houser- original guitarist- nicknamed "panic" in college. He met a guy that could play the bass (JB) and the rest became the band Widespread Panic... In 2000 Milkey was diagnosed for Pancreatic cancer. The band kept recording and touring.. non-stop almost. It is what Mikey wanted. They came to RR about 3 months before Milkey passed and it was the saddest show i have ever seen. He was so small and weak, but his guitar was Smoking!!!!! he could still play his heart out. Mikey died. very sad...
A new guitarist was picked, though a lot of rumors of how it came about. George, oh George. I read an article in rolling stone or relix that likened George to a Dialysis machine. It got the band though, but not on it's top legs... There was a time that i actually broke up with this band due to George and the badness that the band was producing at the time..
Well all hell broke loose about a year ago... George and the band had a fight, on their way to a gig in Austin, they swung my Mississippi and dropped the fucker at his doorstep. Good riddance we didn't need you anyway.
They the gates of heaven opened and Jimmy Herring (Almond Brothers, The Dead, Phil and Friends) came our way. The band is back. Jimmy plays with all emotion and power that the songs were written and composed with. Again, just typing this makes me so grateful that i have this reaction to live music and this band!!!!
So, back to the dialysis analogy, Jimmy is the transplant that gives life back to the ill.
WE GOT THE BAND BACK!!!!!!
So, we were in row 10 the first night (that's really friggen close) and then row 12 the second night. Both nights set lists are great. It seemed they came on stage friday, asked all 9,000 of us to turn around and bend over, because they spanked the whole crowd Friday... what a great set, and it hear the songs played correctly and have the guitar jams that only jimmy can add, what a great show..
Saturday didn't disappoint either... We had a great crowd of people. Lots of friends all enjoying what is Widespread Panic.... I gave out some cut up watermelon at set break. It is such a hit at that time of the show. Everyone was grabbing pieces and giving me hugs for it. Too much fun.
Oh and i got a I (heart) JB button!!!!

Friday and Saturday the doors were at 5 and show at 7 (or there abouts). Sunday is like church. doors at 2 show at 4. the whole thing during the day, which is a strange way to see panic. But i don't go to church regularly, and this is my spiritual reprise. Sunday Panic, don't miss it.
But by the time Sunday rolls around, most people drop off. It is a hard day to get up for if you let it all go Saturday night. So, we stumbled there right at doors, 2pm, and found our friends. We were way back at row 22. Not bad for Sunday not trying. The show was good. a lot of slower songs, but it goes with Panic in the day light. They have a song, not one i really like, but it is called Flat Footed Floozie. great name. Well i was sitting next to some friends of friends that i didn't know and noticed one guy had a cool beer koozie. It was blue with some bare feet on it (grabbed my attention being barefoot and all) and i looked closer and it said "Flat Footed Koozie" Fucking loved it. so i started asking about it, he introduced me to the guy that made them. He said he sold them all a few years ago, but always gets comments about the one he has. The suddenly he reaches in his back pocket and grabs one and gives it to me. I was SOOOO excited... I even used it last night on my beer that I drank playing ball with my dogs.
I wish i was on my way to LA (three nights starting tomorrow) then SD.. and a bunch of my friends are heading to Vegas next Tuesday for the show...
I will be here, waiting for my trip to California for another band String Cheese Incident.. Completely different kind of band, but same emotions it brings me. more on them later
and i need a weekend to recover from this last one...
(by the way - i took this picture of JB in the chicken suit at Haloween in Vegas last year)

only a day a away.....

Well the weekend that i have been waiting for for many weeks is about here. Widespread Panic is coming back to colorado and blessing us with three shows at Red Rocks. Again, i am not looking forward to the hassle it is to go to this venue, but the scenery is great and i really can't wait to see a lot of my friends that i dont get to see on a regular basis.
Time for some good old fashioned whiskey drinking and shit talking..
But i have to get though today and tomorrow of work.
Oh by the way snack was a sweet and salty mix of candy and nuts..
something more for my travel box.

D is for Daddy

It is hard around Fathers day.
I miss you dad.

Sunny Day, sweeping the clouds away...

Happy Thursday to any of my readers... This morning my boyfriend woke up not wanting to go to work. Well more like just being lazy and not wanting to wake p yet. but i told him my old adage for Thursdays that my mom would tell me when i didn't want to go to school (almost every Thursday). You only have to get though today, then it is Friday. And everything is better on a Friday. Well it didn't really cheer him up as it never got me wanting to jump out of bed either, but for some reason, it works for me now.. I am glad tomorrow is Friday. That means that 1) a friend is having a happy hour get together at his house. 2) we want to hit up a great brew house in down town because it is their birthday celebration. 3) it means that Saturday is right around the corner and that means that i will be heading up to the coolness of 6200 feet and hanging with my friend Josh. ALSO~ my boyfriend and i found a coupon for a seafood buffet in Black Hawk (think Casinos surrounded by mountains- yeah it isn't as nice as you are thinking, but the casinos are HUGE- so they have good food) So, we are going to go out to dinner Saturday night and then go see a great Musician - Drew Emmet, at the stage stop... What a day. and i am really looking forward to it.. I feel much better going into this weekend than i did last weekend.
I will give you the low-down on Sunday as i am recovering to come back to work.

Oh, Thursday snack.. it is a Frozen fruit bar with real fruit. I got a mango one.. (my favorite by the way) and i cant take it home because it will melt, so looks like i gotta eat it now..

Wednesday snack

OK, now i usually pass these up, but i didn't bring a very large lunch today, so i could use a snack..
Today is...........

individual cup of pudding!!!! i got vanilla.

Monday/Tuesday Snack

Ok sorry i missed yesterday. I got so carried away eating my snack that i forgot to tell you all about it. So it was a Shrek themed push up. I have not had a push-up in years, but they were my favorite when we would go to the pool on steamy hot afternoons in Virginia when i was a kid. The push up was green and orange sherbet swirled... delish...
and today (Tuesday) was little packs of Zoo Animal Fruit Gummy Figures.. very strange. I didn't have any but i brought a package home to go into the travel snack box.

Sundae, bloody Sundae...

You Are a Granola and Fruit Sundae

Healthy, fresh, and totally natural. Your body is a temple... even if it doesn't smell like one!

What Kind of Sundae Are You?

Still got some of the Ram :)

You are 93% Aries How Aries Are You?

Every breath you take....x2

WOW!!!! that was a weekend. My boyfriend and i were commenting Sunday night that it has been a while since we had a weekend like this past one. Where do i start. Oh yeah Red Rocks Friday night. OK, so we get home from work, pack up our "what if it (insert any type of Colorado weather)" backpacks with jackets, an umbrella, i brought my sneakers and socks in case my sandals didn't keep my feel warm enough, and headed to Red Rocks (RR).
We stopped by Subway for a quick sandwich to go and the beer store to completely fill the cooler. We were set for our first trip to this historic amphitheater for the year (many more trips will come in the following months)
We have guest list tickets, which can easily be translated into "wait at the box office until almost show time, then we will have the list from the band and be able to let you in".
we get there, it is mostly empty. We are there to see the opening act, mostly, so we are happy to see that most people stayed in the parking lot.
Gogol Bordello is very fun and they sounded great. No complaints except i hate people, and there were a lot of people at this concert before it was over. We didn't care for Manu Cho very much and decided to go walking around the venue while most people were watching the stage. We left shortly before the show was over.
Saturday we woke and started the day easy. Laying on the couch and watching TV. About the time that nothing is no, we get a call from Josh, he is in town (from the small mountain town Rollinsville- about 40 west of Denver- and 8700 feet) to go to the Patagonia store, so he said he was going to come over. I got out the lawn mower and started on some of the back yard, but didn't feel very creative. I started with lines, moved to a small square where i did a diamond. Josh arrived right about then and asked if i was getting ready for a pee-wee baseball game... it did look really small.. He brought us some Dairy Queen sundae, that was breakfast... not a bad way to start the Saturday.
After hanging in the backyard and getting hot, we decided to walk up to the Indian Restaurant for some Masala and other wonderful dished on their buffet. THE BEST IN DENVER!!!! after that, we were about ready for a nap. Josh took off and Jeff and i layed down. the next thing i know Jeff is coming in the bed room, turns on the light and is dripping from his shower. It was already 4 o'clock, our friend Dave was already there for the POLICE concert... I woke, showered got all dressed up (cute skirt, sexy boots, cool top and was ready to go. We got to the Pepsi center (the can) earlier enough to grab a beer at the bar across the street before heading into the venue. After watching people sell their tickets, meet their friends and prepare for the show, we headed into the can. The Merch they were selling struck me as funny. It was every tour shirt from their history. nothing new. jackets, shirts, posters etc. we passed the masses struggling to get their size XXL tour shirt, and headed to our seats. Face value for out tickets were (are you ready) $90.00, so then add service fees and it comes to about 115 in the end. We were in the 300 section, all the way at the top. But we were looking down on the side of the stage. It was a nead set up. Oval stage, with LED lights all round it. Very simple and plain, perfect to see each member of the band.
The lights went down, and the trio took to the spotlights with the adoring cheers from a stadium full of fans.
It was a sing along kind of night.
Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II, Don't Stand so close to me, When the World is running down, you make the best of what's still around, Spirits in the Material World, Driven to tears, Truth hits everybody... Then Jeff had to leave. See he got this gig to shoot an event at another bar in Denver. It was too much money to pass up, but it also meant he would have to leave The Police early. I stayed with Dave...
Everything she does is magic, The Bed's too big without you, Do do do do, Da da da da, Invisible Sun, walking in your footsteps, Can't stand losing you, Roxanne, King of Pain, so lonely, Every Breath you Take, Next to you..
HOLY COW!!! Great show everyone sounded great. Andy is still a dork, Stewart still kicks major drum ass and Sting, well is still Sting, in his skin tight white shirt with the sleeves cut off, Skin tight black pants and black boots.. And very very FIT!!! my oh my. not that i was close enough to see, but they had video screens.
Dave and I left the can and headed over to where Jeff was shooting. It was a Camel (cigarettes- hey- don't judge, they pay good money)... he shot photos, i drank for free since one of my friends was bar tending and chatted with Dave.. OH, they also have little activities at these parties, and i made some spin art.. very fun.
We got home late and went to bed even later... Makes for good sleeping in Sundays.
Sunday went as planned.. very little movement, lots of laying around watching TV... We went to Rite aid, and the super market, got some lunch and went home. About 5 o'clock, Jeff asks me if i think he would be able to get a ticket to the second police concert that evening, for cheap. I didn't know. I didn't really think much about it until about an hour later he asks me if i wanted to come along. I didn't want to move, but i didn't want to stay home by my self either, so i just threw on some jeans, tossed my hair in a ponytail and grabbed my shoes. We ended up back at the Pepsi center, watching all the people that had dolled themselves up as i had the night before. We saw a bunch of scalpers but not many regular folks trying to get rid of a ticket. We decided we would go for the most desperate, thinking they will want to almost give it away. we watched one man try for about 30 minutes with no bites at all. He put the ticket in his hand and was walking in to the center when i stopped him. I offered him $20 and he took it... So, now Jeff can see the part of the concert his missed... i, again, didn't care. i could have taken the lite rail back home, but we found another person doing the same thing, we asked when the got tired and thought no one wanted it and got another 50.00 ticket for $20.o0. so, now i was in. The seats on the two tickets we got were on separate sides of the center and in the nose bleed section again.. we didn't want to do that, so we just found a couple of seats in the 100 level (read $100+ ticket prices) and just sat down. no one said anything and two minutes later the concert started... same set list, same banter, same sing along crowd... It was still good the second time...
So, now i can say i have seen the Police in concert twice.. :)
I need a weekend from my weekend....

Friday's Snack

Today was scoop-it-yourself- ice cream. some people make root beer floats, some people just scoop it in a bowl, some add chocolate syrup, some don't. I passed completely... but i did hit up panera bread and had a Mango Smoothie.. it was just that kind of day.

Quick update, last night's band (Electric Soft parade) was actually pretty good.. They are from the UK and sound like it. Think Beatles and Pink Floyd. Not bad.
Tonight is Gogol Bordello and Manu Cho at red rocks. I am very much wanting to see Gogol, but don't care much about manu cho. i will tell you about it tomorrow.

doing the jailhouse rock....

Well i guess justice has been served. Paris Hilton will be spending the rest of her sentence in jail. Now, i wonder if she will still only serve the 23 days or with all this mess, she will have to do the full original 40 days. I truly feel for her. i wouldn't want to go to jail, i know i wouldn't be getting out until the time was served. I think the judge is trying to show that money cant get always get you out of trouble. We will see if this really sticks.
I just don't know how a non-violent crime can get you this kind of time...
Hope she has a lot of good books to read. And wow, to spend that much time with yourself what you are used to being surrounded by people is probably enough to make her crazy...
(OK enough gossip for one day..- can you tell i don't feel like working today?)

What is wrong with the world today?

OK, i know that i am probably part of the problem, but i cant keep my eyes off TMZ today.. they are at Paris Hilton's house waiting for her to get her ass back to court to face the judge that sentenced her to 40 days in jail. It was reduced to 23 and she only spent 3 (they are counting it as 5 i guess) days behind bars. Now, i subscribe to US magazine, and i, like i said, keep an eye on TMZ and Parez Hilton though out the days, so i know that i am part of the problem. So, don't give me any shit. It is a guilty pleasure to know that even the rich, mega rich and filthy rich get themselves into so much drama, that it keeps me from having to do it in my life.
I didn't agree with the jail sentence, for the crime, but i also was interested to see her go serve the time. I think if she, like Martha Stewart, just shut up and served out the sentence, she would have come out a hero, or at least with some better press about her. I believe that yesterday's chaos and today's drama is only going to sell more magazines, but do nothing for her image. But apparently she, and most other Hollywood youngsters dont need to worry about image.
Now, i got to get back to TMZ, i might have missed her leaving her house... the saga continues.

I outa be in pictures

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Thursday Snack

Itty bitty cinni minis

(ie- little Cinnamon buns)

Another one bites the dust

So, i was planning a quiet evening at home, doing some laundry and getting some cleaning done. My Boyfriend has a gig writing about a band Electric Soft Parade tonight, and i was going to watch Letterman alone.
BUT~ i just got an email that he has an extra ticket and he would like me to go.. How can you say no to that? I guess the laundry will have to wait for another night and Letterman probably wasn't that good anyway. Artie Lang was on last night, and i love him.
And it is a great excuse to drink a Beam and Coke.
Tomorrow we got really fortunate and got guest listed to see Gogol Bordello at Red Rocks. this will be my first Red Rocks show of the year, and i am looking forward to it. Easy, no pressure, no fighting and clawing and scratching, yet.... that will all be in a few weeks, but for now i will go and enjoy the gypsy punk that is Gogol Bordello. If you don't know this band, which i am sure you don't , check them out... the lead singer has a kick as moustache (very important when singing Gypsy punk) and he was in Chernobyl when the Nuclear explosion happened. I saw an interview with him once and the reporter said, you are a lucky guy. He replied what part was lucky, being in a nuclear explosion, loosing members of your family, having to leave your home never to return.. I don't see any of that as being lucky." so true..
But there is a song of Gogol's that is my favorite... Start wearing Purple!!!
Well i will let you know how the next two shows are..
That's enough posting for me for one day...

http://www.gogolbordello.com

Common Down...

I am sad to see this come to an end. What will i watch when i am home sick? What can even come close to replacing the most exciting hour on television? What memories of the poor Hiker that contestants would over guess the price and send him tumbling to his certain death, but to only return to the show a few weeks later. And who can forget the large checks that the women would get up to write and misspell the numbers or not even know what to do with a check. And i cant forget the inspiration we had in college while watching this most exciting hour on television, to glue beer bottles on the roof of the house and send hockey pucks down. It even SOUNDED like PLINKO!!!! We had some heated games up on that roof.
And the last year for me, while i was going back to school and completing my Film Studies Degree, i watched Bob every morning. I would cheer and boo the contestants. I had visions of me on stage spinning the big wheel or even better, getting into the Showcase Showdown and saying "I think I'll pass this one Bob", to get to the better showcase where they always told a story.
I wont forget seeing the String Cheese Incident in LA for Halloween a few years back and from the side of the stage and the voice of Rod Roddy saying "Common Down"... as the cue for the band to take the stage.

Goodbye Bob... I will always spade and Neuter.

Wind in the willow played tea for two...

It is soooooo windy today. I was just watching the weather lady and she said some places have been clocking over 90 MPH wind gusts. I guess it is some circular weather pattern that is coming down from the north west heading south and then turning and coming back up north east. strange.
When i lived at 8200 feet it was very common to get wind. Almost every day was incredibly windy. By the way the town sat in a canyon we got hit a lot. The worst part, was i lived in an incredibly small house and was right where the land would flatten a little from the divide, so i got hit hard a lot. I heated by a small gas heater and the wind would knock out the pilot light some nights. I would awaken to a cold, drafty, creaky old one room house and have to try to relight the pilot. Usually the wind would blow it out at least a dozen times before i could ever get it relight. Oh, i don't miss those times. But i guess i agree that what ever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Wednesday's snack

This has not been the most exciting snack week ever, but at least it is still a snack!!
Today is planters peanut and cashew packets. You can choose between the salted peanuts, salted cashews or honey roasted peanuts.
I grabbed a package of the cashews and salted peanuts.
These snack packs come in handy when we are traveling or sitting around and just want a small snack. We are driving to California and Oregon in July, so we are saving the snack packs for that trip.
We now have cashews and peanuts to add.

Tuesday Snack

Not as exciting as i was hoping... some people love it, some people hate it, but lets face it, you cant live in America and not know it.
old fashioned
APPLE PIE

Morning has broken....

and it is the dawning of a new day.
Yesterday my boyfriend started a new job. He is very excited and was a chatty Cathy when he got home. Telling me all about his first day and how much he likes the people, the commute is exactly 6 minutes (he called me when he got to work to tell me, excitedly, how long it took him). He had interesting conversations with people he works with, which is more than we can say about the last place he worked. I am so very excited for him. He has been trying to get back into newspapers since he left his position in at the Mountain Ear in Nederland, CO. It was a wonderful little paper that kept the small community informed with interesting events and the like that happened in our small town nestled at 8,200 feet. But then a newly graduated young girl thought it would be really easy job and, i guess, had the right amount of money, and the newspaper was hers. She promptly fired everyone and tried to do it herself. The paper quickly became full of opinion, commentary and left all the real news behind. Shortly after this happened, Jeff and i moved to the flat lands (Boulder, Louisville, then Denver).

This paper that jeff just joined is very small, family run and very community based. Exactly what he has been looking for. Steady work at a steady pay doing what he loves. We are very excited..
BUT......
that means that he works normal business hours. We have been used to eating our dinner pretty early for my standards, but normal time for most, around 6-6:30. I go to bed about 9, so it works for us. Well, he isn't getting home until 5:30 and who in their right minds wants to run in the door and immediately start cooking..... no one.
Well, that leaves me to pick up the slack. and this you will get to know, i am no Betty Crocker, no Julia Childs and no where near Rachael Ray. My Dad always told me that "you can read, you are reasonably intelligent, you can use a recipe". we'll see how that goes.
Today will be the first day i will attempt to cook dinner for us. Usually when he stages a protest to cooking, i order out or cook up a frozen pizza. Well not tonight. i am actually going to cook.
Geez, i hope when i am done the house is still standing and we are not sick from food poisoning.

When i get to Paris....

Back in the High Life again...

Wow, that was a long weekend but a great visit with my family. I spent the weekend playing with kids, swimming in the pool, hanging in the hot tub with my mom, Talking to my grandfather (that turns 90 next month) and enjoying my sister's company. I feel like i need a few days off to recover. It is nice to be back in the mile high city.

Pictures are coming, i haven't had time to get them on the computer yet, but there are some really great ones for sure.

Today at work has been HOT, STICKY, and all around uncomfortable.. my hands are so sweaty right now, that it is hard for them not to stick to the keyboard... YUCK! but since i got in late last night, i slept in and got to work late. Normally i am out by 3:30 when it gets to the all time high for the day. HOT!!! but at least it is not humid as i experienced this past weekend being back home. How did i ever stand it?

More will come, just wanted to update.
Oh and SNACK TIME was boring old Cookies.. i passed :)