Quote

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together...There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart...I'll always be with you.”

Winnie the Pooh

Aaaargh

Happy September 19th!

I'll enjoy celebrating this every year.

Iridescent

When you were standing in the wake of devastation,
When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown,
And with the cataclysm raining down,
Your insides crying, "Save me now",
You were there, impossibly alone.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known.
Remember all the sadness and frustration,
And let it go.
Let it go.

And in a burst of light that blinded every angel,
As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars,
You felt the gravity of tempered grace,
Falling into empty space,
With no one there to catch you in their arms.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known.
Remember all the sadness and frustration,
And let it go.
Let it go.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known.
Remember all the sadness and frustration.
And let it go.
Let it go.

Let it go.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Let it go.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known.
Remember all the sadness and frustration.
And let it go.
Let it go.

Phoney

Without the normal access to blogger which I have become accustomed to, I'm pretty much relegated to using my phone to blog now if I want to get a post up. I can put up a normal post from my laptop or home computer of course, but with my work and school schedules turning my personal and sleep schedule pretty much on it's ear...the phone is the only chance I have to put up a post that would take anything more than a few minutes. Of course with my penchant for finding the perfect picture for each post and my strict editorial desire to choose each word precisely, my posts often take a LOT longer to write than they do to read. I could easily spend hours on a few decent paragraphs, depending on what I have going on around me.

Finding the best time to post was damn near a no brainer when I had unlimited access to my blogger account, but now I have dozens of notes here or there that I plan to post at a later date, but never get into a post because the mood which struck me to write about each subject passes. I have collected many more post fragments over the last few weeks than posts that have actually made it up onto the blog.

A few years ago, I considered migrating my free blog here to a site of my own. There were things I wanted to do at the time that this site wouldn't be able to handle, and I wanted to go a step further with a few new things. As with most of my ideas or plans, I probably either didn't follow through or something minor happened to derail my motivation before it ever got really rolling. Either case seems just as likely. If switching over to my own site would give me more opportunities to get my post, and my fragments, up on the blog...it just may be the right incentive to finally do it.

While not blogging at a regular pace is one side effect of my new schedule, one of my biggest concerns is how my schoolwork and study time will be affected. So far, I haven't fallen into the same pattern I did with the last class I took...but it's not been easy. Finding time to get my studying in is tough when I am constantly tired. Today was a tough day. Getting off work at 7am, trying to fight through the noise of the day to get SOME sleep before going to my 12:30 class, coming home to try another much needed nap, but falling short because of a still unresolved fantasy football problem, then brushing up on some class material before taking two quizes, then getting ready and heading into work at 11pm.

Thankfully tomorrow is an "off" day for me and gives me a chance to reset my sleep pattern to something resembling normal. It'll give me a chance to catch up on a few things I need to take care of too. The nicest thing will be not having to worry about making it to school or work on time...everything I do tomorrow will be something I WANT to do. Unfortunately, it seems like the weather won't cooperate for a long ride tomorrow...but I guarantee I will find a way to get at least one more good ride in before the month is over.

Blocked

So it seems my 9 to 5 has now set the filter to block blogger.com. I can still read public blogs, but any blog I need to sign in to read is now off limits. I also can't sign in to my profile, which means no more blog posts from the 9 to 5. As if I didn't have a hard time getting my posts in before...lets see how the post count goes from now on.

Preseason Week One

I'm not yet in serious NFL watching mode, although I never got there at all last season, but I did pay attention to a few preseason games this past weekend. First and foremost, I made sure to catch the Ravens opening game. As usual, their defense looks solid and they should be competitive all season so long as the offense is decent. If Flacco and company can perform as well as last year, they will be one of the top teams in the AFC again.

Of course I needed to watch the first Redskins game. Even though I wasn't going out to watch the game, it gave me a great reason to wear my new McNabb jersey since it'd be the first time I'd get to see him in action wearing his new jersey. Circumstance didn't allow me to actually see Donovan play that night, but I did catch plenty of the 42 points the Skins put up in the game. Quite a welcome change from everything we saw last year. If this team can score half that each week in 2010, they can easily be a top team in the NFC, even with the tough division.

The Lions have generated a lot of buzz this offseason, like they always do around here, and even with the loss of their first preseason game, everyone is going crazy about how good the defensive line looked and the pressure and blah blah blah....Let's not forget this is the Steelers we played. The same Steelers we got three sacks against during the regular season last year, and otherwise pressured a hell of a lot in that same game. Their line isn't exactly the best in the league, and definitely not a great gauge of how good our line is going to be this season. Let's see how they do over the next few weeks before we get too excited.

Overall, I am pretty excited for the season to start....and definitely have the Oct 31st game circled on my calendar. Even though I didn't get the exact seats I wanted for that game, I still got pretty good seats at a decent price. And I don't mind paying a little more than face value to skip the BS that goes along with being a Lions season ticket holder.

FOUL!

There is no other way to describe my mood today aside from foul. I'm a very laid back guy for the most part, and it usually takes a lot to get to me. Whatever IT is, it must have gotten to me. I suppose most, if not all, of IT has to do with the 9 to 5. For the last few months, things just have not gone the way anyone has expected. And things just seem to keep getting worse. Some issue(s) that didn't involve me at all have affected things for me negatively where my schedule is concerned.

I knew it would take a little while to iron things out for my new position, but it's been a little too long, and hasn't exactly been ironed out the way it should have been, nor the way I need it to be for school....which was the ONLY concerned I voiced when offered the job. This semester won't be a total wash. I will be able to take at least a couple classes, but with the schedule I'll be on the next two or three weeks, I will surely burn out before we even hit midterms. And that is only taking school, work, and sleep hours into consideration....I can't even begin to figure in my personal life the way things stand right now.

I guess I have been spoiled, lucky, or just flexible enough in my life so far that I've never had a job interfere with my personal/social life. My job in high school affected my ability to hang out my last couple years there, but I preferred most of my work friends over my school friends anyway. I seemed to get along better with an older crowd back then. Other than that, I've always had ample time to be with friends and/or loved ones no matter what shift I was working. That really doesn't look like it's going to be the case now for a while.

"Tell me about your father...."

One of the biggest reasons I never wanted to follow in my father's footsteps (and both grandfathers, as well as several uncles) when it came to work was the crazy shifts I saw my dad work when I was a kid. I got used to his shifts changing on a whim when someone "bumped" him off his job, and he was powerless to do anything but show up when they wanted him there because he was the low man on the totem pole in terms of seniority. Even the last few years before he retired, when only two people in the entire state had a higher seniority number in his position than he did, he was still worried about being bumped off his hours/days from time to time.

Now I find myself faced with working a similar shift for an indeterminable length of time as the one I remember being the worst for him when I was young. My father is a much stronger man than I am in many ways, and working that shift was extremely hard on him. Basically it was a back fill position spanning all three shifts each week. One midnight shift, two afternoon shifts, two day shifts, and two consecutive days off in the middle of the week. I'm now facing two mids, followed by a day off which I will most likely sleep away because that single day off is followed by a day shift....which is then followed by another day off and two consecutive afternoon shifts. Plus school. Not a full time school schedule mind you, because I can't find a full time schedule that will work with my shifts and days off, but still two pretty intense classes that I will need to really apply myself to do well in.

Now, my dad didn't have the school schedule to worry about....but he did have me to deal with. I don't know which is worse, but I'd say I am getting the better of it there. I'm sure dealing with me has never been all that easy....I'd choose spending time learning about crazy people and how to figure out what is wrong them over dealing with a young me any day, and twice on Sunday....well, as long as my Sunday work schedule permits it of course.

A Delicate Balance

Supposedly every cloud has a sliver lining. My silver lining just may end up being a silver bullet. Whether I fancy myself a vampire, werewolf, or just a mortal man, that silver bullet could do plenty of damage to me. While my father had no choice but to show up when they told him to because of his relatively low seniority level, I have a very high seniority level in my current position. I could pull rank and force them to even things up a little more, or even completely take over someone else's shift. As far as I know, only one person can outbid me. The problem with that is how many toes I would step on....and the likelihood of those toes coming back to kick me in the ass at a later date.

I've already seen enough petty shit go down to worry about it happening to me....and I get along with everyone I work with very well. I could only imagine the odds would increase tenfold if I pissed off a few people in my area. Unlike a standard office job where you can file your paperwork and do most everything you need to accomplish all by yourself, this job requires a lot of teamwork for a lot of different things. No one knows every little detail about how or what we do in every instance. We all have our own skill set and level of knowledge. While I have seniority over almost everyone, I am seriously lacking experience with just about everything in this new position and have to rely on someone else multiple times per shift to help me out, even though I am technically supervising them. That in and of itself can easily lead to animosity, and if I start throwing my weight around to get my way....I'm pretty sure I'll end up with a target on my back. Even if I don't, I'm still going to feel that way. Then I will be working paranoid and double checking every single thing that someone else does....I can only imagine that will also create a bit of animosity.

So here I am....trying to figure out how to balance this all and keep the attitudes and egos in check. I am a wonderful problem solver....but I am pretty stumped at the moment. How long would I have to suffer through this shift before I wouldn't be seen as a bully for pulling rank and taking someone else's shift? Will it be longer than I can keep myself from falling seriously behind in school? What will happen with my friends and loved ones in this time? I already don't get to see the people I want to nearly enough....

One question leads to another, then another....and so on. At least with all these shift changes, I'll have a decent amount of time to think it over before I report to work tomorrow night for the first of four consecutive midnight shifts.

Morning Music, 8-07-10

1. Being Here- The Stills.

I been everywhere enough
I been torn apart by love
But there's apples in the trees
and diamonds in the earth

2. My Chick Bad- Ludacris.

I'm saying my chick bad
My chick hood
My chick do stuff that your chick wish she could
My chick bad, badder than yours
My chick do stuff that I can't even put in words
Her swagger don't stop
Her body won't quit
So fool pipe down you ain't talkin bout shit

No time for games, she's full grown
My chick bad, tell your chick to go home

Now your girl might be sick but my girl sicker
She rides that dick and she handles her liquor

Test her and guns get drawn like cartoons
Doh, but I aint talkin bout homer
Chick so bad the whole crew wanna bone her

3. Kiss With a Fist- Florence and the Machine.

Blood sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none

4. According to You- Orianthi.

According to you
I'm boring, I'm moody,
And you can't take me any place.
According to you
I suck at telling jokes cause I always give it away.
I'm the girl with the worst attention span;
you're the boy who puts up with that.
According to you. According to you.

But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible,
he can't get me out of his head.
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible,
everything he ever wanted.
Everything is opposite,
I don't feel like stopping it,
so baby tell me what I got to lose.
He's into me for everything I'm not,
according to you.

I need to feel appreciated,
like I'm not hated.

5. Wrong- Depeche Mode.

I was marching to the wrong drum
With the wrong scum
Pissing out the wrong energy
Using all the wrong lines
And the wrong signs
With the wrong intensity
I was on the wrong page
Of the wrong book
With the wrong rendition
Of the wrong look
With the wrong moon
Every wrong night
With the wrong tune playing
Till it sounded right, yeah

Wrong
Wrong

Too long...

6. That Was a Crazy Game of Poker- O.A.R.

And I walked into the bar yesterday
Cause I had something to do, something to say
And Johnny walked in right behind me and I didn't turn around
Til I heard the sound of his feet falling on the ground
I looked over my shoulder and I saw a clown
And I said what'cha doin' in the bar tonight.

So I said Johnny whatcha doing tonight?
He looked at me with a face full of fright
And I said, how bout a revolution?
And he said right.
I say of, you say a
I say revolution, and you say jah
I say of, you say a
I say revolution, and you say jah jah jah
Jahova!

And I said, what'cha looking at?
He hit me across the face with a bat
I grabbed my .45 and I said let's get out and go
So he opened the door and said do what you're here for
I said I'm wandering round the road four to four
And I said I been walking for about a thousand years.

And my feet are growing tired
My eyes a little wired
Don't know what to do unless I retire
And he just said let's play some crazy poker

7. Just the Way You Are- Barry White.

Don't go changing, trying and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
I would not leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from my heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

8. Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol.

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
would you lie with me and just forget the world?

9. Your Body is a Wonderland- John Mayer.

We got the afternoon
You got this room for two
One thing I've left to do
Discover me
Discovering you

One mile to every inch of
Your skin like porcelain
One pair of candy lips and
Your bubblegum tongue

And if you want love
We'll make it
Swim in a deep sea
Of blankets
Take all your big plans
And break 'em
This is bound to be awhile

Your body is a wonderland

Something 'bout the way the hair falls in your face
I love the shape you take when crawling towards the pillowcase
You tell me where to go and
Though I might leave to find it
I'll never let your head hit the bed
Without my hand behind it

10. Come on Get Higher- Matt Nathanson.

I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
I'd make you believe
I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love

I miss the pull of your heart
I taste the sparks on your tongue
I see angels and devils
And God, when you come on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

August?

August already? Awesome.

No Caffeine

Yesterday I went an entire day without caffeine for the first time in a VERY long time. I've gone deep into a day recently before grabbing a can of Pepsi or something else at home or out to dinner, but I still have had at least one caffeinated beverage each day. Until yesterday.

There were plenty of times that I WANTED to grab a pop with caffeine in it yesterday because I was dragging ass at work all morning, but I made it through the work day without having one....without having any pop at all actually, with or without caffeine. Being somewhat busy most of the day really helped me survive at work. Riding after work helped me sustain that, and it wasn't until I had my dinner at the movies that I ordered a Sierra Mist. Normally I won't drink an entire pop in the movies, but that 32 ounces didn't last til the credits.

While it was great to go an entire day without caffeine, and most of it without any pop, there was one drawback. After the movie I was completely drained and in bed by 8....well, I was actually passed out on the couch by 8. It wasn't until I woke up just before 1 am that I realized I had completely slept the evening away. Sleeping as soundly as I did on the couch also had another drawback....I am stiff as hell this morning, and kinda unhappy that I have to turn to my good friend Motrin for help again. It could be worse of course, but I hate feeling dependant on a pill.

I'm already dragging again this morning, but I am hoping to get through it without any pop. I've already sucked down about 30 ounces of ice water, so I shouldn't be thirsty much from here on out as long as I keep my water cup full. I didn't have too hard of a time staying away from the pop yesterday....I hope it's as easy today.

Picture of the Day, 7-27-2010

Seeing this on a newspaper's website

REALLY helped pick me up this morning.

Why Take a Chance?

A year ago, the 21st was a great day. One of my very favorites as a matter of fact. A month later, the 21st wasn't so spectacular....the following month, things changed around again. Anymore, I have no idea what to expect when it comes to the 21st.

I may not be the most superstitious of people, but I have to say that the date today did come into my decision making when it came time to choose which vehicle to bring to work today. By all weather forecasts, today should be a great day to ride....but I drove my truck in today instead. Hey, why take a chance?

So Much to Say....

....so few words.

All Yours

Max likes this:

Full screen it for the best view.

The Three Big Egos

While I have been pretty much sickened by how much press this has been getting, I must admit I am interested to see if this experiment works out. I'm not normally a hater but considering this involves "King" James and the Miami Heat, I won't try and hide my hater status. Normally I don't care if things like this work out or not and every sport has had something akin to this happen at one time or another which I didn't really care about....with only two exceptions I can think of.

When the Lakers geared up for another title run with Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, and the rest in 2004 I really didn't care too much....until the Pistons signed Sheed. Then I wanted to see the LA experiment fail miserably....and it did. Before that, there was the three-headed monster of Aikman, Emmitt, and Irvin in Dallas. That "dynasty" just pissed me off, even though I really like Troy Aikman. Alas, he played for the Cowboys....one of the few teams I actually loathe.

This situation in Miami is somewhat similar to the Dallas trio. I like Bosh, I really like Wade, and Lebron is definitely an impressively rare talent (and and even more impressively rare douche) but mixing those ingredients up in the bowl that is Miami just makes me lose my appetite.

I'll be watching the standings with interest, and hoping to see this turn into a ego-fueled trainwreck.

Unfinished Business

I've started a bunch of posts over the last few days, but for one reason or another have not finished them. Looks like I have something to work on the next few days....unfortunately I don't think they are going to get finished in chronilogical order.

Happy Birthday America

Days Off

The last few years, I have gotten pretty spoiled in terms of my days off. I always had the weekends off unless I volunteered to work the OT when it was available. For the foreseeable future, I will be working just about every Saturday and Sunday, with my days off being sometime during the normal work week. I have also been spoiled in the fact that I pretty much always worked day shifts, unless I asked for/agreed to work an early afternoon shift for one reason or another. This weekend I am working three consecutive midnight shifts.

I technically don't have Saturday, Sunday, or Monday off during this long holiday weekend....in reality, I kinda do. I don't normally sleep all that much at night as it is, so working the night shift and having an option of sleeping right before or right after work isn't so bad. Truth be told, on the days that my light sleep schedule catches up with me I will often sleep right after work as well as right before work. It's pretty much the same on midnights, I just haven't had a chance to get used to it.

Today I slept on and off throughout the day, but the flexibility of not having to be at work during the day let me take advantage of the time I wanted to, and sleep at the time I wanted to. I know it wasn't as efficient of a sleep pattern as I could have had, but I enjoyed the day much more than had I just slept straight through the morning into the afternoon. I hope to do the same thing tomorrow, then with Monday and Tuesday being my actual days off, I can do whatever I please with sleep or anything else.

While I couldn't head out of town with Mark, Mike and Dave for the weekend....I'm not completely unhappy that I am here with this schedule. Things have worked out rather well so far.

The Best is Yet to Come

I had a great time at the show last night. Both bands put on a great show, and it doesn't seem like either lead singer has lost much, if any, in terms of their voice. The seats we had were very nice, especially for as little as we paid. We were about halfway up/down in the pavilion and just a little left of center and settled into the seats a song or two into Cinderella's set.

Luckily for us, I noticed that Heather was walking up the stairs next to our row at one point and ran out to say hi to her. After a big "I haven't seen you in forever" hug, she explained that her seats were too close to the stage for her kids to enjoy. Her daughter was crying like crazy on the way up the stairs. After that, she offered me two of their 4 tickets from Miro's company to go down to the seventh row and watch the rest of the show. How could I say no to that? I thanked Heather and took the tickets back to our seats, and we immediately headed down the 20 plus rows to check out our new vantage point. Much nicer.

On the walk down to our upgraded seats, I noticed they were in the row right in front of a pair of our company's season tickets (which were not available to me when I asked about them) and was very interested to see who had those seats for the night. It didn't take me long to recognize who was there, but I looked a little different than I do at work (Slayer shirt, torn up jeans, black bandana around my forehead and some crazy hair above that) so I was not recognized right away. When I finally was recognized, I got the usual "what is HE doing here?" look. Because of who I work with on a daily basis, most anyone who sees me out when they are having fun gets a little uncomfortable....as if I am going to rat them out to their bosses. The way that I was dressed seemed to lessen that effect though, and no one seemed uncomfortable after the initial recognition.

With the company tickets that Miro and Heather gave us, we were able to get into the VIP lounge where they have better food and drink than anywhere else in the venue. We took full advantage of that between sets, and ran into another person I know from work. This time, I was mistaken as someone else because of the way I was dressed (and the amount of alcohol he had consumed) and he was very amused at my appearance when he finally realized who I was. He doesn't work for our company, he just comes in a lot so I gave him a pass on not recognizing me right away. I guarantee that he would recognize Missy again though. She was away from our table when I started talking to him, and as she approached he actually turned to point her out to me. I think he said he was in love with her before she was even within 20 yards of us. I just smiled a big crooked smile.

We made it back to the seats just before The Scorpions started their set, and we thoroughly enjoyed what we saw. We ended up leaving a little bit early because we were both completely exhausted. While I was disappointed I wouldn't see Winds of Change live, we were really much better off leaving when we did. Had we waited, I'm not sure I would have had the energy I needed after the show....to give her a piggy-back ride to the car because her foot was REALLY hurting. Not too long before we left, they played a song from their new album which I really enjoyed.

The Best is Yet to Come

Across the desert plains
Where nothing dares to grow
I taught you how to sing
You taught me everything I know
And though the night is young
And we don't know if we'll live to see the sun

The best is yet to come
I know, you know
That we've only just begun
Through the highs and lows
And how can I live without you
You're such a part of me
And you've always been the one
Keeping me forever young
And the best is yet to come

Na na na na
Don't look now, the best is yet to come
Na na na na
Take my hand, the best is yet to come

Thinking of the times
How we laughed and cried
I wouldn't change a thing
I couldn't even if I tried
Through the wind and rain
The spirit of our song remains the same

And the best is yet to come
I know, you know
That we've only just begun
Through the highs and lows
And how can I live without you
You're such a part of me
And you've always been the one
Keeping me forever young
And the best is yet to come

Na na na na
Don't look now, the best is yet to come
Na na na na
Take my hand, the best is yet to come

Oh can you feel it in the air
It's in your heart and everywhere
We got to keep that dream alive

We cross another road
And face another day
Soldiers never die
They only fade away
How can we grow old
When the soundtrack of our lives is rock and roll

And the best is yet to come
I know, you know
That we've only just begun
Through the highs and lows
And how can I live without you
You're such a part of me
And you've always been the one
Keeping me forever young
And the best is yet to come

Na na na na
Don't look now, the best is yet to come
Na na na na
Take my hand, the best is yet to come

Na na na na
Don't look now, the best is yet to come
Na na na na
Take my hand, the best is yet to come

Six Months Behind Us, Six Months to Go

July 1st brings our state a ban on texting. While I like the theory of this, the practice will probably be useless unless it's STRICTLY enforced. What the law itself is going to do is stop the cautious, law-abiding drivers to stop texting. These are the folks who would probably be the most responsible of texting drivers out there, the ones who wait for breaks in traffic or optimal times to text while driving (if there is such a thing).

What it's NOT going to do is stop the ones who just don't give a f*ck from texting while driving, and these are the ones who end up accidentally sharing a lane with me on the highway when I am riding. The only thing I think that will eventually stop that crowd is strict enforcement, like the seat belt patrols you see every now and again. When the seat belt law came into effect in MI years ago, the result was pretty much the same. The responsible people listened, the rest didn't. It wasn't until it was made a primary offense and the fines were upped that it began to really make an impact on drivers as a whole.

July; The Month of Many Concerts

This month starts with me attending a concert, and will end with a concert as well. Tonight is The Scorpions and Cinderella at DTE Energy Music Theater. The 31st is Kings of Leon, also at DTE. I also have tickets for 311/The Offspring as well as the Goo Goo Dolls/Switchfoot. Both of those at....DTE of course.

From the very first concert I ever went to at DTE (it was still Pine Knob then), I completely dug the venue. I got lucky the first few years I went to concerts there because I always got lawn tickets, and it never rained. I think the first time I actually got pavilion tickets was the first time I saw it rain there and how terrible that hill can be in inclement weather. Since then I have gone to very few concerts there where I haven't been in the pavilion. I'll be in the pavilion for all four shows this month, and while I will be dry if the weather takes a turn for the worse, I'll also be a little warmer than I'd like. It always seems to get hotter the closer you get to the stage. And I have to believe tonight is gonna be a hot night. ;-)

While the concerts give me something to look forward to nearly every week, there's plenty more for me to look forward to in the coming weeks....and all of this is much more important to me than a few shows. I'm eagerly awaiting everything that will happen over the next six months.