Carrying on the Crazy

I think that to say that I overdid it a little this weekend would be an exceptional under statement. I’ve been nursing a serious yucky feeling and a headache all day. I needed to drop off the face of the planet, and the planet obliged. I’ve been in extreme hermit mode all day.

This all started on Friday. I had my birthday get together at Albatross Pub. Things got off to an hectic beginning, and I was pretty late. Once we settled in, everything was pretty cool. The turnout was much better than I had expected. I have a history of terrible birthdays, and usually there’s only one or two people who show up. It was cool to have so many of my worlds collide. My oldest friend in the world, with my some of my newest, bandmates and friends in bands, theater folk, college friends, and former roommate. Many rounds of beer and cocktails were shared. I got some really cool gifts that weren’t expected at all. I even got a chance to show off just how poorly I play pool.

So after all that, I got up early the next morning, feeling like crap, and got myself dressed and over to the Command Center. The Phenomenauts were playing at Live 105’s BFD, which is one of those day long, multiple bands on multiple stages, radio festival concerts. It was a very long day. A long, sunny day. I managed by to avoid getting burnt. I reapplied the sunblock at least six times. Oh, and we were drinking from the moment we got there at around 10:30 in the morning. Drinking beer in the sun. And not eating enough, because the food was ridiculously priced. But The ‘Nauts put on a helluva show on the Local Band Stage, and I got to see something I never thought I would – Cypress Hill live.

So, yeah, I needed to do nothing today, and today I did nothing. I watched a lot of crap on TV. A lot. I also watched the Giants’ game. I napped. Oh, and I watched the last 20 minutes of “Coyote Ugly”.

And my head still hurts. I should probably drink another gallon of water before I go to bed. I should probably go to bed.

Maybe it was too much fun, but I doubt it. It was just a whole lotta fun, and a whole lotta beer.

Just sayin’.

Waiting. . . Anticipating

I’m sitting here waiting for my peeps to come pick me up.  We’re doing this early dinner before the parties later.  It’s the birthday celebration that may just kill me.  

I’m dolled up, pretty in pink, and while I wait, I’ve also been tooting my own horn.  I just hope I don’t get spit all over my outfit while I’m waiting.  That would suck.  

Hopefully I’ll have a lot of pictures to post.  That’s my plan.  

 

What’s With That?

There’s a trend I’ve noticed lately.   See if you can pick up on it from these two true stories.

Anecdote #1: A few weeks ago, The Slackers and Deal’s Gone Bad were playing at Slim’s.   I hung out until the bitter end, ’cause you know, that’s what I do.  Finally it was time to go, and since it’s a reasonable neighborhood, I walked myself to my car.  I was rounding the corner and ran head-on into this older gentleman.  We startled each other pretty well, and he said, “you startled me!”  I assured him that he had also startled me, apologized, and continued on my way.  I guess he turned to watch me walk away, because this 80-year-old man then hollered after me, “Damn, baby, you got back!”    When I didn’t respond, and he followed up with, “Shake that thing!”    Finally, he called out, “Have a nice evening!”  I hollered, “you have a nice evening, too,” over my shoulder.

Anecdote #2: Sunday, on my way back from Iowa, I scored the middle seat on my flight from Chicago to SF.   I was seated between a pair of gentleman, a bigger guy to my left in the window seat, and a 70-year-old Indian man to my right on the aisle.   The fella in the aisle seat was sitting across from his family, and obviously didn’t speak English very well.  His family was translating to the flight attendants for him.   I tried to make myself as small as possible to not disturb either of my new companions, but finally I just couldn’t take it any more, and I had to get up.   I had to use the loo.  So, I tapped the fella to my right to get his attention and indicate through charades that I needed to get out.  His son leaned across the aisle and explained that I wanted to get out.   Rather than stand up, he sat up and squeezed back into my seat so I could scoot by.  I had to make a choice, give him the hiney or the ‘giney.   I went with the bum.   And as I was stepping past him, this guy reached up and slapped my ass.

Did you pick up on the theme?    The old guys, they love my booty.   They love my ass so much that they forgo all manners and courtesy. What’s with that?

 

Just sayin’.   

Running Around All Night Long

Last night, after my last day at Huge Corporation, I went to band practice.   We’re still in the process of trying out singers.  So, it was a fun practice, but I didn’t really feel like I got to nail anything down.  It’s still just so much fun to go and play.  I wish we could practice more.

Afterwards, I was giving Ruckus a ride home.  That guy is super cool, and can always make me laugh.  Like, gerbil laugh.   He got me twice during practice last night.  We were talking about family, and about my uncle’s memorial.

Since he lives near the lake, I decided to drop in on some friends afterwards.  Wednesday nights, some folks from the musical theatre crowd hang out at The Alley, a dive-a-licious piano bar in the Grand Lake neighborhood.   I used to hang out there every so often when I lived in that neighborhood, and I’ve always been quite fond of the spot.

I’ve dropped in a few other times, but never found any of my friends, but last night that was not a problem.  I walked in, and found many familiar faces around the piano.   I also got the chance to make a lot of new friends.   It was a good time.   

And they got me laughing, too.  In fact, I now have a new friend who is completely enamored of me for that laugh alone.  I laughed so hard and so long that I actually lost my squeak.  My throat was raw.   

In the end, it was two in the morning before I got home.   That was actually the second night in a row that I was out until the wee hours.   I’ve really been enjoying myself lately.  

And no, I didn’t sing anything at the piano.

Last Day

Today is my last day at my current job.  My new job starts Monday.

I’ve got a mixture of feelings about this.  I was really hoping to stay with this job for a while, and I’ve been very pleased with the folks I work with.  They drive me insane every once in a while, but usually in a way that ends up being amusing in the long run.

But ever since the Huge Corporation that bought us started making all these changes a few months back, it just hasn’t been the same.  They managed to kill the spirit of the original company, I think.

So, when I was offered the new opportunity, so close to home and working with friends, it was an obvious choice.  I am very excited about this job, and this new company seems like it will be an excellent fit.  I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with music.   Anyway, this is the right choice, and I’m headed on the right path.

But it’s still hard to say goodbye, you know.

Brain Dead This Morning

I couldn’t seem to pull my head out of my ass this morning.   I woke up, and hit the snooze about three times.  Then I just couldn’t get my brain into gear.  I sat on the couch and ate, which is not normal.  I’m normally a cereal-over-the-sink kind of gal.  Of course, since I sat down, I turned on the news, and then I was looking up and realizing I had just twenty minutes to get out the door.

I didn’t make it in twenty.  I didn’t even make it in thirty.   I took a shower last night, so I skipped it this morning, but by the time I washed my face, slapped on some make-up, brushed my teeth, and slapped some Fudge around in my hair, it was quarter after eight, and I was late.

So, in my haste to get out the door, I somehow managed to leave behind both my cell phone and my security badge.  I’m sure I’m missing the best phone calls of my life right now.   Or at least some flirty crazy single girl text messages.   I hate this feeling of separation anxiety.  I hate feeling like I could be missing anything.   Especially if it could be fun.

That’s why I’m always the last to leave a party, because I wouldn’t ever want to miss any of the fun.

New Phenomenauts Video on YouTube

I love this new video for the song “Infinite Frontier.”

From MySpace:

The Phenomenauts have teamed up with Emmy Award-winning animation writer RICH FOGEL (Justice League, Batman Beyond, Transformers: Animated) to produce INFINITE FRONTIER, an animated music video based on the song from their new album FOR ALL MANKIND.

It’s great when one of your favorite bands are also some of your greatest friends.  I hope some day

I am very proud of these guys, and happy to call them friends.

Worst Birthday EVER

Friday was my birthday, but it was also the day that I had to fly out for my uncle’s memorial services in Iowa, so I knew it wasn’t going to be a cheerful day.  I just had no idea how bad it would actually be.

I had a flight out of SFO at 9:45 connecting in Chicago that would have gotten me into Des Moines at around 6 local time.   That would have given me a little time to hang with the fam before the memorial on Saturday morning.   I thought it was a decent arrangement.

What I forgot to count on was the crazy mid-western weather patterns.  It turned out that there were some thunderstorms and tornado warnings in Chicago.  We were loaded onto our plane in San Francisco, and then sat there on the runway for close to two hours.  Of course I missed my connection at O’Hare, so I ended up spending two hours in the airport bar.  I struck up a conversation with some folks around me.  One couple was leaving their six kids for a much needed week long vacation in Florida.  They were really nice.  Another fella bought me a beer for my birthday.

Finally I got to board a plane to Iowa, but of course, it sat for thirty minutes on the runway, too.   I finally landed in Des Moines about 10:30.  I got a rental car, and headed out for my aunt’s house.  The thing is, though, that they had been having some heavy rainfall in the area, and I was told by my mom when I got to Iowa that there were “some closed freeways” because of the flooding.  But of course, no one could say exactly where this was, and/or a way around it.  This was news to the guy behind the rental counter.   He gave me a map, though, not a very good one.

Of course, I got lost.   I called them to let me know, my mom doesn’t know anything about where i am, so she’s just stressing me out.  Even my cousins who had spent a considerable amount of time there both growing up and as adults couldn’t guide me in.  I stopped and asked for directions at a gas station, but the attendant also couldn’t help me.  Finally after checking another useless map at the gas station, and piecing together what my cousin was able to tell me, I thought I knew what I was doing, and I headed out again.  By some miracle of luck, I ended up meeting up with the highway beyond the flooding, and I got in to the hotel where I was staying with my mom and my aunt just about 12:15.

That was the longest, most miserable day ever.   I decided that the universe owes me one for that birthday.

We’ll be celebrating officially this Friday.   Hopefully the get together goes off without any of these kind of hitches.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, I’m going to get up and go to the airport, and get on a plane to Iowa.   My uncle passed away.   I’m going to the funeral.  It’s weird, and it doesn’t seem real.

I’m just sitting here in my room, and it feels like any other Thursday night.  I’m only going to be there for a couple of days, and I’ve literally squeezed all the stuff I need into my large purse.

I may not post for a couple of days.   Wish me luck.