one weird thing, one random thought

Weird Thing

I just got a voice mail on my work phone. It was a recording, in Spanish, that I believe was telling me I'd won some sort of prize. I need to listen again, but I think it said something about pressing numbers on the phone (obviously meant for if the recipient actually answered), and I know I heard the word 'regalo.' Congratulations to my high school Spanish teachers, who have allowed me to translate about 1/20th of a short spammy phone message. Yay!

Random Thought

I have a song in my head. The reason it is in my head is because on Monday I was watching TV (Chuck) and the song was played in the episode. I own that particular CD (The National - Boxer), and hearing it in the show made me want to listen to the CD. Over and over again for 3 days. So the song being stuck in my head is no surprise at all really. But that wasn't my random thought. The thought was that I think I prefer the music featured in TV shows and movies to be unknown to me. That way it stays pleasantly in the background of my consciousness, only to emerge if it is something truly spectacular that I need to be listening to. If I know the song already, my attention is drawn away from what is happening on screen, towards the realm of "OMG, I know that song! Hey, that's So-And-So Band! Cool! I want to sing along! Whee, this is fun! But hmm, that's kind of an odd place to put that song, during this scene here. I always thought the song was about this other thing. Now I totally have to go listen to it again! Maybe I got the lyrics wrong. I could look them up online ... wait ... wasn't I doing something? Oh yeah, TV's on."

close encounters with the criminal kind

A coworker of mine is always amazed by the fact that I've met a few famous people. It's not a big deal - the people I've met are not THAT famous, and I haven't even met all that many. But on the occasion that I tell a story at work that involves someone I know or have met who has enjoyed a bit of celebrity, he's always so impressed! Apparently, he has not met one famous person in his life, nor does he know anyone who has (except me). So when I found out about what happened to this guy, who I had met once at a concert a few years back, I just had to tell him. The guy is the singer in a band from Chicago who I had all but forgotten about. When I was driving to my parents house the other day, one of their songs came on the radio and I was like, "Hey, I haven't heard these guys in a while. And didn't I meet the singer that one time at HOB?" When the song ended, the DJ came on and said, "Well, who would have thought THAT guy was capable of murder?" What??!! Murder? You mean, I shook hands with a murderer? Weird. Well, it turns out it was self-defense, according to this article, so I guess I feel a little better about that. At least, I feel better for him anyway. But still. Weird. Maybe this will teach my coworker that NOT ALL encounters with famous people are enviable.

in the middle of the ni-i-ight ...

The other day, I was driving home from (work? parents' house?) somewhere, and I heard a song on the radio that I had not heard in a very long time. In case you're wondering, it was Billy Joel's "River of Dreams" or whatever the heck that thing is called. This was never a particular favorite of mine, but I remember that the summer after it came out, it was EVERYWHERE. I could not escape it. I believe I had it stuck in my head for the entire week my family and I were on vacation. I can't remember exactly where we were that year, but it was on a lake (or system of lakes) that my Dad kept saying was very choppy and rough in the middle, so we pretty much stayed near the edges when we were out on the boat. That was the vacation that my brother and I spent mainly in the "entertainment building" that had a pool table and a jukebox. When I wasn't humming the Billy Joel song, my brother and I put some quarters in the jukebox and jumped around to Kris Kross' "Jump." It was fun.

So I began thinking about these random songs and how they remind me of vacations. I thought about another vacation (one of the many spent on Lost Land Lake near Hayward, Wisconsin), and how I'd had a mix tape with me that year that contained the Gin Blossoms' "Till I Hear it From You" and a song by Blues Traveler. I remember listening to the Gin Blossoms song over and over again while drooling over the cute boys in the teeny-bopper magazines (not that the two necessarily mesh well together). The next Christmas I asked for the Empire Records soundtrack specifically because that song was on it. I was a bit disappointed in myself, though, that I couldn't remember which Blues Traveler song was on that tape. I wonder if I still have it ...

But yeah. The radio? That day it was tuned in straight to my brain while I was driving home from where ever I was, because after the Billy Joel song ended, the next song to come on was ... wanna guess? Yep. Gin Blossoms "Till I Hear it From You." No kidding.

do you hear what I see?

Something I've come to realize about myself over the years is that I am a very visual person. I discovered in college that I learned best by seeing things written down on paper, as opposed to hearing it spoken aloud. I'd remember reading specific sentences and even know approximately where they were on a page, but I could convince myself that a lecturing professor said the complete opposite of what he actually said. Knowing this, you'd think I'd learn to take really good notes and play to my strengths ... but alas, my laziness usually won out over my desire to be a good student. How I managed to graduate with a decent GPA, I'll never know.

A more recent example of this trait of mine (and the thought that triggered this post), is the way I tend to describe the concerts I go to. I have been going to quite a few of them as of late, and when people ask me how they were, I go into great detail about what the venue was like, who was in the crowd, how the stage was set up, and what the performers looked like, or what they wore. The music itself usually gets a much shorter description. Sometimes as concise and vague as, "It was good." It's not that I don't enjoy the music at a concert. I love music! And that's the reason you go to a concert in the first place. I guess it's just that visual images make more of an impression on me than aural. The experience of going to a concert involves all of the senses, and though the focus is on what you hear, my most trusted sense is my vision, so that's what really sticks with me. It's only in those rare instances when the emotions evoked by the music mesh perfectly with what my other senses are experiencing that the music itself leaves a lasting impression. Or perhaps it's just because I am not as good with descriptions of sounds as I am with images. What's that saying? "Talking about music is like singing about architecture"? I think I may have that wrong. But I believe that statement is very true.

On the topic of how one experiences a concert, I've also realized that my experiences are shaped largely by outside influences. For example, last night, Jillybean and I went to the Sufjan Stevens show at the Riv. The crowd there seemed to be very young - much younger than I would have expected, actually. There were several groups of high school aged kids around the area we were standing, and I realized afterwards that they ended up giving me a slightly lower opinion of the concert than I might have had otherwise. There was a kid to one side of us who was shouting annoying requests between each song. There was a girl next to me who kept bumping me with her purse in the same spot on my shoulder over and over again (though this could have been anyone, not necessarily a teenager). And THEN. Then there was the kid behind us, who will, in my memory, always be known as the "Oh My God!" guy. Let's just say he was VERY EXCITED to see Sufjan. So much so that between every song, he'd shout "Oh My God!" like he just couldn't believe that Sufjan Stevens was right there in front of him. Seriously, you'd have thought he was having an orgasm each time he said it. Oh, and his breathing was erratic and very heavy. I know because I could feel it on the back of my neck through the entire show, whipping my hair into my face, even though he was a couple feet behind me.

And those are the things that I'm going to remember most about that concert. Those people in the crowd, the butterfly costumes that the band was wearing, and the fact that for most of the show, all I could see of Mr. Stevens was the end of his guitar and the tip of his wing (too many tall people).

But the music was very good. :)

my oh my

I am BEAT today! When you're running around like a maniac for three days straight, and then you finally slow back down to normal speed, your flurry of activity finally catches up to you and you realize just how exhausted you really are! Maybe I'm just getting old, but man, this weekend kicked me in the ass!

If you weren't already aware, I went to Lollapalooza this weekend - all three days of it. TONS of fun and TONS of great music, but I am glad it's over and I can finally relax!!

So here's the rundown:

Friday:
I arrived at about 2:15 with Jillybean and the roomie (a work friend of Jilly's met us as we got there), and we went straight to see The M's play (which would be the last time all weekend I'd see Jillybean's work friend), who were quite fun and entertaining, especially the drummer, who was a riot to watch. We didn't stay for that whole set because the roomie wanted to see Panic! at the Disco. So the two of us went over to the AT&T stage to see them. They were pretty good as well - I may be purchasing something of theirs in the near future. I enjoyed their wierd cabaret/vaudeville/clown dancers, especially when they interacted with the singer fellow (don't know any names), and even had a little choreographed dance number with him. After that, we met back up with Jilly and two of her friends, Steve and George, and just hung out for a while, enjoying the weather. Steve wanted to try and find another friend of his, so we ventured to the other side of Buckingham Fountain to try and locate her, only to realize that she was closer to where we had just been. So we got a little bit of exercise in the process and explored the festival grounds a bit. No biggie. We eventually found her and chilled for a while in her cool spot in the shade, then got some yummy food, and eventually went back for another round of music. Jillybean, the roomie and I went to see Secret Machines, who were great as usual (though their recent Metro performance was much better, IMO). We caught up with my friend Adam from work during that show, and randomly ran into Julie, another work friend, and her roommate Jeff. Small world!! Well, not really. I knew they were going to be there. :) Julie and Jeff were already SM fans (they were with me at the Metro show), so they enjoyed their performance, and I believe the SM virgins enjoyed themselves as well ... at least that's what they told me. :) After that, the work friends, the roomie and I went across the field to see The Raconteurs, while Jillybean met back up with Steve etc. for My Morning Jacket. At the moment, I am really really in love with The Raconteurs. I think this was one of the highlights for me. Jack White is a wierdo, but a musical genius. I like The Raconteurs much better than The White Stripes, though, I must say. After the work friend and the roomie all ditched me in favor of The Violent Femmes, I made my way to the other side of the park for Sleater-Kinney. I'm not too familiar with their stuff, but I know they're kind of like indie legends, and chick-rock is always fun, so I decided I'd check them out. They were pretty decent I must say. Plus, I was glad to get to see them since this was their very last Chicago show and one of their last shows entirely before they disband. (Ha ha, "disband.") I was able to find Jillybean and the boys again at this show, though we would soon part ways again while they went to VHS or Beta, and I opted to see Death Cab for Cutie as the closing act of my evening. I know these guys get a lot of flack for being too sell-out-y or whatever, but hey, I like 'em. And I enjoyed their set, though I couldn't see for crap. I was TOTALLY excited when they ended up playing my favorite song as the last song in their "encore." (I use quotes because the supposed encore was still within the time limits of their set, so it wasn't like they were giving us anything additional, or special. They were actually cheating us a bit by taking a little breaky and passing it off as an encore.) I had lost the roomie at this point, but figured he could fend for himself, so I met back up with Jillybean and the boys at Bucky Fountain, and we headed to Streeter's for some libations (though I did not partake). I guess I just wasn't feeling the scene or something because it became tedious to just BE there, so I took off early. Plus I was bushed, and had to get my beauty sleep in preparation for Day 2!!

Saturday:
Saturday ended up being a day I spent mostly by myself, so it was an entirely different experience from Friday. I left the apartment by myself because the roomie was still sleeping, and I hadn't heard from Jilly yet and assumed she was still in bed or running late or whatever. And I wanted to get there by 2:30 for Coheed and Cambria. I got there in time, and they were just eh. I didn't bother getting up close, and what I heard was just so-so. Unfortunatly though, I had to leave in the middle of their set and make a stop at the Medical tent to bandage up my poor footsies! I made the mistake of wearing a pair of shoes that I hadn't worn in a while and had forgotten the reason WHY I hadn't worn them. They cut me bad. So I got some lovely gauze taped across the tops of my feet and was nice and comfy again, though my feet looked kind of ridiculous. Oh well. Instead of going back to Coheed, I went to the stage across the field where Wolfmother would be playing and tried to get a semi-decent spot for them. I could still hear the rest of Coheed's set from where I was, and I must admit, it got better towards the end. All in all, I guess they weren't too bad, but not a favorite. Wolfmother, however, rocked the house. Me likey. Adam was supposed to be there to see them, but he didn't show until there was about 2 minutes left in their set. Too bad for him. So I got to chat with him for about 30 seconds before we parted ways again. He wanted to see Gnarls Barkley, but I was more interested in checking out Chicagoans, Kill Hannah. And they were pretty cool. I really loved the stage they were on! It was one of the smaller ones on the north side of the park, and was hidden away in a little nook surrounded by trees. That was the only band I saw on that stage, but it was my favorite spot in the park. After them, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to Dresden Dolls on the adidas-Champs Stage (the converted Petrillo (sp?) Music Shell) - which was my fave of the larger stages because you could see well from practically anywhere. Dresden Dolls were definitely entertaining. I have their most recent album, but haven't given it much listening time, so I didn't know their stuff too well. I particularly enjoyed a song about a "coin-operated boy." :) Oh, and there was the time that the woman flashed the entire audience. That was wierd. :) The roomie managed to find me in the crowd during that show, and then accompanied me to The Flaming Lips across at the Bud Light stage. They were great! They just seem to be having a big fun party on stage, which I have a tremendous amount of respect for. The roomie left before their set was over so he could make it to The New Pornographers, and meet up with Shannon and Ronak, but I stayed where I was for Thievery Corporation, and I'm soooo glad I did. They were amazing!! Love them! I hadn't heard too much of their stuff before, though I have a couple discs I got from my brother, but I can guarantee I'll be giving that sh*t a listen or two or twenty in the very near future. Another highlight of the weekend for sure. I ended up leaving on a high note that night and after Thievery, I made my way back home so I could shower and go over to Adam's new place for a party (a story for another time). After the party, I think I went to bed at 4 that night?? Bummer.

Sunday:
I met up with Ms. Jilly Sunday (yesterday!!) afternoon and we got to the park in time to see Andrew Bird at 3:30. He was pretty darn good. And what a talented whistler!! :) I was happy that he played a lot of stuff from his newest album, because that is the one I have and those were the only songs I knew. So pretty. The Shins were next, and though they were a tiny bit anti-climactic, they did not disappoint. We found Adam in the crowd, so he shared in our enjoyment of The Shins as well. And there were dancing noodles!! (Don't ask.) We had a free hour after that, so we made our way over to the AT&T stage where Steve and George had been staking out a spot for Queens of the Stone age since 12:30 (they went on at 6:30)!!! Took a while for us to find them, but we did ... and they were close!! We were on the left side of the stage, maybe 20 feet from the speakers. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I certainly was. When the set started, it didn't seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be (sound levels, crowd rowdiness), but it got worse. As the band and the crowd got warmed up, the crowd surfing got started, and at one point, there were people passing overhead, like every two minutes. It was nuts! After a while, people started to get a little rough, so I decided to back up a bit, still staying close to the stage. It was a little better there for a while, until a guy fell on my head. So I moved back a little bit more, and found a happy little hippy commune that was more than welcoming, so I stood in that little pocket, safe from people falling on me and crazy moshers. But yeah, the music was awesome, and there was no doubt that we were at a rock show at that point. I love the Queens. Love them! After that craziness was over, I was considering going to see Blues Traveller, but they were all the way on the other side of the park, and my feet were already killing me, so I decided to just hang out for a while, and then call it a day. I didn't stay for the Chili Peppers because I had seen them once before and didn't really need to see them again. I'm sure they were great (and from what I heard as I was leaving, they sounded great), but I put priority on going home and getting a decent amount of sleep in preparation to go back to work today. I did stop at an ice cream truck for a chocolate chip cookie sandwich on my way home, though. :)

So today, all this fun has finally caught up with me and I feel like death. I woke up this morning out of a deep sleep, completely disoriented (but NOT disorientated). I'm sore all over and struggling to keep my eyes open. It was a goooood weekend, but I am so looking forward to going to bed tonight! :)

Latah!