ka

Crazy crowded standing room only

Get out the map
Galileo
Shame on you
Heartache for everyone
Closer to fine
Sugar Tongue
Love of Our Lives
Ozilline

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

With the announcement of all the Lilith Fair 2010 cities and artists and dates, I instantly knew that I wanted to go to the show in Nashville.

Sugarland
Indigo Girls
Loretta Lynn
Sarah McLachlan

And I knew that I wanted to go to the show in DC with Molly.

Missy Higgins
Sara Bareilles
Courtyard Hounds
Indigo Girls
Sarah McLachlan

The Nashville concert (for which I had already 4th row tickets) was canceled - and most of the money was refunded to my credit card. It was more clear how important the DC show would be to my year of saying yes to concert opportunities.

I flew to DC on Sunday to stretch my MOLLY time as much as reasonable (given my work trip last week and my work trip next week). We diddled on Sunday afternoon, chatting and my napping to make up for my day starting at 3 am. We ate pizza and ice cream while watching Mad Men.

On Monday, we did some shopping at Target (bottled water) and REI (low-backed lawn/camp chairs). We ate at Chipotle. We went to meet and greet potential kitty adoptees. We went to Molly's sister's place to play the new Lego Harry Potter Wii game. We traveled back to Molly's house to have dinner with her husband and her mom.

Tuesday morning, Molly and her mom let me sleep in while they did some family business. When I got up and ready, we went to Panera for breakfast. We went to meet and greet other potential kitty adoptees. We traveled back to Molly's house, and had lunch with Molly's sister's friend. We packed the vehicle and headed to the venue.

We arrived with plenty of time to find a nice spot on the lawn for our blankets and chairs, with a good view of the stage, and more importantly - the jumbo screen. We had packed water, snacks, card games, and sunscreen. Once camped, we were good for the several-hour wait until Main Stage performances.

~ 80 degrees with cloud cover but without rain

~ plenty of water and snacks

~ CHICKENMAN

~ the undescribable feeling I have right now

~ safe flight

~ quick turnaround on travel voucher

~ Ford time

~ kitty love

~ new season of Project Runway

~ 36 hours to MOLLY

I drove to Fayetteville mid-afternoon, and went to the box office to get my ticket at Will Call.  There were 20-30 people already hanging out around the venue, with a couple of hours to go before the concert.  I left the venue and drove around looking for the hotel.  The area around the mall has changed a lot since I lived in Fayetteville (and I realize that this is what cranky old people say - but it's totally true). It took a bit more driving than I expected to find the hotel that was only two blocks from the mall.  I found a Market Place Express restaurant and had a burger.  I drove back to the mall, timing my arrival toward the end of the opening act. I got to my seat on the 7th row, six seats right of center.

I caught the last two songs of the opening act (whose name escapes me at the moment), a lanky long-haired singer-songwriter. Her last song was a cover of Brandi Carlile's "Josephine" - knowing that the audience most likely attended Brandi's concert at George's Majestic Lounge just a few months ago.  I sat uncomfortably in my seat during the in-between, with a soft-spoken couple on my right, 5 empty seats to my left, a family of 5 in front of me. The heat of the evening sun and humidity just made me feel like a big unpopular sweaty blob.  I was delighted that the Indigo Girls took the stage 10 minutes early - jolting me out of the icks and right into my first solo concert experience.

Set List:
Love of Our Lives (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)

at this point, I was truly disappointed - because I hate this song - and my brain just scattered across the floor, wondering if it was a big mistake to get the tickets, sweat over the fact that the ticket never arrived, call various people to assure my admission, drive 3 hours up, get a hotel room, and the eventual 3 hour drive back home - just because I hated the song

Become You (Become You) - and all at once all was forgiven
Fill It Up Again (All That We Let In)
Driver Education (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)
What Are You Like (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)
Dairy Queen (All That We Let In)
Power of Two (Swamp Ophelia)
Ghost of the Gang (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)
Fleet of Hope (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)
Joking (Rites of Passage)
Get Out the Map (Shaming of the Sun)
Three County Highway (Despite Our Differences)
-here, we got a story by Amy Ray of her missing dogs and her wonderful sheriff's office which helped find the dogs
It's Alright (Shaming of the Sun)
Yield (Become You)
Ghost (Rites of Passage)
Shame on You (Shaming of the Sun)
Southland in the Springtime (Nomads Indians Saints)
Devotion (Retrospective)
-here, I was really surprised - I thought this must have been a cover, since I _have_ all of their albums and had never heard this song. Thankfully I wrote down as many words as I could, and did frantic internet searching when I got back to the hotel room - only to find the song as one of two new songs on a greatest-hits-type album. Now I have a new temporary-favorite song, mostly because it was a complete surprise and it has a FABULOUS zydeco beat.
Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls) - they brought out the opening artist and allowed her the  third verse and at some point during the song I took a picture when they gestured for the crowd to do the lead singing



Land of Canaan (1200 Curfews style)

Encore:

Second Time Around (Poseidon and the Bitter Bug)
Galileo (Rites of Passage)

Overall impressions:
There's a strange dichotomy in my brain: trying to lower my expectations (this can't possibly be the BEST SHOW EVER because every show can't live up to that - so lower those silly expectations) and forgetting that it isn't about euphoria.. that it's about being a balm in Gilead.

Member of a Club - young girl in New Orleans follows family tradition by being a debutante of the Original Illinois Club, too bad she can't be the queen (interesting, but sickening to see how much the families spend on parties and dresses)

Arresting Ana - pro anorexia websites are targeted in France (good)

More than Skin Deep - really good information about skin cancer (melanoma) but crappy production

The Way We Get By - group of people who send off and greet every flight of troops arriving/leaving for the Middle East through the Bangor Maine airport (excellent)

Stage IV - woman had breast cancer which spread to her bones and liver and lungs (walked out - hated the woman)

The Edge of Things - woman had a big ol' brain tumor on her right frontal lobe, and has Traumatic Brain Injury, she lives in a brain injury rehab place where she writes poetry (mediocre - should have been a 20 minute film rather than 80 minute film)

The Pit - a look at the coffee options traders at the New York Board of Trade (excellent)

Broadcast Blues - the news lies, the Supreme Court says that's ok, and the FCC doesn't listen (good)

Claiming the Title - the US Olympic Committee sued to stop the 1982 Gay Olympics and the Supreme Court agreed (good)

Fish Out of Water - explores the 7 passages of scripture that are used to condemn homosexuality (excellent)

I didn't wake up, shower, and leave my house in time to see one of the films on my "really want to see" list - Warrior Champions, but I did screen 11 films for my first day in Hot Springs

Striking Metal / Tira Bakal - family in Philippines recreates the crucifixion day every year on Good Friday, and one year someone volunteers to have his hands nailed to the cross (interesting)

And What Remains - father and son travel to a small town in Kansas and visit a grave (pretty terrible)

When I'm Not Alone - female raised as male for 28 years, severely abused by family, lives his own life in a supportive environment (good)

First and Loveliss - Lloyd and Jackie are friends; he's an extravagant southern male who has traveled and collected stuff; they do puzzles (excellent)

Out There - gay couple in North Little Rock talk to the camera (pretty terrible)

No Sana Hoy - girl talks to her dementia-addled grandmother about her home, possibly Havana (just god awful, but I don't think we got to see the whole film - instead maybe 10 minutes?)

Miya of Quiet Strength - woman survives 1991 University of Iowa shootings, survives her wheelchair going crazed and throwing her onto subway lines, to get inflammatory breast cancer (good)

Looking for Roots - following the Jewish tradition of remembering, film maker allows grandfather to tell Auschwitz story, and family travels to Romanian home for the first time since WWII (good)

Who is Bozo Texino? - study of the signatures/tags of hobos and some railroad workers on train cars (bad camera work - not enjoyable)

Seven Signs - film maker interviews people across different places in "the south" (half excellent - half crap; thought about buying the dvd)

The Narcotic Farm - federal prison in Lexington Kentucky for drug addicts in the 50's and 60's conducted world-wide groundbreaking research at addiction research center (excellent - want everyone to see this one)

got home from mini-vacation yesterday afternoon

the days after my last post weren't as wonderful as the first day
part of me wonders if it was like diminishing marginal utility, that each additional unit of vacation brings less additional happiness and relaxation than the last unit
but part of me knows that it was just 10+ kids at the pool, heat index of 103, back pain, and very little sound-proofing insulation between rooms that made the remaining time just less enjoyable

what I did enjoy in the last day and a half of my vacation:
shopping for luxury bedding on SALE at macy's (down comforter, three down pillows, bath sheets and hand towels)
shopping for fundamentals at the one store that carries my size and fabric preference, also on SALE and remembered to use the coupon my momma had in her purse
eating at a truly local texas dive, really enjoying the ribeye, grilled garlic butter shrimp, and blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream

after driving home, I took a nap on the couch with my kitties, and then went to a local japanese steakhouse for a double family birthday celebration

went to pearlbeachlady 's house for some kitty loving

read twilight book #3 until I fell asleep

so today (I think) is Saturday, and I'm already dreading going back to the office
there's a long list of things that I _should_ be doing - if I want to be a responsible adult
washing the bed linens, washing the new towels, washing the vacation clothes, empty and put away suitcase (for the first time in 8 weeks), sorting through the bills and paying what has stacked up on the credit card, going through the pantry and sorting out all the crap that I will never eat, going to the grocery store to buy food that I will eat, getting out the textbook for the fall class (10 days away?) and starting to formulate the syllabus and general homework/quiz/online assignments strategy

what I am doing so far?
laying on the couch with a striped kitty between my legs
watching shows on the dvr (Mental, Warehouse 13, In Plain Sight, Saving Grace, L&O:CI, L&O:SVU)
playing mad scientist on facebook
wishing I had something to eat (and crappy mexican restaurant provided)

Good: found a place that seems perfect for my idea of vacation

Has luxury organic design with lake, pool, stocked fridge

Bad: it is insanely expensive, and booked for my preferred dates