29 September 2007

can I brag a little?

Steelers 3-0 (I'm liking the new coach!)(what does Pittsburgh think??? Anyone?? Talk to me people; I'm 1500 miles away from home!!)
CU 3-2 (not the best, but it's a better start than the past couple years)
Rockies 1 game behind San Diego (Yeah, I know, it's not the Bucs; hey, I can go with my 2nd team, can't I??)


Penguins' first regular season game this coming Friday! And the Nugs start preseason the following week! I need to fit in Grey's Anatomy! And what about my crafting??? I mean, knitting is easy in front of the t.v. ; sewing, not so much, considering there is no t.v. near my work table. UGH! Decisions decisions.... Well, maybe it's a good thing the Steelers aren't on t.v very often here. Nah, that's never a good thing. I may have to make a trip up to C.B. Potts to watch a game with some other fans.

FYI

"lunacorn" = unicorn

"loopalo" = hulahoop

One never knows what one will find in our fridge...cheese sticks...a headband....
The self-tattoo artist AKA known as "Feefer"
the top pic is a princess, the bottom pic is a self-portrait
this is a cat

not bad for a 4 year old AND upside down on her own legs!!!! :P

28 September 2007

I <3 the Wreckers

Nikki & her friend/roomie Deon & I had wanted to see these gals earlier this year at the Grizzly Rose. The first show was sold out & we thought to go early the next night to get tickets at the door. Um, no, it was like -20 that day. Not standing in line for ANYONE on a day like that. Maybe if I was about Nikki's age . Hopefully next time they come around, we'll catch them.




26 September 2007

and I'm not even an auditory person; I'm visual/tactile

Have you ever heard music that you just wanted to reach out & touch? That was how the Global Drum Project show on Sunday was for me. It was Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussein, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo. OMG. Before the show began, there were these 2 large, wood-looking free-form sculptures on a table in the middle front of the stage. Mickey walked out and "introduced" them as "Squid" a civil war age grapevine root (?) and "Two Dolphins out of Fire" (or something like that) which was (I think) a large driftwood. He & Zakir commenced to PLAY them -Mickey on Squid with a bass drum type mallet and a gloved hand & Zakir on Two Dolphins with two smaller mallets. What a way to start the show!! I can't even describe it to you. The table was wheeled off stage after that & Mickey took his place behind the drum set at center stage, Zakir was to the right, Giovanni on the left & Sikiru right front. Words escape me now as I try to convey to you what happened over the next hour & a half. It was just one of the best shows I've ever HEARD. I had my eyes closed most of the show because it wasn't that kind of a show. It was all about the sound. It was far more intimate than the Paramount show a few years ago. Just dreamy, floating, driving percussion melding from one melody to the next. OMG. I had to take of my shoes to FEEL the sound under my feet and dance. I kind of wanted to bend over & put my hands on the floor too. But that would have made for awkward dancing. I'm telling you, if I could have reached out to TOUCH the music with my hands, I would have. It was over all too soon, and I found myself spewed back out into the streets of Boulder. I didn't stay for the drumming outside this time because it in no way compared to what I had just experienced; I didn't want to muddy my vibe with the impure sounds of average drumming. I wanted to postpone reality for a little while longer.

If I had the cash, I would certainly have gone again the next night in Denver. If you get 1/2 a chance, you HAVE TO go to this show. Close your eyes & let your body feel the music. I promise you, it will be unlike any concert you've ever encountered before.

see them here first

Ta da! Fi's first school pic & Mad's 5th Aren't they the prettiest sisters?


opposing views? and an unexpected photo

The other night, as Maddie & I were snuggling at her bedtime, Mad turns to me & says "mom, you know those tattoos on your arms? When you're a granny, I think you probably shouldn't show them to my kids." uh-huh. Interestingly, the next day I see that Fiona had taken a light blue marker & had written her name all the way around her left wrist with a smiley face between the A and the F.

Last week the littles & I had lunch with G. On the walk back from the cafeteria, we spied this photo of the girls.

25 September 2007

what's next

walking into the school property yesterday from the parking lot, we saw a very large splash of white (paint). Lib looks at it & says "uh-oh, bird poop" yeah, perhaps a pterodactyl.

And today Fi wanted to wear these little hair bows, the kind with velcro on the back for fine baby's hair. I told her no, that they were for babies & maybe we could give them to their new cousin Roisin. That suggestion met with sonorous agreement. And Fi looks up at me and asks "does this say 'baby'?" while pointing to the word at the top of the package. Why YES! It does say 'baby'!! Fiona just read her first word, uncoached! Brilliant!

Maddie's decided that choir at church will be good for her "portfolio" when she wants to get into DSA (Denver School of the Arts) for middle school in two years. Yes, it's admittance by audition. She's been talking about it since last year. She's also started sewing this summer in order to use costuming as an angle for admittance. Right now she's making these cute little pencil topper dolls that were inspired by a Japanese craft book. And a wand cover for her wand (Hogwart's, that's all I can say; I'm sworn to secrecy). Yesterday she came home with order forms from her (Hogwart's) friends with details on how each girl would like her wand cover to be designed. Oh to be 9 again.

24 September 2007

music meme cont.

City Limits was the skating rink. We also saw Prong there & I swear I remember Murphy's Law opening with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion playing 2nd that show. Oh the details one's fried brain cells forget. (like the goo goo dolls show -chris remembers it vividly, I, on the other hand, barely remember being there. Was that the show we faked hand stamps to get in?)

23 September 2007

music meme from Renee

Here's what you do: Copy this list; leave in the bands you’ve seen perform live; delete the ones you haven’t, and add new ones that you have seen until you reach 25. An asterisk means the previous person had it on their list. Two asterisks means the last two people who did this before you had that band on their list.

I've listed my entries in order of frequency seen

1. Metallica: many memories after having seen these guys oh so many times. Cliff Burton popping pills onstage. Metallica blowing Ozzy away at the Colosseum in Johnstown. Jason's birthday in PGH. Caught in a snowstorm on the drive back from Syracuse. Met them a few times, the most memorable being the last time in PGH when we saw Lars walking away from the Arena toward the hotel. Myself & Chris & Denise & Dave Runayn in the car, pull up to Lars to say "hi" & did he need a lift. Lars invites us up to the hotel to party...until he sees Dave behind the wheel.

2. Grateful Dead: more great memories from many shows. Did I ever tell you about the show at the Arena where cops were beating hippies outside for no reason whatsoever? Granted, I think there were gate crashers inside the venue. But we were outside in Shakedown -with Nikki who was maybe 3 or 4 months old, babe in arms. Literally terrified for our safety when the melee broke out, we ran across the street to watch & cry & wonder about the senseless violence.

3. Anthrax: For one tour, Bryan had air brushed this huge Judge Death banner on a sheet. I held it up at the tour bus outside the Arena & was invited on the bus. The band invited me & my friends to come see them in Cleveland the next night & hang out backstage. We got to sit at the sound board for the show. Backstage was boring enough that I didn't want to hang out but rather wanted to hit the road for home.

4. The Allman Brothers Band: I've only seen these guys at Red Rocks. Of course, it doesn't get any better than that. The last time I saw them was a few years ago. Maddie was still a toddler. Greg had oxygen handy at his seat behind the piano. BUT they rocked out!

5. Mickey Hart: Aside from the Dead, I've seen Mickey Hart a couple times with Further Fest & once at the Paramount. The Paramount show was freaking awesome. And the drumming/dancing continued outside on Glenarm. Always such a feel good time. AND I'm going to see Mickey again TONIGHT at the Boulder Theatre!! Yay!!

6. Soundgarden: first saw these guys at a roller skating rink/concert venue in Penn Hills. Argh, I can't remember the name of the place. Chris Cornell had long hair, shirtless with long cut-offs, wide black leather belt, combat boots -typical grunge attire. Super sexy. And that voice. OMG. He had amazing vocal ability. Faith No More opened. Equally sexy Mike Patton. And Voi Vod was the headliner. Really? Yes, really. My "friends" left me inside the show while they went outside with FNM guitarist Jim Martin (ironic, that's G's dad's name) to have a little smokeout. I had a blast, though, stage diving & moshing. I miss those days.

7. Testament: saw this band a few times at a small theatre in South Hills Pittsburgh. The first show was also the first day I hung out with Denise in 1987. The last time we saw them it was another beatdown by the cops. Metal heads, this time. Saw this boy get taken torward a backdoor of the theatre and thrown up against the wall in a stranglehold. The scene outside was pure mayhem with kids running away & cops chasing & beating them. When we got home we tried to notify several t.v. stations & newspaper agencies. We found one sympathetic ear who wrote an article in the paper. This was about the time when cops in PGH started wearing black leather gloves...the less likely to leave fingerprint evidence, we surmised conspiratorially

8. Megadeth: 1st show was at the roller skating rink venue. Dave Mustaine threw a hissy fit b/c the lighting wasn't on HIM. Dude, you're playing in a skating rink. How much prima donna attitude do you really deserve here? Met them at Eides when it was on Penn Ave, the first location. Saw them that night at McKee's Rocks at some bar. Always the diva, Dave Mustaine had on this long glittery jacket a la Ozzy Osbourne. I was ripped, out of my mind, literally. I thought Dave Mustaine was satan & I had to "save" my friends by getting them all to leave. It was an interesting night, to say the least.

9. The Police: I just saw them for the first time this summer. The show was so incredible. I started blogging about it when I first got home that night while I still high from the adrenaline rush. I may finish & post it just because it was so awesome.

10. The Rolling Stones: the first and only time I will ever pay such an exhorbitant price for a concert. It was the Steel Wheels tour at Three Rivers. Great show! Mick Jagger had so much energy, I couldn't believe it. He was/is the same age as my dad. I can't even imagine my dad jumping around like that, let alone singing all the while. (I could never understand why some performers insist that they "have to" lip synch so that they can dance too. Mick Jagger does just fine).

11. Van Hagar: This was the Monster's of Rock festival show at Three Rivers. Metallica again! I was about 8 months pregnant with Nikki in one of the hottest summers in history. My legs were like sausages when we got home that night.

12. Indigo Girls: my first show at Red Rocks. 1992. We were visiting my brother & I specifically planned the trip to coincide with this show. I had chills up & down my spine the whole show.

13. Goo Goo Dolls: Chris & I saw them at The Banana (AKA the electric banana). Super small venue of many underground & local bands. Small like couple hundred people max. Small like the stage was knee height. Speaking of The Banana, I remember when Suicidal Tendencies came & "hardcore" folks were all pissed off b/c the band had a stylish & comfy RV. WTF. The things that are important when you're 19....

14. Widespread Panic: I took Maddie with me to see them play at Keystone about 6 years ago. It was a good show. Good people. Really I only went b/c I had never seen them & I wanted to go to that type of "spreadhead" show that I missed so much from dead tour. And Madddie's father used to be really into them. It was one of those things that I wanted to check off my list of "been there, done that" activities.

15. Cyndi Lauper: I drove with my friends Faith McClurg & Stacey Wells to State College for this show. We must have been about 16 or 17. Stacey's brother was at school there so we hung out with the cool college kids in the dorm. Cyndi Lauper was so influential in my life then; her inspiration gave me courage to believe that it was okay to be "different" from the herd in high school. Very different. Not an easy task in a small aggie school of 600 students 7th-12th grades. There was a massive rainstorm on the way home (3 hour drive) and I was driving Faith's dad's car. It was automatic except for the steering. (remember when cars had that kind of steering??? thank god for advanced technology) ARGH! Not fun hydroplaning in that thing.

16. Neil Young: Star Lake with my sister. He just reminded me so much of my brother it was surreal. Incredible energy for an old guy. I just couldn't get past the brotherly resemblance, though. Even the guitar solo that I thought was too long & eventually boring was something my brother would do.

17. Paul McCartney* I saw his first "return" tour at the Arena in PGH. High energy & great music. From Beatles to Wings to Michael Jackson to whatever he was currently writing. It was all good.

18. The Violent Femmes** I took my friend Shannon to this show because it was the Femmes opening for the B52s and she was really into them. A fun, high energy show

19. Tom Petty* Another Civic Arena show. Every song was excellent. He started that whole persian rug onstage, barefoot performer thing with this tour, I think. Everyone else have been followers.

20. Dead Can Dance: Boulder Theatre. 1996. The show was just so very excellent. Indescribable. Ecstasy without drugs kind of show. Earlier in the day, Brendan came into Traders of the Lost Art, which was around the corner from the venue, & bought some Guatemalan drawstring pants from me. After the show we hung out behind the theatre with Brendan's brother who was a band member.

21. Cheap Trick: Clarion University basketball court -turned concert venue. 1983. I was so excited to be there & see this band that I'd been listening too since elementary school. I was sorely disappointed in the horrible horrible accoustics.

22. KISS - first tour without make-up. Wished the whole time that they still had make-up. Someone threw a roll of toilet paper onstage. Nice. Oh, and a Michael Jackson doll. (remember those?) Can't remember Paul Stanley's retort.

23. Sinead O'Conner: Star Lake. Worst concert ever. She sang for about 10 minutes then left the stage. Turns out she was pregnant & wasn't feeling well that night. No, we did not get a refund. Well, she should have cancelled the freaking tour, or at least the show so that the fans could get a refund. But no, she went on & played for 10 minutes so that she honored her contract & still got paid & the fans were left burned & really, ripped off. Funny my brother asked if I saw her in concert last week. Hell no. Never again. Actually, this is just a notch lower than Mazzy Star at the Boulder Theatre when Hope stormed off the stage -towards the end of the show anyway- because some audience member wouldn't be "quiet" during "six string serenade". Too bad because the rest of the show was fab. (Hope also did some shopping in Traders before the show)

24. Three Dog Night: This was the annual Oldies concert at Three Rivers Stadium that we went to with my mom. It was always a blast. All day event with picnic food & blanket etc. I wish I could do that again. I wonder if my mom still goes?

25. Black Sabbath: It was the Tony Iommi/Black Sabbath tour 1986. Um, I don't recall who was singing for this tour. I do remember the cop jabbing me in the ribs with her billy club for standing on my chair (like everyone else, ya moron). Yes, we got down...momentarily, until she walked away & of course we got back up on our chairs. This was a show at the now defunct Syria Mosque in Oakland. Yeah, that historic building that was torn down to make room for a parking LOT. Tony Iommi was incredible.

like the corners of my mind

Over the past couple days, I've had a few instances of memory jogging. Stuff I hadn't thought about in years:

Maddie had a sleepover & her friend stated that her grandfather was missing a finger. That reminded me that my uncle Art has only a 1/2 middle finger, the other half cut off in a farm equipment accident. It was a source of great curiousity when my sibs & I were very young. The finger was stubby & bulbous at the end, the skin was somehow smoother than the rest of the hand. I could be wrong about the manner in which he lost his finger. I haven't thought about it for a long time & I haven't seen this uncle in even longer. It might be just an assumption that my mind has conjured knowing that my dad's family grew up on a farm.

I had a customer make a joke about the fact that his girlfriend bought safety pins & now he could pierce his ears. I was reminded of the times I had my ears pierced by friends. One was on or near my 19th birthday & I was at a party at "the trailer" in Clarion. This was a place that a couple of older friends had rented & was a frequent scene of mixed college & high school parties. I had someone pierce the top of my right ear cartilege. Another was when I had a friend pierce about the middle (probably 4th up from bottom) of my ear in my apartment in Allegheny Center in Pittsburgh. Then I had a memory of a friend piercing Bryan's ear in the same apartment. Her name was Heather. Her hands were shaking so badly and she was sweating. The boyfriend at the checkout counter then comments that really he wanted to pierce his nose with the safety pins. As they walked away, I was reminded of a day that I had blocked from my mind for a long time. I had pierced my own nose back in, like, 1989, in the bathroom of our apartment on Jackson St in Highland Park. It took a long time & when I walked out of the bathroom, Nikki's dad totally freaked out (not in a good way). (Yet another incident that doomed the relationship.) Whew, that's alot of memoires for the span of, say, 1 minute.

Finally, I had a customer bring in her little white toy poodle & I was reminded that we 2 little dogs like that when I was very young. The first was "Tickles", whom I named. I must have been 2 or so. She died from rat poison consumption, the poor thing. I remember my mom found her dead behind my dad's reclining chair. The chair was red vinyl that after time cracked & was hard where my dad rested his head -from the hair oil that he wore at the time, as I recall thinking. Anyway. the dog Tickles. I'm told -& I'm sure I've fabricated a visual memory from these re-tellings- that I had at one time wanted Tickles to come out from behind the couch so I crawled back there & pulled Tickles out by the tongue. She must have been a patient dog. The next white toy poodle we had was Snoopy & he was named by my brother. Don't remember what happened to Snoopy. Yesterday petting that little dog -Casey Jones- brought back tactile memories. Funny what one's body remembers.