Traveling again

Well, we're headed out of town again, and again, to one of our favorite places. We really are so lucky to live the life we do.
This time, we're going to Tarpon Springs, FL. My mom and step dad are already there, and then we're bringing Dave's parents along, as well. Of course, the pup's going, too. There will be about a one-day overlap when we'll get to hang out.
I'm also very excited about our day of deep sea fishing on Monday, and hope to have lots of great pictures to share when we're back.

In other news, all of a sudden (well, not really, but it will seem so readers), I am on an exercise kick. In the new year, which - I promise - was a coincidence, I started taking an early morning spin class about twice a week. Having grown bored with that routine, I've taken a bit of a hiatus in favor of getting in shape to run at least 5K. When I'm comfortable with that distance, I'll get back into spin at least once a week along with some regular running. And, finally, I've also asked a former teammate about playing soccer again.

Things both personal and professional are starting to move along, and it feels great; the holding pattern was getting really old.

Up to what?

Well, this weekend, I've dealt with a lovely cold. Not too bad, but enough to keep me from running or getting out much. I've done an awful lot of laundry, though. But yesterday, Dave and I did get out for something I've been waiting on for quite a while.

New York's Metropolitan Opera has been simulcasting its Saturday matinée performances in movie theaters since 2006. When I heard that La Boheme was a selection this season, I was determined to go. While Madame Butterfly was the first opera I ever listened to in its entirety, La Boheme was the first (and is still the only) that I own. I have only ever listened to it, though. I was thrilled to see it for the first time - performed by no less a company that the Met.

I was also curious to see what the parallels are between Puccini's La Boheme and Jonathan Larson's Rent - one of my favorite modern musicals.

Stunning it the only way I can describe it. Dave does a better job than I could, though. If you're interested in a more detailed description, jump on over to his post on the subject.

I will echo something he says, though. If you enjoy opera or symphonic/orchestral music, take advantage of the opportunity to see one of these productions. It's well worth the afternoon and the price.

Pics and misc stuff

In kind of an odd place lately - if you haven't noticed. We've gotten a long way in a couple of big projects - house makeover and debt reduction (they may seem mutually exclusive, but they're not) - and it's strange. I should be happy, thrilled, with how much we've done over the last five years. And, yes, I am, but I'm also getting more and more anxious about both. I think it's that we can really see the light at the end of these tunnels, and I'm just waiting for something to come up to thow a big old wrench in both of them. Probably in one fell swoop. Sorry to be such a downer.

I had a weird day, today. A friend was in the running for a job, and was unceremoniously dumped from the process. I get business decisions, and I get that things come up; I'm not angry with anyone in particular, but I'm furious with the way things happened and environments where someone cannot be told honestly why they were pulled from an opportunity at the very end.

Oh well. I promised some pictures from recent travels. Another disappointment. Damn. There aren't any that I particularly love in the recent batches. That's unusual. I've posted some that'll illustrate our trips pretty well, though, considering the fact that the crop wasn't all that great this time around.


Does the Obama poster image creep anyone else out - just a little bit?
Check out the shot of the boat in the marina at Isle of Palms. Couldn't resist that one.

Redundant - must get a thesaurus

Wow, I just realized that the last post was ridiculously similar to the post before. Sorry about that. I told you before that I really haven't had that much to say lately. Well, there you go.

Flying here, driving there

March has been kind of crazy. First, I was in Boston, then we were in San Antonio, and finally, the trip to our favorite place was lovely.

Pictures from two of the trips coming soon.

Yep

I know I haven't posted in a while. The thing is that I haven't really been that busy. Well, we've been traveling a lot this month, so that will be my excuse. But really, I've been very unfocused and haven't really had that much to say.

We're off again tomorrow for the Easter weekend. Back to our favorite place - Charleston.

Perhaps I'll have stuff to share when we're back. There are some pictures from the recent travels that I could post. Just have to get to it.

Belated Post

We got a "new" car a couple of weeks ago. It's to replace Dave's 1995 Honda Accord that has 194,000 miles on it. The old Accord is actually running just fine, but it's certainly time to get something that we a)can fit four+ people in comfortably and b)aren't ashamed to claim is our car (ashamed is too strong a word, but I can't think of the right one). And just because we're so adventurous, we got a 2004 Honda Accord. At least this time it's got a V6. Oooh.

It's been so long

I know it's been a while. I just haven't felt like posting that much. I haven't been all that busy really, but I always seem to get home late from work, and by the time I'm here, we eat, I clean the kitchen, then watch a smidge of tv, and it's time for bed. It's harder on Mondays and Wednesdays now, too, because I've been pretty good at getting to the gym before work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which means getting in bed the night before by 9:30.

Live Music

Something I miss dearly now that we're pretty good about budgeting, is live music. Well, last week, we scraped together $14 and went to see one of our favorite performers at Center Stage.

Now, we have only seen Francine Reed alongside Lyle. When we heard that she was playing at Center Stage for $5 a ticket as part of the Grammy music series, we jumped on it.

What a fantastic show! The opening act was a young jazz sextet called Jaspects. Then, Francine came out without a band. She led the Jaspects in about 45 minutes of blues and jazz - all just off the cuff. Turns out Francine performs every Monday night in East Atlanta, too. Might have to check that out.

After Francine, Anthony David hopped on stage. He sang with Francine, and played with Jaspects. Jaspects was great, Francine was amazing, Anthony David was impressive, we bailed at around 11:30, and it was a wonderful night.

memories

We all know that music has an incredible way of taking us back. Something that always surprises me, though, is the very specific nature of memories dredged up by particular songs. I heard “Round Here” on the radio today, and I was instantly (though not literally) back on the sidewalk between Myers Hall and Snelling Dining Hall – the sidewalk in between the basketball court and the parking lot – walking to lunch on a sunny day. There are a handful of songs that do this to me whenever I hear them.

Thinking about this, I realized that all of these memory songs take me back to the most mundane places. I think that’s also very interesting. You'd think that the exciting memories would be the ones that come back so strongly, but with me, it’s most often something so simple. I’m usually walking down the sidewalk in Athens; riding to a soccer game on the school bus; riding in the station wagon with my dad on a dark, winter night; or pulling into the gas station to get a nutty bar with my mom, on the way to gymnastics.

Why is it that memories of the mundane capture the feeling of the extraordinary events of the same time, rather than the other way around?

Things I bought today

This is the best, and I'm so excited. I usually don't buy tv shows, because I find that I don't watch them much after I buy them. Well, I've been thinking about owning this show for a while now, and I just keep thinking about it. I have a little extra cash this week, so I just got it.

I got something else, too, but I have to tell a friend about it before I blog it.

Morning movie watching and sexy ugly

So, the wonders of the DVR are not just limited to catching shows you wouldn't normally be able to watch. Another wonderful benefit is recording movies that you've been meaning to watch for ages, but never get around to renting. Today is just such a day to catch up on a few of the movies I have waiting for me on the DVR. From oldest recording to newest, I have: Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio; The Battle of Shaker Heights; Far from Heaven; Chicken Run; Strictly Ballroom; Tadpole; Jesus Camp; and Kissing Jessica Stein.

Today feels like a girly movie day, so while I'm folding laundry and moving 250GB of pictures and music from one hard drive to another, I've chosen Kissing Jessica Stein.

So many people have told me I'd like this movie, and from the very beginning, I could tell they were right. However, the scene I'm watching now has won this movie a special place in my heart. Jessica is sort of on a date with another woman, but not really a date. They're both disillusioned with men, and giving women a shot, even though they're both clearly nervous about it. Anyway, Jessica is talking about why men never seem to work out, and it comes down to the fact that if they are the "good kind of smart or the good kind of funny, then generally, they're just kind of ... ugly." (The whole break down of the different kinds of funny is fantastic, but I won't get into that.)

Anyway, Jessica's "date", Helen, jumps in with, "Me, I'm kinda into ugly. As long as it's sexy ugly."

Oh, those of you who know me, know exactly where my mind goes here. I thought she may go there, too. But I certainly wasn't expecting it. Ah, then, yes she does.

"It just is, you know, sexy ugly ... Mick Jagger, he's the big one. Oh! Lyle Lovett, James Woods, Harvey Keitel. He's very sexy ugly."

Let me just add Dwight Yoakam to that list, too.

The thing about sexy ugly, though, is that it seems to be the good kind of smart and the good kind of funny that makes ugly sexy.

Revelation

I’ve finally realized that as long as I’m in my current job, I will not work out at night. Being the morning person that I am, I have put off the decision to work out in the morning for quite some time. But, well, I can’t any longer. I want to get back into shape and stop being so squishy. I want my resting heart rate to be below 90. I want to get enough sleep, and I want to feel good all day long.

While soccer is my favorite way to stay in shape, cycling is a close second. I’m not willing to risk my life on the road with all the SUVs in Alpharetta, though, so I’ve opted for a spin class. It’s at 5:45 am, and so far this week I’ve gone Tuesday and Thursday. I like the instructor, and two days a week is plenty.

I’ll let you know if I keep it up, and if I end up with monster cycling thighs like I did last time I was riding regularly. This should be interesting.

Reading

Here are a couple of links to some reading I've done recently.

The first is the last post of a soldier recently killed in Iraq. He asked a friend to post this in the event of his death. I hadn't read his blog before hearing about this post, but after reading it, will probably go back and read some earlier posts. He seems thoughtful and extremely self-aware. His last post is impressive and heart-wrenching.

Hat Tip: The Agitator

The second is an essay by conservative columnist Michael Medved. I saw Medved speak when I was a student at UGA. Then, I only knew him as a movie critic. I don't remember the exact subject of the speech, but I remember being surprised and impressed. I've read him here and there ever since. This essay (I think it's too detailed to call a column) is about how every generation thinks things are only getting worse, and that it's been going on for centuries - yet, here we are.

Medved only tackles the culture in this column, but I have read some other tidbits that say the same about our own health, contrary to popular obesity hype. I'll have to dig those up, sometime, too.

Sorry I've been absent

We've been busy playing with Christmas gifts - this one, mainly.

I never thought that the game that would get me back into video games after a 20 year absence would be something where you play along to music on fake instruments. But it's a complete blast.

picture promised in earlier post

A while back in a post about being antsy, I mentioned buying a hat. Well, I did that, too.

I'm soooo hooked

Last night, I discovered the second hour of this countdown. I went ahead and recorded it, and then found and recorded the first hour, and now have a series recording set for the rest. I just started the first hour tonight, and two minutes in (not even into the countdown, yet), I'm hooked.

Oh, and I just realized that both my high school and college experiences fell fully within the 90s. So this countdown is wild because it's just unbelievably full of memories. Yeah, I know it's a decade, so that means 10 years of memories. But it just seems like there are so many more memories crammed into that decade than the only other full decade of my life so far - the 80s. I know, I know, it's logical - a LOT happens to a person between 15 and 25 - but sometimes it's still kind of wild when the simple things hit you like that.

Oh, and is it wrong that I really want to watch Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew?

A great post

I've been meaning to link to this post by my new blog roll buddy for some time. Actually, this one is the post that made me want to add the link to the roll.

You gotta dance.

Will someone please go dance with me soon!?

More Drew Carey

I'm a bit behind, so you'll get two today.

This one on eminent domain.


This one on poker raids by police.

New TV-Based Drinking Game

Drink every time the narrator says "extruder" on the The Science Channel's "How It's Made".

Am I too old to be coming up pathetic drinking games? Yeah, well, I'm probably too old to get my nose pierced, but I did that this weekend, too. Pictures as soon as I get a decent one.