Wonderful Ohio

I went back to Ohio a couple weeks ago...it was wonderful. I flew in and stayed with mom for a few days. Did I mention it was wonderful? I saw friends, spent so much time with Mama, and I got to see my Dad who I haven't seen since I moved. I went on a couple girls nights out with my friends. It really was wonderful. I got a new tattoo, I realized how short I am conpared to the men in my family, and I went to a 80th birthday party for my Grandpa where all of the family and kids were there. What a celebration of my Grandpa's life it is to know I am a part of an amazing loving family. Again, wonderful comes to mind. I took a nap under a dogwood in a hammock, I went to the sale and got all dusty, I held newborn babies, I hugged my Mama every chance that I could. I love her wonderful hugs. I took walks with the family on the hill and watched my family run through the tall grass, I dressed up and went to a vintage jewelry party and drank martini's. It was all together wonderful. It was a trip I needed. It helped mend my heart in many ways.

The Stock Show and Rodeo

Okay, so I grew up going to county fairs, street fairs. Where you walk around, eat fried fair food, look at animals, find the biggest pumpkins, maybe sit on a tractor, and dodge animal poo on the road. Ride some rinky-dink rides that squeak the whole time as you fear your imminent death. See a friend to talk to that you haven't seen in awhile, or even better hide from those people that you don't like to talk to, you know, that old chestnut.

Well this weekend I went to the Fort Worth Stock Shows and Rodeo. Still a fair...but different. They still had rides, good fair food, animals, and all that stuff, but it was just different than what I guess fairs from my Northern neck of the woods are like. The fair food was good. That red velvet funnel cake was great. I also had a foot long corndog,  and I think it is the first one that I have had from a fair in almost 3 years! The Stock Shows is the one time of the year for all of the cowboys and cowgirls to get all dolled up in their boots, big belt buckles, and cowboy hats. I saw so many women with bedazzled everything basically, that they didnt even look like a cowgirl. They were all drinking Coors Light and grouped up into their little cowboy and cowgirl cliques. Sorry, I just still am not used to the whole cowboy/girl scene. Anywhere else in the US, you get dressed up like that and you get made fun of.  I can't wait to get one of those outfits...said me, NEVER! Maybe I will get a pair of unassuming cowboy boots one of these days, since I always wanted a pair, but that would be it. Yee-HAW! It seems like a farce these days, since that is not what drives the DFW area anymore. Yeah, there is TONS of money in this area. Everyone can get rich around here easily. Jobs are plentiful, technology is advancing, small business entrepreneurs can almost guarantee success. It is just an amazing area to be and feel safe from some of the downfalls of other areas of the country. I guess tradition carries on, whether it is current or not, and that is cool. I have no right to judge, what tradition did the area I grew up in have? Not much, so in a way it is nice to be in an area where the people here love and believe so much in their way of life. I sit back and watch, because I don't think that I will ever get that same love for this area, but that is another story for another day.

Vedder Love

I fell in love all over again...it seems that my life long love of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam will never die. I spent some of the best hours of my life listening to him sing from his solo tour that was postponed from April to thurdsay and it was worth the wait. I have been to quite a lot of Pearl Jam concerts. Huge venues, stadiums, outdoor pavillions, I have had amazing seats just rows from them. I got within an arms length of sharing the wine passed around from Crazy Mary. I just cannot get enough of them. Their songs...Eddie's voice is in my soul.

This concert was different. It was a close venue. Maybe only 1000 people there at the most. I got seats in the front row in the middle of the balcony, It was very intimate and personal the entire night. Glen Hansard from The Swell Season opened up and his voice is incredible. He was witty and really drew in the crowd to make the night feel special. Eddie came out and sang some of the most intimate songs from all of his albums. One of the most memorable parts of the night was when Eddie and Glen stood in front of the stage with only their voices and a ukelele and sang with just the acoustics of the music hall. It was incredible to just hear their voices...no microphones, no speakers. Simply their voices. I have never had the chance to do that and I probably will never get that opportunity again. I was in awe all over again at that moment. The decorations were awesome. Backdrops that looked like backstreet alleys, a backlit canvas tent with a campfire next to Eddie that was "lit" and blowing flames and smoke out of it. There was a backdrop of twinkling stars that he sang under like it we were all sitting around the campfire with him and his guitar. He had a beer box with a bass pedal for some percussion and a stomp box that he used as well. With every song he played a different instrument. Ukelele, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and a mandolin that he referred to as an "aristrocratic bitch" compared to the ukelele. He messed up the words to Elderly Woman and Just Breathe. He talked about what an honor it was for Willie Nelson to make a cover of Just Breathe and he said that he listened to it so many times that afterwards he couldnt sing it the same. He sang a little how Wille sang it with a twang in his voice and had everyone laughing. He told stories about friends, he made fun of a drunk lady in the crowd, he talked about erections, elections, and marijuana. He politely asked a woman that was annoyingly screaming to please, for her safety, stop because the people behind her were going to murder her. The last song that was played was "Hard Sun". I took the picture on this post during that song. He was interactive with the crowd and so funny. He was just really engaging and I could tell that he wanted to be there and was having a great time and still loved getting to sing for all of us.

The setlist for the night:

1. Walking the Cow (Daniel Johnston cover)
2. Brain Damage (Pink Floyd cover)
3. Sometimes
4. Can't Keep
5. Sleeping By Myself
6. Without You
7. The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young cover)
8. Don't Be Shy (Cat Stevens cover)
9. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
10. Far Behind
11. No Ceiling
12. Setting Forth
13. Guaranteed
14. Rise
15. Long Nights (with Glen Hansard)
16. Driftin'
17. Better ManP
18. Immortality
19. Lukin
20. Porch
21. Encore:
21. I Believe In Miracles (Ramones cover)
22. I Am a Patriot (Little Steven cover)
23. Just Breathe
24. Unthought Known
25. Tonight You Belong To Me (Lawrence Welk cover)
26. Society (Jerry Hannan cover)(with Glen Hansard)
27. Sleepless Nights (The Everly Brothers cover)(with Glen Hansard)
28. Falling Slowly (The Swell Season cover)(with Glen Hansard)
29. Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams cover)
30. The End
31. Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young cover)
32. Encore 2:
32. Hard Sun (Indio cover)

 

Memories in Insomnia

Last night I layed in bed unable to sleep and dealing with some insomnia. It's funny how thoughts past and present come to mind when you least expect them in the quiet and stillness of the night. When there is nothing else jumping in to take over thoughts and actions.
My mind went back to the hardware store by our house that my Uncle Steve worked at during high school and after called Rural Supply. We would often go there to visit and spend some time there, we went quite frequently because it was when Mom and Dad were building the log house and there was always some small item that they needed to get to finish something up. This hardware store was an old dusty store that smelled like man and tools, and rubber belts and dirt. I loved going there. What made it especially exciting was the big white rusty deep chest freezer right by the door of the store. I think it was to the left of the door when you went out even. What was inside were all kinds of ice cream treats. Popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cones, orange pops, you name it. I don't know if the owner had a sweet tooth, or if he liked to see the smile on peoples faces when they took something from that freezer. My brother and I would literally open the lid and lean into that rusty wonder, letting cold frosty air cover our faces, looking for what we wanted when Mom or Dad gave us the go ahead.
I'm sure that Mom and Dad made us wait for the treats in the rusty white icebox till the end because, for one, that meant that we would be good until the end of the trip there. Plus any kid thinks that they will just eat up that treat, but in all reality every kid on the face of the earth makes a mess eating and inevitably Mom and Dad didn't want us dripping sticky ice cream on the ground or wiping grimy chocolate fingers on something on the shelf.
That rusty freezer caused such a warm and exciting memory. Amazing how life as a kid was filled with so much fun from a simple ice cream treat.

Jack not name! Jack job!

Does anyone remember the muppet movie where fozzie and kermit hit the road and they stop at a car dealership to buy a car and that huge beast of a muppet starts moving cars around with his hands? "Jack not name! Jack job!" Yeah, I was thinking about that today, no real significance, i just want to watch that movie again. Maybe feel like a kid excited to just watch muppets having fun.

Anyways, schools back in session as some of you read from Sams blog. My sanity will be tested again as usual this semester. I will get to finish my practicum this next 8 weeks with preceptor for 120 hours at the new St. E's hospital in Boardman so I am looking forward to that. I am not looking forward to the 3 hour seminar I have to give in November on accountability and peer review though. I don't know what to fill 3 hours of a seminar about accountability on. Any ideas on discussion, games, etc to fill that time up? Haha, Im studying up on it now, it should all work out just fine I'm sure. I finished my portfolio and resume this week before I get into the big clinical days and stressfilled study time. That is a big weight off of my shoulders. Its not hard work, just time consuming when I don't really have that time to give. I'm excited that this is my last year of school, it is going to go so fast and I am looking forward to all of the prospective jobs out there that I will be able to look at and decide on. Exciting and scary!

Welp, thats about it for me right now, more later as the semester goes on, hopefully I can get on this blog more than every 2 months:) Love and Peace to all!