The last day of October is upon us. It seems like October flew by (like most months these days). Tonight I get to take the kids out trick-or-treating. Angie decided to go scrapbooking (seeing as she hasn't been in over a month and I had no problems offering to take the kids out. I think we will probably go out with some friends of ours then head back to their house to play for a bit. They have a little girl the same age as Gracie and she really has a good time playing with her.
Balin is dressing up like a pumpkin this year. Grace is dressing up as a witch (with pink hair no less). She was really excited when we bought her costume (even though I hated shelling out $20.00 for a stupid store bought costume. Gracie is at that age where she wants to be like all the other kids and while she would have taken a homemade costume, she is really happy about her witch outfit.
I think next year I'm going to dress Balin up like a wolf and Gracie, Angie and I like pigs. I think it would be funny trick-or-treating as a family dressed up like the characters from the Three Little Pigs. I think it's fun doing holidays as a family and I know Gracie likes it. Next year Balin will be mcuh more mature and will really start to enjoy stuff like Halloween.
My Nanowrimo project has really hit a snag. I talked to Mom last night and she suggested I write about myself. I even had a title picked out: 50,000 Words, Stories of My Life. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. It would be easy to write about myself as I've had all kinds of stuff go on in my life that I could waste time writing about.
Then I looked at the Nanowrimo rules. The work has to be fiction. Yup, not real life stuff. It has to be material that is original and all made up. Now at first I was a bit perturbed by this and didn't really understand. Then it was explained that part of the excercise was to work your brain and come up with imaginitive storylines. So, I get it. That doesn't make the fact that I have no plotline for my story any easier to accept. I'm looking at just under 14 hours to figure it out before the clock starts.
As I mentioned earlier, I always talk about wanting to write yet having no real motivation to do so. I do work incredibly well under deadlines and this time of year, and National Novel Writing Month is a perfect opportunity for me. I want to do this, I need to do this. So, I've got to get this figured out today.
Well, work is pretty tense right now so I need to get cracking at some of my stuff. If I think up a plotline for my story, I'll send it your way.
Oh, and Happy Halloween.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
7 days and other thoughts
Seven more days before election Tuesday and I am getting more and more anxious. I think I probably read anywhere from five to 10 articles about the political race every day and they never fail to leave me wondering what is going to happen to the country in the near future. It's funny, I've always been into politics and yet I have a hard time remembering the last time I had such a vested interest in the outcome. I don't know why it is such a surprise. Four years ago Balin wasn't even an after thought, Grace was a mere two years old and Megan had been driving for less than two months. We were trying to sell out house so we could build a nice new one. Oh how things have changed.
I'm not going to spend all this blog talking politics but I would be remiss if I didn't continue to reinforce my thoughts. I believe we are on the brink of something really special. In my lifetime I have seen seven different Presidents serve the office and none of them have been world changing. Sure, Reagan was in position when the Berlin Wall came down and communism floundered, yet as much as the US had to do with it, I don't feel as if it was as impacting to you and me as the events that could transpire over the next administration (should Obama be elected). Say what you will about him, but he is a Kennedy like figure, fighting not for human rights , as JFK did in the '60s, but for the rights of the middle class. Some people will label him a socialist for wanting to "spread the wealth". Yet if we look at socio-economic growth the disparity between the rich and the middle class has continued to grow at an alarming rate. Staunce conservatives will say that the reason behind this is that the people with money work harder. I fall in a group of people who are classified as the "lower-middle class". I've worked my ass off over the last 22 years to get through college, to claw my way up the ladder at work and I haven't seen a pay increase in over six years. No one is going to tell me that I don't work hard enough and that I don't deserve my cut of the pie. Everyone reading this, remember that it was lack of Wall Street regulation and corrupt business that has crushed our economy and left the lower middle class struggling to keep their homes. The rich continue to sacrifice the poor upon the altar of greed by taking away jobs and sending them over seas, or raising prices so they can maintain their bloated salaries or in the event of a full on corporate collapse taking their golden parachutes, laughing as they clutch their bags of money taken from the pockets of the "serfs".
We are moving towards a feudal society and Obama recognizes that. We need big change and hopefully he will bring it soon. For those who are republicans and hate the ideals of Obama, I'm not going to argue politics with you. Preach about how bad it will be under Obama should he get elected. You aren't going to change my feelings. All I can say is that if the polls continue to go in the direction they appear to be then you better get used to these changes.
On the home front, I'm getting to learn a lot more about my kids as I am spending a lot more time alone with them. Balin, it turns out, really loves his sister. Two weeks in a row now I've taken Grace to ballet class and Balin has broken into tears when we leave her. I think he really misses her when she is gone. I'm sure that it will change as he gets older.
Angie has been taking him to the library on Monday's for toddler storytime and he really enjoys it. He is extremely attentive to things now, sitting for much longer periods of time once his attention is grabbed. Last night he pulled his little rocking chair over, sat down and watched Thomas the Train on television when it happened to come on. He is also talking more and getting a bit easier to understand. He will often repeat words when you ask him too. I was happy yesterday when he said "Bub". He has also started saying "please" and "car" and countless other words. It is great fun watching him practice his language skills.
Gracie is having some issues. She has all of the sudden become afraid of the dark once again (this has happened before). She has taken to sleeping with her closet light on and the door wide open to flood the room with light. I'm not sure what the cause of this is, but think it may have to do with Angie not being around as much, now that she works a couple of evenings a week. Hopefully we can break her of that problem. One good thing, she seems to be eating better and it is much less of a fight to get her to eat what we are eating.
We went down to Ball State and visited Megan last weekend. She got us tickets to the football game. It was extremely cold and the weather was threatening all day. We ended up leaving after the third quarter because we were all cold and getting hungry. We went to her room and checked out the place then took a walk around campus. Seeing the whole environment made me wish she would stay down there. She has her reasons though but I can't help but think she has lost a phenominal opportunity. Oh well, you can only control your children for so long before you have to let go and allow them to lead their own lives.
I started working at Atomic's new mall store this past Sunday. It hurt my feet as there is no place to sit and I was very tired by the end of my shift. Other than that it wasn't bad. We didn't have huge sales, but had a lot of foot traffic. I suppose we will see a huge increase in sales over the next four weeks.
I'm in pretty good spirits right now. I'm not sure why. I hope it continues (it likely has something to do with the way politics are heading). I'm looking forward to Nanowrimo though right now I have no idea what I am going to write about. That said, I hope I can keep up with my blog (though my entries are not coming as often as I would like) and my novel. I've failed to write so many times that Nanowrimo gives me inspiration to at least try. Besides that, it gives me an opportunity to share my writing with you guys. I hope I can get some feedback once I do start writing. If anyone has any ideas of what I should write about (even a genre to start with) it would be helpful. Here are the ideas I've toyed with:
Well, that's all I got for now. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from all of you soon.
I'm not going to spend all this blog talking politics but I would be remiss if I didn't continue to reinforce my thoughts. I believe we are on the brink of something really special. In my lifetime I have seen seven different Presidents serve the office and none of them have been world changing. Sure, Reagan was in position when the Berlin Wall came down and communism floundered, yet as much as the US had to do with it, I don't feel as if it was as impacting to you and me as the events that could transpire over the next administration (should Obama be elected). Say what you will about him, but he is a Kennedy like figure, fighting not for human rights , as JFK did in the '60s, but for the rights of the middle class. Some people will label him a socialist for wanting to "spread the wealth". Yet if we look at socio-economic growth the disparity between the rich and the middle class has continued to grow at an alarming rate. Staunce conservatives will say that the reason behind this is that the people with money work harder. I fall in a group of people who are classified as the "lower-middle class". I've worked my ass off over the last 22 years to get through college, to claw my way up the ladder at work and I haven't seen a pay increase in over six years. No one is going to tell me that I don't work hard enough and that I don't deserve my cut of the pie. Everyone reading this, remember that it was lack of Wall Street regulation and corrupt business that has crushed our economy and left the lower middle class struggling to keep their homes. The rich continue to sacrifice the poor upon the altar of greed by taking away jobs and sending them over seas, or raising prices so they can maintain their bloated salaries or in the event of a full on corporate collapse taking their golden parachutes, laughing as they clutch their bags of money taken from the pockets of the "serfs".
We are moving towards a feudal society and Obama recognizes that. We need big change and hopefully he will bring it soon. For those who are republicans and hate the ideals of Obama, I'm not going to argue politics with you. Preach about how bad it will be under Obama should he get elected. You aren't going to change my feelings. All I can say is that if the polls continue to go in the direction they appear to be then you better get used to these changes.
On the home front, I'm getting to learn a lot more about my kids as I am spending a lot more time alone with them. Balin, it turns out, really loves his sister. Two weeks in a row now I've taken Grace to ballet class and Balin has broken into tears when we leave her. I think he really misses her when she is gone. I'm sure that it will change as he gets older.
Angie has been taking him to the library on Monday's for toddler storytime and he really enjoys it. He is extremely attentive to things now, sitting for much longer periods of time once his attention is grabbed. Last night he pulled his little rocking chair over, sat down and watched Thomas the Train on television when it happened to come on. He is also talking more and getting a bit easier to understand. He will often repeat words when you ask him too. I was happy yesterday when he said "Bub". He has also started saying "please" and "car" and countless other words. It is great fun watching him practice his language skills.
Gracie is having some issues. She has all of the sudden become afraid of the dark once again (this has happened before). She has taken to sleeping with her closet light on and the door wide open to flood the room with light. I'm not sure what the cause of this is, but think it may have to do with Angie not being around as much, now that she works a couple of evenings a week. Hopefully we can break her of that problem. One good thing, she seems to be eating better and it is much less of a fight to get her to eat what we are eating.
We went down to Ball State and visited Megan last weekend. She got us tickets to the football game. It was extremely cold and the weather was threatening all day. We ended up leaving after the third quarter because we were all cold and getting hungry. We went to her room and checked out the place then took a walk around campus. Seeing the whole environment made me wish she would stay down there. She has her reasons though but I can't help but think she has lost a phenominal opportunity. Oh well, you can only control your children for so long before you have to let go and allow them to lead their own lives.
I started working at Atomic's new mall store this past Sunday. It hurt my feet as there is no place to sit and I was very tired by the end of my shift. Other than that it wasn't bad. We didn't have huge sales, but had a lot of foot traffic. I suppose we will see a huge increase in sales over the next four weeks.
I'm in pretty good spirits right now. I'm not sure why. I hope it continues (it likely has something to do with the way politics are heading). I'm looking forward to Nanowrimo though right now I have no idea what I am going to write about. That said, I hope I can keep up with my blog (though my entries are not coming as often as I would like) and my novel. I've failed to write so many times that Nanowrimo gives me inspiration to at least try. Besides that, it gives me an opportunity to share my writing with you guys. I hope I can get some feedback once I do start writing. If anyone has any ideas of what I should write about (even a genre to start with) it would be helpful. Here are the ideas I've toyed with:
- The whole Wolves of Paris idea I wrote about in my last blog entry
- A story about a man and woman who adopts a bunch of different kids with differing ethic backgrounds and ages and the subsequent downward spiral of the family when tragedy strikes the family
- A story about a man who is spiraling towards self destruction due to continued loss and struggles
- A story about a little girl who lives with her mom and believes, like the mom did, that one day the father just left them and has never bothered to come back. The girl finds a passage to a mysterious land with clues that her father had also been there and is now trapped (hence the reason he never came home).
- Something to do with dictionaries. I was considering writing a story based upon someone who is voracious about them and his daydreams about including himself in the lives of some of the great lexicographers.
- A fantasy story about the life of Elyot the Definer a noble turned zealot and inquistitor.
Well, that's all I got for now. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from all of you soon.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Nanowrimo
I think all of you understand that I like to write. Well, last year I participated in something called Nanowrimo. Nanowrimo is a contest where authors attempt to pen a 50,000 word (175 page) novel in 30 days. It runs for the entire month of November and can be very difficult. I tried it last year and failed to accomplish the goal of finishing, even though I was successful in reaching 12,000 words (which to me was a huge accomplishment). Last year I was plague by responsibility, the most pressing being all the debate tournaments I had as well as an audit held the week of Thanksgiving. I was also working two days for Atomic, so needless to say I gave myself plenty of excuses not to write.
I am considering trying this again. I'm not really sure what I want to write about, but am considering a story loosely based on the story of the Wolves of Paris. The Wolves of Paris were a pack of man-eating dogs plaguing Paris in 1450, killing 40 people. The leader of the pack was lured into the Notre Dame Cathedral and killed on the steps leading up to the altar. It seems like a pretty compelling story, though I am considering having it set in 21st century America following the collapse of the American economic struture leading to an economic apocalpyse and decay of our society. Not real sure I know how I would go about getting there, but I think it would take a whole lot of words to do so, which is the purpose of Nanowrimo (quantity over quality).
I've got a couple of other ideas, though nothing really fleshed out that I could right about. My story, Corpse, which some of you may have read some of earlier on in this blog was my attempt from last year, though it fizzled out once I started rereading and editting what I had submitted. This year I won't be changing anything, leaving the story as is in an attempt to just meet my word count goals.
Why am I writing this here? Well, the fact is I don't think I can do this without help. 50,000 words is a grueling amount of writing. I hit writers bloc just like everyone else or I start to get lazy and I really need encouragement to meet my goal. I am a chronic project abandoner. This is a huge project and if I don't get help, I will fail. So, I'm asking all of you who read this to help me with Nanowrimo. If you want to read more about it, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/
I would love to accomplish this. If you have a story idea, or words of encouragement I really could use them. Over the next day or two I am going to work on coming up with a brief outline for my story. Chances are it will be changing, maybe dramatically, especially if I come up with a new idea I might be interested in writing about.
Anyone think I can do this? I sure would like to. Writing a book is something I've always wanted to do. Maybe November will be my month to accomplish it?
I am considering trying this again. I'm not really sure what I want to write about, but am considering a story loosely based on the story of the Wolves of Paris. The Wolves of Paris were a pack of man-eating dogs plaguing Paris in 1450, killing 40 people. The leader of the pack was lured into the Notre Dame Cathedral and killed on the steps leading up to the altar. It seems like a pretty compelling story, though I am considering having it set in 21st century America following the collapse of the American economic struture leading to an economic apocalpyse and decay of our society. Not real sure I know how I would go about getting there, but I think it would take a whole lot of words to do so, which is the purpose of Nanowrimo (quantity over quality).
I've got a couple of other ideas, though nothing really fleshed out that I could right about. My story, Corpse, which some of you may have read some of earlier on in this blog was my attempt from last year, though it fizzled out once I started rereading and editting what I had submitted. This year I won't be changing anything, leaving the story as is in an attempt to just meet my word count goals.
Why am I writing this here? Well, the fact is I don't think I can do this without help. 50,000 words is a grueling amount of writing. I hit writers bloc just like everyone else or I start to get lazy and I really need encouragement to meet my goal. I am a chronic project abandoner. This is a huge project and if I don't get help, I will fail. So, I'm asking all of you who read this to help me with Nanowrimo. If you want to read more about it, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/
I would love to accomplish this. If you have a story idea, or words of encouragement I really could use them. Over the next day or two I am going to work on coming up with a brief outline for my story. Chances are it will be changing, maybe dramatically, especially if I come up with a new idea I might be interested in writing about.
Anyone think I can do this? I sure would like to. Writing a book is something I've always wanted to do. Maybe November will be my month to accomplish it?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Life as it is...
I haven't written in awhile, and I figured I would spend a few minutes on a Saturday afternoon typing out a few words while I have a minute. Life has not been kind as of late and everyday seems a grind. Finding the energy to put into this blog is difficult, hence the reason I haven't written lately.
Work is a pit of despair anymore. I go in everyday wondering if I'm going to be sent home without pay simply because the company can't afford to keep me right now. As I sit here typing I look down on a plant floor that has ran a total of 6 shifts this week due to low production orders from GM. People from my plant, for corporate and from the others plants have been sent home without pay, with a promise that they will be brought back to run production on Monday. That means that most people are only drawing 2 days worth of pay a week without hope for recovering any of the lost wage through unemployment. I'm hoping I don't become one of the expendable and get sent packing for days at a time.
I've approached John, the friend of mine that owns Atomic Hobbies and Games and he has offered me hours at a new mall store they are opening next week. I've already committed to working Sundays just in case as well as to subsidize my income for the upcoming holiday season. I may try to work more days during the week to get even more money. I have a feeling I"m going to need it.
Angie started her new job working as a receptionist for a Fort Wayne psychiatrist. It has been a bit difficult for me as I've had to become a lot less flexible with my time. Angie works until 5:00 three days a week and until 8:00 on two nights, which means I have to pick up the kids every night as well as prepare dinner for everyone and anythng else they might need. The kids tend to stress me out when we get home because it is typically Balin's crankiest time (he's hungry and normally tired because he doesn't nap well at the sitter's). Grace is normally very demanding of my time and between the two they are pulling me in different directions. I welcome Angie's homecomings simply because she offers a distraction for the kids. The result of her job means that I can no longer go to Atomic on Thursday's (unless I want to drive all the way back across town) so my Warmachine games are basically a thing of the past.
Megan is home right now and her presence is bringing a great deal of stress to Angie and I. For reasons not to be discussed, we would just rather she just stay at school. The house has a lot less turmoil when she isn't home arguing with Grace, trashing Balin's room, or lounging around in bed until late morning. When she isn't doing that she is typically laying down on the couch or similarly not doing much of anything.
The economy is really hurting us, though we are making attempts to reduce our spending. I will likely be canceling one of our two cell phones. We canceled some of our premiere programming for satellite TV, and we try not to go to the grocery store unless we really need to. I think we are doing okay, but only time will tell as full time babysitting costs may make things ugly for us. On a positive note, November should be the last month we have to pay our overly inflated mortgage payments, so that should help.
Tonight Grace is having a friend over to spend the night, officially making it Grace's first real sleep over she's had at our house. She's been excited about it all week. I'm glad she got the opportunity, she's a good little girl.
I finally finished Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. It was a good book. Maybe I'll post a full review next week some time. Shortly after finishing it, I went and purchased the sequel to Pillars, called A World Without End. It too is very good and while I'm only about 80 pages in, it too is shaping up to be excellent.
Balin is still eating, and he is starting to talk a lot more. You really have to pay attention, but more and more recognizable words are coming out. Last night I discovered that he really enjoys the show Hole in the Wall. He sat there in his little rocker glued to the TV, occasionally laughing when the people got pushed into the water. It was like he was in a trance. He has also discovered a new found love for all things Elmo. He loves Sesame Street. Whenever we put his food on an Elmo plate he typically talks to the characters on it. It's pretty funny.
Our cat is getting bigger and filling out much better. He is eating a ton and while he is a good cat, I've learned I'm not terribly fond of litter boxes, especially full ones, particularly ones that he fills while we are just settling down to go to sleep. More than once I've had to get out of bed and clean the thing simply because the cat smells so bad. Oh the joys of pet ownership. As I told Angie, he's a nice cat, but he makes we wish for one more day with my beloved dog Hugh.
I need this weekend. I plan on retreating into the den tonight and getting online to play World of Warcraft with some friends of mine. It is a nice escape from reality, something that is really lacking now that I'm not playing much Warmachine. I've had a couple opportunities to play some board games with some friends but that doesn't do much to occupy my constantly racing mind. Warcraft serves that need quite well when I can escape the kids and get away.
I know things are hard for us right now, but I hold out hope that they will get better. I'm not bitter, just a bit remorseful that things are all wonderful and shiny. I dream of the days, like the day we brought Grace home from the hospital, or the day Megan got her braces off, or the first time Hughie was able jump up on the couch. With all the overwhelming issues I deal with everyday, it seems like the simple pleasures are practically ignored.
And life goes on...
Work is a pit of despair anymore. I go in everyday wondering if I'm going to be sent home without pay simply because the company can't afford to keep me right now. As I sit here typing I look down on a plant floor that has ran a total of 6 shifts this week due to low production orders from GM. People from my plant, for corporate and from the others plants have been sent home without pay, with a promise that they will be brought back to run production on Monday. That means that most people are only drawing 2 days worth of pay a week without hope for recovering any of the lost wage through unemployment. I'm hoping I don't become one of the expendable and get sent packing for days at a time.
I've approached John, the friend of mine that owns Atomic Hobbies and Games and he has offered me hours at a new mall store they are opening next week. I've already committed to working Sundays just in case as well as to subsidize my income for the upcoming holiday season. I may try to work more days during the week to get even more money. I have a feeling I"m going to need it.
Angie started her new job working as a receptionist for a Fort Wayne psychiatrist. It has been a bit difficult for me as I've had to become a lot less flexible with my time. Angie works until 5:00 three days a week and until 8:00 on two nights, which means I have to pick up the kids every night as well as prepare dinner for everyone and anythng else they might need. The kids tend to stress me out when we get home because it is typically Balin's crankiest time (he's hungry and normally tired because he doesn't nap well at the sitter's). Grace is normally very demanding of my time and between the two they are pulling me in different directions. I welcome Angie's homecomings simply because she offers a distraction for the kids. The result of her job means that I can no longer go to Atomic on Thursday's (unless I want to drive all the way back across town) so my Warmachine games are basically a thing of the past.
Megan is home right now and her presence is bringing a great deal of stress to Angie and I. For reasons not to be discussed, we would just rather she just stay at school. The house has a lot less turmoil when she isn't home arguing with Grace, trashing Balin's room, or lounging around in bed until late morning. When she isn't doing that she is typically laying down on the couch or similarly not doing much of anything.
The economy is really hurting us, though we are making attempts to reduce our spending. I will likely be canceling one of our two cell phones. We canceled some of our premiere programming for satellite TV, and we try not to go to the grocery store unless we really need to. I think we are doing okay, but only time will tell as full time babysitting costs may make things ugly for us. On a positive note, November should be the last month we have to pay our overly inflated mortgage payments, so that should help.
Tonight Grace is having a friend over to spend the night, officially making it Grace's first real sleep over she's had at our house. She's been excited about it all week. I'm glad she got the opportunity, she's a good little girl.
I finally finished Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. It was a good book. Maybe I'll post a full review next week some time. Shortly after finishing it, I went and purchased the sequel to Pillars, called A World Without End. It too is very good and while I'm only about 80 pages in, it too is shaping up to be excellent.
Balin is still eating, and he is starting to talk a lot more. You really have to pay attention, but more and more recognizable words are coming out. Last night I discovered that he really enjoys the show Hole in the Wall. He sat there in his little rocker glued to the TV, occasionally laughing when the people got pushed into the water. It was like he was in a trance. He has also discovered a new found love for all things Elmo. He loves Sesame Street. Whenever we put his food on an Elmo plate he typically talks to the characters on it. It's pretty funny.
Our cat is getting bigger and filling out much better. He is eating a ton and while he is a good cat, I've learned I'm not terribly fond of litter boxes, especially full ones, particularly ones that he fills while we are just settling down to go to sleep. More than once I've had to get out of bed and clean the thing simply because the cat smells so bad. Oh the joys of pet ownership. As I told Angie, he's a nice cat, but he makes we wish for one more day with my beloved dog Hugh.
I need this weekend. I plan on retreating into the den tonight and getting online to play World of Warcraft with some friends of mine. It is a nice escape from reality, something that is really lacking now that I'm not playing much Warmachine. I've had a couple opportunities to play some board games with some friends but that doesn't do much to occupy my constantly racing mind. Warcraft serves that need quite well when I can escape the kids and get away.
I know things are hard for us right now, but I hold out hope that they will get better. I'm not bitter, just a bit remorseful that things are all wonderful and shiny. I dream of the days, like the day we brought Grace home from the hospital, or the day Megan got her braces off, or the first time Hughie was able jump up on the couch. With all the overwhelming issues I deal with everyday, it seems like the simple pleasures are practically ignored.
And life goes on...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Lady Antebellum
About 6 to 8 months ago I was watching the country music channel on TV one Saturday morning and a catchy little song called Love Don't Live Here Anymore came on. The lead singer, a tall guy with a meticulously groomed beard had a great voice and the song just grabbed a hold of me, forcing me to listen.I've always had a good ear for music and immediately thought, "This band is going to be really good one day." I had the same impression of bands like Tool (before they even released Undertow) , Green Day, and the Wallflowers (the pet project of Bob Dylan's son, Jakob). I listened to their song and watched their video wondering if they had any more singles released seeing as this was the first time I had been exposed to them.
I decided to go on line and do some research. The band who sang the song was called Lady Antebellum out of Nashville. They hadn't been around together long and had in fact just released their first single, the song I happened to hear on CMT. The band was made up of three friends, Charles Kelly (the tall guy and co-lead singer), Dave Haywood (a talented guitar and keyboard player) and Hillary Scott (a eye-catchingly beautiful co-lead singer with a haunting voice). Well, I was enthralled by them and checked their concert page to see if they were coming close to Fort Wayne. I was thrilled to find out that not only where they coming close, but they were actually playing at the Auburn Free Fall Fair where I could go and see them for absolutely nothing.
I was excited and told Angie I wanted to go see them when they were in town.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago...
Angie and I don't get out on our own too often. We typically have at least one, but usually both kids. Well, we had set it up a month earlier so that the kids could hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Zuber while we went up to Auburn. I was excited all day long, looking forward to seeing the band.
When we got there we were able to get good seats near the middle. We could have actually gone really close to the stage but I didn't want to be crushed by all the people that were filling in up there. We decided that our seats were good as it was and sat back and waited.
There was a good sized crowd, yet it was comfortable. I was actually surprised by how many hardcore fans there were. When the band finally came on stage some of the people were super excited.
I have to admit, even in the 6 months that I had known of the band, I only heard 3 or 4 of their songs. I did however like all of them. I was amazed on how good they sounded live, and each song had an energy to it. Some of the music was upbeat and inspiring, others were slow and moody, playing on emotions, yet beautiful all the same. I honestly have to admit that there wasn't one song I didn't like.
The show was seemed very short, getting over with just past 9:00pm (it started at 8:00). As the concerted concluded the band announced that they were selling T-shirts and CDs up at a tent near the stage. I told Angie I really wanted a CD, so we went up afterwards and waited in line. As we got to the table we saw that the three bandmates had come out and were sitting at the table signing autographs and personally greeting and shaking hands with everyone in line.
It was really cool to talk to them and thank them for entertaining us. All three of them seemed very real and down to earth. They seemed grateful that we came out and I was happy to have all three of the sign my CD.
Now I'm not saying that they are a good band because I got to meet them. They are just really goo musicians. Anyone reading this that appreciates country music would be wise to check them out, because they are just that good. You can listen to their first single by following this link to youtube: Lady Antebellum: Love Don't Live Here Anymore
Oh, one last thing, evidently others thought they were pretty good to. Lady Antebellum was recognized by the ACM as being the best new country group. Good stuff. Tell me what you think.
Homecoming
This past weekend I decided to attend Adrian College's homecoming celebration. This was the first time I had been back on campus for sometime and I was looking forward to seeing some of my old friends and checking out a campus that has seen some changes over the last couple of years.I started off by just wandering around, looking at some buildings that had not changed in the 20 years since I had went there as well as at those that did not even exist last time I was on campus. The most radical change had to be the addition of an on campus football stadium and ice arena. The rink was beautiful, as was the stadium. It was amazing seeing the kind of activity the football field attracted as there were many people there hours before the evening's football game, happily tailgating in the parking lot. The ice rink was hosting a hockey game and while I would have liked to have watched, I had places to be and people to see.
I next went to the ATO house to see my fraternity brothers. I was a bit frustrated by the fact that the house was missing their letters. I voiced this to the brothers i met inside, insisting that they find a way to display the letters that were common to all of us. They gave excuses but hey, they are college kids with far more important agendas than that which I might have.
I was the first one that day to visit the house and all the guys there were very kind and receptive to my invasion. The house was clean, and the guys seemed comfortable there. I was hoping to find some of my other brothers, guys I shared my college years with, but no one had shown and there was no anticipation of any showing up. After hanging out for about 30 minutes I decided to wander off again, heading over to the student center.
This building used to be the old Gynasium and I was surprised to see the renovations that had occurred. It was now a beautiful student center with study rooms (cleverly made out of the old press boxes), a new big, bright book store, a Quiznos sub shop (I would have never expected that) and even a fully functioning salon that offered hair cuts, manicures and tanning beds. I was really a suprise. WHile there I ran in to a lady who had worked at the snack bar at Adrian while I had been there. She remembered me and it was really nice speaking to her.
After checking out the student center I wandered over to the new communication building and was happy to see my old friends Sheri and Peter Bleam. Sheri has always been a mentor to me and I was happy to hear that her husband, Pete, had gotten his doctorate and was now a professor in the communication department as well. I got to see the new building with the beautiful new classrooms and television studio. It was simply amazing how far the department has come since I was there. In additon to seeing Sheri I got to see an old friend, Sue Hobe, who I used to hang out with when I was a freshman. She was always a sweetheart and while I've lost contact with her I've always wanted to re-establish our connection so I could stay up with what she is up to. I also got to see a few other friends while there and really enjoyed every minute of it.
After the communication department reception I headed back over to the ATO house and was able to reconnect with my brother, Wes Tapp and his wife and family. Wes has always been a good friend, even standing up in my wedding as I did so in his. It was nice to visit with him and Saralynn. I was able to talk with another of the current brothers and help him with recreating some of the fraternal family trees. I enjoyed thinking back but realized just how many of my memories have fled. I'm going to have to dig through the attack at Mom's house to see if I can find some of my odl ATO stuff to hopefully help me remember. I just love thinking back to my years at Adrian.
I've made up my mind that I am going to try to work with the current brothers to see about bringing back as many of my old brothers as I can next year. I really miss them and would love to re-establish with many of them
At about 6:00 I decided it was about time to get going to I said goodbye to everyone and took one more walk across campus. I still miss my days there and wish they never would have ended. I do know that given the opportunity I will go back more often, if anything just to reconnect with the place that meant so much to me 20 years ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
