AC/DC Spectacle

Tuesday Leah and I went downtown and saw AC/DC. The first concert of 2009 set the bar pretty damn high. Irish rockers The Answer took the stage at 7:30 and were pretty good (their lead singer sounded like Robert Plant AND was rocking long, curly blond hair).

AC/DC played for about 2 hours and were amazing. The band brought a crap-ton of "toys" with them (including a giant 50 foot train, a huge inflatable "big girl" for "Whole Lotta Rosie," six working cannons for "For Those About to Rock," and some pyrotechnics). The songs were great (even though they're old, the band sounded great) and the stage show was awesome. It was literally like a scene out of the Guitar Hero video games (it was over-the-top ridiculous). We had good seats, and even though I spent $200 on the tickets--I felt like I got my money's worth. The band played mostly old stuff (all the classics were included, if you can name it--they played it) along with a few new ones off BLACK ICE (all the good ones).

I was stoked just to see "Thunderstruck" and "Big Jack" live. Leah, however, was not as entertained as I was. Oh, she was a good sport about it--but I could tell she was not digging it as much as I was.

*Sigh*

Getting out of the show wasn't a problem, but getting IN was STUPIDLY difficult. We showed up, it was like 12 degrees outside--all we wanted to do was get inside. I had Leah park in the Scott Trade Center garage (which we NEVER do, but it was too cold to walk so I shelled out $12 to park) and things went downhill from there. The foyer of the Center was packed--it was so full, most of the doors were open. We got locked into this crowd of old-rockers/metal kids...it smelled funny. Things went from bad to worse when they started walking through the crowd SELLING 24 oz Beer cans.

Yikes. Cos that's what I want to be trapped with--smelly drunk people.

Much like the time I went to City Museum and discovered I have claustrophobia, I've recently noticed that I DO NOT LIKE crowds. So that was a fun twenty-minutes. What was the problem? Get this: I bought my tickets online (Ticketmaster) but for the first time EVER, I was told that there was no option to have my tickets mailed to me. Nor was there an option to print them off myself (which are usually two of the three options, the third being "will-call"). But there was no self-print, mail, or will-call for this show. No, instead they tried something new called a paperless "e-ticket." Guess what our tickets were? My credit card.

That's right. We got up to the gates and we had to give the lady THE credit card I used to buy the tickets and she swiped it (twice) and this little hand-held device printed off these two cheesy-looking stubs.

Not only was this lame (I like saving my stubs--these are like a Wal-Mart receipt, I won't be saving this...and if I try I'm sure they're melt if they're exposed to air). Anyway, this new-type of ticket confused everyone and slowed the line down to A CRAWL.

Dear Concert Promoters/Venues: Please do not use this ticket method--it SUCKS.

Anyway, I've rambled enough...bottom line: AC/DC rocked. Leah bored. E-tickets suck.

A Homemade gift (that DOESN'T suck)

This year, I was in a padded room for Christmas (not really, I was just taking some time off). As such, I didn't get to share all the wonderful things I got this year.

I got some wonderful things.

But you know, the economy stinks right now (in cases you hadn't heard) so there was much homemade gift-giving at my house this year. The best homemade gift, by far this year was one that I got from my baby sister Lindsey (who is now in Junior High).

It took her several years, but look what she made me with my mother's sewing machine:



It's a giant stuffed dragon pillow. How cool is that?

Boy, if I was Amber I would start working on my gift NOW...because it's going to take a pretttttty awesome gift to top that.

*Hint*

New Flash-Fiction Up

Over at the other blog.

Two new ones up.

Good LUCK

So I only have one 2009 New Year's Resolution--to read more.

To that end, I am on my third book of the New Year--Amy Tan's THE JOY LUCK CLUB. This book has been on my "to-read" list for some time now. I was sitting in one of my Lit classes a few years back, bored--and I happened upon a short piece in one of my anthologies (that I wasn't assigned to read, for some reason, all the GOOD stories are never assigned, but WHATEVER) by Amy Tan. I read it during the lecture and was hooked. When I found out it was an excerpt from a much longer work--I sought it out.

Now, me and Leah don't really "buy" books anymore. This lady-cop (doesn't that sound sexier than "policewoman?") I once worked with told me she used this website Paperbackswap.com, where you trade books (only having to pay for postage). I've mentioned this site before, but it's amazing. Why aren't you on it?

Anyway, I got my copy of THE JOY LUCK CLUB for free on Paperbackswap. So I finished Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD and I'm SUPPOSED to read THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE...but I can't make myself start this book. I'm sorry, I just can't. It's the girly cover. It's the "Oprah Book Club"-ness of the whole thing (which is ironic, because I don't think it was on Oprah's Book List, but THE ROAD was). Anyway, I start THE JOY LUCK CLUB instead. I get into the tub (where I do my reading) and I start the water...and I open the book...and this is what I see on the title page:



Yes, it's Amy Tan's signature. So I guess I snagged a signed copy of this book, which is cool because I'm really digging it. Not the sort of thing people imagine I read, but I'm reading it. I like it.

Long Hand

I have the germ of my next "novel" (I still feel like a pretentious douche-bag saying or writing that...like I'm some sort of "novelist"). Unlike the still-to-be-edited THE MOSQUITO VINE, this next one is based on a short story I TIRED to write...but stopped because it felt like it wouldn't work as a short story.

I sat on the john last night and read over these 13 pages (I know, too much info--right?) of A GIRL NAMED SQUIB, and found I liked about a tenth of it. The general concept behind it. The execution was all wrong, but the intent was right. So I'm going to re-vamp that and have a go at it.

Except, my computer got sick and I began to ponder writing long hand. Now, my computer is fine again, but the idea lingers. In junior college, I used to write everything out long hand, then sit down and transcribe it onto the computer. The process was good because I almost never typed up what I had exactly as it was written. I made it better. This forced editing always made things better.

Plus, I notice that when I write on a computer, it comes out different. I use a whole different set of words. My vocabulary is better, frankly, because I have spell-check. My sentences are more complex. But it's also a bit more hollow. A bit more mechanical.

When I write free hand, my mind can't go as fast--everything gets slowed down and I think before I write and everything comes out more clearly. More to the point. Also, I don't prattle on needlessly...when your hand is aching, one tends to write more succinctly. So I'm going back to that, to my "roots" as it were. I want to work on this before I start editing next month on the first book. I want a second book in the works so I won't hold back on the editing. If it's gotta go, I want to be able to prune it off--without worry.

Anyway, I'm doing it. I'm starting this weekend. I've had a month off, it's time to go back to work. It's time to dream again.

Miss Me?

So I got discouraged and decided to get a new job. I locked the blog and left Facebook to avoid any perilous background GOOGLE-searches.

And people were bummed out.

Just so you all know, I cheated on this blog. All the while I was away I wrote in this little blank book I've had since 2005. It wasn't the same.

So after hearing a bunch of people say "when are you coming back?" for the 1000th time--I said "fuck it." Now I'm back.

But enough of that, there is some business to attend to:

1. Big shout out to Jimu who clean up my computer this past weekend after it came down with digital VD (massive Trojan attack).

2. Journalspace is gone? For good? Yikes. I hope that shit never happens to Blogger. Murph are you now on Blogger? What's the URL. Let me know so I can update the bookmark. I missed reading your blog (you wacky nut-case, you).

3. If you're not on Goodreads.com get on it. It's amazing. The only New Year's Resolution I have (worth a damn, at least) is to read more this year. I also want to compile a list of everything I read so I'll be able to say "I read X number of books in 2009." Because I am that lame. BIG props to Terri for introducing this site to me. This blog is still around because without it I'd lose touch with cool people like Terri (and Brenda) who I'm unable to communicate with properly because I am so awkward.

So I'm back. Happy now?

Stand By--We Will Resume Broadcast Soon...