The first week of school AND Def Leppard? Too much to handle!

James and I went to the fantastic Def Leppard concert last night at USANA. It was so incredible! I never really thought much of Def Leppard before I started dating James but now I'm hooked! They won't replace Bowie though (notice my shirt: Ziggy Stardust.)

Heart opened with a pretty good set. We got there late because we ate dinner before because we thought there would be another band opening for Heart. Not so much. It was just the two bands.

I took the pictures with my cell phone so they aren't that great, at all. The Wilson sisters really rocked it even though Ann looked kind of terrible:

Her outfit was totally unflattering and just a weird mismatch of textures. I kind of wish her sister (who looked great) would have said something. Maybe they were in a fight...

Anyway, Def Leppard came on and they were AMAZING! Their set had tall screens that showed video of coordinating images for each song. It was really cool.

There was also a couple of levels and ramps around the stage.

This picture is of Rick Allen, their drummer, who only has one arm. And he still rocks.

This last one wasn't taken at the USANA concert, it was in Atlanta. I just wanted to show a clear shot of the set up. Also, our show was extra special because Phil (shirtless guitar guy) and Joe (blonde guy singing) both wore sparkly shoes. Viv (dark haired guitar guy) must not have received the sparkly memo.

Set list: Undefeated, Let's Get Rocked, Animal, Foolin', Love Bites, Rock On, Rocket, Two Steps Behind, Bringing On the Heartache, Swich 625, Hysteria, Armageddon it, Photograph, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Rock of Ages.

It's a photo bowie-nanza!

While I was packing to go back to Logan, I found a CD of pictures from the Area Two concert. In August of 2002 my Dad drove me and Jordan to DENVER so we could go to the concert. It was AMAZING!!!! The concert included Ash, The Blue Man Group, Busta Rhymes and Moby in addition to David Bowie. I had planned on taking pictures of each act but it didn't pan out. My Busta Rhymes pictures wound up as pictures of the person in front of me (the crowd got a little rowdy) and I decided a photo of Bowie singing "Ziggy Stardust" was better than a photo of Moby (sorry!)

Tim Wheeler of Ash and the dude with the long nasty hair that was in most of my pictures.

(There were only two people in front of me the whole concert! It was practically the front row!)

Charlotte Hatherley of Ash

The Blue Man Group

The crowd goes wild for Bowie...

Sure this picture was cropped a little but it shows how close I was!

Now Ziggy played.......guitaaaaaaar!

It was pretty much amazing. I don't think I will ever regret this or the amount of money I spent on the tickets. It was so worth it.

__________________________

This past weekend I saw these guys in concert.
They sang a lot of fun songs including "the greatest TV theme songs" and "the greatest rock and roll songs." Here's a better view:
It's "The Blanks!" (crickets)

Ted's band, from Scrubs! That's Sam Lloyd on the left, he plays Ted. They've appeared on several episodes and Paul Perry (standing next to Ted) was nominated for an Emmy for writing the song "Guy Love." It was an enjoyable concert, even though it was a cappella. I'm never going to hear the theme song for "Charles In Charge" quite the same way again.

Sometimes that can be really nerdy and annoying.

They put the "Fun" in Funeral

I watched quite a bit of the Michael Jackson memorial service today at work and then at home. It was a very interesting and sometimes touching (in an emotional way, back off the inappropriate jokes, he's dead.) The following are my favorite moments for various reasons.

Moment #1: Mariah Carey's amazing mono-bang. That thing did not move despite her finger and hand wagging. Not only did it not move but it looked like you could still run your fingers through it. A tip of my hat to you, Mariah Carey.

Moment #2: LaToya Jackson's ginormous face obscuring hat. That thing is HUGE! Atleast Janet wore a hat that still showed her face (although she did cover it with massive Victoria Beckham glasses.)
Moment #3: Jennifer Hudson announcing her pregnancy by wearing a white, empire waisted dress. You can't tell me she's not pregnant, she totally is! Hang on, let's ask someone to confirm...
Usher, what do you think?
Yep, pregnant. Note to self: if I am ever going to hide a pregnancy I need to remember to NOT stand next to Usher in a picture.

Moment #4: Corey Feldman's...uh, outfit?
Dude, this is like showing up to a wedding dressed like a bride. It's just weird. The Jackson brothers had a much better way of honoring their brother:
See the subtle sequined gloves? That's classy. A military-esque jacket with a fedora and shades? Not so much.

Moment #5... Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of Al Sharpton at the end of the service while everyone was singing "Heal the World." Fortunately, I found it on the blessed youtube. Fast forward to 4:35. It is really great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVixrey9Gyg
I feel for you, Rev. Sharpton, if I was in that situation I'd look just as awkward.


I wasn't really a Michael Jackson fan but he was one heck of a talented singer and dancer. And, when his daughter said what a great father he was, I cried. I'm sensitive like that.

Just call me Pollyanna

Some reasons why I feel like I have a good life:

1. I have a ridiculously cute niece who just learned how to laugh.
2. My family is fantastically great. Even though we don't get along all the time, I love them.
3. Despite the scariness of it, I'm attending graduate school.
4. Graduate Assistantships.
5. I have this odd tendancy to try things like book binding, pie making, and quilting, despite not really having any training or a clue.
6. I have good friends.
7. I have faith in God and His plan.
8. My taste in music doesn't suck. (this could be up for debate but I know what I like.)
9. I have figured out how to be thrifty.
10. I love cooking and baking. Now I just need to learn how to love running.
11. I'm feeling pretty okay with my looks, my eyebrows and hair don't match but it's fine.

I am currently in the middle of Spring Break. I decided to go home to my parent's house which I doubted at first. These doubts were swept away when I saw the weather report for Logan, two feet in some areas? No, thank you!

A Hodge Podge of Stuff

I just finished a research paper that I wrote for grad school. It took longer to format the pictures and figure out where to put them so it didn't screw up the whole paper. It was really frustrating. I'm pretty certain it took over an hour. Granted I took breaks and consumed a ridiculous amount of french onion soup. That stuff is SO good! I feel like it was worth it because it was about fashion and the Beatles. And I had the picture on the right in the paper. Isn't that a fantastic coat???
Here are a couple of things that have been floating around for the past week or so.

1. I found this quote in one of the books I used for research, John, Paul, George, Ringo & Me by Tony Barrow. He was the Press Officer for the Beatles for six years or so. Here's what he had to say about the backlash from John Lennon's 'We're bigger than Jesus' comment. "Unexpected support for the Beatles came from Salt Lake City, Utah, where the programme director of station KCPX said, "I don't believe in religious bigots anymore than I believe in Beatles bigots. I'm playing their records, not their religious ideals."

2. Item two is a picture I took while walking home. I think it's sort of lovely.

3. Another picture. This time it's...My drawer in the costume shop!

4. A picture of an unusually sunny and clear day on my way to school. This wasn't the same day that I fell. I think this was from the week before.

And finally...Me. Still in graduate school. Still not crazy. Yet.

Desert Island Discs

My friend Scott tagged me and gave me the following instructions:

This is an idea I got from my friend Dave. The basic idea as he puts it is "what albums would you want if you were stranded on a desert island that just happens to have a stereo and electricity but still no way to contact anyone for help".

There are a few rules that he decided to make:

• Only one album from each artist (forcing you to make some tough choices).
• No greatest hits or compilations of any kind (that would be cheating).
• Limit the list to 10.
• Ignore the iPod factor since it essentially makes this list obsolete. It's not about the technology anyway, it's about the music! Plus "Desert Island Discs" sounds a lot snappier than "Desert Island Playlist."

This has been REALLY hard for me because I love music. Here it goes, with great difficulty.

10. I figured it would be easiest to pick something for Sunday first. This CD was a favorite before my mission and my friend Kari gave it to me for my birthday. It is a good mix of songs and I love almost every track of this CD. Plus it reminds me of my mission and that is usually good.




9. Kind of in the same vein as the MoTab, my favorite classical album. Technically this is a compilation but I think it can be an exception because Camille Saint-Saens SO did not make albums as we know now. I adore the piano concerto #4 on the second disc and when you pair that with the Danse Macabre and carnival of the animals on disc one and you've got it made!



8. This is my absolute favorite No Doubt album. Unfortunately this is about where things started to get difficult. Seriously, only ten albums?


7. I bought this album last year and thought,"Where have you been all of my life???" I listened to it solidly for about, oh, a month. It was sort of out of control. I think everyone needs a little New York with a shot of London on every desert island. Plus, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Mick Ronson? Classic.


6. Sondre Lerche is probably my favorite singer of today (as opposed to what, of the future?) He's from Norway and he is sort of random. Although I love all of his albums, this one won for the following reasons:
-A great combination of "rainy day songs," old school crooning, and covers of songs by Elvis Costello AND Cole Porter. It is quite a trick.


5. Choosing between Bowie albums was harder than choosing between Beatles albums ONLY because Bowie has a more albums (and styles) to choose from. I chose this one because it is the only Bowie album that I can listen to all the way through without skipping songs. I almost chose "Live at Santa Monica" but it is technically a compilation. "Station to Station" is great because it's Bowie at his best (even though he was probably on cocaine for most of it.) Any how, as far as personas go you don't get any cooler than The Thin White Duke.


4. This album makes me sad because it was the Beatle's last one recorded ('Let It Be' was released later even though it was recorded before.) I love this album even though it marks the end of the Beatles. "Carry That Weight" into "The End" could almost bring me to tears, depending on my mood and the time of the month.


3. I have to have The Clash on my desert island. I chose this based on the ratio of fantastic songs to not so fantastic songs. Even though there are two songs that I never listen to (they did some f-bombing) I don't think I could be angry without "Career Opportunities" to help vent some of that.


2. I just couldn't have only one Beatles album on here. I just couldn't do it. This one has too many fantastic songs; "If I Fell," "Things We Said Today," and "I'll Be Back."


1. Flight of the Conchords. Just in case the desert island isn't a funny place. These guys are hilarious.












The runners up:









This wasn't even the tip of the iceburg. I hate choosing.

Although I don't hate choosing when it comes to voting! I'm so excited that Barack Obama was elected!