Under My Bed

Despite not having much extra time this week (I'm going on vacation in 2 days!), I went to another show tonight. Meiko was playing a little bar in Fremont and the tickets were only 10 bucks. Remember how that's practically free?

It was a good show. She's really funny - and also slightly awkward. Oh, and I really wish I could play the guitar well. I couldn't stop watching her hands.

I met her afterwards and said something really awkward about being nerdy for wanting a picture and asked about her re-releasing her album with a new song. I crack under pressure!
Note: Please excuse the nastiness of my noggin in this picture. I had gone to the gym before the show and had gym hair.

She played with three other guys, one of whom was Joe Purdy. I happen to have three of his CDs in my iTunes that my sister gave me, but I haven't really gotten too familiar with them. I like his style so I'll definitely be listening to them more.

PS - Yes, that's harmonica around his neck. Love it.

And have I mentioned that I heart music?

A Short List.

-The rain is pouring down outside and I'm in my pj's in bed. It's perfect.

-My bedroom is a complete disaster and I'm blogging to avoid cleaning it up.
-I did some shopping this weekend. I'm only good for about one store every 7 days, so it nearly killed me, but I was on a mission to find something in particular and it just had to be done. I ended up out-spending Lindsay, which never happens.

-I don't think I've written a non-list/non-concert recap post in a long time. I think I forgot how to blog.

-There may be another concert recap post tomorrow because I'm going to a Meiko show.

-I spent the afternoon organizing my old photos into events in iPhoto. It felt good.

-Am I the only person in the world that still keeps receipts to balance a checkbook?

-I want to bring my guitar to Utah, but don't think I will.

-I really don't have anything to say, I just don't want to clean my room.

Concert #3: Oregon Zoo (Portland)

I know you're all tired of me talking about Brandi Carlile, but I'm not. I'm not tired of seeing her shows or talking about her...so either get excited or stop reading because here we go again. 

Tonight was the Portland show and it was fan-freaking-tastic! Seriously. So. Good. Totally worth taking off work, driving down to Portland, riding the school bus shuttle, waiting in line for an hour and then another two hours in our seats before the show started, enduring the annoying girls next to us and waiting in line forever afterward to catch the school bus shuttle back to the car. Worth all the time and every penny spent.

Lindsay and I worked out a game plan - when they started letting us in she would be the runner/seat scoper-outer and I would carry all of our crap and find her when I made it in. Linds wins the gold star for claiming some AWESOME seats. We were on the second row of grass. The only thing between us and the stage was a section where people could stand. Brilliant!
The standard self-portrait.

We set up camp and were surprisingly entertained for the two hours we waited. Let's just say there is a lot of good people-watching at Brandi's shows. (Do you like my new giant purse? We may have stopped at Target on the way down.)
We were way closer to the stage than last weekend at Marymoor Park. It makes a huge difference! That whole section where the people are standing got packed.
The audience was so much more into the show than in Seattle and you could tell Brandi was feeding off of the energy in the crowd. During the encore she sang That Year, which is a fairly serious song, and the entire crowd was absolutely silent - all 3,700 people. It gave me chills.
Brandi always starts the show with quite a few guitar picks stuck in her microphone stand and periodically she'll throw the one she was using out into the crowd. I almost got one last October at the show in Boise, but tonight I really got one! And not just any guitar pick, but the last one she threw out after the last song of the show (pre-encore). The pick she used for Turpentine (my favorite song!) and The Story.
I saw her throw it but it was too dark to keep track of where they were ending up. Plus, I never thought it would make it over the huge crowd of people standing between the stage and the grass. And then I felt something hit my foot. I reached down and felt a guitar pick on my blanket.
Can you see the "jam marks" (as I like to call them) on the bottom left side?! Brandi played the final songs of the show with that exact pick! Now I just have to make sure Max doesn't eat it.

Thanks, Brandi (and boys), for another great night!

Wanna hear something gross?

I had a band-aid on each heel when I left the house this morning to keep my shoes from rubbing. When I attempted to remove them at 4pm this afternoon, there was only one left. 

That's gross.

There's nothing more disgusting than a used band-aid lying around.

One More Thing..

I'm supposed to be working right now but I like to put things off...

+I'm an aunt and I'm excited! That's all I can say.

+I played the guitar for nearly 2 hours yesterday. Typing has not been fun today.

+Time on the bus goes by so much faster while reading a book.

+I think I might be over The Hills. I'm not quite sure.

+I'm considering taking up yoga to help manage my anxiety/stress.

+There was a man living in his car outside our house for nearly a month. The neighbor called the cops on him enough that he finally moved around the corner. I pass his car every day on the way to the bus, but he's usually gone. One day last week we was leaving his car as I was passing by. He stopped, started twirling his keys, looked at me with a little crazy in his eyes, showed his half toothless mouth and started singing.

"Strawberry chapped strains and blueberries!"

I gave him an Are you for real? look and kept walking. He kept singing.

+Today on the bus there was a middle-aged woman wearing a headband of sorts with green Shrek ears attached.

+I got hit on at the gym by a boy that seems 19, but is actually 23. Two of our many conversations went as follows.

Gym Boy: So, you graduated in 2003? [After reading the year on a t-shirt I was wearing.]

Me:  Actually, 2004.

Me: [Realizing he was talking about high school graduation I added...] From college.

GB: Oh, so you're kind of older than me.

GB: So, Stephanie, why don't you have your boyfriend in here training you?

Me: Uhh...he's pretty busy.

Trainer: That's the funniest sh*t I've heard all day.

Concert #2: Marymoor Park

As anticipated, I nearly melted again today. Although, this time it wasn't from too many bodies packed together in a small non-air conditioned space, it was from the actual sun. We got there around 4:00 when the first band came on and the sun didn't go down until 8:30-ish. Despite the sweatiest back I've ever had (not to mentioned the worse case of swass...yeah, I said it) we endured with smiles and I only said, "I think I'm going to die" a couple of times. Oh, and check out Lindsay's kick-a straw hat.
We were more prepared in many ways this time than we were for our last two outdoor concert experiences. See Exhibit A below. 

Exhibit A

1. We had little beach chairs. SO much better than just sitting on a blanket.
2. We had snacks. LJL did a good job picking and packing them up.
3. We had beverages - water and of course the DC.
4. We had Breaking Dawn. (I finished while waiting. I give it three stars.)
5. I had enough cash for a t-shirt. It's not pictured above, but it's pretty sweet. There may or may not be some sort of eagle-looking wings on it. Don't be jealous.

Patrick Monahan, the lead singer from Train, performed. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. On one song he wasn't playing an instrument so he got off of his stool for the first time. After the song was over he said, "And that was the point in the show where I stood up and you got to check out these bad ass jeans." I laughed pretty hard because I had, in fact, noticed his jeans and had commented aloud on them. His last song was a duet with Brandi, Pirate on the Run, from his solo album and it was delightful.
By the time Brandi came on stage the sun was setting and the temperature was perfect. At one point she brought out her 1 year old niece, who was the inspiration for her new song Caroline. It's not the best quality, but check out the video below from the show at the Tractor.

Unfortunately, we were kind of far away and didn't think to take any pictures until it was too dark. This is the best we got.
Another great show, but it didn't top Friday's concert. There's something to be said for being able to see the performer's face. Next up is Friday in Portland.

Concert #1: Tractor Tavern

Tonight was the first installment of a three-part Brandi Carlile concert series.

It. Was. Fantastic. 

I hadn't eaten dinner, we were sweating from the minute we walked in the door, got stuck behind a man that was easily 6'6'' and my feet were killing me by the end of the night, but I absolutely LOVED every minute of it. I clapped, I sang, I danced. I just don't think there's anything better than live music.

This is us before the concert started. We had only been there for 15 minutes, but had already downed a glass of water and were quickly starting to get a little shiny. The heat only got worse...
Brandi and The Twins. Their old band The Fighting Machinists opened. They had a few songs I liked, but I prefer them with Brandi.
She sang all of my favorites and threw in a couple of her new songs. During the encore she sang Calling All Angels with her sister and her mom even came on stage and sang for a minute. So good!
And the best part...we met her!! After waiting around forever and getting stared at by the hands down creepiest man I've ever seen, she finally came out. Our stalking paid off. Not the best picture of either of us, but I talked to Brandi Carlile!
I was also pretty excited about the limited edition t-shirt made only for that "secret" show.

Installment two is tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to sitting outside in the 90 degree weather all day, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. It always is.

PS - You can go to this site to watch tonight's entire show.

Words Cannot Express

L: Hey, Steph, do you know what tomorrow is?

S: Um...Brandi Eve?

L: YES! Gold star for knowing the right answer.

Three Brandi concerts. Eight days. Two states. One giant obsession.

Stephanie's Favorite Dancer

I've made it an entire day without finding out who was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer" last night on SYTYCD. I've avoided the internet today and it's worked out well so far.

I went to my iGoogle page and saw this:
My mom sent me an email with the subject line "SYTYCD!!" and I realized that my email is no longer safe. I'm all over the Olympics tonight, but tomorrow my number one priority is seeing if my boy Joshua is now AFD. 

Even if he's not, he's still Stephanie's Favorite Dancer. Which is almost the same thing.

Update: The Olympics got boring so I ended up watching last night and Joshua won! I was so excited. He's totally adorable.

The Way of the Skip

Making a Comeback

+I've survived another week. I was completely exhausted (both physically and mentally) by Friday as usual, but tried to makeup for it by sleeping until Noon today. 

+I'm afraid I have been neglecting my blog. I'm hoping that I'll be able to stop working late and write more nonsense here.

+I haven't watched this week's SYTYCD. What's wrong with me?

+I had to catch up on 19 pages of Perez this morning. Shia LaBeouf came up in conversation last night and I didn't know the latest! Shameful.

+PS - Shia LaBeouf's long, lost twin is in my ward. I can't help but stare at him sometimes because he looks EXACTLY like him.

+I re-read Twilight this week on the bus to and from work. I think I'll go buy the new book today, but won't read it until I've re-read the other two. Natalie has labeled those books as "emotional porn" - she's kind of right.

+I got a t-shirt from a publisher at work this week and I love it. It's bright green with a giant cartoon bird of some sort. I would wear it every day if I could.

+Lindsay and I are learning a new song on the guitar. Maybe if we (and by "we" I mean "me" because Lindsay is already good enough) get good enough we'll post it for your viewing pleasure. But only if it's better than the last one.

+Last night I was social. {gasp!} We played games with some people from our ward. Not the kind of games that we made the kids at Sports & Dance Camps play that made me want to slit my wrists - but the less cheesy kind of games. I was kind of dreading it, but it ended up being a lot of fun.

+We were playing Catch Phrase and Lindsay was on my team. This is how she described her word: "big blank TV". What would be your first response to "big ___ TV"? Well, mine was inappropriate for the group we were with and I barely caught myself before blurting it out.

+The answer was "screen". Big screen TV.

+During another game we had to come up with an inappropriate name for children's book and Lindsay came up with "My Trip to the Gyno". It was a hit.

+I'm going to train for a 5k. You might think a person shouldn't need to train for 3.1 miles - but this girl does. I do at least 2 miles on the elliptical three times a week, but actually running outside is different.

+The first of a few H&Ms opened in Seattle last week and I went to check it out. I really liked it! It's like a trendier version of Old Navy. And we all know how much I love Old Navy.

+I've yet to see the new Batman movie. I haven't found "my" theater here. They're all small and ghetto and kind of hard to get to.

+I'm planning to see it tonight. 

+I read in US Weekly last week that Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johannson were spotted at Purple in Seattle that week. I've eaten there! And I love Ryan Reynolds.

+I need to spend more time downtown. It's a cool place.

+I got my passport pictures taken while Carlee was in town. Now I just need to find time to turn in my form. I want to go to Vancouver and Lindsay has almost convinced me to go on a cruise in February.

+I have three Brandi Carlile concerts coming up. One of them is a "secret" show at a small venue 5 minutes from our house. It's "secret" because the she's playing under a different name. I'm so excited.

+One of the other Brandi shows is in Portland in August. I'm excited to see a new city.

+Have I mentioned that Brandi Carlile's sister cuts hair at a salon in the next neighborhood over? I'm so tempted to make and appointment with her.

+Last night Lindsay presented me with an official Entertainment Proposal. It was a spreadsheet of plays and concerts with the date, the venue and the ticket price. I went through and said yes or no to each. (Sorry, Fergie, you didn't make the cut.) We're going to see G-Love and Tristan Prettyman! And Jason Mraz!

+My trainer asked to tell him how I felt about the workouts I was getting and I couldn't be as blunt as I wanted to be. I just told him he could work me harder.

+I'm excited to go to Utah in 3.5 weeks!

+I'm excited for my sister to get married in 3.5 weeks!

+I'm excited to see my baby nephew in 3.5 weeks!

+It's sunny and 63 degrees today. It's August 3rd. Utah can't even imagine what 63 degrees in August feels like. I love it.

+I'm excited for some of my shows to come back in the fall. It's time to re-watch the entire series of Grey's Anatomy in preparation. It's a tradition now.

+While Carlee was in town (which I will still post pictures of) we took an official tour of Seattle and they showed us the building they use to film the outside of the Seattle Grace.

+I think Carlee should move to Seattle.

+I would like to find my own McDreamy. Minus the whole having a wife and not telling me part.

+My neighbors smoke on their balcony and it flows right into my kitchen and bathroom windows. I hate it, but I can't really ask them to stop smoking...

+There's a guy at the gym that lived in Provo for a while but isn't LDS. Once he asked me "Are you a member?". The way he phrased he question made me laugh because it was obvious he'd learned a thing or two. Thursday I was wearing a BYU t-shirt and he walked past me and chanted "BYU! BYU!". 
+This list is a lot longer than I thought it would be and Lindsay is waiting on me to finish to go to the gym.

+The End.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

It's very slow going, but apparently I'm still losing some. 

I weighed in at the gym today and I've lost another 4 lbs. bringing my total to a whopping 9 lbs. Curiously my percentage of body fat has increased each month which leads me to believe my trainer can't do math. Shocker.

I'm locked in for four more months so I'm sticking with it and we'll see where I'm at next month. 

Confessions.

• I watch Denise Richards: It's Complicated. And I don't hate it.
  
• I ate Wendy's a few weeks ago. And it was the most delicious burger I've ever had in my life.
• I finally made it through The Host (Sorry, Em.) but couldn't really get into it. Apparently I draw the line with vampires.
• Sometimes when we're watching SYTYCD Lindsay makes fun of Mary's outfits, while I secretly think that Mary borrowed some of Lindsay's jewelry. Ok, so I don't secretly think that, I openly do.
• I watched an episode (or four) of Flipping Out yesterday and then set the TIVO to record all new episodes. He's crazy and I kind of like it.
• It's Sunday and I'm going to a concert at the zoo. I mean, it's kind of like a Sunday afternoon picnic in the park...except there are hundreds of people picnicking with you. Oh, and there's a stage with people performing.

Gonna Have Some Fun, Show You How It's Done...

Last night I went to the Bellevue Art Festival. I was exhausted from the week (I fell asleep so soundly on the bus again that I woke up one stop before I was supposed to get off) and asked Lindsay what people did at art festivals. I needed to know how much effort I was going to have to put into this. When she replied Walk around and look at stuff I figured I could handle it. 

We saw a lot of crazy people and crazy stuff that I can't imagine anyone ever buying but the best part for me was the Shish KaBerry booth. Fruit on a stick dipped in your choice of chocolate. Need I say more? I got strawberries and bananas in milk chocolate and it was as good as it sounds. 

We then found our way to a Red Robin and since I'm eating more lettuce than fries these days it was a treat. Our friend Breann informed us that the "ring sauce" is really fry sauce so I didn't have to make my own. She also informed us that hanging out with me usually involves a lot of singing. I didn't really believe her until I heard myself singing "Ov-er. Rat-ed." (you know that cheer?) and Lindsay had my back with the claps. Linds and I thought nothing of it and Breann gave us a Thank you for proving my point look. I have no idea how that cheer made it's way into our dinner conversation, but I no longer doubt her observation. 

The night ended with Wednesday AND Thursday's episodes of SYTYCD. Not a bad way to start the weekend.

On the Bus Today...

When does offering an old-ish person your seat on the bus go from being insulting to a nice gesture? I always have an internal struggle with old-ish people on the bus. If I offer them my seat will they think I'm calling them old? Or will they be grateful to not have to stand? I just don't know.

But today I went for it.

An older woman got on, probably in her late 60's, and there were no seats. She was standing right next to me. So, I tapped her arm and asked if she would like to sit in my seat. She said I was very sweet, but no thank you. And then I felt kind of stupid.

I thought about it most of the way home and if I had to do it over again, I think I still would have offered.

Something to Smile About

This weekend was a breath of fresh air. Carlee, Lindsay and I rocked Seattle. I worked a half-day on Friday, didn't touch work on Saturday, ate good food, laughed, spent time at Target, enjoyed the sunshine - it was exactly what I needed and I think Carlee should move here!

I'd love to post all about it tonight, but I'm trying to get to bed early to sleep well, put all the negativity I've been feeling the past few weeks behind me and fresh start tomorrow. 

For now I'll leave you with these to give you a taste of what's to come.

Eliminate the Negative

Looks like Debbie Downer hacked into blogger and posted on my blog last night. Wah, wah...

So, all of those things are true and I still think I might be losing my mind, but I'm not going to dwell on that. What I am going to dwell on is the fact that this lady is going to be in town in two days! I'm so excited to feel like I have friends again - even if it's only for three days.

I miss everyone in SLC  - my family, DMark friends, old roomies and their babies, Jill, Emily, Chelsea, etc...Wah, wah...

Crap, this post was supposed to accentuate the positive!

You Might Be Losing Your Mind If...

...You miss two appointments at the gym in 8 days because you thought they were at a different time or even a different day even though you wrote it down at the gym, added it to your calendar at home and to your Outlook calendar at work.

I'm distracted. 

I'm working long hours (in the office before 7am twice last week and working from home nights/weekends). I'm in an anxious state nearly constantly. I almost missed my bus stop on Friday afternoon because I literally could not keep my eyes open long enough to figure out where I was en route. I barely even have time to read Perez (I said barely, which means I still do. I have priorities).

I need better life management skills. Or a better life.

Finding Common Ground

It's no secret that I watch a lot of crappy reality television. I've often wondered if my pop culture knowledge was ever going to come in handy. Tonight it did.

I went out with a publisher and some co-workers to the Foo Fighters concert. Yes, the Foo Fighters. This event can be filed away with the DC Pyramid in the "I was new when they asked me and didn't feel like I could say no" category. They were good, just not totally my style. But the Foo Fighters are not important to the story. 

We went to dinner before the show and I finally got to meet one of the account managers from a site that has recently made my work life a bit more hellish. As it turns out she's actually very cool and quite funny. She kept saying, "You don't know me after hours!", which made me laugh. 

And guess what we ended up bonding over? Crappy reality TV and pop culture! She's a junkie too, although she watches A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila which is even below my standards. Through the course of our discussions she used the exact one-word description I would have used to describe two of the people I love to hate: Spencer Pratt and Kanye West.

Can you guess what those one-word descriptions were for each of them?

I guess she can make my life hell at work, but after hours we can meet up to watch The Hills.

Thanks...I Guess.

I was sitting at my desk at 6:55 am this morning. I think it's safe to say that's the earliest I've ever been to work and probably safe to say it won't happen again for a long time. 

Since I had to wake up in the 5's (as Natalie would say) to get there that early, I opted for the time-saving curly hair. I've worn my hair curly plenty of times, but never curly and down - until today. Apparently it was a hit.

My favorite comment came from my trainer.

J: You got your hair done.

S: What do you mean?

J: It's curly - you don't have curly hair do you?

S: Yeah, I just straighten it most of the time. Today I didn't have time to do it.

J: It looks nice.

S: Thanks. A lot of people have said that today. Maybe I should not do my hair more often.

J: You'll be attracting a lot more bees with that honey. You won't be coming around here anymore.

Pretty awkward, right? Was that a compliment or a fat joke? I'm not sure.