This past weekend was packed!
Friday night, while getting my things ready for the next day, I somehow pinched a nerve in my back*. I went from being fine to being in excruciating pain in a split second. I could barely make it up the stairs and was crying because it hurt so badly. I was thisclose to going to the ER, but what stopped me was my jam-packed weekend of plans. I knew if I got muscle relaxers or a strong pain medication, I wouldn't be able to drive, which would have ruined everything. So I sucked it up and went to sleep, with the hope that I would wake up back to normal.
Well, I did not wake up back to normal and, in fact, had a lot of trouble taking a shower and getting dressed for my graduation. I warned those in the line up near me that if they saw me grimace or heard me swear, it was because of the pain and not because I was having a bad time.
Graduation was good, though! I was worried about sitting for 3+ hours, but I made it and even didn't melt in the rain that fell on us for about an hour. It was a nice ceremony, even with the rain, and it's exciting to now have another degree. Afterwards Ali, our dad, and I went out to lunch, which was a lot of fun, even though I hurt so bad I was slurring my words, haha!
After a nap and cake**, I headed north to celebrate with my friends at Hard Times in Fairfax. I was pleasantly surprised with how many people came out...and how many of those people bought me shots! Again, who knew?! It was like my birthday all over again. I had a great time and thanks again to everyone for celebrating with me:)
Sunday, after sleeping way in and getting some much needed rest, I got ready for what was soon to become and awesome evening. I had been looking forward to seeing Radiohead live for months and the crappy weather was not about to stop me. With a last second change in our lineup***, Ali, Amira, Brendan and I arrived at Nissan Pavilion at about 530pm ready face the elements and claim our spot on the lawn.
However, I don't think any of us had any idea how insane the "elements" would get. Umbrellas did nothing so we wrapped our bodies in trash bags. I felt like a dispenser as I kept pulling them out of my (what I thought was) waterproof bag. With a couple hours to wait, we decided to try sitting so we spread out our 8'x10' tarp and formed a fort-like contraption. I'm pretty sure people around us both laughed and were jealous.
At 730pm the Liars took the stage and I'm pretty sure I've seen them before. They were good, but when it's pouring you really just want the main act to go on. I have no idea what time Radiohead took the stage as I didn't wear a watch and wasn't about to take my phone out for fear it would get soaked. I totally took a page from the David Blaine book and tried to go into a zen-like meditative state to not feel the rain and cold, but it didn't really work. What did work was hearing Radiohead when they began their first song, "All I Need" because torrential downpours mean nothing when an amazing band is playing.
We ended up standing for 2+ hours in never-ending rain, soaked to the bone and freezing, but it was all worth it as they put on an amazing show. Just check out the set list:
01 All I Need
02 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
03 Lucky
04 15 Step
05 Nude
06 Pyramid Song
07 Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08 Myxomatosis
09 Idioteque
10 Faust Arp
11 Videotape
12 Paranoid Android
13 Just
14 Reckoner
15 Everything In Its Right Place
16 Bangers + Mash
17 Bodysnatchers
Encore 1:
18 Like Spinning Plates
19 Optimistic
20 Karma Police
21 Go Slowly
22 Planet Telex
Encore 2:
23 Fake Plastic Trees
24 The National Anthem
25 House Of Cards
My favorites were Planet Telex, Paranoid Android, Idioteque, and Everything In It's Right Place. Along with every other song, haha. I think my only complaint would be that I didn't get to see Johnny Greenwood enough, but when that's my only complaint, I think I'm doing okay. Especially since a ton of people, as I read, couldn't even get into the show because of washed out roads and flooded parking lots. Sorry, boos.
Overall the concert was a success, despite being soaking wet and freezing once we finally left and found our car****. I think I am still cold from last night and have worn layers and a scarf all day. No pictures from the show, unfortunately, but really, the rain was that bad because you know if anyone was going to risk it for a good shot, it would be me.
XO,
SVR
*This was my dad's diagnosis...since he's had the same thing happen.
**And presents! Who knew!? Hellloooo, Tiffany ring!
***:(
****A struggle in itself!
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2008
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)
2+2=4 hours of class
1 hour of group meeting time
4 hours (estimate) of work time to finish paper/webpage
4+1+4=9 hours until I am effing done with grad school!
Just another reason to celebrate! December is going to be really good.
XO,SVR
1 hour of group meeting time
4 hours (estimate) of work time to finish paper/webpage
4+1+4=9 hours until I am effing done with grad school!
Just another reason to celebrate! December is going to be really good.
XO,SVR
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Showbiz
I remember the day during my sophomore year of college when I went to the Blue Dog* with the intention of buying some new CDs for my drive to Richmond later in the day. I was heading down to meet up with my brother and Jobeth for some random techno show and knew that I would need some kickin' tunes to stay awake on the ride back. I bought:
Queens of the Stone Age "Rated R"
Caroline Spine
Muse "Showbiz"
I bought all three used and on a whim. I probably listened to QOTSA first and was immediately happy with my purchase. I would go on to buy all of their albums and see them live a few years ago.
Next up I put on Caroline Spine, a band I tried based on a recommendation from a fellow Foo Fighters fan. Eh...it was okay. I'm not sure I listened to the whole thing then...or ever.
Then I opened the bright blue** case of this band I hadn't heard much about and popped it into my CD player. Even as I listen now, I can remember being in my car and hearing the piano and wondering what the hell I was listening to and how it was possible to instantly love something so much. I was on my way to hear some jungle DJ and there I was, listening to Rachmaninov-inspired rock music in the car.
To say I was enamored would be an understatement. I went on to buy their next releases and have loved each and every song. I honestly don't think there is a Muse song that I have ever felt "eh" about. So here was this band I absolutely loved and yet I had never seen them live. It seemed as though they were never going to come back to the US until one day I was looking online and saw it: Muse touring with My Chemical Romance. I think I was on the phone with Ali immediately and she, being the amazing sister that she is, bought tickets for us as a birthday gift to me.
Fast forward to the show and holy hell were we two excited girls. I think we were the only two in the crowd there solely for Muse and it was obvious when we realized we were the only two standing in our section for the start of their set. But Muse wouldn't be the awesome band they are without gaining some fans and just a few songs in and more and more people were standing up to catch a better view of the show that was before us.
My only complaint about the show was that it was too short, but with that said, I would have the same complaint even if they had played every song they had ever written and even thrown in a few covers. They aren't called one of the best live bands in the world for nothing. Their show is stellar. At one point Ali looked at me and said, "Is this really happening?" It was impeccable, yet raw*** and had that indescribable "live show" feeling.
I think I was most impressed with Chris Wolstenholme's bass playing and Matthew Bellamy's falsetto and piano playing. But even as I write that I can't not mention the drumming and guitar playing. It literally was all amazing. It was just what I wanted and expected. We didn't even stay for all of My Chemical Romance's set as we didn't want to soil our ears. We mocked their fans and their cries of "MCR" while we wondered how anyone could like them over Muse.
Muse is Top 5 All Time for me. I love them, like whoa. And the next time I see them, it's going to be in the UK, bitches!
XO,
SVR
*RIP. Such an adorable used CD store in Fredericksburg, VA.
**Promo copy!
***It is my own pet peeve to describe music as "raw," but sometimes it's the only word that works.
Queens of the Stone Age "Rated R"
Caroline Spine
Muse "Showbiz"
I bought all three used and on a whim. I probably listened to QOTSA first and was immediately happy with my purchase. I would go on to buy all of their albums and see them live a few years ago.
Next up I put on Caroline Spine, a band I tried based on a recommendation from a fellow Foo Fighters fan. Eh...it was okay. I'm not sure I listened to the whole thing then...or ever.
Then I opened the bright blue** case of this band I hadn't heard much about and popped it into my CD player. Even as I listen now, I can remember being in my car and hearing the piano and wondering what the hell I was listening to and how it was possible to instantly love something so much. I was on my way to hear some jungle DJ and there I was, listening to Rachmaninov-inspired rock music in the car.
To say I was enamored would be an understatement. I went on to buy their next releases and have loved each and every song. I honestly don't think there is a Muse song that I have ever felt "eh" about. So here was this band I absolutely loved and yet I had never seen them live. It seemed as though they were never going to come back to the US until one day I was looking online and saw it: Muse touring with My Chemical Romance. I think I was on the phone with Ali immediately and she, being the amazing sister that she is, bought tickets for us as a birthday gift to me.
Fast forward to the show and holy hell were we two excited girls. I think we were the only two in the crowd there solely for Muse and it was obvious when we realized we were the only two standing in our section for the start of their set. But Muse wouldn't be the awesome band they are without gaining some fans and just a few songs in and more and more people were standing up to catch a better view of the show that was before us.
My only complaint about the show was that it was too short, but with that said, I would have the same complaint even if they had played every song they had ever written and even thrown in a few covers. They aren't called one of the best live bands in the world for nothing. Their show is stellar. At one point Ali looked at me and said, "Is this really happening?" It was impeccable, yet raw*** and had that indescribable "live show" feeling.
I think I was most impressed with Chris Wolstenholme's bass playing and Matthew Bellamy's falsetto and piano playing. But even as I write that I can't not mention the drumming and guitar playing. It literally was all amazing. It was just what I wanted and expected. We didn't even stay for all of My Chemical Romance's set as we didn't want to soil our ears. We mocked their fans and their cries of "MCR" while we wondered how anyone could like them over Muse.
Muse is Top 5 All Time for me. I love them, like whoa. And the next time I see them, it's going to be in the UK, bitches!
XO,
SVR
*RIP. Such an adorable used CD store in Fredericksburg, VA.
**Promo copy!
***It is my own pet peeve to describe music as "raw," but sometimes it's the only word that works.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Hello/Goodbye
I have been in a few bands in my time, but the one that actually had songs comes with quite the amusing name and story.
I'm not sure which came first, the band name or the idea to start a band, but after BG found out I had a guitar, he decided I would be the band's new guitarist. We were a bit unorthodox with two singers and one guitar player who didn't know how to play.
I remember the night before our first scheduled band practice when I went with my friends to see Elliott Smith and Granddaddy play at the 930 Club in DC. Realizing my guitar knowledge was limited at best, I took to watching the guitarists that night as closely and as intently as I could. I thought that maybe I would become a better player by focusing on their technique.
Well, I don't know what I was thinking, because the next afternoon we gathered in my dorm room to write our first song, "Beth Comes Ripping." BG explained what the song was about, but he's crazy so I didn't even try to understand his references to "the thunderdome" and who, exactly, Beth was. And not only did I not know how to play the guitar, but I was embarassed to do so in front of them. With my position in the band on the line, though, I picked up my axe*, ready to play. BS taught me what power chords to play and we were off! We had our first song.
And our last.
But it was a good song and we even talked about taking it on the road. Or at least to the Underground, which is Mary Washington's coffee shop/small venue for music. A few days later I asked what the inspiration for the song was and BG explained that he had looked at an apartment down the street to rent that was inhabited by a girl named Beth. Apparently the apartment was dubbed "The Thunderdome" for whatever reason and I guess she was hott. I'm not sure, really. Remember that BG is crazy**.
We never did play our song live and now, six years later, I can't even remember why we stopped working on it. Somewhere, in my old computer backups is a sound file of BS playing the guitar part and BG singing the lyrics. I'm telling you, one day that file is going to be worth millions. "Beth Comes Ripping" is a long lost hit that never got its chance.
And that is the story of my band, Hello Shitty.
*Actually, just an acoustic guitar I had gotten for Christmas the year before. I didn't get my real axe (electric) until Christmas of that year.
**So many other stories to tell.
I'm not sure which came first, the band name or the idea to start a band, but after BG found out I had a guitar, he decided I would be the band's new guitarist. We were a bit unorthodox with two singers and one guitar player who didn't know how to play.
I remember the night before our first scheduled band practice when I went with my friends to see Elliott Smith and Granddaddy play at the 930 Club in DC. Realizing my guitar knowledge was limited at best, I took to watching the guitarists that night as closely and as intently as I could. I thought that maybe I would become a better player by focusing on their technique.
Well, I don't know what I was thinking, because the next afternoon we gathered in my dorm room to write our first song, "Beth Comes Ripping." BG explained what the song was about, but he's crazy so I didn't even try to understand his references to "the thunderdome" and who, exactly, Beth was. And not only did I not know how to play the guitar, but I was embarassed to do so in front of them. With my position in the band on the line, though, I picked up my axe*, ready to play. BS taught me what power chords to play and we were off! We had our first song.
And our last.
But it was a good song and we even talked about taking it on the road. Or at least to the Underground, which is Mary Washington's coffee shop/small venue for music. A few days later I asked what the inspiration for the song was and BG explained that he had looked at an apartment down the street to rent that was inhabited by a girl named Beth. Apparently the apartment was dubbed "The Thunderdome" for whatever reason and I guess she was hott. I'm not sure, really. Remember that BG is crazy**.
We never did play our song live and now, six years later, I can't even remember why we stopped working on it. Somewhere, in my old computer backups is a sound file of BS playing the guitar part and BG singing the lyrics. I'm telling you, one day that file is going to be worth millions. "Beth Comes Ripping" is a long lost hit that never got its chance.
And that is the story of my band, Hello Shitty.
*Actually, just an acoustic guitar I had gotten for Christmas the year before. I didn't get my real axe (electric) until Christmas of that year.
**So many other stories to tell.
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