beautiful disaster
and I couldn't help but wonder...
I'll be here awhile...
Well the time has come to say goodbye to this whole experience.
I have to admit... which seems silly, but this blogging group changed my life. I've met friends, met lovers, met inspirational people. I'm back in Los Angeles but my heart is in Boulder, back where this all began. It was a short time, but in life, you have to live for those little moments and appreciate everything as it comes.
I could have left Colorado without having met any of you. In my original plan, I was supposed to! Somehow it was meant to be. I don't regret a single thing.
I just have some words of advice.
Travel.
Don't stay home, see the world. Life isn't measured by what you make, it's measured by what you make of it. Sure, you can leave your grandchildren piles and piles of money when you die, but I can guarantee they will love you more if you are the hip grandparent that can tell them about life, about the world, about your adventures when you were younger.
Love.
Nothing good comes easily... but there is nothing like the moments you share with people. Especially people who are important to you. Yes, you may get hurt, but you may find great happiness. Life is too amazing to go through alone. Don't look back in regret.
Stay positive and love your life... do good things, be good to people. Make friends with strangers.
I'll be living here until I figure out my next projects, and trust me, we've got ideas in the works.
Be good. Listen to 311. Hope to see you at a show sometime.
Party up top
Last week was pretty exciting for me.
On Tuesday and Wednesday I got to go see The Police at the Hollywood Bowl. Yes, both nights. It soothed the pain of last year when they originally reformed and hit up Dodgers Stadium and I could not get my hands on tickets.
These two shows more than made up for that. Definitely.
Elvis Costello opened up and his set was really awesome. And I don't even know any of his music but he got my feet moving.
But this is where the evening started getting really... hilarious.
I don't mean to offend anyone, because I will be old someday as well. But man oh man it was funny as hell watching the old people dancing! While playing random drinking games my sister made up this move called "Party Up Top" which is basically putting your arms straight up over your head and swinging them in a circle. Kind of awkward but mostly hilarious.
We take this move out on the town; bars, restaurants, we took it to Coachella, to Vegas... random places. Yet when we do it, more times than not alcohol has been involved.
These people were all dancing, party up top, like it was their job!
I laughed my heart out. It made me really happy. It was adorable. I hope that when I finally grow up and settle down with a husband and a full time job that I still feel totally young at heart and go see my favorite bands and let it all hang out.
These Police fans came from all over the country... some even from Canada and Europe. They bought their tickets from expensive auctions, they had vintage tees that they'd probably been the original owners of. This was night two of three or four for them. They know every song, know the crew, stay after the show ends yelling for the set-list. Hang out to try to meet the band. These are things that my friends and I do now. All I can say is, fucking awesome! I can only hope that we're still there way down the line.
The only people I saw in the crowd my age (and younger, which made me happy) were there with their parents. Still, they were all smiles and singing along to every word. Even the ten and under fans!
The show itself was magic. Sting is amazing. The Police have songs that are truly brilliant and timeless. They played all of their singles plus songs I didn't know well... They were stunning live.
BUT
...yes, there is a but.
Sting wore the same shirt both nights. And that wasn't the only repeat... they played the same exact set and he said all of the same (bad) jokes in between songs and introductions. That was slightly disappointing but not really a big deal.
Experiences like these are what make me such a music fanatic. Amazing.
summer summer summertiiiime
Life has been a crazy whirlwind. Living in Colorado REALLY made me appreciate my seasons, mostly my favorite one. On my calendar, summer starts with Coachella. Since then I've been on short trips to Las Vegas, San Diego, and my friend Emily came to visit this past weekend... mini vacations are the best. Warm weather doesn't hurt either! I never knew how much I'd miss it!
I haven't even really been to the beach yet but long days, warm nights... it feels great. Leaving my windows open and feeling the summer breeze. Goosebumps!
Music is obviously the most important thing in my life... so duh, shows are going to be so much more important this summer also in planning travel.
As I said, Coachella kicked off the summer concert series... it was so fucking amazing. Dancing to Fatboy Slim (in a tent!) the first night... Prince and Portishead the next night... napping on the grass on the third day... bliss. Vegas staying out until the sun came up every night... Lisa being on tour with Alicia Keys traveling all over the country... I feel so close to her it's almost like I'm there with her on her adventures too. Fancy dining and casino hoping with my parents in San Diego was fun; Emily's days here were short but nothing short of awesome. We went to the UCLA Jazz Festival which felt like a mini-Coachella. Nothing makes me happier in the summer than an outdoor show, I don't even care who is playing.
This week...tonight and tomorrow, I get paid to see The Police! I am ecstatic. I LOVE The Police. And The Hollywood Bowl is an absolutely amazing place to see a show.
Next it's going to be June before I know it!
Already my summer is pretty much booked solid. Getting older means life gets crazy and your time is no longer your own but starting to fill up with, dare I say? WEDDINGS! Yep I have two this summer... luckily in September so the warmer months are clear with the exception of those pre-parties, but those are fun.
Junes shows and wishlist:
- Coldplay, NERD (both on Kimmel)
- Kanye's Glow in the Dark Tour, Eryka Badu/The Roots @ The Greek (if I can get my hands on some tickets...)
- Stone Temple Pilots in Vegas and @ The Hollywood Bowl
- 311 in San Diego and Irvine
- Misc. Rockies @ Dodgers, Indians @ Dodgers, travel to Denver end of month :)
July:
- 311 @ Red Rocks
- STONE TEMPLE PILOTS @ Red Rocks (THE.NEXT.NIGHT!)
-STP in Norcal (road trip!)
- Jimmy Eat World @ Avalon (Same night as HARD ft NERD/MSTRKRFT and Steve Aoki, we'll see what I manage to fit in...)
- Misc. Rockies game while in CO!
August:
- Lollapalooza (somehow I've decided in my head I really want to go this year... let's see what I can pull of becauuuuse...)
- Hawaii. (years and YEARS of travel to random towns all over the US to see 311 have convinced me it needs to stop... or at least integrate travel to somewhere gorgeous... aka Hawaii. it's 8/16!)
- Radiohead @ The Hollywood Bowl (what a great freaking season)
- Misc. MORE Rockies @ Dodgers :)
Misc. September:
- SoCal wedding and Seattle wedding!
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!
October:
- Voodoo Music Fest in New Orleans (STP!)
I don't understand how people can say they get bored. Sometimes there's just way too much to do. So much to look forward to. I love this time of year. I am really excited. Yay!!!!
I also really want to start hiking a lot and I NEED to go camping this summer. I hope that most of this works out. I am excited. can you tell? ;)
Hiking in LA vs. Boulder
I'm kind of embarrassed. I've lived in Los Angeles 23 years (minus 10 months) and I've never hiked in Runyon Canyon.
Today, I changed that.
It's been a LONG freaking day. I worked all day for my dad's company doing security at USC's commencement ceremonies, which was awesome and saddening at the same time. My shortcomings overwhelmed me when I ran into a high school classmate who graduated last year. I'm proud of my personal achievements and goals... but there are things I wish I could have done differently. I feel like every year that passes should have been the year, but I know I can't live to regret and that life is long. I'll get there someday.
Anyway, I worked with my friends the twins... it was a fun day, lots of being on my feet and going upstairs, down stairs, talking to Trojans and Trojan fans... pretty awesome.
Afterwards, we came back to their place since we're planning on going out tonight (it is Friday night, after all) and they immediately changed into gym shorts and tee shirts... I knew I was in trouble.
I ran back to my car and sure enough, there were my tennis shoes. No turning back!
They literally live at the bottom of Runyon, so off we went. And it was HOT today... oh man.
They had their ipods and they have their routine, so they took off ahead of me which I didn't mind. I like to be alone with my thoughts sometimes. At first I was kind of bummed because I didn't have my ipod (why doesn't it live in my purse?) but then I realized it didn't matter at all.
I figured if I was going to do it, to just DO it... go big or go home, right?
I took the mountain, which is a funny thing to say because it's a CANYON and I did live in Boulder for almost a year. They are really only (Hollywood) HILLS. Kind of ironic.
Instantly I started categorizing the differences.
I hiked with my friend Emily back in Boulder in the Flatirons, which honestly was a very spiritual experience for me. This hike made me realize and appreciate the ways these two places are different.
First, I noticed LA IS DIRTY! Which you can say, duh... but it's sad this made me realize it. The nature in CO vs CA does not compare. CO trumps. But then you notice the palm trees... and the birds chirping. But the higher you go... you hear the traffic... you see the helicopters... you have to keep swatting your arms because of the bugs.
Then... the entire city opens up in front of you. You can see for miles! It's a really breathtaking sight... if you ignore the smog.
I guess I shouldn't complain... this is my home and I love it. I'm actually really glad every day that I came back. My heart misses Boulder, but it also knows it's home where I need to be.
I wish I'd had a camera on my hike, but some things you just need to see for yourself. And next time, I WILL take my ipod! Working out without one sucks... with a few exceptions.
As I Am Tour 2008
On May 4th I was lucky enough to trek down to Anaheim to see Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks.
I'm not a big fan of American Idol, but last year my friend Brandon Rogers was in the Top 12, so I was familiar with Jordin from the start. And I support my sister, so I have learned to love Miss Sparks. Whenever I hear "No Air" and "No One" (by Alicia Keys) I have to choke back tears. So this tour was VERY exciting for me!
We were treated to free beverages and popcorn... we settled into our seats and watched Jordin's set... girl has an amazing voice! Her most popular singles right now are, "Tattoo" and "No Air" which features Chris Brown. My sister's favorite song is, "Permanent Monday" which from the first time I heard it was totally familiar to me... it's a really pretty ballad. Jordin is so young yet such a huge talent, I am excited to have eyes at her growth, things are just going to get bigger and better for that girl and she deserves it.
We missed Ne-yo's set to go backstage and meet Jordin, even my mom, which was super cute because she IS a huge American Idol fan.
Then it was Alicia's turn. And holy cow!
I've been to a lot of shows... but I don't go to shows like this. I can't think of any large scale female artists that I absolutely adore... not any that still tour. The lights, the sets, the dancing, everything was amazing. She came out super glamorous. She payed homage to classic girl groups. I was totally blown away. Her voice is a weapon, there is no other way to describe it. She had me in awe the whole show.
She played pretty much everything we wanted to hear... songs I loved and songs I totally forgot I loved. They included: "Fallen," "You Don't Know My Name," "How Come You Don't Call Me," "A Woman's Worth," "If I Ain't Got You," "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "No One."
I appreciate anyone that is classically trained. She rocks out on the piano like it's nobody's business, I effing love that. I mean, how can you hate on that??
I think I am such a huge fan of Alicia because she is gorgeous, she is talented, and she holds her own. Plus she writes these inspiring songs about respect, love and relationships... she writes true love songs that throw back to when LOVE actually meant something. They put value in romance. Maybe I'm just a sucker but I love that. I guess I am a hopeless romantic. I'm glad there are still artists out there that feed my love for that.
Here are some pictures we took of the show... check it out if it hits your city. I promise you it's spectacular.
