Music is every.thing.to.me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQHv-fhHq9Y Go to this link right now...... I'm OBSESSED. o b s e s s e d With the new 30 Seconds to Mars song, "Closer to the Edge" Like it's on repeat on my iPod. And I cannot stop listening to it. It gives me the chills and makes me cry, and makes me pissed that I didn't go see them last time they were here. It makes me wish I were younger than I am. Not that I wouldn't be jumping up and down like the kids in the video, because I would. I WILL next time they come through town. Trust me, go - go now to YouTube and watch the official video, it's about 6+minutes long, and watch all the way to the end, the dude who says the sentence that is the title of this post. He's got it. Down. That's how I feel about music. Musical snobs/elitists/whatevers, don't bother with your comments. To each their own. I think this band is wicked talented, and I don't give a shit what you think.

Stolen from BG (thanks BG!)

A big list of things. The highlighted ones are the things I've done: 1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink 2. Swam with wild dolphins 3. Climbed a mountain 4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 5. Been inside the Great Pyramid 6. Held a tarantula 7. Taken a candlelit bath 8. Said I love you and meant it 9. Hugged a tree 10. Bungee jumped 11. Visited Paris 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 13. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 18. Touched an iceberg 19. Slept under the stars 20. Changed a baby's diaper 21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 22. Watched a meteor shower 23. Gotten drunk on Champagne 24. Given more than you can afford to charity 25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 27. Had a food fight 28. Bet on a winning horse 29. Asked out a stranger 30. Had a snow ball fight 31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 32. Held a lamb 33. Seen a total eclipse 34. Ridden a roller coaster 35. Hit a home run 36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Taken care of someone who was too drunk 41. Visited all 50 states 42. Had amazing friends 43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country 44. Watched wild whales 45. Stolen a sign 46. Backpacked in Europe 47. Taken a road trip 48. Gone rock climbing 49. Midnight walk on the beach 50. Gone sky diving 51. Visited Ireland 52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love 53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them 54. Visited Japan 55. Milked a cow 56. Alphabetized your CDs 57. Pretended to be a super hero 58. Sung karaoke 59. Lounged around in bed all day 60. Posed nude in front of strangers 61. Gone scuba diving 62. Kissed in the rain 63. Played in the mud 64. Played in the rain 65. Gone to a drive in theater 66. Visited the Great Wall of China 67. Started a business 68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 69. Toured ancient sites 70. Taken a martial arts class 71. Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight 72. Gotten married 73. Been in a movie 74. Crashed a party 75. Gotten divorced 76. Gone without food for 5 days 77. Made cookies from scratch 78. Won first prize in a costume contest 79. Ridden a gondola in Venice 80. Gotten a tattoo 81. Rafted the Snake River 82. Been on television news program as an "expert" 83. Got flowers for no reason 84. Performed on stage 85. Been to Las Vegas 86. Recorded music 87. Eaten shark 88. Had a one-night stand 89. Gone to Thailand 90. Bought a house 91. Been in a combat zone 92. Buried one/both of your parents 93. Been on a cruise ship 94. Spoken more than one language fluently 95. Performed in Rocky Horror 96. Raised children 97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 98. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country 100. Picked up and moved to another city 101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking 103. Had plastic surgery 104. Survived an accident you probably shouldn't have survived 105. Wrote articles for a large publication 106. Lost over 100 pounds 107. Held someone when they were having a flashback 108. Piloted an airplane 109. Petted a stingray 110. Broken someone's heart 111. Helped an animal give birth 112. Won money on a t.v. game show 113. Broken a bone 114. Gone on an African photo safari 115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced 116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 118. Ridden a horse 119. Had major surgery 120. Had a snake as a pet 121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours 123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states 124. Visited all 7 continents 125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 126. Eaten kangaroo meat 127. Eaten sushi 128. Had your picture in the newspaper 129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 130. Gone back to school 131. Parasailed 132. Petted a cockroach 133. Eaten fried green tomatoes 134. Read the Iliad 135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 137. Skipped all of your school reunions 138. Communicated with someone without sharing a spoken language 139. Been elected to public office 140. Written your own computer language 141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 142. Had to put someone you love in hospice care 143. Built your own PC from parts 144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair 146. Dyed your hair 147. Been a DJ 148. Shaved your head. 149. Caused a car accident 150. Saved someone's life 151. Changed your own oil 152. Changed your own brake pads 153. Made pizza from scratch 154. Stood atop the highest point in your home state 155. Gone swimming in a rock quarry 156. Gone on a trip for more than two days to an unfamiliar place and not eaten at a single chain restaurant 157. Grown your hair long 158. Made your own cheese 159. Re-established contact with an old flame many years later 160. Bought a new car and driven it until well past 150000 miles 161. Sewn a complete garment 162. Uttered a curse word in front of a clergy person 163. Blown your rent money at your favorite store 164. Seen your car being towed 165. Phoned in a vote on some reality TV show competition 166. Seriously considered living in a different country 167. Served in the armed forces 168. Been kicked out of a movie theater 169. Seen a classic film on the big screen 170. Eaten haggis 171. Eaten dim sum in a traditional setting 172. Prepared an entire Thanksgiving dinner 173. Gone swimming full clothed 174. Gone swimming not clothed at all 175. Driven across the country taking shifts so the trip only takes a few days 176. Explored a construction site in the dark 177. Ridden an elephant 178. Attended a Major League Baseball game 179. Attended an NFL game 180. Attended an NHL game 181. Attended an NBA game 182. Seen a US President live 183. Actually met a sitting US President 184. Auditioned for a reality TV show 185. Been hit in the face with a pie 186. Stood in line on the release date of a product 187. Worked aboard a fishing boat 188. Cut down a fully mature tree 189. Seen the Mona Lisa 190. Seen the Sistine Chapel 191. Eaten fugu 192. Paddled a canoe or kayak 193. Held the control stick of an aircraft in flight 194. Asked a librarian for help finding a book 195. Personally acquired the autograph of a person you admire 196. Locked your keys in your car in a strange city 197. Had to break into your own home 198. Seen a space shuttle launch 199. Attended a NASCAR race 200. Marched in a parade phew....long list!

The ABCs of Testament/Megadeth/Slayer Show

Acid washed jeans Boobs (on the men) Crimped hair Duuuuudes Earsplitting Flatulance Guttural screams Horns (if you don't know, don't ask) Incoherent mumblings in our direction while we looked for car Jesus (because, you know Dave Mustaine found him) Kicks, lots of them, in the pit Lasers MEGADETH!!! And, Mustaine. No waiting for the ladies' room Overloaded (in a good way) Pit!!!! Quite deaf, still today Rockin! Skullets Turned up to 11 Unbelievably L O U D Von was headbanging. For realz White trash Xactly what I needed Friday night! Years since I've done that Zildjians

It's just so......Metal

Tonight I'm going to see Slayer. And Megadeth And Testament with my go-go dancer friend. Tomorrow night I'm working Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's big show at Old Town. Yes, I am that cool, and yes, my life is that exciting.

And then....

This morning: I come out of my house about 10 minutes early. I have to run to the bank and the gas station. VonSis and VonBroinlaw are standing next to her car, which is parked directly behind VonCar. They are talking animatedly. Lots of hand waving. I say: "I cry when mommy and daddy fight" they start kissing I say: "I vomit when mommy and daddy are kissing" I get to my car um, shit The door is not quite closed. I say: "VonSis, don't go anywhere, looks like I didn't close the door all the way, the battery might be dead." I go to get in my car AND MY SHIT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE glasses, cassette tapes, directions, bags, notebooks, GOD DAMN IT, SOMEONE RIFLED THROUGH MY CAR I jump back like something bit me "SOMEONE WENT THROUGH MY CAR!!" VonBroinlaw leaps into action "What?!" VonSis starts digging around in my car. "You don't have anything in here anyway, right?" Right. I don't. I would never leave money or anything in it, hence why I don't lock it. But bloody hell, people, unlocked or not, it's not your fucking car!!! Thankfully, nothing was missing - what, cobag, you didn't want that Rush Roll the Bones cassette tape? No? But still. I feel kinda violated. It bothers me that something nasty was digging around and touching my stuff. Now, I get to call the police non-emergency line and fill them in. Because that sounds like fun.

Follow up

I drive a 2000 Honda CR-V. I bought it new in 2001. It has less than 49,000 miles on it. I just found out the repairs are going to be $1,300 Before you sound off and get all sexist on me, you should probably know that I worked in the automotive industry for 10 years, as a wholesale buyer. As THE wholesale buyer, as I purchased 75% of the product our 35 warehouses stocked. So, NO, I didn't get screwed. As a matter of fact, I made him go through not only every process that was run, BUT every part that was purchased for VonCar. Everything was necessary. Plus, we added on a transmission service to help the longevity of VonCar. I'm actually pretty lucky I took it in when I did. Plus, after 10 years of no problems, I consider this small potatoes. On a (totally related) side note: Anyone hiring part time? Looks like I need a part time job.

Quick note

Wow. A week without a post, and no one gave me a hard time about it? It's like you knew I was busy or something. OR You just don't give a shit. Either way. I'm back, but less frequently. Need to watch my ps & qs at the workplace. What, like you don't write posts at work? Mmm hmmmm. The last week has been pretty intense/amazing. I got to see many people I haven't seen for a long time - helllllo German class crush! I STILL loves you a lot! - and friends who have moved away, and friends who were internets but are now actuals. No, I can't give you a recap of the big bloggy meet up. Someone might kill me. What I CAN say is that I'm obsessed with Jennifer, Snag, MenD and Zombie. These people are HIlarious. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, so long, or nearly spit out my beer due to laughing. The Lamblets? Absolutely precious. I tried to stuff Youngest Lamblet in my suitcase to take her home and live with me forever times, but Jennifer wasn't having it. Eldest Lamblet is super cool. I'm happy to be someone she knows. I made it my goal to make her giggle. Other children present were delightful, and silent, and cool. Who could ask for more. You get nothing else from the weekend. SORRY!! VonCar hated the going fast for long stretches of time, and has thrown a big enough hissy fit that it's now in the shop. Boo hiss, VonCar, I was just reveling in my freedom, and plan on doing some more long driving. As long as it does not involve highways/freeways/merging. (yes, still, shut up) I am, though, very very proud of myself for driving there. There WERE merging things going on. And a stretch of freeway action. Ok, granted, I got ON the freeway where it began, and got OFF the freeway where it ended, but I was ON the freeway, and driving. Yay me, I say.