Textual Healing

So I'm a little inebriated. But I'm in the best of moods... I just took two of my cousins out to dinner tonight at BJs to celebrate their birthdays over the last two weeks (John turned 24, his sister Cheryl turned 23 one week later). And it was great to spend time together and catch up. It's still trippy to me that he's married now (and that I performed the ceremony) and that his little 9 month old is the CUTEST thing in the history of ever. EVER.

Disagree and I will cut you.

And Cheryl's student teaching now and developing lesson plans and doing all those teachery-things that teachers do, and I'm so very proud of both of them. They've both got very level heads on their shoulders and they were the closest things I had to siblings when we were growing up. So even though we're all adults and doing our own things now (even when I was living with Cheryl - she was my last roommate - we were always both out and about), it means the world to spend quality time with them.

Anyways. I think I like to be textual when I've had drinks. But it's never in a really bad way where I'm texting people things that I really shouldn't be saying... and my grammar is still pretty in tact, I feel. Auto spell correct helps too though. :P

Time for bed.

Short Blogs of Randomness: ...On Dancing

Every time I happen to catch a bit of "Dancing With the Stars" on TV, a little part of me wishes there was a TV show called "Dancing with the Data Analysts".

And I would want IN.

It just looks such so much fun! The routines, the glitz, the passion of certain dances and the whimsy of others. And it'd be a great workout. Now I don't know how well I'd actually do... but I have Asian in me, so I think with some dedication and a hot partner (*cough*Cheryl Burke*cough*) I'd make it to at least the halfway point.

Maybe I should look into ballroom dancing again, like I did a few years back. Even my old roommate confessed to taking some classes to experience something different, and if he can do it, I can certainly get back in the mix!

Drunken Post... ish...

WASSUP!

So it's past 3AM, NYC time, and despite having a lot of drinks (sangria, beer, cocktails and shots) I think I'm still pretty coherent and capable of spelling and typing things out in a readable format. We've had 1.5 days in Manhattan so far, and it's been interesting in the following ways:

1. Manhattan is HUGE. And that's only ONE of the five boroughs! But you have upper Manhattan which has the Empire State building, and then lower Manhattan which had (and will have again) the complete World Trade Center... it's like one ginormous skyline. There's so much to see and do here...

2. But I'm not super impressed. Granted, it's only been a day and a half that I've been here, but I remember going into downtown Chicago for the first time and being in awe of how beautiful the skyline was, and how clean things seemed (for a downtown area) and how "cultured" and historical the downtown area felt... I didn't get the same impression here. Right now, it feels like a bigger LA to me. As in, lots to see and do and a center of American entertainment, but a nightmare to drive through and seemingly pretty dirty and seedy in areas. I mean, a hot girl walks by and you want to offer a free hug? Really?

3. (removed upon the sobriety of the next day)

4. The bartender at our hotel is very cool... this is the second night we've been there til closing, and he's been giving us free shots... which is why I'm feeling all "wooooo" like...

5. Because we were at the bar, we've met cool people, including a guy tonight who expressed dismay at the whole typical American cycle where we make money and then spend money, but how he was over that and it wasn't making him happy. Man, can I relate... he's going back to Africa next year to work on the non-profit he's part of... he gave me the info to look it up, and I will definitely do so in the AM.

Anyways. Thursday daytime awaits!

Shorts Bursts of Randomness: ...On A Concert High

Foo Fighters. 2011.10.17. Best night of live rock music in my life thus far.

Short Bursts of Randomness: ...On Merchandising

Tonight, Sarah and I went down to Humphrey's Concerts By the Bay to help sell merchandise for Andy Grammar, as he was the opening act for Colbie Caillat.

Some thoughts:

1. Selling merchandise is not as easy as it looks. You have to check everything in, check everything out, sort all the merchandise, handle the lines of customers and money being exchanged, write down all that's purchased, account for everything and then make sure the venue gets their cut of the profit. But having a great team of merch sellers helped. Besides Sarah and I, there were three other girls who volunteered and they were very cool. One was like a super Andy fan, which was awesome to have that positive energy there. Otherwise, it would've been kinda rough.

2. We got to see Jason Mraz sing his duet with Colbie, and it was pretty awesome... I'd never been super stoked on the song to begin with, but the experience is just another example of the magic that happens at a live concert.

3. I could never be a celebrity in the pop world. Dealing with lines of people wanting to get your picture taken with them, having various items signed, older men trying to give you career advice, and wannabe giving you copies of their demo CD... Andy handled it all with charm and aplomb, and he's been doing this for awhile now. Even just sitting there listening to it all, I and one of the other girls caught ourselves rolling our eyes sometimes at the hoopla. And when an 8 year old gets excited that Andy's not married and her father seems just as excited? Creepy. So yeah. I'm waaaaaay too cynical and realistic to make it as a celeb. (We'll ignore the whole needing to have the looks/talent/charisma part.)

4. Humphrey's is a GREAT venue... and it made me think for freakin' stellar it would have been to see Adele there, had we scored tickets somehow the first time (and had she not cancelled the initial date)...

5. I'm not a huge Colbie fan, but she gains major props in my book for cutting through the bullshit and telling the audience that we weren't going to have to play the "encore waiting game". She just gave her encore immediately after the "final" song, and told the audience how it was gonna go down.

6. Now to bring on concert #2: the Foo Fighters with the broseph, the old roomie, and the fraternal twin (because Ash, I think we're pretty dang similar except for how you're female and Turkish).

Short Bursts of Randomness: ...On Worship

Sometimes you're there singing, then suddenly hit by the relevance and magnitude of what you're singing. Tonight was one of those nights.

And if our God is for us, then what could ever stop us?
And if our God with us, then what could stand against?

A good reminder of His providence in times of uncertainty... in a time when so many seem to be touched by the words of Steve Jobs from his Stanford commencement address, yet remain unable to put his charges into action, to take a leap of faith and trust that He will still continue to connect the dots in that perfect way that we could never draw on our own.

I think I posted this song before, but to Chris Tomlin's version. Here's the band I heard tonight (from a previous service though, not from tonight's).

Short Bursts of Randomness: ...On Smiling

Flights to NYC? Booked.

Hotel room three blocks from Central Park? Reserved.

Good friend from work going with me and just as excited? Confirmed.

I don't think my face has felt a smile this big in awhile. :) Less than two weeks to go!