And I thought, "Great, just as soon as I get the speeding ticket cleared off I get pulled over again." Kelli and I had just left from the House of Blues and seeing Edwin McCain and Sister Hazel. I admit that the only things on my mind were how damn good the concert was and getting to the 405. That would be why when asked by the cop "Did you see the pedestrian back there?", I answered "No sir."
Now I'm sure you just cringed at that answer. You're thinking, "Why didn't you lie?" Well, maybe you aren't, but I was right after I said the truth but if I had it could have played out much worse. In that I saw the pedestrian and still chose to keep driving. As it were I think the cop took pity on my because I as from Bakersfield...not used to the big city. In the end I got a fix-it ticket for having beads hanging from my rear-view mirror which were obstructing my vision. I'm not complaining - with the whole zero-tolerance thing going on he had to give me a ticket for something.
Record highs in Bakersfield today. Ah, air that feels like a blow dryer....how I've not missed it. The spring was wonderfully long this year which I was hoping to take advantage of by moving before it got too hot. Guess that's not gonna be happening now though. The move...the move is on for next week. This will be the first time in nearly 4 years that I moved. How the hell have I stayed in this apartment for that long?
Four years though. Damn. I recently went to a couple of 5 year anniversary lunches for coworkers of mine but what puts it in perspective is to see these interns coming in for the summer. It just doesn't seem like that long ago that I was where they were and now I'm considered somewhat of an knowledable person in the field I work. Crazy.
Oh and this had nothing to do with Tarantulas - I just like the song. Prize to anyone who actually knows who sings that song.
Earlier I was thinking "exactly how long does bad karma last?" but then I got the newsletter from Camp Mak-A-Dream and these things that have been pushing stress into my life were suddenly not so important.
any and all kind words would be appreciated. today i made the leap of buying a house (big check), it's friggin hot (nearly triple digits), the power keeps going out (i wouldn't be surprised if it goes off again) and oh, something in my truck's transmission blew up today (we're talking reddish fluid all over the engine and dripping down by the tires).
At precisely 10:54 pm the nightly symphony begins, starting with a ch-ch-chsshpeeeeerchhhhh. It seems that as soon as they fix one sprinkler head the increased pressure or aggressive driver (must...get...closer...to...curb...) causes another one to break. The nightly show isn't as much of a bother to me, seeing as I'm most often awake for the sounds of spattering water. Kathy on the other hand is just counting that last sleep on her way to slumber only to have her sheep drown in a downpour of water. The one that really soaks me is when the cycle starts all over again around 5am. I would give a precise time but I'm not even able to comprehend the numbers on the clock when shaken from a deep sleep. The choice becomes one of will power - either put a pillow over my head or give into the morning urge to start the day. Luckily my urge to start the day isn't as strong as my desire to linger under the covers.
And there it ends, at 11:05 pm. The last spatters of drops hitting the ground reminiscent of rainfall and it's time for me to sleep.
There's something so right about driving around Houston in a rental car listening to Bob Schneider's latest cd I'm Good Now. While I highly suggest you just go buy it, you can not take my word alone and check it out on his site as it's streaming somewhere on there (I'm to tired to go check for the exact location). Speaking of, I'm missing out on his show in LA right now but that would have been a recipe for disaster having just flown back from Houston today.
Also listened to Jump (Little Children)'s new album Between the Dim and the Dark a bit while driving the city streets. I like it, not as much as Magazine yet but that's pretty high on my list.
Feel like I've not had anything good to say lately and no use spewing vitrolic crap on here. Spent a few days in Houston for work which all in all was okay. Just made for really long days sitting, listening to presentations for three straight days. At least we were staying in the nicest hotel I've been to yet. Not sure if it was due to my exhaustion of the bed was just that damn comfortable but as soon as my head hit the pillows I was out.
Upon returning to Bakersfield I found that the temperatures were fast approaching the Summer levels. I was hoping to have been moved in before that happened. In fact, I was supposed to be moving this weekend but seeing as I don't have a house to move into yet...yea, that's didn't work out. Still waiting to hear what's the final verdict on the deal. The number of boxes in the apartment are slowly growing - surely a sign of my slight optimism that a move will eventually happen. I'm just dreading the thought of having to go back out and look at houses again. Trying to go with the thought that things happen for a reason (this reason being I agreed on the conditions of the counteroffer...). Hopefully there will be some news tomorrow (and hopefully it's not just the apartment calling to say they fixed the water leak on the washer).
No new news really on the house. It's dragging on even longer and tomorrow I fly to Houston. The original plan was to move into the house when I get back but that's not happening now. Hell, I don't even own the house yet now. So instead I get to spend the next few weeks living amonst more and more boxes. This I can deal with. The bugger of it all, it that with the move up in the air, I can't really plan out anything for weekends and it seems like there are so many concerts I would like to catch towards the end of the month and several on the same damn day. Not that it matters. I've not been going to see much live music outside of Bakersfield as of late. Wednesday was Ari Hest at the Knitting Factory. I sat at home instead. All this has forced me to succumb to the fact that I have no control over anything right now.
Contingent is not a favorite wore of mine lately. Escrow is supposed to close today or tomorrow yet I have a bad feeling that it's not going to happen then. When the offer was initially going down, I was enroute to Vegas to hang with my college friends. I ended up signing the counter offer Saturday morning with a nasty hangover and faxing it back in which could be why I didn't clearly remember that the sale is contingent on the seller's buying another house. That brings us to the problem at hand. They are having problems which in turn has caused me to stress out to the point of only eating B.R.A.T. (broth. rice. applesauce. toast.) since my stomach is upset. Add to that some stress at work - presentation for tomorrow, poster for a conference in Houston. Wham bam ulcer on the way.
Okay, that's a little over dramatized. But still, I just want to buy a friggin' house.
the ducks (even if they are amusing to chase after)
living with stacks of cds everywhere
only having one bathroom
neighbors on 3 sides
hauling things up stairs
not being able to really play the stereo at a decent level
no room to paint
not being able to paint the walls
the broken sprinkler system
The big day is coming up soon and I"m starting to stress over it. Just seems to me that for "spending" the amount of money that I'm going to be that I should have done more. Not that it's a bad thing that the process has been painless (until I write that check). This month is going to be full of good and bad. Work is keeping me damn busy with presentations and a trip to Houston. Then I get back and move all the shit that's accumulated here in 4 years. Add to that Memorial Day and friends visiting and throw in a couple concerts to the mix. Busy busy busy.
Evidently there was something in my bag that was setting off the security alarms as I walked in and out of stores like Home Depot. Even stranger is when the would look at me and then just wave me on. I could have so easily taken that roll of duct tape I was admiring...
Can I just say, I'm loving this song by Stir - Skeletons. Jenn had sent it to me a long while ago, and now I'm kicking myself for not taking her up on the tickets to see them at the Viper Room. Might have to break out their earlier album tomorrow at work. That is if I would quit listening to Stephen Kellogg or Matt the Electrician.
I do believe he had his own version of the music playing in his head because what we heard and how he was dancing - two different things. Intriguing though, if not slightly disturbing. We were just sitting and chatting over coffee, trying out best to ignore him but yet he kept brining flowers over. Kathy made the mistake of saying thanks in Italian (whoa - I didn't say EYEtalian in my head...making progress...digression...) thus causing the strange dancing man to hang around longer and lick the stem of roses. While it's nice to break out of the same old Southwest routine, maybe that's why I don't go downtown all that much.
That and I'm faking that I'm cool enough to hang at coffeehouses.
If they only knew I alphabetized my cd collection.
