"Shootin' Deers & Drinkin' Beers! That's the Way I Roll!"

Thank you sir, for wearing that shirt today.  There are so many things wrong in that saying that it makes me jump for joy with excitement, and yet again, proud to be a Texan.

Today was started off with the Fleet Foxes.  I saw them back at Capitol Hill Block Party, and they were still very impressive.  Then it was off to Jose Gonzalez. AMAZING. Then to CSS. They were a lot of fun and exactly what I expected.

After CSS, my brother and I got down to our roots and attended Robert Early Keen, followed by Erykah Badu.  Then we caught a bit of MGMT.  

The highlight of the day was John Fogerty.  He stole my heart.  He covered all of the classic CCR and then some.  I could have watched him for the rest of the night.

Iron and Wine followed John, and I have to say I think that they were one of my big disappointments.  There was a whole band on stage and it sounded like easy-jazz.  The last song was played only on an acoustic and almost made up for the rest of the set....but I remember just being ready for him to be done...and also wishing the lines for the toilet were faster.

To close the evening, Beck performed.  BECK.  So good.  I had told my brother that I had hoped that he was just going to play his hits for the whole set, and my wishes were granted!!! Thank you Beck, for putting on a fantastic show.

On another note, I find it quite ironic that WaMu (R.I.P.) is a major sponsor of this event.  Or should I saw JP Morgan is? They have a stage, a photo booth and a lot of freebies.  Had Alanis Morrisette written the song "Ironic" in 2008, I am sure this would have made the cut for song lyrics.  

Tomorrow is swim day before the festival.  I can't wait.

"Life is too Short to Live in Dallas."

That was a sign I read on a fence post while walking to the bus stop after my first day at ACL.  It hung on one of the trendiest mobile home parks I have ever seen.  It made me really want to plant myself in some real estate right there. It may have been all the neon lights that people had on their "porches" and that they were outside BBQ'ing and offering free water to us pedestrians.Now, time to turn back time...and I don't mean the hit 80's song, which by the way would be ideal for karaoke.

If you are wondering if I slept through my flight yesterday, it was a close call.  The only reason why I woke up is because my cab called to let me know he was in front of my house. So needless to say, I did the typical "Erin traveling" move and ran out the door, bought toothpaste at the airport and got ready for the day inside the bathroom.  

I LOVE TEXAS.  Seriously, as soon as I arrived, I began to wonder why I didn't move back here to begin with.  There is something that is so appealing about a drought, dead grass and 92 degree weather at the end of September that I just absolutely love.  Last night I had my mom and stepdad take us to Chuy's, and to top off the family dinner we ran into the infamous Leslie.  Below you will find his press photo from when he ran for mayor back in 2002, and he put up a good fight in the race:

This is an example of one more reason why I love Texas, and more importantly, Austin, TX.  

Another reason why I love Texas:

Drink Koozies.  Seriously, I forgot how many people use those around here. I have been so used to people teasing others who use them, and mocking at how outdated they are, but the koozie industry is thriving in Texas. It makes me want to go home and unabashedly unpack my koozie and buy some souvenir koozies, because they are everywhere around here and they are selling like hot tamales!

So now to the good stuff: AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL.

Day 1: 

I thought I would start off the day right with Asleep at the Wheel.  They are a Texas Country Swing band that I grew up listening to.  This was what we danced to at the family reunions, weddings, etc.  They have been around for more than 30 years, and have 9 Grammies, so they mean business.  To open up the festival, they started with "Miles & Miles of Texas." The whole crowd was singing along, including me.  They had a cymbal on their drum set in the state of Texas.  AWESOME. And don't fret, the lead singer was wearing a sleeveless Harley-Davidson shirt tucked into his pants... Those Texans sure now how to do it right...always having their shirts tucked in. I loved that there were people of all ages and all stereotypes singing along: indie kids, high-end society and rednecks, all singing in unison to the "Cotton-Eye Joe." It brought a tear to my eye.

Then it was off to Yeasayer.  I am always impressed by them.  Then we walked by Vampire Weekend, but I was quickly reminded of how listening to one song was the same as listening to them all.  Then we watched and slept through the Delta Spirit. 

Later in the afternoon I got to see Mates of State.  I was super excited for this show, because the last time I saw them was more than 8 years ago, when they opened for The Anniversary. Yes, THAT long.  They didn't let me down, and I got to belt out all of the lyrics with them.  We then headed over to Hot Chip.  They look and sound exactly the way you expect them to.  It was great.

I have to say that one of the biggest highlights of this festival was getting to see David Byrne.  

He was AMAZING live.  It was like watching a live version of one of his music videos or of all the musical sequences of "True Stories," or maybe even his thought process.  A piece of my heart died when his performance was over. 

Don't worry, I still have two more days left and a trip to my favorite childhood hot spot: Barton Springs before I leave.

Here I Come!

Yes, I recognize the fact that I should be asleep, but the excitement has just gotten to me. Okay little brother, see you in a few...hours that is!!! YES!

Best weekend ever, here I come!

P.S. Don't even pretend that you are even slightly shocked about Clay Aiken's news...what a waste of space on my Google News page.

3 1/2 days and counting...

plus my BROTHER
plus my family
plus my BROTHER
plus my hometown
plus my BROTHER
plus BBQ
plus my BROTHER
plus Taco Cabana
plus my BROTHER
plus the sun and warm weather
plus my BROTHER

YES.

also, imri and i hosted a fancy dinner tonight...and it was F.A.N.C.Y. and delicious if you don't mind me tooting my own horn. Also, I tried a restaurant near my house last night called Tilth. I was in heaven. I learned tonight that fancy cooking is exhausting...2 days of prep. Good night.

Post-It Blogging

As stated in a previous blog, I wish I had live blogging, but the reality is that I don't. Instead I have jotted down on post-it notes things that I would like to blog about. The point was to ensure that I would not forget about all the things I needed to blog about....unfortunately I don't have the other half down...making sure to not lose the post-its. I am sure that I will find them as soon as I finish this post. That's how it always works. Right?

Wednesday night was karaoke night. I LOVE KARAOKE. I have been wanting to expand my horizons with karaoke. I wanted to reach beyond my usual, A-Ha's "Take on Me," The Cardigans' "Love Fool" and The Human League's "Don't You Want Me." With this in mind, I decided to prepare, a new medley, "The First Night," by Monica. I printed off the lyrics at work, and practiced in my car and at home to ensure that I had it just right. When I finally arrived at the bar, I anxiously turned to the M's and found every other song by Monica, except the one. Needless to say I was VERY, VERY disappointed. I was left at a loss. I didn't know what song to do. Finally after about 30 minutes of browsing the 5 in. binder, I selected "Spider Webs," by No Doubt. It was no Monica, but I rocked out. And yes, my eyes were closed.

Karaoke, overall, ended up being a real winner, for multiple reasons. First of all, there was homegirl, Terry, who had way too much to drink and hugged Meridith and myself because she thought she knew us. She said that we didn't recognize her, because of she no longer had her long punk rock hair. Simply put, we had never met her. It worked to Meridith's advantage that Terry assumed she knew us, because Meridith found herself in one of the most frightening Karaoke situations: singing a song that you have forgotten the tune to. Luckily, Terry was there to help homegirl out. The two stole the show by singing Whitney Houston to one another. Arms wrapped around one another, you would have thought they would have known each other for years.

I would have not wanted to follow their act, but one brave soul was up to the challenge. He put up a good fight too. Picture this: Older Asian man, Bill Cosby sweater, black leather fanny pack, doing "Falling in Love with You," by Elvis Presley out of tune and off key. It was straight from a movie. It was honestly, a dream come true, kind of karaoke night, minus my song, but the rest of the events made up for it.

Most of you do not know, I live across the street from a high school. It's a temporary high school that kids attend as they are waiting for the school to be renovated. School is about to start out here, so there have been more kids out here lately, which has made me put on my safety sensors (whatever those may be), and as I was driving to work yesterday I had my faith restored in the public school system and their teachers. My mom was a teacher, and wonderful one at that, but she came home with stories of other teachers that made me fear for my future kids' education. But, yesterday, I saw a teacher walk around the block to have his student cool down and talk, I remembered that some people really do become teachers because they care for kids, and not for great holidays.

That's all I can remember from my post-it note though. I think its for the better because this post is starting to get a little too verbose.

Exuberent.

Today I woke up on the other side of my bed, happy. It was a great feeling. I can't really say that I wake up excited for the work day all that often. If you know me at all, then you are completely aware of the fact that I am far from a morning person. The mean teller at the DMV could not even bring me down off of this high. Maybe its the weather? Maybe its the vitamins? Maybe its the countdown to Texas? All I know is that I love today. Thank you Mika.

Things that make me smile:

1) The beginning and the end of freeways.
2) Old men's jackets and hats.
3) A song simultaneously coming on at the perfect moment.
4) Funny conversations
5) The Post Office tiling (think bald eagle)
6) People waiting in line at the DMV
7) Thinking you are lost and winding up in the right place
8) Unpilfered trail mix
9) Phone calls from old friends, telling me they are moving to Seattle.
10) New friends.

The rest of DC was a blast. I made a lot of new friends in my Baltimore hostel. Coming back to Seattle was kind of a drag, but it worked out. Life has been full of its challenges these last couple of weeks, but it is getting better. I wish I could live blog like Austin, so I could post all the funny things I see.

Later.