picture this: my brother has just taken a job. a great job. the job that will define his career for the next decade.
sitting over lunch a week ago saturday, girlfriend and i congratulate him and raise our glasses to toast. then, it happens. the thing of legends. the same kind of thing that has a way of happening when i'm around my brother. he says, "we should do vegas."
i laugh and agree, finishing my stella artois (i'm not really drinking but we're celebrating, so it seems appropriate). i suggest we make plans for the following weekend. my brother shakes his head. "no, i mean, tonight."
and just like that, we're on a plane four hours later heading to vegas.
It sounds dirtier than it is, which is always fun, but I assure you it is safe for work (and play) -- starring, written, directed and produced for the Sundance Channel by none other than Isabella Rosselini:
there are so few reasons why i take time off from work. i love what i do - why would i want to go on vacation? but, earlier this year, back in january, my girlfriend found out that tegan and sara would be touring the state again after a brief hiatus following the support tour for "the con."
she bought the tickets and landed us in the second row at the elsinore theatre in salem - salem, by the way, closes it's doors at 10 p.m. downtown during the week (that takes it off our list for potentially "livable" cities on the west coast).
the show was amazing, and even the front row seats we had for the baghdad theatre show in pdx last year couldn't rival how close we were to the stage and how intimate the performance (now very polished, and not as "con"-centric). we took my ex-sister-in-law-turned-pink-sheep and her girlfriend, put them up in the phoenix grand and had an amazing time.
some people in the tech industry buy pinball machines, some buy fancy cell phones/cars/gadgets, others have dozens of laptops and desktops and every gaming console created from the commodore 64 to the ps3. me...well, my thing is live music. i've seen a lot of people in concert - and every one of them has had their own unique presence onstage. liz phair performing at the moore in the mid-90s killed me when she took the stage and shook in her boots, her once-powerful voice reduced to a quivering mess of nerves. the cranberries performing in seattle in 1993 right before they debut album had legs in the states. r.e.m. at the gorge shook me and left me emotionally bare underneath a very large, clear, and star-filled eastern washington sky. brandi carlile at the big easy in spokane, on the eve of learning she was grammy nominated and was going to be launched into a huge vh-1 sponsored tour reminded me why live music matters - really matters.
but, tegan and sara live...that's a different creature. better than their recorded albums, their live performances are filled with in-between song banter that, no matter what the audience size, makes you feel as if you are sitting in the living room of a friend's house listening to two really cool girls talk about what they did with their day. and you laugh - you laugh harder at their jokes than you laugh at your closest friend's jokes...because they're real people and their only intention is to entertain you...
as girlfriend and i get a drink of water during the opening act (an house), a calm but hurried sara quin rushes by us through a backstage entryway, holding her right arm with her left hand. she is clad in a vest, complete with a new hairstyle, looking focused, but incredibly relaxed. it's the moment that makes the night for me as she passes us and flashes a smile.
worth every penny, worth every moment - another unforgettable live music experience.
yet another reason why, after 12 years, my girlfriend is still the best person i know:
filet mignon, baked potato, hand dipped (by girlfriend herself), raspberry ganache tart, roses, and love...
i dodge getting a cold and work too many ten - twelve hour days to make it to the gym twice this week. no matter, i still lose 1/2 a pound with my overly-diligent diet, but realize something -- the combination of diet and exercise (just being active whenever i can is also of benefit) is going to win this race.
i start getting my nephews involved and take them to the valley a.c. with me whenever their mom or dad will allow it. they don't get it, at first. why would you choose to stand on a machine and move your feet in one direction for an hour? girlfriend and i reassure them, the results are easy to see, even after ten days.
the oldest nephew tries a stairclimber and can't stop talking about the 150 calories he burns after only fifteen minutes. he, along with his brother, is competing in a gentler version of "the biggest loser" that has been set up with only kids. they have made only minor changes in their diet (are still eating jeno's pizza rolls and drink soda by the case) but i begin to encourage physical activities whenever they want to spend time with us...a lot of physical activities. like basketball, racquetball, roller (inline for the kids) skating, walking...anything that will keep them up, off of the sofa and moving.
they like it.
going into the third week i weigh in at 172.5 lbs.
so, i had my first weigh in today.
my ex-sister-in-law-turned-pink-sheep had us meet at her downtown o-town office for an official weigh-in, witnessed by her mom, her girlfriend, and my girlfriend.
i was advised to remove my jacket, my shoes, even my glasses, but it paid off.
--------------------------- || i lost a total of 9 pounds || --------------------
go team and all.
so, with that in my pocket, we took off for the gym and hit the elliptica for about 45 minutes and then did the all day skate at skateland (woohoo!) for 3 hours.
total caloric casualty for the day: from the elliptical - 350, from skating - 500 for a total of ==> 850
WEIGH IN DAY
today i face the demon and find out if what i've been doing is working for me or not. girlfriend and i have yet to buy a scale for the new house, so i am a bit anxious about learning results and numbers for the first time surrounded by strangers.
i leave at 10 a.m. and will have a report after matinee skating at the rink!
