While there are actual seasons blowing in and shining down, the constant pace of my life has hardly seen a break in years. But seasons come and go regardless of whether I'm occupied or not.
This summer..
- We hosted this year's "Cousins Weekend" which saw the arrival of cousins from Albany and Boston, aunt from Buffalo, and my parents from Rochester to our house. Somehow in just a weekend, we visited Southern Tier Brewing Company, Panama Rocks, Bemus Point, Chautauqua Institution, Forte, Lily Dale, and Dunkirk. It was a bit of a whirlwind for me as the host but I was so glad to see everyone!
- My parents came down to visit a couple times to help with some household improvements and to celebrate Father's Day. My grandmother came the latter visit and we had fun going to the Yassou! Festival and finding bargains at some of the local thrift shops.
- Matt and I worked on some household projects. The downstairs bathroom saw a makeover with the old vanity being ripped out, new flooring being put down, a new-to-us toilet being installed, new lighting, a pedestal sink, and wainscoting installed on the walls. The room still needs a final bit of wainscoting and a final paint job before accessory installation can happen.
- I finally got to see Fountains Of Wayne, for free even, as part of Buffalo's Thursdays In The Harbor. It was a wonderful show even though there were only a handful of us who were familiar with a greater range of their songs beyond "Stacy's Mom."
- The end of June included the arrival of a puppy in our lives: Sammy. Sammy is a German Shepard-Lab-Mix we adopted from Northern Chautauqua Canine Rescue. Matt says he's one of the best puppies he's ever had. The little guy is quite cute and quite a handful. I never had a puppy before so I was definitely not prepared for the lack of sleep, the time commitment, and the patience needed. Even so, I like having him around. He has a lot of the traits of Buddy to the point where we joke that Sammy is Buddy reincarnated. I didn't blog about Buddy dying back in April. I don't know if I ever will. I still miss him so much and probably always will.
- On the health front: Matt and I have been eating a diet that follows the Paleo Model. We were strict for the initial 30 days of the diet (started day after Mother's Day and continued until June 8th), but have relaxed to the point where 70 to 80% of our diet is paleo. The diet is a "real food" diet that is gluten free (no rice or corn even), legume free (no peanuts or soy), and dairy free. As it's anti-inflammatory, I've seen my rosacea calm down and I lost some of the stubborn weight (around 5 lbs) that had been hanging on for the last year despite all my exercise/calorie counting. Matt lost 16 pounds he had gained back after his big weight loss competition last year and saw his allergies settle down as well. I don't miss bread as much as I thought I would although lunch is a bit more complicated because there isn't the easy fall-back of sandwiches. Eating romaine wraps does get old. I also am not missing cheese as much as I thought I would either. That doesn't mean I haven't had a cheeseburger here and there over the last few months!
And forward...
- I submitted my resignation from my teaching gig at Infinity Visual & Performing Arts. Part of it is because I will have a rehearsal on Wednesday nights most of this Fall which would have made it impossible to teach the one day I'm available. Also, while I really enjoyed teaching and I liked the small group of students I had, sometimes you need to step back and refocus.
- Refocusing doesn't mean I've given up being busy. The rehearsals I will have are for JCC's production of "Legally Blonde" in November. It has been 3 seasons since I've done a musical at JCC and 2 years since I played in the pit for "Chicago" at Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown. It was time for a challenge of a familiar, but different variety.
- Busy also includes: Playing in a wedding this Saturday and enjoying Local Music Showcase, a couple trips to Rochester to celebrate my mom's birthday and my parent's 40th wedding anniversary, a Fiona Apple concert on October 9th, a Morrissey concert on October 19th, a Jamestown Community Orchestra concert on October 21st, three weekends of "Legally Blonde" performances, and Matt's 40th birthday. You'll need to check back in with me sometime in January before I have free time again, in other words.
Showing posts with label Forte. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forte. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Sunday, June 05, 2011
It's Been One Week..
It's been one week since I stopped doing the news.
I'm feeling a little lost.
It's silly in a way.
So what have I been up to?
I gardened last Sunday. I cleaned up some of the house on Monday and had a Memorial Day hot dog dinner with Matt. I watched I Capture The Castle and New Waterford Girl.
Tuesday I finally saw Labyrinth for the first time since it was available on Netflix streaming.
Wednesday I had just one violin student and then I went to watch Matt play floor hockey. We went out with the team after to Applebee's for dinner and some drinks. It was the first time in awhile that I recall having a drink in the middle of the week with dinner, or before 10pm.
Thursday I attended the dress rehearsal for the Infinity group, Collective Groove, that I would be performing with on Friday. After dinner, Matt and I went to see Bridesmaids. I cried on the way home because the movie reminded me of how much I miss one of my friends who moved away.
Friday we ate dinner quick before attending the Infinity Performing & Visual Arts Showcase at the Reg Lenna Civic Center. I had my worst case of nerves in years complete with icy hands and dry throat. We dropped into Forte after for a glass of wine and slice of grand marnier cheesecake before going home.
Saturday we had a funeral in the morning for the father of our friends. He was a good man. After a quick trip to Wegmans, I took my mother in law to a bridal shower for her granddaughter/my niece. Matt had a hockey team party that night, so I sat down in the recliner and read all of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
Today I chatted online with my friend, Candy, who has had a marvelous weekend, before getting ready and meeting my friend, Heather, at Wegmans for coffee and grocery shopping.
There was a lot that went on this week. I did some things I might not have if I knew later on at night I would have to do the news. I felt like I should be a lot more simply because I didn't have that one thing hanging over my head.
I feel like I failed in a way.
Heather said she got some advice not that long ago that makes sense. That she just needs to be rather than worrying about setting goals. I think I just need to be for awhile. I need to figure this out. It's been a long time since I've had this kind of additional time back. It seems so very over dramatic to be going on like this, but the truth is that I just don't feel like myself. I've even had a hard time remembering what I used to do with myself in the days before I did the news. I also know I'm a much different person from then.
Matt says I don't deal well with change. I know I don't. I just don't like to hear it out loud because I tend to advocate pretty loudly if I see something that should be changed for others. Admittedly, even when it's a good change, it's still hard. The good thing is that I still make myself do it. I couldn't grow otherwise.
I'm feeling a little lost.
It's silly in a way.
So what have I been up to?
I gardened last Sunday. I cleaned up some of the house on Monday and had a Memorial Day hot dog dinner with Matt. I watched I Capture The Castle and New Waterford Girl.
Tuesday I finally saw Labyrinth for the first time since it was available on Netflix streaming.
Wednesday I had just one violin student and then I went to watch Matt play floor hockey. We went out with the team after to Applebee's for dinner and some drinks. It was the first time in awhile that I recall having a drink in the middle of the week with dinner, or before 10pm.
Thursday I attended the dress rehearsal for the Infinity group, Collective Groove, that I would be performing with on Friday. After dinner, Matt and I went to see Bridesmaids. I cried on the way home because the movie reminded me of how much I miss one of my friends who moved away.
Friday we ate dinner quick before attending the Infinity Performing & Visual Arts Showcase at the Reg Lenna Civic Center. I had my worst case of nerves in years complete with icy hands and dry throat. We dropped into Forte after for a glass of wine and slice of grand marnier cheesecake before going home.
Saturday we had a funeral in the morning for the father of our friends. He was a good man. After a quick trip to Wegmans, I took my mother in law to a bridal shower for her granddaughter/my niece. Matt had a hockey team party that night, so I sat down in the recliner and read all of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
Today I chatted online with my friend, Candy, who has had a marvelous weekend, before getting ready and meeting my friend, Heather, at Wegmans for coffee and grocery shopping.
There was a lot that went on this week. I did some things I might not have if I knew later on at night I would have to do the news. I felt like I should be a lot more simply because I didn't have that one thing hanging over my head.
I feel like I failed in a way.
Heather said she got some advice not that long ago that makes sense. That she just needs to be rather than worrying about setting goals. I think I just need to be for awhile. I need to figure this out. It's been a long time since I've had this kind of additional time back. It seems so very over dramatic to be going on like this, but the truth is that I just don't feel like myself. I've even had a hard time remembering what I used to do with myself in the days before I did the news. I also know I'm a much different person from then.
Matt says I don't deal well with change. I know I don't. I just don't like to hear it out loud because I tend to advocate pretty loudly if I see something that should be changed for others. Admittedly, even when it's a good change, it's still hard. The good thing is that I still make myself do it. I couldn't grow otherwise.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A Top Ten List of Things I'll Miss About Doing the News for WRFA
Over the years, I've had people question my sanity in providing a volunteer service that involves me leaving my house in the later night hours 5 nights a week to record a news cast. Truthfully, I don't think I'll miss the late nights that much, especially after being sick so much of this past winter. That said, here's a top ten list of things I will miss about doing the news for WRFA these last four years:
1. Catching the phases of the moon every night that had a clear sky
2. Waving at the people in Forte and getting to see friendly faces just before going upstairs to record
3. "I'm Julia Harrison..."
4. The excitement of waiting for local election returns
5. The satisfaction of recording the perfect 2-minute newscast
6. The feeling that comes from rewriting a lengthy story into a concise 4 sentence story
7. The actual delivery part of the newscast, especially nights when I could get through the whole newscast with no mistakes
8. The pride of knowing that the local news was being provided consistently every Monday through Friday on our community radio station.
9. Scaring various people in the Arts Council building who don't expect anyone else to be around at night
10. I will especially miss that feeling that I was still a news reporter on some level, even though Cable 8 provided the bulk of my scripts. I've always loved radio and while I plan to still be involved at WRFA, I will miss being able to define myself as a radio news anchor.
You can still catch my news cast through this Friday morning on 107.9 WRFA-LP, or streaming online at wrfalp.com, at 6am, 7am, 8am, and 9am.
1. Catching the phases of the moon every night that had a clear sky
2. Waving at the people in Forte and getting to see friendly faces just before going upstairs to record
3. "I'm Julia Harrison..."
4. The excitement of waiting for local election returns
5. The satisfaction of recording the perfect 2-minute newscast
6. The feeling that comes from rewriting a lengthy story into a concise 4 sentence story
7. The actual delivery part of the newscast, especially nights when I could get through the whole newscast with no mistakes
8. The pride of knowing that the local news was being provided consistently every Monday through Friday on our community radio station.
9. Scaring various people in the Arts Council building who don't expect anyone else to be around at night
10. I will especially miss that feeling that I was still a news reporter on some level, even though Cable 8 provided the bulk of my scripts. I've always loved radio and while I plan to still be involved at WRFA, I will miss being able to define myself as a radio news anchor.
You can still catch my news cast through this Friday morning on 107.9 WRFA-LP, or streaming online at wrfalp.com, at 6am, 7am, 8am, and 9am.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
2010 Summer Run Down Thus Far...
I'm going to say summer started at the end of April because we've had some seriously nice weather these past few months. So what have we been up to? Ready, steady, GO!
- A Dos De Mayo Party at Shannon Mac's house kicked off the season. There was delicious food made by one of the chefs from Hutch's Restaurant in Buffalo, a DJ, and a slip'n slide on a hill.
- "This Week In Metal" was revived on WRFA-LP (podcasts available). Leonard Barren and Julia Tesla can be heard weekly giving you random cool facts with a metal theme.
- I played in the Spring concert for the Jamestown Community orchestra. We rocked out to Chuck Mangione's "The Children of Sanchez."
- The foundation on the south side of our house was replaced so that we no longer feared the back-end of house falling over because of crumbling blocks.
- Memorial Day weekend my parents visited, installed a motion detector light on the back of our house and went on the Chautauqua Art Trail. We all watched the Memorial Day parade down Lakeview Avenue and later hung out at a friend's house on Chautauqua Lake.
- We attended the Yassou! Greek Festival with friends and some of us attempted to drink the Southern Tier Brewing Opa! kegs dry.
- We celebrated the marriage of NickDean and Lori in Bemus Point. It was a super hot and muggy day that was met with lots of chair rocking on the front porch of the Hotel Lenhart.
- A orange tiger-striped cat we named McKinley came to live at our house. Matt wrote the whole story here.
- We revisited our high school years by attending Forte's Surprise Prom Party - Enchanted Shipwreck Under The Sea.
- More hanging out on Chautauqua Lake for Fourth of July.
- Spent as much time as possible hanging out with Shannon who was in town from Pontiac, Illinois. Plenty of beer was consumed.
- In theory, I began teaching violin lessons at the Infinity Performing Arts Center. Of the two students I have, one had car trouble and the other forgot to show up. We'll see how the second week goes!
- We joined some cousins in Rochester to head off to the wineries for much merriment. Crowning touch on that visit, besides all the excellent food consumed, was clogging a Wegmans' aisle while looking at beer.
And that's just through this past weekend! Stay tuned...
- A Dos De Mayo Party at Shannon Mac's house kicked off the season. There was delicious food made by one of the chefs from Hutch's Restaurant in Buffalo, a DJ, and a slip'n slide on a hill.
- "This Week In Metal" was revived on WRFA-LP (podcasts available). Leonard Barren and Julia Tesla can be heard weekly giving you random cool facts with a metal theme.
- I played in the Spring concert for the Jamestown Community orchestra. We rocked out to Chuck Mangione's "The Children of Sanchez."
- The foundation on the south side of our house was replaced so that we no longer feared the back-end of house falling over because of crumbling blocks.
- Memorial Day weekend my parents visited, installed a motion detector light on the back of our house and went on the Chautauqua Art Trail. We all watched the Memorial Day parade down Lakeview Avenue and later hung out at a friend's house on Chautauqua Lake.
- We attended the Yassou! Greek Festival with friends and some of us attempted to drink the Southern Tier Brewing Opa! kegs dry.
- We celebrated the marriage of NickDean and Lori in Bemus Point. It was a super hot and muggy day that was met with lots of chair rocking on the front porch of the Hotel Lenhart.
- A orange tiger-striped cat we named McKinley came to live at our house. Matt wrote the whole story here.
- We revisited our high school years by attending Forte's Surprise Prom Party - Enchanted Shipwreck Under The Sea.
- More hanging out on Chautauqua Lake for Fourth of July.
- Spent as much time as possible hanging out with Shannon who was in town from Pontiac, Illinois. Plenty of beer was consumed.
- In theory, I began teaching violin lessons at the Infinity Performing Arts Center. Of the two students I have, one had car trouble and the other forgot to show up. We'll see how the second week goes!
- We joined some cousins in Rochester to head off to the wineries for much merriment. Crowning touch on that visit, besides all the excellent food consumed, was clogging a Wegmans' aisle while looking at beer.
And that's just through this past weekend! Stay tuned...
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Social Hibernation
Over the past month and a half, there's been a slight change in nightly habits. The winter with the cold and snow has seemed to have the effect of keeping us inside. Well, that's of course when we're not out shoveling. That 28 inches of snow we received between last Friday and Monday had to go elsewhere if we wanted to get out of our driveway and receive regular mail delivery.
It's not like we haven't seen some of our friends, we just have avoided late night drinks out in favor of wrapping ourselves in flannel, slippers, and fleece. Socializing has taken place during the day or early evening over lunch, coffee, or in the house. I think, "Is it age? Am I abandoning the 'scene'?" but then consider that if it was 40 degrees outside and the roads were clear, I probably would feel less hesitant about venturing out.
With another weekend of bitingly cold, snowy weather predicted, I'm hoping to take care of some items like reading the books I borrowed from the Prendergast Library before it reopens on Wednesday. Then we'll break out of the stay-at-home theme a little bit with a dinner/movie on Friday, a post-holiday party at a friend's house, and maybe a little Improv Saturday night. We'll see how it all goes and whether the burst of social activity returns us to familiar ground or if it chases us back to our house to huddle under blankets until March.
It's not like we haven't seen some of our friends, we just have avoided late night drinks out in favor of wrapping ourselves in flannel, slippers, and fleece. Socializing has taken place during the day or early evening over lunch, coffee, or in the house. I think, "Is it age? Am I abandoning the 'scene'?" but then consider that if it was 40 degrees outside and the roads were clear, I probably would feel less hesitant about venturing out.
With another weekend of bitingly cold, snowy weather predicted, I'm hoping to take care of some items like reading the books I borrowed from the Prendergast Library before it reopens on Wednesday. Then we'll break out of the stay-at-home theme a little bit with a dinner/movie on Friday, a post-holiday party at a friend's house, and maybe a little Improv Saturday night. We'll see how it all goes and whether the burst of social activity returns us to familiar ground or if it chases us back to our house to huddle under blankets until March.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
2009 - In Review
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? My new job. There was a lot of stuff in it that was totally new to me.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not a fan of making resolutions
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? We had several friends who had babies and a couple more that conceived this year but won't give birth until 2010.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My Great-Aunt Margie died somewhat unexpectedly this past July. She had gone in for surgery but I guess I didn't consider that she wouldn't make it out. She's been missed over these holidays.
5. What countries did you visit? Once again, I stayed stateside.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A plan for where I will take myself next. More free time.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- March 19th: Morrissey at SUNY UB.
- July 4th weekend: Spending time with friends but losing my Aunt
- July 25-26: John Hughes Party in Pontiac. One crazy road trip so we could have an awesome time with out of town friends and friends from Jamestown.
- Any date that we went to a wedding. There were 7 of them.
- September 6th: my first Labor Day Festival that I helped organize
- September through November 21st: The preparation and performances of "The Producers"
- Thanksgiving Week: Managing to see a large group of friends from high school for the first time in years plus squeaking in visits with other friends
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting better at paring back where I needed to in order to maintain sanity.
9. What was your biggest failure? Still not saying no enough.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No flu or serious injuries of my own.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Lady GaGa - The Fame
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Matt still gets high marks.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Some behavior by people I had to interact with because of my job.
14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage and car related stuff
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Playing in the pit orchestra for "The Producers." It was so much fun!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Probably anything by Lady GaGa
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? I think there's a chance I'm sadder than last year at this time but overall I would say I'm probably happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner by a good 7 pounds at least. 20 pounds lost over 2 years!!
c) richer or poorer? I think richer since we've been better about saving money.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I still wish I had read more even though I was better about picking up a book here and there during the middle of the year.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? It goes along with 18 somewhat, but I almost wish I read fewer blogs and actually blogged more.
20. How did you spend Christmas? We went to Cheektowaga for Christmas Eve dinner with my family, Midnight Mass at St. John Adalberts, left Christmas morning to come back to Jamestown for Christmas day with Matt's parents.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I stayed in love.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Paranormal State, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Tabatha's Salon Take Over
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No. I'm not big on hate because it wastes so much energy. There are people who disappoint me, but I don't hate them.
4. What did you want and get? I needed a job in order to avoid being laid off and I got one.
25. What did you want and not get? That sense that I'm on the right track.
26. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I worked and later went to Forte for drinks with some friends. I turned 33.
27. Who did you miss? I missed seeing some friends but in an odd way I missed Matt because we were so busy during the week and then with plenty of stuff on the weekends we actually didn't get a lot of time to just sit back and say, "Hey, how you doing?"
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not a fan of making resolutions
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? We had several friends who had babies and a couple more that conceived this year but won't give birth until 2010.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My Great-Aunt Margie died somewhat unexpectedly this past July. She had gone in for surgery but I guess I didn't consider that she wouldn't make it out. She's been missed over these holidays.
5. What countries did you visit? Once again, I stayed stateside.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A plan for where I will take myself next. More free time.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- March 19th: Morrissey at SUNY UB.
- July 4th weekend: Spending time with friends but losing my Aunt
- July 25-26: John Hughes Party in Pontiac. One crazy road trip so we could have an awesome time with out of town friends and friends from Jamestown.
- Any date that we went to a wedding. There were 7 of them.
- September 6th: my first Labor Day Festival that I helped organize
- September through November 21st: The preparation and performances of "The Producers"
- Thanksgiving Week: Managing to see a large group of friends from high school for the first time in years plus squeaking in visits with other friends
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting better at paring back where I needed to in order to maintain sanity.
9. What was your biggest failure? Still not saying no enough.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No flu or serious injuries of my own.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Lady GaGa - The Fame
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Matt still gets high marks.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Some behavior by people I had to interact with because of my job.
14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage and car related stuff
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Playing in the pit orchestra for "The Producers." It was so much fun!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Probably anything by Lady GaGa
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? I think there's a chance I'm sadder than last year at this time but overall I would say I'm probably happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner by a good 7 pounds at least. 20 pounds lost over 2 years!!
c) richer or poorer? I think richer since we've been better about saving money.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I still wish I had read more even though I was better about picking up a book here and there during the middle of the year.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? It goes along with 18 somewhat, but I almost wish I read fewer blogs and actually blogged more.
20. How did you spend Christmas? We went to Cheektowaga for Christmas Eve dinner with my family, Midnight Mass at St. John Adalberts, left Christmas morning to come back to Jamestown for Christmas day with Matt's parents.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I stayed in love.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Paranormal State, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Tabatha's Salon Take Over
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No. I'm not big on hate because it wastes so much energy. There are people who disappoint me, but I don't hate them.
4. What did you want and get? I needed a job in order to avoid being laid off and I got one.
25. What did you want and not get? That sense that I'm on the right track.
26. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I worked and later went to Forte for drinks with some friends. I turned 33.
27. Who did you miss? I missed seeing some friends but in an odd way I missed Matt because we were so busy during the week and then with plenty of stuff on the weekends we actually didn't get a lot of time to just sit back and say, "Hey, how you doing?"
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pumpkins on Third Street
The Creative Director Made These
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Peggy & Our Pumpkin
Pumpking Carving Night at Forte!
Friday, October 09, 2009
Dessert at our Favorite
Friday, October 02, 2009
When I Caused 90s Night To Jump The Shark
Well, I may have to sign an oath or something before Nick lets me plug in a playlist for 90s night at Forte again due to one stunning choice last night. I knew it would cause pain. I knew it would bring into question my taste in music and my sense of decency. I acknowledged this to the room and simply said, "It's all how you phrase it. The song has a much different meaning then!" I'm not sure that helped me in any way.
90s Night Playlist - 10/1/09
Ben Folds Five - Army
Cypress Hill - Insane In The Membrane
The Cranberries - Ridiculous Thoughts
The Charlatans UK - Can't Get Out Of Bed
Bjork - Human Behavior
The Rentals - Friends of P
Seal - Crazy
Edwyn Collins - Girl Like You
Shania Twain - I Feel Like A Woman
Beck - Tropicalia
Bush - Machinehead
Erasure - Chorus
Dave Trusso sandwiched my set with more industrial minded songs and totally made my night when "Guilty" by Stabbing Westward came on. I have a very fuzzy copy of this song on tape somewhere and hadn't heard it in its digital glory in a very long time.
90s Night Playlist - 10/1/09
Ben Folds Five - Army
Cypress Hill - Insane In The Membrane
The Cranberries - Ridiculous Thoughts
The Charlatans UK - Can't Get Out Of Bed
Bjork - Human Behavior
The Rentals - Friends of P
Seal - Crazy
Edwyn Collins - Girl Like You
Shania Twain - I Feel Like A Woman
Beck - Tropicalia
Bush - Machinehead
Erasure - Chorus
Dave Trusso sandwiched my set with more industrial minded songs and totally made my night when "Guilty" by Stabbing Westward came on. I have a very fuzzy copy of this song on tape somewhere and hadn't heard it in its digital glory in a very long time.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Partial 90s Night Playlist
I had an initial play list for my first 90s night at Forte and then went off the cuff for the rest of the evening. I decided to take requests since the bar wasn't too full and I figured I may as well play stuff people wanted to hear. My original plan was to stick to the early 1990s, specifically 1993, just for difficulty sake. As I shared with Bartender/Reporter/Blogger/Fellow Lady GaGa Fan Nick Dean
Here's the play list:
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Final Blindness
The Julia Hatfield Three - My Sister
Cranes - Jewel
Kate Bush - Eat The Music
Pet Shop Boys - Different Point of View
Suede - Animal Nitrate
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
Cracker - Low
Catherine Wheel - Crank
Morphine - Buena
Ash - Uncle Pat
XTC - The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
World Party - Way Down Now
The Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends
Sugar - Believe What You're Saying
Len Barry jumped in at this point and played "Soda Jerk" by Buffalo Tom and I think a song by Pavement and The Jayfields. The crowd enjoyed his little set. I think Nick Dean would like to see Len come back again if he's willing.
Nick let me take over the rest of the night minus a few songs. Here are some of the songs I played after (not in order)
Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You
Pixies - Dig For Fire
Morrissey - Billy Bud
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Ace of Base - All That She Wants
Liz Phair - Never Said
PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig
Bel Biv Devoe - Poison
Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Orb - Perpeptual Dawn
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground
Ani Difranco - Shy
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Ben Folds Five - Underground
Ben Lee - Cigarettes Will Kill You
Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
New Order - Regret
Primus - Tommy The Cat
Hum - Stars
Bleeding Through - Stars (punk version)
Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Massive Attack - Protection
There was a non 90s music moment where Nicole and I did the zumba dance to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie (Bamboo Version." Considering that we had class earlier in the evening, we both had a drink by this point, and it was late I thought we did okay. We're still trying to get some male friends, not naming names (TimGaryLenMatt), to drop by the zumba class sometime.
Overall, FUN night.
Here's the play list:
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Final Blindness
The Julia Hatfield Three - My Sister
Cranes - Jewel
Kate Bush - Eat The Music
Pet Shop Boys - Different Point of View
Suede - Animal Nitrate
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
Cracker - Low
Catherine Wheel - Crank
Morphine - Buena
Ash - Uncle Pat
XTC - The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
World Party - Way Down Now
The Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends
Sugar - Believe What You're Saying
Len Barry jumped in at this point and played "Soda Jerk" by Buffalo Tom and I think a song by Pavement and The Jayfields. The crowd enjoyed his little set. I think Nick Dean would like to see Len come back again if he's willing.
Nick let me take over the rest of the night minus a few songs. Here are some of the songs I played after (not in order)
Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You
Pixies - Dig For Fire
Morrissey - Billy Bud
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Ace of Base - All That She Wants
Liz Phair - Never Said
PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig
Bel Biv Devoe - Poison
Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Orb - Perpeptual Dawn
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground
Ani Difranco - Shy
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Ben Folds Five - Underground
Ben Lee - Cigarettes Will Kill You
Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
New Order - Regret
Primus - Tommy The Cat
Hum - Stars
Bleeding Through - Stars (punk version)
Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Massive Attack - Protection
There was a non 90s music moment where Nicole and I did the zumba dance to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie (Bamboo Version." Considering that we had class earlier in the evening, we both had a drink by this point, and it was late I thought we did okay. We're still trying to get some male friends, not naming names (TimGaryLenMatt), to drop by the zumba class sometime.
Overall, FUN night.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
John Merino at Forte
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Settling In At Forte For Some Music
Friday, September 11, 2009
10 Things About Autumn
Similar to her 10 Things to Do this Summer post, Mary Kunz Goldman has offered up 11 things she's looking forward to this Fall. I naturally have to share my own list of things I'm looking forward to and hope to do over the next few months:
1. Enjoying pumpkin everything. Last year, a friend of a friend started an "Everything Pumpkin Flavored" group on Facebook. There was much hair pulling and gnashing of teeth over where to get pumpkin milkshakes at that time. This year, we were all quite relieved to know that September 1st seemed to be the magical day that pumpkin milkshakes were available at McDonald's and pumpkin spice lattes were available at Starbucks.
2. Fall music. I like to dust off and search out certain artists during the Fall like The Replacements, Sugar, Cranes, Tom Petty, Morrissey, Gin Blossoms, and other assorted artists that I discovered during the Fall months of my junior and senior years of high school.
3. Lynn & Tiny B's Wedding. This will be our seventh and last wedding of the year. It'll take place in a barn in Cassadaga over Columbus Day weekend. I'll be playing something still yet to be determined on the violin for the ceremony. I can't wait to celebrate this day with two lovely friends.
4. Leaves. I love watching the leaves change over and fall. The sound of leaves rustling across pavement in a breeze is probably one of my favorite sounds. As the trees become bare, the acoustics change around us, reminding us that soon there won't be anything to make the wind more gentle as it blows through.
5. Port. I don't consume a lot of port, but as the weather cools I do like a glass now and then. It's heady stuff.
6. Regulars at Forte. I appreciate the folks who come to visit our county during the summer and the money they spend, but I like seeing familiar faces again at the bar when I drop into Forte for a drink after doing the news.
7. The Producers. After our first pit orchestra rehearsal this week and finally watching the movie of this musical last night, I will say I'm most excited for JCC Uncommoner's production of "The Producers" this November. It's going to be a lot work, long hours, and such but the sense of fun to be had is great!
8. Time Off. My vacation time doesn't officially kick in until February but I have two personal days right now. I plan to put those to good use and take a very long weekend around Veteran's Day in November. It'll be my only chance at a "long" vacation for about a year.
9. Afternoon Day Trip. I don't know where we might go, but it's a personal goal to go on a road trip some weekend afternoon. We have yet to make it to Sprague's this year, so that might be the destination.
10. Autumn Clothes. I love the shift to wearing jeans and sweaters. It's comfort clothing.
1. Enjoying pumpkin everything. Last year, a friend of a friend started an "Everything Pumpkin Flavored" group on Facebook. There was much hair pulling and gnashing of teeth over where to get pumpkin milkshakes at that time. This year, we were all quite relieved to know that September 1st seemed to be the magical day that pumpkin milkshakes were available at McDonald's and pumpkin spice lattes were available at Starbucks.
2. Fall music. I like to dust off and search out certain artists during the Fall like The Replacements, Sugar, Cranes, Tom Petty, Morrissey, Gin Blossoms, and other assorted artists that I discovered during the Fall months of my junior and senior years of high school.
3. Lynn & Tiny B's Wedding. This will be our seventh and last wedding of the year. It'll take place in a barn in Cassadaga over Columbus Day weekend. I'll be playing something still yet to be determined on the violin for the ceremony. I can't wait to celebrate this day with two lovely friends.
4. Leaves. I love watching the leaves change over and fall. The sound of leaves rustling across pavement in a breeze is probably one of my favorite sounds. As the trees become bare, the acoustics change around us, reminding us that soon there won't be anything to make the wind more gentle as it blows through.
5. Port. I don't consume a lot of port, but as the weather cools I do like a glass now and then. It's heady stuff.
6. Regulars at Forte. I appreciate the folks who come to visit our county during the summer and the money they spend, but I like seeing familiar faces again at the bar when I drop into Forte for a drink after doing the news.
7. The Producers. After our first pit orchestra rehearsal this week and finally watching the movie of this musical last night, I will say I'm most excited for JCC Uncommoner's production of "The Producers" this November. It's going to be a lot work, long hours, and such but the sense of fun to be had is great!
8. Time Off. My vacation time doesn't officially kick in until February but I have two personal days right now. I plan to put those to good use and take a very long weekend around Veteran's Day in November. It'll be my only chance at a "long" vacation for about a year.
9. Afternoon Day Trip. I don't know where we might go, but it's a personal goal to go on a road trip some weekend afternoon. We have yet to make it to Sprague's this year, so that might be the destination.
10. Autumn Clothes. I love the shift to wearing jeans and sweaters. It's comfort clothing.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
It All Starts After Labor Day...
The subject line is a bit misleading since I'm going to backtrack a little to say, "Hey! This is what we've been up to!" Fortunately, I don't have to go into many details because I've had my cell at ready to transmit pictures from wherever we've been this summer.
My parents came down for a visit/house work last week. My mom wanted to finish sewing seat cushions for a window bench in our dining room along with the dining room curtains. To give you an idea for how long the latter project has been in the works, we had bought the fabric for those curtains around the same time that my grandmother died in August 2005. Since my dad is unemployed, he tagged along figuring he could work on other house related projects for us. The impressive list of what happened over a four day period includes:
On the downside, while working on the crawl space project, my dad came across some troubling issues with several of our foundation blocks. We have a call into the guy who worked on our garage to come look at our situation. I'm not feeling too optimistic about how much this will cost us right now.
On the positive side, once I get past the city's big Labor Day Festival on September 6th, the craziness takes a turn toward crazy of my own making. I've signed up for Tuesday/Thursday sessions of Zumba that start September 9th and go until December 22nd. I decided that keeping good health is important and I've enjoyed the weight I've lost over the past couple years (over 17 pounds!!).
The Wednesday after Labor Day will be the first rehearsal of the pit orchestra for "The Producers" at Jamestown Community College. I have the music and Broadway soundtrack to guide me. I just need my violin back from the repair shop where I sent it to get a new bridge put on. Other music endeavors for the Fall will be the usual Jamestown Community Orchestra and The Living Christmas Tree. Non-performance items we're looking forward to include the Elvis Costello concert at Chautauqua Institution this Saturday and the Chautauqua Region Word Local Music Showcase on September 12th.
Throw two more weddings in there, including one where I'm supposed to play violin, and it's a full Fall. Possibly a little less crazy at work, but I don't think anything ever really slows down. It should be fun!
My parents came down for a visit/house work last week. My mom wanted to finish sewing seat cushions for a window bench in our dining room along with the dining room curtains. To give you an idea for how long the latter project has been in the works, we had bought the fabric for those curtains around the same time that my grandmother died in August 2005. Since my dad is unemployed, he tagged along figuring he could work on other house related projects for us. The impressive list of what happened over a four day period includes:
- seat cushions sewed
- curtain rod hung
- curtains sewed and hung
- new-to-us screen door installed on our back door (previous one busted)
- railing installed on back steps
- moisture barrier laid down in basement crawl space
On the downside, while working on the crawl space project, my dad came across some troubling issues with several of our foundation blocks. We have a call into the guy who worked on our garage to come look at our situation. I'm not feeling too optimistic about how much this will cost us right now.
On the positive side, once I get past the city's big Labor Day Festival on September 6th, the craziness takes a turn toward crazy of my own making. I've signed up for Tuesday/Thursday sessions of Zumba that start September 9th and go until December 22nd. I decided that keeping good health is important and I've enjoyed the weight I've lost over the past couple years (over 17 pounds!!).
The Wednesday after Labor Day will be the first rehearsal of the pit orchestra for "The Producers" at Jamestown Community College. I have the music and Broadway soundtrack to guide me. I just need my violin back from the repair shop where I sent it to get a new bridge put on. Other music endeavors for the Fall will be the usual Jamestown Community Orchestra and The Living Christmas Tree. Non-performance items we're looking forward to include the Elvis Costello concert at Chautauqua Institution this Saturday and the Chautauqua Region Word Local Music Showcase on September 12th.
Throw two more weddings in there, including one where I'm supposed to play violin, and it's a full Fall. Possibly a little less crazy at work, but I don't think anything ever really slows down. It should be fun!
Monday, July 20, 2009
10 Things To Do This Summer - Mid-Season Update
I realized I have accomplished a lot on my to-do list for this summer (original post). Here's the mid-July update:
1. Have a drink whilst sitting in a rocking chair, watching the sun set at the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point. (UPDATE: We've watched sunsets while drinking, just not from Hotel Lenhart)
2.Plant dahlias, an azalea bush, and maybe some begonias and geraniums in my garden
3.Dance at three of the four weddings we're invited to before Labor Day (the fourth is a Muslim celebration, no drinking or dancing).
4.Read 2 books. I set my standards low when the weather is nice. (I've actually read 3 books since May since I can't count Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. I congratulate myself on coming up with the concept of a personal book club night at Labyrinth Press Company)
5. Enjoy limoncello over frozen lemon ice on my porch (UPDATE: I've enjoyed limoncello several nights at Forte)
6. Play skee ball at Midway Park (UPDATE: Probably won't accomplish unless we make a special trip)
7.Eat chicken souvlaki at the Yassou! Festival
8. Drink a super chilled beer outside in the middle of a blazing hot day somewhere I can people watch. (UPDATE: It's an El Nino summer. Plenty of beer has been consumed but the weather hasn't been exactly hot)
9.Take a day trip somewhere near water and just hang out watching the water lap against the shore for a few hours (We didn't have to go far for this thanks to Gary Peters Sr.'s 4th of July party)
10.Make caprese salad at home and eat it with fresh Italian bread slathered with butter while drinking lots of red wine and hanging out with friends. (Okay, so friends weren't involved in this one but we did do this while hanging out on our front porch one night for dinner)
1. Have a drink whilst sitting in a rocking chair, watching the sun set at the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point. (UPDATE: We've watched sunsets while drinking, just not from Hotel Lenhart)
2.
3.
4.
5. Enjoy limoncello over frozen lemon ice on my porch (UPDATE: I've enjoyed limoncello several nights at Forte)
6. Play skee ball at Midway Park (UPDATE: Probably won't accomplish unless we make a special trip)
7.
8. Drink a super chilled beer outside in the middle of a blazing hot day somewhere I can people watch. (UPDATE: It's an El Nino summer. Plenty of beer has been consumed but the weather hasn't been exactly hot)
9.
10.
Monday, June 22, 2009
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