One Girl Revolution

Between the smoke in the venue during the show and running around in the cold without a coat afterward, I'm probably going to have a relapse and die of pneumonia tomorrow. But it's worth it.

You want a reason? I got your reason right here.

HELL. YES. I never in a million years thought that I'd get an opportunity like this. Talk about good timing. Best part? He joked with me. And he was very, very sweet. Talk about making my...damn, my month. And November just started.

(Note to vertigojo: I was very impressed by you, and any friend of mavra_chang's is a friend of mine. Thusly, you have been added. If you prefer this was not the case, let me know.)

It's the first post of 2006! Guess I should make it a good one.

May anyone who stumbles across this message have a wonderful New Year, filled with all the hope and possibility in the cosmos. And let's not forget those who suffered during the many tragedies of 2005 - let's work together to help them recover and make 2006 a year for positive change on every front.

I'm going to sit down at some point and draw up some New Year's resolutions, concentrating on the areas of my life that are of greatest importance to me. Don't worry, I won't bore you all with them. (Unless you want me to.)

I can't wait to see what 2006 has in store for us. Actually, no. I'm excited to see what we, the citizens of this planet, have in store for 2006. I'm hoping it's all good!

I'd love to make this longer, but in the interest of time and getting some sleep, I will merely broadcast the highlights:

-Got shitty, shitty directions from MapQuest. Ended up lost in the boonies, had to ask for directions at least four times. Nearly cried. Had mind set on getting a drink the minute I stepped into the club where my friend's band, Neumatic, was playing.

-Found way to club and located friend, Neumatic's enigmatic bass player. Said, "I have been through hell and back to get here!" Had a laugh and no longer felt stressed and worried. Good thing, too, because the club doesn't serve alcohol anyway. Found out Neumatic had yet to take the stage. Felt double relief.

-Talked with Matt Toka from Cherry Monroe. Was reassured that his voice was fine.

-Got right up in front of the stage to witness Neumatic in all of their dark and hard-edged glory. Noticed huge speaker stack to left, shrugged, figured, "What harm can a five song set do?" Had Neumatic's lead singer crouch down right in front of me, an amusing turn of events considering that I could not take my eyes off of him in the first place. Was smitten and smiled like an idiot.

-Neumatic's set ends. I suddenly realize that I cannot hear very much, if anything, out of my left ear.

-Meet other members of Neumatic. Am enthusiastically greeted with, "So, you're our enigmatic bass player's friend? Awesome!" Ask friend if lead singer has girlfriend. Lead singer does indeed. I stomp my feet, shake my fist, and curse the heavens.

-Enjoy the perks of being "with the band." Meet other musicians, exchange info with one who wants to go into music marketing. Sit around table with friend and new associate and critique bands from New York and Chicago. Decide to introduce myself to Chicago band after they conclude their set. Sign up for mailing list and purchase CD.

-Begin to get slightly annoyed and concerned about inability to hear properly out of left ear.

-Sit back as Cherry Monroe takes the stage. Veneer of polished and professional writer stripped away approximately 0.025 seconds after opening song, "Bandages," begins. End up singing along with almost every song the band does. Lament that I will never be taken seriously by other writers, ever.

-Wonder if friend and new associate are enjoying Cherry Monroe as much as I am. Doubt it because a) Matt Toka has disposed of his shirt; b) both friend and new associate are straight males. Still, both seem to be enjoying music. Of course, I do too.

-Set ends after hilarious onstage contest and witty banter, which takes place during the longest breakdown in history (in the middle of the song "Satellites".) Decide to ask friend to walk me to my car, as I am in an unfamiliar area and my car is relatively far from venue. Realize that this could qualify me as the worst feminist ever. Realize that I really don't care, as I'd rather be safe.

-Get better directions from friend, give him a huge hug, go obtain food from Burger King with nicest employees ever. Follow directions from friend, discover that they are far superior to Internet. Declare aloud to no one that MapQuest can bite me.

-Drive home listening to Marc Bolan and T. Rex. Decide that life is good. Stand by this assessment despite deafness that lingers until Monday.

A truly awesome weekend. I got to see Def Leppard with dolcedomum, teaandbitchery, shadownex, mavra_chang, and two other friends who don't have journals and therefore don't get linked. Let me just say that Leppard has lost absolutely none of its enthusiasm through the years, and that Joe Elliot has a gift for witty stage banter. (Any concert that ends with a man saying, "Cleveland, it was a pleasure doing business with you," is just awesome.) I'll admit to having a cold during the proceedings and screaming until my throat was in pain, but I did it anyway. Those guys just sort of inspire that sort of crazy devotion.

The concert was Saturday. It took me two full days to get my voice back. Best. Concert. Ever.


In other news, one of my people on my flist works at World Market, in the food section, if I remember correctly. She needs help boosting sales of her food, which is tasty and yummy and very, very foody. I am trying to do my part to help her out by turning to you, my LJ readers.

If you have any ideas on how my friend can sell more of her tasties, please post a comment for her here in this entry. Hopefully she'll see it, get some ideas/encouragement, and go back and bust some sales records.

C'mon, people. She's totally awesome, and I would love to help her out!