I'm Back!

Wow! I really fell off of the blogger bandwagon . . . and it's not because I didn't have things to talk about. The last time I really blogged was in July, and many things have happened since July. Here's a brief list:

1. I saw Death Cab for Cutie perform and loved every minute of it. Ben was amazing. He's a true musician through and through.

2. I went to Hawaii! yeah, I know, that's a pretty big story in and of itself. It was beautiful and relaxing, but there were things that I wish had been different. I hope to go again someday with people that I love.

3. I began another semester of school . . . the semester that I have appropriately titled my B semester. It was a rough one. The classes weren't that hard, but it was very hard for me to get into the material. I didn't give my all. Sometimes it's just hard to give your full undivided attention.

4. I saw Dashboard Confessional perform. It was a fun concert and I enjoyed it up until the last song when the crowd went overboard and my face became painfully acquainted with the gentleman's shoulder in front of me. I decided then and there that from here on out I will be purchasing seated tickets whenever I can. General admission just aint for me anymore.

5. I went and visited my sister and her cute little family in Virginia. My nephews kept me happy the whole time. I played trains with Seth and spent as much time with Luke as I possibly could. They are both so adorable.

6. There was a terrible storm in Texas that caused flooding and casualties. That storm just happened to occur when I was supposed to come home from Virginia. My initial flight home was cancelled, so I was rebooked for a flight the next day. Storms continued, and my 2nd flight was delayed for about 5 hours. When we finally touched down in Houston I immediately called the airline to check the status of my connecting flight, only to find out that I missed it by a few minutes. I spent the night in the Houston airport and learned 1 very important thing. We're all in this together. People are kind, generous and loving. Although my night in the airort was emotionally draining and sleepless, I made some friends and eventually I made it home safe and sound.

7. I moved. I lived with my sister for 3 years, and it was time for a change. I needed roommates. So, I moved down the street and now I have 2 fabulous roommates. Don't worry - my sister and I are still good friends - sometimes a change will do you good though.

8. One of my roommates happens to be named Emily and she's fabulous. On the outside, we're very different, but on the inside we're like twins. She has made my life much happier.

9. I dressed up as the Nu Skin highrise for Halloween. The costume took me many hours, and it was a hit. I didn't win any prizes for it, but it was fun.

10. I saw Imogen perform again - and this time she was even better. I walked away feeling like I had just experienced the best concert of my life. A guy named Kid Beyond opened for her. He's a beatboxer who uses live looping to create his songs - and it's all him. I can't rave about it enough . . . he's just amazing. Watch the ableton video and you'll know what I mean www.kidbeyond.com

11. I went to another amazing concert in Park City during the sundance film festival. The best part of it was that it was free and we got to see some really incredible talent. I was there for priscilla ahn - and she was fabulous - but everybody else who performed was fabulous as well. It was all part of the hotel cafe tour. As a surprise to us all, Mandy Moore showed up and performed songs from her upcoming album. Em and I felt so lucky - we were just in the right place at the right time. I was the only person in the crowd who actually got to talk to her, cause she was standing right by me for about 5 minutes. It was fun and exciting to meet someone that famous.

and that's about it. I've been in music discovery mode again. Hotel Cafe turned me on to a lot of new artists - and even though I hate myspace for too many reasons to note, it has been an excellent way for me to find lots of really great independent artists. It's a fabulous tool for those times when I just want to find something fresh and new.

Currently Listening: Andrew Bird
Most recent discovery of note: Colbie Caillat
Best discovery of the year so far: Greg Laswell

Other discoveries of note since my last post:
Priscilla Ahn
Kate Havnevik
Milosh
Ms. John Soda
Psapp
Matt Kearney
Dave Barnes
Alexi Murdoch