Sunday, July 11, 2010

Dump

I've resorted to making notes on scraps of paper to remember little things to post about. Now if I can just actually post them more frequently... I think I'd like to try posting the way that Maggie does. Usually just one thought. Short and sweet. Not my style, but I might give it a try. However, until I start that, here's my brain dump--

Thursday afternoon was a particularly sucky one in the land of Os. At about 1:15, I started receiving a flood of "email undeliverable" or "delivery failed" sorts of replies on my gmail. For the second time this summer, my gmail account was used to send out spam and/or viruses to all my contacts. Somewhere in the 950 range. The flood I got were the spam filters that kicked it back to me. Or the dead email addresses. Or the numerous people letting me know that I'd been hacked. The upside? I heard from people that I hadn't heard from in a few years! Plus a couple whom I have no idea who they are...
Then I went to retrieve my car from the shop. My engine temp light has been coming on within a short amount of driving. Spent $65 to have a guy do a cooling system check. By all indications, things were fine. I didn't make it halfway home before the light came on again, so I went back to see him. He checked a little more and couldn't find anything wrong, so it was probably a sensor. I left it at the dealership the next day to get that replaced. When I picked it up, I got the bad news... At the least, it's a leaky head gasket. At the worst, and most probable, a cracked head. Boiled down, it means either replace the engine, or look for a new used car. Doesn't really matter...I don't have the money for either option. Fortunately the situation is in urgent mode, not emergency/desperate mode. It will hold together for awhile for getting to work and back. But it will fail on me...that's pretty much guaranteed. I'm hoping to talk my sister into letting me use Ray's truck until I find something. Or I might talk to her about buying it. Regardless...it's a bit of stress that I really don't want to deal with. I'm glad that almost everything has been paid for regarding BTE's party, otherwise I'd be backing out of that.
I will say that my mood brightened considerably later on, thanks to a couple of chats and texts that I had. You know who you are...many thanks!
Speaking of the party...Only a couple of weeks away! I understand there's another confirmation or two from attendees! If you're in the NYC area, you really should consider coming! Just email BTE for details!
In one week, our big symphony concert will be history. The ten-day weather forecast calls for sunny and temps in the mid-80s. There's no forest fires anywhere near (hmmm...that might call for its own post), so the skies are fresh and clear. The concert's theme is "Spanish Nights", which curiosly, will feature no Spanish composers... Everything points to a fantastic evening, with possibly our biggest crowd ever. We expect no less than 15,000 to show up with their blankets and lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Rehearsals started yesterday, and the orchestra seems prepared. There's that tiny voice in the back of my head that says we're forgetting something, but I'll be damned if I know what it could be! More to come...
It's been 6 weeks since anyone's asked me a question in the formspring box over there. I think it's served its function. It will probably be coming down unless there's some new activity in the next week.
Saw the final dance scene of "Footloose" last night. Good lord, the 80s were an embarrassment! I'm curious though. In a town where dancing and rock music were banned, where did the breakdancer and the robot guy perfect their moves? Especially in Podunk, UT???
More thoughts from watching TV--
  • Saw something that made me check YouTube, which got me into watching a marathon of old Johnny Carson videos. Damn, no one will ever replace him.
  • The KIA ads with the rapping hamsters (or guinea pigs? what's the difference?)--disturbing, fun or a sad statement on the state of advertising today?
  • Finally! A reason to bother watching the MLB All-Star Game! You can vote on the finalists for the new band for FreeCreditReport.com! Doesn't mean I'll watch the game just for the chance to see the finalists, but I think it was a great move on their part! Who really cares about the game?
  • I think the World Cup finals are going on as I'm typing this. Eh...
  • I was watching CMT's Top 20 Countdown, as I usually do on Sunday mornings. Are you aware of what rock band has been in the Top 20 since June 4th? Nickelback. Yeah...that Nickelback. I suppose if Kid Rock and Uncle Cracker can do it...
  • Also caught the CMT Crossroads concert with Kenny Chesney and the Steve Miller Band. This show is actually one of the best things that any of the music channels has come up with. As I was watching, it dawned on me. I think that 9 out of 10 people would not be able to pick Steve Miller out of a line-up. The guy whose greatest hits album of 1978 is one of the top 50 best-selling albums in the US. He's never really bothered with the video aspect of music once it became such a major part of marketing. He sold that many albums because of the music. And not due to the flashy videos. Ah...the good old days...
  • I've determined that I need to move to Nashville. At the end of the above-mentioned concert, they took the cameras and followed them to Tootsie's (pictured)--an insanely small honky-tonk just down the hill from the CMT studios and the Ryman Theater. The standing room only crowd of about 100 patrons got to see these two give an impromptu concert on the equally insanely small stage in the bar. The way music should be experienced. Where else, other than Nashville, does that get to happen on a regular basis?

9 comments:

Moosekahl said...

We are having similar weekends. I also watched the CMT countdown yesterday and still don't like the Nickleback song. Despise the KIA rapping rodents, and I caught the last half hour of footloose last night. Remeinded me of the time my halter top dress came loose while dancing to it at a CC dance.

Maggie said...

I've tried to do a brain dump like you, but it never works for me. :-)

Cheeky Minx said...

Ah, the 80s, Footloose and a young Kevin Bacon... (sigh) God, I feel old all of a sudden!

Clearly, the breakdancer and the robot guy would have perfected their moves in a radical, underground dance cell that was plotting to overrun the nation with soon to be outdated dance steps and outfits...

Good luck with the concert (and your wheels)! ;)

Sassy said...

Sorry to hear about the car :( You can have mine, but you have to come get it.

Chapter Two said...

so there.

Going Cerebral said...

HATE the kia commercials.

have to admit that i'm more likely to listen to nickleback than country (maybe i had my fill of country as a youth??). i'll get worried if Tool ends up on a CMT countdown. bwahahaha.

as for the close-knit music performances....i can think of four other places. the garage (especially right in front of the bass player's speaker...yummmm), Long Wong's in Tempe (but not Gibsons....left nauseated from the crowd crushing me against the balcony railing above the band), Cat's Cradle in Carrboro. oh, and the rugby team's house. :D

i'm a small venue kind of gal...just don't manage to get out to shows very often (about once a decade...think i'm about due again).

PDXsubcuck said...

No doubt that cars can be a real PITA. There are a few miracles in a bottle than might extend your car's life. Flush the system and use some of the junk according to instructions. We have a Rangie with a leaking head gasket for over a year (in line to be worked on after the CV joints and maybe the rear diff) the '67 Galaxie (brakes, fuel tank and some minor but irritating electrical problems), the Jag sedan (a head gasket with a damaged valve) and the Triumph (restoration)...and a few other projects. Projects I got...time I kinda got (but have medical limits) but money I no got! As you know a problem.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Oh the 80s, the glorious 80s. Big hair, new wave, cheesy movies. How can you not love it. Though seeing a pair of morbidly obsese 20-somethings attempting to recreate the Flashdance look at the AYCE Chinese buffet this weekend made me cringe. Some fashions should never be resurrected. Never.

Love that the "Spanish Nights" concert has no Spanish composers. (Not that I can think of any Spanish composers off the top of my head - I'm strictly a Mozart/Bach kind of gal.) Will they be serving tapas such as nachos and chimichangas at said show?

Bummerific about the car, but as you said, it's only urgent mode, not crisis mode - and since your trip out east is virtually paid for... Yes, I know -- I need to commit. *grumble* Of to send email. :)

Off to put on some Nickleback and dance nekkid.

xoxo
-m

Anonymous said...

P.S. Nashville rocks - and I wish I could remember the name of the place that makes the most fan-fuckin-tastic red velvet cake. *sigh* It's been too long since I visited Music City. Last time, I was incapcitated by a pot-laced chocolate chip cookie. Oops.