Hazy Shade of Winter

...Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Wont you stop and remember me...



About a month back I was looking for old 80's bands and songs to make a mix CD for my sister's birthday. While using Wikipedia I stumbled upon The Bangles website, so I decided to see if they were touring. One click led to another and I saw that they were indeed touring and that they would be stopping in New Orleans on Friday, March 23rd.

I called MSH and emailed friends and a few weeks later I was at their concert. Thank you Michael for finding out that Tuesdays at the House of Blues is 2 for 1 tickets. They were a steal!

MSH, Michael, Kurt(?), Debbie, and I went. Actually, Debbie sort of showed up with Michael. She was initially all mopey and leaning against one of the columns in the balcony, but then she got some food in her and she was good to go.

Susan Cowsill opened for the girls. I had no idea who she was except for what MSH told me. She was part of this big musical family from back in the 60s who inspired The Partridge Family. Susan was good in an indie girl rocky kinda way, but I would listen to her again if the opportunity presented itself. I was there for The Bangles, so MSH and Raspberry Absolute, cranberry, and lots of limes kept me going till the main event.

By the time The Bangles came on stage I'd already had two drinks in me, so imagine my craziness when they opened with "Hazy Shade of Winter"? C-R-A-Z-Y!!! Fun Carlos was out!

They played a tight set. We all danced like crazy people and sang like them too. By the end of the night I had decided I wanted to play bass in MSH's imaginary band.

A week after seeing them, it's all become a blur so I can't recall the order of their songs, but they played all the hits including Manic Monday, If She Knew What She Wants, Hero Takes A Fall, Going Down to Liverpool, Walking Down Your Street, In Your Room (which brought the House of Blues Down. Really.), Walk Like An Egyptian(with a medly of Mrs. Robinson-well played), and they ended with Eternal Flame. I could've done without Eternal Flame, but I guess when most of the people down on the floor lit their lighters they had to do it. Ugh!

Here some live clips culled from YouTube. What you hear is what I heard.

(Last Night ) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All - Part 2

"Last night I didn't get to sleep at all, no, no
I lay awake and watched until the mornin' light..."

I was out last night seeing The Bangles at The House of Blues with Marshall, Michael, Kurt(?), and Debbie. I'll have to write about that later because there's a lot for me to write about and I'm still, at 3pm in the afternoon of the next day, slightly sleepy and hungover.

I could barely drag myself out of bed at 9 am this morning to answer the phone. I could barely speak from an achy throat, and let's not even discuss sprinting from my bedroom to the kitchen to get my phone that goes straight to voicemail in three rings flat.

Today, I decided, was the perfect day to spend watching DVDs I'd been ignoring for weeks. First I saw "Half Nelson" with Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps. He plays a drug addicted teacher who is self destructive (aren't all teachers?). One of his students is played by Shareeka Epps. Excellent young actress. I'm not sure what to really say about this movie because the whole self-destructive teacher angle has been done before (Looking For Mr. Goodbar), but the performances were actually OK, dawg. Oops! Sorry I channeled Randy the judge from American Idol. Really, though, there was fine acting all around. I would recommend it for that.

After finishing that one I decided to watch "The Holiday" since I was wee bit embarrassed to see it at the theater. I slept through most of it. I was tired and hungover so don't let it be a reflection of the movie. However, it did produce a very weird dream. I was in a shoestore with Kate Winslet and Jude Law. Jude was dating both of us, but he wouldn't commit. So I'm crying and Kate's crying over him not being able to be with us full time- all the while shopping for shoes. Strange? Possibly.

(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All - Part 1

"Last night I didn't get to sleep at all, no, no
I lay awake and watched until the mornin' light..."

I was out last night seeing The Bangles at The House of Blues with Marshall, Michael, Kurt(?), and Debbie. I'll have to write about that later because there's a lot for me to write about and I'm still, at 3pm in the afternoon of the next day, slightly sleepy and hungover.

Today is my anniversary. Marshall and I have been together for 6 years. It all begin over lunch one warm, breezy afternoon like today at Lakeview Harbor. I actually showed up early for once, and he arrived shortly after. I waited patiently inside the dark restaurant/bar feeling slightly nervous at the possibility that he may not look like the way he looked in the picture he sent when we emailed. Yes, we met online, and you know how those dates may often go.

After waiting inside for a while, I saw someone peek through the front glass doors. He quickly scanned the entrance and then he hurriedly walked back to his spot beyond my eyesight. When I saw him my stomach did a flip because I figured it must have been him. I took a deep breath and decided to go see if it was him. It's always an awkward moment when you first meet someone and you have to say the requisite, "Hi, are you (fill in the blank)?"

I opened the tinted black doors and stepped outside squinting into the bright day to find Marshall reading a newspaper and drinking a Dr. Pepper while sitting on the hood of his car. This was him trying to be "cool" he later confessed to me. I found it endearing and very much Marshall as I know him today. Happy Anniversary, B.