My Music Collection

I LOVE LOVE LOVE music!!! If you haven't realized this from reading any of my previous blog entries then wake up! I am a music collector. And all kinds too. If I hear a song I like on the radio or on a TV show or in a movie or from someone else's playlist, then I write it down to download later. So when I saw what a new favorite author of mine, Scott Westerfeld, had done on his blog I had to give it a try.

The website is Wordle and the program weights how many songs you have by each artist. The more times you have an artist the larger their name shows up. So let me explain mine a little. I have the entire discography of The Beatles, Madonna, Counting Crows, Damien Rice, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, Matchbox 20 and Muse. Stephenie Meyer is on there because I have the audiobooks of all 4 of her novels.





If you'd like to check out Scott Westerfeld's then click here. It also includes instructions on how to do it yourself. If any of you do it please send me a link so I can see!

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Pepper.

My friends Danny and Ashley called Desirae and said they had some tickets to a concert for that night but weren't able to go so they gave them to Desirae and I. We were just finishing up at a ward activity when we found out about the concert, which started in a couple hours, so we had to rush to get ready then go pick up the tickets then drive to the concert. We were starving and it took us a little bit to find a Taco Bell. Then we had a hard time finding the place of the concert. By the time we got there and had eaten we walked up to the amphitheater right in the middle of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus playing my favorite song of theirs, Your Guardian Angel. That song was great and for the most part they were really good and entertaining. I was just surprised at how much screaming, rather than singing, they did. I thought I knew the band and their songs pretty well. I guess I'm more familiar with their radio-edit versions.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus


The lead singer, Ronnie Winter, had beautiful hair.


Yeah, Elais Reidy really did have a bra hanging on his mic stand.


Duke Kitchens





Desirae and Me


The band Pepper came on next. Desirae and I agreed that if Pepper was as screamo as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus then we would leave. The good thing was that they didn't scream instead of sing. The bad thing was that they cussed instead of sang. Every other word they said was bad and they were crude and vulgar. One of the two songs we stayed for said "drink and smoke" over and over again. We got up and left right after they made a particularly awful comment. But I love taking concert photos so I got a few in before we left.

Tubing down the river

At the end of summer, before the bug boys went home, we went tubing down the river. The weather was perfect, the water too. Except that the river was really low. So low that we had to lift our butts up or we'd get stuck. So low that we almost didn't need the tubes, we could have walked down the river.

Desirae, Kyle and I on our way to the river.


At the place where we started there is a rope swing so nearly everyone jumped in the river that way.

Rusty


Kyle


Desirae

Remember how I said that the water was really low. Well...it was low even where they jumped from the rope swing. Stupid. But if they landed just right they wouldn't get hurt. Except Desirae landed right on her butt and hit the bottom of the river hard. Ouch! She was in pain the rest of the trip.

Russell P.


Chad with Ben and Kyle in the background.


Me and Kyle


Me walking down the river with my sunblock of course.


We had an extra tube so Rusty rigged this fancy schmancy seat. Look at him chillin'.


Ozzie


Me and Desirae


We played Desirae's favorite game as we floated down the river. It is "Ask Everyone A Million Questions Game." Our favorite questions lately have been "What is the best part about being married/single?" "What is the worst part about being married/single?" We love to hear everyone's answers! For the most part most married people answer similarly, and most single people answer similarly. If you'd like to tell me your answers place them in the comment box or ask me to ask you when I see you.


Chad on his pool floatie, Ozzie looking like he's stuck, Desirae touching the bottom of the river, Rusty checking me out.


About to go under the walkway and the freeway and the train tracks.



Desirae looking like a supermodel.


Rusty and Chad


It's kind of hard to see but I was covered in dirt and mud while trying to wash off the tubes.


There is also a rope swing at the place where we get out of the river so the boys didn't some last jumps. This is Rusty again.

Counting Crows. Maroon 5. Augustana.

Months ago I noticed that MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BAND COUNTING CROWS was coming on tour through the area. Desirae and I were going to get tickets and go to it but we got too busy and never did. Then my friend Bill called me last week and asked if I'd like to go with him to the concert! I was so freakin' excited!!! Like I said, Counting Crows are my favorite band. And Maroon 5 is in my Top 5 Favorite Bands. I've seen both bands in concert and they are amazing!!!

The concert was held was at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Concord.


Me and Bill


We met Bill's sister Kattera, her friend Amy, BIll's brother Travis, his girlfriend and her friend there. Here is me, Bill and Travis goofing around.


Kattera, me, Bill and Travis.


Ryan and Eric went with us also. Here they are with Amy and Kattera.


Counting Crows


My favorite is when Adam Duritz plays the piano and sings! He is incredible!




Augustana opened for the bands but it took so long for us to eat and park that we missed them perform. Luckily, the Counting Crows had them come out and sing "Rain King" with them. Augustana did the beginning a cappella and then the Counting Crows joined in. It was a really good arrangement and sounded really cool for the two different bands, and sounds, to come together like that.


Both Counting Crows and Maroon 5 are headlining this tour but they trade off which band closes each night. So it was Maroon 5's turn to close. Our seats were up on the lawn area of the amphitheater but while Maroon 5 was playing a couple came up to our group and asked us if we wanted their tickets because they were leaving. Their seats were 7th row center! We said YES! Kattera and Amy went down for 2 songs and then Travis's girlfriend and her friend went down for 2 songs and then Bill and I went down for the last 2 songs. It was really cool to be really close. It let me get some better pictures.


They have a new drummer who is unbelievable! Matt Flynn is on the left, at the drum set, of course.


After the last song was played Adam Levine took off his guitar and threw it up in the air really high. When it landed the top of the neck broke off. He then took of the guitar strap and gave it to someone in the crowd! I was super jealous!



I took some pretty cool videos but for some reason they won't upload. So I'll try again another time and get them up on my blog.