The End of the Plan Year....

Hey there,

I don't really have much to share this time around.  It's Wednesday and it feels like it's been weeks since I've felt rested.  In my defense, I've been between San Antonio and Houston four out of the last four weeks for at least a day.  I'm a creature of habit and random stays in hotel rooms throw off my chi.  My allergies are killing me and today is the first day I've felt "normal" in five days.

"Normal" has taken on new meaning.  As I mentioned previously, I keep a diary of sorts that chronicle the myriad of odd occurrences and notable observations of my days.  I was just telling Rachel yesterday that I had been enjoying about a week of my legs not hurting nearly as much as they had for the past month.  Mind you, that week was spent drowning in clouds of kleenex and bullied by sinus irritation.  The DRY HEAT in Houston is making me realize I have allergies!  Until this last year they never really bothered me.  Today: allergies were controlled and the legs started bothering me :-)

The day started out simply enough with a trip to the bank.  We were depositing a check from a vendor up north that Rae does Allistair's Attic work for.  Afterwards, because Rae is a girl she wanted a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks (I've never heard a guy speak so highly and in an elated manner about their magical qualities).  We ordered breakfast, which for the price was entirely too mediocre and still wanted hashbrowns from the Golden Arches.  The line was horrendous so we headed home.

I buried myself in various spreadsheets and email listings and began scheduling my fall semester in high schools.  There is a lot going on with work right now and all of the hard work will be bookended and sprinkled with some awesome occasions.

Work will be pulling me out of my cave and sending me to New Orleans next week.  This is somewhat nerve-wracking considering I will be presenting at a national conference.  Public speaking is something that just comes naturally for me; it's not too different from being in front of a crowd and singing and playing guitar.  I think the intellectual nature of it makes it more anxiety-inducing than the creative air of being on stage.  Either way, gotta pull it together - can't crash and burn!

Between concerts and getting married, some US time will be much appreciated.  Our annual Halloween party will be a blast as we celebrate getting married the day previous and my three favorite musical performers will all be touring this fall. I'm so excited!

Music used to be a huge part of my life and playing used to be on the dailies.  Sometime after 30 years old a little switch clicked in my brain.  It was time to focus on family and career and spend less time titling away on video games and instruments.  I have many friends that would argue that you should never "put down" an instrument - but those same friends are in the same boat.  We would be better served starting our own sad band of has beens ;-)  I can't wear skinny jeans, so that option is out!  I received an email that caught my eye today: Guitar Center's free recording clinics.  I used to do a lot of home recording; I used stand-alone recording technology.  I sold a lot of that stuff off and now have a powerful and capable computer and no patience for a learning curve.

Part of me is scared of producing something less than what I was previously capable of.  Part of me is scared that I'm going to find out my abilities have suffered further from whatever internal issue is ailing me.  Part of me is lazy :-)  Part of me will soon be dragging the aforementioned parts of me out of my cave...

Music will draw me out from my cave too.  Four and a half months ago I stalked Ticketmaster armed with various pre-sale codes and snagged six tickets for Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" tour at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX.  Three of them are in the 100's in the bottom bowl and three of them are in front of the stage in the PIT section.  Yup...Rachel, my sister and I and our collective ~30 tattoos will be surrounded by tweens screaming bloody murder at a tall, lanky 21 year old girl singing about love.  It will be enchanting I'm sure.  Fans of musical theatre and broadway must appreciate Swift's vision for the stage; it looks absolutely amazing.

As I Lay Dying is by far one of the most talented metal bands in the world right now.  Their technicality is rivaled by only a few in my opinion and I had the pleasure of seeing them open for Lamb of God a couple of years back.  I missed the tour for their latest album due to the fact that I can't stand festival tour dates.  Some people appreciate having 15 bands spanning the hours of an entire day.  Personally, I don't get enough time with my favorite band.

They are releasing a 10 year anniversary album, "Decas."   A lot of other bands release a GREATEST HITS album at 10 years.  They are generally remastered with the technologies of the present and sometimes they will have an interesting draw: live songs, maybe one or two new songs.  "Decas" will include a few new songs, some covers and then remixes.  I definitely can't handle a pit anymore, so I've emailed the venue to find out about their stage and general admission setup.  Hopefully they have a place somewhat removed for people with limited mobility.  I would get pummeled on the floor and then I would have to beat someone silly with my cane.  I have nice canes, so that's a no-go.

Lastly....MUTEMATH!!!  I love this band and they were there for me during a really rough time in my life.  Remember that intestinal surgery I told you about?  Healing was painful and moving was very tough for the first few weeks after getting gutted.  This concert was scheduled for two weeks after my release from the hospital and there was no way I could miss it!!!  It is very easy to feel sorry for yourself when you are recovering from life changing/saving surgery and sitting at home nearly bedridden allows a bit of depression to set in; you watch a ton of TV, read a bit and listen to music to no end.  The cyclical nature of healing is numbing as well - wake up, bathe, change bandages, eat, nap, change bandages, eat, bathe, change bandages and sleep some more.

I saved up as much energy as I could in those two weeks of recovery.  Previous to the concert, I did very little - knowing going to a show would be a test of endurance in a compromised state.  The venue was very accommodating and had a handicapped section away from the general admission crowd and they were literally the BEST seats in the house.  The show itself was amazing; the energy was contagious and I was able to take a lot of great photos.  In addition, a lot of my friends came with me and it was a wonderful party atmosphere.  When all was said and done I was able to meet the band!  As I hobbled up to the lead singer Paul Meany, he asked of me...."What happened to your leg?"  I was using a cane my father had bought to help me get around early on and I gave him the short version of the story.  With the help of some pain medication and a place to sit, I was at a concert with 44 staples holding my abdomen together.  Nothing really compares to that.  He was visibly humbled and gave me a huge hug and thanked me for being such a dedicated fan.  Coolest moment with a rockstar ever, definitely check them out if you haven't - their new album "Odd Soul" drops the day before my two year anniversary with Rachel :-)

I'm going to marry that girl on October 28th and we will have our annual Halloween party the 29th.  We are doing things small since we are each on #2.  This one counts though ;-)

-Lee