Blogging's overrated!  I never do it, cuz I don't have much time to spare.  However, tonight I find myself with some time.  Know why?  Well, of course you don't, unless you're Tiffany or Elizabeth.  They know that my favorite musician, Todd Martin (aka Toddy), is playing in Cambridge tonight at a favorite venue of mine - Passim.  I'm blogging because I'm sad I'm not there.  Why the Hell don't I get President's Day off?  Why the Hell does Todd always have to play a late set during the campfires?  Why the Hell do I even care so much??  Ok, alright, so I said I was sad, maybe I meant bitchy.    Whatever....I'll be seeing him in NYC next week.  I guess I can chillax.  I just need to remind myself that I have some fun things coming up - like - my LRC on Friday night (yay Dylan!), hanging out in NYC for a night with Todd Martin and the Ends (yay Brad!), vacation from my fourth graders for a week (yay sleep!).  Yeah, so everything's fine  - just felt like a little bitching, I guess!  Blogging's good for that, apparently. 

Yes - sad, but true.  There are about four hours left of my summer vacation from teaching.  I never actually had a vacation, but I didn't teach for a few months.  Instead, I worked full-time at a daycare with infants so that I could pre-buy oil for the brutal winter months ahead.  I'm sitting here in front of my computer in candle light.  The crickets virtually cover the sound of rain outside the window.  I'm attempting to relax for an evening before the storm of fourth grade hits my world with force tomorrow morning.  I'm also nostalgically reflecting on the past few months of chaos that was my summer.  I'm feeling that it was one of the best summers yet.

Although, I worked full-time, I felt it necessary and irresistable to cram in as much living as possible.  I went out and bought a planner to keep track of the shows that I was going to make time for - no matter how little sleep I would get before I had to go to work in the morning.  Thank God for weekends...although, at times, weekends were just a crammed.  One weekend in particular, I had tickets to go to the NASCAR races at Loudan,  both Saturday and Sunday.  This meant long days because my cousin and I didn't have a hotel room - we planned to drive each day.  As if this wasn't enough to keep me busy and entertained, I arranged to meet the girls in Tilton as soon as the Busch race was over so that I could make it to a Todd show in Somerville, just outside of Boston.  We got back after 2 am, and I had to be up around 6 to get ready and drive back to Loudan.  Four hours of sleep is one of the more lengthy rests that I had this summer.  There were several mornings that I'd get home around 4am, and have to leave for work by 7am.  There wasn't a show that I felt was not worth this crazy schedule that I was keeping. 

 Even as I've been attending in-services and parent nights at school during the past week, I have managed to attend a few more shows and even host one in my living room.  Todd Martin came up to the NEK of Vermont and rocked my little living room to the core!  My guests were pleased, and I was in a somewhat euphoric state.  I don't think there would have been a better way to send off my summer.

So, now I have to extinguish my candles, turn on a light and make plans for this week in fourth grade.  However, I have found that I refuse to extinguish the bright lights that made my summer shine.  I'm keeping my planner as cautiously full as I can, and trying to arrange a bright fall.  Hence, I've learned by experience a few of the numerous ways to live life to the fullest.  You can find me continuing to apply these lessons as my summer ends and my fall begins.

I decided that I just need to do some gushing about my music!  Last night, we saw Todd, Syd and Averi at the Big EZ - in Portland.  We didn't get home until 5 a.m.!  I had to leave for work by 7:30 - ouch.  Tangent - Getting there and back was certainly a...trip!  For God's sake!  What is it with Maine?  I've come to the conclusion that they enjoy screwing with people in several ways...one of which being that they don't put signs up where they should be.  On the rare occasion that they do, it's still confusing as all Hell!  Venting complete.  Ok, so....Todd did a great job!  I love it when he throws in some Damien Rice, but last night was the clincher!  He actually sang a few lines from The Scientist...which is a Coldplay cover that I love - Track 4 for those of you that have a hard time with song titles.  However, there were some people talking rather loudly and they continued doing this throughout the Syd set as well.  Another Tangent:  What is it with some people?  If you've read about me, you know that I despise people who act ignorantly.  It's pretty simple folks...if there is someone on stage playing a guitar (or some other instrument) and singing into a mic that is turned on, this is the part where you listen!  That means, don't talk!  Shut your f-ing mouth!  Please...don't try to shout above the music!  And...when you are being shushed by others around you - at times this includes the person on stage trying to perform...FOR YOU! - get an f-ing clue and QUIET DOWN!  Tangent Complete.  I decided to go right to the stage so that I could hear Syd - that was better - for acoustic and visual reasons!  Syd was amazing...as ever!  Damn, Tuck is talented!  How the Hell does he do that?  Averi was on next and was wonderful!  However, I got rather woozy and needed to sit down - to prevent an embarrassing passing out situation.  My blood sugar was too low!  I hate it when that happens...it's so damned inconvenient!  Thanks goes out to the guy that bought me some juice!  I would have liked to have been able to stand with Eliz and Tiff throughout the entire set...especially the clapping song.  It was great to be heading home.  Bonus...got great hugs from Syd, Todd and Tuck!  Girls like hugs - I'm not ashamed to admit it!  Ahh...Gushing complete...for now...until Saturday when I get to see the SK6ers!

Ok...so I tend to be pretty random at times.  Usually, I try to sensor the many random thoughts that zing through my head several times a day.  One of these was - maybe I should blog my random thoughts...that would be kind of funny.  After running this by my friend/housemate, Elizabeth, I decided to cease being a virgin to blogging and do it!  So here are a few random thoughts that I've had recently.  This was while I was sending a message to Tiff.

I think chewing gum helps me type faster and more accurately! 

I'm asking friends to test this theory!

As I was driving to my only-cuz-I-need-money-summer-job, this crossed my mind:

In America, we drive on the right side of the road.  We don't use the metric system as a standard....just a few more ways to tell England to piss off? Hmm.

Conveniently, these random thoughts were G-rated...pretty much!  That doesn't usually happen!