I find this such an appropriate title for an album I’ve had to buy three times. Why have I purchased it three times? That is because I keep losing it and forgetting to add it to my digital library.
Tonight I went to buy it one last time (I got smart and decided just to start with a digital copy) and what do I do? I accidently pay to download it twice. Twice!
I’ve now purchased your new album five times. Wait…six! I forgot that I own it on vinyl as well. Please consider us even for all the concerts of yours I’ve bootlegged.
Finding the motivation to actually sit and write something on my blog has been such a struggle. It always seems there is something more interesting to do than to sit and write something that everyone and their brother can read. And I’m happy that is so. I’d find it terribly sad if I was ignoring the joys of life to sit and write on my blog. So I will post a short update on what I’ve been up to.
Last Sunday night we had a big family dinner for my cousin Jake. He left for boot camp with the Air Force last Monday. It was really hard to say goodbye but I managed to hold my tears back until I was in the car and driving towards home. Saying goodbye to Jake was super emotional because it is the last time my whole family will be together for many, many years to come. Military branches and jobs are taking our family and spreading them across the globe. It was just kind of the end of an era (that lasted 26 years).
Last Monday I headed to Dallas with friends to see Muse and U2 live. Muse was sick! I’d pay to see them live again in a heart beat. The show totally left me crushing on their bass player, Chris Wolstenholme. (And yes, I feel like I’m 12 for saying that. But his bass line was amazing!) You know what else was amazing? U2! They are never bad and it is always a fun treat to see them.
We left for home Tuesday and had some car troubles. One of the cars in our caravan got in a bad accident and had to be left in Corsicana, Texas. This left us with fitting six people in the Dodge Charger. It was a tight fit but we all made it home (eventually) safe and sound. Send up a prayer of praise that no one (but poor Steph’s car) was hurt. We made memories that will last a lifetime and are really glad we went.
Wednesday I had tickets to see Muse and U2 again. However, the arthritis in my back was so bad that I couldn’t stand for another 6+ hours. So I, very sadly, sold my U2 tickets to someone and didn’t attend the show. I was really depressed about it that night. Then the next day I was depressed that I let that get me down. How spoiled am I if that is the big disappointment in my life?! There will be other shows I get to see in the future so it really wasn’t that huge of a deal that I missed it.
Thursday I flew to New York to visit family. Travel went smoothly. The planes were busting at the seams with people but we didn’t have any delays and got to New York as scheduled. It was in New York where I spent the next two days super sick. I get bad motion sickness and didn’t take enough Dramamine on the trip up there. So I felt like I had a bad flu. I recovered from it in time to enjoy being with family. We really didn’t have all that much planned. It was just a trip to relax and spend time together. (Which we did, very successfully!) We also got my grandmother hooked up with a computer and internet. It took some time to teach her the computer a bit but she’s picking it up so quickly! I got to play with my cousin, Mulligan, a ton. We bought good, New York apples. I ate some great Italian food, and even managed to sneak in some Beef on Weck before we left. It was a wonderful trip.
Now I’m home and that is nice. I feel like I’ve been running around and sleeping in strange places all week long. I missed sleeping in my bed with my dog. Molly seemed to miss me too. And now that I’m back in my hometown, I must get back to working. I’ve have crazy stacks of work to get to before the end of the month. Hope everyone is well!
So I’ve added to my tiny family. I got a guinea pig for my birthday. Yes, I will be turning 25. But guinea pigs are great fun and having one totally takes me back to my childhood. With a break in tradition I gave him a U2 based name. (Up to this point all of my pets had been named after Beatles songs.) I named him Hewson and we are calling him Hewey.
He is the biggest guinea pig I’ve ever seen. He eats like a horse and loves building a bed out of hay. His purrs and whistles and carrots are his favorite thing in the whole wide world. Hewey is adorable and I love him to bits. There is only one problem…
Molly loves him too.
In a different way. The first night Hewey was at our house Molly did great with him. I held him and she checked him out and really didn’t seem to care that he existed. Then, as she was checking out his cage one day, she saw him run across it. It peaked her interest a little but in a calm way. So that day, as I had Hewey out for some cuddle time, she decided she loved him so much that she wanted to know what he tasted like. Poor Hewey lost a tuft of hair and Molly got yelled at.
Ever since then she’s been gunning for him. Her mission in life is to get a piece of the pig. I tried to explain to Molly that in America we don’t eat guinea pigs and being as how she doesn’t have a passport, she will never get to eat guinea pig. It hasn’t stopped her from standing and barking at his cage or from lunging at it.
So for now I have two adorable pets that don’t get along. Maybe someday they will be able to coexist. For now, it is keeping life interesting.
Happy Birthday, Texas! I plan on celebrating it today with 24.3 million of my closest friends. (Yay for Texans!) I can’t believe you are 173 years old already. I’m really looking forward to 175 in 2011!
I’m in an incredibly good mood today so I figured I should blog before something happens and my mood changes. Wow. That sounded optimistic. 🙂 I guess I’m just in such a great mood that the only place to go from here is down. Not that I have any intention of my mood changing.
I just renewed my U2.comsubscription. Ticket information for the tour comes out on Monday and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m totally pumped for the new album. It comes out tomorrow and I’m ready to get the album and enjoy it. (That is if I can actually wait and not buy it on iTunes tonight.) Oh, iTunes, how I loathe you and the power you have over my checking account.
I think popcorn is an amazing food and totally under appreciated. Then again, it can be butchered and that is never good.
So my parents have this neighbor who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Apparently his dogs have been getting into his flower beds and he isn’t happy about it. They can’t be doing all that much damage because his flower beds only have dirt and bushes in them. Plus, they are tiny, tiny dogs who are rarely outside. Still, he isn’t happy they get in them. So how is he solving this problem? By throwing Black Cat firecrackers at his dogs when they get near the flower beds. Don’t you think that is a bit abusive? I totally do. I’m sure that this guy thinks it is a clever idea that he came up with. It makes me want to punch him in the balls.
I went to see my roommate’s band on Saturday night. The Guns of Detroit were amazing. They put on a great show. Of all the bands that played they had this biggest crowd of the night. It was really fun to see Randall command the stage. He’s an amazing musician and I love having him as a roommate. (He’s a good one!) Joey went to the show with me and we had a ton of fun. Making memories with friends is always an activity you should take part in. I’m looking forward to the next Guns of Detroit show and enjoying it with my brother and some good friends. Check out their music.
I’m tired of war and fighting. Whatever happened to peace, love and understanding? People suck.
Reading Erin’s latest blog about Maura made me thankful for perspective as well. So often I get too caught up in my own selfish thoughts and forget that I have so much to be thankful for. I have so many things in my life that I should be praising God for. I wish I was better about that. I wish I always kept things in perspective because if I did, I’d never have a single thing to complain about. All my aches, pains and problems are of this world and won’t last forever.
I’m so overwhelmed with the idea of eternity. My finite mind can’t process the idea of my soul living forever. Granted, it overwhelms me because I think of living an eternal life with chronic mono and all my aches and pains. Thankfully, because of Christ, I won’t have to. He washed away my sin and made it able for me to live in eternity. I love going to church because I feel that it is a small glimpse of how complete my soul will feel in heaven. The natural high that comes from worshipping God can be breathtaking. (Sorry. I had an amazing time at worship yesterday so I’m kind of on a church kick right now.)
Well, I’ve got to get back to working and listening to U2. I’m working my way through their entire catalogue and I’m just about done. (Right in time for No Line On The Horizon!) Ciao!
(TORONTO – December 18, 2008) – Universal Music Canada (UMC) – the country’s leading music company – is thrilled to announce that the world’s #1 rock band, U2 is back! U2 have just announced that the title of their hugely anticipated new studio album is No Line On The Horizon and will be available for purchase everywhere, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and their first full-length release since the five times platinum selling How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004).
Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, and continued in the band’s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally completing at Olympic Studios in London.
The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.
Some song lyrics that kind of explain where my life is at right now…
Some Days Are Better Than Others
Lyrics by Bono
Some days are dry, some days are leaky
Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you’re quick, but most days you’re speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others
Some days it all adds up
And what you got is not enough
Some days are better than others
Some days are slippy, other days sloppy
Some days you can’t stand the sight of a puppy
Your skin is white but you think you’re a brother
Some days are better than others
Some days you wake up with her complaining
Some sunny days you wish it was raining
Some days are sulky, some days have a grin
And some days have bouncers and won’t let you in
Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others
Some days are honest, some days are not
Some days you’re thankful for what you’ve got
Some days you wake up in the army
And some days it’s the enemy
Some days are work, most days you’re lazy
Some days you feel like a bit of a baby
Lookin’ for Jesus and His mother
Some days are better than others
Some days you feel ahead
You’re making sense of what she said
Some days are better than others
Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others
I’ll get to the mystical powers and the truly important part of this post, where I talk about my diagnoses of bipolar disorder, towards the end of this. I feel like I’ve lived an entire lifetime in the last week so I’m just going to go through it bit by bit here in this blog.Actually, I’m backing up a bit before that because there were some pictures I didn’t post.
I had a fabulous time going to see Mike Winslow with friends when he was in town.
You might know him from the Police Academy movies or from his recent Geico commercial.He was outstanding live!I totally recommend you go see him.
We had a fun group of people that went out.My Aunt even joined us and it was really fun spending time with her.He does this great three minute clip from Star Wars where he does EVERY sound and voice.It is amazing!Go see him!
My father sent me beautiful tulips for Valentine’s Day and they graced our table for a good two weeks as the bloomed…
One of my favorite Presbyterians (Mr. Wizard) decided to emulate one of my other favorite Presbyterians (The Edge of U2) during his time of unemployment.Yay for having my camera in my purse to capture this phase of facial hair:
The Edge Wised up and grew it in so it didn’t look as if he’d just stepped out of a porn video…
Don’ worry.By the time Rob was taking me for a spinal tap later in the week (things turned out fine) he had already shaved his off.Here he is showing his clean shaven face as he puts air back in one of his tires that has a slow leak.
Yes, this is ghetto and one day his tire will actually be flat.Regardless of that, I was totally amused by his pulling over to put air in his tire.I was sooo glad (that is sarcasm) that his car reminded me not to put my wine glass in his cupholder:
It leaves me to question one thing.How dumb are people who own Mini Coopers?(Sorry Rob…look at it as my way for getting back at you for putting Paul McCartney on your Dead Pool list.)Speaking of Paul McCartney, Rob and I were discussing his divorce and the hit that Paul’s financials will take.Paul should still have more than half a billion dollars still leaving him richer than God.Like Rob said, “Yeah…he’ll be back playing in Berlin nightclubs before too long.”(Again with the sarcasm.)
We hit up Central Market together and I introduced Rob to on of the best inventions of the twenty-first century…Beer Chips.At first he wasn’t sure what to think about them…
But he pondered it a bit…
…And decided they did indeed kick royal butt.
I voted in the Democratic primary thus making me a Texas Democrat through December 31, 2009.
Gas costs soo much right now.
I’m from Texas.I’m not accustomed to paying such a pretty penny to fill my gas tank.How much did it take last week?$45.00!I’m glad a get decent gas mileage.I feel for my baby brother who has the V-6 Mustang or my parental units with their loaded Dodge Chargers.
I have a new baby that I pretty much adore…
Isn’t it pretty?The iPhone is actually very nice and has lots of super fun features that I’m enjoying.And yes…it is already loaded with U2 songs and videos.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicks off with 5000 trailriders descending on Houston’s Memorial Park today, which is “Go Texan Day” in Houston.I’m so glad rodeo season is here again!It is pretty crazy to be driving down a 12 lane freeway that is bumper-to-bumper with one of the lanes full of horses, cowboys and wagons.It really makes you proud to be a Texan.How many of you outside of Texas see regular trail riders on your 12 lane freeways?To commemorate the season I’ve change to an appropriate blog header.Now I’m ready for some BBQ and a fried Twinkie!But how do I k now I’m a real Texan?I went to put on my boots today and they were caked with dirt from the last time I wore them.
You pretty much won’t understand why this is a good thing unless you are from Texas.Don’t even try to comprehend it…you might hurt yourself.For all my Texans, yay for muddy boots!
And finally…Barack Obama has mystical powers.This is what I called and told one of my best friends this weekend.I was so out of it mentally that I don’t remember doing this.Saturday night I mixed a muscle relaxant, an anxiety medications and too many over the counter sleeping pills to try and help myself sleep.What resulted was an overdose and a trip to the hospital.I am fine and won’t have any lasting effects from the overdose.But it did bring on a manic episode which culminated with me spending four days at a hospital that deals with mental problems and substance abuse.
After a year of many trips to the psychiatrist, many medications changes, and putting my family (and myself) through complete hell, I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder this week.Though there was much pain an heartache on the road to figuring out what was going on in my head, it was a blessing that I went through what I did.I never would have straightened things out without going through everything that I did.
I don’t even remembering overdosing this weekend or visiting with my psychiatrist on Monday with my mother.You want to know a great way what it felt like inside my head?Look at how I completely destroyed my bedroom this weekend.
I have no recollection of doing that whatsoever.As embarrassing as it might be to post that picture, it really does show how messed up I was.Thankfully we are getting my medicines straightened out and I know what to watch for now (as far as manic and depressive episodes goes.)There is still the chance that this could be post acute withdrawal symptoms from drinking alcohol, but time will tell.Prayers would be appreciated.
So that is what is going on with me.Now I’ve got to cut this short.Tonight is our weekly poker game and I’ve got to get going!
So I went to see U2:3D with twenty friends from church on Friday night. I honestly expected to enjoy myself but I wasn’t expecting too much since I have seen them from the front row. That being said, I was blown away.
I’ve grown up seeing IMax films so the 3D thing was something I’d seen before. However, this film took it to a completely different level. I can’t even describe how awesome it was.
It is a bit strange seeing this film. In movie you are expected to be quiet. At concerts you are expected to be loud. So how do you act? The first time I went (and yes, I’ve seen it more than once) I rocked out. I sang every song and spoke every work that came out of Bono’s mouth. That would be what prompted my best friend Will to say, “Jen and Bono have a one to one connection.” I bootleg enough that I even knew the somewhat “random” stuff that Bono said.
The point of this was that it truly is an awesome thing to see. Go see it.
If it isn’t at an IMax near you it should be soon! I know Houston was one of the cities that got it earlier than other cities.
jlwysocki84.wordpress.com 