It Ain't Hemingway

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Twitter and Timing, When is the best time to post a link. http://ow.ly/1kWH5 Haha! check out the ITunes link I’m so Clever!!!

Dear Mother Nature:

What the HELL?!! Every year people have been geared with basements filled with salt, and refrigerators stocked with milk and eggs waiting to go bad because the fools at all the weather channels who invested millions of dollars in their Doppler 2000’s swear this is the year of the impending doom with Nor’easters and Blizzards of the century.

You confuse the hell out of us with your buzz about global warming, how all the glaciers are melting, our polar bears are dying and bees are disappearing. WHAT IS GOING ON?! Glaciers melting!?! I have a glacier hanging off the end of my nose as we speak.

I swear you are totally screwing with us and I had just about enough. Every year you threaten us and it never pans out and now this year you dump 1000 feet of snow on us in 2 months. What has changed to make you so angry? It really would help if you get it off your chest. Saplings misbehaving? Old man winter hitting the bottle again? The tides messing with your cycle?

Mama, the people of Earth need a break. There is only so much strength left in us to shovel yet another buried car. My roof is weak as it is, are you trying to make it collapse? You tease us with its beauty when it first falls but then we are left with the sludge, the 12 foot mounds on the side of the road, and the icy sidewalks.

Now there are talks of yet another storm next week; bigger and badder then the last you say. If this continues who knows what could happen. All the salt consumption could affect the oceans and kill off all the saltwater sea life. All the migrating birds will die off because it will be winter and cold everywhere and no place to fly south. Baseball season will not exist and the Phillies will not have the chance to reign supreme yet again.These are just a few things you should take into consideration before you go spewing off your mouth with more threats of a Snowpocalypse (oh, and come on…snowpocalypse…a bit dramatic don’t you think). I don’t know, maybe you’re still pissed about the butter-margarine thing from the 70’s but that was then so lets move on. A predictable boring rest of the winter would be much appreciated. Thanks.

CT

The pictures of you and your inner circle sitting around trying to look un-phased and ironic are of no interest to me. Purposely mizpelling words do not make you edgy or creative. Misquoting song lyrics does not make you a poet by association but it does makes you unoriginal. The stories you tell riddled with F-bombs and naked pictures you play off as artsy do not capture the shock factor you think it will. You are already forgotten; an affected wannabe rebel in a very small fishbowl with 5 minutes of recognition and a lifetime of holding on. Please stop throwing your friends under the bus, and your hair looks redic (and not in a good way). I gave you a chance but deleted the feed.

-ct

I’m tearing it open I’m ripping it up, I’m throwing it out, I’m shredding what’s left. I’m standing above it, I’m staring down, I’m stepping over, I barrel through. I’m pounding it out, I’m shaking it hard, I’m mixing it up, I’m throwing it out. I’m kickin’ it far, I pummel it down, I’m grinding it in, and I’m walking away.

–CT

I feel like I’ve been so engrossed in the world of Indie music that I’m completely out of touch with all the mainstream music that’s shoved down our throats in the USA. I heard my first Lady GaGa song right before the Grammy’s.  I listen to a station in Philly that plays a variety of music but mostly Indie and alternative. I don’t think they’ve ever mentioned the name Lady GaGa on air, let alone play her music. This is the reason I’ve remained a GaGa virgin for so long. Don’t’ get me wrong I know exactly who she is, I know all about her crazy outfits, alleged penis and shoes so distorted even a Geisha would wince. What does that say about an artist when their gimmick is more recognizable than their talent? Who convinced this woman that she needed to go that route? I have a video on my blog of one Stephani Germanotta with long brown hair sitting at a piano looking very bohemian, belting out a song with more integrity then I’ve ever heard before. She doesn’t need the carney act we would’ve believed without the glitter and spandex.

I think we are a nation who expects all the bells and whistles mostly because of the Hollywood scene and now we expect our musicians to deliver the same kind of theatrics. The Peas and their dancing alien beat boxes; Beyonce with her army of Storm Trooper’s, and even Green Day with their new career venture as the pseudo punk version of Andrew Lloyd Weber with the latest Broadway Rock Opera. Sorry not a fan of Green Day or Broadway musicals.

It’s refreshing when a true rock band wins an award. A band who’s idea of theatrics is when the lead singer performs the last-minute of the last song on his knees; who’s stage set consists of a black backdrop, blinking light panels and the random close up of their faces which never show enough of the hotty drummer in the band. I can tell you in my humble opinion the honesty of the music and simplicity of a solid performance is the thing that keeps drawing me in and will keep me coming back until the band chooses not to do it anymore. It’s the integrity and the purity of the music that the awards should be based on and not who can do the best Cirque D’Soleil act. All I’m saying is the soundtrack of my life doesn’t come with fireballs, acrobats or dancing robots, it’s not what I will remember.  It’s the sound and the words, the feeling it gave me, and the people I shared this passion with.

Obviously not all the awards are based on popularity or record sales, I think true talent is recognized more often than not but as in most things politics are always involved. I take award season with a grain of salt every year and watch to see the pretty outfits, my favorite Rock Stars, and Movie Stars and every once in awhile I hope to be pleasantly surprised by a good honest choice.

My good friend John Arnold contributed to the Haiti Relief efforts by flying to Haiti with a plane full of supplies (he actually made several trips)without any kind of plan, he just did it. This is no surprise that John would do something like this he is truly the kindest person I know. Here is a video of his journey and some suggestions on how you can help.

His words:
If you'd like to help in Haiti directly - today - I'll share one way to do it. I apologize for a mass email (not my style) and am not one to ask people for things (again not my style). I have had people ask how they can help and after last week I know of a very good way and simply feel I need to do this.
Thanks for understanding. 

Last week I decided to fly right into Jacmel, Haiti with 1,300lbs. of water, baby formula, rice, and soy milk.  When I arrived in Haiti I found a pathway for aid that goes directly to feeding and caring for people (see the video link of my trip).  Immediately.  This is not a big bureaucratic int'l organization - which frankly, is the beauty of it.  These missionaries have dropped what they were doing and have put together their own supply network that is getting aid directly and immediately to the people that need it.  If you give today, you'll feed someone tomorrow or the next day.  Also, there is zero overhead. Transportation is donated.  It's the missionaries themselves, directly getting the supplies in the Dominican Republic and transporting them to Jacmel, Haiti, where they distribute daily what they bring in. Whatever contribution you make here is a "main line" injection of aid directly to someone that needs it - pronto. It won't get stuck in some warehouse somewhere or get eaten up in overhead.  There is no overhead.  The news is filled with stories of aid piling up and not getting out - not so here.  This is working, I saw it with my own eyes and flew flights myselfe had no big plan to get there when we started other than a contact in Fort Lauderdale who would supply us.  Each step led to the next, we made it up as we went along, and received help every step of the way.

The video is at http://www.vimeo.com/8917700

If you'd like to donate and help these fine people:

1. G.O. Ministries - G.O. Ministries is the gatherer and the conduit into
Jacmel.

http://www.go-ministries.org/give.shtml

I talked to Ken George and under "Programs" if you select Haiti Relief Fund - it goes right to him. You can also put Ken George in "Recipients". They are running out of money very fast. Can use credit card or PayPal.

2. Joy In Hope Ministries - a teenage orphanage in Jacmel which is now distributing aid (from G.O. Ministries) to the people in Jacmel

http://www.joyinhope.org/earthquake/index.html

Under "Reason" direct it to - Pye Family - it's towards the bottom. Can use
credit card or PayPal. Danny Pye and their teenage orphans unloaded our plane in the video.

3. How Can They Hear (orphanage) - also distributing aid in Jacmel - Maria
Whittaker is the woman in the video that we flew back to Jacmel after she had brought her own very young children out, to better care for others in Jacmel.

http://www.howcantheyhear.org/
Send check to :
Global Outreach International
P. O. Box 1
Tupelo, MS 38802

Please put "3015 Whittakers Earthquake Relief Fund" on the memo line of the
check.

Once again, sorry to blast this out & thanks for understanding. All week we've been hearing how aid is not getting anywhere. This morning I thought, I know at least one way to get it done - NOW. I thought it proper to share in case you're looking for a way to do just that. Thanks for understanding.

On behalf of these organizations and the people they are helping......

Thank you!!!

John Arnold

October 2nd 2009

Gah! Damn, no free wifi here. Bastards! So i have to play catchup when i can. So far shear awesomeness. Girls rock, TCV most amazing experience. What TALENT!! and today is festival day 1. COLD out. yikes! No worries got my poncho and scarf. Yes, cute…i know. Stay Tuned!!

October 3rd 2009

OMG!!!! The most amazing night EVER!!!! Kings of Leon have the coolest fans and funniest fans ever. Side splitting good times. Have we talked about anything else besides the boys and the g-friends, umm no. All with Love though. Except of course for Nate’s passion for shuffleboard, affectionately referred to as Grandpa Followill in our circle now.

Sara Watkins and John Paul Jones was our first stop. I missed Lo Anthem but thats ok. We then moved over to the Avett Bros. So awesome and cute then on to Walkmen b4 heading over to Dr. Dog. Walkmen were awesome, I think I saw my girl crush Johanna in the background while watching the big screen but I’m not sure will confirm later.

Quik stop at the Austin Kiddie Limits to use the diaper toilets and to get in a good wiggle to “poop in the Potty” type songs with all the “mohican” sporting future rock stars. Next stop Dr. Dog where we caught the last 4 songs but there best songs if u ask me. LOVE my  homeboys.

Liz and I then got some soda’s and sat on the lawn for a smoke and a good long chat and solidified our love for each other. Seriously love my Lizzy. What kindness, witt, energy and just all around awesomeness. May u all be as lucky as me to meet her.

Got a text from Stacey “at barrier Matt side get ur ass up here”. About 20 minutes b4 Thievery Corporation came on we barreled thru to the front to b with our gals. FYI if anyone asks Fels is my daughter and it was very crucial I got to the front to be with her. Worked like a charm.

Thievery corporation really entertaining.

OK It’s time to head off to the Festival again and see my felice bros. It’s pouring out but it’s all good. I have my geek rain gear. I’ll be back to fill u all in on the KOL experience!

CT

October 2, 2009

KOL concert was so cool to be that close. Took in all their little gestures and dance moves. They did I Want You and Matty totally brought that song home. Really cool, loved it.

Had to open up that can of whoop ass cause a tool arrived and was annoying everyone. Apparently it was his world and we were just living in it. So close to the chick in front of him she needed to take a pregnancy test after. Eventually he found some other girls to hit on farther back and left us alone.

Of course there was also the annoying chick who barreled her way thru in front of everyone but I can’t say anything about that cause 2 seconds later I did the same thing to be closer to my gals. Cold Desert came on and yeah, I’ll say it-makes me cry every time I hear it live.  Caleb just sounds so beautiful singing that song.

To all our other KOL pals; ACL girls totally represented at the concert. Not one arm was down the entire time. We were hopping up and down in unison from beginning to end we all had the aches and pains the next day to prove it. As off key as (or me specifically) we were; every song got our full on vocals and no doubt every word CORRECT!

As soon as Caleb said “it’s about to get better” I knew that meant Eddie was coming out. Buzz talk around me was that Pearl Jam were already in town. Had to happen! And how sweet it was! Eddie walked on stage and put his head on Calebs back, gave him a bum tap with his tambourine and a kiss on his back. They rocked the house and Eddie had a smile on his face the whole time. Best KOL experience ever.

Earlier in the evening we were lucky to have a Jessie spotting on side stage, we were able to get her attention with our overzealous hand waving and got air kisses and waves in return. Very sweet of her and definitely made the Jessie girl crushers (who no doubt would yes, like a shower with her..tweeters get that) over the moon! Sorry Doctor, only makes me love u more for having good taste in women.

We were glowing from the experience all the way home, spent our shuttle ride reviewing our pics and video and some awesome stuff from the ladies to come. We certainly all slept very well that night.

Next up Bon Iver review…holy shit!

Oct. 3 2009

Rainy ass day. Off to the Festival with Liz and Jodi. The rest of the crew is staying back and exploring the city for the day. I cannot miss Bon Iver. My second favorite band. Justin got me through a very depressing winter and all I want is to see him live. Totally missed Felice Bros. but I just saw them in Aug. so it’s cool. Next up Grizzly Bears. Really talented live-I love there new album. I’m sitting on my WTC poncho and blanky hovering under my umbrella, tweeting-texting-talking on the phone while I wait. FYI you can tweet while there are no bands on but phone goes dead during performance. weird.

Torrential downpours are killing me. Bon Iver is doing his own set up on stage. Dudes got some major hair issues. He should really make a stop at Followill House of Hair next time he’s in Nashville. Thinking the Pixie may look good on him.

Everyone’s pushing and we are in sardine mode ready for the band, a good 45min b4 he goes on. As horrible as this space invasion is, the best part is u get to meet and talk to the people around you. Met a cool girl from Saudi Arabia and her friend. Funny pair. Bon Iver draws a really young crowd. A LOT of college students.

So fucking hot standing here wrapped in plastic. I’ll admit the rain feels good tho. Finally I rip off the plastic crap and just accept the fact i’ll be drenched.

AMAZING! What a talent! He fuckin played a zillion instruments at the same time. Played some new stuff but when he played Re:Stacks all was well with the world. so so good. and such a great crowd.

6pm- Jodi and Liz were soaked to the bone and headed back early. I made my way back to the hotel and decided to just crash while the rest of the crew went on to dinner. My legs were killing me and the thought of getting back on that bus just wasn’t appealing to me. Alone time much needed then- pretty much asleep by 8pm.

Awesome day!

Oct 4, 09

Sunday, last day of festival. SO fucking HOT! Sarah Edser just tweeted me from the festival grounds saying it is a complete mudbath. Crap! This is Pearl Jam day! I originally was going to just wander around and then stand in the way back for Pearl Jam cause I really wanted to see Dan Auerbach but changed my mind cuz I really wanted to experience Pearl Jam with Fels. She’s such a huge fan and had so much history and memories good and not so good, I wanted to be there with her and for her.

First stop B52s. Really wanted to see Black Joe Lewis but that didn’t happen. After that headed over to Heartless Bastards. Erika Wennerstrom has the most awesome voice. Poor Jen had to hear me say that 1000 times, but hey man, it’s that good needs to be said 1000 times. Lost the ladies but ended up with a much better spot so all worked out.

From there we dragged our feet thru the mud and got some reinforcements in the form of sno cones and water. Met up with Liz and Fels and headed down to Livestrong Stage to get prime seating for Dead Weather, and PEARL JAM!!!!!!!!

More to come…

CT

Continued…

We wormed our way through the mud to get as close to the barrier as possible. We ended up in a pretty good spot just left of the stage but right up front. We had a good crowd around us. Lots of friendly people which was surprising since we had heard that Pearl Jam crowds were notoriously rough.

The Dead Weather were awesome. Allison Mosshart is gorgeous, talented, sexy disturbed and scary, thus making her the coolest chick in rock n roll. Jack White brought it on drums and vocals and how he stayed unsweaty is beyond me. Allison was drenched.  Excellent performance and Jack made it a point to thank the interpreter at the end of the show. They then all took a collective bow for the crowd.

By now the ground was like quicksand and it was really hard to find relief in the night’s heat not to mention everyone’s body heat. Every once and awhile a slight breeze would come off the water behind us but it was fleeting. A couple of times I thought about high-tailing it out of there cause I just couldn’t take it but I stood my ground. Not so much cause I was determined but more so because my feet were stuck like suction cups in the mud. Security was passing around water bottles which I sucked down and shared with about 20 other people around me. I think I must have sweated out any pending bug I could have caught cause I haven’t gotten sick yet.

Pearl Jam was late coming on, or maybe it just felt like they were late. I was just about to burst out crying when Eddie stepped on the stage and much like KOL 2 nights b4 all pain and anguish mysteriously disappeared and all was well with the world. Eddie put on an awesome performance and he truly is a spectacular entertainer. Such humbleness and graciousness. His audience interaction is really impressive. He ran along the barriers and high 5’d everyone and was covered in mud just as he promised he would be during his hello’s at the beginning of the concert.

The best part for this Kings of Leon fan was watching Eddie’s personal tambourine boy throw them out to him as Eddie tossed them to the crowd.

All-in-all the music and festival experience were amazing. I loved the music and that part will always be memorable to me. Will I do it again, maybe not a 3 day thing but I loved the atmosphere and the experience of meeting people while crammed together. Thought that was pretty interesting. Would I do some things differently, absolutely.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be doing a Kings of Leon Houston review on my main page. Check out pictures below.

Dear Drunk Girl:

Your behavior at (any given concert, club, bar, etc…) does and will not serve you very well in the long run. Running around, getting in everybody’s face, letting the nips hang out of your spandex tube top will not end up with a happy ending. You are only going to:

1. Be embarrassed by what you said, did, or flashed.
2. Sleep with your best friends dude.
3. End up naked under a baby grand piano with no idea how you got there or whose house you are in (Trust me I know).

Hey, we’ve all been there and this is why I offer my words of wisdom. Beer before liquor never felt sicker. Liquor before beer all in the clear. Pace yourself please. I am so sick of being stuck behind you at a concert. I can only take so much of your high pitch screams, flailing arms and public grinding. Please be smart because you’re just setting yourself up to be the next victim of a Roophie hit.

Thanks for listening and making the right choice to wear underwear and to keep  the pony ride ass slappin’ dance routine that you do with your girlfriends to a minimum.

Thanks,

C-

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Now playing: Paula Cole – Feelin’ Love
via FoxyTunes