A weekend in review

I got my first real six string, bought at the Five and Dime… played it til my fingers bled. It was the summer of ’69.

Okay, so I didn’t buy it at the Five and Dime. It was a Christmas present and I think it came from Guitar Gallery in Birmingham. And my fingers didn’t bleed, but they are sore… and I guess we’ve come a long way since ’69, and it’s actually winter.

BUT… I did get a guitar this weekend!! And while I’ve already exhausted the one song I can play, I will hopefully be learning more soon. (And by “the one song I can play,” don’t think I mean that I play it well. I mean it’s recognizable and that’s about it.)

My weekend, as a whole, was pretty fantastic.

Friday night we did the duel birthday dinner for me and my step-dad. I was very pleased when I learned that the waiters at the restaurant weren’t allowed to sing or make a big deal out your birthday. We did get free dessert though. And I think it was easier to enjoy without the off-key shouting and clapping that I’ve come to expect.

After dinner, I went down to Red Bones – the one bar in the Montevallo area. One of my best friends works there and she wanted to celebrate my birthday with me. The bar happened to be closed for repair, so it wound up being the two of us, the owner and about 10 other people having a VIP party, small-town style. (Basically just sitting around, goofing off and dancing to really bad juke-box songs.) It wound up being a lot of fun. I stayed out WAY too late, but it was definitely worth it.

Saturday, Mama and I went shopping and I got some more work clothes that were badly needed. I even got a dress! I’m SO not the dress type, but I guess I should have at least one in my closet. So now I do. I might just wear it grocery shopping later because it’s so pretty.

I also made a trip to Books-A-Million to spend my birthday gift cards (people know I’m a nerd, so I’m easy to shop for!) I spent about $95 on six new books. I’m pretty stoked. I picked up The Host by Stephanie Meyer (author of the Twilight books), The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber, and the three Chuck Palahniuk books that I haven’t read: Invisible Monsters, Lullaby and Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey. I can’t wait to get started. The hard part is figuring out which one to read first.

THEN, it was off to the MOST amazing Christmas concert EVER. Trans-Siberian Orchestra. One word: Amazing. No… that doesn’t do it justice. Even though this was the fifth time I’ve seen them, they never get old. They went bigger and better than ever with the pyrotechnics and lasers this year. And the snow. OH MY GOSH… they blew so much snow over the civic center floor. (For those of you who live in areas where it actually snows, SHUT UP. I know you’re thinking, “Ooooh, snow. Who cares?” But for a girl in south Alabama, it was magic!)

Yesterday was Chase’s birthday party at the bowling alley. I can’t believe he’s 11!! When did that happen? He’s almost as tall as me. (I know… it doesn’t take much.) He and his friends had a great time. I wish I had their energy!! If you’ve never seen a group of 11 year old boys hopped up on sweet tea and birthday cake, you don’t know what you’re missing.

After the party, I hit the road and headed back to my new home-town for a couple days of work. My new Mitch Hedberg CD, Do You Believe in Gosh, really made the ride home enjoyable. I laughed until my face hurt.

Kevin came by for a quick dinner and some football (my Alma Mater, Troy, lost in over time to Southern Miss. Booooo.)

Then it was off to bed to rest up for the week ahead.

So there you have it – my busy, yet super-fun weekend.

What about y’all? Did you do anything fun this weekend? I’d love to hear about it! (Especially since I made you suffer through a play-by-play of mine!)

Holiday humor and a lot of driving

I started a pretty funny book last night — Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. It’s a collection of holiday essays that have a bleak, yet humorous, outlook on the season. If you’re easily offended, please don’t read it. I don’t want to be responsible for your heart attack when you get to the part where the Korean step-daughter who dresses like a prostitute puts the baby in the washing machine – apparently her broken English misunderstood “WATCH the baby,” to mean “WASH the baby.” It could happen to anyone. Well, maybe not. But that’s just the sick mind of David Sedaris. You’ve been warned.

In other news, I’m headed to Birmingham this afternoon. Tomorrow is the annual TSO concert. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for the music and lights and snow… the electric violin and Carol of the Bells… AHHHG!! I’m all giddy just thinking about it.

I finally feel prepared for Christmas. The shopping is done, the gifts are wrapped, my plans are all laid out. Now all that’s left is the driving. I’ll be coming back to Andalusia for work Monday and Tuesday, driving three hours to my grandparents on Wednesday, driving another 3 hours to my dad’s on Friday, then back here (about 5 hours) on Sunday. Oh, then back to Birmingham the following weekend for Deano’s birthday!!! I get to pull babysitting duties while Jen sets up.

I added up all of the hours in the car and determined I’ll spend 21 hours driving over the next two weeks.

Looks like my iPod is going to be working overtime.

Incase my blog gets neglected over the next few crazy days, have a happy, safe and blessed Christmas (or Hanukah, or Kwanza, or whatever it is you celebrate… )