The Airborne Toxic Event

On June 1st AJ, DF, and I went to a concert that I have been waiting for over 2 years to come to Utah- Airbone Toxic Event. I first fell in love with the group with their song Sometime Around Midnight and they have had me hooked ever since.

I have to say they were my favorite concert I have ever been to and here is why:

They were personable with the crowd- Mikel Jollett twice walked out into the crowd during the concert and came out afterwards to talk to fans. (I got one person away from him before he switched directions).

I love that their keyboard stand is a stack of books.

They mix instruments like the violin and the cello into their music. (FYI a man playing a cello is very sexy without the tux)

The band members each can play multiple instruments and switch around during the concert.

Noah Harmon looks like a cross between Maxwell Claufield and Bruce Springsteen (yeah, I have a little bit of a crush).

They actually have cool band t-shirts to purchase and thanks to AJ I have one!

And of course their music is great!

So even though my ears rang for three days after the concert it was worth it and here is just a sample why:

Jamed Arness (1923-2011)

I just found out today that James Arness, of Gunsmoke fame, passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Before he took on the role of Matt Dillion for twenty years (it held the record for the longest running drama TV until last year) he did a few film roles and was hesitant to take on Gunsmoke and be typecast until his friend John Wayne encouraged him to take it. “Go ahead and take it, Jim,” Wayne urged him. “You’re too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don’t want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television.” Standing 6 feet, 6 inches tall he most defiantly left a mark and he will be missed.

Thor

Am I the only person who has a hard time taking Thor seriously as real action hero? I just keep thinking of the film Adventures in Babysitting and laugh. Just a thought I keep having with all the commercials for the new film that opened last weekend, so of course I had to share.

March Madness!

March Madness is right! What a year for Cinderella stories. If you would have told me Duke was not going to be in the final four, I would have laughed at you.

First, I was so proud of BYU making it to the Sweet Sixteen. Even though they did not go on, I had fun watching them this season. I will miss watching Jimmer and Emery, but I’m glad that Hartsock will be back next year. I had a friend ask what would be my dream matchup with BYU and I said, to play against Butler and Duke and this year there was that possibility to see that happen but we lost to the stupid Gators.

Second, I have been a Duke fan for about 20 years, always cheering for them during the NCAA Championships. To have them lose the same day as BYU made for a very sad day at my house. Between the stress of the games and to be consoled afterwards I almost went through an entire bag of Cheetos.

Luckily Butler is still in otherwise I would have stopped caring what was going on in the tournament.

Jane Russell (1921-2011)

It’s always sad to report that another Hollywood legend has passed away. Yesterday we lost Jane Russell to a respiratory-related illness. Russell, known for her roles in Gentleman Prefer Blondes and The Outlaw, brought to the screen a presence of strong beauty. One who could play against men like Robert Mitchum and hold her own. Too bad Howard Hughes controlled her early film contract and limited her opportunities to become a bigger star than she was.

Let There Be Music!

Back in June my car stereo system decided to start acting up without my permission. It would decide when it wanted to work and when it wanted to take a break. By November my CD player completely gave up on me and retired. For someone who is in their car a lot, I grew dependent on listening to books on my commute to work. The problem was I just did not want to dish out hundreds of dollars to get it fix. But luckily I have connections. AJ’s brother was so kind to do all the research on what new system I needed to purchase and install it for me for free (though I had to give him a small thank you, I would have felt guilty otherwise). All this week I have had a smile on face as I once again started listening to a book my car (It really does make the commute go faster). So thank you AJ and her brother for helping me out because I am one really happy camper!

Oh, plus AJ gave me some other great news this week, Airborne Toxic Event is coming to town!

Primary

I have been called to teach Primary. I will admit it is not my first choice in the calling category, but it is defiantly not the worst on my list. I will be teaching the 9 year olds. As I have mentioned before I have only substituted in Primary on occasion so this is new territory for me. I will have to get a Primary Songbook because (I’m dating myself here) the “new” songbook came out the last year I was in Primary so the majority of the songs are new to me.

Today I got a quick crash course in teaching. I was in Sunday School when the Primary secretary came in and got me and asked me to substitute in Primary today for the 8 year old class since the teacher went home with a sick child. So I was handed the manual, pointed to the classroom, and had 40 minutes of class time to fill. Luckily the lesson was on Jesus’ baptism so I could wing it. I think today was to show me gratitude for the class I will be teaching in two weeks and be glad I will not be teaching this class of very rambunctious boys.