And the show itself was Fabulous, too

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It’s been probably a decade since I’ve seen the Bs. Their shows got so recorded and boring there for a while.  In 1997 (I know because I had to take the breast pump with me), Kyle and I saw them in Athens at the Colliseum, and then at some point there was a show at Lakewood with Jimmy and Janie. Walking out of that show in 1997, Kyle and I said, “We’ll probably be like 50 and still going to see the B-52s.” Let’s make that 60 now, OK?

This one was all the fun, and mostly from the first two albums. They opened with Wig and then played Mesopotamia (!), Private Idaho and Lava. Dance This Mess Around, 52 Girls, Love Shack, Roam. Only one song, I think, from that awful last album. Encore was Planet Claire and Rock Lobster.

It has been many years since I’ve been as  ecstatic as I was last night during Planet Claire. Today, my old-lady feet hurt.

Fred was bored and Keith is pointless. Kate is a Goddess, absolutely beautiful and a perfect stage presence.

But I think the person having the most fun of the evening was Cindy Wilson. She just seemed so happy to be there making that music and being adored by what was a very adoring crowd.

Vocabulary development

I’m learning an entirely new language at my new job. Things like systems of teacher effectiveness. MDC and LDC (which have nothing to do with developing countries). Outcomes-based funding.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we’re operating on a much less abstract level. Tom mumbles something ’bout “Cause she ratchet.” What! Ratched? What’s it mean? Does it have something to do with women’s butts? (My Mom reaction to most rap songs.)   “Janky,” Warren yells down the stairs. I heard skanky. You mean like ‘wretched,’  I ask?  “JANKY,” he yells, giving me yet another word to define.

Tom says he can’t explain it, has to show me the video. I fear I will see women’s butts. Instead, it makes me hap-pay, and explains the term far better than Urban Dictionary.

Why I didn’t go to my class reunion

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Facebook ruined it for me. You think I want to go stand in a room with a bunch of people I’ve deleted and ignored, when I’ve already caught up with the folks I care about? Nope.

I have never missed one until now —  always enjoyed getting to know some folks I didn’t hang out with in high school and catching up with those I did.

But now Facebook introduces me to anyone who happened to graduate the same year I did, and I think that was about 625. There are some of them I’ve enjoyed becoming acquainted with. But at some point I wised up and quit accepting friend requests from random high school associations and started actively ignoring and deleting them. The Sarah Palin page and some band called called Beloved are a sure sign to hit the delete button.

Where were you when…?

Don’t we all remember this moment? R.E.M. on TV!

It wasn’t long before Stipe assumed the role of frontman, which he just couldn’t yet do at this point.

And, of course, the video you see everywhere: Radio Free Europe.

 

Sarah

Sarah Katherine Day died on September 6, 2011. She was 52.

Sarah was born on May 3, 1959, in Arlington, Virginia, the first child of Mary Wallace Tompkins Day and Pierce Butler Day III. She was named for family from Edgefield, S.C., her parents’ home town. She grew up in Cobb County, Georgia, attending Sprayberry High School and Kennesaw College. She later lived in Colorado, Woods Hole, Mass., Atlanta and Dahlonega and had been a resident of Jasper, Georgia, for 12 years.

It was to Jasper, in Salacoa Highlands, that she moved a house down the side of a mountain when everyone said it couldn’t be done. There she made her gardens and her home just the way she wanted them.

Most recently employed by the Funk Heritage Center at Reinhardt College, Sarah was an accomplished calligrapher and gardener. During her lifetime, she worked as graphic artist, bartender, gift shop manager and retail store owner.

Sarah is survived by her mother, Mary Wallace Tompkins Day, father Pierce Day, stepmother Carole Boyer Day, aunt Elizabeth Tompkins, brother Butler Day, sister Beth Day, nephews Tom and Warren Lawson, brother-in-law Dan Lawson and countless friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice Advantage, 583 Highland Crossing #210, Ellijay, GA 30539 (706) 635-1060.

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blue

International Klein Blue (IKB 86, 1959)

Week 23: Kitchen construction begins

Day 1: demo kitchen. Day 2: wake sleeping concertgoers at 9 am–with a jackhammer to remove slate floor and 3 inches of concrete below it. Day 3: frame kitchen and clean up. Day 4: install all new subfloors. Day 5: rest and wait for electrical rough on Tuesday.

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Must…be…hap-pay!

Thank goodness for happy new tunes from Warren. Enjoy!

The little things are killing me

Looked in the bathroom yesterday and realized I hadn’t picked trim colors. Honestly, at one point that would’ve been what I thought of first. Kids’ bathroom is getting white. I think I’m going to paint the trim in Dan’s bathroom the same color as the cabinet — what do you think?

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Today

You’ve seen, Gentle Reader, that my house is in a state of flux. What I haven’t shared with you is that my work life is also on the move. Today, we move north 2 blocks.

: ( Goodbye.

: ) Hello!

(That is the first time I have EVER used smiley faces. But I’m in a hurry, and that’s the lazy way to express simple sentiment, right?)

More later…