Oh no, not again! That's what I didn't like about the 3rd movie...overall it was my favorite, but it irked me that they left some things out that would've helped explain the story a lot. Can't wait to see this one, though...I'm a lot more excited about this movie than the last two, even though Phoenix was my favorite book. I think I'm having Potter withdrawal now that there aren't any more books coming out, heh.

I just hit the bloody jackpot - I found a ton of my parents' old records in the closet! Great timing, too; if I'd found them before last year, I doubt I would've liked most of them. I found: 2 Eagles albums (Hotel California -yes! - and One of These Nights) Chicago Live at Carnegie Hall (my parents liked Chicago? Whaaaat? ) America George Jones & Tammy Wynette Waylon Jennings Johnny Rodriguez Loretta Lynn Emmylou Harris (there's like 4 of her albums) Charley Pride Flatt & Scruggs Dolly Parton & Porter Waggoner Barbara Mandrell Kris Kristofferson & Barbara Streisand (tee hee) Olivia Newton-John (:snort: :snicker: ) Donna Summer (ditto...you can tell the decade they bought all of these) So yeah, some awesome, some not so awesome, but definitely worth cleaning out the closet for. Hotel California sounds SO good on vinyl!

Saw Public Enemies...I don't know, it just didn't grab me all that much. The editing and shaky-cam kinda killed it, in my opinion. Everything was just kinda set at a slow burn the whole way through; it wasn't exactly boring, but there were no crescendos in tension or excitement at all, which is crazy for a movie that has multiple prison breaks and shootouts. And usually that fast-cut editing jazz at least makes things seem more exciting, if harder to follow, but this just made it seem like a jumbled-up dream. Weird. Oh well, it's at least worth seeing and deciding for yourself whether you like it or not - it's not THAT bad. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale were indeed great, especially considering the lack of character development in the script. Loved the scene where Johnny's talking to Christian in the jail cell.

Putting THE FIRST LEDZEP on ignore. ^ Aww, that is so cute, tangerine!

Aww, you're reading LOTR for the first time - how cool is that?! Glad you're liking it so far. Yeah, it went pretty quickly for me too until I hit the part where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are in Mordor. So they're walking slowly across a boring landscape, annoying the crap out of each other because they all have low blood sugar. Joy. Ha, sounds like an average day at my house, come to think of it...no wonder it seems boring. Anyway, don't tell anybody, but I usually skip their scenes whenever I re-read it. Other than that, though, it's pretty attention-keeping all the way through. Have fun! I just bought a book called Uther by Jack Whyte. I was re-reading The Mists of Avalon (which is like the best book EVAR, by the way) the other night, and I love the first part that focuses on Arthur's parents, but they're not really the main stars of the book, so I thought I'd look for something that was entirely about them. This was the the first thing I found...I hope it's good.

The "Freebird" thing is interesting, because it's like it's come full circle now. The joke's gotten worn out, but now there's a whole new generation that wasn't around when the song first came, wasn't around for the advent of the joke, and now they hear the song for the first time and think it's awesome, just like when it first came out. I guess I'm one of those people. If I yelled "Freebird!" at a concert, it would be because I seriously wanted to hear it. About the joke, though...I wouldn't take it as an insult. It's only because the song is so iconic that it's become completely overplayed and then in turn a target for a joke. If the song was never any good, people wouldn't have remembered it long enough to shout it out. It's like Stairway to Heaven - I've played that song to death and listen to it about twice a year now, but it's still an awesome song, and I wouldn't have worn it out if I didn't like it so much.

Well, I've had quite an eventful month. The absolute last band I saw was Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver at Bluegrass Night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry between the 40s and the 70s). Opening was Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeepers, who were absolutely friggin' awesome. Doyle Lawson was great too, but those guys just kicked out the jams, man. Before that I went to the Grand Ole Opry, which was way, way cool. Little Jimmy Dickens made me tear up for some reason...seeing him standing there in that old-school sequined jacket, knowing he's seen it all over the years. I mean, hell, he was around back when Hank Williams was on the Opry, for pete's sake (and when he got kicked off of it). That kinda blew my mind. Anyway, I saw Alison Krauss and Vince Gill - Vince Gill got to me, too. I kept saying to myself, "That's Vince friggin' Gill! Unbelievable!" I've seen a lot of famous bands that I really admire, but it's just a really weird feeling seeing someone in person you've been listening to for as long as you can remember. It's like you weren't sure they actually existed because they've just been a part of your everyday life for so long, and all of a sudden, there they are! Alison Krauss was...perfect. That's the only way to describe it. The Whites, who were singing with her, weren't quite as good, but it was still amazing. They did a couple of gospel songs, and it was seriously like angels singing. I know that's an overused phrase, but I've never used it before in my life, so you know I am dead serious. And before that, I saw the man, the myth, the soon-to-be-legend (if I have any predicting abilities whatsoever), Jamey Johnson!!! I'd been waiting for this for 3 months, and he did not disappoint. Great show...he just sang his little heart out song after song, and he did a TON of songs, too. He did his entire album, and then goes on to play basically another full set of covers. Now, I'm of two minds about cover songs - if you're going to do them, you better kick some serious ass, otherwise shut up and get off the stage. Obviously, his were of the very kick-ass kind, as I am not spewing acid right now. He does the most awesomely haunting version of David Allan Coe's "The Ride," and pretty much answers George Jones' question on "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes." I just love this bastard.

I learned these two jokes in Nashville. The first one is from on the wall at the Pancake Pantry, and the second is from a gentleman from Texas in the elevator at the Country Music Hall of Fame. "You know you're from Nashville when you pass out at a Hank Williams, Jr. concert before Hank does." "What's got 18 legs and 6 teeth? The front row at a Hank Jr. concert."

Thanks, everybody and congrats to Aquamarine!! I was just in Nashville, and while I was there I visited a plantation in nearby Franklin that was used as a Confederate field hospital during the Civil War. My parents and I were born and raised in California, so I have to say that the Civil War has never quite had the impact on me that it should have had, but after seeing bloodstains still on the floors left from soldiers wounded 150 years ago fighting for what they believed in (I don't care if it was Union or Confederate - that's a hell of a thing to go through), I have a newfound appreciation for the sacrifices and struggles this country has gone through in its formation. I've always been proud to be an American, but there's nothing like a kick in the pants like that to make you really, really appreciate what you have. (If you're ever in Franklin, TN, do yourself a huge favor and go to Carnton Plantation. The guy who gave the tour was also the head historian there, and my god, he was the best storyteller I've ever heard. He had everybody in tears halfway through the tour, and for good reason - it's a hell of a story. He actually has a book out called For Cause & For Country that I bought if you're interested in the Civil War; I haven't read it yet, but if it's anything like his tours it ought to be one interesting read.)

I'm back home, yaaay!! I had an awesome trip and I almost ran out of the airport at the last minute and stayed behind (lol), but it's nice to be home, nevertheless. And it's always good to get off the airplane, whew. I'll probably have pictures in a week or so. Good to see you guys again, too!

Haha, yeah, I don't think I'd want to eat there on a regular basis. I love going there when I'm in your neck of the woods for the characters that show up, but the food...it's good for the price, hehe. Although I still think it's better than Denny's.

It's nice! Cloudy, but nice. Around 70 degrees, I guess. Tomorrow I'm flying to Nashville, where it's supposed to be 85 degrees with the possibility of thunderstorms. Eek. I guess they're not supposed to be too bad in Nashville itself, but they've been pretty severe to the west, apparently. Then it's supposed to get nice and hot after Wednesday when the storms have passed over. Goodie. Anyway, if it seems kind of quiet on my part for a couple of weeks, it's because I'm on vacation, yaaay!

Obama just went to the wrong place, that's all - the smart people are at the Waffle House!

Oh good, I wasn't sure if we were past all of that or not. Yeah, isn't she great? I love that she doesn't put any frills into her vocals (:cough:CarrieUnderwood:cough: ) because she's SO GOOD that she just doesn't need to; it's a pleasure just listening to the pure sound of her voice. Hey, that reminds me... Is Robert still living in Nashville? (Was he ever living in Nashville? Sorry, I kinda lost track.) If he is, do you suppose there's any chance of him showing up at Alison's Opry show? I'd probably have a heart attack if he did!

Here's one for ya: today I went to try on a dress that had been sitting in my closet for a couple of years, and it didn't fit anymore. Now, you're probably asking yourself, how in hell did that make her happy? Well, it fit fine through the waist and the bum - it was the bust that didn't fit! I guess if something's gotta be too small, that's the way to do it!

If we're veering outside rock, may I suggest Ashton Shepherd? What a voice!

I DID IT!!! I finished my 4-page French paper, my 2-hour French final, and my 8-page critical theory paper all in two days! How come the last part of anything is always the hardest? I've never been in finals hell quite like I was yesterday and today. But now I'm a college graduate, woohoo!!! Man did I ever want to just give up on that 8-pager today, but like the dork that I am I just kept picturing Captain Kirk saying "I don't believe in no-win situations" with that steely look in his eye, and I just kept on slogging, lol. Gotta have something to motivate ya, even if it is sci-fi!

The sound of triumph, muthafuckaaas!!! I am done with the last final exams I'll ever take, HA! *puts on Immigrant Song* I feel like a Viking who has just conquered some pitiful little island, muahaha!! (being totally politically incorrect again here)

Ok, it's settled - I'm going to see Alison Krauss at the Grand Ol' Opry on 6/20 as well as Jamey the day before in Louisville (heckuva drive, but worth it). I'm so excited! We're past the Robert Wars now, right? So I don't have to defend myself here, right? Because frankly, I've been listening to her longer than I have to Led Zeppelin...I'm a bigger Zep fan of course, but Alison has her place in my musical milieu as well.

Finding out that they had therapy dogs out at school so us stressed-out students could come pet them and stop worrying about finals. Isn't that a nice idea? I couldn't go because I was having a migraine attack instead (me? stressed? nahhh), but I thought that was a nice thing to do. I'm always complaining about school, but they did something kinda neat for once. I petted my dog instead, lol. Oh! Speaking of school, this is funny: you'll never guess who our commencement speaker is. Last year it was Robert Kennedy Jr. Respectable, public figure type of guy, right? Well, THIS year, it's Mike Judge! Yep, creator of Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill, Office Space, etc. I guess he went to my college back in the day and is coming back to give the "get outta here" speech. I think that's pretty rad, of course, but I have to say I cracked up when I heard about it...not exactly your average stuffed-shirt leader type.

Cool! If I'm not buying up Truckers albums at that point, I'll definitely have to get his solo album. I'd love to see them live - they've been around here twice this year; once here in San Diego in Jan. or Feb. and once at Coachella, and I couldn't make it to either one. Next time I definitely will, though!

The thought that in another week I will be eating the best biscuits in the country...if I can just write another 10 pages of BS without killing myself first.

"Night Life" - Ray Price

I will! I couldn't decide between that one and Dirty South, but I couldn't turn down a racing song (haha), so I went with DS, which I really like. This definitely won't be the last Truckers album I buy.

June Gloom is starting early this year! It was rainy and gray and yucky all day. I'm REALLY glad it rained, though - we've been having a drought. I doubt this solved our problems by any means, but every little bit helps!