First Pac-12 Basketball Game (Go Ducks!)

Well, the lovely Sarah took me to my very first Pac-12 basketball game last night, to watch the Huskies beat up on play the ASU Sun Devils. While a little bummed that my first game wasn't at Mac Court, I love sports and was still excited to go. As always, the two of us had a great time. On my night where I was trying to be healthy, however, we started our happy hour with two orders of cajun tots,a cheeseburger and a garden burger, and then we shared popcorn and a soda at the game. Fail. I think they'll come a time when I can no longer eat like that, but I hope that day is far, far in the future.

It was a little bittersweet for Sarah - her bf is the assistant director of marketing at UW, so he is the one that hooks us up. However, he just accepted an amazing opportunity as a marketing director at LSU, so I assured Sarah that freebies to SEC sports have to rival freebies here in the Pac-12.

And we brushed shoulders with Mr. Shawn Kemp at halftime - which would have been way cooler if I'd known who he was without Sarah pointing at him and whispering :)

Finally, the last lesson: When looking up at the Pac-12 score reader board, do not say, "Go Ducks!" when you see them ahead at Husky basketball arena. Just sayin'...I think this lesson applies across the board, really, whenever you're in rival territory. But now, in the safety of the free speech of the internet, I can say it as loudly and as proudly as I want: "GO DUCKS!"

What's in a Test?

One of my first jobs before my first REAL job made me take a personality test. Someone was talking about personality tests at work today, and I couldn't remember my Myers-Briggs type indicator. So, I re-took it, and it's astonishing how accurate it is:

Here are the details, from personalitypage.com:

I'm an INFJ: Guess we're pretty rare; only 1% of the population tests out this way.

We need to have things orderly and systematic - have you seen my desk and my living space? Immaculately clean and organized.

"INFJs know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it." - so, so true.

"Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals." Strange how spot-on this is with how I am.

And, finally; "The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement." Does this mean I'm special? :)

I really hate being pigeon-holed into a personality type, but I must say it was right on the money. I highly encourage you all to take a personality test and see what it says about you!

A Chorus Line!

I went to see A Chorus Line this weekend (oh, among other things...) and I had a really great time. Having not grown up in a musical theatre family, I'm slowly having those particular horizons expanded by friends here in Seattle that are, for lack of a better word, obsessed with the genre.

I loved the dancing, the music, the story...I wish the lead dancer, Cassie, would have been better to watch. She was really flat, and I felt completely un-drawn to her on stage - even during her big solo number.

I was also a bit surprised at the crass nature of the script. While those who've known me for a couple years now here in Seattle know how far I've come in that area, I still lean toward the prim and proper side of things and was a little shocked at the sexual nature of the language. There were people who brought kids there! They must not have known that the script was like that...I certainly wouldn't have imagined.

But overall, great fun!

Strings in Bands

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing the lovely Rozanna Weinberger of Rozanna's Violins while at NAMM. While trying to do a wide variety of articles, I couldn't resist a trip through the strings section to play with all the fiddles. Here is the link to the article I did about strings in rock bands, and Rozanna's company.

I forgot to take photos while at NAMM, so I literally had three rather blurry ones on my phone when I got back. But I'll share them with you anyway. Here's Rozanna going to town on one of her designer fiddles...and that cutie with the guitar is who I'm going to go see in NYC next week.

Another cool company I came across - who I meant to go back to and chat with, but ran out of time for - was Molecules Drum Company. Look at this drum kit! Each drum is shaped like a water droplet, and I guess they're pre EQ'd and have just a monster sound that's great for both live performance and studio recording. Right about now, the photo uploader has decided to stop working, but that's okay - I think you should see the photos on the site anyhow.

The Call of the Queso

The best queso in town is served up hot and spicy and Laredos. And, during HH, you can get this lovely dish for a measly $4. Truly a steal. I've always chosen HH places for the food specials rather than the drink specials, because I really can't have more than 1 and then expect to still work out later. And Laredos HH food menu is amazing.

However, due to Laredos' proximity to my old home (1 block) and the fact that it used to be my go-to HH place, it naturally fell into the no-go radius that I instituted after the break up. After all, minimizing contact is key when you're working to move on.

But I just couldn't resist its siren song. It had been calling to me for awhile, and when Sarah mentioned she had a queso craving well...I caved.

So last night was strange. I followed my old commute home in the sunshine, realizing how much I'd missed it. I sat at the high tables like I like. I ordered my queso, the al pastor tacos, and the tecate can. And we had a great time.

Until. Sarah said, "Don't look at the man out the window." Naturally, I turned my head to look, expecting him to have three heads or something. Instead...it was my ex. It hurt me more than I thought to see him, and I almost started crying, which surprised me. I've been in a really good place with all that, and am going to NYC next week to spend time with someone I'm really excited to see and get to know better, and...still. So we quickly played a round of the game we made up last month for just this situation, and then took off to join her friend in watching some ridiculous reality show in which women vie for one man's attention, which ABSOLUTELY made me feel better about my current dating situation.

But the queso...the queso...

And I can Feel the Sun on my Face

Did you all enjoy the unseasonable warmth and sunshine this weekend? I absolutely did - who can stay inside when the sun is shining? It's funny the things I'm more apt to notice now. Here are some things I noticed/reinforced this weekend:

1) I feel my age. While I'm in better shape than I thought, after my hard, long run Saturday, I was much more sore the next day than I ever used to be.

2) I have trouble going inside when it's so beautiful, because part of me is afraid that the moment I'm admiring will never come again. And while that's true in one sense, I'm more afraid that I'll never see something so beautiful as what I'm looking at again. Because of that, I spent a good hour in the sculpture park looking out over the water, listening to music, and basking in the sunlight.

3) Motorcycles galore were out and about. I really wanted to go for a ride Saturday. I might have to break down and purchase one...

4) My hypothesis that all food tastes better at 3am was once again proved correct Friday night, as we went in search of tacos. Thanks be to the Fremont taco truck! And to the adorable college guys waiting next to us - one of them gave me one of his tacos! I tried to turn it down, but he was insistent, and finally, I was like, "Dude. If you give me that, I WILL eat it." I don't mess around with my 3am food intake. Sometimes being mistaken for a child works to my advantage after all.

5) I can whip out magazine features in a matter of 2 or 3 hours now, where before it was a painstaking process. I had a lovely couple hours Saturday afternoon at Uptown Espresso, where I just worked on feature and enjoyed the sunlight by the big window I was seated near.

6) I am a dip-making master. Really. Me and layered dips just...work. I'm assuming it's because I love eating them so much, that the "special ingredient" of love must go into them as I prepare them.

These Walls We Build, and Other First World Problems

Sometimes, I think I wasn't left with a lot after things ended. Then, on days like today, I realized I was left with some...we won't call them parting shots, per say, but "pearls of wisdom" offered to me by him on our last night together that have just served to sow seeds of doubt in my growing interest with the new person in the picture. I like to think he meant well, but I rather wish he wouldn't have said anything, and let me go about happily with what now seems like an antiquated notion of dating.

Exhibit A: It's not normal to be introduced to best friends and - in some cases - family on every 2nd date you go on.

My Mind: So, where does flying across the country for a 2nd date fall into that spectrum? Am I setting myself up for yet another unconventional dating experience? And...what? That's NOT normal?

I rarely accept first dates. Second dates...rarer still. I'm just...not into casually seeing someone. I either like them and want to explore things, or I don't bother. So - for better or for worse - this kind of seems like a totally normal thing to do when you're really excited about someone.

Exhibit B: People casually see many people at once for awhile, while they make up their mind as to who they like best.

My Mind: Does that mean there's an existing rotation of women I'm casually being slotted into? And, if so, I don't really want to go to NYC. I'm worth more than that.

And isn't it obvious when you like person A more than person B? Do you really need multiple dates to figure it out? I know dating isn't an equation (though we have one friend who would beg to differ :)) but if A > B, then, well, where's the confusion?

But...I have trouble believing that I'm indeed just another casual person to be thrown into the mix. While I'm under no illusions here, I don't understand why someone would go to the trouble he's been going to to get me to come, and be so persistent with the follow up, and is so good about being in touch every day, and so sweet and excited about everything he says and the future he wants to explore together, if I were just a random girl. I've had people be surprisingly interested and excited about me right away, but NEVER to this degree. And I don't think I misread the connection we had, or the interest and excitement I feel toward him. But every day we don't see each other, each time we push the trip out a week, the doubt grows just a little bit.

So the wall continues to be built. One analytical brick by analytical brick.

Other First World Problems
I was thinking about all this last night, as Mr. Happy Feet was up to his old tricks and keeping me awake. I deliberately named him "Mr. Happy Feet," because the name makes me smile. So, when I hear him upstairs and start to get all worked up, I find I don't get as annoyed as if his name were "Mr. Bowling Ball Feet." Because, well...it has the word "happy" in it.

On our way to HH, Suz and I were trying to figure out which dogs we should breed together to meet all of our ridiculous demands. Then I felt kind of guilty for actually wanting to create designer dogs, when there are so many pups in shelters looking for homes. But what if you bred an Aussie with, like, a Pomeranian, so it stayed little and fluffy? Cute, right?

I found it humorous that my property manager pulled me into a resident party as I passed the building's lounge last night after HH, and I managed to find and connect with the only non-residents there. I'm not into meeting my neighbors, after the last one I knew walked to the bus stop with a bow and arrow and kept inviting me to hear him play the lute at Renaissance fairs. So...I sort of have an aversion to being chummy with the neighbors, and have no interest in attending resident parties. So, I dodged a bullet and made two new awesome friends. Success!

Musicians: Protect Your Hearing

One of my more illuminating interviews at NAMM had to be with the House Research Institute, where I learned all about protecting one's hearing - which is so important for anyone in the industry, or even just when you go to the occasional concert. It can only take one minute to damage your ears at the average decibel level of a rock concert!

You can read my story about healthy hearing here, and I also did a short blog post about the sound control men at NAMM, as well, on the same subject. You can read that one here.

When Porcupines Mate

I got my popular culture fix this weekend. Seeing as how I have the energy of a sloth and it feels like porcupines are mating in my throat, I really wasn't up for too much. Thankfully, my friends felt the same. Not that I'd wish a sickness upon anyone, but...it was convenient that all we wanted to do was lie around and watch movies.

So, I'm happy to say I've finally seen Stars War. Near as I can tell, the movie has no discernible plot. That may be because I slept through half of it, but...

Sunday was another day filled with movies, as we're trying to see all the Oscar-nominated films before the Oscars. As I never go to the movies, that means I've seen exactly...0. So we went to the Harvard Exit - such a charming theatre up on Cap Hill - to see The Artist, and it was delightful. We were all a bit worried about going to see a silent film when we were all competing for "Best Cough," but it worked out okay. The leads are delightful, the story touching, and the cinematography top-notch. We interspersed movie watching with HH at List, and I realized I'd forgotten how amazing their HH menu is. Grilled Chilean sea bass for $7? Yes, please.

The second movie we watched was called Beginners, and it gave me hope as a writer. If yet another movie with no discernible plot can be nominated, then really all I need to do is kill off my most loveable character, throw in a couple existential lines, and have the romantic leads do something silly and childlike because "OMG-we're-35-and-we're-running-through-sprinklers-and-isn't-it-delightful!"

(side note: Running through sprinklers IS rather delightful as an adult. I mean, if I saw a sprinkler, I can't say with 100% certainty that I wouldn't run through it...)

The highlight had to be Saturday night, though, where my friends said farewell to Seattle music venue the Ballard Mine. To send it off in style, they had their "dream list" lineup of all their favorite bands to have come through over the years, so we were treated to 8 bands and 8 hours of live music, fun, food, and dance. I was amazed by the talent of the musicians, since I'm so used to the mediocrity that is 85% of local music. Please check out Say Goodbye to These, Jordon 0' Jordan, Scrumptious & The Backbeat, and goodness I'm not doing justice to the other soulful musicians, or dance party bands (Branch?). But yes - a sad day to see it go, but a way to send it off in style :)

What was That?!

Diana joked that I was a machine, considering the pace I kept up during and after NAMM.

Well, this machine just broke. I've never had something come over me as quickly as whatever this was did. I was enjoying dinner and a glass of wine to unwind from the day, when my throat almost closed up because it became so sore. My head began to throb. I got the chills. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I stumbled to the bed, fell in, took a sleeping pill, and closed my eyes, hoping it would help.

I didn't open them again for 13 hours!

We used to always joke that I was a carrier, meaning I'd come home with a scratchy throat, take it easy for the night, and wake up the next day refreshed...whereas poor Andy would be knocked flat for days by whatever I brought home. Surprisingly, I do feel much better - it must have just been sheer exhaustion catching up with me, and forcing me to rest.

But glad I got that out of my system, so I can get back to my normal pace. Lots to do...lots to do...

And Now the Rest

Now that I'm done blathering on about my new love interest and shamelessly self-promoting the magazine by linking to our coverage, I'll give you the ACTUAL run down on NAMM.

I arrived several hours late on Wednesday night, so other than a tour through Burbank and a lost debit card scare, Diana and I called it a night when we arrived at her place around 12:30 that night.

Thursday was a really good preparatory day, as I needed to get my bearings on the conference floor. There are literally thousands of vendors; you rub shoulders with (aging) rock stars; I played with lots of instruments; the male to female ration is probably 25:1; I chose my vendors for the day; learned how to post material on the site; and...met him ;)

Diana and I knew we had a lot of work to do in preparation for Friday, so we wanted a more low-key evening. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant where the waiter sat us down with two men to share a table because "the restaurant is too busy." So, overall, kind of weird, but it's always good to make new friends. We then headed back to Long Beach where we stayed with her sister...who is in college there...and lives with 5 other girls...and has only one bathroom. We were roughing it a bit that evening, but oh well. I hadn't couched surfed in awhile, so I suppose I'd grown a little soft. Trust me - four nights at NAMM with questionable sleep arrangements will toughen up even the softest of travelers.

Friday I got a taste of what it's like to be on a press team in the real world, and I LOVED the frantic pace. I literally worked from 9am - 5pm almost non-stop, conducting interviews with Dean Guitars, ProMedia Training, and the House Research Institute; writing my articles, and editing and posting the others' pieces as well, all while lining up my appointments for Saturday.

That evening, we got passes to the official NAMM after party, hosted by Dean Guitars, which was a concert at The Grove. Unfortunately, it was a metal concert, so we took two steps into the main concert hall, and then decided to hang out in the lobby by the bar instead. One of the bands that stayed with us this summer is from LA, so their lead singer/guitarist joined me for the evening and we had a blast catching up. We retired to The Hilton, where NAMM essentially moves after the convention center closes. It's a mad house in there on all levels - drinks, concerts, people...I was really glad the RWM press team room was in the hotel, because I exhaustedly lowered myself into bed around 3:00am for a couple fitful hours of sleep.

Saturday...had to be one of the strangest/best days/nights of my life. We were all hurting - just the sight of food and non-water beverages made me queasy - but I had a lot of work to do. I posted everyone's stuff; caught the musical demo I wanted; and then interviewed Rozanna for the piece on strings and bands, as well as Ricky Phillips of Styx. Afterwards, I met up with my date for what I thought would just be dinner, as I didn't think I could rally for anything else, but it's amazing what a little bit of whiskey will do...and I think I'll stop my recounting of Saturday with that :)

By the time I rolled into bed on Sunday evening, I realized I hadn't had any good sleep (or sleep at all) in quite some time. Mr. Happy feet was going through his paces, though, so good sleep needed to wait another night.

Overall...I'm so glad I went. I got pushed out of my comfort zone in so many ways, and that's how we grow, how we evolve, how we break out of routine, and how we find new opportunities.

Logistics

Well, there's a reason not to date professional musicians - they are logistically impossible to see. I'm sure NOW I've heard every excuse for having to take off (meeting with labels, what?). But, we're both headstrong and determined people, so I know we'll figure something out so we can see if what we felt is real and worth continuing to explore. I think that it is.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying getting sweet notes during the day from someone I really connect with. And it's not like there have been any options in Seattle yet to lure me away from this challenge, so I'm up for it for the time being. But let this be a lesson to not accept dates while out of town, because you may just end up having the best first date of your life...or is that a reason TO accept? Who knows.

For now, I'm going about my day with a smile again, which I hadn't realized I'd missed so much.

Every. Single. Time.

I believe I've mentioned this before here, but everyone has someone who has influenced them - even if you've never met. For me, that's Rick Reilly. Hands down, I've never read another writer with such an ability to make me laugh and cry in the same story; the ability to so sharply put things into perspective and focus. His piece on Joe Paterno is another shining example of this. I used to eagerly await the latest issue of Sports Illustrated as a child so I could flip to the back page and read his column.

When I write a story with 1/80th the amount of heart that Reilly does every time out of the gate, I will have considered it a success.

Thanks, Rick Reilly, for setting the highest bar.

Rock World Magazine NAMM Coverage

Here's what myself and the rest of the Rock World Magazine press team were up to at NAMM - read it here!

And I promise, promise, promise to write a post about the rest of the weekend soon when my energy is back up.

Resistance is Useless

Well: I'm in love.

Okay, not really. I'm way too practical to do that after one meeting, but now I understand where the adage "love at first sight" comes from. I was doing some work in the press room on Thursday, and I'd just missed a violin demo, where the amazing musician (I'm doing a feature for the magazine on her line later this week) was backed up by an incredibly adorable guitarist. But because I'd missed it, I just thought they were two other people in the press room...and I couldn't take my eyes off the guitarist. There was this strange energy coming from him that I was picking up on, and I felt instantly drawn to him.

My editor flagged them over to say what a shame it was that I'd missed the demo since I'm a fiddle player, too, so they busted it out and it was great. We exchanged information, and that was kind of that.

The next day, I had this feeling that I needed to run down to their booth. I wanted to do a piece about strings in bands (totally self-serving) and...I was hoping to see him again. When I arrived, the woman - who is this amazing powerhouse of energy...she's kind of like everyone's favorite crazy auntie - didn't say "hi," didn't say "hello" - she just said: "Oh, so-and-so's going to be so disappointed he missed you." I made an appointment to interview her the next day, and also stop by another booth where they'd be performing.

When I arrived the next day to listen to their performance, his face lit up when he saw me. When they'd finished, we started chatting briefly, and he asked me to dinner, which of course I agreed to.

It was so nice to feel excited about someone again, but I was a bit nervous since I was going on no sleep, and hadn't had any food during the day since I wasn't feeling so great due to some poor choices Friday night. So, I wasn't expecting a big night out at all. But when he insisted that if I took a shot of whiskey I'd feel better, I was skeptical. Then, I figured that someone who has spent a good part of their adult life touring and playing the LA scene probably knew what he was talking about. And...surprisingly, I was good to go after that.

I've never spent an entire night talking to someone, and connecting with someone, in that way. I can honestly say I had one of the best nights of my life. It's crazy, right, to have a date last almost 24 hours? I was saying earlier that I need someone who has passion and creativity and success in not just the business world, but in the artistic one as well. He has all those things...and then some. I am floored by his drive and his achievements in both worlds. He's headlined some of the biggest (notorious?) venues in LA, had a record deal out of college, and also somehow found time to graduate from a top-notch business school. He's the type whose idea of "settling down" is to be a professional songwriter and producer for a top-tier music publishing company just so he can be in one place for awhile.

I really can't wait to see him again. I'm supposed to go to NYC so we can get married (totally joking...okay...half-joking) soon, but I'm also practical. Once the high from NAMM wears off, we'll see if we're both still interested, or even if he calls.

But how refreshing to meet someone who could see me for me, and thought it was amazing. The things Andy thought were flaws (traditional, family values, NOT messed up), he valued. I suppose when you run in the NYC and LA scenes, you come across a lot of people that have been broken. Meeting him showed me how exciting it is to be single, to be able and open to meet that one person that you gravitate to on every level.

I'm not banking on anything, or even getting my hopes up for something, but if he does call now that we're both back to our lives...I think I'll give it a go.