I am a Walrus.

I have seen Paul McCartney three times. I have met two Beatles. I have one Ringo to go. Kris and I went to the Paul McCartney concert last Monday with two of my college friends Kevin and Allison Thompson. We got there early so I could star stalk Paul. We got there just a few minutes after he went in. Boo! We met a few of his stage truckers, press, and rabid fans until we decided to eat the sports grille formerly known as Eddie George's. We went in the back way and somehow ended up at a table that we thought was part of the bar, but got to remain there by the manager skipping the hour and half wait. We ate our hamburgers while jamming out to McCartney's greatest hits.

We finished and then went out the way we came in, the correct door this time. It's worth noting that when we went into the restaurant, there were about 50 people standing on the streets outside of the arena. When we reappeared, there were about 700 people waiting in long lines. I have been to many concerts, but a hour and a half before the concert I have never seen that many people out in front of the arena. 

There were metal detectors going full blast and everyone was anxiously waiting for the doors to open. We found our way in and up to we-are-broke-but-still-want-to-rock seats. Of course, we had the older men and women reliving their misguided youth. There was the I'm-too-drunk-to-know-where-I-am people in front of us. Then, my personal favorite - pot smokers. Really? Inside the arena, you are smoking pot. They must have really enjoyed the Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da trippy light show. Overall, we had a wonderful time and Paul didn't disappoint anyone. It had all the great components of a pure rock n' roll show, including two jam-packed Beatles encores. I didn't get to do my normal concert antics during and after the concert since I had conservative Kris with me. Though I didn't see my boy again up close, we had a wonderful time and I'm glad we got to enjoy the living legend together.


 
 
   Setlist
 1. Venus and Mars/Rockshow 
 2. Jet 
 3. All My Loving
 4. Letting Go 
 5. Got To Get You Into My Life 
 6. Highway (The Fireman cover)
 7. Let Me Roll It
 8. The Long And Winding Road
 9. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
10. Let 'Em In 

11. My Love

12. I'm Looking Through You

13. Tequila (The Champs cover)

14. Two Of Us

15. Blackbird

16. Here Today 

17. Dance Tonight 

18. Mrs. Vandebilt 

19. Eleanor Rigby 

20. Ram On 

21. Something 

22. Sing The Changes 

23. Band On The Run 

24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 

25. Back in the U.S.S.R.

26. I've Got A Feeling 

27. Paperback Writer 

28. A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance 

29. Let It Be 

30. Live And Let Die 

31. Hey Jude

Encore

 1. Day Tripper

 2. Lady Madonna 

 3. Get Back

Encore 2

 1. Yesterday

 2. Helter Skelter 

 3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

 4. The End

A great moment during the end of the concert. Paul signed a fan's back so she could get it tattooed. Very generous!

Home of the Brave

I love the spirit of this video. It was captured by Richard Sullivan's father 65 years ago. His Dad shot this film along Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki capturing spontaneous celebrations that broke out upon first hearing news of the Japanese surrender. It is shot on Kodachrome 16mm film. I love all of the celebrations it captures. Kris and I watched Pearl Harbor the other day and I have been having weird dreams about this era lately. This video reminds me of what I have been hazily seeing in my strange dreams. Can't you feel the excitement? The pride? God Bless American troops!

Ring of People

Johnny Cash’s final studio album "Ain't No Grave" and its title track is a soul touching farewell song from a music legend. The Johnny Cash Project is an interactive website where participants drew their own portrait of Johnny Cash that was later integrated into a collaborative music video. The video is the collective effort that includes a number of drawings, each done by a different person. Then the drawings were traced over simple frames that were strung together and relayed in sequence. It has become a living, moving, and ever changing portrait of the legendary Man in Black. The music video below is a very unique and probably one of the best ways to pay tribute to a legend. If you go to the website, click on the Explore tab. You are able to explore frame by frame and view who the frame artist is and how they submitted their drawing or painting.

What's in a Name?

1. Did you know the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons has a name? It’s Jeff Albertson. But that wasn’t the decision of creator Matt Groening. “I was out of the room when [the writers] named him,” he told MTV in 2007. “In my mind, ‘Louis Lane’ was his name, and he was obsessed and tormented by Lois Lane.”

2. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. (Ken’s last name is Carson.)

3. Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch

4. Snuffleupagus has a first name—Aloysius.

5. The true identity of The Lone Ranger was John Reid.

6. The Wizard of Oz rolls off the tongue a lot easier than his full name, Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. From Frank Baum’s Dorothy And the Wizard in Oz:“It was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When I grew up I just called myself O.Z., because the other initials were P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled ‘pinhead,’ which was a reflection on my intelligence.”

7. Mr. Clean has a seldom-used first name—”Veritably.” The name came from a “Give Mr. Clean a First Name” promotion in 1962.

8. In a deleted scene in the 2006 Curious George movie, The Man With the Yellow Hat’s name was revealed as Ted Shackleford. (Since the scene was deleted, perhaps this doesn’t count.)

9. The real name of Monopoly mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags is Milburn Pennybags.

10. The policeman in Monopoly has a name, too. You can thank Officer Edgar Mallory the next time he sends you to jail.

11. On Night Court, Nostradamus Shannon was better known as Bull.

12. On Entourage, Turtle’s real name is Salvatore Assante.

13. Sesame Street’s resident game show host Guy Smiley was using a pseudonym all these years. He was born Bernie Liederkrantz.

14. The Michelin Man’s name is Bibendum.

15. On Gilligan’s Island, Jonas Grumby was simply called The Skipper.

16. The unkempt Shaggy of Scooby-Doo fame has a rather proper real name—Norville Rogers.

17. The Pillsbury Doughboy’s name is Poppin’ Fresh. He has a wife, Poppie Fresh, and two kids, Popper and Bun Bun.

18. Staying on Gilligan’s Island, The Professor was Roy Hinkley.

19. The patient in the classic game Operation is Cavity Sam.

20. In the Peanuts comic strip, Peppermint Patty’s real name is Patricia Reichardt.

Need for Speed, You Need God's Grace

Countdown Red Light. Yes, Please!

Why did it take someone so long to think of this? It is a stoplight that lets you know how much longer the light has until it turns green by the red light countdown around the actual stoplight. Brilliant! I much rather have these than those pesky ole red light cameras. I think I would be more incline to show patience if I knew it "knew" I was there waiting... to GO!

Joy. Day by Day.

Seconds are turning into minutes, minutes are turning into days... our days are flying by at warp speed it seems. I'm working around the clock to put the finishing touches on the web site. We can't wait until our launch. However, I was very fortunate to take a much needed break and have a faith renewal weekend in Louisville, KY along with roughly 14,000 other women. My mother, sister and I ventured up to Kentucky for The Women of Joy Conference back on the 16th thru 18th. It was a weekend filled with motivational and spirit-filled speakers.

Friday night kicked off with former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. Regardless of your political affiliation, her story was touching and showed how we are able to have faith even during times of great stress with even greater humility. She is on her Tea Party run, so her talk tend to trail into rally-mode a few times which did get applause. Overall, she was inspiring through sharing her journey with us. She could have gone blind though, when she walked out onto the stage with all the flashes going off. Security was very tight that night. So tight we couldn't bring in our umbrellas from the downpour that we just walked through. They told us that you could either a) take it back to your car (which means walking back through the soaking rain without it) OR b) leave it by the front door and hope for the best at the end of the night. Glad to report we got both of our umbrellas back after conference was over that night and Sarah Palin was unharmed by any potential golf umbrella impalements.

Saturday morning, began with Becky Tirabassi and her energetic take on changing your life one day at a time. She has a powerful testimony of redemption and her sense of humor was peppered in at just right spots. It was truly inspiring and motivational. I have started her journal regiment and can already see where prayers are being answered. She is a power ball of energy and wisdom. If you ever have the chance to hear her speak, please do - you will not be disappointed. She prayed with many of women after her talk including my mom. She makes you want to be a better edition of yourself. No wonder she is a certified Life Coach, and here I thought those were just a made-up Hollywood trend.

Saturday continued on with Anita Renfroe and her songs, videos, and quick wit. She was a great break in the day. She gave levity to every women in the audience. Sometimes at women's conferences the speakers tend to speak to only one segment of their audience because they speak from their experiences. So, I tend to not reap what they are sowing in the older crowd. It doesn't help to have that Britney Spears tune playing in my head... "not a girl, not yet a woman." Yeah, I know it's cheesy, but I know I am a woman. Yet, I haven't been able to cross off a few of those life-changing events on my list... raising a family, owning a house or even a pet, going through menopause... there were a lot of those jokes. I can relate on the hormones level and the differences between my husband and I sometimes, but after that... all I can say is Go Fish! She was humorous though and had a great message through her jokes, even if I wasn't ready for some of them.

Then, Saturday night came and all the women were a howlin'. If you think for a moment that a Christian women's conference can't turn into a Poison concert back in the 80's, then think again. Just bring Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith out on stage. There were the criers, there were the whoo-girls, there were the dancin' in the aisle ladies, and my favorite of all - the pulling out the lighters women. There were all kinds and all praising Jesus in one fashion or another, but everyone really enjoyed the vessels He chose to lead the worshipping that night.

I have to admit I haven't kept SCC or MWS on my iPod playlists in the recent years, but I was moved by their new songs and when they both talked with the crowd about their struggles and journey with God. Particularly SCC's journey after his adopted daughter died in that tragic incident. There wasn't a dry eye in that room, but what brought tears to my eyes was the agape love spilling out of him while he told of her and how they will soon be rejoined in Heaven. If you haven't heard his song "Cinderella," please listen to it.

Sunday morning was started with Charles Billingsley leading the worship as he had done in the previous days, but he was able to talk this morning about the heart of worship from a different and amusing viewpoint as a worship leader. It was a wonderful way to start that session. The final speaker was Liz Curtis Higgs. Let me say, she is "all that and a bag of chips", well that's what I would say if I was old my '92 self.

She walked out on stage and I immediately felt my eyes beginning to roll. I didn't know anything about her and judged her on her appearance. I know that is wrong, but I thought to myself - "Yep, here comes the sledgehammer! The one they save for Sunday and she appears to be older so, this is going to be so un-relateable." I have never been so happy to been proven wrong. She was excellent! She had another powerful testimony that she wove in while entertaining us with her very quick wit and vernacular. She sees the world in a different way - my kinda of gal. I had no back story on her, so I didn't know she was an acclaimed author and speaker. I'm very glad I didn't because I was able to receive her message in a whole different way. She is a true Bible teacher, but the kind that gets you to think and laugh while you are doing it.

Just her take on the Bible alone is refreshing. She has written about the Bad Girls of the Bible. I'm half way through it. Yes, Kassie I'm reading again - if you see this. Her laughter was infectious and her kindred spirit was just what I needed on that Sunday. The biggest lesson of the weekend for me - and isn't it always - learning again to put my faith in God and remembering that He loves me dearly and wants nothing, but the best for me. Though, I may think I know the way - He holds the map! I have to listen to His will and He will show me the way. It was an amazing conference and can't wait until next year's.

She said Yes!

Colby asked and she said Yes! Tara and Colby are heading to the chapel next June. We are so happy that Tara will be joining our crazy little family. She has already been welcomed in, but now she can get the rights to the last name. Colby proposed Saturday April 24th around noon on a bench in Riverside Park (Memphis, TN). He made a book with photos and mementos of their time together thus far, starting with the day they met up to two weekends before the proposal. It had everything in there down to their date night movie stubs. It will be a treasured time capsule for them to reminisce for years to come.

Then, the few pages had a photo with his hands and then on another black page with the rose image and the words "Will you marry me?" in white cursive font. (pictures by his very awesome big sister... me!) The very last page was a black and white shot (image to the left) of the "proposal" bench with another rose image  with the ring and the date written in the sky. It was touch and go there due to the storms, if he could pull of the proposal. But God intervened and allowed a break in the weather so he could take her out there for some "kite flying." Little did she know!

The book was called the "Twelfth Rose" personifying that Colby is a cheap guy. No, but it did look that way at first. Actually, he told Tara early on in their dating days that he hasn't bought a girl a dozen roses and he wouldn't for her either. Instead, he would give her one rose at a time and when he gives his 12th rose it will be to the girl he marries... hence the name of the book. She was totally surprised and has enjoyed every minute of her proposal. We are very happy to see them already busy planning the big day. It's fun hearing your brother talk "girl." For those with brothers, you know what I'm talking about and it isn't often that you hear it. Congrats again to Colby and Tara! Future Mr. and Mrs. Clements!

Font it out.

Flowchart by Julian Hansen

Dandy Candy

Over the weekend, my mom and I went to Memphis. We went to the Spring Market. On our way we passed about 20 Corvettes with all Texas license plates. It was neat to see, but really hard to pass on the I-40. We spent hours at the market and had a wonderful time together. We left the market and traveled to Saddle Creek to my candy store (to others it is known as the Apple Store). We went, we drooled, and mom succumbed to the awesomeness and switched from PC to MAC. She won't regret and neither will you. Of course, I played with the iPad. It is even more impressive in person. No, I won't be buying this version. I will probably get the 2nd or 3rd version, but it was neat to play with even if for a fleeting moment in time. I put my stamp on it too before I left.

Apple Twins

Put a Sock in it

Where were these socks when I was in grade school? We always had to put tennis balls on our chair legs, but these chair socks are a very cool and simple idea for this common problem. They come in Argyle, Tube, Striped. Argyle is my favorite one out of the set. How classy? As much as I like them, I may have to file this under "If I ever win Powerball and have paid everything else off, then I will buy these for myself." Chair Personality Socks $20

Color My Childhood

How awesome are these cardboard houses by Javier Mariscal? It would be so much fun to play with these little houses and color in all of parts. (cue grandpa voice) "In my day..." we took old appliance boxes and made fort houses. One time, we made our on little city. Well, if I had a kid and an extra $275 lying around, I would really be tempted to buy this house for he or she. Maybe I will buy this for me with our tax return. We could always claim it as my home office, right?

Books: I want. I like. I bought.

I love book covers. I will buy a book based on the cover (insert joke here). I have lots of books... that I haven't read yet. I start them, but I stop because my life gets busy and I can't multi-task while reading. Eventually, they wind up on some nice espresso bookshelf where I can view them while working on some project. One day I will read them, maybe when I'm older and have more time. For now, they will be a part of my room design and inspire me to read... some day.



















I WANT. Usually, I'm attracted to book coverlets. However, these deluxe classic hardbacks are on my most wanted list. The Great Expectations & Sense and Sensibility covers are my favorite covers. I love how the designer picks a signifier that invokes a feeling within the context of the classic story. So, coming soon to espresso bookshelf near me these two clothbound series from Penguin Books Senior Cover Designer Coralie Bickford-Smith.

I LIKE. I have no idea what these are about, but at first glance I like the concept and design. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a clever cover.

I BOUGHT. Well, Kris did for one of my birthday presents. I love old books and especially color-coordinated ones. This is the 1965 Volume set of My Book House. I organize my books by color, of course. These are not pictures of my library, but what I aspire to have one day.