Do You Know What Time It Is?

For starters, Mom, you can post comments on this thing anytime you like because:
a) It's not like anybody's really reading this thing (no offense to people who actually read this thing, you know what I mean and,
b) That's what moms do.

Funny thing is, this little shout out will probably embarrass her way more than her posting a comment on this blog would embarrass me.

The past few days have been super busy. I've been canceling a gym membership, filling out change of address forms (Once you fill that thing out online, THEN they tell you they're going to charge you a dollar for changing your address. They ought to pay you a dollar for sitting through all that garbage), filling up boxes with clothes and coffee mugs (apparently the bulk of my material possessions are clothes and coffee mugs), throwing out a laundry hamper covered with dog urine (it's a long story), applying for jobs, and making plans for this weekend's upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star Race. Hopefully this year Greg Biffle takes the million clams. I've been doing more than that; but that's the bulk of it.

Occasionally, I'll look up from my computer screen or at the clock in my car to catch the time. The first thing I think is, Okay, just one more game of Online Scrabble and then it's back to being productive. The second thing I think about is always Cedars related. For example, if it's 1:30 and I was at the Cedars I would be thinking how slow time is going and I wish it was time for lunch break and if one more member walks through the doors to the bar I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. And then of course here comes some smiling octogenarian shuffling in and I sigh and put on a smile and try to deliver the day's lunch specials with the same enthusiasm I had at 11:30.

This is a phenomenon that will probably happen for a a long, long time. It would happen to me on my day off. It used to happen to me when I was at work in Colorado. It used to happen to me when I was a part-timer and trying to stay awake it Swahili (that's an even longer story). And I'm sure that a short time from now and I'm taking my eyes off of my computer screen in a nicely decorated office (that's called OPTIMISM, children) and I'm working late I'll look at the clock and when it looks at me and tells me it's 7:00 and I knew who was going to come in for dinner and a latte in the bar. The Cedars is always going to be a part of who I am.

On a completely different note, have you seen the lineup for this year's Austin City Limits festival?? The lineup for Friday, Oct. 8th alone is out of control. The last place I saw the Strokes was in Austin outside at Stubbs BBQ. How awesome would it be to see them in Austin again, with Vampire Weekend, Spoon, Broken Bells, Miike Snow, etc. So if any of my loyal readers are thinking of birthday ideas, I'm just saying, food for thought. Anyhoo it's time to fold and pack more clothes but this time I'm going to link a little playlist in honor of ACL Fest. Enjoy.

The Strokes - Hard to Explain
Vampire Weekend - Diplomat's Son
Spoon- Everything Hits at Once
Broken Bells- The High Road
Miike Snow- Black & Blue

No, Miike Snow is not a misspelling. I particularly love the first line of that Spoon song. It's one of those opening lines that every time I hear it, it makes me wish I had written it:

Don't say a word/
The last one's still stinging.