I've been so lazy lately.
Like right now. I've been cleaning on and off all day. I just have an all around lack of motivation to do anything. Really, I just want to dream and daydream. But instead, I'll update you on what's been going on here.
This week was fall break. I've been anxiously awaiting grade postings for my finance midterm and my capstone presentation. I have no clue where I stand right now with either of them. I'm shooting for the magna cum laude GPA which means I have to pull at least an A- average for the semester. Of course, there's another part of me that really doesn't give a shit and knows that as long as I pull C's in these two classes I'll still be an MBA.
Two weeks ago, Paul and I went to see Social Distortion with Blackpool Lights and Lost City Angels at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. That was fun. If you really want more details, Paul's blog does just as much justice as I ever could.
Last Saturday night, we stayed in Atlantic City at Bally's and went to see Barry Manilow. You're welcome to laugh at me all you want about this. I fucking love Barry Manilow. So did my mother before she passed away (Still laughing mother fucker? Yeah, I didn't think so). When I was a little kid and I was acting up or crying in the car, my mother would play Barry Manilow to get me to calm down. She claimed that after a while I started asking for it and that Manilow was my first real word after all that Mama Dadda bullshit.
On the way to the show, we decided to stop at Tower Records since they are liquidating everything. I'd be willing to bet I'm the first person to ever buy an Agent Orange CD on the way to a Barry Manilow concert. We got to AC, went through a nightmare to park and were anally raped to park in the Claridge's garage (angry letter to Claridge, Bally's and the AC Chamber of Commerce is pending once my lazy streak has passed). We skipped dinner and downed a bottle of champagne instead. Then we headed off to the show just a bit tipsy.
We got there and grabbed a few Heiney's to keep the buzz going. Barry came out in a wheelchair, this being his first show since his hip surgery (stop your laughing. I'm warning you), but got up and danced with his background bimbos. He was great. He started with "It's a Miracle" and then moved into songs from the 40's and 50's. He sang "Moonlight Serenade" and pulled some lady with a striking resemblance to Janet Reno on stage with him while looking her in the eye and singing to her. It was somewhat disturbing.
There was a brief intermission. Someone came around and handed out glow sticks. The whole audience had them by the time he came out for the second set which was all songs from the 60's and 70's. He mimicked smoking a joint before going into "Yesterday" and then finished with his big songs from the 70's including "Weekend in New England," which made me tear up thinking about my mom a little and of course "Copacabana." All in all I loved it. Paul and I stopped at Johnny Rockets on the way back to Bally's and played some nickel slots at Wild Wild West. Then I stayed up way too late watching Jersey Girl on TV. On the way home the next day, we stopped on South Street for a look through the Tower Records there. I'm probably the first person to buy a New York Dolls CD on the way home from a Barry Manilow concert. We had cheesesteaks and then came home and took naps.
This was all to celebrate our fourth anniversary, which was actually on Thursday. Thursday was not a bad day, either. Paul surprised me with a basket of daisies at the office and later we headed to the World Cafe in Philly to see Frank Black, a man I consider to be a god.
Frank had The Reid Paley trio open, which was really a duo - Reid with his guitar and a stand up bass player. They were great. They did a rendition of "I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh)" since he wrote most of it. This had me a bit worried that Frank would not do it. Luckily, my fears were unfounded.
The last time I saw Frank was when he opened for the Foo Fighters back in August. This time was completely different. Last time, Frank did not address the audience at all. This time, he told stories and made jokes. He started the show with a few acoustic songs (some of them Pixies songs), which he hadn't been doing on this tour until a few shows ago. I think it's brilliant. It gets them out of the way so that people aren't yelling "Wave of Mutilation" during the whole show.
In case you care, here is the set list: (solo) Los Angeles, Cactus, Where is My Mind, Water Song, California Bound, Wave of Mutilation, I Gotta Move (referencing David Lynch and Eraserhead with a Philly connection), Brackish Boy, (with the band) Nadine, Ten Percenter, Horrible Day, Living On Soul, All My Ghosts, My Terrible Ways, Bullet, I Burn Today, I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh), Do What you Want Gyeneshwar, Raider Man, Suffering, Mr. Grieves, That Burn Out Rock and Roll, All Around the World, Johnny Barelycorn, Six Sixty Six, Dead Man's Curve, I'll Be There and Sing For Joy.
The World Cafe is hands down the nicest venue to see a show in Philly. There is an upstairs lounge that serves food and has a stage and then the downstairs area that has the major acts. We had mezzanine seating right over the balcony. It was nice to sit and relax and not have to worry about being pushed or have someone really tall stand in front of us blocking our view. They also serve micro brewed beer. I had a Magic Hat #9, which I haven't had in a long time. Of course, this proved to be a problem as I forgot that #9 gets me drunk quickly for about 10 minutes and then goes right through me like a Betsy Wetsy doll. My only complaint about the World Cafe is that the bathrooms are kind of a pain in the ass to get to. This proved to be problematic as the #9 kicked in during "Bullet" (my favorite Frank Black song). The next few songs were also ones that I had been waiting to hear, especially Gyeneshwar as it's rumored it will be on a new Pixies album to come out next year some time. By the time he got to "Suffering," I couldn't take it anymore and thought I was going to pee my pants. I came back just in time for "Mr. Grieves" which seemed to be an impromptu thing. When I walked back in from the bathroom it was very quiet. He played it without the band. I would have been really mad if I would have missed that. "Sing For Joy" was his encore, although he never really left the stage.
Well, that's enough of my rambling for today. I better go finish my chores. Until next time, kids.
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