Monday, July 18, 2005

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

OK, so maybe that's an exaggeration. Maybe it was more like "It was a real good day, it was a real bad day", but that just didn't sound right. Besides, everyone remembers the opening lines of "A tale of two cities". What a great opening line, one of the best ever. Maybe not as good as "In the beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth", but equal to any other first line. How about "Call me Ishmael"?

At any rate, Saturday was one heck of a day. Morning Light just completed their second CD, so Saturday was the CD release party, and a free concert at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle. Carol and I were up at 4:30 so we could be in Kenmore at 6:00 to start packing up the equipment. It was cloudy, cool, and drizzling. In otherwords a typical Seattle summer day. As we always do, we said a little prayer asking the Lord for his help and inspiration (and a little good weather). By the time we got the stage up it was clearing, and by the time the band went on stage at 1:00, it was clear with a few clouds. After lunch when they started the second set, it was clear and getting hot. About that time my skin started to feeling tight, and when I checked it it was turning red. OOPS! By the time we put on the sunblock it was to late. At work Laurel was calling me "Lobster Boy" today.

The concert was fantastic. The band, despite a few technical problems, was right on. Their normal gigs are in Penal Institutions, so usually everything is very structured, and we only see the band members and our fellow roadies, so it was great having a big family get together complete with spouses, kids and dogs. Frisbees, barbeque, watermelon and good fellowship.

Carol is a lot lighter skinned than I am, so she burned worse. She is currently a study in various shades of pink.

On the way home from a very good day, we were in a car wreck. I was trying to do too many things at once, like accellerate, change lanes and watch traffic in front of me. I noticed an opening in the HOV lane, so I was trying to move over, check my blind spot, and keep half an eye on traffic in front of me. Between when I looked to check in front of me, looked in my rear view mirror, checked my blind spot, and looked back, traffic had stopped. I was already 75% in the HOV lane, and I made it 90%, so when I hit the car in front of me it was a glancing blow. No one was hurt, but the car I hit , hit the car in front of him. So rather than going home to relax, I had my daughter come and pick up Carol and Vincent and Molly our Shi Tzu, while I stayed with the car until it got towed.

Between the accident and the sunburn I didn't get a whole lot of sleep Saturday night. I was unsettled and nauseous on Sunday, from nerves and sunburn. Sunday we were celebrating my birthday, which is actually today. So I barbequed steak and shrimp-ka-bobs, although I didn't eat a whole lot. I had consideable help, so there wasn't a whole lot left over.

When I got up to go to work, the battery on the "Z" was deader than dirt, so I thought "Hmmmmm, it's my birthday and my backup car won't start. Maybe it's a sign that I should take the day off." But that was just too easy a copout, so I threw it on the charger on 35 amp quick charge, but it still took almost an hour to get it to where it would start. So I was an hour late for work.

One of the gifts I got for my birthday was a set of external rear view mirrors, so when I got home tonight I put them on the "Z". The "Z" is going to be in a car show on Thursday so I wanted to make sure the new mirrors made it on. It was hot and sunny, so I didn't want to be out in the sun too long, but the installation wasnt too difficult. The mirrors look great. I will post a picture when I get the time.

That's all for now

In the words of the immortal bard Tigger "TTFN".

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