Quick Update for the end of April

Blacklisted played Cave Nine last night, and they were stellar. The show was the highlight of the month for sure. They are one of a handful of bands that I feel like I could see every day and never get sick of. It was frustrating to not be able to get in the middle of things due to my shoulder. P.S. Eliot also played the show, and made their demos available to the public. You should get your hands on one. They will be touring all over the states this summer on a demo alone, which is pretty awesome if you ask me....too bad I can't join them.

I am taking a half day at work on Friday so I can go check out Lou Reed at the Ryman in Nashville, TN. I love that venue; there is just nowhere else like it. I will probably do a review of the show for my actual site as I have yet to write a serious one, and I feel like this is as good a time as any. The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed made a big impact on me when I was younger. The following day is the annual Team Win Fish Fry, which I will no doubt post photos of here. Everything will be deep fried. Everything.

As soon as I get the (hopefully) good word from a doctor on my shoulder healing, I will be getting back on the bike full force. I want to hit it hard and ride several days a week, and hopefully find some good trails to ride on a weekend while the weather is nice.

I'm Not Ready

Saturday afternoon I attended the annual University of Alabama A-Day Game. It was a good time as usual. Your average person might not be interested in a Spring scrimmage game, but ever since I was released from the trap of working virtually every weekend, I have been trying to soak up as much time at Bryant-Denny as possible. Last year, over 92,000 fans showed up and literally packed the stadium. The crowd this year was not as big, but it was still better attended than most of the years I remember going as a kid. It was nice to relax, eat some Nachos, catch up with friends, and of course see how the team is shaping up for the upcoming season.

Sunday afternoon, I hopped in a car with my friends David and Ian. We trekked to Jackson, MS to see Modern Life Is War on their final tour. Downtown Jackson looked like a ghost town. It reminded me of Northside in Birmingham. The show looked like it was the only thing going down in the entire city. We grabbed some Taco Bell during most of the first band's set, and hung out until MLIW played. I secured a spot up front. Here are some pictures I snapped before the night took an interesting turn.

The band launched into "Breaking The Cycle" about 5 songs into the set, and by the end of the song, I was on top of the crowd you see in the photo. My right shoulder snapped out of place again, and I was luckily able to get down and check it out. I attempted to push it back into place (I have been able to do before), but this was a different kind of pain. David rushed me to the hospital and I waited it out. It was dislocated fully and I had to be put under for a couple of minutes for it to be put back into place. I woke up to the Doctor talking to me about a sling, very confused, not realizing that the sling was already on my arm. From where David and Ian were sitting, it was hysterical for sure. Here are the results of the evening (Note the "XFL" hand stamp from the show. That's one I've never seen before):



On the way back home, we toyed with the idea of driving to Memphis for their show the next night, but by the time we had arrived home, we decided against it for numerous real world reasons. It was definitely for the best since I felt like warmed over shit the next day, but I can't say that I'm not a little bummed on not getting to see them play a full set before they call it a day. I'm glad I have great friends who would sacrifice something like that to take my wild ass to the hospital more than anything, though. Cheers to them, and to MLIW for being a band who did whatever the fuck they wanted with their music. What can I say? Punk Rock will make you do some crazy things. I'm itching for a bike ride, but it will be a little while before I can go on another one.

feeling like a kid

One of the few ways I've been able to slip from the grasp of the real world lately is riding my bike. Unlike most college students, I never owned one during my tenure at school (The University of Alabama) since I was a commuter. I figured that getting a bike would be a great way to have fun and get in a little exercise after spending my days sitting around at the office. Researching what type of bike to buy was a bit of a pain. I quickly discovered that I was clueless as far as bike lingo and branding were concerned, and decided to just go for a cheap starter bike that would get me around and see if i liked it and kept up a semi-regular riding schedule. So far, I have gone riding 2-3 times a week. Most of the time I hit up the campus and make my way around all of the buildings I used to frequent, while trying to use routes, streets, and shortcuts that I didn't walk through on a regular basis. The other night I actually rode past a building I had never seen or heard anyone mention in my 5 years at the UA. Riding around at night reminds me of the full days and nights I would spend riding around the neighborhood with all of my friends as a kid. We got into so much mischief through those bike rides that it is pretty mind blowing to think about now. Dropping a mere $60 on my bike was one of the best investments I've made in a long time. It's allowed me to release a good amount of the pent up energy that builds during my work day, and to reconnect with one of my favorite activities as a kid.