Looking

I look back over my shoulder
and all I see are a million yesterdays.
I look ahead and all I see are the dreams of a million tomorrows.
Standing right in front of me is today
and all I need to get thru it.

How damned lucky can I be?

When The Music's Over...

...turn out the lights.


Last night, the 2010 Summer Concert Series at Riverside Park came to an end with a great closing show, 650 North opening for the Devonshires.

650 North opened with a fresh set of new and inspiring alternative rock, with a really great cover of the Cyndi Lauper classic Time After Time, and a show that is not the type of show we normally put on at the park. It was a great set and gave me quite an appreciation for the band.

The Devonshires took the stage and performed two different sets, one of 60's hits covering various artists, and came back and did a second set featuring 70's hits. They enjoyed themselves enough that they played an additional hour past their scheduled ending time. What a show, what great music, and what a great end to one of our best seasons of music yet.

The 2010 Live By The Levee series is now in the history books, and the stage will not play host to any concerts now until the 2011 season start next May. It's a mixed feeling as this season comes to an end.

I'm tired, Peggy is tired, matter of fact, I think all of our board and our group of volunteers are happy this season has come to an end. Record high temps really cut into our attendance figures for the season, but still, all in all, we had a great turnout at all the shows.

We provided a great variety of music to our community and beyond, thanks to the generous contributions and sponsorship dollars of many businesses and individuals in our region. Many thanks to them all, for without them, this series of concerts would never be possible.

The month of September begins the several months long job of planning the next season in the Live By The Levee series. Choosing genres, choosing bands, choosing dates and trying to secure the needed funds all starts now. It's a long road with a lot of work to come along with it, but in the end, as you stand and look at the crowd of people enjoying the live performances and the music, it is indeed a labor of love.

Yes, I'm glad we have pulled the final curtain on the 2010 series, but in just a matter of weeks I will already be wishing it was 2011 and the Live By The Levee series was starting up again.

And just think, in nine more months it will be. So much to do in those nine months.

Hating This Day

I guess we all have days we dread, days we wish we didn't have to face, days we would just like to forget.

This is one of those days for me.

I won't go into reasons, I won't say what the day is, but let's just say this day each year for the past several years gets me down, makes me blue, and makes me reflect on aspects of my life that I simply wonder about.

I see so much selfishness in this day, so much bitterness, and so much anger.

I try not to let this day bother me, but it does.

I turned this matter over to the Lord several years ago and I let him deal with it for me, most of the time.

But not today.

Today the Lord lets me deal with it as best I can.

Today I'm not doing the best job of dealing with it.

Thank God it will be over in a little over five hours from right now.

Yep, August 26th really sucks.

Slippery Noodle, August 12, 2010

Last Thursday evening, my friend John and I travelled up to the Circle City and spent the evening at the Slippery Noodle Inn, famous for its atmosphere and live blues seven nights a week.

We were fortunate enough on this particular Thursday evening to get to watch and listen to the Grady Champion Revue. Grady and company rocked the Noodle for four hours with their awesome Mississippi blues sound. After the show was over, lead guitar player Chris Gill took our picture with Grady, along with a few others who attended the show.

Sure hope I get a chance to see them again sometime.

A Closed Door

Sometimes when the door is closed
The best thing to do
Is assume it is locked
And don't knock,
Because even if the door is answered
The one who opens it
Doesn't really want you to come in
But isn't sure how
To let you know.

Doors are usually closed for a reason
And the longer they remain closed
The longer the one on the inside
Wishes it to remain
Closed.

Doors are there that are open
And others are closed
But not locked.
Honor the doors that are closed
And let them remain that way
For if you were truly welcome
On the inside
The door would be open.

Soulmate

The journeys I have taken,
The trails that I have walked.
Looking back at the mistakes I have made along the way,
I see the one remaining constant
That has ALWAYS been there,
Even when I didn't realize it
Or was too confused to understand.
Excuses I have made,
Words I have put into God's mouth,
Lies that I have convinced myself were true,
Yet thru it all,
She has always been there,
Waiting
Loving
Respecting
And never pressuring me,
Just letting me find my way on my own.
I hope I can be forgiven for those crazy times
And idiotic choices I made,
When all along the one true decision
I made nearly 33 years ago was indeed the right one.
No lies,
No deception,
One remaining constant.

Soulmate.

STILL The Hottest Band In The World!

After 37 years together, KISS continues to rock the world with their high energy and special effect concerts.

August 9th, 2010 proved to be no exception. In front of a crowd of over 16,000, KISS put on an absolutely great performance at the Grandstand Stage at the Indiana State Fair. Opening for them was a group that is signed to Gene Simmons record label, The Envy. A totally great opening act that got the crowd pumped for the greatest rock and roll show anywhere. The lead singer of The Envy told the crowd that his group, which haled from Canada, had never played to a crowd that big. The band was awesome!

KISS took the stage shortly thereafter and rocked the crowd with their one of a kind rock show for a little over two hours. They didn't fail to excite the fired up crowd, and the show was exceptional, as they always are.

Last night simply reinforced exactly why I have now been to a total of 18 KISS concerts. And yeah, I promise you, should they come back another time in our area, you can bet I'll be there once again, too!

Something Rare

For anyone who really knows me, they know it is indeed my thing to take a vacation in late winter, a week in May for Indy 500 practice, and a two week vacation in October. Rarely do I take a vacation any other time of year.

This year, though, I decided to take a week off in August, knowing that the Indiana State Fair is held at that time.

That vacation begins tomorrow evening after work.

On Monday, August 9, I will be attending my 18th KISS concert at the fair. It will be the first time KISS has ever played the State Fair. Weather forecast is for partly sunny skies and temps in the 90's. Yeah, hot as hell, but dry. Looking forward to it.

I'm also toying with the idea of going to the Slippery Noodle in Indy one night and catch some live blues.

My much better half unfortunately will not be joining me on this vacation, since she will be working the majority of the week.

I'm simply looking forward to getting away from work with all the crap that is going on there right now. I NEED to get away for a few days and this vacation should present me with some much needed r and r.

And then, when that vacation is over next weekend, I will start looking forward to my two week vacation in October with my wonderful wife.

Ah, such is life, vacation mixed in amongst the responsibilities of life.