El Segundo Car Show/Pub Crawl 2007: A Photo Essay

O Matrimony!

I missed a lot of the high points of the wedding, like the wedding itself. I guess I was actually watching it for a change. ;) Here are some photographs of the rest of the evening. The ceremony took place on the lovely dock (where Senor and I had our photo taken) in front of Shawn and Penelope's cottage and was performed by one of their friends. Senor was one of the groomsmen. The neighbors watched from a respectful distance on their boats and blew air horns at the end.

The bride designed and made her own dress, and while I do not have a full length photo of it (what was I thinking?!), it was absolutely beautiful! She let me make the hairpiece for her. I didn't get a great shot of that either... shoot! I really fell down on the job.




The mosquitoes were probably up my skirt biting my buns during this very photo. Seriously, I was the other buffet at this wedding.

I'll leave you with well-wishes from the flower girl.

Good wedding, People.
Happy Day.

O Canada!!!

The time has come. To keep the knitting readers satiated, I will begin with Canada: O The Yarn!
We arrived at Pearson Airport at roughly 9am Friday. Senor had not really slept since he woke at 6am Thursday to go to work.

Danger!

I wasn't feeling much better.

We sought caffeine and bread products at Moonbean, a cozy, perfect coffee house in Kensington Market. Though I was tired, a little frisson of excitement persisted. I was within blocks of Lettuce Knit, a place of legend and mystery. We paid with our crisp colorful Canadian dollars and took off. A helpful woman sipping coffee in the sun gave us directions to Nassau street. "You go down that way, turn and go up a little way, and then go over there and it's just down the way," she said (roughly) with her arm snaking through the air. Somehow, I knew what she meant. Of course, now that I've been there, I'd say to a lost stranger (with my arm as visual aid), "You turn right at the fruits and vegetables, go down past the sunglasses, make a left at the fruit and vegetables, another right at the sunglasses, past the nuts and Canada patches, and it's just down that way." And though it may not sound like it, I thought Kensington market was very fruity, very nutty, and totally sweet!

We walked along, naming nuts (Pine Nut. Pistachio Nut. Macadamia Nut.), and then we saw it.


Still closed, but really really there. Lettuce Knit. I perched on the steps while Senor snapped some photos for me.


(Does anyone know how they decide what yarn goes in there?)

After only a few minutes, a friendly girl named Alexis let me in. And there was sock yarn EVERYWHERE!! They just don't have that kind of selection in California. I grabbed myself some Socks That Rock in Red Rock Canyon. Now that I think back, there were other skeins I wish I'd gotten also, but I was pleased with my choice. We browsed a bit more, and then it was time to say goodbye.


Next we went to Romney. I was too tired and overwhelmed when I walked in and saw this:

I didn't purchase anything here, 'cause I just couldn't process this amount of yarn on 2 hours of seated sleep. I wish now that I'd been brave enough, but I just couldn't take the stimulation.

Besides, it was time to head to Huntsville and the time on our meter was running out (we think).

Off to the wedding!

Bad Gift Getter

I blew it. Let all the knitting world know that I am sorry for not mentioning it before this:



This photo, which I borrowed from Noteworthy Knits, is of the beautiful project bag that she made just for me for winning a contest on her blog. I love it so much that I've used it almost daily since the day I got it, and I kept putting off photographing it until I could press it back into brand new shape.

Now I feel like a total heel because I didn't get to it sooner. The lesson has been learned (the hard way, rats), and I am going to do her generosity justice just as soon as I get home from work today.

I LOVE IT, NOTEWORTHY!! You rock the sewing machine!

Oh Baby You, You Got What I Nee-ee-eed!

I'm only asking because I've seen what asking knitters for stuff can accomplish... Crazy feats of fundraising, generous donations for the needy, artistic participation on a Grand scale...

So what sad story have I got to make you want to give me stuff? None at all, I'm sorry to say. I have nothing but an itch that wants scratching.



Do you have any wool sock yarn leftovers that you'd like to get out of your house? Are you stashbusting and wondering what you'll ever do with all these little golf balls of sock yarn? I want them. I have this sudden uncontrollable urge to make more more more squares for my quilt, and yet the sock yarn I have is all waiting to be socks. I don't want to borrow from the skeins before the socks are knit because I may get down to the end and find that I can't complete the toe. You've been there, right?

I just spent my weekend travelling and knitting three squares and my hands are itching to do more. If you're reading this and thinking, "No way, Lame-O!" that's fair enough, because I'm sorta thinking it too.

But if you're thinking something else, let me know.

In the meantime, I'm working on socks furiously so that I can have leftovers sooner. How backward is that?

O Canada content to come...

Here We Go!!

T minus 15 hours until the Toronto knit shops open. And I WILL BE THERE!!

Enjoy your weekend, eh?

On the Other Hand...

... There is always the yarn to keep me centered. Wanna see my new goodies from Twist Yarns?

Some Malabrigo laceweight ought to straighten me right out!! I'm planning two (one of each color) lacy neckerchiefs for a little brightness and warmth this winter. I can't believe how soft these are!! And reasonably priced!

And 140 yards of some beautiful handspun by Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks. Yummy!!

My mom and I will share the resulting scarf. USC Football here we come!!!

Attempt #2 of the Retro Redux Shrug from Lace Style worked like a charm!! It's Cascade 220 in Straw with an added crochet edge in black Cascade 220. I LOVE IT! I'd wear it every day, but then again, it's wool and the weather won't quite permit... Darn! Where is Fall already?

I started a new pair of socks. Hedera from Knitty. I like this pattern! Jawoll Cotton blend. The yarn hides the stitches a bit, but I think once it's on a foot, all will be quite well.

And last and possibly least, the first 4 inches of the Notre Dame Pullover from Interweave Knits Summer 07. Double Seed Stitch in white Cascade Superwash. Not much to look at right now...

Not that soft either... Hoping for a miracle? Or using what I've got? Yes.

I CAN DO IT MYSELF!!! And other such nonsense...

(This moment of neurosis is brought to you by the number 9 and the letter C. Any similarity it bears to actual recent events or conversation is merely coincidental. Actually, the plot and characters ARE inspired by a conversation that was just had here at work, and I want to assure those involved that this post is in NO WAY an attack on you. Our conversation was merely the catalyst by which I have recognized my need for serious therapy.)

What is it about receiving unsolicited suggestions that makes everything less fun for me? Maybe not for you, maybe you like the collaboration, maybe you never thought of that and think it's a really good idea thank you.

Not me. (This is another case of being the Most Easily Bugged Person in the world, I think.)

It doesn't apply to everything. Cooking? Yes, tell me how to make a really good devilled egg. I seriously don't know anything about it, and don't feel the need to reinvent that wheel. Directions? Which way do you go to get to your house, 'cause I don't go there as often as you do. Movies? Yeah, which one is going to be worth the $20 it costs us to see it? I don't want to find out by trial and error. I don't mind seeing what everyone else has seen. Or reading what everyone else has read (except Da Vinci Code. Not gonna do it.)

But so many other things lose their interest for me as soon as someone else shows enthusiasm for my doing them. I felt this way about the wedding. I didn't want anyone else to tell me what they thought would be perfect or "so you". It makes me feel crowded and panicky. I think it has to do with one or more of the following a) never getting the chance to find out what I empirically would actually LIKE, b) having my excitement overshadowed and thereby nullified by the excitement of someone who's not even involved, or c) not getting to discover anything first hand.

Some other examples:

I don't want ideas on how to decorate. I think I might be good at it if I ever felt sure the suggestion didn't come from someone else. It's something I feel Senor and I can handle on our own, and only we know how our personal traffic patterns work. If you think our couch would be perfect here or there, it only makes me feel uncertain about where we chose to put it.

I don't want color suggestions when I am trying to choose yarn. You're not going to be wearing it, are you? So butter yellow and forest green are beautiful to you. You know what, on second thought, I don't like these colors either, nevermind.

I don't want the car you want to sell me. It's not "Me" unless I choose it. You don't know me.

I don't want help when I walk into a clothing store. I want to shout at the saccharine sales girls, "I WON'T LIKE ANYTHING YOU BRING ME AND IT WON'T FIT AND I CAN'T AFFORD IT!!!!"

I can do it myself, people. I can. When you help, I feel like you don't trust me.

Here's why I bring this up: I'm FREAKING OUT!!

It is generally acknowledged that we are planning to have little ones soon. Soon is a relative term, of course, but "Soon" is the danger zone. As long as there are things in my future that haven't happened, there is still some hope to influence me, I guess. I feel paranoid just having something in the offing. Already I'm getting input about pregnancy and birth-giving... and that puts me in a pickle because here are some of the things that I now don't want to do simply because they were suggested to me instead of my thinking them up:

Have the baby in the summer (or fall, winter, or spring).
Have the epidural. (I can do it myself.)
Not have the epidural. (I'm not stupid.)
Let people touch my belly. (It's mine.)
Not let people touch my belly. (Babies are for everyone!)


I have a problem. It's not you, it's me, seriously, it's not you, I'm not being sarcastic here.

There is no way that I can prevent helpful input from others. Input is merely a way for people to show that they care, that they're moved, that they want to play a part in something wonderful, that they want me to enjoy my experience as they did, or to enjoy mine more than they did. I realize that it will come from family, and friends, and doctors, and nurses, and neighbors, and people waiting to cross the street with me, and drive-thru window attendants. I know I can't stop it, and I realize that I don't know everything, and there are things that will be helpful and necessary to find out from others. I need to figure out how to not let the helpful hints make me feel trapped.

I feel trapped already by this pregnancy. You know, this pregnancy that doesn't exist yet. That's not a good sign.

If I spend 9 months feeding a child this kind of panic, it's going to come out looking like Woody Allen.

(For all of you with whom I am in regular contact, please don't take this as a Gag Order. It's not that at all. I've just discovered a need to vent. Maybe by venting now instead of later, I can get it out of my system, and then we can have some fun. I do want to be a fun person, honest. I just didn't realize how complicated this whole "having babies" thing might turn out to be.)

What a Change of Diet Can Do in 3 Days

First, what a change of diet can't do. It can't return you to your wedding weight in 3 days. It can't give you a reason to pull the "too small" bag out of the garage. It can't keep your jeans from cutting into your tummy all day as you sit in your office chair. It can't make you want to go to the gym. Not in 3 days. It can't really make you look any different at all.

But what it can do? It can apparently make you want to blog again. It can help Anxiety move out of the master bedroom of your mind and take up residence in the guest room (still living with you, still in the way, but not necessarily a permanent cohabitor). It can make you want to talk to people again. It can bring you back from hiding.

Eventually, if we let ourselves go too far and we live with the guilt of that for too long, we start to lose pieces of ourselves. I've been chipping away at my enthusiasms and interests for a long time. I've been gradually receding into my own background. I have not been comfortable there... I miss me. On our wedding video, I informed myself and the cameraman that, "I am pretty much the funniest person in my life." I have some funny friends and relatives who may take issue with this remark, and I'm not really sure that it's true myself, but the fact of the matter is that a mere 15 months ago, I thought I was a funny person and enjoyed being with myself. I had something I was proud enough and sure enough of that I was willing to brag about it on camera. That's really something. That's a belief that goes to the core if I'M willing to brag about it.

So where has that funny girl been? This sad, chubby girl sat on her, I guess, or shoved her in a closet and piled yarn on top of her.

I'm not saying I'm funny again. I don't think a change of diet can do that in just 3 days. But I do believe I've opened the closet door (not that kind of closet) and let some of the yarn roll out. I feel a bit less embarassed of myself, a bit less consumed with my own worry, a bit less obsessed with being invisible.

I don't want this blog to turn into a diet blog, all I'm saying is, if you're wondering how it is that I've managed to post 3 days in a row after narely posting once a week for a while, it's because I ate a little more stuff that I don't have to deny.

I'm a long way off yet, but I'm on a good road. I'm starting to remember that funny girl.

*************** Okay, I'm done now. For now.**************

Let's knit some stuff! Started and frogged some Hedera socks from Knitty.com. Anyone have a comment on the brands of yarn that have worked for this pattern? I liked the 3 inches I knit yesterday, but it wouldn't have fit the foot of even my smallest friend. I guess the yarn was too fine. What would work better?

(Yarn For) The Knitting

I've been up to things.


(almost) Finished Object! Senor's custom made socks. I maaaaaade it!! These were knit with 1+ skeins of Colinette Jitterbug in the Toscana colorway. I have a lot left, which I will most likely use to make squares for the sock yarn throw I'm slowly working on... so slowly. I still need to weave in the ends, but I suspect it will be a while before Senor wants to pad about in wool socks. Right, Senor?


A Very Harlot Scarf. It's based on a pattern invented/posted by the Yarn Harlot long long ago. I will add a link to her pattern as soon as I can find it. This yarn is Mandalay Pure Silk in some pink color. I'm not going to lie to you, this yarn has been voodoo in my stash for a long long time. It was the yarn chosen for the recently aborted Retro Redux Shrug, and before that it was an aborted Onesy. It just never seemed to work for anything. It feels good, it looks pretty, but it just never cohesed (?) with any of the patterns I tried. So I opted for this scarf "just to get the yarn out of my house."


Now it's not going anywhere.

(The extra skein IS going back to the shop, though.)

And speaking of shops, how often does one get to say this?

There's a new yarn shop in town!!! It opens TODAY, and we are walking (walking!) to it on our lunch hour!!! Now, we have one LYS within walking distance of work already (4 blocks, danger!), but this one is even closer than the other. (1.5 blocks)

If you are doing the math, that does mean that these two yarn shops are roughly 5.5 blocks apart, very close, but hopefully their personalities will be individual enough to fill two separate niches. Welcome to town, Twist Yarns!!

Sometimes a girl needs a little cheese.

Every now and then, Etsy gets me. Today I decided to explore the world of stitch markers as research for possible projects for my stash of beads, and I came across this deliciousness. Fake cheese. For a girl who just "joined" Weight Watchers for the third or fourth time (this time it's for real), these cheese stitch markers were too delectable and Point free to resist. I can't wait for them to arrive!! I have made a deal with myself too, because there were some donut stitch markers that I also must have: When I've lost 3lbs, then I can get the donut stitch markers. And that's how you'll know when I get there.

To see what else the cheese maker has to offer, and I suggest you do, check out the Little Companions for Life shop.

(Also, check out the donuts, which kind would you get?)

Mommy, I made a short film!!

Go see My Husband Is So Hot on YouTube. Senor and I wrote this short film last year, and it has finally made its internet debut! Please check it out and spread the word. I'm very proud of our work and of the good work of our friends and associates. Mostly, I'm just excited to finally see it!!!!

(You may wonder why I am not in it... but I am, I'm the boobs in the red shirt.)

Note Added 7/25: I took the part as the boobs because they were filming on a day that I had to teach dance, and that was the only part short enough that they could shoot it before I had to get to class. And, well, the fact of the matter is that I am the most voluptuous of the girls in our company... Never thought I'd grow up to say that under any circumstances, much less in film-making circumstances.

Who set this thing to "Head Games"?

Guess what I got? I got a hat! I got the hat I was supposed to get from my assassin in Head Games "thousands of years ago." I am so excited, and I mean absolutely nothing but good will to my hat sender...

... because she knit it out of the goodness of her heart! She was not my assassin, she wasn't even in the same circle of doom that I was, as far as I can tell. See, I won Head Games without ever getting a hat... I won because I was the only one left who hadn't received a hat, and that was because no one knew what happened to it. So I did win, but I didn't feel like a winner. Get me so far?

Well then this lovely woman named Carol e-mailed me to offer to knit me a hat from scratch because the point was that everyone who played was supposed to get a hat. That was the REAL point of Head Games. So she knit one just for me. Just because.

What a wonderful woman. And a Canadian, at that! She actually paid international postage just to make me feel (and look) GOOD!


Lovely Canadians and their lovely handknits!!!

Thank you Carol, so much. I just love it! I can't wait for it not to be burning-ass hot so that I can wear it.

She also included some bitchin' Canada treats just for me:

There was a pen, too, but it's already been pressed into service at my office, and I forgot to bring it home. I just love the way it looks on my desk!!

I can't wait to go to Canada and say a real thank you to the Canadian air... that's as close to Carol as I'll get for now... Unless you live in Toronto, Carol... Do you? I'll meet you at Lettuce Knit in 3 weeks!!!!

*I'm going to leave this picture on my blog, in spite of the fact that I have something in my teeth. Did you notice the first time? Go back and look... Yeah. I'm awesome. But I don't have any illusions about who I am. I am the kind of person who publishes photos of themselves with cilantro in her teeth... Oy!

Knitting Dismorphic Disorder

Perhaps you have heard of Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD). It is a psychological disorder where a person perceives their body as profoundly different than it is in reality. For example, super thin anorexic who looks in the mirror and sees a fat person; super huge body builder who looks in the mirror and sees a scrawny wimp.

I don't have this. With the exception of the skinny mirror in our guest room, I feel I am realistically acquainted with myself. I'm not the hugest person ever, but I'm not as thin as I used to be... DANGER! The change is subtle in the grand scheme of things because I can still wear a good portion of my wardrobe (mostly the stuff I don't like, but I digress). My image of myself HAS changed just enough that it is virtually impossible for me to knit the correct size garment for myself.

Thus I am diagnosing what is perhaps an undocumented psychological disorder: Knitting Dismorphic Disorder (KDD).

Those afflicted with KDD live with a deep fear that they will spend hours knitting a garment that will then not fit them, being either too small or too big. For me, I fear the too-small garment. So I measure myself, and then I have Senor measure to make sure, and I peer eagerly at the pattern.

What's this I find?! One size's finished measurement is smaller than I am, and the other is bigger. Both usually a lot smaller or bigger than I am. Which do you choose? Now take into consideration that I have gotten my gauge with a very unstretchy silk yarn... There will be little ease in this knitting... Go with the bigger, right?

Or wrong?

The spiral capelet (that's that pinky-orange thing that wouldn't grow) is complete. It has not been photographed however, because if I let go of the damn thing in order to grasp my camera, it falls down around my feet like a winning horseshoe. It's THAT MUCH TOO BIG-- It goes over my biggest parts, which I can tell you are not my shoulders, where it is supposed to rest. I knit it with unstretchy cotton, so I opted for the bigger size... and what do I have to show for it? Ring Around Senora.

And many wasted hours.

So how do I feel now that I am 39" into the Retro Redux Shrug from Lace Style and I hold it up to myself and it already reaches elbow to elbow, and the directions say I'm supposed to knit ANOTHER 6" before I even add the ribbed cuffs? The looooong ribbed cuffs?

I feel a bit sick. I'll let you know how it comes out... Anyone got a big friend with cold monkey arms?

*This post not intended to replace a physician's or psychologist's care. If you fear you have KDD, please see a professional.

**It's all okay. I went to look at some Retro shrugs in progress at the Lace Style Knitalong and it turns out I did the whole thing incorrectly anyway and have to start over. I missed the line in the pattern right after "CO X number of sts"-- you know, the one that says, "You're about to do the next 9 inches wrong, you dumbass."

Back to balls... Maybe I should choose a different yarn...

Retail Therapy anyone?

For a little pick me up, check out my friend's jewelry on Etsy:

DLS Designs Jewelry

She has some really beautiful things, and a few that I have my eye on... So you better go buy what YOU like before I get my wallet out!!!

I didn't end up buying any yarn the other day, but I did get some new lip gloss (it helped perk me up). I have a trip to Canada coming up and guess where I'm going to get to go?!

Lettuce Knit!!!! Stomping ground of the Yarn Harlot herself as well as many of the other bloggers that I keep my eye on. AND I'LL BE THERE!!!! So I'm saving my "Sorry I Didn't Get the Job" purchase for my trip. I can't wait!!

Save me, Not-Good-Enough Girl! Oh wait, Superman's Availabe? Nevermind, then.

Not all of you knew this, but I spent the last two weeks in the interview process for the position of Dance Director at my old high school. I think it was probably third on my short list of dream jobs. (First: wife, check! Second: mother, will get there soon. Third: Going home to old Chadwick.)

I didn't get it, though. I didn't really know how badly I wanted the job until now. And it's not a matter of applying elsewhere, because other schools are not my school, you know? This desire to teach dance was location specific.

So I'm having a bummer of a day. I slept until 10am just to avoid having to call my parents and tell them that I didn't get it. I found out via a "thank you for making yourself vulnerable you silly deluded girl" note in the mail, which we picked up at 10:30 last night when we got home from a party.

This is a downer of a post, I know. I suspect this is why there's never been a comic about Not-Good-Enough Girl. The superhuman ability to accept rejection isn't all that inspiring.

Oh well. Off to the yarn store to make myself feel better. I need something soft and fuzzy.

11 1/2"

So, first of all, the directions said I had to knit in lace pattern until 11.5". I didn't discover this until I successfully reached 11 inches and then looked excitedly for the next direction. I was crestfallen. I said to myself, "Self, knit four more rows to add the 1/2 inch you forgot about, you dumbass. Then pick up the book AGAIN and look excitedly for the next direction." 1 decrease round involving one p2tog every 12 stitches or so, and then this:

Continue even until the piece measures 2.5 inches from decrease round!!!

Gah!!! After I discovered this disheartening direction, I knit to the end of a ball of Cotton Ease and called it a night.

At least it's now growing as slowly as slightly greener grass...

Excitement and Pressure

My knitting stamina is about at a comfortable 5K these days. I've done a few larger projects now, and I'm proud, but they were like struggling through 10Ks without quite enough training. After my last 10K (Sleeveless Tux shirt), I decided to do a 5K for fun... but I didn't know I was registering for a 10K by mistake.



It's not complicated. It's going well. No mistakes (knock knock knock). But it's growing like grass. I keep measuring to see when I'll reach the "Knit in pattern until the piece measures 11" from cast on edge".

I've been at 9" for roughly the entire 21st century!



It just doesn't grow, and my patience is growing thin. Which leads me to measure more, which leads to more incidents of "Still 9 inches?!"

And it's not an unenjoyable knit. I just have so many things I want to get to... So many projects in the wings that MUST BE STARTED NOW!!!!! I'm deep in the Pressure and Excitement haze. The pressure of choosing the next project to commit to, the excitement of someday, maybe, eventually getting finished with this gosh-darn spiral shell!!!

These Socks Were Made for Walkin'

Some might say it's about time on this one. I may be alone in that sentiment (I don't know how many of you are keeping an eye on unfinished projects in my life), but still I say it without hesitation, "It's about time!"



Jaywalker 3.0 is finished. It's not without mistakes, as is my apparent destiny with all of my Jaywalkers. This pair had one weird big stitch that I guess I just didn't pull tight-- I'm talking about nearly an inch of slack on one stitch. I can't explain it. It also has one slipped stitch that got slipped one too many times, and it had a dropped stitch that I'd have had to frog more than half of a nearly finished second sock to catch. I don't think so! It was at the top of the heel flap. I just wove it down as far as it could go and sewed it down. No worries. It's just a sock. I'm okay with a mistake or two. Not on my sweaters or other types of projects, but for some reason a mistake on a Jaywalker doesn't seem to bother me much. Maybe because I make so many.

Whatever the reason, you can't tell at all that there are any problems when you look at them, and that's what matters. I'm going to e-mail a photo off to Grumperina. Maybe I'll be the 1000th pair! Wouldn't that be amazing?!

Did you notice in the photo that the jaywalkers are cruising my blog? They are big fans, ever since they were cast on. And they are such lucky socks because they can cruise Mommy, Look What I Made in the comfort of their own living room. Our DSL is all up and running at our new lovely computer. Now we can have some fun!

(And we can upload photos from the camera at home over the weekend. Yay!)

Who's a Brave Little Blogger?

Yes, this is Senora in her natural habitat. I am not ashamed. (Actually, I am a bit, but I think it's only fair to represent myself accurately). We got a new computer and a new desk, and it took us all weekend to get it all in place and all the wires on the correct side of the desk legs and all the furniture in a sensible location around it.

This is Senor in his natural habitat. Actually, this one is less accurate than mine. Senor doesn't usually look quite this non-plussed in the presence of chaos and disarray.

And lest you forget that sometimes I do look nice:

This photo was taken at Carney's on Sunset Blvd (the place that looks like a train and sells hot dogs and beer in plastic cups, Mmm-mmm!) before the Lindsey Buckingham concert. I shall now present my review of this fine fine show.

Mr. Buckingham (for he is a HE) was once a part of the still popular though broken-up band Fleetwood Mac. If you ask me, I couldn't tell that the rest of them weren't there. True, I would have liked to hear "Songbird", but even in its absence, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by how much I enjoyed this concert. I went into it not knowing what to expect from the venue (House of Blues) or the act, and I was quite pleasantly surprised by both. As far as the venue is concerned, I think it was good that I enjoyed the performance so much or I might not have enjoyed House of Blues so much; standing for the entire length of a concert would be gruelling without proper diversion. But since I was enjoying it, I found the intimacy and overall scale of the place perfect. We stood a mere 15-20 feet from the stage. From that vantage point, we got an amazing view of Lindsey's elaborate and elegant guitar playing.

Man, that guy can wail!! The highlights for me were "Never Going Back Again"- a song I love for its sparseness, which was only enhanced by being so up close and personal with the instrument and artist. It was just the man and his guitar, nothing else. The only thing that could have made this song better than the Rumors version was the absence of everything else, and that is what we were given. It was perfect.

I also loved "Big Love." You may not be familiar with this song, as I was not, but go watch it. If I knew how to make YouTube play right here on my blog as some more talented bloggers can, I would. Instead, here is a link. Big Love.

Oh, Man!!!

Also, how can you complain about "Holiday Road" as an encore?! I love an encore that makes you feel like all of the compulsory applause were worth it. ** Generally, I object to the obligatory encore. I know you haven't played your most famous song yet. Don't make me beg for it. I already stood in line and payed out the you know what to hear it.** In this case, however, I wasn't expecting to hear "Holiday Road", as it is a rather silly song, so when it started and I recognized it, I laughed and jumped up and down and be-bopped my entire way through it.

You can go your own way... or you can go Linsdey's way. I'll tell you which way I'm going.