What a day for San Francisco!

Sometimes I get crazy ideas in my head and rather than talking myself out of them, I just plow straight ahead and see them through. This usually occurs when I find a concert I want to attend in a state other than Virginia, hence my trip to San Francisco in March. Several months ago I found out Cary Brothers was joining Joshua Radin on his upcoming tour but not until after he'd played DC. This did not sit well with my music obsessed soul so began to research dates, cities, and airline tickets. As luck would have it, the tour was ending on a Saturday in San Francisco. A Saturday!! When I saw that a plane ticket was reasonably priced I knew exactly where I would be on March 12th.

Thanks to two delayed flights I was able to spend quality time at airports in DC and Cincinnati. I could have been super annoyed by this, but instead I was able to do make some fun playlists, plan some birthday stuff for a friend, and listen in on a concert I was missing via cell phone. I guarantee I was the happiest person at the Cincinnati airport that night! All in all it took me 16 hours to get to San Francisco, but it was worth it!

I met my pals Trent and Brian there and we spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the city and rocking out at the concert! It was so much fun! I would definitely do San Fran again!

Friends at The Golden Gate Bridge

Trent showcasing his brilliant photography skills!

What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV?!

We didn't see Michelle OR Uncle Jesse, despite Trent and Brian's best attempts at calling for them . . . I almost left them there!! ;)

Random shoe garden in Alamo Square Park (aka Full House park).

I may or may not have made out with Bradley Cooper while we were there.

It was the last night of the Joshua Radin tour (another big reason to go) and the show was full of pranks. Like this one . . .
The sound engineer walked on stage in his unmentionables with I *heart* LJ written on his torso. LJ stands for Laura Jansen, the first opener. She was playing her quiet, tender song, Single Girls. She made him stay on stage.

Is that Zach Galifianakis?! Nope, just Brandon Walters . . . Everyone busted up laughing when Brandon came on stage sporting this shirt.

The ever-so-talented Cary Brothers. Love this man!

And then there was Josh . . .

Rockin' out with some of his bff's!

We were among the last people in line to say hi to Laura and Cary (Josh stayed backstage, which isn't too surprising seeing as there were a lot of family members and family friends at the show). Laura had one last CD that she was giving away and it was between me and the boys. I said one of them could have it since I already bought it. Cary cheered for that and it sparked a little conversation. I told him we came specifically to see him open for Josh. He asked from where and when he found out he came out from behind the table and hugged me. We got to talk for a few minutes and take this picture . . .
While we were talking I told him that my friends and I met at the last Hotel Cafe Tour (what is that, you say? Watch this). Then he gave us the best possible news one could hope to hear . . . they are bringing back HCT this fall!!!!!! You can bet I'll be getting tickets to as many of those shows as I possibly can . . . :)

The next morning we got up and headed down to Fisherman's Wharf . . .
Friends looking at Alcatraz

Sea lions lounging around at Pier 39

Wandering around the pier

Trying on nerd glasses . . . We look so smart!!

It was a quick little trip but it was awesome! Thanks to Trent for emailing me all these pics! (I lost my camera in NYC and hadn't been able to upload anything from this trip).

P.S. If you don't know what song this post title came from, let me help you out because it is among the more incredible songs in existence . . .

It's Been A Year

Just over a year ago, April 5th to be exact, I went to the Hotel Cafe Tour at the Avalon in Salt Lake. It was easily one of my favorite concerts and I can't wait until they do another one, hopefully this fall. Anyway I asked everyone I knew if they wanted to come and no one was up for it, so I went by myself. I'd gone to a Joshua Radin show alone before and it was a great experience, so I figured I'd try it again. I got there early because I'm a fan of the first few rows, I don't care how long I'm standing for, it's a different experience. As I was waiting I tried to start up conversation with the people behind me. They weren't too interested in chatting, so I gave up. Then a kid in front of me turned around and asked who I was there to see, Cary Brothers or Ingrid Michaelson? This sparked a discussion about the artists we love and then it carried over into other things. We ended up standing togther at the show and having a great time. I got one of their email addresses so I could send them the pictures I took. Thank goodness, because this enabled us to keep in touch. I found both Brian and Trent on myspace (Trent may have found me, I don't remember). Then when Ingrid Michaelson came back through town two months later they both came up and we went together. Trent and I went to a Joshua Radin concert before I moved to DC and he's come up to visit when I've been home. Brian was in DC last fall for a school thing and I was able to meet up with him as well. Who would have thought that it'd last this long??? Happy Anniversary pals!



Trent, one of their Price friends, Brian, and Me after the Ingrid Michaelson/Greg Laswell concert


The gang with Ingrid

Do What I Can

It's no secret, I LOVE shoes! I've heard rumblings here and there about TOMS shoes and unfortunately I didn't discover until today what they are. Watch this . . .



A little background info . . . TOMS Shoes was founded in May 2006 when an American traveler befriended the children of an Argentine village and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created a company that gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Since its beginning, TOMS has given over 70,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.

For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Now I understand that these shoes may not be the cutest things ever but I know a good portion of you out there own and wear crocs, so I'm not too worried. And they look just as comfy as crocs are suppose to be! ;) Then there's the price. The cheapest pairs cost $42, but when you think about it, that $42 is getting two pairs of shoes. One for you and one for a child who otherwise wouldn't have any. AND if you type in the code HCT (HCT=Hotel Cafe Tour, a bunch of artists promote TOMS, including Hotel Cafe artists) you'll get $5 off. They're running the same deal for t-shirts that don't cost quite as much. Did I mention FREE 2-6 day shipping??? What a deal! ;) You proabably already have your Christmas shopping done, but I thought I'd put it out there for anyone who might be interested. Christmas gift or not, it's a good idea!



I obviously "borrowed" these pics. ;)

How the Day Sounds

One of the first things people discover when getting to know me is that I get quite passionate about music . . . especially the whole indie/folk/rock genre. That being said, it should be no surprise that I have little music video for your enjoyment. The artist's name is Greg Laswell and it's his latest video from his new album, Three Flights from Alto Nido. I think it is absolutely brilliant and so much fun! Check it out . . .



Not that Elijah Wood wasn't already way up there in my book, but he earned himself 10more cool points by doing this! :)