Rod Stewart: Still the Same

My top two favorite male artists are Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart. I was able to see Stevie in December during his Christmas charity event and one of the gifts under the tree this year for me were tickets to see Rod Stewart at the Staples Center last Tuesday night.  

Not only was it my first time seeing Rod in concert, but also my first time at the Staples Center which is way more posh than Madison Square Garden, but similar in it's arena feel. 

Simply put it was a really fun time. You could tell Rod was very passionate about his singing. The first half was more intimate with songs like "Reason to Believe" and "Have I Told You Lately" and photos of his family being shown on the jumbo-tron. The second half was more rock and roll with "Hot Legs," "If You Think I'm Sexy," "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," "Forever Young" and my dad's favorite, "Maggie May," which he did for an encore. There were lots more songs though like "First Cut Is the Deepest," and "You're in My Heart."

I was afraid he would just sing standards from his last two albums, which I enjoy but their not his classic raspy voice singing. Luckily this tour was for his newest album, Still The Same...Great Rock Classics Of Our Time. 'Still the same' is a great analogy for the Scotsmen, because he looks the same, even his hair and jean clad legs.  He kept moving his feet in quick steps, making fun moves, twirling the microphone stand and running about the stage, it was great, lots of personality for sure. His band also featured a female saxophonist and guitarist, which I thought was cool

The stage was in three rings with the main stage being the center, sort of like Celtic knots. Celtic was a theme for him since the stage had a banner saying Celtic football and the curtains hiding the stage before the performance was the traditional Stewart plaid. Cameras weren't allowed but I snagged the small side photo via a cell phone when he was wearing a military UK red coat.  Despite his homeland representing, he also showed an American flag on the screens for one song. 

The audience meanwhile was filled with lots of women getting tipsy with their girlfriends and going crazy whenever Rod shook his butt. It was fun to see them carry on. Their was an elderly woman at the end of our row with binoculars glued to her face as she bopped around to every song, it was cute.  There were a lot of guys there too though, in fact it was a full house and there's another showing tonight at the Staples Center too. 

Laughter is the best medicine

I know everyone has had those moments when you’re in an environment that’s serious and you know you shouldn’t laugh or be silly like when at church, but then something funny happens and you just can’t help laughing. You know, that silent laughter that you try to control but it shakes your body and makes your eyes tear. The more you try to quell it the more it rises up. You laugh so hard it hurts your stomach as if you just did a bunch of sit-ups. The worst is when you have a partner in crime with you, who makes it harder for you to control yourself. You know those times? Well, for me almost all of these incidents happened with my mom in cahoots.  

One time, when I was seven or eight and my mom was in the dentist chair and I was waiting in the room with her, I moved aside her hair and whispered a little kid’s limerick in her ear. Because she wasn’t expecting it and because it involved a rake and a weenie, she couldn’t stop laughing. Every time the doctor went to work on her mouth she'd start laughing again. It got so bad that the doctor asked us to leave and had my mom reschedule her appointment for another time. We both felt like little kids when leaving the doctor’s office and returned home that day.

Another time, we were at a very important Navy ceremony. It was small and private and very serious, but then this huge guy in army fatigues comes out and blows on this puny whistle, which emitted sharp piecing rhythmic sounds like Captain Von Trapp in Sound of Music. It looked so funny and was so unexpected by us that we erupted in laughter. Although it was silent, we made such a fuss shaking about and gasping for air that we received an evil look from an admiral, but that just made us laugh all the more.

The best incident though was when we were in my high school auditorium for a welcome introductory assembly with parents and all incoming freshman. The place was packed and silent, all the other students are nervous and excited to be starting high school and the auditorium is decked out in red and white—the school colors. After an hour, my mom and I were bored hearing about classes and electives that I had yet to take, when the Q&A started. One parent after another raised their hands and asked intelligent questions like how soon could their children take AP classes and even the percentage of students going to Ivy league schools that year. NO pressure right? My mom then pokes me with her elbow and says out of the side her mouth, “I have a question.”

Recognizing that mischief look on her face, I knew she was going to say something embarrassing, I quickly grab her hands from rising up in the air and hiss, "tell me first." She leans her face close to mine and goes “how much is lunch?” And we both do one of those releasing of breath explosions and can’t stop laughing from picturing how ridiculous that question would sound. Every time I finally got control of my laughter I would see her shoulders lifting up and down and I’d start again. The couple in front of us even turned around and shushed us, which of course made it all the funnier, especially as my mom dismissively waved them off in a gesture that said they should mind their own business.

Finally, we both start taking deep breaths and seem to be more stable now, when I get that mischief look in my eyes and whisper to my mom, “I have a better one, what are the school colors?” And then we were gone…again. When we left the auditorium, my friends ran over to us in wonder asking what was going on, apparently they could see us squirming in the uncomfortable metal auditorium seats in the 1000+ crowd. I don't remember anything important from that assembly, not that it hurt me any, instead I remember how much fun my mom and I had trying to control our laughter and then giving in to it.

PS: This post is part of a a word suggestion (laughter) supplied by Blog-Off For Breast Cancer, hopefully I'll make it to the next round in the competition, so there will be more. 

Surprise!

Hmm...did I see George Clooney behind this picture taker? Who knows, but I'm definitely startled in this photo or took one too many uppers! I look practically cartoon-like, Toony Tara, lol. If you scroll down and then right back up, I even bounce like Bugs Bunny. 

A St. Patrick's Day Wedding

For March 17th this year, I attended an Irish and Mexican wedding in El Paso, Texas for my boyfriend's nephew and his bride. It was a blast and here are some highlights that will give you a gist of the evening.

Here is Raphael modeling the groomsman's fancy green garbs.

Here I am matching in a moss green Jones New York silk halter dress. 

For the early dining entertainment, the couple's friends played steel drums to play some lighthearted tunes and later hired mariachis, comprised of female violinists, trumpet players and one male guitarist, singing traditional Mexican diddies.

There was also green beer and a chocolate fountain, which I've read a lot about in articles but had yet to experience. And yum! I had marshmallows and strawberries dipped in the flowing chocolate and tried my best not to get any on me or the white linens covering the tables. Seems like a dangerous thing to have at a wedding, but I enjoyed it a lot and thankfully stayed mess free for a change.

The dance part of the reception lasted from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and was very eclectic and featured, 80s songs, party favorites, cumbia, the cha cha, electric slide and country tunes. I held my own and boogied throughout most of it except for when it came to the country line dancing. This New Yorker had only seen such quick stepping in Urban Cowboy. There was something called four corners, slap leather, which when done by the attendees looked so well choreographed and impressive that it was like watching a scene out of High School Musical or any of those teeney prom movies where everyone starts dancing and unbelievably knows all the same moves. At one point the whole dance floor moved counterclockwise and formed what looked like a water wheel as they circled the floor. 

This little piggy

was taken on a sail around the Virgin Islands

 

These piggies were photographed somewhere between Pennsylvania and Ohio on their drive across the country to Los Angeles.

Yes, I like my feet. I'm a size 5 1/2 and although it's hard to find my size, when I do find just the right pair they look great in them.

PS: I was also interviewed over at Twentity.com, in their Stepping up the Game section, which features "twenty-somethings that may not necessarily be CEO of their own company but are definitely on the right track."