Thanks to R for letting me swipe this (the answers are mine :P)!


Where did you begin 2008?
Haha… I don’t remember ☺ Oh wait… I was stuck in a horrible work situation.


Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope (But I did almost cut off my finger when slicing bread!)

Did you have any encounters with the police?
Yep! I filed a police report when my Linus and Lucy rug was stolen :P

Where did you go on vacation?
Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York, New York…. And my couch :P

What did you purchase that was over $500?
A Burberry handbag… to celebrate a new job!

Did you know anybody who got married?
No.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes.

Did you move anywhere?
No.

What sporting events did you attend?
One Nats game

What concerts/shows did you go to?
3 - Pearl Jam, one Solo Eddie Vedder; one – NKOTB reunion

Where do you live now?
Odenton, MD

Describe your birthday.
I went to work ☺ Then Happy Hour... which Potluck Bitch invited herself to :P

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Finally made the decision to sell my condo. (and then got my refrigerator fixed!)

What has been your favorite moment(s)?
Seeing Pearl Jam in NYC!

What's something you learned about yourself?
I won’t let people walk all over me anymore (at least in relation to my career!)

Any new additions to your family?
No.

What was your best month?
March!

What music will you remember 2008 by?
Britney Spears ! Don’t call it a comeback ;)


Made new friends?
Yes.


Favorite Night out?
Pearl Jam in NYC – night 2

Any regrets?
Nope…


What do you want to change in 2009?
I want to change my address !

Overall, how would you rate this year?
8 – may have been a 9 but the end (Potluck Bitch; Rug theft; and car in shop since day after xmas) brought me down in a big way…

What would you change about 2008?
Nothing… I believe everything happens for a reason…

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Work.

Have any life changes in 2008?
Nope.

Change your hairstyle?
Yes… I went short again!

New BF/GF?
Nope!

Get a new job?
Yes… Started new job in March – major promotion with a hefty raise !

How old did you turn this year?
34.

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Nope…. I never do well with those…. But I have been doing pretty well with my 101 in 1001 days list!

Do anything embarrassing?
Not that I can remember ;)

Buy anything new from eBay?
Nope.

What was your favorite purchase?
My Burberry Handbag!

Get married or divorced?
Nope

Get arrested?
Not yet :P

Did you watch American Idol?
Nope

Did you get sick this year?
No.

Start a new hobby?
Well… is Facebook a hobby?

Been snowboarding?
Nope

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
If you asked me 2 months ago I would have said no… but after the last 6 weeks.. Yes!

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
Of course…. It’s my first stop when I get off the metro!

What are you wishing for in 2009?
I am able to easily sell my condo… and get into a new home… free of upstairs neighbors and renters :P

I have debated for a few days what to write, if anything. Basically I am just really happy. I feel like a horrible weight that has been building during the last 8 years has been lifted from my shoulders. I cry tears of joy when I watch this....

Free Tall Coffee, if you tell them you voted!

(and tell 5 friends :-D)

The last time I saw New Kids on the Block was at the Baltimore Arena back in 1989. I remember my mom calling for tickets from the rotary phone in the kitchen! This time I ordered my ticket from my office chair via ticketmaster.com.

Thursday I headed of to the Greenbelt Metro to begin my journey to the Verizon Center, and so did apparently most other suburban Maryland white girls in their mid-twenties - mid thirties. My train was packed! Then when we got to Chinatown/Gallery Place it was even crazier!

There was a line outside the front entrances, but thanks to seeing Pearl Jam at this venue I knew about the "secret" side entrance where you can usually walk right on in.... which I did!

First up a visit to the restroom. (I mention this only because they had turned many of the men's rooms into women's)! Next up finding my seat... unlike usually being spoiled by the Ten Club at Pearl Jam shows... I was not headed down to the floor, but up.... to the rafters!! I found my seat and it actually wasn't bad. I was almost parallel with the front of the stage and there was a big video screen angled toward me.

The first opening act was playing when I walked in but I had no clue who it was and the sound was so bad I could barely hear him... so I played with my BlackBerry (as did many people around me I counted at least 4 in my section!)

Next up... Natasha Bedingfield ! I was happy when I learned about this earlier in the day... I watch "The Hills" so I know 2 of her songs :P



Sound may have been a bit better, I could understand Natasha when she talked and the actual songs.

Another "feature" they had at this show was texting messages to the big video screen... this must be the new thing at big concerts (they did it at all 3 Pearl Jam shows I went to this summer, but I thought that was becase that tour had a tie-in with Verizon Wireless). I did manage to catch this fun shout out! Cheverly in the house!



Then it was time for NKOTB! Eeek!! They all looked good (especially Joey!)



Dance moves looked good! They played all of the hits! Sound still bad.... the vocals were just not loud enough to be heard over the music... not sure if it was due to a skimpy audio setup or what....

example -- My favorite song "Please Don't Go Girl" The only reason I knew this was being played was becasue Joey was at the front singing, and they were playing clips from the original music screen on the video screen!



I looked at tour merchandise afterwards but it was way over-priced ($45 for a T-shirt!)... so I passed.

Headed home! Metro was packed, but I found a new way home from the Greenbelt Metro! Thanks to my navigation system... no need to go all the way up 95.... I cut from 495 to 295 via Rt 1 and Powder Mill Rd. Yay!

Overall I am glad I went... It was fun to see them again after all these years (and it's been fun listening to all of the old tunes on my iPod!)

Prior to today I had limited my Presidential 08 blogging to my Obama button on the right and my twitter updates. However after McCain showed his true colors with his little stunt this week I can restrain myself no more!

First up - Planning to watch the debate? Make sure you have your nifty debate drinking rules handy!

Next - Twitter has setup an election channel! Be warned it scrolls in real time, and can be addictive!

Found this on the above Twitter channel - New McCain-Palin ad :D

Another find from twitter - McCain claims to have already won the debate, even before he verified he was going to attend!

Things McCain should remember at tonight's debate.

So after the show my friend (here after referred to as C) and I both said the word to describe the whole event was "surreal". and really it was.

But let's rewind.

After the Pearl Jam East Coast tour earlier this summer, speculation was high that Vedder would announce an East Coast solo tour (he did a west coast version in the spring). And at the beginning of July it was announced. Alas , C and I got shutout on both 10Club presales and the TicketMaster sales about a week later. C assured me that tickets are released closer to day of show (based on his spring tour), and so we kept checking back and we scored orchestra seats Thursday.

We met for dinner at Elephant & Castle (along with what appeared to be 100 other 10club members, LOL).

I have never been to the Warner Theater. So this was a total new experience for me. It is tiny but beautiful inside. Liam Finn opened, he was OK as far as openers go.

Vedder came out and I immediately went into picture taking mode (and was immediately accosted by a security guard - no photos allowed ...he wanted me to check my camera but I managed to talk him into letting me keep it and just put it away (I knew if I checked it I would most probably leave without it). So no more pictures... for a while ;)

Setlist was great (mix of Pearl Jam, Vedder solo stuff, and covers), he played for about 3 hours....they were filming for what was suspected to be an upcoming DVD. But it was just weird... after the opening song Vedder asked everyone to sit down....then people started screaming out songs along with many men screaming out "I love You Eddie!!" then other people would loudly shush them. Lots of political talk, and also some very funny schtick... yes ladies and gentlemen Eddie Vedder is a comedian!

After the first encore started it was like camera watch was over, and they started on pot watch, so cameras were broken out again..but it was still a bit stealth until the final encore, which is why my pics suck so bad :-/

I am glad I went, but one Vedder solo show is enough for me, I came, I saw, I bought the T-shirt :D . C is going back tonight for the second show... she pulled Row A at the last minute yesterday from Ticketmaster.

(oh - and for those keeping track... Vedder did not play Better Man of which I was quite happy because that is my least favorite PJ song - so much so that when they play it at shows I am at I sit down in protest... obviously this would not have worked at Warner... C and I discussed and I probably would have had to stand up and face the back of teh venue to protest :-P)

Video of her from one of Pearl Jam's 2008 MSG shows;

After a great day in NYC (no rain!, Pinkberry!, and comfy shoes!) I was ready for MSGII.

I was unable to get tickets to this show under my member number, but my friend was able to. She joind about 3 years after me so has a slightly higher number... and we were not on the floor... but it was great... we were in the first "ring" about 12 rows back... right up against the stae... and since we were elevated and on an agle had a great view!

Pearl Jam did not disappoint. They opened with "Release" - this will always be my favorite opener... its what they opened with the first time I saw them live... and really heard them ;)

At one point walking around NYC my friend and I came across a hue Rat statue/blowup thing... I was like " They are playing 'Rats' tonight!" (actuallyI kinda almost screamed it... luckily since I was in NYC... no one thought I was out of the ordinary :P) - I should have taken a pic... but didn't... but PJ did play Rats!!! it was great.

It was a great setlist... I think this may be one of my top shows of all time (preceeded only by the epic State College 2003 show).

Ace Frehley came out near the end to play KISS' "Black Diamond" (which Mike and Matt sang on).

Also... I must have had some major Mojo workin' this night... because during the show I was hit on by a young guy from Philly - (seriously I think he was about 26 if he was lucky)... and outside MSG after the show I was hit on by a guy from Israel (who thought he was older then me ... but I clued him in that no he wasn't (he was only 32) ):P

philip glass: metamorphosis 2

This has been piped in before each show... a great way to open each gig!