Monday, July 18, 2011

Madison Lights & Megan Burt

Guitarist and Lead Singer of Madison Lights
After a short leave of absence, I finally made it to another concert on the quad. It was a great concert. The opening act, Madison Lights, was really high energy and fun. It was the best opening band yet. Talented vocalist, great guitar work and they were so engaging and playful. I was really impressed because, unlike some of the earlier bands, they were in tune THE ENTIRE TIME and their vocalist had agility and accuracy... okay... taking off the music nerd hat.

Dastardly Bassinet


Not to mention that the weather was well-behaved... not a cloud in sight! People were there with their babies, friends, family and dogs. The best thing about gatherings like that is people watching. There were all sorts of interesting things to watch. There was an adorable 3 or 4 year old girl pretending to conduct the band. There was a bassinet suited for a Tim Burton-esque baby. There were dogs of all sort! But the most amazing was the Great Dane that was the size of a baby horse.

Hula-Hoop Contest Winner
It was very fortunate circumstance that brought us our headliner, Megan Burt. The artist that was originally scheduled, Rachel Loy, cancelled on Wednesday. Luckily, Amanda on SAB got in touch with Megan and she hit the road at 4 a.m. in order to make it on time for our Thursday concert. She was lovely and very unpretentious. She proclaimed her love for having contests and giving away free CDs. And encouraged audience members to get up and have a hula-hoop off. She gave away two free CDs and drew everyone's attention to the fact that she had a table to sell goods... very savvy. She has an acoustic indie sound. It inspired dancing among the younger and it was so pleasant to listen to. It was great music to accompany sitting in the sunshine.

Megan Burt
The merchandise table has done so well this summer. I made a call to the SAB office and they told me people have donated 2076 pounds of food to the food bank. The last concert set the record for donations with a whopping 594 pounds donated. Cory also told me that it's been a record setting summer. Attendance is at the highest it's been in a few years! At this last concert there were 585 people in attendance. Which is lovely... but the Clumsy Lovers concert has set this summer's record at 975 attendees. A few more amazing statistics... 31% of people at the concert are women between 18 and 24 years old and 69% of people in attendance are female. Are you listening men? Think that it's hard to meet girls?!?!?   Well, you've got one concert left to get numbers and meet new girls, no pressure, just sayin'.

This Thursday is something completely different. 1) No opening act. 2) BLUES. 3) PURELY LOCAL! Come out and support Soulful Blues! Expect a Billie Holiday and Etta James influenced sound.
                      XO, Nanette


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Like that old saying goes...

No news is good news, right? The last two silent weeks have been so much fun and so busy, definitely defining the phrase "summer in full-swing." Funny how that works, the crescendo of summer, things getting so fun so fast that it's almost time to start wanting structure and for life to slow down again.

4th of July wasn't super eventful. I was home nursing my 3rd of July sunburn. But the 3rd was awesome. I went with Justin, Aaron, David and Trent down to Glendale Reservoir. It's near Preston. It has boat access, allows booze, campfire, campers and dogs, but it's pretty clean in comparison to the typical lake party places like Twin Lakes. Even on the 4th of July weekend, there was a shore space and it wasn't crazy busy. However, all five of us had not applied enough sunscreen to be out there for four hours.

New Student Orientation (NSO) was last week. The campus was teeming with Freshmen. I missed the morning sessions of information because I was at my other job. However, I made it in time for the ballroom event where all the organizations on campus are invited to set up informational booths.I compiled a video of the people I talked to that represented different departments and clubs. There were so many that I missed getting a good interview with... LGBTSA, Swing Club, Help Desk, Greek Life etc. There were also so many booths that were too busy to get footage of as well, basically all things dealing with financial aid, class schedules and tours of campus. The whole day was topped off with an AMAZING rainstorm. Consequentially, concert on the quad was moved indoors and I just couldn't talk myself into walking there in that stormy weather.

I hit the jackpot thrifting and yard sale-ing this weekend. I found some italian leather shoes and an amazing brass bottle opener in the shape of an owl. I don't even drink stuff that needs a bottle opener. It was just that cool. These are the moving days though. There are yard sales every weekend. One of my friends expressed that she doesn't particularly like yard sales because there's more crap to sift through than at the thrift stores and that she doesn't like to know who had it before her. But I disagree...   at a yard sale, I'm less likely to feel like I need to immediately wash my hands upon leaving as opposed to going to a thrift store and feeling filmy when you're done. Yard sales are super interesting to me. It's an opportunity to see what people will part with and how much it costs to get them to part with it.

One of my friends has been in the moving process. It is absolutely amazing how much stuff one person can collect over 5 years. I was helping pack boxes and unpack boxes. Which I really don't mind doing, but I know many who find it tedious and honestly, it's not the most efficient way to get from one place to another. Having moved 3 times in the past few years I've learned the following things.

  • Pick a moving day. 
  • Collect enough boxes to move all of your stuff (from grocery stores, walmart, liquor stores)
  • Set aside what you think you'll need for the two weeks prior to moving, also set aside a tote or box in which to carry said items. 
  • PACK EVERYTHING ELSE BEFORE MOVING DAY. (If you're so inclined, mark the contents of boxes and clearly mark the heavy boxes)
  • Advertise among friends that you need help moving. Be kind. Give them advance notice. Acknowledge that they may only be able (or want) to help for an hour or two. Maybe throw in free pizza and beverage to entice them. They don't have to help you and your move depends entirely on their graciousness and willingness to assist. 
  • Find one friend with a truck to help, especially. Maybe consider getting them a gift card for helping and a little cash for gas. 
My dear friend has been moving for over a week now. I really don't think it needs to take that long. My last move from a house to a studio (so yes, enough stuff to furnish a house) took an hour and fifteen minutes. Of course, I'm subtracting the packing time. Having done this process with many friends in different states of disorganization, please consider the people you're asking the favor of and be prepared to make the most of their time. 

Also, I'd love to acknowledge the office of Financial Aid for getting my loans and grants figured out a MONTH earlier this year! My stress levels thank you... and so does my savings account (it wasn't fully prepared to take on the responsibility of paying for school entirely). 

43 days until school starts...   

XO, Nanette