Wordless Wednesday

Flickr, you jerk!

So, last Friday I was scrolling through the blog because I knew some of my pictures from when I first started blogging had a broken link. The last time I had checked them there weren't that many so I didn't think much of it. But then, I checked some of my most recent ones and found out that A LOT of them were broken. And by that I mean the majority.

I paid for my subscription to Flickr so I had no idea WHY my pictures came up as unavailable. I had not rearranged anything, and all of the pictures I upload usually stay in the order I upload them in. So what gives? After much searching it turns out that when my SETS (albums, for those that don't know Flickr's lingo) get rearranged, then those pictures get a different URL. Hence the broken ones on my blog.

To me, this is STUPID. I grab the URL from the picture itself, not the picture in the set but whatever. So now, I have to spend the majority of my free time reinserting all of my images back to my blog. I've finished some, but we're talking three years back here, so it's going to take me awhile. And I also have mom brain so I don't even remember what all I had where, sometimes. So yea, again, excuse the mess/lack of pictures on my blog. It's a work in progress.

Now what exactly was the point of this post? Not a damn thing really. I just needed to write about how mad Flickr made me, and in case you find yourself looking around at nothing but words and missing pictures now you know why. :)  

One Bad Ass Violinist

So last year a long time friend of mine named Eric (also my algebra tutor) asked me if I’d be willing to go with him to see a violinist if he couldn't find someone else to go with him. I said sure, why not? The worst that could happen would be that I’d get stuck listening to some classical music for an hour and a half, but hey they’d have beer right? Well, once he bought the tickets he told me that the violinist was actually Lindsey Stirling! I don’t know if you know who that is, but she’s pretty much a rock ’n ’roll violinist if there ever was one. After finding that out I was definitely a lot more willing to go!Fast forward to last week and the only other person who would have been able to go ended up having to work. So off we went to the big city of Dallas, Texas.

He paid for VIP passes so he could go in for a meet and greet before the show so we had to leave a bit earlier during the day. It’s an hour and a half drive up to Dallas and my friends a bit anal about being punctual. When he told me what time we were leaving I thought it was a bit early for the time this whole thing started there. But according to his schedule (lol, yea, he’s all about those) we’d be getting there right on time. Turns out the clock on his GPS wasn't on the daylight savings setting so we actually got there an hour early.

So we killed some time at the House of Blues restaurant. I grabbed a beer and then had a salad. Then we made our way over to the section designated for the meet and greet. He’s such a nerd that he insisted we “get directions” TWICE to make sure we were in the right spot. Yup, he was that excited. Once Lindsey’s assistant came out she handed us our passes, told us to line up, and then after a few minutes we were told where to go to get merch and posters for our autographs if we hadn't brought anything ourselves. What was really cool about this is that we were first in line, and that’s the order that we had to line up and the order that we had to stay in, in order to meet her. The perks of being super early, right? Then, we were told to go make a line by this guy inside who would be waiting for us by the barricade. Once Lindsey was ready she'd come out to greet us.

Now, this is when I realized I should have done my research. See, my friend is very shy and pretty much clams up when it comes to social situations. So, when we got into the final line before the meet and greet the guy at the barricade started up a conversation with me. My friend didn't say a single word but would hardly look at the guy. So, I just assumed the guy was someone who worked for Lindsey or was part of the staff at House of Blues. It wasn't until the guy behind us in line called out his name and asked him for an autograph that my friend quietly told me it was the drummer. I had no idea. Like none. Now, I don’t “fan-girl” over bands (unless it’s HIM) but I did feel a little dumb for carrying on a conversation with the drummer about the weather and for not asking for his autograph. LOL! Once he finished signing autographs he came back over, and that’s when we started talking about their travels and the music we were into. He's definitely a nice guy and you could really tell how much they love and appreciate the fans. Even the creepy obsessive ones. He had some stories about those. Made me appreciate the privacy that comes with being "normal" that's for sure.

Right after that, Lindsey finally came out and I got my picture & autograph. Then I stood by and watched my already awkward friend get star struck. It was hilarious! We waited for everyone to go through the line, I got a picture with the drummer, and then they played a song for us that they don’t do during the show. They answered questions and then headed out before the main doors opened. And that’s when we waited for everyone else to make their way in. By 8 pm the show was underway and we were front and center. Well, more like off to the right, but still it was up front. Their opening act was Vibrant Sound from LA. He was really laid back & chill. Definitely some good vibe music. I really enjoyed it but my friend said he wasn't “impressive”. At the time. Turns out he bought VS’s album on iTunes because it grew on him. LOL! Once he finished his set we had an intermission for the tech’s to move some things in place and then it was time for Lindsey to come on.

This girl could put on a show for it only being three instruments. I was expecting it to be good, but it was awesome! I usually like anything live to begin with because it's so much different than watching something on TV. It's such a different atmosphere and you can tell when bands/ performers are really into what they do. And let me tell you the energy there was incredible and we all fed off of it. Going in I knew I'd like it, but I assumed half way through I'd make my way to the bar and enjoy the show from the comforts or a chair. That was so not the case! They did a wonderful job with their performance and in how they engaged with the audience. From the projections to the dancing, all of it was really amazing. I walked out of there with a completely different opinion about performances without actual singing. It’s definitely something I would go see again! And I was thankful that my friend allowed me to go with him.

p.s. I was able to record the song 

they did for the meet and greet. 

The sound isn't professional or anything.

But go here to see it if you want. :)