The Number Five

I swear 20% of music videos include a scene of people dancing in a grocery store.  It seems to be such a “thing” you know?   I honestly had no idea.  I like it best when the whole store joins, and streamers fly from the ceiling.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been known to bust a move or two in the bread aisle.  Once I even choreographed a whole routine for the canned food.

Hmmm, I guess it is a thing.

While in Jackson Hole last weekend, my friends and I ended up spending a solid hour in Alberstons for no real reason  (ok… actually, the real reason was to get a treat, but we got side tracked.  See exhbit A below.Yes, that’s in the grocery store.)

During the romp around the store I discovered a locally bottled root beer.  A sucker for glass bottled soda I decided to pick up a 4 pack.  I cracked the first one tonight, and holy molars Batman, it’s awesome!  Now I’m kind of bummed I didn’t pick up a few more. Luckily there’s always the future.

Yep, you read that right.  It’s called Buckin’ Root beer.

The thing that blows my mind is that every time I even smell root beer, I’m immediately 6 years old, and having dinner with my family at Shakee’s pizza.  My dad would always splurge and get a couple pitchers for the table.  Then I would beg for quarters to play the pinball machine. Then I would lose the game in 30 seconds.  Then I would beg for more quarters.  Then he would say no.  Then I would cry. And then we would go home…. Shrug.

A couple weeks ago my friend Erica asked me if I had ever tried the Chinese buffet here in town.  I answered no.  Then she told me they have a clown on Monday nights… and the I asked when we were going.

The “Chinese Gourmet” is one of those places you see so often, but never think try. There’s just something about 40 feet of neon love screaming at you, that makes it easy to skip*.   With the clown revelation, we decided it was time to go.

What I didn’t expect to see was the incredable variety of foods.  I mean, spring rolls, fried rice, scones,  and Mac ‘n Cheese at the same station? Genius.

After our first “real” round of food, we decided (kind of by accident), to have a ridicouls plate round. Erica came up big with the spring roll, mashed potatoes & gravy, cobbler and Jell-O plate.

I went for all yellow.

I dare say it was a success….well, except the clown was a no show.  At least there’s always the future.

*Last year the marquee proclaimed that David Archuletta could eat there for free, for life.

I vaguely remember hearing my fire alarm making the dead battery beep last night.  I woke up  this morning to find  a chair in the hall, the alarm ripped down, and the 9-volt battery thrown across the room.

Thank you Ambien.

I’m not feeling ship-shape today, and it’s been noticed by more than a few people.  I took NyQuila last night, to avoid a night of hacking.  The result was a day of randomness and delayed reactions.  I was so off at one point that my bossed asked me if I knew who Brandi Carlile was.  Rest assured, I’m not that jacked…

Unrelated, a new guy I work with reminded of an old Sesame Street segment today.  I’m not sure if it’s the hangover or not, but I love this.  I had TOTALLY forgotten it.  Seriously, how could I have forgotten something so awesome?

p.s. The other numbers are good too… remember the bald guy? I loved the bald guy. I’m just partial to 5.

You ever hear an old song in a new way, and have it rock your world?  Yeah, me too.

When I first heard this song back in October, it brought me to tears.  It’s done that a few times since that first listen, too.  Now I hear the hope.  The refrain. And I am obsessed.

“I know you have a little life in you yet, I know you have a lot of strength left.”

(The album version is even better, but there is not a “real” video for the song).

This is not ok. At all.

This here blog got hacked by some waste-of-breathe idiot today. Apparently he or she thought all my friends would like to see a list of 50+ generic drug ads at the top of the page….I disagreed.

Snyder came to the rescue and cleaned the place up. Seriously, he is my rock star today. And I’m crazy grateful he was willing to stay up way too late to get the site back up.

So, while we circle the creative wagons and clean up a few more corners, the layout is going to look a bit blah. I assure you blah is much better than spammed. And as they say in real-world scenarios, thank you for your patience during our construction.

I was a high school senior in a San Francisco suberb in the fall of 1995.  At 17, I was the epitome of teenage hope.  I was hyper to a fault. Reckless with enthusiasm, obnoxious with positivity.  I was invulnerable.  I was innocent. I was alive.

October 19th stands clearly in my mind as the day I lost that innocence.  A siren, a helipcopter, a phone call.  I would never be the same.

Today marks the last in a trio of somber anniversaries that I reflect on each year.

In September of 2007 I stood in The Fillmore Auditorium with my best friend and heard Brandi Carlile sing a then new song, for the first time.  A typically unemotional person, I was shocked when the tears came so freely to my eyes.  It was the tune of the pain, I had felt for so long…. it let me know that someone else held it too.

It still does.