Boston. Boston is awesome.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Life List: See Dolly Parton in concert.
On Sunday night, two petite blonde superstars performed in/near D.C. One of them was Britney Spears. The other was, in all ways, the anti-Britney.
As an Appalachian girl, I grew up with an appreciation for the force of nature that is Dolly Parton. I went to Dollywood. I sang "9 to 5" with my high-school girlfriends. I defended her to those who made fun of her hair and, um, unusual physique (not that I need to--she makes plenty of fun of herself). Because the truth is that behind the Botox and under the bleached bouffant is a funny, kind, generous, brilliant woman who has written and sung some amazing songs. Dolly IS east Tennessee, and when you're from there, it's second nature to defend her with everything you have.
I went with three friends, all fellow Appalachia natives, to see her last night at Wolf Trap. We took an old quilt and a picnic. The stars were out, a light breeze kept the hot summer night comfortable, and an incredibly diverse crowd filled every available seat and spot of grass in the 7,000+ capacity venue.
Dolly performed for 2.5 hours. "This sounds like home!" my friend Shelley cried, as the first bars of the first song started. Dolly played all her old favorites, songs from her new album, and some excellent covers. She, rather awesomely, rapped. She played nine, yes nine, instruments (fiddle, guitar, banjo, auto harp, dulcimer, recorder, piano, harmonica, and, to our great surprise, saxophone). She had every last person in the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand.
It was unforgettable. She is unforgettable.
If you can forgive the shakiness, this version of "Coat of Many Colors" was recorded at the show I saw. Song starts at about 0:30.
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See Dolly Parton in concert. Check.
As an Appalachian girl, I grew up with an appreciation for the force of nature that is Dolly Parton. I went to Dollywood. I sang "9 to 5" with my high-school girlfriends. I defended her to those who made fun of her hair and, um, unusual physique (not that I need to--she makes plenty of fun of herself). Because the truth is that behind the Botox and under the bleached bouffant is a funny, kind, generous, brilliant woman who has written and sung some amazing songs. Dolly IS east Tennessee, and when you're from there, it's second nature to defend her with everything you have.
I went with three friends, all fellow Appalachia natives, to see her last night at Wolf Trap. We took an old quilt and a picnic. The stars were out, a light breeze kept the hot summer night comfortable, and an incredibly diverse crowd filled every available seat and spot of grass in the 7,000+ capacity venue.
Dolly performed for 2.5 hours. "This sounds like home!" my friend Shelley cried, as the first bars of the first song started. Dolly played all her old favorites, songs from her new album, and some excellent covers. She, rather awesomely, rapped. She played nine, yes nine, instruments (fiddle, guitar, banjo, auto harp, dulcimer, recorder, piano, harmonica, and, to our great surprise, saxophone). She had every last person in the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand.
It was unforgettable. She is unforgettable.
If you can forgive the shakiness, this version of "Coat of Many Colors" was recorded at the show I saw. Song starts at about 0:30.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Recently, on Twitter
When I haven't been here, I've been over on the Twitter...and also apparently watching a lot of television, if my feed is to be believed.
So. We need to talk about Downton Abbey. #PBS #amazing #MaggieSmithIsAwesome
Ya'll! Melanie from So You Think You Can Dance is from Marietta, GA!
Okay, yes, fine, I TOO am glued to the Casey Anthony verdict.
I tell ya what, that Bjorn Borg is a silver fox. (@Wimbledon)
Last night I read literally all of #Bossypants cover to cover. Oh, Tina Fey.
So, uh, how can you tell if you've broken your toe? #justcurious #ouch
I don't know if purgatory exists, but if so, I bet it's a lot like the DC DMV Inspection Station.
Highlight of NJ wedding weekend was Shelley & Ed's rendition of Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers classic "A Christmas to Remember."
So. We need to talk about Downton Abbey. #PBS #amazing #MaggieSmithIsAwesome
Ya'll! Melanie from So You Think You Can Dance is from Marietta, GA!
Okay, yes, fine, I TOO am glued to the Casey Anthony verdict.
I tell ya what, that Bjorn Borg is a silver fox. (@Wimbledon)
Last night I read literally all of #Bossypants cover to cover. Oh, Tina Fey.
So, uh, how can you tell if you've broken your toe? #justcurious #ouch
I don't know if purgatory exists, but if so, I bet it's a lot like the DC DMV Inspection Station.
Highlight of NJ wedding weekend was Shelley & Ed's rendition of Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers classic "A Christmas to Remember."
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
New York, part 2
Somehow, despite the fact that we ate our way through the city for 48 hours, we managed to find some energy to explore Manhattan.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Life List: Eat at Le Bernardin. Buy a hot dog from a street vendor.
Okay! So. New York. Pardon the delay. The thing about traveling with your friends is that you never know who ended up with which photos, until you get home and realize you have four hundred photos of seafood from the fish market....and very little else. Hence, I've been tracking down pictures from my traveling companions. So without further ado...
Last month's New York trip was a rousing success for many reasons, not the least of which was that, in the first 12 hours, I knocked two items off the Life List:
In fact, pretty much all we did in New York was eat and drink stuff:
Last month's New York trip was a rousing success for many reasons, not the least of which was that, in the first 12 hours, I knocked two items off the Life List:
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| Eat at Le Bernardin. Check. |
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| Buy a hot dog from a street vendor. Check. |
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