I have good news and bad news...

I have good news and bad news to report.

So, this weekend was going to be the weekend I began taking pictures again. For some reason, I haven’t taken any pictures all year long. That makes me really sad because I really love taking pictures and I really really love looking at them over and over again. This weekend I went to Nashville to see the Dave Mathews Band concert. I was dreading the ride because last week was the longest and most tiring week of my life. However, it turned out to be a great trip—that’s the good news. Unfortunately I didn’t get to take any pictures because the weekend was pretty blurry or hazy—that’s the bad news. Continue reading for more details (no, this isn’t a good article… it doesn’t answer the five w’s in the first paragraph, sorry).

We began the weekend one short. We bought four tickets to the concert. Vallery, Joseph, Shane and I had planned on going. Monday brought forth a slight change of plans for us all though as Shane nearly cut his toe off with a chainsaw. He was in the hospital for a large part of the week and had just been released Thursday. Needless to say, he wasn’t quite up to par for our weekend trip. We were down to three for the concert and two for the ride to Nashville.

I was so tired driving to Madison to meet Joseph. I wasn’t sure if I could stay awake to drive to TN, so I asked Joseph to drive. I thought that was a pretty good plan and thought maybe I could take some pictures along the way. Good plan, yes; pictures, no. Joseph is a great driver, but I think he was trying to act like we were driving at Talladega rather than rural Mississippi and Tennessee. I didn’t have to worry about falling asleep and missing any of the scenery. We got to Nashville (safely, thank goodness) before I could even think about going to sleep. Unfortunately every time I wanted to snap a picture, the scenery was gone by the time I got my camera ready. Then I thought back to an episode of Friends (which I reference almost daily). Pheobe said part of her oath as a masseuse was to always be prepared. Taking great wisdom from Phebes, I kept my camera out and ready so I wouldn’t miss another shot. That plan really didn’t work so well either though because we were going so fast everything was blurry. So, I put my camera away and vowed to take pics once I got there.

We arrived, ate, and then crashed—well, that’s what Joseph and I did. Vallery was spinning like the Tasmanian devil all weekend. She spent the entire weekend cooking and cleaning and then cooking some more. I really think she spent more time cooking than sleeping this weekend—exactly the kind of host I prefer! The food was great. She had already prepared lasagna for supper Friday night and breakfast casserole for brunch Saturday. She says she’s been taking cooking classes, but over the course of the weekend I began to question that. I don’t think she would ever just lie about it, but I wonder if she really meant that she’s been paying someone to come cook for her and the cook shows her how to do some stuff every once in a while. That could be a “cooking class” right?

I would have never doubted her, but a few pieces of the story just don’t add up. First, the two meals we had were flawless. But, they were prepared ahead of time—I think the person from the “cooking class” could have done those. I might possibly overlook that but this second thing sealed the deal. Vallery began to cook us lunch Saturday afternoon. I thought that would be a great time to take some pics of us chilling out and her perfecting her Cajun cuisine (that she learned about in this “cooking class”). Wouldn’t you know, just as I got my camera out, the smoke detectors started sounding. I didn’t know what to do. I was about to stop, drop, and roll. I looked in the kitchen and there she was trying to fan down the smoke that has filled the entire room. I had my camera out and ready, but couldn’t get any pics through that smoke filled room. I knew two things then: Vallery needed a personal tutor at all times in her “cooking class” and I had to take pictures at the concert.

After 30 minutes of airing out, we were finally able to go back in the apartment without Cajun pork flavored smoke filling our lungs. We ate (and it was actually good) and left for the concert, camera in my hand. We got to our seats and the concert began. We watched Jason Mraz and then waited for Dave Mathews. The stadium began filling up—there must have been 45,000 people there. The sun went down and the lights went off. YAY! Dave Mathews! Then I remembered my camera. They started doing some really cool lighting effects and I decided I wanted to take some pictures then. As I reached for my camera I smelled a strange smell… Not quite like a cigarette or cigar. I looked around and saw the people a couple rows down passing a joint around. Needless to say, those pictures were quite hazy with marijuana smoke floating all around… I put my camera up and enjoyed the amazing show. The musical talent was AWESOME!

We went home, crashed again and I was bound and determined to do two things—keep Vallery out of the kitchen Sunday morning and take some pictures before I left. I got up and went to get strawberries and juice for breakfast. I had planned to make everyone some pancakes. I warned them that my pancakes weren’t the prettiest, but they tasted alright. Vallery then came to try and show me how to make pretty pancakes. Of course, I knew she hadn’t been to a pancake “cooking class” so I told her not to worry about it; I would be ok. I made all the pancakes and had just a bit more batter left. I was so proud of myself because they weren’t even that ugly. I poured the last batter in the pan, smiling because I made pretty pancakes. Sadly, that didn’t last long. I looked around and noticed things looked hazy. I thought it might have been déjà vu or flashbacks. But then I smelled my pancakes burning. What a let down! Who smokes up the kitchen making pancakes? I quickly dumped those pancakes in the trash can. Thankfully, I didn’t set the smoke alarm off, but my last photo op was effectively ruined. Once again, the beautiful and fun weekend was filled with clouds. Maybe I need some "cooking classes" too.

Even though I didn’t get any great pictures, I had a great time. I’ll find some links to Nashville, Jason Mraz, and Dave Mathews band sites to keep my memories alive. If you would like to see them, I’ll send them to you too.

I hope you have a good week…



=P

:Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain."
Edward De Bono

*While some parts of the story may be exaggerated, it is all based on a true story and inspired by actual events. Contrary to what it may sound like, Vallery was an awesome hostess and she really can cook (some things).