Summer Concert #7: Sugarland

The last country concert... for this season at least. We didn't have a big group, but we did have a great one. Sorry to those of our normal group that weren't able to make this one, because I really think this might have been the best actual concert of the whole year. Our tailgate wasn't as big or long as some others we've done, but once we went inside I think it was the best.

After tailgating for a while and playing a bunch of cornhole, we headed into the venue early to see the band Trailer Choir play on the small stage (see short vids I took here and here). That's a very cool way to see a band, because you can get much closer and it's fun to see better how they play off each other. And with Trailer Choir, you get a great view of Big Vinny's sweet dance moves and can hear Crystal's amazing voice.After Trailer Choir, we headed to the lawn. Little Big Town was the opener on the big stage. This was the second time we got to see them play this summer, and they again did a great job. Some of my favorites by them are "Little White Church", "Little More You", and "Boondocks". Fun songs and very energetic.We got very lucky right as Sugarland was starting their set, as an usher was walking down the lawn and saw our group of 6 and stopped to ask if we wanted to go sit in the seats. Heck yes we do!!! Sugarland put on an amazing show. The perfect ending to the summer concert series.

Jennifer Nettles was clearly having such a good time and just loving performing for us all. And she and Kristian were constantly moving around and dancing and jawing with the audience. And not only did they rock some a variety of their great songs, from upbeat "All I Want To Do" and the new "Stuck Like Glue" to slower ones like "Already Gone" and "Stay", but they added in some classic songs, such as the Jackson 5's "ABC", which I got a little video of.

The entire day was excellent, and I only wish we could have more country concerts as good as this one. Hopefully see you all in 2011 for the concert series and that we have acts as good as we've had this year!

If you'd like a quick-ish recap of our 2010 summer concert series, here's the video I made to remember all the fun we had:

Summer Concert Series 2010 from Aaron Smyth on Vimeo.

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Twice Every 50 Seconds

We all know how frustrating it can be to visit the DMV. Well have you ever tried calling the DMV? I'd say it's equally frustrating. All I want to know is if a Maryland motorcycle course certification can be used to get the motorcycle designation on an out-of-state drivers license.

After unsuccessfully calling the Virginia DMV yesterday (I finally gave up after being on hold for who-knows-how-long), I tried calling the Rhode Island DMV today. And I called earlier in the day, when I figured they wouldn't be so busy. Apparently I was wrong... or more likely, they just don't give a rat's patoot about answering the phone.

After maneauvering through the menus, I reached the line dedicated to motorcycle services, and it started ringing after a polite message played about how they were on the line with other customers and they'd take care of me as soon as they could. Well, that message repeated twice every 50 seconds. Which means in my 56 min 20 sec of waiting, I heard that message 135 times (3380 mins / 50 seconds x 2). Ugh. No wonder everyone hates the DMV, with that kind of service.

The only redeeming factor was the message lady's charming New England accent. If not for that, I'd have lost my mind and driven up to Rhode Island to chew them out in person for not answering the blasted phone. Guess I'll try again another day...

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Redskins vs Cowboys

There are football games, and there are season-opening football games, and then there are season-opening football games against your rivals. Ryan totally hooked us up and got tickets for him, Michelle, Jackie, and me to see the Washington (DC) Redskins open their season against their sworn enemies, the Dallas Cowboys.

We battled some traffic and were able to get to FedEx Field a couple hours early to do some tailgating. Ryan brought a grill, which was used to cook up some burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and veggies. We all played cornhole and made some new friends from other camps, including a guy that was so high he couldn't hit the board or speak in full, coherent sentences. Ah, the characters you meet while tailgating...The game was fun to watch, even if there wasn't much scoring. Pretty much the Cowboys gave it away with terrible mistakes, such as fumbling with no time left just before the half (which DeAngelo Hall of the Redskins ran back for a touchdown), missing a 34-yd field goal, and a holding penalty on the last play of the game (which, sans penalty, would have resulted in the winning touchdown). Final score: Redskins over Cowboys 13-7.Since neither Jackie nor I actually had a horse in this race, we enjoyed the whole thing and got a kick out of fans' reactions. People watching at a football game is excellent. As we were leaving, we even got to see a mini-fight between a Redskins fan and a Cowboys fan, complete with beer splashing. Highly entertaining. My main goal was to have a fun time with Jackie and with our friends, and we definitely did that.

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Summer Concert #6: Toby Keith

For our 6th country concert of the summer, we had a rather small group. A fair number of our usual suspects were out of town for the Virginia Tech game. How'd that turn out, by the way?

With fewer people, our tailgate was smaller and shorter, but we had a great time playing cornhole and watching people show off their Sept. 11th patriotism with various matching outfits and even a dude in a full Uncle Sam costume.

While Rachael was unstoppable today and I believe went undefeated, both of the ladies owned me. I didn't even get close to winning a game. Fun anyway, though.

Trace Adkins was a great warm-up for Toby Keith. They're both big dudes with low voices, and their songs are catchy and fun to sing along to. Maybe the most inspirational and patriotic moment of the night was when Trace sang his song "Welcome to Hell", which is written from the devil's perspective and speaks to the terrorists behind the Sept 11th attacks. Check out what we got to see here.

Trace rocked our socks off

Toby Keith anchored the show, and he sang a lot of great, recognizable songs. I think one of my favorites was "God Love Her", and the sentimental song of the night was "American Soldier", when war veterans joined Toby on stage while he sang about their difficult sacrifices.

It was a great way to spend Sept 11th and remember all those long in those despicable attacks 9 years ago. Trace and Toby rocked and helped make it a most patriotic Sept 11th!

Just one country concert left in the series...

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Phillies and Flugtags and Lions, Oh My!

Labor Day Weekend is a great and terrible time. It's a little reminder that summer is ending and fall is coming fast. That extra day off work can be wonderful. Since Pete and Jordyn are living in Philly, I figured this was a good weekend to visit them. And it turns out I was their first houseguest. Score!

Phillies vs Brewers game

Marriott let us out of work a little early (apparently this is fairly standard before holiday weekends) and I headed north, beating most of the traffic and making it to Philly about 6 pm. We had dinner at their place --which is actually quite spacious and well-decorated-- and then took the train to Citizens Bank Park.The game was a defensive battle, with Cole Hamels pitching well and ending in a 1-0 win for the Phillies, much to the hometown crowd's delight. Several of Pete's law school friends were sitting near us, so that made it more fun, too.

Redbull Flugtag

On Saturday, Pete delayed his studying until the afternoon, so we could go down to the waterfront to watch the awesome spectacle that is Redbull Flugtag. If you've never heard of it, read up on it and impress your friends by talking about it and seeming hip and "in the know". We saw several good flights, but nothing that even came close to challenging the record distance of 207 feet. But Pete and I now want to make our own to beat that, so stay tuned...

After Flugtag, we headed back to Pete and Jordyn's place, and Pete studied while I goofed around and worked on fixing their TV to show normal channels (only got the picture going; sound is a work in progress). We picked Jordyn up from work at 9 pm and had dinner at Nodding Head, which was quite tasty.

We had a relaxed Sunday breakfast and then I drove back down to DC. While Jackie and Ryan were taking and passing their motorcycle driving test (congratulations again, guys! now we're all legit!), I helped Rich (Jackie's cousin) do some moving. We had a good time, and it's funny how moving always takes much longer than you think it will, eh? Just an observation...

Jackie and I felt like seeing a movie, so we went to see "Takers". It had its moments and kept us entertained throughout, even if it wasn't the greatest snatch-and-grab movie I've seen. Was pretty clever writing to actually reference "The Italian Job" by called their robbery technique that. So these actual robbers got their idea from a movie? Nicely done.

DC Zoo with Jackie

On Labor Day, you've just gotta spend some time outside. Especially when the weather is gorgeous. No rain, not too hot, not too cold. So Jackie and I decided to go check out the National Zoo.

We've both been before, but never with each other, so it was nice to be out in the sunshine and see some animals. Plus, DC's zoo is free, which helps people as frugal/cheap as us.

Since we went in the afternoon, a lot of the animals were inside and not being very active. We did get to see most of our favorites, though. The lions and tigers were lounging around, but in a very visual spot. The pandas were laying in the most adorable sprawled-out, exhausted-sleeping positions. And the great apes were just monkeying around, as usual. I don't mean that facetiously. The orangutan really was sitting right in front of the window and making faces at everybody. So cool!

All in all, it was a fantastic Labor Day weekend and I had a great time both in Philly and in DC. Sure wish the next holiday weekend were sooner than Thanksgiving!

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