Live fun!

Trust me when I tell you that I don't go to a lot of concerts or live sporting events. Given that, the next few months are filled with some very unusual things.

Tomorrow night, Tucker and I are doing to see Phantom of the Opera. Neither of us has seen it, although we are very familiar with the music, and we got the tickets back in December so it's been a long wait. We're making an evening of it, with dinner downtown and then the show, and I've got the songs on my iPod so we can sing as we drive.

Then in July, Tucker and I are going to see Idols on Tour, the American Idol show. Colette posted about getting tickets, and that same day I did the same thing -- thanks, Colette!

And saving the best for last, also in July, Tim and I will be about 5 rows back from the stage seeing STEVIE WONDER!!! (I get excited every time I think of it!) For years I've known there are only 3 acts that I really want to see in concert. They are

• Aerosmith
• Sting
• Stevie Wonder

Unfortunately, they're all big name (big $$$) acts too, and I've never been able to bring myself to buy tickets. Well, guess I've gotten past that, because we'll be in row dd at Shoreline Ampitheater for the concert!!!

Time for a quick run, probably with Phantom as my soundtrack in preparation for tomorrow night.

Oh, and in case you think I've forgotten about my other son, he has some concerts in mind, but doesn't really dig the idea of going with his mom! :)

Melange

• Filthy fifty makes you sore. Where? Everywhere! More specifically lats, pecs, abs (surprising because of all the ab stuff we do at boxing camp), glutes & hams, calves (also surprising cuz of the hill running). I think the explosive nature of the exercises (burpees, thrusters, etc.) accounts for a lot of the soreness. Both of my girlfriends did great, but I'm hoping I'm not the only one who's sore today!
• Has anyone seen "Dan in Real Life"? It's an ok movie, but it has some really neat music that's great for listening while writing, cooking, or relaxing.
  
• Also speaking of music, I refound two of my favorite songs and added them to my running playlist: Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode, and Plush by Stone Temple Pilots. And a new favorite is Capital G by Nine Inch Nails. These songs are the opposite of Dan in Real Life!
  
• Tim drives a LOT for work and listens to audiobooks. Recently he recommended The Pillars of the Earth as something I'd enjoy. I don't read much fiction. But I decided to give it a try. I got halfway through the 1000+ page book and decided to stop there. Why? I was tired of really bad things happening to good people! The book really is a good book -- the characters are well drawn, the writing style is fantastic -- but it's just not the book for me. I may have to go back to my all-time favorites for yet another reading: Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books (and especially The Undomestic Goddess). Yes, it's chick lit, but it's light and fun and perfect for summer!
• I had some bloodwork done this morning and decided to see how no caffeine felt. Verdict? No caffeine, at least at this point in time, makes me feel awful!
• I still want to write about Green Smoothie Girl and green smoothies, but the Cliff Notes version sounds something like this: I've been drinking green smoothies twice a day for the past two weeks, and I feel fantastic, and my skin looks better, and I really look forward to each and every smoothie I make!
• Final thing: I'm running my second half marathon tomorrow. This one is just to get another race under my belt on my quest for six of them this year. The run is in Lodi at a winery, so the scenery should be nice. And I'm happy the temperatures are dropping this weekend -- today is supposed to be 100 degrees, and tomorrow's forecast says 96. Those are hot temperatures, to be sure, but those few degrees can make a BIG difference!
  
• One more final thing: I wish there was another name for the 1/2 marathon. To me, it's the perfect distance, and is complete in itself, and calling it half of something implies that it's not complete. I do have a sticker on my car that reads "13.1. Because I can." But another name besides half marathon would be nice, don't you think?