(no subject)
So...Cornerstone.
Just where do I begin?
I arrived in New York City on Tuesday and we hung out. It wasn't as impressive as people have told me, but it's big nonetheless.
I'm still looking for those Ninja Turtles though...
We left on Wednesday morning to get to Illinois and 30 minutes into the trip the tarp flew off the top of the mini van followed soon after by two pieces of luggage. How we managed to get them all back in one piece (on a major six lane highway no less) is beyond me. Once we put everything into the van (no sense strapping it to the top again right?) we were off. Literally moments after we got back onto the road, a tire blew. This put us back a couple of hours. The trip total was around 20 hours with us leaving at 7:30 in the morning, getting onto the road after the tire incident around 11 and then arriving around 4 on Thursday morning.
As in years past, I would describe what bands I saw...but I'll give a list. Take a moment to marvel at how short the list is while still being more awesome then your list (which I'm sure is four times longer).
Spitfire (STILL good after seven years!), One 21 (last show ever. Probably one of my favorite bands of all time...ALL TIME. Let me repeat this...ALL TIME.), Red Lipstick Death (death rock that actually ISN'T irritating), Hyperdrive Go! (my good friend Scott Potter's band. Remember that guy? We terrorized EVERYBODY at Cornerstone '03), The Huntingtons (final show ever. Went on a stellar note. Good show Cliffy!), Headnoise, American Culture eXperiments (uhm...yeah.), Bloodlined Calligraphy, No Innocent Victim, The Showdown (go in the pit and git 'em!), Divebomber (what...no Evil Robot!?), Hook Line and Sinker (oh yes. Ska. That's right...SKA!), The Satire, and countless others I'm sure.
Highlights for the fest...hmm...finding a Lust Control record for a dollar and giving it to Doug. Some dude coming up and telling me that it was odd for him to meet someone whose stuff he's read 'all these years' while I was in charge of the HM table (it caught me off guard. It was also another example of how my pride will never die regardless of how much I try to kill it...dying to one's self is any every day thing). Getting kicked in the face by Austin at the Goodyear (beautiful...simply beautiful), Sean...the dissapearing and re-appearing boy, hanging out with David and Anna for a good part of the fest, all the new people we met along the way, seeing alot of JPUSA's for the first time in nearly a year and being greeted warmly by the greater majority of them, and of course...spending the whole time holding hands with my dearest Mellie.....
I learned alot at this year's fest. Alot about Grace and forgiveness. I rebuilt a bridge with a fellow Jpusa who thought I was just as mad at him as I thought he was mad at me. It was yet another reminder of why forgiveness, grace, and love towards others is such a needed thing day after day in our lives.
That's really about it. Cornerstone was rather uneventful this year but I don't mind at all. I've noticed that as the years go by, the focus is less on the music for me. It's more on hanging out with people and actually building and working on relationships. The first year I went, I wanted the music streamlined into my veins. Last year I still wanted to load up on shows but not as much because conversation with new people and old friends was starting to take precedence. This year the conversations won out and I ended up missing alot of shows due to them. I don't regret it a single bit either...
I'll be in New York for the next couple of days and I'll be back on the weekend. The manager from Seattle's Best (the coffee place in the mall) called Chris and Beth and left a message asking if I still wanted a job. God provides. All this time I was worried and God's going 'idiot! I'm still here!'.
Mellie and I are praying about it, but we might be going back to JPUSA in the next couple of years together. We talked to a few people and it's all clear for us to come back whenever we want. Ah man...can you imagine that? Me...married. akdjfjasxdflkasdlfasdkfjsd
This has probably been one of the best weeks of my life...
oh...and uhm...
and am I the luckiest guy ever?!
Shyeah!
Just where do I begin?
I arrived in New York City on Tuesday and we hung out. It wasn't as impressive as people have told me, but it's big nonetheless.
I'm still looking for those Ninja Turtles though...
We left on Wednesday morning to get to Illinois and 30 minutes into the trip the tarp flew off the top of the mini van followed soon after by two pieces of luggage. How we managed to get them all back in one piece (on a major six lane highway no less) is beyond me. Once we put everything into the van (no sense strapping it to the top again right?) we were off. Literally moments after we got back onto the road, a tire blew. This put us back a couple of hours. The trip total was around 20 hours with us leaving at 7:30 in the morning, getting onto the road after the tire incident around 11 and then arriving around 4 on Thursday morning.
As in years past, I would describe what bands I saw...but I'll give a list. Take a moment to marvel at how short the list is while still being more awesome then your list (which I'm sure is four times longer).
Spitfire (STILL good after seven years!), One 21 (last show ever. Probably one of my favorite bands of all time...ALL TIME. Let me repeat this...ALL TIME.), Red Lipstick Death (death rock that actually ISN'T irritating), Hyperdrive Go! (my good friend Scott Potter's band. Remember that guy? We terrorized EVERYBODY at Cornerstone '03), The Huntingtons (final show ever. Went on a stellar note. Good show Cliffy!), Headnoise, American Culture eXperiments (uhm...yeah.), Bloodlined Calligraphy, No Innocent Victim, The Showdown (go in the pit and git 'em!), Divebomber (what...no Evil Robot!?), Hook Line and Sinker (oh yes. Ska. That's right...SKA!), The Satire, and countless others I'm sure.
Highlights for the fest...hmm...finding a Lust Control record for a dollar and giving it to Doug. Some dude coming up and telling me that it was odd for him to meet someone whose stuff he's read 'all these years' while I was in charge of the HM table (it caught me off guard. It was also another example of how my pride will never die regardless of how much I try to kill it...dying to one's self is any every day thing). Getting kicked in the face by Austin at the Goodyear (beautiful...simply beautiful), Sean...the dissapearing and re-appearing boy, hanging out with David and Anna for a good part of the fest, all the new people we met along the way, seeing alot of JPUSA's for the first time in nearly a year and being greeted warmly by the greater majority of them, and of course...spending the whole time holding hands with my dearest Mellie.....
I learned alot at this year's fest. Alot about Grace and forgiveness. I rebuilt a bridge with a fellow Jpusa who thought I was just as mad at him as I thought he was mad at me. It was yet another reminder of why forgiveness, grace, and love towards others is such a needed thing day after day in our lives.
That's really about it. Cornerstone was rather uneventful this year but I don't mind at all. I've noticed that as the years go by, the focus is less on the music for me. It's more on hanging out with people and actually building and working on relationships. The first year I went, I wanted the music streamlined into my veins. Last year I still wanted to load up on shows but not as much because conversation with new people and old friends was starting to take precedence. This year the conversations won out and I ended up missing alot of shows due to them. I don't regret it a single bit either...
I'll be in New York for the next couple of days and I'll be back on the weekend. The manager from Seattle's Best (the coffee place in the mall) called Chris and Beth and left a message asking if I still wanted a job. God provides. All this time I was worried and God's going 'idiot! I'm still here!'.
Mellie and I are praying about it, but we might be going back to JPUSA in the next couple of years together. We talked to a few people and it's all clear for us to come back whenever we want. Ah man...can you imagine that? Me...married. akdjfjasxdflkasdlfasdkfjsd
This has probably been one of the best weeks of my life...
oh...and uhm...
and am I the luckiest guy ever?!
Shyeah!