Touring, new job, and bad puppies!!!
So much has happened over the past few weeks, and seeing as though I haven't posted anything significant in over 2 months, I am long overdue for an update. First things first, my week's worth of Alanis shows was beyond spectacular. It had been almost 2 1/2 years since I last saw Alanis, and she is back in full force! I had decided months ago to attend the last 5 shows of the tour, since they were all on the west coast and in reasonable distance of one another. The adventure began in San Jose last Wednesday night... just an hour or so away from us. Sadly, this was the only show Joey was able to attend due to his new job. While the show itself was awesome, the ass-hat security guards slowly began souring the mood for the night. Just as Alanis was taking the stage, we got on our feet to show our support. This female security guard came up to us and asked us to sit down to be "courteous" to the people behind us. She obviously was not familiar with what goes on at rock concerts. So after arguing with her during the beginning of the show, and ultimately ignoring her to go about our business, she ended up sending over another guard mid-show to force us to sit. Seriously... what a joke! We were so irritated by the end of the show that we basically bitched and griped the entire way home.
Two days later was the Reno show. I'll just preface this by saying that this show more than made up for our horrible San Jose experience. My friend Patty and I ended up leaving around noon to allow for the 3 1/2 hour drive. The weather forecast called for rain and snow that night, so we wanted to be sure we allowed enough time for possible traffic jams. Thankfully, it was smooth sailing the entire way up. It was my first time to Reno... and most likely my last. I guess I pictured a mini-Vegas of sorts when people had described it to me. Boy, was I wrong. While Reno proper was a total shit-hole, the show was stellar. The venue was fairly new (and pretty small... capacity of about 7,000), the security guards were very pleasant (there was no sitting rule at this show), and the audience was so full of energy (one of the 3 best crowds from what I was told). The icing on the cake was getting the opportunity to talk to Alanis after the show... always a highlight. Each time I run into her, I'm reminded of just what an amazing person she is. As we left the show on Cloud 9, we quickly began seeing signs on the highway mandating chains on vehicle tires in order to get across the snow/ice-covered roads stretching between Nevada and California (it had apparently snowed pretty hardcore during our show). Being a Florida boy, tire chains were a pretty foreign concept to me. So after hitting up a couple of random gas stations at midnight, we finally found the chains we needed to get back home. A guy charging $30 bucks on the side of the road installed them for us, and $85 dollars later we were soon on our way. The 3 1/2 hour ride home turned into 5 1/2 hours, and we finally made it home around 4:15 AM. We would have just stayed the night in Reno, but we found out it was expected to get worse the following day. Despite all the drama getting home, I would have done it all over again in a heartbeat.
Last Saturday was my day of rest. While there were no concerts that night, Joey and I had bought tickets to see Margaret Cho in San Francisco. The show was hilarious, and thankfully let out early enough to allow for time to pack for the last few shows of the tour. We woke up early Sunday morning, and Joey dropped me off at the airport to catch a flight to LA. My friends Jen, Kristen, and I had planned a mini Southwest road trip when the tour was originally announced. They ended up picking me up from the airport and taking me to the major shopping area in West Hollywood, which was pretty damn impressive if I do say so myself. Of all the times I had been to southern CA for shows, I had never really explored the area much. Later that night, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to the show. We also met up with our friends Ron, Adam, and Anthony. The show was great, security was cool once again, and the crowd was pretty good as well. On the way home we stopped by LA Ink (a.k.a. High Voltage Tattoo) in hopes of running into Kat Von D, but sadly she nor any of the regulars on the show were there that night. So off we went back to Jen and Kristen's place to get a good night's rest to prepare for our travels the next day.
We woke up early Monday morning, piled into the car, and made our way to Arizona for the next show. Several hours and multiple pee-breaks later, we rolled into Phoenix and checked into one of the nicest road-side hotels any of us had ever stepped foot in. (The Premier Inn seriously lived up to its name.) After a quick dinner, we headed over to the venue and took our seats. Phoenix had to be the worst crowd of all the shows. Despite having change thrown at me (yes, change) in order to try to get me to sit down during Alanis' set, I managed to make the most of it and enjoy it to the best of my ability. Strangely enough, Jen and Kristen didn't have much of a problem standing that night. After the show, we went back to the hotel to take a quick dip in the jacuzzi before heading to bed.
Tuesday sadly marked the end of our shows and the end of the tour, but I think our bodies were all starting to wear down after the first couple nights. We loaded up the car and started the long 4 hour drive to Vegas. We stopped a few times along the way to eat, use the restroom, and take provocative pictures with the 12 foot tall cactus. Just as we hit the Hoover Dam, we ran into some thick bumper-to-bumper traffic. It took us about 45 minutes to make it through the traffic and finally arrive at The Palms (where the show was being held that night... and where we ended up staying). After checking in to our room, which was pretty kick-ass I might add, we met up with Adam and Anthony who had also driven up for the last show. We went down to the venue, took our places in line, and strategized about how to get up front. This was our only general admission show, which generally means whoever can run the fastest gets the best spot on the floor. Sadly once the doors opened we all got separated, but Kristen and I made it up front after running past a bunch of people and getting security called on us by the bigger, slower folks (ha ha). The show was definitely worth the drive. Aside from it being one of the smallest venues on the tour, and obviously having no problem standing since the entire floor was standing room only, there were plenty of "shenanigans" going on throughout the show... including the Matchbox 20 boys coming out dressed up as Alanis as she was set to take the stage. It also felt great getting to wrap up the tour with Alanis and the crew. After her set we ran and grabbed a bite to eat, said our goodbyes to Adam and Anthony, and headed back to the room to shower and rest up for the long drive back to LA. It would have been nice to stay one more night to partake in some of what Vegas has to offer, but us all having to work on Thursday put a damper on things. We made it safely back to LA Wednesday afternoon, said my goodbyes to Jen and Kristen, and flew back home. The entire experience was a blast, and I hope that the fall tour turns out to be just as fun.
Now for the biggest update...
On Thursday morning I was offered (and quickly accepted) an Assistant Human Resource Analyst position with the City of Oakland. Some of you may be aware that I had been going through the long hiring process with the city for quite some time. Being as competitive as it is to obtain a position with the city, I honestly wasn't very confident that it was going to happen. After applying back in November, and getting called in to test in December, I received a letter stating that I had been placed on the eligible list late last month. I got called in to interview last week, and just over a week later I got the great news. While it will be hard leaving all of the friends I have made at State Farm, this really is a dream job. Great benefits, excellent pay, and a short commute. What more could you ask for? Not to mention that it will put us in the best position possible for starting a family a few years down the road. We've also had an ever-growing list of home improvement projects that we've been hoping to start at some point, so this will more than likely give us that opportunity. Joey and I also made a deal that if I were to get this job, that I would be able to buy the Harley that I've been lusting after for years. We'll see how quickly that comes to be. I seriously could not be happier, and from everything we discussed during the employment process, I'm pretty certain that I'll be there to stay for the long haul. My last day at the Farm is April 11th, and I'll start the new gig on the 21st (after a week's worth of some long-awaited rest).
With good news also usually brings some bad. Last night we spent a few ours in the animal ER after our pups finished off a 12 oz. bag of Hershey's Easter chocolate. Word to the wise... never leave a bag of chocolate out on the kitchen counter when you have a 50 pound Boxer that likes to counter-surf. Both Jax and Gypsy ended up having to get their stomachs pumped since they potentially ate over the lethal limit. Jax apparently didn't eat much of it at all, as he didn't throw up much of anything. Gypsy, on the other hand, apparently finished the entire bag herself. She ended up looking like a chocolate fountain when they induced vomiting. How a 7 lb. dog can finish an entire 12 oz. bag is beyond me, but hopefully we never have to go through that again. I never imagined that bag of chocolate would end up costing us $325.00. Ouch! Hopefully I learned my lesson about leaving things out unattended.
I think that pretty much brings this novel to an end. We are off to see Beth Orton in San Francisco Monday night, and that should be it in terms of concerts for a bit. We have a few more loose ends to tie up with the wedding plans, and then we should be all set for May. I hope to post a new entry before then, but considering my track record, I'm not making any promises. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll talk to you all soon!