the first CD i ever owned was the collected works of simon and garfunkel, purchased by my dad for me, and played on repeat for many years.

i later learned that, oh yeah, paul simon did some pretty amazing stuff on his own afterward.  i stole my parents' graceland album and never gave it back.

(proof that i still have it.  sorry, mom and dad!!)

a couple months ago i found out from nora that paul simon was doing a reunion tour with ladysmith black mambazo, the south african group with whom he recorded graceland.  nora and i agreed that going to that concert would be one of our bucket list items - things you only do once in life, and after that moment you can die happily.

fast forward to last week.  i'm in a paul simon mood, i do some internet research to see where he'll be playing on his graceland tour, and i find out that he'll be playing in london while i'm in england.  tickets are about $100 for general admission, standing room only, outdoors-in-london-so-it-will-clearly-be-raining.  I DON'T EVEN CARE.  some speedy email conversations with oxford friends erupt, one friend is in, and it ends today in the purchase of two tickets to the concert.

i am beyond excited.  truly, i'm not sure i have the words to express how i feel about this.



i have had a stressful and frustrating last three weeks of work.  i'm SO READY for this year to end, as much as i love my job.  i just watched this video three times in a row, and cried through it all.  oh, the power of music.

i can't wait for this concert.  i need this concert.

alex, i'll take "life goals" for $400.

i have a couple life goals:
1. be happy/fall in love/get married/have kids/love my job/all that jazz.  i mean, this is really the primary goal.
2. be an elector in the electoral college.
3. appear on jeopardy.

willis is about to beat me to the punch on #3.

in january willis and i both took the online test in an attempt to qualify to be on jeopardy.  willis and i then immediately called each other and talked through every question on the test, and out of the 50 questions, willis appeared to have gotten about 5 correct more than i did.

time passes.  (in the movie of my life, this portion will be shown by snow falling and then melting and spring arriving and pollen falling and then staying forever.)

a couple weeks ago, willis receives The Email.  The Email informs willis that he has qualified for the next round of testing in order to be on jeopardy.  willis will go to philadelphia in june, take another test, and sit through a fake interview to see if he is interesting enough to appear on the show.  assuming he does well on the next level of testing, willis absolutely will be found interesting enough to appear on the show.  i mean, have you guys met willis?  jeopardy needs a multiracial, gay, volleyball playing, fashionable dressing, educator like willis from small town missouri through duke and michigan to atlanta.  I AM SO EXCITED FOR HIM.

hit bull, win a steak

wish list:
durham bulls shirt

when i was at the beer carnival last weekend with my friends (including miss nora, durham native), we saw a girl wearing this shirt and i totally busted into her conversation to tell her (a) how much i love the durham bulls, and (b) how cute her shirt was.  and i was only on my first beer.

small world.  and adorable shirt.