Time will tell

1) It has been quite some time since I wrote. It has been a decent few days. Last week was simply a lot of work; subbing, Gap, and painting. Friday night was my last night at the Gap, so for now my retail career has been put on hold. All in all, a good experience. I learned a lot about people, fashion, and retail in general.

2) Yesterday was Tulip Fest. Mother nature decided to throw us a decent afternoon, so I was able to check out a few bands with Mer. The bands were good, and the sound was much better than I remember. My last time there was 6 years ago, and I remember the sound being awful, and the bands not too good. I also got to go backstage meet a bunch of the DJ's on EQX (thanks to Mer being tight with them). Cool people. It was nice to put faces with voices.

Another thing that I remember from my last time there was feeling so out of place. When I was there as a Junior in high school, I didn't drink. I remember seeing tons of kids from school, Coors light in tow, having a great time. I felt awkward and out of place. I do remember playing Frisbee though. Yesterday, I still felt somewhat out of place, but mostly because we had a bottle of wine instead of a cooler of Coors Light or Bud Light. All in all, a fun afternoon.

Following Tulip Fest, someone passed me a flyer for The Disco Biscuits playing at the Palace Theatre. I had remember reading that they would be playing, but put it in the back of my mind. After Mer and I parted ways, I decided to take a ride downtown, just to check it out. I found parking real close to the Palace, which is a plus, and as I walked towards the box office immediately smelt patchouli and pot, saw familiar faces, and suddenly images of a few years ago when I went to any show in a 3 hour radius jumped into my head. I went in the box office to check on tickets. They were relatively cheap ($27), and still had really good seats in the balcony. I thought for about 2 minutes, then decided to see the show. I got my ticket and went in. No need to stand outside in the makeshift lot scene. There were definitely a fair amount of kids in the crowd, but not a ton of "wookies" like you might've found 5 years ago. Time seems to do that to jamband audiences.

The show itself was exactly what I needed. I had seen them once before, 5 years ago play a quick afternoon set before Ratdog and Phil & Friends at SPAC. That was a great afternoon of music. But it was finally nice to see them play a full 2 set show in a theatre. They came out of the gate at about 200 mph. I recognized a few of the songs. Barber can really lay down some fast and clean guitar parts. It's one thing for a guitarist to play fast, but its another thing for him to play fast, and be able to hear all the different notes. I also struck up a conversation with another guy there by himself named Josh, who is a chef at a local restaurant. We discussed how he's trying to use locally grown produce in his dishes now. I thought that was very cool. I also realized after the show that this is probably the 7th time I've been at a concert where I've talked with someone named Josh.

Set II was just as good as Set I. They have definitely mastered the tension and release factor that works nicely when done well. It was the final show of the tour, as the band mentioned during Set II. The crowd was rowdy, the band seemed pretty on, and I'm glad I made the decision at the last minute to go.

3) I also realized (yet again) what a great city Albany is. Walking along the park, there were rent signs up in brownstones for 2 bedroom apts for $1000 a month. Walk a few hundred feet, and you're on Lark Street. A quick ride down a hill, and there is the Pepsi, Palace, and a number of great restaurants, art galleries, the NYS Museum, etc. Sometimes I am 100% sure I want to leave, then other times, I am 40% sure. I've decided not to stress out like I was a year ago, but to just see what happens in September.

4) Congrats to the Class of '06. I know Geneseo had their commencement yesterday, and I know other colleges and universities have had them recently, or will have them soon.

5) I watched "Love Actually" today. It was a good movie. I don't watch many movies, but this is one I would definitely recommend.