Moving and Flogging Molly

So I haven't been able to post for awhile and not because of a lack of things to post about. I have actually been insanely busy with the moving process. I had to move out of my old apartment in Columbus by the end of July but won't be moving to D.C. until August 11. So I've been homeless for a few days now. Luckily my parents have let me crash in their basement.

Now I know moving is never fun, except when your five and all you have to do is ride your tricycle up and down the ramp of the Uhaul truck, but I have realized the bigger the move the less fun it is. The logistics required for a move out-of-state are frustrating. It is a lot easier to get friends to help you move boxes for an afternoon than it is to get them to dedicate two or three days, which, by the way, is understandable.

Some things I've learned:

• When you pack a box/bag/suitcase etc. make sure to label what is inside. It sucks to have to reopen a bunch of boxes just to find one thing. 
• It is easier, and depending on the size of your place cheaper, to buy new furniture once you get there. Moving trucks are super expensive if you aren't moving in-town. For my move it would have been $600 plus gas costs plus 10 cents a mile on top of that! 
• You find all kinds of lost treasures when you move! 
• Things will not go the way you plan. Just expect to be frustrated and overwhelmed multiple times before you settle down. 

To further complicate matters during the weekend I had to move I happened to already have tickets to a Flogging Molly concert. And I couldn't let those go to waste. So after moving all the furniture and heavy stuff Friday we headed over to the LC Pavilion for the concert. We had barely found our spot on the lawn when it started raining, and eventually pouring, for the next four hours. 

But we stuck it out even though the first band, Clutch, sucked and kept getting delayed. At one point during the torrential downpour the frontman of Clutch said "Hold on guys, we're going to take five for a minute." Finally Flogging Molly took the stage. It was totally worth the wait. They played for just a little over two hours, which is a pretty long set, especially during an outdoor show bombarded by a  monsoon. They played all the songs I wanted to hear and some cool new stuff off their most recent album as well. 

I have no pictures or video of my own. (I didn't take my camera because of the rain). But, check out the video above I found on YouTube from the show. So in summary, a lot going on right now but I'm not going to bore you with all the banal details. Suffice it to say that since I'll be moving this Thursday there are about to be an explosion of new posts. Stayed tuned! 

June 18: Picnic with the Pops

This weekend Dandrich and I went to see a performance of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at their popular Picnic with the Pops series. Unfortunately, it rained all day up until the concert though luckily it did taper off by the time the concert started.

You can't take pictures during the concert so I only have a couple from before. 

The Picnic with the Pops is a series the CSO puts on through June and July. Each performance includes a special guest performer that is featured in the second half of the concert. For the first half, the CSO played more traditional music that you would expect from a symphony. My two favorites that they played were "Cuban Overture" by Gershwin and "Que Diferencia Hace Un Dia" by Vanacore.

Braving the rain

Saturday's guests were the Jazz Ambassadors of the US Army Field Band. They played some nice arrangements of classic jazz songs by the likes of Duke Ellington and others. I liked the Jazz Ambassadors but I preferred the CSO better. Also, on a side note, there were a few truck stands of food available at the concert: Graeter's Ice Cream, Donato's Pizza, and another with Mexican food.

Sun-dried tomato chicken, garlicky spinach, and Spanish rice

Since it looked like it was going to rain, we didn't take a picnic with us. Instead we cooked a nice little meal at home before we left. We made chicken with a sun-dried tomato sauce with garlicky spinach and Spanish rice. It was quite delicious. Even though it rained, it was still a lot of fun. If we have time, we my try to hit another one before I leave.