Dooooorm Living is the Life For Me...

Riiight.

I am so glad to be back on my Tempur-Pedic mattress, in a climate-controlled residence, with a well-stocked fridge and only a half-flight of stairs to climb.  Enough of this back-to-college nonsense.

The place is so institutional. Small, cramped, mattress hard as a rock, no air conditioning. (note the trusty box fan in the window..) At least the halls were relatively empty being this early in the school year, so I could pad down one flight to the communal kitchen in my jammies to heat my morning coffee. :)

Funny name for a dorm. Maybe it was named after old Elmer T. Stub and his wife Francine who, being childless, left their farm implement business to the school when they passed...

Whatever. The outside of the place belied the spartan interior.

The grounds were pleasant,

with mature trees and a nice patio (if no smokers were there...)

and the view from the room windows wasn't bad, especially when the sun hit the downtown skyline just right.

Still, on the weekends I definitely got stir-crazy and claustrophobic and needed to get out.

There were a few favorite places to revisit,

one of which I saved as a reward for a paper well written, on time.

But even while relaxing... the learning process still beckoned.

Each class had a take-home assignment to do as a final. So, two more papers to go yet this week, and then I can cross off the 6 credits. Then immediately dive right in to my Fall Quarter class (Senior Integrative Seminar).

This year has been particularly tough - no break from January until Christmas vacation. Oof. But, when I get past Christmas, I will be rounding the last turn and heading for the finish line: Graduation in May 2012. God help me, I can do this!

Somebody else noticed

When you are a person who observes and comments on culture, there is something exhilarating about being a trend-spotter, and comforting when someone else after you notices the same thing independently.

This cartoon is similar to my earlier blog post on the same topic.

And I still don't get it.

Concerts are, um... evolving?

Recently I've noticed that artists are trying new things when it comes to acquainting people with their music.  Not only is there a lot of good music being released for free (try Noisetrade.com for one great site), but they are also doing concerts differently.  Some are doing "house concerts".  Here's an example of an email I got recently from an artist I like:

Iowa Friends!

We're coming to see you! Now, we know that your great state is vast and this show many not be all that close to everyone, but we're hoping you'll pass the information on to your friends in the area. We're so excited to share stories and songs with you! Here are the details:

Sept 23, Des Moines, IA. Open House Concert. Email us: jennyandtyler@gmail.com if you'd like to attend.

Curious as to what a house concert is? Allow us to explain. House concerts are held in an individual's home - usually the living room. Generally we play unplugged for about an hour and a half. Sometimes less depending on what else is on the agenda for the evening. Sometimes we sell tickets in advance, other times we ask for donations at the door. House concerts are about relationships. We spend about a half an hour hanging out before the show starts. We get to know each other. At the end of the night it feels like we walk away with 30 new best friends. Don't be scared. Some people will know the host, others won't. It's likely that we won't know them either. So come!

We hope to see many of you!

-Jenny & Tyler

Well, hey, J&T!  I hope to see you, too!  :)  In fact I am all over this idea.  Up close and personal?  Relaxed, easy setting, acoustic (probably) concert at a reasonable volume?  Yeah, yeah.  I'm in.  Probably.

Another idea that is being tried is a virtual concert on line.  And I suppose with the video and sound quality that devices have now.. it can work.  I mean, with internet TV a reality.. why not?  Here's another email I got.  Too busy to attend this one, but.. he's apparently doing it multiple times, so I'm sure I'll catch him later.


Hey friends!
I'm playing my first ON-LINE 'Live From the Living Room' show this Thursday night @ 7PM CST. That's right! I'll be in my living room and on your computer screen. This show is very interactive and will be totally based on your requests. I've already committed to playing 2 songs I haven't played in 10 years! I'll be taking questions and chatting during the show. I'm totally excited!
Get tix here:
http://www.stageit.com/grahamcolton/live_in_the_living_room/4018
Also, If you create your own facebook event page & promote the show, i'll play your song request!  Thanks so much!  See ya Thursday!
Graham

Email # 2, a few days later...

Hey Friends,
My 2nd 'Live in the Living Room' show has been added! The last one was so fun i'm doing another. I'm hoping to play a totally different set list this time....so please request songs on my facebook and twitter page.  Tickets are only 10 cents....well that's the minimum...you can tip if you want....and i do take bribes for certain song requests!
Here's the link to reserve tickets:
http://www.stageit.com/grahamcolton/live_in_the_living_room/4438
See ya there!  Graham


So, not a bad idea.  I can get into this.  No need to wrestle with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds trying to move from the merch table to the bar.  I can buy online and drink my favorite adult beverage in the comfort of my chair while enjoying a good musician.  Works for me.