more ironic

First assignment for Networking and Data Communications: “create your own web site”. Awesome.

Since my sister has finally moved out recently (at age 27), my mother has seized this chance to renovate our townhouse. This means that the last week or so has been filled with frenzied and exhaustive packing, as we were boxing up all our things and temporarily moving much of it out. For the next month, we’ll be staying with our cousins. On the surface, this seems like an awesome arrangement. After all, I get Dean’s room because he’s off at Berkeley and for the first time, I get to enjoy the luxury of having a TV in the bedroom (with cable even!). However, the trade-off has been privacy and lack of peace and quiet. School just began today, and as I was attempting to read my textbook, the (adorable but feisty) four-year-old kept creating mini-earthquakes throughout the house and the adults kept coming in to check on me. The feeling of suffocation already threatens to overwhelm. I know I’ll get more used to being surrounded by people (and noise) a lot, but being an introverted person at heart, I also need time in between to recharge by myself. Time to mark out hang-out spots for the next month!

Mandy Moore at Music in the Park

One of the cool things about the city I live in (and well…if I were to be honest, there aren’t too many exciting going-ons here, which is probably why I frequently drive to San Francisco instead) is that during the summer, there is a free concert program called “Music in the Park” every Thursday. Yesterday, the featured artist was singer/songwriter/actress Mandy Moore, and I was there in the front row with my awesome new DSLR (super early 21st birthday present!). I snapped so many photographs throughout the show that my arm and wrist were a bit sore by the end, but it was worth it in order to get some awesome results in between the blurry crap.

Something I started to think about while in the crowd though is how people really ought to practice more concert etiquette. For example…showering before you go to a live show? Good idea. But at the least, PUT ON SOME DEODORANT, people. I am not that tall, so chances are that I’m going to end up next to and/or underneath your armpit. I won’t subject you to my body odor, so please, a little reverse consideration?

Speaking of height, a pet peeve of mine is ridiculously tall individuals fighting their way to the front. It’s one thing if they show up early to claim a spot, but trying to wedge their way in front of me in the middle of a concert? Not cool.

Other than the minor annoyances, I did have a good time at Music in the Park. Mandy’s actually much more enjoyable to me live than on her recordings and I fell in love with her emotionally wrenching performance of “Gardenia“.