And the ACM award for the best song writer goes to....

April 5, 2011

Back to life, back to reality.  Except for the fact that I only had to work one day before I have today off.  Whew!  However, that is the beauty of having a vacation, I used vacation days to miss 5 days of work, and now I am back on my normal schedule-which includes having Tuesdays off.  It will also include working the next 6 days, but I think I am ready.

So today, I have finished taking care of the dishes, dusting, and vacuuming.  I have found directions to CJ's track meet this afternoon, which is in Wyoming.  I have never been to one of the square states, but it should be fun.  I suppose I should google the weather out there so I know how to pack.  Getting him there by 4:30 could be an issue, but I do have an extra hour I think.  Are they 1 or 2 hours behind us in Wyoming?  I guess I better google that also.  As it turns out, the speed limit on most of Interstates 74 and 80 is like 200mph, so we may be okay.  Mapquest says it is 19 hours, but I don't think they are taking into account the time change.

What's that sweety?  Wyoming High School...here in Cincinnati?  Oh.  io.

So the trip is actually 20 minutes and the temperature is about what it is at our house, so we will be chilly, but otherwise okay.  CJ is running the 1600 and throwing the discus.  Results to follow later.

I have also watched a couple shows I DVR'd. (one of the best inventions, EVER!)  I watched the second half of the national championship game between Butler and UConn.  Congrats to UConn and Brittany B, who won the pool at work.  (No money exchanged hands in the playing of this pool, BTW).  I also watched the ACM awards show.

Are any of you country music fans?  I am not so much anymore, but I was intrigued by some of the performances that were scheduled.  There was a period of my life that I listened to country music.  I was lured in by country hotties like Shania Twain and Faith Hill, and stayed loyal for a while due to the quality of the voices in county music.  Artists like Martina McBride stole me away from rock and roll for a bit because they could really sing.  Sure, there were still a lot of lyrics and songs about lost love, lost horses, drinking, and life in the south, but that doesn't really differ that much from any other genre.  You could just understand the lyrics most of the time. 

I cannot really get into the current most popular artists-Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert.  I admire these young ladies for their song writing abilities and that they can really entertain, but their voices are not as good as I like to listen to.  Taylor may be calling me mean next.

I should not say I grew up on rock and roll though.  My parents were into Big Band music.  Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, and Lawrence Welk.  I could dance a mean waltz.  Please, don't picture it.

Our radios did not have FM as far as I knew.  AM radio did play music back then, but it was soft rock favorites like John Davidson, Pat Boone, and The Carpenters.  We did rock out to Elton John and Captain and Tennille when the groove really hit us.  Who knew that muskrats had feelings?

I currently do not listen to country music because I have sports talk radio and christian music on most of the time.  There have been a lot of actual sports to discuss of late, and I like the uplifting modern christian music.  I love being reminded of all the great graces bestowed on me-evidenced mostly by Beth and CJ.  Exhibits A and A1.

However, I saw the lineup for the ACM awards included groups I used to like such as Martina, Sugarland, Ronnie Dunn, Sara Evans, and Carrie Underwood.  I was then able to fast forward though the commercials, the awards, and the emcees.  I can't look at Reba without remembering a guy I worked with 20 years ago who used to cross dress like Reba for a show on the weekends.  He may have actually been hotter than her....uh, so I heard.

So then I saw the performances.  Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland was very good.  She can sing and entertain.  I was disappointed with Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride because their songs did not really show off their incredible singing voices.  Underwood's performance with Steven Tyler was very good though.  Sara Evan's song was kind of a downer, and Ronnie Dunn's solo was well done, but I wanted a bit more from him.  Have you ever heard the song Believe?  That is what I expect from Ronnie Dunn.  Hard to live up the that all the time though.

So that was my one night stand with country music this year.  Does that sound like a song idea?  I could throw in some moonshine and wear a cowboy hat?  Think about it y'all.