"Japan Sweaty"

Our time in Tokyo was short, but I am glad that we spent the time and the money to see a few of the sites.

Our trip to Tokyo was super easy. There is a direct, non-stop from Salt Lake City to Tokyo. Nice! Sure, it might be a 12 hour flight....but THAT'S it! No transfers....seriously, it's super easy. I must say that my experience through immigration and customs in Tokyo was also really easy...as was baggage. I was really impressed with the Japanese efficiency (or perhaps we just got lucky). After a 2 hour bus ride to our hotel, we arrived in Shinju-ku (the Tokyo business district).

Famished, we sought out sustenance. A spaghetti place was nearby...yep spaghetti Japanese style. I found that when hungry, I can eat spaghetti with chopsticks; my Italian ancestors would either be proud or mortified, not sure of which.

On Saturday morning we jumped on a tour bus and headed out into the Japanese heat. I'm from Illinois, so I respect a good dose of humidity. But I have to tell you that this day in Tokyo was beyond hot and humid; it was OPPRESSIVE. Seriously, just standing there, we were sweating...and I mean buckets. Now when Dean and I are talking about the heat, we compare everything to how hot it was in Tokyo. Alternately, we call it "Japan Sweaty." Despite all of the sweating, we had a nice time and are very grateful that we had the opportunity to visit.

This is me at the Meiji Shrine.

Dean at the Shrine.

The flowers at the Imperial Garden-East.

Imperial Garden-East

Sweating buckets...I seriously think I had heat exhaustion after this stop. It was so miserable. The walking was not strenous at all, but the heat was so terrible that it felt like I'd run miles.

The 5 story pagoda at Asakusa

Buddhist Temple at Asakusa

Me at Asakusa

So many people at the market on a hot, sunny day.

The Beautiful Flowers of Guam

Our Guam Cultural Experience: Talofofo Falls

Our last day on Guam was a FULL day of site seeing. One of the last places we went to was Talofofo Falls. Here it is on the map:I thought the falls would be....well...just some waterfalls, but we were amazed when we found out at the end of DanDan Road there was an entire eclectic theme park in the JUNGLE. Who knew. We got out of the car (there were maybe 5 other cars there total) to approach the window and pay our entrance fee when we heard a gun fire...in the jungle theme park. I looked at Dean and said, "Was that a gun?"

We approached the window, and the girl working the booth asked if we were military. When we told her no, she said, "Are you just visiting?" We told her that we were tourists. She said in a whisper as she leaned closer, "I'll give it to you for $12.00 each." The normal fee was $20.00 each, so we were grateful for the discount. We grabbed our park map and headed for the ride down the hillside. Here is the park map:

Really, the map makes the place look kind of classy, and it's really not that classy. If you notice on the right side of the brochure, there is a guy shooting a gun.....this is because there is a shooting range AT the themed park in the jungle. If you look closely, it kind of looks like the guy is shooting toward the kiddie rides. The whole concept is a bit disturbing. On our way out of the place, we saw these wild boars hanging around by the kiddie train.

Like I said, this was a cultural experience. Dean kept trying to suggest that the roaming pigs might be part of a petting zoo experience, but I was not buying it.

It was really pretty down near the falls. Here is a really nice picture of Dean.
Just down from this spot, there were beautiful bamboo clusters in the jungle.

Thankfully, the jungly spots around the falls had been cleared. It really was a dense area, in general. Guam is a tropical island with a lot of rainfall and a high degree of humidity. We wondered if this is what it might have been like in the jungles of Vietnam. Whatever it was or wasn't like, it would have been unbelievably difficult to cut through that place with a machete. I don't even want to think of what might be creeping and crawling and running through that jungle.

The falls were pretty.
To get to the other side of the falls area, we had to climb a set of stairs and cross a suspension bridge. After careful consideration, we decided that it might be wise for us to cross the bridge one at a time. As I'm almost all the way across, a staff member volunteered to take my picture. He then insisted that Dean join me on the bridge to take another photo. Um, I'm thinking...do you know how much we weigh? The entire point of going across one at a time was practical more than anything else. We lived, and so did the bridge.

After the bridge, the staff guy insists that we walk out onto the falls to take another picture. I was so not thrilled with the picture taking of me. I'd been snorkeling earlier in the day, and I was all icky. Oh well. I don't look any worse than when I was sweating in Japan.

At the top of this fall, there is a gift shop run by a Korean guy and his two kids; there is also the most bizarre "museum" experience I have ever had....including the time that I had a gun pulled on me at a museum in Novi Sad, Serbia. (I'll have to share that story some other day.) We paused for the requisite "stick your head in this big plywood board thing and take a picture." Here's my tropical flower Dean.

A short walk across another extension bridge led to the other waterfall. On our way out of the falls area, there was a Buddha in a cave...with mini-Buddha's in tow.

And the guy running the cable car was listening to Linkn Park smoking his coconut...and no, that is not a euphemism. Smoking coconut with on-looking bird.

There you have it. Our trip to Talofofo Falls. The end.

Take me out to the ballgame....

Last Wednesday night was a perfect night for softball. All of the girls are great softball players. I'm proud of each of them! Elle has really improved from last year to this year. She is still learning, but she listens to her coaches...and does EXACTLY what they tell her to do...even if they tell her to throw on a 4th ball.

Here are a few videos of Elle Mei.

Sir Paul McCartney

I know that I have already blogged about Blackbird, but I have waited my whole life to see Paul McCartney (truth be told, I really wanted to see the Beatles, but if all I've got left is Paul, that's fine by me), and I think he is worthy of more than one blog post. Plus I have lots of rocking videos and pictures to share. Let's start with this:

This is me and Dean...at the concert way early. The tickets said 7:30 PM, but the show didn't start until 8:10 PM. And how about this....






The crowd was over 24,000. Views from our seats.....

There were lots and lots and lots of people there. We observed that there were all kinds of people and all ages of people. As previously stated, I fell in love with the Beatles in the 80s as a teenager long after they had disbanded and long after John had died. There were some in the crowd who were definitely more endeared to the Beatles bee-bop stuff...others who loved the Wings stuff. Paul did a great job of mixing the multiple stages of his career and playing tunes that appealed to all 24,000 of these people.

There is no really easy way to chronicle this concert, so I decided to take the set list, add some videos that I took...add some pictures that I took...add some thoughts that I have.

One thing to note about the videos. We had really good seats. I like to sit on an aisle...for a whole host of reasons. Unfortunately I picked the wrong aisle to sit on. Our aisle was one of the few ways to get to the "floor" or the stadium field. There were literally people walking CONSTANTLY during the concert. Many of the videos have people walking through them. Because of that frustration, most of the videos are snippets as opposed to a song in its entirety. It's unfortunate about the crappy view, but it is what it is. Next time, I know exactly what seats to choose with an unobstructed view and no foot traffic up and down the aisle.

There isn't much rhyme or reason as to why I videoed some songs and not others. Some of them I wanted to just enjoy. Others I wanted video of but was fiddling with the camera...was being rudely walking in front of....or a whole bunch of other factors. There is also no good explanation as to why I cut off some videos and not others. Random.

Also, you need to be aware that every once in a while, I start to sing a long in the video. I'm also notorious for singing the wrong lyrics at the wrong time. Oopsie!

1. Venus & Mars

2. Rock Show

3. Jet 4. All My Loving

**Near the beginning of the concert, there were some women down in front who had a sign that said, "Paul, will you marry us?" He retorted, "It is Utah. All of you??" Cheeky. I love it!

5. Letting Go

6. Drive My Car

**This is a dippy thing about this song, but I always think of Dean when I hear this song. The first time we met, I let him drive my car. He probably doesn't even know this, but his song reminds me of him everytime....and come to think of it....to this day he still drives that car. It's his now!**

7. Highway

8. Let Me Roll It/Foxey Lady **This was Paul's homage to Jimmy Hendrix. He said that Sgt. Pepper's (the album) came out on a Friday and that Hendrix and his band had picked up the record, memorized Sgt. Pepper's and opened their concert with it the next Monday...three days later. Paul said it was the greatest tribute ever to him and the Beatles. He really, really admired Hendrix, and he said so in the concert.** 9. The Long and Winding Road 10. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

**This song is not on itunes, and I'm not familiar with it. If anyone knows where to get a copy, let me know.**

11. Let 'Em In 12. My Love **Paul's dedication to Linda, the love of his life.** 13. I've Just Seen a Face

**I'm not overly familar with this song, but I really like it! I've downloaded it and added it to my "Paul" playlist. It's sure to become one of my favorites.**

14. And I Love Her

15. Blackbird **I won't upload this again. If you want to access it, click HERE to see the blog post with the video.**

16. Here Today **I have a short snippet of this song, but it in no way does justice to it, so I will not add it. Paul explained that he wrote this song after John's death. He explained how he got the phone call that John had been killed and how shocked he was. Paul said that this song was written as a conversation that he wanted to with John. It was a very touching tribute. He did a whole narrative bit about John and dedicated the song to him. The big screen showed pictures of Paul and John during the song. It was very sincere and touching. Lennon and McCartney....icons. I've got nothing more to say about that.** 17. Dance Tonight

**Ashamedly, before the concert, I was not familiar with this song. I now LOVE this song. I've played it over and over again.** 18. Mrs Vandebilt 19. Eleanor Rigby **This song kind of creeps me out. It always has. I honestly think that I just don't get it. I have a video snippet, but it's super short. I decided not to post it.** 20. Ram On 21. Something **This was Paul's tribute to George. I think that George Harrison is a phenomenal musician. Paul began by playing "Something" on the ukulele. He mentioned that one day he was at George's house and George started playing the song on the ukulele...that it was written on the ukulele. Then Paul held out the instrument and said that George had given him that very ukulele.** (BTW...this is not a ukulele in this photo.) 22. Letting Go 23. Sing the Changes **There were some wonderful visual effects at the concert carefully planned to correspond to songs and their lyrics. This song began with what looked like a pixelized verison of Obama's image. I thought to myself....I must be seeing things....why would there be a reference to Obama. The song is about change...well, maybe. Then at the end of the song, the images of Obama were undeniable. I leaned over to Dean and said, "Those are images of Obama." He nodded in agreement. At the end of the song, Paul said, "Obama...that's what change looks like." Um....Utah is the reddest of red states. There was no reaction from the audience...which I'm sure was a stark contrast to the same comment made a few nights before in San Francisco. ** 25. Band on the Run 26. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da **Know all of the words, shamelessly sang along.** 27. Back in the USSR

28. I've Got a Feeling 29. Paperback Writer **This is my second favorite Beatles song (after Blackbird). I don't know if it is the harmonies or what, but I really like this song. I stood and danced...which pissed off about 40 people, but that's OK. I sang and danced with Paul McCartney to my second favorite Beatles song. Check.** 30. A Day In the Life/Give Peace a Chance

**I have always really liked "A Day in the Life." My favorite part of the song: Woke up, fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup. And looking up, I noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat. Made the bus in seconds flat. Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. And somebody spoke and I went into a dream....Ahhh....ah...ah...ahh.....*** 31. Let It Be

**This song should be my theme song: Let it Be. I'm working on it....** 32. Live and Let Die **I have no video of this, and my pictures don't do it justice, but I'm posting them anyway. This number was the single best concert moment I have ever, ever, ever had. Dean said that I was shaking during the song. It was so freaking AWESOME! It's the crescendo with the pyrotechnics and the fireworks that is just freaking awesome. Elle texted me during this time and asked if the concert was over because of the fireworks (she could see them from the house.) Seriously. Best concert moment EVER. I'm still talking about it!**

**After the song, Paul joked about how loud it was. And it was REALLY, REALLY loud!"

33. Hey Jude

**This is Elle's favorite song. She actually discovered the Beatles this year. In jazz band, they played "Hey Jude." She played it for me, and we chatted about tempo. We downloaded a slew of Beatles tunes to her ipod, and the girl is hooked. Dean took her to see a tribute band called 1964 as the Beatles (which I actually saw at the fieldhouse when I was student at Bradley a long, long time ago...same band, really). She is in love with the Beatles. She said that she could hear this song IN THE HOUSE (doors and windows shut). She said that she could hear the crowd singing, Na...na...na...na-na-na-na....... I bet she could. I taped the whole thing for her. I have tried twice to upload this video, but blogger hasn't been cooperative. It was long, anyway. Perhaps this is the way of the universe saying "don't you think you've got enough videos on this post already?"**

34. Encore: Day Tripper **This is Dean's favorite song. He played my favorite song and Dean's favorite song! So lucky!**

35. Lady Madonna 36. Get Back 37. Encore: Yesterday 38. Helter Skelter **The crowd was on its feet. This is an interesting song choice for an encore. It's also an interesting song when you consider its time and place in music history (and the obscure Manson connection). I was grooving out...as in dancing to this song. I was [literally] the only person in view dancing to this song according to Dean. It's hard to dance to, but...come on! It's Paul McCartney singing Helter Skelter! Just to add insult to my age and generate an injury...all of that dancing on the concrete in my new shoes strained my knee. Oj! Lame!** 39. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) / The End **My only disappointment with this song was that I wanted to hear "It was 20 years ago today....Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play..." Aside from that....excellently predictable way to end the show. Dean thought he would play "Twist and Shout" before the concert was over, but not this time. Maybe next time.**

*****

This concludes my detailed account of the concert. If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the experience. I guarantee I will be talking about this for a very long time. If you haven't listened to some Beatles tunes lately, bust out the vinyl, the 8 tracks, the cassettes, the CDs or download some from itunes. I guarantee you'll smile. It's just great music. Peace out!

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise...

I have loved the song "Blackbird" since the first time I heard it. It must have been in the late 70s or early 80s when I first discovered the White Album. It happened to be in my mother's record (as in vinyl) collection. It still baffles me as to how it came to be in my mom's record collection. She is more of an Elvis, 50's bee-bop, "At the Hop" kind of gal. The White Album was cool, and no offense if you're reading this mom, but my mom is just not cool enough to have the White Album.

Honestly, I think I can say with full confidence that the White Album is one of the greatest records of all time. From the first track of "Back in the USSR," to the George Harrison masterpiece of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," to the quirky story-song "Rocky Raccoon," the gritty "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," to the endearing, "I Will," a perennial favorite "Birthday," a song that defined my 17th year: Revolution(1), the seemingly misplaced "Helter Skelter," and a song that resonates to my soul: Blackbird. I love, freaking, love that Album. Just reminiscing about it makes me realize how truly great it is. I used to play Revolution 9 again and again...stop the turn table and spin it backwards to see if I could hear back masked messages. That was the thing to do back then. (BTW, if you listen to "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen backward....eventually you will hear, "It's fun to smoke marijuana." It only took us trying 37 times at Susan Bryan's sleepover to hear it.)

A long, long time ago when I was on my mission, I learned a few guitar chords. No other instrument speaks to me like the acoustic guitar. I love it's simple construct that can create beautiful music. I was determined to learn how to play the guitar properly when I came back to the states. I hired a guitar instructor, and the very first song I wanted to learn was Blackbird. I had to quit my lessons (no cash) before I ever learned to play it properly.

If you've ever tried to play this song, you'll realize that it is not an easy task.

"The structure of the song is quite uneven, featuring a good amount of free verse phrasing, with the timing varying between 3/4, 4/4 and 2/4 meters. It is in the key of G, with the bass and melody lines on the guitar progressing mostly in parallel tenths, all the while maintaining an open G-drone on the third string. The song is played with a unique combination of fingerpicking and (a kind of) finger-strumming, though the bass notes are always played by the thumb on the downbeat." Source: Wikipedia

I have always loved this song. I think it is beautiful.

When I heard that Paul McCartney was going to be playing at the soccer stadium less than a 1/2 mile from my house, it was not a question of if I was going to go. I was going. How can you not go? McCartney is a legend. Good heavens, he was a Beatle! He's getting up there in age, and you never know if this opportunity will ever come again. I jumped at the chance.

I was hoping that he would play Blackbird, and he did. As he introduced the song, he told us his inspiration for writing it. He said that in the late 1960s he watched as the Civil Rights Movement was unfolding in America. He wrote the song in 1968. You might recall that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April of 1968. Paul said (at the concert) that he wanted to write a song that would make people feel good about the situation. What he wrote was Blackbird. He has said that Blackbird is one of his two favorite songs. That is saying much when you consider just how many songs he had to choose from.

He is quoted in other interviews as saying that the Blackbird symbolizes a black woman. That imagery is so powerful when you consider the time, the place, the circumstance, the condition and the revolution of rights that was happening in America at the time. I was not even alive, but that historical moment deeply impacts me today.

When I learned the history of this song last night, it endeared me even more to this song. I have always been a student of American history. Our history is a complex, and it continually incorporates human struggle and triumph. That is one of the things that I love most about my country, my heritage and my history. To find out the true genesis of this song...from the mouth of Paul McCartney himself....had so much meaning for me. In an odd way, "it all made sense." I know that I am not the only person who loves Blackbird. I'm certain that there are millions who love it. But to know that it is Paul's favorite song...to know why he wrote the song...and how much it means to him....well, "it just all made sense" to me. It was kind of like a bit of an epiphany. I felt the song and loved it. To understand it's meaning only makes me feel it more.

So, I will conclude this deeply personal and revealing post with the lyrics of Blackbird and a snippet of the live version I heard last night at the concert.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly

Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly

Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

You were only waiting for this moment to be free
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Family, Friends, Food and Fireworks!

Dean LOVES to have people over, and he loves to cook out. I dread the work that comes with getting the house ready for guests and prepping all of the food, but as the kids have gotten older, the burden has been shared, and I dread it less and less. This 4th we had a cookout with our neighbors and some friends. It was a really nice time...even if it was so chilly that we needed JACKETS. Yes, jackets!

Dean at the grill..

Teriyaki Chicken. Yummy!


Julian and Carolyn Jesse


Adam and Carrie (posing with all of the food!)

Chilling...waiting for the fireworks....

Dylan made a lovely cake!


The kiddos and the fireworks...they were all paying homage to the blast zone.


Dominique was all into the pyrotechnics this year...


Dom and Dylan...doesn't Dom look thrilled?

They look happier in this picture.

This is Mariah's boyfriend, Garrett....in a momentary lapse of judgement holding what I can only assume from the size of the flames was an entire box of sparklers!