You must witness the Nokia Theater

No, really. You have to go & the sooner the better.
Even if i only sorta-kinda liked a group, i would go if they played this venue.
I've seen other postings that did not so-love the space. We sat about 30 rows back, dead center and well, friends, it was fan-freakin'-tastic. We were pretty damn close & the sound was absolutely amazing.

Last month i was able to see The Pretty Lady sing at the Nokia (Otherwise known as Tori Amos).
Now, i've been a devout fan since 14 to ms. tori and have seen her play in about four other venues. This, by far, was the best sound/show i've ever seen. So i will use the rest of this posting to go on about the show, but what really what made it stand out was the venue (We saw her peform the week before in OakTown & it was nice, but nothing. nothing. like this). The Nokia is the future of performance spaces; and the malt balls weren't bad either.

YouTube has an impressive list of numbers played, i'm getting chills listening to them as i type... And the fact that someone's iPhone recorded these and they sound pretty damn good third generation on my so-so computer speakers---Enough said.

One of the most amazing songs ever written about the ending of a relationship is Cooling, and this clip is awesome (There is an interlude, which for me is not my favorite, but the rest is bliss.).

Others worth checking out (really just because they are the best quality clips i could find):

Hey Jupiter.

Bells for Her

Yo George
Precious Things

Smokey Joe

Big Wheel Turning

Bouncing off of Clouds

The Waitress

So, we waited two years for this tour and it was definitely worth the wait. It seems there won't be another one for some time, sigh. Next time we are all going. To witness this genius woman do her thing is something i cherish and almost makes me believe in gods.

What the New Year Means to Me (A Short Essay)

2008! Great.

I hope you & yours have a kick-ass year! Hey, you survived the holiday season, so you are already off to a great start! So I thought i'd kick things off with "What a New Year means for Christine."

1) I will continue to write "2007" on all correspondence until March
2) I will have a list of resolutions that i will keep in mind, but not follow fully.
Example: Eat healthy & lose weight.
What that really means: I'll continue to eat healthy, but i'll also continue to eat chocolate, so.... there it is. And the smart thing to do would have "Ban chocolate eating." or "Cut-down on chocolate." But for those who have witnessed Christine cut-out coffee, it ain't a pretty sight. Chocolate would be, uhm, well, much worse.
3) I will weigh the pros & cons of internet dating and once again almost create a profile.
4) I will leave up the holiday decorations until the last week of February (White lights are for Valentine's Day too!).

And there it is, ladies & gentlemen. Not pretty, but that's my January in a nutshell.