RaspberryJam

It was a leap of faith for sure. Their lineups have been so good for a few years now, so I went for it. I was kicking myself last year. I'm pretty sure I could sell them if the lineup is disappointing. Plus, lodging is always a challenge, so I want to get that done as well.

The aftershows at Newport are fun too.

Hmmm. Too bad I just bought tickets to the Newport Folk Festival. Edit: Ugh. And Blitzen Trapper too!

I left Texas for Connecticut. True story.

I'll probably try to see the New Haven gig. Blitzen Trapper is fantastic live.

That could be amazing. Or it could suck. I'm really not making any bets, could go either way.

I love them. Coal Miners Daughter, The Patsy Cline Story, Johnny Cash, Ray. There are plenty that are no good, but I inherited my love for them from my father. Also, my husband got some OK seats in the orchestra for 2 of the weekend dates at the Beacon. He says he's still pulling up seats 1/2 hour after the presale started, so maybe the purchase of the CD kept some scalpers away.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/allman-brothers-band-whip-up-another-beacon-theatre-run-20131231 A biopic in the works too! I love biopics.

You have to buy (pre-order) the new release in order to have a shot at Beacon presales. I suppose it could cut down on scalpers, or it could be another cog in the ABB retirement plan. Mixed thoughts.

Awesome!

I'm friendly with my neighbors in New England. We plow each other's driveways, whoever has a generator invites people over for dinner and laundry when the power goes out, if someone has surgery or dies you are inundated with food. Maybe it's because I live in a rural area of CT, and in TX I lived in the city, but my neighbors are much friendlier here. I grew up in upstate NY and yes, racism is still rampant there. But I just don't see it as much here. No one is going to convince me otherwise. Yes, Texas has Shiner. But New England has Heady Topper.

No, I moved to New England for a job. But yes, I encounter far less racism here than in Texas.

Haha! My neighbors on either side of me were nice, everyone else kept to themselves. Maybe because it was Terrell Hills? Tommy Lee Jones lived on my street and and I was scared of him!

I used to live in San Antonio. I can find positive things pretty much anywhere. The good: Central Market, breakfast tacos, Beto's, the King William district, a good bit of diversity, my kids were born there, access roads. The bad: The politics, the racism, I didn't go to UT or A&M so there were a huge percentage of the population that I was invisible to, the people who go on and on about how great Texas is without there being anything to back that up, every piece of brisket I've ever had was dry, the people as a whole are not nearly as friendly as the stereotype, subdivisions and

Christmas music. It's not all bad, but when it's piped in, and insipid, and can't be escaped, argggg!

Angelica Houston

I got an email that they are playing at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT. If you live in New England and haven't been to this venue, this would be worth the trip. It is for a taping of their show on CT public television. March 5.

David Sedaris

Tro-My childhood dog, a golden retriever with a heart of gold. She had to hold the leash in her mouth, so when I took her for a run I would let her have the loop end in her mouth and I would clip the other end to my shorts. We would get some looks! Max-My first adult pet, and orange long haired tabby that we got at the pound in Albuquerque. He was my then to-be husband's birthday gift because we had just moved in together and I wasn't used to not having a pet. Max moved with us to Germany, Boston, San Antonio, and finally to Connecticut. In Germany, we lived in a tiny little town and he

I like everything except wrapping presents and addressing cards. I don't care for shopping crowds, but I avoid that by skipping big box stores and black friday.

Now I'm going to play some Rush and Pavement for my 12 year old this weekend. I've got Pavement covered, any Rush suggestions? There's 33 albums on Amazon.

Good question, I really don't know, do you? Broadway shows really aren't my thing, but when I saw Fela!, it seemed that is could have been filled in. The band was playing live. I could be wrong. I really have no idea

Good. Really good, actually. Someone said, "it was like a broadway show," which was exactly what I was thinking throughout. The stage production, the choreography were amazing. He is a very good entertainer, chatty, making lots of audience contact. The vocals were all filled in, but with that level of dancing, I imagine it had to be. It was a long show, he did 30 songs! I had to leave early to be able to chaperone a field trip for 6th graders the next day, but my friends filled me in on the rest.

Dr. Dog.

I live with tweens, so I have to listen to the pop station from time to time. The ones mentioned above aren't all bad, but it's fairly easy to tell which are going to be forgotten in a few years.