You all, I feel like I have been on a mini-vacation for the past 2.5 days, believe it or not! I had to work in the AM on Friday but since Ash took the day off, as soon as he and I did our respective runs, we went to a friend’s house to do a group brew session. We made a session IPA because we haven’t made any sort of pale ale in quite a while, so here’s hoping it turns out well. We didn’t finish the brew process until around 2 so that was when we finally went to eat for the first time that day. I can’t remember much else of that evening once the kids got home. I was tired, to be honest. We’d had some beer while brewing and I know I was feeling it without food in me. When we got home, we moved the kegerator inside, finally, and I know we had a few then.

Saturday morning, I took Dakota to an 8:30 baseball practice then once home, we turned on Premier league and thought about lunch. No one could decide what they wanted so we didn’t go out as I thought we would and everyone made some kind of sandwich. I was none too happy, to be honest. I ended up eating some Wheat Thins, a piece of cheese, and leftover potato salad. LOL. After, we went up to Costco for steaks for dinner. Instead of NY Strip, we went with sirloin, which is the kind of steak we always used to get but since doing sous vide, had not. Well, it was tasty but not as good. I also think that we normally season and seal and let the steaks sit about one day (if not longer if frozen) so I don’t think they absorbed as much flavor. Anyway, as I was preparing dinner, we decided it might be nice to take our first bike ride of the season. We rode a lot this time last year and the weather is nice now. Ash got the tires all pumped up and then as soon as the last plate went into the sink, we set out for a three miler. It was a little darker when we got home than anticipated but since it is DST now, we should be good for some late evening rides. That night, Ash and I watched Isle of Dogs, which I’d previously avoided because Wes Anderson movies annoy me. But it was ok. Maybe better than his other stuff.

Sunday, Ash and I both ran early, then I got started on laundry and making lunch (and by making I mean: popping a Costco chicken alfredo in the oven.) I was VERY lazy in the afternoon: napping, watching soccer, drinking a couple beers before we went to the Hellzapoppin freak show. LOL. It was actually really well done. Auzzy Blood, the guy who put all manner of swords and sharp objects into his body, was pretty ridiculous. And Ben Blaque, the crossbow dude, was cool, if not a little overdramatic. (Also, kind of attractive, imo.) It was a good show and I think well worth my 30 bucks for seats. It was 20 for standing but no thanks. Not for a three hour show. I’m too old for General Admission now.

So today, I have a little work to do but Ash AND the kids are home. It’s their Spring Break but they have a few chores I have set up. I mean, sure it is their break but life is all about balance!

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Oh, so you want “old” rock? Man, what constitutes old? Let’s do this: for mine, I will document some songs I grew up hearing. They may not be AS old as some folks will put on their lists but this one is personal to me.

For starters, my first foray into music was through my dad, who would put a record on and slap some of those big ass headphones on my ears. He’s lucky I was willing to do that; my kids would never! One of the first albums I remember loving was Jimi Hendrix.

But what really struck my fancy were the Beatles. Of course I began with their first album, but I really loved Help! I watched the every-loving crap out of the movie too. Maybe it was the kind of humor that speaks to me. I still find it funny that this is considered a “rock” band because even pitted against Jimi, it’s tame.

I went through a lot of phases with rock in my formative years, getting into stuff like Rolling Stones and the Doors. Here are two of my favorites.

Funny that the Stones are very refined to me; very produced. The Doors, on the other hand, are raw and scratchy and rough and all that kind of LA dirtiness I imagine existed. Like, their music could be the soundtrack for any and all Dirty Harry movies.

Once I’d exhausted these realms, I really got more into the music of the current time for me, which was the 80s. I was born in ’79 so it was only natural I’d go from my dad’s early rock music lesson to the Mtv stuff he watched. I instantly fell in love with Van Halen at about the age of 5 or 6. Something about the way Eddie played guitar spoke to me. And David Lee Roth was my first crush, no kidding. There’s an innate connection for me between the sound of rock music and the look. When you’re in it, you’re there for the whole shebang.

And there you have it. Were it not for my dad and Mtv and being in, what I consider, the right place at the right time (the 80s) who knows what I’d be listening to these days. If you know me at all, then you know I listen to all manner of rock and roll and harder categories of metal. I love it all so much. At the freak show last night, they played a whole bunch of songs I know by heart, intimately, and the volume at which they blasted them made me feel it in my soul; made me feel complete.