It's D(MB) Day! - UPDATE

It is summertime, and my hometown girlfriends and I are gearing up for the one event that has kept us together for many years as we have become increasingly busy and out-of-touch with our youth: Dave Matthews Band Concert Day. I have never been disappointed by this concert in the 10+ times I have seen it, and I expect a sublime evening tonight as well. Rather than overanalyze with words, I will simply direct you here to experience the goodness for yourself. Also, as you can see, the sheer joy depicted in the photo speaks for itself. "Eat, drink, and be merry," people. "Life is short, but sweet for certain."

UPDATE: Alas, we were a (wo)man down at this year's show, as a migraine kept one of the faithful from making the pilgrimmage, but the other two of us soldiered on. There was drama when the third amiga lost her ticket somewhere between the car and the gate, but thankfully she was able to squeeze the box office for a replacement because she had her receipt, credit card, and photo ID. There might have also been promises to the box office boy of "favors" after the show (the third amiga does love Dave THAT much), but I can't be sure.

The band played quite a bit from their new album, Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King, which is incidentally quite good. I particularly enjoyed "Shake Me Like A Monkey," partly because of the amusing song title, and partly because of the song's dynamic melody and energetic hook. There were also some good classics mixed in, my favorite of which included "Crush" and "Dancing Nancies." Sadly, I was in line for the restroom for the majority of the latter, but from what I could hear from behind the amphitheater, it was a great rendition. The fiance was thrilled (and I dare say impressed) when the band played a rockin' cover of the Talking Heads' "Burnin' Down The House." The encore ended with an extended version of "Two Step" in the pouring rain, and we were satisfied and spent from all the dancing, singing, and general merry-making from the previous few hours.

Stay tuned in September for round 2 from a DMB show, when the fiance and I travel to Camden, NJ, to see DMB and Robert Randolph together!

What's In A Name?

For those who know me well, the name of this blog should immediately make sense. For those who are wondering where the name comes from, allow me to explain. When my parents had their first child (me) many years ago, they were challenged to find a suitable name for their precious bundle of joy. My mom wanted to name me Siobhan (pron: shuh-vahn), while my dad preferred the name Leah. They compromised and went with something else entirely, something that sounded as if the names Siobhan and Leah were deconstructed and then blended into one name. That name, a popular one both then and now, was familiar and ordinary. Not wanting to settle for something plain or simple for their obviously extraordinary little one, my folks chose to give the familiar spelling a twist in order to maintain a measure of uniqueness. They agreed to name me Ashly...without the "e."

I know, it doesn't sound like a significant decision. How could something so seemingly innocuous as eliminating one (unnecessary) letter have any kind of noticeable impact on my life? Twenty-six years of having to specify the proper spelling, and 26 years of correcting people when they insist on adding that pesky "e" even after I've told them there is no "e" have given me an interesting perspective on people and the world. For better or worse, I judge people just a little bit based on whether or not they pay enough attention to the details of their surroundings to spell my name correctly after they have been made aware of the proper spelling. Obviously, if someone has never seen my name in print or been told verbally to omit the "e," I reserve my judgement. But for those who have either heard the correct spelling or seen it in print, I am quick to judge attention to detail and more generally, attention to life.

Through my mental case studies, I have found that those who do not take enough care to spell another person's name correctly, even after learning how it is spelled, are either entirely too busy to have any semblance of a life at all, or they are just lazy, stupid, or careless, or possibly all three. My personal favorite are those people who get e-mail messages from me with my name typed twice (once to end the message, and a second time in the automatic e-signature that is added to each outgoing message) and then respond by sending an e-mail back to "Ashley." If they had actually read the whole message before jumping in to their own response, they could not possibly have thought I spelled my own name incorrectly...TWICE. Because most of these kinds of people are repeat offenders (which means they should have seen my name spelled properly many, many times), I tend to believe they are not only too busy for their own good, but also lazy, careless, and possibly not too bright.

While I have certainly made an occasional mistake with other people's names in the past, I am quick to correct any errors that I learn about, as I am overly-sensitive to how people spell their names. After all, names are identities, and something as simple as the proper spelling can make the difference between feeling like yourself and feeling like an imposter with someone else's name. I have learned to truly appreciate the unique spelling of my name because it is a fun talking point for new people I meet. More importantly, it is a discreet measuring tool for people I encounter every day, giving me an extra ounce of insight into those around me.

Joining The Fun

Greetings, and welcome to my blog!

After considerable contemplation, I've decided to join the blogosphere and see where online journaling takes me. While I tend to be a no-holds-barred, open-book sharer with those close to me, I am admittedly more reserved with folks I don't know well. A likely consequence of my mild cynicism and a frequent regression to the childhood lesson, "Don't Talk To Strangers." Furthermore, even in today's egocentric, impatient, and overly-connected world, I have never understood why other people might actually care what I have to say on such a public forum. In my view, my commentary is no more or less valuable than anyone else's, so what exactly is the point of keeping track of my thoughts and musings in a place where outsiders can not only access them but also interact with them? I figure there is no better way to answer that question than to give this blog thing a whirl and see what happens.

Check back often for updates. Questions, comments, and topic suggestions are always welcome.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. The header photo (Notre Dame Stadium) is courtesy of Dave Dusick. Thanks, Dave!