Russian

I had my first Russian class last night. There are only 5 of us in the class, which is nice because we'll get extra attention, but also can be bad because we'll get extra attention. I think I'm going to enjoy this instructor, if only I can get used to her thick, Russian-accented English! We learned most of the alphabet last night and did a lot of repeating words. I've found that forming some of the sounds is a challenge for my mouth, but I'm confident I'll get it eventually. I think I'll feel better once I learn this new alphabet...right now it's pretty overwhelming. But, I'm really excited about this class and hope to learn enough to get around when I go to Russia. Anna, I may be calling Chase for some assistance with pronounciation!

Here's a little Russian for you all!

Привет мои друзья! Я тоскую без Вас всех!

Dave Matthews - Stuck On You

I've been listening to a lot of DMB lately (in preparation for the summer/fall tour!) and I stumbled across Dave singing this Elvis cover that was too great not to share! Enjoy!

Weekend

What a nice, relaxing weekend...we really needed it! We all had crazy weeks and just needed some time to relax. I ran some errands (and cleaned) on Saturday and then hung out with Michelle B. who was in town visiting from Colorado. It was great to see her and get to catch up! On Sunday I had to teach the rugrats (I mean 6-year-olds), which was good, but I'm always exhausted afterwards. We all relaxed in the afternoon, had dinner with our friend Jamie and then watched "Extreme Makeover Home Edition", which we all love. And now it's Monday again...oh joy.

And of course, Friday was the big steak dinner at Ray's the Steaks. We had to wait in line for an hour and a half (they don't take reservations), but it was SO worth it! Hands down the best steak I've ever had. The restaurant is great. It's super tiny, nothing on the walls, plain tables & chairs, but great service and amazing food! They were quick to get our food out to us, which was nice because we were STARVING by the time we got seated. We started with soup (I had incredible crab bisque), then had our steaks (I had a filet with blue cheese sauce), enjoyed the sides (mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) and finished with dessert (I had strawberries and cream, which was to die for!). All that, plus a soda and a generous tip and I walked out of there only spending $40! I'll definitely go back and anyone who comes to visit MUST try this place out!

The NFL draft was very interesting. Brady Quinn had to wait until pick #22 and then ended up being drafted by the Cleveland Browns?!? Poor guy. I think the Steelers had a successful draft. We picked up some good defensive talent and I'm anxious to see what Mike Tomlin does with the team this year. I love the summer, but I'm excited for football season!

Idol Gives Back - Stars perform

If you haven't seen yet...it's pretty funny! Needless to say, I just figured out how to post youtube videos to my blog. :)

NFL Draft

Okay, I know I'm a dork, but I'm really excited about the upcoming NFL draft this weekend. I love the prospect of new players and waiting to see who the Steelers will draft. Right now they need to beef up their offensive line as well as their defensive line (and linebackers, with Joey Porter leaving for lame Miami), so I'm curious to see where they'll start. There's also a great cornerback who I think would fit in well and anyone who's a Steeler fan knows we can always use help in the secondary. Not since Rod Woodson (10 years ago) have we had a pro bowl CB! I mean, poor Troy Polamalu can't be EVERYWHERE!

I'm going to a potentially great restaurant tonight called "Ray's the Steaks. Yep, a steak place...and it's supposed to be amazing. We'll see. Though after 2 weeks of salads everyday for lunch (I'm not going to the gym 3 times a week for nothing!), I'm ready for a good steak! I'll post my review this weekend.

P.S. The Office was hysterical last night! Anyone who doesn't watch it should start. Now. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. I have a big crush on Jim, but I love it when Dwight is on a lot...he makes me laugh out loud. My current favorite Dwight quote (in an episode about someone getting decapitated), "When I die, I want to be frozen. And if they have to freeze me in pieces, SO BE IT. I will wake up stronger than ever because I will have used that time to figure out exactly WHY I died. And what moves I could have used to defend myself now that I know what hold he had me in." :)

Another great scene from The Office

Amherst

Miles traveled - 826
Hours spent in the car - 16.5

States we drove through - 7
Police we spotted - 29
Hours Dave & Tim spent playing - OVER 3!!!

Eileen and I went to Amherst, MA (UMass) this weekend to see our first ever Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds show. We packed the car and left early Saturday morning with plenty of snacks and enough Dave & Tim music to last the entire trip. We were happy we left with plenty of time to spare because we were stuck in a long line in Jersey to get gas. Since you can't pump your own gas in Jersey you have to wait in long lines because they only have 2 attendants available. 16 pumps and only 2 were available. If that makes sense to anyone, please explain it to me.

An hour later, we were on our way again, only to hit more traffic near NYC. Here we are getting ready to cross the GW bridge. Are you starting to sense a theme here? :)

We FINALLY arrived at UMass 9 hours later. Tired, hungry and sick of the car, we checked into our hotel (which was right on campus...SO nice). We drove around Amherst to find food...it's a very cute little college town...and then got ready for the show.

This is the Mullins Center. We walked about a block from our hotel and got there in time to buy t-shirts and find our seats, which turned out to be amazing. Dave & Tim came out and started the show. Dave was in rare form and told a lot of funny stories. He wasn't feeling great and said he had a "fever", which I'm sure was partly because he was high as a kite. Tim never speaks, except through this incredible guitar playing. He had a solo called "Stream" and rocked out with a bit of Led Zepplin's "Kashmir" at the end, which earned him a much deserved standing ovation from the crowd. Dave's voice was great and it was nice to see him in a mellow, laid back setting where he could tell stories and make fun of obnoxious drunk guys in the audience. Why do people feel the need to yell our during pauses or quiet moments in the songs? SO annoying! Note to guys...DON'T yell out, "I love you Dave"! Dave doesn't want to hear it and neither so we! But this show was definitely worth the long trip and we're glad we went!

The ride home was uneventful and much faster than the ride there. We were smart and got gas before Jersey and enjoyed my car's sunroof and the beautiful weather. Here we are back home with our new shirts...only three shows on this mini "tour" and we were at one of them! I hear that there's a DVD coming out about the weekend's shows...can't wait! Now we're going to bed because we're EXHAUSTED!

Here's the setlist in case anyone is interested.

Saturday Apr 21 2007
University of Massachusetts - Mullins Center

Bartender
Dodo
Stay Or Leave
Crush
Old Dirt Hill
Grace Is Gone
So Damn Lucky
Gravedigger
The Stone
Sister
Lie In Our Graves
Oh
Save Me
Stream *
Kashmir * (Led Zepplin cover)
Corn Bread
Down By The River (Neil Young cover)
The Maker (Emmylou Harris cover)
Intro
Jimi Thing
Pantala Naga Pampa
Still Water
Don’t Drink the Water
#41
Dancing Nancies
__________________

Improv +
Some Devil +
Little Thing
Where Are You Going
Two Step

Show Notes:
Dave And Tim appear on all songs except where noted
* Tim Solo
+ Dave Solo