Veteran’s Day

3rd Street monument memorializing confederate soldiers.

Happy Veteran’s Day, readers! I hope that you have dedicated at least a little time today to give back to those who have sacrificed in order to protect you. Whether we like the protection or not, it’s important to recognize and respect the sacrifice made by veterans.

Today, here at U of L, a couple of important things happened. First off, at nine o’clock this morning, U.S. Senator John McCain gave a free speech at Cardinal Arena in the SAC (Student Activities Center) here on Belknap Campus. Sadly, I was in Chinese 101 at nine o’clock this morning and could not attend. Also, the Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao Archives were dedicated this morning in Ekstrom Library at 10:30. From what I understand, Senator McCain was in attendance.

If you missed this event, too, I’m not surprised. Usually there are fliers or signs, or at the very least some chalk, but I haven’t seen any of it. I only just heard about it last night from my roommate, who found out about it by reading her friend’s Facebook status. Maybe I’m out of the loop because I don’t get to watch the news and can’t afford a subscription to the Courier-Journal. At any rate, I found some details about it here at the CJ’s website. If you got to go, let me know how it was.

So today, get in touch with a veteran you know and tell him or her thanks. That’s what I did today in Louisville.

Ok Go @ The Southgate House

Damian Kulash, Ok Go frontman.

This past Sunday (November 8th, 2009) Ok Go was at The Southgate House in Newport, KY. Since it’s only about an hour and a half drive from Louisville and because it was so intensely awesome, I’m going to tell you all about it.

Many of you will probably know Ok Go from their Here It Goes Again music video, the one where they dance on treadmills. If you haven’t seen it, you should climb out from beneath your rock and go check it out. Sadly, the stage at the Southgate House was not big enough for them to perform for us their famous treadmill dance OR their A Million Ways dance.

Nonetheless, it was a fantastic experience. You can find the picture I snapped of the setlist on Flickr. I’ve loved this band for six years, since my freshman year in high school. Seeing them live was everything I’d hoped it would be. The music was fantastic, a good combination of their new stuff and old stuff. The double shot of confetti was exciting (and yes, I stuffed some in my purse) and Damian Kulash is pretty damn funny. Also his smile is adorable, but that’s neither here nor there.

Andy Ross rocks.

They had all sorts of instruments on the stage throughout the show. Probably the coolest thing, however, was when they played What to Do with only Damian’s voice and handbells. They claimed it was an homage to the Lord since it was Sunday. We all know the truth; they just wanted to impress us. It worked.

Naturally, I made a poster inviting the band to go eat after the show. They said maybe. If I had actually chosen and located a place to eat in the city beforehand, I think they might have gone with me. At any rate, they all signed my poster and chatted with me and took photos after the show. They were all really nice and charming.

Overall, it was an awesome awesome experience. Everyone who was not there missed out and if you ever have a chance to see them live, you should.

And that is what I did on Sunday in Louisville Newport.

A Weekend’s Activities

This past weekend I celebrated the birthday of my best friend. She stayed with me here at U of L all weekend and we had crazy fun adventures around the city on Friday and Saturday. Sunday we spent in Newport/Cincinatti. So you can look forward to a whole slew of posts about the excitement that went down, as well as some photos. This stuff will include fondue, John Lefler, The Louisville Orchestra, car chalk, hookah, Damian Kulash, ear X-tacy, Bardstown Road, the Cheesecake Factory, an indie colouring book, Dashboard Confessional, palm readings, vintage stuff, consignment stores, and scary men who approach you in twilight. Also, my regret at being unable to afford a ticket to see The Men Who Stare At Goats. Buckle your seatbelts, there’s a lot coming your way.