Highway Driving Survey

Okay, so you're going 70 in a 55 mph zone in the left lane and passing many cars in the right lane. Some maniac comes up behind you tailgaiting. It's pretty trafficy. What do you do?
1) Immediately get over into the right lane, even though that traffic is going slower than 70
2) Wait until you've passed several cars and the right land is clear and then get over
3) Drive faster - no one's gonna show you up
4) Drive slower - teach that jerk a lesson
5) Do nothing, keep going. You are going 15 miles over the speed limit anyway...

Gardening

I've been meaning to get to this post for a while, but I kept forgetting to take pictures.

Here is my garden about a week after I planted it in late May:

It contains: 12 tomato plants (3 different kinds), green peppers, jalopeno peppers, habenaro peppers, cayenne peppers, brazilian hot wax peppers, another kind of pepper I don't remember, onions, green beans, cucumbers, squash and zuchinni. It will be a mother-load, particularly of peppers, if all goes well. Here are some close ups:

We also have three rows of raspberry bushes, a blueberry tree and a wild patch of black berries that I'm trying to tame a bit this year. I also tossed 3 strawberry plants in with the black berry patch and am wishing them good luck, but they may not make it. One did have a strawberry on it, but I haven't been attending to them very carefully.
Since these pictures were taken, there's been a lot of growth. The squash and zuchinni are going crazy. I'm hoping I gave them enough room. There are lots of tiny peppers everywhere and the tomatoes are flowering. I'm crossing my finger on the tomatoes because I've planted them every year (4 now) and I don't think I've ever gotten a full size ripe tomato. Something always seems to happen to them and they either don't grow or they never ripen. I've been wanting my own tomatoes to make salsa with and I even planted some cilantro as well, in a planter with basil. Both of those are doing well. So, I'm crossing my fingers for a great yield of veggies. It will be a nice little offset to my grocery bill... that I can put towards gas. :(

Much anticipated; much disappointed

I honestly can't believe I'm about to write this, but I was indeed disappointed with the Over the Rhine show last Friday. Perhaps I had too much enthusiasm going into it, but that enthusiasm was based on the past 20 times I've seen OTR live... It's always a good time.
To be fair, part of the problem was certainly the venue and the lack of communication about whether or not there would be an opener and the fact that apparently they had to be off the stage by 8 something in order for the club to set up for, well, clubbing. So, when we showed up at 7:20 expecting to see the end of the opening act, we were surprised to find that we'd already missed 5 songs. Then, shockingly, they were off the stage shortly after 8. We only got to see them for about an hour. Perhaps not something to blame the band for, but disappointing nonetheless.
In terms of what we did get to see, there were definitely some different takes on a few songs, such as Ohio, with a lot heavier drum and guitar. Which was cool. But I kind of thought the drummer was a little over the top. I thought the 10 minute (at least it seemed like 10 minutes) drum solo was a bit indulgent and I felt like he was rushing some of the songs to the point where Karin was looking at him frequently with what appeared to me as a somewhat panicked look. Some other people were saying it wasn't mixed well. I'm don't have a good enough ear for that sort of thing, but it certainly wasn't the best they've sounded. I did like the songs they did choose to play and enjoyed them, but it was all just way too short for the $20 admission. I did enjoy seeing them from up above the stage. It was cool to see the ease at which Linford plays those keyboards. And just more of the overall interaction between all the band members.
So, a little bummed about it, but still a big fan. Hope the next show's better!

OTR finally!

The Over the Rhine concert that I was so excited about in March is now only 2 short days away! An added bonus is that I just found out that greg and and Shannon will also be there. I'm really curious as to what this show is going to be like. It's been over two years since I saw them last, and ironically, I'm pregnant again. No wine to accompany the music. :( I'll survive.
This is a new venue for them in Pittsburgh. I've seen them at the old Rosebud and tiny Club Cafe, but not at Diesel. I've been in Diesel twice and wasn't much of a fan. Additionally, like I mentioned before, I find this current CD - Trumpet Child - to be a step away from what I'm used to from OTR. It was the first CD from them that I practically had to force myself to listen to and it took me quite some time to really get into some of the songs. I realize that artists need to change and try to things to keep from getting bored, but at the same time, a fan wants to have an idea of what they're getting. It kind of reminds me of some of Pearl Jam's later records... you rushed out to get them only to wonder... Is this Pearl Jam??
Anyway, I'll be sure to give you all a post concert review.