Last night I had a horrible headache. When I first went to bed, it was fairly mild. I was able to fall asleep after about fifteen minutes. It just got worse from there.
I dreamt that I was standing in the kitchen with my mother and then suddenly grabbed at the front of my hairline and pulled all of my hair out in one rapid movement. I then began screaming "Why did I just do that?" over and over again. I was completely confused about what had just happened. All I felt was intense burning pain. Then, I woke up and realized that the reason I had such a terrible dream was because my head felt like it was splitting open. I was in intense pain. I managed to fall back asleep, only to wake back up every few minutes until my alarm went off.
Thankfully, after a few pills and a chilly walk to campus, my headache whittled away to nothing. I would have been pretty miserable if I had to do introductions and syllabus discussions while my head was pounding.
Thankfully, I felt fine again and my students seemed to be motivated and interested in participating in discussion. But, since it was basically just introductions today, it is really too early to tell if this will continue. I have high hopes!
I suffer from headaches quite frequently, usually five or six a week varying in intensity. OTC medicines don't help most of the time anymore. I need to see the doctor soon and figure it out. I'm tired of it.
So, we supposedly moved into a "quiet, professional neighborhood." But, because I have lived in the middle of nowhere for the past two years, I can't get used to the city noise here. I do not think it is quiet.
Since we moved in about a month ago, I have not had a single night of good sleep. I've been going to bed later and later and waking up earlier and earlier.
I guess one of the things I am going to have to get used to again is living in an apartment. Granted, we live above a business, so it's not quite as noisy as it could be. There is no one here in the late evenings. But, they arrive in the early hours of the morning and I hear them come in every time. I hear the carts wheeling around. And on certain days, I hear a very LOUD employee who doesn't hesitate to talk, stomp, laugh, listen to music, etc. as loud as humanly possible. I would swear she was in bed next to me sometimes. Then, I hear the street noise... oh, the street noise. That is the hardest thing to get used to. We had zero noise at our last house because we lived a tenth of a mile from the rural road. But now, we live right on the road and every car wakes me up. It shouldn't bother me. I used to live right next to the traintracks... but it's been so long ago that my body isn't used to noise anymore. I hear the garbage truck. I hear people's dogs. And now.... I hear partying college students.
We actually live in a nice neighborhood that is home to primarily graduate students and professionals. But, I guess because I am hyper sensitive to noise right now, I hear the parties that are taking place way up the road. It's easy to tell that school is back in session.
And the other night, the security alarm went off downstairs. Apparently, something fell over in the business and set off the motion sensor... Needless to say, I didn't sleep easy that night.
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Don't get me wrong. I love our new home. It is beautiful inside. It is an old Victorian farmhouse with great character. And, it's been kept up very nicely. It is amazing to be within walking distance of pretty much everything. We use so much less gasoline. And, we can go grocery shopping for smaller amounts and it only takes a few minutes.
Once I get used to the noise, this will be the perfect place to live. But for now, I feel more like a country mouse than I ever have
So, last night was the Radiohead concert that I've been so excited about for the past few months. The concert was in the Blossom Music Center at Cuyahoga Falls, OH.
The arena itself was breathtaking. I had never been there before, but my husband had. He told me about it, but I didn't quite picture the lawn as large as it was. By the time the concert started, the lawn was packed with people as far as I could see.
Anyway, we arrived extremely early because we were worried about traffic. Thankfully, there was none. So, we stood in line outside the gate and entertained ourselves by taking pictures.
We didn't get the best tickets ever, but we were at the center of the pavillion. I was a little disappointed because I have never seen Radiohead live and I wanted to be able to enjoy the show. From our seats, in the sunlight, I couldn't see anything. So... we moved to some empty seats for Grizzly Bear's performance and hoped that nobody would show up to claim them. We remained there for the entire opening act. Unfortunately, the seats were claimed by their rightful owner seconds before Radiohead took the stage and we were banished to our own.
Thankfully, night fell. When it was dark, the stage was much easier to see and I actually ended up feeling like we had a decent view of the stage (albeit a bit small).
Radiohead opened with "Fifteen Step," which is one of the songs I was hoping they would open with. I love that song on the album and I wanted to hear it live. I didn't think it was anything extra special, just as good as it is on the CD, which is very very good. The light show, though, was amazing! The stage was strung with strips of cloth and a large, horizontal screen. The lights danced across the strips and the band was broadcast on the screen making it easier to see the intricate details (like Jonny playing the keyboard with his guitar WHILE PLAYING THE GUITAR!!! during "Street Spirit")!!! I know! I was in Heaven. I snapped a few pictures. They aren't the greatest, but they get the message across.
The show really picked up for me during "Exit Music (for a film)." The lights were dim and candle-like. The song built and built until it exploded. And then every song afterward was amazing. My favorite of the night was "Idioteque." It was hard not to dance (though I held off a bit because there were some crazy dancers around us already).
At one point, some big guy crammed his way into our row right next to us and was dancing all around. He wouldn't move and just kept hitting me over and over again. Thankfully, we maneuvered ourselves in such a way that we kept him (and the guy smoking weed next to him) out of our way.
The main set was followed by two encores. You can find the whole setlist here.
Anyone who was looking to hear In Rainbows live was not disappointed. They played every song on the album.
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There is something about Radiohead that is unmatched by any band I've ever heard. When I listen to them, I ache all over. I ache to perform, I ache to write, I ache to do something. It's more than just listening to some lyrics. There is no plot necessary. It's a state of being that is expressed.
*sigh* I sound like a crazy fan.
I just enjoy their music a lot. And, last night's show was no exception. I wish we could go to the one in NJ on the 12th.
The three and a half hours there and back and the one and half hour wait in the parking lot to leave the pavillion was worth it. I would go again in a heartbeat.
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Here's a clip from last night's show. I did not film it. I found it on youtube, and it's pretty decent quality. And, this is one of those songs that was good on CD but CRAZY GOOD live. Enjoy!
The Gloaming
If you search, there are other songs up on youtube.
We are so unsettled. Every year we have to pack up and move somewhere else. It's not that I don't enjoy moving, because I do. I would just prefer to do it a little more seldom.
Yesterday we finished taking the last load of things from our old house to our new one. We cleaned for several hours and our security deposit was returned with lightning speed. So, although I hated our landlord at the last place, I am thankful for the quick deposit return.
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Our new place is beautiful. It doesn't have 12-13 acres like the last place - It doesn't have any yard as a matter of fact. But, it's a nice change. NO MOWING!!!! And, we are within walking distance of everything.
I will post some pictures and details later. (Once I unpack my camera).
