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how i would get the free concert tickets from manny would turn out to be a logistical challenge. he went to the box office last night to pick them up but they were closed, so he had to do it later today after work. the trick was finding him in boston (where he has his dance class), and david fitzgerald, whom was sharing the other half of the tickets (didn't realize he was a real bonafide emmylou harris fan), would come along as well as i met manny down in copley square.

i didn't ride the motorcycle since i'd be going directly into boston after work. likewise, i didn't bring my camera either because i was afraid they wouldn't let me into the fleet pavilion (which was what happened when i went to the white stripes concert at the tsongas arena). this fear was unfounded as they neither checked my bag nor did they specifically say you couldn't take photos (no flash photography or video, although during the performance there were occasional flashing through the audience). i felt helpless all day without my camera. i kept on praying that i'd have a boring day, nothing worth photographing. when we got to south station (to take the shuttle down to the pavilion), the sky suddenly darkened up and vertical streaks of lightning started striking the earth like old school missile command. david and i quickly got our food (i had an order of garlic fries and a pepsi, $9) and ate in our seats before it started raining, the strong winds spraying water into the pavilion tent, as people scrambled away from the open edges. if only i had my camera! i was biting my knuckle so i wouldn't have to think about the great missed photo ops. it was a passing storm though, and disappeared after about 10-20 minutes.

from harvard to central square i saw the latest in subway advertisement: animated billboards inside the tunnel, using the train's speed, a few thousand panels strategically spaced out, and the human brain's natural ability to stitch imaged sequences together. i read about it earlier this week, but didn't have a chance to see it for myself because i haven't been riding the train recently. it's pretty cool, you're staring out the dark windows of the subway one moment, then suddenly COLOR flashes before your eyes, and what looks like a movie of people having fun (an advertisement for royal caribbean cruises). i'd actually seen something like this in japan 7 years ago, but they did it with LED images instead of actual billboards.

work was work. fellow developer brian finally finished helping me do some of the code, and handed it off to me by day's end. unfortunately, this necessitates in me having to come back to work tomorrow morning. it doesn't even feel like i friday now, the lines between weekday and weekend have been blurred all this month. i just want to get the damn thing done. i don't feel particularly rushed, all i know is the more code hours we throw on it, the faster it'll get done. i can't believe august is almost over. come next month, rob house will be moving in with me for a month or two, a temporary roommate. it'll be interesting. anyway, todd gave me the keys to the office before i left. have i graduated to a level of trust that i can have the office keys? the lines between contract employee and permanent employees seemed to be blurred as well. the company paid for our lunch again, takeout from the cheesecake factory. surprisingly, cheesecake was not one of the options (i would've had just the cheesecake for lunch). i got this great pasta with carmelized onions but damn this work, i wouldn't call it stress, but whatever it is, it's preventing me from fully enjoying life, and i have very little appetite and food just taste bland to me. i can't wait for this to be over. i might actually weep from happiness.

while the city is still abuzz from the 3 nights prince concert, i'm off to go see emmylou harris. the concert was billed as the sweet harmony traveling revue, featuring harris, as well as patty griffin, gillian welch, buddy miller and david rawling. i bought some earplugs but they were unnecessary, the music level was just right, loud enough to be heard, soft enough that nobody gets deaf. the demographic was definitely older, although occasionally groups of younger women could be spotted. emmylou sings mature folk/country, and a lot of cover songs. she appeared in the beginning, then disappeared backstage to let the other artists perform. occasionally she'd wander out to sing backup, almost like it was a spur of the moment thing. our seats were located in a modest location, far enough away that they definitely weren't premium, but still close enough that we didn't have to squint. the fact that there were two projected videos of the concert made seeing the artists that much easier, as a camera crew worked silently below stage, shooting a live concert film for the audience. is it just me, or does emmylou harris look like a better kept version of debbie harry? looking at her, you wouldn't think the woman was nearing 60 years old. at one point one of the singers came out and asked the boston audience if we liked the red sox towel draping one of the drums, then she told us the game score, 6-0; naturally i applauded. i didn't like the music as much as david, who seemed to know every song that was played, and would occasionally provide some anecdote about the tune. i only recognized a few songs, and knew them as other artists, nothing from emmylou harris herself. at times the tunes seemed monotonous, especially when emmylou wasn't performing, but by the end of the concert, i was tapping my fingers and waving my foot around. there were two encores (audience today are so spoiled; there would've been a riot of we only got one encore), everyone came out to sing that "every season turn turn turn" song (emmylou told everyone to register to vote). i got goosebumps when they finished off with the lyrics, "time for peace i swear it's not too late." they also did a cover of bob dylan's "weight" ("take a load off fanny"), which was pretty good too. after the concert we walked back into the city ((like most people who didn't drive). we got off at kendall square, where dave gave me a ride home.

i took a shower and got changed before going back out again, riding the bike to julie's place, where party sounds could be heard as far as down the street. the last party at their place was back in february, the bling bling party. some people were sitting on the steps as i snaked my way into the house. i found julie in the kitchen talking with two guys. when i tried to get her attention she seemed oblivious to my presence, so i fixed myself a drink (cranberry juice) and went out to sit on the steps (away from the heat inside the house) with my new friends deb and nicole and a guy. nicole told me she's a high school teacher, which i found so shocking. i hold teachers to be in such high regards, that i'm always surprised when i see them doing the same things i'm doing. i guess teachers need to party too on occasions! with my drink finished, i went back inside for a refill and to see if i can get julie's attention once again. she finally recognized me, and told me that i was the only one of her invited friends who decided to show up (despite the fact that it was nearing midnight). we hung out in the kitchen, i was introduced to a few people (wayne, peter), including a drunk neighbor who stumbled uninvited into the house and kept calling me an "asshole" when i told him i didn't know who "buffalo tom" was (i lied, i know who they are). i was one passive aggressive step away from stabbing him with a kitchen utensil or setting his shirt on fire. with the grace of a china shop bull, i trampled on the toe of a leggy guest who grabbed me and informed me of what i did. i apologized, realizing i had just made an enemy for life. i saw julie's roommates, radha with her boyfriend (whom was the rationalization behind this party, a birthday party), and kim, back from central america, completely bronzed, slightly drunk, super friendly. a table of assorted booze sat in the kitchen, while out in the dining room there were some food, but picked at so badly it was hard to guess what they were originally. music came from julie's powerbook, serving as an mp3 jukebox, with people taking turns to add their own favorite music to the playlist. i left close to 1am when i started to feel a little out of place. it's better to feel awkward in the privacy of my own house.

off to work tomorrow morning, 9am sharp. that sucks.