CKR: March 2011

(continued from January - February 2011...)

MARCH 2011

“CKR” Diary Post No. 54

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Another year, another concert… Next Tuesday, Scott and I will be heading back to the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood for our 4th (or is it 5th?) Kid Rock concert. We’re riding down with the neighbors and (hopefully) hooking up with a few other friends once we’re there (same friends who took a copy of CKR with them on the cruise last year). I don’t expect anything more exciting than a rock concert to happen, though it would be nice if something did…

“CKR” Diary Post No. 55

Monday, March 07, 2011

FINALLY! Back online in “real time”! Getting the Diary posted in its entirety took a few weeks, but it’s all here now in an easy-to-read format. Even have 8 followers already! Granted, that’s not exactly proof that I’m able to “cultivate an audience online,” but you’ve gotta start somewhere, right? And 8’s a great number, given it’s part of my favorite number, 28. Funny how those things follow you.

So far, I’ve heard nothing from either agent I queried last month. Not a shocker. If I’m still empty-handed in a couple weeks, I’ll send a letter to Kid Rock’s agent. Since they don’t accept unsolicited queries, I have to be sneaky. Rather than approach her with a book idea for ME, I’ll try to convince her it’s a great project for HIM. Whether I fail or succeed, at least I can say I tried.

[Sidenote: In case you’re wondering why I’m looking for an agent when I already have one, you might recall Tom is an entertainment attorney (among other things), not a literary agent. He took on the task a while back as a personal favor because the agent I was given for “Immortal Bonds” SUCKED ASS. He also thought he could help. Since then, nothing’s moved forward, so I’m starting from scratch.]

The BIG “Kid Rock Chillin’ the Most” cruise is only a month away! I can still remember the day tickets went on sale – I posted a “guilt trip” on my Facebook status, hoping peer pressure would convince Scott to go (it worked). He and I had to reluctantly pass on the first one last year as we’d just spent all our money (and sanity) buying a house. This time, though, I couldn’t resist – especially when I heard it was (a) close to my birthday and (b) departing from New Orleans. Anyone who knows me, even a little, is aware of my fondness for The Big Easy. It’s a city unlike any other. PLUS it comes with my best friend, Vicki, who lives only minutes away in Baton Rouge.

There IS one downside to the cruise, however: My brother, Jack, who’s NEVER been to Florida, is arriving with his wife and daughter on April 2 and leaving April 9. The cruise departs April 7. We’ve known about the conflict for a while, and we think we’ve found a solution (i.e., they can spend the last 2 days of their visit in Orlando), but it’ll be VERY hard to leave while Jack’s here. We’ve also been dragging our feet with respect to travel arrangements; I’d rather fly into New Orleans the morning of the cruise (2 hours), Scott’s thinking about driving up (14 hours!). We’ll get there, one way or another – WITH a fresh copy of CKR. Either way, I’m about out of my skin in anticipation.

But first we have the concert tomorrow night. We have general admission tickets, which means we’re on the floor. For me, that’s like a free pass to the front row. Scott, on the other hand, will likely protest any and all attempts on my part to get close to the stage. I’m hoping, if he drinks enough beer, he won’t notice. ;)

“CKR” Diary Post No. 56
Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Our neighbors are awesome. Not only did they drive all the way to Fort Lauderdale, they got us french fries for the trip, introduced us to parts of the Hard Rock property we hadn’t seen before -- including the parking garage and a bitchin’ BBQ joint – AND showed us how to navigate the casino and find the hotel. We’d have been lost without them.

Our friends are awesome, too. They had a room for the night and invited us to a pre-concert party. There was a small issue with the exact room number, but, once we stepped off the elevator on their floor, the iPod was easy to find. Being Fat Tuesday, I brought everybody beads, and we passed around the Jack – which tastes best straight out’ the bottle. It was a perfect way to kick off the evening.

Then there’s my husband, who’s the awesomest. We stood some three people deep from the railing, maybe 15 feet from the end of the stage. Had the lights been brighter, I think we might have seen the blue in Kid Rock’s eyes. In the car on the way down, Scott and I picked songs we thought he’d open with. He chose “Don’t Stop Believin.” I guessed “American Badass.” We were both right.

The long-haired, redneck son of Detroit brought the strippers back for a song or two. That tickled me. The pyro blasts might have singed my hat, but they were really cool. He chastised people for throwing beads on the stage and, for those who didn’t like a particular song, he suggested they reserve judgement and wait a song or two, because the genre would change. Being short on one end, I didn’t have a good view of Jimmie, but Jason stood in front of us most of the time, Stefanie kicked some slipper-footed ass, Jessica wailed, and everybody sounded “on.” In short, they rocked the house. I was disappointed there was no encore, which – note to R.J.Ritchie – should have been “Rock ‘n’ Roll Jesus.” But the night was … well, awesome, and worth the bruises and hangover.

Photographic evidence is available on Facebook, though I took none of the pictures. I snapped one shot of the stage with my phone before the lights went off, just as a testament to being there. It was Scott’s 6th Kid Rock concert, my 5th. We’ve seen him from nearly every angle, but have never been that close. His energy is amazing. I can’t wait to meet him next month…

…it’s about damn time.

"CKR" Diary Post No. 57, or Why My Husband Rocks
Monday, March 28, 2011

My husband never intended to remodel a house … in two months. The idea, back in December, was to “update” the guest bed and bath before my brother and his family arrived. We had until April 2. Around Christmas, Scott started ripping out bathroom fixtures and came across some, shall we say, creative plumbing and electrical work. To get a better look, he removed a wall. Then another wall. And the suspended ceiling. With the framework exposed, the walls appeared to be free-standing, as in not attached to the roof. So Scott tore out a few more walls.

Behind the sink and toilet wall is the laundry/utility room/storage closet, where the new hot water heater was to be installed. Behind the shower wall are the bedroom closet and main dining area. By the time demolition ended, every interior wall on that side of the house was gone. Only a few hanging wires and lots of exposed fiberglass insulation remained as proof any of the rooms existed.

Scott grabbed a hammer and a few two-by-fours and – when he wasn’t at the office or jetting around the country – re-built the framework for the walls separating the bedroom, bathroom, closet, and utility room, then re-wired every light fixture, switch, and outlet; re-directed the plumbing to accommodate the new shower, sink, and hot water heater; hung drywall on all the walls and new, raised ceilings; sprayed knock-down on the bedroom, bathroom, and utility room walls; painted primer on the walls and ceilings in the bedroom, dining room, and down the hall; mixed concrete (with help from the fireman next door) and poured the contoured floor in the shower (it’s a multi-day process); and installed all but a few of the new light fixtures, switches, and outlets, including the ceiling fan and light in the bedroom, which he sorta had to do twice, but he says fans are always a bitch.

He’s had a little help. Our friend Billy, among other things, installed the hot water heater. I understand there’s a good story there, involving 40 or so gallons of water (disbursed at high speed all over the newly-knock-downed drywall), but it’s better when one of them tells it. The boy installed several of the electrical outlets, and he and his buddy (our “other son”) helped a bit with the framing. The teenager pitched in once or twice, though she’ll insist she contributed more. And I’ve done some things along the way, too, like dusting and painting and dusting and painting and dusting and … our neighbor and I even finished the exterior trimwork and painted the downstairs façade, facing the road. It looks awesome! (Sidenote: Scott says the jury’s out on the yellow front door upstairs. I love it. We’ll have to take a poll to see if it stays.)

This past Saturday, Scott and I tiled the shower. I measured and cut, he laid … from 10am to 9pm. Sunday – with help from the neighbors – the toilet, sink, floor, and door went in, and the girls finished priming the front balcony for paint. Scott flew out this morning to … um … (Ohio?) I forget, but he needs the rest. He’ll be home Wednesday night in time to lay grout. While he’s gone, I’ll finally be able to clean and clear a lot of the clutter and reclaim the house. Tools and materials are everywhere. Drywall and knock-down make an incredible mess. I refinished a chest of drawers that I can’t wait to get into the bedroom. The mattresses can be moved out of the living room and the bed set up. I’ve been furnishing and accessory shopping for the past few weeks and stowing things away in my office. With everything out, I can extend the bed and convert the space into a guest room for my niece.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with CKR, but it does explain why I won’t be writing or posting again until after my brother’s visit, and after we’ve returned (and recovered) from the Kid Rock cruise. It’s hard to type when you’re installing and hanging window treatments. I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t raining (which I hope the gutter guy has noted – after a nasty car accident Friday morning, he and his team ran short on time and haven’t installed downspouts yet). The whole job won’t be finished before Jack gets here, but he’s already said he’d sleep in a tent in the yard, so whatever state it’s in won’t matter. He also said not to pamper him too much or he wouldn’t wanna leave. Hmmm… (1) This is the first time he and his family have visited Florida, (2) I only get home to Washington once a year or so, and rarely find more than a day or two (sometimes only a few hours) to hang with him, and (3) we haven’t shared five whole days together since we were kids. You know I’m turnin’ this place into Shangri-frickin-La.

Scott will have Thursday and Friday evenings (after work) to do last-minute stuff, like install shower and bathroom fixtures, caulk the tile and sink, and affix the bathroom door knob. His Mom and Dad are driving over from Sebring in the motor home to help with the final push. We’re hoping they bring Bailey – Rocko will be so excited! Saturday will be spent cleaning (seems it never ends). Jack and Co. arrive in West Palm around 5pm. I’m bringing them the scenic route home (partially to stall, partially to show them the area), then we’ll immediately open the first of many cold ones, light a fire, and officially kick off our five-day celebration (Happy Birthday to me!!). The party starts at eight.

I don’t know when Scott’s going to find time to cook.

(to be continued…)