IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

02/28/2009

Yes, I do feel a year older today, but it's alright.

I was unsure what to write last night before I went to sleep. I had just finished a 6 week project of reorganizing all my 262 cds, and was going to post all the cds here but then thought I would write about what my plans were for my birthday, (going to a casino then to a nice stake house with family, Sunday a small gathering of friends and family at my house)

However, I got an email from my twin's best friend, whishing us a happy birthday along with an entry he wrote in his facebook, naming some of his favorite bands and the memorable moments he had at the concerts of the bands.
The following is a return email I wrote to him and I CC to my twin.

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thanks for sending this along.
Yesterday I finish a project I started of re-organizing my cds because I had cds all over my room and some that were in the 300 disk player but werent where they should be.
So for any person with sight could just pull them all out organize them and put them back. I had to take them 1 by 1 by 1 by 1... from the disk player, put them into my computer to see which cd it was, I kept track of the cds by writing them in a word doc, make piles of cds, and after 6 weeks of this, I put them all back nice and neetly.
I have 262 cds but of that, 28 were bon jovi-compulations with bon jovi songs, 20 R.E.M. cd - compulations and 20 pearljam-live cds.

Over a year ago, I tried to sit down and figure out how many bands I have seen. I know I have seen bon jovi 15 times, blessid union of souls 17 times, everclear 11 times, aerosmith5 metallica 5, madonna 3, GNR 3, Boyziimen 3, new edition 4, green day 3, Bryan Adams 7 times, STP 2, pearljam 2, billy Joel 4, kid rock 3, Gin Blossom 4, BNL 3...
But the problem was, I have been to so many of those all day-night radeo station concerts. (I realize you wont know the dif but I'll list them anyways)
Kiss 108 9 years, WBCN 3, mix98.5 3, ... and at each of those shows there was at least 20 bands but of corse the above list was included when thinking of how many times I saw the indevisual bands.
AND of course, the greatest concert of all, and still the best non-wedding week end of my life,
July 23-24-25 of 1999, When the stars alined and woodstock 99 and my hero, Nolan Ryan's Hall Of Fame, induction ceremony was the same week end just an hour apart and Justin drove us to see woodstock and over on sunday to see nolan Ryan, and back to woodstock to see RedHotChilliPeppers close out the best concert.

Now you mentioned in your opening, something about a top 20 fav song list.
Although I doubt I could actually make one, I know that GNR's Patience, has been and my favorite song as far back as I can recall which is 1991, and will always be. So when I heard that song live for the first time, I had teers just streeming down my face, I was so happy.

You know Jared, it is kinda funny how much music and sports monopolizes and controls our lifes and the overwelming emotions that just grabs us by the face and teaches us, without realizing it, about life and all the life lessons we have learned vicariously through the lyrics and the plays of both music and sports.

In 1988, when my grand father took Robert, justin and myself to see the Lakers and celtics, (before I knew what basketball was) and I saw at the end of the game, a black man and a white man, hug at center court, I thought nothing of it but now I realize how strong that second of my life is for me. I hear about racism all over the world and in my back yard and I just think, why cant we all just hug at center court?

Although I was raised in a well-off family with a hard working father, a stay at home mother where all the offsprings have college degrees and all eventually will have masters and some day, at least one will have a doctorate degree, that does not mean that I do not know what it is like to live in the gheto, having to beg for food, while watching your back, making sure your own best friend doesn't rob from you. I have learned from groups such as "the gheto boys" (my mind is playing tricks on me), naughty by nature, (everything's gonna be alright)arrested development (mr. wendel) and everclear (heroin girl, father of mine,I will buy you a new life,Santa Monica)

and it is with all these, and many many more life lessens i have learned through sports and music that I will cary on learning, discovering, enjoying life with very little regrets as I head into my 31st year of life.

And since I am going to my second favorite place today, (#1 being fenway park) I leave you with these lyrics.

Now evry gambler knows that the secret to surviving
Is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So when he'd finished speaking, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Just Older
Bon Jovi

Hey, man, it's been a while
Do you remember me?
When I hit the streets I was 17
A little wild, a little green
I've been up and down and in between
After all these years and miles of memories
I'm still chasing dreams
But I ain't looking over my shoulder

I like the bed I'm sleeping in
It's just like me, it's broken in
It's not old - just older
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans
This skin I'm in it's alright with me
It's not old - just older

It's good to see your face
You ain't no worse for wear
Breathing that California air
When we took on the world
When we were young and brave
We got secrets that we'll take to the grave
And we're standing here shoulder to shoulder

I like the bed I'm sleeping in
It's just like me, it's broken in
It's not old - just older
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans
This skin I'm in it's alright with me
It's not old - just older

I'm not old enough to sing the blues
But I wore the holes in the soles of these shoes
You can roll the dice 'til they call your bluff
But you can't win until you're not afraid to lose

Well, I look in the mirror
I don't hate what I see
There's a few more lines staring back at me
Now the nights has grown a little colder
Hey man, I gotta run
Now you take care
If you see coach T. Tell him I've cut my hair
I've kept my faith
I still believe I'm just...
Ha

I like the bed I'm sleeping in
It's just like me, it's broken in
It's not old - just older
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans
This skin I'm in it's alright with me
It's not old - just older