Raise your hand if you’re not very good at completing things you’ve started. ✋

I’m not sure if it’s ADHD or what. But I start a lot of writing pieces that never get off the ground. It feels sort of silly to post something that’s only a few lines long, so I just keep them as drafts. This is a collection of some of the writing pieces and journal entries I’ve done. These never lead to anything.

It’s been said more than enough times, but I’m going to say it again. I am so grateful for my job and the opportunities that come with it! The latest gift I received was a pair of tickets to see Green Day at Fenway Park. I know in my last concert post, I did some bitching about Fenway, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thankful for the experiences. I planned a bit better for this journey and I think it paid off. This was a much better time.

I have been a fan of Green Day, practically since I was in the womb. My mom has always been a fan and I’m so glad she passed that on to me. I’ve been listening to them for as long as I can remember and it has been a dream to see them perform live.

After learning the lessons from the last travel journey, we went to the Wells Transportation Center to leave on the 12:25pm train. That was a cool experience on its own, to be honest. I haven’t been on a train in a very long time. I forgot how fun that is! We grabbed a couple of snacks and drinks from the dining car and relaxed for the two hour trip. Once we arrived at North Station, we hopped on the green line towards Fenway. Getting off at the Kenmore stop was a great choice, because we accidentally ended up in line for a great restaurant. We thought we were just following the crowd to the stadium, but I guess not. However, it was a beautiful mistake.

After ending up in this accidental queue for Cask ‘N Flagon, we decide to go through and see what they had for food. Our original intent was maybe just a drink and appetizer. But after looking at the menu, we decided it was dinner time. We both ordered the Steak Gorgonzola Fettuccine. What an incredible choice that was. I don’t think I’ve ever had a meal so tasty. Our appetizer of their Street Corn Dip with chips was also phenomenal. Our bellies were full and we were ready to go listen to some music. We timed this journey so much better, as we didn’t end up standing in line for an hour and a half. I was grateful for that. They checked our bags and tickets without any wait and we went to find our seats.

The seating was much different from my last show. We hiked up the stairs, ramps, and elevators to find ourselves at the tip-top of the bleachers. While it seemed a bit daunting at first, it was actually a fantastic view. The audio was a bit off, in my opinion. I think these venues must do that to the openers on purpose, but I can’t confirm that.

When we got to our seats, The Linda Lindas were starting their performance. They were young and had so much energy. I miss that. They were singing, playing, and dancing with their whole souls. It was inspiring. Their performance was great.

Next up was Rancid. They also brought such a good energy to the crowd. Their audience engagement seemed to be so genuine. It seemed like they really wanted to connect with the listeners.

Smashing Pumpkins was the final opener. They rocked hard! I didn’t realize how many of their songs I already knew. I’m horrible with remembering titles, but there were quite a few songs that I was able to sing along to. Their portion of the show was so entertaining.

Finally, it was time for the main act: Green Day. We made one final trip for a beverage and the restroom so we wouldn’t miss the beginning. At this point, I had a headache and wasn’t super excited. This was a very similar feeling to last time. I was tired and ready for the show to be over, but I wanted to see Green Day so bad. The crowd came into sync once Bohemian Rhapsody came over the speakers. It sounded like every single person was singing along. That really brightened my mood. Once the crowd was rallied, the big show started. It was amazing. There’s no way to describe the way it feels to hear and see these people you’ve dreamed of for years. I didn’t even know their opening song, but it resonated so well. I could feel the music going straight into my soul. I still had a bit of a headache, but it didn’t matter anymore. I was enveloped in the music.

Once 10pm hit, it was time to catch the trains home. We rolled into the driveway around 2:30am and it took me a while to be able to fall asleep. Today, I’m sitting at work exhausted but thrilled. Not everyone gets these chances and I’m stoked to be able to share these stories. As always, I’m so grateful for the shows I’ve been to. It’s such a blast to be able to experience new shows, new music, and new places. Here are some photos from the day!

I’m always getting bored with my hair. Dying my hair has always been a fun expression and creative experience. I’ve been doing different hair colors for about 15 years now. I’m glad I have this skill and there have been good looks and some bad ones.

At the beginning of June, it was just long and blonde. I was sick of just filling in my roots and continuing on. I wanted to do something different. I tried out the halo hair dye style. It frames the face and adds some color. Pink was first, but it didn’t last very long and I did not like the brand I used. After only like a week, I put purple over it because it really did come out so fast. I was bummed. The purple lasted for a while, but I wanted to do something fun for the 4th of July.

I created what I call, “Red, Blonde and Blue.” I’m so impressed with myself, because it looked really good. After cutting about 6 inches of hair, I dyed my hair in layers. The underneath was red, then a section that I left blonde, then the top and front was blue. I loved this idea and I couldn’t believe how well I did. I knew from the beginning this wasn’t something I wanted to leave in for long. Once the fourth celebrations were over, it would be time to do something else. My original plan was to get rid of the red and blue then cover it with brown, my natural color. That is not at all what happened.

Preface: Like I said above, I love doing fun stuff with my hair. Very rarely do I mess up. This isn’t going to stop me from being creative with my hair colors, cuts, and styles in the future.

I made a stupid mistake. When bleaching the red and blue out, I started with the top because I knew the blue was going to be more difficult to remove. Rookie mistake. After the appropriate time, I rinsed it all out. While it was drying I started setting up to put the brown over it. Second mistake. My hair wasn’t dry enough, so the colors were not staying in the hair. Once again, after waiting the correct amount of time, I rinsed it out. I hopped out of the shower and looked in the mirror. My hair was still wet. But it was coming apart in my hands. Not just a bit of hair shedding. Chunks of my hair were breaking off into my hands. Also, it had turned grey. Not a shiny silver. A sad, muddy grey. I tried to dry it, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I decided I need to go sleep this off and reevaluate in the morning, after ordering a wig from Amazon.

I woke up the next day and my hair still hadn’t dried. I couldn’t understand why there was still this weird soapy feeling in my hair. One more rinse did the trick, but it still looked awful. At this point, I was relying on the fast Amazon delivery.

It’s been a few weeks and I’m over the initial shock of what happened. My hair has settled into a decent blonde color, but it is still very dry and unhealthy. I’ve cut it even shorter and wear it under a hat or wig as much as I can. I’m super bummed.

My goal is to leave it alone for a while, except for trimming, to let my natural hair grow out again. I’m not super big fan of my natural hair color, but I need to give it time to heal. I probably won’t be posting many current photos. Until then, wigs and hats to make me feel better!

The last full week of July, I got to attend the Ossipee Valley Music Festival in Hiram. We got to go last year, but this year we fully emersed in it. This was a week of sleeping outside, playing and listening to music, as well as spending time with family. I’m already looking forward to next year.

My uncle Matt and I spent a lot of time playing tunes. He got to take part in the String Camp this year. Since I had to work part of the week, I didn’t sign up for it. Maybe next year! Nonetheless, I still spent most of my time strumming or singing something.

When we weren’t taking part in the music, we were probably eating. We brought a bunch of food to cook on the grill for the week. During the weekend, there were food trucks and vendors. My favorite is always the pizza.

We also attended some dance parties and workshops. The kids had a BLAST at the barn dance. They were so stoked to be able to stay up way past their bedtime. I’m glad I got to share that with them.

I’m so grateful that I got to take time away from the office and my computer. Most of what I do is done online, so it was nice to get a break from that. Being in the dirt and away from my phone was so peaceful. Here are some photos to commemorate the week!