2014 was a year to remember

I've been reflecting on 2014 as the year comes to a close.  After getting off to a very rough start, it turned around in a major way.  In the end, it was one of the best years I've had in recent memory.  I'm going to share some of the reflections of the events that shaped 2014.

As I said in the opening, the year got off to a very rough start.  I started the year unemployed after being let go from a temporary assignment at Verisk Health, which as you will read later turned out to be a very good thing.  I spent the year still living at home with the parents while trying to rebuild my financial stability.  My birthday was a major downer, which I previously blogged about.

So how did 2014 turn out to be such a wonderful year after that rough start?  Well the turnaround began in March when I was offered a temporary position with Dealertrack.  The temp agency found me, and I sure am glad they did.  After spending nine months as a temporary employee, I was offered a position directly with Dealertrack.  My start date for the new position is 1/5/15.  It's a more technical oriented position, which is absolutely perfect for my tech geek self.  After 4 long years of bouncing around as a temp since leaving Zions, it feels like I have finally found the right company for me to grow with.  This is a definite highlight of the year.

I also finally fulfilled a lifelong dream.  I have always longed to be a ballet dancer.  For 7 years I have watched Ballet West from the audience with great joy.  Always admiring the dancers, and wishing to emulate them.  Well in the Summer I finally did something about it.  I first reached out to Allison DeBona (Soloist with Ballet West) for private ballet lessons.  I experienced my first ballet class ever with her on 5/31/14.  It was incredible, and she is a fabulous teacher.  That was my only class with Allison, as I moved over to private lessons with Elizabeth McGrath (recently retired First Soloist with Ballet West).  I have now taken a total of 10 ballet classes, with 9 of those being taught by Elizabeth.  It's been absolutely amazing for me to finally live out this dream.  Elizabeth is such an awesome teacher, and I am so lucky to be learning from her.  I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to make this dream a reality.  I am just so happy when I am in ballet class, and really look forward to learning even more.  It really is never too late to live out your dreams.  Don't let age or fear hold you back.

I visited a city I had longed to visit for many years.  In September I took a road trip to San Francisco!!  Unfortunately I had to go solo, but I still had a great time.  I was motivated to take the trip by Within Temptation announcing a limited US tour.  For those unaware, they are a symphonic metal band from The Netherlands.  They are very popular in Europe, but repetitively unknown in the US.  Instead of visiting one of the cities I had already been to previously, I chose to visit San Francisco.  I stayed in the home of a wonderful married couple (Noah and Andy) in Oakland.  I visited Ghirardelli Square, which is a very big deal if you know me well.  I biked across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I attended the Within Temptation concert.  I attended the 49ers game against the Eagles at their new home Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.  Overall it was a wonderfully memorable trip, and I can't wait to visit the Bay Area again soon.

It was an incredible year for music.  I attended many concerts put on by my top favorite artists.  Several of those artists put out new music as well, but I'll save that for a blog post about my top albums of the year.  For now, her's a list of all the concerts I attended this year:

1/17/14 - Panic! At The Disco live at in The Venue in Salt Lake City
3/28/14 - Jillette Johnson at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City (+Private radio performance at My 99.5)
4/15/14 - Katie Herzig at Urban Lounge in Sat Lake City
4/21/14 - Sevendust at The Complex in Salt Lake City
4/29/14 - Ingrid Michaelson private radio performance at My 99.5 in Salt Lake City
6/14/14 - OneRepublic at Usana Amphitheatre in West Valley City (+Private radio performance at My 99.5)
8/3/14 - Sara Bareilles at Saltair in Salt Lake City
8/4/14 - Lady Gaga at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City
9/25/14 - Within Temptation in San Francisco
11/7/17 - Jillette Johnson at The Complex in Salt Lake City
11/8/14 - LIGHTS at The Complex in Salt Lake City (Read about it here)

I made several new friends along the way in 2014.  I thank you all for coming into my life.  It's always a great thing to meet new people with common interests.  Even better when they accept me for who I am without judgment.

As you can see, 2014 really was a wonderful year.  So many great things happened for me in 2014.  I am looking forward to 2015 with high hopes for an even better year.  Thanks for the memories 2014!

A day full of LIGHTS in Salt Lake City

Lights made her 6th visit to Salt Lake City, Utah over the weekend as part of her Little Machines Tour.  The show took place at The Complex on Saturday, November 8, 2014.  With the show being on a Saturday, I made the decision to spend the entire day waiting in line.  It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I arrived at The Complex around 11:45 AM.  I was the first to arrive, and the only one in line for about one hour.  I noticed an employee taking down some banners for shows, including the one promoting the Lights concert.  I asked him what they do with the banners, and was told they hang them in an office after the artist signs it.  I figured that would be the end of it, until I saw him walk out a few minutes later with a rolled up banner in his hand.  He mentioned it was an extra one that had torn.  I was all to happy to claim it.  A short time later I witnessed the arrival of Lights' tour bus, which signaled the start of many great things to follow.

It didn't take much longer for a few more dedicated Lights fans to arrive.  I was happy to have some company for the long wait for doors to open at 7:00 PM.  It didn't take long for one of the biggest highlights of the day to occur.  Lights, Beau, and Rocket (in her stroller) made their way from the bus towards the gate.  We were all excited to see Lights.  She greeted us with joy.  At this time, I presented her with the stuffed lion I purchased for Rocket, and a card (containing illustrations of lions) with a personal note written inside.  She appreciated the gift, and was happy to take pictures.  Beau snapped a couple of pictures with my phone.  I was able to get the sweet banner signed, along with 2 vinyls (Little Machines and Siberia Acoustic).  After everyone had pictures, Lights (and family) made their way over to The Gateway (nearby shopping mall).

While basking in the afterglow of that wonderful moment, the few of us gathered in line began to become acquainted.  It turned into a wonderful bonding experience with fellow Lights fans.  It turned into one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had waiting in line for a concert.  I may have started the day on my own, but I feel I ended it with four new friends (Summer, Winter, Leah, and J) from that time spent together in line.  We looked out for each other.  Ensuring that each of us were part of the 50 for the post show meet & greet, while also have a place along the front of the stage.

Speaking of being up front, I was front and center for the show.  I had heard nothing of the opener Wild Party prior to the show.  They ended up putting on an entertaining set.  Playing a catchy brand of music perfectly suited for dancing.  Not a bad way to be entertained while waiting for Lights.

Finally just before 9:00 PM, the big moment we had all been waiting for arrived.  Lights hit the stage to the extreme delight of the near capacity crowd.  She opened her set with "Muscle Memory", followed by "Toes".  The crowd was into it from the start.  She played a nice mix of new and old songs.  Lights was definitely on her game.  I'm always impressed with her liver performances.  Her voice sounds better than the recordings, and she just knows how to connect with the crowd.  Seeing Lights live is an experience that everyone Lights fan should have at least once.  I'm lucky enough to have experienced it seven times now.

Lights closed out the pre-encore set with "Same Sea".  The crowd noise was tremendous.  That room was as loud as I've ever heard it.  We just didn't want this show to end.  A chant of "One more song" broke out.  When Lights returned the stage, the excitement went through the roof.  She played a two song encore with "Up We Go", and "Oil and Water".  It was a great way to cap an incredible show.

Setlist picture courtesy of Summer

After the show, it was time to prepare for the meet & greet.  I caught sight of my good friend Shannen on my way out to the lobby, and had to go say hi.  I was happy to talk with her about the show, and found out she had a wristband for the meet & greet.  We made our way out to the lobby, where I introduced her to my new friends met in the pre-show line.  We then were ushered to the line to talk with Lights.  It really is wonderful the way music, especially from Lights, can bring people together.  I was presented with another example of this when I was approached by Ryan, who recognized me from the Lights Forum.  He traveled to the Salt Lake show from Wisconsin.  I had a good chat with him, and was glad he made the decision to approach me.

We all took our turns chatting with Lights, and getting signatures.  I took my turn along with Shannen.  She presented Lights with another copy of her wonderful book "Pwned".  I should explain that Shannen is an awesome author.  She dedicated an entire chapter of "Pwned" to Lights, with the characters attending a concert.  Shannen was overwhelmingly delighted to find out that Lights had actually read the book she previously sent to her manager.  I was so happy to experience this bit of awesome news.  As for myself, it was just great to have a chance to connect with Lights again.  She's always been so incredibly nice to me, and I love that she knows me by name at this point.  She recognizes me each time I attend a show.  It's a personal connection that I really appreciate, and hope to continue for a long time to come.

The wonderful day full of Lights concluded with a post-show hang out session at Denny's with the new friends made in line.  We talked about our thoughts on the show, and the events of the day.  It was a great way to close out the day.  I've had some amazing experiences at Lights concerts, and this one ranks right up there with them all.  I love creating these magical memories that I am able to look back on with fondness.

THANK YOU LIGHTS!!!

Birthday Reflections

I want to apologize in advance, as this will be a blog for me to vent.  Something has been bothering me for the past few weeks, and I feel I need to let it out.  My birthday was just over three weeks ago.  It passed without a lot of fanfare this year.  Unfortunately when the day arrived, I ended up feeling under the weather.  I basically stayed in my bedroom all day.  This really put a cloud over the day.  I didn't have an appetite, and didn't feel much like celebrating.  It must have been some sort of 24 hour bug, as I felt fine the following day.

As you might imagine, it's not much fun feeling so crummy on your birthday of all days.  Anyone who knows me well enough will likely know that I can tend to be rather emotional.  I feel this particular quality leads me to take things a bit too personally at times.  I just felt a bit forgotten on my birthday.  Let me just say, I am not overlooking those who did acknowledge me on that day.  I want to say thank you to all those who took the time to wish me a happy birthday.  It was definitely appreciated.

It took until late in the evening on that day to hear anything from some of my siblings.  Only one of my siblings wished me a happy birthday early in the day.  One of my other siblings has still not said anything to me.  I have many people who I consider to be close friends that failed to acknowledge my birthday.  Now let me just make it clear, that I don't expect gifts.  All I really want is to just know that people remember me, and feel that they care for me as I care for them.  To me a simple "happy birthday" accomplishes just that.

I don't want to place too much importance on Facebook, but it even reminds you when it is someone's birthday.  At the time I had around 129 friends on Facebook.  I am selective about who I friend on Facebook, and I try to socialize with each person on my list.  Out of all those friends, only 16 posted to my timeline.  There is a message board that I am not as active on, where they actually created a thread to wish me a happy birthday.

Why am I posting this blog?  I wanted to convey the fact that this hurt me.  Maybe I am placing too much importance on this, but it feels important to me.  On the bright side, my birthday falls on a Friday next year.  I think I might try to plan some sort of party.  I have just over 11 months to figure that out.  Also just so this blog doesn't feel entirely negative, I'll conclude this with two tweets I received from two of my current favorite singers.  They both happen to be playing shows in SLC in the coming months as well.  I'm also going to include the lyric video for "Cameron" from Jillette Johnson, which is a song that holds extra special meaning for me.

My Top Albums of 2013

I posted this list on a message board, and decided to make it a blog post.  This is a tough list for me to make.  There were a lot of really good albums released in 2013.  My choice for #1 was super easy, but after that it is really tough for me to rank the albums.  With that said, here's my list.

1. "Water In A Whale" - Jillette Johnson

I was first introduced to Jillette Johnson through a free track ("Torpedo") from Google Play in late 2012.  I was instantly hooked.  I then discovered "Cameron", and was truly in love with this artist on the rise.  Both tracks are featured on "Water In A Whale".  Other standouts include "True North", "Peter Pan", and "Basset Hound".  This was easily my favorite, and most played, album of 2013.  I had the pleasure of seeing Jillette Johnson live in Salt Lake twice during the year.  She is incredibly friendly.  Her live shows have been acoustic with just Jillette on the keyboard by herself.  This girl has really got a voice.  I'm looking forward to seeing her again in March of this year.  Also worth noting, is that my name appears in the thank yous of the liner notes.

2. "The Blessed Unrest" - Sara Bareilles

It was very hard for me to choose an album to list at #2, but I decided this had to be the one.  "Brave" was one the biggest hits of the year, and is a song that I still love.  It really took on a life of its own as an anthem.  It has special meaning to me personally with my transgender identity.  Sara Bareilles really shines on the entire album.  Her fabulous voice is another favorite of mine.  Some of my favorite tracks other than "Brave": "Hercules", "Manhattan", "Little Black Dress", and "Eden".  The Grammy nominations she received for this album are well deserved, and I certainly hope she wins Album of the Year.  I also had the pleasure of seeing Sara live in Park City during the Summer.  Even in the thin mountain air her voice sounded great.  Honorable mention to "Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse" also from Sara Bareilles.

3. "Siberia (Acoustic)" - LIGHTS

I had to include this on my list, as I'm a sucker for anything acoustic from LIGHTS.  It's strange listing it at #3, as I really do love this album.  I've listened to the vinyl with delight multiple times.  I even traveled from SLC to LA to catch a Siberia Acoustic show, and it was well worth the trip.  I just really love the fact that we were finally treated with a full length acoustic album, after being teased with the acoustic EP.  Acoustic LIGHTS will always have a special place in my heart.  I really hope we will see the new album from LIGHTS in 2014.

4. "ARTPOP" - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga made her triumphant return in 2013 after her absence due to hip surgery.  I don't care what others say, I've still got love for Mother Monster.  I love "Applause", "Venus", "Do What U Want", and "MANiCURE".  It was a great moment seeing Lady Gaga perform "Do What U Want" with Christina Aguilera on The Voice.  What a treat seeing those two on stage together.

5. "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" - Panic! At The Disco

Panic! At The Disco delivered with this album.  My love for this band continues to grow.  They continue to release great music.  Some of my favorites include "Miss Jackson", "Vegas Lights", "This Is Gospel", "Casual Affair", and "Girl That You Love".  It really is an enjoyable album.  I actually just won tickets from a local radio station for their show next Friday.  It will be my first time seeing them live.  I'm pretty excited for it.

6. "Ballet The Boxer 1" - Ours

I had to include this album on my list.  Ours is one of my favorite bands, with Jimmy Gnecco being one of my favorite vocalists.  I could listen to that man sing anything.  They are also an incredibly nice group of people.  I've chatted with them on several occasions.  I had the pleasure of seeing them live last Summer as well.  Jimmy recognized me, and pointed at me from the stage while performing.  They self-released this album after funding the production through Pledge Music.  Some of my favorites are "Devil", "Stand", "Sing", and "Fall Into My Hands".

7. "Close Your Eyes" - Digital Daggers

I was going to list this under Honorable Mentions, but realized I liked the album too much for that.  So here it is at #7 on my list.  This album caught me by surprise.  I remember first hearing "The Devil Within" on a commercial for NBC's The Blacklist, and I had to track it down.  Shortly after they released "Close Your Eyes".  I really enjoyed the album a lot, and gave it a lot of listens.

Honorable Mentions (In no particular order)

"Twin Forks EP" - Twin Forks

"Avril Lavigne" - Avril Lavigne

"Devil" - Lydia

"Stars Dance" - Selena Gomez

"Shadows" - Lenka

"Secondhand Rapture" - MS MR

"In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery" - Capital Cities

"Girl Talk" - Kate Nash

"The Civil Wars" - The Civil Wars

"In Rolling Waves" - The Naked and Famous

"Burials" - AFI

"Yes. No. Maybe So." - Oliva Millerschin

"Native" - OneRepublic

"Hesitation Marks" - Nine Inch Nails

"Pure Heroine" - Lorde (even though her music has been overplayed)

"Montibello Drive EP" - Matrimony

"The Immigrant EP" - Holly Henry

"Caroline Glaser Vol 1 EP" - Caroline Glaser

There was a lot of great music released in 2013.  I'm excited to see what 2014 has to offer.