The clouds are parting...

It has felt like a cloud has been looming over my head for quite awhile. Between the property line dispute, the disagreeing on how to handle the dispute, Carter teething, my personal desire to find some time and normalcy--it has been a struggle. I am happy to say though that things seem to be clearing.

I'm not happy that the fore mentioned dispute between my neighbor has happened, and is still happening. It did teach me a lot about how Kent and I manage situations. We both come at things from completely different angles. I am very alpha/research/ problem solve/confront and resolve. Kent is the nice guy, he does good in the world and expects it back. He is reasonable and agreeable and respects and hopes this of other. This was very frustrating to me at times, particularly when it seemed that this tactic was not working, but I now recognize that this is one of the many qualities I like about Kent.

This dispute also helped me figure out some priorities in my life. I was going, going and going and never really stopped to smell the roses. I was so pre-occupied and worried that weeks passed and I realized that I had been oblivious to those around me. I sort of was just moving with the motion of life, but not really experiencing or feeling it. For awhile I was so stressed that I was not eating as much, which is definitely not my normal tactic. Unfortunately my usage of food to calm/numb myself eventually won and I found myself choosing food often. I'm glad to say I have recognized these tendencies and I have made considerable waves in resolving things and finding peace. Kent and I have been on a pretty healthy pattern this past week and it feels great. I'm much more aware of what I am eating, why I am eating, how I feel etc. I'm making myself feel hunger more often than I am use to. This is just a process that I need to go through as I have felt so out of whack. I'm looking forward to the positive results.

With the above healthy eating plans I'm also putting it out there to everyone, including myself, that I need a little Lisa time. I was trying to explain to my baby group that I feel like when Kent and I started to try to get pregnant in April 2009, everything changed. The focus was no longer on my personal self, but on the future and how to get pregnant. It wasn't until February 2010 that we found out we were pregnant and now I am enjoying my happy and healthy 7 month old Carter. The problem is that before I was pregnant I spent all of my time reading books, blogs, going to doctor appointments etc to get pregnant. Then I get pregnant and spend all of my time worrying and preparing for child birth and child rearing. Then baby Carter comes and the cycle starts again; sleep books, first aid books, baby food books etc. I love my little Carter more than I can write, but I know that unless a little energy goes into my needs, I will one day find myself in a potentially resentful place. Being a mom is about balance. There are days that things are so perfect and other days everything seems off key. How I manage these days is up to me and I truly think that allowing myself some private time is how I will best conquer this.

So...I'm super excited that the summer is here as I am fortunate to have 6 weeks off, the first two starting in the middle of June. These weeks are paid vacation, which I feel have completely been earned. In the first week alone I am going to: have my hair done, mani-pedi, family photo session, Taj Mahal concert at the zoo, massage, peonies flower arranging class, and a cupcake decorating class. It might seem like overkill, but it's not. The one ridiculous item to add to the loop is my 5:30am bootcamp that I am going on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I need to add fitness back into my life and sometimes I just need a slap across the butt to get me going. This is what bootcamp will do. I am already mentally trying to prepare for it. I have truly not worked out since February 2010 when I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, had hypertension and a battery of problems from the pregnancy. I am prepared to start over from scratch, with the hope that my body will remember what it is like to be pushed physically. Kent and I also want to have another baby, so it is so important that I find a way to lose some more weight and have a healthier pregnancy.

I feel like life is slowly perking up. I'm actually feeling pretty optimistic which is a great way to live. I don't know if I am mentally processing things better, but there has definitely been a change, and one that is for the better. Plus, how can I not feel happy or optimistic when this little guy is looking back at me?

Kent...my superman

I can already hear the groan and know his eyes are rolling as he scans this post. It needs to be a fast one as I am so incredibly behind with work, but honestly, it needs to be said.

Kent is literally my own superman. Somehow he puts up with my constant whining about the uncomfortableness I am experiencing in my belly, the constant nagging of when our house is going to be completed and my fears of motherhood that are continuing to grow. Kent helps me off of the sofa, rubs lotion on my feet, tears down entire bathrooms, rips out carpet, repaints an entire house and still has the desire to discuss the right choice of light fixtures with me, even though at this point I just want a god damn light (-:

Honey as I drove off to work today, there you were, ripping out bushes and preparing for our landscapers to start on Wednesday. Then I know you had more demolition and a trip to the smelly dump. The hallway needs to be drywalled by tomorrow morning and prepped for the tapers arrival at 9am tomorrow. Somehow you are able to still make me laugh, tell me your concerns like, "how are we suppose to know what to do with Shim when we get home," and you are utterly optimistic about how having a family is a blessing and we will continue our date nights and travel love. Oh...and you also own your own business that is totally being randomly audited!

So Superman, thanks for making your Lois Lane so happy, particularly in this sometimes stressful and difficult time! I love you honey!

Having the last word...

Am I a "know-it-all?" Do I always have to win an argument or have the last word? This is really on my brain right now. I find myself often dishing out advice, generally it is asked of me, but at times I know I need to have the last word. Today at work I found myself with a 1 out of 2 "win" with disgruntled patients. No specifics to mention, but I'm sitting here thinking to myself, "how could I have handled this better?" I think I need better negotiating/listening/problem solving skills with angered individuals. Hell I need better skills with happy individuals. Even in my marriage there are days that I know that serpent tongue of mine can lash out and whip Kent across the face. It's a tactic I've learned throughout the years to protect myself, but one that I'm not always proud of.

I had some pretty good revelations today about what I consider "fact finding" but might very well come across as "condescending or rude" to the recipient. Kent and I have been heavily weighing our options when it comes to housing. We are keeping our triplex and will be moving this spring/summer. Do we rent, do we somehow buy? Well it appeared renting was our only option but I smelled some creativity out of Kent recently as he has been scouring RedFin like mad. Last week-end we went to a few open houses and holy shit it is going to suck to leave my awesome place and live in a crap hole. Look at this beauty Kent made...



Back to reality...There is nothing like a real estate agent explaining a home as "a great opportunity for someone with contractor skills." The fine print on that comment..shit hole that I will more than likely live in. When I said "I do" to Kent, I also said I do to contractor visions and nightmare projects. Kent is awesome though and I know he has our best interests at heart. We struggle a bit with my vision not being so keen as his and my constant questioning of "how" and the disbelief that the vision is possible. I know that Kent and I have different communication styles as I'm a lady and he's a man. I might need to pick up The Male Factor, a new book on Amazon. It talks more about relationships in the workplace between men and women, but it generally all boils down to communication styles and perceptions.

I'm sort of rambling a bit today, but there is a definite swirl up in this brain. I don't want to be a know-it-all. I'd like to be thought of as determined, compassionate, educated and concise. Generally though I'm pretty damn emotional and that gets the best of me. I use to be so cool, now I frickin' get hives on my chest. I must remember if I become a negotiator to wear a turtle neck...but sometimes those damn cheeks of mine get flushed too! Oh..the travesty of having passion (aka an opinion that I damn well want you to understand).

Other than my know-it-all attitude things have been pretty calm and nice around the Davis household. We are still rockin' our fitness. Yesterday we met at the stairs and I did 5 sets, that's 1250 stairs up and down, or the equivalent of 62 flights of stairs. That is no joke people. I thought I was going to die on my last 50. Oh, and I didn't mention the running in between the sets. I'm weighing myself tomorrow, but I'm already a winner as I know my body is smaller. My new fat pants (recent purchases) are a bit looser. My lady business should be kicking in soon and then that drama starts. It has been so nice to not have that rolling around in my brain and those bad, bad drugs playing with my passion, ahem, emotions. We are leaving President's Day Week-end for Palm Springs so if my business doesn't come by early next week, we won't be timed right for an IUI, so then we will skip another cycle. I'm not happy about it, but this vacation was planned a long time ago and I see a big yellow ball in the sky and a heated pool with my name all over it.

Vegas Baby...U2 part 1

What a whirl wind I have been on. Still feeling like I am spinning a bit, but it has been a fabulous journey. I was bummed that my eggs were still little and we weren't able to do IUI before our Vegas trip but it was probably for the better as we were up late, drank, ate like vulchers and had a great time. We struggled a bit getting from the airport in Vegas to the hotel. It took almost an hour to get our rental car and then another hour to get down the strip and to our hotel, The Venetian. I started getting really ancy and excited. The people in front of us at the Avis rental desk were going to the show and when we were in the car the radio stations were all talking about the show.

I was really getting frustrated by time we checked into the hotel as I wanted to have ample time to relax and prepare for my boys. There was no time to prepare. We literally checked in, changed clothes and inhaled a sandwich at the hotel. Panic started to set in as we were leaving The Venetian as the AARP conference was just getting out. All I could see was a line a mile long to exit the hotel garage. My mind was pushed back to work in Seattle where I am always trapped behind some "blue haired" lady who drives 2mph in our garage. Probably the smartest thing I did on this trip was rent a car for the night to take us to the UNLV stadium. I started realizing that it was about 15 miles outside of Las Vegas and we might have a problem with getting a cab after the show. I did hear that it took some people 2 hours and $200 to get back (bad karma on the taxi drivers).

We started towards the stadium and struggled with the directions. I love the amazing race so I quickly switched into the mode of stranded tourist looking for my next clue box. I noticed all of the town cars and limos heading in one direction, so we followed and lucked out. We arrived about 15 minutes before the Black Eyed Peas started. The weather was about 70 degrees, no clouds in the sky and it felt magical. The stage, the sound, the vibe, it was honestly perfect. We had general admission tickets and did our best to get as close as we could. My friend Lucy and her sisters stood in line at 10am to get into the inner circle of the stage. Her photos are amazing and fill me with jealousy. My husband loves me, but he doesn't love me enough to stand in line for 8 hours just to get a wrist band and wait another 4 hours for U2 to go on.
Do I look excited?


When the Black Eyed Peas played I was sort of surprised by my knowledge of their tunes. Like, I knew the lyrics, almost all of them. I know they are popular, but this aging brain of mine is warped a bit by the music "the kids" listen to. They were seriously fun and Kent and I probably looked at each other for the next two weeks and sang Boom Boom Pow, gotta get that boom boom boom any chance we could. As they played their last song the crowd started getting crazy. Piling in and driving themselves towards the stage. My 5'2" stature proved to not be the winning height as I barely could see anything except the guys neck in front of me.

Hard to tell, but we were pretty close. Can you see the little image of Bono?
My boys would not disappoint though as their stage had the biggest screen that was 360 degrees and I was able to see everything. When the band came on it was a weird feeling, sort of like, am I here, is this really happening. I was jumping up and down and felt free for the first time in a long time. I've been emotionally bogged down for awhile with weight gain and no pregnancy. This U2 show sort of jump started me back into my old self.

The show was amazing. Like honestly, I probably cried 5x. I am an emotional wreck from the clomid and you tack on my favorite band since 1987 (holy shit I am getting old) and there is bound to be some emotions. I loved how my husband endured my stress about getting the tickets, flying to Las Vegas and putting up with 40,000 other super fans. The show could not have been better. I knew within two guitar strums by The Edge what the next song was and the superfan in front of me would high five me with delight. The only downer was feeling like I was going to be crushed at any point and the fact that you couldn't leave to get something to drink or use the bathroom. Oh, unless you have a penis as the boys in front of me proceeded to pee into water bottles during the show. I thought they were smoking marijuana (I crack myself up), as they were acting so shady and covering one another, but nope, they were urinating. Nothing like bottles of piss around your legs to put a nervous damper on the evening. What if in one of my fits of fandom I jumped on the bottle and urine was sent flying everywhere? Lucky for us, that didn't happen.
See the bottle that looks like Mt. Dew...that's NOT Mt. Dew!






After the show we left and had a very very late dinner. We gambled a bit and went to bed. Our suite was fabulous and a king sized bed awaited us, hallelujah. Oh, I can not wait to move so that we may get the luxurious king sized bed we are so craving. The following day we woke up super late and went to find something to eat at 1:00pm. We were both starving and sort of out of it. We walked around the Venetian and pretended like we were still in Italy. Does this look like the Grand Canale (not really) but we did stumble upon Mario Battali's restaurant B & B Ristorante.


Oh it was so yummy. Here is a picture of our starter cheese course.




I thought I had died and gone to heaven...truffled honey and the best blue cheese I've ever had. Brandy marinated cherries and goat cheese, I'm hungry just thinking about it. Once we finished eating we walked around to some of the other hotels and then sat outside at Mandalay Bay and had over priced cocktails. I was trying to look trendy but really, a pony tail doesn't get you far.


I was fortunate enough to hook up with best friend from childhood, Lucy. She came to the Venetian to chat with us for about 45 minutes and it was great to catch up. Lucy and I use to sit in my basement in Helena MT and blast U2 and Bon Jovi. We were in the 6th grade and preparing ourselves for the next jaunt= Junior High. We would make coffee cake, drink diet Pepsi from a bottle, sun tan and rock out to my dads incredible sound system. The speakers were those super old (but not then) giant beasts that were like 4 feet tall. The bass would shake the house and stress out my dog. It was awesome. Seeing Lucy and her sisters just walked me down memory lane. I didn't have my camera so I am snatching one from her blog. Thanks Loose!


After we chatted with Lucy we headed over to Caesar's Palace to see Bette Midler. Again, how awesome is my husband to sit in a venue with Bette's fans...as she calls them, the Gay's, the Jews and the old hippies. The show was hilarious. I loved how many times she made fun of Celine Dion and Cher and the rest of the city. She gets it, she is a total performer and was worth every cent. We stayed at Ceasars to eat at Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill. My husband is not a dare devil with food but I felt like he should have earned a gold star for ordering the duck taco! Woo hoo to Kent, the man who only eats 4 vegetables. After our late night dinner we left the show and sort of walked around to the various casinos. Vegas is so deceiving and gigantic. You think something is a block away, but it is like a mile. My dogs were barking constantly so we returned to our hotel and chilled out there.

Sunday morning I woke up before Kent and read a little. Then I watched some TV and I finally pitched a fit as I wanted to get up for our breakfast at Bouchon. We discovered Bouchon in Yountville on our mini-moon and haven't forgot it. We showered and got dressed and were thrilled to sit outside. I should have taken photos, but I didn't.


We started with their pastry basket as they honestly have the most amazing pastry chefs. What arrived was not a basket, it was an honest to god platter and we devoured it. I had a croque madame and Kent had waffles with bananas and pecans. OH..we were stuffed but happy. We ventured to the pool but there was no way I was going to get into a swim suit. So we walked to other hotels and lost more money. I am lucky in love, but by no means am I lucky with gambling. On one incident I put my money voucher in the $1.00 machine, hit my bet and watched myself lose $40.00 in 3 seconds. I am no high roller, I like my penny machines where I bid high (a whopping 2 dollars). I seriously screamed when I saw $40.00 leave my credits and felt defeated. I laugh about it now as the game I played was called Keeping Up With The Joneses. Well apparently that wasn't going to happen in Vegas. The rest of the day we hung out and then met Kent's cousin and her family for dinner. We had a nice time and it was good to meet some of Kent's family, as he has so little. Plus their son cracked me up. He was like this very mature 12 year old, like almost too mature. Nothing like a 12 year old kid looking at you and saying things like, "this is the best chicken Parmesan I have ever had" or his quizzing on "what types of shows have you seen while you are in town?" I honestly thought he might pull out a pipe at one point and start smoking and order a scotch on the rocks.


Monday we found ourselves packing and returning to dreary wet Seattle. Vegas is this really weird place. Like I'm not quite wealthy enough, not skinny enough but I'm definitely not on the trashier end either. I think it is what you make of it. We enjoyed the chill out time we had together, seeing my friend and my boys. It was worth every stupid penny I lost! Which by the way we did win some of our lost money back at the airport because how can you sit and watch CNN when Wheel of Fortune is beckoning your call.

Feelin' something

I swear, it as if the clouds have lifted (which they haven't...Seattle is grey and cold) and the birds have begun to sing because the moment I am done taking Clomid I am somewhat brought back to my normal personality. I seriously feel so much better. I am totally jacked for Vegas this week-end and the U2 show. I'm already planning my outfit. You would think it is the first day of school and I need to make a good impression with my new digs. The truth...I'm starting to feel REALLY old lately. Like I'm almost 35 and I've had to see what the kids are wearing. My younger co-worker carries a Toki Doki handbag, but that would be like super wrong on me. Plus a slumped over messenger bag on one side of the body only emphasises the hips. I'm opting for my new grey Converse and this navy shirt and jeans. Just hip enough for people to think, that's a cool older chick. But not too over the top that I'm that chick who is totally in denial about her age.

35..I remember when my mom was 35. She had permed hair, a super tan body and she watched Wheel of Fortune. She also had a 12 year old, that would be me. My mom and I have very little in common. I remember being a kid and how old I thought 35 was. It was ancient. I don't even have kids yet and my mom had a 12 year old. My poor future children. I am kick ass fun, don't get me wrong, but when my AARP membership arrives and my future daughters are still selling Girl Scout Cookies, that is not going to be so cool.

Right now though I am just seriously so happy feeling. I have no clue if we will do IUI on Friday. It will be a mad dash Friday morning as my plane leaves at 11:45. I hope the dude next to me doesn't mind my legs in the air to help with the mobility of my husband's deposit. As long as my seat belt is still on, it shouldn't be a problem. Things are good and I'm doing my best to focus on this. I know this will be a totally fun week-end and I'm not going to let fertility drama stand in my way.

Down time

Today Kent and I found ourselves with nothing on our agenda. Not a single important task, obligation or function on the calendar. Kent and I are often busy and rarely have down time. When we do find ourselves with nothing going on, we almost become blank and our memories are erased of possibilities. When we are full, it seems there are too many things that we would like to do.

We woke up to the sound of ridiculous rain; pouring rain. The type of rain that floods the streets as the gutters are full of leaves. We decided to make a pork roast and ran to the grocery store "ugly." Which means sweats, teeth brushed but no shower. I call it "ugly" became I don't apply my face, aka makeup. It was some type of anniversary at the grocery store so it was packed. I swear in our neighborhood there are not enough decent grocery stores that aren't ridiculously expensive. So the normal priced one is out of control packed with shoppers who are normal people with budgets. After the grocery store I came home and made blueberry pancakes with some of the blueberries from Kent's 11 pounds he picked. I will never use up all of these blueberries. Next year we are only getting enough berries to fill our hands, no buckets allowed. Once breakfast was over and I cleaned up the house the boredom began.

Kent has been wanting to move for the past 2 years. We love our home, it is just too small. We own a triplex and have decided we are not going to sell it, but keep it and rent out our unit. Our problem is the down payment. We need to have a pretty big chunk to get another place and coming up with that cash has not been that easy. Kent's contracting skills are aching to start a new bathroom, a new kitchen of his dreams. He scours the magazines and Redfin with the eyes of a kid in a candy store. This scouring though with no means of getting his new home leaves a sense of uncertainty and impatience. It sucks when what you really want to do is not an option. It will be an option sooner than later, but finding a way to keep Kent's time occupied will be a challenge. He doesn't watch sports, he doesn't play video games. He has a hobby, it's called building things, and not bird houses.

So now we are finding ourselves at home this evening. Dinner turned out great, we went to Blockbuster (haven't done that in years!) and rented two movies. They are total lady movies and I can't wait. I won the movie war as the new Transformer movie doesn't come out until next week (somehow we missed this in the theatre wink, wink).

Trying to keep the night exciting I made up this cute tray of treats to occupy his time as he is watching a documentary on the journey of making it into the musical A Chorus Line. The movie is called Every Little Step and I am jacked. I've always loved dance movie, Flashdance, Fame etc. A Chorus Line was my favorite. Last year it came to Seattle and Kent was awesome and came with me. I totally cried at it, so ridiculous yes, but you have to love the story of someone chasing their dream. My husband is a good man. Our 5 days of Clomid is over now. Tonight we will sit and I will dream and he will gag over our movie but at least the treats are good..truffle popcorn--YUM!

PS--Look at these beautiful flowers I came home to on Friday. A Chorus Line AND flowers...that's my man!

Passion

If a stranger walked up to me today and randomly asked me what my passion in life was, I honestly have no clue what I would say. Lately I'm finding myself in a rut. Yes, I have a husband that I am passionate about. I have friends and family that I am passionate about, but I question if I have a passion or not. My therapist (don't get me started on needing to go down that road again) has given me some homework, or rather I requested an assignment from her. I need some tools to keep me busy, some skills and things to draw myself towards when I am lonely, sad, frustrated etc that don't involve eating and shopping. My comfort in life has always been food. Sadly though this really is a very, very temporary comfort because as soon as the eating stops, the guilt kicks in.

There are days that I wake up, go to work, eat lunch quickly, work some more and come home. The minute I walk in the door I pick up the house and then plop myself on the sofa. I've been very tired and stressed and it seems like too much effort to even open the fridge and attempt to make dinner. I know that I am not depressed, so this does not worry me. I am sort of going with the motions lately as I feel like I am almost a puppet whose strings are tangled and someone can't figure out how to detangle me.

I have been seeing my therapist on and off again for the past 5 years. I called her up about a month ago after I found myself constantly sad, constantly crying about getting pregnant. Kent, who does his best, said I needed to call Dr. Ellen and talk to her. I was pissed about going back as I felt like a failure. I realized now though that I have gone to her when things have felt stressful and I needed to talk to someone who is completely unbiased. We talk, meet and deal with things until the generally pan out. Like my wedding fears. Once the wedding was over, I didn't feel the need to come. My fears over having a tummy tuck. Once I realized everything was ok and things were smooth, I stopped seeing her. Here is what I am feeling frustrated about. I have honestly not taught myself ways to reach into the information I have within myself to solve my problems with food and over eating. I truly know more than most people when it comes to diet and nutrition, I just for some unknown or unconscious reason choose to not do the correct thing. I go with the easy route, the eat myself into an oblivion route, instead of facing whatever is throwing myself into the direction of food.

Right now I feel like that kid who is on summer break and can't find anything to do and is so bored, but really doesn't want to go back to school. When you're in school all you can think about is summer break and all of the fun stuff that you will get the chance to do. Right now my life is that summer break. I have this incredible opportunity in front of me where I don't have children and I have a relatively normal 8-5 job. I have all of this free time that I can do whatever I want to do. I'm pissed though that I have filled myself full with social situations as I have realized I am leaving no time for just "me" time. I am not cooking, reading, exercising. Nothing. I am working and then looking at the calendar and knowing that I have a party, or going out of town, or a wedding or BBQ. It sounds awful to complain about these things, but if you have too many obligations, it begins to feel like work. In referencing the passion thing once again I find that both myself and Kent do not have activities to occupy our free time. This is why we are so social. I love that we are a couple who has similar interests and we definitely compliment one another when it comes to the social world, but I think in the long run it can hurt us.

For the month of August I decided I was going to do my best to begin taking care of myself. Whoever is up above me must have been listening and really wanted me to follow through on my word because starting July 31st I found myself hit with a bladder infection. 3 days later I started getting a cold and now it is full blown. I have missed two parties, including one tonight. I feel bad that Kent has gone by himself and I know that he is not mad at me, but he may be a little disappointed. We are packed full this week-end and I do think I made the right choice tonight to stay in and rest. Now I am sitting here, writing on my blog and thinking that I should be cleaning the house, I should read, I could start planning a menu (it is time to get back on track) etc. I just don't feel like it. I'm bored though. I'm the kid, sitting at a desk and looking at the outside and wanting to go play. Tonight I need to make that list of things that I really enjoy and post them for myself to see. I need a little encyclopedia of me so that I can reference it from time to time to keep myself going in the right direction.

Next week Kent and I are going to the fertility specialist. I am thinking positive though and preparing myself for whatever we will find out. My passion is going to need to be worked on quickly though as I worry about the upcoming stress and anxiety and how I will handle them. Walking the beach is good, cookies are not so good. Options, maybe right now it is time to find some options, my passion(s) will need to be a work in progress.

My Boys

Since the age of 13 I have had a passion for one band, U2. On the day of their new CD release I find myself thinking about how much I love this band and all of the parts their music has played in my life. I remember buying The Joshua Tree and playing it so much that I literally wore the CD out. When Rattle and Hum came out in the theatre's I was still in Junior High and U2 was not the cool band. My special ladies went with me though, even if they didn't love them. When I was 17 my dad drove me and my sister to Seattle to see my first U2 show. It was one of the best days of my life, truly, I can still remember so many parts of that show. I have seen every concert since and I was fortunate to dance to With or Without You with my husband as our first dance.

If you are a long-lived fan you are usually in the company of others who complain the band is weak; they don't have the same force or drive that they existed on for years. I beg to differ though. 15 years ago this bands lyrics was their strongest proponent to get across their beliefs. Bono has elevated to a Rock Star/God in a way that few others have in the music industry. He meets with the leaders of the world, and they listen. They quote him, they join his causes and back up his goals through financial support. So what if the band has more of a pop feel or pleases the masses. They are the World's Band and I look forward to listening and diving in to their new album. I know they are going to tour and somehow I will get those tickets. They are getting more and more difficult to obtain, but Kent knows how much they mean to me, and we will go wherever we can get tickets. There is something that is so unique about a U2 concert, it is indescribable. So today when I get home from work I will find the new CD waiting for me and I can't wait.