Ben Folds + Oregon Symphony = Reminder to Blaze Your Own Trail!

By chelsea | September 22, 2014 7 Comments

i had a real life weekend this past weekend and it was amazing. when you start your own company (and are also working on some big, exciting changes for this here website), it is not uncommon for my husband and i to forget what day it is and work through the weekend.

 

not this time, bucko! we had our bff couple friends over on friday night and played a gripping game of catch phrase on our balcony. all i can say is girls rule and boys drool and alison and i speak the same language.  it should also be noted that we both drank 2 gin & ginger ales while the boys drank water. that’s how good we are. as for the writing on the window…my husband sometimes likes to reenact ‘a beautiful mind‘ and writes on any transparent surface he finds…including the window outside.

catch phrase totally and completely stresses me out but i decided it’s good for me. you play by being on teams and a little computerized thing pops up a word or a phrase and you have to explain it to your partner so they guess it. kind of like charades except you can use words and not gestures. there is also a horrid beeping sound that speeds up and gets louder as the time passes which instantly causes my heart to race and palms to get sweaty. i’ve decided this is good practice for dealing with anxiety.

 

i suppose on saturday we both worked some but not too crazy because i had to get ready for a concert.

my friend beki invited me to see ben folds perform with the oregon symphony!

so amazing sounding, right?! i texted her what i should be wearing because the last time i went to the symphony was in about 5th grade and i was forced to wear tights and a dress. she suggested i wear gloves and monocle.

 

i asked my husband for clothing suggestions (he is WAY more fashionable than i am) since a typical ben folds concert would be all rocker/alternative but he this time he was playing with the fancy symphony. 

 

my husband said “oh my goodness, have you lost your ‘cool’ factor because you don’t know what to wear to a concert?! you are the cool one in our marriage with your tattoos and piercings so find something cool!”

 

i opted for a green skirt and white tank top. he said i looked more on the scale of “pretty” than “cool” but i did what i could.

 

i’d never been inside the arlene schnitzer concert hall in portland, oregon and it was spectacular. look at that massive symphony as his back up band!

beki neglected to tell me that our seats would be in the third row and we could see his eyebrow hairs (that’s pretty close).

i was highly impressed with the whole show and it made me wonder just where i would have ended up if i stuck with playing the viola. i would have probably ended up wearing a lot more buns in my hair and being nicer and possibly a groupie. oh well…that ship sailed.

 

at one point someone yelled “rock this bitch” which wasn’t someone heckling him but instead the cue for him to make up a song on the spot. please no one every make me make up anything on the spot-the presssssure! apparently someone yelled this out during a live recording of a CD at one of his shows many years ago and this is what you yell at his concerts and he then he creates music right on the spot. crazy, right?!

 

we proceeded to watch him play certain notes on the piano and the ask different sections of the symphony to emulate it. it was incredible for him to know the sounds of so many instruments (flutes, cello, violin, viola, vocals, trumpets, bassoon, ect.) and play around with different notes and sounds that he wanted them to play. after about 7-10 minutes of getting each section to sound like he wanted, he put it all together and then made up lyrics about the brace on his hand.

 

for your viewing pleasure:

he’s hilarious and talented and i want to make him a meal in a crock pot (that’s my new found talent).

 

i was reminded how important music is in my life. i used to go to concerts at least once or twice a month in high school with my friends and music can have heavy influence on my mood. it was a good reminder because my hubs isn’t that much into music but i am and it’s important to me. i’m a big believer in not having to have every interest the same as your spouse so i need more music in my life. thank you for this beki!

 

ben folds also reminded me that you don’t have to do things the way others do. in fact, you probably have an insanely amazing idea but you might be afraid to try it out because it’s not been done before. do it. try it. figure it out and be real. thanks for the reality check, sir.

 

i woke up yesterday still in the happy mood that concerts leave you with if you love music and proceeded to stroll around a very portland neighborhood with alison. we ran into the most vulgar graffiti i’ve seen lately:

i know. portlandia is real and it’s an epidemic.

 

happy monday! quick reminder to live life, blaze your own damn trails and find the funny…

 

questions:
1) what’s an interest you have that your significant other does not?
2) last concert you went to?
3) last time you went to a symphony?

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