I have been cleaning my ceiling and other hard to reach places today.

Like, my ceiling fans, and my freezer. Here is some ice I got; when one bowl melted, I was able to fill up another and I'm still not through. The problem with renting is that I usually don't feel much ownership in problems such as these. But, as the post-it note on my bathroom mirror reminds me on a daily basis: Today's the day!!

Last week I went to Merlefest with my parents, and I wanted to post a few pictures of that.

Mom and me waiting for some music on a day when there was NOT a giant thunderstorm. (On the day there was, I happened to be on my way to see a venue indoors, which of course there were a line of people when I got there who were trying to escape the rain and so were standing in line for said concert, thus ruining my chances of being able to see it [grumbling continues under breath], which was not as bad as my poor parents, who figured they'd wait it out under Richard's poncho, which unfortunately had a hole in it, so didn't provide total protection from the torrential downpour in their seats situated right smack-dab in the middle of a slight, um, flood plain... So go the joys and sorrows of Merlefest!)

Mom and Richard while we were waiting (again, NOT in the heavy thunderstorm complete with lightning and dark gray sky which actually cleared up in about 30 minutes, which unfortunately was not quickly enough to prevent thousands of hippies and non-hippie bluegrass fans from getting completely soaked, along with my parents).

My most favorite band, even better than the Magnetic Fields (if only from a personalities of the artist perspective), the Avett Brothers performing some song which I don't remember which one it is but whichever one it was it ROCKED (they are great, and I had seen them the week before in Atlanta which also rocked, but what confused me was the extent to which the audience, made up mostly of what appeared to be a strange strange strange combination of frat boys and hippies, loved the band and sang along with a large number of their songs, a phenomenon which also occurred during the performance at Merlefest of another great band, Old Crow Medicine Show, both facts which prompt me to wonder where all these people are finding out about such great music, since most college radio stations I know of are playing mostly indie music [although Spin online did cover their Atlanta show]).

Anyway, I've also been taking Sam out on a leash lately. At first I thought it would be fun and hoped it wouldn't be too torturous for him, but I actually realized far too late that what has happened instead is that I've created a monster, as you can see below. He was waiting to go outside and he cries and cries and CRIES (also, his misdeeds have increased in both severity and frequency; the other day I was on my way out the door, of course dressed up and on my way to a baby shower with the gifts, and of course in the rain, and he bolted, finally allowing me to find him pressed entirely against the fence in my neighbor's yard, protecting himself futilely [I actually thought he was trapped at first] behind some dried out ivy stems).

Bless his heart.