old friends

Did you know that I have adored these two since I was very small? My parents had this record, and I had it on tape, and now we can all listen, thanks to the Internet (complete with transition into what we all know as Feelin' Groovy). Lindsey bought me tickets to their reunion tour here in Atlanta, and Paul wore a fairly ridiculous almost-midriff-baring shirt that did not take away from how awesome they still are, always have been, and ever shall be, world without end, amen. Something my father told me when I was very small (along with the fact that if I was mean to him we would go to the New Dad Store, and I'd have a new daddy, which would make me cry AND behave) was that S&G were wonderful because they sounded as good live as they did recorded, and vice versa. He also used this logic to try to explain that one never needed to see them live. ;)

Actually, Art Garfunkel ranks on my top 5 most transcendent live musical experiences of all time:
5) Art Garfunkel, Riverbend, Chattanooga, 2002
4) Better than Ezra, Tipitina's Uptown, New Orleans, Mardi Gras 1999
3) Cowboy Mouth, JazzFest, New Orleans, 2002
2) Torrence Welch, Georgia Tech Orchestra, Atlanta, 2006
1) Wild Women Blues, Paris, 2001

If you really care for me to annotate this list, I could, but I doubt anyone really wants me to.

Anyway, the old friends thought came because I talked to an old friend on the phone tonight, making plans for our NOLA adventure later this summer, a phone call inspired by the amazing things I have heard at the reading conference over the past few days, that reminded me of my much more socially active college self, all of which has steeled my resolve to go back to the classroom after one more year in this job.

With any luck, by this weekend I'll have processed everything enough to write a decent narrative about what I learned, which I will probably post here for anyone who might be interested. I know you'll be waiting with bated breath.