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The closest thing to crazy

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This is the story of my trip from the US to the UK in September 2024 to see my favorite singer Katie Melua, with a few other adventures along the way. All photos in this post were taken by me. Prologue In the fall of 2007, I was working on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and decided to search the internet for other covers. I came across Katie Melua's 2005 performance on the French TV show Taratata and was instantly mesmerized. To this day I still consider it one of the greatest covers of any song ever. I quickly downloaded all of her albums (there were three at the time; she has nine now). The more I learned the more impressed I became. Like how she went from growing up amidst civil war in the former Soviet state of Georgia to being the best-selling female artist in Europe. Or how she holds the Guinness world record for the deepest underwater concert. As an avid concertgoer I've seen hundreds of artists live over the years, but there was always on...
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Peasantry and Pleasantry: A Fractured Fairy Tale

The following is a short story I wrote for my English 287 (Creative Writing) class at NC State University in the spring of 2010. Rupert Windelbaum was a fine young man, poor but proud. Not that he was proud of being poor, but he was determined to provide for himself. He wasn't going to be one of those beggars on the side of the road. Rupert was what they call a subsistence farmer – that is, he grew enough food to feed himself. He lived on a small plot of land on the western edge of Hackenshire, in a small thatched-roof cottage he had built himself nearly three years earlier. He would have liked to have a family, but that would mean he'd have to make more money to take care of them. The only money he made was from scrounging together some leftover crops and taking them to market in Hackenshire every Saturday, and most of that money went to paying homeowner's taxes and market booth rent. It was a simple life, but Rupert didn't mind. He had his panflute to keep him oc...
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Hear the screams of a dream being born

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In the spring of 1969, during his senior year at Amherst College, Jim Steinman debuted his epic rock musical The Dream Engine . In the spring of 2019, I got to attend the 50th anniversary performance. I shall now recount to you my experience. But, as is my style, I had a few other adventures along the way. My flight from Raleigh landed in Boston around 10AM on May 29th, and my first order of business was to google "best donuts in Boston." The top result was Kane's, so a quick trip on the T and I was in the Financial District devouring a decadently massive Boston cream donut. Faneuil Hall was just a short walk away, so I popped over to browse the shops and admire the historic architecture. Next I picked up my rental car and visited the JFK Library, and then across the street to the state archives where I saw rare documents such as the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. After a quick stop in Dedham to see the Fairbanks house -- the oldest wooden house in North ...
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