My ramblings, the endless journey

Friday.... got out on time... guess the world is coming to an end or something...

Forms class was really empty, as it was day after last test... I had to call 1/4 of the class.... there wer only three of us... at a level that could... minus the under 18 sect, that just will not call until asked... I royally screwed up the first warm up I called, Phan had to take over (I did not choose wisely... I knew I had a problem switching the sides, or how we call switching the sides... for that perticular movement... ) ehhh.... it was fine and all I'll get better...

Had a hard time with dead guy... I wasn't feeling it... don't know how to explain...

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Saturday
super sets 60 sec res between pairs

DB close grip bench (palms in) 3 x8 @ 35 lbs (each)
bent over rows DB, 2 pt, elbows out 3 x 8 @ 35 lbs (each)

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OH press 3 x 8 @ 57 lbs
overhead squats 3 x 8 @ 57 lbs

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SPlit squats 3 x 8 @ 35 lbs DB
SLDL 3 x 8 107 lbs
really spent time on form... I haven't in a while where lifting is concerned. made everything very strict and clean...

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Sunday
bad stick swinging in the basketball court across the street from my house... 40 minutes


Gym search disappointment.. the gym I though was to good to be true well of course it is.... They are under investigation, and are currently being sued under allegations of idententity theft, unsavory credit card information practices, they havent had heat all winter, all of their trainer have left, replaced, left, replaced... It's not good... No point in signing up there, they might shut in the near future.

New best prospect Iron Works... going to be much more crowdxed, serious lifters there. 2 locations a mile from each other and like a mile from my house, 24 hours at one location monday thru friday 5;30 til 10 or 11 every other night (I need late night hours as a possibility, since i have been know to lift very, very  late if I must and have the energy). Membership includes access to both gyms... all lifts allowed, all necessary equitment on both premises... sauna at th one closser to my house... more exspensive!!!!!! Balls!

So my schedule got royally screwed this week... 3 late nights, 2 quite unexpected....

So I did the weapons and instead of lifting I stayed through forms... I am only going to make it to Thursday night's class this week. (all of this to save the dumb ass ministers ass, with his bull **** promises, dumb ideas, and self centered ego focus, lack of proper scheduling, and all around ......I hate this guy).

So stick is getting better, I had little Jackie take me through it.. yeah I have been practicing some things wrong, I can at least now remember the right way, up to the point that I had wrong memorized. Did the form, what 20 times yesterday...???

Forms was, well it was forms... I am experiancing another round of lost balance. where does it go when it goes away?? Twas good only called one form, that is how i like it, I 'll call, but senior students abounded, so I could just learn.

Form spar was AWESOME. I sparred with (pun intended, but it is his name too), Ausim, he's been around a solid 8 -9 years, he is good. I LEARNED THINGS!!!!! It was so nice to play with someone who is so senior precise and specific about applications...I leanrd long bird application correctly, FINALLY!!!!!! I have been doing that since I started form sparring, and I finally get what is supposed to happen! That earns 2 dancing bananas... You guys won't get why that was huge, but seriously what I leaned forom him in the course of 15 minutes is more than I have learned in form spar in a while!

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This morning
working on my form seeing where i am at strength wise, preparing for real gym..



Front squat

Ok I had to go real quick, there for a sec...

Front Squat 5 x 62 (oops) 5 X 77, 5 X 87 5 x 97, 5 X 107
They were good clean front squats up to the very end

Deadlift 5 X 157 5 X 167, 5 X 177, 5 X 187, 5 X 187
They were also "text book", instead of increasing off of 187 I though it was wise and keeping with today's goals, to just work them very, very, clean

play time...
reverse flies 3 X 12 @ 12

assorted rotator 3X 12
 
hang knee tucks 8, 8 , 8
another difficult ab ex, with a cross, name escapes me... 3 x 12 each side

Ok Iron works is looking goood.... I read they have tires in their yard for flipping *sigh*

The only negitive reviews I have found center around a cardio queen blogger who was talking about how the gym, isn't the cleanest, and they don't have a very wide varriety of machines, and they don't turn on the airconditioner soon enough (the whole wall is open windows, and the back is also a garage door, also open) so she was going to change her membership when the gym (the one I mentioned is being currently sued), opened... the owner told her she might as well just stop coming there now, and revoked her memebership.... That was encouraging... I Like it!

fianally i called and talked to someone about wheter they alow cleans and deads and if they have power racks or squat cages... the guy actually Identified me as a female on the phone (I have a really deep, deep voice I am mistaken for a man a LOT on the phone and in person, if i am in shapeless work clothes), even gave me the almost condesending do it up BABY...

i do think this is the one.....!!!

It is funny Jane.... I guess if most people would have read the reviews I read, they wouldn't think to highly of Iron Works...I think one reviewer said it smelled like sweaty balls... But from my perspective it sounds almost perfect... just gotta line up the money... and figure out how much negotiation I want to do over their advertised prices... everything is relative....   : )

I ran this morning. I actually really really pushed myself, something I have a hard time doing where running is concerned. Just intervals again, but I have a very hard time doing a full body 2 days in a row... even something as light as my yesterdays lifting... so running was the choice.

u beat me in the deadlift. but considering the fact that i have tried doing it just once, i hope i will be hauling more in the day to come.

Anbe Sivam. Period.

my 1 rep max was 237 less than a year ago.

I have been cutting, and re comping, so my strength went down.

Hardway is the DL queen. She totally whooped my ass like, 6 months ago.lol

Add me on facebook!

, thanks ripped... but I'm a bigun', I should be pulling 250-275, IMO... you were so up my ass during our little go around, you really are so much stronger than I. (I really want to hit 300 one time in my life... honestly don't know if i have that in me)

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Ahhh kung fu. I didn't even go to fight night... I was afraid I would spar... bruise my leg, cancel tattoo.

Forms were all we did... I began learning long Dragon.... IT"S COOL, and hard. It is going to take me forever to get it... a lot of new moves, a jump kick, a nut sack grab, and pull (no I am not making that up), pretty fancy pants. This is going to take forever for me to learn.

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So I lied about thins being my last time on that circuit... I just ddin't plan well. SO I forced it to 72lbs, just took the failures on the press, and had to do back squats, rather then the hang clean to fronts, I needed more time for my shoulders to recover before I could get the bar up off of my back. I did the back squats very fast.

chin up 4, 3, 3
push press6, 6, 5 (all and all not too bad)
bent over row, 8, 8, 8
good morning 8, 8, 8,
static lunges 8, 8, 8
back squats 8, 8, 8
Romanian deadlifts 8, 8, 8

Had to make up my weekend.... buddy came down Saturday, at work friday till 2 am (in at 12 pm).... tat was on sunday,.... sucks I couldn't get it all done.... I sat for 2 +hours, for the outline, but the shading is all crosshatching so many many little lines, that I coulnd't sit for it in all one shot... I was going to be way too twitchey, and honestly I couldn't stand have the outline lines retouched,  so the fact that all the shadding has to be whiped form the outline... no way no how... feel free to call em pussy I felt like one.. so I lifted and weapon-ed and formed all on Monday, it was 92 degrees I was unhappy

 super sets 60 sec res between pairs
 DB close grip bench (palms in) 3 x10 @ 35 lbs (each)
 bent over rows DB, 2 pt, elbows out 3 x 10 @ 35 lbs (each)
OH press 3 x 8 @ 57 lbs
overhead squats 1 x 10 1 x7 (bad bar placemenmt, I almost tanked), 1 x 8 @ 57 lbs
 SPlit squats 3 x 10 @ 35 lbs DB
SLDL 3 x 10 107 lbs

I have the staff form down, or at least I have the major moves down..,.now the real work can begin...

Forms we did cursive tiger... an form spar with cursive tiger, trickey, tirckey, and there is a nice neck snap in there which is not part of reg tiger.... it's the advanced form, or advacend stylistic stuff.

It was an easy going class, except that Phan was afflicted with allergies, he took medication... he is a sensitive little guy... he was loaded, which makes it a little more difficult to understand, and it's hard enough to follow him in the first place. We applied some snake stuff, learned a nifty little hip throw. class was all over the place. It was fun, I was hot and not at all feeling well, I almost left half way through (it was still about 90, I'll be fine with that twemperatuer once I get used to it, however the first really hot snap, and I don't functuion well at all).

I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job.... I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job....

Today at almost 34 years old, I seriously contemplated quiting, and going to live in my parents basement.... SERIOUSLY, it is almost more paltable in my mind then coming and dealing with this bull**** on a daily basis.

Sounds like you could use a vacation from work. Do they give you vacation days at your job? There are times when I'm ready to kill, after a vacation I get a good reset and lay low for a few months.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

crap having problems uploading the pics of my tat, outline, I was trying to end today an a pleasant note.


Yes, I have vacation coming to me... I think I have 3 or 4 weeks, paid.. however May is jam packed with problems just for me, with my administrator, out for 2 weeks, 2 of the people under out for a couple days to 2 weeks... 2 cluster ****s and then a third ROYAL cluster ****... and the very poor management style of the latest minister, is making everybody's job intolerable, totally intolerable...we are in a very, very bad place... it is pretty much all the ministers fault... What is interesting if push came to shove and it was me, my admin, or the minister up for dismissal.... the Minister would be the first to go, we would get raises, in the interest of keeping us here. We matter he doesn't... it is funny stuff, especially since neither the admin or myself have any affiliation with this place other than we work here... where the Min (even though this is a unitarian church and it is a loosey goosey liberal religion, although an old one) is the spiritual head and technically CEO, of this congregation.

I plan on going to Hatters Island in North Carolina's outer banks... I shouold be reserving the house by the end of the week... It is my all time favorite happy places... I have stayed in the exact same house there before... it is the quietest most peacefull angry beach to stay at... but I can't get there til July..

i am going to work on getting those pics up... hmmm

sh*T I had it


no ending on a high note for me

thehardway




I plan on going to Hatters Island in North Carolina's outer banks... I shouold be reserving the house by the end of the week... It is my all time favorite happy places... I have stayed in the exact same house there before... it is the quietest most peacefull angry beach to stay at... but I can't get there til July..

Love OBX....Never stayed in hatteras island...But have done Avon,Nags head,Kitty hawk,and Corolla (my fave).
Let me know when you're coming down....I have some friends down in OBX and I'm ALWAYS up for a beach trip!!!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

@ jane, the outer banks are Barrier Islands that are like 30 miles off the coast of NC. It is also right where the ocean current figure 8's and heads off to England, so the surf is very rough and unpredictable for an East Coast beach. Lots of under tow, rip currents,  It is a place where you can swim (or at least where I stay), but it is rather dangerous, you need to be a competant swimer, a strong swimmer, and even then you can eaily be pulled out to you slow and painful death. Where I go there are no lifegaurds, that is how I like it.... but I think 3 times, about how deep I go and how far into the surf I'll play, and how much real swimming I am goign to do, much more so than at any other beach I have been. That is why I call it an angry beach... Posidon seems awfully pissed off around those Islands. And it's a wildlife reuge, and a National sea shore... 70 mile steach... Mostly less than a Mile wide.... I love it there.

Yeah I am doing a CARP job of cutting... I am really lucky I am maintaining right now... either eating too much and badley, or nowhere near enough and not timed correctly... Also i really need to come up with a good temporary routine... instead of what I have been doing, and the gym thing... I took a finacial hit yeatserday, it was unexpected.

@ Bulking, yeah I was planning on dropping you a line when I figured out what week it will be... I wondered if you were partial to OBX, or close... But, if you've been to Avon, then you have been on Hatteras I know because Avon is where I stay.... I would have had you pegged for more of the Party Island scene parts of the OBX.

So as I mentioned yesterday, I had a horrible day, I was angry, I though at least I'll kill the weights tonight... it should have been a heavy day and then.... you see I actually had to walk out of work so I did not go on a tempertantrum fuelled rage a thon (I have gotten good at controlling myself)... I went for a walk, in a garbage can (public), I found an Orchid in a broken pot... I love orchids, but i can not give the the conditiobns they need to thrive, I have not bought one in years... I have stopped trying, (although where i live now, there was always a nagging idea for a possible orchid placement in my bathrooom, that just maybe might work)... so it took my presant from the universe, for the day, and though I'll give him a try... it was in really good shape for coming out of a random public garbage can on a street. I went in the basement to get it a new pot.... And there it was... the heater for my building ripped out, and three little  heaters in it's place... the landlord is splitting the heat up, I will be responsible, for my heat... 

That was my last straw of the day... I went from angry to defeted.... I sat down grabbed a scotch, and watched a frontline doccumentry about Meth...

I woke up early and ran, hiit .... I puked afterwards... but that is not lifting...

I am revising I think i am going to switch to an A B template, upper lower... I have to stop the full body thing for a little while... As it turns out I have to work real late Friday, so I will lift in the AM, it is not as bad a skip as it could be,... I am having a very hard tiem with everything right now... 

Thursday night fights...I had 4,

One with Asian Brandon (sorry Kung Fu is decidedly not PC, everything is racial, or insulting one way or another... we have drunk Brandon, and Asian Brandon...) 1st time fighting him, we both took it easy on each other... he is like 16 heavy set, to fat, a little taller than me, 4 months behind me... no real winner, a fun spar...

Two, Michael, he is 2 months he is in my time frame of joining, he doesn't make it to spar often, I smoked him.

three, Karl, he is th tae kwan do guy, who is new, but just a natural at Martial Arts... he was hard to fight, so kicky but like my hight, I couldn't take away his kicks... and get in for punching... However, he tried to sweep me... he is really good at sweaping, we got into this cuddle, he tried to drop me again... but guess who ended up on their back like a bitch... It was NOT me!

four, Wendy asked me to dance... tough old lady... I didn't stand a chance... I finally felt what it was like when she tangles up people... crazy effective..

thehardway


@ jane, the outer banks are Barrier Islands that are like 30 miles off the coast of NC. It is also right where the ocean current figure 8's and heads off to England, so the surf is very rough and unpredictable for an East Coast beach. Lots of under tow, rip currents,  It is a place where you can swim (or at least where I stay), but it is rather dangerous, you need to be a competant swimer, a strong swimmer, and even then you can eaily be pulled out to you slow and painful death. Where I go there are no lifegaurds, that is how I like it.... but I think 3 times, about how deep I go and how far into the surf I'll play, and how much real swimming I am goign to do, much more so than at any other beach I have been. That is why I call it an angry beach... Posidon seems awfully pissed off around those Islands. And it's a wildlife reuge, and a National sea shore... 70 mile steach... Mostly less than a Mile wide.... I love it there.


@ Bulking, yeah I was planning on dropping you a line when I figured out what week it will be... I wondered if you were partial to OBX, or close... But, if you've been to Avon, then you have been on Hatteras I know because Avon is where I stay.... I would have had you pegged for more of the Party Island scene parts of the OBX.

Me????
The party island type...NOoooooo...HaHaHa!
No I really Love it down there....I remember the first time we took the kids to OBX with us they said "Where's the strip at?" LOL....as they were used to the Myrtle beach action packed beach vacation.
 
I was in AVON in 2001 when they had two people attacked by sharks....Man...Intense times.
I've gotten real atached to the northern OBX beaches , Duck,Corolla, and I really like Carova...which is the 4-wheel drive section,where you must drive on the beach to get to your house. Plus in that area is where the wild horses are free to roam the island as well.
 
But yeah...Just give me a hollar before you go...We'll come down and hook up for a cold one and whatnot....

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Emerald Isle is where it's at, just sayin.

Goals by end of 2009:
Bench 205
Squat 255 ATG
Squat Clean 185

"There is no elevator to success, you must take the stairs."

connelly


Emerald Isle is where it's at, just sayin.

HaHa...Yeah it's ok there...actually I used to live not far from there in southport NC and worked on bald head island.
 
But I'm partial to the outer banks.
 
OK i'll quit going on about the NC coastline....didn't mean to jack your thread!!!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

It's cool bulking... I have been doing the same thing to people, when I tell them I finally booked my Vacation... just going on and on about those little Islands...and how happy they make me... and there is a gym that opened half a mile from my little rental house.

Sunday pull straight sets 1 min rest

Chin ups 5, 3, 3,
Deadlift 177lbs 3 X 10
1 arm bent over rows 45 lbs 3 x10
hang clean 72 x 10 (I am not sure that is correct at all.... I know I had a hard time with grip)
alternating curls supinating (ya know what I mean), 15 lbs 3 x10
(I was pooped)
planks 1 minute x 3

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this morning run. Hiit

Is that your tat coming in?

Add me on facebook!

Yes, obviously it is just the outline, It will be a couple weeks before I can finish it. It will be a lot better once all the fill is done... provided my buddy renders the shading correctly (but I trust him to do the image how I drew it. So far he did a really good job, but the shading isn't stereotypical, so it's wait and see). Also, there is an earlier tat, incorporated in the design, that needs to be assimilated, that is why some of it is black and some is blue black, it is healing all the same color... BTW, my calf was quite swollen when we took those pictures (20 minutes after we called it off for the day),  my calves are a bit leaner than that.

While i am justifying my swollen calf, I bit the big one and weighed and measured on Sunday... I won't post all the numbers, I still have 2 + months til my year in review.

Well, sort of surprising (I really am starting to think i have body perception problems... )

I was correct, thighs are up (whole leg is up, ankle the same or down I can't remember, the fat skin slide, is moved lower, which is what happens when I lean out a little).... But, I measure my fat/ skin rolls the upper roll is down... 3/4 of an inch.. while waist / hips stayed close to the same, (true waist stayed the same actually), biggest butt measure is higher up on my body than before. Arms are the same, chest under arms is up a whopping 1 1/2 inches(????)... This avlidates what my pants are telling me... They get stuick on my thighs... but if I can get them up... the waiste buttons with no problem, no muffin top, some pants loose in the waist. that wa not necessarily the case, even when my legs were smaller, and the thighs "fit". So I guess I am doing a better job at shifting things around than I thought. Floating at 162, but compared to Jane I am weak as a kitten, anymore.

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 So everything got shilfted around AGAIN... nothing conformed to my master plan, for the week. Monday I had to stay late to talk with engineers. Missed my class had to make it up yesterday, since I have late nights for the rest of the week... I am really glad I ran on Monday morning, I did it just because I had some time, it was going to be my extra...not my only workout of the day. Oh well.

Last night Fu town fun, we have been practiceing free spar. So a lot of that.. Phan himself showed me long dragon, again... that is goign to be a problem... I need to start wroking twords my test in July.. right before i leave for Vacation...

Hung with dead guy, more of the weird clearing, it looks almost like I am doing some sort of Thai Chi draon ball/energy ball, stuff, Odd stuff. 

I will do legs tonight... I will go to class tonight. I will do weapons tonight.... My entire May is going to play out like this... it is just a mess...

WOW you're 162?! That's great. Last I read I thought you were pushing 178 or so? Is Jane 160 also?

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hey! im 162! haha. That ink is awesome! I love tree's. I've got one on my forearm as well. yours is quite detailed. i like it very much. Plus there's nothing greater than a woman with tattoo's.

www.Myspace.com/s1lentSamurai
Adam
Orange,CA

Thanks guys...

I'm about 5'5"-5'6 "

@ ripped, yeah something like that... so thanks, I guess all and all I'm on the right track... my half ass cutting techniques, has just reached level 3 separate dinners for me and the boy... (he's a vegetarian, too many carbs for me)... I tend to gradually taper things down over time, when I do my cut/ recomp periods. I guess this one is going to go until Vacation. so 68 more days, not that I am counting (hahaha). Still a lot of time to restrict many more things.

@ Jane I hear you... Honestly if I didn't like you so much, and I wasn't so proud of how you have changed and grown over time (your attitude and you physicality)... I would be really, really bitter about how quickly your strength surpassed mine... And I just can't do anything about it, if I want to continue the cut... I am holding at a level, and I just hope to keep it there until, I can go back to strength training in earnest.

@ Adam THANKS, just wiat till the real detail is in... I know (pretty sure) I have told you previously, that you have really good work on you too.

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I was good I did everything.

Worked on staff with confidance, I know the form, now I must fine tune... 45 minutes hitting imaginary people with a stick.

Weird forms class we were all over the place, we warmed up with long bird of all things. We did tons of forms, just a billion of them, and a bunch of mixed warm ups as well. 

then long distance attacks with kicks, so more of the working on free spar techniques, cross stance attack. a tiger take down. Chris was my partner, I was sorried that he was quitting, buddy John did... 2 weeks from his red sash test... he hasn't even talked to me since. (ehh, not because I go there or anything, his life is ****ed up... and his wife is a demanding jealous dumb bitch)... anyway, they live across the street from each other, so I was worried Chirs would stop going when John did, but that is not the case. 1 1/2 hours forms

legs 60 sec rest straight sets... (I was tired)
I should have gone heavier on every lift, but at that point in the night I am not so sure I could have

Front squats 72 lbs 3 x 10
Step ups 21 lb db 3 x 10 (each leg)
SLDL 107 lbs 3 x 10
lunges alternating 21 lbs db 3 x 10 (each leg)
side planks 30 sec each side, 3

should have done more, could have done better, honestly elated I managed to do that much.

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this morning HIIT extra minute of intervals,

I have a 13 hour day lady soverign is playing tonight... She a ****who has had a giant public meltdown everytime she has played Philly. (kicked in the monitors, and knocked over newspaper stands, last time sang 2 songs had a hiss fit about the mic threw it down and walked off stage... I really hope she plays "super star" with me...Because I will shut the **** down in a heart beat...and the promoter and the staff would really enjoy it.

Don't worry HW, you have other priorities right now. I'm going to whoop up on Jane for the both of us! Height advantage be damned!

<3 you Jane

Actually I think it's awesome that the 3 females on this board are competitive and have respectable lifts. We all push each other to be better, no cardio bunnies here! :)

Add me on facebook!

rippedchick


Don't worry HW, you have other priorities right now. I'm going to whoop up on Jane for the both of us! Height advantage be damned!

<3 you Jane

Actually I think it's awesome that the 3 females on this board are competitive and have respectable lifts. We all push each other to be better, no cardio bunnies here! :)

You better get her.... and I agree 1000% we are a good gang of 3!

push 60 sec rest straight sets

DB bench 3 x 10 @ 40 lb each DB
incline DB bench 1x9,  1 x10 , 1 x8 @ 30 each DB (I have no idea why they went down?)
DB bench palms in 3 x 12, @ 25
OH press DB 3 x 9 @ 20 (???? really)
arnolds 3x10 @ 20
Tricep kickbacks 3 x 15 @ 15
bicycles  3 x 30 each leg

on to justifying... yesterday up at 9 am work at 3 pm I went to bed at 5:30 - 6am and was woken up at 10:30 am by work, so I could get info I was supposed to have 2 days ago.  so a really long day followed by a really short rest = really crappy workout. At least I did something.




 

Any Problems with the lady soverign concert? I wanted to read about how you tossed her out.

Team Keine Ausreden = No Excuses
mein scheinehund ist daheim
48 yrs young
6'5" 270 Lbs

Nah I didn't have too... however, you might as well call her lady Sob-ren... she had a hissy, about not being able to hear herself in the monitors (same old story), they gave her an actual mini pa (mixed speakers like the house had) in addition to the monitors... still couldn't hear herself.

 They turned of the entire front of the house... just to hear if there was some sort of legit problem that neither the house sound guy or her sound girl couldn't hear.... the stage sound was, get this, actually louder than the full PA (umm our house PA is loud, although really well balanced and not overbearing, the guy who was running the house side is very, very competant, and I know a lot of sound guys, and I don't say that about many of them... well actually just 2), , like the whole show could have been broadcast quite well with just the stage sound... her own crowed booed her, when she was whinning... she ran of stage to the green room crying... somehow she got it together, did the show, kinda moaning the entire time.... At one point she said she just not used to playing cities like this, she is used to New York and LA... one of the guys yelled then go back... I <3 that guy, he's one of the good ones...  

By the end of the night her touring sound lady appologised for sob-ren's yet again just bratty, baby attitude, and thanked eveyone and said she thinks she is getting fired. Then as sound lady was puling the van out she hit house sound guy's car and crumpled it fairly significantly... he wasn't even supposed to be working, he was just doing the best sound man ever a favor... Poor guy, he's getting married in 9 days, he didn't need that.

I didn't leave til 4;15 went to get a sandwich and had 4 people tell gee your up early... that hurts... when it is not early, but in fact very, very late...