Sometimes, life is alllll-right.

This weekend was unusually, and surprisingly, an incredible 2 days. As a result of having this weirdly interesting and event-filled time, I'm going to tell you all about it as not to forget that every once in a while, I actually do truly enjoy my life.

Friday night, I was invited to go see Hank Williams III (or, as I like to call him, Hank Williams Jr. III - but was pointed out by my good friend T. that this is rather incorrect...but I digress) at a local shady club here in Providence. I was a little skeptical having not really been a fan of country music, but as being fairy open-minded to all music, I agreed to go. First, however, I was invited to go to a Pawsox game with some friends of mine for opening night at the stadium. (Pawsox is a minor league team for the Red Sox, for those of you who may not know) My impressions of the 2005 season opener -- it was freezing, crowded, and freezing. But all that aside, it was fun to be there, as baseball is surely a sign of warmer weather to come...as well as cheap beer in plastic cups, it's a sign of that too. Ah...summer. After the game, it was Hank time. (well, techinically, it was go to a bar with a friend of mine who is interested in me, to only be showed off to his friends all the while "getting a drink" before Hank time...but that's a story for another time.) We showed up to the show an hour after he was supposed to start (because of getting a drink beforehand at a separate bar) and he was already well into his first set. If you are not familiar the with III, as I was not prior to this, he plays two types of music, a country-rock like kind and punk. My impression is that he basically only plays the country-rock to get people to his shows, and the punk because that's what he's truly into. The country-rock set was incredible, and I am not a country-music fan usually. But it was more than country; it was intense, energetic, fierce. I had a smile on my face the entire time, his excitement was thrown to the rowdy crowd below him. Besides the incredibly scary zombie-skeleton-like bass player with a mohawk, they had a very addicting stage presence. Then...they started playing punk. It was awful. Having never been a fan of punk-music, I couldn't have disliked it more. I was irritated we missed out on more of the beginning to get a drink at a different bar. Did I mention we had to go to a different bar in order to get a drink before we went to a bar? We hung around a while longer so that I could further be showed off to his friends, then I left to head home.*

Saturday I spent the morning stuffing envelopes. I believe I only got 500 of the 3000 I'm supposed to stuff done before I couldn't stand being inside any longer. Took and I headed for the park. It felt amazing out. We walked on the trails for a good hour before I decided to try out the dog park in the city for something different to do with Took. We pull up to the fenced-in park and sat in the car for a few minutes before making the decision to actually try it out. I was hesitant because I've only known Took to be ok around one dog at a time - but 10 different ones, I wasn't so sure about. We step out of the car and all of the dogs in the park come running to my car and start barking in unison at the new dog on the other side of the fence. I thought twice about going straight into the mass of tooth-bearing canines, but was assured by one of the owners on the other side, that they do that to every dog on the other side. The second Took gets on the other side, he's like the new kid on the playground. All the dogs chase him around in one big mass, each trying to get their turn at smelling the new guy. I felt so bad for him, but he didn't seem to mind. The entire time I was like a new mother dropping her first child off at day care for the first time. I was following him around hoping he'd be liked by the other dogs, and not picked on or outcast. Poor guy, though, all he wanted to do was play and all the other dogs were too involved in their games of fetch with various dirt-and-spit0laden tennis balls. (Took is above tennis balls or any game that involves human interaction - we are simply for feeding and scratching bellies.) There was every kind of dog possible there, including a poodle that was the bullie of the park, despite the other dogs viewing him as a hurdle, rather than a playmate. We left with Took panting and exhausted from a fun-filled day of parks and Poodle-bullies.

Saturday night I went to see an artist that I have been wanting so badly to see live, Alison Krauss. I actually feel blessed to have been able to see her perform, she was that good. Her presence seemed that of someone just starting out, excited to finally be doing something that she loved. Her performance, however, was that of someone who had been doing it her whole life. It was breathtaking, inspiring. It was a perfect combination that led to an impressive two hours of amazing bluegrass. She ended the show with an accoustic rendition of Down to the River to Play that was so beautiful, that had I not been so heartless lately, I would've cried. I drove home with a smile on my face, what a way to spend an evening. Although, it definitely made me miss the mountains of North Carolina..tremendously.

And now, for the grand finale: yesterday I went to Fenway to see the Sox play. It was quite unexpected. My friend had an extra ticket and invited me along. So after a brunch with some friends, we headed to Boston. The weather was perfect, our seats incredible (more so after the 4th inning when we moved four rows back in between 3rd base and home plate). After the game we ate in Chinatown at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. Everything on the menu was listed as meat in quotations, like "Beef" with vegetables in garlic sauce. I had what was the closest thing to beef teriaki in 10 years. It was delish.

Now I need a weekend to recover from my weekend. Usually, I don't look forward to packed weekends. However, these two and half days, I didn't look forward. It was the first time in a while that I was happy and content doing whatever it was I was doing at that moment. I am so lucky sometimes.

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*I do actually really enjoy the company of my friend, I don't want to give off that I do not. He is incredibly interesting and a kind person. I am not, however, interested in him as more than a friend. I just don't have the balls to tell him this just yet.