Akron at Last

This past weekend I made it out to Akron - the first time in '09. It was my long weekend--off from Thursday evening till Monday evening--and Steve was supposed to come to Pittsburgh to record. There ended up being some attractive events in Akron, and I wasn't feeling the recording for some reason, so I packed up and headed out Thursday night at 11:30, after a stressful evening watching Pitt lose and the Pens lose in a shootout. I rolled into the Thompsons about 1:30 and hung there with Brian, Nick, Steve-O, Cory and Ryan. Just walking into their basement was like finally putting on a jacket that fits - there were amps everywhere, guitars, 2 drumsets set up, 2 keyboards, guitar pedals littering the floor and shelves, a recording computer with 3 sets of speakers surrounding it, and stacks of audio gear everywhere. We kicked it for awhile and then Steve and I retired to the Hoffmans.

Friday Steve worked and I went to the church for a "personal retreat." I stopped at Taco Bell and Starbucks beforehand, and was pleasantly surprised to see Jess at work. It made me realize how long it's been since I'd been around. My retreat was neither fantastic nor a failure, and I wrapped up around 6:30pm. That evening Steve and I tossed around possible concerts to go to, but ended up going to Giant Eagle and getting a bunch of low-grade steaks and a movie. The steaks were quite good, and so was Eagle Eye.

Steve had to work again Saturday, but I went to a seminar that Aaron Osbourn was doing at CoG. It was about the Holy Spirit, and went from 9:30 to around 4pm. I sat in the sound room with Craig, which was nice and relaxed and private. From there we went to the Thompsons' house, which Craig was going to be house-sitting for the week. Steve took awhile to get back from work and show up, and in the interim Craig and I went shopping for supplies for Autumn's 21st birthday party that night. People started arriving around 7:30, and we had a good night eating burgers, talking around the kitchen table, jamming in the basement, and eventually chilling in the hot tub outside long long into the morning. Jes Arlia is a great guy. I'm a fan.

I got up alright Sunday morning, but I was pretty tired that day. Church was good, and packed with people from Dayton who had come for the seminar. Craig, Steve and I hit up MetroBurger for lunch with Brian and Nick, and we all drifted across the street to an awesome record store and an "artsy person" clothes store. Turns out there are clothes that fit me _perfectly_ and look _awesome_, but they cost $100+ a pop. Sad. Craig, Steve and I went back to the Thompsons and ended up crashing in Cory's room watching Flight of the Concords and falling asleep. That was sad because it was a stunning day outside, and Tuminos and Mallinacks were going for a hike. It saddened me to coup myself up in a dark room watching media drivel and drifting lazily to sleep, but that's the price for partying the night before. That evening we went to a party that Ernie - a newer man from CoG - put together for the guys in the church. We had some good snacks and talking, and watched "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," which is quite a thought-provoking movie. That night a few people came over to the Thompsons, but we didn't do much - Craig and I watched a movie and hit the sack.

Monday I woke up a little past noon, packed up, and headed to the Tuminos' for lunch. It was another gorgeous day, and it was great to hang out in the house full of life and love. I had to tear myself away, and barely made it home in time to pack my lunch cooler, change into my work clothes, put on my boots, and go to work.

Thus endeth another weekend of my life. Thoughts from this and the trip 2 weekends previous shall be forthcoming.