Weekend Update::: Nordstrom Pre-Sale, plus The Urge!

I'll start off the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale chatter by stating that I fell asleep at the wheel this year not having my appointment pre-booked well in advance.  I actually go tomorrow, and that's weird for me, since I normally get there the first or second night of preselect. Thankfully, I gave my card a serious workout on Wednesday morning doing my online pre-select for in-store pickup. 

Hopefully I'll remember to Instagram a few shots along the way. 

As I stared at that long, long list of my purchases, I tried to remind myself that most of that haul was the same item in duplicate and in duplicates of multiple sizes. When I find a winner, I stockpile!  When I have a full list of the damages, I'll do a secondary post with those items listed, for your pleasure.   

Fingers crossed that I won't need my normal size, though, because as of my 2 month mark on this Medifast plan on Monday I was 24.5 down!  I personally don't see any inch loss or body changes, but maybe I actually have some that I cannot see?  

Photo: Nordstrom's Facebook Page

If I didn't actually need jeans (need-need, not want-need) and a swimsuit (can you believe I haven't owned one in over 8 years?), I would probably force myself to refrain.  I do have a pretty good reason for not blowing it out this year, though. Namely our upcoming vacation to Hawai'i, which I cannot wait for, and the reason for the swimsuit purchase!   

As if spending a good part of the afternoon on a spree at Nordstrom, wasn't enough excitement for me, later that night I am heading to the Urge concert at Live on the Levee. 

Photo: The Urge Facebook Page/Sixthman.net

This band is a huge hit of nostalgia for me, they were and are so underrated, getting commercial success so late in the game considering their epic catalog, and the astounding success they have here locally. They still sell shows out and sell them out so fast it makes your head spin, and those shows would give you a workout rivaling Crossfit, because you simply couldn't just sit and listen to them, you'd just have to move it.  

I haven't seen them since college, a long, long time ago, when my friends and I would sometimes drive hundreds of miles to check them out at venues all around the midwest (Blue Note!)  I don't think we missed many local shows, either.  They sometimes played with Gravity Kills, another seriously underrated band that I love, and again, is nostalgic for me. 

I still listen to music from both bands pretty regularly.  How often do you see a guy doing like, handstands and climbing on a custom-built synthesizer keyboard? Gravity Kills shows were raucous, and if Gravity Kills and the Urge played together, forget it!  I am actually slightly bummed I couldn't find any shots online of the keyboard guy and his acrobatics. Sight to behold, I swear. So is that stunningly handsome singer of theirs. Just sayin'. 

Photo: by Todd Morgan (BackBeat) / from Gravity Kills Facebook Page

When I think of either band, besides the amazing times we would have seeing their shows (and the comedy of errors getting to the shows), I think of the best venue they ever played would have to be the late, great Mississippi Nights, which they tore down to put in a parking lot. *wipes tear*  That place was a huge part of my late high school and college years, and I don't think this server could handle the list of great bands that have performed there.  It is one of those "dumpy" places that you would hear various musicians wax poetic about in interviews, like the Whiskey or Studio54 or something.  It is truly missed by the natives.

Photo: Thirdav.com

I remember the moment of this venue's demise vividly actually, since the Agency was located on the 6th floor of a really great historic building on Laclede's Landing that sat caddy-corner to Mississippi Nights. I remember in a random burst of work avoidance, I looked out the window one sunny day and seeing a wrecking ball bash right through the wall and actually yelling out "NOOOO!" like someone kicked my dog.  Considering how prone to similar outbursts I was, I was shocked people actually came running, and when it was realized what I was wailing over, I was not the only horrified citizen watching along with a heavy heart.  

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! If you have any similar nostalgia to share, especially about The Urge, Gravity Kills or Mississippi Nights, I would love to hear about it in the comments section!

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