Three months, six events: A resolution update

I am three months into my New Year’s resolution. In typical Type A fashion, I have actually attended six events when only three were required. And I have enjoyed every one of them.

A friend asked me a few weeks ago to really talk through why I chose this resolution. Why am I doing this? At the end of every year, I start to think of things I want to change about myself. What is wrong with me? How can I do better? I need to lose weight. I need to write more. I need to be a better person.

As 2010 drew to a close, I started to wonder why can’t I, for once, choose a resolution that is fun for me? Why can’t I do something that I enjoy?

I love concerts and musicals, plays and comedy shows (as long as they don’t make fun of me!). But in 2010, I only attended a couple of events all year. Why?

And so, a resolution for 2011 was born. So far, I've attended:

• The Lion King Musical

• Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker

• Bobcats vs. Sacramento Kings Basketball

• Sara Evans

• Cirque du Soleil: Totem

• NCAA Basketball: UNC vs. Long Island

How’s it going so far?

I can only find two real downsides to my resolution. The first con is all about the money! Three months in, I've spent almost $500. It takes an incredible amount of planning and budgeting to figure out what I am doing and budget accordingly.

The only other downside is time. I have had something going on almost every weekend so far this year, which is fun but it is also exhausting.

Luckily, the pros of this resolution far outweigh the cons. I have seen some excellent shows so far. I have yet to attend an event that wasn't worth every penny. Everything has been fun.

I have spent a lot of time with friends and family that I might not have otherwise. That’s been the absolute best part.

I am just having fun. And I am learning a lot: How to enjoy life and how to be nicer to myself. These perks are definitely worth the investment.

A weekend at the Big Dance and the Big Top

Friday Night:

My brother Michael and I, who were raised in the strict religion of Tar Heel, enjoyed the first round of NCAA Championship competition at Time Warner Cable Arena. We decided to go all out for great seats (with a nice partial sponsorship from our mom) and ended up being very, very close to the action.

How deep does our religion go? This was a post-game conversation we had.

Michael: "Someone said if Duke goes further, at least someone from the ACC will go forward. Forget that. I would root for the Taliban first."

Me: "Well, I hear they're putting together a really great team."

Our enemy Friday night was Long Island University, more specifically the Blackbirds. There were not a ton of Blackbird fans in the house, but the ones that were there were loud and proud. The Tar Heels played a good game, not a great one. I am a little worried about our future in the tournament based on some of the things I saw. The Daily Tar Heel sums it up here.

Regardless, it was great to see the boys in blue in Charlotte. Our seats were fantastic (as pictured above) and we could see some of our favorite boys up close and personal. Getting to hear the Carolina fight song live from the band and shout TAR HEELS along with thousands of others was a great experience. I had a great time with Mike, my brother by DNA and the Church of Tarheel.*

*This will also forever be known as the night my car broke down eight times on the way home from the game. We should find out Monday what the damage will be.

Final Score: 102-87

Roy is angry and so is Ramses:

National Anthem

Zeller goes for a free throw

See all photos from the game here.

Saturday Night

I went to my first ever Cirque du Soleil show-TOTEM! The show was held at the big top, set up in Concord near Lowe's Motor Speedway. It was amazing. I really don't know how to describe this show.

The Totem website describes it as

"Tracing the fascinating journey of the human species from it's original amphibian state to it's ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient organizations. Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of the species."

I describe the show as, well, awesome. I know I should be able to use more words, since this is my writing project. These people are so athletic and talented. They can twirl, juggle, flip and spin. These things are almost always done while swinging and flipping in the air. Seriously, it is SO hard to describe.

Here's a little video I found on YouTube that might help

There were ring tossers, trapeze artists, unicyclists, jugglers, roller skaters and more. The show used all of these incredible talents to tell a story that was funny and through provoking. The best advice I have is go see it if you have a chance. If you're in Charlotte, you still do. They are here until March 27.

It was a fantastic event and is a perfect example of why I needed to do this as a resolution. I think the old Randi would never have made it to this event. And it was wonderful.

Note: All photos that don't include me are courtesy of the Totem website.

For all my Cirque pictures, click here

It's March. I am well into my resolution. Later next week, I'll share how things are going so far. Do you have any suggestions for events I should attend? How has my resolution changed my life so far?

Give me a comment, ya'll! I need your feedback.

And then I'll hug his neck....

Disclaimer: Today’s blog post has absolutely nothing to do with live events or New Year’s resolutions. But it is MY blog, so today I’ve made an executive editorial decision.

This is my favorite picture of me and my grandfather. Right before my aunt snapped the picture, I said, "Granddaddy, put your legs up like mine!" I've always been a big fan of awesome photo poses.

For the last nine years, St. Patrick’s Day has made me a little sad. I’ve always associated the celebration with Granddaddy’s birthday, which falls on March 18. Even though he’s been gone for nine years now, the day stays with me. It feels so strange not to be able to call him up and wish him a happy birthday or go order a cake with a big old John Deere tractor on it.

Tomorrow he would be 84 years old.

What would he think of the person I've become? He used to be so scared that my desire to be a journalist would send me to some war-torn country and he’d never see me again. I think he would be happy that I've stayed close by and created a good life for myself. I know he would've been thrilled to see me walk across the stage at Wingate University and get my degree, the first one in his family.

I know that no matter what, even if I dyed my hair purple and sold turnip greens by the side of the road, he would be proud of me. He loved me unconditionally, no matter what. I would still be his baby girl. And putting my arms around his neck would still be one of the best feelings on earth.

But he’s not here. I had 21 wonderful years with him and then cancer hit our lives and took him away from my family. Since he’s been gone, I would give anything to have just one more birthday with him, just one more talk, just more time.

It was too late for Granddaddy and he passed away peacefully at home the day after Father’s Day, surrounded with love from my mom and dad.

It’s not too late for others. Cancer is something that can be cured and it is something that can be stopped. The new American Cancer Society More Birthdays campaign wants you and your loved ones to have more birthdays. Go to their website, pay for one of your favorite artists to send a personalized birthday greeting and help fight cancer.

One of my favorite is Darius Rucker. You can see his greeting here. Make a donation today for those that you love. And yourself.

Happy Birthday, Granddaddy.

“I’m going to walk with my Granddaddy. And he’ll match me step for step. And I’ll tell him that I loved him every minute since he left. And then I’ll hug his neck.” –Brad Paisley

Born to fly

Have you ever thought you sort of liked an artist, then you hear them perform and think, "Oh, yes, I love that song!" and then you realize that you actually love this performer?

That's what happened on Friday night. When a friend told me that Sara Evans was performing at Coyote Joe's and it was only $12, I was in. One thing I did not count on was the whole standing for three hours part and the show starting at 11 p.m. I am old, y'all.

Coyote Joe's is an old stomping ground. I've ridden the bull. It was my first time there in years and it was nice to see not much has changed, except the bull is now broadcast on video camera for all to see. Lovely.

Out of the Blue is the house band that opened for Sara and they were fantastic. They sang everything from Zac Brown band to Bryan Adams and laid it down for every single track. It also didn't hurt that the lead singer was ridiculously and insanely hot. Any band that ends their performance with an awesome version of The Devil Went Down to Georgia can count me among their fans.

Then it was Sara's turn. Can I first s

ay it is completely insane that a 40 year old woman with three kids looks like this? She is beautiful.

Sara's first album in six years, Stronger, came out on Tuesday. She gave away free CDs to everyone that bought a ticket. I think that means she's awesome. I've been listening all weekend and it is really good. (Picture credit to the right Clay Guffey)

Stronger was definitely her best performance. Sara has been through some relationship issues and the pain, and triumph, of those come out in her music. Every lyric of that song is strong and powerful. The whole room, male and female alike, sang along enthusiastically. You could tell the that this song is intensely personal to her.

She also did some old school favorites: Perfect, Suds in the Bucket, I Keep Looking and my favorite Born to Fly. Sara signed autographs throughout the show, chatting with fans and even asking the band to play a song while she signed someone's pink cast.

She told the audience she married Jay Barker a couple of years ago and all the men in the room booed. "He used to play football for Alabama," she said. More boos. "He also used to be a Carolina Panther." More boos. "Wow, he can't win with y'all." I think every woman in the room wanted to be friends with Sarah and ever man wanted to be Jay Barker. When she told the audience she and Jay have a combined seven kids, someone shouted out, "You should've charged more for the tickets!"

The show was sold out and the dance floor was packed. Sara really put on a show and seemed to be having a good time. The audience definitely did too.

Helping white people dance

"I mean, if you don't want to dance, go sit in the freakin' nosebleeds."

I heard this from a chatty woman in a massive bathroom line at the Brad Paisley concert in February. She complained to the woman next to her, also a stranger, about people who yelled at her while she was trying to get her grove on during Darius Rucker's set.*

My immediate reaction was to agree with her. Don't go to a concert if you don't want to dance.

But then I realized, I don't dance at concerts. I don't really dance at a lot of places. Or at all. If I do dance, well you can see for yourself what happens.

I danced with Winnie and Daisy in my empty house the day I got the keys to my first home of my own. I still dance with Winnie and Daisy in my bedroom (with the door closed) when I've had a good day.

Otherwise, any dancing I've done involves alcohol. I once, sober, sat through an entire Rascall Flatts concert in a lawn chair. The only time I stood up is when a Make a Wish Kid was brought on stage to sing.

At a sober Lenny Kravitz concert, I sort of awkwardly swayed once.

Why don't I dance? I just asked one of my best friends to give me a comment on my dancing.

"When Randi dances, she seems to enjoy herself. She is very enthusiastic. It doesn't happen often. Like me and all other pale people, Randi is white. I am sure that Randi is at least a good a dancer as I am," said Misty Ebel.

With that ringing endorsement, I would like to say that I would like to dance more. I really want to dance at the upcoming New Kids on the Block show.

I just don't want to hurt society in the process.

What about you? Do you dance at concerts? How do you not make a fool of yourself?

*I would like to note that even though I am not a concert dancer, I do not hate on those that do or demand they sit down. Whatever. Dance your pants off!