'Once In A Live Time' Dream Theater...

Well "Greetings" World's !!

It's a very bright, breezy & cold Tuesday - here in England's South-West corner...... it's well cold outside !! Luckily, for me, I'm spending the day here, in the house - with the heating on & the music well above deafening. I would say, up around the 15 mark - who needs 11 ?!

I'm home alone, for a few hours.... B - My Wife & Dearest Friend - has gone over to the M & M's house, to meet up with ME & have a day of pampering. It's my Wife's birthday & ME has arrange a bit of a surprise for her........ via a salon & a bit of make up type stuff. Bless her !!

I've known for a while - but, I've kept it as secret... well........ I think I've said a few things, but only in fun. As B left, I told her to enjoy her "dance" - mainly as I've kind of, told her she's going line dancing !! Hopefully she'll be happy with my little deception.... after all, it's her birthday !!

I did give her breakfast in bed & stuff like that.... sooooo....... !!

Anyhoo - that's what B & ME are up to. I think she'll be back in about 4 hours - so, as I said above, I've got the heating on & I'm sat here with the music blasting around the homestead. Nothing in particular, just stuff as it comes to mind.

A little earlier, I played Zeppelin's re-union concert, from 2007, then I moved onto a bit of Therion & now I'm playing Dream Theater's 'Once In A Live Time' set, from 1998...... the tracks are:

CD 1

  1) A Change Of Seasons I- The Crimson Sunrise
  2) A Change Of Seasons II - Innocence
  3) Puppies On Acid
  4) Just Let Me Breathe
  5) Voices
  6) Take The Time
  7) Derek Sherinian Piano Solo
  8) Lines In The Sand
  9) Scarred
10) A Change In The Seasons IV - The Darkest Of Winters
11) YTSE Jam
12) Mike Portnoy Drum Solo

CD 2

  1) Trial Of Tears
  2) Hollow Years
  3) Take Away My pain
  4) Caught In A Web
  5) Lie
  6) Peruvian Skies
  7) John Petrucci Guitar Solo
  8) Pull Me Under
  9 Medley:
                 Metropolis
                 Learning To Live
                 A Change Of Seasons VII - The Crimson Sunset

I really like this live album & the DVD that goes along with it.... makes me smile everytime I hear 'Take The Time' & the way they go off into the guitar solo - sort of - end bit of 'Free Bird' !! Great stuff....

Right - as you might have guessed, I've not written anything since last Friday...... sorry about that. As I mentioned then, I landed up back in hospital, last week - for a short stop over - and then, on Friday, I saw my nurse, to get me dressings changed. At that time, horror, upon horror, my local Dr. took some blood from me !! I tell you - the way he did it, well - he could have a future plying darts !!

Anyhoo - I knew I wasn't firing on all thrusters, but it wasn't until yesterday - when I found out the results - that I knew just how poorly I actually was. It turned out, that my blood infection levels were up 10 times as high as they should have been !! Great stuff - at least I knew why I felt like crap !!

To put it into some kind of focus.... I was taken into hospital, just after my birthday, when my levels reached the 170 mark..... Friday, I was up over 200 !! As I say, at least now, I know why I felt so bad.....
   
So - I had another blood test yesterday & my Dr. is going to inform the Consultant, to tell him what a "naughty boy" I've been & we have to see what words of wisdom he comes up with..... he might 'phone tonight, to check up on me - he usually tells me off, at least once a week..... usually on a Tuesday.

Oh well..... as bad as all of that might sound, we did have one really good bit of news, on Saturday. In as much as, I have been given a date, to work towards, for my next surgery......

It's likely to be going ahead on Tuesday, 24th November. Sooooo - at least we now know, just when I might be going back under the knife..... even if it means a bit of pain & a stay away from home again.  

Ok - it's going to be a bloody painful experience - but, the good news is, all being well, this might be the very last surgery I need to have !! Of course - I said the same type of thing, after the first surgery.... and probably all of the rest of them - but, 11 has a nice ring to it, sooooo.... lets hope it's 11th time a charm & we can put all of this behind us !!

If you read my post, from December 2012..... well, I had just come out of hospital then & I was sooooo over the Moon, because a man - who I now trust with my life - said he could fix my back & for the first time, in many, many, many years, I might be able to walk unaided again !! To have that hope.... followed by 3 years of disappointment... well, "such is life", as Mr Kelly said.....

Nevermind - the metal work, implanted in 2013 is coming out & life will go on & on. I do not regret the decision, to go ahead with the first surgery.... nor do I blame anyone, for all of the complications that have gone with it !! It's been a roller coaster of a ride & now it might just be coming to a beautiful end, with me being a jelly fish...... but, once I put my demons back into their box, I will get over this & move happily into 2014.

Right - the music of the moment is from U2's Boston June 6th 2001 concert.... 'Where The Streets Have No Name'.... and I guess I better think about closing this off, for today at least !! No - not yet....

I found another Zeppelin Knebworth bootleg..... it's from the 2nd show, on August 11th 1979 & to be blunt, I didn't realise I had the thing !! It was loitering on one of the many shelves I have around me & I was well pleased to find it !! The tracks are:

CD 1

  1) The Song Remains The Same
  2) Celebration Day
  3) Black Dog
  4) Nobody's Fault But Mine
  5) Over The Hills & Far Away
  6) Misty Mountain Hop
  7) Since I've Been Loving You
  8) No Quarter
  9) Hot Dog
10) The Rain Song

CD 2

1) White Summer
2) Black Mountain Side
3) Kashmir
4) Trampled Underfoot
5) Sick Again
6) Achilles Last Stand
7) Guitar Solo
8) In The Evening

CD 3

1) Stairway To Heaven
2) Rock & Roll
3) Whole Lotta Love
4) Communication Breakdown

I wasn't at this show - but, by all accounts, it was a cold affair...... but, it was Led Zeppelin, doing their last ever live show, in the UK !! Give the guys a break !! We've had some really hot August nights - so when this was decided upon, it probably seemed like a great idea..... shame it wasn't !!

The 2 shows were a week apart & there were a few changes to the tracks played.... 'Ten Years Gone' was dropped & 'Communication Breakdown' was added at the end - I guess replacing 'Heartbreaker'. It depends on how you look at it !!

I'll give the thing a play in a while..... but, I think it's another soundboard recording - not really sure..... time will tell, I guess !! It's all good - plus, as I say - I forgot I had the thing..... if only I had a brain that worked !!

Right - now I'm going. My thank's to you all, for logging in & reading my words. I'm hoping to get back to writing a bit more often now.... but, that will depend on a lot of things, I guess. Whatever... take it it easy out there in the Internet Universe, which ever World you might be on..... until next time...

Bye Bye