AtomJohnson Blog

While its not been the vacation that I had planned, the trip to Lake Burton has been great nonetheless.  The original plan was to host lots and lots of friends from the wonderful states of Colorado, Virginia and Georgia.  3,500 invites went out and everyone except for me had a conflict.  So, it has turned out to be a Johnson Boys lakehouse trip.  Scott had planned on fishing the entire time, but the the boat won’t start, so he is onto Plan B.  I had planned on reading and relaxing the entire trip, but it turns out I have a ton of work to do and Dad’s magic cell phone give me Internet access, so I am onto Plan B.  Dad had planned on being on the Internet the entire time, but I have taken control of it, so….Plan B.

Scott, Dad and I headed up to Lake Burton Saturday after recovering from the wedding. The only way to possibly follow up a wedding as amazing as Friday’s is to relax for five days in one of my favorite spots. On Sunday I remembered what it is like to run in extreme humidity. Extremely wet. Last night, Scott and I learned what it is like to fish in pouring down rain….a bit of the same.

As of Friday at 6pm EST, my only sister is no longer on the market…sorry gentleman. The lucky suitor is Mr. Alan Hayes of Valdosta, GA. The family-only ceremony was short, sweet and led by a boisterous, light-hearted Irishman. The reception that followed was the best I’ve been to yet. Amy and Alan were completely relaxed and seemed to be just two people at the party rather than a nervous, over-proper set of newlyweds. With the help of good friends and lots of family, we polished off way too much wine and sweat out what we could on the dance floor. Thanks to everyone who traveled in from far-away places to ensure that this was a night none of us will soon forget. It was a hell of a way for Amy and Alan to kick off what is sure to be a long, happy life together.

See all the pics here….

I cannot wait for this movie to come out on August 3rd. I’ve seriously watched the trailer like 50 times….

Last night Jill, Amy and I went to see The Shining at Red Rocks. I had my concerns about seeing the world’s scariest movie, but figured I would be OK since I’m all grown up now. Keep in mind that this is the first time I’ve been able to watch the entire movie. Every other time I’ve attempted this, I’ve gotten way too freaked out and had to turn it off. I’m glad to have finally seen the entire film. I don’t think I could have handled the chase seen through the Maze as a child. Hell, last year may have even been cutting it too close. I never noticed before that their apartment at the beginning of the movie is in Boulder. There is a great shot of the Flatirons when they show the exterior. The scariest part of last night was seeing everyone in the audience bleed out of their ears every time Shelley Duval screamed (this happens alot in the movie). Is there any way we can turn the volume down a notch for the next one?

Last night’s Polyphonic Spree concert at The Gothic Theater will be very tough to beat. If you’ve never heard of The Polyphonic Spree, they are a 23 piece self-described “choral symphonic rock” group from Dallas, Texas.

The show starts with a red curtain stretched across the stage. Scissors cut a heart into the middle of the curtain while the harp plays and then snips a jagged line up the center to reveal a 7-person choir, a pair of keyboardists, as well as a percussionist, drummer, bassist, guitarist, flautist, trumpeter, trombonist, violinist/violist, French horn player, a pedal steel player, theremin player, and an electronic effects person.

From there all you can do it prepare to be completely amazed and hope that there will be another chance soon to smile that big for a solid 2 and a half hours…

Here is a video of The Polyphonic Spree covering Nirvana’s song “Lithium”. This version is from their June 30th performance at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC (where I first saw them perform). They performed the same version last night. For me it was one of the highlights of the show.

On Thursday night Jill, Ronnie, Greg, Kristen and I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to see the MLS All Stars play against Celtic. Despite a bit of rain, the game was fantastic. As a bonus, I can now say that I’ve seen David Beckham in person. Who is David Beckham? Oh…he is the newest player for the LA Galaxy. Yes, the one who married Posh.

Yesterday, after 11 years in the Knight Rider, I thought I was finally going to get a new (used) car. I had found an incredibly underpriced Honda Element for sale up in Nederland, CO (just 20 miles away). So, Tuesday night I drove up to Nederland, test drove it, and completely fell in love. I setup an auction snipe to bid up to $12,500 with only 5 seconds remaining in the auction. For a car valued at $17,200, this would have been a steal. Well, socalconstricters came in seconds later and destroyed my dream with a winning bid of $12,600. The search for an Element continues….

When I finally do get an Element, I’m going to outfit it for roadtrips with this setup.

My good buddy George Demetriades came out this past weekend for a visit. He and I met on the high school year book staff at Lakeside High School. At my sister’s high school reunion several years ago, they discovered that George and I lived about a mile apart.

We had an amazing time this past weekend. I showed George as much as I could of what Boulder has to offer. We went to the climbing gym, the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the Indian Peaks Wilderness….and even played 7 straight hours of Settlers of Catan with Jill. Despite us somehow splitting an entire handle of white rum in the course of the 7 hours, we managed to rise the next morning at 6:30am for some hiking and (attempted) fishing. Ten minutes into fishing Lake Isabelle, I had flung my fly off and developed a knot so complex in the end of my line that is was beyond mathematical explanation. I guess I’ll have to remove the bumper sticker from my car that says, “Women Love Me, Fish Fear Me”.

I was fully convinced that George was ready to move to Boulder at many points during the trip. He would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. He is a great guy…..and, we need a Republican in this town…

Last night Matt, Rachel and I joined what seemed like 20 other fans to watch the Colorado Rapids take on the California Victory in the Third Round of the US Open Cup.  This tournament is open to all teams from the MLS and various divisions of the United Soccer League.  These are fun games to watch as the MLS teams often get upset by lower division opponents.  In fact, David Beckham’s (who arrives on the team tomorrow!) new team, the LA Galaxy was upset last night by the Richmond Kickers.  Fortunately, the Rapids advanced with a final score of 3 to 1.

Programming Note: David Beckham will by joining the LA Galaxy on July 21st as they take on the English’s Premiere League’s Chelsea.  The game will be on ESPN at 8:30pm EST.