myriad harbours

Hello, autumn.
This year's change of seasons didn't come as a gradual stroll into shorter days but arrived as a jarring splash of chilly nights and resurrected cardigans.
I blame it on the cruise. The BF and I spent eight days aboard the Radiance of the Seas in middle October on an itinerary that left out of L.A., went south to Ixtapa and stopped in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta on the way back. It was an Atlantis charter, but we joked it felt more like an Atlanta cruise. We were there with a group of about 14 friends, most all of them from the ATL.
Good times were had by everyone. My only real complaint came after the cruise. I could still feel the boat moving at least a week after returning to land — which is apparently a common side-effect.
I've found it hard to concentrate and get any significant work done since we got back from the trip. And now, all of a sudden, it's November. Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away. There are Christmas decorations up in CVS. Fall feels like it's already over. What happened?

Last week I had the chance to catch Annie Lennox at the new Cobb Energy Center. I was impressed with the venue, even if it felt a little corporate and somehow modest in its scope. The performance itself was amazing, as always. She whipped out "Thorn in My Side," one of those songs I absolutely didn't expect, and also did a great rendition of "Sisters are Doing it For Themselves." Beautiful.

The next night found me at the New Pornographers show. I was still feeling a little off from the cruise (seriously) but I really wanted to see Neko for at least a few songs. The band seemed a bit tired to me — oddly unenthusiastic — but Neko did not disappoint. Hearing her belt "Challengers," the title track from their new album, gave me a new appreciation for the song. I also really liked the live version of "Myriad Harbours." After that one, I left. On the long walk back to my car, I could still feel the boat rocking.