I Really Like This Tune

I am going to end my writing of blog posts with this post, which means for 2021, I will have 621 posts. By the numbers, it makes this year be ranked 7th out of 14 years I have been writing posts on this blog.

1. 2018 (1857) 
2. 2019 (1650) 
3. 2017 (1507) 
4. 2016 (1364) 
5. 2020 (742) 
6. 2014 (636) 
7. 2021 (621) 
8. 2015 (567) 
9. 2013 (433) 
10. 2009 (270) 
11. 2012 (259) 
12. 2008 (209) 
13. 2011 (140) 
14. 2010 (121) 

I feel like if I didn't make today be a final cut, I would create 20 "fluff" posts - 10 today, 10 tomorrow - in an effort to make this year's total be 640, thus moving 2021 to 6th place, which would be really meaningless because there is no way I can write 104 posts in 2 days to have 745 posts for the year and boosting 2021 to 5th place. Instead, I'll accept the reality of not writing as many posts in 2021 as I did in 2014, 2014, 2020, 2016, 2017, 2019, & 2018. Speaking of 2018, how in the hell did I write 1237 more posts than I did in 2021?!? That's a very high standard of writing 155 posts / month, whereas in 2021, I wrote 52 posts / month. 

There were a lot of great tunes that went into my ears in 2021. This morning, I realized that the tune "Ruthless" by Nonpoint may not be the "best" song of 2021, but it does represent the way I would describe 2021. It was a ruthless year of highs and lows. Obviously, yes, the COVID-19 pandemic is at the forefront of my mind and dictated the way I live. For example, COVID-19 dictated the following:

1. how many Masses I attended at Saint Thomas More
• not nearly as many as I did pre-COVID-19
  
2. how many concerts I attended 
1. Shinedown - August
2. Knotfest - September
3. ZZ Top - October
4. Kansas - November
3. how many movies I saw in the theater
• Spider-Man: No Way Home - December 28

---

---

My sincere hope is that 2022 results in going to Mass at Saint Thomas More every week, going to more than 4 concerts, and definitely seeing more than 1 movie in the theater!

These are the final stats for my external hard drives:

Drive Letter	Capacity	Free Space	Used
A	10.9	4.94	5.96
E	7.27	4.68	2.59
E	3.63	1.34	2.29
F	4.54	1.21	3.33
H	9.09	6.51	2.58
I	4.54	2.23	2.31
J	3.63	1.16	2.47
O	9.09	1.03	8.06
P	9.09	4.06	5.03
	61.78	27.16	34.62

---

See you in 2022!

COVID-19 Changed My Feelings about Concerts

After COVID-19 took away live music, I have realized that I don't want to miss a band that plays in the area. I'm going to see Kansas on Saturday night in Cedar Rapids at the Paramount Theater. I talked with Matthew last night and, the way it is now, I am going to play drums at 5:15 Mass and then pick up Matthew at 7:00 for the 8:00 concert. I am looking forward to seeing a legendary group play.

Skipping Iowa

Sadly, this tour is skipping Iowa as it goes from CO to MO to IN to MO to MI to OH to IL to OH and then to the east coast.

Sigh.

For the record, I have never seen any of these bands in concert.

Foreigner, Kansas and Europe Announce American Tour

1. Thurs July 9, 2020 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
2. Fri, July 10, 2020 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
3. Sat, July 11, 2020 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
4. *Mon, July 13, 2020 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre
5. Tues, July 14, 2020 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
6. Wed, July 15, 2020 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
7. *Fri, July 17, 2020 - Portland, OR - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
8. Sat, July 18, 2020 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
9. Tues, July 21, 2020 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
10. Wed, July 22, 2020 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
11. Fri, July 24, 2020 - Kansas City, MO - Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
12. Sat, July 25, 2020 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
13. Sun, July 26, 2020 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
14. Tues, July 28, 2020 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
15. Wed, July 29, 2020 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
16. Fri, July 31, 2020 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
17. Sat, August 1, 2020 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
18. Sun, August 2, 2020 - Pittsburgh, PA - S&T Bank Music Park
19. Tues, August 4, 2020 - Boston, MA - Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
20. Wed, August 5, 2020 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
21. Fri, August 7, 2020 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
22. Sat, August 8, 2020 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
23. Sun, August 9, 2020 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
24. Fri, August 21, 2020 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
25. Sat, August 22, 2020 - Holmdel, NY - PNC Bank Arts Center
26. Sun, August 23, 2020 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
27. Tues, August 25, 2020 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
28. Wed, August 26, 2020 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
29. Fri, August 28, 2020 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
30. Sat, August 29, 2020 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
31. Sun, August 30, 2020 - Birmingham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
32. Tues, Sep 1, 2020 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
33. *Fri, Sep 4, 2020 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily's Place
34. Sat, Sep 5, 2020 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
35. Sun, Sep 6, 2020 - West Palm Beach, FL - Coral Sky Amphitheatre
36. Tues, Sep 8, 2020 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
37. Wed, Sep 9, 2020 - Southaven, MS - BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
38. Fri, Sep 11, 2020 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
39. Sat, Sep 12, 2020 - Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
40. Sun, Sep 13, 2020 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater