Aftershocks

        Today I learned that 24 years ago in 1989 a massive earthquake had hit the San Francisco Bay area. I attend San Jose City College and today as a prevention we were notified that we were going to be doing an earthquake drill. My Chicano culture class professor was in the middle of lecture when this happened. He didn't follow through with the drill but assumed everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Basically crawl under your desk and pray for the best.
        I grew up in Illinois and have experienced a few earthquakes there as well, but a bigger fear of mine was tornadoes. After educating myself on wikipedia about the great 1989 earthquake, I'm more afraid of earthquakes now. They are unpredictable and unknown how much damage they can do. It's not like you can look at a forecast and see how big it can be or the location which you sometimes can do with hurricanes and tornadoes. I can see why this kind of natural disaster can put so much fear into people.
       The earthquakes I have felt while living in Illinois because of the fault line there are trivial to what can happen here in California based on history. The San Francisco bay area (where we live) has seen two great earthquakes in 1906 and 1989 that did major damage and caused many casualties and injuries. We have been told many times by our friends and family that they would be scared to live here because of the earthquakes. We would usually laugh at them but now I'm rethinking that and might slightly agree with them.
       My uncle Rick was living out here in the Willow Glen area of San Jose when the quake of 1989 hit. He said his bicycle flew across the room! Its scary to think that a family member was out here during that time. Now I know how my family and friends must feel.
        In preparation for a big quake I think it would be a good idea to put together an earthquake emergency kit just in case.
Water- Stockpiling multiple gallons of water in case underground pipes seize. You can survive without water but only to a certain extent.
Flashlights with extra batteries- The electricity will probably go out and might be out for days. Navigating your house or even on the streets at night can be very difficult or unsafe when everything is pitch black.
Food and a medical supply kit- Keeping some perishable food items on hand is a good idea just in case you are stuck at home. Medical supplies would be extremely helpful if there were any injuries to you or your family.

This list is just a general idea of what I think might be needed in case of an earthquake. If you have any additions to make please let me know in the comments section!



     

Let's go listen to the Night Train.....

Last night was the night that the Night Train tour finally made it to Mountain View, CA! Deejay Silver, Jake Owen and Jason Aldean did an amazing job keeping the sold out crowd at Shoreline energized. Before the show started my boyfriend Dave and I got to go backstage to meet one of our favorite artists, Jake Owen. It was great to finally see him at Shoreline and opening for Jason Aldean on one of the best tours of the year! It was so good to see Jake again and hope to see him headline this amphitheater next year!

                                                                         Jake and I!

Dave and Jake! 

After seeing Jake, we went and found our seats. 7th row again but on the other side of the stage from where we saw Keith Urban. We scored these tickets from the Jason Aldean fan club and were phenomenal seats! 

Deejay Silver took the stage first and got the crowd dancing. His setup was typical for a DJ with a laptop and a couple record spinners. He was a great addition to the tour because he got the crowd amped up for the show by playing a lot of country hits mixed with a little rock and rap. He took the stage again after Jake was over to keep things going while they were setting up for Jason's set. 

Jake took the stage next and with a bang he had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing along. I have been a fan of Jake's since he first came out in 2006 and saw him on tour with Kenny and Dierks Bentley. It was so amazing to see all the people there for his show last night and know it will be like that for when he goes out on his headlining tour next year! He played a lot of his recent hits off his Barefoot Bluejean Night album, along with stuff from his new album coming out December 3rd called Days Of Gold. His set also had a good mixture of songs from his first and second albums and his EP he put out on itunes called Summer Jam. I'm really so excited and happy for him that he could be possibly headlining a show here next year! I so hope so! I got a few videos of him singing some songs from his new album. Hope you enjoy!
Jake Owen- We All Want What We Ain't Got
Jake Owen- Days Of Gold

Now time for the Night Train to unload the main act, Jason Aldean!! We haven't seen Jason in about 3 years or so and it was so good to see him again. He came out and blasted the crowd away with three high energy hit songs of his. The sold out crowd was frantic with energy and Jason was soaking it all in. He played a lot of his hit songs along with some non released songs from previous albums and his new album Night Train. While introducing the crowd to his band, he showed pictures of how they used to look before he met them. It was pretty hilarious when Jason was talking about Justin Beiber's haircut and the crowd booed. He then showed a picture of himself with a haircut like that back in 1994....to which then he broke out into that song! Dave and I stayed until he finished Dirt Road Anthem, and left early so we would beat the enormous crowd out of the parking lot!! 

Videos:

Jason Aldean- When She Says Baby

Jason Aldean- Fly Over States

Jason Aldean- Night Train

Jason Aldean- Dirt Road Anthem

What a great show and sadly the last outdoor country show at Shoreline for 2013 :( See you next year Shoreline!! 

Time to "Get Some" on the "Booze Cruise"!

Last night I went to see Blackjack Billy at the Rodeo Club in San Jose! It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to go see them but I'm glad I went! They are quite new to the country music scene but their high energy set shows that have a lot of potential! They know how to work a crowd and that is one of the things I think is important for building a fan base. They played a lot of their original music along with some cover songs that kept the crowd movin' and groovin'! Their latest song to radio called Booze Cruise is a pretty good party anthem along with their next single going to radio soon called Get Some!
Here is a small clip of Get Some: Blackjack Billy- Get Some
Video of BJB covering some Tim Mcgraw: Blackjack Billy- Somethin' Like That (cover)

 I also had the pleasure of meeting the guys of Blackjack Billy after the show and they were so nice!! I hope to hear more from them soon!! Thanks KRTY for having them out!!