Proud Mary

Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
*Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans (see author's note)
But I never saw the good side of a city
'Til I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river


Yesterday, I went floating down the American River with about fifteen girls from my sorority. Having grown up near very few bodies of water (read: one icky manmade lake), I had no idea what to expect. After trekking through the wilderness to find level ground by which to access the water (instead of jumping, you know, 30 feet into a shallow rocky river -- no thanks), sliding down a dusty slope in just a swimsuit (uncomfortable), and reluctantly lowering my body into the c-c-c-cooold river, we actually had an amazing time! Two hours of lounging and laughing was broken up by the occasional rapid, the occasional freezing cold splash, and someone falling off their tube. I had never been to the American River before; who knew that such beauty was hiding in the midst of the Sacramento area. All I see when I drive through Sac is dirt, smog, and city. But that all seems so far away when it's just you and nature and your dear friends.

The American River, Sacramento CA

As a result of our floating adventure yesterday, I have a newfound appreciation for the Sacramento area. As CCR pointed out, sometimes you need to hitch a ride on a riverboat to see the good in a city. Sacramento gets a bad rap sometimes. "It's boring", "it's hot", "it's ghetto", "it's not very fun". Fair enough. And even just a few days ago, I would have agreed with you. But as my mom and dad used to tell me when I claimed to be bored, "maybe that means you're boring." A true not-boring person can always find fun to be had, memories to be made, and adventures to embark upon. 

So, if you think Sacramento is boring, take a ride down the river. Check out a Sacramento Kings game at ARCO arena (not right now, as they are not in season; but you can go see Ke$ha, Rihanna, and Travie McCoy next Friday, which is almost as good -- raw talent, obviously). Watch the River Cats hit some homers at Raley Field (but not against my Grizzlies!). Learn about the history of our fair state at any number of museums: the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park, the California Hall of Fame, or the California State Railroad Museum (a personal favorite of mine). Apparently a few hardcore metal acts have their origins in Sac (any Papa Roach or Cake fans in the house? Yeah, I didn't think so), and if you're into that sort of thing, it looks like you are in the right place. Head to town for Memorial Day Weekend to experience the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, as the city is known as a center for Dixieland Jazz (I had no idea! West Coast New Orleans? Maybe?) -- even though Memorial Day has already passed, maybe pencil it in for next year! Check out the Trash Film Orgy to get your fill of the "absurd, B-movies, horror, monster, and exploitation." Yum. For Billie Shakes buffs, meander over to the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival in William Land Park (this summer: Othello, and A Midsummer Night's Dream!). 

Wow, Kelly! How do you know so much about Sacramento? Wikipedia. It is a treasure trove of information! I have yet to cross most of these items of my Sacramento Bucket List before I peace out in a year or so, and it seems like I could have a pretty awesome time in the process.

In our house this summer, we have a summer bucket list and we are chipping away at it quite rapidly. Picnic in the Arboretum? Check. Playing with the cows? Check. Floating down the river? Check. Next weekend, drive-in movie! Hopefully you can make the most of your summer, too, by taking advantage of all the secrets your metropolitan area has to offer. Even if you have important things to do (like studying for the MCAT, for instance? The LSAT? Working and making cash money?), you can always find some time for yourself. Because if you don't, I'm going to get mad at you. And you don't want a skinny, caffeinated, stressed-out pre-med white-girl up in your business... just trust me ;)

And lastly but not leastly, Happy Independence Day! Go do something American to celebrate our wonderful country: eat a hot dog, drink a Sam Adams, toss around a baseball. And please take some time to remember what a great country we have the pleasure of living in. Whatever side of the aisle you fall on doesn't much matter today; in spite of our differences, we are all Americans :) 

*AUTHOR'S NOTE, 7/8/10: Apparently, unbeknownst to me, the second line of "Proud Mary" used in this post is about heroin... how awkward. I'm not down with drugs, CCR. I am a little disappointed in you. But to remove it would screw up the "flow". So the dilemma is: Do I take the lyric out? Or do I just acknowledge it and inform my readers (all, like, two of you ;) that I do not use heroin or know much about heroin (hence my naivete regarding CCR's meaning) and that the meaning of this post would actually be lost or altered if I succumbed to self-censorship? Jim Morrison (a beacon of morality, obviously) refused to change his lyrics when the Ed Sullivan Show asked him to; he played his song as it was written so as not to become a sell-out. Selling out: not very rock-and-roll. Needless to say, the network did not appreciate the sentiment of "girl, we couldn't get much higher" and he never played on Ed Sullivan again. In comparison, Mick Jagger was more than happy to change his lyrics (read: sell-out) and the Rolling Stones made many more appearances on the popular variety show. Great story, Kelly, but you are really no closer to a decision now than you were before the history lesson. Ahhh but you are wrong! I have made my decision! I will leave the lyric in because who am I to change what an artist has deemed to be their work of art? I am just some college kid with a blog. So, CCR, I will leave your lyric as is, but you will never play on this blog again!