Update: Bright Lights video

So no takers for this Friday night, huh? OK...that's all right. I'll shift gears, and it will become a New York City adventure extraordinaire with my good friend Sarah. Maybe I'll take pictures and subject you to them. :)

Meanwhile, I thought maybe you'd enjoy this link. I've been keeping my eye out for it, and I just found it today. Remember the performance at the Mid-Autumn Festival that I raved about several weeks ago? It was recorded (the whole festival was) by a Chinese TV station, and they posted the video this week.

It's a LONG video, even though it's only the last quarter of the show. They start introducing us at 6 minutes and 40 seconds in, so if you don't want to watch the rest of the show, let it buffer and start it at 6:40.

I have the following things to say about the video first, though.

First of all, the expression on my face (which would not have been discernable to most of the audience) looks a lot more fearful than I remember feeling. I'm not sure which is more accurate: my memory or my expression.

Secondly: I'll be a little vulnerable here. If you're a boy who knows me and who is intimidated by girl junk you might want to skip this section.

They say the camera adds 10 pounds. I hope that's true. In the last few years I've lost a lot of weight. I don't know exactly how much right now. Certainly 80+ pounds. But one weird thing that has happened in the process is that I no longer have an accurate mental image of what I look like. Some days I picture myself exactly like I used to be 80+ pounds ago. Some days I picture myself...I don't know. Slimmer. Maybe slimmer than I'll ever be. I should probably buy a full-length mirror, but I don't know that it would help.

What I do know is that watching this video sort of makes me cringe, and I find myself wondering what in the world made me think that dress was flattering. I have no idea whether the camera is adding poundage or whether this is what I really look like.

I found myself hesitant to post this link for that reason. But that brought out my inner brat ("Take that, society, with your unrealistic body-image standards!") and, thankfully, the voice of reason. (The latter sounds suspiciously like Jesus.) The voice of reason reminds me that my value does not lie in my appearance, that I cannot stake my self-worth in the number on the scale regardless of what that number is, and that my Savior loves me...LOVES me...even with every errant curve I currently possess.

OK, that's the end of the girl junk. Enjoy the song. I'd forgotten that the sound guys had Rick's guitar cranked WAY up at the beginning, but that didn't seem to rattle him at all...see why he makes me calm? And watch Joe's eyebrows during his lovely piano solo--the more he's concentrating, the higher they go. Not to mention our other Joe, who was behind me through the whole song, so until today I didn't get to see him standing there being absolutely solid and unflappable.

So great, these guys. All of them. For serious.

And the music...well, if I start in on that...just watch the video. :)

http://www.icepn.com/tv/channels/events/local-events/2011/10/31/rutgers-2011-mid-autumn-concert-part-4.html