Yeah, I finally got around to catching it. The cold everyone around me has had. I was due, the way I figure, because I usually catch 2 colds per year, once when winter turns to spring and once when summer turns to fall. Thankfully it's just a head cold, but my colds always turn into a lovely thing called post-nasal drip. That means my head is snot factory, but instead of coming out my nose, it drips down the back of my nasal passage into my throat causing a lovely, annoying cough that lasts for weeks.
Just my luck Hannah will get back to me and say she's got an opening for me next week. Then I'll have to decide: is my cough bad enough to wait another 6 months to a year?
Also, observations from Amtrak. I took the train up to Milwaukee, which was fine. It's an hour and a half ride. However, I did see first hand how secure "our nation's railways" are.
Chicago: Union Station
Signs posted everywhere that only ticketed passengers with ID will be allowed into the boarding area. To my right, a play room where a family is sleeping and they obviously don't have tickets. An empty counter in front of me where a security person is meant to sit. To my left, a man (sans ticket) saying goodbye to his son who is boarding a train.
They didn't even check tickets before boarding, and the ticket guy who took my ticket after we'd started moving never even checked my ID (or anyone else's).
No security checkpoint. I could have had fucking semtex in my bags and no one would have known.
Now, I know this was just a local train to Milwaukee, but all of the trains board out of the same area, so this could have just as easily been a cross-country train or a train headed into D.C. or New York.
Just something to think about.
29 September 2007
23 September 2007
Tagged by SME: 2 things
Two Names You Go By:
1. Laura
2. Bean (my sister's old nickname for me when I was skinny)
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Rings
2. Shoes
(and nothing else) :p
Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a Relationship:
1. Trust
2. Fun
Two of Your Favorite Things to Do:
1. Watch movies
2. Watch Annie dream
Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. John to get a haircut
2. To drop 50 lbs
Two Longest Car Rides:
1. Chicago to Eagle River Wisconsin (10 hrs)
2. Chicago to Upper Penninsula Michigan (12 hrs)
Anything over that and I fly now.
Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Halloween (though we don't have much to do on Halloween these days)
2. Yule
Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Root Beer (A&W, IBC, or Sprecher only)
2. A really tasty red wine
Two Things About Me You May Not Have Known:
1. This
2. That
Two Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Clerk at a dry cleaners
2. Education Administration
Two Movies I Would Watch Over and Over:
Only 2??
1. O Brother Where Art Thou?
2. Coming to America
Two Places I Have lived:
Sadly, I'm not very mobile...
1. Chicago
2. Oak Park
Two of My Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
Two Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. Hawaii
2. Living in a house I own
Four People I Tag:
Eh... have at it, whoever you want....
1. Laura
2. Bean (my sister's old nickname for me when I was skinny)
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Rings
2. Shoes
(and nothing else) :p
Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a Relationship:
1. Trust
2. Fun
Two of Your Favorite Things to Do:
1. Watch movies
2. Watch Annie dream
Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. John to get a haircut
2. To drop 50 lbs
Two Longest Car Rides:
1. Chicago to Eagle River Wisconsin (10 hrs)
2. Chicago to Upper Penninsula Michigan (12 hrs)
Anything over that and I fly now.
Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Halloween (though we don't have much to do on Halloween these days)
2. Yule
Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Root Beer (A&W, IBC, or Sprecher only)
2. A really tasty red wine
Two Things About Me You May Not Have Known:
1. This
2. That
Two Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Clerk at a dry cleaners
2. Education Administration
Two Movies I Would Watch Over and Over:
Only 2??
1. O Brother Where Art Thou?
2. Coming to America
Two Places I Have lived:
Sadly, I'm not very mobile...
1. Chicago
2. Oak Park
Two of My Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
Two Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. Hawaii
2. Living in a house I own
Four People I Tag:
Eh... have at it, whoever you want....
15 September 2007
Worthy Causes
New Addition:
Click to Give sites: Animal Rescue, World Hunger, Breast Cancer, International Literacy, Children's Health, and Rainforest Preservation groups all banded together to create the "click to give" sites. All you have to do is click the button and their sponsors give money toward each cause (food, shelter, teacher salaries, etc). Each has a shop where you can buy tangible things, such as Pawprint logo shirts for animal rescue, or fair-trade woven goods from people in developing countries. They also have intangibles, such as a donation to pay a teacher's salary in Afghanistan, buy books for kids in schools, sponsor a homeless animal, buy food for the hungry, etc. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot of shopping on this site this holiday season.
Click to Give sites: Animal Rescue, World Hunger, Breast Cancer, International Literacy, Children's Health, and Rainforest Preservation groups all banded together to create the "click to give" sites. All you have to do is click the button and their sponsors give money toward each cause (food, shelter, teacher salaries, etc). Each has a shop where you can buy tangible things, such as Pawprint logo shirts for animal rescue, or fair-trade woven goods from people in developing countries. They also have intangibles, such as a donation to pay a teacher's salary in Afghanistan, buy books for kids in schools, sponsor a homeless animal, buy food for the hungry, etc. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot of shopping on this site this holiday season.
14 September 2007
Bye, Bye Birdie
This is so sad. I remember seeing a Discovery Channel show about Alex, the African Grey parrot several years ago that was just jaw-dropping amazing. Poor Alex - he died last week of unknown causes after working with researchers for 30 years.
Alex's advanced language and recognition skills revolutionized the understanding of the avian brain. After Pepperberg bought Alex from an animal shop in 1973, the parrot learned enough English to identify 50 objects, seven colors and five shapes. He could count up to six, including zero, was able to express desires, including his frustration with the repetitive research.
...The last time Pepperberg saw Alex was Thursday, she said. They went through their back-and-forth goodnight routine, which always varied slightly and in which she told him it was time to go in the cage.
She recalls the bird said: "You be good. I love you." She responded, "I love you, too." The bird said, "You'll be in tomorrow," and she responded, "Yes, I'll be in tomorrow."
13 September 2007
Can't wait for Christmas now....
The name of the game:
How many parents can we piss off with THIS toy?
I'm kidding, since actually most people who I know who have kids (including family) have tattoos anyway. Of course, that doesn't mean they want their little angel thinking about them just yet. But isn't this hilarious? I can just see parents coming home to find 8-year old Timmy has just tattooed prison teardrops on his baby-brother...
The friend who sent this to me had this to say: "I love the picture of the kids especially the one with the backward camo cap, because well everyone I know gets their tattoos done at the trailer park behind the truck stop."
The customer reviews are well worth a read too. Here's some of my favorites:
Jedediah Smith, Homeboy, from West Virginia
Uncah Rufus swears by dis
"ole' uncah rufus give me one of dem dere tat making kuntrapshuns last year, my mother, cousin, and sister all love it. Both of us swear by dis product."
JimBob, Rlly Kool Dood, from Folsom Prison
Gud 4 kids
Not unly do it give them kool tatz. It teeches tem 2 speel rully gud 2!!!
Anonymous, Married to CLEAN Tattoo Artist, from NYC
This is a HORRIBLE idea!
Not only are these children unkempt and unintelligent-looking, but there's a reason kids shouldn't be exposed to this thing. They don't make "fake beer" for kids, and candy cigarettes have been off the shelves for years! Think about it before promoting a product like this! Plus, it gives tattoo artists an extremely negative stereotype, especially for those trying to clean up the industry! Get a grip and come up w/ something better for kids to spend their time with.
Ike, Father of 7 girls, from Milwaukee
Great for all ages
My teenage daughters just love this, they all tattoed their lower back and it looks pretty neat. I just wish I knew where all the extra money they've had lately is coming from.
It's interesting to note that the perceptions of tattoos haven't changed much from many of these reviews:
1) most refer to the gift being given to boys
2) many of the "joke" reviews refer to prison, gangs, and other miscreant behavior
Though I do have to say that the marketing company did paint themselves in a corner when they chose two boys who were unkempt and fit the negative tattoo stereotype.
How many parents can we piss off with THIS toy?
I'm kidding, since actually most people who I know who have kids (including family) have tattoos anyway. Of course, that doesn't mean they want their little angel thinking about them just yet. But isn't this hilarious? I can just see parents coming home to find 8-year old Timmy has just tattooed prison teardrops on his baby-brother...
The friend who sent this to me had this to say: "I love the picture of the kids especially the one with the backward camo cap, because well everyone I know gets their tattoos done at the trailer park behind the truck stop."
The customer reviews are well worth a read too. Here's some of my favorites:
Jedediah Smith, Homeboy, from West Virginia
Uncah Rufus swears by dis
"ole' uncah rufus give me one of dem dere tat making kuntrapshuns last year, my mother, cousin, and sister all love it. Both of us swear by dis product."
JimBob, Rlly Kool Dood, from Folsom Prison
Gud 4 kids
Not unly do it give them kool tatz. It teeches tem 2 speel rully gud 2!!!
Anonymous, Married to CLEAN Tattoo Artist, from NYC
This is a HORRIBLE idea!
Not only are these children unkempt and unintelligent-looking, but there's a reason kids shouldn't be exposed to this thing. They don't make "fake beer" for kids, and candy cigarettes have been off the shelves for years! Think about it before promoting a product like this! Plus, it gives tattoo artists an extremely negative stereotype, especially for those trying to clean up the industry! Get a grip and come up w/ something better for kids to spend their time with.
Ike, Father of 7 girls, from Milwaukee
Great for all ages
My teenage daughters just love this, they all tattoed their lower back and it looks pretty neat. I just wish I knew where all the extra money they've had lately is coming from.
It's interesting to note that the perceptions of tattoos haven't changed much from many of these reviews:
1) most refer to the gift being given to boys
2) many of the "joke" reviews refer to prison, gangs, and other miscreant behavior
Though I do have to say that the marketing company did paint themselves in a corner when they chose two boys who were unkempt and fit the negative tattoo stereotype.
12 September 2007
Some unsettling news in the "war on terriers"
1) As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the "Petraeus Report" doesn't exist. Sure, the general testified in front of the Armed Forces Committee, but really, we've seen what good congressional hearings are as of late... No, the actual report was written by the White House and despite his insistence that his testimony was his own and had not been given to the White House, it bared a stark similarity to the White House's report.
Two questions here:
First, Why has our media picked up the White House jargon and called this the "Petraeus Report"? That gives it an air of independence and credibility. Why not just say the President's Report? The Media has once again lost its backbone, it found it for about 20 minutes a few years back and now it's gone again.
Second, why is anyone still buying what the White House has to say about this war? Their "experts" have been wrong about pretty much everything, but they keep saying "let's wait and see" and we keep buying it? What's wrong with us as a country if someone keeps feeding us spoonfulls of bullshit and we keep licking our lips?
2) A new Poll in Pakistan shows the majority of people there now support bin Laden and al Qaeda more than President Musharaff.
This is very disturbing because there has been unrest for some time in the NW provinces that border Afghanistan (where bin Laden is thought to be and the Taliban still has major sway - that's where the Taliban were trained after all). It is also disturbing because it shows the dangers of having so many outcomes and resources rely on a shaky dictatorship. Pakistan also has a critical mass of liberal and moderate Muslims, whose voices are being drowned out by Taliban-style extremists. Lastly, it's disturbing because Pakistan is a country with 150 million people and has nuclear capabilities.
3) Finally, on a very sad (but understandable) note. Riverbend has finally updated her blog. She and her family have fled Baghdad for Syria.
Two questions here:
First, Why has our media picked up the White House jargon and called this the "Petraeus Report"? That gives it an air of independence and credibility. Why not just say the President's Report? The Media has once again lost its backbone, it found it for about 20 minutes a few years back and now it's gone again.
Second, why is anyone still buying what the White House has to say about this war? Their "experts" have been wrong about pretty much everything, but they keep saying "let's wait and see" and we keep buying it? What's wrong with us as a country if someone keeps feeding us spoonfulls of bullshit and we keep licking our lips?
2) A new Poll in Pakistan shows the majority of people there now support bin Laden and al Qaeda more than President Musharaff.
This is very disturbing because there has been unrest for some time in the NW provinces that border Afghanistan (where bin Laden is thought to be and the Taliban still has major sway - that's where the Taliban were trained after all). It is also disturbing because it shows the dangers of having so many outcomes and resources rely on a shaky dictatorship. Pakistan also has a critical mass of liberal and moderate Muslims, whose voices are being drowned out by Taliban-style extremists. Lastly, it's disturbing because Pakistan is a country with 150 million people and has nuclear capabilities.
3) Finally, on a very sad (but understandable) note. Riverbend has finally updated her blog. She and her family have fled Baghdad for Syria.
09 September 2007
Richard Cheese
When we heard earlier this year that Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine were coming to Chicago, we jumped on it immediately. We first discovered Dick, I think, when we bought a Me First and the Gimme Gimme's CD and got the little "if you like this, you may like these others..." So we ordered his CD and loved it. Ever since, we've been dedicated Dick fans... We've been to Vegas twice since then and have always missed him.
We were among the first to buy tickets for the show, so our tickets still listed the original venue, the "back porch" (side) stage at the House of Blues. Well, those went so fast that they upgraded the show to the main stage, and... ended up selling out. For those of you unfamiliar with Richard Cheese, check out some of the songs on his website - they're a Vegas Lounge act that "swankify" popular songs like Shake Ya Ass, Hot for Teacher, Brass Monkey, the Clorox 2 Jingle, Creep... you get the idea. There's something just so fun when he sings really raunchy rap songs like Me So Horny, because the lounge style just really brings out the ridiculousness of the lyrics.
I went out and got a special plastic martini glass to bring to the show, ya know, you can't be a lounge act without a big-ass martini. Well, we had dinner in the House of Blues restaurant and I left it on the goddam table. Oh well.
John wanted to be up by the stage since Dick said he'd be taking requests and John had a special request and he wouldn't tell me what it was. There were request cards and pens all over, so we staked our claim by the stage by the center set of stairs set up to the stage. And we waited... the doors opened at 7:30, but the opener wasn't starting until 9 and Dick wasn't coming on until 10:30... The security guy came by to inform us that the yellow line that sectioned off about 3 feet at the front of the stage was for "Ladies Only" once Dick took the stage - too funny. When he came out on stage he looked down at all the ladies' cleavages and was like "oh yeah, this worked out great."
Up by the stage by us were a couple of women who drove all the way from Minneapolis for the show - his only Midwest appearance. There were also a couple of women who came in from Kansas and Oklahoma. It's stories like that that really make me appreciate living in such a great city - we're a musical wonderland and an airport hub. I never have to drive more than 20 miles to see a great show if I don't wanna.
The opening act, who, by the way for all you Chicago area residents who like Johnny Cash, was a Johnny Cash cover band called Cash'd Out. They were fucking fantastic and they played for an hour - unheard of for an opener. They're gonna be back at the HOB (back porch stage I think) in a couple weeks, so anyone who wants to go, lemme know. Seriously, you closed your eyes and you thought it was Johnny Cash. They were super fun.
Dick took the stage about 10:30 and played until just after midnight. It was seriously the most fun concert I've been to - just plain pure fun. He handled himself like a pro with the crowd, one liner zinger comebacks for people who say stupid shit. There was one chick at the front, some drunk trixie who showed Dick her boobs and then wouldn't shut up. She went up on stage uninvited because Dick grabbed her purse that she set on the edge of the stage and was gonna go through it under the spotlight. Then he let her stay to dance during Baby Got Back and then she wouldn't leave - so he gave her an "I love Dick" thong, told her to stuff it in her mouth for the rest of the show, and went on with the show. She eventually had to be told by security to chill the fuck out, and at one point we (and Dick) noticed she just vanished. She was probably puking in the bathroom...
Then there were the two cats by us who were all dressed up in tux's. They were cool at first, but then proceeded to get so drunk during the wait that by the time Cash'd Cow came on all they did was every 2 minutes yell "free bird"... I wanted to grab the one dude by his ponytail and just whack him. So when Dick came on, and he yelled Free Bird, Dick sung about two lines and that was the end of that. Thank GOD.
Apparently, according to Dick, it was the biggest show they've played where people came out just to see them. He used the stairs, to go out into the crowd, mack on chicks, talk to people, and just mingle with the crowd. He changed his tux jacket 4 times during the show - of course one being the classic tiger stripe jacket (made by a real tiger).
The set list included a lot of Dick's classic restylings:
Airbag (he must love Radiohead)
Shake Ya Ass
Baby got Back
Brass Monkey
Down with the Sickness
Chop Suey
Me so Horny
People Equal Shit
Spongebob Theme
Gin & Juice
Milkshake
Another Brick in the Wall pt 2... and quite a many more. The set list was two pages long (I could see it on stage from where I was standing).
and of course, Creep...
Which brings me to John's request. Apparently John emailed Dick to see about a dedication and Dick said sure, just remind him with the request card. See, we played the Dick version of Creep at our wedding reception (some of you may remember a friend of mine drunkenly stumbling up to the dancefloor as the intro to the song played yelling to me "it's CREEEEEEP"). Or maybe not. In any case, yes, we danced to the swankified version of Creep at our wedding and much fun was had (it's my favorite of Dick's songs). So Dick dedicated Creep to me and John for our 4th anniversary (which was just this past Thursday) and he allowed John in the ladies only circle and put a spotlight dance on us for the song as he went down into the crowd... it was too fun. We thanked him again after the show. Isn't John cute?
He said that due to the huge success of this show, that he'll be coming back next year. So hopefully we'll do it again next year and maybe some of y'all will listen to me when I tell ya it'll be a fuckin blast...
We were among the first to buy tickets for the show, so our tickets still listed the original venue, the "back porch" (side) stage at the House of Blues. Well, those went so fast that they upgraded the show to the main stage, and... ended up selling out. For those of you unfamiliar with Richard Cheese, check out some of the songs on his website - they're a Vegas Lounge act that "swankify" popular songs like Shake Ya Ass, Hot for Teacher, Brass Monkey, the Clorox 2 Jingle, Creep... you get the idea. There's something just so fun when he sings really raunchy rap songs like Me So Horny, because the lounge style just really brings out the ridiculousness of the lyrics.
I went out and got a special plastic martini glass to bring to the show, ya know, you can't be a lounge act without a big-ass martini. Well, we had dinner in the House of Blues restaurant and I left it on the goddam table. Oh well.
John wanted to be up by the stage since Dick said he'd be taking requests and John had a special request and he wouldn't tell me what it was. There were request cards and pens all over, so we staked our claim by the stage by the center set of stairs set up to the stage. And we waited... the doors opened at 7:30, but the opener wasn't starting until 9 and Dick wasn't coming on until 10:30... The security guy came by to inform us that the yellow line that sectioned off about 3 feet at the front of the stage was for "Ladies Only" once Dick took the stage - too funny. When he came out on stage he looked down at all the ladies' cleavages and was like "oh yeah, this worked out great."
Up by the stage by us were a couple of women who drove all the way from Minneapolis for the show - his only Midwest appearance. There were also a couple of women who came in from Kansas and Oklahoma. It's stories like that that really make me appreciate living in such a great city - we're a musical wonderland and an airport hub. I never have to drive more than 20 miles to see a great show if I don't wanna.
The opening act, who, by the way for all you Chicago area residents who like Johnny Cash, was a Johnny Cash cover band called Cash'd Out. They were fucking fantastic and they played for an hour - unheard of for an opener. They're gonna be back at the HOB (back porch stage I think) in a couple weeks, so anyone who wants to go, lemme know. Seriously, you closed your eyes and you thought it was Johnny Cash. They were super fun.
Dick took the stage about 10:30 and played until just after midnight. It was seriously the most fun concert I've been to - just plain pure fun. He handled himself like a pro with the crowd, one liner zinger comebacks for people who say stupid shit. There was one chick at the front, some drunk trixie who showed Dick her boobs and then wouldn't shut up. She went up on stage uninvited because Dick grabbed her purse that she set on the edge of the stage and was gonna go through it under the spotlight. Then he let her stay to dance during Baby Got Back and then she wouldn't leave - so he gave her an "I love Dick" thong, told her to stuff it in her mouth for the rest of the show, and went on with the show. She eventually had to be told by security to chill the fuck out, and at one point we (and Dick) noticed she just vanished. She was probably puking in the bathroom...
Then there were the two cats by us who were all dressed up in tux's. They were cool at first, but then proceeded to get so drunk during the wait that by the time Cash'd Cow came on all they did was every 2 minutes yell "free bird"... I wanted to grab the one dude by his ponytail and just whack him. So when Dick came on, and he yelled Free Bird, Dick sung about two lines and that was the end of that. Thank GOD.
Apparently, according to Dick, it was the biggest show they've played where people came out just to see them. He used the stairs, to go out into the crowd, mack on chicks, talk to people, and just mingle with the crowd. He changed his tux jacket 4 times during the show - of course one being the classic tiger stripe jacket (made by a real tiger).
The set list included a lot of Dick's classic restylings:
Airbag (he must love Radiohead)
Shake Ya Ass
Baby got Back
Brass Monkey
Down with the Sickness
Chop Suey
Me so Horny
People Equal Shit
Spongebob Theme
Gin & Juice
Milkshake
Another Brick in the Wall pt 2... and quite a many more. The set list was two pages long (I could see it on stage from where I was standing).
and of course, Creep...
Which brings me to John's request. Apparently John emailed Dick to see about a dedication and Dick said sure, just remind him with the request card. See, we played the Dick version of Creep at our wedding reception (some of you may remember a friend of mine drunkenly stumbling up to the dancefloor as the intro to the song played yelling to me "it's CREEEEEEP"). Or maybe not. In any case, yes, we danced to the swankified version of Creep at our wedding and much fun was had (it's my favorite of Dick's songs). So Dick dedicated Creep to me and John for our 4th anniversary (which was just this past Thursday) and he allowed John in the ladies only circle and put a spotlight dance on us for the song as he went down into the crowd... it was too fun. We thanked him again after the show. Isn't John cute?
He said that due to the huge success of this show, that he'll be coming back next year. So hopefully we'll do it again next year and maybe some of y'all will listen to me when I tell ya it'll be a fuckin blast...
06 September 2007
Movie Review: Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie's remake - or rather retelling - does not disappoint. It is not a remake, it is not a prequel, it is not a sequel. It is a retelling of the original movie, with some additional perspectives, and a totally different point of view.
What I loved about it was that Zombie kept many of the original details the same - like the kids are still watching the original "The Thing" on television on Halloween night. The timing is different, with the movie starting circa 1978 with Meyers as a child and moving forward to present day when he goes on his murdering rampage. The original feel of the movie is still there, with many of the same camera techniques where one minute Michael Meyers isn't there, the next you see the pasty-white mask lurking in an out-of-focus corner of the screen, and the next minute he's gone again. This version made me want to go back and watch the original again.
This version starts with some background about Michael Meyers: A child tormented by his older sister, his mother's boyfriend, and schoolyard bullies. The best aspect by far - and this is for you Donna - is the explanation behind the donning of the mask. As a child, Meyers would wear a clown mask when he killed things, mostly small animals, to hide his "ugliness." The only thing I didn't like about it, and this is not the only movie guilty of this aspect at all, is the "it's all mommy's fault" innuendos regarding Michael Meyer's fate.
I never want to give too much away with reviews, but suffice it to say, all is explained. While incarcerated in a mental institution and under the care of Dr. Loomis, Meyers develops a fetish for masks, and after his escape and his return to his childhood home (which has become a local drinking/sex hangout for neighborhood kids) the origins of the William Shatner mask is made very clear.
I was afraid this would become another notch in the belt of the torture porn industry - but thankfully it is not. Yes, it's violent. It is, after all, a slasher movie. But like the original genre, it does not dwell on the blood and gore and suffering of victims. It is, plain and simple, a brilliant revision of a classic horror flick. If you like horror movies, you'll love it.
05 September 2007
Summer Summer....
Well Summer is over. We had our official ceremonial start to the academic year yesterday where all 12 people who cared showed up. I ended up babysitting a friend's 4-year old daughter. He recently moved from administration to faculty (History) and had to be up on stage for new faculty introductions and couldn't take her with him. She was fine, we colored Hello Kitty and it gave me something to do other than listen to the incessant blathering about how we're going to become this great national university. (I'm sorry, no offense, but it would take a shift in the tectonic plates to do that. I'm not saying we're bad. But we're average, and there's nothing wrong with that. We don't need to be Northwestern.)
But I digress. So babysitting was okay, and it solidified something for me:
I realllllly don't want kids. She was fine, but the sheer mental exhaustion of having to pay attention to everything she was doing and make sure she didn't get too antsy during the 2 hour processional and ceremony wiped me out for the rest of the day. I was seriously brain dead. I can't imagine having to do that all day, every day.
It also made me realize something else.
I used to say that I didn't like kids or that I hated kids - probably because it's easier to explain to other people that I don't want kids of my own if I dislike them. But what the fuck should I care about other people's hangups. No, I like kids (on a limited basis, I think I would still run screaming from a kids birthday party), but I can like kids and still not want any of my own. And if someone doesn't understand that, that's their hang up, not mine.
We had a fun and adventurous weekend. Saturday we saw CilliC & Heathen & Heathen's mom for dinner for CilliC's birthday. We cleaned up our apartment for our BBQ on Sunday - Just my family, Donna (so we could see her before she becomes incapacitated), and Jason.
John saw gas grills on clearance at Target so we went Sunday morning to look at them. The plan was to look, maybe buy one, put it on hold and have John and my dad pick it up later with dad's truck since they'd not fit in our car anyway. So we took the motorcycle to Target. On the way there, the motorcycle hit an oil slick and we nearly spilled out across Addison Ave. Thankfully, John was able to keep it together and we were fine. That woulda hurt too, since we were goin at a pretty good clip.
We get to target and I hem and haw about grills. Do I really want one? Should we wait? Which one? So finally we decide, and take the little info card to the register only to find out that Target is fucking retarded.
They can't hold something that has been purchased for later pickup. Why? Because unlike every other big box store where that's an option, they can't be "liable" if something happens to it... um... if something happens, we get our money back. duh. Nope.
But...
They also can't set aside something on clearance for later purchase. What's there is there.
Retarded, I told you. There were four left of the kind we wanted, so we took our chances.
My folks and sister arrived and my folks gave us an anniversary card and a little metal keyholder shaped like a dog that was very cute. The card said "enjoy your new grill" and we were both confused. So John and dad went over to Target and when they got back, the card made sense. They paid for the grill as an anniversary present - which I still say was too much, but was really nice of them. We put it in the garage for later, since there was no way we could use it that day and had a very nice bbq. I made ribs Saturday and then finished them Sunday (they take too long to cook otherwise), and I also made a pork tenderloin stuffed with chipotle peppers and basted with an adobo yogurt sauce that came out great. Jason made some shrimp skewers and we also had chicken skewers and some wings. It was a really tight fit in our living/dining room, but the table we bought works SO well. It expands to seat 8, but folds down to smaller than a card table when you're done. And it's solid wood. I wish we could have a big bbq like we had in our old place, but we just don't have the indoor or outdoor space for that many people anymore. It kinda sucks - but what can you do?
Monday we took Annie to the beach for a little while in the morning then went back to bed. We got up and spent 2 1/2 hours putting the grill together. It would have gone MUCH faster had a 6-year old not written the instructions. Note to Amana: There is a difference between loosening a NUT and removing a WASHER to change the height of a door. We haven't had a chance to use it yet, but hopefully we will today.
And now Summer is over...
But I digress. So babysitting was okay, and it solidified something for me:
I realllllly don't want kids. She was fine, but the sheer mental exhaustion of having to pay attention to everything she was doing and make sure she didn't get too antsy during the 2 hour processional and ceremony wiped me out for the rest of the day. I was seriously brain dead. I can't imagine having to do that all day, every day.
It also made me realize something else.
I used to say that I didn't like kids or that I hated kids - probably because it's easier to explain to other people that I don't want kids of my own if I dislike them. But what the fuck should I care about other people's hangups. No, I like kids (on a limited basis, I think I would still run screaming from a kids birthday party), but I can like kids and still not want any of my own. And if someone doesn't understand that, that's their hang up, not mine.
We had a fun and adventurous weekend. Saturday we saw CilliC & Heathen & Heathen's mom for dinner for CilliC's birthday. We cleaned up our apartment for our BBQ on Sunday - Just my family, Donna (so we could see her before she becomes incapacitated), and Jason.
John saw gas grills on clearance at Target so we went Sunday morning to look at them. The plan was to look, maybe buy one, put it on hold and have John and my dad pick it up later with dad's truck since they'd not fit in our car anyway. So we took the motorcycle to Target. On the way there, the motorcycle hit an oil slick and we nearly spilled out across Addison Ave. Thankfully, John was able to keep it together and we were fine. That woulda hurt too, since we were goin at a pretty good clip.
We get to target and I hem and haw about grills. Do I really want one? Should we wait? Which one? So finally we decide, and take the little info card to the register only to find out that Target is fucking retarded.
They can't hold something that has been purchased for later pickup. Why? Because unlike every other big box store where that's an option, they can't be "liable" if something happens to it... um... if something happens, we get our money back. duh. Nope.
But...
They also can't set aside something on clearance for later purchase. What's there is there.
Retarded, I told you. There were four left of the kind we wanted, so we took our chances.
My folks and sister arrived and my folks gave us an anniversary card and a little metal keyholder shaped like a dog that was very cute. The card said "enjoy your new grill" and we were both confused. So John and dad went over to Target and when they got back, the card made sense. They paid for the grill as an anniversary present - which I still say was too much, but was really nice of them. We put it in the garage for later, since there was no way we could use it that day and had a very nice bbq. I made ribs Saturday and then finished them Sunday (they take too long to cook otherwise), and I also made a pork tenderloin stuffed with chipotle peppers and basted with an adobo yogurt sauce that came out great. Jason made some shrimp skewers and we also had chicken skewers and some wings. It was a really tight fit in our living/dining room, but the table we bought works SO well. It expands to seat 8, but folds down to smaller than a card table when you're done. And it's solid wood. I wish we could have a big bbq like we had in our old place, but we just don't have the indoor or outdoor space for that many people anymore. It kinda sucks - but what can you do?
Monday we took Annie to the beach for a little while in the morning then went back to bed. We got up and spent 2 1/2 hours putting the grill together. It would have gone MUCH faster had a 6-year old not written the instructions. Note to Amana: There is a difference between loosening a NUT and removing a WASHER to change the height of a door. We haven't had a chance to use it yet, but hopefully we will today.
And now Summer is over...
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