Thursday, March 5, 2009
!!!
My body has made a quick recovery and I think by tomorrow I should be feeling much closer to better. I'm thoroughly excited for one last deep NyQuil sleep tonight though. Today I took the kids to this place called Fantasy Kingdom...I know, strange name. It's a medium sized room full of forts and playhouses. If you want to pretend you are a medieval warrior, simply put on a knight costume, find a few friends, and make them dress up like princesses and dragons. If you want to be a firefighter, run over to the child size fire station (equipped with firetrucks, a pole, a hose, and a ladder). They even have a grocery store and a police station with a kid-sized jail. It's the kind of place where the older kids rule and the younger ones are left with the crappy toys. Come to think of it, this place may be somewhat responsible for my weird dream I wrote about, a few posts back.
The kids mostly loved organizing the food on the grocery store shelves, which was hilarious to me because once they left the "store" to go and find more food, a group of high strung boys would come in and knock it all of the shelves or a few toddlers would wobble in and disorganize and slobber on everything. The girls would be upset only for a second or two and then it was like it never even happened. I seriously watched them re-organize those shelves about seven times. They have more patience for annoying kids and bullies than I would have had at their age.
It took them a while to discover the "jail" but once they had they couldn't get enough of it. There's something really funny about seeing a four year old behind bars. She'd wait for me to fall asleep and then sneak the key out of my pocket and snicker out loud....I'm hoping she learned this from Robin Hood or 101 Dalmatians.
On the way home from the park, one of the kids said, "When I grow up and I can drive, I'm going to fill my...you know, the thing in a car...it's like a tank? You know, where the gas goes into? I'm going to fill it with blueberries...like, mashed up blueberries. And water. That way I won't have to pay a lot for gas. Plus I will be helping the environment. Blueberries are pretty cheap...well, at least cheaper than gas." :-)
It's been so windy outside all day. Our windows keep rattling and the cat is freaking out. I'm thinking there might be some pretty amazing thunderstorms either tonight or Saturday. Thunder and lightning storms in Chicago are something else, I've never experienced louder more frightening storms than here. We've literally watched lightning strike the roof of the building right across the street from ours. I have some crazy videos somewhere, if I find them I will try to post them soon.
Today the weather got me thinking about our drive over here almost two years ago (can you believe we've been here that long?) We actually experienced a tornado our first week here.... We had been following it for the last day of our trip. It was crazy seeing so much flooding and lightning.
One of my favorite memories is waiting out the storm in the back of our U-Haul at the flooded campsite. I've never been so scared and so excited at the same time. I can't remember which state we were in, but we pulled up to the camp ground, set up our tent, and got ready for a night under the stars. It was really hot and humid and it felt nice to be out of the truck. We met the people camping next to us, a couple that were motorcycling across the United States, stopping to camp and visit motorcycle shows. As we were all talking, the wind began to pick up a bit and Garrison and I headed out to make sure the tent was okay.
All of a sudden it started pouring, more rain than I had ever seen. We grabbed our things, ripped the tent down, and threw it into the back of the U-Haul. By the time we were in the truck with the huge door pulled down, we were drenched. Within an hour The wind was pushing in every direction, I seriously thought the truck was going to flip over. Every time their was lightning, the fiber roof of our U-Haul lit up for a long time, what scared me the most was that the thunder and lightning were in sync with each other...it was right on top of us.
At one point the rain was so loud G and I were yelling at each other every time we had to say something. Luckily in Washington we had decided to lay our mattress down and put boxes around it. We sat in our bed, in the back of the U-Haul, drinking wine, wide-eyed and scared out of our minds.
I love crazy weather and Chicago is a pretty good place for that. I hope this summer brings some big storms.
The view from our roof!!
A rainbow over our apartment building:
Bored again during recording:
Melissa and Andrew come to Chicago:
My little brother being creepy at Christmas (note: his shirt says "Got God?"):
The kids mostly loved organizing the food on the grocery store shelves, which was hilarious to me because once they left the "store" to go and find more food, a group of high strung boys would come in and knock it all of the shelves or a few toddlers would wobble in and disorganize and slobber on everything. The girls would be upset only for a second or two and then it was like it never even happened. I seriously watched them re-organize those shelves about seven times. They have more patience for annoying kids and bullies than I would have had at their age.
It took them a while to discover the "jail" but once they had they couldn't get enough of it. There's something really funny about seeing a four year old behind bars. She'd wait for me to fall asleep and then sneak the key out of my pocket and snicker out loud....I'm hoping she learned this from Robin Hood or 101 Dalmatians.
On the way home from the park, one of the kids said, "When I grow up and I can drive, I'm going to fill my...you know, the thing in a car...it's like a tank? You know, where the gas goes into? I'm going to fill it with blueberries...like, mashed up blueberries. And water. That way I won't have to pay a lot for gas. Plus I will be helping the environment. Blueberries are pretty cheap...well, at least cheaper than gas." :-)
It's been so windy outside all day. Our windows keep rattling and the cat is freaking out. I'm thinking there might be some pretty amazing thunderstorms either tonight or Saturday. Thunder and lightning storms in Chicago are something else, I've never experienced louder more frightening storms than here. We've literally watched lightning strike the roof of the building right across the street from ours. I have some crazy videos somewhere, if I find them I will try to post them soon.
Today the weather got me thinking about our drive over here almost two years ago (can you believe we've been here that long?) We actually experienced a tornado our first week here.... We had been following it for the last day of our trip. It was crazy seeing so much flooding and lightning.
One of my favorite memories is waiting out the storm in the back of our U-Haul at the flooded campsite. I've never been so scared and so excited at the same time. I can't remember which state we were in, but we pulled up to the camp ground, set up our tent, and got ready for a night under the stars. It was really hot and humid and it felt nice to be out of the truck. We met the people camping next to us, a couple that were motorcycling across the United States, stopping to camp and visit motorcycle shows. As we were all talking, the wind began to pick up a bit and Garrison and I headed out to make sure the tent was okay.
All of a sudden it started pouring, more rain than I had ever seen. We grabbed our things, ripped the tent down, and threw it into the back of the U-Haul. By the time we were in the truck with the huge door pulled down, we were drenched. Within an hour The wind was pushing in every direction, I seriously thought the truck was going to flip over. Every time their was lightning, the fiber roof of our U-Haul lit up for a long time, what scared me the most was that the thunder and lightning were in sync with each other...it was right on top of us.
At one point the rain was so loud G and I were yelling at each other every time we had to say something. Luckily in Washington we had decided to lay our mattress down and put boxes around it. We sat in our bed, in the back of the U-Haul, drinking wine, wide-eyed and scared out of our minds.
I love crazy weather and Chicago is a pretty good place for that. I hope this summer brings some big storms.
The view from our roof!!
A rainbow over our apartment building:
Bored again during recording:
Melissa and Andrew come to Chicago:
My little brother being creepy at Christmas (note: his shirt says "Got God?"):
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sleep Walking.
I am still sick as a dog and didn't go to work again today. I am beginning to remember that staying home all day isn't as much fun as I always think it will be. Here's what a really sick day with Allie looks like:
8 am: Wake up just enough to say bye to Garrison as he heads off for work, then fall back asleep.
11:30am: Wake up and try to talk, realize that my throat is swollen shut, and fall back asleep.
2:00 pm: Wake up and drink some orange juice, pee, open the window because our apartment feels like a sauna, lay back down.
2:30: Realize that I should probably eat something, force a few crackers down my throat and turn on the TV.
Watch TV in bed until
4:00 then make a cup of Theraflu and wait to fall asleep.
4:30: Tell myself that maybe I've built up a tolerance towards sick medicines and make another cup of Theraflu.
5:00: Sleepily tell myself that the Theraflu is not working and that I will never be able to get enough rest, realize that I haven't been watching the TV - just listening to it.
Wake up at 7:00 and feel gross that I have slept so long that it isn't even light outside anymore
7:15 Groan and cover myself with covers, watch TV, and wait for Garrison to come home.
9:00 Take NuQuil and pass out until the next morning.
I am actually looking forward to (hopefully) going to work tomorrow. I hate how disgusting TV makes me feel and it's crappy when you get to the point where you are searching on-line for the few TV shows you actually haven't seen and then realize you've seen them all already. I'm the biggest baby when I get sick so it's really a good thing that G works such long days. I'm even beginning to drive myself crazy.
Yesterday I checked my e-mail and I had an acceptance letter from one of the schools I applied for! I was so happy I wanted to call everyone but they probably would have been focusing on how scary my voice sounds right now that the news wouldn't have seemed that great. The school I was accepted to is in Springfield, IL and their teaching program is one of the best I found. We are still not too sure if we're even moving to Springfield anymore, so we'll just have to see how things play out. Now that I can go to school down there, Springfield seems a little more exciting to me.
Friday is supposed to be 58 degrees and sunny! G and I are planning on riding our bikes around and possibly going to a show at our friend's house. Summers here are so beautiful, I know Friday is just a teaser...but still, I can't wait for it to start getting warmer here.
Tonight Lost is on and G doesn't get back from school until 9 or so. I'm excited to watch a TV show that I haven't seen yet. It's ridiculous how dependent I've become on stupid shows these past two days....
I'm going to take a shower and order some pizza for dinner.
8 am: Wake up just enough to say bye to Garrison as he heads off for work, then fall back asleep.
11:30am: Wake up and try to talk, realize that my throat is swollen shut, and fall back asleep.
2:00 pm: Wake up and drink some orange juice, pee, open the window because our apartment feels like a sauna, lay back down.
2:30: Realize that I should probably eat something, force a few crackers down my throat and turn on the TV.
Watch TV in bed until
4:00 then make a cup of Theraflu and wait to fall asleep.
4:30: Tell myself that maybe I've built up a tolerance towards sick medicines and make another cup of Theraflu.
5:00: Sleepily tell myself that the Theraflu is not working and that I will never be able to get enough rest, realize that I haven't been watching the TV - just listening to it.
Wake up at 7:00 and feel gross that I have slept so long that it isn't even light outside anymore
7:15 Groan and cover myself with covers, watch TV, and wait for Garrison to come home.
9:00 Take NuQuil and pass out until the next morning.
I am actually looking forward to (hopefully) going to work tomorrow. I hate how disgusting TV makes me feel and it's crappy when you get to the point where you are searching on-line for the few TV shows you actually haven't seen and then realize you've seen them all already. I'm the biggest baby when I get sick so it's really a good thing that G works such long days. I'm even beginning to drive myself crazy.
Yesterday I checked my e-mail and I had an acceptance letter from one of the schools I applied for! I was so happy I wanted to call everyone but they probably would have been focusing on how scary my voice sounds right now that the news wouldn't have seemed that great. The school I was accepted to is in Springfield, IL and their teaching program is one of the best I found. We are still not too sure if we're even moving to Springfield anymore, so we'll just have to see how things play out. Now that I can go to school down there, Springfield seems a little more exciting to me.
Friday is supposed to be 58 degrees and sunny! G and I are planning on riding our bikes around and possibly going to a show at our friend's house. Summers here are so beautiful, I know Friday is just a teaser...but still, I can't wait for it to start getting warmer here.
Tonight Lost is on and G doesn't get back from school until 9 or so. I'm excited to watch a TV show that I haven't seen yet. It's ridiculous how dependent I've become on stupid shows these past two days....
I'm going to take a shower and order some pizza for dinner.
Monday, March 2, 2009
sick.com
We've had a loooong weekend. Saturday Ben, Jared, and Homer came over to our place and played around with vocal melodies for Slim Dixon's new album. I got to hang out with Jenny, something I haven't gotten to do in so long. We took her baby Lex to Target and Aldi's, got coffee, and goofed around. I like hanging out with Jenny because we could be doing anything (even something as lame as going to Target) and I still come home feeling refreshed and happy. It's nice to have a friend that is even busier than I am too, because I've learned that I'm not the best at hanging out with people all of the time. After hanging out with Jenny and Lex, I cooked my very first vegan meal for everyone who was still over at our place. In case you were wondering, no I'm not vegan...actually even my vegetarian kick has been slowly winding down. Our new friend Homer has been vegan for a few years. I cooked veggie burgers, tater tots, stir-fried green peppers and onions, and made homemade humus. It all turned out pretty good. For vegan food.
Yesterday (Sunday) we were up in Algonquin again, as Slim Dixon finished the last of their album. They still have to add a few small extra parts, but other than that it is complete. I was surprised at how good it sounds, not like they suck or anything...It's just amazing hearing everything come together. It was so cold in the house they record at so I mostly sat in a corner next to the theater and wrote a letter to my friend and read.
I'm starting to read The Catcher in the Rye because I have never actually read it before. I can't put it down, the way Salinger writes totally amazes me and I love feeling like the characters are people that you've met. It happens to be a good book to read after the last Murakami book I read (South of the Border, West of the Sun). From what I can tell so far, the main character in Salinger's book is like a younger version of the main character in Murakami's.
We got back to our place last night at 1:30 in the morning. I ate a burrito from downstairs, unpacked, and took some NyQuil because I felt like my allergies were acting up (they have three cats in Algonquin). G and I both fell asleep so fast, I can't remember the last time our bed felt so comfortable.
When I woke up this morning to go to work, my throat was completely sore and my body was super achy. Turns out what I thought was allergies is really a horrible throat cold. I can't wait to get to sleep tonight, tomorrow is another long day of work and today was almost too much to handle. Carly (the little girl I work with) kept telling me, "Tell Gary to get you everything. Make him get you soup, and water, and food, and tissues, and some socks (what?) If he says no I won't then say, Please!!..." She helped me fold the laundry and even brushed my hair out of my face a few times to look at me with worried eyes. I'm lucky to be with such sweet kids. Also, for those wondering, Garrison is taking very good care of me...Carly would be pleased.
Tonight it's more NyQuil, juice, and lots of sleep. My head is spinning....
This video is hilarious to me and probably anyone who has seen me after a serious doctor's appointment:
Yesterday (Sunday) we were up in Algonquin again, as Slim Dixon finished the last of their album. They still have to add a few small extra parts, but other than that it is complete. I was surprised at how good it sounds, not like they suck or anything...It's just amazing hearing everything come together. It was so cold in the house they record at so I mostly sat in a corner next to the theater and wrote a letter to my friend and read.
I'm starting to read The Catcher in the Rye because I have never actually read it before. I can't put it down, the way Salinger writes totally amazes me and I love feeling like the characters are people that you've met. It happens to be a good book to read after the last Murakami book I read (South of the Border, West of the Sun). From what I can tell so far, the main character in Salinger's book is like a younger version of the main character in Murakami's.
We got back to our place last night at 1:30 in the morning. I ate a burrito from downstairs, unpacked, and took some NyQuil because I felt like my allergies were acting up (they have three cats in Algonquin). G and I both fell asleep so fast, I can't remember the last time our bed felt so comfortable.
When I woke up this morning to go to work, my throat was completely sore and my body was super achy. Turns out what I thought was allergies is really a horrible throat cold. I can't wait to get to sleep tonight, tomorrow is another long day of work and today was almost too much to handle. Carly (the little girl I work with) kept telling me, "Tell Gary to get you everything. Make him get you soup, and water, and food, and tissues, and some socks (what?) If he says no I won't then say, Please!!..." She helped me fold the laundry and even brushed my hair out of my face a few times to look at me with worried eyes. I'm lucky to be with such sweet kids. Also, for those wondering, Garrison is taking very good care of me...Carly would be pleased.
Tonight it's more NyQuil, juice, and lots of sleep. My head is spinning....
This video is hilarious to me and probably anyone who has seen me after a serious doctor's appointment:
Friday, February 27, 2009
D-A-N-C-E
Punk'd just came on TV... I didn't even know they aired that show anymore. I guess staying up way later than I should is totally worth it.
Songs That Make Me Happy Right Now:
1. Carousel- Blink 182
2. Let My Love Open the Door- Pete Townsend
3. Holiday Road- Lindsay Buckingham
4. Dance Music- Mountain Goats
5. Got Your Money- ODB
6. All For Swinging You Around- New Pornographers
7. Angelina- The Roman Candles
8. Get Me Away From Here- Belle and Sebastian
9.Oh Yoko!- John Lennon
10. The Clapping Song- Shirley Ellis
11. Happiness Writes White- Harvey Danger
12. Think I'd Rather Die- Someone Still Loves You Boris
13. You and Me and the Moon- The Magnetic Fields
14. The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
15. High and Dry- Radio Head
16. Wild Pack of Family Dogs- Modest Mouse
17. Semi Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind
18. True Blue- Bright Eyes
19. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk- Rufus Wainwright
20. Yakety Yak- The Coasters
21. How Bizarre- OMC
Also, THIS:
Remember, you can click on any colored link and it will take you to that song...
Songs That Make Me Happy Right Now:
1. Carousel- Blink 182
2. Let My Love Open the Door- Pete Townsend
3. Holiday Road- Lindsay Buckingham
4. Dance Music- Mountain Goats
5. Got Your Money- ODB
6. All For Swinging You Around- New Pornographers
7. Angelina- The Roman Candles
8. Get Me Away From Here- Belle and Sebastian
9.Oh Yoko!- John Lennon
10. The Clapping Song- Shirley Ellis
11. Happiness Writes White- Harvey Danger
12. Think I'd Rather Die- Someone Still Loves You Boris
13. You and Me and the Moon- The Magnetic Fields
14. The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
15. High and Dry- Radio Head
16. Wild Pack of Family Dogs- Modest Mouse
17. Semi Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind
18. True Blue- Bright Eyes
19. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk- Rufus Wainwright
20. Yakety Yak- The Coasters
21. How Bizarre- OMC
Also, THIS:
Remember, you can click on any colored link and it will take you to that song...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Through the Looking Glass.
Last night I had the strangest dream I have had in a very long time.....
I was a contestant on a game show that was a lot like Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy combined. The object of the game was to pick a certain amount of squares that were somehow connected to each other. If you guessed three in a row then you won a date with someone that you wouldn't like. For some reason, I was really excited about the thought of this and so I was trying with all of my tic-tac-toe might to guess the right boxes. I ended up not winning the awful date but instead received a runner-up ticket to a theme park for kids. The game show host kept telling me that it was a new kind of place and that nobody in the audience had ever been there before. He promised me that I would absolutely love it.
When I first arrived at the address he had given me I was surprised to see an old house with tons of awkwardly built buildings attached to it. The inside was old and musty, kind of like an old movie theater or a crappy bowling alley. It was really dark and there were cats and kids everywhere (surprised that my dream had cats in it?!) I couldn't figure out the purpose of the place, there were a bunch of kids running around screaming and crying. I checked a couple closets for some rides or carnival games and found nothing.
I ended up running into someone I knew and it was really awkward so I lied and told him that I had to go to the bathroom. The restrooms were even more crowded than the rest of the house and people kept cutting me in line. At this point I really did have to go to the bathroom and I was getting really mad that people were pushing me around taking the available bathrooms. Just as I thought I was going to punch someone, an old man came out of the wall and said, "Come with me...there is a bathroom that no one knows about..."
He led me into a room that was full of sleeping babies and beds from wall to wall. Each baby had a mother singing lullabies and there were cats with huge eyes starring at me from every direction. The old man was gone and the lights were getting darker. One of the mothers told me that it was the center's designated quiet time. The owner of the park had created this quiet time so that mothers with newborns could come to the theme park to hang out as well. I guess they were feeling a little left out. I climbed over 20 or so beds filled with babies and singing moms and made my way back out into the rest of the house. Since I had left, the main area had been filled with people dressed up as different kid's characters and they all yelled, "SHUT THE DOOR!! IT'S QUIET TIME!!" and as soon as I shut the door they continued to be loud and play music and pick kids up and dance with them. There was a man dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, someone dressed like the Statue of Liberty, and a women dressed up as a giant Dora the Explorer. I wasn't really weirded out by it at all until my friend Huck came over to me dressed up as Harry Potter. He told me that because of the way the economy has been lately, it was the only job he could find but ensured me that he was quite happy because they had been teaching him actual magic tricks and he could have all of the popcorn he wanted.
I ran into a kid I knew, who turned into a cat wearing a dress the minute I said her name. I asked her where her little sister was and she just meowed and then jumped into the arms of this nerdy looking kid who just stared at me until I turned away. I realized that I had lost my "friend" after the whole trip to the bathroom experience and figured that it was probably for the best anyway and that maybe he was having fun in one of the connected buildings that I had seen from the outside.
I finally woke up after I had been searching for the door to leave the theme park and was unable to find it. As strange as this dream sounds, it was actually kind of creepy. I felt claustrophopic, lost and confused the entire time. Kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Requiem for a Dream.
Anyone want to interpret this dream for me? I'm too afraid.
I was a contestant on a game show that was a lot like Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy combined. The object of the game was to pick a certain amount of squares that were somehow connected to each other. If you guessed three in a row then you won a date with someone that you wouldn't like. For some reason, I was really excited about the thought of this and so I was trying with all of my tic-tac-toe might to guess the right boxes. I ended up not winning the awful date but instead received a runner-up ticket to a theme park for kids. The game show host kept telling me that it was a new kind of place and that nobody in the audience had ever been there before. He promised me that I would absolutely love it.
When I first arrived at the address he had given me I was surprised to see an old house with tons of awkwardly built buildings attached to it. The inside was old and musty, kind of like an old movie theater or a crappy bowling alley. It was really dark and there were cats and kids everywhere (surprised that my dream had cats in it?!) I couldn't figure out the purpose of the place, there were a bunch of kids running around screaming and crying. I checked a couple closets for some rides or carnival games and found nothing.
I ended up running into someone I knew and it was really awkward so I lied and told him that I had to go to the bathroom. The restrooms were even more crowded than the rest of the house and people kept cutting me in line. At this point I really did have to go to the bathroom and I was getting really mad that people were pushing me around taking the available bathrooms. Just as I thought I was going to punch someone, an old man came out of the wall and said, "Come with me...there is a bathroom that no one knows about..."
He led me into a room that was full of sleeping babies and beds from wall to wall. Each baby had a mother singing lullabies and there were cats with huge eyes starring at me from every direction. The old man was gone and the lights were getting darker. One of the mothers told me that it was the center's designated quiet time. The owner of the park had created this quiet time so that mothers with newborns could come to the theme park to hang out as well. I guess they were feeling a little left out. I climbed over 20 or so beds filled with babies and singing moms and made my way back out into the rest of the house. Since I had left, the main area had been filled with people dressed up as different kid's characters and they all yelled, "SHUT THE DOOR!! IT'S QUIET TIME!!" and as soon as I shut the door they continued to be loud and play music and pick kids up and dance with them. There was a man dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, someone dressed like the Statue of Liberty, and a women dressed up as a giant Dora the Explorer. I wasn't really weirded out by it at all until my friend Huck came over to me dressed up as Harry Potter. He told me that because of the way the economy has been lately, it was the only job he could find but ensured me that he was quite happy because they had been teaching him actual magic tricks and he could have all of the popcorn he wanted.
I ran into a kid I knew, who turned into a cat wearing a dress the minute I said her name. I asked her where her little sister was and she just meowed and then jumped into the arms of this nerdy looking kid who just stared at me until I turned away. I realized that I had lost my "friend" after the whole trip to the bathroom experience and figured that it was probably for the best anyway and that maybe he was having fun in one of the connected buildings that I had seen from the outside.
I finally woke up after I had been searching for the door to leave the theme park and was unable to find it. As strange as this dream sounds, it was actually kind of creepy. I felt claustrophopic, lost and confused the entire time. Kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Requiem for a Dream.
Anyone want to interpret this dream for me? I'm too afraid.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Four-Leaf Clover.
As I mentioned before, G's band Slim Dixon has been recording their second album over the past two weekends and I have been going and hanging around for the past few sessions. Yesterday after getting only three or so hours of real sleep we woke up at 8 am and got everything ready for the trip north. I was so tired and grumpy that all I could think was, "Why am I doing this? I go there to do nothing but sit around for 14 hours, eat horribly, and watch too much TV that I can't even hear over the music," and "It's not like I am actually contributing anything to the album". I honestly couldn't figure out why I kept going back every weekend. It wasn't until the end of the night when we were all driving back home at 12:30 in the morning that it hit me: I keep going because I really like these guys. Of course I've always liked them, they're fun and interesting people to hang out with. I think it was then that I realized for the first time how lucky we are to have made friends with everyone out here.
All of my friendships and relationships in the past are made up of a serious of coincidences and this group of friends out here is not any different. Is this the same for everyone or am I just overthinking this like I do everything else?
On the cold drive home I kept thinking about all of the people I have met and the ways I came to get to know them. Almost every friendship could be traced back four or five people. Our friends here are connected to people we knew in Bellingham, and those friendships can be traced back to people I met through my first college job at Papa Murphy's. You would think that moving across the country would automatically disconnect you from people you have previously met. As we passed the other tired drivers on the freeway I was wondering how long I will know or be in contact with the people I have met in my life. When we move away from here I can honestly say that I am going to miss all of these people so much. With a newly realized feeling of love I watched the lights zooming past outside, breathed in the crisp air from an open window, and we all sang along to "Let My Love Open the Door".
Pictures From Recording and Practices!!
All of my friendships and relationships in the past are made up of a serious of coincidences and this group of friends out here is not any different. Is this the same for everyone or am I just overthinking this like I do everything else?
On the cold drive home I kept thinking about all of the people I have met and the ways I came to get to know them. Almost every friendship could be traced back four or five people. Our friends here are connected to people we knew in Bellingham, and those friendships can be traced back to people I met through my first college job at Papa Murphy's. You would think that moving across the country would automatically disconnect you from people you have previously met. As we passed the other tired drivers on the freeway I was wondering how long I will know or be in contact with the people I have met in my life. When we move away from here I can honestly say that I am going to miss all of these people so much. With a newly realized feeling of love I watched the lights zooming past outside, breathed in the crisp air from an open window, and we all sang along to "Let My Love Open the Door".
Pictures From Recording and Practices!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Relieved.
I can finally relax because...I PASSED MY ENTRANCE TEST FOR SCHOOLS!!! I can't even begin to tell you how nervous I was (all day) about checking the scores for this stupid thing. I wasn't even planning on checking for myself I was so scared. Maybe it's a little bad-movie/sitcom-ish of me but I was honestly going to open my e-mail from the testing agency, get my registration code, enter it into the score report site and then have Garrison break the news to me. I got home from a long day at work, having prepared myself for the worst the whole walk back and signed into my Yahoo account. I opened the e-mail and scrolled down for the registration code and instead read: PASS. First of all, how devastating would it have been unknowingly to open that same e-mail and read: FAIL. Second, how awesome am I right now? I passed that test with a cold, at seven in the morning, on two hours of sleep. And I didn't just barely pass...I really passed. Because of these scores I don't have to take another stupid entrance test for ten more years and all of my applications that I have spent the last three months perfecting actually have a shot at counting towards something.
This winter has put me in a good music mood and I have been listening to albums I practically forgot existed until now. Artists I can't get enough of right now: Mountain Goats (have you heard No Children?!), Neil Diamond, Neko Case, Blink-182 (Carousel), Procol Harum (Whiter Shade of Pale), and Hall and Oates particularly "You Make My Dreams Come True"...Who knew those guys had so many hits?
I just found out today that Megan and Lindsey are coming to stay with us during the last week of March. I am so excited to show them around Chicago and finally get to spend more than three days at a time with them. I think I'll probably drag them to the remainder of Chicago tourist spots that I have yet to see. A few days ago G and I were talking about how funny it is that the only time we get out and take advantage of everything the city has to offer is whenever we have people staying with us. If it wasn't for visitors, we would probably never eat deep dish pizza, spend any amount of time at Navy Pier, or visit the sky deck of the Sear's Tower. You'd think living in such a big city we would have made it our priority to see all of the tourist-y things...I think that everything happens in good time and with lots of extra money :-)
Speaking of extra money...Elton John and Billy Joel are playing in July at Wrigley Field. Already sold out, but what a show that would be.
This winter has put me in a good music mood and I have been listening to albums I practically forgot existed until now. Artists I can't get enough of right now: Mountain Goats (have you heard No Children?!), Neil Diamond, Neko Case, Blink-182 (Carousel), Procol Harum (Whiter Shade of Pale), and Hall and Oates particularly "You Make My Dreams Come True"...Who knew those guys had so many hits?
I just found out today that Megan and Lindsey are coming to stay with us during the last week of March. I am so excited to show them around Chicago and finally get to spend more than three days at a time with them. I think I'll probably drag them to the remainder of Chicago tourist spots that I have yet to see. A few days ago G and I were talking about how funny it is that the only time we get out and take advantage of everything the city has to offer is whenever we have people staying with us. If it wasn't for visitors, we would probably never eat deep dish pizza, spend any amount of time at Navy Pier, or visit the sky deck of the Sear's Tower. You'd think living in such a big city we would have made it our priority to see all of the tourist-y things...I think that everything happens in good time and with lots of extra money :-)
Speaking of extra money...Elton John and Billy Joel are playing in July at Wrigley Field. Already sold out, but what a show that would be.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Chicago
While I'm still on this list-kick...here's another one for you:
Things Chicago Has Taught Me:
1. To appreciate how beautiful and green Washington state is.
2. Ways to handle below 0 winters
3. Don't keep filling your apartment with new things, especially when your whole apartment is
smaller than your kitchen and living room in college.
4. How to be better at using my phone to call family
5. Cherish the moments you get to spend with family
6. How to be more outgoing and care less about what others think
7. Some homeless people aren't as innocent as they look
8. Don't look up when a car honks, it's most likely a taxi trying to get you to hop in
9. Taxi drivers will rip you off AND they hate it when you pay with credit cards
10. How to find good deals on really good food
11. Whole Foods sucks
12. To keep windows shut if you live up high and have cats
13. How to ride a bike again
14. How to get around without having to use a car (yay!)
15. How to use public transportation such as trains and buses
16. Nothing is as beautiful as west coast beaches and mountains
17. To take chances and risks
18. Jimmy John's sandwiches are so good
19. How to be productive and pursue my dreams
20. That I am right more than I give myself credit for
21. Chicago libraries charge $2.00 a day for overdue movies
22. Red Box movie booths are the best way to rent movies
23. The police on our neighborhood are lazy and love 7-11
24. People love sports in our neighborhood (Lincoln Park)
25. The best bars to get cheap dinners
26. How to fix bike brakes
27. Where the three most beautiful spots in Chicago are
Last night I was watching Friends as I was trying to fall asleep and it occurred to me that the intro to that show is really annoying. It's not the song, surprisingly after hearing it so much in the 90s I still kind of like it. What it is is the way they fit the video to the song. I don't know if I can quite explain it, but I'll try. Have you ever watched movie previews that try to fit a quote from the movie into the announcers script? Like the announcer says, "BLANK movie is the best movie you will see in 2009..." and then they show a clip from the movie where one of the characters is saying, "Awesome!" (Although, in the actual movie they think something totally not related is "awesome!") For some reason this has always bugged me a lot. Friends does this same exact thing, except much worse because they try to cram about seven of these into a 40 second intro. The best example of this annoyance happens during a part of the song that sounds like a drum machine hitting five beats in a row. During those beats Chandler is hitting Monica on the head with drum sticks. So cheesy, what's the point?!
Things to notice in the video below:
1.The timing of opening their umbrellas
2.The CLAPPING that fits in perfectly with drum beats around the 8 second mark
3.What Monica and Chandler are doing during "It's like your always stuck in second gear" (notice the Phoebe's train whistle move)
4.Joey pointing to himself when the song says, "I'll be here for you..."
5.Placement of clip where Rachel's working her job at the coffee shop
There are just so many. Yuck. I Hope this starts bugging you too.
Things Chicago Has Taught Me:
1. To appreciate how beautiful and green Washington state is.
2. Ways to handle below 0 winters
3. Don't keep filling your apartment with new things, especially when your whole apartment is
smaller than your kitchen and living room in college.
4. How to be better at using my phone to call family
5. Cherish the moments you get to spend with family
6. How to be more outgoing and care less about what others think
7. Some homeless people aren't as innocent as they look
8. Don't look up when a car honks, it's most likely a taxi trying to get you to hop in
9. Taxi drivers will rip you off AND they hate it when you pay with credit cards
10. How to find good deals on really good food
11. Whole Foods sucks
12. To keep windows shut if you live up high and have cats
13. How to ride a bike again
14. How to get around without having to use a car (yay!)
15. How to use public transportation such as trains and buses
16. Nothing is as beautiful as west coast beaches and mountains
17. To take chances and risks
18. Jimmy John's sandwiches are so good
19. How to be productive and pursue my dreams
20. That I am right more than I give myself credit for
21. Chicago libraries charge $2.00 a day for overdue movies
22. Red Box movie booths are the best way to rent movies
23. The police on our neighborhood are lazy and love 7-11
24. People love sports in our neighborhood (Lincoln Park)
25. The best bars to get cheap dinners
26. How to fix bike brakes
27. Where the three most beautiful spots in Chicago are
Last night I was watching Friends as I was trying to fall asleep and it occurred to me that the intro to that show is really annoying. It's not the song, surprisingly after hearing it so much in the 90s I still kind of like it. What it is is the way they fit the video to the song. I don't know if I can quite explain it, but I'll try. Have you ever watched movie previews that try to fit a quote from the movie into the announcers script? Like the announcer says, "BLANK movie is the best movie you will see in 2009..." and then they show a clip from the movie where one of the characters is saying, "Awesome!" (Although, in the actual movie they think something totally not related is "awesome!") For some reason this has always bugged me a lot. Friends does this same exact thing, except much worse because they try to cram about seven of these into a 40 second intro. The best example of this annoyance happens during a part of the song that sounds like a drum machine hitting five beats in a row. During those beats Chandler is hitting Monica on the head with drum sticks. So cheesy, what's the point?!
Things to notice in the video below:
1.The timing of opening their umbrellas
2.The CLAPPING that fits in perfectly with drum beats around the 8 second mark
3.What Monica and Chandler are doing during "It's like your always stuck in second gear" (notice the Phoebe's train whistle move)
4.Joey pointing to himself when the song says, "I'll be here for you..."
5.Placement of clip where Rachel's working her job at the coffee shop
There are just so many. Yuck. I Hope this starts bugging you too.
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