Thursday Phone Call

Grillin' Dinner

Ahhh... There's nothing like grilling dinner on a just-barely-warm-enough Spring day!
I grilled delicious burgers and potatoes on the grill tonight. Check out my garlic that I wasn't able to use. Oops!

A Night to Remember

It's been a few days since I've written. We spent the weekend in the U.P. and I try to limit my use of electronic & mobile devices when I'm in the northwoods on 'vacation.'

So Thursday night I had an AWESOME AWESOME experience. What follows are the true events of one of the most amazing nights in my recent memory.

John and I, along with Jenny and Curt, went to Oshkosh to see Jack's Mannequin & Ben Folds perform at the UW-Oshkosh campus. Before hitting the road we stopped for a quick dinner. When I walked up to the register the girl working looked at my Jack's Mannequin t-shirt with surprise and said, "I love your shirt!" (I guess she didn't see John's when he went up before me.) I told her that we were on our way to see the band. She couldn't believe that there was a show nearby that she hadn't heard of because she's a huge fan. As a matter of fact, she told me that she had even met the frontman, Andrew McMahon, a few times. That sounded pretty neat to me, considering my love of the band's music and Andrew's inspirational story (he recently battled leukemia.)

Since the show was general admission we arrived early, but still stood in line outside the venue for almost an hour. Once inside, we discovered, to our dismay, no alcohol was being served. I guess that makes sense on a college campus. We did find great seats though. There was an open floor area in front of the stage as well as many rows of bleachers. We opted for a spot on the bleachers right behind the sound and light guys. I figure the closer you sit the the people controlling the sound, the better the sound will be. Plus, we really did have an awesome view.

As the show began we found out that Ben Lee was going to be performing as well, which was a pleasant surprise. Coincidentally, John had played a Ben Lee song for me just a few days earlier. He performed with just his acoustic guitar and his iPod. He set the perfect mood for the evening with his kooky songs.

After Ben Lee (and a very long break) Jack's Mannequin came on stage. I cannot put into words how much they rocked. It's one of those, you-had-to-be-there kind of things. Ever since John introduced me to the band about two years ago, I've been absolutely in love with their music. Piano-based rock with awesome vocals and clever lyrics - happy, lovely music!

Then, after Andrew and the rest of the Jack's crew rocked my socks off, Ben Folds and his three-member band took the stage. Ben Folds is a very talented musician and writer. I was really glad that I had listened to one of his albums several times in the weeks leading up to the show because I was familiar with several of the songs he performed. A few times, he did neat tricks with his piano, such as putting a pan lid on top of the strings to give the keys a muted, tinny sound. The unfortunate thing is that he played too long, in my opinion. They were on stage for over 90 minutes and towards the end the songs were putting me to sleep. At the end of the encore though, Ben did get the crowd to sing a neat round.

We got out of the steaming hot building right after the end of the show, in desperate need of a cold beer. We drove around some campus streets for a bit and found the bar Molly McGuires. Save the blasting ghetto dance music, it wasn't too bad there, especially since all drinks were apparently only $1.00.

Upon deciding that we had enough of that place (cheap beers just don't taste as good as those $3.50 ones) we checked out a few other places within walking distance. None seemed that interesting, so we got in the car to find a different area with bars.

Now, to make the next part of the story as short as possible, we basically got in the car, drove around for 40 minutes, did Y, X & W turns in front of a sheriff while in search of a supposed strip club, got on and off Hwy 41, and somehow ended up in the exact same place!

Since we were running out of time to get another drink, we just stopped there and ran across the street to a bar called Kelly's (but not before going the wrong way on a one-way street TWICE!) Curt went up to the bar after he decided that he was getting shots for all of us. He asked what we wanted and I told Jenny to have the bartender make us a "Jack's Mannequin." Since Jenny's shot of choice is Jack Daniels and because of the awesome band we had seen that evening, I figured it would be funny to see what the bartender would come up with when presented with this challenge.

When the bartender finally came by us, Jenny said to him, "We need four Jack's Mannequins." He gave a funny look and Jenny said, "It's on you to come up with it." The bartender said, "You mean "Dirty Girlscouts?" to which Jenny replied, "No - we want you to make one up." The bartender then said [wait for it...wait for it...], "But that's what they've been drinking all night."

Wait! What? Who!? The Band?!?! "Yes, they've been here all night," he said.

So it turns out that three members, Andrew, Jay & Jonathan, of Jack's Mannequin were sitting just feet away from us. John introduced himself to Andrew and told him how inspirational he is. I also met Andrew and shook his hand. I told him the story about the girl at the restaurant and how uncanny it was that I ended up meeting him that same night. He was so genuine and nice. We took some photos with him and left him alone.

Both Jenny and Curt got to talk to the drummer, Jay, for a while. He and Curt talked about record collections and tours. Jenny was very impressed by what a nice guy he was. We didn't talk to to the bassist, Jonathan, at all because his was hanging with a lady friend the whole time. After the bouncers had called bartime and were trying to kick everyone out, Jay decided to buy all of us shots. I think they were called Applesauce - weak, but who cares!!

So those are the events of last Thursday. It's so crazy that things happened the way they did, that we drove around for the better part of an hour but ended up in the same place, that I said something to that bartender about the band. What an amazing experience!

Weekly Reader

This week I pulled one of my FAVORITE books off the shelf. This Book Will Change Your Life is entertaining when read alone or with a group. Every page is about a different topic so it lends itself to skipping around which seems to be my favorite way to read.


There are 365 pages, one per day for a year, each instructing you to do something that will change your life. Some of the days instruct you to do things that are nearly impossible, while others are quite feasible. Most of them are absolutely hilarious! I have followed the suggestions on several of the pages over the 2-3 years I've owned the book.

Here are some sample pages.

Everytime I open this book I feel really inspired to be creative and daring, which are feelings that put a happy note in my head. For this reason, I will try to follow the book, at least one page per week, and report here about my life-changing experiences.

Snowy Saturday Morning

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Here's how I spent it

I'm Digging...

Stone Temple Pilots

They've apparently gotten together again and will be on tour all summer. Rumor has it that they scheduled a show in Green Bay on August 4th - my birthday!!!! It's unofficial still, so we'll see. That would be an AWESOME way to spend a Monday birthday!

Spring flowers in winter weather

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Paper Airplanes

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Yes, I still plan to hold a paper airplane challenge - maybe this weekend

Chai Tea

MMMMmmmm Mmm Mmm Mm MMMMMmmmmmm

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Just discovered it... Awesome!!

Mid-Week Travels

Last night we went to Sheboygan to hang out with Jante for a bit. We had an awesome dinner at Legend Larry's and had some delicious drinks.

What kind of an oxymoronic business name is that?

Bell's OBERON Ale

Wednesday Groceries

Decided to spice up my list today...

U.S. Virgin Islands

Well, I took my e-cation last week and I finally have time to report on it today.

I chose to go to the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically St. John. This area has truly relaxing beaches and tropical settings, without the tourist clutter.

Beautiful beaches of St. John:

St. John is different than the other Virgin Islands because it is primarily National Forest. For this reason, St. John has some of the best hiking available in the Caribbean. One of the most intriguing hikes is on the Annaberg Historic trail which takes you past former plantation sites.



[Map of the Annaberg Historic Trail area]

[A view from the trail]

[Plantation site along the trail]


There are endless things to do throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands, but these hikes on St. John were my favorite. There are even campsites along the various hiking trails, which some consider to be the best camping in the Carribean!

When we first got off the ferry that brought us to the island from St. Thomas we explored Cruz Bay. This quaint town has a variety of small shops and restaurants has so much local flavor it was hard to leave!

We also had a blast at the hotspot of the island, Coral Bay. This is a popular destination for the yachts to gather and there are numerous restaurants and places to shop.

My favorite restaurant was at the Caneel Bay, though. There, Equator serves up the best Caribbean food available on the island. You pay plenty for it, but it's well worth the experience of having fine seared Caribbean tuna while sitting around the "woman's tongue tree" that dominates the center of the restaurant.

This is a definite vacation reccomendation for those looking for a relaxing time off the beaten path and those ready to explore the Caribbean.

We Real Cool

Here's another one from the same lit book- short and sweet. I attended an event in 2003 where the Wisconsin Poet Laureate read this poem. I like best read aloud.

We Real Cool

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die Soon.

-Gwendolyn Brooks

Weekly Reader

There are so many wonderful books on my shelves that never get opened. I feel like I owe them a good cracking-open every so often, so I'm starting a weekly tradition of reading one each week and writing about it.

Book: Perrine's Literature
History: College text - 1522 pages
Comments: Shame on me!! I cannot believe this is the first time in five years that I've opened this book! Just reading the titles of the stories and poems brings me back to how much I love lit and how much I enjoy analyzing it. Ahh yes... A Doll House... that was a late night paper.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
~Robert Frost

I remember first reading this poem in middle school. I've always liked Frost's works very much because I am able to envision myself in the setting he describes (a peaceful winter night if this case) and I can usually relate to his symbolism. Here, I compare myself to the speaker in the poem. I so often would like to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, but have to do other more responsible things instead. I also relate to the sort of inner monologue that takes place. The repetition at the end is the pefect ending to this poem.
You know a writer's words are great when you want to go to the winterland he describes even though you've just lived through the most miserable winter weather of your life!

My Monday got a lot better when I opened this book this evening. Reading my handwritten notes has made me nostalgic. Where did such deep thoughts come from? I can guarantee you this book is coming off the shelf more often from now on.

Self Portrait Two

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Changing Times

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[Melts in Your Mouth... Not in Your Hand]



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[Pill Pusher]



Spring has FINALLY sprung and it's been warm enough to spend time outside this weekend. There are numerous plants and flowers popping up all over our yard. I have no idea what they are or what I need to do with them. I better learn if I plan to keep these beautiful gardens.

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This is what the garden in back looked like when we moved in last October versus what it looked like a month ago. I intend to study the former photo to figure out what these plants and flowers are so I know how to take care of them.

I also would like to have a vegetable garden with onions, tomatoes, corn, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, beans, berries & various herbs. I still need to find out which ones grow well in our wonderful Wisconsin environment.

10 Albums I Wore Out in High School and Still Love Today

1) Green Day – Dookie
2) Alanis Morisette – Jagged Little Pill
3) Semisonic – Feeling Strangely Fine
4) Sublime - Sublime
5)Marcy Playground – Marcy Playground
6)Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind
7) No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
8)311 – 311
9)Better Than Ezra – Deluxe
10)Fuel – Sunburn

I’d love to hear your faves from high school that you still like! Please share yours by adding a comment to this blog.

Planning a Trip

[Puerto Vallerta Poolside]

This Friday finds me desperately in need of all things vacation. Since it is not feasible for me to take an actual vacation anytime soon, I'm planning on taking an e-vacation today. I will report back later with pics and journals from my adventures. Maybe I'll even bring back a few souvenirs!

Self Portrait One