A Spectrum

Arr, maties! Well, not really. I took my Mom to the see the new Broadway musical The Pirate Queen in it's World Premiere run at the Cadillac Palace in Chicago. Basically, they test it out somewhere to work out the kinks before it goes to Broadway. It was really good. It follows the story of Grace O'Malley, an Irish "pirate" and cheiftan. It was created by the same gentlemen that produced Les Miserables and Miss Siagon with the Irish dance team behind Riverdance. The music was great. There wasn't really any stand out song, maybe one love song. It was also really hard to understand them when they were singing. I hate that. I don't if it was the sound or if that's just the nature of the beast. The scenery was great, though, and the dancing. I've never been a big fan of that kind of dancing, maybe because I never really seen it live. (Remember, it scares the bejebees out of Chandlier, "His legs flail about as if independent from his body." Well, Michael Flatley anyway). However, I almost wish there was more of the dancing. It kind of came in spurts. But the story was excellent and based upon a true one apparently, kind of cool. Plus, they sing a couple of times in Gaelic. It would be so awesome to learn an almost dead language like that.

Also, in the tradition of Lauren's Tidbits over on my other Blog (Check it out), here's my random connection to the musical. The actress who played Grace O'Malley, Stephanie J. Block, starred opposite Hugh Jackman in the musical The Boy from Oz. It was directed by one of my Dad's High School classmates whose Mom lives next to my Grandparents and she and my Grandma helped me learn how to knit. Random.

My favorite fall festivity, the Spoon River Drive, was the first two weekends in October. It was so nice that I went twice (well, technically, three times, but that didn't rhyme). The first weekend was planned. Trisha came down with me that time. My Mom, myself, Trisha, and one of my Mom's teacher friends, went to London Mills and Farmington. I didn't bring any money because I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything. I think I spent more money than I haven ever spent before. ;) Grr. But I did get this really cool chest of drawers that I am going to use to hold my piano music (someday, when I have a house or more than my current two rooms). Because I bought this on Saturday, Mom and I went back to pick it up on Sunday. Then Tom and I came back the next weekend and Mom and I were bored after church and went back again, mainly for the food. Plus, it was less crowded.

Trisha and I got in the Hot Tub Friday night of the first weekend. It was so relaxing. However, a coyote started howling at one point and she didn't believe me that it was a coyote. Then Saturday night we went to the Rodeffer's and played this crazy strategy game. It was like Age of Empires in board game form. I should find out what that's called. I bet Kyle would like it and subsequently, kick my butt at it.

That second weekend we also celebrated my mom's birthday. We went to Club 41, man, I miss those onion rings. My dad got her a pony, a red 1967 Mustang. Lucky duck. My present is dicussed in Part 3.

Ah, here we are at last. My life update post.

My Grandma Beryle passed away on Septemeber 13. I have no idea how to follow that. I was in DeKalb away from Tom that Wednesday. That sucked. It was a long weekend. It was good to see all the family. Most I hadn't seen in quite a long time, so long that I don't think I could have told you who half of them were. I hadn't seen Kyle since Memorial Day, somehow I knew who he was. I even learned something. My Grandpa would pick my Grandma up in his airplane for their dates. How fun.

Things I've been thinking about that are totally Grandma and Grandpa:

*Hello, Buffalo
*Sewing with Grandma, yet I totally can't sew
*Spaghetti should be served with Pepsi
*Rotary phones are fun
*Golf Carts. Never let Kyle drive the golf cart. He ran over my mom's flowers, hit a huge willow tree, and backed into the gas pump. However, he always counters with the fact that I ran over the dog. Which I counter with I was on the road, the dog ran in front of the cart, and I was sitting on Grandpa's lap.
*My broken elbow, I fell onto an upturned stool that my Grandpa used to carry me around on
*Plane rides
*Waiting for Kyle to be born. I wanted to name him Mark.
*7 point pitch, I think Kyle and I annoyed the heck out of my Grandparent's friends.
*The gravestone in the basement, seriously
*The pump organ
*Ground level squirrel nests
*Playing school and Barbies, I so ruined collector's Barbies
*Mr. Rodgers
*The car fire
*Huge family get togethers with music,accordians, and chiclets
*Sunday school
*Pinning a glass of water to the ceiling
*Slide shows
*Lutefisk, icky

OH MY GOSH! I love 'em. They sooo should not have won that game. Zero offensive scores for Rex Grossman, Arizona Quarterback Matt Lienart did everything right and then Rackers blew the field goal that would have won it for them. CRAZY!!!! It's 11:17 and I am so not tired.

Now if only Northern would get their act together, my football universe would be complete.

Here's the baby blanket I made for my friend Erin. As you can see it turned out rather big for a baby blanket. Oh well. I love the colors.

I had only ever seen the last 42 seconds of this before. It's much better with the last five minutes. Great football fun.

The marching band refused to yield...

Maybe someday I'll write this post...

This is no ordinary tornado. This is a fire tornado. They are created when extreme heat from the fire causes such a strong updraft that the wind replacing the air at the surface creates a tornado. How awesome.

(This photo was taken by a L.A. newspaper photographer covering the wildfires).

After lunch yesterday, I witnessed a volcano. Well, a demonstration of the power of a volcano using liquid nitrogen. Hee, hee, explosions. Anyway, a geology class was getting the demostration, so I watched from the sidelines. It sounded like a gunshot and then shot this pink colored water about 30 feet in the air. I can only imagine that is was pink because they were trying to make it look like lava. I don't know. Crazy geoolgists.

Well, here are a couple pictures of our messy/slowly but surely getting organized apartment.

Front door to living room/kitchen to hall with bathroom to bedroom. Very basic.

Complete with unfinished puzzle on our table, freshly made rice krispie treats on the counter, and Tom lazing about on the couch.

Home sweet home for 5.5 months, give or take.

Friday was a great day. A Mexican Chipotle restaurant just opened and gave away free burritos and soft drinks all day. My co-worker Rick and I walked over there and only waited about a half hour which I think is pretty good considering it's a college town. The burrito was huge and yummy. Also, a new Marathon gas station opened up and started having a price war with the BP across the street. So I filled up for $2.27 a gallon before driving back to Iowa to see Tom.

Free lunch - $0, Cheap gas - $2.27/gallon, Getting to see my husband - priceless.

Well, we are all squeezed in to our tiny apartment. There's still lots to unload though and I am not there to do it, so guess what? Big suprise, it probably won't get done. Out of the entire day today, Tom informed me that he unpacked some clothes. Hmm, a little too much time watching our new crazy cable tv package. Darn, Mediacom for giving us so much crap for free. I really enjoyed having just bare minimum cable...Honestly, network tv is fine for me. Of course, that's as long as I have movies to watch. Anyway, rambling...

The community we live is so cute and so much more affordable. It makes me not want to move again, but I seriously doubt that is in the cards. Hopefully I will have some pictures next week but it was raining a lot and there are boxes everywhere.

I also got real excited about the possibility of seeing my Huskies play the University of Iowa in October since I would be fairly close, but alas one of my oldest friends is getting married that day in Des Moines. Darn it, Breanne, why can't you schedule your wedding around my football needs? ;)

Still no word on when Tom starts his job. There is some stupid hold up with the physical they made him get. Really, who cares about the fact that he hurt his back in 8th grade. C'mon. The poor people in Galesburg are trying to find his old records. Dumb. Hopefully, they'll figure it out soon, he is really antsy.

All the college kids are back to school here. I liked it so much better when the lab was quiet and free of weird people. I swear I have been like a beacon to strange people lately with no sense of proper social boundaries. Plus, my friend Katie is leaving Thursday. It's going to be a long month. No one to take me golfing anymore on our lunch breaks. Ok, we really only went once. But we took a two hour lunch break and only got in three holes. How sad are we. I think I shot a 20 and lost 2 balls. ;)

Logging out of Day 1 of being a transient.

Aliens in Geneseo? How Bizzare.

Hmm.... I really don't have anything profound to say. Let's see, I am quater of a century old...eh, been done.

Actually, today has been kind of blah and closer to a bad day than a good one. I am alone. Tom is a school/work until 6 and Trisha is at home getting ready for her sister's wedding tommorow. We still have no place to live and no jobs, but I might get to keep my current job a little longer... (*weak* yeah). Ach, poor sad Lauren... I need to just get a grip.

Let's see happy things...
I get to eat sweet corn tonight and Japanese tomorrow (JMK Nippon in Rockford)

ASIDE Tom has never been to JMK Nippon. I am not sure how that is possible as I have been at least 4 times. Ach, poor sad Tom... oh, not again ASIDE ENDED

Tom might let me open my present tonight. I think I know what it is but it's been killing me because it has been sitting in the hall for a few days in the box it was delivered in. He couldn't even hide it for a while. No, just let it sit out and torture me...

I have gotten a few phone calls today. That's been cool. The only people who ever call me are Tom ,at least once a day, and my parents every once in a while.

My piano... I love my piano. It so nice to have one after six years of not having one in my living space. I am attempting songs I would never have dreamed of attempting before. I can mostly play Clair de Lune now and I am working on Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique 1st Movement which is very hard, but I love.

Well, I think I will go play me some piano, video games and maybe watch the rest of Tristan and Isolde. Happy Bday to me.

In 21 days we have no place to live and no income...
the first image that comes to mind is the chickens panicking in Chicken Run!

(Also, why does panic become panicking, instead of paniccing? Crazy English language.)

Well, the pretzel is on the floor right now. I am not sure if someone will pick it up or step on it and smash it to smithereens.

What is happening on Garfield? Jon Arbuckle gets a kiss. I supposed after 20 years it's about freaking time!!!