Happy Friday: Set It Off

I just wrote three articles back to back and now, I'm wiped. So, let's get to the good stuff!

1) Three guys got kicked out of Saudi Arabia for being too good looking. Yes, that happened.

2) A cat dressed as a shark riding a Roomba chasing a duckling. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS!!

3) My cat is a dick, but, aren't they all?

4) It's the little things that matter when you're already having a shitty day.

5) English. Taught by bunnies.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday: Here I Go Again

There's nothing like the bone-chilling cold of a 19 degree morning to make you realize you're probably getting sick. After a week of avoiding an ill HUBS as much as possible and the copious use of Lysol, I have a sore throat, an ear ache and my head and neck are sore. Plus my stomach feels weird.

I'm going to crawl into bed, sleep for a long time and pray this is the worst it gets. But, first, I found some things online that might interest you.

1) Now that Beyonce has once again proven to the world that she can sing her ass off, let's look back at some of her wilder outfits and dance moves.

2) Sam the cat has eyebrows. And you will love him for it.

3) I had an odd relationship with the just-finished 30 Rock. Whenever I tuned in on purpose, it never failed to not make me laugh. But, if I happened upon the show while flipping channels or settled on it when nothing else was on? Hilarious! This list of silly life lessons from the show has me thinking of checking it out on Netflix, though.

4) You need to watch Paperman, the Oscar nominated Disney animated short. It will quite possibly be the brightest seven minutes of your day.

5) And, for additional funny...

CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

That all for me. I hope you had a good week and have an even better weekend!

Music Monday: It's An Oven Out There

I did something I never usually do this weekend: I wandered around in the elements on two consecutive hot as hell days. I know! We met HUBS' family in Hermann at a winery for lunch on Saturday and ended up hanging out in town a little, visiting the house his maternal grandparents used to live in and stopping by their graves at the cemetery.

Sunday we went to a breakfast buffet at a Greek place called Ari's. It came highly recommended by St. Louis Magazine, and while it was cheap ($6.95 a person!) it was also not quite as good as IHOP. The food was pretty basic and got cold quickly, which was ironic, since the restaurant was as hot and stuffy as hell on fire. The problem? They had an omelet bar set up in the tiny bar along with the buffet with all the chafing dishes. Sorry, Greeks, that's too much fire in a small space that's also crowded with people on a boiling hot day!

Frequently, you really do get what you pay for. We won't be going back.

Sunday wasn't all so-so. We also got some much needed shopping done and finally got to see Chronicle*, a sleeper hit that came out earlier this year. It's relatively short and absolutely worth your time; it's a stunningly original take on something we've seen a lot of in the past dozen or so years.

Well, what did you do this weekend? Were you able to stay cool and relaxed? I ended up with a heat rash and certainly hope you were able to avoid that!

Now! Music!







*p.s. I disagree with the review I linked to that the ending was overkill. I loved the whole movie. Wish I had written it.

A Little Bit Of Progress

You know what was nice about this weekend? What was nice about this weekend was that, for once, I didn't chicken out of a networking event. On Sunday night I went to a Girlfriend Circles meeting. There were two other women there and we had a good time talking about pets, parenting (even though none of us has kids), jobs and life in general. We even had to be kicked out of the cafe' where we met because we were still there a half hour after they'd closed.

It felt so freakin' good to talk to other women! In person! Even though we're basically strangers! We've already made plans to meetup again late next month. Isn't that cool? I might get some good friends out of this!

I think there was momentum left over from that meeting. I went to a screening for a movie I'm reviewing yesterday morning, and I talked to people! I even got a business card from one guy and sent him an email today.

EXPANSION and CONNECTION can be lovely things.

Happy Friday: What's Come Over Me?

Man, I am fuzzy today. I can hardly stay awake and am hoping it doesn't have anything to do with the odd bug/insect bite on my arm (which I am keeping an eye on and luckily it hasn't gotten worse).

Let's move on to some nifty internet things so you can get out there and have a nice weekend...

1) Did you know that there's a Pinterest-like site just for travel? Enter Trippy.

2) I'm considering bowing to social pressure and joining Twitter. When I do, I'll probably follow most of these folks.

3) If you're looking to build an online portfolio, any of these sites can help you for free.

4) You may have noticed that I'm often neck deep in my own psychological issues. Psych Central is a new discovery I've made that's great for those of us dealing with some thangs...Or for anyone interested in how the mind works.

5) Have you checked me out on Pandora yet? I've got 60 stations that cover oldies, soul, jazz, alternative, rock and a new station dedicated to Donna Summer. Check it out!

Enjoy the weekend, lovelies! I think I'm going to need another nap...

Music Monday: I Freely Admit That I Didn't Watch The Emmys...

I loved Bridesmaids. Your dress? Not quite so much.


But! I have heard that some cool-ass people won. Including Melissa McCarthy, Peter Dinklage, Kyle Chandler and Margo Martindale. If you don't know who those people are...You should! They are awesome and/or on awesome shows. Check 'em out.

HUBS and I had another EXPANSION weekend, since we finally left the house early enough on Friday to go to the annual Forest Park Balloon Glow. We got stuck in horrendous pre-glow traffic the previous two years we tried to go. Last year we were actually in traffic four hours! By the time we got there it was clear there was no place to park and I had to turn frustratingly around and head home.



We were in the car by 4:30. Since most people weren't even off work yet, traffic was no problem and we even got to park right near the event. The actual glowing was amazing. I'd been twice before, in '98 and '99 I think, but I'd never been on the actual balloon field. I have to say, though, I do have some complaints about the evening. Let's make a list, shall we?

Things the Balloon Organizers Should Know That They Did Wrong

1) Remember how I said HUBS and I got there at 4:30? Well, the glowing doesn't start until about four hours later. I just knew there'd be entertainment for that huge amount of empty time. And yet, no. I mean, aside from the children's area with ponies, a climbing wall and bouncy house stuff, and a team of trampoliners. Seeing as how you have to get there ridiculously early to get in if you drive, next year there had damn well better be a few local bands, some belly dancers and fire eaters or something. Do you hear me?



2) HUBS had wanted to get Rally's before we headed in, but I was afraid any detour would land us in gridlock land, so I didn't stop until we hit the park. We ate at three different booths, spent around $40 and almost all the food was crap. One booth proclaimed to have Cajun delicacies, but their "jambalaya" consisted of half-cooked crunchy-ass white rice with some chicken and sausage chunks and a can of tomato paste. I had three or four bites before it started making me sick to my stomach because it was so nasty.

HUBS got their "crawfish etouffee" which looked so disgusting I could barely stand the sight of it. Being ever the trooper, HUBS finished both things because he was hungry and we'd paid actual, real money for them.



We then tried soft pretzels and cheese from Gus' Pretzels, a local place that's been around since 1920. I will never again, unless I've literally been starved for days, eat another Gus' pretzel.

You know the expression "What's up your butt?", well, I can now tell you that it's one of these pretzels. They were that hard, y'all! And cold. And the little cup of nacho cheese we got was cold, too. How the fuck does a business that's been around this long send out product like this to an event? All old, cold and hard as hell? Shame on you Gus! Shame!

We got burgers from a booth called Elvis' Place. They sucked, but at least the $7 funnel cake they made was rad. Jesus, Balloon People, make sure the highly expensive food is at least edible before you let these crazies in.

3) Last and not least, getting out of the park was a mess. Would it really be so difficult to have some cops around to direct traffic and the masses of walkers?



Phew! But, as with a lot of experiences that don't turn out much like you expect them to, at least now we know!

Now! Some music for your Monday night!

Music Monday: Pro Sports Edition

Well, I had another experiment in EXPANSION this weekend! HUBS won tickets to a Cardinals game and we went on Friday. We even took the MetroLink, which I hadn't been on since '98 and HUBS hadn't been on at all.

I'll admit that the first eight and a half innings mostly bored the crap outta me. We played the Braves and they scored two runs in the first inning to our our one. Then...Nothing. Nobody hit home again until late in the 9th. We went into extra innings and the Cardinals were actually able to pull out ahead and win in the 10th.



Watching them win was exciting. But, I would only like to go to another game if a) we win tickets again b) someone can guarantee me more action during the game and c) I remember to take a magazine this time because no runs + no magazine = one very, very bored Citygirl once she finishes making fun of the players names and/or photos. (What, they make enough money to endure a little good-natured ribbing.)

But, fun. And, new things. Yay!

Now, some tuneage!

Music Monday: Dammit Katy Perry!

How was everyone's weekend? I got my hair done and HUBS and I had a movie marathon on Sunday, seeing X-Men: First Class and Super 8 at the theater and then Animal Kingdom later at home that night. Now, on to some important business.

Have you seen the new Katy Perry video for her song Last Friday Night? I'll be honest here, I kinda liked her when she first came out and then soured on her a bit when she went full-on super-pop-princess-with-a-hint-of-humor. But now that I've seen this '80s inspired video? Well, I just can't help myself. I LOVE IT! It's a perfect mixture of all those teen movies from my formative years. See for yourself, and dare to tell me it's not awesome:



See! I know! Right?! I guess I'm going to just have to admit that I find her music catchy, even this song, which I find completely asinine:




What song do you think is stupid, but can't help liking anyway?

Music Monday: Happy Mother's Day!

Miller and a kitten in my bass drum.

I know I have to apologize for 'radio silence' a lot on this blog, but I want you all to know that I really do appreciate your reading, viewing, commenting and following. As much as I love the internet and blogging, I frequently need tech breaks to clear my head, watch a movie or, I don't know, read or some shit.

Did all the mothers and people with mothers they like enjoy Sunday's holiday? I certainly hope you did! HUBS and I took my mom out for BBQ at our absolute favorite place, Pappy's Smokehouse. We only spent 35 bucks and got a shit-ton of food! I love that!

PT had never been to this place before, but she really liked her food. We all ended up with leftovers, which is beyond awesome. HUBS and I were tired from some ghetto-living drama the night before so we only stayed at her place about an hour after getting back from dinner. (Some dork knuckle on the street behind us decided to fire off a shot gun. Not cool dork knuckle. Not cool at all.)

I regret that I left my mom's modest gift at home. You know how you mean to grab stuff on the way out the door, but manage to forget anyway? That's what happened. I got her a book and some supplies she can use in the computer class she's been taking, I figure I can take them to her this week, though.

In other news, Luanne was supposed to have her feeding tube taken out today. But, she got sick yesterday and didn't appear to eat or drink anything. She was really lethargic yesterday and today, though she did eat this morning when I brought food to her. So, we'll see. If you believe in praying for sick cats to get better, I'd love it if you could put a good word in for our little Luanne cat.

That's all for now. Enjoy this Sade video from the early '90s that has nothing to do with motherhood! Woooo!!!

Happy Friday! Finally Royal Free

I swear I don't have anything against William and...What's her name? Kate? I really do hope they're happy and all that jazz. But, my God! Every entertainment and news show has been taken over by this royal wedding stuff. They're finally married now, so, you know, I'd kinda like to get back to our usual actual fluffy, entertainmenty stories.

We need to hear more about how Two and a Half Men can go on without the crazy that is Sheen.

I need someone to talk to The Rock on camera about playing Charlie Pride in a country music biopic. (He doesn't look anything like the man!)

Come on, entertainment shows! Let us be embarrassed for M. Night Shyamalan and Keanu Reeves en masse.

Give us spoilers on finales of all our favorite TV shows.

We need to hear about the crotch tattoos, stage parent quotes and see the fake penises and drunk Paula Deen pics.

Phew! I'm glad I got that off my chest! Since those two are finally wedded up, can things get back to America-has-no-royals normal, please?

Citygirl Bites! Plush Pig Barbeque

We here at Citygirl headquarters lurve us some BBQ. By the time Sunday rolled around we needed sauced up meat like never before. So, we headed to the Plush Pig to see their new digs in Rock Hill. The last time we dined with them, their place was in Clayton and we had just lost a lawsuit against the former owner of our house (long story, y'all).



I got the rib tips and fries, plus sides of cole slaw and green beans. Man, that was disappointing. It wasn't inedible, but, you know how you build something up and then when you finally get to it it's just...meh? That's how this was. The tips were kinda fatty and none of the food was actually hot when it got to me. And we all know that lukewarm fries are meh, right? The waitress originally brought the wrong sides, but when I finally got the ones I ordered, they were ok.



HUBS ordered the sausage and meat cmbo with baked beans and potato salad. I didn't try any of his meat (heh, heh, heh) but he said the meal had a similar effect on him. It was edible, but didn't burn him to the ground and make him want to go back to the Plush Pig anytime soon. Even the baked beans, which I can honestly say were some of the best in St. Louis, were really good but not amazing, like I remembered them.

I don't know what happened. Is there a new cook? Are they preparing stuff differently? Were our tasebuds deformed the first couple of times we ate there? I don't think we'll be going back to the Plush Pig. Bandana's has much better food for a similar price point, plus they have several locations and whip fast service.

Sunday Dinner: Brown Sugar Dijon Grilled Chicken & Spinach Garlic Noodles

I made this a couple of nights ago and really loved the way it turned out. The chicken was from a recipe I found online and played with a little bit.

Brown Sugar Dijon Grilled Chicken

1 to 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders (If you buy breasts cut them into smaller pieces or that shit will never get done)
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice from 1 can pineapple tidbits or chunks
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Combine everything except the chicken in a dish deep enough to hold all the liquid. Stir it all together to get the brown sugar dissolved, and taste for salt and pepper. Add your chicken and marinate at least a half hour.

Heat up your grill or grill pan and cook away. I made mine in two batches; each batch took around 15 minutes and I flipped the pieces once about half way through the cooking time. I suppose you could combine more mustard, sugar and juice to use for a dip, but I didn't and it was still Hella good.

Now, the pasta was something I made up on the spot. It tasted awesome! I love it when that happens!

Spinach Garlic Noodles

4 cups cooked whole wheat (or regular) noodles
2 Tbsp garlic butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 handfuls spinach, cut or torn into strips
1/4 to 1/2 cup Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, juice reserved
feta cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Put your butter and olive oil in a pot and heat it up. Add your pasta and get it coated in the grease. Put in the spinach and let it wilt, then add the feta, tomatoes, Italian seasoning and pepper. Let everything heat up for a bit and give it a good couple of stirs.

If you need your pasta juicier, add the reserved juice from the tomatoes. Taste it to see if it's salty enough, if not add a tiny bit at a time until you get it where you like it (I hardly put any additional salt in mine at all).

This was so good! I plan to eat the last of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. And really? I'm very excited about it!

EXPANSION Saturday! I Took A Class!

HUBS and I have been talking about taking a class together at our local community college for about a year now, but we didn't have the extra funds to sign up until recently.

I got a little thrill in spending money on something we'd wanted to do for a while that wasn't strictly necessary. In early January I signed us up for three classes, one for each of us to take alone and one for us to take together. Thank God for the continuing education options, because all of our classes were one day seminars that cost less than fifty bucks. Genius!

My class, on publishing non-fiction books, was last Saturday. I had to get up early, but still managed to not wake up quite early enough to eat breakfast or make coffee. Plus, I had stomach trouble, so I was none too happy. But, luckily, the class changed that.

Man. Can I just say how nice it was to get out? Just like with the interviews I've started doing again, it felt good to be a person who leaves the house to do things that don't involve errands. I even asked questions and interjected thoughts! Thoughts, people!

This little adventure led, I believe, to HUBS and I going to a park we've never been to before to play frisbee and taking neighborhood walks twice this week. Look! We're doing new things! And accomplishing goals! And getting exercise!



Our next class is later this month (Fuck. How did we get to March already?), when we learn about Irish legends and myths together. What new opportunities will that bring our way? Who knows?! Sky's the limit!

Now, if any of you out there are writers, here are some things I learned in my class:

Insider Publishing Secrets

1) Your royalties aren't based on the price of your book, they're based on what the seller pays for it. For example: If your books costs $10, the seller (B&N, Borders, Amazon, etc.) probably pays around $7.50 for each copy. If you get a 10% royalty, you only get 75 cents from each book sold.

2) Most publishing companies pay twice a year, around January and June. But? They pay late almost all the time, so you won't actually get your royalty check until 3 to 6 months after their pay schedule.

3) There are two sets of rules in publishing (like in life, really), one for already famous people and one for the rest of us. Advances are really only for the famous.

4) Smaller companies usually sell less, but will give you bigger royalties; while the opposite is true for larger publishing houses.

5) If you write for everyone, you'll sale to no one. Make your topic as specific as possible.

6) Anybody can reuse your title and it's totally legal. Also? No matter how good the title you've chosen may be, the publisher will almost certainly change it.

7) Any title with "how to", "secret" or the number "7" always sells.

8) If you want to know who might be interested in publishing your book, read the acknowledgement section of books like yours. Writers always thank their editors and agents there. But...

9) Stay away from agents if at all possible. It's easier to get through to editors at publishing houses, plus agents tend to reject 85% to 95% of all ideas.

10) Last but not least? The contract publishers send to writers once they've agreed to publish your book is non-negotiable. You can have a lawyer look over it, but if they change anything that company will not be publishing the fine work of non-fiction you've poured yourself into.

Those are just a few of the insidery things our instructor let us in on. I'd highly recommend a class like this to anyone interested in writing books!

Music Monday! Unexpected Genre Combos

Welcome to a brand new week, everyone! Did you all have a good weekend? HUBS and I did quite a bit of snow-walking, tire fixing and car-digging-out after Saturday morning's two to four inch snow. Cabin fever had finally struck, and I needed to get out and do something, so do we did.

What did you think of the Superbowl? We took a nap after our outing on Sunday and missed the first half, but I have to say, when you're not invested in either team (and not a huge football fan) the whole thing can seem rather...meh. Do you know what I'm saying? Even watching Green Bay enjoy their victory didn't manage to move me much. Maybe if we'd been around a bunch of fans and feeding off their energy it would have felt more exciting.



I missed all the commercials during the first half, but I was also mostly unimpressed by them, as well. The one where the beaver saves the guy from driving on a washed out bridge was cute and I really liked the Darth Vader Volkswagen ad (I'd seen it on the Today Show on Friday), but other than that...meh.



What Superbowl commercials did you enjoy?

Now, a Music Monday first. I'm having a hard time getting this song outta my head, mostly because it's got to be the only R&B song in the history of the universe that features...yodeling. You read that right, Internet denizens! Go ahead, play the video and marvel at the end of that song. Marvel, I said!!

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has made it through Snowpocalypse 2011, especially since we're due for three more (blissfully much lighter) rounds of snow over the next few days.

It was nice having HUBS home for a couple of days this week. He went back to work yesterday and I actually tagged along to get out of the house. I have to say, though, I think it may be time-out for that for a while. Why? Well, I'm starting to feel kinda pitiful hanging out at my husband's job.

I tend not to get much done while I'm there, even though I always have my laptop. Actually, it might be that watching him work at something he loves just rams home how badly I need the same thing. (Not that I begrudge him that. I'm really glad he feels like he's found his thing.)

On a positive note, I got an email from one of my old editors Wednesday and he wants me to do some weekly work for them. I'll be making $100 a week, which will save our shit once the dough starts rolling in. Not to mention, save my sanity a little by giving me some much needed confidence. So, yay!

In honor of Happy Friday times, I'm going to pass along the Said the Gramophone best music of 2010 list. You can even download the complete 100 song list, so go ahead and get the party started this weekend!

Music Monday! Three Day Weekend Edition

I hope everyone got a chance to enjoy their holiday weekend. Ours was a bit less relaxing than we'd hoped.

HUBS had two huge projects at work on Friday and I went in to help him. Everything went smoothly until about 10 p.m., when some software issues prevented him from finishing either project that was so close to being done. My poor guy did everything he could think of to solve the problems, but we ended up leaving at 2 a.m. Saturday morning with neither completed. Naturally, HUBS was infuriated.

As is always the case when one of us is angry beyond belief and the other is cool as cucumber, I tried to calm him down, but this was just one of those times when he had to come down on his own. Since there's no overtime budget left for this school year, HUBS had spent 16 hours at work that day, but only been paid for half that.



Saturday was nice; his parents came by and took us to dinner, and we did some furniture shopping (but no buying) afterwards and on Sunday.

Can I just mention that I've also spent the past four days trying to poo? I did everything right: drinking water, eating live-active-culture yogurt, having veggies in my scrambled eggs (spinach, onion and tomato), feasting on oatmeal for breakfast, having coffee... And yet, nothing worked until Sunday night when I stuffed my face with dulce de leche, pound cake and half a bag of kettle corn. I followed all the rules and what my body really needed was junk food? Travesty...

Today has been fairly quiet. I updated my resumes and applied for a writing job I found online, finished going through my emails and catching up on some financial articles I'd saved. HUBS has been continuing his unwinding process with liberal doses of video gaming. I really don't understand the video game thing, but I'm glad he's got a hobby.

How did you spend your long weekend?

Weekend Wonderful

It's unbelievably nice to have some money on the weekends. Here's what we did with a bit of ours.

1) Took my mom out to lunch and shopping for her birthday (she's 60) on Saturday. Our haul totaled 1 lip balm, 1 fingernail polish and 1 body butter. We were gone for six hours. Clearly we are shopping superstars. I'm thinking of a rematch sometime this week. Let me tell you, though, it was so nice to be able to treat my mom to lunch. I haven't been able to do that in years.

2) Went grocery shopping at three different stores. Spent more in one grocery trip then we ever have and finally stocked up on some things. Had a deliriously good time at Sunday night's Festival of Trying Different Things. Also? You need to buy this now. And eat it. It's the best freakin' icy treat in the world as far as I'm concerned.

3) Ate out without worrying that we really should have been eating beans and rice again. On Friday HUBS and I managed a $20 dinner at Olive Garden, and Sunday afternoon was all about happy hour specials at La Salsa, where we spent $11 total. By the way? I think our general new rule-of-eating-out-thumb will be to get an appetizer, share one entree and maybe get one drink that we share while the other person gets water. I know eating out is not the best use of funds, but dammit, I find it completely enjoyable!

4) When I was with my mom, HUBS was walking around the strip malls close to our house. He got some stuff we've been wanting/needing for awhile. When I got home he introduced me to our new Foreman Grill, his new Nike Air shoes and Mizzou baseball cap, and the St. Louis Browns cap he got as a Christmas gift for his grandfather. HUBS also told me about a certain sparkly something he got me as a late anniversary/birthday present! He claims it's well hidden, but let's see how long it takes me to happen upon it while cleaning.

On tap for next weekend is finally washing/staining our deck and possibly getting Luanne groomed. She's developed a ton of fur clumps that brushing simply is not taking care of, and trying to cut them out myself was nearly impossible with all her squirming and clawing and questioning of my motives.


You can't really see the extent of her fluff here. She's like a sheep cat.

How was your weekend?

Feelings

HUBS and I were out and about Friday in a very popular area. It was a nice night; people were walking, dining outside, going to concerts, shopping in boutiques. It made me wistful. I'm starting to get that Friday-night-just-got-paid-wanna-spend-some-money-honey feeling.

You know that feeling. It shouts, I have a job, I worked hard all week and now I'm gonna have some real fun for a couple of days. Honestly, as much as I really want to not have the weekends be the end-all-be-all like they are when you have a job that feels like work, I miss having my weekends mean something. Right now the weekends are just like every other day.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to love the next job I get. But, to get that feeling back, I'd settle for enjoy mostly.

What's your favorite thing to do on weekends?

Summertime

How was your July 4th? I hope it was all awesome and shit, 'cause mine totally was, despite the oppressive heat, excessive sunshine, rainstorm, dust storm, sweaty, salty, excessive walkingness of it all.

HUBS and I were planning a nice trip across the river to Alton IL for their probably laid-back, small town 4th fest. Then on Sunday when I was looking for all the details, we realized they do all their celebratory stuff BEFORE Independence Day. Shitty small town! You have lost our business! Be ashamed, Alton!

HUBS was determined to do something, so he scrambled and stumbled upon the happenings in O'Fallon MO. For absolutely no money we could park at a local high school, take a shuttle to their ballpark/recplex/superfuncenter watch Toad the Wet Sprocket, Eve 6, Five for Fighting and then see fireworks.

Ummm...Yes!



Toad the Wet Sprocket. Rock stars don't wear underwear, so they were probably safe.

We got there in plenty of time to set up beach towels on the lawn for Toad, but as much as I love them they were not enough to make me un-notice the ridiculous heat. I can honestly say it liquefied my panties. I had no underwear left, people. There was, blissfully, the occasional light breeze, but that damn sun was beating down like a muthafucka. Luckily, I had an umbrella to shade my sensitive self.

That umbrella also came in handy because it rained like an angry bitch for about three hours; one of which we spent under the only non-food or game related shelter in the area with roughly 100 other fest-goers. I don't think I've ever been trapped outside in the rain before. I swear, new experiences all the time around here. Interesting.



Waiting for the rain to slow down. It was nice to not sit on the ground for a while.

After listening to the second band (under my umbrella), getting some very good carnie food (BBQ chicken nachos and funnel cake) and watching HUBS take a picnic bench nap, I decided to do another pre-total-darkness photo walk while band #3 was on.




Can I just say? When I got back a little boy had sat beside my spot and, really, I couldn't tell which of us smelled worse. My thought process went something like this: Ooh, he stinks. Wait, is that...me? No, that can't be me. I don't smell like that when I stink. But, my underwear did evaporate several hours ago and my lady bits have been soggy the whole time. When did that last happen? God only knows what effect that's had on my natural, delicate, sexy flower-like scent.

Anywho, it wasn't long before we moved to the main stage field for fireworks, which were amazing because they always are.




After a packed day of sitting, standing and a modest amount of walking I was not prepared for what happened next. Instead of taking the shuttle back to our car, we elected to walk back.

How this happened is not important. What you need to know is that it seemed like we were parked just around the corner and down the street, but we were not. We were actually parked around the corner and down 52 STREETS.

The walking was crazy-making. And to do it without panties on while not killing anyone in an outrageous fit of hot red rage was a special feat I am completely proud of.



Let's all be glad I didn't kill this woman. She probably wouldn't have deserved it.

For two days after that my hips hurt. I still have a heat rash on both arms and my neck and destroyed, poofy hair. I also believe the walking led to some kind of nerve damage in my right arm; it felt, for days, like it was itching from the inside, possibly from too much sudden exercise. The best part? It was all worth it.

Happy 4th, y'all!

Awesomeness is Awesome!

HUBS and friend. Let's call him Zombie Apocalypse.

You know how when you get back from vacation, and you spend a couple of days getting back into your routine (doing laundry, working with stupid people, making lunches...), it can feel like you were never gone at all? That's how I've been feeling this week, because Saturday was so much fun it felt like a vacation.

HUBS only has one friend, Zombie Apocalypse, from when he was growing up that he still keeps in contact with. About a month ago he let HUBS know that he and his wife would be heading through St. Louis on their way home to Ohio from Oklahoma, and asked if they could stay with us. Of course we said yes. HUBS and ZA haven't seen each other for, hold on now...15 YEARS!!

We were both looking forward to Saturday; it prompted me to clean some things I've been neglecting (blinds, walls, window sills, baseboards) and it's the only concrete opportunity we've had lately to socialize with people who are not family or ourselves.

Anyway, the day was so much fucking fun! I think I was nervous, because I barely got any sleep the night before, but we all got along like we see each other all the time. I'd never met either ZA or his wife, Gentle Teacher, but everything was just plain awesome!



We went to:

The Gumbo Shop for lunch.

The St. Louis Art Museum, The Old Cathedral and The Arch for touristy stuff.

Ted Drewes for Route 66 historical frozen custard goodness.

Miso for sushi dinner.

There was lots of talking, laughing, political commiserating and bonding. Gentle Teacher had brought her do along and we let him stay in our bathroom while we did our running around. I was a lot calmer about having a dog in the house when she told us he was a therapy dog for autistic children; I knew he'd be well trained and unlikely to tear anything up.



I swear, this is one of the best, fullest days we've had in a long, LONG time. I want to know more people and do more things with them! I want to talk to folks and have them in my house! I want to socialize like a normal adult! I want to have mutual friends with HUBS so we can go on double dates! Double dates!! I want to have fun like this on a weekly basis!

WEEKLY!!! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea!