Two days
... til the start of NaNoWriMo. Right now I am all about it ... but ask me in about a week and a half how I'm doing. I was going to try and do NaBloPoMo or whatever the hell it is, too, but that might just be too much. I do actually have to have some semblance of working.

I will, however, periodically post links to my novel in progress, along with my usual non-sequiter posts.

An evening with RA
On Saturday night, I was at the Ryan Adams concert in Lakewood, Ohio, for what seemed like a small eternity. Not that it was a bad thing. It's just that he played for a reallllllllly long time. Two full sets. No opening act. It was a whole lotta Ryan. And I had to pee and wanted to wait til the end.

Admittedly I'm not as huge of a fan of his newer stuff. I liked his first few solo albums, and then the later stuff is kind of hit or miss with me. When he veers country I'm not so much enthralled.

That being said, I still really enjoyed his show. He and his band the Cardinals play well together and sound great. I especially enjoyed the harmonizing the guys did.

For maybe the first 45 minutes, Ryan did not speak between songs. There was a kind of uncomfortable silence when each song was finished and they re-tuned their guitars for the next one. Then every once in a while he'd say something under his breath that would be audible for the crowd and he'd get a laugh. Finally, he broke the silence in a big way and told the crowd how happy he and the band were to be there. Suddenly he launched into a diatribe about Twinkies and asked the crowd if they had ever microwaved a Twinkie. He said it's only something you do "at 3 a.m. ... between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m." He also cautioned not to use a plastic bowl to microwave the Twinkie because the Twinkie itself is made mostly of plastic.

The first set focused mostly on newer material, mostly from Easy Tiger, and featured a lot of deviation from the original arrangements and into more trippy, Grateful Dead-esque jam sessions. The second set was more mellow -- as Ryan called it, the "Wanted Dead or Alive" part of the show. There was some Jon Bon Jovi reference that I kind of missed, but I think it was because he and his guitarist were set up next to each other on stools and recalled back to Jon Bon and Richie Sambora. I think. Who knows.

He cranked out a bunch of crowd favorites during the second set, including "Two" off Easy Tiger, Rescue Blues, Let It Ride, Please Do Not Let Me Go, and my favorite, La Cienega Just Smiled. He also went off on "Friends" -- the wedding episode where Ross says the wrong name at the altar. He wanted to know the untold story about Emily, Ross' almost-wife. He surmised that she went back to England and "wrote some unreadable novel" or something like that. Funnier when he said it.

He also left the stage briefly -- or not so briefly -- to allow for his keyboard player to tell the joke of the evening. The joke took maybe 15 seconds, and then ... no Ryan. Awkward silence on stage. Dum de dum ... still no Ryan. So the band members all kind of looked at each other like, "ok ... now what ..." and it was long enough that I was beginning to think that he had just decided he was done and not coming back. Finally, after maybe another minute, he came running back on stage to roaring applause from the crowd.

"Sorry guys, I had some Red Bull before the show and I just had to pee. I'm a human being..."

Yep. Awesome. Guess I should have gone, too. But I didn't want to get up and miss anything.

Thanks, Ryan, for an eccentric and cool show. I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Memeage

Ever kissed anyone with the name starting with a B?
yes

Are you watching TV?
no I'm at work

Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass?
yup

Do you know anyone in jail/prison?
no

Do you like the color green?
you obviously have no idea where I work

Who was the last person to send you a text message?
Ali

Ever drove into the ghetto to buy drugs?
*cough*

Last restaurant you went to?
Rocknes

Last voicemail you received?
my boss saying he was sick and wouldn't be in

What did you do yesterday?
went to work, came home, watched some tv, hit the sack

What's the first thing you would do with 5 million dollars?
pay off debts

Have you ever been on your school's track team?
I smoked in high school, nuff said

Do you have any piercings?
just ears, plus the eyebrow scar

If all of your friends were going on a road trip, would you?
if it were ok with my hubby

Do you swear at your parents?
Only mildly

Is your phone right beside you?
my work phone is; my cell is in my purse

Have you cried today?
no

Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?
yes

What kind of bedsheets do you have?
light blue

Have you ever crawled through a window?
yes

Are you photogenic?
no

What do you spend most of your money on?
bills

Is there a secret you've never told any of your friends?
yes

Have you ever told someone you loved them but didn't mean it at all?
no

Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle?
yes

Have you ever kissed two people in the same day?
no

Are your parents married/divorced/separated?
divorced

What objects are around you right now?
my desk crap, bag of pretzels, bottle of water

Are you genuinely happy?
no

Do you have trust issues?
yes

Are you looking forward to tomorrow?
no more than any other Thursday

Where's the last place you went?
the Hallmark store to buy a card for my aunt's b-day

Do you miss someone right now?
no

What are you doing this weekend?
Going to see Ryan Adams in concert on Saturday night!

O-bla-di, O-bla-da
... and then I woke up this morning and realized that I live in Cleveland, and this is what happens when you live in Cleveland. There's always next year.

Go Cavs.

Top 10 Things I'd Rather Be Doing Than Watching ALCS Game 7 Right Now

10. I'm sure I have socks that need sorting.
9. Paint. Drying.
8. Major oral surgery.
7. Two words: War and Peace.
6. Grandma could use a pedicure.
5. Is it tax time yet?
4. Finding and eradicating dust bunnies.
3. All Wiggles, all the time.
2. I didn't realize that Phil Collins HAD these many greatest hits!

and the number one thing I'd rather be doing than watching ALCS game 7 right now:

1. Sleeping -- knowing that the Indians won it in 6.

Alas ... this is the life of a Cleveland sports fan. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but knowing how these things usually go, I can't help but feel that it's over already.

Zoo-dle
Last weekend my mom and I took Doodle to the local zoo. I had never been to this particular zoo, but I was quite pleased to find out how kid-friendly it was. My larger metropolitan zoo has large exhibits that are quite stunning if you know where to look, but for a 2-year-old who only sees what is right in front of his face, it's kind of boring.

Not here. Look at how close we were to this lion:



It actually took my breath away. I just thought to myself, this glass better be thick. The lioness, however, could have cared less about Doodle or me or my mom ... the zookeepers were standing behind us and I'm betting she was waiting for her mid-morning snack. Which thankfully, wasn't my 2-year-old.

I'm making a pledge ...
To do NaNoWriMo this year. I just jotted down some ideas for my novel. Hopefully I will follow through this year, or least go halfway. Come November I will post my progress on another blog, and occasionally link back here in case anyone is interested in reading. Plus I will need some encouragement, I'm sure.

Scenes from the Jake


I was fortunate enough to be able to be at the American League Championship Series game 4 on Tuesday at Jacobs Field.



The Indians beat the Red Sox, 7-4, and are within one game of being in the World Series. Trying to describe the experience of being at a playoff game at the Jake to someone who hasn't ever had a chance, is impossible.



The air was alive with the whoosh of towels, each out, from the first to last, received a standing ovation, and the roar of the crowd made you yell louder just to try and hear yourself. Is it possible that our time has come once again?



They're playing right now, and losing, but they have two more chances after tonight. Let's hope we don't need them.

GO TRIBE!!!!!

The Mayor of Memeville
1. What's the last big mistake you made?
trusting someone I shouldn't have

2. Is the sun shining?
not at the moment, it's supposed to rain all day, and I've got baseball tickets tonight

3. Can you successfully blow up and tie a balloon?
I hate balloons so no

4. Do you like text messaging?
I've slowly caught on to the texting phenomenon

5. Got any lately?
Are we still talking about texts? Doesn't matter, the answer is still yes ;)

6. Boyfriend/Girlfriend?
husband

7. Are you wearing any make-up right now?
Yes

8. What are your plans for later?
ALCS game 4, GO TRIBE!!!!!

9. What is your favorite MCR song?
You know, the one that goes "duh duh duh duh da na na na na na duh duh duh" .... uh, who is MCR?

10. Is there any drama within your life?
Quite a bit. See question 1

11. What is a song they need to stop playing on the radio?
Anything by Nickelback and that new piece of Fergie crap

12. Are you happy with life right now?
I should be, but I am never quite satisfied, I always want more.

13. Does anyone like you?
I should hope so

14. What is your current obsession?
Pete Yorn music

15. Do you have a dog?
no

16. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
yes

17. Would you ever smile at a stranger?
Yes

18.Ever pulled your pants down in the street?
Yes, and then I asked for TP for my bunghole ... uh, no.

19. Do your toenails have nail polish on them?
A fresh coat from 2 days ago

20. Last curse word you said was?
Hard to remember because I do it so frequently but I'll guess f-bomb

21. Are your lips chapped?
Always

22. Are you currently jealous?
in a roundabout way

23. Did you have a dream last night?
I always dream but I don't remember anything from last night

24. Are you mad at anyone?
just disappointed

25. Who is the loudest person you know?
co-worker

26. What's going on this weekend?
More of the roofing project at home, I'll have Doodle all weekend trying to keep him out of trouble. And hopefully more October baseball :)

27. Done any spring cleaning lately?
I think I did some last spring.

28. Anything bothering you?
yup

29. Do you do cheerleading?
In 8th grade I did. And I have the pics to prove it ;)

30. Did you wish for anything last night on 11:11?
World peace, as always ;)

31. Do you drink coffee on a regular basis?
I drink tea

32. Do you wish you were someone else?
I'm pretty content with who I am

33. What jewelry are you wearing?
wedding ring, watch, silver earrings, my heart necklace

34. Funniest thing that happened today?
See my previous blog about IBL

35. Kiss anyone lately?
hubby and son

36. Are you easily amused?
very

37. Can you lick your elbow?
that sounds complicated.

38. Do you know this song, "we stay fly no lie you know this"?
sounds familiar ... is it Diddy?

39. How many piercings do you have?
3 in one ear, 1 in other ear, and scar from eyebrow piercing gone bad

40. What are/were your plans over the summer?
Get some sun on my ghostly skin ... didn't work out so well

41. How's life going for you?
just dandy

42. What is on your mind just this second?
when are we going to lunch???

43. Favorite vacation spot?
Vegas, baby, Vegas!

44. Do you have on chap stick?
no but I need some

45. What hurts right now?
toe -- from bad shoes and lots of walking at convention

46. Do you like school?
I didn't mind it, I've been considering going back for a masters, someday

47. Is this survey good?
not particularly

48. Sneak out lately?
snuck away from some sketchballs at convention hotel bar

49. Last thing you drank?
tea

50. Do you want a tattoo?
no

51. Want any more piercings?
no

Boss' Day
Today is Boss' Day, so my department brought in cupcakes, cookies, balloons, and we all signed a card for my boss. Everyone put stuff like "you're the greatest boss in the whole wide world" and stuff like that.

IBL, however, penned this gem:
"Remember, a wet bird never flies at night."

Yeah. We're all a bit scared.

Today
It's a great day today.
No matter what happens at work, at home, on the road.
Today, I feel good.

Sorry, wrong number
Over the past couple days I have had several calls on my cell phone from a strange area code and unrecognizable number. So of course, I haven't answered. It's unusual enough for me to be getting calls. I don't typically talk on the phone other than to my husband, or the occasional friend or co-worker, but we're talking few and far between.

Finally, the caller left a message, and something in his tone made me feel a sudden surge of empathy... it was just a few words. "Marsha, give me a call, ok?"

The next time the guy tried calling, I answered, only to tell him that he had the wrong number. "That's what I was afraid of," he said. "I apologize."

There's a story in there, I'm sure. Either Marsha gave him the wrong number, or he wrote it down wrong, and now he doesn't know how to contact her.

I am thinking of doing NaNoWriMo this year; this is a possibility...

Don't worry, GT, I look like Beyonce too
I have never heard of some of these folks, but here are some of my celebrity lookalikes. I did another photo and got the more realistic Michelle Branch, who someone told me I look like just the other day.

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Don't Mess with the Chee
I just wanted to mention that over the past two weeks, I have gotten THREE hits on this blog from people searching for either Lance Nip Chee or Toast Chee. Bless you all. Those crackers, they are teh good.