Category Mondays

What a Difference…

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Only a few weeks left in 2012.

Tonight I was looking back in my computer to see if I wrote any kind of “end of year wrap up” for 2011 and found nothing but revisions of resumes and cover letters dated 2011.  I guess that’s where my mind was last year at this time!  What a difference a year makes.

It was fun to go back and read my December 2011 and January 2012 blogs – the books and movies that I indulged in during unemployment and my blogs about what I will and won’t miss about unemployment.  Ah.

Pretty good stuff.  I think I was the most creative during that time!  Blogs in early 2012 were pretty ‘meh.”  I guess brain power was going elsewhere for a while… rightly so!

Anyway, found this list again:

US passport

US passport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

12 Things to Get Done in 2012

  1. See Garrison Keillor at the Fitzgerald Theatre
  2. Visit the Four Daughters Vineyard in Spring Valley (maybe more than once!). Doesn’t it look lovely?
  3. Get my passport – so I’m ready!  This was on my list of 40 Things and it didn’t happen.  It will happen – soon.
  4. Write – at least weekly blogs
  5. Write – more letters. It’s so fun to get mail.
  6. Eat healthy and REAL food
  7. Watch for and attend more Table Trivia Nights
  8. Seek out author and book events, especially for authors and books I love!
  9. Go to New York City to see “Once – the Musical” – you see that, Troy
  10. While in NYC maybe go on a Greenwich Village walking tour with Adriana Trigiani (love her!)
  11. Read at least one GOOD book per month.  Easily achievable.
  12. Try new recipes and cook for myself (or invite others!)
Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Still no passport (eeek!) and no Garrison yet, but NYC twice in a year?  A dream come true.

Seeing “Once” twice?  Amazing.

Even on Facebook in January 2011 I was posting links for the musical and dreaming of getting there.

Fun to start my dream list for 2013!  What do I want to come true this coming year???

I have to review my birthday list of 11 Things to do in the Fall, as the Winter Solstice is coming up soon and it’ll be time for a new list!  Yikes!

More later on that!

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It Was Time.

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Trade-in

After 10 years, 7  years and 150,000 with me, it was time.

It was a good car.

I’d been balking at the idea of trading it in and was contemplating getting it fixed, but the list of things needing repair kept getting longer and longer, so it boiled down to getting a loan to fix it up or bite the bullet and get a car payment.

Bumper stickers

Once you put on a bumper sticker,                                     there’s no going back…

This car was with me during Marissa’s senior year (she got my old Honda Civic)

This car drove us away from my house during the flood evacuation

This car took me on a few road trips – to Chicago, Des Moines, Pierre SD, and many Minnesota adventures

When I bought this car, audiocassettes were the most common way to listen to audiobooks,
so I had to have a cassette player installed, as it only had CD!

In the glove box, I found the cassette that will play walkmans or iPods over the stereo. So retro!

When I bought this car, the moon roof scared me a little!
I was afraid a bird (more accurately, a wild turkey) would fly in or something.

honda civic trade-in

The Swell Season bumper stickers

So it wasn’t without a teary eye that I traded it in last week.
I told the guy “I needed a moment” with it and I took these photos.

It was a good car.

But it was time.

I spent more time researching things online than I did test-driving cars.

One car guy sent me an email saying that 4% of people spend more time looking for their car than their spouse.
That’s a weird statistic, isn’t it??  I didn’t spend THAT much time.  I was wanting it to happen sooner than later.

I was thankful to find a manual transmission 2-door at a decent price.
Evidently manual transmissions are a dying breed.

Happy Honda Owner

Happy Honda-Days!

So this super-fancy car is a 6-speed manual! Yay!

44 Miles for this 44 Year Old

Had to stop for the photo opportunity before I got to my house! Lovely digital interior after 44 miles!

So you’ll have to stop by and ask me for a ride!  I’m sure I’ll be ready to roll!
But I may make you notice that even my garage has the New Car Smell!

Merry Christmas to me!

 

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Bruuuuuuuce!

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Bruce Springsteen, girls' night out, November 2012

These girls are ready to rock!

I woke up this morning thinking of the Bruce Springsteen concert, which was one week ago tonight!

We bought our tickets in August, so it has been something we have been anticipating for quite some time.
(Anticipation of great things is so awesome!)

We began our adventure at the House of Coates Bar where we had delicious burgers –

Best burgers in Minnesota?

Best burgers in Minnesota? In 2008!

and sat in a booth that was either too hot or too cold!

House of Coates Bar booth

A dive bar experience with delicious burgers and inconsistent heat!

We had tickets on the Club Level, so it was a quieter atmosphere.  Our seats were in the last row so we didn’t have to worry about standing and dancing in front of people who chose to sit during the concert.
(Really, who sits during a Bruce concert??? Evidently people in the Club Level!).  

Bruce didn’t disappoint.  He was on stage for 185 minutes.  He never left.  Not for a minute.

Bruce Springsteen

Walking amid the crowd – early in the show and late in the show!

Dancing in the Dark

Dancing in the Dark – Bruce brought a Veteran on stage for a dance! (Sidenote: According to Google, Bruce wears Wrangler Jeans! And he wears them well!)

Bruce Springsteen crowd surfing

He even crowd surfed! (This is pre-surfing)

Bruce Springsteen 2012 st. paul high energy end of show

This is at the end of the show – and he is full of energy!

And he appeared more energized at the end of the show than at the beginning!  

American Land Bruce Springsteen the end

The Finale – American Land is such a fun song!

He is an amazing performer and I hope that I get to see him a few more times!  I think next time, I want to be “down there,” in that crowd of people dancing and singing along.  I hope I can do that before I get too old.
Although, you could see on the big screen, that some of them were not spring chickens!  

I’ve been thinking about Bruce, because I feel like I’m a “come-lately” fan.
But I used to listen to his music a lot in the late 80s, and I had forgotten that until I went to his concert for the first time in 2009
He is an amazing song writer and his songs tell stories.
I remember listening to his Live album (3 cassettes, given to my brother for Christmas), listening to the stories of Johnny 99, Reason to Believe, Cadillac Ranch, Nebraska… all stories beautifully (and often tragically) told.
Good stuff for a moody teenager to listen to (now and then)!

So I’m not really a “come-lately” but I have been a “Tramp” for many years!

I think as I get older, I can appreciate more and am in awe of his passion for music and for people.

Here is a World Premiere of Devils and Dust from that night, a compilation of songs from the night and the setlist for
Monday, November 12, 2012 at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN!  Woot!

Soundcheck:

Devils And Dust

Concert:

1. I’m A Rocker
2. Hungry Heart
3. No Surrender
4. Night
5. Loose Ends
6. Something In The Night
7. STOLEN CAR*
8. We Take Care Of Our Own
9. Wrecking Ball
10. Death to My Hometown
11. My City of Ruins
12. The E Street Shuffle
13. Pay Me My Money Down
14. DEVILS AND DUST*
15. Youngstown
16. Murder Incorporated
17. She’s The One
18. Shackled and Drawn
19. Waitin’ On A Sunny Day
20. The Rising
21. Badlands
22. Land of Hope and Dreams

Encore:

23. Jungleland
24. Born to Run
25. Dancing In The Dark
26. Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
27. American Land

http://www.backstreets.com/setlists.html to read more about the tour.
Our concert was a special event according to the Bruce experts!

Well, that’s enough about Bruuuuce!  Unless you want to tell me about your experiences!

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Remember, Remember

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How have I never heard this poem before?  My brother and my aunt have their birthday on the Fifth of November, so it’s a day that has been celebrated in my household as long as I have been around.  So how have I never heard this poem until this year?  One of the benefits of the internet?  Is it because I’m not English that I’ve never heard it before?  Is it because I now follow a lot of British folk on Twitter that I heard it finally this year?

Anyway, its in reference to Guy Fawkes, a traitor who was publicly and horrifically executed for his treason in 1605.  Yearly they burn effigies of him to remember the biggest traitor in their history.  I’ve heard of Guy Fawkes day and now I will forever put the two together.

A 1606 etching by Claes (Nicolaes) Jansz Vissc...

A 1606 etching by Claes (Nicolaes) Jansz Visscher, depicting Fawkes’s execution (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The version as reproduced from the Tower of London archive

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason and plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
’twas his intent
to blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow:
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!

What’s Making Me Happy This Week…

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A few things from last week:

  • The feeling of a weekend from the “olden days.”  Not sure what I mean by that, except that since I’ve started a crazy work schedule, real weekends are rare and haven’t included much baking or cleaning or just relaxing in front of the TV.  Last Thursday and Friday I had a “weekend” just like that!
  • Relaxing and hanging out with friends and family Thursday night while the Vikings game was playing in the background – good food and wine included!
  • The movie “Argo” was quite a flick! Very suspenseful with good humor and the hottie 1970s Ben Affleck.
  • A big MAYO FB win over John Marshall! I worked til just after game time and hustled to the field – the wrong field! – so by the time I arrived at the game it was 22-0 in the 2nd quarter!  Yay Mayo for the decisive win!  Excited to be able to go to the game in Owatonna on Friday!
  • The delicious Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake I made on Friday is going to continue to make me happy throughout this coming week!  I doubled the recipe and have shared it with family and friends, but there’s still some left for breakfasts this week and the flavor hasn’t changed day by day!  Yummy!
  • The Lighthouse Blend coffee I bought at Door County is truly delicious!

Looking forward to:

  • Choir tonight! Yay!  Singing is Good…
  • Working overnights this week… not sure I “look forward” to it, but it means I will be able to make the Section Championship Football Game Friday night!  Working overnights also means that I have an attitude of extreme self-care.  I ordered Seattle Sutton meals so I don’t have to think about what to eat, I will sleep as much as I can and watch a lot of TV and read in bed when I’m not sleeping.  Some of you may think that doesn’t sound atypical for me!

Marissa inspired me to start this week’s list by sending me a link that is making her happy lately:  Emergency Compliment gives you a quick boost if you need it!  

Which reminded me of something cool we found shopping in Door County: Song lyrics on canvas!  Lyricology is a new brand from Demdaco and for sale in stores that sell cute things.  Jennifer bought one and it was hard to choose!  I kind of want a bunch!

Candy corn and peanuts mixture also making me very very happy this week!  Yummy!

So that’s a list of things that make me happy – from last week, for the week ahead, and in general!

What is making you happy?

Happy Monday!

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Ah.  A great break from work has almost come to an end, but I really like the shift that I am working this week (2:30pm – 11:00pm) so I still get to stay up a little later and sleep in a little bit, so it fits my natural cycle.  I have a suitcase out and started filling it with a few things, and have a list going of other things I need to think about and plan before next weekend!

Halftime @ Mayo vs. Winona – Friday Night Lights

But this weekend was awesome…

  • Book club and Mexican food and catch-up time with the FC gals Thursday night
  • Pampering with free gifts at the Estee Lauder counter Friday morning
  • Mayo Football at Winona Friday night – their Homecoming game, but Mayo won the exciting game
  • Trajan’s football game Saturday morning – a perfect fall morning for football!
  • A singing “gig” in Winona Saturday afternoon
  • Pizza and a DVD (OT: Our Town) at Judy’s in Winona Saturday afternoon
  • Dancing to Hitchville at the Wicked Moose for Kristine’s birthday Saturday (until the wee hours of Sunday morning!)
  • A great sleep-in and matinee of “Trouble with the Curve” on Sunday afternoon
  • Girls’ Night In hair coloring party at Angie’s Sunday night
  • and now… muffin baking and blogging before heading to Rushford for choir and the How I Met Your Mother season premiere!

I just re-watched the double season finale of How I Met Your Mother this morning so I’m ready for this season – is it 8? The final musical selection got me searching the internet to see what it was and I’m delighted to say that I have it in my iTunes!  It ends with “The Wind” by Cat Stevens.  Such good music in that great show – and several Spotify playlists to prove it!

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother (Photo credit: tchuntfr)

Back to work tomorrow, but I’m armed with a list of things to do and think about and plan for.  Maybe I’ll have time to blog my itinerary for the fun that begins on Saturday!  It’s all so self-indulgent!  I love it!

I also have a birthday coming up next week (hence the fun schedule to come!) and it’s kind of a cool number, I think.  I’m kicking around some inspiration for lists – nothing as grand as the 40 things to do before turning 40.  But maybe 4 lists of 11 things?  I will see.  I also read somewhere someone was putting together a list for 10/10 – like 10 things to say YES to and 10 things to say NO to.  That’s do-able, too.

Other stuff:

  • I subscribe to a Timehop email and daily I get a re-cap of my Twitter and Facebook posts from one year ago.  It’s been fun to look back at that time and see what goodness was going on.
  • I read a few old blog posts of mine.  I have blogged 225 posts since February 2010.  Crazy, eh?  225 isn’t a lot when you think that I’ve been blogging for almost 3 years (yikes!) but I guess that’s more than a blog a week.  I blogged a lot and was kind of clever when I was unemployed!  For example, I did 40 days of blogs with another blogger who was celebrating her 40th birthday.  I also blogged daily using the Satellite Sisters Uncommon Senses as a theme.  I liked that.  Maybe I’ll reprise it monthly or something.
  • I don’t get any (or many) comments on my blog.  I don’t know why that is.  Probably because the people who really read it get it via email and it’s not as easy as commenting when you’re on the website.  If you do read it via email, I hope that you clicked that dance video that I posted after I saw The Intouchables.  What fun it is!!!

Well, enough for today!  Must get ready and get myself to Rushford!  It’s a beautiful sunshiney Monday!  Enjoy!

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